[Been Painting] Acquisition Protocol Fulfilled: Battle Ready Necrons

 

2800 points. Two years. Witness me.

TRANSMITTED: Nephilim-217/Kavadah
RECEIVED: Ozyma-132/Menatar
DESTINATION: Tenebris-217/Wulfruna
TELEPATHIC DUCT: Astropath-primus Exedos
REF: IOX/9913024.42/AP
AUTHOR: Legate Investigator Rowan Sebillye
SUBJECT: Analysis of recordings from Kavadah combat zone

Madam Inquisitor Draxus,

Per your request I have analysed the battlefield data recovered from a strike on the tomb world of Kavadah, carried out by elements of the Blood Angels Chapter. The data comprises fragmentary recordings from Astartes armour (some post-mortem), sub-aether transmissions from the combat sphere vox-network, several auspex sweeps uploaded to Chapter command and (heavily magnified) orbital scans from the orbiting Song of the Sanguinor's Vengeance.

My analysis indicates greater vehicular assets than Necron forces on Kavadah were believed to possess, including multiple Stalker class walkers (comparable to Castaferrum-pattern Dreadnoughts in battlefield effectiveness, despite their greater size: the primary danger they present is correspondingly greater speed, and an apparent improvement in accuracy displayed by lesser Necrons employing focus fire doctrines in correspondence with them). 

Memo to self: colour correct the icons on the second and third Stalkers.

I have also identified a singular skimmer vehicle that has yet to see battlefield deployment, and appears to serve a field command function for an unknown senior member of the Necron hierarchy.

Additional memo to self: secure appropriately sized flying stand.

To my great concern, the data suggests Necron leadership elements were not permanently compromised during the attempted decapitation strike. I have identified three discrete command-tier entities, two sub-commanders and two specialists: one of the former and one of the latter have yet to be encountered in the field.

In pursuit of these identifications I commend the adepts of the Song of the Sanguinor's Vengeance as well as Sister Armarita of the Ordo Dialogus, whose efforts in identifying Necron command protocols amongst intercepted sub-aether transmissions have been tireless. (Sister Armarita has been recommended for accelerated recruitment/extreme prejudice: a decision on this matter would be appreciated.)

Other successes include a long-range extraction of black box data from an Impulsor-class transport destroyed by heavily modified Necron heavy infantry. These emerged from beneath the vehicle and detonated multiple grav plates. Cross-reference with previous encounters and auspex data confirms a greater proportion of close combat modifications among the Necrons active on Kavadah than we had believed. These have hitherto performed a subsidiary role in field engagements, but patterns in troop movement suggest a command element that, once again, has yet to be engaged in the field.

Captain Raguel's final transmission was contaminated by subaetheric interference associated with the discharge of Gauss-class weaponry, as well as mythopoeic references to Chapter history (which I do not affect to comprehend). I believe, however, that Captain Raguel intended to lead all remaining Blood Angels in the ground level battlespace in an attack on a partially compromised Necron power relay, defended by a Monolith-class macroconstruct. Captain Raguel's helm recordings were not among those recovered by our noospheric trawlers, but I believe I can confirm any success in his terminal endeavour was temporary at best. The Monolith appears to remain active, or to have been repaired. I speculate deployment of combat support assets to safeguard the Monolith and infantry cohorts in future engagements.

Since neither bodies nor materiel were recovered from the last engagement, these data collate all that is known regarding the fate of the Fifth Alpha demi-company. The Blood Angels have demanded the release of our collated findings and original data sources to their custody. In the circumstances, I am minded to grant their request, but defer the decision to you, madam Inquisitor.

In nomine Imperator, Deus ex Humanitas.