Night Lords bloodied on Memnon

Lord Raziel had been concerned by the arrival of a significant Ork presence on Memnon and decided that the Night Lords would have to act quickly. Whilst he was content to make alliances of necessity with the Orks against the Imperium, the planet Memnon held too high a strategic value to allow the Orks a presence. He personally led an expeditionary force onto the planets surface to capture teleporter relays hidden amongst the ruins of the planet but quickly found his force assaulted by a plethora of Orks mounted in fast light vehicles.

The Night Lords deployed in a thick block hoping to fend off the initial ork charge and counter attack to retake the field. However the speed of the Ork attack surprised the marines and the Ork shooting proved highly destructive to the Night Lords battle tanks and long-range support. Many Orks swarmed over the initial chaos marine line of defence and on the right flank an ill disciplined squad of Night Lords deecidd abandoned their role as reserves to the main battle line to take shots at some warbuggies only to find themselves overwhelmed and massacred by the enemy. Raziel’s raptors bodyguards and veteran assault marines managed to counter attack and slew the Ork warlord, his retinue and his trukk boys but found themselves to be the only remaining Night Lords and surrounded by Ork vehicles.

The fearless marines remained undaunted however and rushed towards the ruins to seize the controls for the teleporter relay so that the Night Lord’s losses wouldn’t be in vain. Ork shots rained on power armour as they scurried towards the temple till an ork warbuggy with a rocket launcher opened fire. Lord Raziel selflessly hurled himself in the way of the rocket to save the relay, and his men and was wounded and knocked unconscious. Out of loyalty to his Lord, Brother Zephon slung his lord’s body over his shoulder and with the remaining assault marines made it to the safety of the temple where they were quickly teleported to the orbiting Night Lord Battle Barge. Raziel’s wound proved not to be fatal and the Night Lords had managed to seize control of many of Memnon’s ancient teleporters with which future incursions could advance from. However the loss of life and weaponry to the Orks had been great and the green tide had managed to seize further territory in Memnon strengthening the Ork presence on the planet.

+++ Inquisitorial Note. Recommend the reporter sent for re-affirmation of faith. Traitor marines can never be described as "selfless". As such this report remains security level gamma or better.+++