Hunter or Hunted Part II

First the story:

Everything was black, white how pain filled the senses, noise, thunder, the sound of thunder almost overhead. Voices shouting, screams, shattered metal, silence. Slowly Master Captain Icarus of the Blood Ravens 5th Company opened his eyes to a screen of static. His helmet flashed through various visual spectrums, all non responsive. Icarus shook his head, smacking it against the side of his jump pack and suddenly his vision started to clear, the screen resolving into the sights of a shattered field, littered in power armored bodies. Shakily he stood to his feet, reminding himself that power fists do indeed hurt, very much.

"Form up! Prepare for the Guard, and get this mess cleared away. Reform the cover!" Icarus shouted as he steadied himself against a drop pod. Above him a marine was tearing off its storm bolter, the weapon firing uselessly into the sky, its servos must have been severed in the shooting.

"Sir are you alright?" It was Faustus.

"I've had worse, I'll get an apothecary to look at me later, for now we have to prepare for the Guard, and perhaps the Grey Knights, if they arrive it will either be with the infantry or teleporting." Icarus said walking over to where his marines were forming up agian.

"The cover has been shredded, should we move back to the next lines?" Sergeant Valius asked.

"Yes, pull back to the next line, let the Guardsmen see their allies dead." Icarus said following the assault marines as they fell back to the next line of defenses they had prepared. The Guard would be coming soon, and they were not going to be happy. But then again, neither were the Blood Ravens.

Terrain: Same basic setup as before, this time a large bit of ruins was added to the center.

Deployment: Two guardsmen squads went into the building in the upper right with the command squad and the mortar teams behind. The Leman Russ went to the right of that building. The other two Guardsmen squads went behind Pieces of Rubble to the left. The two command squads went infront of the troops and behind the center rubble. Bassalisk went behind some ruins on the far left. The Sentinel went to the left of the Guard held building. The Storm Troopers in their Chimera went next to the bassalisk. Devs went in the building on the left, bolter scouts on a wrecked Land Raider next to the small building to the right of my deployment zone, sniper scouts went in that building. Bikes went behind a hill on the right. Assault Marines behind the wrecked Land Raider, both Tac squads behind the rubble in center board.

Turn 1:
Imperial Guard
This turn hurt for me, Bassalisk Earth Shaker hit on target and downed 7 marines from the first Tac squad and 1 from the second. First Tac was pinned, second held firm. One assault marine was taken out by a Lascannon.

Blood Ravens
So that was not a turn to make me happy, but nevertheless I could expect that, now onto the killing. Sergeant Valius led his men out of the ruins and charged into the first of the command sections and chainswords, combat knifes and power weapon attacks later the squad was happily torn up with only a few men left alive. Assault squad moved behind the ruins, Land Speeder shot down a few guardsmen in the building. Bikes moved up and fired on the Leman Russ but failed to hurt it. Scouts accounted for a few guardsmen. Devastators blew up the chimera. Bolter scouts shot down the Sentinel

Turn 2:
Imperial Guard
Leman Russ shot at the scouts and killed one, the guardsmen fired a whole lot, and all but the assault bike died in my poor bike squadron. Other than that I did not take anymore cassualties, but thats mostly cause so much of the Guard army focused on killing the bikes. Second command devision charged Valius' tac squad. The end of the combat showed one marine dead and the first command section wiped out. Second command unit lost combat and failed their leadership and were run down, squad consolidated into the storm troopers.

Blood Ravens
Master, Librarian and Assault Marines leapt out of cover and charged the nearest Guardsmen squad. Scouts let rip on the command squad and downed several. Devs shot at the bassilisk but did not manage to destroy it. Assault bike got closer to the Leman Russ and immobolized and stunned it.  Command units wiped out the Guardsmen and consolidated into the next squad.

Turn 3:
Imperial Guard
Grey Knights arrived but their scatter on their Deep Strike landed them far from the action. Guard killed the Assault Bike to masses of lasguns, an earthshaker round managed to down 4 of the 5 remaining bolter scouts leaving just the bolter marine but he stayed. Assault saw the end of the second guard squad wiping out one platoon and leaving the second without its command devision.

Blood Ravens
Commanders and assault squad held back waiting for the Grey Knights to get closer. Gunfire accounted for more guardsmen but not many. Pinned the lascannon squad on the bottom floor of the Guard held building. Devs took out the bassalisk. Both Tac squads moved to try and catch up to the fight.

Turn 4:
Imperial Guard
Grey Knights stormed forward, guard fired all they had but failed to do any damage save kill the last assault marine besides the sergeant.

Blood Ravens
Devs get some shots off at the Grey Knights and manage to kill one. Master, Epistolary and Assault Squad Sergeant charged the Grey Knights. The Epistolary swung first. Having used Veil of Time he managed to kill 3 of the Terminators. Icarus went next and he managed to kill the Brother Captain. Then the group consolidated into cover. Gunfire pinned the lascannon guardsmen again and killed a few more.

Turn 5:
Imperial Guard
Gunfire managed to kill not a single marine.

Blood Ravens
Assault units moved into the building to charge the lascannon Guardsmen squad and wiped them out, consolidating into the command unit, the Assault Sergeant consolidated into the mortar teams.

Turn 6:
Imperial Guard
Colonel fell to the master, Librarian consolidated down to the bottom floor. Half the mortar troopers fell to the Assault Sergeant, master consolidated into final guardsmen squad.

Blood Ravens
Librarian melta bombed the Leman Russ blowing off its battle cannon but failing to kill it. Master wiped out the final guardsmen, assault sergeant killed the last mortar troopers.

Game Over, Victory to the Blood Ravens!

Cassualties:
Imperial Guard
71 Guardsmen
Sentinel
Bassalisk
Colonel
Chimera
Damaged Leman Russ

Blood Ravens
12 Tactical Marines
5 Assault Marines
5 Scouts
Land Speeder

All in all a good game, Im pleased with the results, and that is a ton of guardsmen, I hadn't realised how many it was. In any case another couple victories to add to the Blood Ravens tally. But finally some fluff:

Icarus pivoted on his left foot, digging his heel into the ground and spinning low, his claws slashing out at knee level, the Terminator was fast, but not that fast. Nemesis Force Halbard slashed over Icarus' head, scrapping against the power field of his ancient Iron Halo, doing no more than to help blind the Terminator from his target. Sparks flew as the power claws slashed through the ceremite plating, the Terminator armor was thick and powerful but the claws cut through it with ease. Blood flowed where the claws had slashed through both legs just below the knees, but not far enough to cut through the bone. Still the Grey Knight Brother Captain howled his rage as he spun the Halbard back around sweeping in a diagonal slash, but Icarus was already gone, in his place was a roaring jet of flame. Activating his Jump Pack Icarus launched into the air, his armored boot connecting with the face of the Brother Captain as he lifted off. Stumbling back from the surprisingly strong blow the Grey Knight didn't even see Icarus cut the jet and spin as he fell, sweeping his left claw through the lighter armor of the neck guard between the Terminator's head and shoulder. The head flew free of the body, the veteran warrior of countless battles against horrors Icarus had never seen was dead before he even realised he was hurt, the life flown from the corpse before it hit the ground. A terrible way for a veteran Astartes to die, by the hand of another Astartes. Icarus backflipped and threw himeslf behind cover. Sergeant Rafiel and Epistolary Faustus were the only marines remaining with him. Brother Germanus flew past the sand bags, his torso in tatters. Heavy bolter rounds punched into the dirt and stone all around.

"Wait for it." Icarus spoke into the vox calmly. The gunfire roared, long seconds passing before it suddenly cut out, to be replaced by a more distant burst of gunfire, this time from the scouts. Icarus had no idea how many were still alive but they were doing their job well. "Go, Go, Go!"

The marines were already moving, the three of them sprinting across the field. Three jump packs roared in unison sending the veteran warriors crashing through the wall of the ruins where the final Guard Platoon had holed itself up. Guardsmen scrambled as the marines burst in among them, but they were far too slow. Faustus spun and turned, he stabbed men behind him, knowing they would be there.

"Bloody unfair." Icarus said into the vox jokingly.

Within moments the Guard on the bottom floor were dead. Faustus and Icarus launched again smashing through the floor above without ceremony and bursting amonst another squad of Guardsmen and the remains of the Command squad. The Colonel roared, drawing his ornate power sword and rushing at Icarus.

"This is for my comrades on Kronus!" The warrior yelled as he charged, Icarus side stepped the lunge and took the man's head off. Deluded fool, Icarus thought to himself as he cut down three more guardsmen before the second second passed. Faustus was already gone, dropping back to the bottom floor to rush the tank outside with his melta bombs. Sergeant Rafiel had gone after the mortar teams behind the building and from the sound of things had finished them off already.

"Clear!" Yelled Faustus from below, Icarus walked over to the window in time to see the Librarian looking through the top hatch of the smoking Leman Russ battle tank.

"A grenade huh?" Icarus asked deactivating his claws to lean out of the window and look around.

"What, and you had a better idea?" Asked the Librarian looking up, his eyes still glowing, the circuit around his head flaring with energy.

"Good job, really, nice work!" Icarus said, giving the thumbs up sign before walking back into the building to survey the mess. More than a dozen guardsmen lay strewn about, most bore the wounds of lightning claws or Faustus' Force Staff but some had been taken out with precision sniper shots, and others blasted apart by bolter rounds. "Report, what are we looking at?"

"The Strike Cruiser in orbit has departed, confirmed kills on forty eight Deathwatch, two Dreadnaughts, five Grey Knights and more than seventy guardsmen and a few odd vehicles. Which is everyone, one Drop Pod landed late and off target but squad Philantes took down the Drop Pod before the cargo could disembark, all hands killed." Reported Sergeant Backus.

"And our cassualties?" Asked Icarus.

"Total tally is not yet available but we are looking at fifteen men roughly and four scouts. But sergeant Valius tells me those surviving scouts are now fit for advancement." Sergeant Backus again.

"A heavy toll for such a tragic battle." Icarus said solemnly, crossing the arms of the Guard Colonel over his sword and closing his eyes.

"With all due respect sir, are they not the enemy, traitors and scum come to kill us?" Asked sergeant Rafiel.

"No sergeant, they are not traitors and scum, they are comrades in arms, turned against us by the corruption and treachery of others. Our real enemies did not show themselves here, they were in orbit, watching their pawns fight and die. This battle was not a result of the deaths on Kronus, or Captain Angelos' actions. It is a result of the corruption and rot lying at the heart of the Imperium. We are charged with hunting threats both outside and in, heretics, mutants, aliens and traitors alike. But nevertheless not everything is black and white, not all our enemies are the real threat, not all those who seek our death are the enemy. Remember this sergeant." Icarus said walking out of the building and back towards his men.

The opposing forces had been defeated, in a near text book fashion. Cassualties were light considering the number of fellow Astartes and Guard who had faced them. Despite that, Icarus was not pleased. Good men had died, both his own, and others. All servants of the Imperium. There had been no victor this day. As he walked back to his men, Captain Icarus' shoulders were heavy with the weight of leadership.

I hope you enjoyed the read, comments are always welcome!