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Oi’Kyse
"Shining Belt”


Life world












Location: approximately 450 LY due galactic south, from T’au, and orbiting a binary star, Oi’Kyse occupies the 5th planetary orbit out of a total of thirty-two planets in the system.
The sept’s most notable stellar trait is the huge asteroid field that encompasses it in a shell of rocks and ice, this field generates an intense radiation, that interferes with warp drives and astrogation systems, the exact nature of this phenomenon is unknown at this time, but may be related to the unique manner that the field was created by, namely the destruction of the 6th planet by unknown circumstances, either artificial or natural.
The Planet itself is ringed by a massive defense structure that encircles the planet around its equator, this array, built in the dark ages of mankind’s expansion into space, is almost fully automated, and seems to be primary reason the planet has not been pulverized by constant asteroid impacts.
Numerous mass drivers and titanic laser weapons travel along sophisticated rail systems to be brought to bear upon any would be planetary threat, and in times of extremis the system may even be remotely controlled from planet side command centers, the creation and maintaining of this colossal space-borne structure is lost upon the indigenous population, but the recent arrival of the Tau in the system has spurred a surge in the unlocking of its ancient technologies.
Although the array bristles with weapons and sensors it is practically devoid of any habitat or construction facilities, the Tau earth and air castes are hard at work devising plans to implement the fabrication of structures that will take advantage of the rings power systems so as to allow the eventual manufacture of star-faring craft.

Physical Properties: The surface of Oi’Kyse houses a diverse and vibrant array of climates and habitats, from towering mountains, to lush primeval jungles, but its most defining characteristic is the “Tall woods”, so named by the original human settlers of this planet.
These forests consist of trees almost a kilometer in height with trunks that can be more than a hundred meters in diameter, these trees are actually not plants in the normal sense, as that their structure is more akin to crystal or mineral formations, but also sharing a sophisticated photosynthesis process, this accounts for the extreme hardiness of its structure and its ability to support the massive stresses placed upon it by it’s size.
Tau Earth caste biologists, geologists and botanists have been subjecting these “Tall woods” to extensive research and study, and have hopes that the organism may produce advances in material technologies.
The Tall woods occupy more than sixty percent of the planets dry land, and are inhabited by all forms of saurian life forms, including the indigenous Kamodai, and Gecki races.
Both of these races predate even the humans arrival planet side, and until fairly recently were locked in a primitive technological level. This has changed by contact, first with humans , and now the Tau. Water caste envoys have made incredible strides in this area.
Complimenting its verdant forests and rolling hillsides are huge fresh water oceans, teeming with life, these oceans cover around seventy-five percent of the planets surface, and in some areas plunge hundreds of kilometers in depth.
The two suns and its long rotation cycle divide the days into twenty hours of light and twenty of dark, depending on its place in orbit this may result in several days stretches of light or dark each orbit cycle, the longest of which lasts twenty three days.
A full rotation cycle takes eight hundred and twenty three days, and facilitates six distinct seasons, consisting of, High winter, winter, spring, low summer, high summer, and autumn.
All of these factors result in a eco-sphere that is alive with life.
The planets close proximity to an massive amount of asteroids and other planetary debris has resulted in erratic weather and tidal patterns though, and ferocious storms and wide spread flooding can occur with little to no warning, high winds and tornadic activity is a common trait of these storms, and some can last for days at a time.
The planet’s mass generates a substantial of gravitational pull and thus life forms and populations born here tend to exhibit enhanced musculature growth.
And Finally the most exotic and unusual characteristic of this planet is its effects on the life span of any form carbon based organisms, from insects to humans and Tau, all exhibit a massive increase in both health and length of life spans, doubling and tripling of such in many cases, the planet harbors few if any diseases and such finds little to no foot hold upon any native flora and fauna.

This effect, now just a day to day matter to its human population, has caused no end of study by the newly arrived Tau, their findings have led to a possible connection between the radiation emanating from the asteroid belt , and the planet’s own robust eco-system, where some planets in the universe seem inimical to all life, this one seems to encourage the growth and prospering of its higher forms, an altogether unique occurrence in planetary research.
This may also be what has drawn so many species to its shores and will likely make it one of the most contested planets in the ever expanding Tau empire.

Native Flora and Fauna: from the towering “Tall woods” to the moss and grass that carpet the veldt, the life on Oi’Kyse enjoys a diversity almost unknown on most worlds. The dominate native Fauna are almost all Saurian, or reptilian, but early human colonists brought with them a vast array of mammalian stock, that have survived and propagated and in some cases evolved into new forms, many vastly different than the original.
Edible plant and animal life abounds, and the raising of crops has become almost effortless, with time and careful planning Oi’Kyse could eventually feed many planets with its agricultural bounty.

Animal life, is just as varied as the plant life upon this planet, creatures walk, run, fly, swim, slither and in some cases hover in its forests and oceans, both carnivores and herbivores abound, with the distinction of omnivores being restricted solely to sentient lifeforms on Oi’Kyse.
The largest and most dangerous carnivore so far encountered is the “ Kala’golog” ( in the native Gecki tongue ) meaning “death shudder”. A large bipedal saurian carnivore standing 3-4 meters at the shoulder and more than 10-12 meters in length, weighing several tons and protected by a dense hide of scales and natural silica plates this creature sports a array of razor sharp claws and fangs, and is capable of stunning speeds when required, quite capable of outrunning even some ground vehicles ( for a short distance) .

The Creature earned its name from the Gecki for the tell-tale sign of trembling ferns or other underbrush that may be concealing the huge saurian before it makes its initial, (and usual fatal ) attack, the Death shudder warms its muscles up in a rapid series of spasms that has the side effect of causing plants in close proximity to shake, as if trembling.
This large animal is perfectly adapted to its position of an apex predator, and is capable of incredible stealth and cunning when required, one such report filed by a air caste pilot states, that at a remote landing zone located deep within the tall woods, one such creature penetrated a compounds security perimeter, and stalked a research team for a series of ten days, taking one at a time until finally the last survivor , while hurrying to reach the safety of rescue craft was snatched up in its vicious jaws, a scant 3 meters from the ramp, the crew reports that the animal exploded from the underbrush and attacked, then disappearing back into its leafy habitat.
Subsequent research teams have been provided with much heavier security precautions including in some cases firewarriors and devilfish transports, these animals have even been reported to occasionally operate in packs, at least so is the word of many Gecki translators.


more to come

Chapter : 1


Introductions



Rain..it always seemed like it rained when there was someplace to be or something important to do, and this day was no exception, this was the day of days for young cadet hopeful Ian Gunn.
On this rainy dreary day he found himself sitting alone in a transport module that was speeding along a mag-lev line towards it's destination, that being the gleaming Tau enclave located on the outskirts of the drab and squat (by comparison) human city of Guderistat, capitol city on the planet know to it's human inhabitants as Guderia V ( called Oi'Kyse by the Tau).

The transport module hummed along at a constant 70km per hour and its sealed and presurized interior was warmly lit, in the custom of all the "new" tau styling and design, that had swept the planets engineers and convinced them that everything that they had been doing for the past hundreds of years was wrong and ugly, or at least so the media would have it known, but regardless cadet hopeful Gunn appreciated the comfort it provided, since it allowed him to concentrate on his most important task at hand...last minute cramming for his academy entry exam.

This exam, mandated by both the human and Tau enclave councils was the linchpin that would decide young Ian's future, would he return to the dull and predictable life of a factory or agri-corp serf, or forge ahead into the unknown and ( hopefully ) promising career of a human member in the unified arms service, and all the possibilites that serving in that newly established( and Tau funded ) career would offer.
But..that all hinged on him scoring a 90% or greater on the text exam and a perfect score in the physical portion, the physical test was not the one that troubled him, a life of working on his family clan's workplots,and the physical and backbreaking nature of the labor had made Ian tall and strong, maybe a little too tall ( he hoped the Tau did not have a height maximum attached to their voluminous requirements he had already fufilled), also since his youth Ian had always been an excellent hunter, his many clan forays into the Tall woods had always met with sucess. Usually with his aim being the deciding factor wether there would be meat on the table at the next meal, so at least in this area his mind was easy, but the text exam...that, was a beast of another color.

Reaching into his backpack Ian retreived the portable data pad (or PDP ), " that the earnings of a whole harvest season had paid for by the way" he mused. Upon placing it carefully across his lap he activated it, and a vivid representation of the Tau symbol sprang to life along with a scrolling marqee of words and phrases both in Tau and his own native human language.
Taping a few specific symbols and the Exam study guide swam into view along with a bright red flashing border... NEW CONTENT ADDED!...new content, new content! Ian felt a surge of panic at the possiblity of a whole new realm of knowledge that now he may only have an hour to absorb, and his passing grade would now hinge upon, with a great deal of dread he tapped the new content symbol and watched the screen change to a grand vista of a sweeping simulated trek through the 32 planets of the Guderia system ( sorry.. Oi'Kyse he would have to rememeber the Tau name, since that is how the test would refer to it ), every detail of the system represented in lush colors and details, the massive gas giants and their many moons and the array of asteroid fields, every planet shown until it finally alighted upon this planet....

Planetary update: 1012

Oi'Kyse ( shining belt) : so named for the dense and vast asteroid field that englobes the verdant world, this celestial body visiable in the night sky as a gleaming belt of reflected sunlight, although stunning it is also a threat to this worlds existance... [ see threats ]
Threats : the asteroid field itself is composed of millions of distinct bodies, some of which are many miles in length any one of these could easily spell doom for the life upon this world, and would have surely extinguished this life if not for the ancient orbiting defences that circle the plant's equator and run from pole to pole. [ for a vid record of defence systems press now ].

Ian pressed the icon, and a holographic display began depicting a large fleet of craft, only a few of which that Ian could identify and those were the four vast colonization ships the Tau had set down in some 40 years ago, these vessels became the Tau's first dwellings and power sources, and still functioned as the center of the four main Tau enclaves upon this world, including the very one he was to report to today.

The view shifted to the bridge of the lead colonization ship and the tall and slender Tau that must have been it's master, the presence of a musical score informed Ian that this was likely some form of re-enactment but still gripping in its representation and as Ian watched, a great drama unfolded...

Chapter 2


Arrival


Air Caste Ship commander Gal’Eoro waited patiently for the situational display to change, and hopefully convey a glimmer of good news, but at this point he would just settle for any news.
He desperately, wanted to act, to be useful, and to get this operation back on schedule, since the disastrous engine malfunctions that had struck every one of the 18 ships of this exploration and colonization fleet, they had been stranded in this unknown and uncharted system for the past 6 rotaa, attempting to determine the nature of the malfunctions and to re-establish functionality to all of the fleet’s drives.
But as yet to no avail, the leading theory had something to do with exotic radiation readings that a massive globular asteroid field was emanating , this field , located at the 5th orbital ring in this system behaved in other equally baffling manners, not the least of which was its stubborn refusal to offer up any data to the fleets long-range scanners.
An two ship element had been dispatched to recon the field at a closer range in the hopes that that may result in some answers to this mystery. And now they were due to report....

A flash and tone announced the reception of a burst transmission and Gal’Eoro quicky touched the decode icon floating before him on his tactical holo display.
The only response was a burst of static and a garbled voice shouting to take evasive maneuvers!
At that the message switched to a automated distress code, sending location and time data...

The commander’s brows furrowed and his jaw clenched, this was not at all what he had hoped to receive from the scout craft , the commander of the lead ship had been a close friend and this caused a dark cloud to grip Gal’Eoro’s heart.
Turning quickly to the fleet comm sation, the commander spoke sharply and precisely,” signal combat elements of the fleet that possible hostile contact has been met by our scout elements, send to all ships make best speed to mid point at following location, combat craft to report status and stance at that time, all carrier craft launch additional screening craft, and place all Fire caste personnel on a amber status...send at this time!”
The comm officer quickly and efficiently relayed the transmission and shortly the fleet’s acknowledgments began streaming in, speed and efficiency the watch words of the Tau, but exactly what Gal’Eoro would expect from the personnel in this fleet, as he observed the icons representing the Tau fleet shift and move into a tight and defensible formation he was satisfied with the execution of his orders, safe in the knowledge that every commander upon every craft would now be focusing upon their new task and mission.

He could now turn to his responsibility of reporting to the true leader and architect of this voyage....Aun’Cal’Bentu the surprisingly young and but incredibly inspiring ethereal that advocated for this route, and since the fleet’s drive malfunctions had sequestered himself in his private suite of quarters with the request ( orders ) to only be disturbed upon significant occurrence.
This form of report had to be handled in person, the commander informed his second to take over, and Gal’Eoro proceeded briskly to the grav-lift that would convey him directly to the Aun’s chambers, entering his personal access codes the lift silently ascended to its destination.
The clear glassteel doors slid smoothly open with only the faintest of scraping sounds, and released the commander into the foyer of the ethereal’s suite of quarters, everything was tastefully decorated of course, and in contrasting but complementary subtle hues, almost at once the commander felt himself relax somewhat, despite himself and of the current situation, it was a vaguely disconcerting sensation, and one that passed and felt natural almost at once.
As Gal’Eoro approached the main doors to the Aun’s suite, the doors opened of their own accord, and standing in the doorway was the Aun fully attired in his tailored and subtly altered version of a water caste envoy’s finest robes, the Aun’s eyes regarded the commander serenely before acknowledging his presence with the slightest of nods.

Gal’Eoro was at once reminded of the Aun’s predilections for appearing dressed in whatever castes style that would likely be the most pivotal in upcoming events, and this day would be no exception to this Aun’s eccentricities. Before the commander could speak Aun’Cal’Bentu’s deep and soothing voice was heard, “has something... significant occurred, commander?”

Chapter 3


Occurrences

It happened fast... Be’gel, Orks, waiting in the asteroids, taking advantage of the sensor and comm blackout the radiation caused, and using crude optical communication. The Orks signaled their brutish ram ships who swarmed like flies from the bowels of a derelict Gue’la starcraft..
.
The orks rammed, boarded and gutted both Tau scout vessels before they could turn to flee, then removing their own wrecks and setting the tau craft to drift towards a gap in the asteroid field, the Orks reset their trap.
The next victims did not take long to arrive, but these came on more cautiously, with attack craft probing and searching in precise patterns, these would not be so easy...
And it was this thought that disturbed the huge Ork the most, Vargog by name ( in the harsh guttural language of the Be’gel ) he had risen to his position of space warboss by dint of his cunning, abnormal foresight, and the ability to always be somewhere else when “accidental” explosions happened on the various Ork craft he served upon.
There by accelerating his rise to the position he now enjoyed...just right now he was not enjoying it, in fact he was down right concerned, and a concerned Ork is a dangerous ork, especially to any underlings in arms reach.

Vargog studied the primitive display of glyphs and hummed to himself, narrowing his already beady eyes and focusing upon a precise point on the display, the precise point where he would spring his trap, and start another glorious battle...just the glyphs of his foe were not moving fast enough for his satisfaction...
He tried tapping his foot, he tried counting rivets on the wall ( but could never get past bunches ), he even tried humming, but nothing was helping curb his impatience today, Vargog could feel the old pulsing sensation behind his eyes, as if he had a hundred grots pounding on the inside of his head, and the only thing that would stop this pounding, this pressure,was to hit the big shiny red attack button....so he did.
And that action of an impatient Ork prevented what would likely have been a slaughter of the Tau forces to merely a fight for their lives.


At the signal Ork “Bellower” craft passed the word along the vast expanse of the asteroid field to each Ork kroozer, and attack craft, and that word was...”Sort em out lads!!”

The first indication the Tau received of the Attack was a huge swarm of crude torpedoes that wiggled and twisted form every asteroid it seemed, Tau Barracudas, and Mantas preformed gallantly and engaged these deadly missiles wherever they could but they were to few, and the torpedoes far to many.
13 squadrons of Mantas and Barracudas sacrificed themselves that rotaa, all for the greater good, and to spare their fellow Tau.
As the Tau fleet reacted to this sudden and Violent assault another threat presented itself, Ork Kroozers...these ramshackle starcraft ignited their oversized engines and hurtled out of the Asteroids.
Approaching from both flanks of the Tau fleet these ugly and ungainly vessels began disgorging wave after wave of attack craft, and launching volleys of their wildly inaccurate torpedoes.

The Tau fleet responded splendidly, turrets springing to life, their own attack craft launching into the vastness of space, many gallant duels were fought in the glittering dark as the air caste’s finest showed their worth, but it was not enough, the Ork numbers were too great and the lack of sensor acuity and comm outages were eliminating the usual advantages that the Tau had always enjoyed against this enemy.

One by one the Tau pilots found themselves outnumbered and surrounded, and one by one they died, each a hero, each dying for their ideals.
Upon the Bridge of the Tau command craft Gal’Eoro was experiencing the worst rotaa of his life, watching friends and comrades being snuffed out, hearing their voices through the snap and static of the occasional comm message, watching on the huge optical display that hovered in front of his command chair, it was almost to much for him, if not for the presence of the ethereal Aun’Cal’Bentu upon the bridge he is sure he would have succumbed to his rising feelings of panic and hopelessness , but with the ethereal present the commander could carry on.
The Tau fleet had been forced to use visible signaling procedures and auxiliary communication systems to even coordinate on the simplest of level, the mere fact that they had implemented and preformed this adjustment so rapidly in the face of the Ork onslaught was nothing short of miraculous, the earth caste technicians had been a vital cog in the machine that is the Tau military, and without their assistance all surely would have been lost.
But even with every member of every caste doing their duties above and beyond for the greater good that day it still would have been for naught, but the Aun, eminently serene and calculating, always ahead of the game he seemed, always a part of it but apart from it, this Aun then acted, turning to Commander Gal’Eoro, “Commander make best speed for the planet that is at the center of this Asteroid field.”
Gal’Eoro was taken aback by this command “Planet..what planet! Our sensors could not even penetrate past the fringe of this field how can you be certain there is a planet somewhere in there?”
The Aun regarded him with that same serene gaze he had always regarded the commander with and said, “I am your Aun, and you must trust in what I say, there is a planet , and we must reach it, now commander preform your duties in the outstanding manner you have always rendered, and signal the fleet...send Aun’Cal’Bentu must reach the planet, for the greater good.”
Commander Gal’Eoro sent the message exactly as the Aun requested, and the fleet moved, almost as if it now functioned with one will and one mind, attack craft redoubled their efforts, gunnery crews sighted and fired with deadly accuracy, fire warriors responded to boarding attacks with the ferocity of demons, each and every Tau now , with the words of the Aun in their minds gave of themselves for the greater good.


But one by one the warships of the Tau succumbed to the onslaught of the Orks, and in the tight confines of the Asteroid belt there was no retreat only the goal of protecting the Aun and allowing him to achieve his goals, and for that they died, until only the four massive colonization vessels were left, along with a small host of Mantas and Tiger shark escorts.
The lead vessel finally emerged from the Asteroid Field and at once its comm systems sprang to life, messages flooded in from each ship as they too exited the field and surveyed the tremendous blue and green planet that was truly at the heart of this vast shell of rocks..
As commander Gal’Eoro mind processed everything, he could not help but look over at the Aun, whose immaculate water caste robes,rustled in the breeze caused by the atmospheric control systems.
The Aun then spoke without turning from the main display, saying “Send a message to that planet on all frequencies, we are not your enemies, and we are in need of aid, can you help us against the Orks that plague this place, you are our only hope.” at that the Aun then turned to the comm officer and added, “and send the message in the language of the Gue’la.” he then stood impassionedly , awaiting a response...

4


Measures


Ian tapped the icon pausing the holo-vid, looking up he noticed the Tau Enclave was now only a few minutes away, wanting to get a good look at the Enclave Ian placed the PDP carefully inside its carrying case.
Besides Ian mused every child born to this planet in the past 20 to 30 years knew the rest of the story.

Of how the Tau’s message reached the aging comm relays of the orbital defense command, and how in a surprising show of trust, that command instructed the massive anti-asteroid weapons to fire in support of the beleaguered Tau fleet, resulting in the destruction of multiple Orkish vessels, but also allowing several Ork craft to penetrate the defenses in other areas that had been left uncovered by the need to support the rescue operation.
And those Orks landed deep within the tall woods, and have become a ongoing threat to the peace that once graced this verdant world.

The Tau in their appreciation for this act of charity and feeling a bit responsible for the Orkish penetration of the defense network, vowed to aid Guderia in its fight, and help them integrate themselves into the greater Tau empire, all of this was of course embraced whole heartedly by most of the planetary leaders, and ushered in a age of advancement and co-operation.
Or at least so the media has always stated it ....

Ian blinked his eyes to re-adjust them from staring into the bright, and vivid holo-display, and peered out the trams rain streaked windows, the Tau enclave, earlier only a dull blueish glow on the horizon was now becoming distinct and recognizable in the grey morning mist and rain.

Four massive domes dominated its confines , each easily a kilometer in height, and more than 4 in diameter. These Ian knew were the “battle domes” the training enclosures for the Tau castes here on Guderia, although what exactly went on inside these colossal enclosures Ian was uncertain, but it did fill his gut with a nervous excitement , that he may soon be training within those awesome structures.
The rest of the Enclave was equally striking if not as grandiose, tall elegant spires, lit with blinking and strobing blue lights, a huge aerospace port with craft hovering and taxiing , both Tau and human, and squatting in the middle of the vast expanse , the Tau colony craft, now surrounded by lush parks and gardens, and still the epicenter for this settlement.
Ian marveled at the industriousness and enthusiasm that seemed to accompany everything the Tau built or pursued, and the sheer swiftness that this virtual city had been constructed, at the order it represented..

Ian’s thoughts were abruptly jolted back to reality as the tram decelerated for its arrival at the main concourse of the Enclave.
Gathering his things and double checking he had all his Id cards and proof of purpose, Ian began steadying his mind for the trials this morning would bring, he only wish that there had been some way of finding a preparation briefer, or any info on this testing/sorting procedure, but the only thing that Ian had been able to find on this matter was that this was a brand new process, and its continuation would hinge upon people such as himself and their performance in the program...heh no pressure there, he thought ruefully.
“Well, I am as prepared as I will ever be, so nothing to do but do my absolute best...and hope it is enough.” Ian thought aloud, more to calm his nerves then anything, and he was feeling anything but confident at this point.
The tram eased into its docking station at the concourse and with a sound of metallic clamps attaching themselves to its under carriage, it finally came to a halt, as its doors hissed open permitting the cool moist early morning air to flood inside its carefully climate controlled confines.
This helped to invigorate Ian a bit, his family had always been early risers and pursued a rough and ready existence on the hinterlands of the Tall woods, so this burst of natural air was exactly what he needed to focus his mind.
Ian briskly moved along the people conveyors and up many flights of stairs until finally arriving at a long low desk, artfully crafted from exotic hardwoods and tended by perfectly attired Tau, the first Tau Ian had ever seen in person he noted .
Walking as boldly up to the Tau as Ian could manage ( even in his many imagined first meetings he had not quite yet been prepared for the reality of meeting an actual non-human , it was a bit overwhelming), Ian spoke “Greetings, um,my name is Ian Gunn, and I just arrived ( at this Ian pointed back the way he came ) and..well I am not entirely sure what I do next...” Ian smiled nervously and tried not to look as out of sorts as he truly felt.
The Tau ( a female Ian noted, and was a bit taken aback at the physical similarities between the races, he had seen them on holo-vids and such, but rarely in non formal attire, and this Tau female was wearing some form of very tight blue jumpsuit, perfectly tailored of course. Altogether distracting ) smiled and spoke in perfect gothic “ May I please see your IDENT card?”
Ian quickly fished it out of his cargo pocket and handed it to the Tau, who took it gingerly as if it was some form of delicate substance that would crumble if to roughly handled.
She then passed it through a blue light and Ian observed his information flash across a projected screen.
Everything in order the Tau female spoke again to Ian, “Please follow the blue light path to Concourse delta there please board tram 621 and exit at gate 44, and have a productive day.”
The Tau returned Ian’s card to him in the same careful and delicate manner, and Ian quickly stuffed it into his pocket, thanking the graceful creature, he glanced around for the blue light path she had mentioned , upon finding it Ian followed it along its way.
The Tau observed Ian’s progress with a bit of amusement in her eyes..”Poor gue’la “ she thought," he has a long difficult path ahead of him”.banishing anymore thought of the tall human she busied herself with in processing of his data, and sending it to the proper authorities.

All along Ian’s path he now observed Tau, Tau in all manner of dress and functions, workmen preforming construction duties, Tau merchants selling all manner of wares, from foodstuffs to high tech devices, even a few Tau soldiers standing in carefully chosen over watch positions weapons slung in a non-threatening manner but alert and observant nonetheless. ( Ian noted that as he passed these Tau their gaze seemed to linger a bit more on him then other passer byers, although to be honest it was a bit difficult to tell exactly where the Firewarrior’s gaze was trained in their odd helmets, but the feeling persisted )

Finally arriving at his final destination, Gate 44, Ian stepped into the collosal foyer of one of the Battle domes, and a torrent of sounds and sights bombarded his senses, the huge expanse of polished black and grey tile was covered by Tau, humans, and even the tall vicious aliens the Tau had brought with them, the Kroot, even from a good distance their musky alien odor reached Ian’s nostrils.
A momentary wave of panic flowed over his senses, but steadying himself Ian plunged into the throng and searched for the contact, that was named in his test packet..
After much weaving and pressing his body through the crowd ( including one harrowing jostling by a easily agitated Kroot, who was every bit as tall as Ian , the alien had hiss and clacked its beak-like mouth in an irritated manner, and Ian had quickly apologized and put some distance between them ) Ian had come to the conclusion , that he had no idea where to find his contact.
All the symbols and language were primarily in Tau, and Ian had only the roughest understanding of their complex language...he felt his frustration, turn to irritation, and irritation turned to the beginings of a world class headache, rubbing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and fingers, Ian closed his eyes and tried to clam himself, and not become to concerned that his deadline to check in was rapidly approaching.
He then felt a polite tug at his elbow, blinking his eyes open Ian looked for the source of the tug and observed the shortest Tau he had yet seen today, (short and very slightly built Ian noted )
“Can I help you?” Ian stated a bit hesitantly, not entirely able to read the expression on the small blue face of the Tau.
“Actually I think you are the one that needs help, and I would be honored to assist, if perhaps you could return the favor?” the small Tau then arched one of his brows, and smiled a thin small smile.

Ian quickly answered“If you can help me find this contact, or office or whatever place it is ( at this Ian handed his test packet to the Tau) I would gladly help you, I am kind of lost at this point.” Ian sagged his shoulders and shook his head at this last confession.
The Tau examined the packet only briefly before saying, “ well we are both in luck then, I am going to the same destination that your packet directs you to, so our paths may now converge for mutual efficiency.” the Tau smiled broadly at this statement, “I am known as Ufa and I will lead you to our goal if you would lend your obvious mass and size to assist me in the conveyance of these bags...(Ufa then indicated four large black bags stacked near a decorative plant’s pot ), since it would greatly speed up my deliverance of these vital items, and would allow me to arrive on time as well.” that said Ufa stood regarding Ian, awaiting a response.
Ian merely walked over to the bags and hefting first one then another and finally shouldering a third, turned to Ufa “Well Ufa, my name is Ian Gunn, and I am right glad ..our paths have crossed, so lead on.” Ian then indicated for Ufa to take the lead with a opened hand and a bright smile, which the small Tau did, after lifting the last bag and waving Ian to follow.
Together the pair wound their way through the Foyer and to a bank of Lifts, Ufa nimbly wove between two large humans and pressed the call button for the nearest of the lifts, which quickly arrived, allowing the unlikely pair to set part of their burden down as the elevator whisked them to their destination,

Well that is all I have currently, if anyone is interested I may put some more work into the story, C & C is welcome.

Thanks for your attention.

I really enjoyed what you've done so far! Hopefully I'll see some more

Really nice fluff

Great background just hope the imperial fanboys don't start picking holes in such a fantastic piece of artwork and effort.

Are you currently writing more? Because I'm anxious to see how the Tau deal with my fellow orks.

Hey, what happened?
I'm eager to read more about Ian and his endeavour to help further the greater good

Yep, interested. You write with maturity, good creative work. Especially like the Tau flavour in your subjects observations.

Very well writhe, I agree with the poster above me. Mature and filled with detailes