NationStates Jolt Archive

The Tau Empire had not been left out during the galactic shuffle that had been going on. The Ethereals had taken notice of the wars beginning to break out amongst the stars, and knew it was the perfect time to begin another Expansion, or the Fourth Phase Sphere Expansion as it was known. The Commander of that force, Shas'O Ieir'ra, was sent along with a significant portion of the Tau military and fleet. After all, she was going to have to do a lot of fighting. The Fourth Sphere Expansion had been relatively short, for an Expansion campaign, but incredibly fierce. The surprising part had been they had encountered no resistance from the Imperials, the Eldar, none of their major enemies. Only small civilizations who had much chance to grow and become powerful. But that was before the Tau, with their powerful technology and addicting message, before they arrived. The Ethereal assigned to Ieir'ra's command had been very persuasive and was a kind, if very young, Ethereal.

Together, they swept over countless planets, adding much territory to the Tau Empire for the Greater Good. However, disaster struck in the later phases, when Ieir'ra began to consolidate her holdings, fully incorporate the new races into the Tau Empire. During a mission on one of the last strongholds on a planet, an alien sniper killed the Ethereal. Suddenly, without his presence and guidance, the Tau force began to fall apart. Bickering between Gue'la, Tau, Kroot, and Vespid, as well as the other races inducted. It took everything Ieir'ra had to prevent civil war on the spot. Fortunately, she was a very inspirational and charismatic leader, often saving her troops from horrible fates. She had the respect of her soldiers, well-earned, and they respected her pleas for peace.

It wasn't as if she was unaffected, however. She knew of the Farsight Colonies, and of the same situation with him. How an Ethereal had died. How contact had been lost. How bitter Farsight had become. She worried about her own fate, and as such, she had prepared a messenger ship to go to Tau, asking for help and instructions.

However, fate stepped and gave the Tau Empire another loss. A massive warp storm, cutting across all the space ways back to the Empire, appeared and refused to go away. It was as if the Warp itself was working to prevent their return.

Trapped, Ieir'ra had not choice but to build up her consolidated worlds, forming a series of colonies into a nation, and to wait for the storm to abate. That had been ten years ago, and things had changed immensely.

The lack of new technology and any reinforcements from Tau mean that they had to colonize all the planets they had fully, in case the worst case scenario came, that they never got back. They had to quickly establish a government, get an economy up, everything had to be rebuilt from the ground up. If it hadn't been for the strength and discipline of the Fire Caste, and the diplomatic powers of the Water Caste, Ieir'ra would have lost control long ago.

Over the decade, a government had formed due to her efforts. The Fire Caste, normally unsuitable for such positions, had assumed command of the nation. They didn't do all the necessary paperwork that was the oil of machinery, nor did they actively govern, that was Ieir'ra's job. A tough one, having to do that in tandem with her role as commander of the entire military. They had reformed the military a bit, as it still retained the Cadre's formation, but it added more troops and equipment, as well as new troops due to the conquests. The navy retained its form, if only to be spread out amongst the new nation, to protect its new charges.

Unbeknownst to them, a part of the Warp Storm surrounding them had given way, allowing their transmission from ten years ago to shoot out, and go out amongst the stars, allowing anyone to hear. Of course, it was aimed away from the Tau Empire, but any nation in that direction could potentially hear it and respond....


OOC: Alright, this is an intro thread, but it is geared towards my little Tau rogue nation to be recruited by the Republic. Others may come in, if they wish, but don't expect them to be drawn into any alliances or anything.

It was not large, the strike team, but when it popped through the gap the garrison of warp energy had decided to create, it conveyed all the necessary messages. Strength, power, glory and dignity. Three Patrician-class destroyers, in a wedge formation, formed the center of the battle team. Seemingly in no order, a group of six Tsunami frigates flanked the destroyers on the sides and top and bottom.

The nearest planet was like a jewel in the void, though in truth, all planets were, for they were illuminated and colorful; a break in the black and white image that was space. But beauty mattered not to the fleet as it approached, shields raised and weapons hot and ready. There was a small assortment of military vessels in the area, albeit more ships than the Republic had sent, but not too many regardless.

A transmission rang out on all open frequencies, designed to hit the planet, the nearby alien starships, and anything else capable of picking up a transmission.

"This is Commander Trak. Under the authority of General Germanicus, who speaks for the Senate and People of the Republic, I demand that you stand down all weapons and defences, and prepare for inspection. I have come in the name of the Republic to ascertain the situation here, and should we find that this outpost is indeed a Dratherian controlled area, prepare to be destroyed."

The Tau were quickly caught off-guard by the transition of a Republic strike force into real space. Alarms were sounded, and troops began to mobilize on the surfaces of the planets, messenger ships being prepared to inform the rest of the colonies about the situation, especially Shas'O Ieir'ra. All of the ships currently in the system began to converge on their location, seeking to confront whatever had decided to invade their space.

Drones that constantly monitored the warp storm which had cut them off from all outside contact, were now all turned to monitor the Republic fleet, scans washing over them smoothly. They wasted not a single moment or motion to get what information they could. The commander of the fleet in this system, Kor'O'Shaesla, was aboard a Or'es El'leath (Custodian) Class Battleship (http://spaceship.brainiac.com/GamesWork/bfg-custodian.jpeg), along with a series of other ships. He currently was only able to summon aroun six ships to him: two Lar'Shi'Vre (Protector) Class Cruisers (http://spaceship.brainiac.com/GamesWork/bfg-protector.jpeg), three Lar'Shi (Hero) Class Cruisers (http://us.games-workshop.com/games/bfg/fleets/Tau/taufleet/images/hero.jpg), along with their innumerable escort craft that protected them. As the Republic message was received, the fleet moved to intercept the Republic ships, but they did not arm weapons just yet. Shields were up, but they made no hostile moves. If a battle was to start, it would have to be their initiative to do so.


"This is Commander Trak. Under the authority of General Germanicus, who speaks for the Senate and People of the Republic, I demand that you stand down all weapons and defences, and prepare for inspection. I have come in the name of the Republic to ascertain the situation here, and should we find that this outpost is indeed a Dratherian controlled area, prepare to be destroyed."

Shaesla eyebrows narrowed in annoyance. Were all Gue'la so arrogant and demanding in this galaxy? He turned towards his communications officer. <"Get me a channel with the ship that transmission originated from. And have all Barracuda and Tiger Shark fighters ready for combat.">

<"For the Greater Good.">

A channel was quickly opened, and a calm, but stern message was sent to the Taledonians.

"This is Kor'O'Shaesla, commander of the fleet in this system. The authority of your 'General', nor that of your Senate, is recognized here. After all, we don't know of you, and this is our territory. The only rules to be followed are our rules. We will not power down our defenses, nor will we submit for inspection. If you want to meet face to face to discuss our initial relations, that is fine, but I must say, you are off to a horrible start.

As for these....'Dratherians, you speak of....we have never heard of them, and can assure you that none such species has entered our space."

"Then," came the reply, in a most amicable tone, "I formally appologise. It would be a great honor to meet your people on behalf of mine. I leave it at your leisure to decide the location."

Immeadiatly the weapons began to cool as they were powered down, and the shielding flashed for a moment as it was disabled. The initial battle formation remained, but this was simply because re-maneuvering to form something else wasn't of the greatest concern.

Trak began to walk towards the main doors of the bridge quickly but calmly. "Make ready a shuttle to ferry me wherever they decide to greet me. You have the bridge, Leon."

He moved through the softly lit grey halls, his polished officers shoes making an echoe as they touched the black floor that shined with polish. He passed an army of people on his way, all of them saluting crisply as he passed, content to receive one in return.

Shaesla sighed. It was good to see they could see their mistake and try to make up for it. He would keep mention of this from any of the reports, if any other incidents like this didn't crop up again. Opening up the channel again, he sent a reply.

I accept your apology. I will meet you on my ship. I look forward to meeting you. Kor'O'Shaesla out."

As the Taledonians prepared to exit their ship, and head to the Tau battleship, Shaesla made preparations of his own. He had the room selected for the meeting cleaned, and prepared, with food appropriate for humans set out for the diplomat and his guests, along with plenty of finery and splendor befitting a diplomat, especially Gue'la ones. Tau had learned from experience that they desired power and often were swayed by compliments and given fine things. Two Figuards were put at the doorway, their armor giving off a fine dark blue sheen as was befitting the Sept that Shaesla came from.

With all this in place, he found himself in the hangar, with a bodyguard of veteran Firewarriors, waiting for the Taledonian emissary.

The craft touched down gracefully within the Tau vessel. Steam shot out of vents directed at the ground as the engines cooled, creating a sort of fog that was split by the descending platform. Was it not for the pristine, clean silver of the ships hull, or the amicable smile that was on the descending man's face, the scene would have looked sinister. Behind the captain, in double-file, came Republican legionaries.

They were the same as any legionary, wearing the full armor that covered head to toe and gave off the appearance of men of silver. In their hands were blasters, held casually so as to show no sign of aggression, but the almost faceless helmets made it impossible to know the intent of the men wielding them. As the last man made it off the ramp, they stopped and stood still. Trak went ahead, however, straight towards the awaiting group of aliens. Extending his arm for a forearm clasp of greeting to the one who looked in charge, he waited.

One of the three destroyers was a Marionetonian ship, the Hell Hath No Fury. It was a measure of the Marionetonians' loyalty to the republic that, when the planet had been integrated into the Republic proper, many of their legions were kept together. The Marionetonians had quickly earned the respect of their Taledonian brothers with their hard work and willingness to go the extra parsec. They were warriors, and, when they went to battle, as with all warriors, it was victory or death. Right now, that meant that Hell Hath was keeping her crew on full alert, and her sensors primed and pointed at the planet. If anything moved the wrong way, it wouldn't take long for the little ship to dish out a much-needed lesson in manners to any barbaric foreigner who needed it.

The good news was that this bunch hadn't been your run-of-the-mill barbarians. They had recognized Senator Germanicus' message for what it was: a gesture of defense against a dread and evil foe, not intended for them. They'd passed the IQ test--and those who failed it seldom lived to receive a second grading.

So the crew of Hell Hath No Fury stood at the ready, and watched proudly--proud of the Republic, and proud of this, its newest potential member--as events continued to unfold.

Shaesla watched as the Taledonian craft gently eased its way into the hangar bay and landed, the steam from the landing fouled up the area, but sensors easily penetrated it, keeping an eye on what was going on. The descending man's smile was a bit surprising, as most humans they had encountered were mostly grim and unhappy. At the sign of the blasters being held by the strangely armored warriors, the bodyguards hefted their weapons a little higher, and focused more on their surroundings.

However, Shaesla was quick to prevent any such thing, even though the chance was low for such an occurrence. Trak walked forward and extended a hand, a human custom known as a "handshake", if he remembered correctly. He was surprised to see that he grasped for his forearm instead of his hand, and noted in the back of his mind a new human custom to remember. Doing his best, he followed suit and nodded in respect to the Taledonian commander.

<"Greetings, Commander. My apologies for the tense situation before, but we have our orders, and our response was normal. Although, from what you had said to me, you appear to be in some kind of conflict with these....Dratherians, no? Ah, but I am moving too fast. I am Kor'O'Shaesla, or Admiral as you humans call it, of the Ieiran Colonies. What may I do for you?">

Trak looked the alien directly in the eyes, trying to pierce through into its mind to see what it was thinking, and to attempt to accertain what kind of man, and people, he was meeting.

"I appologise for the rather abrunt, and if I dare say so, rude intrusion into your territory, uh, Kor Oh Sheshla? Did I say that right? I appologise if I haven't, it's not everyday that we meet a race with such...interesting names. Interesting, I mean, in the way it differs from ours."

He released his grip on the arm of the xeno infront of him, and looked about, taking in the docking bay, and the armed guards behind the Admiral. This man's guards, it seemed, were edgy, so he turned slightly to give a quick hand motion, which made his own guards move quickly. In precise unison, they moved the butt of their blasters to the ground, and held on to the barrel by the right hand only, a sign of attentive ease.

"Personally, my fellow, I could use something to drink, if you have it. In my haste to get over here, I skipped taking a glass of wine before departing. Apart from that, I can think of nothing that I need." He joked at the question, and looked around again somewhat awkwardly. Hopefully the entire encounter would not occur in this ship depot?

"As for the Dratherians, we are at war with them. They are a crude people, barbaric in nature and zealots to a mad faith. They kill all who is not human, and all humans who do not think as they do. The Imperium, I believe, is their title, for the moment. Soon enough our forces shall destroy their military and leaders, and free their people from oppression. This, in turn, is the reason for my blunt and unfriendly opening greeting. I was in turn following orders myself."

When the Commander had his men calm down, the bodyguards replied as well, lowering their weapons and relaxing. The Tau had faced many situations where negotiations had turned into fire fights. When Trak tried to look into the Tau's eyes, he saw two large blue eyes which stared at him with a mix of curiosity, and determination, with the normal amount of calm reserve once saw in military beings.

Shaesla was shocked to find that they had encountered the Imperium, and were even talking of crushing it. The Tau had won many a battle with them, but their resources were not to be underestimated, nor their vast numbers. He took some moments to recalculate his thoughts. <"It is alright, Commander. As you have said, you have followed orders. I can understand that. As for drinks, I planned on moving us to a better spot for negotiations anyways. If you'll follow me...."> He waved and then turned towards a hallway, allowing Trak time to catch up to him. As they walked down the hallway, he continued talking.

<"These....Dratherians sound a lot like the Imperium of Man, one of our many enemies. Zealots to the point of madness, unable to see the horrors they perpetrate, but to their defense, the Imperium had to deal with the likes of Chaos, which we still do not understand. I am confused as to hear of another of their kind. And to be frank, it is hard to imagine a nation being able to destroy one as large as the Imperium."> As he talked, they made their way to a room, flanked by two more guards. Shaesla made a barely noticeable twitch, and the bodyguards left.

<"You can have your men go relax in the local barracks, or cafetera, or stand outside the door. Whichever you prefer."> He waved to the table, which had a variety of foods and drinks. There was meat and some kind of vegetables, but they didn't look like anything they'd ever seen. <"These are local plants and animals which we have cultivated for our food. The humans that are part of the Colonies have eaten this and proven that it is not toxic, but that it is quite good. As for the drink, we have some kind of light wine, and a heavy liquor, if you choose to take such a......harsh drink.">

He made to his seat opposite the table and waited for the ambassador to relax and begin eating. Then, at a point where he could interject, he spoke again. <"So...Commander, what can the Ieiran Colonies do for you?">

Taking a quick step to catch up with the departing Admiral, Trak followed him towards the room. Dismissing his men to go wherever they chose, whether back to the transport, to the cafeteria, or to the local barracks(as were their options,) he went in and sat at the table as he was invited.

"No! No, thank you. Not on duty, wine will be fine, thank you. Drunkards are flogged within our military, keeps everyone orderly and disciplined."

He filled his glass, and took a sip. With a look of approval and a nod of the same, he set the goblet back down. "Very good." He took a few scraps of food, some of everything, and took small samples of each. "Very, very good. Although I already know that Taledonian tastebuds respond to nearly the same things as human ones."

He took more, and savoured it, enjoying the change in his diet for this occasion. But the luxury got the better of him, and he replaced his utensils on the table and put his hands together infront of the plate, as if trying to hide the contents he had taken. "Since you have asked once again what you can do for me, I'd like to barter for some of this wine, and, and food! It is most delicious, and my men would be most pleased with it. But then I am not here to discuss food and drink.

"The Dratherians, and this may shock you, IS, infact, the Imperium of Man. Not in its entirety, true, but it is a fragment of a greater whole. You may know some of the other fragments, but they are all allies under the same banner, with the same objectives and thoughts. The Dratherians, apparently, are the head of this arrangement of men, and quite possibly the most powerful among them. Their ways are crude and inefficient, their technologies capable but lacking. They are a barbaric people, bent solely upon destruction, without the slightest though to creation. However, we, too are a large people, and are more than capable of eradicating the entire Imperium, should we wish it. However, we are more civilised than those we fight.

"The Republic, as we are called, is a singular nation of many races and peoples, all living in harmony and security with each other under the centralised government. Our legions are unstoppable, our fleets immense and indestructible, our defences sound and unbreachable. Our laws and just and fair, but hard and unforgiving at the same time, and our civilisation is a hallmark to the galaxy."

He stopped to think for a moment, then a smile crossed his face again. "I suppose that is what you can do for not just me, but my people. It is standard protocal that whoever greets a new people that we offer them the opportunity to join our ranks. Giving them the great honor of calling themselves Republicans, and all together contributing to the greater good of all."

"The Dratherians, and this may shock you, IS, infact, the Imperium of Man. Not in its entirety, true, but it is a fragment of a greater whole. You may know some of the other fragments, but they are all allies under the same banner, with the same objectives and thoughts. The Dratherians, apparently, are the head of this arrangement of men, and quite possibly the most powerful among them. Their ways are crude and inefficient, their technologies capable but lacking. They are a barbaric people, bent solely upon destruction, without the slightest though to creation. However, we, too are a large people, and are more than capable of eradicating the entire Imperium, should we wish it. However, we are more civilised than those we fight.

Shaesla started, shocked at this piece of news. He never imagined that a piece of the Imperium of Man would have been able to break away; they always were rather tight on making sure all humans obeyed their Emperor or were killed as heretics. And the fact they had allies under the same banner made him rather frightened. The entire Tau Empire had trouble in dealing with fragments of the Imperium of Man, trying to take on a fragment of it and allies, without the rest of the Empire, proved to be a frightening proposition.

Not that he'd seek to do so, but he knew sometimes you didn't choose for it to happen, but bad things happened anyways. <"I see. Well, I wish you luck in your endeavor. The blind faith which they have is madness, and will result in the end of civilization and morality should they succeed in converting all of the galaxy.">

"The Republic, as we are called, is a singular nation of many races and peoples, all living in harmony and security with each other under the centralised government. Our legions are unstoppable, our fleets immense and indestructible, our defences sound and unbreachable. Our laws and just and fair, but hard and unforgiving at the same time, and our civilisation is a hallmark to the galaxy."

He stopped to think for a moment, then a smile crossed his face again. "I suppose that is what you can do for not just me, but my people. It is standard protocal that whoever greets a new people that we offer them the opportunity to join our ranks. Giving them the great honor of calling themselves Republicans, and all together contributing to the greater good of all."

The words "greater good" struck a chord with in Shaesla, as memories of his former life fighting for the Tau Empire flooded in. He shook them away and concentrated his thoughts. <"It is an....intriguing offer, but only Ieir'ra has the authority for such decisions. I could take you to her, if you wish.">

Popping the last bit of food into his mouth and washing it down with the rest of his wine, the captain smiled.

"I believe that would be most appropriate to the situation."

Shaesla nodded. <"Very well then."> He clapped his hands and the guards came in. <"You, go tell all of our friend's men here that we are moving negotiations to another point. And you, go prepare a shuttle for us."> He pointed at each guard, when assigning them their duties, and they left. Turning to the Taledonian, he waved for him to follow.

Both the Commander and Shaesla would quickly find themselves at another Orca, with the Commander's personal guard, along with the guard of the Tau admiral, standing there. After a few quick commands by both commanders, they entered the ship and shot down towards the planet. Shaesla looked at Trak. <"You are fortunate that Kor'o'Ieir'ra is visiting the planet, or else this would have taken much more time.">

The shuttle rocketed down through the atmosphere, broadcasting its identification codes. The squadrons protecting the planet let them through and they quickly landed on the planet. Soon enough, they were shuffled out of the ship and headed into a large complex of buildings. A similar room to the one on the ship was their destination and Shaesla exited, telling him to stay until he returned with Ieir'ra.

After a few, tense minutes, the door opened and Shaesla walked in. He bowed to something out of the doorway and stepped aside to let in Ieir'ra. She was a female Tau, different from Shaesla with obvious differences in shape and texture. Her skin was a darker grey and her eyes glinted with a powerful intellect and wisdom. She wore a simple white robe, with the signet of the Tau Empire upon it. She nodded to Trak and proceeded to sit down, followed by the Admiral. <"Greetings, Captain. I am Ieir'ra, the Commander of these colonies. I have been told you seek our admittance into a.....Republic. I am already part of another Empire, albeit not able to contact them, and we do fight for the greater good. What do you have to offer to sway me to your cause?">