Greed

The Story So Far (T'au Perspective)
A while ago, Shas'El Shase'xan received a messenger drone from the system of "Greed". This drone had a message asking him to assist the Gue'la rebels of the forgeworld there. Shas'El Shase'xan responded and arrived in the system. They were greeted with many desolate world, all devoid of life except for one, nicknamed "Avarice". There was an odd massive weapon on the moon of "Avarice", and the cadre prepared for deployment. A remora was sent down first, carrying the messenger drone originally sent, heading for the coordinates it specified. When they entered the atmosphere, they saw a planet covered in a thick layer of yellow smog where normally clouds would be. The Fio'vre had the drone pilot place a spike into one of the many enormous craters across the wastelands, as they were picking up some very odd readings from each one. With the detour complete, the remora reaching the coordinates, upon which they were greeted with the leader of the rebels, a person wearing a gas mask styled in the art of ancient Gue'la. They introduced themselves as Valorius, and they discussed deployment with the Shas'El. The manta eventually lands, and the main force is brought underground into the fortress city of Tangsu, a sprawling network of caves and tunnels. The last bastion of hope for a dying world, the rebels fight back against their oppressive overlords who have destroyed and ravaged the planet. While in the FOB, a group of the low powers encountered an odd race of insects, that roamed the smaller caves of Tangsu. As it turns out, these insects were a herd of cattle, all shephered by a set of three brothers, Linzos, Metflos, and Arcos. The Gue'la feed the cattle in exchange for some of them to use for meat as well as the protection the larger insects of the herd offer in the deeper parts of the cave.

The T'au forces then went on various missions

The stealth teams were sent on a mission to recover a weapon cache and prisoners from a train shipment moving between the major cities. This was completed without a hitch. The stealth team was unsure exactly what the weapon they were recovering was however...

The Interception
The pathfinder and breacher teams were sent to intercept a small vehicle that was transporting supplies across the wasteland. When the vehicle reached the intercept point it was being chased by a horde of beasts the Gue'la call "Nightcrawlers." The team, lead by Gue'vesa'ui Sha'he rescued the team from the oncoming horde, and brought them back to the FOB. While enroute to the FOB, Ui'Sha'he explained the T'au'va, but when he mentioned the city of Tangsu, the leader of the rescued team, Derrick, began to convulse. This is when Ui'Sha'he and his strike team learned of the small implants that most of the non-freed populace have on the back of their necks. It is linked into their nervous system and can control their movements, as well as if they step out of line is wired to overload their nervous system and cause them to have a seizure. Shas'la Gun'ran, the field medic quickly acted to stabilize Derrick, and stayed by his side until they returned to the FOB and Derrick was able to get his implant removed. Unluckily, the team forgot to complete the primary mission which was get the supplies from the truck, so they had to return when it was daytime as the Nightcrawlers disappear during the day.

When they returned to the truck, they found that a Nightcrawler had managed to lock itself within the back of the truck, protecting it from the sunlight. With some coaxing, Sha'he managed to prevent the nightcrawler from attacking, where Fio'ui Suam'shoh was waiting with a containment cage for the beast.

Baron Harkness' Oil Empire
So the Kroot were sent on an assassination mission, because their kindred is extremely equipped for stealth. There is a massive construct the size of a city that wanders the wastelands, collecting promethium from the last working pumps on the planet. The construct refines the promethium while it wanders, transporting it between the major cities of the planet. This construct is ruled by Baron Harkness and his son. The kroot were sent to kill the Baron. They manage to infiltrate the construct, which is easily the size of a city itself, and eventually locate the son of Baron Harkness. Biik'ovir then decides that just in case this is not the actual Baron, they blow up the construct... just to be sure.

Grix observes the man sitting in his opulent dining room, while Biik'ovir moves to plant the bombs. In the dining room, there are no actual supports holding up any of the furniture. Instead the furniture is massive slaps of golden metal resting upon the backs of chained slaves. In a duel of honor, Grix battles the man and sustains heavy injuries, but manages to slay him and claims his ring and whip. Grix tells the children holding up the table that they are free to leave, but they refuse to move from their place underneath the crushing weight of the table. He then leaves and heads to locate the Baron who lies at the top of the spire, and when Grix reaches it he is met with a sorry sight. Baron Harkness has engorged himself on the spoils of his opulence and is barely able to move under his own weight. When the Baron learns of the death of his son he breaks down into a tantrum, and Grix kills the Baron with the inferno pistol of his son. Biik'ovir then detonates the charges that were placed within the refined promethium tanks, and in a cascade of explosions, the construct falls and shakes the very earth. The fall of the city was felt even in the underground refuge of Tangsu.

Things that go Bump in the Night
Meanwhile, Fio'ui Suam'shoh moves the Nightcrawler into the cage, who oddly does not struggle against its captors. Its cage is brought into the lab of the Fio for further study. Shas'ui Va'na is also given the Mantle of Heroes for her many selfless deeds in service of the Greater Good, and is assigned an XV8 crisis suit, dubbed "Ranger." Fio'Ui Suam'shoh is asked to preform upgrades on the battlesuit, and while she does so, she receives a message from her Fio'vre to return to the lab as soon as possible. The nightcrawler has escaped containment, and had wreaked havoc on the data centers of the lab before escaping deeper into the city. When the group confronted the nightcrawler they found it was in the middle of performing some kind of ritual. 3 Darkened orbs were orbiting the air around it, and when the T'au forces attacked the nightcrawler it consumed one of the orbs and became a massive beast. The beast wielded some kind of weapon that manifested the energy of a black hole. In a hard fought battle, Shas'ui Va'na fired volley afted volley and blew off the arm of Sylaks. Unfortunately, Sylacks also managed to heavily damaged a Devilfish and almost killed several of the T'au with the force of the attack. However, after sustaining heavy damage itself, Sylaks let lose an mind-numbing screech that incapacitated the party. In the ensuing chaos, Sylacks dissappeared into the earth below with a foreboding message that they would return. The Kroot recovered a claw from the arm of the beast, and Shaper Grix harvested some of the dark ichor that dripped from the severed veins of Sylacks.

Meeting with the Brothers
A few days after the attack on the city of Tangsu, one of the three xenos brothers, Metflos, was reported missing. Pech'vesa Grix and Biik'ovir were sent to investigate and locate the missing brothers. Their kindred, being expert trackers, quickly located the Metflos. They found him in the ruins of a wooden village in the middle of a large building. He was centered in the middle of some sigil on the ground, the sigil itself glowing a deep green. Biik'ovir quickly moved to subdue Metflos, and the strong kroot overwhelmed Metflos and dragged him out of the sigil. Once Metflos was out of the sigil, he became comatose, and the kroot were unable to awaken him. Biik'ovir burned the building to the ground with a flamer tank he had found on the body of a guard from the city, and the Kroot returned to the city with the now bound Metflos. When they returned they were greeted by Steven and Linzos. The two Kroot attempted to get some answers from the brother, but was met with half answers. Frustrated, the Kroot accepted their payment and informed the Fio and Shas'vre Ter'syqo of the events.

When Shas'vre Ter'syqo was informed of this, she voiced her frustrations with both the local Gue'la as well as the Brothers, and stormed off to confront Linzos. Biik'ovir followed, seemingly undetected, as she made her way deep into the caves to the home of the brothers. Under threat of a point blank pulse round, she managed to get a small amount of information out of the brothers, detailing their background and history. She then managed to set up another meeting with the brothers, attended by Por'vre Draig and the Fio'vre. This is the report that Por'vre Draig submitted after slowly whittling away at Linzos in the meeting.

''The brothers were a part of a species that evolved and shaped the foundations of the first civilization on the planet. Their society grew for many thousands of years. While it was a primitive society, they prospered greatly and eventually their people covered the lush forests of the planet. However, several millennia ago their queen began to hear whispers from beyond the veil. The queen started to commune with these voices and the society drastically changed over night. Their house symbol became the one our kroot found Metflos communing with. The three brothers are all that remain of their species, the rest having eventually fallen to the whispers and becoming the nightcrawlers you see stalking the wastelands at night. The cattle are simply a cousin species to the brothers that were raised as such for as long as the brothers ancestors have been sentient.''

Baron Naveen's Factory City
Through other discussion, the Cadre learned that the nightcrawlers avoided the human citys ran by the Barons, even avoiding their large railways, staying to the wastelands below. Metflos personally believed that long ago the ancestor of the Barons may have struck a "deal with the devil" in order to secure protection from the nightcrawlers, or even to gain more power and control of the system. After the meeting with the Brothers, Fio'ui Suam'shoh discussed with Por'vre Draig and the Fior'vre on how best to deal with the Barons. The trio concocted a plan to capture one of the Barons in order to interrogate them and learn any weaknesses the cities may have.

Within the week, Por'vre Draig managed to arrange an ambassadorial meeting with Baron Naveen in his factory city, and the plan to capture him was arranged as well. Strike Team Aun'erra'sha'he would guard Por'vre Draig and attempt to get close enough to the Baron in order to incapacitate him, while Pech'vesa'o Grix's kindred would encircle the facility and assist with the extraction of the target. The teams geared up for the mission and departed... The following are Pict-feed excerpts scrutinized by Shas'nel Ter'syqo after the fact.

Baron Naveen was found to be in some sort of coma, and was placed in a statis chamber. The Fio began work on attempting to awaken him to interrogate.

A Mountainous Task
After the mission, Pech'vesa Biik'ovir attempted to find a form of respite. In an attempt to keep moving, he made his way out of the caves where the city of Tangsu resides, and started his way up the mountain they operated under. The wind ripped through the various jagged rocks and cliff faces of the mountain, but nevertheless Biik'ovir braved the climb. A few hours later, and one close call he reaches the top. On the peak of the mountain he found a curious monument however. A small stone slab inscribed in Tau'sia.

''To those lost. Your memory will be carried on by the next generation''

He then found a small box buried in front of the monument with a Tau bonding knife wrapped in purple cloth inside. Across the box is written many different names in Tau'sia, a few of them sub commanders of Shas'O Torith. He then carefully returned the monument to the state he found it. After a few moments of respite he sett his kroot rifle and knife next to the monument.

(OOC This is his excerpt on it. This was an amazing piece to read from BrocoliMonopoly#4764 and it is always a pleasure to have him in my games.)

''Biik calmly reads the names again and notes them down, then returns the box to its place. It is time to finish what he came here for and it seems he was not the only one who had a similar idea. It may not be a private moment like he wished but likely the youngling will have enough tact to stay back. From his back the kroot draws his rifle, the symbol of their kind. One hand runs down its leathery strap, feeling the shaped studs within; each a name, a face, a voice that flashes in his mind. Does the same happen when whoever made this monument looks at the names upon the box? Perhaps. The rifle is carefully placed against the monument, its strap wrapped about to keep it attached. Next comes his knife, its bone handle worn smooth many times over. Another relic of the long gone Kindred each sported a similar weapon as their rite of passage. Its companion blades have long since been consigned to destruction by the the hand of a scrapping ork or defiled by a thieving gretchen. Biik places the blade upon the monument as well, it is just another thing keeping the dead. One more artifact of the past is in his possession, but he knows that he still cannot give it up for the face that flashes in his mind when he holds it remains too precious. The kroot lowers to the ground and descends into prayer, still and silent as a stone''

Let these who died alone on a foreign world, surrounded by enemies yet succumbing only after great sacrifice, be taken beyond. May they go as kin, walking together side by side. Let the kroothawk take unto its wings those who are its children so they may become spirits themselves. The Tau do not belive in the beyond yet their deeds have earned them a great fate, so let them be treated with kindness. Let the kroothawk meet them as friends and guide them on their way, they have no spirits of their own to do so. Their good will be waiting for they who have served it so well with open arms, let the kroothaw watch over them so they may find their peace as it would watch over me.

''This is Biik's prayer, a weak cry into an infinite cosmos. Yet he believes, surprising conviction coming from one like him. And so after a few silent minutes he rises, shaking of ice and snow. It is time to leave.''