ВЕРНУТЬСЯ В РАЗДЕЛ

Storm Troopers of 709th company lead the way. Arriving over their targets and deploying by fast rope,
part of the Storm Troopers' mission was to place the homing beacons for the following wave of Elysian Drop Troops.

By 639998.M41 the war on Taros had been continuous for forty two days. The deserts were littered with the debris of the many battles. De Stael's men were now starting to feel the effects of the Tau strategy biting. They were weary and morale was low after weeks of daily raids, ambushes, strafing runs and counter-attacks. The Tallarn regiments were drained of men and equipped, and there was no longer any secure supply lines. The stockpiles of food, fuel, and most importantly water, were now low. with no prospect of quickly building them up again due to the Tau fleet's blockading actions.

A lack of fuel supplies had stalled the offensive. The Leman Russes and Chimera were now strictly rationed, with each regiment trying to husband its dwindling supplies. The tanks may be immobile, but worst still was the lack of water. In the cruel heat of the day the men could not operate without water. The men of Tallarn had greater tolerance for dehydration than most, and knew how best to conserve their water supplies, but even they could not go for days in such high temperatures with empty canteens. Under the burning sun, men started to drop from the effects of dehydration. Growing numbers of casualties were further affecting the fighting strength of all regiments. For the commanders, it was an ominous sign of worst to come. The situation was bad now, but it would only get worse unless a secure supply of water could be found. Soon the Guardsmen would be faced with the prospect of dying of thirst in the desert, or surrendering to the Tau and relying on their mercy. Such a prospect could not even be considered, especially within earshot of a Commissar, but unless drastic action was taken soon De Stael's X Corp would have no regiments left. A logistical crisis was engulfing the staff of 4621st Army, it was becoming critical.

Operation Comet gets underway. Valkyries transporting the first lift take-off from their airbase.

On 640998.M41 a staff meeting was held onboard De Stael's Leviathon command vehicle, present were all the regimental commanders of the army, along with representatives from Lord Commander Gustavus' High Command Senior officers and staff crowded into De Stael's map-filled briefing room. Up for discussion was how to best continue the war given the supply restrictions.

Amongst heated debate, it was General Syckava of the 23rd Elysian Drop Troop regiment that proposed the initial idea for Operation Comet (as it was later to be christened). His idea was to seize Taros' means of producing water and turn it to their own use. As well as the small hydro-farms the Tallarn regiments had already captured (many of which had been destroyed by the Tau), some of which were still able to supply small amounts of water, Syckava argued that the 4621st Army should change its objective and target the hydro-processing plants. The coastal areas of the Aestus region were the location of the planet's largest hydro-processing plants, which drew the highly alkaline sea water and converted it into clean water before pumping in down pipelines to Tarokeen. The largest processing facility on Taros was Hydra-Processing Plant 23-30, situation towards the eastern end of the Iracunda Isthmus. Capture the plant intact and the army would have enough water to press on to Tarokeen.

The task of massive importance to the continuation of the war, and was entrusted to General Syckava's men. The long-idle drop troops were impatient for action. De Steel had already turned down three separate requests from Syckava for drops to aid the advance, but the deteriorating situation at the front now demanded the Lord Marshall committed his carefully husbanded reserves. The Elysians were an elite, highly-trained, well-equipped regiment and General Syckava was keen to see them get involved. Operation Comet would be his chance. He was given a three-day deadline to plan and prepare the attack, which would see his entire regiment dropped to capture the hydro-processing plant. The 23rd regiment would then hold the facility whilst a new offensive to push through onto the Iracunda Isthmus moved to link-up with the Elysians.

This new ground offensive to breakthrough onto the isthmus would force De Stael to turn to the last fresh forces he had. Firstly, there were the Raptors Space Marines. From orbit they could directly aid the Elysians, but, being independent and separate from 4621st Army's supply problems they would be better deployed on the ground, as an armoured breakthrough force to lead the attack. Neither the 3rd or 12th Tallarn Armoured regiments currently in the field were judged to still have the required combat power for the breakthrough.

Plan of the advance of the 114th Cadian regiment in support of the Elysian attack on Hydro-plant 23-30.

In support of the Space Marines would be the Warhound Titans of Legio fgnalum. They had arrived late and as yet not been committed, but now these great war machines would lend their considerable weight to the attack. Their firepower and speed would drive them through the defenders and allowing a fast moving relief column to reach Hydro-plant 23-30 quickly. It was unlikely the Tau had anything capable of stopping the Warhounds.

The obvious choice for the relief column itself was the 114th Cadian regiment, an entirely mechanised unit. As yet the Cadian's had seen no combat on Taros, but the Chimera-borne infantry would be well suited to a rapid advance Colonel Stranski, the regiment's commanding officer was given his orders. The Cadians were the last of De Stael's reserves from XI Corp, but if he did not commit his remaining forces to battle now, then he would surely lose the war. For the operation, De Stael ordered that the 114th be given top priority for fuel supplies, and the Tallarn regiments should turn over remaining stockpiles as well, leaving them with only emergency fuel. This order effectively ended the five Tallarn regiments capability to conduct offensive operations. The Desert Raiders were now a static defensive force.

For the 23rd Elysian Drop Troops and General Syckava three days was a very tight deadline to plan the operation, but his regiment had planned and executed many such attacks before, and relied on that experience to get Operation Comet off the ground quickly.

The objective, as Syckava explained to his sub-officers was "to seize hydro-plant 23-30 by a lightning assault with pinpoint precision". The hydro-plant must be taken largely intact, with collateral damage restricted to a minimum. The plant would be of no use to the war effort if, in capturing it, it was reduced to scrap metal! After the attack, the regiment must hold the facility until the relieving ground forces reached them to take over.

To carry his forces to their objective Syckava's staff quickly developed an air-plan, with three distinct operations: transportation, protection and re-supply. This process started by assessing the available aircraft. The 23rd regiment was only as mobile as it had aircraft to carry it. The regiment had approximately enough half the regiment in one lift, but not assault carriers to commit half the regiment in one lift, but not all the carriers could be dedicated to the transport mission. Some would be needed for the resupply mission, whilst the regiments own Vultures and the support of an Imperial Navy Fighter wing would provide the protection. The attack would have to be split into separates lifts. Essential heavy equipment, such as heavy weapons and Sentinels, would be included only on a strict priority basis. A loading schedule was quickly compiled, including everything from the initial assault platoons and their supporting heavy equipment, to axtra ammunition, fuel and enough food and water for the men for an estimated three days in combat.

General Syckava was anxious that the second lift should take place as quickly behind the first as it could, preferably on the same day. He knew that with less than half his regiment deployed, and lacking much of their heavier equipment his men would be vulnerable to a swift Tau counter-attack. Once Comet commenced it must be assumed that the Tau would move be in a race against time. The General was well aware that the Tau could move their Manta-borne Hunter Cadres very quickly. Syckava pressed for his second wave to be loaded and launched on the same day, but it was not possible. The distance from the Elysian airbase to the target was 1.500 kms - the round trip would take between three and four hours. All the Valkyrie transports would already require extra external fuel tanks to get them to the target and back again. Once back, there would need to be maintenance and battle damage repairs carried out, refuelling and a new loading schedule executed. Inevitably, the loading schedule would be confused by the loss of aircraft and crews during the first lift. Two lifts in one day would not be possible, instead the second lift would have to follow on day two.

General Syckava's next decision was whether this should be a daylight or night-time attack. Night would help preserve surprise but would create extra problems for his men and pilots. Only a few aircraft were fitted with night vision equipment, and given the accuracy needed he could not allow his aircrews to attack the hydro-plant without night vision targeters. Their bombs and rockets would cause too much damage to the facility. Also, dropping into the area at night on grav-chutes would endanger the Assault platoons. The plant was a large industrial complex, not an easy place to land even in daylight. With restricted vision at night he would lose men as they hit obstacles on landing. By attacking in daylight his forces could do so with more accuracy. Night or day, losses in men and equipment were inevitable, but the advantages of daylight outweighed the advantages of a surprise night-time attack.

Amongst three days of hectic planning every task was urgent for the staff of the Drop Troop Regiment, but one important preparation for the attack was target reconnaissance. General Syckava's men needed to know what they would be facing when they hit the ground. Given the surprise nature of the operation the General could not afford to pre-empt the attack by dropping Reconnaissance squads close to the target. Should the squads be spotted or captured he might loose his surprise. There was no time to infiltrate squads on the ground. The only option was orbital surveillance and high-altitude aerial reconnaissance by a specially equipped Marauder bomber of 2424th Bomber wing. Neither of these risked alerting the defenders to the imminent attack. They could provide images of the target area, which could be turned into maps, but they could not not give details of any garrison force. Enemy strength would remain a mystery until the battle started. General Syckava believed that his entire regiment and their support would be enough to overwhelm any garrison.

Detailed planning for the attack was also hurried through and the officers to lead the assault were briefed. The priority targets of the first lift would be the central control complex, the lifting station, pumping stations 1, 2 and 3 and the holding tanks, which should already contain huge quantities of pure water. If the site was destroyed in the fighting, the holding tanks would still be a valuable consolation prize.

Secondary targets would be the chlorination works, both the main and reserve pumping stations, and the generator house. All were to be captured by the first attack wave. The second wave would reinforce the first wave and throw a defensive perimeter around the entire complex to meet the expected Tau counter-attack. Upon landing with the second wave, the regimental Headquarters would be established in the administration block.

The 2424th squadron Marauder on its surveillance mission. Operation Comet suffered from a lack of good intelligence. Without time for proper reconnaissance the Elysian's jumped into the unknown.

The deadline for launching Operation Comet had arrived. It was a daring plan, but fraught with dangers. Within the High Command many felt it was being conducted with too much haste and running too many risks. Was it hamstrung by a lack of aircraft? Did the two-lift plan compromise the attack? Worse still, did it leave the first lift too vulnerable to a Tau counter-attack? Comet also lacked good reconnaissance or intelligence information. There was also the risk of the relief forces breakthrough the Iracunda Isthmus being delayed or seriously defeated. Even bad weather could effect the Drop Troops' ability to resupply. The 23rd Elysian regiment could easily be heading for a disaster, and, given the stakes, a botched operation would cost the Imperium's forces the war and the planet.

Despite the strong objections, General Syckava felt his mission was accomplishable with the forces at his disposal. He was confident he could grab Hydro-Processing Plant 23-30 and hold it for three days against whatever the Tau threw at him. It was running no more risks than any drop operation ever faced. With a water supply firmly in their hands the 4621st Army's main supply headache would be solved. The advance to Tarokeen could then continue. Operation Comet was to be the turning point of the campaign.

At their barren desert airbase, surrounded by the small camouflaged shelter-tents that had been home to the 23rd Elysian Drop Troop regiment for the past four weeks, the aircraft and men of the first lift were preparing for take-off. It was the first light of dawn, the low sun was burning off the last of the night's freezing cold. The Assault companies waited in neat rows, each man weighed down with his combat kit and grav-chute pack. Alongside them stood squads of burly Storm Troopers; these men would be the first to hit the ground.

Meanwhile pilots, co-pilots and door-gunners were mounting their Valkyrie carrirers and Vulture gunships and running through final pre-flight checks, powering-up all systems. One after another they fired up their twin F75-MV afterburning turbojets, the din rising to a crescendo as the turbines accelerated to full speed. Engine tests completed, they powered down again, engines idling to a low rumble before lowering the rear access ramps, and awaited the mission launch codeword.

Squad by squad, platoon by platoon, company by company, the Drop Troopers marched into their transports, up the ramps and into their seating positions. Once each squad was in and secure the sergeant hit the ramp close button, sealing the Guardsmen inside until the order to jump came. The atmosphere was tense, but this was it, after weeks of waiting in the deserts the Elysians were finally going to get into the war and fight the Tau.

For the men assigned to the second lift, cooly awaiting their turn, the take-off was an awesome spectacle. 160 Valkyries and 30 Vultures simultaneously powering up their engines, creating a deafening roar that shook the ground and rolled out for miles across the flat desert sands. One after another the aircraft began to slowly rise, kicking up swirling sand and dust as they lifted clear. To the observers it was an unstoppable airborne armada. Wave after wave of Valkyries and Vultures climbed slowly to altitude and began to circle, awaiting the other aircraft of their formations, before synchronising speeds and racing away northwards. Flying in platoon formations, one behind the other in a single stream of aircraft, the carriers and gunships made for a marshalling point north of the airbase. There they would rendezvous with their air cover, fighters from 1002nd  Fighter wing, whose job was to protect the vulnerable air convoy from enemy fighter attacks. Flying alongside and above the Valkyries fifteen Thunderbolts formed a shield around the Drop Troops.

Keeping low for maximum concealment from prying eyes, the entire armada swept over the desert floor at just 500 feet. On the ground the rumble of so many approaching engines soon became a roar that filled the sky with thunder. In   the   deserts   below,   Tallarn   Imperial Guardsmen looked up to see the stream of aircraft   race   overhead,   formation   after formation. The Tallarn Guardsmen were not the only ones to see the Drop Troops heading north. From their hiding places, scatter Таu Pathfinder and Stealthsuit units also witnessed the air armada, and quickly report the sighting to their commanders. A major attack was imminent, but as yet the Таu did not know where the blow would fall.

For the Storm Trooper squads in the vanguard of the air-train the flight to target lasted two hours. The journey was not without incident. An accidental mid-air collision destroyed two aircraft. One Valkyrie carrier suffered engine failure and was forced to make an emergency landing in the desert. Twice during the journey aircraft where targeted by Seeker missiles, lock-on by Markerlights from the ground. Both times the missiles impacted, destroying a Vulture and forcing another Valkyrie (this one carrying Captain Lohgan, the commander of second company), to crash land. Escort fighters peeled away to seek out the ground targets. General Syckava had warned that losses were to be expected.

Ten minutes out from the target the Valkyrie carriers transporting the Elysian squads began to climb to jump altitude, the engine pitch rising as the aircraft strained upwards. Meanwhile, the Storm Troopers skimmed on low, they would deploy via fast ropes directly onto the ground and into battle, supported by Vulture gunships.

As the Valkyrie formations climbed higher, squad sergeants raised their men and readied them to jump. Each man checked his grav-chute was working, once, twice then a third time, just in case! Then each man secured his respirator and helmet visor in place. With a last prayer to the Emperor mumbled over the whine of hydraulic pistons as the rear ramps open, they were now over the target. Jump lights turned green and the assault squads shuffled forwards and plunged out into the sky.

As the Drop Troops jumped, the vanguard of the attack was already arriving over Hydro-Processing Plant 23-30. The approaching aircraft had been met by ground fire as the garrison, alerted by the rising thunder of approaching jet engines, streamed out to meet the airborne attackers. Lasgun rounds and heavy bolter tracers were snaking up to meet the low flying Valkyrie and Vultures. Shots bounced off nose cones and engine cowling as the Valkyries slowed to hover over their objectives. From the wing, winch ropes descended, followed by the Storm Troopers sliding down directly into battle. Above them the Vultures were strafing targets, returning heavy bolter fire with their own heavy weapons. Because the Vulture gunners were under strict orders to minimise collateral damage they could not unleash their full firepower. It was mid-morning and the ordeal of battle had begun.

The hydro-processing plant's lifting station and first pumping station were the objectives of the 23rd regiment's third company, under the command of Captain Malik. Malik's orders were to capture both   intact and hold them until relieved by troops from the second lift. His action to capture the objectives was typical of the battles fought throughout Hydro-plant 23-30 during the first assault. Two Storm Trooper squads would be the first wave, deployed directly onto the target from hovering Valkyries, with a Vulture gunship in close support. The elite squads would set up homing beacons and take the brunt of the initial fighting as the rest of Malik's company grav-chuted into the target area, guided by the beacons. Once those squads regrouped, the captain would lead his first platoon against the pumping station, whilst his second and third platoons attacked the lifting station. Fourth platoon would be held in reserve, waiting on the ground to reinforce the defences once both were captured. The company's Heavy Weapons platoon was split between the Infantry platoons, a Fire Support squad with second and third platoons, the mortars with the reserve squads, the Anti-tank teams with the captain for direct support during his main assault.

As soon as they landed the two Storm Troopers squads came under heavy fire from drone sentry turrets. The turrets, equipped with disruption-field generators, had not been detected by the aerial reconnaissance. Taking heavy fire, and with casualties mounting, the Storm Troopers deployed the beacons but were quickly pinned down. The turrets were only silenced by strikes from the supporting Vulture gunship, but already they had extracted a heavy toll on the elite troops. This left the pumping station still strongly held by a garrison force of human auxilaries.

As the Storm Troopers were engaging the enemy, Malik's men were hitting the ground, shaking off their grav-chute packs and reorganising into their squads. Each squad rallied on their sergeant. The hydro-plant was already echoing to sounds of gunfire, explosions and the roar of jet engines. Quickly regrouping, it was up to first platoon to clear the defenders. Leading from the front, with Commissar Graal alongside him, Malik closed on the pumping station. Engaging in a firefight he found the defenders were well entrenched and fought tenaciously. Exchanging heavy fire the Captain looked to break the deadlock and led first platoon's assault. Yelling the regiment's motto "From the skies!" Malik rushed in. As fragmentation grenades exploded all around, his assaulting squads set about clearing the pumping station in an intense close quarters fight, only to find the pumping station was also occupied by Kroot mercenaries. The assault had overrun the human defenders, but the bloodthirsty Kroot were a different proposition. With the captain fighting desperately in hand-to-hand combat, first platoon's squads were repelled, falling back before the savage aliens under the covering fire of frag and krak missiles. Captain Malik was killed during the confused withdrawal, his mutilated and half-eaten body was later found hanging from the pipe works.

Their first assault bloodily repulsed and with their commanding officer dead, Commissar Graal now took command of the Elysian attack. He set about rallying the forces, including the surviving Storm Troopers. Reports were arriving that the first Tau response to the attack, a flight of Tiger Shark bombers, was closing rapidly. The battle was intensifying and damage was mounting. The flight of Tiger Sharks over-flew the plant, streaking low and scattering clouds of drones in their wake. It seemed the Tau were deploying any forces they had available to defend the site. Reinforced by the drones the Kroot defenders continued to fire from cover. It would take another assault to clear them.

To prepare for the second assault, Commissar Graal sent a runner back to the Mortar squad. He needed the defenders softening up with a bombardment before attacking. Crouching in cover amongst the pipes, storage tanks and detritus the Elysian Guardsmen waited for the mortar barrage to do its work before, driven forwards by their Commissar, rushing the pumping station a second time.

It was hard fighting again, but the accurate mortar barrage had shaken the Kroot. The surviving guardsmen swept in and overwhelmed the remaining defenders, capturing the pumping station. Graal immediately called forwards fourth platoon to reinforce his hold. The Kroot rallied and tried to charge back, but too many Guardsmen were now waiting for them. Most of the aliens were cut down by lasgun fire. The battle for pumping station 1 had been costly. Over half of first platoon and the Storm Troopers were dead or injured. The objective itself had taken severe damage in the attack and mortar shelling.

By dusk, after a day of combat, hydro-processing plant 23-30 was captured. All the primary and secondary objectives were in the hands of the Elysian Drop Troops. There were still some enemy stragglers and snipers hiding out amongst the industrial debris, and Drop Trooper squads were cautiously patrolling through the holding tanks and pipelines hunting them down. The fighting had been fierce and the garrison had given a surprisingly strong account of themselves. Outnumbered and outgunned by the Elysianair-mobile firepower the garrison could have easily broken and run, but instead they, along with their Kroot allies, had fought hard all day. Many locations had been badly damaged because of their strong defence.

The entire lift process was repeated again on the second morning, with the second wave being loaded and lifting-off to reinforce the first lift. Over night the hydro-plant had been secured, stragglers had been rounded up and a perimeter established around the base. The men of the second lift would now jump into that perimeter and move to reinforce it.

Unlike the first morning the element of surprise had been lost, and the Tau were now waiting. They were also mobilising to re-take hydro-processing plant 23-30, their Manta's loading up fresh Hunter Cadres.

The first lift had bypassed the Tau defences relatively unscathed, but the second lift had a far harder task. The Tau diverted their available Barracudas to intercept the air train.

The Valkyries and Vultures, although potent weapons in their own right, were no match tor high performance jet fighters in a dogfight. Flying in formation they were vulnerable. The Imperial Navy continued to provide fighter protection, and as the second lift approached the target they encountered the incoming Barracudas. Thunderbolts and Barracudas twisted and turned, strafing with autocannons and burst cannons as they wrestled for air superiority. By now, the two sets of pilots were old foes, many had learnt the others tricks. As dogfights raged around them, the transports raced on towards  the  target,  but those Barracudas that broke through created havoc amongst the formations. Scattered like sheep before wolves the Valkyries tried to escape the Barracudas, but seven were quickly shot down. The scattering of the formations would also cause problems over the target. Many units were expecting to be reinforced, but confusion now reigned as squads became lost and intermingled. Despite the unexpected losses, the remaining Valkyries bravely flew on.

On the ground dawn had seen the start of the Tau counter-attack. Weary from yesterdays combat and with many units low on ammunition, the Elysian platoons now dug-in around the hydro-plant saw the great winged shadows of the dreaded Mantas approaching over the desert. Shimmering in the morning heat hazy the Mantas began to deploy their cargoes. The Tau attack would come soon.

All around the perimeter - from buildings turned into heavy weapon strong points, on walkways, behind barricades of steel piping, from slit trenches dug in the sand or behind sandbagged positions - tense, dusty, hollow-eyed Drop Troopers await the inevitable Tau attack. Isolated in their small airhead, they were now surrounded on three sides, with their backs to the sea. When it came, the Tau attack could come from any directions. As they checked their weapons or sharpened knives one last time, the men were heartened by the thought of the second lift winging its way closer by the minute. Following that drop would be the Imperial Guard relief column, even now rumbling across the desert towards them. The Elysian Guardsmen had to fight hard and hang on until the reinforcements arrived.

The morning's battle started with a wave of Tiger Shark bombers. Just as yesterday the Tau bombers raced in low. This time rather than dropping more drones, they unleashed missiles and ion cannons, blasting the hydro-processing plant with massed fire. Regardless of the damage they were inflicting on the facility the Tau pounded the Elysians, preparing for their ground attack. As explosions mushroomed about them, all the Guardsmen could do was hug their cover closely and wait for the ordeal to end. As the noise of the aerial bombardment faded the whine of approaching jet engines grew. From all directions came Devilfish transports and Hammerhead tanks. Fire Warriors with their distinctive long pulse rifles could be seen scurrying forwards into range, with them came the battlesuits. It had started. The Tau attacked with a calm, ruthless ferocity, blasting the Elysians with heavy weapons and massed pulse fire in a long ranged firelight. The Tau outgunned the Guardsmen, but the Elysians were not powerless to respond. Their own heavy weapons, mortars and Sentinels returned fire. Rounds slashed across the no-man's land between the two forces, but the Drop Troops held their positions as the firefight intensified. Well dug-in and concealed the Elysians could not be moved by firepower alone. They would have to be rooted out with grenades and in bloody hand-to-hand combat. Their attackers were reluctant to use such methods - yet.

With the firefight still raging around the perimeter the Valkyries and escorting gunships of the second lift came into view over the southern horizon. Climbing to jump altitude the men inside were already waiting to deploy directly into the battle. Reinforcements had arrived to even-up the odds.

The second lift jumped directly into the battle, but were exposed to the Tau's heaviest fire as they fell. Looking down from the rear ramp of his Valkyrie, General Syckava could see the panorama of battle laid out beneath him. He could see the Tau armoured vehicles and infantry and hear the hail of fire that now waited to greet his men. A few moments later he was out of the door and falling through the weaving curtain of fire thrown up by the Tau forces. As he fell he saw one Valkyrie, both engines gushing flames, plunge towards the ground and impact in an orange fireball in the desert.

Another was hit by a missile and nose dived into the sea. In their attempts to avoid the Tau's anti-aircraft fire the pilots of the Valkyries    took    emergency evasive action,  but as  the transports   maneuvered   the carefully planned formations of Drop   Troops   were   being scattered across the desert surrounding the target. Some fell within  the  perimeter,  other plunged into the toxic sea and died screaming.  Others  fell amongst the surrounding Tau forces, shot down as they fell.

The second lift had jumped into a storm of fire. Already it was scattered and taking heavy losses. On the ground the firefight had paused whilst the Tau turned every gun they had on the second lift. Defenceless men were being killed in mid-air, bodies tumbling down to hit the ground dead. For the men of the first lift it was a respite from the heavy fire, but a heart-breaking disaster for the operation's chances of success. Hammered in the air the men of the second lift now had to try and regroup, find their way to defensive positions and get into the fight.

General Syckava hit the ground within the perimeter on the southern edge of the hydro-plant. He ran for cover, still bearing the weight of his grav-chute. As he ran a stray pulse round stuck him through the arm and knocked him off his feet. Other men ran to aid their General and dragged him to safety out of the line of fire. A medic was called for, but as the battle unfolded the regiment's commanding officer was seriously wounded and out of the fight.

The surviving Valkyries sped away, many peppered with holes or limping on single engines. The Vultures had tried to respond to the Tau, swooping in to unleash rockets and autocannon rounds, but their fuel tanks would only allow them to linger for so longer before having to return to refuel. The pilots did what they could for the defenders before following the Valkyries back to base.

Chimeras of the Cadian 114th regiment advance towards the Iracunda Isthmus along with Legio Ignatum Warhound Titans. This Titan would later be destroyed during the battle.

The regiment's second-in-command, Colonel Ba/ach, was informed of Syckava's wound and that he was now in charge of all the ground forces. From his position on top of the administration block, watching the Vultures flitting about the desert, dodging fire then popping up to launch salvoes of missiles, the Colonel realised that air support was the key to keeping the Tau at bay and surviving the cauldron of fire that the regiment was now trapped in. He needed more air support - fast. Colonel Balach sent a priority communication to General De Stael's headquarters making just such a request. "Holding objective. Surrounded by enemy forces in great strength. Urgently require air support to sustain perimeter. Please advise on likely ETA of relief force."

The message was heard loud and clear, by both Lord Marshal De Stael and the Tau commanders, who were listening in from within their Manta. As the Imperial Navy scrambled a fighter wing to join the fray, so the Tau Barracudas were vectoring in to intercept them. Now the effects of the Tau's earlier daring raid on the airbase were felt. Already most of the navy's fighters were in the air supporting the relief column and protecting the surviving air train returning to base. This third request stretched the  Imperial  Navy's  remaining resources. They had received no replacement aircraft since the campaign had started, and fuel supplies were starting to run low. In all, only six air-worthy Thunderbolts could be found for the new mission. It wasn't enough. The six Thunderbolts encountered twelve Barracudas as they approached the target, and after four aircraft  were  shot  down,   the  surviving Thunderbolts found themselves fleeing back to base. Colonel Balach did not get his air support, he was on his own.

At hydro-processing plant 23-30 sporadic firefights continued for the rest of the day and throughout the night. The Tau were happy to sit back and besiege the defenders, wearing them down with their long-ranged fire. The Tau were husbanding their forces for a final assault to clear the Drop Troopers from the plant.

With the Imperial Navy unable to assist, the 23rd Elysians had to rely on their own Vultures. After returning to base the gunships re-armed and refueled and set off again back to the battle. The gunships would provide constant rolling air cover for the men on ground, but the distance between their base and the battle meant they could never stay long. Still, throughout the day and night the Vulture gunships skimmed in and unleashed their firepower before returning to base. The night was illuminated by the fiery streaks of missile launchers and the distant crump of warhead impacts.

After two days and nights of fighting Hydro-plant 23-30 had been pounded into a shambles. Tau heavy weapons and Elysian counter-fire was reducing the area into a growing pile of junk metal. It was a ravished landscape, pitted by mortar craters, covered with the wreckage of twisted and charred pipes, littered with the splintered steel, ash and the bodies of the dead. Tracks were barricaded with the husks of burned-out Sentinels. Half demolished water and chemical storage tanks, their contents long since spilled into the sand, stood sentry over the battlefield. Within this steel jungle crawled the survivors, crouching in cover, their uniforms ragged, dirty and bloody. They were all tired, exhausted from two days and nights of constant fighting. The skirmishing and threat of a renewed Tau attack in the night had kept them all awake. There had been little rest for anyone.

After yesterday's long-range bombardment the surrounding Tau forces now closed in to finish the job. Well aware of the relief column closing in, the Tau set about reducing the perimeter quickly. When dawn broke, the Tau mercilessly unleashed their biggest weapon. A Manta swooped in over the hydro-plant, casting a shadow over the Guardsmen beneath like a great bird of prey. The Elysians had no answer to the Manta's firepower. Its drone-controlled burst cannon turrets raked the site in a cascade of fire. With the Guardsmen pinned down by such heavy fire the battlesuits moved in, followed by Fire Warrior teams.

It was a confused third day of fighting in the ruins of hydro-plant 23-30. Under the wings of their Manta support the Tau final closed in and used their heaviest weapons at point blank range. The Elysians fought back hard, but even with their Vulture air support attacking the Manta they could not hope to win an uneven battle. Slowly the Tau cleared the ruins, section by section. The Elysians fought bravely, then fell back or died, until only small pockets of resistance  remained  around  the  control complex and holding the causeway to the primary treatment centre. In the mid-afternoon the Tau commander requested a ceasefire and asked that the remaining defenders surrender. He informed Colonel Balach that there was nothing to be gained by continuing the pointless slaughter. The battle was lost, his relief was not coming - to die now was to die in vain. Colonel Balach, now wounded himself, refused to surrender and vowed to fight on. By nightfall he was dead and the 23rd Elysian regiment was all but annihilated.

The Tau Fire Warriors rounded up the survivors and wounded, including General Syckava, disarmed them and loaded them into the holds of their Mantas. More of the huge transports landed and began to collect the Hunter Cadres for redeployment. They left behind a twisted, smoke enshrouded battlefield, littered with wreckage and the dead. Operation Comet was over - it had been defeated.

Since the offensive towards Tarokeen had stalled there had been little fighting between the Tallarn regiments and the Tau. The Tallarns had made small, local advances and continued harassing artillery fire but, short on supplies and critically short of water, they had started to dig-in to conserve what supplies they had. They set about laying minefields and razorwlre in front of their positions. Whilst the Imperial Guard were not advancing the Tau did not counter-attack. With the Imperial Guard marooned in the desert the Hunter Cadres conserved their own strength for the battles still to come.

It was critical to the success of Operation Comet, and maybe the outcome of the war, that a relief forces reached the Drop Troops at hydro-processing plant 23-30 in three days. Before any relief force could makes its advance a breakthrough had be made through the western end of the Iracunda Isthmus. The ground forces would have to break into the Iracunda Isthmus, using the narrow strips of land between the small seas and lakes in the area. Channelled by the terrain, any attack would have to be directly into the teeth of the waiting Hunter Cadres' firepower.

The Tallarn regiments were no longer fit for the offensive. They had lost many men and most of their tanks in the long drive north. The war was entering a critical phase, much rested on Operation Comet succeeding. De Stael turned to the best troops he still had. Firstly, the Raptors Space Marines. Captain Orelius' battle brothers had seen little ground action; it was time to commit them again. The Space Marines would be the spearhead of the thrust, supported by the Titans of Legio Ignatum. The Warhounds were the Imperium's largest war machines on Taros, it was unlikely the Tau had any answer to them. Between these two forces they would smash through the narrow terrain, sweeping aside any resistance and clearing the way for the mechanized 114th Cadian regiment to stnke north to reach hvdro 23-30. The breakthrough operation would begin on the same day as the Elysians launched Operation Comet.

Captains Orelius and Kaedes oversaw the Space Marines preparations tor the attack. Thunderhawk transporters started their work, transfemng Land Raiders. Predators Whirlwinds and Rhinos from the War Talon to the surface" Techmarines armed and blessed the vehicles. The battle brothers of 2nd and 6th companies mustered for an armoured engagement. Thunderhawk transporters plunged from orbit to land at the assigned assembly area, just west of the northern end ot the isthmus entrance. On board the transporters were Land Raiders. Predators, Whirlwinds and Rhinos, all carrying the squads of 3rd company. The attack would come swiftly, giving the Tau minimum time to respond, and it would come in overwhelming force. It would be spearheaded by the armour of the Raptors Chapter supported by the firepower of the Warhound Titans, with the 114th Regiment awaiting the breakthrough to begin their own mission - the relief of hydro 23-30.

While the Space Marines assembled, the Warhound Titans of Legio Ignatum were stalking north to join them, striding through the deserts accompanied by the sprawling Chimera formations of the Cadian regiment. For the first time in the campaign the Tau would experience a true army of the Imperium, the combined weight of the Imperium's fighting forces committed as one.

Eight hundred kilometres to the south, the Valkyries and Vultures of the Elysian Drop Troop Regiment were just taking off as the Space Marines and Warhounds went into battle. Their target area was at the northern end of the entrance to the isthmus. Their objective was to clear all Tau forces, punching a gap for the Imperial Guard to race through.

The Tau's Pathfinder forward observers must have seen the Warhound Titans, standing fourteen metres tall above the desert, as they stalked forwards. The Tau were prepared for an attack and, as ever, their Hunter Cadres responded quickly to the call from their forward scouts. In earlier engagements the Tau had always been able to make the most of their long-ranged weaponry to pick off Leman Russes and Chimeras. Now they faced Titans, equipped with huge weaponry and protective void shields, the advantage lay with the Imperium. This would be a different battle.

The Warhounds engaged the Hammerheads at maximum range, blazing away with massive turbo-lasers. The Space Marines sped forwards, Land Raiders leading the way, Whirlwinds in close support, Predators on the flanks. Hoping to halt the assault the Tau could no longer simply give ground before the attack, they had to stand and fight. This was to the Space Marines' advantage. The Raptors strike force could close the distance and start to engage with their highly accurate lascannons. Conducted with speed, accuracy and their trade mark aggression, the Space Marine tore into the Tau defenders, deploying Devastator squads from Rhinos to lend their fire support. Suddenly the Tau were suffering heavy losses. With void shields flaring against railgun hits, the Warhounds strode forwards, obliterating entire vehicles with a single hit from their weaponry, and stomping on the wreckage as they advanced. For the first time on Taros the Tau fell back having had the worst of the engagement. The desert was marked by tell tale columns of smoke rising from the burning hulks of Tau vehicles.

The Warhounds continually stalked forwards, obliterating anything in their path, along with the Space Marines, now advancing about their feet, the combined force thrust a sword clean through the Tau defences and opened the way onto the Iracunda Isthmus. The Tau rallied, and the arrival of a fresh Hunter Cadre saw the fighting intensify again. This time the Tau would deploy a new weapon. No Imperial commander had ever encountered this new mark of Tiger Shark before. The aircraft came in fast, skimming the desert so low it kicked up a dust cloud, before climbing over a shallow rise to open fire. Missiles rippled from the aircraft's wings, flaring bright against Warhound Advensis Primaris' void shields. The explosions overpowered the generators which cut out. The following shots from the Tiger Shark's twin railguns struck the Warhound squarely in the hull. With devastating power two hyper-sonic shots tore through the thick armour plates in an explosion that showered the surrounding desert in molten shrapnel. Critically wounded the Warhound staggered backwards under the impacts, tottered and, to the astonishment of all, fell.

Where once Imperial Commanders had thought the Titans untouchable to all but a Manta's firepower, suddenly the Tau had a new tactical weapon capable of killing the mighty war machines. The wreckage of Advensis Primaris lay billowing oily smoke as the sand settled over her. Inside the crew lay dead at the controls, including High Princeps Jernay, killed by the agonised screams of pain that fed directly into his brain from the Titan's mind-impulse controls. It was a bitter and unexpected loss. The remaining three Titans withdrew rather than face another strafing run. Their mission was already complete, the 114th Cadians were now able to begin their strike northwards, further Titan losses would be for no further gains.

The Space Marines and Warhounds had advanced the required fifty kilometres in just a day of fighting. Skirmishing continued in the area all day, with Space Marine patrols hunting down any alien stragglers or Pathfinder teams bold enough to return to the battlefield. Behind them the 114th Cadians roared their engines into life.

Despite the victory, the loss of Advensis Primaris was a worrying development. The Tau had learned from their previous experiences fighting the Imperium's greatest war machines. In the past Hunter Cadres had been roughly handled by Titans, now the Tau had developed a weapon capable of fighting back. The new Tiger Shark had been upgraded to carry two heavy railguns, sacrificing its standard payload and ion cannons for the kind of firepower usually only mounted on Mantas or spacecraft.

The completion of the Raptors' attack was the signal for the 114th Cadian regiment to begin its part of the operation. The regiment's mission was to relieve the Elysian Drop Troops who were already fighting to secure the hydro-plant. The Chimera-borne mechanised regiment was to dash to link up with them. They had two days to cover 150 kilometers of hostile desert.

The Space Marines and Warhounds had cleared the way, now the Imperial Guard, under the direction of Colonel Stranski raced forwards. Leading the way were reconnaissance troops, squadrons of Salamander scout vehicles. Behind them came the bulk of the regiment, Infantry platoons advancing in formation in their own Chimera armoured carriers. Lastly was the regiment's artillery support, Griffon mortar carriers replacing the far slower Basilisks. Colonel Stranski had already decided that the Basilisks should not take part in the operation. The artillery pieces could not keep up with the pace of the advance, indirect firepower would have to be provided by the mortars and the Imperial Navy, whose aircraft were again overhead protecting the Chimera columns. The Elysians could not afford for the Cadians to be delayed by anything. This mission was a race against time.

The grinding tracks and rumbling engines of the Chimeras raised tall dust columns as the armoured infantry formations sped northwards - tall dust columns that the Tau could easily spot and track. The Tau had suffered their heaviest losses yet fighting the breakthrough, and had already started to load Hunter Cadres into Mantas to move against the Elysian drop zone. The Chimera columns now driving deep into their territory could not be stopped. The Tau faced a difficult tactical problem, where to commit their available troops? Should it be into stopping the column or overwhelming the Drop Troops? If the column was attacked then the Elysians might hold out. If the Elysians were destroyed then the Chimera columns would arrive to finding nothing to relieve. So the Tau let the Cadians advance. They would not seek to halt or destroy the 114th's armoured columns, only to delay it long enough for the battle at the hydro-plant to be won. For delaying actions they would use light forces of Pathfinders support by Piranhas and Devilfish-mounted Fire Warriors. These would harass the column with ambushes and sniping, but were not to engage in open battle. As the flying column of Chimeras roared across the desert flats, Pathfinder squads on Tetra speeders raced into the area ahead of the advance to observe the troop movement and prepare the ground with Orca dropped Remote sensor towers. Meanwhile the main Hunter Cadres moved their full force against hydro-processing plant 23-30, with instructions to overwhelm the defenders in a maximum of two days.

Riding in the cupola of his command Chimera, Colonel 'Snake' Stranski could watch his regiments advance, arrayed company behind company, with a reconnaissance screen in front. It was a majestic sight, Chimera after Chimera gunning its engines and pounding headlong across the sands. Overhead the contrails of Imperial Navy Thunderbolts criss-crossed the sky. His advance had started well. For the first day, his men saw little of the enemy.

On the second day, that changed. His scouts and vanguard platoons came under surprise attack from well-hidden Tau forces. For the first time, Imperial Guardsmen encountered distinctive tall, thin observation towers, which seemed to contain sensor equipment. Following   the   sightings   several Chimeras were destroyed by Seeker missile strikes, seemingly launched out of nowhere.  Each time the Tau attacked it caused the threatened units to halt, disembark troops and begin to hunt down the foe. It caused delays, and the Colonel ordered only units that came under direct attack to engage the enemy.    Following    units    should bypassed them and move forwards, the regiment would become strung out but it would keep the advance going.

On that second morning alone there were six separate ambushes, each one causing losses and a delay. What had been a glorious headlong charge yesterday was now a stop-start running battle, and the 114th was being stalled. For Colonel Stranski it was a frustrating day. The delays caused the 114th regiment to fall behind schedule, by nightfall they were still thirty kilometers short of their destination. News from the hydro-plant was not encouraging. That evening, communications with Colonel Balach and his beleaguered defenders had been lost. 4621st Army Command no longer had any idea what was happening on the ground at hydro-plant 23-30.

That night, in desperation, Stranski organised a long-range patrol to strike out ahead of his main units. Under cover of darkness they must reach hydro-plant 23-30, regardless of the cost. Using only his fastest vehicles, the Salamanders, he would personally lead the mission.

The eight Salamander patrols reached the hydro-plant before dawn, speeding across the desert on their over-powered engines. In the end, the lead units of the 114th were only four hours late, but it was four hours too late. As first light broke, Colonel Stranski and his Cadian reconnaissance crews were the first witnesses to the battlefield. The hydro-plant was a smouldering, blackened ruin of pipes and storage tanks. Thick smoke and dust hung in the air over the shattered detritus of battle. Crunching through the rubble they found burnt-out Sentinels, Valkyrie crash sites, destroyed heavy weapons, wrecked Tau Devilfish and battlesuits, and the dead of both sides. Fires still burnt, but it was eerily quiet.

The main body of the 114th began arriving a few hours after dawn, and the Cadian Guardsmen searched the ruins for survivors. None where found. The Tau had already done the job thoroughly. By mid-afternoon Colonel Stranski ordered his regiment to mount-up and withdraw back to the Tallarn lines. Their was no point in holding the shattered ruins, no water could be supplied from here. His men had fought over 150 kilometres for nothing. The mission had failed.