It took the two sides the better part of one rotaa to come up with a workable guideline to interacting with one another. The core tenets of which are thus:
- All Ascentrons must be accompanied by a member of the Water Caste at all times.
- Unless the interaction is appropriate for their Caste, all interactions between the T'au and the Ascentrons will be conducted through a Water Caste intermediary.
- Any new additions to the Ascentron's roster must be informed beforehand to the T'au and any relevant information disclosed.
- The Ascentrons have free access to all T'au facilities with some exceptions.
- The Ascentrons have diplomatic immunity for the duration of their stay in Au'Taal Sept.
- Any public information about the Ascentrons must not be censored and presented as-is, with as little bias as possible.
Of the demands the Ascentrons made from their hosts, their last one both confused and frustrated High Ambassador Understone the most. It seems the Ascentrons were aware of the mechanisms which drive the court of public opinion in an interstellar empire. However, rather than taking advantage of it to elevate their status, as the T'au have done to make their Auxiliaries to make them 'palatable' for their populace, the Ascentrons have instead wished to have the T'au public make their own opinions on the matter. It was a dangerous game which gave even Aun'Eldi pause before he gave the order to Understone to approve the request, with some caveats on the side.
After this initial guideline was put into place, the Mentat immediately made a request for two Ascentrons to gain entry to Au'taal Prime. The first was for an Official, a crafty diplomat named Autono Kibi. He was to take over all diplomatic duties from the Mentat and become the official ambassador of the Ascentron Circurrency to the T'au Empire. The approval for his entry came easily enough. The problem started when the time came to evaluate the entry for the next candidate; a Commander called Digi Quipu.
High Commander Needlesight didn't earn his rank by luck or field promotions. Oh, he's had to step up to the plate when his superiors got caught by a Gue'ronsha ambush, or a Be'gel charge, or some other alien menace. Once the problem was over, however, he was always content to go back to his post and serve as a loyal weapon of the T'au Empire, to be pointed at the enemy and let loose. But the ethereals knew the Fire Caste' true worth far better than the T'au in question, and so he rose through the military hierarchy until one day, he was made High Commander of Au'Taal Sept.
For almost twenty tau'cyrs, that was the reality Needlesight lived in. An unbroken cycle of command, training, self-affirmation of the Greater Good, broken only by the occasional intrusion of marauding Be'gel forces arriving from wandering space hulks. He would have been content to live in such a way until his eventual passing, or perhaps he may serve even longer afterward, as can be attested by the success of the Warghost or Ob'lotai of Farsight's retinue fame. Not that Needlesight would ever admit to admire a more traitorous band of T'au this side of the Damocles Gulf.
But now it seems his time in the spotlight has come, and Needlesight hated it. He could not articulate exactly why he found the Ascentrons so distasteful; he was no Water Caste after all. He could, however, draw from his own experience, which told him that the newest race the T'au had found so far was hiding something behind their friendly facade. He didn't know what this big secret was, but Needlesight was adamant not to let it befall the T'au Empire while his body still drew breath.
It was with this mindset and healthy dose of suspicion that the High Commander found himself in one of Au'Taal's largest simulation domes, piloting his XV86 Coldstar Battlesuit against the newest Ascentron to be granted permit to Au'Taal Prime; a fellow Commander by the name of Digi Quipu. It was not Needlesight' choice to evaluate the alien warrior personally. He was after all High Commander and beholden to greater responsibilities than a simple test of mettle and skill. That was the case before the Ascentron fired the first shot.
Your primitive stratagems and sub-adequate equipments may have won you paltry claims, but your little empire will never encompass the stars as mine have not so long ago. You fight wars of survival, not wars of conquest. I wonder if your weakness is your own, or if your leaders are similarly inept. The Ascentron had cornered the High Commander as it ignored everyone else, its cold eyes finding weaknesses where Needlesight found strength. The uproar that occurred soon after paled to the pounding of the High Commander's heart in his chest. If he was a more restrained Fire Caste, a closer follower of the Kauyon way of warfare, then perhaps Needlesight could see the trap the Ascentron Commander had laid by his brusque manner. It was a test he could have passed the easy way if he had retained his calm, but instead Needlesight immediately issued a challenge to the alien for his disrespect.
And now he was here, checking every part of his battlesuit to ensure everything was working as the Earth Caste intended. The only audience to this test would be the High Ambassador Understone with his aides, High Planner Shadeguard (who had somehow heard of what happened and insisted to take part as an observer), the new Ascentron diplomat Autono Kibi, as well as the miscellaneous Earth Caste workers, technicians, and engineers scrambling to ensure the simulation dome would be prepared for the carnage to come. A golden symbol of the Water Caste appeared at the corner of his foremost holo-display, and the Needlesight nearly eye-flicked it to close. Instead, he opened it, and on the other side was the rapidly aging face of High Ambassador Understone.
"High Commander Needlesight, I have a message for you from our esteemed ethereal master, Aun'Eldi." The Fire Caste' heartbeat quickened as he heard those ominous words. "In light of your decades of service to the T'au Empire and Au'Taal Sept, he will overlook this overstep of your authority as High Commander. In return, he asks that you will give it your all to regain the honor you have lost. That is all." The sense of relief Needlesight felt was soon replaced by the grim determination of one who would risk it all for victory.
"Objectives uploaded to holo-display now." The Coldstar' on-board AI spoke in a clear digital accent; an affectation meant to highlight its artificial nature. "Fusion Blasters ready. Shoulder Missile Pods Primed. Shield Generator at maximum output. Awaiting on your command, High Commander." Needlesight gave the AI the sign of deepest thanks before turning on the battlesuit's thrusters and flying away deeper into the simulation dome.
The scenario chosen for this live-fire evaluation was that of a T'au city under invasion, with some of the buildings already ruined for the sake of accuracy. There were even several underground levels dug out with pathways meant for rapid redeployment of T'au forces by either transmotives or crisis teams using the underground ways as an alternative angle of approach to an enemy's entrenched position. Needlesight chose this urban environment for the express purpose of nullifying the advantages a foe with superior tech might have on the open field, as well as enhancing his own battlesuit' natural speed and agility with his innate knowledge of the defensive properties T'au cities have for aiding their defenders while hampering the attackers.
Even with all these advantages, Needlesight remained cautious. The bane of all T'au, not just the Fire Caste, was the hubris of assuming one knew all there is to know about everything. He has seen many a promising battlesuit pilots, veteran warriors, and even commanders fall short to the unpredictable alien hordes unknowable ways. It is by failure and the blood of billions have the T'au' edge been sharpened over the millenniums, and Needlesight was keen to keep it that way for as long as he lived.
"Seismic sensors indicate tremors in these sectors." Coldstar overlaid the highlighted areas on a map of the ruined city, where a clear pattern of progress could be seen. "Do we proceed on an intercept route?" Needlesight winced as the thought of an overwhelming force crippling his battlesuit the moment its sensor-head even so much as peeked through rubble.
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"Negative. We will observe our foe for now and gauge its capabilities. Create a route where we might use the city's debris as our shield and ready the missile-pods for probing attacks." The Coldstar chirped an affirmation and the the battlesuit hopped and skipped across the battlefield, always keeping in mind to never fly higher than the surrounding buildings and ruins. Its approach stopped by a large skyscraper, clearly designed as a workplace for the Water Caste with its smooth, flowing architecture. To Needlesight's right, the entrance of a subterranean transmotive station peeked out, shaded by the half-collapsed parts of another skyscraper further ahead from the High Commander's location.
The ground shook as something walked closer, and the Coldstar scarcely had time to hide behind the Water Caste skyscraper as the Ascentron Commander finally revealed himself to the battlesuit' sensors. It was a bipedal construction, much like T'au battlesuits were, but that was where the similarities ended.
It stood as tall as a Tau'nar Supremacy Armour, with legs that branch off at the knees to form a fore-feet and hind-feet configuration. The reason for such a configuration became apparent as one looks up at the armaments that it bore upon the rest of its body. A long, multi-barrelled weapon that reminded Needlesight of the Tau' Railgun weapon systems was held out at some distance on its right side, mounted on a circular ball mount that enabled it to freely aim at any target independent of the main body' alignment. Its left bore instead a bulky, tubular weapons platform with heat-sinks jutting out the back; the signs of an energy weapon.
A glowing orb pulsed at the center of the Ascentron' chest cavity, with power lines drawing out of it to feed the rest of the machine. Thick, scale-patterned armor plates lined every part that could be seen, segmented to allow greater flexibility where it was needed. Atop the torso rested a broad and squat head, similarly-plated and angled to deflect lesser weapons and carrying within it the cold and indomitable mind of a machine intelligence geared for war. It was that same head that then sharply turned towards where Needlesight's Coldstar was, and a great horn was sounded.
The true hunt now begins.
The room was darkened save for a single spot in the middle, where a T'au was on his knees, hunched over and his hands bound with cuffs. His short stature and powerful body marked him as one of the Earth Caste, but he was wasting away. He was something worse than a mere criminal, worse than a T'au that have dabbled between spheres, a Vash'ya. He was a T'au whose work promised hope in the hearts and minds of trillions of T'au, but instead it snuffed them out and horrified the empire in its wake. Even the presence of the alien ship that appeared soon after could not diminish the weight of what he has done, and so remains bowed with head hung low. The weight of shame presses him, and he complies.
He was not alone in this prison room. Four thrones sat in judgment on a raised dais, with a fifth placed higher than the rest. Two of them were occupied, their occupants Ethereal Caste T'au engaged in discussion with each other while several holo-displays hung in the air before them. One had a close-up of a vast alien ship exiting a portal, along with numerous notes and speculations written on the matter. Another was of a web of messages, carefully arranged and linked to one another in a pattern that eluded explanation by sight alone.
A smooth sound clinked from the other side of the room, the new entry revealing itself to be another ethereal, held aloft by a grav-belt. She gently landed by an empty throne and made herself home in it, the seat coming alive at her touch and data saved from a previous session now displayed for her convenience. The new ethereal made no move to even acknowledge the Earth Caste T'au in the room with her; a small mercy compared to what would happen once the trial truly began.
Another clink and another ethereal, this one walking on foot with the aid of a spear used as a walking stick. His gait was that of a warrior, and one might even mistake him for a Fire Caste were it not for his refined garb and noble aura. His peers greet him as he walked into the light, purposefully stopping for a moment by the prisoner at his feet. Old eyes met young ones and a message was sent. The Earth Caste' head hung even lower and the warrior ethereal claimed his place amongst his peers.
In this room, the Earth Caste had no name, but before, he was Fio'vre Ka'buto. A lauded genius of his kind, from his mind had came the AL-38 Slipstream Module; the future of interstellar travel for all T'au-kind. Or at least that was the promise the ethereals had given to the masses. Numenor Point flipped that script on its head and now no one dared to mention of either the accursed tech or its laid low inventor. Everything involved with the project was quietly shelved, all public records scrubbed and its personnel either re-educated before being released under a different name or reassigned to somewhere no one could ever ask them about the truth. Or they simply disappeared altogether, painted over in the name of a narrative in service to the Greater Good.
After what felt like eternity to Ka'buto, the last ethereal arrived at last. In the times since the Dal'yth Invasion and the wider conflict of the First Contact War with the Imperium, his station has only grown even grander. Protege to the Whispering Wisdom, Aun'Wei, and now ascendant as the T'au Supreme Ethereal, the majesty of Aun'va did not diminish even a little in the darkened space of this tribunal. The uncertainty of youth had fled the ethereal and now, matured into the leader of a formidable empire, Aun'va bore no evidence on his face of the emotions roiling within. But it was there for those who knew him well, and one ethereal at least, whose arm casually cradled a spear as one would cradle a lover, could peer one step further and know that Aun'va was livid at what was being internally called Numenor' Folly
"Belated greetings, my kin. I apologize for my delay." He made the gesture of contrition, which the other ethereals returned in kind with gestures of acceptance. Aun'va sat upon the last throne and allowed himself to comport to its internal shape, letting its functions come alive as holo-displays flickered to life. "We will now begin the trial of Fio'vre Ka'buto, for the grave crime of disrupting the Greater Good through his failed invention, the AL-38 Splipstream Module."
"We will give the accused one chance to defend himself before we move to the sentencing." Ka'buto stirred at those words, finally lifting his head up to meet the eyes of the Tau Empire's Ethereal Supreme. Like every T'au of the Ethereal Caste, Aun'va's eyes gleamed with striking intelligence; the hallmark of an enlightened mind. But for the first time in his life, the Earth Caste was able to see deeper than most, to find the hidden darkness to the ethereal's brilliant light. Ka'buto recoiled at the sight and he collapsed to the floor, Aun'va simply raising an eye at the Earth Caste' antics.
"If the accused will not make a statement, then we will-" A sharp rap rang across the room from the room's entrance, breaking Aun'va's momentum. The Ethereal Supreme frowned and looked at his peers, who looked similarly confused save perhaps for the warrior ethereal, whose grip on his spear tightened. Two more raps came and Aun'va held out his hand in order to let in the interloper at last to the room. The automatic door opened to reveal an ethereal flanked by several ethereal guards, who bowed in reverence to their greater master.
"Aun'Nel'yun, this is highly irregular. You are not one to break protocol without great reason. Speak." Aun'va spoke with bite behind his words.
"Deepest apologies, Aun'va, but a messenger ship had come by from Aun'Taal with dire news. An alien ship of immense power has arrived in-system and holding the Sept hostage with its presence. Aun'Eldi has requested your help in guiding him through this difficult situation." Aun'Nel'yun gave the gesture of supreme apology while nodding at the messenger drone following by her side. It flew over to the middle of the room, above Fio'vre Ka'buto and projected an image of Au'Taal Prime, along with a view that beggared belief. It was a vessel greater than even the ta'shiro's of the Air Caste waiting in the voids of deep space, dragging along behind it an invisible sphere that warped all surrounding light.
"What are our losses?" Aun'va spoke, his previous irritation now replaced with grim focus.
"There are none at the moment, but the situation is a delicate one. The full might of the Au'Taal Kor'vattra did nothing to the alien craft, and Aun'Eldi have opted to try the silken way for now." Something about what Aun'Nel'yun said felt off to Aun'va, who fell silent for a moment before figuring out what the discrepancy was.
"That's not the whole message is it, Aun'Nel'yun? Why exactly has Aun'Eldi saw fit to inform me of something I'd find out sooner or later? What is his true message?" Aun'Nel'yun looked hesitant for the first time since she entered the room. She turned her gaze towards the lowly form of Fio'vre Ka'buto still waiting for his trial. Aun'va followed her and figured out the connection immediately, his stoic facade breaking into an intense glare.
"Absolutely not! This criminal must never walk free under the light of any star that shines in the T'au Empire. I must uphold the ideals of the Greater Good, 'lest we fall once more under the thrall of the Mont'au." Every T'au present shuddered as they recalled the history lessons of those dark times when disunity plagued the T'au race in their homeworld, pitting what would become the Castes against one another. Only by the appearance of the ethereals did the T'au rise above their baser instincts and forge a far-flung space empire that strode astride the stars.
Every T'au present nodded in agreement to that sentiment, including Aun'Nel'yun. She then produced a small data-disk from her person and hand delivered it to Aun'va, giving him the sign of the Greater Good before retreating to where she was with the ethereal guards. Aun'va, feeling that whatever was inside was for his eyes only, raised a privacy screen over his throne before slotting in the data disk. The contents were simple; a contingency plan meant to neutralize the most dire of threats that faced the T'au Empire. At the heart of it all was the invention whose creator knelt before Aun'va, awaiting the Ethereal Supreme's judgment.
In a micro-dec, Aun'va made his decision.