Death in the East (Warhammer 40,000)

[Jaenera Targaryen]

Disclaimer: I do not own Warhammer 40,000 it is owned by Games Workshop.

Death in the East​

Prologue​

Location: Craftworld Biel-Tan, Scrying Chamber of Farseer Eleria

Date: 240.994.M41 (Imperial Standard Calendar)

Clad in white and green robes, a Farseer floated in the air while sitting cross-legged above a reflecting pool. Runes carved into its wraithbone walls and inlaid with psychically-attuned crystal gleamed like stars through the pure water of the pool, sending glimmers of light flashing into the scrying chamber above. More runes floated around the Farseer, psychically-attuned gems carved into forms that reinforced a single metaphysical concept each, orbiting her body at gentle speeds.

More crystal shone through the chamber's wraithbone walls, running like veins and arteries across the material from when the craftworld's bonesingers had sung them into existence so many cycles ago. Psychic energy welled through the crystal from the Infinity Circuit, seeping into the surrounding wraithbone and thence into the chamber's interior, forming a background field of psychic power to anchor and protect the Farseer within.

Eleria raised a hand, and almost like a discordant note, a series of liquid crystal wafers slid into the air, alien artifices joining the psychic dance of the runes around the Farseer. Another gesture from her hand, and the discord ended, its notes joining the harmony and indeed, adding new context to the dance and song alike, seventy-eight wafers engraved with imagery and names invoking the metaphysics each wafer had been attuned to.

Alien to her people, but surprisingly elegant and efficient artifices for all that. They followed a single regular orbit around the Farseer, one that contrasted sharply with the eccentric and individual orbits of the runes, but somehow in harmony with both her and her people's own artifices.

Eleria raised her other hand, an active spirit stone faintly glowing in its palm. So faint it could not be perceived, almost as if the spirit stone was not even occupied at all, but it was, no matter how spark-like the soul within was compared to what the stone was originally meant to hold.

At the gesture, three cards gently slid down to hang motionless in the air before her. The Lost Child, inverted. The Sword, inverted. And finally, the Great Eye.

Eleria closed her eyes, and spoke the name of a world. "Balor." she vocalized the alien name while simultaneously closing her physical eyes, and opening her mental ones, visions erupting before her, reflected into her mind from the depths of the Sea of Dreams.

*a Human world on the edge of their domain, swayed away by honeyed words and paltry gifts*

*Human vessels lumber through the void towards the world with fell intent*

*Human soldiers fought and died by the millions, falling under tides of plasma unleashed by confident and overreaching children*

*victory as the Human fleet and armies melt away back through the Sea of Dreams, the little children of T'au celebrating over the bloody battlefield…victory…and defeat…*

*a child writhes on a bed, her skin sloughing off and her flesh running like wax as dumbfounded healers look on*

*mad imagination and twisted dreams flood out of a wound in reality to consume the entire world*

Eleria slammed shut the doors of her soul, weaving crosscurrents of thought to distance herself back to safety. Then, centering herself, she reopened her mind's eyes, while letting the stone in her hand fall, until it hung suspended from a golden chain attached to a golden ring on her finger. It revolved slowly through the air, two more wafers breaking their orbit to hang motionless before her. Separate from the previous reading, but adding new context to the scrying ritual, shaping its metaphysics anew.

The Lovers.

The Lex Imperialis.

New visions flashed through Eleria's mind, as two more wafers slid down and overlaid itself over the inverted Sword and the Great Eye. A new fate was envisioned, replacing what should have been, the Farseer now tracing back the paths that led to her desired outcome.

*the Tau are broken, their bodies bearing the telltale signs of Eldar weaponry, crushed beneath the threads of Imperial war machines*

*a fleet of Eldar ships pass through a Webway Gate, and emerge triumphant in the starry void above Biel-Tan*

*stern-eyed men in black armor escort terrified psykers to a waiting ship, misery and the jangling of chains echoing through the Sea of Dreams*

*a young woman screams as her eyes burn away at the slightest touch of the Anathema to Chaos, the sound of the chains of fate snapping echoing*

Eleria opened her eyes, ending the ritual as she unfolded from her position, gently hovering down to land with a soft ripple on the reflecting pool. Excess psychic energy bled back into the crystal veins on the walls, the wafers of the Emperor's Tarot flying back to stack themselves on her free hand.

All but the wafers that still hung in the air, Eleria gazing at the changes to her original reading. The Lost Child, still inverted. The Magus overlaid the inverted Sword. And the Emperor overlaid the Great Eye.

Calling forth the runes, Eleria narrowed her eyes, as she saw the sigils of the Hawk, the Crone, the Outcast, and the Bloody-Handed God, all surrounding the Petitioner.

Then, dismissing the runes, she gathered herself up, and floated over to solid ground. Pausing as she regained her footing, she held up the stone in her other hand, its golden chain winding over her fingers. Eleria regarded it with an unreadable expression on her face, before bringing it close to her lips.

"Soon, my love." she whispered. "Very soon now…fire for blood, blood for fire, in the name of Khaine, and the Golden King."
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Location: Mandeville Point, Balor Star System, the Eastern Fringe, Ultima Segmentum

Date: 275.994.M41 (Imperial Standard Calendar)

Reality tore in blazing kaleidoscopes of millions of shades of colors that exist and cannot exist in reality. That in itself was not unusual, with dozens of ships coming and going through the Mandeville Point every single day. Most of them were Tau vessels, but their ether drives never translated as violently as this, skimming only on the surface of the Warp as they did.

No, this could only be achieved by Warp Drive, and those were few and far in the Balor Star System, ever since the world had shaken off the yoke of the Adeptus Terra to embrace the new future promised by the Greater Good. Only free traders and the odd if not rare Rogue Trader possessed such technology here, and only when they passed through Balor.

But what emerged from the Warp was no Rogue or free trader.

A mile-long ship pulled itself free of the miasma of the Warp, its Gellar Field trailing streams of imaginary matter that quickly faded into the void. Smaller ships followed in its wake, each nearly a kilometer long. All their hulls featured ornate iconography with various themes, from two-headed eagles, wings, talons, and beaks, to grinning Human skulls and angels and saints in full armor brandishing weapons in defiant challenge and condemnation.

Then, as the alarms began to sound, the Imperial Dauntless Class Light Cruiser fired its prow lance at the Tau Orbital overseeing the Mandeville Point. Moments later, and the light cruiser's port broadsides fired, macrocannon shells flying through the void at relativistic speeds.

By its very nature, even without being fired first, a lance would always strike first. The beam of focused energy slammed into the orbital's shields, and expended itself in a great surge of diffused energy. This came at a cost, however, as the shields themselves were expended, Tau systems struggling to bring them back up. Then the macrocannon shells struck, some deforming and spinning away into the void on impact with the orbital's armor. Others struck true, tearing through armor and into the station's innards.

Gouts of fire erupted into space from leaking atmosphere ignited by shattered power conduits. Bodies both living and dead tumbled into space, the former twitching and spasming as they asphyxiated in the void. The orbital was dead, a shattered hulk drifting away into deep space, leaving a trail of debris and dead bodies in its wake.

The escort squadron that the light cruiser was leading didn't stay idle either as it destroyed the orbital. The Sword Class Frigates turned their attentions to the various Tau vessels nearby, most of which were scrambling to flee, while others broadcast their civilian status and pleaded for peace.

It didn't matter to the Imperial Navy. Laser batteries lashed out with unyielding fury, turning the Tau vessels into burning and drifting scrap.

"Mandeville Point is clear." the Astropathic communication lanced through the Warp, to where the rest of the liberation fleet was waiting. "Proceed to the next phase."

"Acknowledged." the reply came, and once again, reality tore open. Dozens of Warp rifts were opened up by Imperial Warp Drives, massive vessels sliding back into reality and shaking off the madness of the Immaterium from their Gellar Fields. More light cruisers led the way, followed by squadrons of frigates. Then came the kilometers-long cruisers, the Lunars forward of the Dictators, the latter hanging back to protect the transports that carried the armies of the Imperial Guard. Greatest of them all was the multi-kilometer-long bulk of an Overlord Class Battlecruiser at the heart of the fleet, the Imperial flagship's sensors already probing the void and zeroing in on the target world: Balor Prime.

The Imperium had come to reclaim its usurped world, and woe to the traitors and xenos that would stand in its way.
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A/N

Me: Mmm…I feel like dunking on the Tau today.

The Muse: Okay, here you go!

Me: Thanks! And wow…! I never thought of this before!

The Muse: You're welcome!

Let's see where this goes, shall we?

 

[Jaenera Targaryen]

Disclaimer: I do not own Warhammer 40,000 it is owned by Games Workshop.

Death in the East

Chapter 1​

"Firing solutions plotted. Standing by."

"Launch torpedoes."

"Acknowledged, all ships, launch torpedoes."

It took approximately two days for the Imperial liberation fleet to reach Balor Prime, its high orbit defended only by orbital docks originally built by the Imperium itself. In the decades since the world's fall to the Tau, however, the aliens had completely rebuilt the orbital docks, its once blessed and recognizably-Human architecture now turned bizarre and inhuman. The mighty macrocannons which once deterred enemy attack had been replaced by profane railguns, and where hangars once housed Furies and Starhawks now they carried alien craft in the form of Barracudas and Mantas.

Those same alien attack craft had harried the liberation fleet as they proceeded in-system, but heroic efforts by Imperial pilots had kept the aliens from doing any real damage. Furies launched from Dictator cruisers had fended off Barracudas and Mantas alike, the liberation fleet focusing on defense while getting into torpedo range. Now, and beyond the reach of the Tau's railguns, the liberation fleet launched mass salvoes of torpedoes against the orbital docks.

As expected, Tau Barracudas vectored in to intercept, only to meet the fleet's Furies. Laser beams and plasma rounds lit up the void as Tau and Imperial attack craft dueled in space, a few of the alien fighters managing to break through their Imperial counterparts to shoot down a number of torpedoes. However, the liberation fleet had launched well over a hundred torpedoes at the orbital docks, ensuring that even if half of them were shot down or decoyed away, many more would still hit their target.

Defense turrets and even the anti-ship railgun batteries opened fire, destroying many of the torpedoes as they closed in, plasma drives burning white-hot. Exploding torpedoes lit up the void with miniature suns, but in the end, over half a hundred torpedoes broke through the flak barrier. Tau countermeasures screamed across all frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum, successfully confounding the machine spirits of most of the Imperial torpedoes, ensuring some forty-eight torpedoes flew off harmlessly into the void.

Unfortunately, this still left nine torpedoes to slam unerringly into the orbital. Nine out of over a hundred torpedoes launched. But they were enough.

Plasma exploded in white-hot flares, turning metal into vapor and ripping massive holes and gashes into the orbital docks. Entire sections were torn away into the void, secondary explosions sending yet more debris and gouts of flame jetting out into the emptiness beyond. Escape pods began streaming out of the orbital docks, surviving crew fleeing as best they could, the Tau's own attack craft coming around to assist.

Most perished, as Imperial attack craft pounced on them, with only a few escaping to the Tau bases on the planet's surface. The Imperial Navy's pilots didn't pursue, though. They had other quarry now, the escape pods and other escape craft from the orbital docks, those that didn't survive its final destruction.

"Target the orbital docks." Vice Admiral Gunther von Geiersburg ordered on the bridge of his flagship, the Lord Falkenhayn. "I don't want a hulk drifting along in orbit leaving debris to further complicate further operations. Especially since the Tau might send a reinforcement fleet. Supporting ground operations while simultaneously fighting a fleet battle will be hard enough without environmental hazards."

"Surely there's value in salvaging what's left?" a staff officer asked.

Von Geiersburg snorted. "The xenos filth have defiled the station for decades." he said. "No, the orbital docks - or what's left of it - will only be good for scrap. No big loss burning it out of the stars now."

"Yes, sir."

Von Geiersburg nodded to the flag captain, Captain Ernst Schumacher nodding back. "Lances, target the orbital docks." he gave the order. "Maximum firepower, fire when ready."

Across the ship, crewmen, technicians, and servitors carefully diverted power to the Lord Falkenhayn's dorsal lances, gunnery officers already directing their machine spirits to focusing their wrath against the chosen target. Then with the humming of powerful engines dutifully performing their assigned task, the lances fired, beams of focused energy cutting through the void to bite deep into the ruined orbital docks.

Metal turned to vapor, blowing away surrounding sections into the void, before the orbital docks' compromised reactors went critical. To the people below, it was like a second sun had ignited, mercifully vanishing after a few seconds, leaving only superheated debris scattering away into space, easily dealt with by the fleet's void shields if they ever came close.

Von Geiersburg nodded. "Orbit is secure." he said. "We can begin ground operations once the fleet is in a stable orbit."
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It took several more hours for the liberation fleet to enter a secure orbit, escort squadrons spreading out into several other orbits, ensuring every point on the planet was covered by at least one lance-armed warship at any time. The transport fleet itself remained with the main fleet, the first wave of Imperial Guardsmen moving to their landers and dropships for the initial landing operations.

Its target would be Balor Prime Central Spaceport, located approximately fifty kilometers from the capital city of Grand Balor. The capital itself had long been renamed with an uncouth name from the alien Tau language, but by order of the Commissariat, the city would remain addressed by its proper Imperial name. Failing to do so was punishable by fifty lashes for the first offense, a hundred lashes for the second offense, and public execution by firing squad for the third offense.

This was just a formality, though. There was no love lost for the Tau within the Imperial Guard, add to that the inhuman pronunciations of the city's new Tau name, and the Guardsmen had no reason to call the city by any other name.

But liberating Grand Balor would have to wait in the future. Today, the target was the central spaceport, which surprisingly enough had retained its original name. Aside from the spaceport, there was also the spaceport town, appropriately called Rocket Town by the locals.

The Tau also had a massive base about ten kilometers from the spaceport, protected by powerful shields and featuring an array of weapons capable of reaching low orbit. This would vastly complicate any attempted capture of the spaceport, to the point of impracticality, even. And thanks to its shields, it would have to be taken by ground assault, with Imperial forces needing to land far away with no local supporting infrastructure.

At least, not if you wanted to minimize collateral damage.

As it was, Imperial Command had decided that collateral damage was acceptable here and now.

Imperial Commissar Risha Singh glanced out of a dropship's viewport as Lord Falkenhayn fired its lances in quick succession. As she would later learn, the trio of lance strikes collapsed the Tau shields, at the cost of pumping enough heat into the atmosphere to throw the planet's weather system into utter anarchy.

That, and dump significant amounts of radioactive fallout into the air, eventually necessitating anti-radiation inoculations for civilians and soldiers alike.

The Tau base itself remained intact after the initial bombardment, Earth Caste engineers quickly rushing to restore the shields. But the Imperial Navy would never give them that chance. The Lunar cruisers in the main fleet now fired their own lances, a dozen beams cutting through the atmosphere and utterly obliterating the base.

In Rocket Town, anyone looking in its direction was blinded, temporarily for those without a direct line of sight, permanently for those with a direct line of sight. Seconds later, and the town and spaceport alike shook from the shockwave, windows cracking and alarms screaming from the vibrations.

And in the distance, a colossal mushroom cloud reached up into the upper atmosphere from a molten crater cut a kilometer deep and three kilometers wide into Balor's crust.

Risha would only know all about this later on, though. Right now, she was tightly strapped into a harness in a dropship, one that was flying down from orbit towards the planet's atmosphere. The dropship interior was tense, silent but for the humming and beeping of machinery, even veteran Guardsmen needing to gather themselves for the violence of atmospheric insertion.

After several minutes, the dropship began to shake violently, gold and red flames blotting out viewports from the heat caused by breaking through a planet's atmosphere. This persisted for several more minutes, and then the dropship was evening out, the viewports clearing as they entered the lower atmosphere. A glance out the viewport showed Balor's surface reaching out as far as the eye could see, and the other dropships and landers.

Then something flashed by, then another, all moving at high speed, Imperial Navy Thunderbolts flying escort duty. Others flew on ahead, launching airstrikes and strafing runs against Tau positions on the ground, or drawing fire away from the approaching landers.

Alarms sounded as the dropship abruptly jerked. "Hold onto your butts, folks." the pilot cheerfully said over the internal line, much to the amusement of the Guardsmen inside, and Risha was no exception. "Taking evasive action, enemy SAMs inbound."

The dropship jerked again, and Risha - partly as a way to take her mind off the prospect of an alien missile turning the dropship into flaming scrap - began to check her wargear. Plasma pistol, check. Power sword, check. Carapace armor, check. Red sash, check. Greatcoat, check. Commissar cap, check.

The dropship jerked again and again, then a yellow light lit up with a harsh whine: they were on final approach. At that, Risha disengaged her harness, and wobbling her way to the side doors, put on a grav-chute before turning to look at the rest of the men and women in the dropship with her. They all looked back at her, eyes and faces expectant.

"Long ago, Balor was a world of the Imperium!" she began as the Guardsmen also began to disengage their harnesses. "A demesne of Humanity, and a beacon of civilization amidst the darkness of the Eastern Fringe! Then the alien Tau came, casting misguided shadows across the world and its people, turning them from the Emperor's Light! In its absence, their souls dance the edge of the abyss, facing the prospects of wandering the void for all eternity or to be cast into the Great Enemy's maw after death! But now, we are here! This is why we are here! This is why we fight! To save the people of Balor, and bring them back to the Emperor's Light!"

Nods and even shouts of affirmation and agreement met her words, before a red light lit up and the side door's master lock disengaged. The Guardsmen stood up, squads forming up and equipping grav-chutes, hellguns at the ready while positioning themselves for aerial assault. "With me, Guardsmen!" Risha shouted, a fist hitting a button that caused the doors to open, before drawing her plasma pistol and shooting down at the enemy below. "Victory or death! For the Emperor!"

"URAAAA-!" the 5051st Autonomous Stormtrooper Battalion roared as one, following the Commissar's lead as she jumped off the dropship at over two hundred meters above the ground. Plasma flew up at them from Tau troops and drones, the Stormtroopers and the Commissar returning fire with hellguns and plasma weapons of their own.

Grav-chutes hummed as they compensated for free fall, allowing the Imperial Guard forces to land gently but firmly at their destination. The 5051st was deployed across the kilometers-wide expanse of the spaceport, smoke rising from portions reduced to burning rubble by Imperial airstrikes. Valkyries flew in wide circles above and around the spaceport, using their multilasers and rocket pods to provide close air support as the Stormtroopers assaulted the Tau security forces inside.

"Let's go, get them!" Risha shouted, gesturing sharply at the Stormtroopers around her as they assaulted an upper level work area, before looking and aiming at newly-arrived Tau forces. Her plasma pistol whined and hissed as she fired off three shots in quick succession, killing three Fire Warriors one after the other. The rest of them returned fire, the sheer volume of fire from their pulse rifles hammering the lead Stormtroopers back and behind cover, saved from dying only by their carapace armor, which smoked and steamed from the impact of Tau plasma weapons.

But there were more Guardsmen than Fire Warriors, at least here, allowing the former to flank the latter. Getting in close, the Stormtroopers opened fire on full-auto with their hellguns, before engaging in melee, either bayonetting or bludgeoning the aliens.

"Move!" Risha barked, loping forward past and around cover towards the exit that would lead them further into the spaceport. "Move!"

Suddenly, the ceiling collapsed, an orange battlesuit dropping down into the middle of the Imperial Guardsmen. It quickly identified Risha, and leveled a burst cannon in her direction before opening fire with a quick volley of plasma. Simultaneously, it vaporized an entire squad of nearby Stormtroopers with its fusion blaster, while a pair of gun drones opened up with burst carbines on full-auto at other targets.

Risha, however, was still alive. She'd lost her commissar cap, and her greatcoat was toast, while flames burned at patches of her hair. Her armor was hot and smoking, and the skin on her face painfully seared. But she was alive, and she still had her weapons. Quickly forcing herself up on all fours, she looked up with a glare, and then spitting out blood and saliva, leaped up and forward.

Raising her plasma pistol, she fired repeatedly until the safety locks engaged with an alarmed whine. It was enough, though, as she'd managed to destroy the Tau officer's drones and collapse its battlesuit's shields. Discarding her plasma pistol, she gripped her power sword with both hands, and with a wordless cry, she threw herself at the towering alien machine.

As powerful as it was at range, it wasn't meant for melee, as proven by its clumsy attempt to parry. Risha's power sword cut its burst carbine in two with a single blow, her followthrough similarly disabling the battlesuit's fusion blaster. Then the Tau battlesuit kicked her away, sending Risha flying and turning her world red with pain.

The Stormtroopers opened fire, hammering the now-shieldless battlesuit with laser fire. Realizing its poor position, the Tau officer tried to leave, but the lasers pummeling its backpack had damaged the jet systems, causing them to explode and blowing the battlesuit forward and staggering on its feet.

Then the fire slackened, much to the Tau officer's surprise, causing it to look sideways in time to see the bloody and burned Risha charging back in again. A clumsy swipe of an arm had the Commissar jumping back, before she dove in low to sever one of the battlesuit's legs at the knee.

Sparks exploded and the unbalanced battlesuit collapsed to its one remaining knee, Risha reversing her sword before stabbing it through the alien machine's chest. It stiffened up, before Risha pulled up and away, leaving a gash of molten metal bubbling with blood and fluid in its wake. Through the whining and screaming of failing machinery, as well as the sound of the ongoing battle, Risha fancied she could hear the death gurgle of the alien pilot within.

Clubbing the machine hard, Risha had it toppling over backward, the battlesuit landing on the ground with a loud crash. The Stormtroopers cheered at the sight, Risha finally letting pain and exhaustion overcome her to slump down to one knee.

The cheering abruptly ended as overstressed rockcrete and metal groaned and broke, then the floor collapsed under Risha and the battlesuit. "Emperor take it…!" she shouted as she fell, and then darkness.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Risha didn't know how long she stayed unconscious, but she stirred as she was pulled from a pile of rubble, and quickly shook herself back into full consciousness. Shaking away the Stormtroopers helping her up and away from the wrecked Tau battlesuit, she looked around her to find themselves in a lower area of the spaceport. Through broken floor-to-ceiling windows, she could see more Stormtroopers outside, along with Valkyries, dropships, and landers.

"We've won…?" she asked no one in particular.

"There's still pockets of resistance getting mopped-up," a lance corporal replied. "But we have control of the spaceport. The next wave of landings should be coming in by now…"

"...and then we can begin taking control of Rocket Town." Risha concluded with a nod, before glancing sharply at an approaching Stormtrooper. The man briefly stiffened before resuming his approach, offering the Commissar her plasma pistol back. Risha favored the man with a small smile and a grateful nod, likewise for another man who offered her power sword back. Then, looking back outside, she narrowed her eyes at red flares being lit at the edges of the spaceport, a simple and basic signal for the second wave that they could begin landing.

"Ma'am, you need to see a medic." the lance corporal worriedly said.

"Seems that way, doesn't it?" Risha ruefully admitted, dabbing at the burned and peeling skin on her face. "I will, though, even if it means missing out on clearing Rocket Town. I'll just have to make-up for that when we liberate Grand Balor."

The lance corporal gave a small smile. "No point missing the main show, huh, ma'am?" he asked.

"No, there isn't." Risha agreed, limping over to the windows, from where she looked up, to the approaching transports lumbering down through the atmosphere, carrying heavy armor and more infantry to secure the surrounding town. "But first, I want to see the major and the rest of the command staff. If I'm going to be busy at the medicae for the next couple of days, I want to make sure things will run smoothly while I'm gone."

"Of course, ma'am, right this way. I'll also signal for a medic, so we can at least get you some first aid for those burns."

"Make it so, corporal."

"Yes, ma'am."

Risha nodded, limping along before glancing to the side and seeing something that caused her features to darken. Rows of bodies, covered by dark cloth, the fallen of the battle waiting for proper transport and final rites by the chaplains and lay brothers and sisters.

"You will all be avenged, on that you have my word." Risha silently thought. "Your sacrifices will not be for nothing, and your deaths as kindling to light the fires of hope and freedom for this world, and to guide you to the Emperor's side. So, rest, for your duty is done, and the Emperor speed you to his light."

Closing her eyes, Risha bowed to the honored death, and then opening them, resumed on her way.
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A/N

Imperial Guard and Navy action for this chapter, the Emperor's Hammer and Shield pounding away at the enemies of Humanity. We'll return to the Eldar in future chapters, though.

 

[Jaenera Targaryen]

Disclaimer: I do not own Warhammer 40,000 it is owned by Games Workshop.

Death in the East

Chapter 2​

An artillery officer stood on top of a raised platform, binoculars held against his eyes with one hand, while his other hand held his officer's saber aloft. "FIRE!" he barked, while bringing the saber down sharply.

In response, the six Basilisks of the First Battery of the 1032nd Konigsberg Artillery Regiment opened fire next to the officer. It was like thunder going off, and would have deafened the man but for the ear protectors he was wearing. The gun crews likewise wore similar protection even as they bustled at the Basilisks, clearing away spent shell casings and loading the next rounds. In a matter of seconds, the battery fired again, the thunder of their guns mingling with those from the second and third batteries nearby, and the batteries of other artillery units further away.

The liberation of Balor Prime had bogged down, now entering its third month. The spaceports and their towns had fallen quickly, but the main cities were only just coming under siege, with the Imperial Guard still struggling to sift out highly-mobile Tau forces in the countryside. The Tau had simply refused to engage the Imperial armored spearheads head-on, instead adopting a strategy of ambushes in favorable terrain and decapitation strikes against field commanders.

This had taken a heavy toll on the Imperial Guard, with the approaches to Grand Balor now littered with the burned-out husks of Imperial tanks and piles of rotting corpses. Ironically, the latter had led to the development of an unofficial and wordless agreement between Imperial and Tau commanders. That is, in the interest of preventing the spread of disease between either of their forces, there would be no interference with grave detail.

For the Imperium, this involved Hellhounds or heavy flamer-armed Chimeras setting the corpses on fire. And for the Tau, flamer-armed battlesuits did likewise. Either way, once the corpses were cleared from the battlefield, it left them ashen wastes littered with charred bones. Those same bones were then crushed underfoot as the Imperial Guard launched attack after attack, and then replaced with more bones as the freshly-fallen were subsequently burned to ash.

"Battery, adjust firing solutions as follows!" the officer barked, the gun crews responding quickly to adjust the Basilisks' aim.

In the end, with the failure of armored assault, Imperial Command had switched tactics. Instead of armor, artillery would now lead the way, concentrated fire pummeling known Tau positions, and using creeping barrages to cover mechanized assault. Entire small towns and villages had been wiped from the map, troops poking through the ruins finding the wreckage of hidden Tau supply posts which vindicated the new tactical paradigm of the campaign.

With their logistics collapsing and their casualties skyrocketing, the Tau had fallen back to the main cities. However, the approaches thereof were still heavily-fortified, with the Tau surprisingly well-suited for artillery duels and mechanized warfare. Mass infantry assault less so, but the Imperial Guard couldn't resort to such methods here, as they didn't have the numbers for it. Not in this theater, with their relatively-elite (by Imperial Guard standards) forces needing to be conserved instead of being thrown away in Human Wave attacks.

"FIRE!"

Again, the Basilisks shook the ground and sky alike, raining down explosive and burning death on the Tau fortifications in the distance.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"The javelin flies." a stooped and withered man in green robes tonelessly said. "Alien metal and inhuman artifice are filled with malicious intent. They would take the head and leave the body dead."

General Arthur Dusseldorf glanced at the sanctioned psyker assigned to his command squad. Having pronounced his prognostication, the man had shrunk on himself, muttering mantras and prayers while tightly clutching an icon of the Emperor that doubled as his psychic focus. The meaning was clear, though. The Tau had been launching constant decapitation strikes for months now, decimating the Imperial officer corps and leading to a wide sweep of field promotions to replace them.

It had caused quite the grumbling among the more aristocratic officers, but that had ended after Commissar Yao of the 223rd Ostafrika Light Infantry had the regiment's XO flogged - with a hundred lashes no less - for canceling their part in planned operation simply on account of one company officer lacking an aristocratic pedigree. Considering this had left a gap in the line which nearly led to over fifty thousand men getting overrun by a Tau counterattack, and only prevented thanks to heroic actions by the 92nd Sankt Petersburg Armored Guards (at the cost of twenty tanks lost and of which only ten could be repaired), the man should count himself lucky that the commissar hadn't simply put a bolt round through his head.

More importantly, and back to the present, the general could hear the Hydra batteries protecting the central command post opening up, along with the sounding of alarms. "Emergency!" an operator barked from his station. "Aerial assault by sixteen battlesuits! First response teams are already counterattacking, but heavy casualties!"

"Bring it up on the tactical holo!" Dusseldorf barked.

The tactical holo shifted from theater view to local view, showing the skirmish engulfing the central command post. One force of eight battlesuits was cutting through mechanized infantry towards the Hydras of the air defense station, while another force of eight battlesuits was similarly cutting their way towards the void shield generators which protected the central command post from heavy ordnance. At the same time, drones were running amok across the base, tying down troops and forcing the Imperial Guard to spread itself thin.

"...they're trying to take down our shields and air defenses." the general realized after a moment.

"A distraction…?" his adjutant asked.

"Yes…and no." the general said with a shake of his head. "They're opening the way for another force, and once that force arrives, they'll be a distraction while it hits their real target."

"Should we evacuate, sir?" the adjutant asked.

"No." the general said with another shake of his head. "We'll stand our ground…have Wotan Squad on standby."

The adjutant blinked then glanced at the commissar assigned to the general's staff, but when the man didn't say anything, the adjutant simply saluted. "Sir!" he said, before rushing off to relay the general's orders.

"Wotan Squad…" Commissar Edward Myrlan said with a grimace.

Dusseldorf shrugged. "They are tools provided to us by the Emperor." he said. "Dangerous tools, to be sure, but tools nevertheless. And tools are meant to be used."

"True…" Edward admitted. "...and there's no point in wasting pity on the xenos about to get what's coming to them."

"Quite…but it's no guarantee yet." Dusseldorf said, eyes fixed on the tactical holo. Imperial Guard mechanized infantry was taking heavy casualties while trying to stop the battlesuits, but they were fighting. On the holo, Dusseldorf saw squads fanning out, taking cover behind vehicles both functional and wrecked, on the ground, or even against piles of corpses. Lasguns hammered away at the battlesuits, as did the heavy bolters and multilasers of Imperial chimeras. A few Guardsmen had missile launchers, and used them well.

Two, no, three of the battlesuits gunning for the void shield generators were already down, even as the aliens annihilated squad after squad with flamers and burst cannons. Chimeras exploded or went up in flames thanks to fusion blasters and missile pods, but still the Imperial Guard fought on.

They fought and died, but they fought to the bitter end, regardless. "Emperor, take them to your side." Dusseldorf silently prayed before turning back to the commissar. "If our men can stop them from destroying either or both the Hydras and shield generators, then they'll have to abort this sortie of theirs."

"Then Wotan Squad won't have to be deployed." Edward said.

"Yes." Dusseldorf simply said.

Edward hummed, turning back to the holo, watching as the battle continued to unfold over ten minutes that seemed to last ten hours. Another battlesuit belonging to the Tau force gunning for the shield generators was taken down, while the drones wreaking havoc across Imperial lines were slowly but steadily hunted down.

As for the force gunning for the Hydras, three battlesuits were gunned down before they could reach the Hydras, with a fourth getting taken out by a lucky burst of fire from a Hydra's heavy bolter. Then, to the consternation of the men watching, the Hydras began to explode one after the other, gun crews scattering as their machines were blown to shreds.

"Wotan Squad, stand-to!" Dusseldorf barked over a priority channel. "Aerial insertion inbound! Standby to intercept!"

"...acknowledged."
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

With the Hydras down, the main force of the Tau could arrive, another eight Crisis suits piloted by elite Fire Caste Shas'Vre and supported by a Riptide. They dropped in right in front of the central building, the Crisis suits dual-wielding plasma rifles and escorting gun drones gunning down the Stormtroopers doing guard duty. Missiles from the Riptide's shielded missile drones exploded harmlessly against the blast doors, and while its dual fusion blaster managed to burn away the blast doors' outer layers to expose the core, even they couldn't blow it open.

"Shas'O, engaging Nova Reactor overdrive." the Riptide pilot warned over the encoded line. "Stand clear."

"Acknowledged, Shas'Vre." the Shas'O replied. "We'll provide cover."

The Riptide pilot didn't reply, already engaging safeties and redundant systems while bringing her battlesuit's Nova Reactor up to overdrive. A high-pitched whine began to build as alarms sounded in the cockpit, gauges redlining one after the other. "Overdrive engaged," the pilot began. "Dual fusion blaster firing now!"

There was a blinding flash of light, and the blast doors blew inward in a jet of atomized adamantium alloy. Simultaneously, the Riptide pilot brought up her ion accelerator, her battlesuit's blacksun filter already picking up multiple enemy signatures inside. More gue'la Stormtroopers, along with Chimera APCs, and even a hulking Leman Russ Demolisher.

"Enemy units spotted." she warned. "Firing ion accelerator on overdrive."

Again, light flashed, and temperatures inside the bay spiked. Then fire gusted out of the ruined blast doors, as the ion accelerator killed everyone and destroyed everything inside. "Route is clear." the Riptide pilot said, backing away and taking up a covering position, her early-warning overrides warning of approaching gue'la CAS aircraft, Vendettas or Valkyries based on their visual profiles. "Will provide cover as planned, Shas'O."

"Acknowledged…for the Greater Good, Shas'Vre."

"For the Greater Good, Shas'O."

The Crisis suits marched into the bay leading into the Imperial command center, while the Riptide provided cover behind them, its ion accelerator already shooting Vendettas and Valkyries out of the sky. Inside, the Crisis suits loped forward, crushing burned corpses and knocking wrecked vehicles aside with every step. In the distance, another pair of doors blocked their way, the Shas'O bringing up a plasma rifle to blow them open.

Unexpectedly, they opened, allowing five hooded figures in green robes to emerge. That brought the Tau up short, as they clearly weren't soldiers. Were they to negotiate terms of surrender? Unlikely, but not impossible, and certainly not undesirable, either. The Greater Good accepted any and all willing to accept the wisdom and guidance of the Luminous Caste towards a brighter and better tomorrow.

Still, this was a battlefield, and they had to be prudent.

"You there!" the Shas'O barked. "Identify yourselves, and the reason for your presence!"

The five figures stopped, and then reaching up, pulled their hoods back. They were all gue'la, three men and two women. The man and woman - or were they boy and girl - in front were short and childish, with silvery hair that framed faces set with an expression of haughty and mocking amusement.

Plasma erupted and permacrete flooring exploded in molten shards as another Crisis suit fired a warning shot. "Cease and desist!" its pilot barked. "Answer the Shas'O's questions, or be treated as hostile!"

Then everything went to hell.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hansel and Gretel smiled wider, the twin biomancers of Wotan Squad sharing their amusement with each other through their telepathic link. Faster than the Tau could process, they linked hands, followed by their eyes flashing white-hot as they opened the doors of their souls. Power from the Warp flooded through, filtered by their soul-binding before being reshaped by their minds into forms compatible with reality. The transmuted energy flashed through their nervous systems, nerves dying from shock only to be repaired and resurrected at the exact same time, the damage to surrounding tissues similarly healing even as they burned from excessive amounts of energy.

That same excess of energy flooded from the twins' bodies, causing them to float into the air, lightning coursing over their bodies and overflowing into the air and down into the ground. In the time it took for the Tau reflexes to kick in and just as they were about to pull the triggers on their weapons, Hansel and Gretel unleashed an electrical tempest.

Sensors shorted out. Shields overloaded. Weapons locked down. Armor melted and electronics began to fry. The tempest didn't last long, barely five seconds in fact, but in that time, four Crisis suits were left inactive hulks, their pilots still alive but trapped inside metal tombs.

The remaining Crisis suits weren't idle, though. As soon as the tempest died, secondary systems and redundant features kicked in, allowing them to open fire with their plasma rifles. But in the time it took to do that, Hansel and Gretel stepped back, healing each other's injuries as the brothers Sturm and Drang stepped forward.

Grim-faced with close-cropped hair and features that might as well have been chiseled from granite, the telekine brothers of Wotan Squad raised powerful kine fields that would have stopped an artillery bombardment. Compared to that, the plasma rifles of the Crisis suits were nothing.

Even so, the Tau kept on firing, aiming to wear the brothers down, but like the stone their features were commonly compared to, they stoically bore the fury of the alien without complaint. It certainly helped that their specialization, telekinesis, was the simplest of all psychic arts. There was nothing particularly esoteric about what they were doing, they simply channeled the power of the Warp through their souls before mentally turning that power into force where there was none.

With it, they could crush tanks with a thought, send men flying with a gesture…

…and in this case, simply stop plasma rounds in mid-air.

That, and allow friendly attacks to pass through their kine fields without needing to drop them in the first place. And so, Lorelei stepped forward, until Wotan Squad's telepath was standing just a step past Sturm and Drang. A thin woman with long dark hair, she would have passed for beautiful with her high cheekbones, thin eyebrows, and close-set eyes. Unfortunately, she was a psyker, and so most people tended to avoid her.

Momentarily muttering mantras and prayers while keeping her eyes downcast and demure, she raised her face in the next moment, and took a deep breath. Then she screamed.

Lorelei opened herself to the Warp, anchoring her soul and mind to the soul-binding with the Emperor while letting her body become a conduit to the madness on the other side of the veil. Her scream turned that madness into reality, the Shas'O screaming in turn as her blood turned into quicksilver and the mechanisms of her battlesuit went dead.

The other pilots died just as horribly. One aged to death in a single second, and in the next, his body was naught but dust. Another pilot was simply transmuted into solid gold, while a third pilot was simply…gone. Later analysis of his battlesuit's cockpit recorders showed that one moment, he was there, and in the next, he was gone.

It was hypothesized that he had either been erased from existence, which would have been a mercy, or he'd somehow been folded into the Warp, which would have been very…unpleasant, to say the least.

As the battlesuits collapsed lifelessly, Lorelei continued to scream, tears of blood pouring down her cheeks. Reality began to buckle and ghostly whispers began to be heard, then Sturm and Drang reached out and pushed a button at a psi-implant at the base of Lorelei's neck.

Like a puppet with its strings cut, Lorelei collapsed, her connection to the Warp simply shut by Imperial techno-sorcery. Reality reasserted itself, and the whispers vanished. Hansel and Gretel rushed forward, already beginning to patch up their fallen fellow psyker, while Sturm and Drang looked back to the last battlesuit, which was being pummeled with lascannon fire from Vendettas and long-range ordnance from newly-arrived Leman Russ Vanquishers from the 552nd Sankt Polten Armored Regiment.

The two brothers looked at each other, tempted to join the fight with kine lances that could sheer through armor like a hot knife through butter. But, ultimately, they decided not to. The rest of the Imperial Guard clearly had a handle on things, and so there was no reason to use their powers.

First lesson of responsible psychic power use: only use it when there's no other option.

A lesson proven true when the Riptide finally collapsed, reduced to a smoking hulk by repeated hits from Vanquisher cannons and lascannons.

"T-t-t-this is Wotan Squad…Lieutenant Lorelei…speaking…" the telepath gasped into her comm-bead. "...mission…accomplished…"
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Interesting…very interesting…"

Farseer Eleria opened her eyes, seated cross-legged on a dais in her meditation chamber aboard the Dragonship Immortal's Blade. The flagship of the fleet given to her by the Court of the Young King for this expedition, it was hidden from primitive Imperial and even more primitive Tau sensors by superior Eldar cloaking technology. While the rest of the fleet awaited her command in the Webway, her ship along with its escorts was lurking in realspace, not far from Balor Prime, the better to observe the opening moves of this performance.

The Farseer smiled, turning to look at the senior warlock present, the rest of the warlocks continuing to meditate while he had opened his eyes. He spoke neither with his voice nor his mind, but the question was clear.

"The Humans have brought powerful psykers, at least by their standards, here." Eleria said, before tilting her head at another unspoken question. "No, my old friend, we shall not act against them, not simply because."

Eleria paused, casting the runes and tracing the paths of the future-present for several moments. "They may yet be enemies," she said. "But it is not set in stone. If they stand against us, they will die, but until then, there is no reason to spill their blood."

The warlock closed his eyes and bowed his head, returning to meditation. Eleria, however, rubbed her chin, eyes narrowed. Here and now, surrounded by warlocks, she could not use the Emperor's Tarot, and so settled for a sigh while rubbing her lover's spirit stone, the faintly-glowing gem affixed to a wraithbone band around her left wrist, delicate chains of gold winding over white gloves to the golden ring on her ring finger.

"What will be, will be, I suppose." she mused. "It is not for the Eldar to toss caution into the wind, and act on the spur of the moment, taking things as they come. That is the Human way. But…sometimes, wisdom may be found in the unlikeliest of places."

With that perverse thought in mind, Eleria settled back into meditation, sinking into the currents of the Sea of Dreams and following the future-present as it swirled and changed with the echoes of reality. It was then that she sensed another drawing on the currents, no, not drawing on them, following them.

A seer then, such that the Humans had.

Drawing veils of thought and imagination around her, Eleria followed the other seer's draw, and so cloaked, perceived it. It was a Human, stooped and withered before its years by the strain its gifts wrought on its body. Sympathy and pity struck at her, and once again she understood the Golden King's desire to uplift his people, so that simply having the powers they had did not wound them so.

Not all, true, but such promising Humans were few and far in between.

The other seer bowed and genuflected before an icon of the Golden King, who sat on his Throne of Gold with a stern and imperious gaze. In his hands, the seer clutched another icon, crystalline micro-circuitry woven within channeling the Human seer's power.

"I see…I see…my lord, I see!" the seer frantically spat. "I see her, the debased witch, who hungers for vengeance! Is she friend or foe? I cannot see, I cannot see, my lord, I cannot see!"

Eleria frowned then, distancing herself and allowing a current of dreams and nightmares to separate herself from the Human seer. Was he referring to her, or someone else? If he truly was referring to her, though…

"...not the most flattering description, but hardly untrue…" Eleria reluctantly conceded. "...even in Commoragh they would see me as I truly am as a depraved profligate…though such is not necessarily a character fault among the Kin of Commoragh…"

With a mental sigh, Eleria again turned her gaze to the ever-shifting paths of the future-present.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A/N

Strange as it might sound, the character ticks of Wotan Squad are actually canon, based on the old FFG rulebooks. Biomancers tend to be haughty and even sadistic bastards, since their powers let them stay physically young and beautiful when they should already be withered husks. That, and heal from wounds that should kill or stay perpetually healthy.

Similarly, telepaths are paranoid fucks from being able to see into just about everybody else and what kind of sick fucks everyone actually is deep down. Diviners are gloomy pricks from being able to see how everyone is but a puppet of fate (Tzeentch approves!), while pyromancers are straightforward pyromaniacs. Telekines, though, are the most stable, as the way they reflect their powers cause them to become stern and stoic with strong and unyielding wills.

It doesn't happen to every psyker, but more often than not (especially since most Human psykers don't even come close to Magnymagic or Malcador the Everyman, much less Big Boss Goldload Chairsitta) it does.

 

[Jaenera Targaryen]

Disclaimer: I do not own Warhammer 40,000 it is owned by Games Workshop.

Death in the East

Chapter 3​

A rustle caused a patrolling trio of Tau Pathfinders to aim their burst carbines in its direction. To their mild embarrassment, they found it was just a fairly large feline of some kind, with white fur and a long and bushy tail. Triangular ears pressed back against its head as it snarled at the Tau in warning, the feline backing away slowly. At a gesture from the lead Pathfinder, the trio lowered their burst carbines.

No point in needless bloodshed, especially when it was they that had disturbed a local predator in the wild during a hunt.

At another gesture from the lead Pathfinder, the trio continued on their patrol, burst carbines held low but ready, slowly sweeping their surroundings to allow their helmet sensors to pick it apart for potential threats. Then, while the other two Pathfinders were looking in other directions, a shimmer moved through the air behind the rearmost Pathfinder. Moving with catlike grace, it stalked behind the Pathfinder, always in their blind spot, and then reaching up and around their neck, slit the Tau's neck open with all-but-literal lightning speed.

The Pathfinder collapsed with a gurgle, blue blood exploding from slit arteries to spray from their compromised armor. Already, the other Pathfinders were turning in their fallen comrade's direction, their communication links warning of the other Tau's failing lifesigns. Metal flashed and a second Tau fell, a monomolecular blade spinning through the air to bury itself into their forehead.

Simultaneously, the last Pathfinder gasped as pain erupted in his chest, moments before losing feeling in his limbs which quickly spread over his body. Looking down, he saw a sword sticking out of his chest from where it had been stabbed through from behind. Struggling to sound a general alarm, he only managed a gurgle as the sword was pulled out with a wet noise, the Pathfinder collapsing limply to the ground. With the last of his strength, he looked up, darkness filling his sight as shimmering forms prowled over his and his team's corpses in the direction of the hidden supply outpost.

"It appears these wretches have a number of machines guarding their base a little further in." a thought slipped into the minds of the Eldar Rangers as they stalked in the direction the Tau had come from. "I can take them out, but only once you're in position to deal with the rest of the wretches guarding their base."

"Noted, Mira." Nalya replied in kind, peering around a cliff at the Tau outpost upriver, nestled into and built atop a series of metal platforms next to more cliffs. "How many Tau are there?"

"Two in light armor, and one in a lighter variant of their battlesuits." Mira said. "Hmm…I've encountered those before. The latter, that is. They might be able to see through our cloaks."

"Thoughts?" Nalya asked.

"...let's switch roles." Mira replied. "I'll take out the guards, while you take out those drones."

"Be ready, then. Moving into position now." Nalya said, drawing another monomolecular blade while her fellow Rangers drew their long rifles. "...now!"

Laser beams lashed out, taking down a quartet of Tau Recon Drones, with a fifth drone going down as Nalya threw her monomolecular blade with lethal precision. The Tau at the outpost were already scrambling as their armor warned them of the drones' neutralization, but then they started panicking as their Shas'Ui was killed by a laser beam blowing through the faceplate of his XV25 Stealth Battlesuit. Another laser beam killed a Pathfinder a second later, causing the last Pathfinder to dive for cover and off the platform. Landing in a crouch, he rushed towards the shadow of a nearby boulder, only to be blown dead off his feet by another laser beam.

"...nice shot, Lyrion." Mira remarked.

"You're losing your touch, Mira." Lyrion said while pulling his long rifle back behind his shoulder.

"I can shoot you from here, as you well know." Mira snapped back, though there was no real venom behind it, Lyrion only replying with a telepathic burst of amusement which Mira returned in kind. "Now then, the rest of the teams…Kyrla, Sairen, how are you doing?"
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kyrla placed a foot on a dying Tau's head, and pressed it under the flowing water of the stream, looking on dispassionately as bloody bubbles flowed up to the surface for a few seconds before stopping. "We're just about finished here, Mira." she said, before looking up at the now-undefended Tau outpost. Then, bringing up her long rifle, she fired once, the laser beam destroying the satellite uplink at the center of this outpost. "I cannot speak for Sairen, however."

As if in response, there was an explosion in the distance, sending a plume of flame, smoke, and debris rising into the air. "Very subtle, Sairen." Kyrla sarcastically replied. "You'd fit right in with the mon'keigh, or even the Orks, for that matter."

"I'd like to see you try and subtly destroy stockpiled fuel cells and other munitions with melta bombs." Sairen replied just as sarcastically. "Besides, it wasn't just the Tau stockpiles that were destroyed. I took out quite a few of those flying insects the Tau have working for them. It seems as though the Kroot managed to sound the alarm before we managed to kill them all, the insects were waiting for us."

"Vespid, I believe they are called." Mira cut in. "No matter, the supplies are destroyed, the Tau satellite uplink for this province destroyed, and their communications compromised. Fall back and rendezvous with everyone else."

"We aren't going to set a trap for when the Tau check in on their suddenly silent outposts?" Sairen asked.

"The Humans will have noticed that explosion." Mira replied. "As per my mother's directives, we must not tip them off to our presence before the proper time to strike."

"...I understand." Sairen replied with a mental sigh. "I do not like it, but I understand, and put my trust in the Farseer in this matter, just as the Court of the Young King has."

"...if it makes you feel better," Mira added. "It's not our way, as Humans are wont to do, to simply end the fight now. Our way is to end the fight in a proper manner and time."

"This is true." Sairen admitted.

"So it is." Kyrla agreed, already leading her Rangers back into the wilds of Balor. "Now, let's get moving before the Humans or the Tau arrive."

"Quite," Mira agreed. "But, do not grow sad, Sairen. There's more that needs doing before we're finished with this world."
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

About an hour later, and over forty kilometers away from where they'd destroyed the hidden Tau outposts in the countryside, Mira and her team of Rangers joined the others at a prearranged site. Holo-fields and energy fields protected it from detection and long-range attack, along with Guardians and more Rangers, the former supported by heavy weapons ranging from shuriken cannons to brightlances.

In addition to Mira and the other Rangers, there was also the feline which the Tau had stumbled on earlier. Only, it wasn't a wild animal like they thought (and may even have been smarter than any of the Pathfinders at the time), but a gyrinx bonded to Mira herself.

Those of the Rangers present who'd met and worked with Mira before were used to the gyrinx - Lyla - but the others (and the Guardians) glanced at the majestic and intelligent feline with a mix of awe and envy. Eventually, one of the younger Rangers worked up the courage to approach Mira as she rested and fussed over her familiar.

"Your pardon, Mira," he began. "But if I might ask, where did you first meet your companion?"

Mira chuckled while scratching the fur below Lyla's jaw, the gyrinx looking smug and radiating satisfaction at the act. "Her name is Lyla," she first said. "As to your question…my father presented her to me as a gift when I was a child, and she was similarly just a kitten."

"Your father?" the other Ranger asked.

"Yes." Mira wistfully said before eyeing the other Ranger. "Father…he was acquainted well with a choirmaster who had a bonded gyrinx, the latter of which recently had kittens. He was able to prevail upon the choirmaster to part with a kitten, and the rest, well, you can see."

"So I do." the other Ranger said with a nod before tilting her head curiously. "But, choirmaster? I sense you do not refer to one of those that walk the Path of the Artist, of the schools of song and tales."

"Perceptive," Mira said with a nod of her own. "Tell me, do you know what an Astropath is?"

The other Ranger frowned. "Astropath…" she echoed, licking her lips as she mimed the sounds of the alien language. "...that is a Human term, I believe."

"It is." Mira said with another nod. "Psykers strongly bonded to their Emperor, which allows them to telepathically communicate with each other across the stars. However, as you might be aware, Human psykers mostly tend towards being weak of mind or power, perhaps even both. To that end, they form choirs to collectively send and receive thoughts across the void, with those of strong power and mind leading their fellows as choirmasters."

"I see." the other Ranger thoughtfully said before offering a small smile. "Your father must have been a Corsair of princely means and reputation, to be able to deal with…Humans, in the way he did."

Mira laughed. "So he was." she said, and the other Ranger gave a small nod.

"Thank you for answering my questions, Mira," she said. "I apologize for disturbing you, I take my leave now."

Mira nodded back, and the other Ranger left. "Well," she thought to herself while stroking Lyla's back. "It wasn't a complete lie. Father's position in the Imperium should be analogous to that of a Corsair among our people. That, or I'm just excusing myself…what do you think, Lyla?"

The gyrinx just gave her a knowing look, and Mira laughed again.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"You have all done well." Eleria said, speaking to the leaders of the various Ranger strike teams on Balor via hologram from her ship, the Immortal's Blade still lurking cloaked in the void above. "Already the Human forces press their advantage, hammering the Tau vermin back to the major cities. But like all vermin, the Tau cornered are turning to bite with desperate cunning and ferocity. This cannot be allowed. The Humans, the Imperium, must win here and now on this world, or it will burn, starting a conflagration that will spread across the stars to the Maiden Worlds along the edges of this region of the galaxy."

Eleria paused, her visage disappearing to be replaced by maps, images, and locations of the Rangers' new targets, along with who had which assignment. "Most of your new goals remain similar to those before." she continued. "Those of you who have thus received what information you need, may go."

Most of the Rangers left, leaving Mira and five others behind. "Kyrla," Eleria began. "Your target will be here. This valley here holds a secret, a buried Orca Gunship which my visions point to as an escape craft for high-ranking Tau in the event of this world's fall. Destroy it, along with the Tau forces guarding the valley."

Mira frowned at that. "Orca Gunships don't have…ether drives, as I recall they're called." she said. "With all due respect, mother, it doesn't make sense."

"It doesn't need to have one." Eleria clarified as her visage reappeared. "My visions also point to it possessing advanced cloaking technology. Not enough to hide from us, but from the Humans? It will be enough, and together with the vastness of space, the vermin can simply wait until another, bigger ship arrives to take them to safety. See that they do not get the chance to begin with, Kyrla."

"It will be done, Honored Farseer." Kyrla said with a bow.

Eleria nodded and narrowed her eyes. "For this task," she said. "You have permission to open and use temporary Webway portals to quickly come and go. Indeed, doing so will prove necessary, to keep those tasked with destroying the ship itself alive at the end."

Kyrla nodded. "I surmised as much, Honored Farseer." she said while gesturing at the map and image of their target. "Rest assured, I will make certain no precious Eldar lives are lost in the cause of my task."

"I'll leave it in your hands, then." Eleria said with another nod before turning to her daughter. "Now, as for you, daughter, your mark will not be another hidden lair or stash of the vermin, but one of their precious leaders. An Ethereal…"

Eleria's face twisted in contempt, and Mira couldn't blame her. She had been there, centuries ago as her father's people recorded the passing of years, when the Tau's Ethereals had met her mother and other leaders of their people.

And they had the gall to call on the Eldar to submit to their wisdom and guidance.

What wisdom and guidance could these…children, offer us?

My mother's ancestors were singing songs of lamentation when the Tau's birthworld was nought but a blasted waste.

And for all their flaws, my father's ancestors were exploring the stars and crossing blades with the other half of my lineage when the Tau still went about in skins.

Such arrogance…the utter presumptuousness…!

"...an Ethereal will be meeting with the soldiers on the front line." Eleria was saying. "A fairly low-ranking one, but an Ethereal still for all that. And we both know just how slavishly devoted the vermin are to their pretender-sages. Kill him like a dog."

Mira smiled, a cruel and vicious smile that would not have looked out of place on a Kabalite's face. "It will be a pleasure, mother." she said, and Eleria smiled back just as cruelly and viciously as her daughter, if not more so.

But of course; she was a Farseer now, of Craftworld Biel-Tan, but she had not always been one of them. What was it that her father had once told Mira?

Oh, yes, now she remembered.

You can take a woman from Commoragh, but at heart, she'll always be a Commorite.

Then again, only a Commorite would lie with a Human, so I don't really mind.

I wouldn't exist otherwise, after all.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Whistles and sirens sounded through the air, as a train slowed while rolling up to the station in the newly-liberated town of Red Crossing. Thankfully, the train was built with and used non-profane technology, if lacking proper iconography and consecration, at least at first. The tech-priests had performed and added the basics, enough for safe use, with military necessity dictating that additional rites be performed while or when the train was not in use.

Now, it was being used to move troops from the Imperial rear echelons to the front, with Red Crossing becoming a major Imperial supply station and forward base. A rather surly one, to be sure, with too many of the locals having been indoctrinated by the Tau, the Ecclesiarchy having its work cut out for it bringing them back to compliance in the future, but there were just as many who were properly grateful at the Imperium's return. The older generation mainly, with a number of people cheering and waving Imperial flags by the station as the train rolled up.

Guardsmen waved back, and even flew their regimental flags from windows, before disembarking. Support personnel at the station directed units to where they needed to go, and it wasn't long before the 5051st Autonomous Stormtrooper Battalion was parading down the avenue leading to and from the train station. Commissar Risha Singh, along with the battalion's senior officers, rode horses at the head of the parade, Stormtroopers marching with high steps behind them platoon after platoon.

Twin ranks of infantry serving as honor guard and security force alike stood on either side of the avenue, their uniforms identifying them as 632nd Qingdao Light Infantry. Behind them, loyalist townsfolk cheered and flew Imperial flags, while others held aloft icons of saints and the blessed.

"LONG LIVE THE EMPEROR!" a loyalist shouted.

"GLORY TO THE IMPERIUM!" another loyalist shouted.

"KILL THOSE GODLESS BASTARDS!" a third loyalist shouted much to the roaring approval of the crowds. "PURGE THE ALIEN!"

And then, of course, there were the xenos sympathizers, borderline traitors and heretics that they were. An overripe tomato flew through the air and narrowly missed Colonel Dane van Winkle, who glared and spat a curse while looking to where it came from. Risha placed a hand on her plasma pistol in its holster while doing likewise, spotting a group of youngsters with faces painted blue and heads shaved but for a single lock of hair.

Aping the xenos invaders, no doubt, Risha recognized in disgust.

"GO AWAY AND LEAVE US ALONE!" one of the xenos sympathizers shouted.

"TAKE YOUR EMPEROR AND HIS WARS AND GET OFF OUR PLANET!" another xenos sympathizer shouted.

Nothing more could be shouted, as loyalists descended on them with clenched fists and proudly wearing Imperial Eagles on their persons. Soon enough a brawl had erupted, only to be just as quickly interrupted as men from the 632nd with MP armbands waded in, pulling the loyalists away and talking them down, while others dragged the xenos sympathizers away.

"Off to mind-scrubbing for that bunch." Captain Luis van Doorne remarked.

"They got off lightly, if you ask me." Captain Jannie Henckel chimed in. "If I had my way, traitors like those would get lined up against the nearest wall and then shot."

"While I personally agree," Risha said in her turn. "Duty demands we set aside personal bents and act with reason and prudence. Yes, their support for the xenos occupiers is heresy, but the form of heresy brought by the Tau is rather superficial compared to other, more insidious forms of corruption."

"Mind-scrubbing ought to be enough to turn them back into loyal and productive Imperial citizens?" Van Doorne asked.

"It's a start." Risha said with a nod. "Faith will be needed to ensure it not only sticks, but permeates their souls wholly and cleaves them to the Emperor's light. But, that is no longer our purview, and that of the Ecclesiarchy."

Van Doorne nodded. "True enough." he said. "Best not to get sidetracked, and to instead focus on our role in the Emperor's grand design."

"Yes," Risha said with a nod of her own before smiling at the captain. "After all, there's still a war going on, isn't there?"

That got a laugh from the other officers, Van Doorne nodding several times. "That is also true." he said, Risha inclining her head at his words.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A/N

Yes, gyrinxes, while usually associated with the Eldar, are also known to bond with Human psykers as well.

Anyway, we get to see what the Eldar are up to, and they do what they do best. When the enemy expects the obvious and the straightforward, they strike from the shadows with a thousand blades of treachery and deceit, leaving the enemy reeling and dying without even realizing who delivered the killing blow.

Well, in this case, enabling the Imperium to deliver the decisive blow, although just in case, there's also an Eldar fleet waiting in the Webway. All to prevent a future cataclysm spreading from Balor and potentially harming Maiden Worlds in this region of the galaxy.

 

[Jaenera Targaryen]

Disclaimer: I do not own Warhammer 40,000 it is owned by Games Workshop.

Death in the East

Chapter 4​

Man-made thunder rumbled across the valley as Imperial artillery pummeled Tau positions upriver in the direction of Grand Balor. More, and lower, rumbling echoed across the valley as the Rough Riders of the 955th Ostmark Cavalry Regiment rode fast and hard up the valley, along both banks of the Susanna River. They formed part of a general offensive, with the Balor Liberators 1st, 2nd, 7th, and 8th Shock Armies spearheading multiple thrusts against the Tau defenses around Balor Prime. The Balor Liberators 1st through 6th Guards Armies would follow through, with the 955th's own sortie in the Susanna River valley part of supporting actions by the Balor Liberators 4th Guards Army.

Both SIGINT and HUMINT indicated that the Tau had depleted their forces in the valley to reinforce the defenses facing the main Imperial attacks. That was not to say it was undefended, with SIGINT and HUMINT both indicating Kroot forces with light Tau support still being present in the valley. But with the bulk of the alien forces in the valley being composed of Kroot, it was deemed suitable for the 955th to deal with.

The first sign of resistance was picked up by servo-skulls floating above and ahead of the advancing Imperial Guard cavalry units, which spotted Kroot lookouts signaling the rest of the forces and marking the Imperial attack. Bugles sounded and the Rough Riders adjusted their formation while maintaining speed. They were in the middle of doing just that when the ground literally caved in under the first three of ranks of Rough Riders, dumping over half a hundred men into a hidden trench several meters deep, with sharpened stakes at the bottom. Unable to respond quickly, two more ranks followed the rest into the trench, and while their fall was broken by the dead and dying, they still suffered various injuries, especially among the horses, rendering them unable to fight, bringing the 955th's casualties up to well over a hundred.

A flare went up, and Tau Pathfinders ignited the trenchline. The moans and cries of injured men and the whinnies of injured horses turned to agonized screams, while behind the line, the remaining Rough Riders fell back, their formation collapsing as men and horses turned in every direction, panic setting in wildly. Then with sharp howls, Kroot Carnivores leapt out of hidden pits and into the ranks of the Rough Riders. Red blood, both Human and equine, flew in the wake of flashing Kroot blades, heads falling and bodies crumpling as the Kroot attacked wildly. There were more Humans than Kroot, but by throwing the battlefield into chaos, the Imperial Guard's numerical advantage was turned against it. The Kroot flashed through the lines, cutting down everything in reach, their howls and the flashing of blood and metal and flying heads and falling bodies spreading panic even further, until at last the Rough Riders broke and fled.

Another flare went up, and Kroot Shapers struggled to keep their fellows from pursuing, as Imperial reinforcements closed in. Three full squadrons of Valkyries, thus far unable to fire for risk of friendly fire, but that wouldn't last long. In response, the Tau dropped their stealth fields, revealing Tau Pathfinders commanding firing positions on the low hills along both sides of the valley, backed by XV88 Broadside Battlesuits. Railguns whined as they charged up and aimed at the Imperial flyers, then with the crack of displaced air, launched hypersonic projectiles with lethal intent.

Engines burned hot as the Valkyries banked and jinked wildly to avoid the incoming shots, before launching flares to throw off Tau missiles following through. One Valkyrie flew low, its chin-mounted multilaser turning to aim, and then fired a blazing volley of yellow across the ground just in front of the retreating Rough Riders who skid inelegantly to a halt.

Flying even lower to hover just above the ground, a side door opened up, allowing Commissar Risha Singh of the 5051st Autonomous Stormtrooper Battalion to haul herself partly out of the craft, held in place only by a safety harness. With a contemptuous look on her face, she sighted a random Rough Rider, and blew him apart with a single shot from her plasma pistol.

"COWARDS!" she roared. "NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER!"

"They're killing us!" another Rough Rider shouted back, to the jeering agreement of his squadmates.

Risha killed him too with another shot from her plasma pistol. "THEN KILL THEM BACK!" she roared before glancing in the direction of an explosion, as a Valkyrie was shot down. With a hateful snarl, she barked orders at the pilot, before turning back to the Rough Riders. "FOR THE EMPEROR, FIGHT! OR RUN IN SHAME, YOUR CHOICE!"

That it would end in mass executions went unsaid, much to the uneasy shared glances of the Rough Riders. The Commissar was leaving, though, her Valkyrie joining the others in flying towards the Tau lines. Railguns continued firing, but the Tau battlesuits failed to shoot more Valkyries down, which opened fire with rocket pods on the Kroot scattering across the ground.

As explosions went up across the battlefield, surviving cavalry officers steeled themselves, then began forming up the lines. "REFORM THE LINE!" one captain shouted. "REFORM THE LINE!"

"FORM LINES, YOU MAGGOTS!" another captain shouted, lance raised and wildly waving into the air as he rode before the other horsemen. "FORM LINES!"

"SOUND THE CHARGE!" a third captain shouted, taking the lead before his company. "FOR OSTMARK! FOR THE EMPEROR! GOTTEN-KAISER MITT UNS!"

Bugles sounded the charge, and with a loud roar, the Rough Riders charged forward, a massive wave of men and horses that ate up the distance between them and the reeling Kroot, forming up into massive wedges before they made contact. Some of the Kroot fell back, shooting their Kroot Rifles to no effect against Imperial Guard flak armor, but most snarled in defiance, ignoring their Shapers and charging to meet the Imperial charge.

The two lines met…

…and the Imperial Guard swept the Kroot away. Most of the aliens were impaled on Imperial lances, while others were torn apart by the force of impact. A few Kroot managed to jump to avoid getting impaled or trampled by the front rank of Rough Riders, and down into the middle of their lines to wreak havoc, but it didn't last. Most were quickly and bloodily trampled underfoot, while at least one was impaled and torn apart by three different lances.

As for Risha and the 5051st…

"Emperor, see me this day," Risha prayed as she drew her power sword, and with a deep breath, jumped from her Valkyrie. "Guide my hand, and let my blade strike true! URAAA-!"

"URAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!" the Stormtroopers roared as they followed after her, and echoed by the Stormtroopers in other Valkyries. They fell on the Tau positions in a rain of ceramite, yellow laser beams and blazing bursts of plasma raining down on the Tau Pathfinders. The aliens returned fire, burst carbines blazing with plasma aimed skyward, taking a toll on the Stormtroopers, before the latter landed and the battle degenerated into a brutal melee.

Bayonets, rifle butts, knives, and even simple fists were used. The Tau fought back as well as they could, but for once, the Humans weren't physically weaker or slower than their enemies, and the aliens were brutally beaten, cut up, stabbed, choked, and even bludgeoned to death. One XV88 was literally bowled over by a whole squad of Stormtroopers jumping on it, throwing it off-balance and forcing it to the ground, where it was all but literally torn apart by point-blank hellgun fire.

Meanwhile, it seemed as though the Emperor listened to Risha's prayer, because she dropped where she wanted to: on top of a XV88, her power sword stabbing through its chest armor and impaling the alien pilot inside. "FIGHT…FIGHT FOR YOUR LIVES…FOR YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN ARMS…VICTORY OR DEATH, FOR THE EMPEROR!" she shouted as she kicked off the dead battlesuit, and landing hard, opened fire with her plasma pistol at another battlesuit nearby. "URAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!"
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Five long rifles fired simultaneously, cutting down a trio of Tau Pathfinders and a pair of Tau Recon Drones guarding a hidden guard station in the wilds of Balor. The Shas'Ui in charge jolted up from his seat inside the station as the sight of his men and machines getting gunned down, his eyes barely having the time to widen as what looked like a blurry shimmer flashed through the door and towards him.

Then he barely had the time to cry out in pain, as monomolecular blades cut the tendons behind his knees, then his flanks, then his shoulders, and finally, sent his head and body tumbling separately to the ground. "And I thought the mon'keigh were slow." Kyrla dryly thought to herself as she sheathed her blades. "This is pathetic."

Glancing at the nearby security terminal, Kyrla sighed and tapped tentatively at the control panel. It was a crude machine, simple and primitive, not to mention purely mechanical in nature, much to her disgust. Even Human technology, which depended on cloned or harvested brains and nerves to work, was less…repulsive, in comparison, if only because there was an actual spirit behind it.

Still, it would suffice, Kyrla only needing a few moments to understand how to work it. "The first guard station is under our control." she telepathically signaled.

"The second guard station is also under our control." a reply quickly came from another team of rangers.

"Likewise for the third guard station." another reply followed.

"The fourth station is also under control…" the final reply came, but there was an undercurrent to the thought that caught Kyrla's attention.

"Has something gone wrong?" she asked.

"It's been dealt with."

"But…?"

A mental sigh echoed through the ether. "We were nearly discovered." the other Ranger elaborated. "Simple ill fortune, one of these Tau vermin looked in our direction and was astute enough to pick up the visual distortion of our cloaks. They nearly managed to sound the alarm, but it was quite a fight."

"I see." Kyrla said with a nod. "Is that all?"

"...there's blood and guts everywhere in here." the other Ranger admitted after a moment.

"Well, we are at war." Kyrla pointed out. "These things happen."

"Perhaps…but I'd have preferred to get things done cleaner and much more quietly." the other Ranger said.

"As would I." Kyrla agreed. "But we do not always have the luxury of getting what we want…now then, with the guard stations under control, we can move onto the next part of the plan."
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This involved killing all the Tau Air Castes present in the evacuation station, thus ensuring even if they failed to destroy the Orca hidden here, the Tau couldn't fly it out either. Also, while some Rangers did just that, others deployed small and innocuous devices with which to open Webway Portals for quick evacuation.

Those Air Caste standing by on duty were the first to die. They were gathered in three ready rooms, from where they could get to their stations aboard the Orca in a matter of minutes should the need occur. Infiltrating the ship was done easily enough, with the guard stations silenced, and getting to their quarries, the Rangers simply lobbed gas grenades into the ready rooms and sealed the doors before shorting out the controls.

A simple stab with a monomolecular blade was enough to do that. Afterward, all they had to do was listen to the frantic shouting and screaming as well the pounding on the doors that slowly but steadily grew weaker and softer, until at last silence.

Then there was the ship's captain. The Tau was receiving a report from a subordinate when the Rangers caught up to him in his office, and killed him by stabbing him from the back and through the heart. The captain's subordinate barely had the time to scream before a shot from a shuriken pistol painted the floor and far wall behind her with blood and viscera.

"These vermin think they can bring order to the galaxy?" the Ranger who killed both Tau telepathically asked his partner.

The other Ranger shrugged. "They believe in something called the Greater Good," he replied. "And apparently, it's exactly what it sounds like."

"Khaine's blood," the first Ranger swore. "They're worse than the mon'keigh."

"Maybe they are, maybe they aren't," his partner said with another shrug. "Come, we must deploy Webway Beacons while the others hunt for other targets."

The first Ranger grunted, before slipping out of the bloody office and back into the labyrinth of the Orca's interior. Across the ship, similar events played out, while Kyrla and another team of Rangers cleared out the ship's engineering space. Unlike their fellow Rangers' targets, the Tau here were of the Earth Caste, not that it changed the outcome.

"Took them long enough." one Ranger quipped as alarms began to sound, causing two other Rangers to close the engineering doors followed by the blast doors. For good measure, they collapsed the catwalks above, blocking the exit with wreckage.

Kyrla grunted while tapping at a control panel, before nodding in satisfaction. "There," she said. "I've disabled main and auxiliary power, these vermin won't be able to send a signal, all while powering up its reactors."

"This will destroy the ship." a Ranger said as he planted a melta bomb on top of a reactor's outer casing.

"Just as the Honored Farseer foresaw." Kyrla said while jumping up several levels to land on the highest catwalk with barely any effort. Heading to a nearby landing at an unhurried pace, she pressed a gem on her bracer, tuning in on the various Webway Beacons across the ship before sending telepathic messages to the rest of the Rangers. "Evacuate the ship. Our task here is done."

Then she blinked, as she sensed Webway Portals opening one after the other, allowing the other Rangers to depart, the portals closing in their wake. Soon, only she and her team were left, the latter joining her at the landing. Below, the sound of Tau security trying to breach the engineering doors could be heard, and while they probably could do it given time, they wouldn't have it.

"Vermin burn." Kyrla thought as she opened a portal, letting her team leave before her, the portal closing behind her as she entered the glowing tunnels of the Webway. Then, with no Eldar left inside the Orca, the melta bombs placed around its reactors exploded, compromising the volatile machines and triggering runaway chain reactions that ended with the ship exploding with a flare of light and heat visible from orbit.

There would be no escape for the Tau's leaders on this world.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Eleria stood on the Immortal's Blade's observation deck, unlit except for the system's star and the countless stars of the galaxy beyond. Runes floated around her, while a trio of tarot cards were held loosely in one hand. Those tarot cards disappeared into her sleeve as the doors opened behind her, allowing a warlock to enter.

"There is news." she said, turning to face the warlock who sank to one knee before her, head bowed.

"As you say, Honored Farseer." the warlock said, raising his head. "The Tau escape vessel has been destroyed, along with the latest selection of hidden supply stashes and military outposts."

"Hmm…" Eleria mused before looking up as though in thought. "...all that's left then is my daughter's mission."

"Yes, Honored Farseer."

Eleria nodded slowly while heading back towards the window that looked out into space. "Mira has never failed me before." she said. "She will succeed again, here and now. In any case, considering how important her quarry is compared to those of her fellow outcasts, it is no surprise she is taking her time with the hunt."

"As you say, Honored Farseer." the warlock said, and he was completely genuine. "Your daughter's skills are commendable…were she to take to the Path, or rather, the Path of Warrior, she would make a fine Striking Scorpion."

Eleria laughed. "I agree." she said. "But that is her choice to make, and not for us to make for her."

Besides…I am uncertain if she is capable of walking the Path…she has bonded to a spirit stone well enough, and her powers are certainly not any weaker than those of her peers…

…but even so…

…she is not a full Eldar…

Eleria took a deep breath, looking out towards the distant stars to ease her worries. "No." she thought. "I must have faith in my daughter. She certainly did not seem any different from the other children on Biel-Tan when she was growing up, and was more at home among them than among the Human children on my love's ship. Perhaps…just perhaps…when her wanderlust runs its course, she can find peace for herself on the Path…"

"We must be patient." Eleria finally said. "Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen."

"Yes, Honored Farseer." the warlock said, bowing his head, before departing at a gesture from the Farseer.

Alone once again, Eleria pulled out the hidden tarot cards, and regarded them with narrowed eyes. The inverted Lost Child, the Lightning Tower, and the Magus. Psychic power from Eleria flickered through the psycho-reactive crystal of the cards, and new visions entered her mind.

*alien children accompany their instructors to a new world*

*the aged children cower in safety from the distant sounds of war*

*terror fill the children's eyes as a familiar machine-man towers over them*

"Victory is already assured." Eleria thought to herself, pouring herself a drink at a nearby table. "Even so, I pray that the Bloody-Handed God and the Golden King will be with my people and that of my love's on this battlefield."

As she drank, more visions flashed through her mind.

*crude vessels shaped like mechanical fishes skipped on the veil between the real and the unreal*

*dragons leap from the Webway, striking true and delivering death with every blow*

*Human soldiers stand atop a burning palace, raising a crimson banner trimmed in gold, bearing a double-headed eagle with lightning bolts in its talons*

Eleria smiled and toasted the stars.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A/N

And the war continues, but turning in the Imperium's favor, as sheer weight of numbers and overwhelming firepower push the Tau to the breaking point.

That, and the Eldar dancing just out of sight, landing quick and painful blows that leave the Tau bleeding their strength away, making them increasingly vulnerable to the Imperium's hammer blows.

 

[Jaenera Targaryen]

Disclaimer: I do not own Warhammer 40,000 it is owned by Games Workshop.

Death in the East

Chapter 5​

Humming echoed through the forest at night in the wilds of Balor, all but inaudible over the sound of water flowing over rocks. Starlight shimmered in the dark, holo-fields masking a Vampire Raider as it brought its passengers as close as it could to their target. Sliding over water and rocks, the Vampire Raider quietly slid to a halt in a clearing by the river, holo-fields disengaging with a flicker of rainbow light a moment before the passenger compartment slid open.

Lyla was the first out, the gyrinx lithely springing out of the transport before briefly halting to sniff at the air and take in their surroundings. Then she was gone, prowling ahead of her companion and her companion's companions. Behind the gyrinx, more Eldar emerged from the Vampire Raider, cloaked and hooded with weapons held low and relaxed. The Rangers silently took in their surroundings, and as one, prowled forward, seemingly melting into the shadows under the trees with not a sound.

"We will continue as planned." Mira telepathically communicated with the Vampire Raider's pilots. "Khaine guide our blades, Cegorach blind our enemies, and Asuryan smile on us all."

"See you at the rendezvous, Mira." the pilot replied in kind, the Vampire Raider's holo-fields coming back to life as the transport quietly vanished and moved to leave.

Mira took the lead, her fellow Rangers moving along her flanks and to her rear. Up ahead, Lyla scouted forward, sharing her senses with Mira through their bond. From the sense of things, it seemed the forest was empty, at least of sentient life. Birds of dozens of species slept in their nests up above, while nocturnal predators lurked or prowled in the shadows.

The Eldar avoided the latter, having no reason to tangle with the beasts of the woods, their eyes set on other prey. "How far away is our destination?" a Ranger asked telepathically.

"From here it should take us six turns to reach a Human ruin which sits along an abandoned route up the nearby mountain." Mira replied. "Then another two turns up the mountain, to a point from where we have a clear line of sight to our target when it arrives."

"And when will it arrive?" the Ranger asked.

"In just over a solar cycle of this world." Mira replied. "We should have the time to have a meal, then…but only after we reach our destination."

"Of course."

Mira slowly nodded, focusing once more on making her way through the woods with no hint of her presence to be seen or heard by anyone who might be present. With only Humans or Tau potentially present, that shouldn't be too hard.

---

The ruins were…strange.

No…not strange. Familiar.

Mira had heard the stories, read the legends, the musings and imaginings of what her father's people called the Dark Age of Technology. When the Children of Terra had reached the apex of their power and achievement, such that the Imperium of a Million Worlds of this day and age paled in comparison to. And, much like her and her mother's people, was brought down by their own hubris, the soulless machines they had crafted to serve and fight for them turning against them.

Still, it was a part of their history. Humanity's legacy. And…for one such as her, a Child of Isha with a few stanzas of Terran gene-song in her blood…her heritage as well.

The architectural styles were different, functional and idealized in a way that Imperial architecture was not, but it was still clearly of Human design and make. And some things had never changed at all, not in the tens of thousands of years between then and now, as shown by the broken statue of a nude Human female standing at what might have been a fountain once. Or the ruined temple near the center of the town, just a shattered husk of a building around a pair of idols, a long-haired Human male and an equally long-haired Human female seated cross-legged next to each other.

It was also crawling with Kroot, and from the look of things, the Tau had once been excavating here, and almost certainly had ransacked the ruins for any tech relics that might be of use to them.

Rage exploded then, deep within Mira, only the discipline drilled into her by her mother ever since she could walk and talk keeping it under control. Even then, she felt her Spirit Stone burn cold against her chest.

This was her heritage.

Her legacy by dint of descent from House von Drachenfels.

And these…vermin dare despoil it with their filthy hands? Desecrate the lost glories of her father's people's ancestors?

They would pay.

Their blood would soak the ground, and be as a funerary offering to all those that had died here to their own creations' betrayal. Only then would they sleep once more in peace.

Mira gestured sharply with her fingers, the other Rangers understanding without anything needing to be said. "Keep it quiet." Mira pulsed, and the others pulsed wordless understanding. If they felt her anger, they said nothing about it, perhaps interpreting it as typical Biel-Tan contempt for lesser species.

Well, it was close enough to the truth, she supposed.

Slinging her long rifle behind her back, Mira reached down, and drew a Huskblade, the Commorite weapon a gift from her mother. A relic of a time from before she walked the Path, and had secretly kept even after she had left the Dark City.

---

Moving soundlessly from shadow to shadow, the Rangers slipped unnoticed from the forest and into the ruins. There were a dozen Kroot guarding the ruins, led by a single Shaper. Mira went after them, slipping past guards blinking and turning watchful eyes along possible lines of approach, but never looking up, and never into shadowed corners, always expecting the obvious and straightforward, and not the dagger in the darkness, waiting to strike at a turned back or exposed side.

Well, perhaps that was a little unfair, she admitted while looking down through a hole in a ceiling, as the Shaper pored over a map on a table, guarded by a trio of Kroot Carnivores. Slipping back over the roof, Mira quietly dropped down to the ground, and creeping over to a window, slipped through to crouch down against the ground.

Breath held and muscles tensed like a gyrinx, she pounced, a Kroot Carnivore barely having the time to widen its eyes as her hands grabbed its head and jerked sharply, breaking the creature's neck. By now, the other Kroot in the room had noticed, but it wouldn't save them.

Wraithbone flashed and another Carnivore went down, a monomolecular-edged blade flashing from Mira's sleeve and into its head. Bone crunched and the third Carnivore collapsed, gasping for breath as a punch from Mira collapsed its throat.

Snarling in fury, the Shaper lashed out at Mira, who dodged the clumsy swing of the creature's blade, before blocking the follow-through with an arm against its arm, while her free hand stabbed her Huskblade into the creature's chest. The Commorite weapon punched through the primitive leather armor the Kroot favored, and cutting into flesh, sucked the creature dry in an instant.

Mira sniffed as she slipped back into the shadows, leaving the Shaper a mummified corpse on the ground. Across the ruins, it was more of the same.

Elsewhere, a Kroot Carnivore stood proudly on guard, never noticing the Eldar hanging down by his legs behind it, not until the Ranger had snapped its neck.

Another Ranger plunged a monomolecular blade into a Carnivore's eye from behind, and when its partner turned in the Ranger's direction, another Ranger threw a blade from the shadows behind it, and into the back of the second Carnivore's head.

A Carnivore fell as a poisoned dart struck its neck, causing the creature to fall, foaming and twitching. Snarling, its partner hurled itself over the wall, only to promptly meet a monomolecular-edged sword rising in its direction and bisected itself into bloody halves.

A pair of Carnivores chasing after a noise ran into a trap, monofilament winding around them and reducing them to bloody chunks of meat and offal.

The last Carnivore broke and fled, only to die with poisoned darts in its back, the creature falling forward foaming from the eyes and mouth.

Looking out from an upper floor window, Mira nodded in satisfaction at the sight. It was the smallest vengeance yet for the desecration of these ruins, but the rest was up to the Imperium in the days or weeks to come. Once this world was fully in its grasp, any Tau or Kroot left on this world would only have a mass grave or two to look forward to.

For now, though, Mira had more important things to do.

---

"What did the Humans carve these stairs for?" one of the Rangers grumbled as they made their way up the mountainside.

"...religious reasons, perhaps." Mira mused before gesturing at one of the time-worn statues of women on plinths by the stairs carved into the mountain. The women were all but nude, wearing only clothing that could pass for Commorite wychsuits, along with what could probably have passed for ornate crowns of some sort. "These statues resemble those in the temple in the ruins."

"I see…so the Humans have never always worshiped that seer of theirs?" the other Ranger asked.

"No, at least from what I gathered in my wanderings." Mira replied. "That seer of theirs as you call him, the Emperor, only took up the reigns of power after the Humans' first civilization fell to the betrayal of soulless machines…not helped by our own folly."

"...I'm not comfortable with the notion that we had anything to do with the Humans' fall." the other Ranger dryly remarked. "They need no help to ruin themselves."

"Perhaps," Mira admitted. "But we need not be blind to our own flaws, lest we repeat the mistakes of the past. Especially outcasts such as ourselves, who dance in the shadows between the Path and the darkness that reigns in the heart of the Webway."

"Even so…"

"No." Mira interrupted firmly. "This is something my mother made sure I understood early in my youth. We are the Children of Isha. Heirs of the Old Ones' legacy, victors of the War in Heaven, the Lords of All Creation. It is only meet that we think so highly of ourselves…but it was also the belief born of that, that we could do as we please, and take all that we desire without consequence, that brought us low. Or do you think we wear Spirit Stones and willfully shun our gifts for no good reason?"

There was silence, and Mira nodded. "Just as our achievements, successes, and greatness elevate us above others in this galaxy," she continued. "Our failures and damnation cast us down lower than anyone else. The Humans' fall is nothing compared to ours, when our ancestors' hubris cost us our ancient crownworlds forever, and birthed the most twisted of the gods of the Great Enemy into existence."

"...I understand, Mira." the other Ranger admitted with a sigh. "It is difficult to admit, but I understand."

"I know." Mira said with another nod. "It was difficult for me as well, but my mother would not relent, and in hindsight, she cannot be faulted for that. It is an important lesson to learn, a piece of wisdom to be held in our hearts."

"Your mother is wise." the other Ranger said, and Mira smiled fondly.

"She is."

---

The vantage point from where they would assassinate one of the Tau's pretender-sages was high up on the mountainside, a short stretch of cliff clear of vegetation along the edge. Getting there wasn't particularly difficult, but not without challenge.

The roaring of crude rockets tipped the Eldar off, the Rangers scattering as a Tau XV25 Stealthsuit dropped down in front of them, accompanied by a pair of gun drones. External speakers blared out something in the Tau's uncouth tongue, but the Eldar weren't listening.

Mira's long rifle cracked off a shot while two other Rangers opened fire with shuriken pistols. Mira's shot blew off the battlesuit's right arm, and depriving it of its only weapon. The other Rangers' shots took out the gun drones, and then a thrown monomolecular blade punched into the battlesuit's head, taking out its sensor cluster.

In the next instant, a trio of Rangers had closed in, and stabbed the battlesuit with monomolecular-edged swords from three directions. Gurgles could be heard from its speakers, while blue blood dripped down the Eldar's swords and down to the ground. Then they withdrew their swords, the battlesuit lifelessly collapsing to the ground.

Wordlessly, the Eldar dragged it off and out of sight, before scattering across the clearing. In the distance, the hidden Tau base could be seen, camouflaged enough to mask it from orbital sensors, but this close and against Eldar eyes, it was obvious. In any case, they still had some time before their prey arrived, more than enough time for a quick meal. Afterwards, the Eldar spent the following turns in various ways.

While some were always on watch duty, others slept, meditated, and played simple mind games with each other to pass the time. Day passed into night, and night began giving way to the day, then finally, their prey arrived.

Crude plasma engines burned white-hot as a heavy Tau transport arrived, veiled from Imperial sensors by Tau disruption tech. The Eldar watched in silence as it flew over the mountains, and then hovering over the base in the distance, slowly descended to land. Already, the Tau in the base had turned out to greet their pretender-sage, assembled in neat squares and lines on the ground below.

Wordlessly, Mira shifted into a prone position, her long rifle braced on a bipod and its scope lined up with her eye. She quickly swept the target zone for potential complications, before zeroing in on the transport. For several minutes, nothing happened, and then with the whining of primitive machinery and the hissing of equalizing pressure, a hatch opened.

Painfully-slow, but it opened, and in moments, the pretender-sage emerged, a wizened creature practically buried in gaudy robes dripping with equally-gaudy jewelry. So much so, that the creature couldn't stand on its own legs, the pretender-sage needing a grav-platform of its own to move. In its hands, the creature held a staff of office, while to its sides, a pair of Tau warriors walked just a step behind, an honor guard of sorts for the pretender-sage.

There were no cheers from the assembled Tau, just shows of reverence and murmurs of awe and anticipation. Slowly and with affected gravitas, the pretender-sage and its honor guards proceeded down an aisle formed between the assembled Tau, drones flying around and overhead on the lookout for any sign of danger.

Mira breathed in, steadying her aim, and then pulled the trigger. Air cracked as a beam of blinding white split its way towards the target, and punching into the pretender-sage's chest, reduced the creature's torso to bloody chunks and hot mist.

There was a moment of silence.

Then the Tau screamed, most of them clutching their heads in shock and terror at the sight of their pretender-sage's death, many collapsing to their knees in despair. The honor guards even went so far as to draw their sidearms and putting them against their heads, committed suicide.

Most of the Tau wept or wailed or even both, while some beat their heads against the ground or nearby walls. A few clawed at their eyes and faces, leaving bloody marks in their wake, screams and alarms echoing across the wilds as anarchy consumed the Tau base.

Mira just snorted at the sight. "What a pathetic sight." she sneered, while crawling back and away. "Let us depart, we are finished here."

---

Several turns later, and the Eldar were piling back inside the Vampire Raider. As the hatch sealed and the transport went on its merry way, a display lit up and displayed the image of Farseer Eleria.

"Is it done?" she asked.

"The pretender-sage is dead," Mira began. "And the vermin tear at themselves in despair. Pathetic…"

"Of course they are." Eleria agreed. "They are vermin."

"What must be done next, mother?" Mira asked.

"Proceed to the capital city," Eleria replied to Mira's surprise. "And infiltrate it before awaiting further instructions."

"It's almost over, then." Mira said.

"Yes," Eleria said with a nod. "But remember, vermin are most dangerous when backed into a corner. We must prepare for that eventuality, such that when it occurs, we can force them into the open, and allow the Humans to hammer them freely."

"As you say."

"Still," Eleria continued. "We must not forget that this world, and the events that even now take place, form only part of a greater tapestry that must be woven to ensure the security of our worlds and loved ones. The Imperium's victory here will not be enough, and the next step must be of a subtle nature. Prepare yourself."

"I understand, mother." Mira said with a nod. "At times, a sword or a hidden dagger is needed, but at other times, a scalpel would be more appropriate."

"Or a net, as it were." Eleria said, and causing Mira to tilt her head in surprise. "Patience, my dear. You will know soon enough. For now, rendezvous with the other Rangers, and proceed to the capital. When the events of this world reach their climax, you will be needed there, this much is certain among the ever-shifting paths of the future-present."

"It will be done." Mira said with another nod, and then Eleria ended the communication. Mira said nothing more, trusting in the Vampire Raider's pilots to know where they needed to go. That said…

"...a net…" one Ranger muttered. "...is the Honored Farseer after something or someone?"

"Our mission here is to prevent the Great Enemy from threatening the Maiden Worlds in this part of the galaxy." Mira pointed out. "As we are all aware, it only takes one to sow the seeds of the Great Enemy's corruption. Perhaps that is what my mother intends to catch?"

"It would seem so." the other Ranger said, but Mira said nothing, already suspecting her mother intended something else, but what?

We will know soon enough, I'm sure.

---

A/N

And it's assassination time, with a lot of gratuitous violence on the side. Plus Mira getting very unhappy at Tau poking around Golden Age ruins on Balor, although there really isn't anything left there. Still, watching upstarts like the Tau trespassing on her father's people's ancient heritage (and hers as well, as she describes herself as a Terran-blooded Child of Isha) really pisses her off.