ARC-16 Collective Background

Fio'El · **Posted:** Jul 18 2010 02:35

The Investigation

--INCOMING TRANSMISSION – PRIORITY LEVEL: HIGH --
--TRANSMISSION FROM: Por’El J’ron--
--SUBJECT: Possible Infestation?
--PROCESSING--
--TRANSMISSION READS:

Shas'El Sa'cea Ro’Yon Mon'tyr Lar’shi, I’m writing this to you to let you know that we are now officially even. Don’t think that I am not grateful for the rescue that you and your cadre performed for us on Huyn’lo, but if this keeps up, I’m afraid there is nothing I can do to protect you. You already know how I feel about what you’re doing, so I will avoid telling you again that I still think this is a very bad idea. (See what I did there?) But since I know you won’t listen, I just felt the need to inform you that the situation with Por’La Ko’van has been dealt with.

It took a lot of favors for me to get this info from the Por’O and could quite possibly cost me some assignments I was very much looking forward to doing. I won’t even begin to recount to you the numerous embarrassing and awkward moments I had during this “journey,” you d’yi. Needless to say, the Por’O was not pleased when I broke her personal data pad, seconds before she was about to read this. And before you ask, yes I made sure to respond to him under the Por’O’s personal account; so he shouldn’t suspect a thing.

Oh and just so you know, I have used yet another one of my dwindling collection of personal favors to transfer this rather inquisitive Por’La to one of the frontier colonization fleets and I can assure you that he was so pleased it’s likely that we will never hear from him again. So you’re safe for now. But please, please be more careful in the future. I told Ko’van that you were acting on orders from the Shas’ar’tol directly and that he was interfering with a long running secret operation.

I have attached the original message from Ko’van here so you can see how close you came.

Por'La Sa'cea Ko'van wrote:

Honored Por’O Sa’cea Luk’so M’yen Au

I do realize the impropriety in writing to you directly, Por’O, but it would seem that my other messages have been ignored by many of my superiors and I could not think of another way to get this information to you. I am writing this to you directly as its contents are very important and of a sensitive nature.

As you know, a tau'cyr ago, I was assigned to work alongside members of the 16th Shas’ar’tol Advanced Recon Cadre (ARC-16’s). My assignment was to monitor the mental health of the cadre and report on the progress of the Sa’cean ARC initiative.

Let me first say that the cadre has performed admirably in its role. Of their many successes, I feel I should note that it is thanks to their timely intervention that the newly discovered Khame people were rescued from their dying world before they were overrun by the Y’he and brought into the Empire. And the victory we achieved on San’sul owes much to the planning and pinpoint raids of the ARC-16’s against key weakness of the Hive Mind. Without their assistance, the planet would have fallen and we would have lost all of the valuable resources which have made the system such a successful part of our Sept as it is today. And on a more personal note, having seen the Y’he up close, I must say that there are no Shas better equipped to handle such a threat than the ARC-16’s.

With that said, I must bring something’s to your attention that has been very disturbing to me.

As you know, the ARC-16’s work very closely alongside the Kroot of the Blood Quills kindred. I have taken the time to examine the records of these Kroot and I can see that their past is less than exemplary. They were one of the kindred’s that was not on Pech during the war to liberate their people from the Be’gel. As such, the kindred served as mercenaries for some time before they were united with the survivors of the Sa’cean cadre’s on Ge’nesha. During that conflict, the bond between the each of the groups was cemented and they have been inseparable ever since.

While I would normally not find any fault with such a bond, my research into the kindred has revealed that even the manner in which the Blood Quills were accepted into the Empire to be somewhat suspicious. It seems that their previous “employment” has been willfully ignored by some in the Sa’cea Shas’ar’tol and they are now given some free reign in their activities. But I must assume that Shas matters are best left to be dealt with internally.

However, I cannot help but notice that the mercenary ways of the Blood Quills seems to have begun to rub off on members of the ARC-16’s. Now, not all personnel are guilty of any wrongdoing, but it seems like certain key figures have been allowing the Kroot to engage in further mercenary activity under the authorization of Shas’El Lar’Shi himself!

Shocking, I know. I must admit that I too was surprised over my initial findings, so that is why I continued to dig deeper. Attached you will find pictures, video and voice recordings, as well as other recovered documents which I feel will implicate Shas’El Lar’Shi and some in his cadre as taking part in mercenary activity outside the supervision of the Shas’ar’tol. Please allow me to recount to you my first experience which led me down this road.

------

Because of the constant harassment I received from certain members of the ARC-16’s as I went through my analysis, I had taken to writing up my daily reports in the safety of the stations hangar. There is a small spot in the corner which lets me remain hidden from view, while allowing adequate work space. (The intolerable attitudes of the ARC-16’s themselves is a matter for another message. Which I have attached.) But I digress..

One evening I was finishing my reports when I noticed that there were several Fio work crews still at their stations, despite regular working hours being long since over. I thought at first that there was some large work project or training exercise that required the staff to be there, but they all seemed to be waiting for something. That was when I noticed that there were more and more Kroot filtering into the room.

One of them stood out though and that was Master Shaper Luco. He was dressed in a long colorful robe made of various exotic animal pelts; a garment which seems to only be worn on special occasions. But it was not the Kroot dress which intrigued me (although I have written quite an extensive research paper on the subject, which I have also attached), but it was the person who walked in behind him. It was Shas’El Lar’Shi and he too was wearing similar robes.

I began to watch in earnest, when suddenly I heard the docking bay alarms begin to sound. It appeared that a ship was about to board with the station. This was puzzling, since from what I remembered, no other ships were scheduled to arrive that day. I was of course very interested to see who was docking, so I made sure to activate the built in camera on my data pad to record what was happening.

As the hangar doors opened, I was expecting to see a high ranking ‘El or ‘O of any caste, but instead I saw a ship full of Kroot. They were all wearing specialized equipment and many carried dazzling and exotic weapons. Despite some of them having changed physically as is common for Kroot, they still maintained their bright red quills which clearly identified them as members of the Blood Quills Kindred. As they exited, the Fio went about unloading supplies from the ship and the Kroot began conversing with their people at length.

Lar’Shi stuck close to Luco and the pair began talking with a Kroot I have identified as Shaper Vok. They all spoke at length until a rather large crate began to be towed from inside the Kroot vessel. It was tall and seemingly important, as all the Kroot stopped talking and moved out of the way of the heavy lifter drones.

When the crate was rested on the floor, Fio’El Ro’Va (Who, by the way, ignored several of my requests to repair the broken air filter in my room. You will find a report on him attached) walked over to it and began tapping some keys on his personal data pad. The metal crate hissed and began to open. It was at that moment that I moved slightly so that I could get a better look. Unfortunately, my movement must have been detected by some of the Kroot, since the next thing I knew I was being carried bodily by a pair of the aliens and taken directly to Lar’Shi.

I have said in my reports several times that the Shas’El always seems permanently angry; well from his expression this time I could tell that this time he genuinely meant it. He ordered the Kroot to take me to my quarters, ignoring any of my questions or protests. When the brutes arrived at my room they threw me in, caring little for my personal safety. Fortunately, I was able to keep hold of my data pad and made sure that the information I had recorded was still there.

After waiting almost three decs, two of the ARC’s came to my room. They were Bentu’cal and Doran. Doran was the first to talk to me and he informed me that I was not authorized to be in the hangar bay at that time and I was removed because I was interfering with matters beyond my rank. When I asked him why a Kroot Sphere was boarding with the station when no such action was ever authorized, he smiled and said that they were being re-supplied for a long voyage and that it was none of my concern.

I of course asked him about the crate, to which he remained silent. I also asked him where those Kroot were coming from, since they did not seem to be equipped for duty alongside any Tau forces (I had checked the system logs to make sure there were no assignments scheduled). He replied that Kroot always make trips back to their home planet to spread their newly acquired genes and that these Kroot were simply on their way there. I, of course, did not believe him, but I felt it best not to push the issue.

During all of this, Bentu’Cal and that pest of a kor’vesa he keeps with him seemed to be looking for something in my room. I can only assume that he was searching for my data pad to erase any of the evidence since he asked for it under the pretense that he was making sure no sensitive information had been leaked out. So I handed it to him and sure enough he erased my recordings. Wisely though, I had made a backup which I kept on my person.

-----

After that incident, I made it my priority to research all of the ARC-16’s past deployments to see if any Blood Quill vessels had accompanied them on their campaigns. It seems that the Kroot Spheres are always listed as being on active reconnaissance duty. But while they are always listed as being away from base, they are never reported as ever checking in with any Tau station for re-supply. Even the docking that I witnessed rotaa’s ago was not recorded!

This led me to look deeper into the personal deployment records of every Shas in the ARC-16’s. While it was an exhaustive search, I discovered that seven members of the cadre have suspicious gaps in their deployment history, followed by notable discoveries made by the cadre in technology, biology or intelligence gathering. While this would normally not be anything but praiseworthy, the explanation for each of the Tau’s absences from combat is always listed as “Training Exercise.” Yet this is not possible, since the training dome logs have no record of those members of the ARC-16’s utilizing them on those occasions. And since the ARC’s operating mainly out of orbital stations, the training domes are the only places a Shas can go.

I even took the time to examine reports from other Tau who have worked alongside the ARC-16’s and there are sporadic mentions of Lar’Shi or other key members of the cadre disappearing for some time following a battle only to reappear later with the excuse that they were “investigating” suspected Y’he activity. This type of issue has occurred several times and while it might genuinely be what the ARC’s say it is, I still find it very suspicious.

To add to my suspicion, after several missions, the ARC-16’s have submitted many requests for new equipment to replace damaged or destroyed vehicles, battlesuits and other infantry gear. While this is of course not unusual for the Shas, many of the requests are for equipment not registered as damaged during the campaign as is usually submitted by the head Fio deck chief after a cadre’s retrieval from the battlefield. While there are occasions where this can happen, the frequency to which it occurs raises some suspicions.

This leaves us with some important questions: Where are the Kroot Spheres going and what is their mission? Why aren’t they in the cadre’s records? What were those missing members of the cadre doing when they were off “training?” What are the ARC-16’s doing that necessitates such constant maintenance to their equipment?

----

Now all of this might seem to be coincidental or could easily be explained away by a member of the cadre as just the cost of the fighting an enemy like the Y’he. I know that I was almost ready to give up in my search till I was approached by a member of the cadre who heard about my investigation. It was Shas’Vre Mont’mesa, a recent addition to the ARC-16’s. He claimed that he had witnessed several occasions where Lar’Shi misused cadre equipment and resources by sending troops on what he called, “personal errands.”
The Shas’Vre told me that the Blood Quills are given free reign by the Shas’El and that he allows many important cadre decisions to be made by the Kroot Master Shaper. He says that while he has been unable to locate any hard evidence, he believes that on many occasions Tau from the cadre have been allowed to accompany Kroot as they took part in mercenary activity. The names of the Tau that he suspected almost all matched with the missing service records I uncovered earlier.

Mont’mesa explained to me that on several occasions, the cadre has been redirected from more important war zones to hunt down remnants of the Y’he Splinter Fleet named Reclaimer. This was the fleet of Y’he who were responsible for most of the deaths on Ge’nesha. While I can appreciate his passion, Lar’Shi seems to allow the desire for revenge against these particular beasts to cloud his better judgment. (The disaster at the Kor’Nars asteroid belt is evidence enough.)

-----

Now, all of this may sound like speculation. But it is this attached recording which has provided me with all the evidence needed. It was provided to me by a Shas’La Sa’ri who was the Shas on observation duty at the time. I got to know her well during my time on Sa’cea Prime and she provided me with this information after I had discussed with her my findings.

The video was taken by a hidden surveillance drone that was stationed on Noros, a planet currently under observation as it is still fought over by the Be’gel and the Gue’la. It depicts some activity near the ruins far from the main settlements of either race. The location was being observed to cover the backs of some Pathfinder teams currently deployed nearby.

The tape shows nothing of interest for some time, until around the halfway mark. That is when some movement is detected on the far right of the screen. The Drone zooms in and shows a group of ten figures approaching. Judging by the movement and body structure, eight of them appear to be Kroot. But the other two are different. Their bodies are similar to a Tau’s, yet there armor and weapons are not recognizable as Tau equipment. As the group approaches the ruins, there is a sudden flash and gun fire can be heard. It appears that some Be’gel commandos had made their way through the ruins first and the two groups met.

The drone zooms in and we are able to see combat between one of the non-Kroot mercenaries and one of the commandos. The Be’gel charges, swinging its massive knives with the mercenary firing a weapon that is identified to be a pulse weapon and succeeds in shooting off the greenskins arm. But the beast keeps coming and lands a punch right on his head. The hit knocks his helmet off and it is at that moment that we see his face. Of course extensive image processing needed to be done since there was no light. But multiple scans show the face to be none other than Shas'La Bentu'cal.

That of course, was one of the seven Tau that I had suspicions about. His appearance during this conflict cannot simply be ignored. He was, of course, reported as being on a “Training Exercise” when this was taken.

As the video progresses, the beast is soon put down by one of the Kroot and the team eventually fights off the rest. The Shas'La is helped up by a Kroot and his helmet is returned. The team then enters the ruins again for a brief period of time and soon emerge carrying a drone sized device of indeterminate origin. The team then gathers and goes back onto the darkness they came from. The other mercenary was not identified and is not seen after his initial appearance.

Shas’La Sa’ri confirmed to me that this tape is legitimate. She said that the information was reported to her Shas'Ui, who confiscated the tapes, but she (like myself) was wise enough to make a backup. After that though, she had no idea how it was handled. I later discovered that her Shas’Ui was one of the Tau who was rescued from a Y’he ambush on San’sul by the ARC-16’s. This leads me to wonder if Shas’El Lar’shi had influenced this Tau to hide the evidence.

-----

With this evidence in mind and after gathering many reports from Shas’Vre Mont’mesa and one of his team mates, I have attached what I feel to be a record of misconduct by the Shas’El that should warrant a full investigation. It makes me ill to think that there are some of our people fighting for nothing more than personal gain. And it is my sincere hope that no critical information that could be damaging to the Empire has been allowed to fall into enemy hands.

I eagerly await your response.

Sincerely,
Por’La Sa’cea Ko’van

That Por’La has to be the most annoyingly thorough Tau I have ever met. While I cannot deny his skills at investigation, he must have attached over half a dozen extra reports detailing several issues he found with your cadre. (Try and be a little more cheery for the next one I send, okay?)

In my response back to him, I made sure to make it clear that spreading this information to any other Tau could compromise the Shas’ar’tol’s objective and that any further investigation on his part would result in disciplinary action. I also made sure to send a similar letter to that Shas’La Sa’ri he mentioned. Hopefully we won’t be hearing too much from either of them.

But I hope that this is a wakeup call for you. You need to be more careful with these things and make sure that you cover your tracks better. You won’t always have me around to save you.

I know you told me that you are doing this for the greater good and not for personal gain, so I certainly hope that that is still the case. Who knows, maybe you will find the secret you are looking for and be able to eliminate these Y’he once and for all. But you are putting your people in more danger than they need to be and these hidden military actions could create more problems than they fix.

I know your intentions are good, but you have to ask yourself, do the ends always justify the means?

Please be careful…

Sincerely,
J’ron

Fio'El · **Posted:** Jul 18 2010 02:36

Discovery at Se'hen'Vash

Doran picked himself up as quickly as he could in spite of the pain shooting through his ribs. He knew that if he didn't move, the next thing he would feel would be the hoof of the Carnifex crushing him. Pushing himself to his feet, Doran quickly searched around for his rifle. Unfortunately, only half of it survived the beast’s assault.

The rest of the squad had been picked up by the Devilfish. He and M'yen'Y had been guarding the rear as the team embarked, but after the sudden attack from the mycetic spore and the Carnifex it disgorged, Doran ordered the pilot to leave without them. With the creature quickly barreling down on them, he felt it better that two Tau be lost than the whole squad. He had no idea how he survived that initial charge, but next thing he knew he was waking up, covered in rocks, with the beast in front of him.

Doran fought the urge to run and began slowly taking steps backwards toward a large stone ridgeline. Perhaps from there he could get a better view of the surrounding area and see if he could find M'yen'Y, or at the very least his rifle. Unarmed and on a world under Y'he assault and he knew he wouldn't last a dec without some kind of weapon.

As he crept back, he saw M'yen'Y out of the corner of his eye, lying face down next to a large rusted device. Doran had never seen anything like it before, but it was definitely foreign compared to the local ruins. It had a shape similar to a Gue’la search light, but with wires and tubes sticking out from the sides. Instead of a smooth glass surface, the lens on the front had several smaller circles randomly placed around the front, bearing a resemblance to an insect hive.

Suddenly, a feeling of icy dread gripped his heart as he heard the Carnifex roar from behind him. He turned his head quickly, expecting to see it charge. But instead, it just stood there. Its mouth was open and it appeared active, yet its reactions seemed…slow.

"Did we really do that much damage to it from our first shots?" he thought.

Whatever the reason, Doran was not about to miss this opportunity. Breaking into a run, he darted to the left and headed toward M'yen'Y. If he could just make it to his rifle, he would hopefully have a chance against the Carnifex, albeit a slim one.

As he ran, Doran checked his squads life signs in his HUD. M'yen'Y was out cold, yet his vitals were still displaying a healthy green light, so at least he wasn't dead. Quickly he dashed toward the fallen Shas’La and grabbed the rifle. In an instant the weapon synchronized with his helmets network, allowing him use of the integrated scope. Doran quickly kneeled down and dragged M'yen'Y's body behind the strange device hoping it would provide them some cover. Swinging around the side of the ancient metal, he brought the rifle up just as he felt the earth begin to shake. Massive, powerful legs propelled the beast forward, causing what felt like tiny earthquakes in its wake. Its dark purple skin glistened in the sun and its bone colored carapace shifted as it moved. Its four scything talons raised high in the air, preparing to strike right down on its prey. It let out another loud roar, triggering an instinctual reaction inside Doran to run.

Reciting the Sio’t meditation for calmness under fire, Doran knelt down and aimed for the creatures eyes. If he could blind it, maybe they'd have a chance. Lining up his target, he squeezed the trigger. Round after round of pulse fire impacted on the monsters head, but it kept coming. Even worse, it was quickly closing the gap between them.

Still, Doran kept firing. If he was going to die, he would do as much damage to the beast as possible. But as it got close, its talons lowered and it began to slow down. Its momentum carried it forward some, but it eventually slowed to a complete stop. Doran, now thoroughly confused, took the initiative and continued shooting. The pulse rounds began breaking past the hard layer of carapace on the Carnifex’s skull and the softer flesh had begun to boil and seer away under the heat from the weapon. Yet the Y'he didn't move a muscle. It just stood there, like it was waiting for someone to tell it what to do.

After a few more rounds, Doran stopped firing. The creatures head had been severely burned and damaged by the pulse rounds, its one eye ruined as a result. But yet it continued remaining immobile. Doran had no idea what was happening. But he wanted to put some more distance between him and the creature before this trance or whatever it was wore off.

He turned around to check on M'yen'Y when he noticed that the old machine was radiating a deep orange glow from the round discs on the front of the lens. M'yen'Y was slowly pulling himself up against the side of the machine.

"What did I miss?" his strained voice crackled through the comm.

Doran did not reply.

"Doran," M'yen'Y called "what di-" his words were cut short as he turned his head around the corner to see the Carnifex staring straight at him.

The young Tau pushed himself back wildly and scrambled to get to his feet.

"Calm down!" shouted Doran, careful not to move to quickly. "I think something in that machine is affecting it."

M'yen'Y was understandably speculative, "A-a-are you sure? I mean, c-could not the synapse web simply have been broken and the beast has yet to r-r-re-revert to its instinctive behavior?" Doran could hear the fear in his voice despite his obvious attempt to sound brave.

"An astute observation Shas'La, but something does not seem normal. Usually if the synapse is interrupted, the creature will immediately begin rampaging or running for cover. But this...this is different."

Doran raised the rifle and fired another shot at the beast, hitting it in the neck. Despite his extensive combat experience, M’yen’Y couldn’t help but flinch. The pulse round impacted and burned at its flesh, but still it would not move.

M'yen'Y hobbled his way to Doran's side. But he took one look up at the beast and wisely
stepped back a few paces. Gesturing to the machines he asked, "Who built these things?"

Doran didn’t take his eye of the Carnifex. "I’m not sure. The Fio did not have time to do a proper analysis of everything on the planet before the Y'he attacked. However, I do not remember seeing anything that looked like that during out briefing on the landscape."

Doran walked backwards to the ancient device, carefully keeping his rifle aimed at the Carnifex. He then quickly turned and touched the surface of the machine, looking for some identifying mark of its origin; but none was to be found.

He walked behind the machine, to the place where he had laid M'yen'Y originally. He noticed that closer to the ground there was a small square panel. He reached down and touched the surface, searching for some buttons of any kind. As he moved his hand down, the panel suddenly lit up red. Doran pulled his hands back fast, unsure of what just happened.

Immediately he heard M'yen'Y yell, "Shas'Ui! It is waking up!"

Doran looked around the device to see that the Carnifex was beginning to move. Terror shot through his whole body and he quickly returned his attention to the panel, hoping to undo whatever he had done.

He moved his hand like he had done before, but nothing happened. M'yen'Y joined him behind the machine and kneeled on the ground.

"What happened? How did it wake up?" the panicked Shas asked. Doran refused to allow himself to give in to the fear. He focused on the task at hand, moving his hands to and fro around the panel, even though he wasn’t sure what it would do.

"I think I accidentally turned it off.." he said, finally breaking his concentrated silence.

"WELL TURN IT BACK ON!!" M'yen'Y yelled, his volume rising from the fear.

"If I knew how, do you think I would hesitate?" he snapped. Doran couldn’t help but feel annoyed at M'yen'Y and hearing the beast searching for them didn’t help. “Here, take this,” He tossed the rifle back to M'yen'Y, “and aim for its head.”

Turning back to the panel Doran began to feel helpless. Frustrated, he was about to give up when he swept his hand horizontally on the lower part of the panel and it lit up green. The circles on the front of the machine began glowing orange and the Carnifex was once again what under its spell.

Both of the Tau let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, the voice of Shas'El Lar'shi filled Doran’s comms.

"Doran, come in." came the gruff voice on the other end.

The Shas'Ui paused to gather his composure and calmly replied. "This is Doran."

"Good, I thought we had lost you. We have an Orca moving by your area, can you-"

Doran cut him off. "Lar'shi, you have to get a Fio team out here right now. We found something..."

The Projectors, as they have come to be known as, are a form of ancient technology developed by a long dead race unknown to the Tau. The planet Se'hen'Vash contained two of these devices, one of which was discovered by Shas'Ui Doran of the ARC-16's.

The cadres chief Earth Caste Engineer, Fio'El Ro'va, determined that the machines have nothing in common with the surrounding architecture in which they were located. The metals and alloys the Projectors were made out of were also foreign to the planet and unlike anything the Tau had encountered before.

Most curiously, the device seems to have no discernable function. Upon being activated by a swipe of ones hand across an activation panel, the device emits a strange frequency which has only one unexpected result: it disrupts the synaptic web of any nearby Y'he. The projectors seem to create a type of synapse web of their own, essentially tuning any non synapse creature onto its frequency.

The reason this seems so strange is that it is unlikely that the device was built solely for the purpose of disrupting Y’he communication. Judging by the aging on the metal, the devices would appear to be over six thousand tau’cyr old; far older than any attack from the Y’he that the Tau have on record.

The process that creates this disruptive field is completely unknown. Even after extensive scans, the Fio have yet to find a way to determine exactly what frequencies the machine outputs. Even after dismantling one of the recovered devices, the inner workings revealed nothing the Fio were initially able to understand. Of course, this has not stopped the intense study of these devices, but progress is slow.

As this technology represents a massive change in the way the Tau can do battle with the Y’he, the ARC-16’s have become heavily invested in learning of their inner workings and recovering more of these devices. Already, several nearby cadre’s have been reassigned to locate any Projectors that can be found. As for the ARC-16’s themselves, Shas’El Lar’shi has decided that his cadre would do field tests with the one functioning device. The results have been mixed, mainly due to the fact that the Projector seems to have a very limited range; covering only roughly 100 tor'lek. Attempts to increase this range have all resulted in failure.

Still, the potentially devastating advantage these Projectors give to the Tau is reason enough to continue searching for and studying these mysterious devices.

Fio'El · **Posted:** Jul 18 2010 02:36

Loose Ends (30% Complete)

Fio'El · **Posted:** Jul 26 2010 06:11

For the Greater Good. (65% Complete)

Please refer to page 1.

Fio'El · **Posted:** Feb 20 2012 10:24

Unit Profile: Monat Counter Assault Unit

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Shas’El Sa’cea Lynu’nan
>Monat Counter Assault Unit<

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--Por’El Interview: Shas’El Sa’cea Lynu’nan--
--LOCATION: Wer’na Yon Battle Dome, 3rd moon of Ma'juro, Tau'shan system--

--I meet with Shas’El Lynu’nan during a training exercise in the Sa’cean Battle Dome. He is equipped with his new XV8 “T’pel” pattern Xar’vesa. The training exercise’s run here are controversial among the Tau’shan Shas’ar’tol as they are the only ones who use live Y’he specimens. Lynu’nan is tall and muscular, with no scalp lock. His face is heavily scarred, with a particularly deep gash extending from the right side of his mouth; giving him a permanent smirk.
He speaks to me as he equips his suit. I suggested that we conduct the interview during his rest time. He replied that this is his rest time.--

“I had everything a Shas would ever want. I served the honored Aun’El Elro’gal for seven kai’rotta, protecting him as he spread the Tau’va to countless worlds.”

[With the xar’vesa’s prep work completed, he leaps into the training area. We continue our conversation through the comm.]

“But all that changed on Tenu’ro. We were overwhelmed, y’he pouring in on all sides. Did you know that we weren’t even supposed to be there? Our ship was prepped and ready when the attack began, but Elro’gal refused to leave. He said that his people here would need motivation to combat this threat and he was not about to leave them in their time of need. If he had only listened…

[The first y’he are released from their pens. I’m told there are twenty of the Hormagaunt genus.]

“If it wasn’t for the Aun, I don’t think out people would have fought as hard as they did. We held them back for a long time and we probably could have held out longer. But after the second day of the siege, our command center was located and attacked by a large brood of Lictors.”

[Two of the beasts charge Lynu’nan as they appear around the corner, but are quickly vaporizes by his plasma carbine.]

“We must have killed at least six of those things as we fell back to the main chambers. But there were dozens of other Tau who were killed during the fighting, even some from my team. [He pauses]....I was bonded to each of those warriors, you know.”

[About ten of the y’he now charge from the dense terrain of the training field. Lynu’nan shoots two, before charging into the fray. During all this, the cold monotone of his voice never changes.]

“Eventually we reached the center but found that the Lictors had gotten their first. We fought hard, but we were simply out maneuvered.”

[As he nears the swarm he activates the fusion cutter.]

“I was the last Firewarrior to survive. But just when I thought I had killed the last one, I got to watch my beloved Ethereal get a cluster of flesh hooks through his chest. It was one of the Lictors I had wounded and thought dead. I was a fool for not checking.”

[The Hormagaunts reach him, the energy blade immediately cutting several of the beasts in half. Slashing and biting, the others swarm over Lynu’nan, but he continues talking as if nothing were happening.]

“I was in shock for decs afterward. But eventually I snapped out of it. Being the most senior Tau there I led the remaining defenders in holding the y’he off till reinforcements could arrive. Thankfully we were able to keep our world. But all I was left with was my failure.”

[Bursting from the writhing mass, Lynu’nan shoots with one arm, while the other continues hacking at those near him. Several other beasts join the fray, but are quickly cut down.]

“After spending some time recovering I wanted to get back into the field. The Por psychologists said that I was suicidal, that I had begun to lose focus on the Tau’va and instead I fought for vengeance.”

“They were right. I wanted nothing more than to see every single Y’he dead. They had taken my Aun and robbed our people of his guidance. It was the ultimate insult to the Tau’va.”

[Only two of the creatures remain. One is killed by a plasma bolt, but the other dodges it and lunges for Lynu’nan. He ducks, catching it by the tail.]

“Thankfully I was allowed to operate as a monat and volunteered for every single suicide mission I could find.”

[Swinging the gaunt by the tail, Lynu’nan begins slamming it against the nearby rocks.]

“But the only problem is, I survived each time. No matter how dangerous the missions got, I somehow made it back.”

[“Is that why you volunteered for the ARC initiatives special weapons division?”]

“Yes. I figured that there was no better way to serve the Tau’va than to test weapons which would give our people a better chance against our enemies. The latest being this gem.”

[By now the gaunt is a pulped and tattered mess. Lynu’nan drops the carcass on the ground.]

“I was told that I was the only one who volunteered to operate this suit. I honestly can’t blame them; it’s a barbaric design. But we needed to test a suit that could operate in close quarters; something that could be dropped in enemies lines and disrupt even their assault elements.”

[“But wouldn’t that put the pilot directly in harm’s way?”]

“Of course it would. Why do you think I accepted it?”

[Just then the last surviving Hormagaunt lunges at him from behind a pile of rubble. Lynu’nan quickly turns, activating his blade and slices the beasts head off in one swift motion.]

“Only a matter of time before these things get me. [Laughs] But before I go, I am going to take down as many with me as I can.”

[Lynu’nan walks over to the severed head and smashes it with his foot.]

Additional Info:

DX-7 Disengagement Drone
>Monat Counter Assault Unit<

Background:
As the Tau spread the Greater Good throughout the galaxy they have, with increasing regularity, encountered many species which rely heavily on hand to hand combat as a means of waging war. Such brutal and unsophisticated methods are viewed as barbaric and disdainful to the Tau and it is avoided at all cost. To compensate for this, the Tau employ a wide array of powerful, ranged weapons to keep their enemies at bay. However, not all of these brutes can be stopped and hand to hand melees are a very real part of war in the 41st millennium. While some unimaginative minds suggest that Tau should be equipped with powerful close combat weapons, the vast majority of Fio engineers have sought a more practical solution.

In the past, close combat many times meant death for a pilot and to try to escape such melee’s often resulted in the Tau being run down. This occurrence was hoped to be stopped by the creation of the Failsafe Detonator, a piece of wargear developed for XV8 pilots as a last resort. The device is meant to detonate the suit, killing many nearby attackers and hopefully allowing other Tau previously caught in an assault to escape. While this did occasionally prove useful, the loss of a pilot’s life was unacceptable. As such, the Fio of the Fal’shia 9th Research Cadre were tasked with developing an alternative. The result of their research was the DX-7 Disengagement Drone.

Based on the same chassis as the standard Heavy Gun Drone, the DX-7 goes a step further by upgrading the density of the armor and the power cores, enabling the drone to wield weapons normally used on XV8’s and allow it a comparable level of resilience. The Drone can then be equipped to compliment the armaments of the XV8 squad it is accompanying and will be synched through a standard drone controller to a commander or team leader. Unlike Shield or Gun Drones, the DX-7 has a more complex data cluster, enabling it to operate on its own in the event of the linked pilots death.

Of course, this is by no means a replacement for the skilled Crisis Suit pilots. The battle matrices’ and combat algorithms programmed into the drone are no match for the instincts and initiative of a live Fire Caste warrior. But what the DX-7 does have is the ability to be expendable. Equipped with a Failsafe Detonator, the drone is programmed to move into the path of a pursuer and detonate to allow the controlling suit to survive and move into a better firing position. This would then replace the need for a pilot to give his life to allow his comrades to escape.

As they currently require further testing and experimentation before they are mass produced, limited quantities of these drones have been made and are usually reserved for commanders. Among the ARC-16’s, DX-7’s have been provided for use by the command staff; especially Shas’El Sa’cea Lynu’nan.

Because of the experimental suit he is equipped with focuses on engaging enemies in close assaults; the DX-7 has found a perfect opportunity to be tested to its limits and has performed admirably. Of course, the rate at which he is going through such drones has raised some concerns, but the fact that he is still alive to request them is testament to the drones ingenious design.

Fio'El · **Posted:** Feb 20 2012 10:38

Unit Profile: Stealth Team Mesa'ko

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--Stealth Contingent--
>Shas’Vre Sa’cea Mesa’ko<

Background:
Hailing from Sa’cea Prime, Mesa’ko was one of the first Stealth Suit pilots to join the ARC-16’s after they were formed following the events Ge’nesha. During the fighting, every Stealth suit pilot was tasked with going deep into an underground Y’he hive to eliminate a key synapse creature. While they ultimately succeeded in their mission, none of the pilots made it out alive. Because of their predecessors noble sacrifice, the new Stealth pilots had a lot to live up to.

During Saal training, Mesa’ko excelled in close range firefights, executing perfectly timied Mont’ka’s which left his opponents dazed and vulnerable to other cadre elements. Once he was promoted to ‘La he pursued the ways of the Pathfinder, eventually gaining command of his squad. From there he found himself offered the chance to pilot a Stealth Suit, one of his people’s specialties. Having served in that role for eight tau’cyr, Mesa’ko has earned much distinction as an experienced and highly skilled Shas’Vre.

One would expect someone of his status to maintain a level of measured dignity and poise. But Mesa’ko is anything but poised. Being a practical joker and incurable optimist, Mesa’ko enjoys spending time making friends than he does fighting. Yet this does not mean that his laid back attitude makes him an ineffective leader. On the contrary, his positive words have been able to inspire those following him through some of the darkest times in battle. And his expert targeting skills have earned him the respect of his peers and fear from his enemies.

Despite some initial distrust from Lar’shi, Mesa’ko has become part of the Shas’El’s inner circle; being briefed regularly on the progress of the Blood Quills in recovering more of the Projector technology. While he at first had reservations on the whole idea of working behind the back of the Empire, he now agrees fully with Lar’shi that the Y’he need to be stopped now, lest the whole Empire drown in a wave of teeth and claws.

--Stealth Contingent--
>Shas’Ui Sa’cea Is’eoro<

Background:
When Master Shaper Natar Luco and Shas’El Lar’shi were considering what Tau could be used to take part in their first mercenary assignment, Is’eoro was the first one selected. He is a veteran Stealth pilot, who has served the ARC-16's for many tau’cyr. In his old cadre, he had been known to challenge authority, so his former Shas’El was eager to be rid of him when he had been recruited by the ARC’s. However this rebellious side, while seemingly a detriment to his effectiveness, has proven to be quite the asset to Shas’El Lar’shi.

Is’eoro’s records show that his reported incidents of insubordination arose during occasions where questionable orders were given and Is’eoro took what he felt was a moral stand. Lar’shi has played heavily on this innate desire for justice; carefully manipulating his viewpoint till he came to see the “righteousness” of Lar’shi’s personal crusade against the Tyranid. This made accepting mercenary assignments seem like a necessary part of the ARC-16’s activity, even though it must be kept from their superiors. Is’eoro has accepted and led many missions, secure in the knowledge that what he is doing is truly for the greater good of his people.

But even though he seems unshakeable in his loyalty, Lar’shi has made sure that Is’eoro is kept regularly monitored. One can’t be too careful after all…

--Stealth Contingent--
>Shas’Ui Sa’cea Dal’Cha<

Background:
Dal’Cha was one of the two Stealth pilots recruited into the ARC-16’s from his cadre, the 4th Augmented Rapid Reaction Cadre. He was at the evacuation of Ko’ra’cha City when the Y’he invaded his world. Every Stealth team was tasked with eliminating any synapse creatures leading the swarm, while the rest of the local cadre focused on holding back the tide. Dal’Cha, along with Shas’Ui Ufa fought side by side, using their stealth technology to sneak up on and eliminate any unsuspecting Synapse creatures. Through steady aim and fast reflexes, Dal’Cha and many other Stealth pilots were able to survive and be evacuated from the overrun city. These skills served him well during the many conflicts the ARC-16’s have had against the Y’he menace. This has also allowed him to undertake many mercenary missions; helping the Blood Quills to complete contracts as quickly and quietly as possible.

Dal’Cha has always been one to look at the bigger picture and has seen the validity of Lar’shi’s claims as to why their cadre must assist the Blood Quills in recovering these devices. But instead of being swept up in the talk of honor and duty, he feels that the arrangement must be viewed as temporary; a means to an end. He is then careful not to allow himself to desire any of the spoils gained after a successful contract, as such desires could lead one away from the greater good. During each mission, he is always the conscience of the group, reminding and correcting others of the role they must play. Because no matter what happens, they must not forget that they serve the Empire and not the Shas’El, a lesson some seem to be forgetting.

--Stealth Contingent--
>Shas’Ui Sa’cea Ufa<
Background:
Ufa was the second Stealth pilot to be accepted by the ARC-16’s from the 4th Augmented Rapid Reaction Cadre, following the victory at Ko’ra’cha. But unlike his companion Dal’Cha, he was not chosen to partake in any mercenary activity.

Master Shaper Luco felt that he lacked a fortitude needed to keep a secret; something that any Tau undertaking these assignments would need. In fact his name, Ufa, means “fragile,” or “breakable.” He received the name during his training, since he lacked confidence and self assurance. Surprisingly this hasn’t diminished his fighting ability, but it does make him easily manipulated by strong personalities. Luco felt that a mercenary would need to be able to withstand the judgment of others, something Ufa is unable to do. Lar’shi agreed, since he would need Tau who could withstand scrutiny or criticism from their superiors; not ones who would spill their guts under pressure.

So Ufa remains ignorant of the secret assignments undertaken by some of his team mates, being told that they are undertaking classified missions. Thankfully he has never even inquired of the details, fearing that such questions would be over stepping his bounds. Dal’Cha has always hoped that his young friend continues ignorant, as no doubt revealing the truth of what they actually are doing would seriously hurt Ufa and shatter his trust.

--Stealth Contingent--
>Shas’Ui Sa’cea Savon<

Background:
A quiet and reserved Tau, Savon is not new to the Stealth Contingent of the ARC-16’s. But he is newly serving in his role as a Stealth suit pilot. During his time as a Pathfinder, he earned his y’he’mont’mesa during a grueling three day battle against a never before encountered Y’he bio-form. The creature had a unique ability to spawn vast amounts of Rippers, often from the bodies of the victims it attacked.

The local cities had been scoured clean of life and the Tau forces faced an unending sea of Rippers which appeared from any spot they could fit their worm-like bodies through. While the Tau struggled to retake the planet, they often found their forward reconnaissance parties disappearing, only to find the tattered remains of their weapons and equipment surrounded by a writhing mass of Rippers. With time not on their side, the ARC-16’s were called in to locate and eliminate this leader-beast. Hopefully its death would stem the tide of these creatures and allow the Tau to gain some steady ground.

Savon, a Pathfinder ‘La at the time, was instrumental in the creatures eventual destruction. His team, an experienced group of Pathfinder, carefully hunted the creature till they were able to approximate its location. Acting as the Kauyon lure, Savon stood in the middle of an open plain, hoping to tempt the creature to attack as it seemed to prefer isolated victims. Sure enough, the beast appeared and dove for the seemingly hapless Savon. But unbeknownst to the Y’he, the rest of the Pathfinder team stood ready in surrounding fire positions and unleashed a collective stream of pulse and rail rifle fire on the beast. Writhing under the withering hail of fire, the creature hit the ground; seemingly dead. But unfortunately for Savon, this ordeal would not end here.

Before they could celebrate their perceived victory, they began to hear a rumbling. From the far side of the canyon where they had planned their ambush, a swarm of Rippers began pouring in, called to action by the psychic cries of their master. Seeing the new threat, the Pathfinder team called to their Devilfish for pickup, but was met only with static. It seemed that for the time being, they were on their own.

Just as the Shas’Ui began making a retreat plan, the winged creature they thought dead bolted upright and charged the surprised Savon. By sheer chance, he managed to avoid the creatures scything talons, instead he was slammed against the creatures body, getting his forearm armor stuck in chink of the its carapace. The beast flew upward and freed Savon, who scrambled to grab hold of something so he would not fall to his death. Clinging to its wiping tail, Savon held on for dear life. The Y’he attempted to whip him off with some furious movements of its tail but was unable to shake the persistent Tau.

On the ground below, the Pathfinders realized that retreat was not an option, since they would never be able to outrun the mass of squirming and biting mouths that flooded the valley below. Climbing higher up the steep cliff face, they radioed for whatever help that could be provided, while firing on any Rippers that got close.

In the skies, Savon was barely able to think straight as the dizzying journey took its toll. With a swift whipping of its tail, he was thrown from the creature, just as they neared a plateau. Now free of its load, the beast turned and dove down to finish its prey. Knowing that only seconds remained, Savon kneeled and tried to focus his weapon. He aimed as best as his spinning head allowed and pulled the trigger, only to be greeted with a click. While he had plenty of ammo, his carbine appeared to have been damaged in the fall.

Just as it seemed hope was lost, a voice suddenly began speaking in his ear, “Savon! Mark the target!” Not even asking questions, he aimed his still functioning Markerlight at the fast approaching beast.

Cringing, he soon expected to feel his body being torn apart, but was surprised when a blue bolt of energy impacted on the winged monstrosity bearing down on him. In the skies above, a flight of Barracuda’s flew by. With a three tone pulse over the comm, the Air caste way of saying “you’re welcome,” the pilot rejoined formation and flew away. Savon turned to see that they were not alone and a flight of Tigershark bombers were vaporizing the thousands of fanged mouths that had tried to crawl out of the valley. And most welcomed of all was the sight of the teams Devilfish; damaged, but still flying.

After the team was recovered, many were quickly promoted for their skill and bravery. Savon quickly rose through the ranks and was soon given the privilege of wearing XV15 Stealth armor, a dream he has had since he was a young ‘Saal.

The tale of his ordeal has become legendary among the ARC-16’s, even earning him respect from Ge’nesha veterans. Of course, like all stories it has become exaggerated over time. Some say that Savon threw his rifle aside and tackled the beast as soon as he saw it, while others say that Savon rode the creature into the direction of the Barracudas, jumping onto a ledge at the last minute. For his part, Savon has always kept quite on the details, preferring to allow the story to be embellished by others. However, this is not out of a sense of pride. But rather, Savon understands that when facing such a horrifying foe, soldiers need heroes and tales of survival to give them courage and hope. So Savon will play the reluctant hero till another Tau with an even greater story comes along. Then, he can disappear back in the shadows as he would prefer.

--Stealth Contingent--
>Shas’Ui Sa’cea Tash<

Background:
Tash was a Tau who seemed like he was born in a Stealth Suit. His expert piloting allowed him to infiltrate and systematically assassinate the leaders of an invading Gue’la force, allowing the Tau to overwhelm the disorganized survivors. Such abilities soon brought him to the attention of Shas’El Lar’shi and he was quickly transferred to the ARC-16’s. Yet for all his skill, he could not avoid the mass of teeth and claws that surrounded him on his first mission with the ARC’s.

The Y’he had encircled his team and Tash was soon forced to fight in close quarters against the unpredictable Ymrgal Genestealers. While they attempted to flee the creatures ambushed his la’rua and quickly killed two of his team, but the Tau fought back tenaciously and managed to escape. Navigating the long stretch of the tunnel they had taken flight through, the Stealth teams finally made it out into the open; each member scrambling to get through the narrow opening before the monsters at their heels caught up to them. Tash held the rear, pushing the Ymrgal’s back while his team escaped.

With the last member making it to safety, Tash turned and jumped out through the opening. But just as he was about clear of the tunnel, a tentacle arm lashed out and grabbed hold of his leg. Tash scrambled to grab hold of the edge, but with unnatural strength the beast dragged him down into the darkness. Suddenly, the world went black.

When Tash awoke he was in a Fio medical bay. A quick look at his body showed numerous deep scars and, worst of all, a missing right arm. Before he could react he was greeted by the attendant Fio doctor and his somber Shas’Vre, Mesa’ko. While the Fio fitted him with a bionic, Vre’Mesa’ko explained how they rescued him from the clutches of the beasts, but not before he was badly injured. The good news though, was that the Fio had cleared him for physical therapy and with time he would be back on the battlefield.

But while he faked a smile and joked with the jovial Shas’Vre, Tash felt sick. All his life he had been the best at what he did. He was always confident, always so sure of himself. But now he saw how little those feelings meant. He thought he was at his best on that mission, his first mission with the ARC-16’s none the less. But still he failed. Even when he completed his physical therapy and was cleared for active duty, he worried that he may very well lack the skill he once thought he had. He felt like he needed a true victory, something that would help him regain his confidence.

Now, he views each coming battle as a chance to again prove what he is capable of. He had allowed himself to become cocky, but not anymore. He would regain his lost honor and he would again prove himself a true asset to his cadre and not the liability he felt he had become.

Fio'El · **Posted:** Feb 20 2012 10:54

Unit Profile: XV9 Support Detachment
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Given Names: Soo Tash
Serial Number: F‘S-1A32//8-99962
Rank: 'Vre
Caste: Shas
Sex: F
Age: 23 tc
Place of Birth: Fal'shia Prime

Appearance-
A Shas of slight build, Tash is small even for a Tau. She wears her hair in a loose braid sprouting from the left side of her head, and sports a pair of small horizontal scars across her left cheek. Like all members of the Fal'shia 9th, Tash has a small tattoo of a T'pel shark on the back of her neck.

Training-
Shas'Vre Tash attended the Fal'shia central academy and received advanced training as a battlesuit pilot. After serving the empire for many tau'cyr as an XV-8 Pilot, Tash was called upon to be one of Fal'shia's experimental test pilots. She was one of only four Shas' chosen from Fal'shia to participate in testing the new XV-9 'Hazard' Battlesuit; a role she has excelled in.

Current Role-
She is currently listed as an instructor for the new XV-9 variants, specializing in training pilots in the use of the extra mobility granted by the advanced suit. At this time she is attached to the Sa’cean ARC-16’s as an instructor.

Personality Profile-
Extremely confident, Shas'Vre Tash nonetheless maintains an air of humility that is hard to match. She gets very aggravated by soldiers who lack humility and common sense. She was chosen as a test pilot because of her extreme attention to detail and her ability to follow orders exactly 'to the letter'. Tash is a strong proponent of the Mont'ka discipline of warfare.

Beliefs/Fears-
Shas’Vre Tash believes that everyone can improve in their chosen field. Being closely associated the Fal’shia earth caste developers and seeing the advancement of technology she fears that eventually she will be replaced by an advanced drone intelligence; a fear she keeps to herself.

Transition into the ARC-16’s-

With the Hazard suits just coming into production, it was necessary that an instructor be provided to assist the selected pilots in a transition to the new technology. This met with some resistance by the skilled, yet proud XV pilots of the ARC-16’s. However, Soo Tash has endeared herself to all the pilots in the cadre, proving her skill time and time again while showing respect for the customs of the cadre.

In fact, she has earned her own Y’he’Mont'yr’mesa during her third encounter with the Tyranid. After chasing down the scattered remnants of a Tyranid splinter fleet, the ARC-16’s were sent in to eliminate what was left. Seeing this as a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the abilities of the XV-9, Soo Tash aggressively rushed the Y’he position, using her Fusion Cascades to cripple the heavy Carnifex’s that roamed the battlefield. With their heavy support weakened, the Tyranid were quickly moped up by the other ARC elements.

Upon return to the hangar bay, Shas’El Lar’shi himself commended her on her skill and presented her with a piece of carapace taken from one of the Carnifex she killed. While most Tau would view the taking of trophies as useless sentimentality, Soo Tash humbly accepted it and attached it to the shoulder guard of her flight suit. She personally found the tradition silly, but realized that it was vital if she was going to be accepted by the cadre. Eventually she even participated in the Kroot’mont’taal, the red markings of the Blood Quills now decorating her armor.

Her service with the ARC-16’s will be completed in nine kai’rotaa, at which point she will be re-assigned back to the Fal’shia 9th. So far, she has remained ignorant of the cadre’s other activities. Lar’shi has been very careful to allow her to only see what he wants her to see, using both his bodyguards and Bentu’cal to steer her away from anything which might compromise them. To her, the ARC-16’s are an eccentric, yet professional cadre and this ignorance maintains the status quo Lar'shi desires.

Fio'El · **Posted:** Feb 20 2012 10:58

--UNIT QUERY, DESIGNATION: Saro Mercenary Guild--
--PROCESSING...--
--ACCESS GRANTED:

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Background Info:
The Saro Mercenary Guild is a collection of various xeno species from all across the Eastern Fringe. The original founders were joined together by a mutual desire for survival from the horrors of the galaxy and the resulting union allowed them to not only survive, but thrive. Being primarily made up of dissident human colonists and Ronox warriors, the Guild holds much power over a variety of criminal activities, from pirating, to smuggling, even assassination and espionage. Regardless of the work, they are brutal in their effectiveness and are completely loyal to their employer (within the boundaries of their contract, of course). Their services are in high demand, as pirates, rebels and other unscrupulous characters seek to pounce upon the spoils available in a galaxy that knows only war.

But what sets them apart from other mercenary organizations is their strict adherence to a code of conduct. Saro Mercs are professionals and will only do what is required to fulfill the terms of the contract, even if it means abandoning their former employer on the battlefield after the terms of their agreement are fulfilled. Instead of being unhinged or violent killing machines, a Saro Merc is calm and courteous, preferring to discuss matters instead of resorting to physical violence. This, however, does not mean that they are weak willed or easily intimidated, as many cocky would-be employers have found out when they tried to betray them instead of paying or threatened the personal safety of a Merc or his squad. Such surprising explosions of violence usually leave the attacker dumbfounded and completely at the mercy of these silent warriors.

The ARC-16’s first contacted the Guild during the assault on the strongly held Imperial world of Barraxsis. The world had secretly been infiltrated by Genestealers and every asset the ARC-16’s had at their disposal was being used to locate and destroy key targets to weaken the grip of the cultists and hopefully destroy the infestation before it could spread to the entire populous. Their mission was proceeding as planned, but the sheer scope of the Genestealer cult’s infiltration was proving too much for the 16’s to handle. The head of this beast, the broods Patriarch, needed to be cut off. Yet with so many targets needing to be eliminated simultaneously, there simply were not enough resources to mount a successful assault.

With other Tau forces being unable to approach the world in without alerting the populace, Lar’shi called for the advice of Master Shaper Natar Luco. Luco, being a Kroot well connected in the mercenary world, was able to contact a Guild representative and arrange for support; offering them full salvage rites on whatever they came across. The Guild agreed and sent a thirty-man squad of their finest infiltrators. Being highly skilled and expertly equipped, the Saro Mercs were able to coordinate with the ARC-16’s and eliminate the bulk of the infestation in one fell swoop.

Following that event, the Guild and the ARC-16’s have worked together on several occasions. Because of their involvement in the mercenary world, Shas’El Lar’shi has developed a friendly relationship with a high ranking officer in the Guilds military structure, Octavian Thorne. The gue’la leaders blunt and pragmatic outlook meshing well with Lar’shi’s attitude. This has proved invaluable in the ARC-16’s hunt for the Projector technology, as Guild assets often assist the Blood Quills in their search.

While normal ARC regulations require any cadre hiring mercenaries to get it cleared through the Shas’ar’tol, about two thirds of the ARC-16’s involvement with the Guild has yet to be reported.

Fio'El · **Posted:** Feb 20 2012 11:04

Unit Profile: Bodyguards & Tactical Advisers

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--Bodyguards & Tactical Adviser to Shas’El Lar’shi--
>Shas’Vre Sa’cea Is’eoro<

Background:
To be chosen as the bodyguard for a Shas’El, one must be both tactically adept and a fearsome warrior. Shas’Vre Sa’cea Is’eoro is one such Tau. Of Shas’El Lar’shi’s two personal bodyguards, Is’eoro serves to advise his commander on strategy and intelligence. Being a survivor of Ge’nesha, Is’eoro proved himself to be extremely quick on his feet; often providing vital information to Tau forces on how best to adapt tactics to deal with the changes of battle. This brought him to the attention of Shas’El Lar’shi and the commander came to rely on him more and more as the ARC-16s fought against the Tyranid. Yet, it is not just his qualities as a tactician which have earned him Lar’shi’s trust, but it is his unswerving loyalty to the Shas’El.
To Is’eror, Lar’shi was the only reason the survivors didn’t fall apart on Ge’nesha; the commanders strategic thinking saving many Tau lives. This had earned Is’eoro’s undying respect. So when time came for the Shas’El to pick his bodyguard, Is’eoro was the first to be chosen. Of course, Lar’shi played on Is’eoro’s loyalty till he was able to manipulate him into accepting the need to engage in mercenary work. Eventually convinced, Is’eoro saw it as a logical extension of the ARCs role in combat. If they were to defend the interests of the Empire, then they would need to utilize every resource available, even if that course of action would disagree with many traditionalists in the Fire caste. However, this would require that the cadre keep a tighter grip on their records and reports, do whatever they could do to keep their activities from prying eyes.

As such, Is’eoro has been essential in ensuring that mercenary activities engaged by either the Blood Quills kindred themselves or combined elements from the ARC-16s, never interfere with the greater battle plans of the Tau. He also ensures that records of these actions are kept secret and proper alibis be coordinated for all who need them. This often puts him at odds with Shas’Vre Mont’mesa, who has sought to expose the cadres unauthorized activities in the past.

One of his most notable (some would say, infamous) victories was on the newly settled planet of On’ock where several Tyranid mycetic spores had been detected. The ARC-16's were summoned to locate and eliminate any of the scout organisms that had landed. But upon making planetfall, the cadre was ambushed by a large group of Karakack Freeborne, a guerrilla group made up of the remaining indigenous alien inhabitants who refused to submit to the Greater Good. They had been a troublesome thorn in the side of the local Tau colonists for some time and had recently begun to increase their attacks. But the ARC-16’s were able to easily overcome even this large scale attack; sending the surviving Karakack into disarray. Knowing that time was short and they could not afford any distractions, Lar'shi ordered Is’eoro to take two of the cadres Stealth Suit teams and follow the survivors back to their base. Once located, they were to eliminate whatever was left.

Carefully stalking their prey, the Stealth teams followed the aliens till they located the entrance to what could only be assumed was their underground base. Using their advanced technology to their advantage, the teams were able to infiltrate the facility while Is'eoro stayed outside to coordinate. But what they found was not a small group of soldiers, nor a stockpile of weapons, but a cities worth of Karakack refugees. While there were hundreds of soldiers, there were even more civilians; females and children. But Is’eoro did not let this discovery distract him from his duty.

Splitting his teams into groups of two, he ordered them to search the facility to determine its strengths and weaknesses. Fortunately, the primate-like Karakack were in a flurry of activity. The defeat of their ambush party had severely weakened their fighting force and many wounded were being attended to. The people were far too distracted then to notice the way the air seemed to shift when the suits passed by. This allowed the teams to mapped out the facility, completely undetected.

The underground bunker was supported by six, naturally forming pillars, and a careful assessment had determined that if at least five of them were destroyed, then the ceiling would collapse. In addition, the Karakack had built five escape tunnels which could be used as exit points for the Tau, or could be sealed off to prevent escape. Armed with this information, Is’eoro planned his attack.

Issuing the Stealth teams explosives, Is’eoro ordered that each pillar and exit be rigged to detonate upon his orders. The teams then proceeded on the mission, exactly as planned. But just as the last of bombs was put into place, a Karakack soldier managed to detect one of the suits and opened fire, killing the pilot. An alarm rang out through the facility and the aliens began searching in earnest for anymore intruders, while beginning an evacuation. If the stealth teams would be discovered, they would no doubt be destroyed. And even though the bombs could still be set off and the mission accomplished, the loss of that many warriors was unacceptable to Is’eoro. Instead, he decided to provide a distraction so his teams could evacuate.

After confirming that his teams were at a safe distance, Is’eoro began setting off the explosives one by one, essentially covering the escape route of the team as they made for the exit. This of course meant that chaos began engulfing the cavern. Panicking civilians began scrambling to different exits, only to find out too late that another set of explosives had been planted there. But just as the stealths were about to make it to the exit, a large group of Karakack soldiers cut them off. They were not going to let any of the Tau make it out alive and they prevented the team from moving forward.

Knowing that time was short, Is’eoro pushed the jump jets of his xor’vesa to propel himself at the entrance. Despite the frenzied soldiers that poured out to meet him, Is’eoro would not be deterred. Using his AFP, he cut through hordes of the Karakack till he was able to make it through the entrance. Heavy weapons fire met him as he emerged into the base, but were quickly silenced by his missiles. The stealth team saw their opportunity and rushed the defenders, while Is’eoro provided cover fire. Eventually the teams make it to safety and the Shas’Vre took a moment to look at the scene. The facility was in ruins. Fires were spreading everywhere and chunks of the ceiling had begun falling; crushing many Karakack and blocking off exits. In fact, the only viable exit now was the one Is’eoro stood at.

Thousands of the aliens began swarming in his direction. At this point, some would have had a crisis of conscience. After all, even though some weapons fire was heading his way, most of the fleeing Karakack were civilians. But Is’eoro was not one to let his judgment be compromised by such sentiments. If they escaped, these aliens would no doubt continue to resist the Tau presence and could hinder the progress of this world in providing for the greater good. Is’eoro knew his duty.

Aiming his missile pod, he fired at each of the remaining two support pillars that hadn't been destroyed and quickly fled through the exit. The missiles wound toward their target, impacted, and with their destruction, the entire cavern was brought down. This act alone officially ended the Karakack species beneath thousands of tons of rock.

Is’eoro felt no remorse. They had rejected the Greater Good and the destruction of these aliens was decreed by the Ethereal’s. None will stand in the way of progress.

ARC-16 Collective Background

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