The Welcome Feast

Note: sorry about the title being crap I just can't think of anything better to call it.

Glym sat opposite the Eldar Farseer, the one who had first emerged from the webway, on the bench of the Wave Serpent transport. He had agreed to travel on the serpent as opposed to the Imperial Salamander because he knew that if he had to fight alongside the aliens they would both have to trust one another. Agreeing to share a transport was a small yet crucial detail that could help this process along. The Farseer had removed his helmet to reveal his face. His black hair hung down to about shoulder length his face looked calm, as if he had no idea of the war that plagued the universe, but also had a tone of seriousness to it. He wore armour that marked him out as important even by Farseer standards. However he looked much too young to hold a rank as high as the armour would suggest. Realising what he had just thought to himself the Imperial laughed out loud, as he himself held command of two regiments and wasn't even thirty standard years old and this Farseer was easily seven hundred years old ((author's note: I'm assuming here that Eldar live for about 2 millennia or so)). The burst of laughter earned him a quizzical look from the Eldar. Mklure explained the reason behind the burst of laughter and the Farseer nodded in understanding. He then realised he hadn't introduced himself yet to the human.

"I am High Farseer Faerio Avalon of the Craftworld Deyja. You have my thanks for your assistance, General…" The Farseer spoke with a calm voice slightly louder than a whisper, yet it was clear and commanded authority.

"Mklure, Glym. And don't mention it."

Avalon was obviously well trained in Low Gothic because he showed no confusion at the phrase "don't mention it." Instead he said. "Tell me, General, with such a high rank, why did you join your men in battle? I thought that all human commanders preferred to keep away from the fighting where possible."

"Yeah, ye see Av; most generals prefer to avoid fighting because it's dangerous and that they find themselves in a better command position in a safe room with comfortable armchairs as far away from the fighting as possible. That and that some of them consider the fighting just to be below them. When I joined the Imperial Guard it was fight, fight, fight. I fought up the ranks. Didn't get promotions for being a nobleman, licking arses or long service records. I got them through sheer luck and on the field decisions."

Some Eldar troopers that were listening, and understood Low Gothic, were shocked at the Human's rudeness in addressing the Farseer. Avalon himself however seemed quite pleased to how the man had addressed him.

"Tell me, Glym, how soon will we be able to fight back against the common enemy that have taken the Imperial city? Or to rephrase my question how far into your plans are you and how long should they take to complete?"

Glym laughed again. "Trust me mate you don't know how human command works. Firstly tonight there's gonna be big banquet for the commanders, with drink and food 'til all the food's done. Then we go to another room and start just drinking and all the while everyone's talking politely but probably thinking "I can't stand that smug bastard I'm just laughing so he doesn't feel as stupid as he is." Then they wake up at about midday tomorrow take two hours getting dressed in the fanciest uniforms that they have, usually covered in tassels braids every single medal they've ever won in their entire lifetime and with more starch than would be possible to move properly in. Then they start addressing the reason they're here and all that. Then they start planning. A good number of them won't have a clue either because this is the first time ever Reya has suffered anything even close to an invasion. As always though priority goes to the home team and the PDF commanders can plan the whole thing with very little or even no input from the experienced veterans of war standing within an arms reach of them."

Looking puzzled the Farseer asked "Why? Why don't they ask for help the men with more experience?"

"Simple, it's because homo non-sapiens like them think about one thing. Themselves, constantly, they usually fail to see how insignificant their own ambitions are to the enemy pounding on the walls with cannon-fire."

Faerio groaned. "No he said I can't believe what I'm hearing surely no army can be run like that."

"It can't, but it is in a good number of places in the Imperium. Anyway If all you ladies and gentlemen would care to look out the window you'll see your first sights of Reya Prime. If you have a camera take a picture because in a while it'll probably be half wrecked.

The first of the transport vehicles passed under the arch-way of the north-gate at just past the seventh hour of the evening.