Taros Campaign - Tau Raiders: Whilst the 17th regiment fought for the Phyyra Heights and De Stael committed the 3rd Armoured to give his offensive new momentum, the Tau had started to infiltrate deep into enemy territory. The second phase of their campaign plan had begun. Operating mainly at night, Tau Fire Warrior, Pathfinder and Stealthsuit teams dropped via Orca into the desert and fanned out in search of targets. Night after night, Orcas flew secret transport missions to drop more teams, seeding the Imperial Guard's rear area with raiding parties, under orders to identify supply routes and dumps, headquarters and airfields. Once located, action would then be planned. Teams were only sanctioned to conduct ambushes on supply routes. Other Pathfinder teams were dropped with Tetra speeders, allowing them to move with great speed to reach new targets.Pathfinder and Stealth teams operated in unison to attack Imperial Guard supply columns of Trojans towing trailers full of water, fuel and ammunition. Rear area security was mainly being conducted by Sentinel and Rough Rider squadrons, and these proved ineffective against the small, well-armed Tau teams. Day after day, convoy after convoy was ambushed, the Pathfinders inflicting rapid losses before withdrawing back into the desert. Soon, supply routes were marked by the blackened hulks of destroyed Trojans and trailers, or the slowly bleaching bones of horses killed in ambushes. Security was increased. Armoured Fist squads were withdrawn from frontline duty to help defend the vulnerable convoys, but the Tau attacks continued.One large supply dump was destroyed in a night-time raid without a shot being fired. Pathfinder teams had infiltrated past the dump sentries to stealthily set charges amongst the fuel cans and ammunition crates. Just before dawn, a huge orange fireball rose out of the desert, waking even Lord Marshal De Stael on board his Leviathan command vehicle. At dawn there was a tall mushroom cloud of dust and smoke marking the supply dump's location, still rising high into the sky for all to see for miles around.By 640998.M41 the offensive towards Tarokeen had ground to a halt, lacking replacements and supplies. The 12th Armoured, spearheaded by Battlegroup A of 3rd Armoured, had almost reached the mouth of the Iracunda Isthmus; the other two Infantry regiments on their left hadn't made it so far. The 17th regiment was stuck in the Phyyra Heights, and although they had made some small gains, no breakthrough seemed imminent. The 89th regiment thinly filled the gap between the two flanks. Far to the south, the 331st regiment had advanced to the southern shores of the Em-sai and was now digging in, but the Tau had not fallen for the feint. Up until now the air war over Taros had continued daily, an evenly matched duel with both sides struggling to gain superiority. The Tau had the edge in numbers, but the Imperium had the edge in experience. It was a battle neither side could afford to lose. Unless the Tau dominated the skies, their defensive strategy would be facing a major problem. If their Barracudas could no longer protect the Hunter Cadres, then the Imperial forces would have an advantage in the ground war. Hunter Cadres would be exposed to repeated air attacks and forced to rely on their Sky Rays for defence, which were proving themselves a potent weapon against ground targets when used in conjunction with small Pathfinder teams. Also, Barracudas and Tiger Sharks were playing a big part in the second phase of the campaign, strafing supply convoys. The Imperial Navy was still putting up an alarming fight, and at this time it was the main threat to Shas'o R'myr's campaign plan. Urgent action was needed to help swing the balance of the air war in their favour, and the Tau launched a daring raid to destroy Imperial Navy aircraft whilst still on the ground.Small Stealthsuit teams had already infiltrated the Imperial Guard rear lines. Operating only at night, their mission had been to find and report the location of Imperial supply dumps and convoy routes. They were under strict orders not to engage the enemy, just to find potential targets for other strike forces to attack. With O’R’myr’s realisation, they received new instructions: their mission was now to find Imperial airbases, for these were now the highest priority targets for the Tau. When a patrolling Stealth team reported the location of a forward airbase, Shas'el K'irri responded quickly. Utilising only his best Fire Warrior teams he gathered together an elite strike force. His plan was simple but very dangerous. In a daring night-time raid, a single Orca loaded with troops would fly low over the desert and pass directly over the airstrip. The Fire Warrior teams and their support units would then jump out, and under the covering fire of Tau Drones and XV8 Crisis Battlesuits, destroy all the grounded aircraft with EMP Grenades. Shas'el K’irri would lead the attack himself. After the drop, the Orca would circle around and return to land directly on the airfield. Once the enemy aircraft were destroyed and the Orca had landed, the raiding teams would fall back to the Orca and make a rapid escape, covered by a flight of Barracudas scrambled to intercept any Imperial pursuit. Surprise would be on their side, but once the airbase realised it was under attack it would respond quickly and in force. Ki’irri warned all his chosen Shas'la that the chances of survival were low. They would be deep in enemy territory and should anything go wrong, they would be cut-off; but should they succeed, then it could have dramatic effects on the frontline. It was a risk worth taking for the Greater Good.To start with the attack went as planned. The Orca, equipped with Blacksun Filters and a Disruption Pod, approached the airfield skimming fast and low over the desert surface. On its final approach to the target the Orca attracted the attention of the airbase’s anti-aircraft defences and sustained several hits as the Hydra flak guns opened fire. Once over the airfield, the rear ramp lowered and the troops jumped out, hitting the ground and immediately going into action. As tracers from the Hydra’s Autocannons lit up the night sky, the Fire Warrior teams raced towards nearby parked aircraft. The Shas’el’s Crisis Battlesuits leapt towards the Hydra platforms, silencing them with multiple hits from Plasma Rifles and Missile Pods. Illuminated by the fires of the burning Hydra turret, an emplaced Multi-Laser guarding the perimeter fence found its range, causing a Battlesuit to explode in a shower of sparks.Pinned in their command post by fire from Gun Drones, the guard command section called for urgent help. Other security squads were already rushing to their aid. First to arrive was a squadron of Sentinels, attached to the airbase for rear area security. The confused night fight escalated, pulse rounds and Lasgun blasts criss-crossing the airfield, until, with sudden bright explosions, one after another aircraft began to explode. In all, six explosions in quick succession lit the darkness, fountaining flames and sparks from the cockpits of the grounded Thunderbolts. The destruction of the aircraft did not see the end of the fighting. The Orca had circled the base and returned to land on the runway. Such a large target attracted a lot of fire from the defenders. The dropship attempted to return fire with its own Burst Cannons, only to be rocked by repeated impacts. One engine started to burn, crippling the aircraft and preventing it from taking off; gradually the flames engulfed the Orca, forcing the crew to abandon ship. The mission had achieved its objective, but for the attacking Tau teams, there was no longer any escape. Deep in enemy territory they fought on throughout the night until they were overwhelmed by the defenders. Every raider was either killed, wounded or captured in the attack, including Shas'el K'irri. As dawn broke, it revealed the results of the intense fighting. Six aircraft lay as smouldering wrecks, along with the Hydra turrets, Battlesuits and the gutted Orca, flames still flickering from inside the stricken dropship. The airbase was shrouded in acrid smoke and littered with the dead and wounded of both sides. It was a scene of devastation. The cost had been heavy on both sides. The Imperial Navy had suffered the loss of its aircraft and the airbase was out of action until the debris could be cleared. The Tau had lost their entire raiding force in the strike. What the overall effect on the campaign would be, it was too early to tell.The attack on the airbase was not the end of the raids. More supply dumps would be located and then targeted by Pathfinders. Convoys continued to be ambushed by stealth teams or strafed by Barracudas. It was a plan designed to cripple the frontline regiments by reducing their supplies to a trickle, and it was working.