Betalis III Campaign - Battle at Alnitac Prime 055.894.M41: The first major land offensive of the Betalis III war took place at Alnitac Prime, a vast facility that refined chemicals used in the production of Promethium, and that stretched for over fifty kilometres across and through the Bregan Glacier.Flowing down from the Escarta mountain range at the infinitesimal speed of less than half a metre a standard century, the glacier, its ice marbled with the dark grey ash that constantly fell like snow from the refinery's forest of chimneys and cooling towers, loomed ominously over the eastern edge of the Alacian Plains.The plains were little more than an icy wilderness but across them lay the entrance to the Isthmus of Tarundor, the land bridge which connected the north-eastern peninsula, and ultimately Port Ryira, to the rest of the eastern continent.The two Asuryani forces, that of Alaitoc in the south of the continent and the other from Mymeara speeding eastwards from its portal near the western coast, were expected to converge on the Alacian Plains. General Odon was preparing his battle group to oppose them there, and whoever controlled the glacier would hold an advantage in the battle to come.Dispatched in a fast moving convoy of Leman Russ, Malcador, Praetors and Crassus armoured assaults transports and taking advantage of the road networks that fed the facility's instable appetite for Betalis III's raw materials, Battlegroup Empteda deployed on the glacier on the evening on the third day of its departure from Port Ryira.As Colonel Empteda watched over the battlegroup's preparations, already thousands of workers and their families had left their hab blocks behind and set out on the perilous trek to seek shelter elsewhere, heading either for the northern and eastern highway tunnels or the networks of the canyons and caves in the surrounding mountains. Each man, woman and child knew the enemy was coming; the only question was when would it arrive?True to form, the Asuryani did not keep the defenders waiting long. In the pre-dawn hours of the fourth day, as the battlegroup's Sentinel forward reconnaissance squads patrolled the southern most regions of the glacier, the came under fire from squadrons of Asuryani grav-tanks and Vyper Jetbikes that had flown ahead of the main Mymeara force, skimming low across the Alacian Plains and up over the leading edge of the ice wall.Near invisible in the darkness, they registered as little more than faint smudges on the Sentinels' sensors as one by one the walker squadrons were annihilated; Asuryani Rangers already concealed in the surrounding ice canyons expertly guided their air-borne brethren in.Joining the Mymeara aircraft shortly after, the first wave of Corsair vessels began their attack run on the facility. Yet the Astra Militarum battle group was ready and waiting for them. As the Craftworld Aeldari Nightwing, Phoenix, Vampire Raider and Vampire Hunter aircraft soared down, they were met with a tremendous firestorm of las shot and artillery shell.But the Imperial defenders were not overwhelmed. Prior to leaving their base on the neighbouring Industrial World, the officers of the Cadian 6th Armoured Regiment had ordered their troops to completely strip its resupply depots of all the guns, ordnance and ammunition they could lay their hands on. Little remained by the time the final Cadian squad left for the Ice World.Each transport ship in the fleet had been stacked to the gunnels with enough armament to defend the planet for solar months, and amongst this huge arsenal had been a consignment of defence platforms due to be distributed to wars elsewhere in the sector.Now, a large stretch of the glacier bristled with the barrels of those guns as they unleashed salvo upon salvo into the oncoming Asuryani attack formation.The thunder of Battle Group Empteda's heavy weapons shook the surrounding mountain ranges to their core, triggering avalanches and rock falls that roared down their slopes, burying hundreds of refugees who had gambled that safety lay in the cave systems rather than heading east to risk the long walk across the sub-zero tundra.Undeterred by the firestorm they had flown into, the Asuryani flyers soared over the facility and once their attack run was complete, raced upwards into the heavens. With barely enough time to reload, the Guardsmen soon spotted scores of white contrails on the horizon which augured the approach of a second Corsair wave.The Guardsmen manning the defence platforms unleashed another booming volley as the enemy came within range. Shell after shot swept the sky as the crews swung their heavy weapons round to follow the flight paths of the sleek, darting ships before they too rose up above the facility at break-neck speed and out of range.The second attack had lasted no longer than the first and although both enemy forces had given their all, neither had inflicted a death blow upon the other.As silence descended once more upon Alnitac Prime, the gun crews reloaded and scanned the horizon, waiting for the tell-tale signs of contrails to appear once again. The next attack came swiftly, although not from the air but instead from the surrounding mountains as sniper fire ripped through the heavy weapons platforms.The Corsairs had been little more than a diversion, a feint to buy time for the Asuryani Rangers to move up so that their guns were within range of the battle group.Those Guardsmen who survived the opening volley were immediately pinned down, using what little cover their weapons platforms provided or lying motionless amongst the bodies of their fallen comrades as sniper fire ricocheted along the platforms' metalwork.Watching the battle back at Alnitac Prime, Colonel Empteda initiated the next part of his plan. On his command the heavily armoured Leman Russ, Chimera and Praetor armoured assault launcher squadrons waiting there sprang into action, their exhausts belching black oily fumes into the freezing cold air as they accelerated towards the besieged lines of heavy weapon platforms.With no chance of locating the Aeldari hidden amongst the vast network of ravines surrounding them, Colonel Empteda had turned to one of the few weapons in the Astra Militarum arsenal he had in abundance -- overwhelming firepower. The tanks' gunners sent round after round into the mountains, the shells setting off a lethal hailstorm of shrapnel as rocks and ice exploded with deadly effect.As the tanks prowled the battlefield and the sniper fire ceased, the survivors from the Vaust 14th and Betalis 28th Regiments on the platforms began to celebrate, believing the Aeldari had been destroyed. They had done it. They had seen off two attacks and lived.The more experienced Cadians amongst them remained grimly silent. They knew the Aeldari were not so easily beaten and would soon be back. This was something Colonel Empteda was more than ready to face, and in the few minutes when the pace of the battle briefly paused, he gave the order for the next part of his plan to commence.Speeding down the glacier from Alnitac Prime came the last of the vehicles Empteda had at his disposal. As they sped along, their tracks rumbled over the facility's massive air vents that were interspersed along the glacier.Only a solar day before, these vital lifelines had supplied precious clean air to dilute the toxic fumes that spewed from the furnaces in the facility below, preventing the suffocation of the thousands who toiled at them day and night.Hastily abandoned by the workers, those furnaces still burned fiercely and where once men and women had laboured, something else now moved in their place, transported to the glacier within the holds of the Crassus assault transports.The two waves of Imperial vehicles soon joined together and reformed into three huge blocks as they picked up speed, creating a new frontline a kilometre down the glacier. Now at the rear, the static heavy weapons platforms then took on the role of artillery. Once more the Corsair pilots swooped down, and in return the tank crews opened fire as the heavily armoured blocks rumbled forwards.Shuriken Cannon and Star Cannon traded shots with Heavy Bolters and Autocannons as the graceful craft strafed the battleline. The range was so close between the two sides that holo-fields and armour mattered little. In the furious fire fight the tight Imperial formation and its near-constant bombardment evened the odds.Teams of Jetbike riders skimmed across the surface of the glacier behind the Corsairs, following up on the attacks of the larger craft. The slow, lumbering Imperial force continued to roll stubbornly forwards; each driver trusting their safety to their armoured vehicle and its guns, and remaining within the formation.Fight together and live, stand alone and die. The choice was simple, however gaps were starting to appear, and even originally fully loaded, ammunition supplies were also running low through the near constant rate of fire.At Alnitac Prime Colonel Empteda watched on solemnly as the brave Guardsmen under his command fought on. Had they been given more time and resources they might have succeeded, but the young colonel knew such hope for the folly it was. It was clear that the Craftworld Aeldari's air superiority and increasing numbers would have eventually swept away the battle group regardless.His troops had done well to last this long. Already he'd had word from General Myndoras Odon's command staff that the main forces of the Mymeara host were deploying onto the Alacian Plains. If he didn't act now, then the Aeldari would gain the higher ground and Battle Group Empteda wouldn't stand a chance.Whispering a brief prayer for the Emperor's forgiveness, Colonel Empteda turned to the troopers behind him who controlled the Cyclops demolition vehicles now positioned throughout the depths of the facility, and with one word ended the battle at Alnitac Prime: "Detonate."