Ever since the new Tau codex came I've making an effort to build a decent force. I've also been trying to put together a decent background for them. I've been heavily inspired by the movies District 9 and Elysium. I always thought their aesthetics would really mesh well with the Tau. I wanted to make a back story would show the uglier side of the Tau without making them overtly evil; something all
40k stories should strive for. I hope it works.
Cadre Kor'sha Pel
As the Tau empire continues onward with their third sphere of expansion, they have begun encroaching upon more human worlds. These imperial worlds, like any other culture the Tau come across, are integrated into the empire; sometimes peacefully, mostly not. Unlike the other races the Tau has integrated, humans have proven to contain breathtaking reserves of obstinacy.
The first human worlds to be integrated were quite placid, usually only needing time to win the populace over with the promise of new prosperity. The fire caste was only ever needed to show a small show of force to eliminate any ideas of retaliation. As the Tau forces struck deeper into imperial space, the populace became more stubborn. This stubbornness has expressed itself as the continuing resistance from the civilians of these post-imperial populations. This can vary from a few a resistance fighters using guerilla tactics to small armies, consisting of militias or guard units who have hidden in bunkers, waiting on their stockpiles of weapons. In either case, armies meant to be pushing the empire’s edge forward are now being held down on imperial worlds in protracted policing actions.
To counter these remnant bands and relieve forces bound for the frontline, the Kor’sha Pel cadre was raised.
Rather than a single planet being the source of all their soldiers, the cadre comes from a collection of smaller planets and orbital cities; all of which would be too small to raise a large enough force. The largest portion of forces comes from a colony on the planet Kor’zala. Once on the edge of Tau space, it was previously an imperial world that went by the name of Mennia. Far out on the edge of imperial space with little in the way of prosperity, this backwater world was easily brought into the Tau Empire with the promise of technology and growth. The planet was on the path to becoming a shining example of the benefits of the Tau Empire. These plans were shattered when the imperium retaliated in the form of the Damocles Gulf Crusade. Kor’zala was one of the worlds caught in the midst of the war and learned just how unforgiving the Imperium is. The Tau were able to drive the imperium back and is held up as a great victory in the Tau Empire. For worlds such Kor’zala, it was a devastating war that saw all they had built destroyed; the Imperium is a spiteful culture. Although Kor’zala recovered from the war, their views and culture were changed profoundly.
This history with humans, in both wartime and peacetime, has given them more experience with dealing with the fluctuating environment of an occupied territory. The Kor’sha Pel, though mainly composed of the fire caste, also has a large attachment of the water caste and earth caste. While the fire caste hunts down whatever threats that remain, the water caste ensure that no new threats arise again. The water caste is responsible for running campaigns of propaganda on the populace. The earth caste will begin rebuilding basic infrastructure, serving the dual purpose of appeasing the populace and preparing for the arrival of colonization fleets. Many members of the cadre have a dim view of humans, yet yearn for the ideal of harmony between species from before the Damocles crusade. With this view in mind, they will bring humans into the fold; either freely, or in chains.
Unlike other cadres, Kor’sha Pel does not paint their units in camouflage. Their purpose is much better fulfilled by being seen. They are painted in orange and white so that they are visible to all. The cadre also mounts most of their heavy weapons on battlesuits rather than vehicles. Rarely do they need the weapons mounted on their vehicles (unless the imperials have somehow managed to hide a baneblade). The battlesuits also make for a good method of intimidation for the populace.
The Kor’sha Pel will use any means to bring peace to the new worlds of the Tau Empire. These means can involve equal amounts of brutality and deception to subdue the populace. The ethereals are happy to turn a blind eye to their methods as long as they produce results.
