"Intercept One, Report... Intercept One - Report... Are you receiving???

With a deepening sense of dread, the staff in the command centre awaited a sign, any sign, from the interception force sent out to deal with the Tyranid force.

Intercept One, are you receiving? ST-P2, are you receiving?

The gentle hiss of static did nothing to hide the ominous silence over the command frequencies.

Command, this is ST-P5. We've found something... Wait...  ... found them.

The strain in the voice was audible.

Command, this ST-P5. They're dead. All of them. It appears they were ambushed by at least one Lictor and several independent units of Genestealers.  Damage indicates one Brood Lord was present. We've recovered the unit commanders' combat recorder. We're returning to base. ST-P5, out.

The combat log was all too clear.

The Intercept force and the shadowing patrol team had identified objectives around the cratered ruin of a village - but the village was swarming with Genestealers under the Hive-mind guidance of a Brood Lord. Almost as soon as the Intercept force had formed a defensive formation, 6 heavy explosions had ripped through their lines - wiping out half the stealth team, stunning the Fire Warriors Devilfish transport and pinning the commander. The Genestealers rushed forward and engaged the screening Kroot. 

Tau Counter-battery fire was largely ineffective, killing only two Genestealers.

The Kroot fought bravely against overwhelming odds before being mercilessly cut down. But they'd bought enough time for the Fire Warriors to dismount from the Devilfish and rapid-fire into the Brood Lords' contingent - significantly thinning it before the Genestealers swept into the Tau Commander. Another swarm of Genestealers attempted to assault the Devilfish, but failed to get their claws into it, and the flechette rounds inflicted casualties.

Combat raged to and fro, with the Tau Commander surviving two rounds of melee combat before succumbing to a hail of claws and teeth. In the meantime, a Lictor had appeared, which became the target of the lone Broadside - but it's camouflage was too great for a clear shot. Another swirl of combat ensued, until the Devilfish exploded, taking several Genestealers with it. Almost simultaneously, a supporting unit of Kroot were cut down on their way to assist.

The Broadside managed to kill the Lictor, before being assaulted by the Brood Lord. The brave battle-suited warrior lasted two melees before being torn asunder by the Brood Lords' monstrous claws. The two remaining steal suits were assaulted and cut down, as were the two lone gun-drones left from the Devilfish. In spite of taking heavy casualties, the Brood Lord, one Lictor and a small clutch of Genestealers sneaked away, but no Tau were left alive.