Escalating trade conflict on Parvana Mahrukh, Solar Auxilia vs Milita Horus Heresy battle report

The lucrative markets of the planet of Parvana Mahrukh had long been looked upon by the Eastern Fringe Trading Company under the rule of the Noble family of House Naryshkin.

The planet didnt have a unified rule and local warlords and Trade barons from the newly arrived Imperials tried to take the lands for them selves. The Trade barons and have built up space ports from where they conduct their rule over the planets population and its clan structures.
Because of this, the Eastern Fringe Trading Company secured all the legal papers for conducting trades in the Parvana Mahrukh system and especially on Parvana Mahrukh Prime.


The planet of Parvana Mahrukh is a planet with an indigenous population in a clan society with strong clan rivalry and a old ifrastructure that is in need of expansion.

It is rich in gold and other valuable minerals and exotic trading goods. 
It has an vast arrays exotic flora that is selling highly in other systems as it can be ground to tasty spices or smoked as a opioid.

The planet it self is mostly a dry and arrid place but has large areas of mountains, canyons and lingering rivers. Mutch of the vegitations are located near these mountains and canyons. 

This new world is interesting in the eyes of the Eastern Fringe Trading Company.

The establishment of the Eastern Fringe Trading Company on the scene and their aggressive way of conducting trade and violent trading establishments have caused turbulence and a dip in the total exportation of goods.
This should be temporary as they try to out compete the other players in the area but it has alerted the Sectoris Protector Governor and the ruling classes of officials in the vincinity.
A loss in exportations from the planet is not accepted and the market need to be stabilised for the goods and spices to flow.


And the Expeditional Protection Force have been established under their Commander Stern and sent out to the planet of Parvana Mahrukh in an attempt to in force patroll and establish strongholds so the markets can be stabilised and the grand totall of exports be raised again.
They are officially there to protect the population from the warring clans and trade companies but are really more interesting in raising those export numbers by show of force.


This establishments of outer interferance can not be tollerated by the Eastern Fringe Trading Company and the plan is to give the Expeditional Protection Force such an bloody noose that they will keep them self out of the trading companys ways.
And a plan to attack one of the protection forces bases had been drawn up.

We decided to play an old mission, "Strongpoint attack", I think it is from 3rd or 4th edition of 40k. This mission is probobly extremly unbalanced for this game of 3000pts of Horus Heresy we have planed but that is of little concern.


Here is the list I used:

++  Crusade (Solar Auxilia) [2996pts] ++

+ HQ +

Auxilia Tactical Command Section [95pts]: Veteran Auxiliaries, Veteran Auxiliaries
. Strategos: Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol
2x Veteran Special Weapon Auxiliaries: Grenade Launcher

Auxilia Tank Commander [55pts]

Lord Marshal [177pts]: Artificer Armour, Blast pistol, Cyber-familiar, Digital Lasers, Grav-wave generator, Iron Halo, Lord Marshal, Master-crafted weapon, Melta Bombs, Paragon Blade

+ Elites +

Auxilia Medicae Detachment [75pts]: 4x Medicae Orderly

Enginseer Auxillia [165pts]: Adept, 6x Servo-arm, 6x Servo-automata
. Adept: Augury Scanner
. Adept: Cortex Controller

Household Retinue Squad [265pts]: Shroud Bombs
. Auxilia Arvus Lighter Orbital Shuttle: Flare/chaff launcher, Twin-linked Lascannon
. Prime: Melta Bombs, Power Weapon

Household Retinue Squad [130pts]: Rotor Cannons
. Prime: Melta Bombs, Power Weapon

+ Troops +

Auxilia Infantry Tercio [239pts]
. Auxilia Lasrifle Section
. . Sergeant: Blast Pistol, Power Fist, Troop Master
. Auxilia Lasrifle Section
. . Sergeant: Blast Pistol, Charnabal Sabre

Auxilia Infantry Tercio [325pts]
. Dracosan Armoured Transport: Demolisher Cannon, Flare Shield, Pintle-mounted Multi-laser or heavy flamer
. Veletaris Storm Section
. . Prime: Charnabal Sabre, Laspistol, Melta Bombs, Volkite Charger
. . Velentarii: Volkite Chargers


Auxilia Infantry Tercio [200pts]
. Veletaris Storm Section: Shroud Bombs
. . Prime: Laspistol, Melta Bombs, Power Weapon, Volkite Charger
. . Velentarii: Power Axes


+ Fast Attack +

Auxilia Primaris-Lightning Strike Fighter [210pts]: Battle Servitor Control, Ground-tracking Auguries, 2x Two Kraken penetrator heavy missiles

+ Heavy Support +

Auxilia Malcador Infernus Special Weapons Tank [320pts]: Armoured Ceramite, Chemical Ammunition, Pintle-mounted multi-laser or heavy flamer

Cyclops Remote Demolitions Unit [160pts]: 2x Cyclops Demolition Vehicle, Incineration Charge

+ Lords of War +

Auxilia Stormlord Super-heavy Assault Tank [580pts]: Armoured Ceramite, Multi-laser, Side sponson with one Lascannon and one twin-linked Heavy bolter

++ Total: [2996pts] ++

Created with BattleScribe (https://battlescribe.net)

The protection forces have deployed and held some forces in reserve.

The attacking forces of the trade company. I decided to attack with armour and the sentries were quickly removed.

I wanted to try out the pimpmobile... An Stormlord with a Tank Commander, and riding in it was my Lord Marschal, 10 Household Veletaris with rotor cannons, 10 Veletaris with power axes, 2 cyclops demolishion vehicles and a unit of Engineseers and servo-automatas to patch up any damage suffered on the Stormlord. A considerable procentage of my army was placed here.

Probobly not a tournament option but to fun not to try out. Here comes the paintrain...
In teory it will drive unharmed to the centre of the enemy army and destroy them in an glorius charge.

The Protection forces had placed an Tankhunter on the edges on one of the sides, the infantry squad got the orders and stormed forth. We would need to run quick for this.
The enemy was occupied shooting at my Malcador Infernus.

The Stormlord moves forward and its large guns starts to charge up...

Reinforcements from a Lightning enters.
The combined fire from the Solar Auxilia managed to take a toll on the enemy Leman Russ.
I had saved the Kraken penetrator missiles on the Lightning for larger enemy targets inbound.

Milita Grenadiers in Power armour holds one of the important bunkers.

The Expeditional Protection Force had been allerted and the suprise was over.
A Baneblade had answered the distress call an moved in.

Popping smoke, the Demolisher tank finds cover.

Solar Auxilia losses a Dracosan from the Baneblade. The explosion takes out all but a few men from the Veletaris but the Lasrifle section only takes light casualties from the shrapnel.

A unit of lascannon Sentinells had managed to outflank the Malcador Infernus, inflicting massive damage but it survived with a lone hullpoint.

I had managed to swarm the tank hunter with grenades.
A counterassault from the Protection forces was the answer, infantry in joined by Battle servitors (count as Ogryns).

More slaughter of the brave Solar Auxilia troops...

The Lightning sees its intended target...

And unleashed all of its Kraken missiles and managed to take out the Baneblade.

My infantry was almost up to the defense line.
the fire from the Stormlord and its occupants had thinned the line, and the unleashing of a Cyclops had taken its tool.
The fact that it was inducted levies manning the first line unfortionutly ment that the Cyclops cost more points then it cleared out but I needed to punch a hole in those lines.

The Infernus had made its work and the assault started to thin out the defenders.

Troopmaster Natailia Kolychev ordered her Lasrifle section to charge with bayonettes.

A duel is issued and the enemy Custodian answers. He tried to use his sabre, inflicted a wound that the Lasrifle sections medic had to patch up, it was not enought and he fell to Natailias powerfist.

A lone Sentinell was all that was left after the Solar Auxilia had turned its attension to them. But it was all that it took to take the last hullpoint from the Malcador Infernus that went up in an massive explosion.
And the Sentinell was never seen again...

The two last Veletaris runs forwards with their Volkites blasting.

The Grenadiers with Power armour in the bunker will have nothing of that...

The power fist of Troopmaster Natailia Kolychev is working hard...

The lascannon from the Lightning takes out the damaged Demolisher.
A Arvus lighter lands on the bunker and deploys it troops, a unit of Household Retinue Veletaris with Volkites.

The Enginseers patch up the pimpwagon and it continues to move forward.

The Grenadiers are occupied fireing from the bunker and had forgotten to lock the back door...

The Lord Marshal and Veletaris with Power axes dismounts and are getting ready to charge the occupiers of the bunker...

I had uppgraded the Arvus with a twinlinked autocannon and it managed to take out the last two hullpoints of an Leman Russ that was a real danger for all my dimounted infantry.

Taking cover from a burning Russ Natalia takes a breather.

Instead of shooting the grenadiers in the back I unleashed my Volkite death from the dismounted Household Veletaris on the grenadiers escorting the enemy Warlord into the battle.

And I rolled like a God, and my enemy rolled like crap... the medic must have forgotten to bring any bandaids or painkillers as all that was left was the medic and wounded Force Commander...

Close combat at the top lever of the bunker.

All that was left was the enemy medic, he was taken captive.
He is working for the Trade company now...

The wounded Force Commander charges the bunker.

The Houshold Veletaris Prime, blocks the door openeing and issues a challange with his power axe at the ready...

Both combatants fell.

And the second bunker was secured...

The Eastern Fringe Trading Company hand suceeded in taking out the base of the Expeditional Protection Force.
Surly this would send the message to not interfere in the Trading Company's interests....