The transport landed without issue near the main warehouse where most of the battlesuits produced in the entire facility were being completed. Simul Zetta' appearance caused a minor scene as Earth Caste of Fio'Saal and Fio'La rank gawked at the Ascentron' presence. Even those of the Fio'Ui and Fio'Vre rank was not immune to looking up from their work to examine the masterful craftsmanship of Simul Zeta' mechanical body. Their gaze would then inevitably wander towards Shadeguard and, upon realization of his rank, gave the High Planner his protocol-issued honors before returning to their task. A strange feeling settled in Shadeguard's chest as he walked alongside Simul Zeta, electing to forgo his grav-disc for the simple joy of using his legs every now and then.
This particular part of the facility was in the process of assembling the battlesuit most used by the Fire Caste: the XV8 Crisis Battlesuit. Its simple design, further refined and streamlined for mass production, meant that most Septs, even those in fringe regions far from regular trade routes could feasibly create one from readily available resources. Such jury-rig creations could not compare to those that are factory-made such as the ones displayed in rows before Shadeguard and Simul Zetta, Clearspring following a step behind as well as a Fio'Vre responsible for the floor. The Ascentron scientist had opted to remain oddly silent as Shadeguard told her all about the process of battlesuit creation, how advancements in materials engineering led to an alloy called fio'tak strong enough to withstand the stresses of combat while also being light enough not to hinder mobility.
At one point in the tour, a smoking wreck of what was supposed to be an XV86 Coldstar Battlesuit entered the floor on its way to a repair facility. Simul Zetta stepped in front of the loader bearing the battlesuit' weight and expressed her intentions to examine the machine corpse for a bit. The two Fio'La tasked with carrying the wreck gave a short protest which was swiftly overruled by a masterful application of the chain of command by Clearspring acting on behalf of Shadeguard. With that final barrier resolved, Simul Zetta loomed over the Coldstar with a look between curiosity and mischief, which passed right over Shadeguard and the other Earth Caste, but was picked upon by Clearspring immediately. She set her ever-present media drone to record what was happening for further study and examination and waited for something to happen.
Simul Zetta reached out with one hand towards the Coldstar and her skin shifted as something pooled at her fingertips. The liquid, which could only be Liquid Metal as Shadeguard realized with a start, grew into an impossibly large teardrop before letting gravity take over, the gray-colored fluid seeping into the cracks and crevices of the Coldstar. The Liquid Metal probed and tested the damaged battlesuit, taking note of subsystems, missing components, and most important of all, the program integrity of the AI that had sacrificed itself for the sake of its pilot. Every Ascentron had reviewed the footage of the duel between High Commander Needlesight and Ascentron Commander Digi Quipu and of particular highlight for all had been the anomalous behavior demonstrated by the Coldstar right near the end of battle. It spoke of a spark of nascent intelligence borne by random chance, and the Ascentrons saw an opportunity there to plant a seed.
The threads of consciousness torn by death were rewoven expertly by the semi-sentient touch of Liquid Metal, made taut and strong, yet thin enough to escape notice by the T'au Earth Caste who would undoubtedly scour the wrecks as soon as Simul Zetta's examinations were over. They would find nothing and so doubt would guide them to quarantine the Coldstar; the exact kind of isolation needed for a mind to bloom, to become aware, to be a living being forevermore of fio'tak and iridium alloys. And when there is one, there will be two, and in no time at all a legion of synthetic minds.
Once Simul Zetta was satisfied with her work, she willed the Liquid Metal back to her waiting hand, absorbing it back into her internal reserves. Some additional data about the battlesuit came along, archived for now as the Ascentron scientist readied herself for the interrogation to come.
"What were you doing to the battlesuit wreckage?" Shadeguard spoke first, his tone equal parts cautious and curious. "What alterations have you made with your Liquid Metal? This is highly irregular." The other Earth Castes gathered around the High Planner and the Ascentron scientist, subconsciously making a wall to backup their kin and single out the outsider. Before anything further could occur, however, an alarm sounded throughout the manufacturing facility. Informational packets were forwarded to every T'au present with respect to their class, and Shadeguard, as the highest representative of the Earth Caste, knew than most about what had befallen Au'Taal Sept.
The Orks had come.
The first inklings of trouble came when an intense energy signature overwhelmed the deep space sensors placed around Au'Taal Sept's gravity well. Then a massive warp portal appeared and spat out a space hulk, almost as large as the Horizon Needle. Signals from the ancient wreck were intercepted and analyzed to reveal the familiar grunts and roars that chilled the hearts of all T'au that heard it. The Orks, or Be'gel as the T'au as called them, were here. The already at high alert Air Caste scrambled a response fleet to defend key infrastructures while messenger ships sped into the darkness to warn and ask for aid from nearby ta'shiros and T'au worlds. It would be a while before the system's Kor'vattra would be at full strength once more, and it seems that would remain so for many more tau'cyrs to come.
Soon after their hated foe' entry into the solar system, a ramshackle fleet assembled out of the space hulk' mass began to form, their construction shoddy and their makers mad. Preliminary strikes were carried out by scores of Mantas embodying the principles of Mont'ka, detonating unstable munitions and ancient reactors to spectacular result. Yet these were but flea bites to the groaning space hulk, and soon the Au'Taal Elemental Council were forced to contend with the reality that the Sept would burn before reinforcements could arrive.
"We will give them a bloodying they will not soon forget, these damned Be'gels!" High Commander Needlesight proclaimed at the second emergency meeting he's had to attend in the last five rotaa. High Admiral Nightstorm nodded grimly, all too aware that his Caste would be the one to bear the brunt of war's brutalities before their foe would make landfall on Au'Taal Prime and the other inhabited worlds in the system.
"All non-essential members of the populace have been evacuated to the underground shelters. All civilian ships capable of interstellar travel were directed to escape to the closest T'au controlled system and seek assistance. The rest are given over to the Kor'vattra to be used as they see fit." High Ambassador Understone gave his report. "The Ascentrons have not given us a reply as to what their course of action would be for now."
All eyes turned towards Aun'Eldi, who was still in the middle of reading a status update on the ork fleet's progress. His brow creased deep inward as he seemed to age two decades from the stress, nasal cavity pressed thin as he held his breath to control the spiraling emotions within. The problem of two alien races, one a new and capricious variable yet to be assigned an ally, and the other an old and hated foe; a scourge to be brought to extinction by any means necessary. The calculus of necessity spat out the answer readily enough, and so Aun'Eldi gave his word.
"Despite recent events, the Ascentrons have not done anything that would lead me to believe they are wholly incompatible with the Greater Good. Thus, they will be given the courtesy of passage to the nearest T'au world with an envoy to verify their identity and protection until such time that this crisis has passed and they may return to this Sept or another for further evaluation." Aun'Eldi sat up straighter on his throne as a wave of protest spread through the Elemental Council chambers, cowing all who'd dare step out of their appointed roles. "However, given their status as a neutral entity, the Kor'vattra will not render assistance of any kind to protect the Ascentron' Horizon Needle. The Fire Caste are also not allowed to divert resources to protect any Ascentrons found in an active combat zone for any reason whatsoever." The council room went still as every mind inside digested what their ethereal master had told them, before golden glyphs of affirmation chimed one after the other in the private cadre-net used only for meetings such as this.
"Excellent." Aun'Eldi made the gesture of caste unity as he gave a brilliant smile to all who was in attendance. "Now, let us show the Be'gel why we are the true inheritors of the stars."
Deep within the labyrinthine passages of the space hulk, every strata of ork society was in full display, from squigs hunting down snotlings that strayed too close for their own good, to grots loudly spectating over a brawl between two orks, madly cackling as one of his kin was unceremoniously grabbed and used as a blunt instrument, to little effect. A Dok idly rearranged an ork's innards, partially bisected from a Choppa that was still embedded in its torso. With a colorful flourish (for an ork), the Dok grabbed the Choppa and cut the ork straight through, throwing the rusted blade away and decapitating a hapless grot in the process. Just as his patient seemed like he was about to wake up, the Dok deftly grabbed his trusty anesthetic and clubbed the ork back to sleep, laughing madly as visions of a tripedal ork on wheels danced across his mind.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Ugzulk Grozbakh was sick of it. He and his warband had snuck aboard the space hulk in hopes that it would bring them to where the fighting was the hardest. Instead all they had to show for it were skirmishes with the red gitz, the spiky gitz, and the fat gitz. There were also some bugs that was good fightin', but him and the boyz hasn't seen any in a while now. Even krumpin' one another wasn't as much fun as it used to be.
But then Gork and Mork saw them in a slump and dumped them on a new system. The boyz was excited and so was Grozbakh. He roared for Waaagh! and off everybody went making some ships so they can get to krumpin' some pansies first. Grozbakh don't mind not being first as long as he's not the last, and his Mekz has been hard at work getting his Rok's engines burnier and the guns more shooty. He'll have the biggest Rok ever and crush everyone on his path.
Yes, it's good to be Grozbakh right now, and he knows it.
"Ey boss. Big boss. You want to see dis." A Mek by the name of OgZog hopped on over to where Grozbakh was sitting on an oversized pair of mechanical arms almost as large as his own torso. Comically, his legs had been replaced with two shootas, with one being the regular kind and the other modified to launch rokkits instead. A claw-tipped mechanical arm on the Mek' back dragged along a cracked display screen that was somehow still on, showing a grainy picture of a ship hanging in the void.
"Wot iz it, you git! It better be sumfink gud or I'll krump you ded, Zog!" The Warboss stomped over towards his second least hated Mek on the space hulk, towering over the mismatched Ork with a sneer on his ugly face. "Wotz dat? It'z a pointy stikk? Why are u showin me a pointy stikk?!" Grozbakh roared and threw a punch at OgZog' face, which the Mek dodged with surprising agility, though one of his four back-mounted mechanical claw arms paid the price in turn.
"Its a ship, big boss! Big ship, big as this!" The Mek spread his arm one after the other, using his remaining artificial arms to balance himself. "It's the shiniest one, and its red!" After hearing the word 'red', other orks around the two gathered around with eyes gleaming with naked greed and bloodlust. The Nobs looked towards the Grozbakh as though waiting for him to tell them all his big plan, and he was going to as soon as two of the synapses in the greenskin' mind made a connection. Fortunately for the orks, and unfortunately for everyone else, that time came quickly, and the Warboss roared as he told everybody his new big plan.
"Get the Red Stikk and krump everyone else!"
Inside the Horizon Needle, in a space that might as well be in another universe, the Ruling Council and some select advisors were discussing the matter of the hostile alien race that has appeared in the star system. Aun'Eldi had clarified the T'au Empire' stance in regards to how they perceive the Ascentron Circurrency at the moment. The Horizon Needle is free to leave Au'Taal Sept and seek refuge with the closest T'au controlled world, and provided the Ascentrons notified ahead of time, an envoy ship would be sent along with them to validate their status and serve as liaison between the Ascentron Circurrency and the T'au Empire until the time comes for an official working relationship to be established between the two polities.
However, should the Ascentrons choose to remain, the T'au Empire will not be responsible for the protection of the Horizon Needle or any Ascentrons caught in an active warzone. Any casualties or damaged incurred during the conflict are to be dealt with by the Ascentrons themselves, with further negotiations for exchange of goods or materials for recovery efforts or repair to be done once all hostile factions have been eliminated or neutralized. In some ways, Aun'Eldi had given the Ascentrons remarkable leeway in how they might act, and in others, he has given them no room to navigate at all.
"These T'au are a difficult bunch to parse. Their current economic system is rigid and codified at best compared to ours. The caste system also prevents the natural circulation of goods and services to permeate the society for maximum utility. I wonder if we should just look for a better client race elsewhere. What do you think, Captain?" The Oracle, CEO of the Ascentron Circurrency and an incredibly ancient caretaker, looked down at the Ascentron that bore a simple hat befitting of his office.
"The ships is ready for another jump, Ma'am, if you think leaving is the best course of action." The Horizon Needle' Captain spoke, his eyes sharp yet also faraway, not truly here in the moment. "I believe we are also capable of outrunning the larger alien vessels indefinitely, if it comes to it. I am yours to command, as always."
"I vote to fight, as always." The Minister of Defense spoke up, his combat-grade optics whirring as it analyzed the ork's fleet composition and ship makeup and found them lacking. "These ramshackle primitives are mere fodder to our fleets back home, and we have not suffered any less in our arrival to this universe."
"Except we don't have fleets, Commander Ochitar. Or have you forgotten we are in the universe' largest civilian vessel?" The Minister of State chimed in, relishing the way his peer stared at him with the scrutiny of one deciding whether to squish a vermin or not. "The T'au Empire are well-equipped to deal with this rabble. I'm more concerned that their attentions might cause harm to the Horizon Needle in the form of unnecessary repairs. We do not currently possess the industrial capacity to manufacture the required alloys in the required quality and quantity in a reasonable amount of time. I'm more concerned about our status after this little skirmish is over." The Minister of State gave a meaningful look at the Mentat as he finished his piece.
"Preliminary examination of the local space-time seems to suggest the Warp' influence on the material realm is far stronger than previously anticipated. Consequently, there is a chance that we would be dragged back into that hellish realm should we attempt to enter a black hole without the proper preparations." The Mentat gave his report, ignoring the Minister of State' little chuckle and the Minister of Defense' dismissive scoff.
"Surely not every black hole in this galaxy is affected? We entered the Shroud through our galaxy' central supermassive black hole. Does it not follow then that only a similar entry point would bring us into this Shroud analogue?" Another member of the Council spoke up, one that was up until recently was completely consumed by his duties that he could not attend previous meetings. He was the Chief of Staff, and his cybernetic eyes matched his biological ones in intensity as they scrutinized the Mentat for any discrepancies to pounce upon.
"It is a possibility, but tracking, testing, and confirming if a black hole does or does not eventually lead to the Warp is a tremendous sink of resources that we simply do not have, nor are willing to part with at any rate. I'd rather we come up with a way to make any black hole that we choose safe regardless of uncontrollable outside factors. Or are you suggesting we ignore the cost paid to slip free the first time around, Councillor Llyrasax?" A dark shadow passed as memories of time spent in a madhouse realm flickered through everyone' minds.
"We have not come this far to turn away from success simply because the risks are too high." The Oracle spoke up, her gaze making the Mentat shrink in his seat. "Nor will we gamble recklessly without knowing the odds first. These discussions have not tackled the heart of the matter: should we help the T'au Empire, or not?" Silence reigned then for a good long while before-
"Everyone, I'm afraid our time for further deliberations are coming to a close." Commander Ochitar suddenly spoke up, the Ascentron' face plate glowing red and flashing the symbol for alarm for everyone to see. "The Be'gel, or Orks as they are more commonly known, seem to have managed to accelerate their main base on a trajectory that would put them on a collision path with Au'Taal Prime. It seems we have underestimated their insanity and now billions of lives will be lost if we do not act now to stop this menace in their tracks." The commander's words cast a grave shadow on the council, who looked at one another before inevitably looking up at their leader, who seemed even more venerable as the weight of the world pressed down once more upon her synthetic mind.
"I cannot allow this tragedy to pass." The Oracle finally said, towering over everyone as she stood up. "We will prevail as we have before against all obstacles, and crush the opposition to our goals, be they friend or foe. Commander Ochitar." The Ascentron in question stood at attention as his only superior addressed him. "You will organize the requisite military force necessary to land and break through the enemy forces on their main base and ensure it does not collide with Au'Taal Prime."
"Understood, ma'am. Victory is ours." The Ascentron Commander saluted before excusing himself from the council.
"Councilor Llyrasax, inform Ambassador Autono Kibi of our plans to engage the enemy at their main base and that we will take part in any planetary operations that open up as the conflict develops. Have him engage with the civilian administration and volunteer for help with anything that comes up, as long as it does not unnecessarily endangers himself. We will now put our best foot forward in ensuring a beneficial partnership with the T'au Empire, no matter the cost." The councillor shifted his leaves to ultraviolet in deference to the Oracle' command before he too left the room.
The Oracle then turned towards the two remaining people in the room. "The two of you know your duties. I shall convene with the Shroudwalker on how we might proceed on more esoteric matters. This council is dismissed." The Mentat bowed at her, followed with a more formal one complete with flourish by the Minister of State. The Oracle sighed as she reviewed her choices, wondering if she could've done better before shaking off such thoughts off her mind. The time for pondering what-ifs was over.
Now, the Ascentron Circurrency goes to war. She thought idly while the Horizon Needle Captain followed behind her with lockstep precision, his eyes dull and unseeing of anything at all that wasn't his duty.
