Tyndareous: Spiggot holds Night Lords

Colonel Spiggot had been holding his troops in the city of Slade since his arrival on Tyndareous. Until now the Night Lords had not faced the bulk of his troops in their savage raids, and it was the Tau who had suffered the most at the hands of the traitor Legion. On 2806.008M42 however, this changed, as the Night Lords once again led an attack on the outpost planet. This time, Spiggot's men were in a position to get to the incursion first.

The Librian Grenadiers set up a good defensive position near a complex of ancient ruins to the west of Slade, some five hundred miles south of Flack, which had been devastated by the previous Night Lords' raid. The Librians were determined that the small village of Hesther would not suffer the same fate.

The Chaos Marines soon moved on the ruin complex after consolidating their landing zone. At first it appeared the Chaos forces were intent meerely on facing the Librians in combat, but Colonel Spiggot soon realised that the Night Lords were planning to capture the ruins, for their own secretive purposes. The fact the traitors wanted to possess the ruins was enough for Spiggot to fiercely oppose them.

The battle developed quickly and the Night Lords found themselves coming under unexpected heavy fire and taking havey casualties. Their advance was slowed as their vanguard forces were massacred by Leman Russ fire. The Imperial Hellhounds too played their part and for a while it looked as if Spiggot would be able to turn the Night Lords' flank and expel the traitors from the comples. However as the day wore on the Marines clung tenaciously to their positions and punished any Imperial advance over open ground. Wrecked tanks and Sentinels littered the battlefield.

By evening the battle had petered out and a one kilometre no-mans-land lay over much of the ruins. By dawn the Chaos Marines had left, silently and without warning. They had been stopped, but at a high cost to the Imperium and Spiggot, though having shown the Traitor Marines could be stopped, had not succeeded in routing them. Imperial Guard honour was satisfied, but their losses meant the Tau were now the more numerous force on Tyndareous.