[emporershand89]

(OCC:Alright, and off we go)

Sui’na looked out the viewport on the side of the drop ship as it descended into the lower atmosphere and towards the crater. He thought about all the brave soldiers who were ready to give their lives in service for the Greater Good and thought about the sacrifices some of them wound be making this day. The ultimate sacrifice, he thought, is it so necessary for such a simple task that seems to be petty in face of much more challenging and lethal odds for us. Many things swirled through his mind over and over until the voice of his aid took him out of his state of mind.

“Aun Vior’la Sui’na, we are ready to make ground insertion, and your HQ has already been prepared. Intelligence shows that the enemy is aware of our presence, but doesn’t seem too aware of our actual strategy, sir.” Sui’na looked at him with concerned eyes.

“So the element of surprise is almost gone completely.” He closed his eyes and said sadly, “I was hoping to get more of our men in place but I guess it cannot be helped.” He worried about all his troopers, for unlike man Tau commanders whose only concern was the completion of the overall objective; he cared about brining as many of his men home and victory. If too many were sacrifice, then why does any gain matter.

But it didn’t matter for the moment because a thump announced they had made ground level and were ready to disembark. Strolling down the ramp holding his head high and his sword swung strongly across his back, he walked a couple of feet over to where the tactical hologram was standing, and a tent readied with all many of surveillance equipment in place. The hologram showed the crater and little moving ships, each detailed down to a fine point thanks to Tau holoscanner technology.

“Alright, let’s see what we’ve got,” he said as he leaned into the hologram and let the machine project a 360 degree image in his head………………………………………………………..

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


(Alright, each of you will get your orders separately here. I need you to get your troops as far into the fight as possible. Enemies die, so auto-killing is ok for now, just don’t overdo it. Get your people to the lip of the crater by next post)

Serpion5 and chaoslovespussy2012: Your commanders were given strict orders to get down and form a surprise attack from the rear of the crater in order to take out some human artillery bunkers. Your landing was rough, and chaoslovespussy2012, your transport went down right in the enemy lines. Serpion5, do you rush to aid him or do you proceed with your mission? Chaoslovespussy2012, do you fight or surrender to the mercy of the humans???

Anfo and spacemarine00: You are the heavy hitters; Sui’na’s using you as bait. You must attack the front, Anfo, your people are in support of the tanks. Do you move with them for cover or do you charge right in weapons firing. Remember, the fronts got all kinds of nasty surprises, so get creative. Casualties will be had, so a man or one tank will do.

Captain Fatty: you get the fun job. Your men jump from the transports, landing a little off course and smack dab in the middle of the barrack area. Do you shoot it up, or do you keep on the move, heading for your objective, the enemies motor pool

Therizza: Ok, your Pathfinders were already injected into the battlefield by stealth craft from the commanders carrier. You spent the night disposing of sentries and have sheltered in the bunker and finally the battle has started around you. You mission is to make your way out and use your laser-light pointer to direct orbital fire upon three key objectives. What do you do??? Do you target the already burning barracks, or perhaps the enemies energy generator??? Perhaps the inner fortress??? Whatever you do, be careful, for you might hit your own troops if you are reckless!!!(your only aiming, I'll bring down where you choose)

 

[CaptainFatty]

Shas'vre Vior'la Uri'en Kles'tak sat in his suit, waiting for the call. His squad was silent, most likely collecting their thoughts and preparing their minds for the battle ahead. Their primary target was a Gue'la convoy, a task they were well suited for. He heard a whining buzz and his tactical feed flashed, showing that Dai'nao had already powered up his suit. He was young for a veteran battlesuit pilot and always eager to get in the fight. It has served him well before but could easisy become his bane. This thought was just passing when the red light turned on - they were nearing their drop point.

"Remember, we will be facing vehicles, stay mobile and in the air and we'll survive. Focus on the high priority targets and let the drones suppress their infantry. Get ready." Uri'en went through the process of activating the movement and combat systems of the suit and was ready in a few moments. He swelled with pride as he saw that the others were ready as quick as he was. Uri'en knew that he led he best squad in the cadre, and he had the history to prove it. His smile faded into seriousness as the light changed from red to green and the airlock hissed, preparing the door for opening. He maneuvered his way to the door, always the first out of a ship and into combat.

"Se'hen che sha!" Uri'en shouted the familiar phrase to his squad before jumping, allowing his suit to freefall towards the Gue'la settlement, his gun drones close behind. Several beams of light emitted from the ground, most likely from the vehicles they were sent in to destroy. Uri'en realised they were dropped off target but it was too late, they were too close to the ground to properly maneuver themselves at this speed. "We missed the drop zone, don't land and follow me to our objective."

Uri'en activated the jetpack and allowed himself to slow down, noticing small arms fire coming from below him. His display showed a large amount of human soldiers, most of them unarmed. A barracks, we must kill them before they arm them selves.

"Change of plans. We will land in the barracks below us and kill as many enemy soldiers as we can before they get the chance to prepare for the battle." He didn't wait for the squads reply and dropped, landing hard in the center of the buildings, most likely the courtyard as there were several squads marching, ready for combat. Uri'en fired two missiles at the closest group, watching as several men were ripped apart by the explosions. His squad quickly followed suit and the barracks were soon turned into a slaughterhouse. The humans had few weapons with them, the little they had being small rifles and pistols, their projectiles bouncing off the superior armour of the battlesuits. Many humans tried running but it was too late, the gun drones tearing them apart as soon as the left their cover while the squad focused on the few elements that dared fight back.

"Good, we got most of them," Uri'en communicated to his squad as Jesui's plasma rifle tore a large hole in the side of a building, his drones slaughtering the helpless men inside, "We'll head towards the motor pool and find a position to ambush them, but they know we're here so it won't be easy." With that he fired up the jetpack and flew towards the motor pool, several small laser beams barely leaving a mark on his armour as he moved.

 

[spacemarine00]

(Hey brother, hows this, beat that, hehe)


Shas’o Hynsui moved in his seat, feeling the pressure as shells started to fall amoung the armored formation. The 30 or so tanks were moving in with support from the infantry and auxilaries towards the enemies front defenses in the hopes of drawing a large amount of there troops to the front. His men had the railgun already firing plasma at the enemy positions but the return fire was heating up; so bad infact he could here it ringing off the hull of his tank.

Hynsui grabbed the view and looked out, seeing a 360 degree view around him. He saw the flashes of the enemies artillery near the lip of the crator and the fire from small arms from the trenches less than 20ft from him. "Alright men, lets roll, we gotta break there backs here."

His tank shot foward, firing the prototype ion cannon and setting an gun implacement on fire. They rolled over the first set of trenches and kept going, firing burst guns into scores of enemy infantry that were hurling gernades and "Stikk bomb," a human term, at them. However, not everything was to be perfect, as an enemy tank unit charged down at them from the crators lip. "20 degrees traverse, FIRE!!!!!"

The tank rocked as the ion cannon discharged and the lead enemy tank disappeared in a ball of fire, vering wildly and smashing some men over. To his left his wing man's tank exploded and stopped, fire spewing from its top gun. "Fyngvinvi, move over and cover him. Dui'shan, are you ok, report, ARE YOU OK???" No response from the tank as the fire began to diminish, but it still seemed to be hovering on its units.

Suddenly the static was broken by a weak voice, "Hynsui, we are ok, lost a man and my railgun is gone, but we are still in this fight, Greater Good providing." Hynsui breathed a sigh of releif, and turned back tot he business at hand. "Ok, keep pushing men, were almost there......................."

 

[Therizza]

Savon Shas'len'ra looked to the sky. He and his team had infiltrated the enemy’s perimeter several hours before daylight, quickly dispatching the guards who would have revealed their position. Feeling confident in their concealed location within the enemy’s defenses, they had waited out the night, anticipating the attack to come.

As Savon looked up, he caught the unmistakable outline of Tau battle suits descending like calculated death upon the battlefield. He had been told to wait to break from cover until the battle suits had begun their destruction, the ensuing chaos masking his team’s movements.

“Ah, Uri’en and his squad are making planet fall. That is our signal.” whispered Savon to his team.

“Sir, look, they are redirecting! They are coming down on top of our position, fast and hard!” replied his second in command.

“By Tau, we must move, quickly, else we are caught in their crossfire with the Gue’la heathens!” said Savon, his voice quiet yet direct.

Moving with great haste, Savon’s team used the commotion of Uri’en’s assault on the barracks they had just been hiding on top of to cover their escape. Savon’s team members took pot shots of opportunity with their pulse carbines at the Gue’la while running to the nearest piece of cover, but never broke from their dead on sprint to take aim. Their mission was not to kill the humans in the barracks. They were in charge of larger targets.

Taking cover over the crest of a small hill, Savon and his team spotted their target, the human’s power generator. If they could take out the generator facility, perhaps the human’s defense systems and lines of communication would be so badly crippled as to assure victory. Having no time to contemplate the finer points of his target's selection, he ordered the marker lights to paint the target for destruction.

“Savon to fleet, targets are marked. Fire for effect…”

 

[Serpion5]

Tak`El righted himself with a grunt and looked around the transport cabin at the rest of his squad. Most of them seemed okay, if a little shaken.

"Everyone alright?" He called. "Let`s move, we cannot afford to be idle!"

"Shas`ui! What of the pilot?" One of his squad called, indicating the forward compartments of the small vessel. Tak`El grimaced inside his helmet. There was no time...

"We`ll come back for them..." The shas`ui replied, secretly knowing it to be a kind hearted lie. Those of the air caste would not last long on an open battlefield. "Move! NOW!" He shouted. Leading the way, he brought his squad out and quickly scanned the grounds around them.

Hiok should have been close by...

"The kroot are missing." A squad member vocalised. They kept moving, senses alert for danger. The bunkers were a short distance ahead, they had to reach them soon. But could they take out the entire battery by themselves?

"This is madness." Tak`El shook his head. "The gue`la will defend their artillery fiercely, we need the kroot to succeed here!" He paused suddenly and raised a hand for silence.

"...That way." His youngest member replied. He had heard it as well. Avian screeches, the sound made by kroot, were echoing from nearby.

"Excellent senses, Kirion." Tak`El nodded in approvement. The young shas`la nodded in acknowledgement and took point, his pulse carbine at the ready. They wove through the battlescape out of sight, each of them eager to join the fight.

Carefully, they took up position. Hiok and his kroot were besieged by several human squads a short distance downhill.

"Open fire!" Tak`El roared, opening up with his pulse rifle.

"Yaah!" A cry of enthusiasm came up from his squad, their voices drowning out their gunfire as they picked their targets precisely from between the kroot warriors below.

"Shas`ui, we`ve been flan-!" Tak`El turned as one of his warrior`s warning cries was cut short by a las round hitting him square in the abdomen between the armour plates. Two suads of gue`la had followed their trail from the damaged transport. Damn...

They needed no further warning. Hoping he had given his kroot ally enough of a diversion to save himself, he turned his squad around and opened fire on these new assailants...


--- --- ---

ooc: Hopefully, I made a big enough dent for the kroot to save themselves. Speaking of help... :wink:

 

[emporershand89]

Sui’na lifted his head from the hologram, pleased at the progress his warriors were making overall. This was a truly tough test, and they were performing better than expected in his eyes. Though the downing of the three kroot transports worried him a little, he held his head high as he continue to monitor the progress of the individual units. The gue’la were falling like blades of grass fall to the blade, and it became apparent that for all their handiwork, they were not as prepared for the attack as they seemed. Sui’na worried about this, for if the enemy had a hidden surprise within his crater fortress, it might get ugly and the mission put in jeopardy.

He flinched slightly as massive lance beams poured from the heavens above and descended like the fires of Howmayia into the crater. Well, he thought, at least my Pathfinders are doing their jobs, and soon all will fall into place as it should be. He decided that soon they should move in and start their search for what they came here for; a search that Sui’na personally hoped would reveal nothing.

He turned to his aid, “Go and get a report on the Y’he fleet, and its proximity to this planet, and be quick about it.” The aid thumped his chest and spun on his hoof and strode out as Sui’na slowly put his head into the hologram again and let the battle view surround him.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

(OK guys, more fighting, and its going to get real vicious here so loose a guy or too, except spacemarine00, your tanks need to make it inside.)

Serpion5: Your guys were ambushed by gue’la reinforcements. You survive, only sustaining minor wounds only to suddenly have the enemies artillery start raining down upon you. This is not supposed to happen, but it has and now you have a split second to make the choice. Do you run and try to get within the enemies lines before they can range in on you or do you retreat to the landing craft??Depending on which way you take the story will be adversely affected.

Chaoslovespussy2012: Yu didn’t post, so I’m gonna a fill you here (you got to PM me man, and talk). Your kroot survived a vicious melee; in no small thanks due to the efforts of Serpion5’s Fire Warriors. You’re now within the enemy’s lines and you have a choice to make here. Do you proceed and advance into the base slaughtering and blowing shit ups you go? Or o you turn and attack the enemy’s artillery positions in an effort to save Serpion5s troops?

Anfo and spacemarine00: Ok, Anfo you didn’t post so I’ll fill you in. Your dudes made it with only two casualties, great!!! Bad news is now you two have a nasty surprise coming your way. As you crest the top of the crater a huge shadow is thrown over you and the next minute you find yourselves face to face with a Baneblade. This thing is wreaking havoc, pounding Fire warriors and humans alike into gruesome piecemeal. Spacemarine00: Do you attack the Baneblade or try to get behind it? Or perhaps you bypass it and try to leave it to the others. Anfo: Your men hit the dirt and hug it for dear life as bullets, shells, and cannon fire spew from this nasty thing. How do you deal with it? Do you try and find a bunker for shelter, or do you take it head on? Keep in mind you have a transponder, and can call for backup from a Broadside suit team.

Therizza: Oh boy what a show, you just nuked the generator, and by doing so brought down the bases void shields, heavy caliber weaponry, and plasma turrents offline. Most of the base’s defense grid is now only minutes away from crashing. This will help in the long run. However, you now have an even greater task to accomplish. You must somehow move stealthy(s stealthy as you can in a battlefield, Rambo style) and sneak into the dig site’s back entrance. From there you have to open the main gate somehow. I don’t care how you do it, just get it done, and maybe loose a man, your call.

Captain Fatty: You are truly ruthless my friend, and for that you have opened a new path. Because you slaughtered all those mustering Guardsmen, you have practically deprived the enemy of their inner manpower so to speak. You finish up and make your way over towards the enemy’s motor pool, torching, destroying, and in all sense enjoying killing things as a Tau can. You reach the motor pool……………………….and come face to face with a Dreadnought and Sentinels behind it!!! The Sentinels won’t be a problem, but the dreadnought is your boss level here, this guy’s got two arms, each with bolters under it. It’s dark green and has a wing in its upper left corner. So what do you do, do you leave the center guy for later or charge him head on?? Remember, don’t be too long otherwise the enemy might be able to get those tanks up and running!!!

 

[CaptainFatty]

"That was entertaining," Dai'Nao exclaimed, flying ahead of Uri'en and into his view. He could see blood covering one of Dai'nao's feet, where he had intentionally landed in the middle of a mobilized enemy squad. It was effective but barbaric.

"War isn't entertaining, Shas'ui," Uri'en calmly replied, "keep formation, behind me."

"Ah, but that's up to the individual," Dai'nao replied, a glint of sarcasm in his voice. Uri'en knew he was right but would never admit it.

"Shas'vre, target lock has multiple hostiles, walkers by the looks of it." Veron, the squad's scout, said as he slowed down to let the rest of the squad catch up.

"Good, their primitive walkers will be no match for us, wide spread, surround them and tear them apart." Uri'en was already over the defensive wall as he said this watching his radar as the squad spread out and began to advance. Ground cracked as he landed, let off a missile at the closest walker and took off again before they knew he was there. The target was hit directly in the cockpit and exploded, fragments of metal flying everywhere.

"We've got a heavy walker, in the center of the enemy formation," Jesui's voice came over the communicator, calm despite the new threat. Several more light walkers were brought down with only the loss of one of Sai'tan's gun drones. Uri'en acknowledged Jesui's call and moved towards him, narrowly avoiding a large laser beam and quickly destroying the attacker. "I'm hit badly, jetpack down, drones disabled"

Jesui had fired several missiles at the large walker but it kept moving, raining heavy fire on the Tau. Uri'en fired a missile at the walker, hitting one of it's legs and disabling it but it was too late. Jesui's lack of mobility had made him an easy target and one of the lighter walkers had hit him directly in the cockpit. Another missile into the rear of the heavy walker ensured it's destruction. An explosion went off next to Uri'en, rocking his suit and scrambling his systems for a split second.

"Careful, I've got your back," Sai'tan said as he took out yet another walker.

"Thanks, cover me, I'm moving to Jesui." Uri'en said and landed next to Jesui's suit, praying that the damage was only superficial. It was not to be as Jesui's cockpit was a gaping hole, flames licking the edges of the suit. There was no movement. "He's gone. There was nothing else we coul-" several impacts hit Uri'en's suit hard, rocking it and knocking it down. While the rest of the squad were taking care of the remaining walkers, the heavy one had crawled towards Uri'en, unseen by anyone.

He tried to stand and fly off but it had him by the leg, it's robotic grip easily overwhelming the jetpack's power. The walker communicated something to him in a deep voice, it's words translated as 'You will not have me so easily, alien.' It was about to land another blow onto Uri'en when Dai'nao landed near it, two blasts from his plasma rifle impacting against the crater left by the missile and easily penetrating the weakened armour, finishing off the walker. Uri'en tore the suits leg free and almost fell as the damaged limb was forced onto the ground.

"You will have to be careful there Kles'tak, one wrong move will collapse that." Sai'tan said, his head camera moving towards Jesui's remains, "a sad day but we must move."

"Thankyou, all of you. Sai'tan, attach one of Jesui's drones to your controller. We are moving to take the rest of the vehicles. Veron, move up." Uri'en ordered and began to hover over the remains of the firefight, twisted metal husks lettering the ground below him.

 

[Anfo]

Graviel spat on the ground. The words "You are the bait." echoed in his ears. Graviel, the bait boy, was now pinned down and had no help. Graviel looked at his tronsponder and smashed it with his fist. I don't need to hear any more of the tau's 'tactics'.

Looking up, Graviel saw a small brick wall about forty feet to the east. This would provide good temporary cover. And about one hundred feet in front of the wall was a trench net work that seemed to cover the entire complex. Graviel smiled, time for war.
"Alright boys, follow me, and run."
Graviel and his men broke cover are sprinted to the wall. Sliding down, Graviel did a head count, one of his men had been killed. Graviel poked his head over the wall. The troops who had been firing at him hadn't yet made to this section of the trench yet. Yet.

Graviel jumped over the wall while ordering his men fix bayonets. Graviel jumped in to the trench and shot a guardsmen in the face. He then ran in the direction that was shooting at him earlier. Along the way, Graviel and his men engaged in small hand to hand skirmishes. When he made it to a bunker, Graviel threw in a grenade and waited for the boom. Graviel ran into the bunker to see all the inhabitance dead. Mounted on the bunker was a heavy bolter. Graviel had two of his men take it, the one carried ammo while the other would fire. Moving back into the trench, Graviel continued to clear out the bunkers, though he didn't take any weapons. When finally done with the first line of trenches Graviel began to move into the fall back trenches, then artillery trenches. This is where Graviel began the demolition of the artillery pieces.

 

[Therizza]

“Get down!” Savon yelled to his squad members.

A moment later, the hillside they were hiding behind was lit up with lasgun and bolter fire. Savon’s team had moved half a kilometer since they had targeted the generator facility for orbital fire, and had been taking cover behind low hills, taking shots at the human defenders. Time was running short, and Savon knew it. He had to get inside the walls defending the dig site and open the gate else the operation would be slowed down. This would give time for enemy reinforcements to arrive or worse and that would be intolerable.

Crawling to the lip of the hill he was in cover behind, Savon drew his rail rifle to his shoulder. He was looking for something, an ammo pile or fuel cell, something he could detonate to make a distraction. His eyes locked onto the fuel tanks of a small troop carrier. Savon exhaled and squeezed the trigger, sending a round into the fuel tanks of the transport, detonating on impact and incinerating the vehicle. The explosion had killed several humans within the vehicle, as well as maiming many around it. This was his distraction and his team acted quickly.

“Now we move. Head for that wreckage!” yelled Savon.

Bolting from cover, Savon and his team sprinted towards the wounded guardsmen. Those that could still see and attempted to draw a bead on the Pathfinders were quickly put down with pulse rounds. As Savon’s team made it to the wreckage, a group of ten humans armed with lasguns opened up on their positions from down the wall. One of Savon’s Pathfinders was perforated several times by las fire. Savon yelled in anger and his team returned fire. Tossing a photon grenade into his enemy’s ranks, Savon averted his eyes as it detonated. The shock and light from the grenade had stunned the humans, giving the Pathfinders time to climb the wall.

“Over the wall! Regroup on the other side!” were Savon’s orders.

Boosting the first and then the second pathfinder over the wall, Savon loosed a few rounds into the guardsmen, who were now recuperating from the photon grenade’s blast. Savon hefted his rifle into the outstretched hands of one of his squad members and then jumped up to be hoisted over the wall.

On the other side, Savon and his team moved in the direction of the main gate. Paying no heed to the excavation site, they reached their location, the gate control room. They entered the room slowly, checking corners and finding the control panel. Suddenly, silently, a man appeared behind them
and produced a weapon, pointing it at Savon’s head.

“Not so fast, xeno scum!” the Gue’la yelled at the Pathfinder team.

“It seems we have come to an impasse” was all Savon said, and with one fluid movements he turned, drawing his bonding knife from his hip and decapitated the human in one fell swoop.

Cleaning his blade on the man’s uniform, Savon stepped over to control panel. Red warning runes were blinking, and Savon could tell that the gate had been locked and required some passcode. Having no time to attempt to override the command, Savon removed the cover of the control panel with his knife and told his Pathfinders to place their photon grenades inside and set them on a ten second delay. Following his orders, they placed the charges and the team sprinted out of the control room to cover.

Ten seconds later, with a large flash and electrostatic crack, the control panel was fried. Savon could hear the gears of the gate grinding open. He figured the charges had triggered an emergency open response. Either way, the gates to the facility were now open. With his secondary objective complete, Savon with his team close by slinked into the shadows to find a suitable position from which to guide further destruction.

 

[spacemarine00]

Shas'o Hynsui felt fear, true fear as an animal may feel when about to be killed by a stronger animal. He had only two functional tanks, and yet this monstrosity seemed to glare at him as it destroyed other tank units all around him. He felt helpless, even with all the firepower arrayed before him he still felt helpless.

"Shas'o Hynsui, are you ok, please sir, give us orders!!!" It was Fyngvinvi, himself fireing for all hsi worth at the monster, but to no avail. Hynsui snapped out of it, gathering his wits and surveying the situation from a commanders standpoint.

"Dui'shan, draw its fire and keep its occupied, and Fyngvinvi and I will swing around the back and try to disable it. Hynsui turned to his crew, " Get us behind that gue'la tank now, charge the Ion cannon and prepare to fire." Like a well oiled machine they set about there tasks, and slowly his tank moved into position preparing for a shot.

As they did they came under fire from advancing enemy units with portable rocket and energy heavy weapons, and soon they had to call for backup from other squads to keep them off them.

The target clicked, "Traverse 36 degrees, pitch angle 10, FIRE!!!" The ion cannon discharged and the tank rocked as it fire the massive ball of accelerated ion particles into the enmies left flank. It hit............................................ and did nothing. A small dent was visible but besides that the tank had taken no external damage.

"Charge for another, quickly," he yelled. His gunner turned to him, "Sir, theres no way it'll charge in time sir." Damn he thought as he looked out of his viewscreen. They monster had finally noticed an had trained its guns upon his tank, himself staring down large barrel of its main weapons. For what seemed like an eternity nothing happened, the two facing off with grim determination. Then suddenly a voice pierced the comms, " Hynsui get out of there!!!"

Hynsui rotated his new that voice, Dui'shan's voice, but also a voice of last resolution. He knew what was going to happen even before he could utter this next word. " No Dui'shan don't, NNNNOOOOOOO!!! With that Dui'shans tank rocketed full speed into the enemy Baneblade and detonated, the thermonuclear energy core going critical and self-destructing with the retraints removed. Both disappeared in a massive ball of blue flame that reached out and encirlced his tank as well. For a a few minutes his world rocked back and forth and the ligths went out.

Then they popped back on and the world stopped shaking. Hynsui immediatly grabbed his hatch and flung it open, lifitng his seat into the gunners position for a better view. It was gone, Dui'shan, and the monsterous tank, which was now a small trail of metal rubble. Hynsui felt hollow inside, hollow from the loss of a close friend, one that had shared his pain and had foughten across many battlefields wit him. Suddenly, he noticed more humans coming and his grief turned to pure rage as he slammed the hatch shut and turned to his crew.

"Get rolling, get the grav-lift online, and full speed to the top. Driver, run as many of these insolent gue'la's over as you can." Venegeance would be paid back double today.

 

[Serpion5]

Tak`El growled softly to himself as the last of the gue`la ambushers fell to his squad`s fire. Kirion stood slightly from his makeshift barricade in the crater as he surveyed the scene.

"I count no more, Shas`ui." He said.

"Excellent, Let`s mo-" He began, but Tak`El`s order was cut short by a screaming sound filling the air.

"GET DOWN!" One of his warriors, a recently inducted female recruit named Ferrika, shouted with urgency and unbidden fear.
The explosion shook the ground as the projectiles hit, throwing them from their feet and scattering them.

"Get up! Get up! Move!" Tak`El called furiously. "Don`t stay down, we have to get clear! Ferrika? Where are you?!" The shas`ui shook his head groggily, trying to clear the static from his helmet`s sensor systems.

"She`s dead, Shas`ui..." Kirion called. "What do we do?"

"Forward!" Tak`El roared. He was barely aware of his thoughts right now, if indeed he was thinking at all. "Don`t let them steal the initiative from us, keep them defending!"

With this he ran, his squad in hot pursuit at his hooves as more of the human artillery rained down from above. They could hardly see anything, the dust and ash thrown up from the explosions rendering their sensors all but useless.

The crack of lasfire sounded suddenly and the dust began to settle.

"We`re clear!" Shas`La Tyonn called. He was just ahead to Tak`El`s left, and the two of them opened up on full auto, not even bothering to aim just yet, only hoping to keep the gue`la`s heads down for a few moments. The humans returned fire from a clump of loose barricades just up ahead. Out here, the fire team were sitting ducks.

"Close the gap." Tak`El ordered over the link. "Don`t stop firing."

Kirion appeared on the shas`ui`s right, marking what looked like some kind of container.

"I hope that`s combustible," Shas`La Narik said, taking the shot...

A white hot explosion answered the question in affirmative as the humans were vapourised. Moving quickly to consolidate their position, Tak`El`s team nested in, where they could exchange fire with the other gue`ls whilst they awaited support.

Assuming anyone could help them...

 

[emporershand89]

(Sorry for the short update, got the GF here begging for it. I will start revealing secrets soon, so don't go away, hehe:so_happy


Sui’na had seen enough, knowing when a battle had turned in his favor for the moment. Now was time to move in, secure the area and get right to work in solving this mystery. He turned and gave instruction to his high command, then walked out and back to the transport that he had come from. There, waiting at the bottom, was his custom made white XV78-9 Battle suit outfitted and ready to go. His loyal guards were already mounted; chest plates open as they thumped their chest in a salute.

“So do we finally get to fight might Shas’o?” The troop’s veteran commander and a personal from to him looked back out of the cockpit. Shas ‘batu ain smiled briefly and then activated his suit, closing the hatch. Handing his robes to a nearby servant, Sui’na mounted quickly, activated the systems, and tested the reflexes of his machine.

“Soon, my old friend soon enough.” All his systems were clear, and the nano-needles were not bothering his body. He turned and walked into the transport, his men following him……………………………………………

20 minutes later he jumped down and thudded into the middle of the enemy’s camp, itself not much but a burning wreck. He activated his shield drone and got his recon drone to find Shas’vre Uri’en and find him he did, already advanced to his stage two target and dealing with the enemies vehicle reserves. Activating his jump pack, he soared into the air and then put a burst to carry him over the enemies burning generator. He landed with a crack on top of an enemy tank that had come up behind the commander.

“Shas’vre uri’en report, what is your situation here?”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

(Ok, now were gonna start to transition into the story here so get ready for some long posts about what the hell’s going on here. Still, the humans will give you some sport I promise.)

Chaoslovespussy2012: Ok, again you did not post so you have till the end of next week ok. If you don’t post then I will kill you squad off in a good fashion. Your kroot make it out with 13 members still in the squad. You fight your way through some ruthless underground bunkers filled with defenders and emerge from a hatch on the inside of the crater. Keeping fighting down towards the dig site.

CaptainFatty: Wow, well, expected him to last longer. Anyway, your done with him, and slaughtering the humans and their vehicles when the mighty commander, Aun Vior’la Sui’na, comes crashing down on your party with his elite squad of men? He asks you for a status report, which you give. After that keep working your way to the dig site, which is now on your left 120 meter out.

Anfo: Ok, so your guys fought hard, blew up some big guns, and got rid of your Broadside suit team transponder. The Baneblades dead and now you have reached the lip of the crater. Looking down you see a lot of enemies coming up from the bottom at you, which is slightly intimidating. Suddenly a transport pulls up along next to you, a Swordfish, and the driver offers your unit a ride. Do you take it, or do you continue to advance down the slope on foot, fighting every enemy you come across?

Spacemarine00: You just saw your best friend die (nice one by the way, it was good) and now you’re really F’ing mad. Do you continue on a rampage or not? Also, you must advance into the crater. I need you and Anfo down near the dig site at the end of the next post.

Therizza: You have completed your mission and have sulked deeper into the dig site. Now you have received further orders to advance and scout out the dig site as quietly as possible. You are to sonic-map the location and send it back to HQ. As you advance into the site you are confronted with an elevator, one guarded by Gue’la with large armor and guns. These enemies don’t look normal, and are a little intimidating to your small Tau form. What do you do? Do you engaged them or call to HQ for further orders? (If you do engage them its gonna have to be an epic battle. Space marines are a lot tougher than your Pathfinders, and both are armed with bolters. It might take a post or two)

Serpion5: Your guys made it, I honestly thought you’d run. Ok, so you advance into the enemies bunker system and work your way through it. You squad was tasked with finding a stairwell that acts as an emergency escape for the gue’la from the dig site. Finding most of the enemy dead from earlier encounters with the kroot squads, you find the stairwell and proceed down it slowly; covering all angles. You get down to the bottom and slide up to a doorway; two people width. One of your warriors notices that an unusually large metal head in dark green coloring is on the other side of the doorway. What do you do, do you blast the door open or do you try and find another way in????

 

[Anfo]

Graviel and his men moved away from another destroyed artillery piece. Moving out of the trench network, Graviel came upon the lip of a crater. Looking over he saw a mass of men charging up. Graviel and his men raised their guns and began to open fire. The men charging up the hill would get shot and fall back down, knocking over others.

After a few vollies, a transport flew up to Graviel, and asked if they need to get out of here. Graviel replied, "Does this thing have any guns on it?" The driver looked at Graviel, and then flew off.

Graviel looked back down the crater and saw the the guardsmen were almost to the top of the crater. Graviel fired one last shot then slashed out with his sword. Graveil and his men continued to slash and jab, but the were quickly over whemled. Graviel's sword got stuck in a man he just killed, and as he tried to pull it out, a guardsman slammed the butt of his rifle into Graviel temple. Graviel stumbled to the side trying to regain his balance. However he stepped over the edge of the crater and began to violently roll down.

 

[spacemarine00]

Hynsui's rage bioled inside of him as he aimed and fired into an oncoming group of gue'la soldiers. He fired hsi burst cannons, firing, firing, firing. He let his rage drown himself out of reality until there was nothing but rage and the vibrations from the gun turrents. He brought his two remaining tanks over the lip and, after killing a score of gue'la that were attacking some human auxiliaries, charged strait down at the enemy.

For some reason or another no more enemy armour came out to meet them; some sparece human walkers moving around amoungst the mass of charging infantry. It didn't matter, he kept on firing, even after his tank sustained a hit that oepned the left side armor, leaving a hole in the side of the tank large enough to put a head through.

Finally, his rage subsided, his body running out of anger as it left him in a sudden wosh of energy lapse. He stopped, realising he was close to his objective and located his other tank. Suprisingly, it was still coming down the crater and when he turned the viewer he saw what he had sown. He trail of dowzens of bodies snaked down the hillside, and suddenly he felt a pang of regret at causing such unecessary death.

It didn' matter though, for now he was at the objective, the dig site.

 

[Serpion5]

Another gue`la died as Tak`El`s pulse rifle took off his head. The guardsmen seemed to be withdrawing from this area, evidently others in the cadre were beginning to mount the pressure across all fronts. Which was good, it could only make things easier for the fire team.

A few more well placed shots saw the end of the last enemy squad in this immediate area.

"This is our chance!" Narik called excitedly.

"Agreed." Tak`El signalled for them to advance. "Narik, take point."
Narik took up position eagerly, advancing quickly but cautiously towards the bunker entrance. The squad dispersed a little more than the shas`ui would have liked, but the wounded warrior Shas`La Bi`Tel refused to be left behind, and Tak`El would never force that of one of his people.

They entered the complex to find it devoid of occupants. It was quiet inside, despite the roaring carnage outside.

"Move cautiously, Fire Team." Tak`El ordered. As they approached a spiral staircase he ordered them down one by one with several metre spacing.

"Why is is so damn empty in here?" Tyonn wondered out loud. "What could they be hiding?"

"...I have an idea." Narik called from up ahead. He had reached the bottom level first and now stood just in front of a doorway, sealed by a thick metal slab with a thick glass panel in the centre.

Inside was an object unlike any the tau had yet seen before.

"Is that a... head?" Kirion asked. "What should we do?"

"Let`s... find out." Tak`El said, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Blast that door down."

 

[emporershand89]

(OCC: Waiting for Theria and CaptianFatty. We will get more once you guys post)

 

[Therizza]

Savon and his team moved silently, masking their movements through the shadows of the various buildings and tents of the dig site. Their objective at this time was to scout the location and relay their intelligence back to headquarters for analysis.

Having moved sufficiently within the perimeter, Savon ordered one of his Pathfinders to begin recording the topographical data of the interior of the dig site. They would stay in one location for several minutes, then slowly move to another more advantageous location to continue mapping.
After moving deeper into the dig site, the sonic-mapping was complete. All Savon had to do was transmit the data via secure frequency back to headquarters and wait for further instructions. Just as he was about to press the button to activate the transmission, he froze where he stood and his Pathfinders followed his example.

Savon and his team were hidden behind a small blockhouse, not fifty meters from some sort of elevator shaft. Now, what made this elevator entrance cause Savon to freeze were the figures guarding it. Two behemoths, nearly twice his height, clad in heavy metal armor stood watch over the entrance. In their hands they held massive weapons, bolters Savon recalled the name. He knew that these were formidable opponents, Space Marines. Each capable of tearing a Tau in half in close combat and just as easily demolish buildings with their bolters. This was not a fight Savon and his team were equipped nor prepared in the slightest to win. Perhaps with more distance they could manage, but in this instance once Savon had revealed their location with the opening volley, his teams cover would be annihilated and his team would suffer the same fate.

"Savon to headquarters, come in" whispered Savon into his transmitter.

"This is headquarters, have you completed the mapping?" was the response.

"Yes, I am transmitting the data now" Savon replied as he depressed the stud to transmit the data.

"There is a new development you must be appraised of. Two Space Marines stand guard over the entrance to an elevator. It must be of great importance for it to be guarded by two warriors of such prowess. Awaiting instruction on how to proceed." Savon hoped beyond hope his team would not be tasked with taking out the Space Marines, but if the Greater Good required it, he would eliminate them or die trying.

"Headquarters, did you receive? I repeat, we need orders."

 

[CaptainFatty]

(ooc: sorry about the late reply, uni's been a bit hectic)

A mass missile volley tore into the front of another enemy tank, leaving nothing but a gaping hole and twisted metal. The commander would be arriving soon and Uri'en wanted to make sure the area was clear before Sui'na landed. A group of humans emerged from behind the wreckage, their small rifles barely scraping the surface of the Shas'vre's armour. Uri'en ignored them, answering Dai'nao's call that another group of vehicles were making their way towards the fight.

"Shas'vre, we'll take care of it, you meet Shas'o Sui'na," Sai'tan said over the radio. Sure enough, the commander was making his way towards the planet, near their original landing position. Uri'en turned and fired a missile at the men that had came from behind the tank, a group of them falling in the midst of the explosion. His drones taking care of the rest. He wanted the commander to be pleased with his efforts, and leaving a few human warriors alive would just be sloppy. His display indicated that Sai'tan was taking damage, but nothing critical, and he hoped that the pilot would be OK.

A loud crack made Uri'en turn and he saw the commander standing on a human tank, the turret bent from the impact. His elite squad landed soon after, their marking testament to the victories they had one at Sui'na's side.

“Shas’vre uri’en report, what is your situation here?” Said the commander as he looked around the battlefield.

"Commander, we have decimated the enemy forces in this area, they were ill prepared for our arrival. We have lost a single battlesuit and suffered minor damage elsewhere. Several of our units are now fighting their way inside the dig site while the main force fights outside. I believe one of our Hammerhead units also destroyed a superheavy tank. One problem though, that new Gue'vesa'ui, Graviel, has destroyed his transponder. I suspect treachery, he never was one to trust." Uri'en gave Sui'na all the details he had before turning and continuing the fight. He was almost at the dig site and hoped to clear the way for the commander, even though he was well aware of the Shas'o' and his squad's martial prowess.

"Unit, regroup on me, we are now going to fight our way into the dig site." Uri'en said as he headed towards the others. He noticed that Sai'tan's missile pod had been torn from his arm which was missing a large chunk of armour. There was no need to ask for details.

 

[emporershand89]

(Sorry for the late post, things have been nutty here)

Sui’na was pleased to hear Uri’en’s report, glad that his risk had paid off. If he had lost the battle suits, well…………………….. He let the thought hang, pushing it aside for further meditation when the time was right. He sent his recon drones on a patrol as he turned towards Uri’en.

“Excellent commander, now move towards the dig site with haste, it seems as though a new development has occurred. The entrance is large enough to emit your suits in single file. However, I need you to only send one in to assist the Pathfinder team with eliminating some fresh targets. Beware; they may be more dangerous than they appear to be. Now, swiftly, to your task!”

Leaving Uri’en to his mission, he gunned his jump suit and moved over towards where the last remnants of humans were either dying or surrendering. His blitzkrieg tactics in the operation has destroyed the enemies moral and there will to fight was now long gone. He would deal with them later, and set a team to guard them over where the gue’la’s barracks use to be. Hopefully this would help keep them confined and out of the way of the real project here.

Of which had now arrived, for he saw the transports rumble in with cover from the few remaining Pirhana’s that hovered over-head. Soon they would be read to start studying the find, but for now they had to kill all remaining targets inside the dig so it would be safe for the Earth Caste to operate. Soon, very soon.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Anfo: You fall over and roll down the hill at a punishing speed that starts to seriously hurt you. In addition, you take out some advancing troops as you go, so when you stop rolling you’ve got five enemies lying around you. Do you kill them or move on? In addition you loyal troopers are chasing down the hill after you, so either way work yourself back towards them, then proceed to the dig.

Spacemarine00: Ok, so you lost it and slaughtered a bunch of people like a psycho maniac. (Please don’t do that again Mark) ahem, anyways, you’re at the site, you just sit tight and defend the entrance from any intruders. If you want, use your rail cannon to support Anfo’s and other squads still fighting on the hill.

Serpion5: So you blow the door open and smoke and dust settle in as you slowly work your way inside. You’re in some type of side passage, and the armored gue’la is dead; very dead. So you move on, going down the twisting turns and sudden drops until you come to an exit. As you look out you find yourselves confront with a monstrous cavern with gue’la running everywhere. So what do you do? Do you sit tight or advance into the dig site. Remember if you do go into the dig site to take out the guards!!

Therizza: So, HQ sends one of the battle suits to take out the gue’la soldiers. Bada Bing bada BOOM!!! You jump in as the smoke clears and head down the main hallway, only to be confronted by more armored soldiers. However, it seems that they are already alerted to your presence, and they start firing at your squad. So, do you return fire, or do you run away??

CatpainFatty: Ok, so your suit came and took care of the entrance. For now go back outside and guard the area with spacemarine00’s squad. However, you notice a wierd heat signature in a building nearbye, go and investigate if you want to.

 

[Serpion5]

"Cease fire!" Tak`El ordered. As one his squad stopped firing.

Bi`Tel advanced cautiously. "Well... It was a head."

As the smoke cleared, they saw the corpse at his feet. Was was left of it at least. The "object" had been the helmet of a warrior of the gue`la that must not have had a presence up above.

"That armour looks different to the humans up above." Narik observed. "We must be getting close. It seems they have their elite guarding whatever secrets this place holds."

"Indeed." Tak`El nodded. "Let`s keep going. The Ethereal will no doubt want a full report. Let`s be as thorough as we can."

They advanced along the open corridor, Shas`La Mok`Hel taking point.

"I see something up ahead." He called after a long and winding advance.

"Hold." Tak`El ordered. "Squad, form up." The team hurried to form up on Mok`Hel`s position. A monstrous cavern lay before them, and it was filled with gue`la.

They were everywhere, but thankfully none had noticed the small group of tau hiding up in the edges of the cavern.

"What... should we do?" Kirion asked.

For the first time in a long time, Tak`El was at a loss. It was suicide to try and press any further advance, exploring deserted corridors alone was one thing, but trying to storm a cavern on their own was insanity.

"We have no choice." Tak`El said with resignation. "We can go no further. Come, we`ll take shelter in that veiled outcrop and maintain surveillance while we wait for support."

Advancing stealthily, the team set up a concealed position in a small gap in the cavern wall. Kirion tapped into the comm network, trying to raise Aun Shui`Na. The rest of them simply watched in perplexed curiosity as the humans bustled in the caverns before them, and waited...


--- --- ---

ooc: figured I should settle down a bit...