Part 25: Day 21, North Vandea, Attack (Part 1)

Well, okay. But I'm gonna be sad to see ol'Thule-y go.
Well, jeez, O'Kais, I'm gonna miss you too!
Hahaha, this thing never gets old.



Heads up, O'Kais, it took a turn to move into position so you won't get a "second attack" this round.




The enemy is at our doorstep and thinks he can push us off this world.


He is already gloating.


He can taste his victory--


--But what he fails to see is that we will make this his last meal. The Chief Librarian has ordered a purge of this world to protect our chapter's secrets.


Are we to retreat with our duty unfulfilled?


Are we to let a black mark stain the banner of the Blood Ravens?


I say that we will not!


I say our enemies will regret the day they ever decided to face us in battle!


Our Battle Barge orbits overhead and will rain down the Emperor's holy fury on our opponents.


More of our brothers will come to join the fight, but, as ever, our enemy outnumbers us.


Each of you must be an army in your own right!


Veterans of the First Company, the finest of our chapter, stand with us.


Let their valour guide your fire into the enemy's heart!


Remember that we are Blood Ravens, brothers. We have sworn to protect fonts of hidden knowledge. Each one of us must fall before handing this world to the enemy.


The Emperor is with us. The Unknown Primarch is with us.


They have come for our blood but they will drown in their own!
Sir, you have an incoming message!
Can it wait?
They say it's urgent.
Mmm, alright, hand it here. Hello?
Frig off, xeno!
I--SHAS'O, YOU--I'M GONNA-- *inhales deeply* --one, two, three, four, five-- *exhales*
Sir?
No, but seriously, surrender, Thule, if not for you, then for the Greater Good.
The greater good is coming for you from my bolter, alien.
Okay, good burn, I'll give you that--but you've seen what I can do. My forces are going to steamroll over you. Do the lives of your soldiers mean so little to you? Are you that mad?
Do the lives of yours mean so much to you, alien? Are you that weak?
*sigh* Alright, Thule. We'll do it your way.


The fool--uh, what's going on? Why is our Cadre Command within a no-man's land?
I SWEAR THE BASE WAS CLEAR WHEN WE sET IT UP, SHAS'O>>>THEY MUST HAVE BROUGHT IN MOBILE ARTILLERY.


Hmm, we'll have to do something about that before we do anything else.


I'm fairly certain it's coming from the bluff, Shas'o.




Ah, yes, I can see the muzzle flare.


Right, I'll take of this. I'll be right--


The First Company is with us! Strike at the enemy now!
--oh.


Captain Thule sends his regards!


We've disabled the Dreadnought.
The Space Marines have killed our Kroot Alpha Pack!!


Hmm, we lost one of our Stealthsuit Teams, Shas'o. The Space Marines seem to be taking this a little more seriously than the Necron and Eldar did.
Don't get your underwear in a twist, this is Thule we're talking about it.


Right, our Honour Guard is wounded, but most of it remains. A Stealthsuit Team, Vespids, and two Fire Warrior Bodyguards. To be honest, now that the Earth Caste has upgraded Railgun Turrets on our strategic points, they could probably hold our base on its own. Thule isn't that bright, nor is he the brilliant tactician he professes to be.


Gotta do something about that artillery, though.






Ah, hello! The benefits of a stealth field are once again all too obvious.


Now what else is up here--


A Whirlwind. Light artillery, can fire from long distances and without line of sight. It's incredibly inaccurate without line of sight, though, so they aren't dangerous unless some ground troops are nearby as well. They're great at disrupting squads, which is a problem for my Fire Warriors. They're poorly armoured, though, so I'll be taking them apart before I leave.


And I will be returning to base, because this bluff had some decent defenses. Turrets, tanks, these guys: Assault Terminators. Slow. They can Deep Strike anywhere on the map, though, and have unshakable morale--something, something, absolute faith in their "god" emperor. They are incredibly well-armoured, so I doubt I can kill off a squad on my own.


I'll kill this guy before I leave. A Librarian. Detector unit, makes me vulnerable to the Terminators. He has pysker abilities, too, but I can out gun him.






Reinforcements have arrived. To battle, Blood Ravens!
For the Emperor.
The Blood Ravens will not fall to one such as you, xeno.


Thule's certainly dug in. I'm gonna have to take out some of his toys.
Welcome back, O'Kais. We have intel on the area. Patching you through to Cadre Command.


Shas'o, we've identified three ways to annoy Thule.
Go on
One, steal the Space Marine Orbital Relay. It's just north-east of your location, and we can use it to feed their Battle Barge false target coordinates--blow up their stuff with their own guns! That'll also allow us to quickly transition into the second target: their forward base. We take that out, we'll cut off the majority of Thule's reinforcements. The third option takes us north-west, but it's an easy target. The Space Marine temple is out that way, along with the map relic. If we take that location (which is poorly defended because the Space Marines think it's heresy to properly entrench it), we'll be able to get Gregory onto the field.
Basically, go north-west, take the relic, and get Gregory to the fight, or go north-east, steal Thule's Orbital Relay, and use his own guns to cut off his reinforcements?
Exactly.
Excellent intel.
Shas'o, I would be remiss if I didn't point out how the Kroot would handle this mission.
Oh?
We would ignore all secondary objectives, ignore Thule's impotent soldiers, and make a straight-shot for his Fortress Monastery, bringing it all down on his head before he has a chance to response.
Also an intriguing option. I'll let the War Council decide.
O"KAIS>>>>>???
Oh, and while you're at it, decide whether we'll follow Kauyon or Mont'ka.