To: Leviah Milham, Commander Dalyth Expeditionary Force
Late afternoon, we received a distress call from cargo transport 144254A moving some of the more advanced pieces captured with the Maglev hub. The maglev line had been broken and the transport derailed. Several of our patrols encountered Tau (the Xenos race we fought earlier) and a mercenary race working for them in a number of minor skirmishes. A detachment was dispatched to drive away Tau marauders who sabotaged the transport. The detachment arrived to encounter a previously unencountered Orc warband. It set upon the detachment and inflicted serious losses upon us. Their numbers more than made up for our bolter fire. Their War Machine was so heavily armored that even 8th Devastator's Lascannons could not stay it. For the sake of the greater mission, I ordered our men to cut their losses and leave the field. I take full responsibility for their retreat. It is far better to retreat and reconsider a losing position than to let glory and fighting spirit drive men to a fruitless and pointless death. Even still, Librarian Nostradh was gravely wounded in the battle. He will live, but his recuperation time will be a great loss, even if it is merely the few days projected.
What are Orcs doing here? There had been nothing in the briefings about greenskin presence on the planet. I never imagined they would be here and therefore never prepared the Detachment for the possibility. That is a mistake I shall never make again. Perhaps these are the "fortunes of war" you often talk about, sir. I give you now the fortune that awaits them. When we find them next, we shall show them the lessons in raiding we have learned at their hands.
We have begun picking up coded Imperial transmissions. If these are the reinforcements I requested in the last communication, they can contact us on the attached channels to follow. If they are other Imperial units, are you at all aware of their size and nature? Both we and they could benefit from an exchange of first hand information.
I mentioned Librarian Nostradh's unfortunate debilitation. According to the apothecary treating him, Nostradh, while under anesthesia, kept making strange statements and cries about "demons" and "dangers from the warp". I pray to the Emperor that they were the ramblings of a dreaming and fevered mind but I know that Librarians are sensitive to many things that other Marines are not. If the Orcs were drawn to something on this world, it is plausible that other things have been attracted also.
My recommendations are that we find a way to lead the Tau to the Orcs. Orcs will fight anything and Tau seem to be committed to defending this world. If we can point the two sides at one another and let them waste their strength fighting, we should easily be able to sweep up the pieces. We will remain mobile. If engaged, we will fight, but whenever possible, we will attempt to lead the two sides together. If we can take them both with little effort, it will be a far better victory.
We await reinforcements and bind our wounds. Tomorrow is another day and another battle.
Hail to the Emperor and the Grand Satrap,
Norran Victos
In Command
4th Company Occupation Detachment
Praise the bolter, for it is the savior of Mankind.
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