Greetings Fellow followers of the Tau'va!

I am starting this little thread to introduce the story behind my Tio've the First Essix'kor Rapid Response Force. As alluded to with my WIP blog of my developing Cadre I got into modelling Tau for the models and for me creating their story is as much fun as building and painting. For now I present three of my character profiles and a short piece on how the cadre came to be.

I hope you enjoy their tales and look forward to hearing your thoughts! The link to my Cadre WIP can be found here.

Thanks and Enjoy!

Cheers

Novawing

Aun’ui’T’olku’Cassia’Kau’Elro

Cassia (Patient Voice) hales from the Second Sphere world of T’olku and has earned quite a reputation for herself amongst her peers for her proactive work spreading the Tau’va. Like other members from her caste from T’olku she is gifted with an extraordinary talent for language, debate and diplomacy and never was it more clearly exemplified during her work on Essix’kor, known to the Imperium of man as Essex III..

Cassia believes fervently in the power of the Tau’va as a path of enlightenment and that all sentient beings should be given the opportunity to find their place within it and embrace its philosophy. She believes also that it cannot simply be preached from on high and since her earliest days as an Ethereal she has sought to spend time with the denizens of the empire. She would often be seen visiting Fio research teams learning of their activities and aspirations for their work or attending hospitals for sick and injured Tau bringing hope and light into lives of pain and suffering. For her teaching and learning are but one in the same. She seeks knowledge in any form as well as always being willing to discuss the Tau’va with followers no matter their species or status. For this she is often considered somewhat rebellious and many of her fellow Ethereals believe this is but a passing phase.

She spent considerable time with the humans from Essix’kor. She spoke with the ruling elite, and spent time sitting with everyday people. She became known for her open discussions and inspiring tales of a universe united in spirit. For the masses who felt they had been abandoned by the Imperium the Tau offered a new purpose one without slavery and one of a better future for all. Education centres built by Earth caste engineers with human input and design brought the two disparate races together in peace as the threat of the Y’he had first brought them together in battle. Gue’vesa units remained using equipment largely of Imperium design and with the help of Fio engineers new production facilities were built to increase their strength and over time they became a vital force inside Tau presence in securing the conquests of the Second Sphere Expansion worlds and in the newly captured worlds of the latest Third Sphere expansion.

Her view of the universe was shrouded with its first layers of doubt and concern when she encountered the Y’he for the first time. She discovered a race of beings that could not be reasoned with and could only be dealt with by devastating and overwhelming force. After witnessing the ravages suffered by the human inhabitants of Essix’kor and the battles that followed and the toll it took on the Cadre’s under her guidance she became all too aware of the threat they posed to all sentient life in the galaxy. It however also strengthened her existing resolve that the Tau’va should be brought to as many sentient beings that would embrace it as she believes only together can the menace of the Y’he be defeated.

Cassia had long championed the skills of the Essix’kor Gue’vesa but it was to be a very close incident that would cement their skills and devotion to the Tau’va in her mind.
As part of Tau operations expanding out from the Damocles Gulf Cassia was sent with her cadre’s to gain a foothold in a system on the fringe of current Tau space. It was heavily vegetated and had been used by Orks as a base for harassment operations into both Imperial and Tau space for some time. The mission initially was executed efficiently and successfully with minimal casualties for her forces. Cassia was visiting a forward operations deployment zone and was speaking with a dismounted Broadside team when the earth beneath her feat began to shake violently. Her honour guard quickly pulled her back as Tau around the base searched around furtively for the source of the tremors. With a fountain of earth and a scream of otherworldly proportions a trio of Lictors burst from the ground. All around the base Tyranid beasts rose from the ground like slashing screeching volcanoes, cutting swathes of blood through the personnel of the base. Battlesuit pilots charged towards their mounts only to be cut down by scything claws or ripped to shreds by weapon symbiotes. A handful of Pathfinders who had been taking on supplies mounted a hasty defence in an attempt to draw attention away from the vulnerable Ethereal and her honour guard but they were outmatched and barely lasted minutes. Cassia, her honour guard and a handful of other troops had fallen back to rocky high ground on the edge of the base with Shas’Ui Lar’kwa ensuring clear lines of fire for his team and prepared to hold out for as long as they could. He attempted to get a message to the main command headquarters to get extraction but in the initial fighting a stray pulse rifle round had destroyed the long-range communication equipment of the team. They were alone, surrounded, outnumbered and Cassia knew, very likely dead. Eventually even the highly disciplined fire of the Shas could not hold back the advancing hoard, the end it seemed was nigh. Then suddenly a ripple of fireballs ripped through the synapse creatures at the back of the swarm, closely followed by the scream of jet engines of two black painted Valkyries swooping low overhead. Seizing the moment to rally the survivors she clamoured up the nearest rock and shouted “Our brothers come to our aid! Let us not be found wanting! For the Tau’va!”

As the words left her lips five figures dressed in carapace armour and equipped with highly modified lasguns and one with a flamer, all sporting grav-chutes landed heavily on the rocks beside her, an Essix’Kor Gue’vesa Stormtrooper unit. Their leader shed his helmet and looked as Cassia and spoke in Tau’sia, “My Aun, we heard you were in peril and are here to provide your safe evacuation.” More ordinance from the Valkyries struck into the seething mass of chitinous claws and jaws around them, the smell of burning ichor filled the air.

She looked into the rugged face of the Captain in front of her and saw looking back at her a true follower of the Tau’va, “Then let us get to it Captain.” He nodded quickly then tossed a handheld comm unit to Lar’kwa. Together they coordinated the aerial strikes of the Valkyries as more stormtroopers landed to lend their support to the embattled Firewarriors. Soon the tide began to slow as targeted firing reduced one synaptic beast after another to bloodied pulp. A landing zone was soon cleared and two Valkyries came in for the hot extraction whilst another orbited above laying down covering fire. The beleaguered defenders and their rescuers formed a tight cordon around Cassia as they ran towards the waiting aircraft. Just when they were only a fraction of a Tor from the waiting safety, a Ravenor burst from the ground before them shredding two of the stormtroopers and a member of her honour guard in a whirlwind of teeth and claws. Without a moments’ hesitation the Stormtrooper captain called out “Shas’Ui! Get her clear!” then pulling a sword from his hip and a grenade from his vest he charged for the Ravenor. The Ravenor had its eyes only for Cassia and as Lar’kwa tackled her and thrust her into the waiting Valkyrie Cassia watched the Gue’vesa’s last act for the Greater Good. The Captain roared a battle cry that would have curdled the blood of a Kroot, leapt into the air slicing one of the Ravener’s mandibles clean off and thrusting his arm and the primed grenade into its open jaws. Her last view of the heroic Gue’vesa was a grim, calm smile as the grenade detonated enveloping both him and the Tyranid horror in a cloud of flame and expanding ichor.

The Valkyrie’s lifted off, leaving what remained of the Tyranid swarm disorientated and fighting amongst themselves, carrying the survivors of the incident, bloody, exhausted but their Ethereal alive back to the main staging area. Cassia would later learn that the squad had been conducting a perimeter sweep and had picked up a message from the Pathfinder team as it attempted its distraction and defence and had headed there directly to ensure the safety of their spiritual leader.
The devotion showed by these Gue’vesa touched Cassia deeply and as she looked into the service history of all of the Essix’kor units she came to believe that they had a bigger role to play within the Empire. In discussions with Commander Novawing they began to posture ideas about integrating them more closely with regular Tau forces and during the cleansing campaign that followed the Aerial mobility of the Gue’vesa forces was crucial in the battles to come. After a long fight the Y’he infestation was cleared and the bond between Tau forces and the Gue’vesa of Essix’Kor was sealed in blood.

The fight took its toll however. Even with the assistance of a Crisis suit team and an elite squad of Firewarriors from the Y’he specialists the ARC-16’s, Cassia’s two Hunter Cadres were but shadows of their former selves. With Orks again becoming a problem threatening a newly established Tau/Human colony in the neighbouring system and the threat of another Y’he infestation a very high probability something needed to be done and fast. In a bold proposal Cassia petitioned the council to allow her to form a new Tio’ve, but one with a difference. She proposed amalgamating her existing two cadre’s into a single cadre and bringing in Gue’vesa forces to form the second cadre. Met with fierce resistance from members of the council eventually her proposal was ratified and thus was formed the First Essix’kor Rapid Response Contingent. This is the first time that Gue’vesa forces have been deployed in such numbers and with the relative autonomy that is given to Cadre’s. This is a test, and if it is successful may mean more such formations in the future.

Commander Novawing

Commander Novawing is comparably youthful for his status as Shas’O having risen through the ranks and conducted his Trials by Fire in relatively rapid succession. Hailing from the Second Sphere world of Vash’ya the young Novawing was fascinated by the Air caste ships and weapons of war. He would often spend his free time in the cast orbital cities housing their operations and developed friendships with many of the crews and the Fio technicians that kept the fleet operating. It was here that he met a fresh faced Fio’saal named Tael and together they became firm friends, a friendship that would one day have far reaching consequences. Some members of his first Firewarrior squad thought of him as a dreamer, someone not suitable to the frontlines of war. However when the squad was deployed operationally for the first time these notions were quickly dispelled.

Deployed against Ork raiders his squad’s efficiency was second to none and moving from engagement to engagement his battle experience grew. Novawing’s leadership abilities came to the attentions of command echelons first when, whilst deployed to a perimeter outpost, the squad came under sudden and unexpected attack. A barrage of crude explosive rokkits pulverised their Run’al killing the squads Shas’Ui and disabling the sentry turrets at their position. Novawing climbed to the top of a ruined wall, shed his helmet which had been damaged in the explosion and rallied his fellow Shas’La. With him directing his squads fire Novawing retrieved his fallen Shas’Ui’s markerlight and proceeded to call in a devastating salvo of seeker missiles as they held out for reinforcements. By the time reinforcements did arrive barely any of the Orks remained, merely mounds of corpses each one devastated by seeker missile blasts or precision pulse rifle fire.

From there his career was filled with continuous battle and he made a conscious decision to ensure that he became familiar with all of the equipment available to the Fire cast, from the humble Pulse rifle through nimble Piranha variants and the heavy hitting power of Railgun armed Hammerheads. His calmness under pressure, battlefield prowess, his unorthodox tactics and close involvement of Kor elements became widely known and respected. He was invited to serve a tour with the newly formed ARC-8 to both pass on his knowledge of fighting Ork’s and to expand his knowledge of fighting this foe. While he chose not to remain with ARC-8, so impressed was he by the usefulness of the program when he passed his third Trial by Fire he would petition for members of his cadre to take part in an exchange or arrange for ARC teams to join his forces at any opportunity to spread their first-hand knowledge and skills.

Novawing was assigned his first command as Shas’O on the world of Essix’kor. His orders were to prepare a contingent for a cleansing mission to a verdant forest world infested with feral Orks. It was here that he met for the first time the Ethereal who would accompany him on the mission, Aun’ui’T’olku’Cassia’Kau’Elro and where an old friendship was rekindled.

Aun Cassia was holding a philosophical discussion of the Tau’va with members of the Gue’vesa troops when Novawing arrived to meet with the Commanding officer of the Gue’vesa Airmobile forces to discuss security arrangements at the base his forces were stationed. He watched fascinated by this young Ethereal holding complete sway over not just the few Tau present but also over the humans. Each was not only listening with attention as rapt as any Tau would have, but also they were actively engaging in the discussion. Until this point Novawing had, like many of the Fire caste, viewed the Gue’vesa as little more than second rate troops to only be trusted with rear echelon duties and not true believers in the power of the Greater Good. Upon seeing the sight before him and experiencing the intensity of their feelings first hand, he began to think his prejudice was misplaced.
Once the discussion began to break up Aun Cassia continued to speak with some of the humans before beckoning over Novawing. She asked him to walk with her for a while, a request he of course accepted. Over the next dec they wandered through the joint Tau and Gue’vesa base during which they discussed philosophy, history, his record and the humans of this world. This by far fascinated Novawing as Cassia told of her experiences talking to them and her thoughts of them. When the Aun bade her farewells and Novawing returned to seek out the Gue’vesa Commander he was beginning to realize how little he knew of these new friends of the Empire, and it was something he wanted to rectify.
Over the coming kai’rotaa Novawing would exercise his forces regularly and would do so in conjunction with the Elite Parachute Regiments of Essix’kor. The seemingly disparate forces were initially sceptical of each other but as the training intensified they began to understand each other better and began working together very efficiently. Essix’kor was known for, even under the rule of Imperium, some of the best pilots and airmobile forces within human ranks. They excelled at pinpoint strikes and rapid movements, attributes that allowed them to operate in almost perfect harmony with the Tau forces under the command of Novawing and fit well into his plans for warfare. It was these changes of attitudes and combat efficiency that led to Commander Novawing requesting elements of one of the Parachute regiments to accompany his Cadres as their auxiliaries. It was a decision that would prove to be vital in the cleansing of the world they were destined for, and for saving the life of the Ethereal who gave them spiritual guidance.

As the training intensified in the lead up to becoming fully operational, Novawing found himself spending more time in strategic planning discussions with his commanders and those of the Air caste forces that were to accompany the strike force. Whilst attending a sector planning session on the Security orbital above Essix’Kor, Novawing found an old friend. As he disembarked from his personal Orca transport the already busy din of the hanger bay was shattered by a thundering voice.
“No, no, no! If the capacitors are placed in there like that they could just as well blow us into space as power the craft!” there was a brief pause as the owner of the voice, a tall muscular Fio collected himself. “This design is experimental and needs to be treated as such, as I trained you.”
Novawing could scarcely believe his ears, could it be…? “Tael? Is that you?” he called out.
The Fio turned sharply, “Nova? Nova! By the Aun’s! It’s been a long time!” The two embraced, the struggles of the sector momentarily forgotten by both in the joy of reunion.
“What the guel have you been up to?! Last I saw you; you were being heralded as the saviour of your squad back on some Aun forsaken rock!” Tael then noticed the rank insignia on Novawing’s tunic, “Sir!” he exclaimed with a smile.
“Good to see you too old friend.” Replied Novawing. Seeing Tael’s own rank insignia he continued. “So somebody finally woke up to your engineering brilliance and made you an El then?”
“Well seems someone liked my handiwork with new energy matrices and their applications so I got myself whisked off to some R&D lab,” he paused theatrically before continuing quieter than before. “To be honest it can be a little boring. I have all the ideas and designs but with the department so focused on ensuring productivity of the newly colonised worlds a lot of my sharper ideas are going to waste it seems.”
Novawing, always one to seize an opportunity saw one at once. ”Tell you what Tael, how would like to see what some of those sharper ideas of yours look like in the field?”
Tael leaned back, “You’re not ox’ing me around like you did back on the old station now?”
“Certainly not! I’m building a new strike force, one that will be demanding the best from the troops and their support, and I want them to have access to the best technology and weapons that we need, not necessarily what we have. You up for a bit of tinkering?”
Tael laughed heartily, “You know I’m a tinkerer at heart! I’ll have to wrap up this business with the Kor’s new powerplants in their Tigersharks. Will take me a kai’rotaa or so, then count me in!”
“Excellent!” Novawing beamed. “I’ll have everything drafted and forwarded to your current lab to bring you, and whatever team you want brought to our base.”
Tael clapped his friend on the shoulder. “Together, it will be just like old times, us against the universe.”

Exactly a kai’rotaa later Fio’El’Sa’cea’Tael and a small handpicked team of Fio engineers and scientists joined Commander Novawing’s taskforce. Tael’s impact was quickly felt. Efficiency of weapons systems quickly increased with slight modifications to power management systems, casualty survival rates dramatically increased with the construction and development of new variants of medic drones deployed with the Casevac Devilfish. But Tael was most proud of the new prototypes he was always designing, deploying and refining. He was a tinkerer at heart and would oft be seen in his workshop late into the sleep dec testing and toying with one design or another, or reading over the latest after action reports to glean new ideas to help his fellow Tau in their struggle against the enemies of the Greater Good.

After the incident at Firebase RX-742 (see the entry for Aun’ui’T’olku’Cassia’Kau’Elro ) and the discovery of the true enemy they were facing, Commander Novawing immediately requested the support of the ARC’s specializing in the Y’he. To this end he was dispatched a Crisis team and an elite Firewarrior squad from ARC-16, which immediately began their work aiding his cadre with a crash course in Y’he fighting techniques. He was also impressed by the tenacity and devotion of the Essix’kor Gue’vesa and he requested an increased presence of their forces in addition to regular Tau reinforcements. It was a bitter fight that cost his forces dearly but the Greater Good prevailed over the Great devourer.
As the smoke of battle cleared and the last brood nests were eradicated, the Tau regular forces had been decimated. Of the two full cadre’s that had arrived, there was barely enough units to be recombined into a single cadre. With the imminent threat of another Y’he infestation and a feral ork attack in the neighbouring system it seemed that Tau forces had been stretched too thin. However Novawing and Cassia formulated a plan. Having seen the fighting prowess of the Gue’vesa forces they proposed a radical idea; take their forces as a full cadre not just as auxiliaries. Now placed in command of the First Essix’Kor Rapid Response Force Commander Novawing looks to all his forces, Tau and Human, to seize the initiative and strike quickly and decisively against the enemies of the Empire.

Brigadier Roland Montgomery

Brigadier Roland Montgomery (Monty to his troops and inner circle) grew up on the temperate world of Essix’Kor when it was known as Essex III and still notionally part of the Imperium of Man. Like all of the populace of Essex, Monty has an affinity for aviation and became a qualified pilot at just 15. He loved the feeling of soaring the skies with the birds and often watched the tithe ships lifting from the giant spaceport at Southending heading into orbit to far flung places. He joined the PDF on his 16th birthday and to him life was good. It was here that he discovered that it wasn’t just flying that excited him, but the thrill of combat; on the ground or in the sky, it made no difference. The sergeant of his unit saw the potential in the young recruit and recommended him for Imperial Guard duty with an assignment to the training regiment of the elite Parachute Divisions. When he received his transfer orders Monty couldn’t believe his fortune, and knowing it was the work of his veteran sergeant he made a vow to him that he would do his faith proud. The old sergeant simply smiled, clapped the young recruit on the shoulder and told him he was already proud, make him right.

The months ahead were full of gruelling tasks and training, and not just a few fatalities. The Parachute regiments weren’t famous for being some of the toughest and most fearless soldiers of the imperium for nothing. Their training was harsh and discipline was harsher still. And yet unlike most regiments in the imperial guard there were very few commissars present. Their tactical flexibility and training routines meant that their presence was more of a hindrance than a help. Troops that dropped hundreds of feet with flak and missiles exploding all around them with nothing to protect them except their thin flak armour usually did not welcome a voice of political platitudes. Together the recruits formed a tight bond with each other and the operational units that pushed them to the edge of what they thought possible and then beyond.

Finally after a year of training it was time for the recruits to earn their jump-wings and take their place alongside the other regiments of the Airborne Division. Monty expected, like many of the Airborne Division that there would soon come a member of the Imperial Army hierarchy to bring together the best of their forces for a new founding. Yet it had been a generation since the last founding, and almost as long since Imperial command had been in contact with the system. The tithe ships carrying materials mined from the planet and its neighbours steadily got fewer and further between then stopped completely. Messages to Terra and Administratum offices had gone unanswered for many years. Initially this was put down to the slow turning wheels of the great beauocracy, but after a while the citizens and their leaders began to wonder if their little corner of the universe had been forgotten.

During the next four years of service Monty became known as a quiet but fastidious warrior. Whilst not the strongest, he preferred relying on his cunning and wits to place him in a better position than brute force alone. There were several skirmishes with wild Orks on the outlying planets in the system, cutting the heads off the small war bands long before they became particularly threating. And still there was no call to arms from the Imperium. Then came a discovery which made the entire populace shudder in horror and fear, Tyranids were coming. It started small, a few mutated plants here and there but then reports of living killing machines became not just the tales of nightmares, but nightmares made real. The Airborne divisions swung into action, striking swiftly and powerfully whenever there were sightings of the beasts and their nests. They fought bravely and well, but they knew it was a losing battle. So it was that the few remaining astropaths were burned out trying to send pleas for aid to Terra and the nearest Imperial outposts but no reply was forthcoming.

Indeed, unknown to the denizens of Essex III they had been written off as destroyed some 8 years previously. A tendril of Hive fleet Behemoth had laid waste to two neighbouring systems and had effectively cut off the system from other Imperial worlds. Few of the tithe ships made it back to Imperial space and communications were heavily impacted by the “shadow” that Tyranid’s cast on the warp. With no response to calls to Essex and a relief force not believed to be worth the cost to reach what may already be a dead system, Essex was classified as lost and added to the list of worlds destroyed by the Tyranid menace.

As the denizens of Essex III fought the mutating plant life around them and as myetoric spores appeared in the heavens for the first time, many believed this was the end. They had been forsaken by the Emperor and the Imperium and were doomed to die together alone. It was then that a different shape fell from the sky, requesting permission to land at Southending and seeking an audience with the planetary governor. Believing that it was an emissary from the Imperium arriving at last to give aid to their embattled planet the Governor and his ministers rushed to the landing fields. There an aqua coloured vessel with clean flowing lines descended and landed with a delicateness that defied its bulk. The Governor recognised for the first time that this was not a vessel from the Imperium, but a Tau vessel.

The Water caste diplomats offered the Governor a hope of salvation. With nothing but silence coming from the Imperium, an alliance with the Tau could save his world. Despite feverent opposition from members of the Ecclesiarchy an alliance was formed. Within hours Manta’s and Orcas began descending unloading weapons, supplies, troops and vehicles at major starports and military bases all over the central continent.

Mistrust between the two once sworn enemies was great, and there were some incidents that almost fractured the shaky alliance. Indeed a squad of Pathfinders was almost annihilated by a squad of snipers after the Commissar leading them refused to comply with the alliance. However these barriers began to fade when Tau units began fighting against Tyranid forces in defence of human forces and cities.

Monty’s command was one of the first to see the fighting capacity and tenacity of the Tau first hand. Monty had been tasked to secure a fjord across a river 100km north of a major staging base for the Parachute regiments. His command squad was backed by two infantry platoons and a squad of sentinel walkers, but lacked heavy weapons as their intelligence indicated that tyranids were still some way from the area. Monty set about securing the perimeter with mines and proximity detectors and all seemed to be going to plan. Suddenly lasfire erupted on the west flank and cries of contact flooded the voxnet. Waves of gaunts began throwing themselves at his forces and soon casualties began to mount. Monty voxed for air support but the alert strike aircraft were already occupied dealing with another skirmish and he was told to hold the fjord at all costs. Despite all of his cunning and battlefield knowledge casualties began to mount, he was losing. Then over the voxnet a strange voice came on, “Rapier 6-1, Rapier 6-1. This is Thunder 1-1. We are enroute to your position, sitrep.”
Monty grabbed the microphone, “Thunder 1-1, Rapier 6-1. Gaunts are charging our positions and have pushed us to the west bank of the river, casualties high. ‘Nids have not crossed but they will overrun us shortly. Recommend airstrike danger close on my position, cluster munitions.”
“Copy Rapier. Pop smoke and standby, ETT 1 minute”
Relief flooded Monty, his brothers were coming. He switched to the local voxnet. “Lads our brothers come to our aid, pop smoke to mark our positions. For our fallen! For our brothers!”

The ragtag survivors fought with renewed vigour, as smoke canisters were released to mark their positions. On cue a rolling wave of explosions ripped through the Tyranid lines, but it was neither the zipping sound of punisher cannons nor the crump of autocannons which Monty had been expecting. Instead it was the blue shaded buzz of burst cannons and balls of plasma which tore holes in the chitinous hoard. Monty stared up in disbelief as a Tau orca lifted away after its strafing run and in its place he saw six Tau battlesuits descending on blue tongues of flame from their jetpacks. Before they had even hit the ground the battlesuits were firing in a methodical discipline that would have made a Mordian commander jealous. They moved forward slowly, flamers and burst cannons thinning the hoard while plasma rifles and missile pods targeted the synapse creatures at the rear of the attack. Monty shook off his surprise, “Well don’t just stand there you idiots, keep firing!” With that his troops continued laying down fire and together with the battlesuits the Tyranids were pushed back. Once the last creature had been burnt to a cinder Monty approached the battlesuits and the one marked as a squad leader. “Without you we would all be greeting our ancestors by now,” he paused. “Thank you.”

There was a hiss of depressurization, then the helmet and carapace of the suit separated to reveal the blue skinned Tau Shas within. “You are most welcome Gue’vesa. But it is I who must thank you. You saved many lives today including my teams and all our brethren human and Tau alike who are far from here. Your sacrifice was great, but together we were triumphant.”
And in a very human gesture he extended his hand which Monty grasped firmly.

Tall and slender, like all of her cast Aun’ui’T’olku’Cassia’Kau’Elro cast her gaze out of the observation dome on the top of Mount Ri’catha. The lush forests stretched out into the darkness below her, forming a sea of darkness that was as comforting to her as it was foreboding to many others. In her mind she could hear the night owls calling to each other as they hunted for food, the scurry of paws as life returned to normal. Well as normal as it can after thwarting a Tyranid scout tendril.
“And so the devourer sends its pawns elsewhere to conduct its bidding, and what frightful bidding it is.” She whispered to the scene before her.
“My lady?” a soft but firm voice drifted out of the darkness behind her.
“Nothing Lar’kwa, just the musings of a long evening.” She replied to her faithful bodyguard Shas’Ui Lar’kwa without turning from the view before her.
Without looking she knew he had returned to his silent vigil behind her, standing discretely near the opening to the dome and its pathway back to the council of Ethereals’ from the sector. Lar’kwa had been with her now for almost 15 Tau’cyr and had led her honour guard for almost as long. He was a practical warrior with a deep philosophical hunger. He read widely, not just from the annals of the Empire’s great warriors but also from its diplomats and artists. She had asked him once when she spied a copy of Fio’Rev’radm’s musings on life without order in his run’al to which he had replied solemnly ‘To understand one’s place in the universe one must first attempt to understand all who make up the universe in which we strive to find that place.’ After that her respect for the (at the time young Shas’la) grew exponentially and it would not be long before he took on command of her protective detail. After so long together he had ceased to be just a warrior in her eyes, he was the living embodiment of the rank and file Shas’la that kept the empire safe and carried the greater good out to the stars.
“Do you think it is right Lar’kwa?” she asked him.
“My lady?”
She smiled despite herself. “Don’t play coy with me Lar’kwa, you know what I meant.”
There was a long silence before a soft rustle of carpet as he moved to join Cassia at the observation glass. “It is a bold move, and one that upon consideration is I feel required. But the things that we have seen here and on other worlds where the Tyranids have laid waste to will on balance bring the council around. Weather they approve of your other request; that is something I do not even wish to hazard a guess at. One thing is without doubt I feel however, it will not be popular with the council, especially the more conservative members.”
“Do you think it should? You have observed them in peace and combat. Is this a gamble with our future or is it a stable base to spring from?”
Despite the dim lighting Cassia felt the Shas’Ui smile slightly. “There is a Fio saying about a fe’lnee and a capsule of poison in a box together. I feel the duality is the answer not the question”
A chime sounded mutely from the door drawing both their attentions. Cassia smoothed her robes then turned for the door “The moment has arrived it would seem.”


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Cassia moved into the council chamber with a lithe grace before stopping at the dais depressed into the centre. She nodded to the assembled council, keeping her exterior neutral as her mind raced with what may or may not happen next.
“Aun’ui’T’olku’Cassia’Kau’Elro,” began Aun’O’T’au’Eig’lepulper’Va’Shovah. “The two proposals you have brought before us are both bold and in your style. Discussion both for and against these courses of action and their relevance to and impact upon the Tau’va has been witnessed passionately within this chamber today. However before we decide upon your first proposal we wish to hear more about your second.”

Cassia nodded solemnly, it must have been a closer vote than I feared. “Aun’s, as you have pointed out my teachings of the Tau’va and my actions to bring its’ light to the wider universe are widely known amongst you all. I believe fervently that all species may benefit from its’ teachings and will always be on hand to guide even the newest follower with any questions they may have. This is but the reflection of the same way that I have sought council from all of you gathered here today over many Tau’cyr. The Gue’vesa from Essix’kor has, since the end of the days of the Second Expansion, proven themselves to be highly capable and strong in their belief in the power of the Tau’va.”
A derisive cough was heard at one wing of the chamber but with a glance from Tael it was silenced.
“They have provided for their own defence and they have assisted the Fio’s in understanding Gue’vesa technologies which has been of great benefit throughout the Empire. They have asked for little in return except knowledge and guidance from u-“
“That is the point young one!” exploded Aun’El’Vior’la’Raquish’ka. “They continually ask for knowledge! They observe and will be waiting to strike into our civilization where it will hurt most! They do nothing to further the Tau’va only their own wealth and power!”
Keeping a calm tone Cassia looked up at Raquish, “If that were true then I would not be standing here before you today. A regiment of Essix’Kor drop troopers deployed to my position when it was compromised by the Y’he. We were cut off and my guard and I were moments from being overrun when from the heavens descended an airmobile force, obliterating the Y’he and rescuing myself and my honour guard. They lost many brave souls that day as did we, but if not for those actions the fight to save this world upon which we stand right now would have been lost.”
“And what pray tell happens when they undoubtedly face Gue’la forces? How will they handle that?” he demanded.
“I imagine they will handle it in the same way that Shas'O Fi'rios Kais Vral’s forces when they battled our own wayward kin as part of the Farsight Initiative” she replied coolly.
Raquish stared back at Cassia defiantly, but sensing the air chose not to push the matter further.
“Essix’kor forces have been used as rear guard and supporting elements for some time as part of this Third Expansion, now is the time to bring them even more fully into the Tau’va. It is time to give them the mobility and independence they have earned.”
“What you are proposing has not been done before Cassia” came another voice. “This is indeed a bold suggestion.”
“Is it really? Kroot war sphere’s still are permitted to operate freely with the blessings of the greater good. Vespid’s have autonomy as well as being integrated into other cadre’s. The ARC’s have been using such force structures with great success for more than 5 Tau’cyr. All I am suggesting is that the Gue’vesa has shown promise and skill that is warranting of such a similar measure.”
“You are talking about a Full Cadre sized element composed solely of Gue’vesa, without close oversight.”
“In order to reach planetfall before it is too late, yes. I propose to amalgamate the survivors of the current two cadres into a single full sized cadre and consolidate a full cadre compliment of Essix’kor Airmobile forces. My cadres’ have worked extensively with forces from this world for many Tau’cyr and they have operated in harmony and to the benefit of the Tau’va. These people are courageous and loyal to the Empire. This is the moment for them to shine.”

Silence reigned throughout the chamber. Cassia looked at each of the council members in turn. These were her peers and her superiors. She knew her boldness would mean it would be unlikely that she would ever sit in one of those seats, but to her that was just fine. Cassia saw her place out with the denizens of the empire, not sitting back observing. This was a test she felt, a test of not only the strength of the Tau’va in the hearts and minds of the Essix’kor Gue’vesa but a test of its strength within her.

Whilst she observed so to was Eig’lepulper. He too looked at the gathered council members and knew that something profound was about to happen. Whether or not it ultimately succeeded was to be in the hands of this energetic young Ethereal, there were those opposed but Tael knew that there was enough support here, and indeed more so after Cassia’s speech that this would be passed. The votes arrived on his monitor in front of him. He spoke softly but commandingly.
“Aun’ui’T’olku’Cassia’Kau’Elro, you have presented your cases well and after due consideration the council consents both your mission to cleanse the Essix’kor system of Be’gel and Y’he infestation as well as your plan to rebuild your Cadre’s. Remember your oath to the Tau’va and its light will guide you through.”
Cassia paused as she took Eig’lepulper’s words in. She had succeeded!
“I will carry the light with me in my heart and soul and it shall guide us true” or kill me.
Eig’lepulper nodded. “Then this council is adjourned.”