Repulse at the Northern Wall

Bitter fighting around the Northern wall of the orbital defense batteries, with a Son's of Horus spearhead assault thrown back at great cost by the Iron 10th.

++Installation Delta. North Wall++   A great fireball screamed down from above and sundered the ornate defensive wall. Kylik Vasht watched from a vantage and signalled to the fast-approaching column. "The wall is breached. The field is yours my lord". "Excellent Kylik"    Kagaddon closed the connection and opened a wide vox-link to all his legionaries. "Sons of Horus!" the tinny sound of his voice through the rebreather coupled with the vox static made his voice sound inhuman "into the breach! For the Warmaster!". Iron Hands barrelled out of the smouldering crater and assembled atop the walls, bracing for the oncoming assault. Lascannon fire tore through a Sons of Horus raider, spilling the reavers inside across the open field, and leaving them vulnerable to the plasma cannons that rained down from the battlements. The reavers, heavily suppressed and still meters away from the walls, began to flee, much to the chieftain's chagrin. He grabbed one of the stragglers with his massive powered gauntlet, and with the other hand, tore the topknot from the reaver's head. "Whelp! You are not worthy of this!".    Narr Kagaddon and his retinue poised themselves. The assault ramp of their spartan tank swung open, and the Justaerin piled out in a frenzy. They charged at the closest available target, forgoing shooting in their bloodlust. Multi-meltas shot out from behind a crude barricade of rubble, taking out half of the terminators. The Justaerin slammed against the defensive line, and from amongst the ranks of Iron Hands stepped forth Morad Krysk. Kagaddon bellowed a challenge to the Librarian. Krysk's eyes crackled with power and rage. He channeled it through his staff and, faster than any could react, lodged it under the arm of the Captain as he swung at him. The hammer fell from his grasp, and Kagaddon screamed in pain and surprise. Baltus, ever at his master's side, swung his hammer in turn and knocked the psyker to the ground. In a flash of light, Godzimir Ursaak and his Morlocks teleported in, and fell upon the remaining Justaerin, who were all cut down as Baltus carried their leader away. The warriors of the Iron Hands continued to batter the assaulting horde with esoteric weaponary, incinerating marines with a hail of plasma, and collapsing vehicles inward with gravitic force. Reinforcements arrived en-masse as a convoy of Rhino transports approached from the Eastern flank, slowly boxxing-in the Sons of Horus and cutting off their retreat.    The pilot of 'Conveyance of Slaughter', seeing his payload of Justaerin tore down, moved to assist the commander in his retreat, but in that moment found his steering locked. The Spartan's weapon targeting trained everything onto the Iron Hands captain, who was seeing to his downed Librarian comrade. The vehicle raced forward against his will, crushing Morlock terminators under it's tread. Ursaak fled backwards, but a wild shot from a lascannon glanced his head. He retreated past the defensive wall, and once out of sight, wrenched his helmet free. Blood poured from a wound in the side of his face, but he was alive, and the inury would stand as testiment to his resilience. Iron Hands destroyers lept from the walls, and swiftly put an end to the Spartan's rampage, the sheer number of melta charges putting a dozen holes in the hull of the tank.    A gout of fire burst from a Sons of Horus ancient, his internals guttering from constant gravitic bombardment, and the outflanking Iron hands forces closed upon him. Just as they thought the contemptor was downed, he rose once more, and poured his entire arsenal into the approaching Rhinos. One burst in a horrific explosion, another had it's treads blown to shreds, but they persisted through the attack, returned fire, and the dreadnaught finally fell limp.    Kylik Vasht found himself pinned inside a ruined building. The two remaining legionaries assigned to him had just been felled by more plasma fire. The Sons of Horus had failed to make it past the walls thanks to the grim determination of the Iron Hands. Kylik voxxed the command to retreat. The voids protecting the mighty defense battery would remain another day.