Chapter 15

Existential ERROR- It may seem that way, but I believe it will start to make sense with what I have planned in the future. Or maybe not, who knows. Though I do see the complaint. I didn't reveal their end goal or what they're after, well besides killing the Chaos Marines in Mass Effect galaxy, so what they're doing right now seems to not make sense, given the relative friendly attitude towards aliens from the humans in Mass Effect and the Tau as a whole. Even then, I still think other Eldar besides Biel-Tan would do this as, they'll do whatever it takes to save Eldar lives, even if it means sacrificing other races to do it.

Voldorack- Can you tell me which chapters have that? So that I can go and fix them later.

Fehl Prime

Arra'kon

"That is all that we know of the Batarian movement." Said Arra'kon as he finished talking with both captain Toni and Armstrong regarding all the actionable intel that his people had on the Batarians launching a fleet to their system.

"I see." Said Toni as he contemplated this. According to Arra'kon, the Batarians were sending a fleet to the system. And it wasn't some fleet of old warships that could easily be seen by the Citadel Council as belonging to pirates and terrorists, but an actual fleet of modern Batarian warships. And it left him perplexed. "Why would they send a full complement of modern warships here? Do they want a war with the Council and the System's Alliance?"

"I'm afraid that we don't have that information as of yet." Said Arra'kon. "Despite the best efforts of the Geth, we were unable to acquire that information. So, we don't know why they're sending a fleet here."

"I see." Said Toni before looking at Armstrong. "With all that said, administrator, what do you think we should do?" Armstrong just looked at Toni before asking a question that'll affect his decision. Right now he was unsure of either accepting or refusing the Tau's offer of assistance in warding off a potential Batarian attack. He feared that accepting it may entice further attraction to Fehl Prime from other terrorists and pirates aside from the Blood Pack years ago. It may even garner the attention of whatever was out there kidnapping entire colonies. As colony administrator, it was his duty to protect the lives of his colonists at all costs, which is why he accepted the garrison of Alliance soldiers in Fehl Prime. To help protect his people from any harm that'll come to them from the Terminus Systems. And right now, accepting the Tau's help may bring more complications than he would like to have.

However, a fully armed fleet of Batarians, who hate Humanity with a passion, will certainly be a danger to his people, especially when they don't know what they want in the first place. Thus, he was asking captain Toni for his opinion on the entire matter.

"If I refuse the Tau's offer to help, will it benefit my people in any way?" Asked Armstrong. "Will it help deter the Batarians from acting if I accept their help?" Toni just sighed before giving Armstrong his honest opinion on the matter.

"I would accept the offer, administrator." Said Toni as he looked at Armstrong, completely serious. "Even with the extra firepower and equipment that the Alliance has given us to defend this colony, we can't stand against a fully-equipped army by ourselves. We simply don't have the manpower to do so. And I'll be honest, administrator, if the Batarians are sending in a fleet here, they're not here for a social event. They're here for blood. Why here, I don't know, but what I do know is that the Batarians will start something and it'll be a good idea to have some extra security around to deter them from doing so. Besides, this is a good opportunity to get closer with our new allies, yes?"

"I suppose." Said Armstrong in agreement. Arra'kon, meanwhile, stayed silent, knowing full well that they'll accept his offer of assistance.

These two men care about the well-being and safety of their people, even if it meant considering seeking outside help. Admittedly, it was a hit to one's pride if they have to get outsiders to help one out, but Arra'kon saw it as a strength of one's character to push that pride aside and ask for help when it's clear it'll save the people that one is supposed to protect. It was something that he would have done in their position and O'Shovah would do the same if his people's future depended on outsider help. If only there were people that would actually do so and not shoot them the moment they saw them in the Imperium or the Tau Empire.

With that advice from Toni, Armstrong made his decision. Looking at Arra'kon, Armstrong gave him his decision.

"Because my people will not survive against a full-fledged attack from a fully-equipped Batarian fleet, we'll accept your offer for assistance." Said Armstrong, causing Arra'kon to nod in satisfaction.

"You've made the right choice, my friend." Said Arra'kon. "Though we are from two different governments, my people will protect your people to the death if necessary for they are innocents that do not deserve whatever fate the Batarians had in store for them." Toni and Armstrong nodded at that, appreciating Arra'kon's words before speaking up.

"Given the sheer size of some of your battlesuits as well as lack of available Alliance marines here, we'll need to discuss possible tactics that we can use to better coordinate our military assets and defend the colony with minimal collateral damage to the colony itself." Said Toni, causing Arra'kon to nod in agreement.

"Of course." Said Arra'kon. "My men will begin to deploy our forces to the planet's surface while I remain here to help discuss potential tactics that we can use to better coordinate our forces." Toni nodded at that before asking Armstrong if he wished to remain with them during these talks. Armstrong politely refused, citing that he needed to address the colonists about the Tau and that they shouldn't have to worry about them. He also had to warn them of a possible attack on the colony soon so that noncombatants can retreat to the shelters now in order to remain safe until the all-clear signal was given. With that, the two soldiers began to discuss possible tactics that their soldiers can use to better synergize with one another.

Two days later

Two days had passed since the offer of assistance was accepted by the colony of Fehl Prime. Since then, the Tau have deployed their complement of ground forces to the colony's surface and began fortifying it with their own equipment and fortifications while also creating traps and ambush zones for their more stealth-orientated units. Meanwhile, the Tau fleet made a blockade around the planet, specifically the travel route that starships take if they wish to travel to Fehl Prime after utilizing the system's Mass Relay. If the Batarians wanted to invade Fehl Prime, they had to deal with the Tau and their powerful starships. Meanwhile, on the surface of the planet, James Vega was in awe of what he had to see.

"Hot damn." Said Vega as he looked at the Tau and their equipment, specifically the really big battlesuits they've brought to the surface. Vega and his team were out patrolling when they noticed the Stormsurge and couldn't help but stare at it. The Tau soldiers around them looked at them for a moment before resuming their own patrols, knowing the humans were merely looking at the battlesuit and nothing more.

"Okay, now I'm certain they're compensating for something." Said Essex as he looked at the same thing that Vega was looking at with wide eyes.

"For once, I actually agree with Essex." Said Kamille as she eyed the big battlesuit, but with a hint of respect, awe, and shock. The battlesuit they were looking at was a massive mech unit that was over ten stories tall. It had a massive gun on its right shoulder, its length around five Mako IFVs placed tightly against each other. Not only that, but that massive battlesuit had two massive rocket pod systems mounted on either side of the main body with secondary guns and missiles mounted below or at the sides of it. It looked more like a walking weapons platform than an actual mech suit. And that was the purpose of the battlesuit.

This battlesuit wasn't a battlesuit at all, at least in the normal term for them. This was the KV128 Stormsurge Ballistic suit, a subset of Tau Battlesuits that were designed to deal with large targets that normal units can't deal with without suffering heavy casualties or to dish out such heavy punishment that the Tau's enemies will think twice before trying to face them in battle ever again.

The team had read about the Tau during their free time, especially Nicky as he was so damn curious about a new alien race, but to actually see their stuff in real life. To see just how large they were was a whole different matter than actually reading about it.

"And this isn't even their biggest suit." Said Nicky as he looked at his Omnitool, going through the codex entries about the Tau.

"Course it isn't." Said Essex in annoyance. "Because why not make even bigger mechs?" While Essex was annoyed, everyone was looking at Nicky in shock.

"You mean to tell us they got an ever-bigger robot?" Asked Milque, eyes wide.

"Yup." Said Nicky as he found the suit. "It's called the KX139 Ta'unar Supremacy Armor. It's even larger than the Stormsurge and is made for threats that the Tau have yet to encounter."

"Of course." Said Milque upon hearing all that. "Because the perfect solution to dealing with new threats is to make an even bigger gun to kill it. Man, these guys love their big things. Can't imagine what threat would justify that, let alone this gigantic suit." Vega just looked at the Stormsurge for a few moments before speaking up.

"Let's hope we never have to see that threat." Said Vega as he eyed the battlesuit, noting just how much firepower it had and no doubt knew that it had also equal defensive systems to match. "And let's also hope that we don't have to face these things in battle."

"I hear that." Said Kamille in agreement. "Rather have these things fighting with me than against me. I doubt there's anything in the Alliance's that can even put a scratch on these things beyond an airstrike." Vega nodded at that in agreement before looking at his team.

"Alright, guys, let's get back to patrol. Don't want to make our allies think we're incompetent or something." Said Vega. That caused his team to focus back on their assigned task and went back to their patrol. As he walked, Vega thought about April and how she was doing. Last he saw the little girl, she was back at the shelter along with Treeya and her mother. She begged James to let her be out there with him, saying that she's a soldier too and that he needed his spotter, but Vega said it was too dangerous for her. Much as he respected her tenacity and desire to be a soldier, he knew the horrors of war and he didn't want her to experience them at such a young age.

It took a while, but eventually, he convinced her to stay with the civilians, saying they needed a big strong girl like her to keep them safe and calm while he and the other soldiers fight to keep them safe from those that want to hurt them. With that, she complied with his wishes but made him promise to let her around the big cannon. Though he suspected the cannon won't be around for long if the Batarians attacked, Vega promised and left April alone with her mother and Treeya.

Thinking about the little girl, Vega clutched his rifle hard. Just thinking about the Batarians getting their hands on April was more than enough to keep Vega motivated to fight. He's not going to let those bastards get close to April or any of the other colonists. If the Batarians wanted any of them, they'll have to go through him first. Him and the bunch of aliens with some of the most advanced technology that Vega has ever seen.

Meanwhile, commander Arra'kon was conversing with the Tau fleet in orbit.

"Are you certain about this captain?" Asked Arra'kon as captain Toni was next to him. The human informed Arra'kon that everyone was in position when the Tau captain in charge of the fleet informed them that the Batarians have arrived.

"Indeed, commander." Said the Air Caste pilot. "The Batarian fleet has arrived in the system and are approaching Fehl Prime as we speak. My fleet is moving to intercept."

"Do so." Said Arra'kon. "However, do not engage. Attempt to engage in negotiations first. I do not want to give the Batarians ways to make it seem we're the aggressors in this conflict. Understood?" After receiving confirmation from the Air caste captain, Arra'kon ended the call before looking at Toni.

"Have the civilian population been evacuated to the shelters?" Asked Arra'kon, causing Toni to nod.

"All non-militia colonists are accounted for in the shelters." Said Toni. "And they all have enough supplies to last a month if necessary." Arra'kon nodded.

"Good." Said Arra'kon. "Let us hope that our defensives are sufficient enough to drive back the Batarians."

"And if they're not?" Asked Toni, asking a question that he really didn't want to ask, but had to so that he can prepare for the worst.

"Then we best pray that reinforcements arrive from either of our governments in time to help us." Said Arra'kon, causing Toni to grimly nod in agreement.

Few hours later

Batarian fleet

If there was one thing that was correct about high-ranking officials in the Batarian navy, it was that they were utterly ruthless to their enemies. They cared little about things like collateral damage or mercy. They cared only about defeating their opponents, preferably as humiliating as possible, and serving the Hegemony as efficiently as possible while also trying their best to advance their own careers and prestige as well.

Admiral Desad of the Batarian second fleet was no exception. A tough and well-muscled Batarian, Desad managed to earn his position by not just appeasing the right people, but also with his ruthless efficiency. It also helped that his family was known for producing tens of thousands of slaves for the Batarian Hegemony, making them quite a powerful family indeed.

Glaring at the planet that his fleet was approaching, Desad was thinking of how to make the humans pay for their destruction of a Batarian system when one of his radar operators spoke up.

"Admiral Desad. We have an enemy fleet approaching us. Their silhouette matches that of known Tau designs." Said a Batarian radar operator as the Batarian fleet approached Fehl Prime. Admiral Desad growled upon hearing that the Tau are in the system before ordering his comms officer to open a communication frequency.

"Those damn aliens better have a good reason for being here." Thought Desad as the communication frequency was received by the Tau and the voice of a Tau was soon heard through the bridge of Desad's dreadnought.

"Greetings Batarians." Said the Tau voice, making Desad blood boil at the pleasant voice coming from the Tau. "My name Kor'el Me'lek Shi'kran of the Air Caste. I ask that you halt at once and explain your intentions in coming to this system." Desad narrowed his eyes at this. The newest arrivals to the galactic scene dared to interfere in Batarian justice? They'll pay dearly for this.

If he was a lesser Batarian, Desad would have ordered his fleet to open fire on the Tau. After all, his fleet outnumbered them three to one and they have three Dreadnoughts with them. Such odds would have caused the opposing side to either surrender or retreat to fight another day, abandoning the world to invasion. But Desad wasn't a fool. He knew that doing so against the Tau was tantamount to a death sentence.

All of their warships surpassed his own in size. Even their smallest ships surpassed his own Dreadnought in size. Their weaponry, according to the top Batarian military analysts, was powerful enough to destroy any of their ships with ease, even with kinetic barriers fully on. So, much as Desad detested the idea, he had to play nice for now. And he must continue to do so until the Hegemony has figured out a good strategy against the Tau.

"To give justice to my people for the genocide that the humans have committed." Spat out Desad with barely contained hatred. That earned a raised eyebrow from the Tau captain.

"And what genocide have the humans possibly done that would warrant such a response from the Batarian government?" Asked Me'lek Shi'kran. Unbeknownst to the Batarian, the human leadership was overhearing this along with Commander Arra'kon as Me'lek Shi'kran ordered a secure channel to be sent to them so that they can hear what the Batarians had to say from the start of the conversation.

"*Scoffs* Of course the humans would not say anything about their genocide. They wish to turn the entire galaxy against the Batarian people." Said Desad as he glared at the Tau. "They wish to wipe us out and claim our well-deserved territory for themselves. I can't wait until the truth is exposed and the galaxy joins us in a crusade against them."

"Answer the question, Batarian." Said Me'lek Shi'kran as respectfully as he possibly could while also putting some force into it as well. Desad growled at that before replying.

"The Bahak system, one of the Hegemony's glorious colonies, has been destroyed completely." Said Desad, shocking all those that were listening. "Its Mass Relay exploded and obliterated the entire system, killing over three hundred thousand innocent Batarians in the process." Me'lek Shi'kran had to actually take a moment to comprehend that before responding back to the Batarian.

"That is a most tragic event." Said Me'lek Shi'kran. "But I fail to see how the Humans are involved in that in any shape or way."

"That's because I wasn't finished!" Yelled Desad as he glared at the Tau, anger taking him a bit. He took a moment to calm himself before speaking again, knowing that it wasn't wise to anger the Tau right now. "Forgive me, I had family in Bahak when it was destroyed." After getting a nod from Me'lek Shi'kran that indicated that he was not offended, Desad continued. "When the Hegemony learned of Bahak's destruction, we had our intelligence services figure out what happened. What caused the destruction of an entire system and what was responsible for it. We even paid the Shadow Broker for information on this situation. Eventually, one of them found what caused it. Or rather, who." Me'lek Shi'kran didn't need to be a genius to know where this was going.

"And you have evidence that implicates the Humans' in the destruction of your system?" Asked Me'lek Shi'kran, finding that hard to believe. Why would Humans want to destroy an entire system? Much less cause a war with the Batarians.

"Yes." Said Desad. With absolute confidence. "Not only did we learn that humans were behind Bahak's destruction, but we also learned that they purposefully sent an asteroid to Bahak's Relay."

"I see." Said Me'lek Shi'kran, very skeptical about all this. "You must understand these are very serious accusations. Surely, you have proof of such things, yes?"

"Of course we do." Said Desad, offended. "In fact, the Hegemony has recently a diplomat to the Citadel to confront the Council with our evidence. In time, the entire galaxy will learn about the treachery of the humans and how they need to be brought down before they take over the galaxy." Me'lek Shi'kran stayed quiet at that before speaking up.

"I see. However, I must ask, why is your fleet here? What have these humans done to warrant such a response from the Batarian people?" Asked Me'lek Shi'kran.

"They're the ones that are responsible for the destruction of Bahak!" Yelled Desad. "We know that it was these humans that are responsible for giving the order to destroy the Relay. We know that for a fact! And we're here to enact retribution against them for doing so!"

"By launching a preemptive strike on a world protected by the Systems Alliance?" Asked Me'lek Shi'kran. "You realize that will look poorly upon your people if you do such a thing, even if the humans did what you claim they did." Desad grew angry upon hearing that. This alien thought the humans were innocent of killing thousands of Batarians!?

"They did, and we'll gain vengeance for our people!" Yelled Desad as he glared at the Tau captain. Political ramifications be damned. "And if you get in our way, then the Tau are our enemy as well!"

"Calm yourself, Batarian." Said Me'lek Shi'kran. "If the humans truly did what you say, then the Tau will gladly assist in giving you justice for those that died. However, until you provide the evidence that you claim you have, then we will continue to protect the humans against your transgressions." Desad rage grew upon hearing that. Before he could make a stupid mistake, Desad calmed himself at the last minute. Giving one last glare at the Tau captain, he ordered his comm officer to send a message to the Batarian Hegemony, requesting a copy of the evidence against the humans. With that order sent, Desad glared at the Tau captain.

"When the evidence is in your hands, your will be sorry that you ever doubted the honesty of the Batarian Hegemony." Promised Desad. "We will remember that you took the side of humans wrongfully over my people."

"We would do the same if the races were reversed, Batarian." Said Me'lek Shi'kran. "Without evidence, we cannot act. As any civilized people should." Desad scoffed at that. He was about to speak when one of his bridge operators yelled out something in alarm.

"Admiral! We're detecting a major power spike from the portside of the fleet!" Yelled the operator. Before Desad can even bark out orders or even accuse the Tau of something, a bright light appeared in Desad's vision and everything went blank after that.

The Tau and humans watching, meanwhile, were stunned when they saw a bright light pierce the bridge of the Batarian Dreadnought followed by two more along its superstructure, one of which hit the reactor. Once the attack ended, explosions began to erupt all across the superstructure of the Dreadnought before one singular explosion sent debris and shrapnel everywhere, ending the life of all the Batarians onboard and sending the Batarian fleet into disarray.

As the Batarians were scrambling to figure out what was going on, the Tau and humans were in shock at what just happened.

"What the hell just happened." Said Toni as he saw the feed from the Tau fleet. "What the hell destroyed that Dreadnought?" Arra'kon, having also watched, didn't know what to say about that, but he did know what to say regarding the Batarians.

"Ready yourself for battle, captain Toni." Said Arra'kon as he sent a message to the Tau fleet in orbit along with other Tau commanders on the surface, catching Toni's attention. "The Batarians will surely blame us for this. We must prepare for battle." Toni was shocked at that. Before he could say anything, the comm channels were beginning to overflow with hostile Batarians speaking in their own language, making Toni realize that Arra'kon was right. Cursing under his breath, he contacted Vega and the other squad leaders and informed them to get ready for a fight. As soon as he finished sending his orders along with Arra'kon, the Batarians launched fighters at the Tau along with sending a barrage of Mass Accelerator rounds towards the Tau ships.

Meanwhile

Few minutes later

"Farseer, the Batarians, and Tau have begun to fight amongst each other." Said an Eldar Warlock as he watched the Eldar Farseer being surrounded by other Warlocks and various stones of Eldar make. These Eldar were standing upon a barren planet in the same system that the Tau and Batarians were fighting each other at the moment. Far enough that no one will detect what they're doing. Not with the battle that was occurring right now.

"Excellent." Said the Farseer. "That should allow us to perform the ritual without complications from the lesser races. We cannot afford to have the lesser races, even the Tau, prevent us from finding our people and saving the galaxy from the Forces of Chaos."

"Yes, Farseer, but…" The Warlock stopped, catching the Farseer's attention.

"Yes?" Asked the Farseer, wanting to know what the Warlock was trying to convey.

"This ritual will endanger us all." Said the Warlock, voicing his thoughts. "Would this not endanger our people as well against the pawns of Chaos as well?"

"They already are, I'm afraid." Said the Farseer grimly. "By the ancient three-eyed monster. One that should have died ten millennia ago, but lives still. If we do not find them soon, they will be endangered by the being that the Forces of Chaos wish to find as well."

"Then perhaps we should garner the help from the Tau." Suggested the Warlock. "They may be weak, but they outnumber both our forces and that of the pawns of Chaos. Can they not be useful tools?" The Farseer stayed silent for a moment as if processing what the Warlock just said, before speaking.

"Normally they would," Agreed the Farseer with a small amount of reluctance. "But my visions have seen unacceptable futures for our people if we ally with the Tau. I will not see my people under their thrall. And neither would you, Warlock Kharez." Kharez just nodded at that, agreeing with what the Farseer just said. The Eldar were meant to rule, not be ruled. To even think such a notion was heretical.

"Still, is there no possible way for such futures to be prevented?" Asked Kharez, wishing to be certain. "None at all?"

"If there is, I have no foreseen them." Said the Farseer. "And we do not have the time to wait. We must act now or our people may suffer at the hands of the pawns of Chaos." The Farseer then looked at the other Warlocks and ordered them to begin the ritual. "I will begin the ritual now. Kharez, oversee our defense. No doubt the ritual will attract the attention of our enemies." Kharez nodded at that before walking away. As he did so, the Aeldari began to unleash their psychic powers in a ritual that caused the Farseer to float in the air and the optics of her helmet to glow bright blue as she peered into the warp, searching for her objective as well as the location of the one called Kelbor-Hal.

Unfortunately, but anticipated, for the Eldar, their tapping of the warp attracted the attention of the Chaos Space Marines. With how calm the warp was compared to their home galaxy, even the slightest disturbances were detectable for those skilled enough in the psychic arts. And the Chaos Marines had more than a handful of those in their ranks.

Ahriman, meditating in his quarters, detected the disturbance in the Warp and immediately opened his eyes. It was from a distant star system from where the fleet was currently located, but that was of little consequence for the old Chaos Sorcerer. Not when the prize was great indeed.

Without a word, he got up and made his way to the bridge. He knew now where the main Eldar leaders were, and he wasn't going to let them slip from his grasp.