The Tau Incursion

The Tau Incursion

The Enemy Skies, a battle ship of the Ashfire Cadre, jumped into the Grahoya System.  

Grahoya 7 is a small mining world, drawing minerals from the planet itself and the surrounding asteroid belts.  The fleet of small mining ships and massive defense stations work tirelessly to keep the asteroids away from the planet.  The ore from these efforts are sent in regular shipments to Kerentia 4 for the forge to turn into tools and weapons for the artisans and warriors of the Hammond Sector.  As one of these shipments was leaving a large wing appeared in orbit over Grahoya 7.  

Alerted to the strange ship by the merchants, the Brotherhood and the 713th went to investigate.  Ariana,The Heavenly Spear, a battle barge of the Brotherhood, arrived a week later to see the Enemy Skies, of the Ashfire Cadre, sending shuttles and drop ships to the planet.  Captain Micheal and the Second Company deployed to the planet in Thunderhawks, sending the Heavenly Spear on to deal with the Enemy Skies.  

As the first cannon blasts were exchanged, the Enemy Skies seemed slow to respond, prompting the marines and guardsmen to attempt boarding.  Four boarding torpedoes were prepared, two with marines and two with guardsmen.  Stubs turned to tech marines preparing the torpedoes and made a request, "I need you to put a loaded Chimera into this boarding torpedo." The techpriest stared for a moment and then began to modify a torpedo.  Modifying quickly became rebuilding and the delay caused the marines to reach the enemy ship first.  

One torpedo was loaded with five Sanguinary Guard and a Sanguinary Priest, the other was loaded with half of Delta Squad.  The torpedoes hit the Enemy Skies and opened into what appeared to be barracks.  These marines were quickly met by three squads of Fire Warriors and two Crisis Battle Suits.  Delta Squad found the selves unable to resist charging the enemy flew toward the enemy, their jump packs nearly taking them to the ceiling.  They were met by the Battle suits, and suffered heavy losses, losing three of five members before making it to the enemy.  Chain swords glanced of battle suits and armored fist failed to penetrate power armor.   The Sanguinary Guard similarly charged into battle, their armor ignoring most of the shots fired by the fire warriors.  Soon one squad fell to their power weapons, then another.  While charging the second squad one member fell, and when that squad was scattered the Sanguinary Guard helped their brothers, felling the battle suits with their power weapons.   Once the battle suits were defeated, the Sanguinary guard turned their attention to the final group of fire warriors, who managed to defeat another member of the squad before being destroyed.  Delta squad pushed deeper into the ship, looking for new enemies.  

The Enemy Skies held its own while attempting to recover all of its drop ships and shuttles, but the battle gave the tech priests time to finish Stubs' request. Two more boarding torpedoes were launched from the Heavenly Spear, huge ugly torpedoes carrying chimeras to their enemies.   The Chimeras punched through the hull of the Tau vessel and were met by three groups of fire warriors and two crisis battle suits.  The suits moved to neutralize the chimeras so that the infantry could move.  They were countered by heavy melta and las fire from both chimeras.  One chimera was blown to pieces, while the other continued to rain fire down on the battle suits, but the efforts of the suits were not enough and the fire from guardsmen and the remaining chimera destroyed both suits.  The fire warriors did not have any weapon powerful enough defeat the chimera, and 713th took control of a small portion of the ship.

Alarms began to sound as the Enemy Skies prepared to retreat from the system, and all Hammond Sector forces fell back to their boarding torpedoes and off of the ship, though some had to be dragged by their Brothers.  The Enemy Skies then successfully left the system, though it feels like they will be back someday.

Now that I have batteries, here is my priest.  I feel that he came out REALLY well.  Also my three priests together, they are a huge part of the awesome that is in my army.

The Beginning.

After the end of the Heresy, the great Space Marine Legions were divided into many, many Chapters.  One such chapter was called the Winged Brotherhood, a thousand Marines taken from the blood Angels Legion.  They were formed into ten mighty companies, and sent to the farthest reaches of the Imperium of Man.  In the years that followed many enemies knocked at the gates guarded by the Brotherhood.  Eventually, there were too many enemies between the Brotherhoods Chapter planet and holy Terra and all contact was lost.  Terra thought the Brotherhood and their protected planets lost to time and Chaos, but the Brotherhood fought on.  

The Brotherhood defended nine planets and kept them intact after contact was lost with Terra.  To do this the Marines expanded their ranks, increasing their numbers to that of a legion.  Enemies pressed on the edges of their territory and men worthy of becoming Space Marines were hard to come by.  To help find more, doctors and scientists of those planets searched tirelessly for many years to  give Space Marines children.  Now the children of Space Marines serve in the ranks, and serve elsewhere in society.  Research continued elsewhere as well, learning more about the Warp, space travel, genetics, and anything else that caught the fancy of scientists and students.  

The Space Marines of the Winged Brotherhood have defended these planets for millennium, but now the fight begins anew with new enemies, and allies.

The Hammond Sector

After the end of the Heresy, the Winged Brotherhood was sent to Hammond Sector, a small distant piece of human space.  A group of five stars relatively close to each other through the warp, with nine habitable planets between them.  Chosen for the chapter planet of the Brotherhood was Kerentia 4, a forge world.  Because of the lack of free space on the planet, a space station was re-purposed to become their fortress monastery.  They were equipped with a standard group of space ships, battle barges, strike cruisers and other small vessels appropriate for a fledgling chapter.  Kerentia 3 and 5 were also habitable planets, agri-worlds that primarily support the forge world in their system.  

During their first years in the Hammond Sector, the Brotherhood fought desperately to hold that sector against enemies on many fronts.  In addition to that warp storms began to appear around the sector, cutting them off from Terra.  For nearly 10,000 years the Hammond Sector was cut off from Terra by storms in the Warp and enemies on all sides.  The Brotherhood defended the sector from all enemies, but with no reinforcement and enemies pushing in, the Chapter soon found that they need more and more marines to hold the line.  The need did not lessen as the years past, so the Chapter grew to meet the demand.  Eventually it became a Legion of Space Marines instead of just a Chapter.  

Psykers became a danger for the Hammond Sector.  Soon it fell to the Librarians of the Brotherhood to deal with them.  The Brother Librarians chose to teach them and keep them separate from most of the population.  Some of them become Brother Librarians themselves, others become pilots, and others still just stay and study in the fortress dedicated to their protection.

Fifteen years ago the first ships from the Imperium arrived in the Hammond Sector.  It started with refugees on Kerentia 5, but soon ships of the Inquisition followed.  As they learned more about the practices of the Hammond Sector, the Inquisition began to distrust the inhabitants and eventually chose to attempt to re-take control of the sector by force of arms.  The first battles were fierce and deadly, but the Inquisition forces were no match for the Brotherhood.

The Tau Incursion (Numbers)

We fought two battles, both 400 pts combat patrol.   Tanner brought a Tau list, three squads of fire warriors and two crisis suits. I brought my Blood Angels, one squad of assault marines and one squad of Sanguinary Guard. Nick brought Imp Guard, two veteran squads in Chimeras.

Tanner and I fought first, I tar pitted Tanner's crisis suits with assault marines, and then cleaned up with the Guard.

Tanner and Nick fought later, the Chimeras prevented the Tau from getting access the Guards squishy bits.

Hey sorry for the long wait, those of you that care, but summer is my busy season.   This is the fruit of my weekend.  I think he came out pretty well.   Thoughts and comments are welcome.