Tau frustrated on Tyranteous

As 11.013M42 progressed into the second week, the alliance could have been forgiven for thinking the war on Tyranteous was over. Despite Luthor's edict, the tau had control of most of the planet, and the imperium were bottled up into three small bridgeheads and under pressure just to hold the line. However as the tau attacks battered themselves against imperial defences in their impatience to complete the invasion and move on to Zadoc, Cunningham concieved a counter attack, against Luthor's edict.

The overall commander on Tyranteous was convinced by a young officer in the Novgorod Guard, and by the equally aggressive Apocalypse Riders captain. Both urged Cunningham to abandon the retreat and launch a new attack. After much persuading the general agreed, but the scope would be limited.

The plan was simple. The Novgorod Guard would launch a limited offensive in the east, tying down as many troops as possible while the Astartes went for the main objective, the Renbow refinery and its precious fuel. On 0711.013M42 the offensive began. For once the Novgorod units made good progress, though their own objectives were only mere miles from the front line. Even so the imperial regiment used aggressive tactics, swamping Windgather's Tau-Eldar alliance and forcing the tau to commit their reserve in the east. Now the Apocalypse Riders struck.

Using their superior speed and shock tactics, the astartes force raced out of the Tallengrove salient towards their objective, clashing with commander Skyfall's elite forces. Initially the astartes made lighning progress, and the tau fell back to gain time to gather their strength, correctly identifying the refinery as the principle objective. Here Skyfall made his stand, and for a while accurate tau firepower checked the Riders' advance, as pulse rifles and heavier tau weaponry saw casualties mount. In the end however it was the aggressive tactics and skilled riding of the astartes company which won out, and Skyfall was forced to abandon the refinery to the imperium. For the first time in weeks the imperium were celebrating victory on Tyranteous, but was it too little too late?