Assault on Mondus Gamma

Imperial Fists' Assault on Forge Entry of Mondus Gamma

In the early stages of the Heresy, Rogal Dorn was urged by Malcador the Sigillite to secure the Mondus Gamma and Mondus Occulus Forges on Mars. These two mighty forges were the primary production for many of the legions arms and armour so the importance of the mission was paramount.

Rogal Dorn tasked First Captain Sigismund with the mission to land in force and secure the two forges amidst the schism forming in the mechanicums ranks. This battle report tells the short story of Praetor Andreas leading elements of the 52nd Vanguard company to secure a secondary forge entrance to Forge Mondus Gamma. Standing in opposition to him and his forces is a Magos Dominus of the Dark Mechanicum, leading a small host of Castellax Battle Automata with a Thallax cohort in support.

The battle field was dominated by a wide canal, of which the mechanicum had blown the two bridges crossing it. Fortunately for the Imperial Fists, ruined factoriums provided good cover in which to advance behind and launch the attack.. The imperial Fists objective was to take the central building the the Mechanicums deployment zone by turn 6......The mechanicum simply had to prevent this to win.

Imperial Fists Turn 1.

 

IMPERIAL FISTS TURN 1

 

The engagement began with the Imperial fists opening a blazing lascannon volley on the Castellax Automata standing sentry above the ramp leading up to the forge entrance. One of the mighty machines was destroyed under the barrage of bolt shells and lascannon blasts. The land Raider rolled down the ramp into the canal with a chug of burnt promethium spewing from its exhaust, carrying the tactical support squad in a flanking manoeuvre. The two breacher squads advanced and hunkered down behind their shields wary of the soon to be incoming barrage as they readied to drop down into the canal.

Mechanicum Turn 1.

 

MECHANICUM TURN 1

 

The Castellax lurched into motion, awoken from their sentry protocols by one of their number exploding from the Imperial Fists opening salvo. The mauler pattern Castellax  trod down the ramp, cycling up their Mauler Bolt Cannons, moving to block the easy advance of the breachers. With a roar of heavy calibre bolt shells, the breachers dropped down behind their shields taking a tremendous pummelling. One marine dropped with a round clipping him but quick administrations from the apothecary allowed him to regain his position in the shield wall.The Thallax unit stepped out from from the ruins of the objective, firing their lightning guns. The breachers shields were no proof against the fire and three marines feel before the Thallax jumped back into cover. The Castellax standing sentry on the left flank identified the threat of the Sicarian, targeting their darkfire cannons on the the yellow machine. The shots were on target but the armour just held true with the shots glancing off.

Imperial Fists Turn 2.

 

IMPERIAL FISTS TURN 2

 

Pushing forward as fast as they could while maintaining formation, the Imperial Fists dropped down into the canal while their armour took up firing positions on the banks. The Vindicator lobbed a shell at the Mauler pattern Castellax but the blast went wide, kicking up debris over the Land Raiders hull. The Sicarian crew having been shaken from the darkfire cannons could not put their shots on target and they all went wide. The Land Raider however tacked one of the Thallax as it jetted back into cover and blasted it with lascannon fire before it could reach safety. The praetor gave the order over the vox to focus fire on the Castellax stomping down the ramp towards them. under the combined fire of the rapiers, Land Raider and the breacher squads, another of the Castellax fell forward and ceased to move. The tactical support squad, having disembarked from the Land Raider, hugged the wall of the canal, trying to keep out of sight as they intend to flank the Thallax position.

Tactical support squad moves to flank the Thallax

Mechanicum Turn 2.

 

MECHANICUM TURN 2

 

The darkfire cannons of the Castellax light up and this time find the armour of the Sicarian weakened, failing and crumpling under the baleful beams, leaving the tank burning. The Thallax once again jump from their perches to fire their lightning guns into the second breacher squad, only felling one marine . The lone Mauler pattern Castellax receives a blurt of binary from the dominus and picks uo its massive feet, barrelling into the breacher squad behind a burst from its flamers. pushing its massive bulk forward over the charred remains of a marine, it smashes another into the wall of the canal with a crunch of ceramite. The marines instantly respond with primed krak grenades but are unable to find any weak spots in the Automatas armour. The Castellax then flails its fists, smashing another two marines to the muck of the canal floor. Having seen a momentary opening in the Automatas defence the sergeant smashes his powerfist into face of the huge machine leaving it twitching and spraying sparks. With the apothecary in the rear recovering the fallens geneseed, the squad remain stoic in the face of the Castellax's rampage.

IMPERIAL FIST TURN 3

 

The sergeant of the engaged breacher squad gave a short message over the vox, detailing he would do his duty and contain the last Castellax in melee, allowing the praetor and his squad to carry up the ramp to the objective unimpeded. The praetors squad unleash a burst of bolt shells on the Thallax unit hiding in the building, but only succeed in keeping them in cover with their heads down. A large concussive blast immediately shattered the same building, the detonation of the vindicator shell casting a brief illumination over the battle field. The Thallax were however already retreating deeper into cover and none were injured. The tactical support squad, led by the sergeant poked around the corner, spotting the hovering occulus of the Thallax squad. Without hesitating he lifted his plasma gun to his shoulder and vaporised the device. Down in the canal the last Castellax had its hull further damaged by a well placed krak grenade, rocking it enough that its clumsy attacks missed the sergeant as it attacked.

Tactical Support sergeant snipes the occulus

Mechanicum Turn 3.

 

MECHANICUM TURN 3

 

The Thallax unit moved out of the building, moving to intercept the tactical support squad poised to strike the Mechanicum position in the flank having been alerted to their position by the linkup with their occulus device being destroyed. They quickly identify the tactical support squad sergeant poking around the corner and unleash a full salvo upon him striking him down with lightning. The Castellax unit of the other flank turned in unison, firing thier darkfire cannons in a concentrated blast. The vindicator erupted if flame spewing smoke into the sky. The Magos Dominus seeing the Castellax in melee in the canal about to fall under the relentless attacks of the breachers, uploaded a short binaric protocol to the hulk setting its internal power supply to overload. With little warning it detonated in the faces of the breachers, catching them all in a blast of nuclonic fire. The forgelord managed to survive due to the nature of his armour and the apothecary and lone breacher marine bounced off the canal wall, surviving due to their brothers absorbing the blast infront of them.

Survivors from the immolating Castellax

Imperial Fists Turn 4.

 

IMPERIAL FISTS TURN 4

 

The praetor lead his squad to the top of the ramp out of the canal, calling the Magos Dominus's doom out in a challenge. The squad unleashed their bolter fire on the nearby Castellax, along with the supporting fire from the Land Raider and rapier laser battery. After the blasts fall away, a Castellax had fallen, turned to slag and ruin. The tactical support squad, angry with the death of their sergeant storm around the corner with the leading two marines unleashing their plasma guns on the Thallax unit. The terrain proved troublesome, making getting precise shots off and only managed to fell a single cyborg.

The Praetor challenges the Magos Dominus

Mechanicum Turn 4.

 

MECHANICUM TURN 4

 

The Magos, seeing the impending assault of the praetor and his squad instructs the remaining two Castellax to flank him as he moves to hold the top of the ramp. The Thallax unit returned fire on the tactical support squad, felling two more marines in electrical discharge from their weapons forcing the remaining two marines to fall back into the canal for cover. The Magos gives another binaric instruction to the closest Castellax Automata, speeding up its synapses. It raised its weapons along with its twin and unleashed  its fire upon the breacher squad at point blank range before stomping into melee range. Three marines full under the fire as they locked their shields in tight and brace for the impact. A few krak grenades are tossed at the feet of the robotic killers but only manage to crumple small sections of armour before the machines swing their fists killing another three. The praetor unleashes a flurry of blows but none were able to penetrate the arcane tecnologic defence of the Magos, leaving him mocking him with metallic laughter from his vox emitter. The breacher sergeant however had the last laugh as he lobbed his now primed breaching charge at the feet of the nearest Castellax, blowing a sizable chunk from the leg armour as well as scorching the Magos.

Imperial Fists Turn 5.

 

IMPERIAL FIST TURN 5

 

The tactical support squad survivors continued to withdraw, unsure whether they were being pursued by the Thallax or not. The Land Raider rumbled up the ramp behind the forgelord and surviving breacher and apothecary, rushing to join their commander in a desperate fight with the Mechanicun forces. The marines once again lob krak grenades amongst the machines but to no avail. The praetor however learnt from the moments before of the Mago's defence, moved in and delivered a critical blow to it's cranium, felling him. The forge lord charged in from behind the melee, swinging his axe but to fail to penetrate the Castellax's armour. His servo arm however was to the task of holding and pinning one of the beasts arms in place, allowing the sergeant to move in and rip out the central processing unit from its hull, rendering it inert. The praetor yelled the Primarch's name, urging the Imperial Fists to carry on and finish the last Automata and take the objective.

Mechanicum Turn 5.

 

MECHANICUM TURN 5

 

The Thallax realising the mechainucms influence was no longer in place around the forges entry, they withdrew with preservation protocols to report to the nearest Magos. The lone Castellax, turned sluggish by the lack of higher control from a magos could not hold against the combined might of the remaining Imperial Fists and is dragged down and destroyed. The triumphant Praetor Andreas leads the few survivors towards the objective to secure it, upholding his orders.

Imperial Fists Consolidate on the Forge entrance

Thallax withdraw



 

The battle although bloody and wrecking a heavy toll on the Imperial Fists was a victory and allowed the Loyalist forces time and access to secure vital supplies and arms for the upcoming storm which was to be Horus's great Heresy against the Imperium.

~Spraggy