Story:The Shape Of The Nightmare To Come 50k section02
Section 02: The Situation in the East: The Tau Empire
The Eastern fringe. Ever a realm barely touched by Imperial influence, initially it was the least effected by the fall of the Imperium (except that, no petty Imperiums ever formed from the ashes of Imperial rule in the eastern fringe). The area merely became marginally more anarchic and barbarous. However, the devastation of Kraken, and later hive fleet Talos, ravaged the fringe horrendously. Soon after, the next wave of Ork/Tyranid hybrids surged from the west, murdering thousands of worlds. A hundred dozen civilisations were wiped out, and when the various hordes of monsters left, the fringe was utterly fragmented, and countless worlds were left as nothing but rocks.
Of course, as with most genocides and disasters, history and life did not disappear. Some races, even empires, managed to evade destruction, either through guile, luck or sheer blood-mindedness. The Largest of the surviving Empires was the Tau Empire. In fact, because the Tau did not rely upon the 'deep' Warp for travel, the crippling warp storms throughout the galaxy did little to hamper them. With little opposition, the Tau embarked upon multiple expansions, on multiple fronts. Their optimism and hope seemed frankly surreal to the crippled, dying civilisations around them. However, this idealism and hope soon faded, just like everyone else's. Everywhere they tried to bring into the greater Good were dead. The Tau expanded into their inheritance. They were, however, inheriting the universe of ash. Ash and cold misery.
Sometime around M43, during the eighteenth and nineteenth sphere expansions, Tau policy began to subtly change. The Ethereals no longer recommended offering civilisations the chance to join the greater good. It was decided, at the Aun Council of 234. M43 (presided over by Aun'Va himself), that the other races of the galaxy were hopelessly barbarous. The other races allowed their worlds to die, they made war with each other, even when in the wake of such an atrocity, unity would be the best option. In short, they must be forced into submission, and their people ruled over by the only beings capable of logical, spiritual thought: the Ethereals.
By 003. M44, a dozen decades into the hundredth sphere expansion, the Tau Empire stretched from the dead worlds of Ichar, to the barren howling worlds. In total, it spanned roughly two dozen sectors, and comprised just over a thousand worlds. Perhaps 55% of these worlds were dead, and in the slow, agonising process of Terraforming (involving constant bombardments with bio engineered-algae and various Pechoid plant accelerants , which nonetheless took millennia to make worlds fully habitable). The Tau had become slightly more pro-Tau, and anti-xenos during this period. For instance, client races were forbidden from electing leaders of the various Sept systems, and were confined to the poorest locations upon worlds. This was a Tau Empire, and the Tau wanted everyone to understand this. The other races were inferior, as they had ruined paradise with their wars.
Communication was slow, but regular in this expanded Tau Empire. Without astropaths, they relied on the billions of communication drones and messenger boats, which pulsed near constantly between Septs, only leaving the 'shallow' warp when delivering messages. Tau technology advanced along with its borders. Their ships were more heavily armed and protected than ever before. Limited cloning nad genetic technology allowed greater medical care, with each Tau having access to multiple cloned blood samples, limbs, and even eyes. Drone technology gained greater and greater sophistication, and the first entirely drone-controlled battle computer was released in 103. M44. Pulse weaponry became more reliable and effective, and gunships and battle suits of unprecedented quality were invented during this period. In the Segmentum Tempestus, the Tau are the central power
Yet, for all it's unity and promise, the Tau empire could not maintain a completely centralised Empire, despite their best efforts. Space was too vast, and their vessels too slow. Some Septs were barely visited by the central authorities, while others had vast Aun control set upon them. However, most continued to follow the Greater Good according to Aun'Va and the orthodox council of the Ethereals. There were, however, two major exceptions.
The Enclaves, Tau colonies cut off from the Empire by warp anomalies in late M41, became all the more isolated from the Tau in the 42nd millennium, as the anomaly became a raging warp storm. It was not until M43, that news of the enclaves was heard, and the enclaves had changed markedly. Without the Ethereals, the enclaves became a realm dominated by the fire caste. The greater good, as a concept, had been rejected by these Tau. Only grim resolve and a strong arm allowed survival in a hostile galaxy. The caste system was virtually abolished, and inter-caste inter mingling was not outlawed. Only the fire caste, the new military elite, remained aloof of caste interbreeding. However, though not enforced, the caste system remained in spirit, as each caste intrinsically distrusted the other. Even more strangely, the farsight enclaves now operated under a sort of decentralised vassal system. Territories upon Enclave worlds were carved up between the new high caste-within-a-caste, the Shas'Kasar. Each of these powerful warlords had acquired battle suits, and each of these Kasar maintained their own little fiefdom. They maintained many fire caste soldiers as their vassals. Each of these fiefs sheltered other caste members, on the assumption they would provide a tax to their lords, in exchange for protection. The Shas'Kasar, in turn owed allegiance to the Shas'O'Shovah'Kasar, the overall grand Kasar of the enclaves. For many centuries this rank was held by Farsight himself. However, after his death, this rank passed to his sons, and became, in effect, hereditary (though, through the centuries, the position of Grand Kasar has been disputed, and the line of succession is a tangled web, far too complex to go into here). Upon the passing of a grand Kasar, the ceremonial armour of Farsight is granted to them, and they are anointed Grand Kasar, by kissing the hilt of the Dawnblade, the symbol of Enclave liberty (a blade no longer drawn by Enclave Tau, but instead enshrined within Farsight's tomb upon the world of Fio-Mon'Tarra.
To survive, the Enclaves abandoned the concept of refining their technology. Instead, they relied on trade between rival empires and between merchants and the like. Thus, the Enclaves became a melting pot of differing technologies, all utilised by the Kasar in order to survive. Though not as technologically advanced as their Tau neighbours, the Enclaves have large numbers of fire caste warriors, and a willingness to use other races' equipment should the need arise. For instance, there are several occasions where enclave troopers have been seen wielding lasguns, carapace armour, Daconial nano-crystalline armour, digital weapons, or other such gear, in conjunction with Tau technology, in some strange hybridisation of technologies. So far, it has kept them relatively powerful, and resistant to sporadic Tau Empire assaults.
The second subversive element came into being much later. By M43, the Empire was in full expansive operations. However, it took several centuries until the process of colonisation and organisation of water caste administration could be implemented fully on every Sept world and system. One such neglected Sept colony was one of the furthest a field. Located on the northern border of Tau expansion across the fringe, To'Kaan sept was colonised late on. Though a verdant world, the Aun could only spare a single exploration fleet to colonise and inhabit . To bolster numbers in the colonial army, many Gue'Vesa auxiliary troops were utilised. To'Kaan was subdued by this combined force, though the battle was difficult, due to the fanatical resolve of the native warrior Hu'Sta, a human tribal culture that made excellent use of captured Tau equipment during the year long invasion. Aun'Kais, the commanding ethereal on the expedition, was so impressed with the Hu'Sta's abilities, he offered them roles within the occupying Tau force. Though the Tau fire caste were sceptical of these uncultured warriors, the Gue'Vesa took to them very well, instructing them on the philosophies of the greater Good, and training them in the use of Tau equipment (even though the Hu'sta had utilised much of the Tau equipment already, during the war). In turn, the HU'Sta explained how they worshipped the great white serpent, and also taught the Gue'Vesa some of their ambush techniques and unique battle tactics.
As the colony became less and less visited by the Tau central authority, Aun'Kais became more and more reliant upon his various Gue'Vesa subjects to fend off threats to his colony's security. Though the expedition was well staffed by Water, Earth and Air Caste, the Fire Caste sent had been a smaller umber to begin with. The wars against the Hu'Sta depleted them further, and over the centuries, the fire warriors became less and less viable as a firing force, as their numbers weren ot being replaced as well as their Gue'Vesa-He'Sta allies could. The Gue'O of the He'Sta contingent, Baldan Rar, got closer to Aun'Kais than any other commander. The two often consulted one another upon tactics and strategies. Aun'Kais would often got advice from Baldan on how to keep the majority-human population of the Sept colony appeased, and in turn, Aun'Kais would entrust more and more duties. The Hu'Sta converted to the philosophy of the greater good rather well, incorporating their serpent god into the myriad meanings of the greater good.
Upon the death of Aun'Kais, a dispute broke out amidst the remaining subordinate Ethereals. Several of them recommended them selves for the role of Overall colonial leader. There was an important distinction between the two main groups that built up amongst the Ethereals. There were the Traditionalists, who argued that, upon becoming supreme Sept Aun, that the Fire Caste should be put in overall command of defence once more. The other group were pro-Gue groups, who believed the Gue'Vesa had been doing a perfectly fine job of defending the realm. In the end, through honour duels, personal and public elections, and outright intrigue, the pro-Gue groups got their wish, and Baldan remained overall military commander. Oddly for the traditionalists, Baldan's supporters were not just from the Gue'Vesa and the general Gue population, but also from the majority of the Earth and Water Castes also. The successor to the Aunship of the Sept fell to Aun'J'Karra. As it would transpire, this ethereal was rather weak as a leader, and was virtually a puppet for Baldan and his successors.
By the time more regular contact had been established by the Tau empire with To'Kaan, in 335.M46, it was barely recognisable as a tau sept world. Humans and Tau were almost equals, with the Tau filling in most non-military roles, while the militant 'Gue Caste' sat on the council of castes, and fought at the fore front of most assaults, with the only fire caste remaining piloting the battle suits mostly (due tot heu unique designs of the battle suits, tailored ast hey were, for Tau alone). Chief Commander Moonheart of the Tau Imperial forces, even requested permission to invade To'Kaan, and 'cleanse' it of its perceived subversion of the greater good. Aun'Va however, vetoed this plan, and decided to instead recognise the right of To'Kaan, the nick-named 'human colony', as being part of the Empire. This was mainly because the Hu'Sta had so completely converted to the greater good, only their brutal tribal clubs (wielded n battle by every Hu'Sta Gue'Vesa) remained of their old culture. The Gue'vesa contingent were there to stay, and would evntually become a key ally in the long war against the Thexian elite and their allies(which will be documented at a later date).