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Hypothetical situation: some type of alien entity appears within the Imperium. It is flawlessly godlike in its ability to go anywhere and do anything. It is immune to all known forms of attack both physical and psychic; nothing can do it any harm or even affect it in any way. The Imperium is absolutely powerless to force it to do or not do anything it wishes.

However, this entity has no hostile intentions. In fact, it doesn't seem to have "intentions" at all; it's content to mosey around, exploring and observing things, occasionally making casual conversation with locals, having no vested interest at all in the greater political and martial workings of the empire.

How do the Imperials respond? I can already imagine all the religious upheaval, and the ever-escalating firepower brought to bear against it in futile attempts to purge it from the world. The entity knows its power and is infinitely patient, willing and able to wait as long as it takes for them to burn themselves out trying to kill it. What I'm interested in is what comes next; how people react to it realizing it not only can't be defeated, but there is no reason to do so.

Thoughts? Opinions on the relations of other factions to this entity are welcome as well.

They try to destroy it first, for it is alien which makes it's very existence is anathema to mankind's domination of the galaxy.
Once this fails the entity will be more or less ignored and or ( if possible ) quarantined. The Imperium of Man simply cannot waste important resources in a futile fight against
something that does no imidiate harm.
The Inquisition will in all likelyhood continue to search for ways to destroy the entity but even they have other, much more pressing tasks.

I think they'd eventually claim that it's the god emperor reborn... Just with amnesia.

I think there are things sorta like this in the Galaxy already, and the IOM just ignores them for the most part, though for the life of me I can't recall examples.

I think KingDeath has it right though in the steps they would take.

What the Imperium can't kill it will ignore.

Imperial Policy concerning Xenos is that non-threats are to be ignored. Threats are to be neutralized as soon as possible.

KingDeath wrote:They try to destroy it first, for it is alien which makes it's very existence is anathema to mankind's domination of the galaxy.

Not completely true and not completely false.

If a race question poses no threat to the Imperium and thus humanity, not expansionist, if it does not own something the Imperium wants like a planet, not do something to offend the Imperium like being Chaos worshipers than its pretty much ignored or simply where they live is quarantined from the rest of Imperial space.

I think they'd just ignore them for the time being, they'd just try and quarantine them until hey could figure out a way to get rid of them. They don't really just ignore them if they don't pose a threat, remember what they were going to do about the Tau when they first found them? They found a bipedal race that had just discovered fire, so they scheduled exterminatus.

They'll try to direct it into the ever approaching Tyranid threat. Hopefully it will like Nid Hive Ships as a tasty snack or it just bounces a few out of the way into Suns or other space phenomena.

Sir Samuel Buca wrote:I think they'd just ignore them for the time being, they'd just try and quarantine them until hey could figure out a way to get rid of them. They don't really just ignore them if they don't pose a threat, remember what they were going to do about the Tau when they first found them? They found a bipedal race that had just discovered fire, so they scheduled exterminatus.

As I understood it the Tau was more to do with the IoM wanting a habitable planet rather than the Tau themselves wipeing out.

This is 40K. There is only war.

All relevant factions are (a) aggressive (at least potentially against all others), (b) comparative in power (at least on the micro-scale of a given conflict) and (c) in-extinguishable (as in never permanently removed from the universe; xept for Squats).

Zweischneid wrote:This is 40K. There is only war.

All relevant factions are (a) aggressive (at least potentially against all others), (b) comparative in power (at least on the micro-scale of a given conflict) and (c) in-extinguishable (as in never permanently removed from the universe; xept for Squats).

You can't think I don't know these things. I'm asking a hypothetical question here.

And thanks to all of you who have offered speculations and ideas.

I find myself wondering what would become of a culture that encountered such an entity, and mistook it for, as an example, the Star Child. Naturally someone's going to be along to "correct" them (likely with copious amounts of holy fire) eventually, but until then, there's at least time enough for someone to get the idea before the entity moves on. Kind of a Whistle Down the Wind situation.

The Imperium has a tendency to shoot first and never ask questions after. And if what you guys are saying is true, to me something that cannot die seems pretty threatening. I'm sure the Ordor Xenos would do everything in its power to quarantine the thing and not let many people know about it (fear denies faith)

It happens more than you think. The Imperium often encounters situations that cannot be bombed into oblivion. They simply declare the system a "protectorate"/quaratine zone.

I believe that is what's going on in the oft-mentioned, never detailed "Ghoul Stars". Both the Imperium and the Eldar encountered something they can't understand and can't destroy, so they now give the area a really wide berth.

You pretty much described the Tau.

What keeps the Tau alive is the fact that they're a playable army with their own line of models. If they were not, they'd be the Interex, or any other brief foot-note in the annals of Imperial expansion.

If it came down to it, if the Imperium could free up the resources for a real Crusade of Purgation into the Tau Empire, they'd cease to exist. There's simply not enough Tau to withstand the juggernaut of an entire Crusade host of Guard, Navy, Space Marine, Sororitas, Titan Legions and all the rest dedicated to removing them from the galaxy. What the Tau use to populate an entire world is simply a single Imperial world's Guard tithe for this cycle... and the Imperium might be feeding this theoretical Crusade from a thousand worlds.

Fortunately for the Tau, the Imperium has bigger fish to fry at the moment.

BeefCakeSoup wrote:You pretty much described the Tau.

No they have no problem killing us in droves (which is the whole reason the farsight enclave is as big as it is...). The only reason they don't is because (despite the fact that we ARE threat, to their religious and technical dogma, and the sanctity of their worlds since we keep either conquering or incorportating them) there are far more negative threats. you know, like the thirteen or so black crusades.

Standard human algorithm.
Can I have sex with it? if not then
Can I kill it? if not then
Can I eat it? if not then
ignore.

Joey wrote:Standard human algorithm.
Can I have sex with it? if not then
Can I kill it? if not then
Can I eat it? if not then
ignore.

THIS, Humanity in a nutshell.

I liked the ending of Savage scars and the reasons they kept the Tau alive. they're either allies, or they're another threat that can be expended against the tyranids to weaken them (hopefully.)

generally though the imperium will prioritize threats. some are greater than others (Eg ignoring the tau in favor of dealing with the Tyranids.) but this doesn't always work. you might have a local threat you simply cannot ignore, or politics may invade and you get a war that the Imperium doesn't really need but has anyways. Like the invasion of craftworld Altaioc.

BeefCakeSoup wrote:You pretty much described the Tau.

No that description isn't. That Tau are not something so mysterious and wonderous. The Tau have a goal similar to the Imperium and Eldar which is to rule the galaxy, the Tau simply go about it in a different way.

Anything that is made can be unmade. If there is a basis to somethings creation, all it takes is to undo what was done. The question is only whether we have the resources or the power/ability to do so.

Very cool idea. Given that the WH40k universe is basically open-ended, you could have some omnipotent dudes floating around taking stock of the Milky-Way.

I'm sure this would have every whiney-I hate it when they make WH40k lore not about Chaos winning-douchebags cry a river of bloody tears. But I think you could even go so far as having them talk to Orks and and Dark Eldar, just to show how much of a non-option fighting them is.

Cool idea man, could make for a very nifty addition.