025102.M41: Ork Assault of Abhid

Tri'vild, head of the 4th Ranger Regiment, met Farseer Ji Handr'an at the hatch of the Falcon. "Great Farseer, we have 6 Pathfinders stationed atop the Armory among rubble. They report an Ork assault force the likes of which we have never seen. On the Ork's right flank are 12 lootaz in a wagon, and a skorcha. In the barracks directly opposite the Armory, the Ork leader carrying a Shokk attack gun has surrounded himself with Gretchin on the roof, and our scouts report seeing movement within the barracks. The Orks center-left line is anchored by a Killa Kan walker, another Scorcha, and a mob of Slugga boyz. 3 Defcoptaz are behind them. On the Ork right flank, lootas have covered the city Garden, and on the far right, another Grot Shokk gun sits atop the guard tower with more shootas at the base. We count at least 170 Orks."


"Thank you, Tri'vild," said Ji Handr'an. Battle positions, the great Farseer mentally commanded.

Ji Handr'an marched to a building ruin in the center-right position with Exarch Ui'nech of the Storm Blade Dire Avenger aspect temple. Ui'nech's shimmershield crackled with energy. The thunderous crash of the might Wraithlord continued toward the right flank, commanded by Warlock Jade and his storm guardians. As they took their position on the lower level of the ruin, a Vyper silently fell in behind them.




Into the Armory, Alisti, the Shadowbane Temple Dire Avenger Exarch commanded his squad, his two Avenger Shuriken Catapults swaying in their back holsters as he marched to the gate. Alisti could not hear the Pathfinders of the 4th Ranger Regiment above him, but he recorded their constant mental updates of the Ork position.


"We will position here," Exarch Hrund-in of the Black Death Dark Reaper temple said to Farseer By'ko, as he peered through the broken glass to the writhing green tide across the central plaza. Here. The Wraithlord behind By'ko stopped at his command, just to Hrund-in's right. His eyeless armor peered ahead, immobile. Hrund-in trained his Tempest Launcher at the Ork horde. Let's do this.

In position, Exarch Ya'trek of the Gamma Striking Scorpions aspect temple alerted Ji Handr'an.  Commence.  At the Farseer's word, the Eldar warhost burst into action.  The Vyper and Ui'nech's Dire Avengers surged toward the Gardens and the entrenched Scorpions, as the guardians stood firm and their accompanying Wraithlord let loose a volley of laser and missile fire at the Ork walker.  Trees lining the Gardens were eviscerated by the laser fire, as the missile crashed into the barracks behind the walker.  Farseer By'ko's Wraithlord shimmered in a guided blessing; its bright lance lit up the ruins as the blast surged into the walker, whose armor absorbed the blow, leaving little other than a scar.  






The Orks retaliated immediately.  Their defcoptas, tinging the air with burnt oil, roared toward the Eldar line, soiling the Gardens with exhaust.  The ork horde cried out in unison and marched forward, one squad bursting forth from the barracks toward the central plaza.  A skorcha has maneuvered behind the Palace the pathfinders alerted By'ko.  The wagon's engine screamed, nearly drowning out the ork cries coming from atop the vehicle.  It drove into the Plaza, its passengers arming their rokkits.  

Cover!  The pathfinder's command came too late, as snotlings exploded out of nothingness into the Guardians.  Two faithful Eldar were lost.  Ork fire smashed into Ui'nech's Dire Avengers, whose glittering shield, care of Farseer Ji Handr'an, saved them.  

Seeing the massive Ork war machine advancing quickly, Ji Handr'an raised his staff defiantly, and a black cloud settled over the defcoptas.  As one, the Eldar unleashed their weapons on the advancing squad of coptas.  Both Dire Avenger squads and the Scorpions unleashed shuriken fire on the flying deathtraps, their shots seeming to all hit home under the cloud of Doom.  The coptas smashed into the ground in a smoking mess.  Cannon fire erupted into the skorcha who had narrowly missed being smashed by the coptas by a Vyper that arrived on the scene.  The skorcha's armor repelled the assault, but the lasers from the right-flank wraithlord penetrated, wrecking the flaming bike.  The right-flank Vyper saw the exposed killa kan walker and zoomed forward atop the fortification, unleashing his cannon and blowing the legs off the ork machine, immobilizing it.  This Vyper was horribly exposed, however, and exploded in a hail of shrapnel as rokkits slammed into the agile skimmer.  


Exarch Hrund-in aimed his tempest launcher at the ork horde in the plaza, and his arcing shots, combined with his Reaper's fire, felled 9 orks.  By'ko's Wraithlord maneuvered closer to the armory and lanced the advanced Ork wagon, immobilizing it.  The Ork response was fast and furious.  Snikrot appeared with his legendary kommandos, burning and swarming Alisti's Dire Avengers, felling all of Alisti's trusted aspect warriors, leaving her alone.  Snikrot's grenades failed to damage the nearby Vyper.  The gunfire from the advancing orks was fierce, felling 3 Scorpions in the woods and 6 Dire Avengers.  Rokkits pummeled into the Wraithlords, whose armor absorbed the blows.  Snotlings burst into existence among the running storm guardians, killing all but one with a flamer.  The brave soldier forged on.






The Shokk gunfire is too strong.  We need to disable it!  cried the pathfinders, who could see its devastation from their vantage point atop the armory.  Now, Farseer Ji Handr'an ordered, and Sol'Tor's Scorpions charged in from the right flank, into the tower housing one of the mighty attack guns.  Their chainswords cut down every last Gretchin, and in one sweeping movement, cut down the Ork boss wielding the Shokk attack gun.


Another Vyper roared into combat and seeing the cloud of Doom descend upon the nearest ork horde, unleashed its cannons.  Ui'nech's Avengers and Ya'trek's Scorpions also shredded the orks with shuriken fire.   The lone guardian sent flaming fuel through the Gardens into the horde of orks, and the other Vyper also unleashed its cannon.  The scorpions and dire avengers pursued the orks and cut them down in melee.   Seeing two more ork hordes rushing their position, both squads retreated back into the woods.  

By'ko saw the skorcha skid around the Palace toward him and the Reapers.  Turning their guns on the nearby bike, the Reapers unleashed countless shells into the fuel-filled flamethrower, exploding it violently.  

Retreat!  Farseer Ji Handr'an yelled mentally, and the Dire Avengers and Scorpions in the Gardens ran from the mighty Waaaagh! issuing forth from the converging ork hordes.  The kommandos adding support from the south, the three units converging upon and destroyed the retreating squads of Scorpions, Dire Avengers, and lone brave Guardian.  


Ji Handr'an took one last look at the menacing horde, considered the inconceivable damage his Wraithlords dual flamers, the two Vypers, and the Reapers could do with concentrated fire on the intertwined hordes, but realized the ultimate futility of such an act.  All-out Retreat! he ordered.