War.
It is a word far from foreign in this dark universe.
The T'au of the Ke'lshan Sept—who frequently "joined in the festivities" with the various alien races that came to harass them—were naturally no exception.
The moment the Ethereal Aun'Zhe's declaration landed, the entirety of Ke'lshan transformed into a precision-engineered machine. Every T'au mobilized for the impending conflict.
Members of the Water Caste responsible for civil administration worked until they were lightheaded, constantly allocating resources and organizing the evacuation of citizens to shelters. Earth Caste engineers and scientists formed teams, racing to every corner of the world to maintain the great war machines.
Fire Caste warriors clad in battlesuits marched forth, merging into great torrents as they boarded transport craft. Inside the cockpits, Air Caste pilots wore solemn expressions, their fingers dancing across holographic displays.
A massive swarm of transports, including Manta destroyers, immediately took flight toward the fleet hovering in orbit, appearing like a hail of meteors rising against gravity toward the heavens.
Under the unified command of AI, the process was orderly and artistic, devoid of the slightest lag. Every unit and department pulled in the same direction; there was no friction, no one dragging their feet.
---
At this moment, Adam remained in the jungle. Utilizing the supreme authorization granted by the Ethereal Council and the sensors spread across the planet, he took in the entire scene.
"Sibylla, what do you think?" He turned his head slightly toward the Inquisitor at his side.
"The threat level of this xenos race is far higher than my previous assessment," Sibylla replied, her face so grim she looked as if she were facing a mortal enemy. "Not only is their technological development incredibly rapid, but by utilizing those 'Abominable Intelligences,' their society possesses an administrative mobilization capability that far surpasses that of the Imperium of Man."
"Combined with political slogans that are highly seductive to the Imperium's lower classes... we must raise the threat rating of these xenos. They are every bit as dangerous as any other alien threat."
"Heh," Adam chuckled softly.
"What is it, Lord Adam?" Sibylla was surprised by the odd reaction, her words trailing off.
"I can only say that great minds think alike," Adam replied after a moment of silence, the forest breeze catching his robes. "After the Damocles Gulf Crusade ended a hundred years ago, there was an Inquisitor who reached the exact same conclusion as you—that the T'au were a massive threat."
"Such a visionary colleague? To see the direction of the future a century ago, when these xenos hadn't yet fully developed?" Sibylla was pleasantly surprised.
However, she quickly noticed the subtle, nuanced expression on Adam's face.
"This colleague... they wouldn't happen to be—"
"Yes, that Inquisitor defected to the T'au," Adam shrugged. "In fact, when Farsight began his expedition, she became the representative for the Gue'vesa auxiliary forces in the Elemental Council. Eventually, she followed Farsight to establish the Farsight Enclaves."
"She's still alive, actually. If you went to the Enclaves now, you'd probably run into her." He added a dry joke: "You're right—she certainly had 'foresight.'"
Sibylla's face darkened. She was no longer smiling.
Traitor!
"I can understand that Inquisitor's train of thought, though," Adam said. "While the T'au Empire is no saint, it's plain for all to see which empire provides a better life for its bottom-tier citizens."
He began walking toward a busy camp established in the distance.
Sages from Prometheus Labs—formerly some of the more "progressive" (heretical) factions of the Martian Adeptus Mechanicus—operated various data analysis instruments, studying the metrics of this Sept world.
Several Custodians stood like pillars, their eyes scanning Cogitator screens with superhuman speed, learning and calculating how to implement such efficient governance within the Imperial political structure.
"Learn," Adam said, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. "Acknowledging the excellence of others and then racing to catch up, carving out one's own path—that is the true, grand way forward."
"Modern humanity has stagnated precisely because they lack this. They refuse any change."
"In this galaxy, such behavior is sometimes a desperate necessity or a 'lesser evil,' but most of the time, it is merely ignorant blind following of authority and history."
"And I intend to change all of that."
---
Time flew by; the wait was not long.
Soon, through sensors and information feedback across the planet, it was clear the T'au Sept world was ready. Massive numbers of Fire Caste warriors had boarded their ships, prepared for departure.
The battle was about to begin.
Countless lights, appearing like distant stars, ignited. These were the brilliant plumes of engine exhaust from ships—rushed through emergency repairs—as they adjusted their headings in orbit.
When Adam looked up from the surface, it seemed as if a thousand suns had appeared in the sky simultaneously, outshining the stars.
With Custodian-class carriers at the core, the escort fleet formed a phalanx, sweeping toward the great enemy outside the system like scattered starlight.
Flash—
Adam opened his eyes as the blue psionic light of teleportation faded from his vision. He stepped forward, finding himself on the bridge of a Custodian-class carrier.
The T'au on the bridge were startled and wary at the sudden appearance of a Gue'la. But before they could process the thought, a hint of confusion flickered in their eyes, replaced by a vacant calm. They lowered their heads and returned to their tasks, treating Adam as if he were invisible.
The "Perception Filter" is just too useful.
Pacing through the bridge, Adam reached the central command dais. Aun'Zhe, who was standing there, immediately nodded to him and stepped aside, yielding the command position.
Adam didn't stand on ceremony; he took direct control of the T'au fleet.
He hadn't undergone the systematic naval training of this universe's various races, but as the saying goes: even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen a pig run. There was no harm in trying.
Firstly, this wasn't his own fleet; he wouldn't feel the sting of losses. Secondly, he didn't necessarily need to win this through a standard naval engagement alone.
Besides, it's not like he couldn't cheat.
"Morning Wood," Adam called out softly.
"I am here."
A screen flickered to life in front of him, automatically hijacking the T'au holographic projection equipment. As a creation of the core technologies of three races, the ship Morning Wood was more than just cold stats. It possessed several unique "mechanics."
Necron hyper-dimensional communication was one of them.
Through this communication technology—the principles of which remained unknown—Morning Wood ignored the vast distances of space. Using the devices Adam carried as a relay station, it directly hacked the carrier's onboard AI, effortlessly usurping its place.
"Open the observation ports."
Morning Wood loyally executed the command. Adam looked up into the infinite void beyond the glass. The shadow stretching out like the jaws of death had already entered his field of vision.
Even though he considered himself somewhat knowledgeable about the Tyranids and had prepared himself mentally, the sheer scale of the Bio-fleet still took Adam by surprise.
By comparison, the T'au fleet was like a minnow next to a whale.
If the goal was to whittle down the Tyranid fleet's strength so that the Morning Wood—lurking outside the system—could deliver the final blow, the current fleet strength was far from enough.
However, he wasn't unprepared.
"How far are they?"
"100 light-seconds. Approaching engagement range." Morning Wood's report remained calm.
"Notify all starships: Activate stealth mode."
Adam gave the order decisively. As the command went out, a shimmering, distorting veil of light appeared over the surfaces of the entire fleet, from the massive Custodian carriers down to the smallest escort frigates.
The color of the light curtains shifted, eventually melting into the darkness of space. The ships vanished like ghosts, silently closing in on their massive prey.
This was T'au stealth technology—Stealth Field Generators. Usually, this tech was reserved for battlesuits or precious large units like the Custodian-class. Smaller vessels weren't typically equipped with it.
However, the Earth Caste engineers of Ke'lshan had recently received a bit of "assistance" from an unknown race—a production unit known as Canoptek Scarabs. They had found these tiny engineering units to be incredibly convenient, allowing them to retrofit every ship with stealth coating in record time.
Of course, the fact that the memory of every engineer who used the Scarabs was later wiped is a different story.
Now, an uninvited guest was about to learn how potent this technology could be.
"Approaching designated engagement coordinates. Ten, nine, eight—"
Morning Wood's countdown echoed in Adam's ear. He stared grimly out the window, issuing the command the moment the timer hit zero.
"All ships: Disable ion weaponry. Switch entirely to kinetic weapons. Prepare to fire!"
Knowing that Hive Fleet Gorgon possessed rapid evolutionary capabilities, it was safer to start with basic kinetic attacks that were harder to "adapt" to. Ion beams could be saved for when they were truly needed.
Hum!
Every ship executed the order without hesitation. In automated loading bays, massive physical shells were rammed into railgun breeches. The surging energy from dark matter reactors flowed through conduits, pre-heating the muzzles.
Under Morning Wood's precision guidance, every barrel was calibrated with terrifying accuracy, locked onto their targets. They waited for the final command.
It didn't take long.
"Fire!"
In the silence of space, countless ships shuddered, unleashing a roaring tide of metal. Round after round of heavy railgun slugs thundered forth.
Adam watched the optical sensors on the screen intently, his brow relaxing slightly. The effect of this salvo was quite good.
By focusing the entire fleet's fire on the relatively fragile escort and cruiser-sized bio-ships, the casualties were heavy. Massive wounds were torn into the hulls of the Hive ships, spraying ichor into the void like geysers. Bio-debris scattered everywhere. From a distance, it looked like a wounded beast—a gruesome sight.
However—Adam's frown deepened again.
There was no counterattack.
The Tyranid Hive Fleet remained silent, simply redoubling their bio-plasma thrusters. Their velocity increased. Even under such intense fire, they continued to accelerate, surging forward like an all-consuming tide.
It seems they didn't take the bait, Adam thought.
Tyranid bio-ships were actually similar to T'au ships in one regard: their naval design relied heavily on axial and prow-mounted weaponry, with relatively weak broadsides.
Adam had hoped for a long-range duel, but the enemy had declined the invitation. They were charging blindly, clearly intending to drag the T'au into their preferred engagement range—where they could use short-range bio-plasma, acid maws, and feeder tentacles to overwhelm their opponents.
Hive Fleet Gorgon knew exactly what it was doing. Firing back now would only waste time and slow their advance. Even with a numerical advantage, they were at a natural disadvantage in a long-range shootout against stealth-capable ships.
So, they simply gave up on the exchange and chose the most ruthless, efficient path.
They ignored the damage.
Truly worthy of the Tyranids. They weren't just the mindless beasts of popular imagination; they knew how to utilize strategy—be it vile ambushes or decapitation strikes—without the burden of morality, driven only by the need to consume.
Such a style often inflicted unimaginable dread on those facing them.
But Adam was not among them. He had far too many backup plans.
"Execute Plan B," Adam ordered, seeing that the war of attrition wasn't working. "Remaining ships continue suppressive fire. Cover the Custodian carriers as they move to the vanguard. Prepare for carrier-based starfighter combat."
"Since you don't understand the 'beauty' of the ship cannons... let's see how you handle a bit of 'hand-to-hand' combat!"
"Time to fuck some shit up!"