Wednesday 18 July 2018

Wurrshuv's Revenge - Week 11

Wurrshuv's Revenge - An ATT Campaign 

Week 11 





It is now a race against time for the Tau as they attempt to seek out and destroy the Ork tellyporta arrays under construction before they can become fully operational. Knowing that their activation could swing the balance of the conflict decisively in favour of the Orks, the Tau have begun to shift priority to the destruction of the tellyporta construction sites. While some outlying arrays have been successfully eliminated with tracer missile strikes and Tau raiding parties, the bulk of the tellyportas under construction are being built nestled in the safety of major Ork fortresses and strongholds, and thus the Tau have been forced to take the fighting to the twisted streets and motley dwellings of the Ork settlements themselves if they are to succeed in shutting down this threat. 

In space the Ork naval offensive continues to drive relentlessly into the Tau controlled regions of the system. The network of Tau orbitals is acting as a considerable force multiplier, providing bases for ships to repair and resupply, providing additional firepower in fleet engagements and giving the Tau early warning on Ork fleet movements, but the sheer number of Freeboota warships is overwhelming, and the Tau fleet can no longer be in every place at once. While Kor'vattra Fleet K-42 continues to shield M-88 from incoming Ork Roks, Operational Group Or'res'tel'K has managed to reclaim the lost Enclave reinforcement corridor to the world. The victory has come at a heavy cost however, leaving Operational Group Ore'res'tel'K badly damaged, and while they have been thusly occupied the Orks have managed to sever one of the two Empire reinforcement corridors to M-88, further damaging Tau logistics. 

Situation Updates - All Sectors 

He'Sho Seas - ORK CONTROLLED 

Following their success in the previous week, the Tau forces in the He'Sho Seas have fought a series of raiding operations against outlying Ork Intacepta Rokkit sites in the region. These actions have followed the model of their initial strike against an Intacepta Rokkit battery, with the Tau quickly storming the Intacepta Rokkit sites and seizing control of them just long enough to fire the stored Intacepta Rokkits at Ork targets within range before sabotaging the battery's fire control systems and withdrawing. While most of these Intacepta Rokkits are fired at large Ork ground units and concentrations of Ork troops, the Tau are also beginning to target them on Ork mining and fossil fuel infrastructure to inflict as much damage as possible on the Ork resourcing operations in the region. 

Though effective, there is currently little else the badly depleted Tau forces in this region can do. They no longer have the manpower to effectively secure and hold territory, and almost all of their auxiliary and mercenary allies have either fled the He'Sho Seas or been killed. Tau air support remains sporadic at best, while more and more Orks arrive in the region each day. With the recent news from the Mo'Hav Plains and the delays encountered by Operation MONSOON, Tau morale in the He'Sho Seas has dropped to a new low. Some commanders in the region are beginning to doubt that their resources are sufficient for the task at hand, and are now wondering if withdrawing from the region may be the best course of action. 

Ork Points: 83
Tau Points: 17

Mo'Hav Plains - ORK CONTROLLED 

Ork counterattacks have smashed into the flanks of Operation MONSOON from two directions. In the south-west armoured forces attacking out of the Ork staging areas at Test Range Ekko have struck at the bottom of the Tau salient in the Mo'Hav Plains, engaging the rear echelons of Operation MONSOON and threatening to cut off the main Tau strike forces and sever their supply lines. The Ork Gutrippa, Bonebreaka and Bonecruncha battle tanks and Lungbursta assault guns that comprise these armoured formations are ideally suited to mobile warfare on the wide open Mo'Hav Plains, and their continuous track propulsion is less affected by the soft ground conditions of the Lake Season. The Tau also face attacks by mechanised Ork warbands using vehicles with trakk-mods and leg-mods moving in from the eastern Mo'Hav Plains, which remain firmly in Ork hands. 

The Ork counter-attacks have been further supported by a new Ork air offensive, known to the Greenskins as 'Linebakka'. This bombing campaign is defensive in nature, and the weather of the Lake Season has limited the number of sorties the Orks can fly, but the effects have nonetheless been devastating, with Ork fighta-bomemrs swarming over the Tau salient in vast numbers during periods of clear weather to hammer Tau rear echelon infrastructure such as supply convoys and communications hubs. Incoming Tau reinforcements have also found themselves targeted by fighta-bommers. 

The Tau have fought back hard, determined to continue clearing out the Ork settlements in the Mo'Hav Plains and destroying the tellyportas under construction within them. Mobile elements of the Sa'cea cadres continue to delay the advancing Gargant mobs in the north with harassing actions and hit-and-run raids, while Operation IO has drawn away Ork forces that could be used to attack from the west. Tau Lake Scorpion raiding parties continue to meet with success as they mercilessly destroy Ork supply convoys and pockets of Ork reinforcements en route to the front lines. Nonetheless, the Ork counterattacks have managed to stall the progress of Operation MONSOON. 

Ork Points: 75
Tau Points: 25

Wurrshuv's Krunch - ORK CONTROLLED

Elements from the Tau Guards Cadres taking part in Operation IO performed a major triumph for the Tau when they successfully destroyed the first of the Ork Mega-Gargants deployed at Wurrshuv's Krunch. Employing the same tactics used by the 42nd T'au Guards Cadre to destroy Tyranid Dominatrices on Doran'Cha, motorised Pathfinder teams mounted on Tetras were used in a series of hit-and-run actions to guide in long range tracer missile fire on the Mega-Gargant, eventually destroying it over a week of concentrated bombardments. Though largely unreported by the wider Tau media, this success has raised the spirits of the Tau fighting on M-88, proving that the Ork titans are not invincible. 

Operation IO continues to burn a path across the Krunch region, alternating between targeting Intacepta Rokkit batteries and Ork airbases before being resupplied by Mantas at a cleared Ork airbase at the end of the week. Resupply operations also include a fresh set of decoy formations to foil Ork efforts to track Operation IO. The Guards Cadres have adopted a new tactic known as the 'Interceptor Drill' to mitigate losses to Intacepta Rokkit strikes when travelling, the Tau formations scattering as soon as the Intacepta Rokkits are detected by Tau sensors or are sighted on the horizon. Though the Interceptor Drill slows the rate of advance for Operation IO, it has minimised losses to Intacepta Rokkit attacks by preventing the missiles from impacting among dense concentrations of targets. 

While the priority targets of Operation IO remain the outlying Ork airbases, sensa arrays and Incacepta Rokkit batteries located outside the main Ork strongholds, the Guards Cadres have nonetheless found themselves increasingly drawn into fierce mobile battles with the top-rate Ork forces drawn in to contain and eliminate them. Thus far the forces of Opreation IO have been victorious in these engagements, but casualty rates and the rate of supply consumption both remain high. The vehicle mounted multi-trackers that the Guards Cadre vehicles are equipped with have proven to be a major advantage in these engagements, allowing the Tau forces to effectively engage the Orks on the move. The 1st Fo'tan Guards Cadre has fought with distinction during these actions, becoming feared amongst the Orks and earning great respect from Shas'O'T'au Kais'ka'Eoro'Da'Anuk and the 42nd T'au Guards Cadre. 

Operation IO's attacks on Ork airbases have begun to inflict serious damage on the Ork airforces as entire squadrons of fighta-bommers are destroyed on the ground by Tau troops. While replacing the airframes is a relatively straightforward matter for the Orks, finding replacement pilots for them is far more difficult. The Guards Cadres' attacks on Ork airbases have seen a significant number of the veteran Ork flyboys killed at their bases, including some of the best Ork aces on M-88. As the Orks do not rotate their pilots for training purposes, this has made such losses irreplaceable, with the expertise of these pilots now lost forever. 

Nonetheless, the Ork settlements and strongholds around Wurrshuv's Krunch remain unharmed, bypassed by Operation IO despite the continued killings of Tau captives from the Saal'vesa training grounds being broadcast openly on Tau frequencies, and Ork warbands continue to pour from them to combat the Tau invaders. Aerial and orbital surveillance shows vast clouds of thick black exhaust circling the decoy formations and Operation IO itself like cyclones. Intelligence has confirmed that Wurrshuv himself is now hunting the Guards Cadres, commanding his personal armies from his own enormous kustom battlefortress. 

Ork Points: 100
Tau Points: 0

Training Ground Saal'vesa - TAU CONTROLLED

Following the successful raid in the previous week, Ork Spektas have begun to attack other Tau research outposts in the Saal'vesa region, identified by previous Ork attacks. In many cases the method of attack is the same - the Spekta mobs will hijack Tau vehicles for transportation, which they will then use to gain access to the target installation. Once within the defensive perimeter the Spektas ditch the captured vehicles and spread out into the base, using their looted stealth field equipment for concealment and attacking the Tau at close quarters. Once they have achieved their objective, the Spektas break out of the outpost and melt back into the surrounding wilderness. Occasionally the Orks will fill one or more of their hijacked Tau transports with explosives to use as a distraction, detonating them after exiting to cause chaos amongst the Tau defenders. 

The object of these raids varies, and appears to be largely subject to the whim of the Spekta mobs conducting them. Some have focused on sabotaging Tau research and development, while others have been performed to assassinate Tau researchers, and several prominent Earth Caste scientists have been slaughtered by Wurrshuv's Spektas. Most, however, have been to steal Tau technology and research projects, with a growing number of advanced prototype equipment being seized by Spekta mobs. It is feared that these items may find their way back to Wurrshuv and his Mek acolytes. Regardless of their intention, these raids have been highly effective, with the Orks managing to attain their goals with the Tau research stations through the use of covert actions after their conventional attacks were thwarted. 

At the forefront of the fighting in the Saal'vesa region the front lines have not shifted greatly in either direction. The Ork offensive has had its progress stalled by Tau counter-attacks, but has manged to inflict heavy losses on the defending Tau forces. The Tau have, in turn, been unable to fully repel the attacking Ork forces, in no small part due to Tau reinforcement and resupply efforts being hindered by the vast number of Ork minefields that have been seeded in Tau territory. 

Ork Points: 26
Tau Points: 74

Training Centre Or'vesa - TAU CONTROLLED

Ork forces continue to push into the northern Enclave sector, slowly but relentlessly gaining ground against furious resistance from the Tau forces around Training Centre Or'vesa. Much like the Saal'vesa training grounds in the south, the Or'vesa region is now thoroughly riddled with dense Ork minefields, complicating Tau logistics in the region. Enclave forces have fought back tenaciously, and left several small salients in the forward Ork lines. The additional close combat training practised in the Farsight Enclaves has proven invaluable in the latest fighting, with many Enclave warriors managing to survive to fight another day after the combat has devolved into a brutal and frantic melee. 

Gitsnagga's Speshul Opz Kommandos continue to undermine the Tau defences in the north, competing with the Spekta mobs deployed to the Or'vesa region for who can perform the most daring raids and destructive ambushes. Gitsnagga has employed every stratagem he knows to match the looted cloaking fields employed by his Spekta rivals, most notably recruiting Lootas armed with captured sniper rifles to his warband. These Ork sharpshooters have proven deadly against Tau commanders unprepared to face Greenskin marksmen. 

In addition to the ever present Snakebites, the Ork offensive in the north has also seen Gargdreg's Goff armies and Grimfing's Dredmob engaged in heavy fighting. Being mostly comprised of foot infantry and mechanised walkers respectively, these Ork forces have been largely unaffected by the Lake Season's ground conditions, allowing them to keep pace with the Snakebites during offensive actions. Tau forces fighting in the Enclave Sector have learnt to fear the forces of both Ork warbosses. 

As the Ork presence in Da Fang continues to prosper, sentiment against Wurrshuv is slowly growing, and many Ork settlements in Da Fang are expressing increasing unrest against the Big Mek. Whispers are beginning to circulate that Da Fang may attempt to secede from the rest of Wurrshuv's invasion. Coinciding with the growing unrest, large numbers of Ork armoured units loyal to Wurrshuv have been dispatched to Da Fang. Ostensibly to support the northern offensive, these 'reinforcements' are instead stationing at Ork settlements within Da Fang, supporting an ever increasing number of Tech-Nob enforcers placed within Da Fang. 

Ork Points: 35
Tau Points: 65

Fio Starport - TAU CONTROLLED 

Ork Spektas continue to raid Tau reconstruction efforts around Fio Starport, sabotaging construction sites and ambushing Tau combat patrols sent after them. Tau sensor arrays are a priority target for the Spektas, and the Orks put great effort into destroying Tau sensor equipment before it can be deployed wherever it is found in order to maintain their stealth advantage. Defence systems en route to their deployment locations are also targeted, as are supply concentrations and Tau reinforcements moving to the front lines. Numerous Stealth units have been called for to defend against the marauding Spekta mobs, but none have thus far been committed. 

The fungicidal units and equipment that arrived in the previous week has now arrived at their deployment locations on M-88, and begun fungicidal operations against Orkoid lifeforms wherever possible. Their progress has been hampered in the Mo'Hav Plains by the recent Ork counterattacks in that region, with a number of terraforming rigs being lost in the fighting. 

With Fio Starport itself now largely restored to full functionality, Earth Caste reconstruction efforts have shifted to the outlying Tau airbases destroyed in the grav-smasha strikes. A small handful of Tau airbases have been rebuilt, many at new locations not yet identified by the Orks, while older Tau airbases have been repaired and refurbished as dummy locations to foil Ork intelligence gathering. The newly built airbases now provide the Tau with areas to base aircraft in, and the first new air cadres to reach M-88 have now been stationed at them, the green Tau pilots having been trained over the last few weeks by the few veteran Tau pilots to have survived the conflict. The numbers of Tau aircraft remain low however, and so their operations have thus far been limited to periods of poor weather where the superior avionics of the Tau aircraft give them a decisive advantage. 

Ork Points: 0
Tau Points: 100



Ork Campaign Points: 4 
Tau Campaign Points: 4 








Rain cascaded through the darkness, thrown about the night by the roaring wind of the storm outside, buffeting the walls with the force of a squiggoth. Both the pelting rain and howling wind were violent enough to be audible over the distorted electric melody of Goff Rok which blasted through the cosy rustic warm-coloured shabby interior of the tavern. It was readily apparent to a visitor that the establishment was an unsubtle place, a wildly unkempt mass of nooks and booths enclosed by a motley assortment of wooden planks, baked mud bricks and many-coloured scrap material. The eclectic walls were liberally adorned with a collection of trophies mounted on rough wooden plaques, ranging from tusks, claws and fangs from enormous alien beasts to weapons and armour from vanquished enemies. Many were examples of Tau technology or remains of Tau themselves or their allies. Roughly near the heart of the building was a large U-shaped bar beneath a massive alien skull surrounded by the skulls of Tau and Kroot and suspended over a Tau pulse rifle and Kroot rifle crossed over one another. Far to one corner lay a sheltered side-warren where three monstrous green figures sat around a large rough-hewn table. 

"Ya know wot Urk, I'z fink dis 'az been a real gud place ta fight," said one of the Orks. He was one of Old Smashafist's Snakebites, a hulking mass of gnarled green muscle as wizened and tough as the dirty weather-beaten parched tan leathers that adorned his form. Despite being nominally at rest, he remained bedecked in an arsenal of ropes, tools, knives, hooks, hatchets, supplies and ammunition belts, further equipment protruding from the bulging pockets scattered across his leathers. At his side, propped up against the chair he sat in, was a vicious-looking shoota, a hefty weapon fashioned from harsh metal embedded in rustic wooden furniture covered in carvings of glyphs and spells of protection. A leather strap hung from the shoota, a tan sling adorned with feathers, totems and a tarnished Tau helmet aerial. A vividly crimson Kobra, stripped with black and twice as large as a man's arm, coiled around one of his arms while the other rounded up a fistful of fungus crisps from a bowl on the table. 

"I dunno Grog," replied Urk as he chewed on a spitt'n squig. Like Grog, Urk was also a Snakebite, hailing from the plains and deserts of Gnarlborrow, a world known to the Orks as a place of adventure and bloodshed where danger lurked around every corner. Orks from there were widely held as an exemplar of Greenskin society, and Urk certainly looked the part. He was easily the largest of the three Orks, but was confident enough not to flaunt his size as he instead calmly reclined back in his chair, shifting the spitt'n squig around his fang-lined maw beneath the wide brim of the hat sunk over his face. A collection of Tau optic pieces hung from various areas of his clothing. There were no weapons visible, save for the brutal rust-strewn spiked knuckle dusters clutched in one of his massive green fists and a simple well-used six-shoota holstered at his side. A diamond-patterned rattla lazily wound its way around his thick green neck. 

"Wot'z not ta like?" asked Grog, "Sure it'd could be betta, I meself wud 'av been happier wif sum real gud big mountainz ta fight in. Dey'z me favourite fight'n place afta all. But I'z sure we'll get ta dem eventually. Dere'z gotta be sum gud big mountainz around on dis planet sumwhere. But in da meantime dere'z been plenty 'o' gud scrapz ta get into. Just fink ov 'ow much 'arder da Grey Gitz up in da norf are ta da runtz in da souf. If ya ask me, I'd say we'z got da betta end ov da stikk dere." 

"Da Grey Gitz an' da Bird Boyz wot fight wif dem might be 'arder up dis way," Urk replied, "But dey'z still Grey Gitz, and all Grey Gitz are still runtz. Dere'z just no real fun in it if ya ask me. All dey want ta do is shoot an' shoot an' shoot sum more, like dat'z all dere iz ta fight'n, but it'z not. Wot I wudn't giv fer sum gud Beekeez'r sumfink. Da Bird Boyz are al'right, I'spoze, but even den dey run 'n' hide too much. An' da snakez! Wot kind of a gud planet dozn't 'av a gud kind 'o' snake'r too? Da snakez 'ere iz ded runty dey are. An' den dere'z da mud 'n' rain." 

"Iz a bit ov worta too much fer a big tuff Squig-herder?" sneered the third Ork. Though he was a Snakbite of the Green Mambaz warband, the serpent wrapped around his arm was black as obsidian, save for two venomous green eyes that glared straight through onlookers. This greenskin was covered in all manner of scars, some ritual, but most inflicted over the course of a lifetime of warfare. A necklace of Tau helmet aerials hung around his neck, while a choppa, an enormous broad-headed axe, lay propped up against the table next to him. 

"You'z sure ya want ta go down dat path Skug?" Urk said before sending the challenger slinking back with a stern glance and subtle shift in stance, the rattla around him shaking its tail furiously as it sensed the tension. In another time and place the two would have almost certainly come to blows, but it was late and the three Orks had been satisfied with the amount of violence they had enjoyed during the day. Now was not the time for fighting. 

"All I'z say'n," Grog said, "Iz dat we'z could certainly 'av it a lot worse. 'Sidez, da Grey Gitz iz start'n ta get betta wif fight'n. Look at wot'z goi'n on in Da Mov'in Plainz at da moment, da Grey Gitz are gett'n stuck in real gud down dat way. Almost makez me fink we might 'av piked da wrong place ta go fight'n in." 

"Shame 'bout da bossez though," said Urk, "Ourz iz gud I'z rekon. Dey 'av da right stuff. But most ov da bosses 'ere 'av been rubbish. Dey shud be smash'n Grey Gitz left right an' centa wif lodsa kunnin planz, but instead most ov dem 'av just been mukk'n about! Weren't we 'sposed ta be gett'n a whole load ov cyborkz down dis way? Wot 'appened dere!" 

"Fink about da big pikturr," Grog retorted, "Dem bosses might not 'av smashed az many Grey Gitz az dey might 'av, but 'av da Grey Gitz beat us? No! Dey'z been stuck gett'n pushed around by us, which makez sense since we'z da biggest an' da best, but dat'z besidez da point. Wot I'z say'n iz, we'z still 'ere gett'n stuck in, an' dat'z not nuffin." 

"It'z not like da Grey Gitz bossez 'av been any betta," added Skug, "Afta all dey 'avn't been able ta take Da Fang 'av dey? You'z heard about da 'unz in da souf? Da Goff Wannabeez?" 

Urk spat out his spitt'n squig, which shot through the air before impacting the opposing wall of the room with a wet splat and trickling down to the floor. "Dey'z a joke dat lot," he said, "Dey'z sum ov da runtiest Grey Gitz dere iz! Dey neva want ta get da hand'z dirty at all, all dey want ta do iz blow stuff up wif no appreciation ov da valyoo ov it. No undastand'n of fight'n at all wif dem." 

"Aww da Goff Wannabeez ain't so bad," Grog said, "Dey'z can make sum big an' blasty enuff 'splosionz, when dey want. 'An dey certainly 'av sum real scrappy spirit. Da real problem dere, if ya ask me, iz dat dey don't appreciate da fight fer wot it iz." 

"Dey'z certainly try," Skug added, "An' dat'z not nuffin. I'z rekkon if dey learn more dey'd be right 'ard. An' dey know ta try dressin like da Goffz." 

"Dat'z sumfink," Urk conceded, "Da Goffz are da next 'ardest klan afta us." 

"An wot about Da Krunch?" Grog asked, "I'z hear dere'z sum real gud fight'n go'in on down dere at da moment!" 

"Dannik's boyz certainly seem right 'ard," Skug said, "Now dey really know 'ow ta fight. Gett'n stuck in, load'n up their trukkz an' wagonz wiff lodsa gubbinz an' gear, dat'z da right stuff alright. Shame Wurrshuv's Boyz iz hogg'n dem all to demselvez." 

"Wurrshuv," Urk grumbled, "Now dat'z a naff 'un if eva I'z seen. 'Ez alwayz want'n more teef an' nosh from us, but doez he come out an' get stuck in wif da rest ov Da Boyz? No! 'E just sitz around mukk'n about wiff stoopid Grey Gitz bitz an' push'n us around fer no reason! An den right when it sootz 'im 'e just strutz in an' takez sum ov da best fight'n all ta himself! Wot a skab!" 

"Wot'z 'e want all dem Grey Git bitz for anywayz?" asked Skug, "Dere'z plenty ov gud proppa wayz ta fight az it iz wiffout us'n a load ov runty gubbinz from a bunch ov runtz. I'z rekkon dat dere'z no kill'n 'un ov Wurrshuv'z stoopid kontraptunz could do dat couldn't be done wif me choppa!" 

"An' me shoota!" added Grog. 

"An' me fistz!" added Urk. 

"'ERE 'ERE!" the three bellowed in unison before raising their mugs of fungus beer and violently clinking them together. 

It was then that the front doors of the tavern flew open with a crash of lightning. From the storm outside marched in the dripping form of a towering brutish Ork, clad in a carapace of dirty white segmented armour festooned with stikkbombs, knives and ammunition magazines. A dirty white helmet framed the beast's head in a T with its faceguard, while an anti-tank rokkit protruded from a backpack fashioned from Tau jetpacks. One hand grasped a bulky slugga, the other ended in a colossal crackling power klaw. His appearance betrayed him as one of Wurrshuv's Tech-Nobz. 

The Tech-Nob stomped one of his mud-spattered white armoured boots on the floor and snapped his power klaw menacingly. "Listen up you lot!" he barked, "Dis 'ere iz Wurrshuv'z planet an' he don't like da way you lot iz mukkin about on it! Sum ov youz iz still 'old'n back on yer teef fer Wurrshuv, an' 'e don't like dat 'un bit! Dat'z why Wurrshuv'z Boyz iz comm'n 'ere an' fingz'll be right diffrunt when dey get 'ere! Dere'z a noo orda in town!"

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