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Previously, on Alternate 40k Rules.
The Dark Angels felt alternative rules of engagement needed to be put in place. They performed a test deployment of Company Veterans on Bikes and struck the Necrons. Even though only two Bikes and 4 Immortals remained, the Dark Angels won a major victory. Enraged, the Necrons pursued after the fast-moving strike force. The Dark Angels craftily lead them to collide with a superior sized Chaos force devoted to Nurgle. With the greater threat looming in front of them, the Overlord grudgingly agreed to a cease fire for the time being. At least the Captain assumed it was grudgingly, it is difficult to tell with monotone death machines.
The forces of Nurgle were already moving in as the rapid peace talk finished up. Mortarion himself lead the attack. Three groups of Cultists filled the back line, and a massive unit of Deathshroud Terminators prepared a charge for the centerfield. Multiple advisors were in the unit to support them. Two Bloat Drones cruised quietly on the North side.
The Dark Angels quietly allowed the Necrons to deploy in a more aggressive stance and contented themselves with holding key battlefield positions. The Necrons brought two small units of Immortals that were placed in the center line on top of a key position. A Ghost Ark loaded with an Overlord and Lychguard deployed nearby. The Dark Angels took the North and South positions with two six-man tactical squads. A squad of Veterans took a forward setup to lay punishing fire with their Special Issue Boltguns. A Razorback equipped with two Linked Lascannons carried the Terminator Captain and two Company Veterans. Their APC was running external cameras to better capture the xenos and traitor tactics for documentation. The Captain wanted to get some sweet action shots, so he ordered his driver to prepare for some danger close maneuvering around Mortarion. The Necrons placed their Void Dragon on the North side to match the enemy armour.
The forces of Nurgle let out a dreadful collective moan and began to move. Mortarion flew straight towards the Southern flank of Dark Angels while the Deathshroud Terminators began to move in great haste, bolstered by their additional leadership to move faster. The Drones moved forward in support, obliterating the first Immortal squad. Less then a minute later, all but one Immortal stood back up, repairing in mockery of the heavy fire they sustained.
The combined forces in turn started blasting. The Immortals used their Teslas to greater then expected effect on the Terminators. One was injured. The Captain ordered the scribe to take note of that. The Ghost Ark moved forwards and deployed the Lychguard into the forward trench line. The covering fire it offered left something to be desired. The Void Dragon moved up from cover to cover, closing the gap. He fired a pinpoint accurate energy blast that clipped a Drone. The Veterans began pumping their Special Issue ammunition into the densely packed ranks. Despite the incredibly tough nature of Nurgle’s Gifts, one Deathshroud was finished off and another cut down. The Northern Tactical Squad’s Missile Launcher blew a round backwards instead of forwards. The Southern Missile Launcher struck a Bloat Drone but was denied by the Daemonic Shielding. The Razorback skidded over to the Veterans and fired its Lascannons at the drones as well, only to also be denied by the same shields. The scribe took note that this was not a Tzeentch Daemonic Engine, but seemed to behave like one.
Mortarion landed with a thunderous crash behind the Veterans in their ruins. After laying multiple psychic powers into them, boosting himself, and then also melting his brain a little, he charged in and obliterated them with his mighty weapon. His incredibly powerful pistol shot skimmed off of the lightly armoured Razorback, making an excellent propaganda film moment about imperial armour superiority. The Deathshroud came up to the trench line, intent on smashing the Lychguard to pieces. Much to everyone’s surprise, including the Lychguard, the Deathshroud Terminator’s Manreapers were very slow to wield, and they were able to slay four of the Terminators before having just as many of their own knocked down. Most of them stood up, and the Deathshrouds became outnumbered significantly. The scribe quickly scribbled this down.
Realizing their peril, and Mortarion’s likely next target, the driver of the Razor back floored it into the centerfield. The need to have strategic troops behind enemy lines further drove this purpose. This time the gunner took a picture of the Bloat Drones instead of firing his weapons. Frustrated, he dialed tech support and was placed on hold as he attempted to switch the app from surveillance to purge. The Northern Missile Launcher reloaded, verified the Launcher was ready, then fired another one backwards again. The Southern one bounced his Krak Missile off Mortarion, who in part did not seem to mind the rude interruption. The Immortals tazored Mortarion with limited success, while the Void Dragon attempted to tear into the flesh polluted machine things. Once again, the scribe made note of the incredibly effective Daemonic Shields that defied all current data compilation. Nevertheless, one was damaged. The Lychguard while still effective, managed to not do nearly as much damage as before. The Overlord in the Challenge continued to be curb stomped, unable to retaliate as it thought about what it accomplished in the last sixty million plus years. While not destroyed, its mangled state stopped it from fighting back.
The Terminators pressed on grimly, slicing their way slowly but surely through the ranks. Each time less of the guard stood back up. The Resurrection Orb had already been depleted, leaving only the Ghost Ark to fuel the defenses of the Lychguard going forward. The Bloat Drones fired point blank, peppering the Void Dragon and leaving it very heavily wounded. The ensuing fight saw one destroyed and the other one fleeing very quickly. The Void Dragon had to stop to repair itself and was unable to catch up. As the scribe noticed the rather effective Ghost Ark repair functions, Mortarion pursued right behind the Razorback. The camera was bouncing and shaking as the demigod of death and disease rocked the tank with its massive wings as he obliterated the Ghost Ark. It exploded, taking out a damaged Lychguard. The scribe made a note that those transports were not greater daemon proof.
The Razorback reached the enemy lines, and swung the tank around in a burnout, not wanting to stop moving. The gunner was still on hold with tech support and swore as he took another picture of the Drones instead of purging them. The news team jumped out. One Company Veteran fired a single shot at Mortarion and blew a hole in his back. The second brother discharged his Bolt Pistol into the ground as he hit his head on the door frame. The Captain simply stood there in Terminator Armour, looking at some rather raggedy Cultists that were probably not worth his time, and then said so to the skull probe documenting him. The Southern Missile Launcher once again failed to get Mortarion’s attention. The Northern one managed to get the tube pointed the right direction this time but missed as he nearly dropped it in surprise. The surveillance skull probe following the captain was subsequently blown out of the sky. Sighing, the captain called for another probe. The Immortals continued to electrify Mortarion with small success, and the Void Dragon once again closed with the Drones. This time, despite being riddled with holes as it charged, one was destroyed and another injured. The chase took them all the way through the giant cathedral with Cultists hiding inside, where battle resumed. The Lychguard managed to push the Terminators back a bit, but the fight resumed with both sides losing further troops.
The single Bloat Drone fired into the Void Dragon again, once again nearly killing it. The Drone did not survive a moment later, and parts of it were pulled into the Void Dragon to restore some of its damage. The news crew soon realized they were surrounded by nearly thirty cultists at close range. However, they were seasoned crew members that had done a tour of one of the most dangerous hive cities on Holy Terra. As they had jumped out, thirty automatic rifles opened fire on them. The shield brother hefted his Storm Shield and ran in a tight circle counterclockwise around the Captain. One round managed to get him in a gap of his armour, but he otherwise was ok. After the battle, he discovered it was a bit of skull probe blasted at high speeds that injured him. If the Cultists had not been zombified, they probably would have realized the danger they were in. The Deathshrouds continued to fight it out with the Lychguard, who were gaining the upper hand. That is until Mortarion swung in and sliced them all in have with his massive scythe. A moment later a few got up to keep fighting. The Overlord got up for the second time this battle, still incapable of fighting for some reason. The scribe made notes to follow this Overlord’s actions more closely to determine if they can suffer from psychological distress.
The Razorback drifted wildly to the left, then right. The gunner was still on hold with tech support and took another photo, this time of Mortarion. The Overzealous driver inadvertently slid into a mob of cultists, getting one lodged on the dozer blade but still alive. The two Company Veterans charged into the cathedral Cultists, slaying several and driving them backwards. They failed to escape their wrath and the fight resumed. The Terminator Captain did likewise to the trench Cultists, forcing them back as well. The Northern Missile Launcher once again missed, taking out another skull probe he kept locking onto. The Southern Launcher managed to get through his shields finally, and injured him. The Void Dragon deleted the corrupt Apothecary in a fury of slices and blasts, preparing to fight Mortarion. The Lychguard once again were obliterated but stood back up. They were unable to fight with constantly being knocked down, however. More Tesla shots injured him. Mortarion was getting a bit ragged but still had a lot of fight in him at this point.
Mortarion turned in mild curiosity, and swatted the Void Dragon out of existence. His pistol shot reduced the Lychguard further. This time those that fell stayed down. The cultist on the Dozer blade was skewered against the wall, but the Cultists did not seem to mind. The others continued to be obliterated or fall back.
The Razorback gunner finally got through to tech support, swapped to purge mode, and watched as both Lascannon shots were dissipated by Mortarion’s shields. Several expensive pieces of sacred technology were broken by the collision with the building according to the gunner’s report. The Captain and Company Veterans began to regroup, having claimed some kills finally. The Northern gunner finally hit Mortarion but had a dud warhead on his Krak Missile. The Southern one failed to get through as expected, but he had no other targets. Plus, his battle brothers were going to be jealous he got to shoot such a notable traitor so many times. The Lychguard gave one last charge, wounding Mortarion fairly well before being removed. Mortarion realized he was surrounded, and while likely capable of dealing with the remaining forces, he was in danger of being cast back into the warp for an extended period of time. He took his leave. The Dark Angels applauded themselves for their cunning and minimal losses in the face of a superior enemy. Some selfies were taken by the probes, and they went back to base to make an action heavy presentation of how to deal with Necrons and Mortarion.
Dark Angels and Necrons win with a Major Victory, 10 to 6!
Alternate 40k Rules 