In the silent hangar of Relay Seven, Crimson Paladins cornered the xenos raiders loading their captives. The Blades of Spite had one last trick: explosives set to deny the Paladins their prize. As golden-armoured warriors charged to save the prisoners, agile killers emerged from the shadows to meet them. In the ensuing slaughter, commanders on both sides would be locked in a brutal duel to the death where survival was not guaranteed.

The chase ended in the echoing ruin of Relay Seven's main hangar bay. Emergency lighting cast long shadows across debris-strewn decking. The Crimson Paladins had cornered their quarry. A single Drukhari vessel sat on the launch cradle, its ramp down like a predator's jaw. The air hummed with the sound of its engines and the shriek of a huge, damaged ventilation unit.

The Blades of Spite were loading their final prize: the station's surviving personnel. For Protector-Marshal Thane, this was a rescue mission. But the Drukhari had one last act of malice prepared. Demolition charges were wired to the hangar's key structural points. Their detonation would deny the Blood Angels their new base, and provide the raiders with a suitably grand exit.

Overseeing the chaos was Zaerath Vexstride. This was her stage, and the terrified captives were merely props for her final performance. Opposing her, Thane and his Paladins prepared to intervene. Appearing as paragons of duty, facing an enemy who saw only the thrill of destruction. The first bolt shells were chambered as the raider's ramp began to rise.

The main hangar of Relay Seven is a wreck. Recent fighting has torn through its storage rooms. In the north-west, the remaining walls of a storage area provide excellent cover. The station's final prisoners are huddled here. An L-shaped ruin with pillars dominates the north-east, where the Drukhari have rigged a set of explosives. Crates are stacked along the northern edge.

A massive, rectangular ventilation unit occupies the hangar's centre. Its damaged fans run constantly, filling the air with a deafening shriek. To the east, a small, boxy container offers minimal shelter on the otherwise open decking.

The southern half of the board is a maze of debris. In the south-east, a large ruined storage area conceals a third, deactivated demolition charge. Another L-shaped ruin and more stacked crates stand nearby, close to the first set of primed explosives. A curved ruin and a low wall complete the shattered landscape in the south-west.

The battle lines were drawn as the last of the captives were in the progress of being herded aboard the final drukhari craft In the hangar's north-west corner. Protecting the extraction the Thorn of the Veil hovered silently, its hull sheltering the deadly Incubi of The Shrine of Drayzath. Across the battlefield, emerging from the gloom of the south-western ruins, The Unlit Choir of Mandrakes took up their positions, their forms little more than flickering shadows.

The Blood Angels emerged for a decisive strike from the south-east. Staging behind the cover of a ruined storage area, Squad Vigilantus and the flame-wielding Embers of Solvaris formed a solid core. Flanking them were the jump-pack equipped Vigiles Raptores and the gleaming Aurum Vigilum, a golden-armoured spearhead poised to unleash overwhelming force.

This is a classic case of a refused flank from the Crimson Paladins. They’ve stacked everything in the south-east, creating an immense concentration of force. The plan is clearly to punch through the Drukhari lines with speed and power, overwhelming any opposition before the raiders can react. The Aurum Vigilum are the heart of this assault; if they break through, the game could be decided very quickly.

The Drukhari deployment is more cautious and flexible. The Mandrakes in the south-west are a perfect screening and delaying element, positioned to harass the Blood Angels' advance. The Raider in the north-west, loaded with Incubi, is the key piece. It can either speed towards the exit, use its mobility to outflank the main Paladin force, or commit to a desperate defence of the prisoners. The opening moves will hinge on how the Drukhari player chooses to use this speed against the Blood Angels' raw power.

In the south, Commander Thane led his Aurum Vigilum into an L-shaped ruin. They advanced cautiously, closing on the flickering forms of the Unlit Choir. The golden warriors prepared to purge the last xenos threat.

With a roar of jump packs, the Sanguinary Guard charged. They slammed into the Mandrakes holding the south-western ruins. The fight was brief and brutal. Encarmine blades met glimmersteel, and the ghostly forms of the assassins evaporated under the furious assault.

With the initial threat eliminated, the Paladins secured the hangar. Squad Vigilantus advanced from the south-east towards the centre. The Embers of Solvaris moved behind the roaring ventilation unit. To the north, the Vigiles Raptores took control of the second explosive charge.

The Crimson Paladins had started aggressively and their warriors were in control of the key objectives. However the xenos that still hung in the shadows.

The Blood Angels' early charge seized the initiative. But the Blades of Spite were far from beaten. In the hangar's north-west, The Thorn of the Veil's ramp dropped. Zaerath Vexstride and her Severed Chorus disembarked. As they moved towards the jump pack intercessors, Vekhorax and his Incubi silently boarded the skimmer.

The Raider then slid away towards the north-east. Its dark lance spat energy across the hangar bay. The shot targeted Squad Vigilantus near the southern ruins. Two Intercessors fell, their red armour blackened by the impact.

In the north-eastern ruins, Zaerath led her Wyches in a blinding charge. They crashed into the Vigiles Raptores guarding the explosive charge. A flurry of blades met ceramite. The Assault Intercessors were cut down to a man in the brutal assault.

Yet the last of the Vigiles Raptores fought on even as they fell, for only in death does duty end. Their chainswords roared in a final, defiant act. Five of the Severed Chorus were slain in the bloody counter-attack. The Drukhari victory had come at a heavy price.

The Drukhari counter-punch had landed hard. One Blood Angel squad was gone, another depleted. The Blades of Spite had sacrificed ground to blunt the Paladins' spearhead. With both sides having drawn blood, the fight for the hangar objectives had become a desperate brawl.

Shrugging off their losses, the Crimson Paladins pressed their attack with renewed fury. The Drukhari counter-attack had bloodied them, but not broken their resolve. With the hangar objectives still contested, Thane committed his forces to breaking the xenos line.

Near the hangar's centre, the Embers of Solvaris advanced north. They seized the objective within the north-eastern ruin. From this position, their pyreblasters opened up. Gouts of chemical flame engulfed The Thorn of the Veil, scoring deep burns across its hull.

The Infernus marines then charged into the surviving Wyches. The combat was savage. Zaerath and her Severed Chorus met the charge, blades flashing. Four marines were cut down in moments. The lone squad sergeant fought back, killing a single Wych before the lines separated.

Meanwhile, Commander Thane led the Aurum Vigilum directly toward the Raider. Angelus boltguns and grenades hammered the skimmer's frame. An inferno pistol shot seared the air, but a desperate jink from the pilot and a flicker of a forcefield (armour save off 6) saved the craft from annihilation.

With a roar of jump packs, the golden warriors charged. They slammed into the Raider, encarmine blades tearing the vehicle apart. Now it exploded in a ball of fire. Vekhorax and his Incubi were thrown from the wreckage, two of the silent killers dying in the blast.

As the main assault hit home, the depleted Squad Vigilantus repositioned. They pulled back from their exposed position in the south-east. The surviving Intercessors moved west, seeking better cover amongst the ruins.

The turn ended with a major shift in fortunes. The Drukhari had lost their swift transport, leaving their elite Incubi exposed. But the cost had been steep, with the Embers of Solvaris all but destroyed. The battle for the hangar had become a desperate, close-quarters brawl.

In the wreckage-strewn ground north-west of the central ventilator, the two leaders clashed. Vekhorax Soulspite moved with liquid grace, his agoniser lashing out at Commander Thane. Three precise blows landed, almost felling the Blood Angel. A single Sanguinary Guard fell to the Incubi's klaives.

The Blood Angels' response was immediate and absolute. The Aurum Vigilum swept aside the Incubi attack. Encarmine blades carved through the silent killers, leaving none standing. Before Vekhorax could react, they turned on him, their fury overwhelming the Archon's parries.

Across the hangar in the north-eastern ruin, the other combat ended decisively. The Severed Chorus surrounded the last sergeant of the Embers of Solvaris. The lone Infernus marine was cut down in a flurry of blades. His squad was finally silenced.

With their opponents eliminated, Zaerath Vexstride led her surviving Wyches east. They moved to occupy the L-shaped ruin. From this position, they now controlled the second explosive charge, defiant amidst the carnage.

The turn ended in a brutal trade. The Crimson Paladins had decapitated the Blades of Spite, eliminating both Archon and Incubi. But the Drukhari were not broken. Zaerath and her Wyches held a vital objective. The battle for the hangar now hung on a knife's edge.

With the Archon dead, their focus shifted to Zaerath Vexstride in the north-east. Commander Thane led his Aurum Vigilum east, closing on the L-shaped ruin. Angelus boltguns barked, felling two of the surviving Wyches before the golden warriors prepared to charge.

The charge was unstoppable. The Sanguinary Guard slammed into the Drukhari line, their momentum carrying them deep into the ruins. A flurry of blows from encarmine blades swept through the remaining Wyches. The Severed Chorus was silenced for good.

With her troupe slain, Zaerath Vexstride focused her rage on Thane. Her attack was a whirlwind of deadly grace. Blow after blow found its mark, but the Protector-Marshal refused to fall. By some miracle of fate and ceramite, he survived the onslaught with just a single wound remaining.

To the south-west, Squad Vigilantus moved to secure the flank. The Intercessors advanced into the cover of another L-shaped ruin. They took control of the objective there, disarming the first set of Drukhari explosives.

The Crimson Paladins now dominated the hangar, but their commander was grievously wounded. Zaerath stood alone, a cornered predator ready for one last strike. With two of the three charges disarmed, the Blood Angels were close to victory, but the final, desperate act was yet to be played out.

In the north-eastern ruins, the duel reached its conclusion. Zaerath Vexstride's glaive blurred in a final, lethal dance. Protector-Marshal Thane's miraculous endurance failed him. The Succubus found her mark, and the Blood Angels commander fell.

The Succubus's triumph lasted only a moment. Enraged by the loss of their leader, the Aurum Vigilum struck as one. Their encarmine blades descended in a furious storm, and Zaerath's performance was brought to a bloody end.

The last of the Drukhari lay slain. The Crimson Paladins had secured the hangar and saved the station's survivors. Yet their victory was a somber one, purchased with the life of their commander.

The hangar fell silent. The shriek of the damaged ventilation unit was the only sound. Where moments before two commanders duelled, only golden-armoured warriors remained. The last of the Blades of Spite was downed the wounded survivors disappeared into the shadows, a final craft departing with the unrescued captives. The Crimson Paladins had kept the base operational but had failed to rescue the stations staff.

The battle for Relay Seven was a whirlwind of savage charges. It began with the Paladins' overwhelming push in the south-west. Commander Thane's Aurum Vigilum smashed the Mandrake screen, seizing early momentum. The Drukhari response was just as swift, as Zaerath Vexstride's Wyches cut down an entire Blood Angels squad in the north-east.

The turning point came near the hangar's centre. A heroic charge from the Sanguinary Guard tore the Drukhari Raider from the air. This single act grounded Archon Vekhorax and his Incubi bodyguard. Exposed and outmanoeuvred, the Drukhari elite were systematically cut down by the golden-armoured warriors.

With her force collapsing, Zaerath Vexstride fought on alone. In a final, defiant act of spite, she slew the wounded Commander Thane. Her victory was fleeting. The avenging blades of the Aurum Vigilum fell upon her a moment later, ending the battle and securing the station for the Imperium.

This was a showcase for the Sanguinary Guard. The Aurum Vigilum were the linchpin of the Blood Angels' plan, and they delivered. Their destruction of the Raider was the battle's pivotal moment, stripping the Drukhari of their key advantages of speed and positioning. Without their transport, the Incubi and Archon were exposed and eliminated. For the Crimson Paladins, victory comes at a heavy price. Both armies leaders were badly wounded but will return for vengeance .