Taros Campaign - Blocking Position 3: Meanwhile, beyond the palace walls, the four blocking positions had been formed. Veteran Sergeant Einem had the squads under his command well organised. Upon landing resistance had been zero, but it did not remain so for long. After a quiet couple of minutes, the sound of jet engines could be heard approaching. Overhead the dark, swept-wing outline of a Tau Manta swooped over the city like a great shadow skimming low over the rooftops. The battle-brothers at each position braced their Boltguns tight and took aim up the street. They did not have long to wait.Captain Armaros had expected some attempt to break through to the Governor's palace by exterior forces, but not so swiftly, and he had not expected to encounter well-equipped Tau forces. The first the Avenging Sons knew of any Tau forces on Taros was the arrival of the Manta over the night-darkened city. Soon, Hammerhead gunships followed by XV8 Crisis Battlesuits and Devilfish-mounted Fire Warriors would be closing in on blocking position three. An entire Hunter Cadre was bearing down on the Space Mannes, moving at speed to reinforce the Governor's Palace. At blocking position three the street was suddenly criss-crossed by Boltgun and Pulse Rifle fire. The smoky contrail of the squad's Missile Launcher screamed up the street, impacting upon the front of the Hammerhead in a bright explosion which buckled and scorched the armour but did not stop the approaching grav-tank. It opened fire in return, punching through the buildings with its long Railgun, sending masonry crashing to the street.The opening skirmish was a one-sided affair, but the Avenging Sons stood their ground and hammered out round after round, refusing to fall back. Sergeant Einem ordered the squad at position two, the next closest to position three, to move and reinforce their battle brothers. The Tactical squad moved out, pounding down the streets towards the sounds of fighting now echoing off the buildings of Tarokeen. At position three, the situation was deteriorating rapidly. With heavy support and weight of numbers on their side, the Tau advanced down the street. Fire Warriors dodged from doorway to doorway under the covering fire of Tau Battlesuits and the Hammerhead. It was fierce and intense, but the remaining Avenging Sons knew they must hold. The longer they fought, the more time they bought their Captain to complete his mission. Already several brothers had been killed by heavy weapons fire, others were badly wounded but fighting on regardless. Sergeant Andura of third Tactical squad was amongst the dead, his broken body lying half buried under fallen masonry after a Railgun round impacted next to him. The arrival of Tactical squad two did little to help the situation. The Tau Hunter cadre was too strong. Their firepower swept the roads clear, forcing the Space Marines into the cover of the buildings. The Crisis Battlesuits led the final assault, leaping down the street on Jetpacks to rake the buildings with Flamer and Fusion Blaster fire. Unable to win the one-sided contest, the survivors of squads two and three were ordered to disengage and fall back to the Governor's palace. The remaining Tactical squads at positions one and four were also recalled to the palace as Captain Armaros regrouped his full strength. Ten out of the twenty brothers involved in the fighting at position three had been killed in the firefight; six more were wounded. These were heavy losses for Einem's force. The Tau had broken through the cordon and, leaving a few units to secure the area, moved on towards their objective: the Governor's palace.