Progress on Mordecai remained slow for the forces of the Imperium, and a number among High Command had begun to express concern that the war would descend into a quagmire on a planetary scale. Determined to break the deadlock, the Hammers of the Emperor sought to smash through the strongest defences and facilitate a breakthrough. The Hammers set out in force to attack the eastern defences of Chaos, but to their surprise, the Iron Warriors forces were defending the region instead of sulking in their fortresses off world like High Command believed.
The Scouts of the Hammers caught the Iron Warriors off-guard, striking suddenly and killing a number of Thorakitai mortal slave-soldiers. Multiple Lascannon beams lanced out from distant ruins, slicing through the Iron Warriors Daemon Engines and Plasma Cannons cut down a forward squad of Legionaries who strayed too far from defensive positions.
The Iron Warriors quickly recovered and slaughtered the Scouts while hurling their Daemon Engines through the ruins and into the Loyalist Vindicators, while Lascannon Havoc teams - feared throughout the Aleph sector for their skill against armour, hobbled a Rhino transporting Sternguard veterans despite defensive smoke being deployed.
For over an hour defensive smoke and chaff caused tracer rounds to criss cross ineffectually, inflicting only light casualties. It was the Iron Warriors that finally took the initiative to close the distance, bringing their heavy mid range weapons to bear. Obliterators tore their way into reality as one of the Havoc squads wielding Reaper Chaincannons deployed from their Rhino transport. The Havocs lit up the ruins containing the three Devastator squads, slaying them all in a blinding hail of fire that left little of the ruin standing, along with most of a squad of Sternguard. At the same time, the Obliterators made good on their name, destroying the Hammers armoured support utterly.
Undaunted, the Hammers commanders, including the Chapter Master and Master of Sanctity counter attacked. The heroes of the Chapter tore through the Iron Warriors lines, cutting down the Obliterators, Havoc squad and Commander leading the Iron Warriors. If this was expected to break the traitors the Hammers were mistaken; in customary fashion the Iron Warriors calmly deployed more guns, levelling Lascannons, Chaincannons, bolters and baleflamers at the heroes. The Master of Sanctity was speared through with two Lascannons beams and the Epistolary was beaten to death by a mob of hate filled Legionaries. The Chapter Master of the Hammers impressively withstood round after round of Chaincannon fire, his stormshield shorting out from the effort, only to be speared through by the Vex Machinator Warpsmith leading the Daemon Engines packs.
By late in the evening of 0302.020M42, corpses littered the centre of the battlefield. The Iron Warriors seemed satisfied with the carnage and withdrew, having butchered most of the Hammers force, along with losing a significant portion of their own defenders. Worse for the Hammers, the fate of the Chapter Master and Master of Sanctity of the Hammers remained unknown. For the Iron Warriors, it was believed that Šalić, one of the Lieutenants of Commander Gerghaz from the Western front of Hexis, led the Iron Warriors. However his presence, and his apparent death both remained unconfirmed. His presence, if it were true, meant that Stahl may have redirected his forces away from Hexis and towards Mordecai. Did Stahl suddenly care about the planet? Or was this simply another opportunity to wreak vengeance on the Imperium and their “allies” in the Chaos forces?
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