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The Tau Empire is less than 10% the size of the IoM and while hardy, smart, somewhat semi-moral, and advanced they could be defeated in a sizable human crusade as every IoM advocate on these forums loves to proclaim.

Let's say the Tau Empire has been conquered and utterly defeated. The Tau military is completely destroyed and at the threat of orbital nuclear bombing holocaust of their homeworld the Ethereals and the all the Tau castles unconditionally surrender to the human Imperial forces similar to Japan in 1945. There are tiny specks of resistance on the fringes of the former Tau Empire but overall 99% of the Tau military (and all their minor xenos allies) has been obliterated. Billions of Tau, Kroots, Vespids, humans allied with Tau, Demurig, etc are now under the mercy of humans.

Let's say you're a senior officer charged with overseeing and implementing humanist policy and "the final solution" of what to do with these conquered Xenos sub-humans. Whether they be all put into gas chambers by the billions, or made into slaves, or possibly even some sort of 3rd class citizen or acceptance of these Xenos. Which policy would you advocate for?

1.) Gas chambers and gradual total elimination of all non-human life. Humanism and the IoM has no place for non/sub-humans. As a matter of humanitarian policy and principle all Xenos (even human looking and human-like ones like the Eldar) are inherently dangerous and a threat to humanity and must be exterminated. This is not "genocide" or "murder" because those terms only apply to humans. This has been part of the Imperial creed for 10,000+ years. More importantly the Tau, Kroot, etc live on valuable worlds with habitable continents and resources ripe for human colonisation once the native Xenos have been eliminated or removed say like the natives of the American continent from history. Enslave the Tau/Kroot/Vespids at first and force them to build giant planet wide gas chambers or furnaces which could take decades to construct and afterwards upon completion force thousands upon thousands a day to march into them and light them similar to like another event from history. But traditional morality doesn't apply to Xenos so no one should feel any guilt over "removing" couple billions of non-human life in the name of humanity. The Kroot are basically oversized chickens/birds so they could be used as a food source for human worlds instead of letting billions of roasted chicken meat go to waste.

2.) Enslavement. Tau/Kroot and other intelligent Xenos could never be worth or have the same rights as a human but they could be used in factories or agri-worlds as slaves. Conditions would be miserable and they could help turn Tau world into now-human forgeworlds. They would need to be implanted with an explosive chip in their brain that would explode should they ever turn against a human and a pain setting to torture them and be made completely submissive. Some of them could even be used as cannon-fodder troops for the Imperial guard. Think of the same relation Sparta had with their helot slaves. Every human could have a Tau slave to shine their boots in the morning.

3.) Some sort of 3rd class citizenship. This is probably heretical and extremely controversial and might even lead to the destruction of the IoM as the very infallible principles of the Imperium and humanitarianism is based on intolerance and extermination/purge of the non-human. I'll leave heretical speculation of this option to you guys.

Please vote and discuss. While its no doubt messy, I think the most logical and safest option is def. the first option. In a non-40k roleplay I would be horrified at a world where words are humanism and humanitarianism is twisted and corrupted to mean genocidal murder of billions and the appalling racism, brutality, intolerance, and violence of humans. The self circular logic of oh IoM must be this brutal to survive is a self-justifying logical fallacy that serve to perpetual the miserable horrific state of the universe.

Suffer the existence of no xenos. Anything besides going the full Hitler on the Tau would probably have YOU end up in the same gas chamber as a xenos sympathizer thanks to some Inquisitor.

'less than 10%' is saying it very generously. The Tau Empire has only a few Septs, is smaller than Ultramar, and far smaller than even a single Imperial Sector.
Full exterminatus would be the order. The vile heretical xenos sympathisers are first, then if the Imperium can spare the resources, all xenos species will be exterminated and the planets cleared for human settlers.
Within a few decades, it will be a productive sub-sector of the great Imperium of Man.

It's too bad the original European colonists and imperialists of the 17th - 19th century didn't implement that policy for the Americas and Africa. Things would be so much better right?

DorianGray wrote:
It's too bad the original European colonists and imperialists of the 17th - 19th century didn't implement that policy for the Americas and Africa. Things would be so much better right?

Yes, vastly.

Option 4: cleanse and purify the Planets.
Makes sure no etheral escapes. Put the Kroot and other "clients of the Tau" onto someones payroll , those mercs dont care who they work for.

And yes, a few hundred worlds aren't a challenge. You got the choice of cyclonic torpedos, virus bombing, or just send the Death Korps to rain some Artillery shells on their cities for a millenia. or two....


I would consider to share the loot with the Necrons, Orks,Tyranids, Eldar...why? The cluster where the Tau are is far to the East. The IoM may deem the destruction of the upstart xeno "mission accomplished" and wants the Forces to return to really important warzones.

The IoM would not play with such slow and inefficient methods as gas chambers. Tau planets with no strategic value would get Exterminatus to the balls, while valuable worlds would be ASAP purged guns blazing and recolonized. Most of Tau tech would be melted to churn out more lasguns, some rare trinkets would get stolen by AdMech and studied. Auxillary races would meet the same fate, though Kroots probably would be smart enough to relocate from Pech (i doubt they are edible). Gue'vesa would be treated as highest grade heretics.

No other option is possible within 40k IoM.

kaszak wrote:
The IoM would not play with such slow and inefficient methods as gas chambers. Tau planets with no strategic value would get Exterminatus to the balls, while valuable worlds would be ASAP purged guns blazing and recolonized. Most of Tau tech would be melted to churn out more lasguns, some rare trinkets would get stolen by AdMech and studied. Auxillary races would meet the same fate, though Kroots probably would be smart enough to relocate from Pech. Gue'vesa would be treated as highest grade heretics.

No other option is possible within 40k IoM.

you know a virus bomb is basically a planet sized gas chamber/oven right?

you know a virus bomb is basically a planet sized gas chamber/oven right?

Oh, i see xd That makes sense.
Didn't the IoM tone down on the virus bombing though? I remember reading somewhere that they were phasing that out.

I'd actually advocate for slavery and force them to produce arms for the IoM's military and convert all of their worlds into either agri-worlds or forgeworlds.


I mean free labor is free right?

/shrugs and then dies from a laspistol shot fired by a commisar to the back of the head/

 DoomShakaLaka wrote:
I'd actually advocate for slavery and force them to produce arms for the IoM's military and convert all of their worlds into either agri-worlds or forgeworlds.


I mean free labor is free right?

/shrugs and then dies from a laspistol shot fired by a commisar to the back of the head/

they wouldnt even want there xeno filth equipment.

Line them up on small ships and have them serve in front line combat. (Maybe see them try out melee for once too )

The IoM and the AdMech do have a certain interest in recovering and studying Xeno-tech. but they also have an interest in witholding such information from the public and low level personnel. Should the Imperial Guard conquer the Tau stronghold in DoW: Soulstorm the after mission report states that Governor Vance Stubbs secretely shipped out Tau Weapons and other equipment to Segmentum command. On a related note, the same report also mentions that in the aftermath Stubbs' guardsmen looted and vandalized Tau stores and homes, think of this what you want.

 DoomShakaLaka wrote:
I'd actually advocate for slavery and force them to produce arms for the IoM's military and convert all of their worlds into either agri-worlds or forgeworlds.


I mean free labor is free right?

/shrugs and then dies from a laspistol shot fired by a commisar to the back of the head/

The Imperium already has free labor. Round up a couple billion criminals across the sector, turn them into servitors, and BAM, mindless slave labor force that can't even rebel.

 Wyzilla wrote:

 DoomShakaLaka wrote:
I'd actually advocate for slavery and force them to produce arms for the IoM's military and convert all of their worlds into either agri-worlds or forgeworlds.


I mean free labor is free right?

/shrugs and then dies from a laspistol shot fired by a commisar to the back of the head/

The Imperium already has free labor. Round up a couple billion criminals across the sector, turn them into servitors, and BAM, mindless slave labor force that can't even rebel.

I'm sorry I can't talk to you I'm already dead.


But yeah your point is valid. One thing I don't understand though

If turning a person into a servitor is supposed to be a horrible punishment, why don't they do it to conquered xenos more often? Too much work I guess

 DoomShakaLaka wrote:

 Wyzilla wrote:

 DoomShakaLaka wrote:
I'd actually advocate for slavery and force them to produce arms for the IoM's military and convert all of their worlds into either agri-worlds or forgeworlds.


I mean free labor is free right?

/shrugs and then dies from a laspistol shot fired by a commisar to the back of the head/

The Imperium already has free labor. Round up a couple billion criminals across the sector, turn them into servitors, and BAM, mindless slave labor force that can't even rebel.

I'm sorry I can't talk to you I'm already dead.


But yeah your point is valid. One thing I don't understand though

If turning a person into a servitor is supposed to be a horrible punishment, why don't they do it to conquered xenos more often? Too much work I guess

\

No point in bothering. Not only are Xenos monsters to be slain, a Xenos machine would probably not possess a soul in the eyes of the Admech, but there's no point when there's quadrillions of humans to convert.

Easy.... Death to the foul Xenos...


Next!

As the Black Templars say..."Suffer not the Alien to live." A Templar crusade would dole out imperial justice swiftly and efficiently.

So when the Xenos such as Eldar and Tau do everything in their power to resist and fight against the IoM since the IoM are a bunch of genocidal, malviolent, imperialist racists...

They are pretty much the good guys?

The Tua aren't even 1/10th of 1% the size of the Imperium. Their technology also would never be accepted nor is it significantly better than what already exists. They would be eradicated.

Do unto others before they do unto you. Aka praise the emperor and pass the autocannon shells, we have devilfish to pop.

The only tau survivors would be a few hundred earth caste guys taken by the inquisition to build kit for inquisitors a la the jokero.

Ordo xenos might keep a few thousand as specimens or in a zoo or something, I don't really know their protocol.

Funnily enough, I am certain that the human worlds that allied themselves with the Tau would receive far harsher punishment than the Tau and other alien races themselves. Being a Xenos is Heresy enough. But being a Xenos-loving human? That's makes them a traitor and a double heretic.

I know Caiphas Cain is only loosely considered canon, but when the Tau offer to send a human delegate instead of an alien (thinking that would be the more sensitive choice) Cain and the General basically respond with "God-Emperor, please no." They reckoned a human allied to the xenos would be a far harder pill to swallow than just the xenos themselves.

 Silverthorne wrote:

The only tau survivors would be a few hundred earth caste guys taken by the inquisition to build kit for inquisitors a la the jokero.

This is probably it, much like Nazi scientists were given pardons in the aftermath of WWII.

If I was already in the position of making that decision, then it wouldn't be a decision, I would have signed off the little blue fellas to be incinerated before my morning coffee.
To have reached that position, I'd have to be chewing hard on the Imperial biscuit already. There's no way that realistically someone that high up would be a xeno sympathiser and not be noticed.

Personally, no, I wouldn't wipe out a race purely for existing. If nothing else, there's something to be learned from everybody, and you can't gain understanding of method or motive from a corpse.

DorianGray wrote:
So when the Xenos such as Eldar and Tau do everything in their power to resist and fight against the IoM since the IoM are a bunch of genocidal, malviolent, imperialist racists...

They are pretty much the good guys?

I don't understand why you're so offended by the fact that the Imperium exterminates Xenos. Geno/xenocide is part of the grimdark setting. There's no point getting upset about social injustice in a fictional setting set tens of thousands of years in the future.

It's not like the IoM exterminates other species for fun. It's something it has to do in order to survive. All factions and species are out to get each other and regularly try to exterminate one another. You do realize most Eldar would see you as a filthy mon-keigh and kill you given the chance?

It's all part of the setting. If you're easily upset about things like humans going genocidal on itself and on other species then 40k really is the wrong setting for you. The whole setting revolves around endless war and extermination. Passive aggressively suggesting that people who like the IoM are nazis is just silly.

Besides, why would the IoM use gas chambers? Exterminatus is a cornerstone of the setting you know... Surely you knew that already?

The answer is obvious: Purge the Alien.

It'd be genocide. The Imperium has wiped out alien civilizations countless times. They don't view the Tau any different.

What would happen is some other faction would make humanity pay for their reallocation of resources many times over what the Tau have taken from the Imperium.

Abaddon sacks Cadia and it's game over for the IoM.

I said 3rd class citizen, Imagine how much good fishing could be done by the dirty fish people.

 EmpNortonII wrote:
What would happen is some other faction would make humanity pay for their reallocation of resources many times over what the Tau have taken from the Imperium.

Abaddon sacks Cadia and it's game over for the IoM.

They wouldn't pull from the Cadian gate. Those resources are for that sector. They'd pull from one closer to the Tau, likely those holding the Tyranids at bay. BUt yes, though it would take comparatively little in resources, it would still be enough to create huge problems. That is the entire point of the Tau fluff. The only reason they exist is because the IoM can't be bothered to deal with them since they have other much more significant threats.

 Ashiraya wrote:
The answer is obvious: Purge the Alien.

/thread