Swindon Wargamers And Tacticians

On the edge of Tau space is the planet Lasat III. It has little value as a habitable planet, due to it being mostly mineral and having very little flora and forna. Its tactical value lays in the minerals within its crust.

Deep within the planet several veins of an exotic mineral often called Gellarthinite which is refined and used in the construction of warp drives for Imperial space ships. While not the only source of Gellarthinite in the galaxy, its loss would be a blow to interstellar vessel construction within the sector.

The Tau, ever an curious race, identified unusual energy readings from Lasat III and launched an exploration party to collect and research their discovery. The relatively small garrison present reacted and launched a pre-emptive strike on the Tau ships as they entered the system.

Their ferocious attack destroyed two interstellar ships and severely damaged a third forcing the Tau to withdraw, and call for reinforcements. However, what the Tau failed to realise was the garrisons assault had been a desperate distraction. Almost every available Imperial soldier in the capital of Lasat III had mobilised to repel the Tau and while they had succeeded, they had been wiped out virtually to a man. Only a few smaller garrisons in the outer lying townships had been unable to respond to the call to battle, leaving pitifully few soldiers left to defend Lasat III

An astropathic message went out for assistance. But the Imperium realised that they couldn’t afford to fight a protracted war over the Lasat system. It was simply too far from the nearest Imperial staging point and the impending threat of Hive Fleet Leviathan too great. So elements from two Space Marine Chapters set course for the beleaguered planet knowing they would have to inflict a mighty victory to force the Tau away from the planet forever.

The stage was now set for a battle of Apocalyptic Proportions!!


///data search/// planet designation: Lasat III....
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LASAT III

Mining World
Tithe Grade: secondus
Population: 100,000,000
Note: strategic ore production facilities



Lasat III is an unremarkable planet in the Lasat system. Bleak and inhospitable, its only value is in the mineral production facilities present. There are several veins of Gellarthinite present on the planet, which are important in the production of Imperial Warp engines.

Records indicate that there are two major urban areas. Lasat Primus and Lasat Secundus. When the colony was originally founded it was built on the site of what is currently Lasat Secundus, with mining facilities to the north. However, a greater vein of mineral Gellarthinite was found and a new facility constructed adjacent to it. This vein produce more regular yields than the mine at the original colony and eventually a new conurbation developed around it.

Following the move of the Governor and the political hub the new city was named Lasat Primus and the original city renamed Lasat Secundus.


LASAT PRIMUS



The administative hub of Lasat III as well as the main industrial heart.
Gellarthinite ore gathered from the deep surface mines is processed and transported directly to the main start port to the north.
Lasat Primus itself is constructed to the east of the mine workings.
Main PDF garrisons located near Spaceport with command hubs located at the spaceport and Central Command located near the Govenors palace.
Est. Population: 60,000,000


LASAT SECONDUS



Site of the original Lasat colony. City in industrial decline due to iregular output of Gellarthinite ore. Industrial and administative management relocated to Lasat Primus in late M37.
Small starport maintained for extraction of ore as and when its processed.
Small subsiduary garrison. Situated to protected the Starport. Minor command hub located on garrison.
Est. Population: 20,000,000

/// Inquisitorial Records indicate that Inquisitor Tirpiz examined the population at some point in M38,400 and found popular dissatisfaction with the administrative move in members of Lasat Secundus. However while the population was generally unhappy with the redesignation there were no signs of open or covert rebellion. ///

The Tau fleet, being closer to the planet itself, started to land heavy armour. Wary after their previous encounter they landed a substantial force on one of the run down outer cities, Lasat Secundus and sought to fortify a beachhead from which they could land yet more armour.

Suren Khan, Captain of the Third Brotherhood of White Scars arrived in orbit shortly after the landings had commenced. His small fleet wasted no time in engaging the Tau ships attempting to drive them out of close orbit. A small outrider force was stealthily landed by thunderhawk to assess the extent of the Tau beachhead. A substantial force was found to be on the ground already and Suren made the chose to engage them directly before they could fortify in depth.

On the ground the outriders swung into the city to engage the formations moving through it. Initially out-gunned and under-armoured they made little impression one entire bike squad being wiped out by the xenos technosorceries.

The Xenos emboldened by their apparent success surged forward, a move that Suren Khan had predicted and planned for. Four drop-pods hammered into the bare ground behind the Tau Interdiction force.

Lead by Suren Khan, himself, the marines attacked the rears of the grav-tanks with volleys of bolter fire. One Devilfish crashed to earth, its drives shot out – another two Hammerheads had their main weapon systems riddled with bolt shells.

The veterans from the First Brotherhood – The Stern Guard – fought from the front of the assault their charge bringing terror to the xenos in their path. In fear then, the Tau brought all their sorcerious weapons to bare and in a storm of burst lasers, missile and pulse rifle fire the Stern Guard fell.

Vengeance fuelled the brothers of the Third Company and Tactical Squad Batu engaged a squad of Fire Warriors in bloody hand-to-hand while the Brothers of Sabati squad planted krak grenades on a Devilfish and brought it crashing to the ground.

The war was not yet won but first blood had been spilled and the White Scars had succeeded in dulling the Tau spear tip. Their noble sacrifice turned away the xenos and forced them to consolidate their beachhead at the Lasat Secundus Space Port rather than expanding it. As both sides drew back to re-arm, it was anyone’s guess how the war for Lasat III would end.

It wasn’t until after the initial Imperial counter attack that the Commanders started to notice something wrong with the remnants of the PDF. For a start the Tau had made planet fall with remarkably little resistance prior to the daring raid by Suren Kahn of the White Scars.

It was known that there had been some trade with the Tau and other local star systems that had recently been annexed by the Third Wave Expansion, what had been missed by the local Justicar’s was the influx of Tau propaganda.

In secret, a small delegation from the Tau Water Caste had made it planet-side prior to the fleet arriving in orbit and had been able to make some inroads into the soldiers of the PDF. The Inquisition would later discover that of those soldiers who had been unable to take part in the assault on the Tau fleet had been at a revolutionary rally and were now refusing to acknowledge the Imperial chain of command.

Worse, after the xenos landings, these traitors openly sided with the Tau. While their numbers were small, only being able to muster the equivalent of a couple of companies, the threat they posed to a united Imperial response was potentially larger.

With their access to the PDF communication equipment and frequencies they might be able to feed the xenos information about the disposition of Imperial troops. In addition to this, it was believed that they might be able to gain access to some of the PDF weapons stockpiles and use them against the Imperial forces.

A swift and decisive victory would ensure that any remnants of the PDF whose loyalties might be wavering would be sent a stern message.


“Nothing is so hated in this life and the next as a Traitor to the Imperium of Man”

As the White Scars withdrew and redeployed from their victory in the southern quarter of Lasat Secundus, the battle barges of the Panthera Ventura Chapter arrived in orbit around Lasat III. While they couldn’t claim the honour of being the first to fight they had arrived in far greater numbers than the White Scars.

It became immediately apparent that the situation on the ground was highly fluid. While the White Scars had just emerged victorious from their battle they had done little more than blunt one advance. A force of xenos was detected approaching a remote settlement on the outskirts of Lasat Secondus, and there were many more still rallying at the space port. Dionysius, Captain of the Panthera Ventura Chapter and Commander of the Fleet, immediately despatched Thunderhawks to deploy armour in the path of the Tau’s advance. Disgorging two predators and squads of devastators, assault marines and neophytes. Overseeing deployment of the armour was the Panthera’s Master of the Forge, who prepared firing positions for the devastators. Almost as soon as they had deployed into their positions the mechanised Tau force appeared over the horizon.

The Tau made straight for the gun line of the Panthera Ventura, opening fire on the oldest of Ventura Prime's predators. After a hail of fire, the venerable predator emerged, armour battered and paint blistered but virtually unscathed. Immediately had this fusillade ended two drop pods slammed into the ground behind the Tau troop transports at the rear of their advance. Twenty tactical marines opened fire on the back of the Tau vehicles, temporarily disabling two and destroying the rail gun on the third. Caught between the hammer of the Tactical squads to their rear and the Anvil of the Pantheria’s heavy support, the Tau immediately reacted to this new threat, dividing their assault to turn on the newly arrived marines, however their armour and faith in the Emperor was too strong and they emerged largely unscathed, all apart from one combat squad which began to fall back following a the desperate gambit of the disarmed Tau tank, who ploughed into one of the combat squads.

Again, the predators of the Panthera Ventura remained unscathed and stood firm against the alien weaponry. Sensing an opportunity the marines pressed forward, landing a third drop pod into the heart of the Tau force and sending forward the assault marines accompanied by their chaplain to intercept the piranhas which were in danger of outflanking the Devastators. Following the offensives by the marines a piranha and two of the stealth team were destroyed and the Tau vehicles had no defence against the weapons of the Imperium with two more completely destroyed.

With their outflanking force seriously weakened the Tau concentrated all fire on the tactical marines in their midst, destroying one combat squad completely, however, realising that their deaths would not serve the Greater Good withdraw to fight another day. One brave sergeant hurled himself forward in a honourable but ultimately futile attempt to prevent the weapon-less Hammerhead departing the field of battle, his powerfist leaving deep rents across the nose of the vehicle before its momentum over took him and he was crushed beneath the tank’s anti-grav field.

Another Tau thrust had been turned aside, their men killed and their techno-sorcerious machines destroyed but the war was by no means over. The Tau were marshalling their forces within the city and the space port and their new found allies were preparing the way for the next assault…

At the outer edges of the system a warp disturbance was detected, pulsing and throbbing before there was an almighty detonation. All across the system, pykers (sanctioned or otherwise) winced at the shockwave that heralded the arrival of a new xenos battle fleet.

Both forces fighting for Lasat III briefly consolidated their positions in expectation of the other bringing new reinforcements.

The result was far worse that either side could have predicted. The ramshackled fleet thundering toward the planet belonged to neither side. They belonged to the Orks.

The space battle was particularly one sided, both the Imperium and Tau Empires recognised the threat of Ork Hoard and ceased their hostilities until the mutual foe could be destroyed.

Rail gun and lance fire sliced across the void scoring great rents in the approaching Krooza and detonated some of it attending escorts. Indiscriminate return fire raked across both fleets in retaliation. But enough damage had been done.

The damage to the Krooza’s bow thrusters prevented it from effectively slowing down and it approached the atmosphere with reckless speed. Trailing fire and wreckage, it entered the upper atmosphere. Leading edges glowing white hot with the friction of re-entry, it descended, sonic booms followed in its wake that could be heard half way around the planet.

The hulk of a space vessel gouged a five mile long furrow as it impacted on the planets surface, throwing up a huge cloud of dust and pulverised rock. Both of the warring factions were keen to see if the Orks had been destroyed in the ‘landing’ and dispatched small forces to probe the wreckage.

The Panther Ventura’s were closest with the rebel PDF approaching fast from the other side of the impact crater.

Thus it was Panther Venturian’s who made First Contact…. The Orks had arrived!

The Orks, perhaps unsurprisingly, were still reeling from their precipitous method of arrival planetside. Struggling out of the wreckage of the Kill Krooza they were easy pray for the bolters of the Panther Venturian’s.

As the bolters roared, the Orks let loose a howl of their own and charged. Ill supported and lacking in ranged weaponry many of the boyz were slaughtered as they threw themselves at the Marines.

But orks are not an opponent ever to back down from a fight! Gleefully a mob hurled itself at a Veteran Dreadnaughts that steadfastly bared the road to the settlements. Limbs and shards of armour were hurled in all directions but it was clear that the advantage lay with the dreadnaught. None of the Boyz could hope to penetrate the walking tanks armour, none of the boyz could but that wasn’t to say none of the Orks could! With a mighty bellow a huge figure waded into the scrum hurling Orks out of his way.

Honoured veteran and Ork Warlord met eye to eye. A moment passed as they eyed up each other then they charged.

“Die Xeno Scum!”
“Kop dis Ommie!”

Huge claws swung at each other. There was a titanic explosion from somewhere in the Dreadnaughts frame and the field of battle was suddenly wreathed in acrid smoke.

The Venturians surged out of their positions to avenge their venerable brother but the orks had gone – only a few injured and confused xenos remained.


edited for more dramatic writing