TURN 1 (Battles fought throughout 2012)
After an inconclusive engagement between the two fleets, the Imperial navy landed their troops, deploying the Mechanized Command in LZ 1, the Airlanding Command in the LZ 3, while the Salamander elements secured the LZ 2. A landing force was fragile and disorganised until it achieved cohesion, but the Shas'O knew that the Landing Zones were supported and dominated by Imperial Air power, whose strafing runs were rightly feared. Not having the numbers to withstand such bloodbath, Lanc'el ordered his troops to wait and ambush the enemy in other spots. But the impetuous garrison of Port Rozak, reinforced by a volunteer regiment of the city's lower classes, set out to the nearing LZ 1, and attacked massively against the planetstriking Imperials, ignoring the SHas'O's orders. If the attack succeeded, the LZ would be abandoned, and the Mech Command's stragglers would retreat to the hill "Point Zero" (16) where they would make a last stand. Rozakian infantry and militia set out to capture the zone's objective, but they were met with stiff resistance by a wall of chimeras and hellhounds, and volleys of Imperial squads that were just deepstriking all around them. Imperial fighters were strafing the rebels from the onset of the battle, and the attack ultimately failed, thus securing the LZ for the Imperium and giving them the battle initiative to attack either Port Rozak and the Starport to the south or the strategic Riverland Bridge (13) to the east.
The Airlanding Command landed in LZ 3 unopposed. Opting for a quicker assault against the Capital, they did not seize the Mining Facilities (6), instead dashed forward to engage the Strongpoint (8) guarding the pass to the Capital. But when they crossed the Rockmount Canyon (7), the Tau sprung their trap. Well hidden and determined, the Tau forces had the Imperials surrounded before opening fire. Railguns and missiles downed one Valkyrie after another, while Crisis suits descended upon the ground forces, ripping open the Chimeras, burning guardsmen screaming out and dying. The intervention of Imperial Spec-ops did not remedy the situation, and the forward element of the Airlanding Command was shattered, giving the Tau and their Allies their first victory.
The aggressive nature and the recklessness of the Salamanders paid out greatly, since not only did they secure their LZ, but they immediately mounted a drop-pod assault operation against the Governor's Mansion. A successful 4+ roll resulted in the Governor actually being in the estate at the time of the attack, and the Tau bodyguard force had to hold for 6 turns to successfully evecuate him. The Drop Pods landed in point blank to the estates fortifications, Salamanders pouring firey death and hot melta upon the Fire Warriors posted there. Responding to the emergency signal, Crisis suit teams deep striked into the fray, gunning down power-armored foes, and dying in the process. In the end, the Tau force not being able to effectively engage in long range firefight, cornered from the first moment by the Emperor's Finest, was completely wiped out, the Planetary Governor captured and summarily executed for high treason and Heresy. (The failure to protect the Governor was corrosive to the Rebels' morale. From now on, every Rozak Guard unit not accompanied by a Commissar or a Senior Officer suffers a -1 to its Ld checks)
 |
| Strategic Map- Orbital and Land Operations - Turn 1 |
After an inconclusive engagement between the two fleets, the Imperial navy landed their troops, deploying the Mechanized Command in LZ 1, the Airlanding Command in the LZ 3, while the Salamander elements secured the LZ 2. A landing force was fragile and disorganised until it achieved cohesion, but the Shas'O knew that the Landing Zones were supported and dominated by Imperial Air power, whose strafing runs were rightly feared. Not having the numbers to withstand such bloodbath, Lanc'el ordered his troops to wait and ambush the enemy in other spots. But the impetuous garrison of Port Rozak, reinforced by a volunteer regiment of the city's lower classes, set out to the nearing LZ 1, and attacked massively against the planetstriking Imperials, ignoring the SHas'O's orders. If the attack succeeded, the LZ would be abandoned, and the Mech Command's stragglers would retreat to the hill "Point Zero" (16) where they would make a last stand. Rozakian infantry and militia set out to capture the zone's objective, but they were met with stiff resistance by a wall of chimeras and hellhounds, and volleys of Imperial squads that were just deepstriking all around them. Imperial fighters were strafing the rebels from the onset of the battle, and the attack ultimately failed, thus securing the LZ for the Imperium and giving them the battle initiative to attack either Port Rozak and the Starport to the south or the strategic Riverland Bridge (13) to the east.
The Airlanding Command landed in LZ 3 unopposed. Opting for a quicker assault against the Capital, they did not seize the Mining Facilities (6), instead dashed forward to engage the Strongpoint (8) guarding the pass to the Capital. But when they crossed the Rockmount Canyon (7), the Tau sprung their trap. Well hidden and determined, the Tau forces had the Imperials surrounded before opening fire. Railguns and missiles downed one Valkyrie after another, while Crisis suits descended upon the ground forces, ripping open the Chimeras, burning guardsmen screaming out and dying. The intervention of Imperial Spec-ops did not remedy the situation, and the forward element of the Airlanding Command was shattered, giving the Tau and their Allies their first victory.
The aggressive nature and the recklessness of the Salamanders paid out greatly, since not only did they secure their LZ, but they immediately mounted a drop-pod assault operation against the Governor's Mansion. A successful 4+ roll resulted in the Governor actually being in the estate at the time of the attack, and the Tau bodyguard force had to hold for 6 turns to successfully evecuate him. The Drop Pods landed in point blank to the estates fortifications, Salamanders pouring firey death and hot melta upon the Fire Warriors posted there. Responding to the emergency signal, Crisis suit teams deep striked into the fray, gunning down power-armored foes, and dying in the process. In the end, the Tau force not being able to effectively engage in long range firefight, cornered from the first moment by the Emperor's Finest, was completely wiped out, the Planetary Governor captured and summarily executed for high treason and Heresy. (The failure to protect the Governor was corrosive to the Rebels' morale. From now on, every Rozak Guard unit not accompanied by a Commissar or a Senior Officer suffers a -1 to its Ld checks)
