Siege of Vraks - Operation Execution Place: The mission took careful planning and would involve all the resources Commander Ainea had at his disposal, including the Arx Fidelis. It would be a lightning assault, conducted in darkness and requiring superb timing. The spearhead of his attack was the 1st company's squads -- Veteran Battle-Brothers in Terminator Armour. Ainea and Codicier Yaec would lead them personally, utilising the Arx Fidelis teleport chamber to deliver this potent assault team directly into the breach. For this attack he would need to be incredibly accurate, this involved getting his teleporter as close to the target as possible and having a teleport homer beacon in place - nothing could be left to chance.The mission of placing the Teleport Homer at the breach would require a small volunteer team to drop in via Thunderhawk, seconds before the Terminators were in position. This team would use jump packs to land, then set¬up the beacon so that the Arx Fidelis' surveyors could lock onto it. The Terminators would then teleport in and begin the actual attack. Meanwhile, as the spearhead was engaging, a second ground assault team would be ready to race to the Terminators' position in the strike force's armoured vehicles, using specialist siege equipment such as Vindicators.As the Terminators seized the breach, so the ground forces would arrive to hold it against the inevitable counter-attacks. When the Space Marines had secured the breach, they would signal the mission complete codeword and a special battle group from 11th assault korps, picked for the job, would be the first through the breach to begin the exploitation. This exploitation force would include support from the Titans of the Legio Astorum. High Princeps Drauca agreed to the plan and would personally join the force in his Reaver-class Battle Titan Praetorian. If all went to plan, the Red Scorpions could then hand over security of the breach to the Krieg forces and withdraw back to their strike cruiser. The heretics were about to face a true army of the Imperium for the first time, an all arms attack. Zero-hour was set for 989.826.M41.Aboard the Arx Fidelis the Battle-Brothers were preparing for combat. The Chaplains were blessing weapons and armour. Commander Ainea spent a day in prayer, knelt before the Emperor's altar in the cruiser's shrine before donning his Terminator Armour suit, along with Codicier Yaec and the Veteran brothers of 1st Company. He had already hand-picked five volunteers for the mission of placing the homer beacon, all were assault troops of 8th Company, led by Sergeant Culln. The ground forces were preparing to deploy via Thunderhawks to the surface. These were placed under the command of Ainea’s most trusted deputy, Veteran Sergeant Zhyr of 6th Company, assisted by the company’s most experienced battle brothers, three Dreadnoughts, former Chaplain Nalr, venerable brother Rzasa and brother Daeres who would be equipped for siege warfare with a rock-crushing assault drill and inferno cannon.The Arx Fidelis’ captain was briefed. He would be taking his ship into range of Vraks’ remaining defence laser silos, they would no doubt detect his approach and quickly open fire. The cruiser was taking a risk, but it only had to weather the enemy defences long enough for Ainea's force to teleport into the battle. Then the captain should make evasive manoeuvres and head for safety with all speed, his role in the mission complete.Zero-hour approached as the Arx Fidelis came under fire. Defence laser blasts streaked skyward as the strike cruiser blasted into low orbit, her bombardment cannons returning fire as she approached. Several defence laser blasts smashed into the vessel’s thick armour as her void shields failed under repeated impacts.Deep in the bowels of the Strike Cruiser, ancient energies, barely contained by archaic machinery, were thrumming with power. Within the teleport chamber lightning flashed and arced unpredictably as the Techpriest scurried to and fro, adjusting dials and muttering incantations to appease the archaic machine’s spirit. In the centre stood Commander Ainea, resplendent in his huge armoured suit, draped in purity seals and honour badges, the powersword of his rank in his left hand, storm bolter loaded in his right. Behind him stood Codicer Yaec and ten men, all similarly equipped, each carrying tall thunderhammers and stormshields or the long glittering blades of lightning claws protruding from their powergloves.Whilst the Arx Fidelis was buffeted and smashed by the defence laser salvoes, a single Thunderhawk gunship was racing low over the dark surface of Vraks, approaching the breach from the south at no more than 100 feet above ground, skimming the contours below as it approached the target. At the rear ramp stood five Space Marines, Sergeant Culln’s assault squad. The sergeant clasped the homing beacon as the pilot warned them to stand-by -- drop zone approaching. In response the Space Marines’ jump packs turbines whined into life, the ramp slowly descending to reveal the slate-dark sky beyond.On command Culln's men jumped, plunging out through the darkness and into the violent current of the Thunderhawk’s slip stream. With jump packs straining at full power to break the short fall, the five assault Space Marines aimed directly for the centre of the breach crater. In seconds they had landed, smashing into the ground with an impact that would have killed lesser men. Each Space Marine rolled with the impact and sprang back to their feet, bolt pistols levelled, alert and seeking targets.The enemy had been forewarned of the Thunderhawk’s approach by the sound of its three great rocket engines. It passed directly overhead flying flat out. It was a swift black shadow, a roar of engines, and then it was gone - quickly receding into the distance. But enemy sentries were alert now and started scouring the area. Flashlights and searchlights beams criss-crossed the breach as Sergeant Culln set up the beacon, his men surrounding him, covering every direction. Then, suddenly the team was spotted. At first a few shots pierced the darkness, whining overhead as Culln hurried to direct the beacon’s signal back to the Arx Fidelis. More shots whizzed past. The enemy was coming.The beacon bleeped into life as the Arx Fidelis’ surveyors locked on. Sergeant Culln immediately gave the order to open fire. Bolt pistols barked their distinctive sound as each bolt ignited before the sudden thunder-clad explosion of its warhead on impact. Sentries on the crater’s rim burst apart with the force of the bolts, torn limb from limb. The battle had begun.Just five Space Marines stood before hundreds of enemies. Undaunted, Culln's squad ignited their jump packs again and launched themselves up the crater’s slope, straight at the enemy. Chainswords slashed and hacked and bolt rounds roared in the night in their furious assault. Squad Culln cut down the first sentries, but the alarm had already been raised. More traitors were now rushing to man the defences. A missile’s fiery trail streaked from the darkness, smashing one battle brother clean in the chest, the blast of its krak warhead piercing his armour and severing his torso. Another Space Marine was wounded, his helmet punctured, leaving his face a bloody ruin of flesh and blood. Outnumbered and outgunned, even the Emperor’s finest could not hope to stand for long. Culln needed reinforcements.The teleport chamber of the Arx Fidelis exploded in light as the blue lightning arcs streamed about Ainea and his men. The air was alive, fizzing and sparking with raw power. As the blinding brightness faded to darkness, the chamber was left empty.Ainea’s Terminators appeared in a flash of light and a halo of sizzling power, directly on target. They appeared out of nowhere, cast through the warp the short distance from their strike cruiser to Vraks’ surface. Now they began the slaughter. Ainea’s stormbolter hammered a stream of bolts as the veterans advanced, the defender’s fire pattering off their Terminator armour and storm shields like mere hail stones. Their Thunderhammers and Lightning Claws cut a swathe through the traitors. In darkness all was confusion, but the Space Marines knew their plan and retained their discipline, working together to systematically clear the breach. Power wreathed Codicier Yaec’s force weapon as he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with his commander, lightning leapt from his fingers, smiting down any who stood before him with the power of the warp tamed and at his command. Those enemies who did not run were slaughtered without mercy.As the Terminator armoured battle brothers began their attack, so veteran Sergeant Zhyr's strike force was racing across no-man's land, deploying squads into battlelines to complete their advance on foot. Amongst their ranks stalked the three lumbering Dreadnoughts. The darkness did not shroud their attack for long. Searchlight beams played across no-man's land, locked on to the Space Marine vehicles, and the enemy firing began.Zhyr's Battle-Brothers advanced through the fire, bolt guns returning shots in a steady, accurate stream. From behind the advancing squads missiles and lascannon blasts raced overhead, impacting against the wall's parapets. Heavy bolters were blazing, rocket- powered shells shrieking as they tried to suppress the enemy's strongpoints. Pre-ranged artillery fire began to land. Zhyr himself was flung through the air by a close impact, landing unharmed in a rain of rock and hot shrapnel. The Veteran sergeant struggled to his feet and urged his brothers onwards. Their commander was ahead of them, fighting for the breach, they must reach him. Somewhere in the darkness a Vindicator's cannon opened fire, scoring a direct hit on the remains of a pillbox that had been rebuilt with sandbags and boulders. The small bunker exploded apart, its heavy weapons obliterated.Zhyr's leading tactical squad reached the edge of the crater. Under heavy fire they paused to regroup and reload, laying down a suppressing volley of bolt gun fire. Dreadnought Chaplain Nalr was with them, his lascannon barrels glowing red-hot. They were soon joined by Brothers Rzasa and Daeres, whose rock-cutting power drill was smashing the largest boulders to clear a route for the following vehicles. Behind him came the first Vindicator. Another of its huge shells launched, looping a high trajectory onto the wall parapet above, its shattering detonation gouging into the rock and sending masonry crashing to the ground.Zhyr's main force had reached the mine crater. With Chaplain Nalr at the fore they now plunged down into the crater- bottom where so many Krieg guardsmen had fought and died before them. Racing through the plunging fire and thickening artillery barrage they climbed the far slope. Driven forward by their power armour, they never broke stride as they raced to their commander’s aid.Just ahead of them Commander Ainea’s brothers met a counter-charge by the Ogryns head on. The commander’s powersword was slicing left and right, severing the leg of one enraged beast, which stumbled and fell, still swinging wildly with its heavy club. The Ogryns’ attack was quickly cut to pieces, they were no longer facing mere Imperial guardsmen. Thunderhammers sent the creatures reeling, their drug induced nervous system overloaded by the weapon’s fearsome impact. Lightning claws slashed and thrust, raking through crude plasteel armour like paper to dice Ogryns in gory hunks of meat. Alongside Aineas stood the sole survivor of Culln's assault squad, the Sergeant himself, wielding his chainsword in both hands, his bolt pistol discarded, empty of ammunition. For his heroic efforts in the breach that bloody night, Sergenat Culln would later be elevated to the Chapter’s 1st company.Zhyr and Chaplain Nalr rendezvoused with their commander. Both were battle- scarred, their armour dented and scorched but the Red Scorpions had captured the breach. Enemy bodies lay scattered across the ground, adding to the mouldering bones of the long dead. The Red Scorpions’ lightning attack had succeeded where all the Krieg attackshad failed. The enemy had been unable to stop the Terminators’ sudden teleport assault, the fury of their attack or the psychic-fuelled power of Codifier Yaec. Commander Ainea formed his newly arriving reinforcements into a defensive perimeter. They had taken the breach. The mission complete signal was transmitted. Now they must hold until the Krieg battle group and Drauca’s Titans arrived. Ainea and his battle brothers knew this battle had not been won yet.