Chapter five: Crossroads
"The defenses are ready, shas o' kais".
The reports were troubling.
"Excellent, return to your post".
A new force that the tau were forced to fight, a force that could not be reasoned with or be enlightened by the greater good. The reports alone showed him enough, massive bulky machines that could easily grapple with battlesuits, machines that would simply pull themselves back together no matter how damaged they were. And the reports of hundreds being cut down by a single strike from human like foes.
Shas o' kais had fortified the city as quickly as he could, mobilised his forces to make ta'shuun the most fortified position on Kronus.
"Sir!, enemy sighted!" the radio crackled.
"Where?".
"On the horizon!, long range bombardment on your command".
"Fire".
The massive rail cannons station across the defensive wall orientated themselves and fired and fired and fired joined by wave aftet wave of missiles.
The tau commander hoped that would buy enough time for him to secure transport's to move the civilian population out of the battlefield that the tau settlement would soon become.
However.
The symphony of firepower was soon joined by a ominous cackling.
Two firewarriors who were manning a post on the wall shifted a bit, unnerved by the strange sound, and continued to observe the enemy ready to report any sudden developments.
"...do you hear some-".
They, along with the portion of the wall they where on, was cut clean off into pieces.
The massive sycth like blade boomeranged through the air.
An arm suddenly shot out of the earth, the pink limb grabbed the weapon. Soon the rest of it rose up, a primarily red skeletal like machine with pink limbs and a pink skeletal face. The metal giant attached the blade to the side of it's head opposite another blade.
"B-by the ethereal's!, what is that!?".
Beams shot out from the ground, disintegrating any who where unfortunate to be in their path.
Another beastly machine rose up, navy blue and green. It's two heads snaked about, red dots for eyes and a grin like 'mouth' while there appeared to be missiles in it's abdomen.
"Garuda k7!" a female voice roared.
"Doublas m2!" a male voice roared as well.
"Slaughter these fools who would oppose lord hades!" both commanded.
And so, the two machines begun to wreak havoc amongst the tau army.
"What is this!?, how did they!?" shas o' kais quickly took command and ordered an assault comprised of battlesuits and manta rays to strike at the creatures.
Whoever.
It was as though the thing's were made of an almost unbreakable let alone scratchable alloy, the mechanised and vehicular infantry unloaded in vain as the two beast's destroyed everything around them.
Doublas unleashed beams from it's eyes, cutting through the unfortunate battlesuit that was in it's way and the buildings past it. Garuda removed both of it's blades and swung, it's arms extending as it swung about cleaving apart any around it.
Garuda had turned its attention to the battlesuits that where quite literally up in it's face, unloading as much ammo as possible. It responded by firing bombs from its eye's.
Doublas whoever was swarmed, and tripped as it was walking backwards from it's foes who had their spirits rise from the apperant Victory which sadly was short lived, doublas's heads rose up and blasted them as it got up.
"Ignore these arrogant bug's, garuda, doublas" the male voice rung out "go!, destroy the plaza!".
The two war machines ceased their slaughtering and begun to make their way to unity plaza.
"Destroy!?, all units move to protect unity plaza!".
Both metal beasts were assaulted by the growing force of the tau trying to halt or delay their travel.
Doublas fired the missiles in its abdomen, the red tipped explosives making an unlucky few their victims, some destroying buildings.
Garuda swung it's blade at the battlesuits that buzzed around it, cutting down three and disabling two. Both the metal horrors cut through the desperate defence and found the plaza.
"Hahahahahahahahah!, pathetic!, truly pathetic!. If you're weapons can't even scratch the weakest of lord hades's machines then what hope do you have against his strongest!" the female voice laughed.
"Now!, doublas, garuda!. Destroy the tau communication array!" both commanded as the beast's tore at the plaza. Doublas tore into the building with it's claws and smashed it's heads into it like hammers into plastic, garuda punched and kicked into it, slashing away with the blade From the left side of it's head.
"I did not expect the man of iron to arrive so quickly".
The rumbling of the distant battle could be felt all the way there.
"Then there is no time to be lost".
The meeting between farseer taldeer and ethereal aun'el shi'ores was interrupted due to the sudden rumbling that overtook the city and the distant booms of battle.
"I shall make haste to ready my warhost, i suggest you do what you can for your people, aun'el".
Before he could reply or for both to leave the room, the ground rumbled and soon burst outward. Parts of the ceiling fell as the obscured, massive drill ceased spinning.
Taldeer was already preparing to unleashe a spell and aun'el had aimed his honour blade in its direction.
The drill parted and a figure hidden in a purple cloak walked out.
"Farseer taldeer..." a male voice spoke.
"...And ethereal aun'el shi'ores" a female voice spoke.
"Behold!!, this emissary from hell!!. Asura MK9!!" both Voices roared as the figures hood was lifted back.
It mechanical nature was obvious as soon as they saw it's face, a robotic mask whose right side was oddly feminine while the right was oddly masculine, it's face was primarily silver while where the hair should be was instead a black crest or headpiece.
"Is this... truly the extent of the man of iron's arsenal?".
"...You bug, under normal circumstances i would have killed you for daring to disrespect lord hades. However!" asura suddenly shouted, taldeer had let out a silent curse as events played out in defiance of her visions.
"The very act of comparing such a grand being as lord Hades to something as pathetic as a man of iron... YOU'VE ONLY AIDED IN MY MISSION!!".
"And what is your mission, machine?".
"Hmph. My mission eldar, was to determine if you where here" asura's male half spoke "My lord's attack against such insignificant bugs as the tau, was but a means to reach this city. Once here he would have left no stone unturned to find even the smallest trace of your presence here" asura's female half explained.
Asura turned to aun'el "Ethereal, my lord also had tasked me to send a message. He, in his infinite grace, is willing to turn the other cheek and allow you to leave the planet".
And with that asura returned to the drill, the massive tool closing up and leaving.
The two stood there in silence, both mulling over the machines words.
"Hmm...shas o'kais" aun'el said as he opened the communications channel to the tau commander.
"Aun'el, unity plaza has fallen. The machines have stopped their advance as well...what is it's demands" he replied already aware that the ethereal had been spoken to.
"Search for survivors, shas o. I shall send word for transports".
"You would really believe it's word?, there is no telling what this 'hades' plans are. He could very well be using you as a means to find the third sphere fleet and plunder it of your people's technology".
"Perhaps, but i will not let paranoia of a machines actions lead to more tau deaths, taldeer. Leave, you've done enough".
/
The legions of metal marched upon the blighted earth.
Dominators raced through as the ground was thrown up by their treads.
Flying overhead and racing on the ground where a new unit in the army.
It's form was a standard humanoid build. Boxy rectangular pauldrons made up it's shoulders, the forearms ending in a hand guard over the unit's hands while also having a sheath storing collapsible short swords.
The heads upper half was almost bulbous but this was thanks to the curved plate that covered an advanced sensor array, it's 'face' was a 'Y' formation of red lines that were merely hundreds of cameras.
It's torsos upper half was wide so as to make room for the manipulator rail arm system that stored the wide spread standard of a gattling cannon and a sword. The lower half was comprised of a narrower abdomen and waist.
In contrast, the machines legs were of a smoother design. The flat headed bulky knee guards were actually apart of the rest of the lower leg, the armour plating was wrapped around the primary joint for better protection. The leg ended in a single 'toe' foot designed for all terrain travel and was equipped with two small anti gravity devices.
Alongside the 'skirt' armour where the units primary propulsion engines, attached to the hips. Along with high speed travel and it's purpose of high speed combat it was capable of indefinite aerial deployment.
The aptly named tactical surface fighter due to it's limitless functionality in almost any non space deployment with a limited atmospheric functionality.
The TSF V-80 'Vulture'.
Twenty five squadrons, comprised of ten 'vultures' each, spearheaded the iron horde in a 'v' formation.
Overhead, deep behind in the distance.
Where three jet's.
All heading towards the word bearers.