Operation Iron Defense: Incoming Hostiles

The odds are against the Tau.  Can they withstand the coming battle?

Digging into the ground with her feet, churning the old glass and dirt up as she brought herself into a position to fire upon the canyon.  The ash in the air gave Vyk'tos a bitter taste in her mouth.  It was all she could do to keep herself from taking off her helmet and spitting the foul saliva from her mouth.  But there would be time for that later.

The sounds of the railguns continued, added to occasionally by the plasma and missile fire of various battlesuit squads as they leapt onto strategic points and then jumped back into safety.  Seconds after steeling herself for further combat more explosions and screams resounded from the west, accompanied again by single shots and then the screaming ended.  Almost immediately following that bellows could be heard west as a Trukk zoomed into her view just before the canyon's opening and was wrecked where it was by broadside fire, the nobz and warboss inside leaping out the front.  Two more Trukks skittered around the corner and turned around the destroyed Trukk at full speed, nearly overturning in their haste to reach the Tau.

It was at that moment that Vyk'tos was distracted by a closer and much more immediate threat:  3 deff koptas flying low and fast towards her position.  She gave Mar'tel a quick shout through the private channel and turned his attention towards the crude jet bikes that were approaching with dangerous speed.  It was well that she did so because the pathfinders' shots allowed the fire of several fire warrior squads, including the veterans to glimpse through the belching smoke and remain accurate despite their random weavings.

When the third and final one crashed into the ground she gave Mar'tel a quick thank you.  She hated relying on him so much but she was glad that he was there for when she did need him.  Mar'tel gave another update on the position of the Orks out of her line of sight, most of them were in the same position, some discerningly close Storm Boyz following the same route that the Deff koptas had attempted.  Apparently the Kannons were still alive… Broadsides must be getting fired at more important targets.

"Oh Shit…."

She murmured to herself, noticing the monstrosity that was arriving.  They had encountered Battle Wagons before, but none nearly so large as this one.  Or with such a massive gun.  It appeared that this thing came bearing some serious fire power, the kind that the Orks weren't supposed to have.  Where could they have gotten it?  Was this in fact an Imperial world at one point and they had looted one of the supply depots or found some hidden cache of weapons not noticed before?  Or had the Orks been toying with them before this?  That was the notion that frightened Vyk'tos more than any of the others.  That the Orks were holding back and only now revealing their hand.  And if they had more…

This gargantuan battle wagon easily dwarfed all of the Tau vehicles, it was nearly as large as an Orca… And disturbingly there was some sort of energy field surrounding it, warping the air and sights around it.  Communications came through the various channels as others noticed what was coming in and everyone looked west at the behemoth.  She was even able to see it over the cliff that normally kept her from knowing where anything was not near the canyon.

"That is one big mother…"

A piranha glided forward into the canyon to try and act as a deterrent for any closing hostiles but then the pesky Kannons from the ridge fired two rounds and immobilized it, preventing it from turning and doing its job.

And then the stormboyz were upon them, showing up where she could see them - but she couldn't get a shot off at them.  None of the fire warriors were able to deal with them.  Outcries of rage and surprise were echoing from her right, forcing her to glance that way.  A lone warboss had caught the battlesuit squad and was ripping two of the three to pieces with its power klaw.  The sheer ferocity of it frightened her in a way she never had been before, its eyes almost gleeful at the destruction and bloodshed it had wrought, spittle flying as it roared mightily.

Distracted by the creature single handedly destroying the most veteran members of the army Vyk'tos turned to look at the storm boyz again… Only to hear Mar'tel whisper softly into her ear:

"I'm sorry"

She managed to see him and his squad charge the Storm Boyz in a valiant effort to prevent them from arriving at the Tau lines, pulse carbines flaring as they rushed into the temporarily static brutes.  And then he was lost in the swirling melee.