Terminators. Super-humans wearing the armor of tanks. Captain Root of 1st Company and three of his battle-brothers have been with us for a while in their tank-suits, with a fifth tactical dreadnought armor in reserve.
Expecting more tunnels like the previous mission, I deploy a Tactical Squad and the Devastator Squad with the Terminators.
Brother-Captain Root, storm bolter and power fist.
Brother Jack, with heavy flamer and chainfist.
Brother Pistor, with storm bolter and chainfist.
Brother Axe, with thunder hammer and storm shield.
The fifth Termi-- Wait, it should be in reserve.
The fifth Terminator unlatches his helm anyway. His face betrays a Hero of our company, a Brother whose squad has suffered much and had to be remade...
The assault cannon in Brother Storyfag's grip revs slowly in subdued anger. He will avenge his sergeant -- Timoleon -- and the other battle-brothers that have fallen during this campaign.
@Oscar, see, you are in this one.
Sergeant Gondolin grabs the master-crafted bolter.
The Librarian will neither speak nor reveal his name. His helmet is his face.
We march for Macragge, and we shall know no fear!
The stench of Chaos.
It's not an easy smell to pinpoint. Imagine pheromones in the air -- chemicals brimming with blood and lust -- swirling with a subtle layer of air that smells too ancient to be alive...
The undertone is hard to place, however... It seems different with every sniff. And your brain doesn't hurt unless you think about it. Don't think about it.
Nothing matters.
Two bunkers in front of a larger building. The warp gate is most likely in the latter.
It seems like my Assault units could have been able to jump around. Alas.
We are provided good cover where we dropped on the hill.
First, we must neutralize the enemy's long-ranged capabilities.
Each bunker has a missile launcher. Those traitor-brothers die first. Another mans a heavy bolter in the southern bunker, but that won't threaten the Ultramarines if they position properly.
Some say Space Marines are the pinnacle of mankind. Others say that they are not men.
That they are not. They are Astartes.
And Astartes are craftsmen with their weapons as musicians are with their instruments.
Well, the Space Marines at least color within the lines. I'm looking at you, Imperial Guard.
While Storyfag snips one missile launcher from the enemy's hands, Slips takes aim with his own launcher.
The sight wavers too much for his liking, so he shifts his stance and braces again.
Better.
And dead.
The other Terminators move to flank and assault before the enemy can react. They can only walk, not run, though their pace is ambling and does not leave me wanting.
Four men form an echelon to provide fire to the front and the left flank, heavy weapons of course set. The rest stay back in reserve and pop smoke grenades.
The alarms sound. Finally. Foul, inefficient traitors. In the distance, Lindblum thinks he spies a Terminator round the far corner of the hall.
And then Word Bearers in power armor burst out the door, led by another Terminator. Smell their bloodlust.
Two of our Terminators arrive at the bunker, but...
Before they can move, Brother Storyfag again ascends out of cover. He seemed to move in a blink, faster but somehow out of sync with the world.
And, in a blink...
The traitors are dead.
The squads switch priority to the enemy Terminators. Caught out in the open, we have been blessed with an early opportunity to take them down.
Oscar aims
One Terminator dies.
Boris pulses his trigger
Another Terminator dies.
The owners of the house will wake up to a bloody doorstep.
One last defender on the upper level of the bunker. He is essentially smothered by Smashing Axe's shadow.
The shadow jerks and a lightning bolt hits the Word Bearer's armor as the Thunder Hammer smashes down, pronouncing judgment.
With the immediate threats neutralized, Oscar climbs upon the highest hill and spies the enemy through the open chasm of a doorway.
Terminators.. and Daemons!
It matches with the description of 'Pink Horrors' in the Codex Astartes.
Bolters will do no good where they were on the hill, the distance to the hall so great. They move to replace the Terminators in the bunker, and man it with heavy weapons.
Whereas the Terminators move in even closer.
Jack nearly reaches the door before two Flesh Hounds materialize. As if they were always there, but not two seconds ago.
Oscar already had the sight of his heavy bolter in line with the doorway.
He guns one down.
From within the bunker, Podex aims
The hell-dog's head flies in every direction like explosive dysentary.
Smashing Axe leans into the doorway as best as his hulking armor will let him, sneaking a peek at the enemy composition. One Terminator, three regular Traitor Marines, and one Daemon. At least.
Meanwhile a few Ultramarines have stayed back in reserve, and now move towards the center. They pop a smoke grenade as they are out in the open.
The Purple Horror bursts out the doorway and tries to latch onto Brother Jack's armor with its long, spindly arms.
Jack, however, had his finger against the trigger of his heavy flamer, ready to burn the first enemy that appeared. Too ready. The Horror's flailing knocks into Jack's gun arm. Finger bumped trigger, and
He sets both the Daemon and himself on fire. The Daemon horrifyingly defies death, becoming two Blue Horrors with new life.
But the blue daemons are no stronger against fire than the pink one. They burn. The Tactical Dreadnought armor doesn't.
The plan is to continue drawing them out into our waiting guns. It is yet too early to assault into the building.
A golden dot on the auspex. What is that?
Storyfag aims straight through the door
A Terminator and another daemon. That must be the golden dot.
The Terminator falls.
A Sorcerer! Quickly, brother, destroy him before he can cast his maleficarum on us.
Storyfag directs his reply at the psyker.
Storyfag's arguments seem to sway him.
Now, we can assault.
As for the remaining daemon...
Storyfag shoots it,
Splitting it again into two.
But they are ready this time, these Ultramarines. Smashing Axe rushes at the daemon to the left while Boris clicks his heavy bolter at the horror to the right.
They shall only know doom.
Janus scans the room, steering his head clockwise, then counter-clockwise. One last Traitor left, hiding in a corner.
The Marines walk towards the last enemy side-by-side abreast, like a wave in the distance, still slow but rumbling.
But this wave, while still far away...
Can kill you from far away...
And now to destroy that tainted portal into the warp. Do not stare, brothers - it stares back!
First, Slips must unjam his weapon.
Then, the gate can go down.
A special Power Axe!
One Marine, he rose above the rest...
He claimed vengeance for his former sergeant's gene-seed.
What does our Company face next...?
