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Battle of Khalita Ridge-Part 2

Sensing time was growing short The imperium continued the assault.  Against the Stygian Left flank there came the screaming sounds of engines as a Guardian chapter stormtalon swooped onto the battlefield.  It's assault cannons roaring at the Havocs holding the flank.  While three of the marines fall the rest stubbornly held their ground.  Units of the 18th Liskavian infantry advanced under the cover of the strafing run to threaten the Stygian right flank.

In the center the imperial poured their artillery fire along with that of the demolisher and punisher tank.  The remaining Alpha legion squad in the center went down either dead or badly wounded.  The militia unit behind them was savaged losing 50% of their strength in minutes under the concentrated fire.  The survivors went to ground praying to the dark gods to hasten the relief force.  On the left flank Tech marine Vollus saw the onrushing daemons making for the Liskavian infantry.  Roaring out orders his men exited their rhino on the flank of the daemonic force.  Vollus knew the terror and carnage those murderous warp beings could cause.  Setting his external vox speaker to maximum he bellowed out orders.
"Controlled bursts! Send the foul things back to the Abyss but don't waste too much ammo on this puny distraction."
     His words heard by the guardsmen quickly saw them adding their own weight of fire to that of the Guardian chapter marines.  The daemonic screams of the bloodletters filled the air as they were cut apart in a murderous crossfire.
Khalbad screamed in fury as his minions were swept aside with ease.

The Stygian line was now stretched thin, it's center crumbling.  Khalbad knew that unless something happened soon the Imperial force would shatter the line and roll right through.  The screaming of heldrakes signaled the reprieve of the Stygian forces.  On the left flank a heldrake swooped in and spewed napalm into the advancing imperial infantry.  Screams filled the air as Liskavian guardsmen burned to death in the napalm.  On the right flank a second Heldrake roared in firing it's hades autocannon at the stormtalon.  The stormtalon banked hard avoiding most of the fire but a single round punctured it's left engine damaging it and temporarily clearing the way for the dropships to unload their cargo of death into the midst of the Imperial forces.

With the screams of aircraft roaring overhead Lt. Ilovisk screamed for the crew of his punisher tank to elevate the barrels.  The legendary young Lt. knew they had to cut down the aircraft and reinforcements quickly before they had a chance to launch a coordinated strike.  The sound of two heavy thuds and screams of accompanying infantry caused him to look forward.  Two massive hulking brutes in armor had suddenly landed before his and the demolisher's tank.  As he watched the one extended his arm and a barrel appeared to push itself out from the armor molding itself as it went.  The loud hiss followed as the melta weapon the hulking brute formed fired blowing the tracks off the demolisher.  Lt. Ilovisk screamed as he saw the second hulk aiming at his tank and the flash of weapons fire.
      Khalbad watched as the obliterators blew the tracks off the demolisher and the second fired into the punisher.  The melta weapon must have hit the ammunition store he thought grimly.  For the punisher tank disappeared in a series of explosions raining fire and debris on the nearby infantry, and the obliterators who shrugged off the shrapnel with indifference.

Khopesh and his havocs rejoiced at the sight of the punisher exploding before firing their rockets into the Imperial Infantry on the right flank who had started to turn towards the obliterators.  Blasts slammed into the guardsmen throwing many of them through the air as bolter fire cut down the rest.  Khopesh with the right now clear saw a group of five terminators drop behind the center and then use their combi bolters and heavy flamer to cut down a supporting heavy weapons team.

Meanwhile on the Stygian left flank Khalbad saw the advance of the Imperial guardsmen checked by the napalm from the heldrake.  Screaming he ordered the militia to pour fire onto the Guardian chapter space marines.  In the hail of fire that followed he was pleased to see one of the marines stumble and fall an autogun round having pierced his helmet lens and puncture the marines skull.  The scream of jetpacks sounded as a squad of raptors landed behind the advancing imperials.  The raptors had leaped from a passing aircraft using their jumppacks to slow their descent at the last minute.  He watched as they fired upon landing at the spotting tank which appeared to take a glancing hit before it gunned it's engines and scurried forward out of range.  Khalbad cursed, the impact landing had thrown off the raptors aim.  The Imperials minutes before at the threshold of victory now stood at the abyss of defeat as the battle heated up.

special thanks must go to my opponent Chris Edstrom who played his fantastic looking Imperial Guard and Guardian space marine army.