Battle Report: The Forges of Ghorok Campaign - Shields Down

Big Mek Skarburna was accustomed to solitude, so the number of Boyz who had flocked to his workshop was a bit unnerving to him. They had little regard for the delicate tools and machinery he'd spent months collecting and building. "You lads! Get away from there!" he barked. The Boyz flocked around the shield generator power conduits, bathing their green skin in an even sicklier, green glow. 

The telecapture nodes throughout the facility had shown him (and any other Mek with the kunning to tap into the feeds) what was coming. Beakies in maroon-painted 'eavy armor massacred the Ork and Digga defenders outside Da Big Fix, then in the outer skin cavity, and now penetrated into the inner shops. They all knew Skarburna's shop would be a key target because the Beakies loved dropping into a fight using their kustom torpedoes; and that was impossible with the shield up. 

Clearly, then, the best fight would be had here, so the Boyz had arrived take part. They didn't really care about protecting the product of Skarburna's months of toil. They just wanted to get stuck in and have a laugh chopping up Beakies. That was largely fine as far as Skarburna was concerned, considering the means would satisfy both ends.

The crashing and squealing of tortured metal heralded the approach of the Space Marines. There were a lot of them, he noted as the large, armored 'umies stepped from the shadows. A few of their smaller tanks rolled out of a huge rent in the shop's walls and began spitting bullets into the power conduit pylons. The shielding deflected most of the fire, but Skarburna would not rely on that forever. 

"Git 'em, Boyz!" he hollered, though it was mostly a pointless gesture. The huge mob of Orks was already storming across the shop, the dimness sparkling with the red delight in their eyes...

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In the heart of the Manufactorum, three energy conduits provide power for the Void Shield Projector many levels above.

The Orks have rallied to this point due to its valuable nature, less to actually protect the Void Shields, and more because they know it will be focal point for battle!

The great mob of Boyz are itching for a fight.

With two Trukks full of heavily armed Lootaz and some Grot-manned artillery to back them up, the Boyz fearlessly defend their position.

On the enemy's left flank, the units best specialized for this mission trundle into view... an Ironclad Dreadnought and a unit of Assault Centurions.

Quick and agile Blood Ravens Assault Squads are well-suited for this kind of action.

Tactical Marines are loaded into Razorback Transports along with their Techmarine commander.

The Assault Marines make a show of their bravery in facing the Ork mobs head-on.

Although they are able to cut down many orks, a handful of Battle Brothers fall to their enemy's voracious appetite for killing.

Sarge Ledstorm and his Boyz produce a hail of random shoota lead, cutting down several Assault Marines, leaving only one unwounded.

The Boyz on the right Ork flank try to engage the Blood Ravens siege units, but they are unable to coordinate their assaults.

The Orks and Assault Marines continue to beat each other to death.

The Assault Marines boost out of their damaged Razorback and add their Bolters to the hail of fire poured into the Big Mek and his unit of Shoota Boyz, ending his short career as the caretaker of the shield generators.

The Ork right flank is crumbling.

The center of the Space Marines battle lines is now full of Orks.

The Lootaz and Meks are able to hold the Ork left flank against the Assault Marines, repelling them completely.

The Dreadnought makes its move.

As do the Centurions.

The handful of Boyz on the right flank try in vain to reach the Shield Conduit before the Centurions.

The hot glow of the raw power needed to repel full-scale orbital bombardments basks the Centurions in a sickly green glow.

Raw, unfettered power is released when the Dreadnought smashes the containment field to bits with its siege weapons.

The Centurions make quick work of the other one with their Siege Drills.

Though two are completely overwhelmed by the energy released by the power conduit, burning them to ash in the blink of an eye.

The central pylon crackles and arcs out, vaporizing the Dreadnought into thin air.

Chunks of the Ork Trukk are ripped away and liquefied.

The Trukk is done for, but the Lootaz make it out of the wreck unscathed.

The fight behind Blood Ravens lines continues.

The arcing lashes out at the Gretchin, filling their minds (and probably pants) with fear. They manage to hold their ground.

Although more waves of Orks pile into the Blood Ravens defenses, the damage has been done. Blood Ravens and Mechanicus reinforcements may now be deployed in the facility proper!