Mission: Data-Scry Salvage.
Secondary Objectives: Abhor The Witch, Bring It Down and Grind Them Down.
Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Assassination, Engage On All Fronts and Grind Them Down.
After recent events, Arthurus mobilized the chapter and marched forth to engage the Disciples of Be'lakor. They located them on the first day and launched an assault against daemonic defensive positions at the rear of their forces. The daemons pushed back and over the course of the next five days, both armies fought a series of battles under the shadow of frequent dust storms. Both sides suffered heavy casualties with the elements hampering both sides.
The Rift Wardens assault began at mining station 973, a strategically located mining colony south of the much larger and more important mining station 112. With mining station 112 in daemonic hands, it gave them the ability to outflank Imperial convoys making their way between the hive cities. Further south, the Rift Wardens attacked the main body of the daemonic army. During the assault, they made the mistake of attacking the stronger right flank and were met with the presence of Be'lakor and Fateweaver themselves, which prevented them from gaining any ground. The daemons were quick to reinforce their left flank and made any subsequent attack far less easy to repel.
During the night of day 3, the Rift Wardens moved into a position to carry out a further assault, which began the following morning. Their main goal was to break through the defences around mining station 973 and to drive the daemons into the wastelands while other companies assaulted nearby daemonic incursions which threatened their flanks. The Rift Wardens gained a foothold at station 973 on the evening of day 4 and seized higher ground from the daemons to the south. The daemons were forced to retreat the next day, which gave the space marines the ability to advance down the main supply roads leading towards station 112.
The Rift Wardens made a renewed attack against the daemons on day 6 and forced them back after a series of brutal engagements. The chapter then advanced through mining station 119 and aimed to drive the daemons from their positions there. The daemons withdrew from this site after three days of heavy fighting. Arthurus elected not to pursue and to allow the daemons to fall back. The chapter had suffered heavy casualties, and the intensity of the fighting had caused them to lose cohesion. As they advanced in to the wastelands, the terrain became increasingly difficult and slowed the space marines. While the daemons withdrew they continued to resist the space marine advance. Be'lakor directed the daemons under his thrall to reinforce station 112 which he sought to use as a base of operations with which to attack the space marines while the main daemonic force pushed out into the wastelands to the west.
The Rift Warden advance convinced Arthurus that his chapter had the upper hand. He planned for his forces to pursue the daemons into the wastelands and predicted that Be'lakor would be forced to protect mining station 112, where Arthurus planned to encircle him and send the foul daemon prince back into the Warp. Combat on the outskirts of mining station 973 intensified once again as a result, and the daemons managed to repulse every Rift Warden assault despite their fewer numbers. The daemonic numbers were beginning to drop. Was victory in the hands of the Rift Wardens?
By day 9, Arthurus predicted that the daemons would be defeated within a matter of days. The Rift Wardens made further gains on day 10 and forced the daemons from station 973 with intense bolter fire. Also on this day, the chapter attempted to pursue the daemons into the wastelands and managed to inflict light casualties with their initial attack. The daemons turned and counter-attacked, forcing the Rift Wardens back. inflicting severe casualties. The space marine offensive ground to a halt. On day 11, the daemons attacked two operational mining stations and with the slaughter, impacted the Imperial supply lines.
Although the daemonic forces had put up a fierce resistance and inflicted heavy casualties on the space marines, Be'lakor grew concerned that his lines were being spread thinly. With Fatewaver's guidance, he began contemplating a strategic withdrawal in which mining station 112 would be evacuated. On the night of day 11 and 12, the Rift Wardens attacked all along the front and pushed deep into the daemon's lines. Defending along an overextended front, Be'lakor ordered his forces to abandon station 112. The Rift Wardens entered the mining station on day 13 and set about bolstering the defences.
It became increasingly clear to both Arthurus and Be'lakor that the space marine supply lines were overextended and so Arthurus ordered the bulk of his marines full back to the mining station and await resupply. This resulted in a short pause to all Rift Warden military operations. Fateweaver exploited this brief respite by summoning more daemons from the Warp to bolster their ranks. Be'lakor began preparing for a counter-attack.
On day 13, he ordered his hordes to attack the Rift Wardens all along the front. Be'lakor accompanied his forces from the front. The daemonic offensive caught the Rift Wardens by surprise and the chapter found itself defending an overextended flank. Arthurus knew that he could avoid a serious reversal on the battlefield by preventing the daemons from reaching certain strategic locations but the daemons were surging forth from multiple locations which made planning difficult. With limited heavy support options, the Rift Wardens could not focus enough heavy fire to break up the daemonic advance. Their numbers bolstered, the daemons pushed forward towards station 112. By the night of day 13, the daemons had pushed through the Rift Warden outer defences and inflicted heavy casualties despite a fierce resistance.
Having suffered significant losses, the Rift Warden patrols did not have time to recover before the offensive resumed the following day. They fell back towards the safety of the mining station. That day, the daemons had broken the Rift Wardens at their centre and on their right flank. The chapter attempted to consolidate control on the mining station while fending off attacks around the outskirts.
On day 14, the Rift Wardens were forced to fall back. Fateweaver anticipated that the space marines would entrench themselves and attempt to halt the daemons, but it was not enough to block the daemonic offensive. The Rift Wardens attempted to lay down heavy weapons fire but this region of the wastelands lacked any significant defensive positions. The daemons exploited that weakness by encircling the space marines, though they suffered casualties doing so. That night the daemons broke through the defences and stormed the space marines en masse. With no hope of survival, Arthurus reluctantly once again called for thunderhawk evacuation from their orbiting battle barge. What had begun as a highly successful attack had ended as a humiliating defeat for the chapter.
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