Chapter 6: Cerax

The thief slammed into Cubor's back, bouncing off the enormous soldier's back and landing on his back, high nutrient packs scattering all over the place.

"What in the-?" Cubor turned around, seeing the diminutive youth at his hoof.

"You can go shove it, slit-face!" It was covered in rags, male, a pointed nose red and wet with sickness. His eyes were hungry, threatening and frightened all at once.

"Stand aside, stand aside!" A law enforcer, his armor scuffed but with the tell-tale grey paint, forced his way through the crowd. He yelled, reaching out to grab the youth. "There you are! Gue'la ui't!"

"What seems to be the problem, officer?" Vel'ar appeared by Cubor's side. The five Firewarrior's turned from the counter of the outdoor eatery they had been standing at amidst the bussle of the marketplace.

The Enforcer, his half helm only covering his upper face, opened his mouth to yell a further insult, but caught sight of Vel'ar's rank. "Sorry, sir, just more human filth causing havoc." He put a muscled arm about the young human's torso and hauled him up.
"This one's Hekate, he steals nutrient packages for his mother in the lower decks from the dispensary." The boy struggled, punching at the big Tau who only grunted than struck the youth, breaking his nose. Hekate fell back, but the Enforcer grabbed him again and held him by the neck in an armored fist.

"That's unnecessary violence, Enforcer. The boy looks half starved!" Ghel'uun said, stepping forward from behind Vel'ar.

The Enforcer scoffed, "You clearly don't deal with humans as much as I do, sir. This 'uns mother, runs her own little empire down below along with her brood. Tell the Shas'El what that uit's name is, pink face!"

Hekate had a hand over his ruined nose, but his eyes flashed with hate. Vel'ar saw how blue they were, tinged with green, so completely alien yet similar to the Tau.

"The mother's name is Lady Serat, you blue bastard-" Another fist rocked the boy's head back, this time he did not rise.

"Lady Serat runs a prostitution and protection ring in the human districts. Don't be fooled by these aliens, sir. They cheat and kill each other every day for nothing. Less than nothing!"

"Then why don't you do your job and arrest her?" Ali'yan admonished.

The Enforcer turned his head to the young Shas'La. Vel'ar could see the Por'La wanted to say something brash. But his training kept his pride in check. Enforcer's were the strong arms of the Water Caste, one of many crossover programs that existed in the Empire. Those Por'Saal deemed for the task were sent to Fire Caste Academy's all over the empire to train to regulate frontier worlds and cohabited worlds and keep the peace. The position was unheard of on Tau worlds who suffered nearly 'zero' crime rates throughout the Cluster.

"It's my job to make sure the sewage stays in the sewer, Shas'La." He hefted the unconscious human boy. "Have a good day, Shas'eldi." The Enforcer did a haphazard bow and sauntered away.

"This place is dirt." Jeth mumbled and Vel'ar would agree. The Shas turned back to their food and drink.

They had arrived a day ago to the Cerax colony, rushing Kro'le to the medical facility in the Tau district in the upper levels, Sia't choosing to remain as the doctor's began the surgery. The rest of the Firewarriors had removed themselves, waiting for word. Meanwhile, Vel'ar had ordered the Strident to remain at dock and to finish recharging and refueling for the journey to the Rift.

Cerax was technically a Second Sphere colony but not actually apart of any Sept, established just as the first Imperial ships invaded the Empire. As a result, funding and resources had been diverted toward the northern Septs, both to push back the human aggressors and the increasing Ork profiteers. Cerax had, subsequently, fallen on hard times and was incomplete in it's design. Only two of the planned seven habitat domes had been built with no efforts being made to continue.

Built on an airless moon that shared it's name, Cerax was on the very limits of the Empire's frontier. It served two purposes; Refuel the trade routes and harvest elements from the supermassive gas giant Mkloss which hung over Cerax as a constant violet orb above. As a result, hundreds of contracted workers of every race permanently lived in the middle decks of the colony while the Tau maintained the upper levels. While hundreds more took time to find amusement and relax as their ships replenished in low orbit.

Human's, meanwhile, had been sent to the colony as refugees. It was the Empire's hope, and the administrator's of Cerax, that the influx of a fresh workforce would help finish the colony. It had been over ten years with no signs of improvement.

Vel'ar sat back down, picking up his mug and drinking the milk like alcohol the four-armed bartender served. "Try and stay out of trouble, Cubor, even when it runs into you."

Cubor shrugged, bringing a bowl of cold noodles to his mouth and finishing it in one bite.

"How long before we hear about Kro'le?" Nuu'l asked, his eyes scanning the room nervously. He had been forced to leave his faithful technical drone on board the Strident, he said he felt 'naked' without it. Now he completely relied on his technical glove which he opened and closed nervously. Vel'ar supposed that the tech, without electronics of his own to fiddle with, would have started dismantling wall mounts and the bar's register.

The station wasn't exactly safe, Vel'ar had been told by the Por'El Head Administrator. There were constant conflicts between the different species that ranged from clear cultural misunderstandings to all out racial feuds that the Water Caste barely understood. Vel'ar had opted to play the safe route and stay in the middle district of the Primary Dome, built from meters-thick fio'tak and the planet's bedrock so that it rose like a blister from the surface.

The bar they ate and drank at now was an off-duty place for mining leaders, not their subordinates. There were humans, burly Uftok's from the Sqyntilian worlds and one or two tired Earth Caste Tau all arrayed about the circular steel bar and illuminated by spot lights drilled into the bare rock ceiling above. The bar itself had been built, out of the necessity for the appetites of maintenance crews, into one of the support pillars for an atmosphere generator unit.

Vel'ar hoped his choice of watering hole was the safest.

"I'm giving the doctors here one more day. Then we need go." Vel'ar glanced at the stoic faces of Kro'le's bond mates. They would follow orders, but leaving one of their own could cripple morale.

Vel'ar had never been close enough to a unit or an individual to perform the Ta'lissera ritual. It was a rare and traditional act left over from even before the Aun Unification. It made many into one, a physical and spiritual binding to serve the Greater Good. Leaving Kro'le would test that bond.

"Well, I for one am going to spend the last day getting drunk." Jeth said, tossing back his mug. The other Tau laughed and, for the first time, Vel'ar appreciated the dour close combat specialist for changing the mood.

"Careful, this swill is liable to make you blind as it is to leave you under the table pissing yourself." Ghel'uun chuckled, sipping from his own drink.

"Sounds like a challenge." Ali'yan said, slamming her cup down next to Jeth. There were guffaws and laughter as Jeth's eyes widened at the younger warrior's challenge, then he grinned and raised his uninjured hand at the barkeep.

"You heard the rookie!"

***

So it turns out everything in the empire isnt as clean and shiny as it appears afterall .

you raise a very interesting point as to who would undertake law enforcement duties amongst the colonies. Its not something I had ever considered before but I would have assumed that it would fall to the fire caste to provide enforcers. Your suggestion of cross trained water caste is intriguing however and makes more sense once you begin to think about it. Is this pre-established somewhere or is it your own creation? The Por would be far more conductive to following the myriad of rules and regulations involved in a legal system than a hot blooded Shas.

Its also nice to see the underside of a colony in the normally polished Tau empire. Ive also felt that with so many alien species mixed into an empire, there is bound to be some form of friction between the cultures.

You know its a good piece when it makes you think as always, well done calmsword.

give my best wishes to kro'le next time you see him

Hey- there have to be work-in-progresses somewhere right?

The Por'La enforcer is my own creation. It's been the subject of hot debate over the years as to how Tau society works and I've always found the 4 Castes limited in their initial description. The Fire Caste is the military body of the Tau Empire, they are not the regulators. The Water Caste seems to be more involved with this and I would imagine would have it's own training programs to cover the grey areas in between duties.

For example, Ghel'uun is a medic. Although game wise we Tau don't get them, Medics are an essential part of any military (especially the Tau which is basically a 20th century American army). He would have gotten his training possibly by the Water and Earth castes since these Castes aren't supposed to be near a battlefield. I would imagine similar programs for the Air Caste to defend their ships and colonies as well as need engineers to operate their vessels.

Police are low-level bureaucrats if you think about it and are not supposed to be a military aspect, at least not in our country, and so I rationalized that the Water Caste would have their own Enforcers on 'difficult' worlds. In the case of the one on Cerax he's also a bully.

I think you'll like what unfolds.

(And Kro'le is doing awesome

I like how you went from war to the policing of the human population! I found that transition very interesting, also I like the realistic and innovative look into caste duties that your story provides.

Oh and I pmed you the link to my work in progress, also I have another shorter story on the New posts called 40k short story please let me know what you think! The critique of another writer, is very valued in my eyes.

Thanks man!

I'm glad the story has taken the team to the "backwater" colony as it's rare to see how tau society functions in its frontiers colonies when many races are forced to coexist. I also like the idea of the enforcers as low level Por, it makes sense since for them to handle the legal side of the empire such as law enforcement.

I noticed something in your previous update which you may want to look over. You mention that the ship was travelling in warp space using a warp drive. The Tau do not use warp technology as they lack the ability to navigate the phychic realm of the warp, instead to achieve faster than light travel they use Ether drives to force their ships into a gulf between the warp and reality, Travelling here is not as fast as true warp travel (I think it's 1/4 the speed if memory serves but don't quote me on that ) but since the Tau only ever need short jumps to local systems and not cross galaxy it is fast enough. As they are not in the warp the ships also do not need all the protection which human ships require like psychic fields.

I hope this is useful and I'm sorry if I'm nitpicking but I thought should say

Other than that I'm thoroughly loving your story and look forward to future updates

I PM'ed you my rational for using the term warp jump and warp drive, tell me what you think. Don't worry, no nitpicking here. And Eni'matis, I've been reading your work, I'll post a comment hopefully today, it's good stuff

I'll be posting more later. Thanks guys!

Thank you for the read good sir.

I have finally completed reading your story as it stands, I look forward to further chapters! I really enjoy your characters, that remain tau and are also life like and well portrayed.

You have inspired me, the shifting story aspects and the possibilities that come along with creating your own xenos...

Thank you for that, and I look forward to the continuation of your story.

Mine 21:16

Deep below even the furthest decks of Primary Dome was a vast network of tunnels. Earth Caste scientists had initially considered the Cerax colony would be dependent on geothermal plants. Vespid swarms were unleashed and quarried hundreds of tendril like passageways before it was deemed easier to simply use fusion core generators fueled by the elements harvested from Mkloss. These tunnels had remained empty until humanity arrived on Cerax.

At first, only the upper areas had been given to the humans with new atmospheric accumulators installed up and down a kilometer of tunnels and chambers. But as resources and work orders ceased to move the humans, they began to make the tunnels their home.

Bigotry had been the human's first enemy. Many Enforcer's turned a blind eye to the regular beatings, theft and raids into human living space by the other races. Beyond the Imperial borders, humanity had made eternal enemies with much of the galaxy's species.

Some of the human leaders advocated a hardy work ethic, throwing themselves at anything the colonial Administration needed done. Anna Serat, the widow of an Imperial Guardsman, and a refugee of the withdrawal on Dal'yth, rallied a collection of orphans and former guardsmen to protect their kinfolk saying that respect was taken rather than earned.

It was the children that began calling her 'Mother' as Serat began stealing food and medical supplies. As she gained support from the other human factions she would target those locals that were particularly brutal to her own. She preached from an Imperial Primer that had belonged to a regimental Chaplain that had died, and preached the word of the Emperor. When other human leaders protested her methods, saying that they must adhere to the restrictions of the Tau who had saved them, she targeted them as well until her word was law in the tunnels.

The Enforcer's were content to let the humans fight themselves until a Tarrelian ship captain was stabbed to death that the Administration sent squads down to apprehend this 'Lady' Serat.

Pilfering generators and construction equipment she and a quarter of the humans opened up the deeper tunnels and relocated. The Water Caste administration cautioned, warned, and finally gave up on trying to convince Lady Serat and her human faction to return. Every now and again her children would sneak up to the upper levels but primarily they stayed amongst their own.

The man that stood before her, half lit by sodium burning torches, would change all that.

Serat sat on a rock hewn bench in one of the warren's that she kept underneath the first generator she had stolen. It was a broad space, the rock smooth from the Vespid miners that had passed through decades ago. Everything in the room had been stolen at one time or another, save for the perched double-headed eagle that Serat had had hewn from Cerax's crust, it's wings spreading over the room protectively.

She was old by the refugee's standars, pushing fifty. Her hair was long, wild, the black locks greasy and slashed with white. Her skin was dirty, like everyones who lived in the tunnels, but she was at home amongst them having been taken from her hive-world by the man that would become her husband and die under the guns of the Tau.

He had loved her, in his way, and she had come to love him in return. They had had a child, then children, and then a real family on board the transport ship that brought them from Brimlock to Dal'yth. All of that had been taken from her in the Imperial rout from Tau space. Sorrow had turned to vengeance for Serat and now she had a means of truly acting against the Empire.

The stranger had come to her directly, easily subduing her best fighters with his bare hands. At first she had thought it to be some new xeno bounty hunter, she had dealt with them before. But as he forced his way through to her he raised an open hand she, and those former Guardsmen, bent the knee. Those too young to remember the Imperium or were born outside of it stood confused, their weapons still pointed at the stranger before Serat shrieked at them to bow. Now, the stranger and Mother spoke in her most private of sanctuaries.

"What are the conditions?" She asked after listening to his plan.

"I have none." His voice was a whisper, features hidden behind his cloak. Silver hair fell like a waterfall over his chest which was broad and powerful. His coat was a heavy, industrial made leather that just barely covered the power armor he was encased in.

She took a long drag from a pipe that had been her husbands. Blowing a cloud that drifted up toward the eagle. "Now, that I just can't believe, your worshipfulness. Here you are, giving me a weapon to smote his enemies and ye' want nothin'."

"And it was with righteous fury that His servants brought low the Adversary and the Unworthy and drove them back into the darkness... That is all that I ask for, Lady Serat." Serat felt her skin prickle as the man quoted scripture.

"But. But how can we even get close to the Administration's tower? There are Enforcers, those bewitched flying 'tings-"

"You must have faith, Lady Serat." The man splayed his fingers, invitingly. "What I offer you is a chance to cleanse this world of all it's xenos and bring about the end this blasphemous race, all you must do is await my signal," He withdrew a lump of a brass ring and offered it to her, "And have faith in our Lord."

She took the ring, seeing that inlaid sigil in the brass were veins of copper that subtly formed an 'eye' that stared back at her. She looked about the room, heard her children and her adopted family in the chambers and hallways, knew that this was not how to live and that soon either the Enforcer's would finally find them or they would starve.

Lady Serat, the Mother, put a hand on the eagle sculpture and remembered her husband, how he had died so horribly under the blade of the Tau battle suit warrior, and smiled.

"You've got me and my boys, m'lord, we will be ready!"

Primary Dome

"The thing is... The thing is? The thing is! They use this trans-dimensional conduit to bypass local defense grids, and then... And then they sneak into wherever they went... Wherever they want to go! So, you gotta be a sneak too!" N'uul belched profoundly, almost tipping over in his chair. Dancing absurdly from the holo projector of his tech glove was the image of an anatomical diagram of an Eldar.

The Firewarriors were the last patrons in the bar. Jeth and Ali'yan had drank until both had laid their heads down on the table, their right arms still locked in the wrestle match they had incorporated into the drinking game.

Cubor and Ghel'uun were politely drunk, their words only slurring when they spoke for too long. Vel'ar sat listening as N'uul blathered on and on, no one was sure about what. The barkeep had left an automated drone that N'uul, before becoming useless, had quickly hacked and was serving them drinks on command rather than by pay. "It's for a greater good isn't it?" He had joked.

"And you know, the, um, the 'you-know-who's'" N'uul said, winking pointing upward, "They don't like it when you're sneaky because they say, they say it's bad for dip... dip-lo... ah shtlk" He shook his head, picking up his mug and glaring at it. "I am drunk, Shas'El."

Vel'ar slapped a hand on the technical officer's shoulder. "I think you mean diplomacy, N'uul. You'll pay for this in the morning when we ship out."

"I'll guarantee that." Those Tau able to, turned and saw Sia't glide into the room. Unlike the the rest, she had removed her armor and was wearing a white medical suit, embroidered in gray. N'uul rose to his hooves, slightly staggering.

"Shas'Ui on- on deck!"

"Shut up, N'uul, we're on leave sitting next to the commander." She shoved him back into his seat, took his drink and downed it.

N'uul, dazed, looked from her to his cup. "Oh. I'll go get another one..."

"Another one, sir." N'uuls eyes widened and he hurried toward the bar, tripping over himself in the process. Only when he had reached the bar did Sia't give wry smile.

"How is Kro'le?"

"He's awake, thank the sands. They did what they could, but he's going to have an artificial kidney and liver for the rest of his life. It's probably better that he's staying in the med center, he loves a good drinking duel." She glanced over to Jeth and Ali'yans comatose bodies. "But it looks like we've picked up someone who can put Jeth in his place." She smiled.

"Remember on Yl'oo, Sia't?" Cubor said, turning his enormous frame, his eyes glazed. Ghel'uun nodded, chuckling.

"What?" Vel'ar asked.

Sia't's eyes darted back and forth, wary, before settling back on Vel'ar. "I owe you, Shas'El, me and my team only have each other. You'r lenient, compromising. Maybe you can tell we're not used to your style of command."

Vel'ar held his breath; now was a good a time as any. "Because you're all Aun'qath." Ghel'uun spat a mouthful of alcohol out, Cubor stood uneasily to his hooves but Sia't only stared, unflinchingly, into Vel'ars eyes.

"You knew."

"From the moment Pavol introduced us."

Sia't shrugged, "We were never trained to hide it."

"You're here to keep an eye on me. Aren't you."

Sia't held Vel'ar's gaze for a long time before she stood. "N'uul, get your yi over here."

When the tech got to Vel'ar's table, Sia't grabbed his utility pod arm. "Show him." N'uul looked worried, but he obeyed, and a miniature holo-project folded out.

"This was sent to us when we entered the system, separate from of the Strident's information update." Tau vessels received automatic updates when they entered any Tau system, a completely automated system that was the best way to spread the flow of information without FTL communication. Sia't had just casually mentioned that her team had blatantly hacked Pavol's security matrix, something Vel'ar would have to be aware of.

"In it was a detailed message from Aun'El T'au Kath'lan, our master." A holo image, spun from photons, coalesced above N'uuls arm. A serene, courtly male Tau came into focus. Vel'ar knew of Kath'lan, a member of the inner circle of the Council of the Highest, but also a popular Ethereal who advocated peace and reason throughout the Empire. He was known to be unpopular amongst many of the T'au and Inner Colony Fire Caste for his outspoken views against Aun'Va Denta, the senior Ethereal on the same council.

The recording began. "Shas'Ui T'au Ar'ka Aun'kath Sia't, it has been a month since you and your bondmates left my side. I hope the Shas'El Vel'ar is as good a soldier as Aun'O D'teylioc claims. I received word from Bork'An of the atrocities committed there. I have, at your recommendation, kept this from the High Council for the time being and have come to an understanding with the Bork'An. These 'Past Walkers', they do not appear in any of our databases and yet their familiarity with our technology is disconcerting. I have spoken, to some length, with my brother D'teylioc and we agree that your journey to Seko is prudent."
Vel'ar stole a glance at Sia't. He had ordered them to remain silent, Sia't had ignored this order, but had 'recommended' discretion to the Aun'El. He turned back to Kath'lan.
"Sia't. My friend. Farsight's disappearance has done something to us. Aun'Va has denounced him, privately for now, but that will change. The Vior'La Council has met in the hopes of forming a task force to go into the Gulf, but the motion was vetoed. Farsight's political opponents are coming out of the woodwork, crying out against his methodology and that he has perverted the teaching's of Puretide. Currently this discordance is regulated to only the highest tiers of government, but it will spread. The Shas are leaderless and I have reports of several of Farsight's acolytes disappearing from their posts. Commander Brightsword is withdrawing his entire contingent, for what we know not. I trust D'teylioc's judgment, Vel'ar was a wise choice, but as this conflict grows he may choose to... It is unwise to speculate. Ensure that the Shas'El performs his tasks. Be mindful of his disposition. Walk the Path, my friend. Ko'vash Tau'va."

The holo image dissipated, it's projector folding back into N'uul's utility pod.

No one said anything. Vel'ar finished his drink, all eyes on him. When he spoke he could feel the hurt pride threatening to turn his tone into a raging bellow, but he refused his anger. "I owe everything, everything, to Commander Farsight." He looked at each Firewarrior before him. "But I am Shas'Eldi. Every breath, every action, my life is dedicated to the Empire and the Greater Good and the same goes for every, single, warrior who is born."

"But you understand-"

"I understand that for the first time in over two millennia I see mistrust between Tau." The revelation was staggering. For an Ethereal to send his personal guard was one thing, Vel'ar's mission was sensitive and had far reaching effects. But to place them on board the Strident to ensure that he, or any Firewarrior, would disobey an order and break the oath bred into their very genes was such an abominable act that Vel'ar almost choked.

"Yes. Mistrust and confusion! Just think, Vel'ar, over the past twenty years the Empire has finally ascended beyond the natural confines of the Cluster, just as our forefather's dreamed for us to do. And what did we find? Humanity, in the untold billions, unwilling to see reason and cursing us as an affront to their corpse-god. The Ar'cea, proud and completely devoid of caring for any but their own immortality. And the Be'gel! When we finally drove them from the Cluster we thought we had exterminated their kind and, instead, they are even more numerous than the Imperium that sought to burn our worlds." Sia't looked away from Vel'ar's judging glare and at the floor.
"And now, our proudest warrior, the Shas'shi'O of our entire Caste, leaves? Why? No message, no word, just a paltry few dictations and you." Vel'ar saw a single tear burn down the Shas'Ui's face, suddenly feeling what she must have. Her and her bondmates had been alone with this knowledge, just like him. "You and the other acolytes, his favorites. Brightsword, Thirdmoon or Bluestar, all of them are ignoring the commands from those we owe our race's existence to. I'm here to ensure you don't do the same thing, Vel'ar. Damn me, curse me, but I will not suffer anyone to bring harm to the covenant of the Greater Good."

____CHOOSE____

Vel'ar feels betrayed, does he return to the Strident to collect his thoughts and determine what to do in light of Aun'El Kath'lan's explanation that Farsight's acolytes are disappearing?

or

Vel'ar feels betrayed, but understands why Aun'qath were sent to be his advisors. Sia't has admitted much, but she's also proven that she trusts Vel'ar. Should he stay with the Firewarriors and return to the Tau quarters of the Primary Dome?

Been really enjoying the updates so far. The glimpse into Tau culture is a really nice touch and adds a whole new dimension to things.

I say Vel'ar stick with the team and head back to the Primary Dome with them. They may have been keeping secrets, but they have not been openly hostile to him. Plus, their desire is to prevent the Empire from splitting apart! Clearly that is a noble goal.

I vote stick with the team, as I see why they did what they did.

It is not for us to question the will of the Ethereals, Stay with the team

Vote passed: He'll stick with the team.

I really am so happy this method of writing is to your liking, it keeps me motivated and it makes me have to come up with new solutions to my plot. This past example was to give you guys an 'out' in the case you wanted to just do something completely different.

An update will be forthcoming (and I hope you Human lover's out there like what's going to happen)

The Mines

All told, they were a score and a half of fully armed, trained, and committed fighters that had answered Lady Serat's call. Yes, they were ragged, carrying makeshift weapons and stolen weaponry, but each of their eyes gleamed with the fire of belief. Serat stood on a pew made from a cargo container, the Imperial Guardsman's Uplifting Primer gripped in her hands. She raised a hand, and the hall silenced instantaneously.

"Children of Terra," she crossed her hands with the sign of the Aquila. Every man and woman matched her. The majority of them, the youngest she would let fight for their cause, were fifteen and had been mere babes when the Crusade had been defeated. They grew up with the parenting of the older children, now adults, and those like Serat who remembered the brightness of the Imperium, of worlds governed by the hands of Mankind. The children had only been told stories, but their faith prospered in the darkness of the xenos realm.
"We assemble here today to do something they said we could never do. That's right, I'm talking about the traitors, those heretics above us who chose to stay with the xeno filth that try and control us!" The small army shouted and roared in protest.
"They try to turn our faces from His light, they try and corrupt us with technologies that were forbidden for a reason, they have tried and tried... Have they succeeded?"

"NO!" Her people shouted in one voice.

"Today, we have been sent a messenger from his Holy Throne, an agent of his Majesty. As the alien sleeps, content in his false dominion, we will rise. They will find us at their throats, find that WE have not forgotten the God-Emperor, find that Humanity is still strong!" She raised a fist and the cheers almost made her go deaf.

***

Lady Serat's army were, by necessity, the only species other than the Vespid who understood the tunnels. The Tau had placed sensor beacons in the key passageways that lead to the lower levels of Primary Dome. Serat and her people knew this, just as they knew of dozens of ways around the beacons, however Serat kept raids to a minimum so that the Enforcers would never know the full extent of her knowledge. They ignored such precautions now. Swarming through air filtration vents, raw unused tunnels and even the sewage tracts.

As her people got into position, Serat took a moment to brief her lieutenants. There were ten of them, each a former Guardsman, and could be trusted unto death. In a cavern just before the spiderweb of passageways split, she had them surround her with only a single glow globe to light the map the stranger had given her.

"Alright boys, this is what we do." She pointed a gnarled finger at the mid-levels. "I want Danul and Fey to take half of the lot and do as much damage as possible." Danul was a stocky, ugly man, from Brimlock but was the more fanatical of her leaders. Fey meanwhile was a good looking woman in her thirties who had been a whore in the camps. Her head was shaved and tattooed with studs and rubber plugs inserted into her ears and nose giving her a feral look. She had fought and struggled tooth and nail to get where she was and wouldn't let Serat down.

"I'll kill everything that breaths, mother." Said Danul, stroking his naval shotgun that was as ugly as he.

"I know you will, Danul. The rest of us will push forward to the admin quarters. They don't have any Firewarriors so we'll be dealing with Enforcers. Up till now these blue fether's have gotten soft, beating our younger kids, and won't know how to react to us using ballistics."

"We'll slaughter 'em."

"No doubt, Keeb. But we want to keep them on the backfoot. Hit 'em with burning cocktails once they start clumping up. Keep the panic going, we make the killings brutal the Por'La won't know what to do." She saw their faces twitch as the alien word disrupted the flow of low-Gothic. "Boys. This'll be the last time we've got to use anything those bluies tried forcing on us, including the blasted language."

"We trust you, mother." Fey nodded to Serat.

Serat's heart swelled with pride. "Alright. Once we've got the Admin we're goin' to hold the blue bastard's in charge hostage."

"Hostage?" That was Danul. "Why? Just put 'em to the blade and-"

"And then what?" He was silent. "That's what I thought... Admin will send out a distress signal. We can't hit the comm relay fast enough so we let the reinforcements from Sept space come. The Tau are soft, they'll negotiate and we get out of here on a ship back to the Imperium."

"Holy Terra... Are we going there, mother?" Young Berr, he was the youngest of the inner circle and had been an infant during the retreat. Terra was an idea, the Emperor a myth that he had only been told stories of. Serat had made the promise long ago that all her 'children' would see the grandeur of Mankind's realm.

"No. But we'll be back in His Light, Berr, you can guarantee that." He smiled, hefting the makeshift crossbow.

"Now. Pray." They knelt, hands interlocking as they gave thanks to the Emperor.

***

Primary Dome

Vel'ar stood on the balcony of the small one room apartment overlooking the lower levels of the dome. He couldn't sleep, his mind racing with the nights events. The rest of the team were sharing rooms next to his own, sleeping off the night.

He had never had his loyalty questioned. The word 'loyalty' itself implied that one could break it and belonged to the more barbaric species like the Ork or even the vaunted Space Marines of humanity. Firewarriors were dedicated to the will of the Empire and sought only to protect those who could not defend themselves. Ambition did not exist amongst the Fire Caste. There was no regulatory body within the Empire for the Tau themselves and the idea that Aun'Qath units were being used to find Farsight's acolytes was unsettling as it was alien.

Aun'El Kath'lan had mentioned Sub-Commander Brightsword, the fiercest and most accomplished of Farsight's personal retinue. Vel'ar remembered, during the counter-attack in Gal'arn, Farsight had chosen Brightsword to command a wing of Battlesuits to act as a diversion. The odds had been suicidal; a frontal attack on a titan. All Farsight had needed to do was say the word and warrior from Tash'Var had climbed back into his XV-8 and leapt into the sky.

And now he was under suspicion. Unbelievable.

Vel'ar put his hands on the bannister. The view of Cerax was supposed to be the best from here, all that meant was he could see all the way down to the base of the Dome and all the way up. The Dome was different from those on Vior'La. Where his home had been thick, meters thick fio'tak the Ceraxian dome was carved from the natural rock giving it an organic look. The Vespid had carved the inside of the the dome just like their indigenous nests on their homeworld. The buildings, platforms and walkways were honeycombed on the walls and left the center space open. At the very apex, three kilometers up, was the docking ring where the Strident and other vessels hung, anchored by tractor beams.

Would he go? He had the authority to. He could take the Strident and fly to... Where? The Empire was everything and if he tried to break ranks and search out his teacher he would only be confirming T'au's fears. But he could bring Farsight back, couldn't he? The Strident was the fastest ship the Tau had ever built, maybe--

There was a rumble beneath his hooves. He instinctively looked down. Twelve levels to the base floor, a fireball was slowly expanding upward. And then the shooting started.

Another great installment, Calmsword!
I will say now without shame that I am not a "Human lover", but I still can't help but pity the rebels. I'm very intrigued to see how this plays out.

Oh man, things are really heating up! I'm excited to see where it goes.

Curious to see if a battle suit will pop up anywhere. Crossbow vs. XV8: who would win?

Talk about a cliffhanger...like are you trolling on purpose? XD

I loved that chapter, and I'm looking forward to the continuation.

-tis

If you've ever played a call of duty game then: crossbow / knife / sharpened stick = superior to any and all modern weaponry.

If this equation is anything to go off of then it doesnt look good for the tau





Thieves and parasites. Had their roles been reversed and the Imperium forced the retreat of the empire, any and all Tau left behind would have been brutally slaughtered down to the last child (heck, my templars probably would have made a game of it). The fact that they refuse the gifts of the empire and choose to live as outsiders is no grounds for sympathy. Bring forth a final gift of pulse fire .

... ahem.... sorry about that... my Tau alter ego gets the better of me sometimes. must remember what colour my skin is...

don't keep us waiting too long for our next fix calmsword I look forward to Jeth's "diplomatic" solution

Chapter 7: The Puppet Strings

The Administration of Cerax, like any Water Caste colonial institution, had protocols for nearly every situation. Early, in the First Sphere, the Water Caste learned firsthand the duplicitous nature of the Galaxy. It was a rarity that an entire race would, or even could, wholeheartedly join the Empire. The Demiurge were a prime example or Humanity itself. Planets, continents, cities and sometimes individual ships would willingly adhere to the edicts of the Empire even as there brethren fought tooth and nail for misguided independence. Sabotage, assassinations and terrorism had taught the Empire much.

So when an explosion erupted through an atmospheric generator for the lower living quarters in the Primary Dome the response was swift. Enforcers arrived in air cars and light armored skimmers and cordoned off the area. They were armed as heavily as possible together with green tinged carapace armor, wary of a possible attack.

Once secure, Por'La medical staff arrived, pulling out hurt facility workers as emergency drones dowsed the area with fire repellent foam. It was the hour before Cerax's artificial 'day' started and so many bystanders were drawn to the spectacle. Humans, Uftok, members of every race on Cerax were part of the crowd.

And thusly the perfect target.

Danul grinned as he moved behind a group of humans dressed in blue and orange jumpsuits. They were workers of some type, maybe miners. It didn't matter. They were traitors to their race. He pulled the cloak off his shotgun, the polished aquila glinting in the Dome's light.

"For the Emperor!" At point blank range the home-made scatter shot tore his first target in half, pelting another three heretics with super hot pellets and turning their flesh into rags.

This shot was the signal. All around the bomb site, humans in nothing but rags unsheathed blades or opened fire with stolen arms. Danul saw Keeb open up on full auto, cutting down a bloody swath of bystanders in a spray of automatic fire. This drove the bystanders forward, screaming as they did, right into the Tau Enforcer line. The Enforcers, in their confusion, opened fire blindly, turning the whole scene into a meat grinder.

Danul laughed psychotically as he waded into the slaughter. He had fixed a bayonet onto the front of the gun, stabbing any that got to close or as he reloaded.

"Praise be! Praise be!" Danul looked and saw one of his younger fighters, Brenel, stabbing a terrified bull-Uftok over and over as he hung onto the two meter tall alien. The blade was not long enough to cut through the beasts thick skin, but the boy was doing his best to aim for arm pits, eyes and ears.

"That's it boys!" He blew the head off the body of a strange tentacled thing and kicked it back. They were walking over the dead now, a thick mangled garden of corpses. Blue, green, purple and red gore covered him as he finally made it to the Enforcers.

They were terrified, fighting the crowd and Serat's army, laying waste to everything before them. But some of the Uftok had breached them, charging forward and knocking them down to try and get away from the massacre. Holes had opened up in their line and Danul wasted no time exploiting it.

Danul ran, sidestepping an Enforcer as the Por'La opened fire with his pistol. Danul gutted him with a savage stab, looking into the aliens red, pain filled, eyes behind it's plastic visor.

"For the Crusade, xeno filth!" He didn't know if the Tau could understand him and it didn't matter. He fired, rupturing the armor and spraying it's innards all over the other Enforcers. They turned, one vomited, one drew a stun baton and he laughed again letting the Tau close with him before ramming the stock of the gun into it's stomach, doubling over the Enforcer and driving him to the ground.

The rest of the human rebels fell upon the numerically greater Tau with hoots and war cries. Most of the Enforcer's simply dropped their weapons or fled. A brave few stood their ground, shooting back or grappling in brief melees as they were stabbed and beaten to death.

By the time the fighting stopped there were hundreds of corpses lining the streets and under the still burning ruin of the power station, Danul raised his shotgun in defiance.

"We got them now, boys! Strip the dead! Take their weapons! For the mother!"

"For the mother!" They shouted. They were victorious, but it wouldn't end here, they had the rest of the city to cleanse and the Tau had given them the weapons to do so.

"And for the Emperor!"

*

In the shadows, floating imperceptibly between two buildings, the familiar eye of a Tau air drone calmly recorded everything that had taken place, then slowly drifted away.

***

At the same time as the bomb went off, Serat launched her attack on the Administration building, the highest Tau structure of the colony that curved upward along the side of the Primary Dome like a massive half arch. At it's apex were the hangars for alien and Tau ships, each one suspended over the city.

Most of the Enforcer's had hurried away when she calmly motioned her half of the army forward. Fifty men and women raced across the promenad before it, racing around a fountain and some artificially sustained foliage. A lone Enforcer looked at them, unable to act her confusion was so great, as she stood at the gate into the inner gardens that led to the main structure.

She raised a hand, the other going to the pistol on her leg.

"Stop! This is a restricted area, please return to-" Serat shot her square in the chest. The round didn't go through her armor but it rocked her off her hooves to the ground. Serat ran through the open portal. Arry, one of Serat's girls, paused only to plant a dagger under the Enforcer's visor into her neck before following the rest.

The Dome's walls were beginning to glow with the coming day cycle, casting everything in a peaceful gold light. Rich greens and strange purples, plants imported from distant Tau worlds, flourished here with the care of garden drones that flew like swollen harvester insects. The wide path continued, snaking through the beauty the Tau had brought here and leading to the tower.

Serat didn't care if the whole place burned, and if she were lucky she would watch it do just that. What mattered were the alarms ringing out over the lawns and the closing and the deadly drones.

"Go! Go! Go!" Fifty humans broke through the foliage, trampling flowers who's price could be numbered in the value of a spice trader's personal yacht. They wooted and cheered one another along, even as a swarm of gun drones descended from their target.

"Mother! Mother they're getting closer!" Young Tylo yelled from behind her, his voice cracking with adolescence.

"Viktor!" She shouted not breaking pace. The big Brimlokian picked up speed, unslinging a satchel the Imperial agent had given Serat's people for this purpose. He had told them not to open it and she had obeyed.

She could hear the whine of the grav thrusters of the drones. There were dozens of them, enough to reduce them to ash and dust. They were lining up in delta 'V' formations, revving up to attack speeds.

"Now?" Big. Big and stupid.

"NOW!"

He tossed the bag forward, almost tripping over himself. The satchel hit the ground fifty meters ahead of them, skipped, then lay inert.

"What?" Serat slowed, the rest of the humans with her. They were breathing hard, lungs ravaged by exertion. She could now make out individual details on the drones. Unit designation, power cells glowing and ready to unleash death.

"We are betrayed!" A wail built amongst the humans. The drones were almost on them.

Serat, sweat streaming from her brow, hefted her husband's lasgun, and snarled at them, "It doesn't matter! Fire!" She brought up her lasgun and opened up, the rest following suit.

The drones closed, firing streams of pulse fire. Serat knew that they were woefully inaccurate, but that wouldn't matter. Her people were in open ground, half of them armed with low-caliber pistols. They would be slaughtered.

The first wave of drones suddenly dropped from the sky, as if their thrusters had shut down. Then the next wave and the next, each drone forming a crater where it crashed into the soil. It was almost comical had they not been ready to die a moment before. Soon, all the drones were completely inoperable.

"Mother?" Viktor said.

Serat had no idea, then she saw the satchel. She grinned, "The Emperor protects, Viktor, didn't you know?" She shouldered the las gun and began to run again, "Charge!"

***

Vel'ar caught the sloppy dagger swipe and kneed the human in the stomach. He doubled over, the breath forced out of him. Vel'ar chopped down, breaking the human's neck vertebre and killing him. He spun, just in time to catch another assailant rushing him with a club.

He let the first attack hit him, grunting as a left rib cracked. He let the momentum push him into the hallway wall before he grabbed the human by the wrist and yanked him close. The human smelled like waste, Vel'ar thought as he bit the man's soft cheek and ripped it out. The human screamed horribly before Vel'ar punched him in the neck and silenced him forever.

Further down the hall Jeth was moving through the building like death made manifest. He had somehow gotten a hold of a machete, leaving behind dismembered humans wherever he went. He didn't stop killing until the floor was secure.

"They came through the sewers." Nuu'l said passively, wiping blood off his his tech glove.

Vel'ar spat the flesh from his mouth, almost gagging. "Is everyone okay?"

Jeth meandered back, wiping the blood on the machete on his fatigues. They had left their armor and weapons on board the Strident, but a Firewarrior's weapons did not end with a gun.

"Ali'yan should be downstairs with Ghel'uun, Sia't and Cubor checked in with me before going for a walk." Nuu'l finished cleaning the device. "They could be anywhere."

"Let's go." He took the club, what looked like the handle of a sledgehammer, from the dead human.

The attack had come moments after the explosion. Up and down the streets gunfire and screams could were heard shortly before they entered the habitat. They had not expected to find the Firewarriors.

They regrouped with Ali'yan on the second floor. She had locked several terrified Por'La visiting merchants in their rooms with Ghel'uun and had used a broken chair leg to beat a human to death. She was shaken up, Vel'ar could see that, but her training had kicked in. It had for them all.

Ghel'uun, meanwhile, had taken a beating and was treating his own broken left arm. He was annoyed more than hurt by the injury. "I got sloppy." Is all he said when Vel'ar opened the door to the apartment.

"Are you good to go?" Vel'ar asked, Ghel'uun nodded.

"It's one way to get over a hangover, I don't even feel my head." He rose, teetering a moment. He wrapped then bound his arm to his side so that it was strapped to his body. "Ready."

Outside, the streets were bereft of life, the corpses twisted in their final moments of terror. In the distance there was more fire and the sounds of a riot.

"Terrorists... the word makes sense." Jeth said.

"This isn't good." Ghel'uun pointed at a pile of corpses, blood splashed against the wall. "They're extremists, they killed their own."

"Where are the Enforcers?" Ali'yan asked, looking up toward the Administration tower.

"Look at those scorch marks, Shas'El. They're using pulse weapons." Nuu'l said, pointing at the tell-tale carbon scoring. "They probably hit a security bunker or..." He trailed off, seeing an Enforcer who had been hung out a second story window.

Vel'ar wiped his face with the back of his hand. "They're weren't trained for this, but a better question is what happened to the security protocols. There should be droids, gun drones, where are they?"

Nuu'l opened typed into his tech glove, pulling a holo screen up. "I'm accessing the network..." The holo image flickered, then turned an alarming yellow. "Something's attacking the city's mainframe, shutting everything down. What in the sand's is this?"

"Is the Strident safe?" Vel'ar demanded.

"It's fine but all communication is being jammed. If we get to a terminal I can patch us through directly, wait- Ethereal's light!" Nuu'l looked up, "That transport is going to blow-"

Kilometers above them at the docking ring one of the transport ships exploded with a white blinding flash as if a star had been violently born. It eclipsed the structure of the ring, blasting apart another two ships in it's death. As if in slow motion, tendrils of debris expanded across the ceiling, raining down on the city.

"Move!" Vel'ar grabbed Nuu'l and shoved the tech forward. A heartbeat later, a piece of red hot shrapnel the size of an air car rammed into the habitat.

"Shtlk! Shtlk! Shtlk!" Nuu'l put his hand up as something slashed his face.

They dove into the cover of a shop front, Ghel'uun shouting in pain as he landed on his arm.

"By the sands, calm down." Jeth grabbed Nuu'l and pulled him him close then shoved him to the ground. "A vrek'n scratch." He turned to Vel'ar. "Cubor and Sia't are still out there, Shas'El. And who knows how Kro'le is doing in the hospital with those five fingered scum running around. What do we do?"

_______

Choice

1 Look for Sia't and Cubor

2 Look for a Terminal

3 Split up- Vel'ar may choose either Ali'yan or Nuu'l to accomplish mission 1 or 2 respectfully and send Jeth to accomplish the other or get to the medical facility and collect Kro'le.

Ghel'uun will remain with Vel'ar.

I vote split up - The whole reason they're on Cerax is to save Kro'le.

I say, Vel'ar and Nuu'l find Sia't and Cubor, and Jeff and Ali'yan help Kro'le. Once they're regrouped as a unit they can focus on other matters.