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Blind Legion soldiers brave one of the most thankless, grueling assignments in the Cabal order of battle: descending into buried ruins and black catacombs to sweep for Vex presence. | Blind Legion soldiers brave one of the most thankless, grueling assignments in the Cabal order of battle: descending into buried ruins and black catacombs to sweep for Vex presence. | ||
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==Skyburners== | |||
[[File:SkyBurnersGrimoire.jpg|right|150px]] | |||
{{Quote|The second fleet will wait no longer. Commencement will begin on their arrival.|Cryptarch translation of Skyburner chatter}} | |||
Rumors of a yet-to-be-deployed Cabal Fleet have long haunted the Vanguard Hall. Hidden efforts unveiled the Phobos fleetbases house what is merely the first wave of a full-scale celestial demolition fleet, codenamed Skyburners. Ghost scans of the ships and reports of a large Psion presence have Warlocks anxious to learn of their weaponry. Dead Orbit assures the City that the Skyburner fleet poses no immediate threat to the City. | |||
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==Cabal Champions== | |||
[[File:Grimoire Cabal Champions.jpg|right|150px]] | |||
Executor, I want to note again how strongly I feel that the tenets do not cover this kind of field work. The real battle is back home, in the heart of the City, in the people of the Tower. | |||
In any case, as you requested I've made a detailed study of the Cabal command structure aboard the Dreadnaught. Detailed notes are enclosed, but suffice it to say their normally robust military engine has found itself hopelessly mired aboard Oryx's fortress. | |||
Our assaults on Cabal leadership in-system has had a devastating impact. The Skyburner's Primus, his bond-brothers, Valus Ta'aurc, Valus Trau'ug, Primus Sha'aull, and a smattering of lesser Vals and Bracuses... all dead or on the run, all thanks to us. | |||
In short, I believe your supposition is correct. The Empire will have no choice but to respond. | |||
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For all their might and strength, for all that they have dug into Mars and flung up battle walls with the bureaucratic grimness of conquerors, I suspect they are fleeing from something. That within their hard shells and thousand-folded shields is a sharp seed of terror. But of what? Does something follow them? Should we fear it too? | For all their might and strength, for all that they have dug into Mars and flung up battle walls with the bureaucratic grimness of conquerors, I suspect they are fleeing from something. That within their hard shells and thousand-folded shields is a sharp seed of terror. But of what? Does something follow them? Should we fear it too? | ||
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==Ghost Fragment: Cabal 3== | |||
[[File:Grimoire GF Cabal 3-4.jpg|right|150px]] | |||
Today, Primus Ta’aun leads from the front. | |||
He pounds from bunker to bunker, roaring encouragement. “You’re my cornerstone!” he tells a wounded Centurion, grabbing her by her armored shoulders. “Bear the weight!” | |||
He gets back up, into the fight. “Come on!” Tlu’urn snaps at him, running along behind Ta’aun and saying all the cruel things his commander can’t. “You don’t need two arms to fight!” | |||
He calls for fire support. Artillery shrieks overhead. On the plains below the Cabal perimeter, Vex march out of the lightning. Torch hammers burst up like mortars and Ta’aun and his bond brother duck behind a burning Interceptor for cover. | |||
“This is going well,” Tlu’urn rumbles. | |||
A Vex particle beam needles a little hole through the Centurion’s helmet. He falls dead. Goblins swarm over her bunker and then the Goliath tank supporting this bastion fires a main gun round into the mess, killing the Vex, the bunker, and all the Legionaries inside. The concussion knocks Tlu’urn against his Primus. | |||
“About as well as expected,” Ta’aun grunts. Tlu’urn laughs. | |||
The grind is eternal. Like duty. Ta’aun keeps fighting, out here past the edge of the Empire, because failure is unthinkable. Defeat’s much worse than death. | |||
But Ta’aun is so, so tired. | |||
Tlu’urn gets up and starts shooting Vex. “You’re not really going to do it.” Even though he’s fully armored, and only a meter away, his voice on the com crashes with static. “You’re not going to go. It’s mad.” | |||
The Vex Hobgoblins start firing at Tlu’urn. | |||
Particle beams scream and spark off his enormous bulk. Ta’aun yanks him back to cover. A maniple of Phalanx troops rush forward to plug the gap. “I have my orders. Our report went all the way up, and the decision came all the way back.” | |||
Valus Tlu’urn’s blank helmet swivels to stare. “You mean — ?” | |||
“It came from the Emperor Himself.” Ta’aun can feel the pressure gel pumping against his skin, keeping him insulated from this deadly world, keeping him alive. “I’m ordered to board and capture the Hive flagship. At any cost.” | |||
A Vex Minotaur blinks up behind the Phalanx line. Primus Ta’aun’s armor paints the target and he absolutely unloads, putting all his fear and anger and sorrow into the wretched machine. He roars and roars. The Minotaur burns. | |||
His soldiers cheer. | |||
“That’s a job for an elite unit. Not a few scout legions bogged down in attrition war. We should wait until — ” | |||
“It’s the mission I’ve been given. I will use what I have.” | |||
“Mutiny,” Tlu’urn whispers. “You should mutiny.” | |||
Oh, to mutiny. To be like Valus Trau’ug, who took his Broken Legion against the Reef — and failed, failed utterly. | |||
Duty is victory. Mutiny is worse than death. Even if death seems certain. | |||
“No,” Ta’aun says. And that’s that. | |||
The Vex are falling back. Together, they’ve held the line. | |||
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==Ghost Fragment: Cabal 4== | |||
[[File:Grimoire GF Cabal 3-4.jpg|right|150px]] | |||
''For the Staff of Primus Ta'aun, Legion Commander''<br> | |||
''From Skyburner V Cohort/Auxiliaries/Strategic Intelligence Maniple''<br> | |||
''A Tactical Outcomes Analysis'' | |||
''I: Records, Materials, and Attributions Pursuant To Analysis'' | |||
Sand Eater II Cohort/Century 1/Maniple 8<br> | |||
2 Squad [LINE INF]<br> | |||
TASK:<br> | |||
- sweep urban area grid 071x145 to screen BL I/3/3/5 intelligence op<br> | |||
OUTCOME:<br> | |||
- unit ambushed by solitary Guardian. no survivors | |||
Sand Eater II Cohort/Century 1/Maniple 8<br> | |||
3 Squad [TAC INF]<br> | |||
TASK:<br> | |||
- reinforce II/1/8/2 in disarray grid 071x145<br> | |||
OUTCOME:<br> | |||
- unit engaged by Guardian and Vex units. no survivors. | |||
Dust Giant IV Cohort/Century 4/Maniple 1<br> | |||
4 Squad [AIRMOBILE]<br> | |||
TASK:<br> | |||
- secure grid 071x145, destroy guardian target<br> | |||
OUTCOME:<br> | |||
- target Guardian temporarily destroyed. target re-engaged with Guardian reinforcements. no friendly survivors. | |||
Dust Giant IV Cohort/Century 4/Maniple 1<br> | |||
Harvester Dropship [TAC AIR]<br> | |||
TASK:<br> | |||
- support IV/4/1/4 operations in 071x145<br> | |||
OUTCOME:<br> | |||
- dropship shot down. crew reported Guardians operating elaborate totem rocket weapons. | |||
Blind Legion I Cohort/Century 3/Maniple 3<br> | |||
5 Squad [HEAVY INF]<br> | |||
TASK:<br> | |||
- defend Psion intelligence ops 071x146<br> | |||
OUTCOME:<br> | |||
- overwhelmed by Guardian fireteam/Vex pressure. few survivors. survivors reported Guardians foraging for equipment, dancing, and performing acrobatics with light vehicles. | |||
II: Analysis | |||
This is an archetypical engagement. It represents many hundreds of failed operations. | |||
Guardian activity in the Freehold AO has exploded across recent campaign seasons. Tactical attrition exceeds both frictional projections and our ability to regenerate losses. New tactics are necessary. | |||
The primary threat is the Guardians’ individual counter-attrition capability. | |||
Guardians can be rebuilt after even total disintegrative trauma. This capability is provided by a small autonomous drone unit called a Dead Person [trans. unclear]. The Dead Person conceals itself during combat. It is not a viable target for direct fire. Saturation attack by artillery/heavy air/orbital fire may have good effect (although Guardians transmat frequently and refuse to assemble into large formations). | |||
Solitary Dead Persons have been observed in all areas of operation. The relationship between solitary and paired Dead Persons remains unclear. | |||
Psion analysis indicates that specific areas are inimicable to Guardian counter-attritional reconstruction. Phobos Command has initiated an orbital survey. BL I/2 will attack the Vex gate artifact in Meridian Bay to secure possible related intelligence. | |||
Flayer analysis suggests that the Hive have developed unconventional counter-Dead Person capability. The capture of Hive leadership might yield vital strategic intelligence, including weapons or tactics capable of defeating Guardians permanently. | |||
We advance that the Hive fleet group near Saturn presents a strong target. | |||
For the Primus,<br> | |||
Our highest duty done,<br> | |||
Unflinchingly loyal,<br> | |||
Skyburner V/A/SI | |||
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[[Category:Grimoire]] | [[Category:Grimoire]] | ||