>>5632627To say that the Sororitas thirst for vengeance is an understatement and their objective is too important to forfeit. As the Sisters approach the target stronghold from two directions, Malin's voxwoman intercepts huge amounts of communicators traffic going to and from the stronghold and over the hab-block roofs in the distance Canoness Malin sees the large transmission antennae stretching up to the high ceiling, the powerful vanes capable of transmitting and receiving through the dense subcity layers and coordinating a huge amount of the organised Styrian resistance across Ardea. Whoever is holed up in this stronghold is too important to let slip away, and even as her force approaches the stronghold intercepted communications reveal Styrian panic and talk of evacutation and escape. Something Canoness Malin will not permit, no matter the cost.
After a short while longer of trekking through the urban environment Canoness Malin's force makes it through the streets of towering hab-blocks and clustered towers, arriving at a vast open plaza - some kind of great city square with a once-Imperial Cathedral on its western edge, now twisted and defiled into a house of the Styrians' own foul faith. In the centre of the square is a ferrocrete fortress that must have been constructed after the planet broke away from the Imperium, its square walls a hundred metres in breadth with large bastion towers at each corner. Inside the walls is a large round Keep, the communications vanes stretching up from the structure.
The thick metal main gate lies on the southern side, and Malin scans the defences as her Sororitas stay in the cover of the surrounding urban sprawl. The fortress could contain over a thousand defenders and heavy bolters line the rope of the walls, and a twinlinked lascannon turret is perched atop each bastion tower. Reinforced columns with firing slits lie either side of the gate. Shen's forces approach from the highway to the East, her armoured spearhead poised as her familiar voice crackles over Malin's comms. "Sanctus 3 and 4 in position, Canoness." Thus marshalled, Malin takes stock of her forces in their entirety.
Southern Edge
>Canoness' Retinue (1 Celestian Sacresanct Squad, 2 Celestian Squads)>8 Battle Sister Squads>3 Zephyrim/Seraphim squads>3 Dominion Squads>2 Retributor Squads>1 Castigator Tank>7 Immolators Tank>4 Repressors & 3 Rhinos>1 Repentia Squad & 8 Penitent EnginesPalatines Velna and Rosaline are each accompanied by their own Celestian Squad as well
Eastern Edge
>13 Castigator Tanks>6 Exorcist Missile Tanks>4 Immolator Tanks>8 Battle Sister Squads>5 Retributor Squads>11 Rhinos>2 Seraphim SquadsPalatine Morweg is accompanied by her own Celestian Squad. Palatine Shen commands her own Castigator Tank.
