Tyrant Sighting
Transcripts 1012.006.M41
Subject: Black Tide Rising - Monstrous Creature Sightings
Location: Hiruscant III / Hofir / Petrarch
From: Monitoring Station Borealis /:: Eli Croximant, Bio-Adept
To: Lord Diviner Heshant Bartremon, Adeptus Magus Biologicus, Thule Sector
Rating: Magos Biologicus Red

The battle for Petrarch continues, with a new push by Tyranid broods hitting the Eastern outskirts of the town. A couple of camera drones in conjunction with the Psicapture array yielded the following information for evaluation.

~~~ Confirmed Opinion ~~~ I/Tyrant Correct ~~~ Lurking Food/Enemy/Space Marines In This Deadstone Place  ~~~ Devour! ~~~

~~~ I/We/Warriors heeds, attacks ~~~


Evaluation of the pixcapt of the attacking Tyranids indicate Tyrant-led force, with six warriors, a couple of dozen lesser breeds, and a Carnifex.


Model
 Notes
 1000
[HQ] Hive Tyrant
Tyrant Guard		 Venom Cannon, Twin-linked Devourer, Extended Carapace, Enhances Senses, Toxin Sacs, Shadow in the Warp
 184
Rending Claws. Scything Talons
 45
[Elite] Tyranid Warrior Brood
 x3
 Enhanced Senses, Ext Carapace, Toxin Sacs, Scythings Claws, Deathspitter (x2), Venom Cannon (x1) 118
[Elite] Tyranid Warrior Brood
 x3
 Enhanced Senses, Ext Carapace, Toxin Sacs, Leaping, Scythings Claws, Rending Talons (x2), Scything Claws (x1) 118
[Troop] Genestealer Brood
 x6
 Rending Claws, Ext Carapace, Toxin Sacs, Scuttlers 156
[Troop] Termagant Brood
 x21
 Fleshborer 126
[Troop] Ripper Swarm
 x3
 Leaping 42
[Heavy Support] Carnifex
 x2
 Enhanced senses, Bonded Exoskeleton, Regenerate, Reinforce Chitin, Extended Carapace, Barbed Strangler, Scything Talons
 211

The Space Marines encamped at the outskirts of the Petrarch were possibly taken by surprise, but rallied with the speed expected of Humanity's finest.

The force consisted of two squads of Marines, one jump pack-equipped squad of assault marines, a squad of Devastators for support, and a squad of sniper scouts.  The force was led by a Chaplain, also equipped with a jump pack.


 Notes
 ~1000
[HQ] Chaplain

[Troop] Tactical Squad
[Troop] Tactical Squad
[Troop] Scout Squad
[Fast Attack] Assault Squad
[Heavy Support] Devastator Squad

The Space Marine forces were encamped in a ruined hab-tower near the main road MR-C3 as the Tyranids came crashing out of the wooded hills on the opposite side of the road.

The Tyranids charged forward in a broad wedge shape, headed directly for the encampment.  The Marines responded promptly, with the assault squad and the Chaplain racing out to meet the enemy head on.  The  assault squad engaged and quickly cut down the Termagants, but the Chaplain got bogged down in a swarm of Rippers on the centre of the freeway.  The heavy beasts following behind the rippers immediately zeroed in on the trapped commander.  The main force of Space Marines laid down supporting fire, with limited effect.  A krak missile detonated on the carapace of the advancing Carnifex, but it merely looked annoyed.  Bolter and Sniper fire on the Genestealers proved more effective.

The rippers, supported by the surviving Genestealers, killed off the overly heroic Chaplain, just as the assault Warriors hit the most forward tactical squad.  After losing a few troopers, the Marines fell back, but recovered immediately and kept firing.  The assault marines were just finishing off the last two Termagants as the Carnifix lumbered into the melee - they evaded nimbly, and surrounded it completely afterwards.

~~~ I/Juggernaut surrounded by Food ~~~ Hunger/Happiness ~~~ Devour! ~~~

The Tyrant, accompanied by a Tyrant Guard, was advancing steadily.  Its long range Venom Cannon fire was erratic, but as it entered effective range of its Devourers, the hailstorm of carnivorous worm-things began to take its toll on the the Devastators and Snipers in the hab ruins.  The ranged-weapon Warriors, covering behind a roadfence, supported with more Venom Cannon and Deathspitter fire, but with limited effect.  Eventually, they fell back out of sight, taking territory rather than enemy heads - somewhat unusual behaviour for Tyranids, but these were perhaps more closely directed by the hive mind.

The Assault marines were unable to scratch the Carnifex, and when its return swipe with its enormous claws casually killed three marines, they decided that the Emperor was better served if they could fight again another day, and fled north along the highway.  The Carnifex snorted, and lumbered off towards the remnants of the marines still holding out.

The few remaining fast assault units (a Warrior, a Genestealer, and a small swarm of Rippers) attacked the last full-strength tactical squad, with the sole purpose of tying it up until the heavies arrived.

The Tyrant and its Guardbeast crashed into the hab complex, and quickly annihilated the scouts on the lower levels.  The following turn saw the same  fate befall the remaining Devastator on the higher level.

The Carnifex was still chasing the few remaining tactical troopers (who had managed to fight off the assault organisms in time to make a hasty withdrawal), and was peltered with bolter fire the entire time.  Nothing seemed able to hurt it, it just plowed forward through the hail of bolts and plasma blasts.  The plasma gunner got so flustered by the unstoppable advance that he ignored the warnings from his weapon, which overheated and blew him up.

~~~ I/We/Tyrant Has Devoured Resistance To The Brood. I/Tyrant Advises Consolidation By Undernest ~~~

Thought for the Day: Take Faith from Hatred.

Combat results: Tyranids Wins (Cleanse Gamma level). 

Victory point score
Tyranids: total 1119 points.
Space Marines: total 442 points.
Crushing Tyranids Victory.