Wurrshuv's Revenge - An ATT Campaign
Week 9
The nature of the strange cargo arriving on M-88 the previous week has now been revealed in spectacular fashion. In a series of daring and extremely dangerous raids, Tau Special Insertion Threat Containment teams have infiltrated the heart of Ork territory and detonated a series of nova charges at key defence sites at Wurrshuv's Krunch. The cataclysmic exotic-matter munitions have inflicted grievous damage on the defence lines around the Krunch region, and while the Ork settlements, airbases and artillery in the area remain unharmed, the defences covering air and land approaches into the region have become seriously compromised.
Ork retaliation has been swift. as soon as the unfathomably powerful explosions were registered, Wurrshuv's semi-automated counter-strike system, referred to by the Orks as 'Ded 'Hand', fired a barrage of long-range 'Strateegik Rokkitz' tipped with grav-smasha warheads at the main Tau base of operations at Fio Starport. Long-range Ork 'Stratabommerz' based off Wurrshuv's Anargla Gork prototype have followed up the attacks with air-dropped grav-smasha munitions. leaving the Tau infrastructure around Fio Starport devastated.
In space, the network of Tau orbitals and waystations commissioned by Kor'O'T'au Kais'Y'eldi'Aloh has been completed, and SX-8 modular orbitals now line the reinforcement corridors to M-88 and are liberally seeded in the primary biosphere of the system. These orbitals and waystations are a major force multiplier for the Tau fleet, providing vastly enhanced logistics support and forward bases at which Tau ships can repair and resupply. Heavily armed defence orbitals also provide an additional layer of defence against incoming Roks. However, the Tau fleet remains ever vigilant against continuing attacks by Ork Freebootas and waves of Roks. Concerns are still high that a major Ork naval offensive may be imminent.
Situation Updates - All Sectors
He'Sho Seas - ORK CONTROLLED
As feared by several Tau commanders active in the region, the Orks have begun deploying Gargants against the Tau in the He'Sho Seas. Several newly-minted Gargants have now arrived at the front lines in the He'Sho Seas, where the shock of their initial engagements and massive firepower has resulted in heavy losses on Tau forces that can ill afford to loose more manpower. In response, the Tau forces in the He'Sho Seas region have adopted a more mobile and fluid strategy. Destroying all permanent equipment and infrastructure that they could not take with them, the Tau air-landing forces have abandoned their hard-fought positions around FFG355Y and dissolved into the wilderness, beginning a series of hit-and-run operations against the pursuing Orks.
Such guerilla tactics are well-known to the Enclave troops in the He'Sho Seas, who have honed them over many Tau'cyr of bloody insurgency on the Eastern Fringe. So far these new tactics have proven successful in preserving Tau lives, and further Tau losses have been minimal. The battlelines in the He'Sho Seas have now disintegrated entirely, becoming an entirely decentralised flow of constantly shifting Tau positions around FFG355Y as the surviving Tau evade what Ork forces they cannot outgun and slaughter what Ork forces they cannot evade. Nonetheless many are questioning how long such a situation can be sustained, and Tau commanders in the He'Sho Seas are once again calling for immediate reinforcements to ensure the Tau offensive in the He'Sho Seas survives long enough to reach Operation MONSOON.
Ork Points: 83
Tau Points: 17
Mo'Hav Plains - ORK CONTROLLED
Having amassed their forces in the Mo'Hav Plains, the Tau have sprung Operation MONSOON in force. Seven hundred and twenty Tau cadres have formed the initial spearhead, with more amassing in staging areas as reserves and follow-on forces. Shas'O'Tash'var Len'li and Shas'el Kiv'rai'ka'nan have studied the area well and deployed a large number of mechanised and armoured cadres, which they have used to devastating effect by engaging Ork forces isolated by the Lake Season and defeating them in detail through their superior mobility. Shas'O'Tash'var Len'li has deployed his own cadre to the forefront of the fighting, ranging ahead of the main force to sabotage the Ork roads that remain usable. These raids have so far proven successful, with Tau forces destroying the roadways with mouldable explosives and crippling an already hamstrung Ork transport infrastructure. Current estimates indicate the Ork road network to now be at 30% of its peak capability.
Covert Ops Team 24-C has also resurfaced in the Mo'Hav Plains, having been personally requested from Enclave Command by Shas'O'Tash'var Len'li. The illustrious Gue'vessa operatives have been inserted ahead of the advancing forces of Operation MONSOON where they have begun running counter-insurgency operations against marauding Spekta mobs and lending assistance to nearby Tau units encountering unexpected resistance. Shas'O'Tash'var Len'li and Shas'el Kiv'rai'ka'nan have also created a new form of Tau cadre. Named a 'Firestorm' cadre, this formation has been specifically formed for the express purpose of countering the ever-pervasive Orkoid lifeforms infesting the Mo'Hav Plains, as a temporary stop-gap until more specialised measures can be provided.
Operation MONSOON has made good progress, and carved a Tau salient into the Mo'Hav Plains. However, resistance is stiffening quickly. Mines, roadside explosives and traps remain an ever present danger to the advancing Tau, as do ambushes from camouflaged or concealed Big Gunz batteries set up to cover the roads and approaches to Ork settlements. Gargants constructed at Wurrshuv's Krunch have reached the Mo'Hav Plains and are now marching on the Tau from the north alongside ranks of Stompas, while Ork armoured formations from staging grounds at Test Range Ekko are now moving against Operation MONSOON from the southwest. The Tau will need to respond quickly if Operation MONSOON is to avoid being caught in a pincer movement by these two powerful forces.
Ork Points: 77
Tau Points: 23
Wurrshuv's Krunch - ORK CONTROLLED
The devastating attack on the Ork defences around the Krunch region was only the beginning. After weeks of anticipation, the Guards Cadres on M-88 have at last been deployed in combat, and have done what few imagined would be possible - launch a direct assault on Wurrshuv's Krunch, the heart of Ork territory on M-88.
Under the command of Shas'O'T'au Kais'ka'Eoro'Da'Anuk, 68 of the 72 Guards Cadres on M-88 have been deployed in Operation IO, a daring offensive into the Krunch region masterminded by Da'Anuk himself to guard the north-western flank of Operation MONSOON. Supported by a further four top-rate hunter cadres from T'au, the Guards Cadres have crossed the border into the Krunch region from the Tau salient in the Mo'Hav Plains and pushed deep into Ork territory. Lacking the manpower and mass to hold ground, the objective of the strike force is instead to draw Ork forces away from Operation MONSOON and inflict as much damage to vulnerable Ork infrastructure in the Krunch area, especially Intacepta Rokkit sites and Ork airbases.
In many ways Operation IO has built on the success of other Tau actions, with Da'Anuk timing the offensive to exploit the demolition missions of the Special Insertion Threat Containment teams as well as the progress of Operation MONSOON. Well known for the careful planning put into his operations, Da'Anuk took great effort to learn from the experiences of other Tau forces already committed to the fighting as well as studying all available intelligence on Wurrshuv's forces. Mindful of the crushing defeat inflicted on the ORBIT cadres operating near the Krunch border, Da'Anuk ordered the Guards Cadres to stay well outside the range of the Ork artillery and instead used the salient formed by Operation MONSOON to enter the Krunch region from the south-east, outflanking the massed Ork guns facing the Empire Sector.
The attack began with a massive barrage of missiles fired into the Krunch region ahead of the advancing Tau forces. Requisitioned by Da'Anuk to nullify the extensive Sensa arrays deployed throughout the area, over a dozen long-range missiles fitted with specialised sensor-jamming ECM warheads were fired into the region, blinding Ork sensa arrays as they passed overhead. Fired a few seconds afterwards was a wave of tracer missiles modified with counterstrike guidance systems to home in on active sensor emissions, which impacted on their targets immediately after the ECM missiles had passed.
The net result left the Ork sensa network crippled, and the Orks completely blind along four large interconnected corridors of advance. Only one was to be used, with the remaining three acting as decoys to keep the Orks guessing as to where the offensive would fall and prevent them from massing counterattacking forces in one place. As the final missiles landed, the Guards Cadres and their support launched into the attack with meticulous efficiency, advancing hundreds of kilometres into the Krunch region and crushing any resistance they encountered, moving under the cover of rainstorms to mitigate the amount of Ork airpower that could be brought to bear against them. Those few Ork aircraft able to reach the attacking Tau forces through the poor weather were swiftly downed by the air defence assets attached to the Guards Cadres, upgraded with reconfigured IFF systems to counter Ork Beepy Gubbinz countermeasures.
Da'Anuk has considered every possible factor he can think of into his planning, and the Tau commander is confident that his forces are equipped to handle any situation they may encounter in Wurrshuv's Krunch. A large number of specialist vehicles have been attached to the Guards Cadres to provide assistance in unusual circumstances, most notably a contingent of the renowned Masonshark Combat Engineering vehicles to deal with the large numbers of mines, traps, strongpoints and obstacles expected. Logistics have not been neglected, and to minimise the amount of rear echelon supply trains that would be vulnerable so deep inside Ork-held territory, Da'Anuk has devised a novel solution nicknamed 'Nomad'. Instead of a fixed supply line back to Tau territory, Operation IO is supplied from a large number of supply transports accompanying the strike force. These transports are to follow closely with the main combat force, with the entire operation moving as a single cohesive unit. When supplies begin to run low, the strike force is to assault and sieze the nearest Ork airbase, from where it will then be resupplied by mantas. In order for such a gambit to work Da'Anuk knows that the Tau forces will need every last supply they can bring with them, and the vehicles of the Guards Cadres have had their maximum carrying capacity pushed to the limit, with every last gram being given over to carrying either warriors or extra supplies and equipment. This has left the Guards Cadre vehicles with a distinctive appearance from the extra provisions loaded on top of them, and the image of hundreds of the Guards Cadres and their vehicles covered with additional stowage tearing across the landscape has quickly become an icon of the conflict.
Da'Anuk knows that his forces are insufficient to secure territory for any meaningful amount of time. Instead his plan makes full use of the mobile warfare that is the hallmark of Fire Caste doctrine, using his highly mobile strike force to bypass the Ork strongholds and fortresses and instead engage the more vulnerable outlying Intacepta Rokkit sites and Ork airfields. In doing so they will not be able to claim ground in the region, but can inflict enough damage on the Greenskins to disrupt their operations in other areas and keep Wurrshuv's Krunch open to subsequent attacks. Due to the high-risk nature of Operation IO, Da'Anuk has insisted that Water Caste coverage of the offensive be minimal, with only Por'vre'T'au Ma'caor'Aun'T'au'Retha, the journalist embedded in the 42nd T'au Guards Cadre, being present to chronicle the operation.
News of the attack has been slow to filter through the wider Ork population, which has so far largely carried on as normal. Great Gargants are now en route to the various warzones on M-88. Worse still for the Tau, the first of Wurrshuv's newly constructed Mega-Gargants have also become operational, being dispatched towards the Mo'Hav Plains. Though the border defences have been crippled, the artillery massed by the Orks along the borders with the neighbouring Saal'vesa and Or'vesa regions remains unscathed, and the Orks continue to seed minefields across the Empire and Enclave Sectors.
In response to the recent controversy amongst the Orks surrounding the so-called 'charge of the Ork brigade', Wurrshuv has authorised the public execution of Tau prisoners. The first of these has been a well-regarded Shas'vre of the 115th ORBIT cadre and a highly-admired Shas'ui from the 155th ORBIT cadre, both captured in the aftermath of the Ork victories at the Saal'vesa border. Both were gruesomely terminated in front of a live audience of hundreds of Orks, the Shas'vre being fed to ravenous Squigs and the Shas'ui being ripped limb from limb by two of Wurrshuv's Nobs, and footage of the executions was relayed across public AV screens in every Ork settlement, as well as mobile AV wagons on the front lines. The footage has bolstered Ork morale, with the Greenskins revelling in the savage death of their enemies and the knowledge that even now they can still be killed. The footage was also broadcast on a number of Tau transmission frequencies, interrupting regular transmissions and disturbing large numbers of the Tau who witnessed it.
Ork speaker towers and AV screens also continue to broadcast news of other Ork victories, as well as messages and images of the vast numbers of Ork warriors, weapons and war machines being deployed on M-88, reminding the Greenskins that a few hundred casualties is but a drop in the ocean for them.
Ork Points: 100
Tau Points: 0
"Mal'caor'Aun'T'au'Retha has proven he can handle himself on numerous occasions, but the fewer Por that travel with us the better. Where we're going is no place for a correspondant."
- Shas'O'T'au Kais'ka'Eoro'Da'Anuk, prior to Operation IO
Training Ground Saal'vesa - TAU CONTROLLED
The ORBIT forces have begun to recover their strength, and have now resumed combat operations in the Saal'vesa training grounds. The first test for the reconsituted ORBIT cadres has been the defence of a Tau outpost sheltered in a series of gullies and canyons, where Earth Caste scientists have been testing biological weapons for use against the Orks. As part of the renewed Ork offensives in the region a large force of Greenskins had descended on the installation with the intent of plundering it and offering the technological secrets held within to Wurrshuv as tribute.
Spearheaded by the warband's own Stompa known as 'Da hand of Mork and Gork', the Ork assault initially proved relentless, inflicting considerable losses on the Tau forces and pushing them back to the core facilities of the outpost itself. Salvation ultimately came in the form of the 'Charge of the Ork brigade', a massed attack by several waves of Orks that was repelled repeatedly by disciplined defensive fire from Tau infantry forces. The successful breaking of this push enabled the Tau to rally and drive the Orks from the perimeter of the compound and stabilise the situation, but the Orks continued to attack with ferocious abandon and the Tau were ultimately forced to call down fire from the ATT orbital to decisively break the Ork attack.
The outpost has been saved, and the research contained within it has now been evacuated. The victory has proven that the ORBIT forces are in a position to renew offensive actions, though many of their cadres remain badly under-strength. The ORBIT forces have also begun to draw criticism from a number of observers, with many in the Tau Empire beginning to question their methods. Repeated use of orbital weaponry on the Orks has begun to raise growing concern that the ORBIT commanders may be employing excessive force in the conflict, and some are beginning to call for their censure. A number of civilian analysts and commentators have pointed out that a considerable number of the tactics used by ORBIT forces thus far in the conflict would be considered atrocities if they were performed on other galactic powers such as humans or Eldar, and citing the recent successes of Operation MONSOON using conventional weapons as a contrast. Public spotlight has also been drawn to the 'smart-virus' biological weapons being developed on M-88 nominally under ORBIT authorisation and questions have been raised over the ethics around them.
Ork Points: 26
Tau Points: 74
Training Centre Or'vesa - TAU CONTROLLED
Ork warbands continue to spill out from Da Fang into the wider Or'vesa region, seeking bloodshed and plunder in territory that has been home to what is unquestionably the bloodiest and most hellishly brutal combat of the entire conflict on M-88. Tau counterattacks meeting these errant warbands has resulted in swirling engagements all across the Enclave Sector as hunter cadres elminiate one warband only to find themselves beset upon by two more. It is said that the only true victors in the north are carrion scavengers, and plants fertilised on blood.
Within Da Fang itself the Orks are growing increasingly entrenched. Just as in the Mo'Hav Plains and He'Sho Seas, the Greenskins of the Northern Raiders have begun to establish more and more permament settlements in the Or'vesa region, cultivating the surrounding land with Orikoid fungus. The settlements of Da Fang are surprisingly sophisticated, and a thriving melting-pot culture has formed amongst the disparate factions of the Northern Raiders, with different Klans exchanging goods and services freely. These 'Fang Fortz' are generally considered by the Orks to be significantly more liberal than those under Wurrshuv's direct control, and the Northern Raiders take much pride in the spirit of defiance they share.
Ork Points: 35
Tau Points: 65
Fio Starport - TAU CONTROLLED
The Ork grav-smasha attacks on Fio Starport have left the Tau headquarters on M-88 devastated. Though largely inaccurate, the blast-yields from the grav-smasha tipped Strateegik Rokkits have proven sufficient to obliterate much of the Tau infrastructure in the region. Follow-up attacks by Ork Stratabommers carrying free-fall grav-smasha munitions have inflicted further damage, using their somewhat greater level of precision to attack major Tau installations and Fio Starport itself directly. While many of the major supply depots and command centres in the region have been left relatively intact, the region's airbases, defence systems, sensor arrays, and communications hubs have been destroyed, and much of the starport itself has been severely damaged. The Earth Caste have worked like champions to mitigate the devastation, rescuing survivors, clearing debris, triaging wounded and extinguishing fires, but at this stage they can do little more than damage control. The situation has been further compounded by the weather in the region, which has been destabilised by the gravity-based weapons.
The latest wave of reinforcements to reach M-88 has included a full contingent of air cadres, something desperately needed by the Tau on M-88. The wave of aircraft and their crews has the potential to restore much of the Tau's lost airpower, but has been hamstrung by the grav-smasha attacks on Fio Starport. Combined with the destruction of Tau airbases outside the Fio Starport region during Roll'n Thunda, this has left the new Tau air cadres with nowhere to station at. In light of these developments, and considering the lack of experience amongst the new air cadres, the Tau Kor'ar'tol has made the decision to recall all remaining Tau combat aircraft from the theatre of operations on M-88. Only Mantas and transport aircraft have been permitted to remain. This has left the Tau with no combat aircraft to use against the Orks until Tau airbases can be reestablished, but it will allow the few surviving Air Caste pilots with combat experience to lend their hard-earned knowledge with the new reinforcements as they train the fresh air cadres outside of the theatre of operations.
Ork Points: 0
Tau Points: 100
Covert Ops Team 24-C has also resurfaced in the Mo'Hav Plains, having been personally requested from Enclave Command by Shas'O'Tash'var Len'li. The illustrious Gue'vessa operatives have been inserted ahead of the advancing forces of Operation MONSOON where they have begun running counter-insurgency operations against marauding Spekta mobs and lending assistance to nearby Tau units encountering unexpected resistance. Shas'O'Tash'var Len'li and Shas'el Kiv'rai'ka'nan have also created a new form of Tau cadre. Named a 'Firestorm' cadre, this formation has been specifically formed for the express purpose of countering the ever-pervasive Orkoid lifeforms infesting the Mo'Hav Plains, as a temporary stop-gap until more specialised measures can be provided.
Operation MONSOON has made good progress, and carved a Tau salient into the Mo'Hav Plains. However, resistance is stiffening quickly. Mines, roadside explosives and traps remain an ever present danger to the advancing Tau, as do ambushes from camouflaged or concealed Big Gunz batteries set up to cover the roads and approaches to Ork settlements. Gargants constructed at Wurrshuv's Krunch have reached the Mo'Hav Plains and are now marching on the Tau from the north alongside ranks of Stompas, while Ork armoured formations from staging grounds at Test Range Ekko are now moving against Operation MONSOON from the southwest. The Tau will need to respond quickly if Operation MONSOON is to avoid being caught in a pincer movement by these two powerful forces.
Ork Points: 77
Tau Points: 23
Wurrshuv's Krunch - ORK CONTROLLED
The devastating attack on the Ork defences around the Krunch region was only the beginning. After weeks of anticipation, the Guards Cadres on M-88 have at last been deployed in combat, and have done what few imagined would be possible - launch a direct assault on Wurrshuv's Krunch, the heart of Ork territory on M-88.
Under the command of Shas'O'T'au Kais'ka'Eoro'Da'Anuk, 68 of the 72 Guards Cadres on M-88 have been deployed in Operation IO, a daring offensive into the Krunch region masterminded by Da'Anuk himself to guard the north-western flank of Operation MONSOON. Supported by a further four top-rate hunter cadres from T'au, the Guards Cadres have crossed the border into the Krunch region from the Tau salient in the Mo'Hav Plains and pushed deep into Ork territory. Lacking the manpower and mass to hold ground, the objective of the strike force is instead to draw Ork forces away from Operation MONSOON and inflict as much damage to vulnerable Ork infrastructure in the Krunch area, especially Intacepta Rokkit sites and Ork airbases.
In many ways Operation IO has built on the success of other Tau actions, with Da'Anuk timing the offensive to exploit the demolition missions of the Special Insertion Threat Containment teams as well as the progress of Operation MONSOON. Well known for the careful planning put into his operations, Da'Anuk took great effort to learn from the experiences of other Tau forces already committed to the fighting as well as studying all available intelligence on Wurrshuv's forces. Mindful of the crushing defeat inflicted on the ORBIT cadres operating near the Krunch border, Da'Anuk ordered the Guards Cadres to stay well outside the range of the Ork artillery and instead used the salient formed by Operation MONSOON to enter the Krunch region from the south-east, outflanking the massed Ork guns facing the Empire Sector.
The attack began with a massive barrage of missiles fired into the Krunch region ahead of the advancing Tau forces. Requisitioned by Da'Anuk to nullify the extensive Sensa arrays deployed throughout the area, over a dozen long-range missiles fitted with specialised sensor-jamming ECM warheads were fired into the region, blinding Ork sensa arrays as they passed overhead. Fired a few seconds afterwards was a wave of tracer missiles modified with counterstrike guidance systems to home in on active sensor emissions, which impacted on their targets immediately after the ECM missiles had passed.
The net result left the Ork sensa network crippled, and the Orks completely blind along four large interconnected corridors of advance. Only one was to be used, with the remaining three acting as decoys to keep the Orks guessing as to where the offensive would fall and prevent them from massing counterattacking forces in one place. As the final missiles landed, the Guards Cadres and their support launched into the attack with meticulous efficiency, advancing hundreds of kilometres into the Krunch region and crushing any resistance they encountered, moving under the cover of rainstorms to mitigate the amount of Ork airpower that could be brought to bear against them. Those few Ork aircraft able to reach the attacking Tau forces through the poor weather were swiftly downed by the air defence assets attached to the Guards Cadres, upgraded with reconfigured IFF systems to counter Ork Beepy Gubbinz countermeasures.
Da'Anuk has considered every possible factor he can think of into his planning, and the Tau commander is confident that his forces are equipped to handle any situation they may encounter in Wurrshuv's Krunch. A large number of specialist vehicles have been attached to the Guards Cadres to provide assistance in unusual circumstances, most notably a contingent of the renowned Masonshark Combat Engineering vehicles to deal with the large numbers of mines, traps, strongpoints and obstacles expected. Logistics have not been neglected, and to minimise the amount of rear echelon supply trains that would be vulnerable so deep inside Ork-held territory, Da'Anuk has devised a novel solution nicknamed 'Nomad'. Instead of a fixed supply line back to Tau territory, Operation IO is supplied from a large number of supply transports accompanying the strike force. These transports are to follow closely with the main combat force, with the entire operation moving as a single cohesive unit. When supplies begin to run low, the strike force is to assault and sieze the nearest Ork airbase, from where it will then be resupplied by mantas. In order for such a gambit to work Da'Anuk knows that the Tau forces will need every last supply they can bring with them, and the vehicles of the Guards Cadres have had their maximum carrying capacity pushed to the limit, with every last gram being given over to carrying either warriors or extra supplies and equipment. This has left the Guards Cadre vehicles with a distinctive appearance from the extra provisions loaded on top of them, and the image of hundreds of the Guards Cadres and their vehicles covered with additional stowage tearing across the landscape has quickly become an icon of the conflict.
Da'Anuk knows that his forces are insufficient to secure territory for any meaningful amount of time. Instead his plan makes full use of the mobile warfare that is the hallmark of Fire Caste doctrine, using his highly mobile strike force to bypass the Ork strongholds and fortresses and instead engage the more vulnerable outlying Intacepta Rokkit sites and Ork airfields. In doing so they will not be able to claim ground in the region, but can inflict enough damage on the Greenskins to disrupt their operations in other areas and keep Wurrshuv's Krunch open to subsequent attacks. Due to the high-risk nature of Operation IO, Da'Anuk has insisted that Water Caste coverage of the offensive be minimal, with only Por'vre'T'au Ma'caor'Aun'T'au'Retha, the journalist embedded in the 42nd T'au Guards Cadre, being present to chronicle the operation.
News of the attack has been slow to filter through the wider Ork population, which has so far largely carried on as normal. Great Gargants are now en route to the various warzones on M-88. Worse still for the Tau, the first of Wurrshuv's newly constructed Mega-Gargants have also become operational, being dispatched towards the Mo'Hav Plains. Though the border defences have been crippled, the artillery massed by the Orks along the borders with the neighbouring Saal'vesa and Or'vesa regions remains unscathed, and the Orks continue to seed minefields across the Empire and Enclave Sectors.
In response to the recent controversy amongst the Orks surrounding the so-called 'charge of the Ork brigade', Wurrshuv has authorised the public execution of Tau prisoners. The first of these has been a well-regarded Shas'vre of the 115th ORBIT cadre and a highly-admired Shas'ui from the 155th ORBIT cadre, both captured in the aftermath of the Ork victories at the Saal'vesa border. Both were gruesomely terminated in front of a live audience of hundreds of Orks, the Shas'vre being fed to ravenous Squigs and the Shas'ui being ripped limb from limb by two of Wurrshuv's Nobs, and footage of the executions was relayed across public AV screens in every Ork settlement, as well as mobile AV wagons on the front lines. The footage has bolstered Ork morale, with the Greenskins revelling in the savage death of their enemies and the knowledge that even now they can still be killed. The footage was also broadcast on a number of Tau transmission frequencies, interrupting regular transmissions and disturbing large numbers of the Tau who witnessed it.
Ork speaker towers and AV screens also continue to broadcast news of other Ork victories, as well as messages and images of the vast numbers of Ork warriors, weapons and war machines being deployed on M-88, reminding the Greenskins that a few hundred casualties is but a drop in the ocean for them.
Ork Points: 100
Tau Points: 0
"Mal'caor'Aun'T'au'Retha has proven he can handle himself on numerous occasions, but the fewer Por that travel with us the better. Where we're going is no place for a correspondant."
- Shas'O'T'au Kais'ka'Eoro'Da'Anuk, prior to Operation IO
Training Ground Saal'vesa - TAU CONTROLLED
The ORBIT forces have begun to recover their strength, and have now resumed combat operations in the Saal'vesa training grounds. The first test for the reconsituted ORBIT cadres has been the defence of a Tau outpost sheltered in a series of gullies and canyons, where Earth Caste scientists have been testing biological weapons for use against the Orks. As part of the renewed Ork offensives in the region a large force of Greenskins had descended on the installation with the intent of plundering it and offering the technological secrets held within to Wurrshuv as tribute.
Spearheaded by the warband's own Stompa known as 'Da hand of Mork and Gork', the Ork assault initially proved relentless, inflicting considerable losses on the Tau forces and pushing them back to the core facilities of the outpost itself. Salvation ultimately came in the form of the 'Charge of the Ork brigade', a massed attack by several waves of Orks that was repelled repeatedly by disciplined defensive fire from Tau infantry forces. The successful breaking of this push enabled the Tau to rally and drive the Orks from the perimeter of the compound and stabilise the situation, but the Orks continued to attack with ferocious abandon and the Tau were ultimately forced to call down fire from the ATT orbital to decisively break the Ork attack.
The outpost has been saved, and the research contained within it has now been evacuated. The victory has proven that the ORBIT forces are in a position to renew offensive actions, though many of their cadres remain badly under-strength. The ORBIT forces have also begun to draw criticism from a number of observers, with many in the Tau Empire beginning to question their methods. Repeated use of orbital weaponry on the Orks has begun to raise growing concern that the ORBIT commanders may be employing excessive force in the conflict, and some are beginning to call for their censure. A number of civilian analysts and commentators have pointed out that a considerable number of the tactics used by ORBIT forces thus far in the conflict would be considered atrocities if they were performed on other galactic powers such as humans or Eldar, and citing the recent successes of Operation MONSOON using conventional weapons as a contrast. Public spotlight has also been drawn to the 'smart-virus' biological weapons being developed on M-88 nominally under ORBIT authorisation and questions have been raised over the ethics around them.
Ork Points: 26
Tau Points: 74
Training Centre Or'vesa - TAU CONTROLLED
Ork warbands continue to spill out from Da Fang into the wider Or'vesa region, seeking bloodshed and plunder in territory that has been home to what is unquestionably the bloodiest and most hellishly brutal combat of the entire conflict on M-88. Tau counterattacks meeting these errant warbands has resulted in swirling engagements all across the Enclave Sector as hunter cadres elminiate one warband only to find themselves beset upon by two more. It is said that the only true victors in the north are carrion scavengers, and plants fertilised on blood.
Within Da Fang itself the Orks are growing increasingly entrenched. Just as in the Mo'Hav Plains and He'Sho Seas, the Greenskins of the Northern Raiders have begun to establish more and more permament settlements in the Or'vesa region, cultivating the surrounding land with Orikoid fungus. The settlements of Da Fang are surprisingly sophisticated, and a thriving melting-pot culture has formed amongst the disparate factions of the Northern Raiders, with different Klans exchanging goods and services freely. These 'Fang Fortz' are generally considered by the Orks to be significantly more liberal than those under Wurrshuv's direct control, and the Northern Raiders take much pride in the spirit of defiance they share.
Ork Points: 35
Tau Points: 65
Fio Starport - TAU CONTROLLED
The Ork grav-smasha attacks on Fio Starport have left the Tau headquarters on M-88 devastated. Though largely inaccurate, the blast-yields from the grav-smasha tipped Strateegik Rokkits have proven sufficient to obliterate much of the Tau infrastructure in the region. Follow-up attacks by Ork Stratabommers carrying free-fall grav-smasha munitions have inflicted further damage, using their somewhat greater level of precision to attack major Tau installations and Fio Starport itself directly. While many of the major supply depots and command centres in the region have been left relatively intact, the region's airbases, defence systems, sensor arrays, and communications hubs have been destroyed, and much of the starport itself has been severely damaged. The Earth Caste have worked like champions to mitigate the devastation, rescuing survivors, clearing debris, triaging wounded and extinguishing fires, but at this stage they can do little more than damage control. The situation has been further compounded by the weather in the region, which has been destabilised by the gravity-based weapons.
The latest wave of reinforcements to reach M-88 has included a full contingent of air cadres, something desperately needed by the Tau on M-88. The wave of aircraft and their crews has the potential to restore much of the Tau's lost airpower, but has been hamstrung by the grav-smasha attacks on Fio Starport. Combined with the destruction of Tau airbases outside the Fio Starport region during Roll'n Thunda, this has left the new Tau air cadres with nowhere to station at. In light of these developments, and considering the lack of experience amongst the new air cadres, the Tau Kor'ar'tol has made the decision to recall all remaining Tau combat aircraft from the theatre of operations on M-88. Only Mantas and transport aircraft have been permitted to remain. This has left the Tau with no combat aircraft to use against the Orks until Tau airbases can be reestablished, but it will allow the few surviving Air Caste pilots with combat experience to lend their hard-earned knowledge with the new reinforcements as they train the fresh air cadres outside of the theatre of operations.
Ork Points: 0
Tau Points: 100
Ork Campaign Points: 4
Tau Campaign Points: 4
As the conflict enters its third month, the Tau have become aware of a deadly new development on the battlefields of M-88. Tau aerial and orbital surveillance has shown a large number of unusual structures being built at settlements all across the Ork-held territory on M-88. The latest scans of these construction sites has confirmed the worst fears of the Tau Coalition Command on M-88 - each one of these structures is an Ork tellyporta array, identical in size and power to the one housed in Wurrshuv's Rok. If these devices are completed, they will increase the amount of Orks arriving on M-88 a thousandfold, and the Greenskins will be able to amass enough numbers to begin permanently infesting regions. It remains to be seen how the Tau will counter this new threat, if they are not already too late...
Shadows flickered over the monstrous bulk of Wurrshuv as he
brooded in the gloom of his audience chamber. The room was cavernous, carved
out of a vast chasm of the Rok that had brought him to the planet of the ATT
Boyz. The ceiling vanished somewhere distant above Wurrshuv's head, with only
the lowest portions illuminated by the flickering torches and warm electric
lights that shone across the room's walls and floor. The lighting had been
cunningly arranged to leave Wurrshuv himself shrouded in half-darkness, the
better to intimidate those who approached him in this sanctum. What was most
visible were the walls of the chamber, lined with enormous banners proclaiming
the glory and might of Wurrshuv, and the blood-curdling fate of anyone that
dared to cross or offend him. Such claims were reinforced by the row upon row
of trophies that decorated the walls, each one taken from an enemy Wurrshuv had
defeated over the years. Some were the gargantuan skulls of ferocious alien
creatures, others were chunks of massive war machines or fearsome weapons. All
were testaments to Wurrshuv's prowess, and there were hundreds of them adorning
the chamber. Wurrshuv was sure he could even remember how he had gained each
one if he tried hard enough, though many of the stories behind them escaped his
immediate recollection.
The Big Mek himself
sat on his grand throne, a mountainous edifice fashioned from the shattered
remains of one of the Grey Gitz' largest combat walkers. It was a newer one,
Wurrshuv knew, among the biggest they had made yet. Ded stompy it had been, and
ded shooty too, with lodsa guns. The only fault with it had been a lack of implements
to chop or smash with, not even arms, but that was hardly surprising. Wurrshuv
had learnt long ago that Grey Gitz were generally shy about getting stuck in up
close, likely due to their generally runty stature. Nonetheless, the wrecked
upper chassis had made a fine basis for a throne, and Wurrshuv enjoyed being
able to look down on others from its vantage point. It's padded seat was
comfortable too. All in all it had been a fine gift to receive as tribute.
Still, Wurrshuv never quite felt at home on the throne the way he did on his
favourite chair, still sitting there in his workshop patiently awaiting his
return. The sooner he could be done with the day's audience time the better.
Wurrshuv thought about the war he had waged on this world.
He wondered how different it might have been if he had managed to reach the ATT
Orbital like he intended. He thought about how much fun it would have been to
crash straight into the station, to storm the ramparts with Da Boyz and break
loose on one of the most formidable fortresses in the Eastern Fringe. It would
have been the fight of the century! And afterwards he could loot the orbital
and turn it into the perfect stronghold from which to command a
galaxy-conquering WAAAAAAGH!!
But it had all worked out in the end, Wurrshuv supposed. The
ATT planet was an excellent starting point for further conquests. There was
plenty of wide open spaces for racing vehicles in and building forts and
settlements on. The wind was great as well, a nice fast whooshing wind that was
just the thing to have roaring at your back as you charged into battle. There
were plenty of minerals and oil in the Heeshow Seaz, lots of space in the Mo'vn
Plainz, and some choice Grey Git gubbinz to plunder in the Sallyvassa Stomp'n
Grounds and the Orkvassa Fight'n Fort, to say nothing of the untold treasures
that awaited Wurrshuv at the Foe Space Fort. Wurrshuv's head swam at the
thought of all those Grey Git bitz lying around at that distant location, just
waiting for him to loot and put to good use. Who knew what fantastic new stuff
was there for him to discover? It was enough to make an Ork salivate.
Best of all were the ATT Boyz themselves. Wurrshuv had
learnt from experience that the Grey Gitz were a cowardly lot, always avoiding
fighting where they could. He had worried that they might simply keep away from
the planet, content to stay hunkered down in their orbital fortress like a
bunch of grotz. But much to Wurrshuv's joy the Grey Gitz had come straight down
on the planet to battle his Ladz. And fight them they had. Wurrshuv had been on
the planet for just over four months now, and not one of them had been
peaceful. The first month had been a little touch and go, but after that the Grey
Gitz had wasted no time in getting down to a good bit of combat, and had fought
Wurrshuv's hordes all across this area of the planet. It had gotten to the
point where Wurrshuv's Meks were making Mega-Gargants. Wurrshuv wasn't really
surprised by much of this, he decided. After all, what else would he expect
from Dannik's warriors.
It hadn't been all
good though. Just recently the ATT Boyz had done a truly Skab move. They'd
carefully made their way all sneaky-like to the defences Wurrshuv had spent
countless hours scheming up and devising for the big Grey Gitz attack, then
blown them up with some kind of weapons of mass destruction. That just wasn't
right. It was one thing to smash a whole load of gitz with a good Rok or two,
but it was a whole other thing entirely to go and do something like that far
away from the fighting before you were all good and ready to start fighting
there too. It just wasn't proppa form. Still, Wurrshuv had planned for such a
contingency, and he'd prepared a fittingly just surprise for the Grey Gitz if
they tried something like that. After all, he had big blasty bombs of his own.
And Wurrshuv was adamant that things should be kept fair an' square for this
conflict. All the same, it seemed strange to Wurrshuv that Dannik's men would
stoop to such a thing.
Wurrshuv sighed. Dannik. It always came back to Dannik in
the end. Ever since he had come in and shot up all of Wurrshuv's matez on the
Fire Islands nothing had ever quite been the same. It had opened Wurrshuv's
eyes to what he had been looking for his whole life, that elusive secret spark
of insparashun he needed to realise his full potential. More than that, it had
given him purpose. And ever since that fateful battle Wurrshuv had been
incapable of getting Dannik off his mind. The way he had just dropped into his
life and caused such a seismic shift played on Wurrshuv. A gauntlet had been
thrown down that had to be answered. If it was a fight that Dannik wanted, then
by Gork and Mork it was a fight Dannik was going to get.
The only problem was that Dannik was nowhere to be found.
For over three months Wurrshuv's armies had rampaged over the surface of the
planet, but in not one instance had they brought Dannik to battle. Wurrshuv was
at a loss. This was Dannik's stronghold was it not? Wurrshuv had learnt that
Dannik had always returned here after his triumphs in battle, so logically it
must be his home fort. Which would mean that the Grey Gitz he was fighting must
be Dannik's boyz. So where was Dannik himself? Something didn't add up.
Wurrshuv knew Dannik. He knew that Dannik wasn't the sort to shy away from a
good scrap. He wouldn't just stand idly by while Wurrshuv slaughtered his boyz.
But try as he might Wurrshuv couldn't find an explanation for Dannik's absence.
He thought he might have found Dannik in the Sallyvassa
Stomp'n Grounds. For the last two months Wurrshuv had been hearing about a band
of Grey Gitz there who had yet to see defeat. That certainly sounded like it
could be Dannik, but when Wurrshuv had investigated further he had found that
it was nothing more than a bunch of naff Goff Wannabez. Wurrshuv had been
thoroughly unimpressed by those. He could tell from the first time he observed
them that they tried to hard. They also didn't fight right. Always trying to
prove that they were da 'ardest an' da killyest, but in true non-Greenskin
thinking they never grasped that if they had to prove it then they weren't. And
they tried to do it in all the wrong ways. They always tried to fight without
getting their hands dirty, bombing running enemies from the air or space. They
never got really stuck in like Dannik's boyz had on the Fire Islands. Now THEY
were Grey Gitz that knew how to fight. No, Wurrshuv was convinced he had made
the right decision with the Goff Wannabez. Keep feeding them expendable fodder
and sending subordinates overeager to prove themselves after them, and leave
them to it while the big bosses got down to the real fighting.
And recently it seemed like things were finally getting back
on track. Wurrshuv had received news of a Grey Git assault on the Mov'n Plainz
that sounded like it could very well be Dannik's ladz. It was certainly bold
and aggressive enough. Wurrshuv's instincts told him that Dannik was definitely
connected somehow, but he was unsure exactly where he fit into it. It was
enough to drive an Ork mad. Wurrshuv had sunk an unimaginable effort into
preparing the biggest, meanest, most awe-inspiring battle for Dannik, to
finally getting vengeance for all his matez that perished on the Fire Islands
by mercilessly crushing Dannik's boyz like Dannik had crushed them. But Dannik
was a ghost, leaving Wurrshuv here, sitting in his throne, wondering why Dannik
didn't want to fight him...
Wurrshuv could only reach one conclusion as to why this
vexed him so much. There was only one kind of enemy that it was so complex to
fight against, only one type of enemy that elicited such immense driving
hatred, only one type of enemy that could hold such attention. Wurrshuv had
found his Grod, he knew somewhere deep down that he had. Ghazghkull had
Yarrick, and now Wurrshuv had Dannik. Funny how they both ended with the same
letter. Enough! Wurrshuv was tired of all this mukk'n about. If Dannik didn't
want to come out and fight him then that was fine. There was still loads of
great Grey Gitz bitz and gubbinz to loot on the planet, and places to conquer.
Not to mention loads of other great fighting to do. The Grey Git attack into
the Mov'n Plainz seemed particularly promising. Those Grey Gitz knew how to
fight too. They had certainly shown that they had da right stuff.
Wurrshuv sank back in the throne chair and waited. It was nearly the end of his audience time for the day, and soon he would be able to retire back to his workshop where he could sort his thoughts out over a good bit of tinker'n.
It was just then that an aide came in with news from the Krunch...
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