When the Fire Caste squad followed the swift, chitinous creatures through the dense and exotic jungle and arrived at a cave entrance surrounded by massive flora, all the Tau instinctively tightened their grip on their weapons.
Through their observation lenses, every Fire Caste warrior clad in an XV Crisis Battlesuit clearly saw two strange, semi-humanoid beings standing within a soft biological glow. They possessed humanoid torsos and four slender, flexible arms, but from the waist down, a thick and powerful serpentine tail covered in dense scales supported their bodies.
Their facial features leaned closer to human, yet their pupils were vertical slits, and their skin had a marble-like texture. they were watching the intruding Fire Caste squad with a curious and peaceful gaze.
They had long noticed the approaching Tau. The male snakeman, who was slightly more robust in build and had a more flamboyant aura, spoke with a relaxed and cheerful tone, as if reuniting with old friends. His voice rang directly in the Tau communication channel, clearly utilizing some advanced translation or telepathic technology.
"I was just wondering what those children were so surprised about outside. It turns out we have guests. Tell me, warriors from afar, do you come with war, or do you come with peace?"
Fal did not lower his raised gun. Although the muzzle was not pointed directly at the snakeman, he maintained a posture ready to fire at any moment. Through the battlesuit's external speakers, he replied in as steady a tone as possible: "We come with the Greater Good (Tau'va)."
"The Greater Good?" The snakeman tilted his head, a look of appropriate confusion crossing his face. "What is that?"
"The good of the many outweighs the good of the few," Fal recited the Ethereal teachings. "Each individual must cast aside narrow personal desires to serve the greater collective interest. That is the Greater Good. It guides us toward harmony and progress."
"A noble ideal." The male snakeman nodded, his four arms folding gracefully in front of him. "Then, you who follow this 'Greater Good,' what do you intend to do with us?"
"We will evaluate each other's needs," Fal replied with standard diplomatic phrasing. "We take what we need, and then we give you what you need that we are able to provide. Through this mutually beneficial exchange, you will subsequently gain a great ally and a shared future under the guidance of the Greater Good."
The male snakeman let out a low, magnetic laugh that echoed through the cave. "It sounds quite pleasant indeed—a win-win proposal. So, before we discuss the details of a trade, do you require a deeper understanding of us and our situation?"
According to the narrative of this male snakeman who called himself Yuki, they were a variant of humanity, possibly part of the vast human lineage from an ancient era tens of thousands of years ago. Many millennia ago, their ancestors piloted starships and colonized this planet. However, due to a disaster, they were forced to enter massive underground facilities spread across the planet, falling into a long slumber to escape the calamity.
It was only recently that they awoke from their slumber, only to find the world outside had changed beyond recognition; the planets of the entire system had become lifeless, dead worlds. Consequently, they activated the technology sealed within those ancient facilities from their peak era, rapidly terraforming the entire system's environment at a staggering speed to make it habitable again, intending to resume their lost lives here.
After listening to this information-dense account, Team Leader Fal of the Fire Caste seized upon a key point. He pointed to the chitinous behemoths standing quietly like sentinels around them and asked, "Then, these creatures are...?"
"Them?" A look of mixed pride and affection appeared on the snakeman's face. "They were born from our biological genetic technology. Modesty aside, this is what our race excels at most. They are our pets, our weapons, and our companions, sharing this reborn land with us."
Beneath his faceplate, Fal's pupils contracted slightly. He instantly realized the staggering value behind this discovery—a xenos civilization possessing rapid environmental terraforming and advanced biological genetic technology! For a Tau Empire in its expansion phase, desperate for resources and technology, this was of immense significance. He quickly weighed the situation and decided to elevate the level of contact.
"I understand." Fal's voice remained steady, but he slowly lowered his bolter—a significant shift in posture. "Apologies. As you can see, we are an armed reconnaissance unit; our duty requires us to remain vigilant. But now, it appears you present no threat. Therefore, I wish to temporarily step beyond my combat duties to ask a more promising question: How many members do you have now? Would you consider bringing your knowledge and technology to join the great Tau Empire and practice the Greater Good together?"
Upon hearing this question, the smile on the male snakeman's face became even more radiant, a smile so sunny and warm it seemed to come from genuine joy. He even slid forward a small distance, his four arms making a welcoming gesture.
"Joining a more secure collective? Naturally, we would be delighted!" His answer was surprisingly blunt, but then, his tone shifted. Beneath that sunny smile, a faint, unperceivable shadow seemed to pass. "After all, we also live in fear of being hunted by our... out-of-control kin."
Fal's heart tightened. "You mean...?"
"Yes." The male snakeman sighed softly, a flicker of remembered pain in his vertical pupils. "Back then, we were forced onto the path of exile because we were hunted by those of our kind who were obsessed with destruction and monopoly, eventually leading to our slumber here. I hope that after these long years, they have not remained as they were—no, I hope they have not become even more powerful than before."
Is he referring to the Imperium of Man?
The Tau of the Fire Caste all felt a sense of trouble. Those beings were notoriously difficult to deal with.
As the Fire Caste members departed, Yuno mocked, "A well-spun tale, Yuki."
"They wouldn't really believe it, would they?"
"It seems so. Do we need to create a few more harmless creatures?"
—
"Controlling them all is going to be quite exhausting."
"I saw how happy you were back there acting all friendly."