Bloody Sunday

 "You hear that?" 

"Hmmm? What?"

"Chanting," the soldier said lowly, "They are coming."

The second man sighed. "Did we get confirmation we can pull back?"

"No," he replied. Grimly he lifted viewers to his goggles. "I think they have an ogryn." 

"Dammit." Another sigh. "Well then.... for Cadia?" 

"For Cadia."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

On Sunday I got together with Tinqiu and sent in my Blooded Traitor Guard versus his veteran Kasrkin. The board was Volkus #4, the mission, Extraction. 

The 12 members of the Blooded spread out across the deployment zone but the heavy concentration was on the west flank.

In the centre were men ready to support either side while guarding the middle objective.

The Kasrkin in cover ready to take high ground and rein down accurate Hotshot lasfire.

The board is ready.

The Ogryn rushed up the flank, forcing the sniper to reconsider his position or get charged next turn.

The plasma gunner hunkers down behind a portable barricade.

On the east flank, a trooper advances.

In the east stronghold, the Kasrkin melta gunner moved inside to get ready for turn two but the traitor Enforcer moved up and riddled him with bolt pistol rounds. He survived... for now.

Seeing an opprotunity to get first blood, the traitor sharpshooter ran up and finished him off!

The Kasrkin moved into position on the high ground for turn two.

At the start of turn 2 (on the back of some serious lucky init rolls even though the rereoll was forced), the Enforcer ran up and power fisted the trooper on the east flank.

The sharpshooters trading fire! The loyalist was a better shot but could not get the kill shot.

In the centre, the flenser searched for the objective but it was not there.... where could it be?

Back on the east flank the Kasrkin commander charged and cut down the Enforcer, and was quickly patched up from his wounds by the medic. Is this the start of the Kasrkin's turnaround?

In the west stronghold the Vox operator moved in to start the search but a tropper ran up and fired over the wall, missing his shots.

The Ogryn charged the trooper at the wall and severely wounded him but failed to kill. The Melta gunner ran up to shoot the recon operator but also failed to kill.  The traitor melta gunner was cut down! The Traitor Cheiften ran in and searched for the Objective in the west stronghold and found it, but was sniped dead for his efforts. The pendulum has swung to the Kasrkin! The Traitors are panicking as their numbers dwindle faster than the Loyalists!

(Imagine masssive explosion)
The traitor grenadier ran up and whipped his dyabolic bomb at the Kasrkin and killed two, the recon operator and the grenade launcher gunner. The traitor plasma gunner killed another. The Pendulum began to swing back.

The Kasrkin sniper has the high ground, can he turn the tide?

At the beginning of turn 3, things are desperate for the Imperials. The traitors have scored 5 points to 0 for the crit op, while the Kill Op is in their favour but not by much. Both sides have a a point or two in the tac op.

On the west flank the Butcher charges and kills the commander while the medic stocially prepares to hold his ground.

In the centre the jubilant Grenadier's armour is shredded by return fire desspite the smoke, but instead of hiding he whips krak grenades ineffectually at the high ground shrouded in smoke. The trooper makes him pay for his insolence.

The Flenser runs up under the shadow of the ruins while the Corpseman secures the objective marker.

At the end of three turns the Kasrkin were mathematically out of the chance of winning (they could not get close enough to secure the objective and even wiping me out did not get enough points to catch me if I did nothing else) so we called it there after a vicous and hard fought battle.