Battle of Orias Flats - Vigilus Wastelands

Points: 1000.

Mission: Sacred Ground.

Secondary Objectives: Bring It Down, Engage On All Fronts and Raise The Banners High.

Opponent's Secondary Objectives: Grind Them Down, Ruthless Tyranny and Storm Of Darkness.

The battle of Orias Flats was fought between Imperial forces and a detachment of Chaos Knights during the conflicts out in the wastelands beyond the cities. The battle was part of a divisionary attack to draw enemy attention away from the main assaults being conducted by the Astra Militarum, Ultramarines and Space Wolves against Chaos threats encroaching on the hive cities.

The width of the front line was quick small compared to other engagements and the distance between the two forces was a matter of a couple of hundred yards. To reduce the distance, the Rift Warden's techmarines projected a number of smaller trenches from their own lines towards the enemy position. As the attack started, one of these trench works was opened to allow the chapter's eradicators to advance on the enemy positions without having to cross open ground. The enemy Knights would be forced into fields of fire and the chapter hoped it would be enough to allow a number of them to be destroyed. To provide cover for the techmarines, a bombardment from a series of tanks and dreadnoughts pummelled the Herpetrax lines for three days. Much of the defences the smaller Knights hid behind were blasted into dust. 

Finally, the eradicators were in range lay devastating fire into the enemy. One enemy war engine detonated and in the chaos, the chapter surged forward opening fire into the enemy. The battle lasted two and a half hours, with melta fire disabling or destroying many of the enemy machines. Meanwhile the chapter's dreadnoughts and invictus war suits  providing supporting fire along the flanks. Even such victories, the enemy detachment was still a sizeable threat.

While this vangaurd force prepared the ground for the attack, behind the Rift Warden lines the assault forces moved into position. Due to the small front along which the attack was to be launched, the initial wave of marines was to be launched in three waves, while the remained of the chapter remained in reserve, ready to be brought up to consolidate any gains or react in the event of a counter-attack. Once the first wave was in position, the assault squads moved through them towards the front line. Half the force would use the new trenchworks to approach the enemy lines while the rest would advance through the battle field to distract the enraged Knights.

By late afternoon, the first wave of intercessors had thrown themselves forward. To the north, their heavy intercessor brothers laid down supressing fire on the smaller enemy Knights, while the third wave of intercessors held the southern end of the battle line. The trenchworks used by the eradicators was raked by heavy weapon and autocannon fire. From his position in the Rift Wardens command bunker, lieutenant Kay began to co-ordinate the response, passing orders to the reinforcements to move up and called down more artillery fire. Marine casualties were relatively light as the enemy had suffered surprising casualties in the initial attack and had not the reserves to provide return fire. 

When the Rift Wardens reached the enemy positions they found their advance halted as the Herpetrax Knights flooded the close range battlefield with a massive volley of fire. The enemy had the space marines exactly where they wanted them. At point blank range their firepower was impressive as was their ferocity in assault. As the second and third waves attacked, some of the marines brought Knights down with grenades and even chainswords. Others advanced past to force the enemy to engage them in assault rather than fire upon their battle brothers. In the ensuing fighting over two hundred space marines were slain for hardly any losses on the side of House Herpetrax.

In the enemy lines, the space marines became separated and confused. Due to the nature of the engagement, the space marines were unable to effectively fire their bolter rifles, and the battle devolved into a bloody massacre. The Rift Wardens had severely underestimated their ability to handle even the smaller of the enemy Knights. What had at first seemed to be a conflict well in hand, had turned into a significant defeat. The chapter had no course but to retreat and hope that their sacrifice had been enough to aid the other Imperial forces out in the wastelands.