Blue Death
An abridged account of the actions of Shas'ui Ry'ka'sa, Shas'ui Socova, and Shas'ui L'shan in the liberation of the Dhrungill

“There are two things bonding all those aliens of the Tau together, sir. These two things can outfight any soldier, outmaneuver any general, outlast any siege. Hell, no one but the Emperor himself, praise his almighty name, could outdo them. The first is what they call the 'Greater Good.' The second, vengeance.”
-Unknown Gue’la lieutenant on Taros in a report to his superiors

---

Part One
Shades of Green

---

Prologue

Names
“Good warriors must die, but death cannot kill their names”
-Ancient Tau Proverb


Part one of three

“GET UP!”

With a start, Shas'ui Ry'ka'sa jolted awake in his cot. The room was alive with the scrambling of Shas'la and Shas'ui out of their bunks and into their sandy brown fio'dr fatigues. Over him stood Shas'ui L'shan, his bonded teammate. The sense of urgency in the room was not apparent to him until Shas'ui Socova, his second bonded teammate, forcefully gripped his collar and dragged him out of the bed. He was definitely awake now.

“Ry'ka'sa, get in your fio'dr, we're going, NOW!” Socova growled at him, thrusting towards him his fio'dr. Socova was already dressed, as was L'shan. It was only then Ry'ka'sa realized that the emergency sirens were wailing onboard the Custodian. Brought to his senses, he rolled to his feet.

“What now,” Ry'ka'sa grumbled as he pulled on his fio'dr, “has Commander Damlray sat on a fork again?” L'shan chuckled with him at the joke, fondly remembering the incident about a Tau'cyr ago when their beloved Cadre commander, Shas'el Da'demlok'ray, had sat on a fork accidentally during luncheon. El'Da'demlok'ray, or El'Damlray as he preferred, had a reputation for doing his best to keep a clean mouth, and when he leaped up he yelled the only thing which came to mind: “B'gel!” – fork. Immediately, the entire mess hall had erupted as Shas from lowly Shas'saal to veteran Shas'vre grabbed at sidearms and looked around wildly for the Be'gel – Orks – El'Damlray had “spotted.”

Socova rolled his eyes. “I wish. El'Damlray says Ork Roks have been spotted ahead, orbiting some planet. We have all been put on high alert.” He grabbed his pulse pistol from his bags and stuck it in his belt, motioning for Ry'ka'sa and L'shan to do the same. Although Socova was not their team leader, he was certainly the most mature of the three outside of battle, and could always seem to immediately grasp the potential dangers of any situation. Many would call him a pessimist (Socova did himself), but Ry'ka'sa—who, despite his playful demeanor, was the team leader—and L'shan loved him as a brother all the same.

“Alright, alright, I'm moving,” Ry'ka'sa said as he grabbed for his own sidearm, holstering it in his belt. The room was quickly emptying of soldiers as they finished dressing and left for the armory. He forced on his boots and stood back up. The alarms were still squealing, the high-pitched screech piercing through all other sounds. “Move out,” he ordered his teammates with mock formality. Together, they left the barracks and ran down the flashing-light lined corridor towards their cadre's armory.

The hallways echoed with the sounds of hundreds of booted footsteps charging down the spacious passageways of the Custodian. Ry'ka'sa led his team jogging down the corridor, following behind a Fire Warrior team heading the same direction. L'shan trailed him about three tor'lek away, with Socova bringing up the rear. The dust-brown of their fio'dr blended in with the crisp white coloration of the walls and flooring, standing out only when the lights lining the junctions between the floor and the ceiling flashed blue, before fading back into the background when the lights continued on their programmed cycle of blue to white to green and back to red.

Trotting down the never-ending passageways of the Custodian and with little else to do, Ry'ka'sa couldn't help but speculate about their situation. The flotilla had been pursuing an Ork fleet through space for a week, determined to expunge the the former occupants of Be'etar-3. Such was the task of the Be'etar Expeditionary Force, to colonize the Be'etar system 12 lightyears from D'yanoi.The D'yanoi Shas formed the majority of the Force, but cadres had been drawn other septs as well, including D'yanoi's neighbor sept Tash'var – Ry'ka'sa's sept. First on Be'etar-6, then again on Be'etar-3, the Be'etar Expeditionary Force made planetfall and drove the Orks out, relentlessly carrying out their mission.

The thought came to Ry'ka'sa wondering why the Ork forces had slowed down at this planet. Ry'ka'sa realized that not one of the soldiers rushing to get their weapons and armor really had any idea of what was down there. Perhaps something on the planet could explain, at least in part, why the Ork fleet chose here to make their stand, but until then, Ry'ka'sa could only confine himself to guesses and unfounded musing.

It was not long before the trio of Shas'ui reached the armory. It was a larger room than any other they had passed on their journey, and accommodated not only Shas of the 24th Tash'var Frontier Ranger Cadre, but Tau of every caste. An entire hunter cadre was mobilizing in this room. It was confusing at first, but through the mill of bodies, Ry'ka'sa could see the towering forms of battlesuits. That was where Ry'ka'sas closely-knit trio was headed. To get to the battlesuits, they pushed through the mass of Shas'la donning the dark-blue Fio'tak armor of the 24th.

The battlesuits were all lined up in long row. The 24th currently fielded three Ta'ro'cha of XV-8 suits. Glancing down the row at each of the XV-8s, Ry'ka'sa sought his own. The battledress of the 24th was a navy blue over khaki, and the XV-8s were no exception; their lower legs were brown and their upper body was dark blue, and the two colors transitioned together with a complex camouflage-style pattern incorporating darker and lighter hues of brown and khaki. His eyes alighted on the battlesuit armed with a plasma rifle and burst cannon—that was his, outfitted with his preferred configuration. Ry'ka'sa had heard this pattern called almost as many different names as it had users, but he was most familiar with the name Aurora, used by the Tash'var. A Fio scientist was standing next to it, fiddling around with the electronics. His suit had taken the full force of an Ork “tankbusta” bomb attack on Be'etar-3, leaving it severally damaged internally, and Fio technicians seem to have been working constantly on it ever since. The Fio looked up as Ry'ka'sa approached.

“You going to get in or not?” the Tau mumbled at Ry'ka'sa, noticing his hesitancy in stepping into the open chest compartment. Ry'ka'sa nodded his head absently as if to dismiss the comment and quickly climbed the short ladder in order to get to the open cavity. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the suit, resting his feet on the stands located in the “thighs,” and letting his head fall backwards against its brace. Taking his last look at the world with his own eyes before the suit started to close, he saw Socova stepping into the suit in front of him. Socova's suit sported a burst cannon and a flamer, a pattern Ry'ka'sa knew best as the Wildstorm—this came a surprise to Ry'ka'sa, as Socova rarely eschewed missile pods. In fact, the last time Ry'ka'sa had seen Socova's suit, it had been armed not one, but two Missile Pods, the Dawn Archer configuration. Ry'ka'sa could not see L'shan; he could only imagine the sight of the broad Tau entering into his suit, armed with the fusion blaster and flamer of the Blastfurnace. L'shan had a knack for heavy machinery—or rather, the systematic dismantling thereof—and as the team's point man, he complemented his fusion blaster with a flamer for trailblazing.

Ry'ka'sa glanced down at the Fio tending to the external output board. The Fio glanced back up at him, as if he felt the Shas'ui's gaze.

“Ready?” The Fio impatiently asked. Ry'ka'sa quickly double-checked himself to make sure he was in the proper position, and made a brisk nod. The Fio returned to the board, and with a shudder Ry'ka'sa could feel his battlesuit come to life. The chest plates began to close in front of him, obscuring the light and muting the sounds of his cadre preparing for war, and he could feel his arms and legs being more securely fastened into their positions. It was very disorienting before the thin needle effortlessly slid into the back of Ry'ka'sa's neck and the monitors in front of him sparked to life.

++You online yet?++ came a voice. It took a moment for Ry'ka'sa to realize, still readjusting to his suit, that the voice was of L'shan's deep bass, and that it was coming from his earpiece.

++Uh, ahem, yeah++ Ry'ka'sa replied, testing the link first. ++How about Socova?++

++I'm here as well++ was the quick answer in Socova's soft, always-serious tone. ++Now what?++ His question seemed almost too obvious to ask, but it was at the top of everyone's mind.

++Wait, I assume. Hopefully we should be addressed by Commander Damlray in a moment++ Ry'ka'sa responded thoughtfully. Sure enough, the men had only been experimentally exercising their battlesuits for few rai'kors, adjusting and waiting for the others to prepare, before a clear voice cut through all the crowd, linking to not only the armory's sound system but also directly to each individual's earpiece. As the commander began to speak, the entire room seemed to listen, marked only by the wailing of the alarm sirens in the background.

“Good morning, Tau. Hope you had a good night's sleep,” El'Damlray declared to all of the Shas standing at attention in the armory. The cynical comment aroused a faint chuckle amid the crowd. For the majority of the soldiers, it had only been a single dec since they had gone to sleep. Ry'ka'sa, laughing quietly along with the rest of them—he could hear L'shan's deep-throated chortle on the com as well (Socova's line, of course, was silent)—and took a quick glance around the armory to see if El'Damlray was present. He wasn't apparently, as both the commander's suit and the suits of his bodyguards Shas'vre Jhas'vol and Shas'vre Galyen were absent. Ry'ka'sa figured El'Zenja to be in the bridge, perhaps alongside Shas'O D'yanoi B'vishai, the commander of the detachment pursuing the Ork fleet.

“I've got good news for you, straight from our esteemed Commander B'vishai. The opportunity has indeed presented itself, as I'm sure most of you have heard already, to attack the Ork fleet that we have been pursuing for so long.” El'Damlray's words heartened the awaiting host, reaffirming their suspicions. By now, the sense of urgency brought on by the sudden activation of the alarms had subsided, and the array of soldiers had relaxed themselves as they stood at attention.

“We will be engaging the fleet momentarily. As it stands, victory is no less than a guarantee, of course, and the cause of the Greater Good is certain to triumph.” El'Damlray went on. “Another point I would like to mention that I am sure you are curious about is the circumstances of this battle. While we do not yet fully know why exactly the Ork fleet has stopped, we do know where. Currently, the Ork Roks are in orbit around a planet, evidently preparing to make landfall. The planet their efforts are focused on is a high-gravity planet about twice the size of Tash'var. It also seems to be teeming with life: a wide band of vibrant greenery surrounds the equator. Depending on what the Fio observer drones come up with, we may be making planetfall ourselves after we have eliminated the Orks.”

“Until then, you all will be kept on standby,” —there was an audible groan at this— “awaiting further orders. Sorry you have to remain idle like this, but that's how it has to be. T'au'Va.” El'Damlray finished. The room reverberated with the Shas echoing his parting statement. “T'au'Va!”

It didn't take long for Ry'ka'sa to feel the first of the shudders which characterized the firing of the Custodian's heavy weaponry. One after the other, waves of tremors rocked the armory and the army standing within it. Helpless, Ry'ka'sa could do little but wait. He, like every other Shas, disliked combat in space and the powerlessness associated with it.

---

Continued.

Spoiler: show

I should be able to get the next section up by Friday of next week. In the meantime, feel free to comment, criticize, and discuss in general. -Shas'O Sa'cea Kal'jhi Yrow-onya Ryk'sa

Hi Richochet,

Let me be the first to say ... WOW! You have obviously worked hard on this and I can't wait to see the next installment.
I personally like reading background and the like and find it very interesting. Looking forward to the next chapter!

I'm with Brightflame, very nice work. I don't have much in the way of criticism, but let me say that you give a very detailed account of exactly what is going on with and around the three (I'm guessing) main characters so far. I found my mind imagining the scene in my head before I realized I was doing it, which, in my experience is the markings of a good read, and a good writer. Keep it up, eagerly awaiting the next section, and especially can't wait to see how you handle the battle scenes.

Whoaho, this is some sharp work! Your detailed explanation of the XV8's layout had me checking the Crisis Suit Configurations, to see if you'd been inspired be one there. I also really like the layout choices you've made - the one sentence summary at the beginning harkens back to Echoes of the Mont'au, and I always love pieces that set the stage with new and unique quotes. And you even added a [Fiction] tag, ha!

Keep up the good work, Shas'la!

Thanks for the comments! I'm working on the next chapter right now, hopefully it should be more eventful (I was somewhat reluctant to post this part of the prologue up by itself while I continued working on the prologue, because I was thinking it would be somewhat less than eventful--until I realized how long it was, and too much more might make it a difficult read).


I would also like to take a moment to supply a bit more info about the background of the three characters and what they are doing. I felt I somewhat skipped over much of that part in the beginning, trying to sort it on out while still progressing the narrative.


So, let me introduce to you (again) the characters:

EDIT: The following is outdated

That's a hell of a good start for a story, Ricochet. I enjoyed it so far. I like especially the changes between the retrospection (with the character development) and the continuing of the story.

I want more Blue Death, those crisis suits need to make planetfall already, kill us some green soccer holligans!!!! No, but seriously, give me more....NOW

Can't wait

jdnvodka

Did I say "Friday of next week"? Whoops, I clearly meant to say "more than 2 1/2 years from now"...

Anyways, I'm back! That was a long "next week." I was going through archived emails the other day and came across the message from when I made my account here. Lo and behold, the username and password still worked! So I determined to continue on with this - it has been itching at the back of my mind for quite some time now (more than two and a half years to be exact).

However, when I resumed work on this, I couldn't find all of my notes (though I did find most of them). So! This book will now be undergoing some heavy editing. The first post has already been edited appropriately -- please note, the edits are pretty major, so even if you read it before and have some sort of amazing memory, you'll want to read it again.

Some major changes to note:
Name changed (ex. Ryk'sa to Ry'ka'sa). Mostly to minimalize new-word fabrication and reflect new meanings.
Sept changed from Sa'cea to Tash'var. Setting changed to the Be'etar Expedition.
Time changes: just ignore anything I might have said up to now about dates (i.e. the outdated explanation post). In fact just ignore that outdated explanation post altogether; it's outdated. Although, if you are really interested, feel free to check it out just to compare.

Part two of three

He could recall it as clearly as if it had happened yesterday.

“Shas'saal! To me!” Shas'ui Kal'Jhi burst from his cover and dove behind a shelf created by a fallen tree several tor'lek in diameter. Shas'saal #52-K938 – or Ry'sa, as he was known, then – quickly followed suit. He ran forward, but clipped his hoof on a rock and stumbled. Ry'sa pitched forward and landed flat on his face right in front of the Shas'ui. As he fell, however, he felt a bullet whiz past his head, grazing his unarmored cheek.

“You're lucky, Shas'saal,” the Shas'ui grunted as he helped Ry'sa onto his feet and into the safety of the cover. The other Shas'saal were moving into position along the wall beside them. “Orks load their shootas with bullets the size of Griy'na fruits. That one had your name on it.”

“I know,” Ry'sa said, after spitting out a clod of dirt from his mouth. “They call me Ry'sa, sir.” Lucky.

Ui'Kal'Jhi looked at Ry'sa and inclined his head. “How fitting. Just hope your luck stays with you today, Shas'saal Ry'sa.” Kal'jhi checked both directions to see that all the Shas'saal had made it.

“You five, lay down suppressing fire. Everyone else, follow my lead, on my command,” the Shas'ui ordered. Ry'sa nodded with the other Shas'saal, and peered over the tree trunk to get a better view of the enemy.

The Orks were advancing in this direction through the thick foliage, filling the forest with their bullets and their battle cries. In the distance, past the swarm of Orks, a crude bipedal mech was snapping trees like twigs as it forced its way towards the Tau battle lines. The five Shas'saal that Ui'Kal'Jhi had designated to cover their movement began firing through the trees; so great was the number of the greenskins that almost all of the pulses hit home. Even the stopping power of the carbines, however, failed to slow the Orks down noticeably. Ry'sa swallowed, and ducked back into cover.

“Now! Ko'vash T'au'Va!” yelled Ui'Kal'Jhi. Kal'jhi, Ry'sa, and five other Shas'saal rose as one.

“T'au'Va Shi!” Shouting at the top of his lungs, Ry'sa vaulted over the tree trunk after Kal'jhi. Bullets flew thick in the air. His heart pounding madly, Ry'sa charged through the trees towards in pursuit of the Shas'ui, who was headed straight for the mech. Where Ui'Kal'Jhi deftly wove through the trees from cover to cover, Ry'sa bounded and blundered straight through branches and leaves.

And without any further warning, the Orks were upon them. A snarling, spitting green face filled Ry'sa's vision. Without thought, Ry'sa swung his carbine at the Ork. The hit caught the Ork in the mouth, but only managed to knock a few yellowed teeth from the Ork's slobbering jaw. The Ork spat out a tooth and lunged at Ry'sa with a vicious cleaver-like sword in retaliation. Ry'sa desperately twisted backward to escape the slash. He was too slow to escape the blow entirely, but managed to take the brunt of the force on his heavy left shoulder plate. Miraculously, the powerful strike which sent Ry'sa stumbling backwards exposed some fault in the otherwise sturdy-looking sword, for the blade had suddenly snapped just above the hilt. Luck. The Ork roared and tossed away the now-useless weapon and instead swung its large gun at Ry'sa, but this time Ry'sa was ready. Ry'sa rolled underneath the strike and pointed his carbine straight up, directly at the Orks face. The Ork's face twisted into a look of surprise just before Ry'sa squeezed the trigger. The Ork's head burst like a overripe Griy'na fruit, spraying Ry'ka with brains and gore. Gasping, Ry'sa wiped the bloody mess from his face.

Another Ork charged at Ry'sa, but before this Ork had a chance to close the distance, a pulse came from over Ry'sa's shoulder and hit the Ork squarely in the chest, leaving a smoking hole. The Ork tumbled to the ground. Ry'sa turned, fully expecting to see the Shas'ui standing behind him, but instead saw another of the Shas'saal calmly lowering his carbine.

“Thank you,” Ry'sa said to the Shas'saal. “I owe you one.”

The other Shas'saal shook his head. He was slightly leaner and shorter than Ry'sa, and had a perceptive look to his sharp face. “You would have done the same for me. We must each perform our best in battle, and we must look after one another as brothers and sisters, but the Greater Good should come before each of us as an individual. Your debt is not with me, it is with T'au'va. Pay back your debt in service.”

Wise words. Ry'sa nodded in agreement. Before he had the chance to respond, however, another shrieking Ork appeared, leveling a cruel axe at the Shas'saal's neck.

“Behind you!” Ry'sa shouted. He felt himself bringing his arms up to aim his carbine at the Ork, and on instinct he squeezed the trigger. The shot glanced the Ork's arm wielding the axe, and the axe slipped from the Ork's grasp to embed itself in a nearby tree. Ry'sa fired again, this time with better aim, and found his mark.

Ry'sa grinned at the other Shas'saal. “No need to thank me, you're welcome.” The Shas'saal stared at the Ork's smoking corpse for a moment before his mouth curved in a small smile as well.

“Uh-huh.” The Shas'saal's expression quickly returned to its former seriousness. “They call me Savon.” Keen-eyed. Appropriate, considering how good of a shot the Tau was. “What do they call you?”

“Ry'sa,” Ry'sa replied.

Shas'ui Kal'jhi suddenly emerged from behind a tree just as Ry'sa felt the ground quake, and Ry'sa spun around to realize the Ork Mech was bearing down on them, surrounded by a yet another group of Orks. “Shas'saal, regroup!” shouted Ui'Kal'jhi. The Mech sent a tree blocking its path crashing down, causing leaves and branches to rain from the canopy. Ry'sa finally had a good, full-on view of the vehicle, but in the back of Ry'sa's mind a small, observant part of him noted that this wasn't necessarily a good thing. The mech was more akin to a metal barrel with a pair of short piston-powered legs. One side of the mech was mounted an arm ending in a squealing buzz-saw, which the mech used to ravage the trees in its path before felling them as it surged through. The other side of the mech was adorned with a rocket launcher. The Orks spotted the small group of Tau and erupted into a frenzy, and the Mech brought its rocket launcher to bear...

“It's seen us! TAKE COVER!” bellowed Shas'ui Kal'jhi as he dove to the side. With a flash, the rocket launcher disappeared behind a inky cloud, and a rocket spiraled through the foliage, trailing similarly dark smoke. Ry'sa hurled himself to one side as the rocket past. The rocket missed the group entirely, but Ry'sa could only watch in shock as the rocket collided with the tree trunk other five Shas'saal were still positioned behind to provide covering fire. The trunk vanished in an explosion of fire and splinters, and Ry'sa looked away.

Devastated, he sagged against the tree he crouched behind. Next to him, another Shas'saal let out a deep sigh of anguish. “We will remember them,” said the other Shas'saal. The Shas'saal's voice was deep, as if it came directly from the center of his broad physique.

“How can we remember them?” Ry'sa returned bitterly. “We didn't even know their names.”

“Then you tell me your name, and I'll tell you mine, and we'll promise to remember one another at least, in case we do not survive,” said the other Shas'saal slowly.

Ry'sa turned to face the Shas'saal. “They call me Ry'sa.”

“Well met, Ry'sa. They call me Lynu.” The Shas'saal certainly did have a sturdy, dependable look about him. The name fit well.

Together, Ry'sa and Lynu stood up. The forest had filled with the smoke of the burning fires, reducing their line of sight to where Ry'sa could barely make out the figures of Ui'Kal'jhi, Savon, and the three others.

“Ready yourselves!” The Shas'ui's voice carried through the mists. “We must bring down the Killa Kan!” Ry'sa assumed this was the Ork Mech.

The silhouette of Ui'Kal'jhi grew larger, until the Tau himself appeared before Ry'sa and Lynu. Savon followed closely behind, and the other three Shas'saal trailed behind Savon in kind.

“Here they come!” called Ui'Kal'jhi, facing the direction of the Ork howls and war-cries. “We must get close enough to the Killa Kan to use our EMP Grenades! Fire Photon Grenades into the Ork formation!”

Ry'sa switched the fire mode of his carbine to the photon grenade launcher slung under the barrel. He breathed in deeply, released his breath slowly, and nodded. The Shas'saal looked at one another, knowing that these could be their final moments. If they had their way, however, they would spend these last seconds serving the Greater Good. They faced the greenskins as one.

“Grenades! T'au'Va!” howled the Shas'ui.

Time slowed as the first Orks materialized in the smoke. The mech's buzz-saw appendage was the first part of the Killa Kan Ry'sa could make out through the smoke, sweeping over the heads of the Orks at the trees a few tor'lek away. Screaming, Ry'sa fired a photon grenade directly into the mass of Orks.

Ry'sa's grenade soared over the heads of the first line of Orks, and down on top of the heads of the next row. The grenades fired by Ry'sa's companions fell in among the Ork ranks and activated, creating searing flashes of light even through the smoke that made Ry'sa see spots. Disoriented so by the flashes, Ry'sa, couldn't follow what happened next – the next thing he realized, the Killa Kan, now fully emerged, was pitching to one side. Two more rockets alighted and sped indiscriminately in to the canopy, and the buzz-saw arm of the Killa Kan plunged straight into the Ork horde, slaughtering those unfortunate enough to be in its path.

The Shas'saal were now unloading their carbines on full auto into the milling Orks. Ry'sa quickly gathered his senses and joined them, cutting down as many Orks as he could train his sights on. Without warning, the Killa Kan exploded, sending gouts of flame high into the treetops. The shockwave hurled Ry'sa and the other Tau backwards; Ry'sa's head collided with the trunk of a tree, and he quickly slipped into subconsciousness.

Ry'sa woke. He was being carried. He looked straight ahead, and saw only the blackness of the night sky. Where were the trees? Struggling to focus his eyes, he turned his head from left to right. Two Tau were carrying him. After a second, he could recognize the two as Lynu and another of the Shas'saal. His head clearing, he tried to speak: “What happened?”

Lynu looked down at the flustered Ry'sa. His broad face broke into a wide smile. “Ah, Saal'Ry'sa, you're awake. That tree gave you quite the knocking. You are one lucky Shas'saal, Ry'sa.”

“Tree?” Ry'sa concentrated, and he started to recall what had happened. The Orks, the Killa Kan, the explosion. “The Orks? The Killa Kan? What happened?” he repeated.

“You certainly are the luckiest Tau I know, Ry'sa. Your photon grenade bounced off an Ork and ricocheted directly into the Killa Kan's aperture before it activated. The flash must have disoriented the pilot, because the Kan spun out of control and toppled over, taking most of the Orks with it. It exploded when the rest of the rockets ignited. A very lucky shot, Ry'sa.”

“Oh...” A lucky shot indeed. A ry'ka'sa.

It seemed like a hundred decs before Ry'ka'sa realized that the shudders had subsided. He straightened in his battlesuit, and looked around. The armory was filled with the noise of a hundred Tau chatting to pass the time, all six teams of Fire Warriors and four teams of Pathfinders comprising the majority of the 24th. Some of the Shas, like Ry'ka'sa, had also noticed the absence of weapon fire, and had quieted. Eventually all but a few especially talkative individuals had hushed. The mass of soldiers stood silently, waiting, expecting.

Then: “Shas, mount up!” came El'Damlray's voice through Ry'ka'sa's earpiece and the sound systems. The room immediately erupted into a frenzy of activity. Ry'ka'sa exercised his battlesuit for a few moments longer before he started towards one of the lifts in the floor. Socova and L'shan filed in beside him just as the lift started to slowly descend.

As soon as the lift cleared the level of the armory floor, Ry'ka'sa had a good view of the hangar below. This hangar could easily hold several rooms the size of the armory above – indeed, that was almost exactly what it did. Hangars ran the entire inner length of the Custodian, subdivided into two-port bays like this one, designed to facilitate the deployment an entire cadre at once. Wide lifts connecting the hangar and the armories—in places, entire formations of Fire Warriors were being lowered on a single lift. This hangar possessed a pair of Mantas to carry the six Fire Warrior teams, four Devilfish, and four Sky Rays of the 24th. In addition, to one side of the hangar were the two Orcas specially modified to hold the four Pathfinder teams and their Devilfish. Ry'ka'sa turned in a full circle, taking in the entirety of the scene.

The lift was still only halfway down when Ry'ka'sa, Socova, and L'shan leaped over the side. Ry'ka'sa allowed himself to free-fall most of the distance, then activated his jets at the last possible second to safely touch down. He approached the nearest Manta, and waited for the Manta's lower bay to open. Fire Warriors filed past him to climb into the upper bay, and several Kor pilots moved to take their positions.

++Ry'ka'sa, what is our objective?++ asked Socova as they waited. Another battlesuit team approached, and waited alongside Ry'ka'sa's team. The 24th's final battlesuit team would be mounted in the other Manta.

++Hold on a moment++ replied Ry'ka'sa, ++I think our orders are being sent to us now++

A small holographic diagram appeared on Ry'ka'sa's monitors. The image was of an Ork Rok, about fifty tor'kan in diameter. Watching, Ry'ka'sa could make out dozens of impact craters on one hemisphere of the Rok. These would be from the ordinance bombardment of the Tau fleet. Every few moments, a new crater appeared on the Rok's surface.

His orders appeared before him, with a dry, expressionless voice narrating through his earpiece.

<Incoming Transmission: Directives from Shas'ar'tol Be'etar'gal'shan'al>

Shas'ui Tash'var Ry'ka'sa:
Your battlesuit team will be deployed to the surface of this Be'gel'ya'leath, at this location. Your transportation will be an allocated Kass'l, Serial #97-N566 in hangar SX58-2-3004.
[The diagram zoomed in to focus on a less-cratered portion of the Ork Rok]
Your team's objective is to extract a Pathfinder team which has been inserted into the Be'gel'ya'leath by Se'hen'che'lel. After the Pathfinders have completed their own objective, they will attempt to get as near to this location on the surface of the Be'gel'ya'leath as possible. Your team is to penetrate into the interior and create a path for the Pathfinders to evacuate, then transport them to the Kass'l for withdrawal. The allocated Kass'l has been equipped with space decompression treatment units. Once the Pathfinders have left the sealed atmosphere of the Rok, you will have less than a raik'or before their bodies decompress irreversibly.
[The diagram highlighted a location on the surface of the Ork Rok]
Breaching the hull will be possible here, where there appears to be large metal doors marking a vehicle launching bay. Shas'shi.

By order of:
Shas'el't'kau'ui Tash'var Da'demlok'ray

<End Transmission>

++Look's like we've got to move++ L'shan commented. ++Which way to hangar 3004?++

Ry'ka'sa brought up the display of the Custodian. ++Hangar 3004 is two hangars further in the direction of the stern. L'shan, Socova, let's move++

They left behind the Mantas and flew towards the large rear doors of the hangar. No other teams were following them – they were alone in their task. Ry'ka'sa entered the wide access hallway running just behind the hangars, and began to travel in the direction of hangar 3004. The hallways were crowded with drones and technicians clearing the hangars, but the battlesuits were easily able to clear a path through the throng. Entering hangar 3004, they saw that it was very much like the hangar they had just left, only it was filled predominately with Orca Dropships.

“Shas'ui Ry'ka'sa! Shas'ui Ry'ka'sa!” Ry'ka'sa searched for the source of the cry, and located a Kor pilot standing beside an open Orca Dropship.

“I am Kor'vre Sa'cea Su'eldi,” she stated. “I will be piloting Kass'l 566—mount up quickly, we will leave as soon as you're aboard.”

Ry'ka'sa barely had any time to interject an “Okay” before the Kor disappeared around the front of the Orca to climb into the cockpit. The Sa'cea sept? He had not been aware that the Be'etar Expeditionary Force included cadres from so far away. Ry'ka'sa stepped in to the open bay of the Orca, ducking in order to fit. He had gotten used to the nice, roomy modified Orcas the 24th used for their Pathfinders; having to crouch made him feel claustrophobic. Instead of the typical long benches, the walls Orca bay were lined with eight large, cylindrical containment pods, four to a side. These would be the space decompression treatment units. Ahead of him, two Shas sat at the controls, never turning from the monitors even as Socova and L'shan climbed into the Orca behind Ry'ka'sa. They, too, displayed the orange markings of the Sa'cea Sept.

The Sa'ceans continued to ignore Ry'ka'sa's team as the Orca's door closed. With a hiss, it sealed. Time for the waiting game again, thought Ry'ka'sa.

++Sa'cea?++ Socova interjected as the Orca's engines flared into life. ++Did I hear that correctly? I must have, because these Shas are wearing the Orange++ Even the unflappable Socova sounded puzzled.

++Sa'ceans all right. I suppose it isn't that big a stretch, a few cadres from Sa'cea getting picked up for the Expedition++ Ry'ka'sa replied, as he observed the two Shas. ++You know, I was caught off guard by the Sa'ceans being here, but come to think of it, the bigger stretch is that the pilot is from Sa'cea. Everyone knows only Shas come from Sa'cea!++ It was a half-hearted attempt to lighten the mood, but L'shan chuckled along.

++Yeah, and male Shas, too++ L'shan interjected, and he and Ry'ka'sa shared a laugh.

The sound of the Tau laughing within their prone battlesuits must have penetrated to the Sa'ceans, because one of them finally turned to look back at them. Then again, perhaps not, as his gaze lingered only a moment on Ry'ka'sa before he returned to his work. Sa'ceans were notorious as being a generally well-disciplined, but dry and humorless lot—not unlike Socova, Ry'ka'sa noted—and these two Shas certainly fit that description.

++Hey Socova, these must be your two long-lost brothers! Sure you're not from Sa'cea?++ Ry'ka'sa jabbed.

The Orca suddenly shifted. Lift off. After a few seconds of acceleration, the Orca must have cleared the hangar, as they left the gravitational field of the Custodian. The XV8 rack above Ry'ka'sa descended and clamped down onto the back of his suit to keep him secured in the zero-gravity conditions.

“Alright, so I've got to ask,” Ry'ka'sa spoke, on the open channel. Both of the Sa'ceans stared at him. “What is a cadre from Sa'cea doing here in the Be'etar system? I didn't know any cadres had been sent from that part of the Empire to join the Be'etar Expeditionary Force.”

Without giving him a second look, the Shas turned back to their monitors. “That's because we aren't part of your Be'etar Expeditionary Force,” said the Tau on the left over his shoulder. “We've got our own reasons for being here, it just so happens that your ships are the only available forms of transportation.”

“I doubt Sa'cea Shas'ar'tol would have spared all the ships we would need,” added the other. “I hear they're pretty occupied on the other side of the Empire with the Gue'la.”

“So you aren't part of the Force at all?” asked Ry'ka'sa, confused. “I suppose that means your pathfinders aren't either. How come we're being sent to extract them, instead of some your own Xar'vesa?”

“Because we don't have any Xar'vesa to spare,” said the Tau on the right, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. “That's all I'm going to say, I figure if you haven't been briefed already then it's not important for you to know.” It was a rather harsh response, which left Ry'ka'sa with a bad taste in his mouth. There wasn't much he could say, however, so he grit his teeth and kept his tongue. He would just be glad to get over and done with this mission.