Best 40K Game of All Time

Interrogator-Chaplain Boreas of the Dark Angels was brooding.  His mood was so foul this night that even his servitors and cherubs seemed to flit away from him in the darkness of his sanctum.  He had been certain he would have found one of the Fallen hiding in the abandoned fortress below.  Instead, his forces found Blood Angels and Doom. Not only was he injured, but nearly his entire assault party was injured or dead.  Precious time had been lost.  Why had his forces been called down to the planet? Could it be the unthinkable? Could it have been that the sergeant who had called down the assault and provided the information that misled Boreas been one of the fallen? That sergeant had been turned to cinder from a lascannon blast.  Boreas sent out a comm that the remains of the sergeant were to be retrieved and brought to him. Even in death, the fallen must pay...

1650 Points, Maelstrom Mission #3 - Tactical Escalation

OPFOR - Dark Angels
Interrogator Chaplain Boreas (Warlord)
Terminator Librarian, Level 1, FS
Devastator Squad, 5, 2x plasma cannons
Tactical Squad, 5, plasma gun, MB
Tactical squad, 10, 2 plasma guns, plasma pistol, MB, drop pod, beacon
Tactical squad, 5, melta gun, plasma pistol, MB, drop pod, beacon
Assault squad, 5, MG, jump packs
Command biker squad, TLPGs, hammers/swords
SableClaw Landspeeder
Deathwing Terminators, 5, CML
Deathwing Terminators, 5, CML
Attack bike, MM
Attack bike, MM

5th Company - Blood Angels
Epistolary Librarian Angelus, Level 2, FS, PP, jump pack
Sanguinary Priest Marus, PAxe, jump pack
1st Squad, 5 Tacticals, flamer, las-plas razorback
2nd Squad, 5 Tacticals, flamer, las-plas razorback
7th Squad, 10 assault, 2 MG, IP, PF
8th Squad, 5 assault, 2 MG, drop pod, deathwind
Baal Predator, TLAC/HB
Predator, TLLC/HB
Stormraven, TLMM, TLLC, SSML
Death Company Dreadnought, SB/MG, 2xBTs
Death Company, 5 Marines, PF, PA, PS

Assessment
The battlefield would entail an abandoned citadel on and ice planet.  Overall, the Blood Angels were (deployed first), holding the ruined walls of the former fortress.  They would deploy to try to minimize impacts from Dark Angel alpha strikes.  The Blood Angels held the Stormraven bearing the Death Company, and Squad 8, in reserves.  The last time these forces clashed, you might recall, the Dark Angels had so much plasma fire, the Blood Angels were fairly trapped in their deployment zone and severely beaten.  In this game, the assessment was to make sure the Blood Angels went first, looking to spread out and dominate the area quickly, so it would be more difficult for the Dark Angels to be as mobile or collect as many points.

The Best 40K Game of All Time
C'mon, you have to admit, you are curious.  This report is in fact for the best game of all time...well...until next week when I play again, of course! This game was alot of fun to play, and it went back and forth between us.  And it was a slug fest!....

Note...I'm getting a new i-phone soon, so am hoping for better pictures in the near future. Here we are soon after deployment.  The Blood Angels are deployed in the foreground, razorbacks are in the corners in mutually supporting positions.  The Dark Angel warlord and devastators are in  a crater in the upper left, spying in on the Bloood Angels and ready to call in the strike force.  One Dark Angel tactical squad and assault squad are hidden from view in the upper right behind that last ice pile.  Angelus and Marus are attached to 7th Squad.    

Turn 1

8th Squad pods down next to Objective marker 6, and between combined fire of the pod, the squad, and a nearby Baal predator zooming up my right flank, the DA tacticals take casualties and the survivors break and run off the table.

In response, the DA counter-pod-assault into my deployment zone and marker #5, next to the razorback.  Although the razorback is damaged, it is not wrecked.  Here the pod is being placed...I'd focus firepower on that squad on Turn 2, and make them break - to then have them rally.  1st Squad, on the ice pile, would assault them Turn 3...and then remain that way for the game locked in combat.

Score on Turn 1 was 2:1, BAs lead.

Here in turn 1, the DA assault squad remnants charge into the BAs, in a smack-fest that went into Turn 5.

FAaaaZOOOOM...with a bright flash, the Deathwing Terminator Assault begins in Turn 2!

In addition to the two Deathwing Terminator Squads, command bikes, assault bikes, the SableClaw, and another podded squad arrive!

 7th Squad and my HQ units are sorely pressed to make their saves.  Here we are around the back end of Turn 3...the Dark Angels are about to put Angelus AND Marus out of action (After they'd wiped out the DA command Biker Squad).  The score was around 6:4 BAs leading at the end of Turn 3, but the DA's had some special tactical cards they were holding in secret....

This is around the middle of Turn 4. I'm whittling away at the Deathwing, and I'd completely destroyed the DA warlord and devs back at the crater.  The Stormraven was off doing other good work at this point.  By the end of Turn 4 the score was about 10:8 BAs leading.

  Another shot of turn 4.  The DC dread had stomped of toward Objective 4.  The DC were heading over to Objective #6 to put an end to the fighting there.

  Turn 5.  The BAs have several things going on - Squad 8 will hold obj #6, the DC are heading back towards Obj #2, the DC Dread is heading off to assault the DA tacticals, and we are putting firepower onto the surviving terminators.  In reality, at the end of Turn 5, the DAs were now winning, approximately 15:14.  But the game dice say...play on!

Turn 6. The BAs had some great Maelstrom tactical cards!  All they had to do was...kill one DA unit, and they'd get 6 or more points for the turn!  Instead, they got 4...in response, the SableClaw flies over the DC (who had failed their charge), killing three!  The DC dread had charged the DA tacticals, but lost one HP for one tactical, so it failed to score on my turn.  On the DA turn, the DC dread finished off the tacticals...in the lower right, we still find two 1st Squad tacticals slugging it out (since turn 3) with the DA sergeant...the Stormraven failed to pop a drop pod in two turns of trying!   The DA turn goes ok...scoring 3!

The game ends at the bottom of Turn 6 with a DRAW!!!!!!

Yep. Throw in Linebreaker, and it was a 19-19 draw.  Sometimes the best game is the one that goes the distance, you try everything you can, and nobody loses....

Crazy....

 

The Relic of Doom

The Tau Commander touched the object that was brought to her by the Fire Warriors. Through her gloved hand, the stone relic, of a four legged mammal with long floppy ears, was cool to the touch.  The surface was brown and glassy, polished or glazed to a sheen.  The object, identified in the dataslate as a Terran "Rabbit", was a pleasant and good object.  The Commander smiled within her crisis suit.  For whatever reason, the red-armored "Blood Angels" had come to this planet and had wanted to recover it.  Now the Tau had the "Rabbit".  The relic would soon be on its way to the Earth Caste for further study.  For the greater good....


1850 Points, the Relic Mission
Blood Angels vs Tau

OPFOR:
Combined Arms Detachment

Tau commander and three crisis suits, rockets and plasma
3 crisis suits, plasma
3 crisis suits, plasma
5 pathfinders
5 pathfinders
12 firewarriors
12 firewarriors
12 firewarriors
Riptide
3 Hammerheads

Blood Angels 5th Company:
Baal Strike Force:

Epistolary Librarian, FS
Sanguinary Priest, PA, Pistol, auspex
5 Sanguinary guard, banner, 2 PFs, 2 infernous pistols
6 Death Company, 1 PS, 1 PA, 1 PF
5 man tac squad, flamer, dedicated las/plas razorback
5 man tac squad, flamer, dedicated las.plas razorback
Death Company dread, talons, MG/HF, dedicated drop pod w/ deathwind
10 man assault squad, 2 MG, PA, infernous pistol
10 man assault squad, 2 MG, PA, infernous pistol
Baal Predator, TL AssCan/ HB sponsons
Baal Predator, TL AssCan/ HB sponsons

Pre-Game Assessment and Deployment:
My opponent was new to the general area, and did not have any Maestrom cards, but loved to play the standard missions.  So we rolled up the Relic.  It is a low-point game with a ton of risk involved - 3 points for the relic, and then just a point each for STWL, LB, and FB. I'm totally outgunned here, with so much sources of plasma, rail guns, and a riptide.  My goal was to grab the bunny (an actual ceramic rabbit, that my opponent carries around for use in the relic mission....), and run like hell.  I decided to keep one assault squad and the sanguinary guard squad in reserves -  a mistake here was not combat squading where possible.  With them anfd the DC dread, I figured I'd use them as fodder to keep the Tau busy.  The Librarian spells were off the BA list - but nothing special.  The warlord trait allowed less scatter for deep strike, and rerolling reserves.  I won the roll to choose corners and deploy first (vanguard deployment). We were treating the river as difficult terrain, worth a 5+ cover save.

I also elected to go first.  In order to get that rabbit...here is my deployment.  I'm going first!  The rabbit is just 12 inches away...next to the bridge...I was going to bum rush everything forward, use the vehicles as cover, and jump pack the bunny away to Victory!

My opponent's deployment.  Gunline. He told me he never wins by meeting the mission objectives.  He just tables his opponent....

Battle Summary:
The Tau seize the initiative.

Here is a photo at the end of turn 1.  The Tau explode a Baal, wreck a razorback, kill a DC marine and 2 tactical marines.  In response, my DC dread dropped in front of a building, and was able to flame and break a pathfinder squad (which ran off the table turn 2, and half of a firewarrior squad).  It ends up I was like 14 inches from the bunny with the assault squad, so they re-positioned to grab it next turn....

 Middle of Turn 2.  The Riptide jumped on top of the building, fired away, then jumped back behind.  I lost half the assault squad and the second razorback...things were going badly.

 End of turn 2.  My DC dread went around the building to assault the Crisis Commander's squad - but failed the charge distance by about a half-inch!

The Sanguinary Guard dropped into the river - lost one infernous pistol to dangerous terrain, and the other failed to harm the Hammerheads in front of them...The Tactical Squad grabs the Rabbit!  The Librarian and Sanguinary join the DC. Things are grim.

Middle of Turn 3 - My assault squad drops in.  Up out of view, the DC dread was wrecked by the Tau Commander.  The last of the Sanguinary guard assault a hammerhead and take it out.  The remnants of the first assault squad had jumped across the river to shoot up and assault the riptide with help of the new assault squad (which I should have combat squadded...)...The riptide is taken down to a single wound!

Meanwhile, the DC takes the Bunny and looks for a quick escape! Things are looking better...

Turn 5 - I have the Bunny.  The score is 3-1!  The Riptide dies in the Tau assault phase! But so did the newly arrived assault squad.  The Sanguinary Guard are overcome with tau railrifle fire.  The DC are gone, and the Librarian has the bunny!  Things are great! If the game ends here...

But alas, no, the Tau now have to chase the Bunny!  Only the Crisis suit teams can put up with the chase! Things go from great to....worse?

That table edge is a long way away...or at least the tree line and better cover!  I'm down to the last Baal Predator, 2 assault marines, 2 tacs, the Sanguinary priest, and the Librarian.  The drop pod's deathwind was wrecked somewhere around turn 3...the Tau are ignoring the pod...

Middle of Turn 6...the Librarian and Sanguinary are gone, as are the two assault marines. The Tacticals will pick up the bunny and keep running!  The score at the end of turn 6 is 3-2!  Things are going from worse to OK...this is gonna be close!

  And then Turn7...The suits are really hopping along FAST!  If I can also pop the Tau Warlord - I might be able to keep this to a draw! Aaaaagh!!!!!!

And then the end of the game.  I still have the Baal Predator - which whittles the Tau commander's squad down and wounded him, bu he was still jumping...on the other hand, the tactical squad was gone...but the Tau cannot retrieve it before the game ends.  Hey.  I'm not tabled!

FINAL SCORE:  Blood Angels 1 (linebreaker w/ the Baal Predator) to Tau 2 (first blood and Slay the Warlord).

Tactical Assessment:
Well, I had a good plan...but seize the initiative and a few other details did me in - Overall:

1. I could have just started the game with everything on the table except the DC dread (but my opponent was worried about me assaulting him from the back corner - so he tried to keep it covered up).  
2. I could also have selected the other deployment zone - in retrospect is provides better cover at the river bank.
3. I should have combat squaded the assault squads - it might have made the Tau's firepower slightly less effective.
4. I could have deployed planning for the loss of initiative - get vehicles in behind cover better before the game starts.  This would not have been easy to do in this game....
5. Librarian could have taken Pyromancy and dropped with the assault squad in the missdle of the Tau...Nova powers anyone?

Overall, I was very happy with the game...it was very very fun, and a great way to start the new gaming year!

Game Year Wrap-Up

For you who have been reading my blog over the years, you may remember that I benchmark the start of the gaming year at August 15+/-, coinciding with what had been the former, long ago, mythical HardBoyz tournament prelims.  The following is my W/D/L record for the past five years.

2014-2015 Record for Third Company Ultras/5th Company Blood Angels:

25 Wins 4 draws 9 Losses
2013-2014 Record for Third Company: 19 Wins 1 Draws 11 Losses
2012-2013 Record for Third Company: 21 wins 3 Draws 17 Losses
2011-2012 Record for Third Company: 18 Wins 7 Draws 15 Losses
2010-2011 Record for Third Company: 35 Wins 10 Draws 30 Losses

As last year's blog post, I have normalized each year to get a measure of improvement, giving a win 3 quality points, a draw as 2 quality points, and a loss as 1 quality point. The game year averages then become:

2014-2015 QPS = 2.421
2013-2014 QPS = 2.258
2012-2013 QPs = 2.097
2011-2012 QPs = 2.075
2010-2011 QPs = 2.066

The first thing that really sticks out is that I'm average (Still a solid "2") and still improving. Pretty much on average every game could have been a win at this point. Anyone reading my reports could come up with the same conclusion.  Most of my games can hinge over a single deciding point or set of dice results (or draw of a maelstrom tactical objective card), which remains for me, pretty cool.  I'd rather have fun games than one-sided struggles.

Another way to normalize the data is as percentages:

2014-2015 = 66% W; 10%D; 24% L
2013-2014 = 61% W; 3% D; 36% L
2012-2013 = 51% W; 7% D; 41% L
2011-2012 = 45% W; 18% D; 38% L
2010-2011 = 47% W; 13% D; 40% L

One aspect of the numbers above is not apparent...I'm still playing in fewer tournament games (similar to the prior year).  Things have been really busy and keeping me away from local events.  Another factor not included is that some of the people I considered some of the best in the game - are not playing 40K at all. On the other hand, maybe I am playing better with Blood Angels than I can have imagined...

One aspect of course that I'm enjoying is that in 7th Edition 40K is that my Blood Angels and Ultramarines have proven to be really good with Maelstrom Missions, and the game sizes have been somewhat smaller (1500 to 1850 points in size).  Of course that is also more of a qualitative observation than something I've collected data on.

Another aspect is that there have been a few rare new players coming in, and frankly I hate to try to beat them in friendly games.  Case in point...

Photos from the LAST GAME of my Gaming Year!

Yep! The Blood Angels find Necrons infesting a Calth-class planet.  I'm using the same list as the last few games - I've deployed here, just the preds and razorbacks and DC.  Everything else is in reserves! Notice I went deployed just on the wings.  The Necrons emerged from the ice in a long, thin, metallic line...the mission was the maelstrom version where you only get cards for the number of objectives you hold...Necrons went first.  I wanted to see where they'd go...My opponents were a father-son pair - the dad wanted to learn how to play 40K, and the son had an experience necron list.  I just wanted to make sure everyone had fun!

The necrons saw I had three units on my right flank - so their army moved in that direction.  The C'Tan and the Ark (carrying the praetorians and Overlord) would eventually lead the attack on my right flank...which is what I thought might happen...

      Bam...down slams the pod on the left flank.  At this point, I'd lost one predator - if anything, I should have hiddent them behind cover better on deployment, but my objective in this game was to have fun!  The pod has a deathstorm launcher and beacon.  It landed next to an objective and the Triarch Stalker...

Into turn 2...the necron's flyer arrives from reserves, and the Necrons are still mostly fixated on my right flank.  The death company was restrained as bait behind cover...

Bam Bam BAM! In comes the Angels Wrath formation!  Nothing like dropping in 27 assault-ready marines on your flank...

Turn 4...The necrons had actually assaulted the death company and eliminated them, but by then my Razorback and demi-tac squad were already someplace else (the center) to grab objective points. The Necrons on my left flank were getting the "we won't be back" treatment...the Angel's wrath formation started rolling up the flank while everyone else looked for points.  I actually had been behind in points till now...

I would have liked to seen this assault completely played out...

Last photo before my opponents called the game due to time constraints...we ended as a DRAW! Tie game!  Overall, it was a great time, and not only did we talk alot about how the game is played, we also talked about how tactics come into play (like building a trap and getting the opponent to go off in the wrong direction).

Well, it was an AWESOME gaming year - my best since I've been tracking them!

Am looking forward to my next game...might be time to use the Ultramarines battle company...

E Tenebrae Lux Vow Results

Just thought I'd re-share these all here. My pledge over at Bolter and Chainsword was to paint 600 points of models...but instead I used it as an opportunity to get a bunch of additional stuff done!

My pledge was for Chaplain Lemartes, a Snguinary Priest, 5 Vanguard, and 5 Assault Marines.  But then this happened - 16 additional assault marines...

This is my Lemartes counts-as.  It is the older, heavy, all metal model.  Not bad, makes a great Lemartes.  The model was tricky - even after priming and dry brushing, the model still kept showing flashing and mold lines.  I think its at the point where I might be able to hilight more and more details with time to make the model stand out better.  You can't see them from here...but wings and other details were added.

One thing I realized at the end is that I have way more assault marines painted than the 5th Company Blood Angels allow.  So - these two squads may be assigned to 6th Company.  I'll have to start painting a bunch of small, green teardrops on the pauldrons...this sergeant has an axe taken from the Sanguinary Guard box, and other details to make him fancier and heading the way up to first company or the Sanguinary Guard...

Both squads have melta.  But based on recent games, I'm thinking I need to get more plasma...About half the guys have metal blood angel shoulder pads, the others have plastic "sanguinius" shoulder pads.

The Sanguinary has a power axe and an auspex - probably more valuable than a pistol...

These guys have been fun to get into games so far!  Dangerous, deadly, shiny...

Hope you enjoyed the shots.  Look for them in future battle reports!

For all the hours, I earned this:

Plasma Miasma, or, playing vs the new Dark Angels

I played my Blood Angels vs the new Dark Angels last night.

I Lost.

I loved it.

It is better to have lost and loved than to never have lost at all?

The cool thing about the Dark Angels is their total access to plasma weaponry - it was so iconic!  It hearkens back to the day in the original 40K artwork where we see hordes of dark green armored Astartes tearing around just pouring plasma fire onto their enemies.  I love it when the opponent's army list is so cool and fluffy. There was certainly some learning to get from this match-up!

On to the pictures!

Here is the 5th Company Blood Angels - Shield of Ball Detachment and Angels Wrath Formation.  we were going to play at 2,000 points, Maelstrom Mission #3 (escalating tactical cards).  My warlord, Angelus, as warlord, rolled up having rampage.  Overall, this list was just what I had lying around for 2,000 points, its not optimum - I'd merely expanded upward from 1850 by adding a DC dread (with no pod) and a melta bomb on a sergeant.  

Here is the OPFOR - its actually three Dark Angel unit groups:

Formation #1 - There are two biker squads of Black Knights (plasma and grenade launcher), a Dark Angel Biker Command Squad (plasma where possible), and Samael's Landspeeder, 2 attack bikes.

Dark Angels demi-company Detachment - led by a Chaplain (acting as the warlord), a plasma gunned (3) command squad in a Rhino, a demi-plasma cannon (3) squad, three tactical squads (2 podded, one in a Rhino) - all with plasma gun / plasma pistol where allowed, and a veteran squad (plasma...) in a pod, and a jump-pack assault squad with plasma.

Formation #2 - Landspeeder a plasma-gunned bike squad.

   

Here we are after deployment...I have too unit groups in reserves - the podded assault squad and the entire Angels Wrath formation plus Angelus and Marus (the Sanguinary Priest).  I set up first - my opponent was to go first.  My deployment anticipated his reserves of podded units coming in to my deployment zone...what I did not know was that his biker units and Samael ALL had outflank...Otherwise I'd have maybe deployed differently (like strong to my right).  I had placed the vehicles to protect their rears and maybe force the opponent back a bit - which was nice for defending against shorter range melta but not plasma...My opponent reserves everything but foot-bound devs and rhino-carried squads.  His Devs were set too far back, and other than acting as a threat played no major combat role in the game.     

Here we are more or less at the end of turn 1.  I was feeling pretty good, the score was 0-2.  The OPFOR's podded units took about 17 MEQs as casulalaties, and I'd lost 3 DC marines and a hull point or so on razorbacks. My biggest failures were missing the assault by the DC on some broken DA tacticals, and that my own podded meltacide squad had deviated away from its intended target.    

Here we are at the end of turn 2.  My opponent's reinforcements had arrived by outflanking and thing went bad quickly!  I lost my Baals, and for all my effort, my opponent survived my responses due to the ability to cook up 3+ jink saves, and ability to overwatch at a 5+ or regular BS per the DA special rules.   

Here is just another shot - Angel's Wrath came down.  Angelus whiffed all of his Psychic powers.  For whatever reason, I just could not take down the solo tac marine lurking in front of my damaged razorback, or the attack bike.  Those little issues became bigger...I did finish off one tac squad - using the DC dread to do it, and shooting took out the DA jump pack assault squad.  

This is around the middle of Turn 4.  The score is about 3-5.  I still cannot kill off the last attack bike, and in a combined assault, I'd wrecked the landspeeder, but failed to take out that last surviving tac marine (who'd wrecked the razorback earlier in the turn).  Off in the distance, my assault squad was stuck in HTH with a tac squad, and Angelus, Marus, and the Vanguard were rushing that way.    

I tried to take out the Chaplain's Rhino, whiffed it, and then got a plasma shower. 

Turn 5 nearing the end.  Angelus and Marus, the Vanguard, were all taken down by plasma fire.  

I called the game at the end of turn 5.  Final score - 9 to 3.  

    My opponent had about 23 different plasma weapons in his list, some twin linked.  Plasma hurts.

Things I could have done better were to recognize how much plasma fire was there and react accordingly.  I might also have been able to use my assault units more carefully to make sure they had cover, or concentrate them better to finish off opponent units.  I wasted a lot of dice trying to address some of his units, either through my bad attack/wound rolls, or his great saves.

I'm already looking forward to the next game!

 

An Untappd Life

I've been away on a short vacation.  During that time I brought nothing related to Games Workshops' IP. I read nothing and did nothing 40K related.  But I did pursue my other hobbies - surf fishing and beer.

Soon (late August) will be the time I review my 40K gaming year.

Now is the time I can review my beer drinking year.

I use the APP called UNTAPPD to keep track.  It is really cool, and I get badges as rewards for beer exploration.

In the past year (or as long as I've used the APP), I have checked in 229 times.  I've drank 160 DIFFERENT beers.  I've been awarded 94 badges for my efforts.  

Badges have various levels, usually based on getting another 5 beers in that category.  The badge I've progressed on the most is "Land of the Free" (I'm at level 29).  You get that one for drinking distinct different American beers.

My favorite badge is..."Drinking Your Paycheck" which I'm not sure how I earned...maybe beers on Friday?  Who knows.

Maybe my next badge will be "Weekday Warrior"?

Anyway, its back to 40K.  I still need to get my E Tenebrae Lux pledge completed.  I was working on that last night - painting Blood Angels.  Tonight is "Club Night" so i hope to get a game in and maybe start some talk on scheduling and getting commitments for the Standish Standoff (Tournament) event to be held in the Fall.

Happy Drinking!

But then again - remember its just a hobby:

 

A day in the life of Epistolary Angelus

Epistolary Angelus reveled in the midnight hour.  He liked this time best, because the night was usually the quietest and calmest of times.  The lack of nearby active mental activity from the surrounding environs, and the usual silence except for the slow cooling ticks given off by engines and gun barrels made for a good and soothing time for meditation and review.  On the distant horizon, far to the east, the dark night sky was slowly starting to turn from starlit black to deep blue, as the sun for this planet would soon begin to rise to another day at this location.  

Angelus mused, that with enough speed, the Battlebarge above could orbit this planet at a location yielding a perpetual dawn and no night at all, or in the shadow of this world stay suspended in perpetual midnight.  Even here on the planet surface, midnight was a qualitative event - that only meant something for that moment in time for that location.  It was something that the few planet-bound citizens for whom the Blood Angels fought, could ever realize.  In space, there was no real midnight, dawn or dusk. Only the march of time.  

Just before nautical dawn - or the point of time at which the sun would begin its rise above the horizon at this point on the planet surface, Angelus, Sanguinary Marus, a squad of First Company Vanguard, and two 5th Company assault squads boarded their Thunderhawk gunships for the transit back to the battle barge.  Sanguinary Marus made the sign of the Aquilla across his chest plate and he walked past the small shrine at the boarding ramp.  Angelus followed.  On board, servitors advanced to each Space Marine and conducted their service protocols, re-arming each Space marine with bolter ammunition, battery and power packs, grenades, liquids, coolants, nutrient supplements, and removed waste products and spent materials. Angelus removed his helm and jump pack and advanced to a table set off the side of the seating area for a brief repast.  Rare beef, cakes, and deep red wine.

Some time later, the Thunderhawk was clamped within the hold of the battlebarge.  Angelus, Marus, and the senior Vanguard marine had dismounted, walking briskly across the Hangar deck to Tactical Command. There, they received their briefing on "yesterday's" actions and successes.  Renegade Space Marines were the opponents here, some form of dark armored machine cult.  The goal was to finally break the remaining renegade force, and collect the survivors for the Inquisition.  

Within the hour, Angelus, Marus, the Vanguard, and two assault squads were back in their Thunderhawks, ready for a deep strike insertion by jump pack.  Nearby was an assault squad in drop pod, ready to discharge from the Barge's hull at a moment's notice.  

At the solar maximum over the insertion point, the battlebarge fired the drop pod at the planet surface.  In a wrecked industrial facility below, the ground element of 5th Company was fixing in place the renegades.  The drop pod, descending from space, was maneuvering to keep itself within the corona of the sun, so that its approach would be masked from intercepting fire.  Right before impact, at the rear of the renegade line, retros fired and the pod slammed down.  The beacon immediately began send its signal as the assault marines dismounted to protect the beacon.  

Angelus' Angels of Wrath formation approached the drop zone.  Angelus reviewed the tactical situation on the ground through his helmet pic-cam.  The 5th Company below had fixed the enemy and had advanced, but at the cost of damage to several predators and razorbacks.  Angelus noticed that the renegade command were on bikes, grouped around a cadre of three ancient dreadnoughts.  With barely a thought, Angelus changed the insertion point from near the drop pod, to a clear area immediately adjacent to the renegade command.  

With a huge rushing roar, all of the Blood Angels ran out of the zooming Thunderhawks, each firing their jump packs as they cleared the spacecraft.  Angelus, Marus and the Vanguard slammed down, fairly close to the intended coordinates, immediately followed by the assault squads. Their meteoric appearance seemed to surprise the renegades further.  Angelus and the vanguard powered up their weapons immediately, shooting into the dreadnoughts as their primary target.  The dreadnought, with its back to the arriving marines, was wrecked.  One assault squad went after a nearby transport, while the other assault marines began to shoot into the other two dreadnoughts.  

The renegade command squad on bikes appeared bent on getting distance between then and Angelus' strike force, zooming off towards the advancing 5th Company units.  In the mean time, the remaining dreadnoughts, nearby renegade tactical marines, and nearby centurion fire support team put all their firepower onto the Angels of Wrath units, and immediate casualties climbed rapidly.  Angelus realized the Centurions, something the Blood Angels did not field, were the next most dangerous unit, and immediately targeted them the Vanguard and half of the assaulting units. But first, renegade marines were in their way, and Angelus and the Vanguard, their battle lust rising, hacked them all to oblivion.  Nearby, combined fire from the advancing 5th Company and one of the assault squads, wrecked the remaining two dreadnoughts.  Death Company marines advanced maniacally towards the renegade command bikers.  

Grav cannon fire from the centurions caused Angelus and his assault elements casualties for every meter.  Calling on his warp-powered archane magiks, Angelus boosted the fighting might of the assault element and they charged into the Centurions from three different angles.  The Centurions tried to blunt the assaults, but were taken down quickly.  Their massive powered suits were no match for the rapid, skilled, and furious blood angels. 

With the shock of the assault spreading through the renegades, the command bikers seemingly gave up the fight and advanced towards Angelus.  The knew what the outcome would be, should they continue to fight, and for these renegades, life was better than the alternative.  With a salute, the bikers, including their captain, dismounted from their bikes, and removed their helmets.  

Angelus's strike force accepted the surrender of the renegades.  Soon, a large shuttle appeared on the horizon, a swift, blocky shuttle in the colors of the Holy inquisition.  With little fanfare or conversation, the renegades were marched under guard to the shuttle, and soon the Inquisitorial units left with the captured renegades to parts unknown.  Al the while, Marus and his medical servitors tended to the wounded, and offered the Emperor's Grace to those sorely wounded renegades yet alive on the field.  

In the distance, the sun had reached its xenith and began to sink below the horizon.  In the coming dusk, Angelus would send of his reports, review the day's events, meet with local planetary leaders, and prepare to depart the surface to return to the barge in space above.  As the sun began to sink below the horizon, Angelus faced the sun, and made the sign of the Aquilla.  Again, the Emperor Protects, he thought.  Work to do, Angelus moved of to the nearest Razorback to check on repairs...soon, the night would come, with his favored calm and silence.