Alright, first story in GOD KNOWS HOW LONG! If you check my Deviantart, you'll see I've been more active there than here, so I'm posting all three parts that I've written so far here FIRST.

Really sorry about the late-ness. And this also is the shortest part of the three, so excuse the 5 pages, as opposed to my usual 10-12. The next one will be longer.


This story actually has no anthros in it, and it only has a touch of romance to it. The next one has more of a love scene to it, as well as an in-depth feel of the Tau Empire. So, I hope you enjoy!

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The One Path
Part 1: Traitorous Swine

“Guardsmen! To me!” The Commissar shouted. His red coat was filled with dirt and blood of our troop. His power sword had a mixture of blue and red upon it, and his laspistol was still hot. We all rushed to surround him in textbook formation. As we ran, someone looked to me, and said, “Some training eh?”

I merely nodded as I knelt over the shoulder of another guardsman. Lasgun clutched in my hand, I brought it up to my shoulder, and looked down the crappy iron sights. You’d think after a millennia or so after it’s development, the Imperium could afford a scope or something. Regardless of my distaste, I waited for the enemy to approach.

My name at this time was Travis, of course, I was known as ‘Guardsman-6277’, or for any officer who was over me, ‘Guardsman’. I was a part of the Imperium of Man, the single largest group in the entire universe. Even the Orks didn’t have the numbers we did. The Imperium had two different sections. There were the Space Marines, the massive armored giants with huge bolters. They seemed invincible, like blessed children of the Emperor.

Then there was the Imperial Guard. The Guard was the worst possible way to be in this massive war. And this is where I was. The Space Marines laughed at us, like bastard children of the Emperor. Our equipment was less than standard, and being a guardsman is the lowest even in the Guard.

My thoughts and disgust for my position was lost as the enemy approached. These guys were aliens, and they weren’t babies either. This xeno scum wore shiny vomit tan armor, with a leather-like dark brown cloth. Their helmets looked at us with uncaring eyes. The Commissar called them the Tau. In the Universitium Xeno, or alien school, I learned that these Godless creatures specialized in ranged combat.

And I didn’t doubt that for a second. Unlike our bulky lasguns that shot tiny red lasers, the Tau guns were long and slender, like massive sniper rifles. They shot in perfect formation, glowing blue orbs flying towards us. We fired back, but to seemingly no avail. The Tau armor had this huge shield on their left arm, blocking our shots. We had carapace armor, which was burned instantly upon the Tau’s volley.

Our Commissar got caught in the face, and he fell over instantly. Morale broken, our unit spread out. One guy thought he was cool and picked up the Commissar’s power sword. He activated it and ran towards the Tau 8-man squad. The Tau dodged fluidly, as if they saw this in a movie. They moved like water down a stream, allowing the guardsman to pass them, and then encircle him. They didn’t fire, until he swung the sword. One of the Tau warriors with a shorter gun was hit on the shield, which broke like paper.

I was shocked. The Tau may have specialized in long range, but their armor sucked. I thought of the bayonet on the end of my rifle, and yelled for my team to engage. Now in command, I rushed everyone to aid the brave soldier, who died a second after ward. The Tau didn’t have any close range weapons; they used their long guns to attack us with. Their guns felt like a hammer, while ours had knives.

Suffice to say, we killed them. The one with the shorter gun had different colors, and he also had a weird earpiece. Before I stabbed him in the face, he tapped it. At first, I gave no mind to it, until I realized what he had done.

No more than twenty seconds later, I heard a rumbling. The squad, now my squad, closed in together. This move, in tactical retrospect, was a bad one, though I wouldn’t be where I am now had that not happened, so I can’t complain. The rumbling eventually had a source. A huge armored suit, with the same weird colors approached. If Space Marines were 10 feet tall, this thing was 15. And while the Marines sported one big bolter, this thing had four different weapons. Only later did I learn that one of those weapons was a controller for something really neat.

Another Guardsman, who I recognized as a Tau specialist shouted, “That’s a Crisis Suit!! Spread out!” I pondered why he said spread out, until I realized the weapon on the suit’s left arm. It was a heavy flamer, one similar to the Marines. The suit did exactly as we had thought, burn us to hell. I hit the dirt, and felt the fire go over me. It felt like a sun on my back, and for a moment, I thought I was going to cook right there in the dirt. But the suit stepped over me.

About 15 minutes later, I got back up, only to see 2 more suits, and 5 more of those warrior squadrons. They pointed their weapons at me, and I dropped my lasgun and lifted my hands. Then, I saw something that almost made me scream. There were two drones, with a stretcher between them. The stretcher had that oddly covered warrior that I stabbed. I apparently hit him in the eye, through his helmet. He got off the stretcher and smiled at me.

I had never seen a Tau before this, and I got to say, they were pretty weird looking. Blue skin, black eyes, blue blood, and a voice like heaven. All of them, had this strange accent that sounded like they were singing. This Tau in particular was female, and she smiled at me. With that lyrical voice, she said, “You’re a quick learner.”

I was awestruck. I hadn’t said anything, but I merely stared in her one good eye. She spoke again, “We could use learners like you, how about you join the Tau Empire?” After speaking this, I looked around. All of my friends were gone, but all my superiors were too. Shakily, I responded, “What would happen if I said no?”

The Tau female looked around, “Well, I’ll give you about two minutes to run, and then we’ll chase you down.”

“I see…so how am I a quick learner?”

“Well, instead of covering your ally with the sword via ranged fire, you noticed that the sword easily cut through our shields. So you used your bayonet to battle, and you didn’t even fight dirty. And if my learning is correct, then I know the Imperium doesn’t teach you that.”

Her knowledge scared me. I thought of any reason why I shouldn’t join. The Emperor would hate me, but if I was almost burned to death, I didn’t honestly see his use for me. Plus, they’ll find a replacement for me anyway. And, now that she had pointed it out, all the guardsmen but I had fought dirty. As in, they used their hands, feet, head, and bayonets.

I took another look around, then back at her, “I……I will join your cause.”

Her smile furthered as she extended her hand, it was still armored, but it seemed sincere enough. I shook it, and she said, “I am Shas’Ui T’au Kais. That is, I am a skilled Firewarrior squad leader from the planet T’au.”

“I’m Guardsman nu—I’m Travis. As in, I hadn’t used that name in 5 years. A pleasure to meet you Sha…..that’s a really confusing name.” I said, confused. I kinda felt bad, I couldn’t pronounce her name.

She retracted her hand and laughed a bit. By now, the massive suits and some other squads had left. “The Tau don’t have names like you do. Since I was born in the Fire Caste, I was given the name Shas. I started as Shas’saal, then I graduated to Shas’La, then I’m here as Shas’Ui. So if you joined now, you’d be Shas’La….or technically Gue’La.”

“Gue’La? Is that Tau for ‘useless meat shield?’” I asked, half joking. I wouldn’t be complaining if I was right, it was my job anyway.

“No, it means Human Helper. Since usually we can’t give Gue’La training in the battlefield, I’ll have to escort you back to the ship. Here, come on.” She gestured behind her, where there were more specialized troops with advanced guns. The drones with the stretcher followed her soundlessly.

I looked around at all the drones, and their different uses. One didn’t have any weapons, but provided a blue sphere around its user and his squad, blocking all the incoming shots. Shas’Ui seemed to notice, and she smiled, “Drones are the mainstay of the Tau Empire. For the Fire Caste, they provide sniper support, shields, or even markerlights for heavier support.”

I nodded, and then I noticed in the distance, a fierce battle. On the Imperial side, were two Leman Russ tanks, and a squad of Kasrkins to support it. Kasrkins were the elite troops of the Guard. Armed with Hellguns, rapid fire weapons that shot improved lasbolts, and they had a scope. On the Tau side, were a squad of normal warriors. Behind them though, was an odd looking tank. It looked like a fish, like a really big floating hammerhead shark, with a gun on it. It shot at one of the Leman Russ tanks, which I had known to be the best tank in the Guard. But this fish gun thing tore through it like a power sword to Carapace armor. The Leman Russ exploded, killing the Kasrkins, and lodging shrapnel into the other tank, causing it to explode. I looked in awe at the sheer firepower.

Shas’Ui smiled and patted me on the back, “Welcome to the Tau Empire. Now come on, I got to get a patch for that lucky shot you got on me.”

I returned the smile. It was the first smile I had given anything since I was promised to pilot a Basilisk one day. But this was a genuine smile; I turned to see a floating whale-like ship with four engines. But it didn’t have a door, wordlessly, we stepped up to it, and a portal opened from its rear. I stepped in it with Shas’Ui, and some other warriors joined us. They all looked at me with those glowing red orbs that they call eyes.

Shas’Ui waited until the door closed until she said, “Alright guys, at ease. This is our new squad member, Gue’La Kais. But, for the Auns, he’ll be a Shas, unless there’s any disagreement.”

The other warriors shrugged and took off their own helmets. They all had similar faces, blue skin with deep black eyes. One feature that I forgot to note with Shas’Ui was that the Tau had no nasal cavities; it was just a crease where the nose should be. But more important than that, they did something the Guard wouldn’t have dreamed of. They treated me like them.

Shas’Ui looked at me, “Well then Shas’La Kais. I’m going to ask you a question, what do you prefer: Fighting, learning, knowing, spirit, or adeptness?” I didn’t really understand the question until far later, when I got a better name for myself.

“Fighting, I guess. Though all of those are important.” I responded slowly, the other Tau didn’t laugh, but nod. Shas’Ui asked me to stand up in the center of the craft, which I hadn’t noticed, but it was a bit larger than an Imperial sleeping bunker. Holding about 10 people maximum, and it seemed to be holding this squad in particular, because the seats were numbered. Regardless, I stood. The rest of the squad stood and put their hands on my shoulders. They were a tad taller than I was, and they said, “By the Path, one has been brought into the Light of Aun’Va. For Tau’Va.”

They released, and Shas’Ui actually hugged me. This experience was new to me. I wasn’t ever hugged, ever since I was a small child, before the Guard. I was frozen, and probably shaking in her arms. She released and smiled, “Welcome, Shas’La Vior’la Kais.”

Shas’La Vior’la Kais. The name had a ring to it. Eventually, the ship had landed on a larger ship, much larger. I was told that the ship was a Manta Ray, which was the largest ship in the Aeronautica Imperialis, even the Marines looked at this ship in awe. It had the power to disengage whole armies, including tank divisions, and even had an R&R section, for quartering, training, and so on. Shas’Ui brought me to the training area, which was a huge dome that could transform the environment to different scenarios. I was given full Firewarrior armor, and a Pulse Rifle. I was asked another question by her, this one was more important than the naming.

“In the Fire Caste, there are two paths. There is the Pathfinder, and then the Battlesuit. The Pathfinder takes care in sniping and even further distances. They also are trained to pilot vehicles. The Battlesuit path focuses on weaponry in all scenarios. They will eventually be given an XV class suit. Which one will you choose?”

I thought for a long moment. “I think I’ll take a mixture of both. And I’ve been researching. Instead of learning how to pilot a vehicle, I’ll take the Battlesuit path, and learn the ways of sniping.”

Shas’Ui thought. “I could arrange that, but the training will be harder than normal, and you’ll be hard-pressed to learn two different fighting styles. Perhaps you should go one at a time. Though with training like that, you’d be a pretty effective commander, but it’ll be hard to get there. What kind of battlesuit would you want?”

“I was thinking something smaller than the XV-8. Like a mixture between the 25 and the 8. Like if there was an XV-28, I’d pilot that.” I said.

Shas’Ui was writing this down. She called an Earth Caste drone to project an image. After a bit of reconstruction, I saw the suit I wanted. Commander Shadowsun, a very famous commander piloted the XV-28. I changed some options from her suit, and the drone chimed that it checked out. Shas’Ui looked at me and said, “Well, you’ll need XV-8 training for that, as well as XV-25. Your training will begin tomorrow.”

I smiled and hugged her, “You’ve pulled so many strings for me….thank you Shas’Ui, with out you, I’d still be stuck in the Imperium, or dead.”

She returned the hug, “And had it not been for you, I wouldn’t have a cool eye-patch, I’m sure that you’ll find your niche in the Empire.” As she released, she walked off to get some other things done. I smiled as she left. I think the Tau Empire would serve me well.