Hey all.

With the interest in the Empire series and work rekindling in Project Tau, I thought I'd put some of the short stories I've got in the works here.

In Empire: Coming Storm, there was a Shas'La named 'Jeth' from Kel'shan. He was a heavily scarred and taciturn member of a unit of Aun'Qath (the personal body guard of the Ethereals) and served as the close quarters specialist and he died at the hands of a Genestealer hybrid on a colony under multiple attack.

Some people thought he was awesome, and it was hard for me to kill him... but I did.

So, here's his back story. One of his characteristics was a damaged larynx, making his voice a monotone. Well, this is how he got it, and this is how he became inducted into the Aun'Qath.

Chapter 1: Lying Smiles

The planet of Katho'l had been a human colony thousands of years ago. On the cusp of the nebulous realm of the Perdus Rift, it had become separated from the greater Imperium and forced to revert to a primitive Industrial Age. After the Tau Empire successfully breached the Perdus sectors and liberated the Kroot Empire from the Ores'la, further exploration was encouraged.

Dozens of alien species and fragments of fallen empires rallied behind the Tau. These were the Moralians, the Vespid and many more. Katho'l, then known as Kothol by Imperial maps, was discovered by Tau'N vessels. Diplomacy outmaneuvered dissident factions and soon those nations that allowed themselves to benefit from Earth Caste specialists found themselves out competing their xenophobic neighbors

After a generation the world openly joined the Tau Empire, just as the Damocles Crusade barreled into the Cluster. Thousands lost their lives and many more millions suffered the depredations of war. Ores'la raiders, pirates from the Rift and many other enemies of the Greater Good prospered in the confusion of the years long conflict.

As the Lithesh war came to a bloody close on Dal'yth Prime, the human armada scattered for fear of destruction. One lone Dauntless cruiser, the Wrath of Brimlock, made an emergency warp jump. By fate or design, maybe the Navigator held ancient knowledge of distant Katho'l, the Wrath of Brimlock appeared over the blue planet. A brief skirmish with system defense Kor'vattra again forced it to go to ground, making an emergency landing on one of the larger island continents.

Unable to draw near to the cruiser, it's awesomely destructive Lance turrets able to annihilate even a Manta from extreme range with a fraction of their power. In turn the Imperials were too few and unable to escape due to the damage of their ship. A bitter stalemate began.

The Tau diplomat, Por'El D'yanoi He'chogar, brokered successful talks with Captain Oliver Schect, stating that the Tau would supply a means to the Imperials to withdraw, and that any that chose to remain would be welcome with open arms into the brotherhood of the Tau'va. What He'chogar, and the rest of the Tau, did not expect was the still resisting human nations who still remained, in their hearts, were a part of the Imperial Creed. It would be their undoing.


The moon of Katho'l, B'oth, was a Shield class moon, a 'Elan'yanoi'. Crewed predominantly by Kel'shan, it had been a great feat by the diplomats of T'au to convince the Sept to invest in the development of the Katho'lian humans. The moon was airless, an ivory disc that floated serenely over the blue world far below.

Katho'l was made up of thousands of islands scattered across a single ocean, wracked by hurricanes and spiraling storms. As a result, direct transport was tricky and so the Fio had declared a mass undertaking. B'oth would be transformed into a major port for the entire Eastern Sept region. Three towering space elevator stations were constructed, beginning in vast city-ports on the surface of the moon and branching upwards into a wide, ovalar, mushroom canopy which could service an entire colony fleet apiece.

Rings of geo-locked weapons platforms pointed heavy rail guns outward into the darkness, daring the night to issue forth it's monsters. Dozens of interceptor swarms flitted constantly around the ever arriving and departing vessels that were the life blood of the Empire. Their vigilance was constant, for without the flow of trade and information the Septs and trade partnerships would whither.

On the viewing deck of one such umbrella like station, Shas'O Kel'shan Uat'ali shook her head disapprovingly at the world below her. A superimposed holo image fit over the disc of the planet, green outlines forming around island territories that were too masked by cloud cover. One of the largest, near the equator, constantly radiated 'black' for danger.

She breathed out her mounting annoyance as she turned back to see the assembled council. The room was at the apex of the Tertiary Sky Hook, an eight kilometer high tower, and provided a beautiful vista of Katho'l as the local star hid behind it's orb. An artificial breeze rustled through the leaves of an expensive garden that grew thick on the edges of the room. Uat'ali watched as sunlight, reflected off an orbital mirror, slowly danced off the assembled council. There was Por'El He'chogar, pomp and proud with his massed Por'La, all twittering and talking at the same time. Across the wide, circular room was the Quorum of Katho'l; twenty two members that represented every major nation-state on their world. Each wore a strange combination of robes and headdresses that described their individual heritage. Here and there Uat'ali could make out ancient symbols of double headed birds, the only totems harkening back to Katho'l's Imperial roots.

Her own attache, a young Shas'Ui from her own Sept, enjoyed being enclosed in full armor so he didn't have to show his disdain for the constant bickering that had taken up most of the evening ever since the Quorum docked with the Sky Hook. Her face was bare revealing the four horizontal scars that began on the left side of her face and cut laterally to her jaw, one of her eyes white, it's vision stolen by the Reek that had breached her armor. A thick topknot rested on the back of her skull, tightly woven with the same Reek's vertebrae she'd taken after it'd failed to kill her.

"I do not see why you, esteemed representative, with the great might of this fearsome Shield Moon, why you cannot crush the Imperials where they are!" Administrator Epa's head rattled. The Katho'lians were predominantly possessed skin of olive to a burnt umber, heavy curled hair woven into dreads and fixed with bones or beads. They were not unlike the Tau of antiquity.

He'chogar turned, the wide brim of his pol hat casting a shadow over his face. Everything the Por did was for the furtherance of manipulation for the Greater Good. Uat'ali supposed that the Pol hat provided a few precious moments for the Por'El to reconfigure his expression. When he looked at the assembled Quorum it looked like he decided on seren benevolence.

"Violence cannot be the only way my good Epa, tribe Naoli of the Sea of Naoniruim." He spread his hands, placatingly, stepping forward and closing the distance with the Gue'la.

"We defeated their armada over the skies of Dal'yth. This star ship arrived to this system after fleeing that warzone. But now we are at peace with the Gue'la, just as we are at peace with you of Katho'l."

The humans grumbled amongst themselves. Uat'ali rolled her eyes. Another of their kind, an enormous male that stood at a meter and a half, strode forward. His big belly might have denoted extreme decadence, but Uat'ali saw the faded marks of battle scars in his thick skin. A warrior.

"They're arrival comes at bad time, Representative He'chogar. All over, my land, my brother's land," He swept a massive arm to encompass the Quorum. "The fanatics go, swim to the fallen star ship and say the time has come to kill us and our Tau brothers." He shook his big head and Uat'ali could see a small metal coin with an impression of the Empire's symbol on it interwoven with his hair. He was a true believer. Uat'ali's own Sept, situated not a hundred light years from Katho'l, possessed a legendary mistrustfulness of the alien. She listened to his plea.

"With their big guns the Imperials will shoot us. With their Brimlock Dragons they will burn us. We call on the Shield Moon to shoot the Imperials before it is too late."

He'chogar smiled, bowing. "I must apologize General Haeatanga, I believe you refer to the Imperial Guard regiment the 'Brimlock Dragoons'." The Por'El shifted, matching Haetanga's own expansive way of speaking. "You have suffered much from the civil wars that brought you into the light of the Tau'va. That is why we built this installation, to protect you." That wasn't necessarily true, Uat'ali reflected, Katho'l was at the center of a massive warp network. They would have built it anyway. "But we cannot inflict dreadful war on your planet again. The Imperial's will be allowed to leave, and with them those humans who wish to leave just as those humans who wish to stay, will. I have been in extensive talks with the Captain of that vessel. Even now they send transport so that we may negotiate a peaceful conclusion to this event."

Now He'chogar looked at Uat'ali now. "And should they attempt to bring harm to you, our brothers, we will bring down the might of the Empire. Shas'O Kel'shan Kan'is Uat'ali is the finest of her Sept and will lead the Cadres should the Imperials prefer the ignorance of fanaticism."

He proffered a hand to her. She shrugged, it was her turn to perform.

"She cleared her throat and, for the benefit of the assembled, spoke in Gue'sia. "There are currently fifty thousand Firewarriors assembled on the Shield Moon and another twelve hundred scattered around the planet. The Imperials numbers could be anywhere between fifty and two hundred thousand individuals. They are undersupplied and lack any kind of information gathering. We've jammed their comm network, they have no means of making their ship space worthy again without our direct assistance. I am also not above using this stations own weapons, although costly to your," she nodded to the Quorum, "infrastructure. War, as Por'El He'chogar stated, is a costly thing and I would rather have a conclusion achieved via diplomacy rather than to order my warriors to assault."

As if on que, a cheerful hum interrupted her.

"The Imperial Dignitary has just achieved orbit and is requesting docking permission." All eyes turned out the window.

The craft was larger than expected as it, and it's two interceptor compatriots, closed on B'oth and for that Uat'ali was immediately disturbed. She had never fought the Imperials before, their invasion of the northern Septs was a campaign she had not been involved with. But she had read the data reports and was expecting something along the lines of a two passenger vehicle called an 'Aquila'. This was big, a cluster engine craft with multiple fins built off of a spear like hull.

"We won't be able to dock a vessel of that size." Her aid whispered to her. She brushed him off and walked to the screen. Almost every material the Earth Caste made was a 'smart' technology that could access computer terminals with a touch. She spread her fingers and opened a data stream directly to the Sky Hook's bridge.

Some of the Por'La looked confusedly from their master to the Shas'O. With a imperceptible twitch, He'chogar motioned for one of the more junior adjutants forward.

"Sir, what are you doing?" The Por'La attempted to close with Uat'ali, stopped by her own aid who merely shook his armored head.

"We've opened communication to the craft, what's wrong, Shas'O?" He'chogar called.

"Something's wrong, a ship like that has enough room on it to house a hundred, maybe two hundred crew..."

""I have already met the Imperial's once, this was the same craft that met me. Perhaps their smaller shuttle craft were damaged in the landing. Shas'O, you are making our guests and myself worried unnecessarily."

"Such is my duty to confer upon you security, Por'El." She did not turn to look at them and reached what she was looking for. Initial scans of the craft were normal, save for the engines and the two comet-like signatures of the fighters.

Outside, the sun erupted from the horizon curve of the planet, bathing space with it's brilliant yellow light. Superiority fighters had swarmed about the Imperial craft. Their own interceptors stayed the course. All seemed well.

"Biological..." The screen flitted to an icy blue as the computer scanned thousands of different signature possibilities for life.

"By the sands..." She muttered. The enormous craft, easily the size of a full Fire Caste drop ship, was piloted by a single nominal pilot and dozens of 'half' signatures the computer told him were some kind of plugged in human cyborg.

"It's a fire ship, shields up!" She slammed her fist on the emergency panel. The signal hit the bridge two levels down with all the authority and emergency a female of Uat'ali's rank offered, sending Air Caste crewmen tumbling to obey the sudden danger.

"I must protest-" He'chogar's voice rose several octaves.

"Get the delegation out of here!" Uat'ali bellowed even as she opened a comm channel directly to the interceptor pilots. She flicked her wrist and scanned the thermal and radiological spectrums. Sure enough, a single enormous signature revealed itself within the transport craft. She didn't bother the influx of new information as the computer told her it was disassembled parts of an Imperial doomsday weapon. How, or why, a vessel of such apparent inconsequence would have such a weapon, Uat'ali would never know.

The massive viewing windows began to darken as meter thick duralloy began to close. She never turned as other Firewarriors entered the chamber and rushed the humans and Water Caste through the single exit. Her eyes never left the approaching vessel.

*

The Interceptor pilots were a heartbeat slower to react to the sudden shift in the Shield Moon as guns and shield stations sprang to life. The human pilots, both of them, must have been told of the possibility of early detection. They shunted power to their forward thrusters, jarring to a halt as the Tau and the transport sped forward. It was easy pickings.

Terrible red energy spat in twin spears from the Imperial craft's wingtips, gutting two superiority fights in fusion fueled explosions, a third had flown too close to it's brethren and was mutilated by hypersonic debris.

The three remaining fighters, veteran pilots all, threw themselves into tumbling corkscrews away from their new enemy. It didn't matter. The interceptors continued forward, falling behind the transport as it's own pilot threw everything into thrusters, no longer attempting to mask it's deadly cargo.

A servitor, the lobotomized intelligences that manned all Imperial technology, turned it's optical cluster to the Superiority fighters as they gained speed on it. Two enormous auto cannons cycled backward, fixed between the transports engine nacelles, and burped a thousand rounds a second at the vengeful Tau.

The salvo caught one of the fighters in the nose, sparking it's ion cannon generator to go nova, obliterating the craft in a fireball that briefly outshone the rising sun. The final two fighters, their pilots hearing screaming orders from the Shield Moon, both realized the real threat. Targeting both engines on the transport at extreme range with their seeker missiles, they fired their full payload.

Eight drone guided missiles exploded forward, closing the distance between fighters and transport in a flash. The Imperial interceptors turned so sharply one of the human's engines caught fire, the pilot howling impotently as his craft somersaulted into the darkness of space. The other regained control and opened up against the ordinance.

One exploded, sharing a final electronic warning to it's cousins who corkscrewed away from the onrushing human pilot as they stayed on target. The lone human continued to fire, catching another one with his nose mounted auto cannon then hurled himself into the bulk of the salvo.

His death earned another two missiles and a prayer of thanks to their corpse god from the transport pilot. The four remaining seeker missiles, free of threat, raced to detonate and halt the craft like a Tau hand opening.

It wouldn't matter. The Imperials knew that they didn't need a weapon to actually hit the Shield Moon. At the very edges of the Tau defensive fire, the human pilot closed his eyes and squeezed the detonator in his hand. There was a brief moment of stillness when everything seemed to step out of time. Then the warhead, a secondary exterminatus weapon, exploded.

The Wrath of Brimlock had been an unassuming vessel in the Crusade fleet that had broken the Empire's defenses and invaded Dal'yth. A troop vessel it was never meant to be, the thousands of Brimlockians taken on board in that final scramble to flee the Sept world. It was supposed to be the match that would have lit a world on fire after the heavier cruisers saturated the atmosphere with biological liquifying agents and converted the remnant into gas. They had been ordered into position, alone, to execute that mission when the Crusade leadership had ordered them to stand down. Now, the trapped humans on the surface below, used the awesome firepower of their people unrestrained.

The transport incinerated down to it's atomic level as the multiple fusion of the warhead combined. The Superiority pilots had enough time to shield their eyes as the shockwave obliterated their craft in a wave of blinding energy that continued on at speeds comparable to light itself.

Defensive stations and weapons platform spun out of their locked orbits, crashing into one another, their crews screaming as hulls cracked and plastisteel evaporated under the combined grav pressures and the nuclear storm, flinging them out into space where they flash froze then were incinerated.

Shas'O Kel'shan Uat'ali continued issuing emergency orders even as the tower begun to shudder. With a final look up out of the half shuttered viewport, she witnessed the last thing she would ever see as the blast hit, searing her irises and blinding her with atomic light.

The shockwave finally hit the Shield Moon and it's kilometer high towers as an ocean crashes into a reef. Any craft outside of the immediate protective shield ceased to exist as the crew were cooked alive and their vessels melted into slag. Exactly three seconds later the shields overloaded, the generators unable to withstand the continual bombardment.

Tortured duralloy twisted under the strain, some levels giving way altogether. The closest tower's mushroom like dome cracked losing whole sections that either broke off into the void or fell back against B'oth's gravitational pull, showering the atmosphere with meteoric intensity.

Those further away suddenly lost power as the weapons true power was unleashed in the form of a mighty electromagnetic pulse that disrupted every power source within a light year. On the surface of both Shield Moon and planet; power grids failed and one by one the cities of Tau and Man winked out like candles before the breath of a dissatisfied god.

Chapter 2: Se'hen'ka

one month later

Pain. Pain was an important part of life. It's raw sensation reminded the mind it was alive, and vitalized the soul to take action, fueled the injured body to save itself. Pain flooded him now from a dozen places. There were voices, thick and gutteral, strange and alien. He forced himself to open his eyes, only his left one could. His vision swam, the earth moved beneath him.

He was still in his armor but his visor had been ripped off, as had the power pack on his back. They had beaten him even after he had been rendered unconscious and now the small voice that was bred into him took stock of his wounds. A blow to the head had caused the concussion. Blows to the face had broken teethe and half his jaw. His arms were burnt with multiple lacerations but none of them, thankfully, were lethal.

He was on his side so he pushed himself up with one hand. His captors seem to take note and one swam into focus, an ugly pale face with a scar running from ear to chin. A cruel snout stuck out from it's face and whiskers covered it, darkening the canyons of flesh that clung to a heavy skull.

Jeth had never seen a human before.

A big hand shot out and crashed into his face, knocking him back onto the ground. The blow shook off the grogginess, he let the pain do it's job as adrenaline pumped into his bloodstream.

He was in a wide square tent, heavy canvas making up the walls, with the flap open to the sea. Sand lay underneath plastic planks that made up the floor. Two humans in tactical camo and black carapace armor were in the center of the tent, illuminated by a single sodium lamp that cast everything in a sterile glow. A Firewarrior from his unit, K'lae was strung up, crucified by rebar through her wrists against the tentpole. Another human male stood over her with a blade out as long as his forearm.

The human above Jeth dragged him up to eye level, shouting at him in the gue'la tongue. Jeth managed to lick his lips, parched and cracked with old blood, before the human slapped him again.

"Non logui gothorum, fatuus." The one with the knife grumbled.

"Fethus xenos!" The human let go of Jeth, letting him fall to his knees.

K'lae turned to him, he stifled a gasp. They had scalped her. She coughed, cyan blood dribbling down her chest plate. "Don't tell the anything..."

"Servare lura!" The human turned the flat of the blade into a cudgel and whacked K'lae in the face, opening her cheek.

Another human entered, this one with the air and dressings of an officer. A steel rimmed hat shrouded his eyes in shadow while a full length leather coat fell to boots. An ornate pistol and cutlass with an eagle headed hilt were strapped on It was simultaneously the most comical and frightening thing Jeth had ever seen.

He peered into K'lae's face, cleared his throat, and spoke halting Tau'sia through thin lips. "Did you succede?"

Fear rippled through K'lae's face at the sound of Tau'sia in a human's mouth, then resolve hardened her. "Shas'La Kel'shan K'lae, recognition number eight-eight-zero-two."

"Did you and your filthy squad make contact with the Tau fleet?"

"Shas'La Kel'shan K'lae, recognition-"

"Where is the Tau fleet? Where are they landing?" The human officer yanked his compact las pistol out and shoved it into K'lae's eye socket. "Where is the Tau fleet!"

The human next to Jeth chuckled. He looked down at Jeth and grabbed his topknot, forcing him to watch.

"Tu deinde, Tau."

K'lae closed her other eye. "Shas'La Kel'shan K'lae-" The human pulled the trigger. A dull glow flashed, charring the skin around her eye, then pulsed with heat as it carried the charge, rupturing her skull. There was no blood, only the rising smell of burnt meat. The humans laughed.

The officer pointed at Jeth and he was hauled to the same post.

"Now. You will tell me where the Tau fleet is and where they will land." Jeth sucked in air. He would be strong, he would die like K'lae had. He would give them nothing.

The officer seemed to weigh him, then pushed the pistol into his face. The still-hot barrel seared his skin and he shouted in pain. More laughter. He hated them, with every ounce of his being he hated this humanity.

"Then you die as well, pathetic." The officer grinned, evil white peg teeth set in a cruel mouth.

A hand, gloved and four fingered, reached out from the shadows and, almost gently, pulled the officer's chin and slid a blade over his throat. Blood, red an alien, rushed out in a torrent, the officer's eyes going wide with surprise even as they dulled.

Then they were everywhere. Jeth saw shadows detach from the walls and collide with the two remaining humans. The first met his attacker with his hands open, as if to push the Pathfinder back into the darkness. The Tau commando lashed out with a blow to the humans throat, silencing him and crushing his wind pipe in a single attack. Then another commando came from behind and slit his throat like the officer.

The final human lost his nerve and ran, directly into a truly massive Tau that stood a full head taller. A garrot wire slid around the humans neck even as he fought and slashed through tendon and jugular vein alike.

They were dead, all dead, and Jeth was given life again.

The large Pathfinder crept over to him and shoved a the officer's pistol into his hand.

"My name is Shas'La Cubor. It is time to make these devils pay." Jeth nodded, gripping the weapon, and picked himself up.

As I've said to you before (I think twice now), Jeth's history is very much welcome.

I was a little confused though, as to the fate of the Shield Moon and Uat'ali. It sounded as though it was destroyed and she died, but I couldn't spot anywhere that actually said it. Could you give some clarification? Also, I believe that the Sept is actually called Ke'lshan, as opposed to Kel'shan.
Other than that, it's an excellent story, Calmsword. You did a great job of alienating the humans. It was also an interesting insight into Imperial interrogation and brutality. It was very saddening to see K'lae's death, but the retribution was most satisfying.
It's exciting to see Cubor. I'm very intrigued to watch the formings of their relationship, and also if any other members of Sia't's team will appear.

I agree, well done! Jeth is so cool.

I believe the fate of the Shield Moon is not fully stated deliberately. I assume that if anything survived, it was extremely damaged. And it was stated that the explosion was the last thing Uat'ali saw, so I assume she bought it.

Sorry for the confusion Aun Tier, but Wolf is correct, I made the Shield Moons fate ambiguous on purpose- I think you'll continue to like the story (it's not going to be as long as the other Empire story).

Cubor lead Jeth out onto the beach. The interrogation tent had been built on the outer angle of a large 'phalanx' type encampment the Imperial Guard had pitched so as to keep the Tau's screams from waking Guardsmen. As much as Jeth could tell, the Pathfinders had somehow penetrated the defenses and kept the Gue'la from alerting the larger camp he knew existed up the ridge and somewhere up in the jungle.

Massive, ugly, treaded all-terrain carriers made up the 'walls' of the camp having discouraged their Guardsmen on the beach. Spotlights with heavy weapons pointed outward. Up above the night rolled in the seemingly endless series of typhoons and storms that wracked the planet, the luminescent Shield Moon giving a strange and distant glow to the night whenever it broke through.

Crouching behind stacks of eagle stamped chests, Cubor and his four Pathfinders knelt with Jeth. They said nothing to him, instead one raised a fist holding a tiny modulator.

He depressed a stud and what emitted was a chortling bird call. Jeth's surprise was obvious, Cubor leaned in. "Downloaded mating call of a Katho'lian ground fowl."

A handful of seconds passed, then a further three Pathfinders appeared from the shadows. Four other prisoners with them armed as Jeth, with Gue'la weapons. Words were transmitted directly between the Pathfinders to reduce noise. Jeth was satisfied with a curt nod to the other rescuers. They weren't from his unit but looked as banged up as he did. Once done, Cubor turned to him.

"This is all that remains of the prisoners. I am sorry." Cubor murmured. Jeth shook his head.

"How do we get out of here?" One of the other Shas'La whispered. Cubor glanced, his armored helm.

"You're rescue was our secondary mission, Shas'La. We must now strike the Gue'la and destroy them here. A prominent leader hides in the jungles further inland, his death and the eradication of this base is now our duty. The fightback begins now."

The Shas'La's face fell, eyes going big with surprise. "There are only... twelve of us!"

Cubor nodded. "There will be more." He raised his carbine, a long barreled markerlight fixed above it's twin barrels. The gesture was hit the regular Firewarriors with electricity.

Any fear they might have felt, drained as they primed their weapons and summoned courage bred into their heritage. Jeth quickly checked the pistol, crude and straightforward as it was. Even if he didn't know how to use it he could always bludgeon something to death.

Cubor leaned up and aimed down the sites. Twin laser lights flashed down into the heart of the camp. Zeroing in on a ten meter tall communication antennae. "Be ready." Was all he said.

*

The dropship, a massive delta wing bristling with weapons, gently hovered in the deepest cloud cover three kilometers above the island. All running lights had been shrouded in the small chance that it would be spotted by Imperial AA emplacements.

The telemetry and data from Cubor's markerlight fed into the dropships computer, setting off a chain of events that was punctuated by the vessel launching half it's compliment of seeker missiles.

*

Jeth held his breath, they all were. Cubor's aim never faltered, painting the comm. tower, several of the transport tanks and the larger tent assemblies. He calmly waited as the indicators went from a 'processing' yellow to a 'confirmed' blue.

Another Pathfinder crept forward and tapped Cubor urgently on the shoulder. The big male didn't turn. Jeth didn't understand until he saw a light growing high above. Cubor continued to paint targets even as the glow grew into a shine, illuminating the camp. Jeth saw sentries turn their heads, spotlights following and then finally screams. A wailing siren picked up volume, rousing dozens of Gue'la from their bunks.

Hydra pattern anti-air turrets wheeled round and upward as their crews panicked to revive the logic engins of their targeting computers. One, then two, then all of the four barreled auto canons of each turret belched hundreds of rounds into the sky. Any other munition might have fallen to such volumes of anti-ordinance fire. The glowing mass opened into a swarm, each missile forming it's own comet like path as the drone intelligences easily evaded the heavy handed Gue'la tracer fire.

The Pathfinders drew close, the other Shas'La as well, trying to make themselves smaller as the camp swarmed like wild insect colony. Jeth watched as Cubor never flinched nor wavered as his final target, a aerial camouflaged fuel depot, chimed with confirmation. The glow had become a blinding star, Jeth could even make out the black sliver of the individual seeker missiles as they reached apex attack speed.

Cubor gave a curt nod of approval and ducked with the rest of them. He looked at Jeth, "Be ready."

The concussive force of multiple missile strikes momentarily deafened everything in a square kilometer. High explosive 'kles'tak' payloads were timed to explode after the duralloy frame had pierced their targets causing maximum damage. The fuel depot went up next scattering half the camp with hyper flammable prometheum, it's explosions drowning out the screams of immolating Gue'la. Jeth felt a smile on his lips as they died, small satisfaction for the horrors each was guilty of committing against the Tau.

Guardsmen ran forward, their backs and attention completely focused on the raging inferno. Exposing themselves and dropping their weapons to try and fight the flames. There would never be a better chance, Jeth thought, his hands itching to use the pistol.

"Follow me!" Cubor rose to his full impressive height and leapt over the crates, the other commandos behind him. Jeth and the unarmored Firewarriors followed their lead, charging into the firestorm.

The humans died in droves before them. Fighting the fires in dozens of places, most were shot in the back. Jeth ran forward, blasting Guardsmen off their feet as they turned, surprise on their soft, fleshy faces. Cubor and the other Pathfinders were all on full auto with their carbines. Where those Imperials started to rally, a well timed photon grenade would detonate in their midst. But the Guardsmen were trained. Of their own race they were the elite, the prime troop choices of a million worlds and these had the righteous zeal of hate.

Tumbling down a bluff of sand just before the shore, the unarmored prisoners sucked in air through ragged lungs. The Pathfinders formed a line, their own carapace bodies a shield to their brethren. The Guardsmen on the other hand were already rallying and somewhere the rumble of prometheum engines roared to life.

"What in blazes do we do now!" A Shas'La yelped as a pocket of sand flash-fused into glas where a las round hit.

"I'm not the one patched in!" Jeth yelled back, he jerked a thumb at Cubor, "He's in charge!"

A flurry of scarlet points found one of the Pathfinders, she died silently, the pilot lights on her helmet sputtering out. Cubro managed to glance at her fall, then step into her position. One armed he fired his carbine, then tossed the downed warrior's weapon to Jeth. Jeth dropped the human weapon and primed the carbine.

Looking down the barrel, he sighted an Imperial rushing from a tent and fired. The human's chest exploded, scattering gore across the sands. He held his breadth, moving down the line. The humans made easy targets for now through the rangefinder. Their bodies blocked out the intense thermals of the fire that now ravaged the camp.

Then, a massive form trampled through the fire, ignoring it. A tank.

"This doesn't look good, Pathfinder!"

Cubor nodded, priming and firing a photon grenade with a heavy 'thump', "Surprise was but our first weapon! Get down!" The Pathfinders as one took a step back and dove behind the sand bluff just as the human tank's autogun began to chatter.

The world exploded around Jeth, on prisoner caught a piece of shrapnel through the eye and died instantly. Another Pathfinder's arm splintered at the elbow. He screamed as another Pathfinder grabbed him and held him down. Jeth realized he was screaming.

Then the most beautiful sound in the universe hit the beach like a lightning strike. Jeth opened his eyes at the extreme pressure pass over him. The human tank continued firing two seconds after the rail round pierced it's front armor. Then the shockwave of multiple sound barriers breaking hit the fist sized hole, dragging everything and everyone through it's exit point. The frame would remain for generations, a husk on a foreign world.

The Hammerhead tank skimmed the black waters of the sea with twin rooster tails behind it's thruster nacelles. Jeth watched as it cycled up, the cannon glowing as power built up at it's barrel, then fire again. This time it belched a submunition round which blew a massive ring out of the still forming human line.

Outclassed by the heavy tanks arrival, fight left the Imperials.

Cubor waited until the tank passed over them, it's forward mounted burst cannons chattering at the fleeing humans, then rose with a electro flare in his hand. Holo images danced at the tip of the rod and fed information into friendly accumulators nearby as Devilfish fanned out on the beach.

Jeth saw one of the troop transports divert from it's flight path, landing gear opening as it parked in front of Cubor. The top hatch opened, revealing a helmet-less Shas'El.

She was a grim female, mid-forties, with bionics replacing most of her left face. She pulled herself up and slid down to the beach, armored hooves thumping on the ground.

"Shas'La Cubor, report!" Cubor saluted and stepped before his commander.

"Shas'El L'ysul. Entry targets have been destroyed and the Gue'la are falling back to their positions in the jungle. The prisoners were secured in total before the strikes were called in. We are ready to advance."

L'ysul nodded, eyeing Jeth as he joined them. "Get into the devilfish, Shas'La, you and the rest have seen enough."

Jeth saluted, "With your permission, Shas'El, I would remain."

Chapter 2

The Pathfinder troop transport overtook the general Tau push into the hills after Cubor's unit piled in, along with Jeth. Although sealed in the pressurized compartment, Jeth could hear stray rounds glancing off the hull or the crackle of the sound bearer breaking from rail weapon discharges. Cubor had given him the sloped helmet of a Pathfinder in the rush to keep moving up into the jungles, offering only a quick nod as Shas'El L'ysul assigned Jeth to his unit. The helmet had a complex communication package that normal line warriors did not have access to. Jeth briefly saw the planet from satellite feeds, then from the perspective of the troop carrier's pilot and finally from Cubor's own view of himself, sitting in the crash seat and strapped in.

"I'm going to block you, you're not trained for this kind of thing." Cubor said, tapping something into his wrist controller. Jeth watched as the hundreds of perspectives shrank to his own heads up display, a view of the darkened transport. Soft, blue, panel lighting lead to the three exit portals and lit up around the seven other warriors. "I threw up the first couple times. Just follow me."

"I will, as long as we're going to kill the pinkskins." Cubor, and a few of the other Pathfinders, stared at him. Vengeance was something the Ethereals cautioned against, but it was also a valuable tool that the leaders of the Fire Caste understood.

"Just follow me, Shas'La." Cubor repeated. He turned to address all of the warriors. "The enemy continues to fall back, what you're hearing outside is the mop up." He withdrew a projection orb from his backpack and opened it, projecting a three dimensional real-time image of the battelfield. Friendly blue arrows marked the Tau and angry red the Gue'la.

"Do we know what we're getting into?" A Pathfinder toward the front asked, a rail rifle leaning against his shoulder.

"No, Kro'le, that's why we're pulling ahead. We'll be approaching where we think they're facilities are here," a white comet appeared curving away from the Tau force and then back toward the Gue'la. "We'll disembark and approach on hoof-"

"Tunnels!" Jeth interrupted with a gasp.

"What?" Cubor's head tilted with annoyance.

"Shut it, new blood." A dangerous looking Pathfinder with grenades strapped across his chest turned on Jeth.

"No, the Gue'la were talking about tunnels! They're moving everything underground." The transport was quiet for several seconds before anyone did anything. The Cubor reached and depressed the intercom to the pilot. "This is Cubor, all-stop and warn the Cadre to halt. We're getting out." The carrier almost immediately began to slow

"We're still two klicks out, Cubor!" A female, with a bionic leg, protested.

"They're leading us into a trap. If they're using tunnels then the surface is probably booby-trapped." The rear door gasped open, revealing the darkened jungle. "Lets go."

*

The Pathfinders did not bend a blade of grace nor make any noise whatsoever while it seemed every breadth Jeth made was a roar in the night. After they had left the troop carrier, Jeth watched as it activated it's disruption pod so that it blended and disappeared. Sporadic las fire continued to flicker in the distance, but as the Cadre slowed the Gue'la seemed to be content with waiting.

"That was a good call, Shas'La." Jeth turned, finding Cubor crouched next to him. He was speaking directly into his helmet, completely mute otherwise.

"I spoke out of turn."

Cubor chuckled, "No, you did right. You'll find with the Pathfinders we appreciate information rather than decorum."

Jeth smiled, "Thanks."

"Don't try to use that markerlight either." He reached over and turned the high powered laser mounted on his newly acquired carbine.

They pushed up, now ignoring the crisscrossing fire. It was random and meant to bait the Tau. Sure enough, the mean looking Pathfinder, who Jeth saw on his HUD was named H'quaar, found a anti-vehicle mine nestled in the undergrowth.

"It's a magnetic catch," H'quaar explained, digging his knife into the ordinance's wire bundles and deactivating it. "Let's their ground troops fall back, then when our tanks glide up," he spread his fingers in a mock explosion.

"Alright. Everyone fan out, then leave a marker. The Shas'El will move up on these coordinates." The Pathfinders did as ordered, Jeth remaining with Cubor. They found three more trip mines which they promptly deactivated, then dropped a fist sized drone that would provide a warning and data for the Cadre.

"Sir, Cubor, I think I found something." Jeth now knew this to be Bia'n, the female with the artificial leg. Cubor slowly made his way over, Jeth behind him. "It's a tunnel, just like the new blood said." Bia'n grabbed a sheave of plastic, covered with hastily re-dug grass, pulling it back to reveal a darkened tunnel big enough to fit a single Tau.

The Pathfinders quickly convened, softly coming to a decision that Jeth was not allowed to take part in.

"Kro'le, you stay behind." Cubor ordered.

"What?"

"That rail rifle isn't going to fit in that tunnel." Bia'n scolded.

"Really? Because I think I fit just fine, thank you very much." Jeth sniggered, earning him a glare from Bia'n that burned through both their faceplates. "Why not the new blood, Cubor?"

"Because you're the best at sitting around for hours on end waiting for something to happen." Cubor hung his carbine onto his back by it's straps then yanked his service pistol and a service knife out. Without another word he leapt down into the blackness. The rest did likewise, following Cubor one at a time until Jeth and Kro'le remained.

Kro'le sighed, "He is right, you know, but guaranteed I know how to show up at the right time." Jeth laughed, then fell into the tunnel.

Kro'le closed the tunnel with the plastic cover. He crept back to a nearby tree then opened his sights, peering into the night through his blacksun filter. Three Gue'la appeared as orange warm bodies in the sea of blue and purple that was the jungle. "Might as well start on these poor shtlk'an."