Igfry: I hope this is long enough for you. ;)
Albericus: The Niccassar are a psychic client race of the Tau.
Undead3: If the Imperials were in a serious ME crossover, they would probably try to kill everyone. That being said, if you haven't already, I recommend reading Hammerhand and Angels of the Storm by Colonel-Mustard1990. They were a major inspiration for me.
If you want, I can move this to the bottom.
Outsiders
Chapter 7
Engineer Gabriella Daniels considered herself a tolerant woman. There were those who would say her membership in Cerberus proved otherwise, but she joined Cerberus to fight the Collectors, not support some human-supremacist agenda. She had no inherent qualms with aliens, and even got along pretty well with some of them, such as Tali.
These Tau, on the other hand, were starting to try her patience. When she had found out that members of a newly discovered alien race were coming aboard in order to examine the systems that allowed the Normandy to fly through mass relays, Gabby was more than a little confused by this as she had previously believed all space-faring species derived their technology from the mass relays. Then, she realized that meant this race was using totally new technology.
Now that they were here, she was beginning to regret the commander's decision. For one thing, Kenneth and she had to constantly keep an eye on them to make sure they didn't see anything they weren't supposed to. The kinetic barrier diagnostics, Thanix cannon systems and computer systems had been sealed off by EDI, but it was still hard to tell what the Tau were getting into at times.
Adding to the problems was the fact that the Tau engineers were almost patronizing in their questions and tones. They seemed to be making assumptions about human technology that Gabby, quite frankly, found offensive. To make matters worse, they never seemed to break their almost zen-like calm manner.
One of the Tau, referred to by the others as Fio'Ui, though Gabby didn't know if that was a name or rank, strode over to her station. "Forgive me, Engineer Daniels. We have completed our analysis, and are ready to begin the file transfer. Is there any ritual you require us to perform?"
Gabby was glad Kenneth was in the mass effect core at the moment. His response to this may very well have sparked an interstellar incident. "For the last time, no! There are no rituals, no prayers, no blessed oils. It's just like any ordinary technology." She wondered where they were getting this stuff.
The Fio'Ui said nothing, only turning back to his console. "Transfer in progress. It will be complete in approx. 15 minutes, by your time. May I offer assistance in any other manner?"
"No, that's unnecessary." Gabby inspected the Tau's work. "That is impressive. In the Alliance, this level of work would get a commendation."
"All work for the Greater Good demands nothing short of one's very best." The Tau turned back to his work. "Each caste must do its part."
"You have a caste system? Like the batarians?" Gabby was careful to keep her tone neutral.
"I am not familiar with the batarians. The Earth Caste builds the Tau Empire, developing its infrastructure and technology. The Water Caste serves to facilitate community within the Empire and with the outside. The Air Caste connects us from amongst the stars, and the Fire Caste protects us from the selfish, soulless and the mad. All follow the guidance of the Ethereals, who teach us the enlightenment of the Greater Good." The alien's expression did not change from his usual subdued countenance.
"So, the Ethereals rule the Tau? What voice do the other castes have?" The human engineer was having trouble not being disturbed by this familiar sounding pattern. These Tau didn't seem as belligerent as the batarians, but with their technology, they could be a great threat to the Alliance.
"Indeed, the Ethereal Caste speaks wisdom beyond any others. They brought us out of the Mont'au, the time of darkness. None question them, for fear of returning to that terrible state. Such is the way of the Tau, as is proper."
His tone of voice, the fervent belief he had in his cause, caused some concern in Gabby, but she dismissed it. Sure, these Tau were rigid, but so were the turians. As long as they kept their beliefs to themselves, everyone could get along just fine.
Samara opened the door to Starboard Observation for her usual meditation. She was surprised to find one of the Tau fire warriors there, silently observing the blue-green planet below. He was wearing the new grey and red uniform she had seen the Tau wearing over the past few days. Based on the markings, she believed him to be amongst the higher ranks.
"I have come to enjoy this view. An unobstructed window into eternity gives one a perspective rarely found elsewhere." After a moment of pause, she added, "I was not aware any members of the Fire caste were on board."
"I am here at the request of the Aun'el. He deemed it wise to ensure the Air and Earth caste members have a protector. I do not question his wisdom; it is beyond me." He turned to her, his expression resolute but not hostile. Samara noted that he held himself with great discipline, to rival a turian, but also a calm reserve that seemed perpetual. "I am Shas'O Lynu'elan."
"Justicar Samara. You are the commander of the Tau ground forces in this sector, are you not?" Samara found it peculiar that such a high-ranking officer would be assigned to such a menial task, but she kept it to herself. She could not but help feel that there was more going on here than was visible on the surface.
"Indeed," he said, "I have been assigned command of the newly formed Clee'san sept of the Tau Empire. As the first system brought under the aegis of the Tau, it is a great responsibility to oversee its defense. I have been given a great honor, and I intend to fulfill my station with courage and devotion."
"Admirable. Based on your success against the geth, I believe you are capable." She turned to the world below. "Your people are most dedicated, more so than any I have seen. I have a great respect for that. My own people are respected for being the oldest race known to have traveled space. However, I sometimes feel we are losing focus, and I am not alone. I believe your people have a great deal to teach us, and the rest of the galaxy."
Lynu'elan held his peace for a moment. "It is indeed good that you are open to such an exchange. I hope all are as wise, but my experience denies me such optimism. I hope to speak with you again in the future. If you will excuse me, I have duties to attend to." He nodded his head and departed. Samara took her usual meditation pose. She had a lot to contemplate.
Commander Shepard exited the lift onto the command deck of the Normandy. Yeoman Chambers turned from her post to him. "I have spoken to a number of Tau. They remind me a bit of a mix of turian and asari, if that makes any sense. The most striking thing is their devotion to their ideals and leaders. It is the driving force in their lives. I'm not sure if I find it admirable or frightening."
"I'm certain they will be reasonable; they may be devoted, but I wouldn't call them fanatical. In my experience, diplomacy can bridge any gaps, as long as people don't allow fear and misunderstanding to grow into conflict." Shepard's reassuring tone put Kelly at ease.
"Commander, the Tau have reported they have modified their drives for compatibility with the mass relays. "EDI's artificial voice announced, "We are ready to proceed to the Citadel."
"Understood, tell them we're coming." Shepard proceeded up the length of his vessel to the bridge. Joker was looking at something out the foreword hatch.
"Well, now that is impressive," the helmsman said as Shepard took a look out. A sand-colored vessel, the size of a dreadnought, hung in space flanked by two cruiser-sized vessels. They were wide, with sweeping, organic fins and curved shapes. "Looks like the Treaty of Farixen may need to be revised. According to the Tau I spoke to, the big one's a cruiser. They have a whole size category bigger than anything the Citadel provides for."
"Makes you wonder what they need all the firepower before." Shepard noticed Miranda had arrived on the bridge. "Still, it will be helpful against the Reapers," she added.
"Breaking orbit. Currently in formation with the Tau fleet, en route to Chi-7 mass relay," Joker announced. The trip took several hours, eventually Shepard was looking out the main viewport again, this time at the blue glow of a mass relay.
Mass relays were long-range transit devices millions of years old, and the foundation of interstellar travel for all previously known races; the Tau were the first encountered not familiar with them. Most of the galaxy believed they were the crowning achievement of the extinct Prothean empire, but Shepard was one of the few that knew the dark truth. The mass relays were created by the Reapers to facilitate their cycle of galactic extinction.
As the Normandy approached the Mass Relay, it lit up. Too quickly; the vessels were not yet close enough to jump the relay. There was a burst of light, and an armada of geth ships appeared on the scanners.
Joker swore under his breath. "Those don't look friendly!"
"All hands, prepare for battle!" Shepard announced over the intercom. "Get the main guns online! Target the lead geth cruiser. Joker, put us on an intercept trajectory."
The fleets closed on each other. The geth had numerical superiority, and neither side had been tested against each other on this scale. The geth sent a volley from their spinal-mounted guns. The bright violet pulses struck the front screens of the Tau ships, but were deflected above and below their targets.
In response, the two Protector-class Tau cruisers fired their gravatic launchers. Drone missiles launched forth at a fraction of the speed of light. Their impact collapsed the geth ships' kinetic barriers, and then struck with yet enough energy to cripple them. The Normandy gave a shot of its thanix cannon, which took out a geth frigate.
"Yeah! Gotcha, flashlight heads!" Joker exclaimed as he lined up the Normandy on another target.
"Contact the Tau, see if they have any other ships in the area," Shepard ordered.
The Tau never encountered Prothean technology as they advanced. Where they came from, and when they began, no Prothean relics began. They developed along another path, and had their own FTL technology. While not nearly as expedient as the relays, it was significantly faster than the unassisted FTL of the geth.
This enabled the Tau to respond much quicker than the geth could anticipate. Before the initial fleet closed to midrange, the Tau admiral Kor'O Eldi'Kunas and her fleet arrived at the sight. A second, more devastating barrage of gravatic drone rounds thinned the geth fleet.
The geth broke off from the Citadel-bound ships to engage the new threat. Both sides began to launch strike craft as they closed to mid-range. The geth cruisers began to fire their broadside batteries as the Tau opened up with their railguns. The firefight continued as the ships closed, with Tau Barracuda fighters and geth attack drones swarming in between them. Here, the Tau proved the more successful, despite being outnumbered. Despite this, neither side seemed to possess an advantage.
That changed when the fleets closed within the range of the Tau ion cannons. The geth's kinetic barriers had a negligible effect on the stream of particles these weapons produced. They disintegrated the geth armor upon impact, cutting great scars in the metallic hulls.
It was then that O'Elkas devised a most cunning strategy. She ordered her capital ships to target the geth point defenses with precision ion cannon fire. Once they were disabled, she launched waves of Manta bombers. They flew within the now defenseless geth ship's barriers, then delivered their missile payloads.
The battle then turned utterly one-sided. The geth were unable to provide any form of counter-measure to this attack, and turned in an attempt to escape the range of the ion cannons. With their barriers weakened, the Tau opened up once again with their railguns, to devastating effects. None of the geth ships made it back to the Chi-7 mass relay.