Elegance. That was the only word to describe what Por'ui Dal'yth Kyse now saw from the inside of the fast-moving grav-train, as it sped through the smooth curves of Dal'yth's most beautiful city. The sylph-like, almost ethereal silver merged with the light greys, the purest whites and the reflective transparency of the structures around him into a whirlpool of shades, melting into each other. As the train slowed down, approaching his stop, the outlines of the towering watchers formed again, and even though this was the hundredth time he had absorbed their presence, Por'ui still felt himself take a sharp, involuntary breath at what his predecessors had created.
In his dark quarters, when the light had receded from the sky, and the world around him was bathed in the unreal luminescence of artificial light, he had read. He had read about the other cultures in the galaxy, and was always fascinated by the diversity of what this short life had to offer. But what frightened him even more were the horrors it contained. The Ethereals did not approve of the Tau studying the creatures of the Immaterium, or the Warp as it was so often called (Kyse noted the aptness of this title), as they believed it could corrupt the strong and focused minds of their people. But Kyse, with his voracious appetite for knowledge of what was outside his sphere, had pieced together scraps of information from all the sources he could find.
He had lain awake many a night, trying to understand the Warp, but in vain. The Tau mind was not attuned to this frequency, and eventually, after many sleepless nights and explanations to Por'vre why he was late for his duties, Kyse gave up trying. News of the C'tan threat was slow to diffuse through to the Ethereals and Por'o, and thus the Warp was the extent of his imagination.
The doors slid open silently, and Kyse stepped onto the platform. Greetings varied throughout the Tau Empire, but Kyse was aware of most of them, and when the guard greeted him, he knew what to say. What is more, he believed in it.
"For the Greater Good," the guard waved Kyse through the sliding doors.
"May the Ethereals guide us." Kyse continued through into the lobby. The room had circular walls, unadorned except by the doors which were positioned every few metres along it. Tau rooms did not need beautiful pictures, war trophies, or shrines to their gods to distract from the mediocrity of the remainder of them. In Tau cities, everything was made to order.
Kyse proceeded through one of the doors, which slid open just as his foot was about to touch it. You literally had to walk into these doors for them to open, and Kyse had never got used to it – every time he made his way here he always felt a pang of irrational fear (or could it be rational) that the door would not open. But, as usual, it did.
The plain corridor stretched out ahead of him, with a noticeable upward incline. It was still quite early, and the sky was still bright as ever. Today was one of the few public holidays the Tau ever had. Kyse as not pleased that he had to be the one called away from the day's festivities which were being held in honour of the Ethereals, but whenever his mind started to contemplate such inconveniences, he only had to look around to see why he should play his part in the Tau quest for the Greater Good, however small it might be. He had strolled through more doors, complying with various identity checks on the way (more to protect against any assimilated inhabitants than actual Tau), and finally arrived at the door of Por'o Dal'yth Ko'vash. Kyse paused, took a deep breath, and proceeded through into the office of Ko'vash.
To the Gue'la, Ko'vash would probably look like any other Tau. But Kyse noticed a number of things about Ko'vash that would not be immediately apparent. His blue skin was starting to lose its pigment, and that combined with the lines on his face, which was becoming more leathery and inflexible, showed Kyse that Ko'vash was probably approaching the age of forty, and would not be serving the Ethereals for much longer. Ko'vash had a deep scar down the right side of his face, which was rare for an ambassador. Kyse had asked around, but had never been able to discover how this grievous wound had been inflicted. But perhaps his most striking features were his eyes. As Kyse looked at them, he found himself being drawn into the pools of colour inexorably, and had to shake his head to bring himself back to the circular office.
The office itself was unique, as it did have one or two adornments in the way of charters and awards. The Tau was not a selfish or boastful people, but pride was important to them. Kyse had seen it a few times before, however, and did not pause before greeting Ko'vash customarily, with Ko'vash replying correctly. Kyse was offered a seat, and took it gratefully, before speaking his mind.
"Por'o," said Kyse. "Why am I here?"
"To serve the Greater Good, of course." Ko'vash chuckled.
Kyse gave him a weak smile. Whatever he said, Ko'vash managed to make him feel unpatriotic, rude, and over-inquisitive. Ko'vash seemed to sense this, and got down to business.
"I am sorry to have dragged you away from the celebrations, young Por'ui. But we have an important task that needs to be done, and I thought that you deserved a chance." Ko'vash went on to explain about how he knew that Kyse had been very successful in negotiating trade routes and deals between septs (in particular between Dal'yth and Bork'an), but had had very little experience with other races.
"You know that the other castes are always looking for new technology so they can function more efficiently. The Fio can only do so much based on our own developments, and are always ready to absorb new areas of technology. I need you to travel with the fleet of Kor'o Sa'cea M'yen."
"But I thought that Kor'o was fighting the Tyranids. I don't see what new information we can discover from them," Kyse observed.
"Don't rush me," Ko'vash said, chuckling again. "No, you will be meeting some Imperial Rogue Traders on the border. The fleet needs to travel to that area to join with a Kroot War Sphere, and you can travel with them until you reach Timbra."
Kyse again proved his knowledge of recent military history. "But didn't the Damocles Crusade eliminate the presence of rogue traders in that area?"
For the third time in that interview, Ko'vash chuckled. This was starting to unnerve Kyse. "I think that I have chosen the right person for this task. No, you will not be going to Garrus, Kleist and Stum. The renegade Imperials who wish to trade with us have set up a new meeting place on the Eistol orbiting station, and you will be meeting them there."
It now dawned on Kyse what he was doing. Very few Por visited alien worlds in their entire lifetimes, and here he was on an important mission to acquire new technology on an Imperial orbiting station. Por's excitement mounted as Ko'vash completed his briefing, and two hours later he was back in the grav-train, mind buzzing, returning to his quarters to pack what few vital supplies he needed for the journey to Eistol.
To be continued...