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Severus has another dream. Once again he has risen to the position of Chaplain and been given a small force to defend a river crossing, preventing an enemy from resupply. Although he does not remember his previous dreams, he keeps the lessons he learned firmly in mind: Use cover and terrain to your advantage, and set up squads to mutually support one another. Setup: Chaplain Severus knew the twisted Dark Eldar had taken cover behind the ruined wall. To protect his men, he had them set up inside or behind cover, but within range and line of sight of each other to provide covering fire all around. The Landspeeder, with it's ability to move swiftly and still fire, was positioned out of sight behind the trees the marines were in.
Turn 1: Suddenly the evil Dark Eldar launched their attack. Their skimmers screamed over the wall, unleashing a torrent of fire into Julius' squad. The marines lost several, but stood firm as the Dark Eldar charged in against them. Taking advantage of their concealed positions, the marines slew several of the Eldar pirates before they were struck down. The Dark Eldar moved swiftly into the woods to take shelter. Severus, angered at the loss of his battle brothers, ordered his men to fire at will. The Landspeeder soared around the copse of trees, it's Heavy Bolter walking a line of explosive shells up and across one of the skimmers, causing it to burst into flames and crash. Athos and the men of squad 1 held their ground and fired into the exposed Dark Eldar that had just finished off Julius and his squad, cutting down 5 more of the evil xenos. Severus and squad 2 also fired into the Dark Eldar, slaying 3 of the enemy.
Turn 2: The Dark ones swiftly returned a hail of splinters into squad 2 and rushed in against them. The remaining Raider withdrew across the river behind cover, sending a thin, dark beam stabbing out at the Landspeeder. The pilot died instantly and the craft slammed into the nearby ruins. The Reaver jetbikes sped around the trees, taking Severus and Squad 2 from behind. In the frantic, swirling melee, Severus and the 3 survivors of squad 2 quickly found themselves fighting back to back, ringed by the taunting Dark Eldar. They lashed out, felling several, but were pressed on all sides. Even as the Dracon slid up toward him, Severus could hear the shouts of Athos and Squad 3 charging into the melee. Several marines tried to rush the Dark Lord, but he nimbly sidestepped them, leaving two decapitated bodies in his wake. The remainder of the Dark Eldar turned and viciously attacked the fresh squad of marines, felling two more. The marines concentrated on crushing the Dark Eldar between their forces, rapidly taking out all but the Dracon and two Jetbikes.
Turn 3: The Dracon leapt and danced among the heavily armored marines, while his Agonizer lashed out faster than the eye could see. Two more of Athos' marines were slain, before the remainder tackled the Dracon, dragging him down and clubbing him with their Bolters. Severus and the remaining 3 marines from squad 2 concentrated on bringing down the cackling Reavers. Although the foe fought hard, their spikes and blades proved no match for the marines' armor, and they were dispatched swiftly. The marines spread out and took up defensive positions.
Turn 4: The remaining Dark Eldar Raider skimmed silently across the river and slunk into the ruins, sending a beam of dark energy lancing out and cutting Athos in half. Chaplain Severus, realizing his few remaining marines were exhausted and understrength, ordered his men to fall back, rather than continuing to take the brunt of the sniping Skimmer.
Severus briefly awoke from his dream and muttered, "Victory was in my grasp, but they were too cunning. If I had had enough forces left to hold the objective, I could have driven them off. I must ensure that I always remember what the objective is and how to achieve it, instead of getting caught up in merely killing the foe." Severus rolled over and drifted off once again, into another dream... If you enjoyed this, email me and let me know |
