Battle Report: The Forges of Ghorok Campaign - Outer Manufactorum

The bulk of the Blood Ravens task force slammed into the curtain wall of the Manufactorum relatively simultaneously. The liberal application of krak grenades and meltaguns provided issue for the Emperor's Angels of Death into the facility's outer defenses. They emerged into darkness, the interior lighting having been sabeutaged by infiltrating Blood Ravens special operations forces. As their Devastator squads took advantageous positions, the Tactical Squads rushed forward, mindful of enemy threats and taking cover where they could.

Big Mek Skrapweld was ready for them. His quadrant of the Manufactorum was well-defended. Even as the Space Marines took their positions, his well-equipped mobs of Lootaz' hammered on the triggers of their Deffgunz. The crude, yet deadly weapons barked, sending a trail of phosphorescent tracer rounds in the general direction of the Space Marine entry points. Skrapweld screamed an order to his artillery team and the darkness retreated when the Kustom Mega Kannons sent blasts of white-hot death into the advancing ranks of Tactical Marines. His own masterfully-created Shokk Attack Gun found its mark through his headwired gitfinda, scrambling more than a few Astartes to mush in their own armor.

He growled with glee, "Give em all we got, boyz! Dey stop 'ere!"

With that, the overhead arc sodium lights flickered and then returned to their original brightness. The Orks had to flinch a little before they could recover. Then, just as suddenly as the light came, a shadow fell over Skrapweld and his boyz. A squad of Space Marines with jump packs were descending from the rafters.

Big Mek Skrapweld has cunningly arrayed his Kustom Mega Kannons towards the Blood Raven point of entry.

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Additional Gretchin await in reserve positions.

The Blood Ravens quickly fan out and take defensive positions just inside the outer skin of the Manufactorum complex.

The Blood Ravens train their heavy bolters on the Ork position. 

Hastily-assembled barricades protect Skrapweld and hs Loota companions.

More Lootaz hold position on the Mek's garage.

Several drop pods had attempted an insertion earlier that day, but the Orks had energized their shield just in time to cause the Pods to suffer horrible mishaps. The Blood Raven Scouts take advantage of this misfortune.

Under the guidance of one of the shop bosses, some of Big Mek Skrapweld's Grot Oilers take up arms and protect his shop from interlopers. 

A squad of brave Blood Ravens Tactical Marines move up into position behind some scrap while the Devastator Squad clings to the shattered outer hull of the Manufactorum and lays down a fusillade of Heavy Bolter fire.

Some of Commissar Holt's Diggaz arrive on the scene to provide support for the Ork defensive position.

With crippling flashes of raw energy, the Kustom Mega Kannon batteries burn some of the Blood Ravens Tactical Marines to cinders.

Roars of delight fill the Ork battle lines.

It is at this moment that Captain Tchagras and his Shadow Talons drop in from the rafters.

The remains of the Tactical Squad take a chance on the esoteric Ork technology littering the battlefield and are "tellyported" across the giant room and bolster the arrival of the Captain.

The Diggaz' lascannons train on them.

Captain Tchagras and his men assault the weak left flank where naught but Gretchin and Diggaz hold the line.

Little is left of the Grots but meat stains on the deckplates.

The excitement has drawn the attention of Shazzo Blitzklawz and his ladz. A fresh mob of Orks also arrive on the scene.

After a withering barrage of Kustom Mega Kannon fire and the firestorm of hot lead poured from a newly-arrived Diggaz Punisher tank, only Tchagras in his shadow armor remains standing, the smoking cinders of his Shadow Talons all around him.

As if in response, a devastating cacophony of ordnance is fired into the Diggaz and freshly-arrived Ork reinforcements, blasting them into chunks of meat and shrapnel.

Blitzklawz and his ladz are also not spared the deadly barrage of the Space Marines. Many Stormboyz fall to the relentless stream of Bolter fire. 

Captain Tchagras slams into the artillery line and Big Mek Skrapweld makes a vain attempt to defend his precious machines.

The Stormboyz, in turn, decide that the Blood Ravens' fire support should also be pacified. Two of the vehicles stand in smoky ruin while the third is rocked so hard by the assault that the gunners cannot resolve a clear shot with their missiles.

The few remaining orks avenge their fallen Mekboss. Although Captain Tchagras takes many Gretchin and Orks down in a deluge of gore, the adulant Orks cut him down.

An Ironclad Dreadnought accompanied by a Librarian and his retinue come around the fuel tanks and push at the weak Ork lines.

The Digga command squad attempts to lay down fire from their Chimera, but the Orks are forced to block the advance of the Ironclad Dreadnought, forcing it to fight them. This signifies the remainder of the battle. Although the Orks are able to slow the advance of the Space Marines, they are merely speed bumps in the righteous path of the Emperor's finest.