The Tau, of course.

From what I've been reading so far the Tau come across as nothing special. Pretty daring to defy the Imperium in such a direct manner, and their will to fight strong, spurred on by their foolish ideas of a 'Greater Good'. But This is nothing that the Imperium hasn't dealt with before. Many similar empires, with similar advancements to their much vaulted technology were crushed during the Great Crusades.

But who really hates the Tau? There are parts of the Inquisition that despise anyone loyal to the ruinous powers and a good number of Ordo Xeno's who hate all that Tyranids are. But no ones seems to dedicate themselves to destoying the Tau.

But shouldn't the Adeptus Mechanicus be persuing these blue fools? These young upstarts defy the Omnisah by creating Artificial Intellegence's. This naive race could doom both themselves and Imperium with their dabbling. At anypoint the Tau may constuct something beyond their control, some Intelegence that could turn their weapons against them and all races of the galaxy.

I'm surprised this hasn't come up yet. Of course, in this game there's little contact with the shadowy Heretek pursuing forces of the Ad Mech but the Ad Mech would surely be using it's influence with the Tech Marines, Certain Chapters and members of Ordo Xeno's to bring about the destruction of the Tau.

Face Eater said:

We all hate the Tau. Their being non-human makes them our mortal enemies by nature.

Alex

+1. All aliens are scum because they're not human. Messing with AIs is just icing.

If you're looking for more specific antagonism towards them, then look no further than the Ordo Xenos and their Chamber Militant!

The very reason they are not able to use the warp makes it interesting, their technological break through do seem to be exceeding our very own in many area (including high power rails and other devices), their stealth technology alto not to par with the Eldar is still something to be recon with...

The current division within the AdMech is even further propelled by this possible new influx of technology, while some school reject it other believe we should embrace their technologies especially since they seem to understand it... this as lead to even further split into the inquisition... now not to talk about Chapters who have add internal conflict because one side of the chapter was helped by the tau against another alien and prooven them self reliable, while the rest of the chapter had lost many battle brothers to their high powered rifle on another world...

Again since the Tau are a force to recon with many are try to redirect a Tyranid fleet through their space, this coudl be a great way to remove two stones with a single blue bird but many have issue warning at the possible outcome should the Tyranid wipe out the Tau empire they will have gained a wide variety of genetic sample, resources and possibly new technologies...

-------====-------

Battle brother Aventis, Tomb world #45-345RT-53

23 Days - We have been battling those Tau on and off for weeks now, no one is ready to really comit to a fight on this wind blasted planet, there is no resources or reason to exploit it, we are simply all stuck here because of the EM/Warp interference emitting from somewhere bellow the planet. The Tau have sent parlay envoy, the Lord Captain still as to decide on the outcome.

37 Days - There are 3 of them, one in those stealth suit, one in a sort of carapace armor and the third one is flying sentient insect allied with the Tau. I found the hole a day ago, my squad is dead to a single man, the entire company too probably. The 3 of them where already here battling one of the Iron man Xeno, it was wearing a skin suit of a blue, I nearly laugh when I saw it lunge from the floor as we where on a stand off, it is clearly sentient, it waited for the most ubiquious moment to strike and kill as many Tau or Space marine as it could... a few bolt and it dropped then the air shivered and it faded out of existence. My 3 new friends keep a dire watch and more then a few times I saw them take pot shots at the corpses around us, can't say I blame them, the way this thing did battle brother Xaniur has me poundering the futility of this endeavor.

56 Days - We found a deep gorge, the flying Tau thinks it leads within the crust, maybe even to the signal. I took the decision of finishing the task, if the 3rd and 4rd company want to leave this place alive with all the relics it as, the EM/Warp interference must be stopped at all cost. I was very surprised when all 3 of my new "friends" followed me. They are resolute, one made me understand it's life is mine for now (the stealthy one). I saved it and it as to respect some kind of law of it's creed but it also made it very clear it views protecting other Tau above this law. Our conversation are often cut short, the other Tau in carapace armor seams to find the idea of us talking appalling, how is it possible I share both their feelings, it is very disconserting, I shall spend many hours with the Chaplain should I survive.

67 Days - We lost Stealthy today, Wings says something literally floated through the wall wrapped it self around him then went through the wall again... Stealthy did not have the same skill, there is gore every where. Half of is body ids embedded in the bed rock. I had not realised Stealth and Whinny where mates, Whinny as gone nearly catatonic... Wings says we must keep moving, there are shadows following us, pot shots of green ligthning are taken at him every so often during the last days. He knows what this means, he keeps going to scout, yesterday he told me "Whinny as a module that if activated will trigger a space ship to fire at them". I laughed, what could a lance or batteries do we where so deep... It said they did not use batteries, a single gun would reach deep into the core, deep enough to maybe break the EM/Warp machine... I was stunned by such revealing, yet I have seen the bery high powered guns of the Tau in battle I could only imagine what a single starship scale gun pushed to extreme limit firing a single small shell, the penetration power of such a weapon could be very...

69 Days - Wings was taken down today, they where waiting in an ambush, he sacrificed himself so I could get in close combat, the silent iron warriors have deadly weapon but are slow in close combat, my lightning claw as saved me more then a few times now... Whinny as changed today, he knows he will die soon... if I understand correctly what is toying in is mind is that he may have to sacrifice himself to save me in orders for me to stop the Em/Warp machine so his friends may then leave this death planet, it horrified is being that is purity should be sacrificed for a monster as me... How similar we are my unwilling friend.

75 Days - We have been in a running battles for hours, Whinny is at the edge, he cannot go further, he as handed me the device. I asked him to rig it as a deadman's switch. He looked at me then said "you are Fire Warrior". I left him with a few high powered grenades and he as been carrying the very high shot gun of Stealthy. I know he won't hold them off very long, as I run I heard the rapid fire then a big explosion. He had probably rigged all the explosive together, I ran faster as huge blocks of rock came crashing down. "You will be remembered broth..." cold feeling swept over me, is this the taste of corruption?

78 Days - Here I am, atop this structure, from all angles the silent warriors are converging but no one is firing, under me the structure is slowly openeing, they have been hoarding me this way, I know now. Be free my brothers and newly considered friends as my grip let go of the deadman's switch...

The Revenge of Desac, HIGH ORBIT, Tomb world #45-345RT-53

The ship was slowly spinning out of control, it's entire system disrupted by the EM/Warp interference, the navigator was restless, the link to the warp completely cut out... then to it's remaning few passenger something weird happened. To it's relative left, another ship drifted, a Tau equivalent of a battleship with the biggest gun of this race. Their system seamed a bit less "attacked" by the interference but still unable to sail away or provide any help to the planet bellow; then a very high explosion rocked the entire ship and it main gun launched a single salvo as the ship broke apart...

Battle brother Aventis, Tomb world #45-345RT-53

Rumbling sound got intolerable, had they lied? Would the ship fire still? Could it? Was this a simple fools errand? Before him stood the 20 feet impressive statue of pure liquid iron. Then the being looked up and screamed it's rage as the high powered plasma condensed to a near singularity ripped apart the gargantuan chamber and impacted directly with it not to stop and keep borrowing into the pyramid...

The Revenge of Desac, HIGH ORBIT, Tomb world #45-345RT-53

As this section of the planet's crust began to turn into pure plasma a single message is sent out, moslty scrambled in static and the magnetical forces of the planet as it is being ripped apart says "Be proud Fire Brothers" the message signature was embedded with battle brother Aventis's ID. It as been deemed heretical by Captain Varim but the Chaplain said we should celebrate is sacrifice since there is no other explanation on why the Em/Warp field stopped and who was down there to activate the targeting solution.

A tau envoy asked why was there a targeting solution raised by one of our battle brothers?

Finally a single flying Tau come to our ship, it was out of their typical envoy escort. The Envoy even tried to send him back to the ship, it talked to the Chaplain and the Captain for a while before it was allowed to paint a fresco. The fresco depict Brother Aventis as is strange cohort edging deeper in the fissure and battling their way until the last Tau strapped a device to battle brother's armor, the next imaged showed Aventis smiling defiantly at the being and doing the Emperor's Holy Finger prayer as a pure white light pierces the top of a vast chamber... The thing was allowed to finish the fresco, then both forces headed their own way as the planet bellow slowly cooled down again, showing a wide obsidian plain where used to be the structure and the gorge...

For now, the fresco is deemed of limit and the room as been sealed and awaits further decision. Brother Aventis files have been buried deep tin the crusade's logs to be reviewed latter on by the Chapter Master.

I would say another important reason is that when the Tau were invented, the point was that they represented just one of countless alien races that chip away at the Imperium. From our point of view the Tau are a major race because they have a rule book, but from the point of view of the average marine, the Tyranids and the Ruinous Powers are galaxy wide scourges, wheras most people in the Imperium have probably never even heard of the Tau, a race that covers a relatively tiny region of space

having said that, all aliens are evil and must be Illuminated as to the error of their ways (ie being alien)

Narkasis Broon said:

- May I interject Inquisitor Narkasis Broon, the Eldar are considerably more dangerous, ethereal to understand and they have very advance warp technology.

Yet on many occasions have we aligned to their cause or theirs to ours...

They have provided critical help or information...

yes I know what you are about to say, they have also provided to be countering us on other occasion... my point is the Tau seam much more simple to pacify and control as a sub race maybe?

Their advance rail technology is quite interesting to say the least... they don't seam to provide obvious moral threat to the Emperium at this point either except for their few advances in our space...

I simply wish to remember the Inquisitorial council that last time a Waaaaghhh! passed through tau sapce it was stopped and did not require our intervention to stomp on it afterwards... maybe we should "allow" the Tau to settle worlds in the direct path of our less friendly galatical neihbourgs? I wonder how well a Hive fleet would fare in afire fight with a Tau Exploration fleet... Now you may say why would the Tau be so stupid as stretch that far out? Well they are very very attached to the Etheral cast members and it just seams like we have captured one... Why yes it as all be arranged already, a splinter fleet of thier exploratino fleet as already began the voyage to intercept fleet Dagon... on this fellow Inquisitor I can garranty...

I don't think the tau could stop the tyranids, I dont think anything can stop the tyranids, they have already devoured at least one galaxy. and the necrons have nearly destroyed all life in the galaxy once, and Chaos crippled an Eldar civilization that once spanned the galaxy.

In my opinion the only logical conclusion of Warhammer 40000 is that between the Tyranids, Chaos and Necrons all sentient life is destroyed, Tyranids have no interest in Necrons and fly off to the next galaxy, C'tan have no interest in Tyranids because they can't make them suffer. Necrons separate the galaxy from the warp as per their plan 60 million years ago and then go back to sleep until life reevolves. and Chaos go back to daemon wars in the warp

crisaron said:

The Eldar are dying and their threat diminishing, whereas the Tau are a young, growing race.

The Imperium doesn't pacify and control non-human races: It xenophobically wipes them out. They pose a massive moral threat - moreso than most races in fact - because they seek to peacefully coexist with humans and corrupt them morally with all this 'greater good' rubbish. The very point that you propose - that they are not a threat, can be co-existed with, et al - is a very good demonstration of just how insidious and corrupting they are!

PEACEFUL CO-EXISTANCE! The audacity of these disgusting xeno's. They are a philosophical virus in the galaxy. The very fact that they refuse to take their genocide like a man is bad enough without poisoning the minds of good Imperial citizens.

Each passing year they increase their cloven foothold in the galaxy adding new civilisations to their discusting alliance. Should they gain the support of the already treacherous Eldar then who know's what their combined powers would be capable of.

I'm dissapointed to see that some readers bear only a pedestrian level of Xenophobia that is clearly unbecoming. Most though, clearly have been given sage advice from their Inqusitors and Chaplins.

Narkasis Broon said:

Well said. All xenos are a threats to the Imperium, but not all xenos are equal threats...

Being newish to the 40K universe and generally unfamiliar with the Tau....

Is it wrong of me to think of the Tau as the "good guys" and root for them?

Do they have some sort of dirty secret somewhere or are they actually more "human" (in an idealized manner) than the Imperium?

I have definitely heard stories that Human worlds that are occupied by the tau find their populations steadily declining for no obvious reason. I think if the are evil they are a lot like the aschen from Stargate SG-1 "2001" and "2010" episodes

[edit] not strictly speaking canon but search youtube for the tau ending from Dawn of War Dark Crusade [/edit]

The tau are the "good guys" in the sense that they ask you to join them and kill you if you refuse. Everyone else just kills you....

However, as they are foul xenos they will eventually be destroyed

jacktheinedible said:

Ah. I've never encountered or heard of that little bit of Tauness.

It is like the Japanses Co-prosperity sphere in World War 2. The Tau, like the Japanese government of WW2, offer you to join them, an offer you can't refuse, for the betterment of both of you (Co-prosperity I guess). The lie is the prosperity only goes one way and that way is not to its newest members.

Go ahead join the Tau. They will treat you horribly while they take over and drain your resources and you will thank them for it.

Hmm that sounds like the Imperium as well. At least they're human.

Chiefly as an in-joke, I was really tempted to add a character to my campaign who had a burning hatred of the Tau on the basis that they "just didn't fit".

jbuck said:

Deathwatch makes it pretty clear that the Tau are not benevolent rulers.

In its fluff it talks about how they just make their dissidents disapeer in the middle of the night, instead of making a public spectacle about it. As well as forced sterilization centres, and reeducation centres.

You know, I kind of remember reading that and thinking it was meant to be read as Imperial propaganda/slander.

Thanks to Crisaron for making me laugh at the Emperor's Holy Finger prayer. I wonder what it looks like

jbuck said:

They may use diplomacy more than say the Imperials, but it doesn't mean they're kind and generous. As Jack says, they just add 'join or' to the 'die' that everyone else shouts. Caste systems aren't that great unless you're the one at the top of the pyramid.

There are some examples of Tau being jerks, most notably is probably Nimbosa, where their commander started a purge of the local human population.

@Narkasis: DOW is just as canon as a novel IMO- it may contradict or be contradicted at some point, but so does everything BL ever written for 40k

Indeed the Tau is a plauge on the galaxy and perhaps one of the most important threats to the Imperium with their tech-heresy and spread of corruption. Its like other hypocritical idealists who talks the talk, and then walk a completely different walk when it comes to practice.

Fear not however, for the Grand Master Herathos Aurum of the Ascendants Chapter has taken a vow to destroy that damnable race on behalf of his Chapter. We'll keep the alien contained untill time can be organized for a proper crusade, and drown the Aliens and all traitors and heathens that serves them in their own blood.

But on another line, I agree that the Tau probably are not one of the biggest threats to the Imperium, however I can see them being watched by the Imperium. It wouldn't suprise me if there are some Alien Hunters who see the long-term danger from the Tau and wants them put down before they gain to much momentum. I for one would probably advice it, if I served the Ordo Xenos.

Blood Pact said:

On one hand I don't believe for a second that the Tau are all sweetness and light.

On the other I'm sceptical about what is presented about alien cultures in any books from a line called 'Deathwatch'. Deathwatch being specifically created to destroy them and all.

The truth I would say lies somewhere in between, compared to the morality of 40K universe rather than our own giving an alien race the option to Join you rather than die, even as second class citizens (not that Imperial citizens are first class citizens unless they are nobility or Adeptus Terra) makes them pretty much saints.

For the Gue'vesa, rather than other xeno races, the option to re-join the Imperium is still their so you can bet on any world there is a significant partizan population and given the ease with which the Inquisition can infilitrate 'liberated' human populations they will always be an increased security threat. From a grimdark perspective, the measures taken are entirely justified and would the table's be turned the Imperial response would make it seem like a children being chastised bt their teacher.

The Tau are probably the closest to 'good guys' in the universe. You don't get anywhere -civilisation-wise- by being all sweetness and light all the while, and any culture that participates in warfare is going to be somewhat amoral by nature (because wholesale murder isn't nice!), but they're the good guys from our moral perspective at least.

They certainly seem to be far less evil than the nations that we live in, at least.

The Imperium doesn't just wipe out all non-human races at a whim. The Tau Codex clearly explains that an envoy of Imperials, including a Mechanicus and Imperial Fist Captain, along with some ambassadors, met with the Tau on a Tau world. Both sides were impressed and able to meet and speak without confrontation. It ultimately came down to the Imperial Fist Captain saying, "You know you can't take our worlds away just because you didn't know they were ours anymore...right?" And the Tau commander said, "We plan to expand."

There are several times where the Tau have joined forces with the Imperium to stop a greater enemy.

Siranui said:

But what is this based on- that they engage in diplomacy on occasion? (which, btw, as Kilbourne points out, the Empire does from time to time as well) Or they use non-violent means to pacify populations? I'm not sure I'd classify pacification of a population through non-violent means, only to slowly kill them through other means, 'less evil.' To me it's simply a different kind of evil.

That all said, I'd still classify the Tau on the 'good guys' side of the 40k-verse, along with the Empire and Eldar.