Tor'Vash'Por (3)

 Idris: ... Good evening welcome back to Tor'Vash'Por, I'm Idris Zhaan joining you now at the top of the hour. We begin with our top story tonight in the Penros system where Tau warships have engaged several pirate spacecraft above Penros VI. The action marks the first large scale space combat by Tau expeditionary forces in the system and represents a major escalation of the Penros conflict, our correspondent Farrier Seyburey has more now. 

(The cool white armoured prow of a Hero class starship sprawls across the bottom of view, arcing out towards an endless field of stars, with a massive rectangular gun barrel stretching into the cosmos even further)

Farrier (VO): The day the Tau coalition always knew would come... 

(The enormous gun fires in total noiselessness at some unseen target. As it does the stars in the distance ahead twist and swirl inwards towards the front of the ship, stretching out as the universe scrunches towards the gun muzzle. Almost immediately after the gun fires the starscape swims back to its normal state) 

Farrier (VO cont.): ... the Penros Coalition's first space combat. 

(Inside a vast cavernous rectangular launch bay, a Manta laden with enormous underwing missile pods sits poised for takeoff. Tiny figures scatter away from it to their flight deck stations before the machine lurches into life and tears off past the camera in a tremendous rush of speed) 

Farrier (VO Cont.): Tau fleet elements today undertaking routine anti-piracy operations in the vicinity of Penros VI came under attack from human warships under the command of Mont'au'Gue'la terrorist forces.. 

(Inside a vast cavernous rectangular launch bay, an SX-06 Barracuda with a bundle of missiles slung underneath races across the flight deck, roaring burning plumes of bright flame blasting from its engines, before rocketing off through the launch bay door and into deep space)

Farrier (VO Cont.): ..in what has become the first major space combat in the Penros System since the arrival of Tau expeditionary forces several weeks ago.. 

(The rear underside of a Manta sprawls across the top of view as we see a vast cavernous rectangular launch bay rapidly shoot back and downwards, followed by the vast launch bay entrance and enormous shape of an Explorer class starship falling into the distance as the Manta takes off and races away on its launch trajectory)

Farrier (VO Cont.): .. The Tau flotilla, comprising of several escort ships and four capital starships including the expedition fleet's flagship, encountered six unidentified escort ships that refused to respond to hails and opened fire with torpedo strikes.. 

(Missile after missile after missile leaps upwards in a relentless stream of bright burning plumes of flame from a cluster of vertical launch cells on the massive flank of a Tau starship, which sprawls across the bottom of view and stretches into the distance)

Farrier (VO Cont.): ... The ships are believed to have been manned by Mont'au'Gue'la fighters belonging to one of the local terrorist groups active on Penros VII, but latest intelligence indicates a possible connection to the Word Bearers Gue'la terror group.. 

(Viewed in monochrome through a Tau weapon seeker, the distant shape of an Idolator class raider slowly begins to grow out from the centre of view, wiggling to and fro as the missile tracks to keep it in the centre of vision. A stream of flashes races forwards from the ship before sweeping up and over out of view. At once the Idolator rushes forward into the camera, zooming straight into a section of its hull before the image abruptly cuts)

Farrier (VO Cont.): ...While engaging the initial hostile ships the Tau formation came under attack from multiple capital warships of modified Imperial design, which materialised directly from warp space in support of the attacking Mont'au'Gue'la.. 

(Viewed in monochrome through a Tau gun camera, an Idolator class raider hangs in space, bright spheres of light radiating from its engines. A trio of small flashes zoom across the screen and straight into the middle of it. The ship is engulfed in a series of brilliant white flashes before snapping in half at the middle of the hull, a sea of glowing molten fragments spilling away from it in a fan pattern)

Farrier (VO Cont.): ..These ships made numerous small-scale etheric jumps over the course of the battle and Tau fleet analysts believe them to have been equipped with highly sophisticated warp drive and self-repair technology. Rumours that the warships were manned with or supplied by so-called etheric lifeforms remain unsubstantiated.. 

(A rugged stocky rocketship hangs in the middle of view as it hurtles through space at an oblique angle. Hideous dull red sigils are painted across its surface, and tiny lights can be seen from cabin windows aboard it. One by one, it slams into first one, then two then three passing cruise missiles, leaving a trail of debris pouring from gaping holes in its hull and cabins) 

Farrier (VO Cont.): .. The terrorist ships also made extensive use of manned suicide vehicles to intercept incoming Tau fire, succeeding in downing a large number of anti-ship missiles and tying up interceptor squadrons with an appalling loss of life. It is not yet known whether the suicide vehicles were carrying willing fighters, or civilian hostages forced into the line of death against their will..

(Viewed from above in monochrome through a Tau gun camera, an Idolater hangs in the void, silhouetted by spheres of light from its engines as it points away from view. A trio of small flashes zoom across the screen and into the port side of it. The ship is engulfed in a series of brilliant white flashes before spiraling out of control, breaking apart into a mess of debris and glowing molten fragments)

Farrier (VO Cont.): ..After a hard-fought engagement lasting eight decs, Tau fleet elements were forced to disengage and withdrew from the area in good order after inflicting considerable damage on the Mont'au'Gue'la terrorist forces.. 

(The huge form of a Merchant class starship hangs in the void, starlight occasionally curving around the perimeter of its gravitic shield. At once its forward gun turrets fire in a rippling pattern)

Farrier (VO Cont.): .. Air Caste Command Penros has confirmed at least one Mont'au'Gue'la capital ship destroyed along with all of the initially detected escort ships in return for no Tau capital ship losses and only 5 escort ships reported downed.. 

(Viewed from above in monochrome through a Tau gun camera, the menacing form of a Chaos cruiser hangs in the cosmos. At once a series of brilliant white flashes ripple across its surface, tearing huge chunks from its hull in sprays of debris and molten fragments)

Farrier (VO Cont.): .. The Tau admiralty strongly condemned the use of manned suicide vehicles and reckless disregard for life displayed by the Mont'au'Gue'la, while praising the discipline of its starship crews in timely use of emergency brace measures to avoid catastrophic losses, as well as the skill of its attack wing pilots in inflicting far greater damage on enemy shipping. 

(A Tau Air Caste pilot, holding his helmet in one hand by his waist, talks into a microphone held from just out of sight)

Tau Air Caste: Kor'Tau Y'eldi Ko'va[Our guys did really good out there today, really good. The Manta crews did a really great job on their bombing runs and landed some really good hits on the opposing starships. We inflicted crippling damage on a lot of them, but they had some really unusual capabilities that let them make lots of little warp-space jumps around us while repairing their hulls, so we only managed to destroy one of their capital ships for good. Still, I'm really pleased with how my guys performed out there today] 

(Farrier stands in a crisp white corridor of a Tau starship, star-strewn space visible in a large rectangular viewport behind him) 

Farrier: The Tau coalition leadership is putting a lot of focus on the discipline and coordination of their starship crews, going on well-timed emergency brace orders to avoid the worst damage while inflicting heavy losses on the Mont'au'Gue'la ships in return, but the fact remains that the Tau fleet was ultimately forced to retreat, and that's a cause for serious concern behind closed doors. Initial reports seem to indicate that the Tau flotilla was caught unprepared - they had adopted a wide search pattern to patrol for minor pirate threats, and that left their two main formations out of position to support each other and vulnerable to the Mont'au Gue'la ships concentrating on them piecemeal, with the Tau admiral giving the order to withdraw after the flotilla was in danger of being defeated in detail. In any case the outcome of this battle remains indecisive, on the one hand the Tau did manage to inflict greater damage than they received, but they also failed to contain the Mont'au'Gue'la incursion, and it is believed three highly dangerous cruiser-class warships remain at large in terrorist hands. 

(The frontal prow of an Emissary class starship sweeps across the bottom of view, a tiny point of light maintaining precise echelon formation ahead of it in the starry distance)

Farrier (VO): The remaining Mont'au'Gue'la warships are believed to have left the vicinity of Penros VI shortly after the engagement, and additional Tau ships arrived not long after to carry out search and rescue operations.. 

(The forward underside of a Manta sprawls across the top of view, the top of a Tau escape pod just visible at the bottom of view as the distant shape of an Emissary class starship draws closer)

Farrier (VO Cont.): .. with sources from Air Caste Command Penros claiming the bulk of downed crew and pilots were successfully recovered.. 

(The massive form of a Messenger class starship powers across space, light pouring from its engines)

Farrier (VO Cont.): .. Meanwhile remaining Tau Kor'vattra forces in the system have been placed on full alert.. 

(Nestled in a workstation, a Tau Air Caste diligently watches over the readout on the display screen of a sensor console)

Farrier (VO Cont.): .. and extensive search operations are currently underway to hunt down the elusive Mont'au'Gue'la starships and neutralise them quickly before they can cause more harm.. 

(The huge form of a Merchant class starship powers forward through space, framed in a halo of light from its engines)

Farrier (VO Cont.): .. while additional Tau warships are being mobilised for the Penros system.. 

(Tau Earth Caste and drones scurry back and forth along a ruined starship corridor, replacing cables and welding panels and components back into place)

Farrier (VO Cont.): In the meantime, the race is on to get these wounded starships fully repaired, and back in the fight. From Penros System this is Farrier Seyburey, Tor'Vash'Por.

Idris: And joining us now to shed more light on the story we have Kor'El'Tau'n Shovah'Y'eldi'B'kyse, former Tau fleet commander and current instructor for the Leonov Naval Academy, on live feed, Kor'El just how concerned should we be about the Penros Expedition given this defeat in their first major space combat? 

Shovah: ..... Well Idris the first thing you need to understand here is that the coalition's situation in space is very different to what's happening on the ground at the moment. As we're all aware the expeditionary ground forces landed have been on the.. on the... the back foot, almost since the first Rotaa in system, but the expeditionary force's position in space has been formidable for the same time- 

Idris: Righ- 

Shovah (Cont.): -which is after all why the Gue'la fleet, why they abandoned the system almost immediately- 

Idris: Hang on hang on- 

Shovah (Cont.): after landing the Gue'la Imperial invasion force on Penros VII, after a few shows of force it was very apparent that they would have no hope of challenging the Kor'vattra forces deployed- 

Idris: OK but it's all well and good to say that the coalition fleet is this massive juggernaut of force, yet as we've clearly seen they've had their first real combat action in the system, and it ended in a failure for them. I mean they've already acknowledged losing five escort starships and being forced to retreat, so how capable can the Tau fleet in the Penros system really be? 

Shovah: Yes it's true they have suffered a setback here, but this is also only one relatively small operation in a wider campaign here, and I would say fixating on the outcome of this one specific engagement is going to be missing the... to be missing the... missing the... the trees... missing the trees for the forest... the forest for the trees rather. 

Idris: So you're saying there's a bigger picture here that we're missing? 

Shovah: Right, exactly, you need to account for the strategic situation and the strategic situation for the Penros coalition fleet right now is still very strong, yes they have taken losses but as bad as those losses might have been they are survivable. The capital ships that were damaged can be repaired, while the destroyed Mont'au'Gue'la starship cannot, and in the meantime the coalition fleet still heavily outnumbers these raiders and is still maintaining control over the Penros system. 

Idris: But what about the advanced technical characteristics displayed by these Mont'au'Gue'la warships, I mean they can clearly outmanouevre the Tau ships in battle, so what's to stop them from just doing that again and again? 

Shovah: Well nothing really, but as we've seen from this very engagement they're also not invincible, and our ships can catch and destroy them. And that goes back to my point, if the coalition fleet can continue to just catch and destroy even one of those starships every time they're encountered, that's a rate of loss that's unsustainable for these Mont'au'Gue'la, whereas with the logistics base behind the Penros Coalition we can sustain a few starships crippled here or a few escort ships lost there. 

Idris: So would you say then that you don't think there's any danger here for the Penros mission? 

Shovah: I wouldn't say that exactly, no. 

Idris: Alright so what would you say is the greatest concern facing the Penros Coalition fleet at the moment then? 

Shovah: Right now I would say that the biggest threat for the Kor'vattra in Penros is the strategic precedent. Up until now the fleet has been acting almost as a fleet-in-being, where you have this situation where the Kor'vattra is.. where it's almost that the THREAT of the fleet is more potent than it's combat power, like for instance where the threat of interdiction was enough to drive off the Imperial Gue'la invasion fleet from the system, and the Kor'vattra retreating from this engagement, it... it undermines that. 

Idris: So hang on, just before you were saying how strong the coalition's position in space was, and now you're saying this battle has weakened it? Which one is it here? 

Shovah: I would say the coalition's position in space is still strong, but now it's fragile. Up until now it's been able to command unchallenged control over Penros System space, and now that control has been challenged, and that sets a precedent for other forces to start making bolder actions, there's now concerns among the Kor'ar'tol for instance that the local Ores'la might start taking bolder actions against coalition space assets, and that Imperial Gue'la naval forces might return to the system in greater strength, and while all of these various powers don't necessarily pose a threat individually, if they all start attacking at the same time it could quickly see the Kor'vattra in the system overwhelmed. 

Idris: Alright so how would you suggest that the coalition might be able to rectify that issue? 

Shovah: Well the Kor'ar'tol is reinforcing the system and I think that's already a good move to make sure that we retain at least local space superiority over some of these potential adversaries, and especially that we outnumber them in ships and tonnage, and the local coalition command taking the initiative in tracking down these Mont'au'Gue'la warships is also a good move since they need to be neutralised quickly while the coalition fleet still has that advantage in numbers and logistics over them and has the luxury of focusing down on one threat at a time, so they're off to a good start already. Beyond that I think it's mostly going to be a matter of choosing their battles wherever possible, and trying to gain more leverage on the ground so that the Penros Coalition has more options for power projection beyond aerospace control. 

Idris: Right, now unfortunately we are just about to run out of time but one final thing I do want to ask you about Kor'El is what do you make of the suicide vehicles we've seen used by these terrorists here?

Shovah: I am sickened to my core, I cannot find any other.. any other words for it. It's already fairly well known that these Mont'au'Gue'la terrorists they don't normally have any regard for the sanctity of life, but deliberately putting hundreds if not thousands - and that's something we have to remember there, these vehicles, they're modified boarding torpedoes that they accommodate hundreds if not thousands on board - but deliberately putting all those hundreds if not thousands directly in the way of.. 

Idris: Kor'El-

Shovah (Cont.): .. ah, not one but many many incoming fusion missiles, this is just a total atrocity no matter how you put it, and I'm just ah... I'm just... ahhh... it's barely... it just doesn't comprehend just how a sentient spacefaring people.. 

Idris: Kor-

.. could not... not just take the option of that but, you know, willingly and gladly go along for it.. 

Idris: Kor'El I'm sorry-

Shovah (Cont.): .. as if purposefully killing that many people achieves any good purpose.. It's just horrifying, it's something out of our Mont'au. 

Idris: Alright Kor'El'Tau'n Shovah'Y'eldi'B'kyse I'm afraid I am going to have to leave it there as we are running out of time but thank you for joining us we are very grateful to have your expertise on the matter. 

Shovah: Thank you Idris.  

Idris: Meanwhile now Tau authorities are growing increasingly alarmed at escalating tensions in the Ferndel sub-sector. Imperial Gue'la forces have managed to repel an attack by Mont'au'Gue'la terrorists on the fourth moon of Sturges Maxima. The fighting has caused significant damage to the civilian settlements on the moon and represents a serious escalation in the region, correspondent Zara Abdi has more for us now. 

(We see a sweeping vista of lush rugged woodland. Thick black plumes of smoke rise from numerous points along the treeline. Automatic gunfire echoes across the landscape.) 

Zara (VO): Fierce fighting broke out today on Sturges Maxima's fourth moon, as Mont'au'Gue'la terrorists launched an attack on the ancient city of Ostroglamesh, a renowned cultural heritage site in the system.. 

(Explosions echo along a rugged tree-covered mountain valley) 

Zara (VO, Cont.): .. The armed group is believed to have been roughly Cadre sized and comprised of heavily armed Ores'la'Gue'la fighters, thought to former Imperial Astartes shock troops with links to the notorious Night Lords terror group.. 

(A sprawling woodland rushes past the view from the roof of a speeding ground-car, beneath a brilliant sunset. The gas giant of Sturges Maxima fills the upper sky. The sky is smudged with thick black funnels of smoke pouring up from beyond the tree line) 

Zara (VO Cont.): ..Sources indicate these fighters were equipped with a range of advanced Imperial weaponry including a number of heavy powered combat armour suits.. 

(In the dark of night, the black hulking shapes of Rhino APCs can be seen rolling through the deserted main street of an Imperial town)

Zara (VO Cont.): The armed group occupied the Ostroglamesh ruins at dawn, where they were met with a reinforced cadre-strength force of Imperial Astartes shock troops belonging to the elite Dark Angels Brigades of the Gue'la Imperial Army, supported by heavy combat walker.. 

(In a shaky view of pre-dawn darkness the silhouette of a Land Speeder can be made out, speeding across the countryside at the head of a plume of bright purple-blue flame)

Zara (VO Cont.) .. and light skimmer assets.. 

(In the midday sun a vast towering gothic palace of marble and alabaster adorned with Imperial iconography dominates the skyline of a small stone cityscape)

 

Zara (VO Cont.): .. Gue'la Imperial authorities are reporting that the Dark Angels Brigade force managed to decisively rout the Mont'au'Gue'la terrorists after a brutal nine hour battle.. 

(We see an entrance to the palace up close, filling the background with its ominous might. Tiny figures move up and down two vast sets of stone steps flanked by two colossal statues of grey stone, a roaring lion on the left and a tall proud-looking woman, clad in flowing robes and an archaic helmet holding a spear and shield, on the right)

Zara (VO Cont.): .. but sources indicate the Dark Angels shock troops suffered heavy losses in the fighting, with estimates claiming as high as a fifty percent casualty rate..  

(We see a still image of a large complex of white stone ruins nestled amongst lush green woodland threaded with roads and pathways, viewed from above. Craters, scorched ground and other signs of battle are everywhere. The view zooms in on a section of ground, focusing on the wrecked form of an archaic Imperial Dreadnought adorned with winged sword iconography. One leg has been blasted clean in half, and a series of jagged gaping holes have been punched across its rear engine block. 

Zara (VO Cont.): ..and the confirmed loss of at least one heavy combat walker, showing signs of catastrophic damage from heavy laser and automatic cannon impacts.. 

(Viewed from behind the windshield of a moving ground-car, a group of figures clad in black body armour, their faces concealed, patrol a distant checkpoint, slowly getting closer as the ground-car moves along a stretch of road through deep green forests. At once the ground-car stops at the sound of a series of crackling pops, the windshield cracks from an impact and the ground-car frantically turns around and drives back from whence it came)

Zara (VO Cont.): .. Imperial officials have denied claims that so-called etheric lifeforms were present in the fighting and that they managed to overrun the ruined temple at the heart of the Ostroglamesh site. They have also refused to comment on speculation that the Ostroglamesh site has some form of undisclosed etheric resonance, although the ruins remain under strict quarantine by Imperial secret police elements..

(An Imperial settlement burns in the night, fire blazing from much of its buildings. The night sky is painted in a bloody red-orange glow)

 

Zara (VO Cont.): .. The aftermath of the battle has seen no end to the fighting, with remaining Mont'au'Gue'la terror cells launching a series of brutal reprisal attacks on outlying civilian settlements. Well over a dozen towns and villiages have been razed to the ground, and there are unconfirmed reports of chemical weapons being deployed against more still. 

(Zara walks along the street of a small village of Imperial buildings)

Zara: The threat of widespread use of weapons of mass destruction by the terrorist forces in the Sturges system is a very real threat for civilians on the ground - analysts in the Tau intelligence community believe there is credible evidence that the particular armed group active here is armed with a considerable stockpile of chemical and biological weapons, and it is thought that they would have no hesitation of deploying them against civilian targets to undermine resistance against them. These are ordinary human citizens now fearful for their lives, yet the Gue'la Imperial authorities have yet to make any public acknowledgement of the danger facing them, much less take any action at all to ensure their safety. 

(Plumes of thick black smoke rise from a ruined Imperial settlement)

Zara (VO): Instead Gue'la Imperial forces have launched a widespread and repressive crackdown on the civilian populace. Locals from around the Ostroglamesh region have reported Imperial Astartes shock troops sweeping through their towns and villiages and burning their homes to the ground.. 

(A stampede of humans clad in Imperial peasant attire flee in terror down a street from the sound of automatic gunfire a few blocks away)

Zara (VO Cont.): .. Many have been killed by Imperial Astartes death squads, while many more have been abducted by Dark Angels Brigade fighters, never to be seen again.. 

(A long column of humans in ragged Imperial clothing trudge down a road through the countryside, clearly unkempt and weary. Some of them pull crude handcarts behind them loaded with goods, others simply hold a few boxes or cartons in their arms)

Zara (VO Cont.): .. Streams of refugees are now a common sight among the countriside of the Ostroglamesh region, desperate for respite. 

(A hardy-looking human civilian aged in his mid 30s talks into a microphone held from just out of sight)

Local Civilian: They came to our town at night, they burned everything. They shot my brother and my nephew in the street, there was nothing left but bloody shreds of flesh. I do not understand what we have done wrong? 

(A distraught human villager in her mid 20s talks into a microphone held from just out of sight)

Local Villager: My children! My children! Why did they kill them, they were innocent! 

(A gnarled sun-kissed human elder in his mid-to-late 60s talks into a microphone held from just out of sight)

Local Elder: Every day we pray to the Emperor for Him to keep us safe! He sends us His angels, we are told his angels are beings of mercy for man, yet they come and destroy everything! They came for my wife, she disappeared! The Emperor's angels, the traitors, they are all the same! All the same! 

(Skimmer traffic moves back and forth past a large dome adorned with the Tau Empire insignia, nestled in the middle of a compound of gleaming futuristic structures)

Zara (VO): The Tau embassy mission in the Ferndel sub-sector has expressed strong alarm at the deteriorating situation, and Tau authorities are urging both sides to show restraint and avoid civilian casualties at all costs.. 

(Streams of skimmer traffic move past a massive dome adorned with the Tau Empire insignia, nestled in the middle of a dense bustling Tau city)

Zara (VO Cont.): .. Despite increased calls for Tau peacekeepers in the region, Tau leadership remains hesitant to commit a larger military presence in the Ferndel sub-sector, and high-ranking Sept Councils are believed to be in heated debate over the subject.. 

(Masses of supplies, including large piles of full grain sacks, stacks of water and fuel tanks, and towering piles of cargo crates, are loaded into the open rear hatch of a large Tau cargo lander at a busy Tau starport)

Zara (VO Cont.): .. Tau officials have announced that plentiful humanitarian aid support is available for dispatch to the sub-sector at immediate notice should the local government request it.. 

(Imperial civilians are seen hard at work building up and reinforcing the buildings in their settlement. Some have had sandbags piled around them while others have their windows boarded shut)

 

Zara (VO Cont.): .. In the meantime the people of the Sturges System can only prepare for the worst, and wonder if the bloodshed will reach them next. From the fourth moon of Sturges Maxima I'm Zara Abdi, Tor'Vas'Por. 

Idris: And to talk more about this story correspondent Lindsay Black has prepared this for us, from the Tau Sept world of Dal'yth Prime. 

(Lindsay stands in front of a vast bustling Tau cityscape of gleaming white and grey. Orderly streams of skimmer traffic can be seen moving back and forth in the distance behind her) 

Lindsay: We've been told that local Sept Council leaders here are still going back and forth between both their counterparts in T'au and numerous allied governments including the Gue'vessa Federation, and it's believed that the Dal'yth Sept will be receiving delegations from T'au, Pech and the Gue'vessa Federation amongst numerous other alien representation to discuss possible action plans for the Ferndel situation. Now Tau leadership appears to still be very hesitant about direct military commitment to the Ferndel subsector, not least due to unstable situations in several other regions much closer to Tau space including the Penros sub-sector, and consensus seems to be that these other crises would need to at least be stabilised first given that any large scale mission to the Ferndel sub-sector would need to pass through a number of those other threatened regions of space first. 

The other factor at work here of course is that so far none of the local authorities in the Ferndel subsector have made any formal requests for Tau assistance, unlike in the Penros region where there was a very emphatic call for help, and Tau leaders seem to feel that as much as they would like to help their hands are tied as they don't want to directly violate galactic law unless they have no choice, which would require louder voices than the fairly low-level ones coming from the citizens on the ground. 

It's a very complex cosmopolitical situation, but the offices of the Tau Ethereal Caste have announced that they are greatly saddened at the pain of the civilians affected by this conflict, that their suffering is irreconcilable to the Tau'va, that's of course the greater good, and that they desperately hope to be able to do something more to help as soon as possible. 

Idris: Moving onto other news now and preparations are underway on Iris to host the upcoming All-Federation Leadership Summit. Delegations are underway from across the Gue'vessa Federation and are expected to discuss coordination in social welfare, interstellar trade and collective foreign policy plans, with top issues expected to be...

Tor'Vash'Por (2)

 Luna Samara: .... moving on to the Penros system now where Tau expeditionary forces have been struck by an unprecedented surprise attack from Ar'cea fighters in the northern temperate belt of Penros VII, where coalition forces have been evacuating heavy equipment from storage depots situated in the planet's northern tundra. The Ar'cea launched a raid on one of the derelict matter transit gates identified on the planet's surface and sized the surrounding area with extreme prejudice, our correspondent Farrier Seyburey has more now. 

(We see a sweeping vista of rugged temperate wilderness beneath an open sky)

Farrier (VO): One step forward, two steps back. For the Tau expeditionary forces on Penros VII, still in the midst of recovering their heavy equipment abandoned in the planet's northern reaches, the last thing they needed was an unprovoked assault from Ar'cea military units. 

(Several explosions suddenly sound and smoke begins to rise from behind a ridgeline of the wilderness)

(The tiny black shape of a lone monolithic gateway can be seen drifting past near the horizon in the distance from the roof of a speeding Devilfish)

Farrier (VO cont.): Tau convoys loaded with equipment and supplies recovered from further north noticed the second of what is now two known objects on the planet's surface believed to be long distance matter transmitters. Being situated in a remote sector well away from known front-lines, the Tau dispatched a forward detachment comprising a small handful of troops and medium battlesuits to investigate further. 

(A band of Tau Fire Warriors takes shelter against a large rock formation as a stream of burning green-white bolts slam into it. There is a brief pause, and the Fire Warriors spring up and fire off several bursts of pulse rifle fire in response)

Farrier (VO cont.): They were met with shocking force from Ar'cea believed to be affiliated with the Iyanden Craftworld. Accounts from the fighting claim a band of Ar'cea fighters including paramilitary militia and supported by large numbers of autonomous combat drones stormed the matter transmitter site and fired recklessly at the approaching Tau forces, refusing any access to the device. Two of the Ar'cea's heavy combat walkers were also deployed in support of the attack. 

(Tau Fire Warriors pull a number of wounded comrades from the shattered hulk of a Devilfish, smoke and flame billowing from its engines)

Farrier (VO cont.): Despite the timely intervention of a team of remnants from previous actions in the north, the Tau were unable to wrest control of the site and fell back in good order after considerable equipment losses, linking up with elements already retreating from an Ar'cea mind science strike. Nonetheless Fire Caste troops were able to inflict some noteworthy losses on the Ar'cea, most notably crippling one heavy combat walker and eliminating almost the entire Ar'cea troop contingent and the Ar'cea mystic commanding the attack, something that the Tau forces on the ground are taking much solace in. 

(A Tau Fire Warrior talks into a microphone held from just out of sight)

Tau Fire Warrior: Ar'cea Uash'O Or'es Xor'ves[The Ar'cea heavy combat walkers are tough adversaries even under ideal circumstances. They're built more densely than normal vehicles, so they take concentrated heavy weapons to bring down, and we had limited heavy weaponry after our support missiles went down with the TX-6 that was assigned to us. I'm just relieved we got most of our warriors out. Still, we did give them a pretty bloody eye by eliminating all the Ar'cea themselves, including their leader. I hate the thought of killing such sophisticated and intelligent beings, but they launched an unprovoked attack on us, so it had to be done. 

(Farrier walks behind a row of Devilfish parked on crisp blue-grey pavement. Turbines can be heard somewhere in the distance)

Farrier: The Ar'cea attack is a dangerous new paradigm for the Tau Penros coalition, especially as they have launched their first strikes close to the evacuation corridor running from the planet's northern reaches down to the current Tau staging grounds in the equatorial zone. For weeks now under the cover of Air Caste aerospace forces the Tau have been emptying their northern storage depots while the local pirates and terror groups are preoccupied with fighting each other and disrupted with constant Tau aerospace strikes. You can see behind me here some of the heavy equipment recovered - these TX-6 troop transports are now a common site behind the front lines where they're used to rapidly shuttle supplies and troops to where they're needed and they're also now starting to reach front line forces, bolstering them with much needed fire support and tactical mobility, but there's still a lot of equipment to both move to safety further south, and to get up and running again so that coalition fighters on the ground can actually make use of it. 

(A massive Defender class starship drifts above the glow of the planet beneath it with a distant gleaming speck in perfect echelon formation behind it)

Farrier (VO): With the sudden reckless attacks by the Ar'cea now a threat, the Penros expeditionary coalition is believed to be readjusting its long-term strategy in the system. So far no Ar'cea aerospace assets have been identified in the system, which means the Tau still command aerospace supremacy over Penros VII and naval space supremacy across the wider system, an advantage the coalition leadership is keen to maintain. 

(A Barracuda hangs in the air behind a refueling hose suspended from the underside of a Manta just above view)

Farrier (VO cont.): Already Air Caste forces operating over Penros VII have begun to focus their attacks on identified airbases, concentrations of aerospace craft... 

(Viewed from above in monochrome through a Tau gun camera, a row of Thunderbolts and Lightnings sit on the flight line of an airbase. A series of harsh white explosions ripple across the line, leaving the aircraft in flames)

Farrier (VO cont.): ... and fuel depots in order to preemptively neutralise as much of the air forces opposing them as possible before either the Gue'la Imperium invasion force receives naval reinforcements, or the Ar'cea begin to deploy aerospace craft in support of their assaults. 

(Aboard a Tau starship Tau, humans and various aliens move past a large set of doors emblazoned with the Water Caste logo)

Farrier (VO cont.): Meanwhile the Water Caste delegation attached to the Penros expeditionary fleet has issued a statement in direct response to the unprovoked Ar'cea attack, calling for an immediate ceasefire and diplomatic negotiations. 

(A Tau Por'Vre addresses an out-of-sight crowd from a gleaming podium. Several varieties of plant have been placed in the backdrop behind them)

Tau Por'Vre: The senseless violence unleashed by the Ar'cea serves no purpose other than to make the pirates and terror groups in the system stronger. We understand the monumentally profound significance that Ar'cea lives have to the people of Iyanden, as well as the monumentally profound significance and rich cultural importance of the Ar'cea mystics. We greave and weep alongside the people of Iyanden for the loss of such a brilliant mind, and deeply lament that they chose a path of violence and senseless bloodshed. We have no wish to spill any more Ar'cea blood, and so we urge the people of Iyanden to show restraint, abandon their reckless attacks and meet us in peaceful negotiation towards cooperating in Penros against the pirates, against the terrorists that plague the system, and towards cooperating together to make the galaxy a better, safer place for all sentient life as is the imperative for all galactic powers as advanced and intelligent as the Ar'cea people. 

(In the middle of a busy Tau starport, beneath a cold grey pink orange dusk, Tau and drones hastily load grav-tanks and crates into the open cargo hatch of a landed Manta. The vast hulking shapes of landed Tau transport starships loom in the distant background)

Farrier (VO): With no naval assets detected in the system the Ar'cea are believed to be using one or more of their own long range matter transmitters situated somewhere on the planet to move in fighters and equipment without running the formidable gauntlet of coalition warships currently patrolling the Penros system. Without knowing for sure the precise number and location of these matter transmitters it's not possible to determine with certainty where and when the Ar'cea will strike next, putting the Penros expeditionary coalition under increasing pressure. Already growing numbers of recovered equipment from the north is being moved into safety aboard orbiting starships, and its believed that the coalition command might soon withdraw from Penros VII entirely. 

(A forlorn looking band of Tau Fire Warriors wait inside the sealed interior of a Devilfish)

Farrier (VO cont.) For coalition fighters on the ground, it's now a race against time to prepare for further Ar'cea aggression as best they can. From Penros System this Farrier Seyburey, Tor'Vash'Por. 

Luna: Time for a quick break now on Tor'Vash'Por, coming up when we return - unlocking the secrets of one of the galaxy's most mysterious elements, Earth Caste scientists release their latest findings on the rare substance Dioxazine, that story and much more still to come when we return...  

This is - Tor'Vash'Por

 Luna: ... Welcome back to Tor'Vash'Por, I'm Luna Samara joining you now at the top of the hour. We begin tonight in the Penros system where Tau expeditionary forces have managed to contain armed terror groups probing the equatorial desert belt of Penros VII. It's one of the few successes Tau forces have enjoyed in the Penros system so far and comes after a prolonged several-week aerospace campaign, our correspondent Farrier Seyburey has more now. 

(At a hot sand-strewn junction, half a dozen Tau Fire Warriors pile up against a battered stumpy plascrete wall and brace. There is a beat of silence before the world is buffeted by a distant explosion. Swarms of dust twist and coil from the ground followed by a splitting thunder-crack. The Fire Warriors spring to their hooves, round the corner and fire several bursts from their weapons) 

Farrier (VO): A rare piece of good news from a conflict that has all but been written off as a lost cause by the Ethereals. Arriving in the early morning at the small settlement of Delphi Station Tau Fire Caste forces have managed to perform a semi-successful holding action against armed Gue'la fighters believed to have ties with the Alpha Legion Gue'la terror group.. 

(Inside a cool white rectangular compartment Tau Fire Warriors pour through an open threshold into harshly lit grassland wilderness outside) 

Farrier (VO cont.): ..The Tau troops, one of the small Orca-transported detachments common throughout the conflict, managed to complete their air-landing on the outskirts of Delphi Station some hours ahead of the advancing Gue'la terrorists, and take up positions around the village's local government centre.. 

(Outside on a dusty grassland wilderness Tau Fire Warriors fan out around a landed Orca while Crisis Battlesuits begin to slide out of the Orca's rear transport hatch. One by one they lift into the air in a puff of dust)

Farrier (VO cont.) ..The armed group is believed to have consisted of a large number of local mutant fighters, supported by several small highly experienced and well-armed Ores'la'Gue'La terrorist cells, believed to be former Imperial Astartes shock troops based on their equipment. At least one heavy combat walker was also reported to have been identified.. 

(Seen from above, four Crisis Battlesuits converge on a dust-strewn intersection where half a dozen figures in power armour are creeping along the front face of a battered rockcrete building. The Tau machines glide across the intersection, loosing a volley of radiant green plasma bolts as they reach the centre. The power-armoured figures vanish in a boiling maelstrom of green-white flashes and swirling dust clouds as the Crisis Battlesuits glide back into cover) 

Farrier (VO cont.): ..The settlement of Delphi Station itself remains contested, but while the Gue'la terrorists still retain control of large swathes of the settlement Tau expeditionary forces have managed to inflict heavy casualties on them, and halted their advance. It's not much, but after the string of dsimal setbacks they've encountered, the Penros Expeditionary Coalition is taking whatever small wins they can get. It's a sentiment shared by many of the troops involved. 

(A Tau Fire Warrior talks into a microphone held from just out of sight)

Tau Fire Warrior: Mont'au'Gue'la Ores'la Kau'y[The Gue'la forces here are very strong and cunning adversaries, and we were in very serious trouble. I honestly think we were lucky more than anything, as our intelligence indicated a contingent of jump troops and heavy weapon battlesuits was expected to arrive in support of their ground troops, but fortunately for us they never arrived. Still, we fought as hard and smart as we could, and we managed to claw out a better result than many battles we've had on this world so far, and I'm proud for my own contribution to that] 

(Farrier walks along a vast dust-swept plain)

Farrier: What makes this battle particularly important is that it means the Gue'la terrorists have not been able to reach here.. 

(Farrier gestures at the vast empty wilderness and open sky behind him) 

Farrier (cont.): Somewhere behind me here is a corridor of empty territory and clear airspace running for thousands of Tor'kan, stretching from the equatorial grasslands here, all the way into the planet's northern polar reaches. And this stretch of emptiness is important because it provides a safe passage up to where several large caches of heavy equipment were set up by the Tau upon arrival at Penros VII, of course as we know when the Tau arrived their original mission was to simply train the local planetary security forces so much of their heavy equipment and high-powered ordnance was locked away in hidden depots while they carried out that task. Now it's believed that the Tau are looking to use this corridor to move around the major fighting among the local pirate forces in the north and link up with these depots of heavy equipment which will, with any luck, give them the additional tools they need to stabilise the situation on Penros VII properly.  

 (An Explorer class starship hangs motionless in space, enveloped by the face of the planet on the other side of it, with a few tiny pinpricks of white light in formation around it. There is a beat, then its dorsal gun turrets fire a salvo at the planet's surface) 

Farrier (VO): The battle also marks the start of renewed hostilities towards the Penros Expeditionary Coalition following weeks of intensive and prolonged aerospace bombardment.. 

(Viewed from the nose of its wingmate, an SX-06 Barracuda soars through the upper atmosphere of the planet with a bundle of missiles underneath. Abruptly one of the missiles flings itself from the aerospace fighter and lances out of view at the head of a trail of fire and smoke) 

Farrier (VO cont.): .. Despite the presence of the Gue'la Imperium invasion force the Coalition's naval element has managed to command aerospace superiority throughout the system.. 

(Viewed from above, a White Shark attack bomber hurtles across a mottled steppe, missile after missile flying from its underside) 

Farrier (VO cont.): ..Tau Air Caste aerial and aerospace assets continue to relentlessly hammer pirate and Ores'la strong points across Penros VII's northern hemisphere.. 

(Viewed from above in monochrome through a Tau gun camera, an Ork soopa gun rotates slowly in the view. A small blob of  light briefly races across the screen towards it, before the view is engulfed in a harsh white flash. An instant later the gun is pouring flame and smoke) 

Farrier (VO cont.): ..Targeting strategic weapons.. 

(Viewed from above in monochrome through a Tau gun camera, an Ork settlement sprawls across a vast plain, ringed with palisades. A harsh white flash fills the screen, then the entire landscape is smothered in dust clouds) 

Farrier (VO cont.): .. War Machine production sites.. 

(Viewed in monochrome through a Tau gun camera, harsh white explosions continuously ripple along a large highway. Burning Chimeras and Rhinos litter the roadside.) 

Farrier (VO cont.): .. Troop concentrations.. 

(Viewed from above in monochrome through a Tau gun camera, a small collection of buildings and courtyards sits nestled amongst a mountain. A tiny glob of light darts towards the compound and it is engulfed in blossoming flashes and dark clouds) 

Farrier (VO cont.): .. and identified Mont'au'Gue'la training camps. 

(Open countryside viewed from the side of a moving grav-speeder. Massive clouds of smoke can be seen looming from the horizon)

Farrier (VO cont.): ..Though the bombing campaign has succeeded in covering the Coalition retreat and undoubtedly saved many Coalition lives, the desolation is hard to avoid.. 

(Tau and drones scurry too and fro from a pair of landed Orcas on a grassy meadow, ferrying supplies from their open cargo holds) 

Farrier (VO cont.): The northern approaches to the Coalition depots are still believed to be held by partisan bands of Tau and Auxiliary stragglers from the initial confrontations on the planet. All evidence points to these partisan groups still being active in the region, but contact with them is sporadic at best, and it's an open question as to how much longer they can hold out without further support. For the Tau on Penros VII, it's now a race against time to reach their isolated equipment caches. Whether to empty them as part of a full-scale planetary evacuation or to use the weapons there in a counter-offensive is a decision for the Coalition Ar'tol high command.. 

(A few Fire Warriors sit and relax by a battered burnt-out wall, laughing with each other and sharing Ku'Lu'Na sodas) 

Farrier (VO cont.): ..In the mean time, the Tau here can enjoy a hard-earned moment's respite. From Penros System this is Farrier Seyburey, Tor'Vash'Por.

Luna: And joining us now to shed more light on the story we have Shas'O'T'au Mont'yr'Kais'ka'Eoro, former Kir'qath Guards Cadre commander and current Shas'ar'tol advisor, on live feed, Shas'O just how tenuous is the situation in Penros? 

 

Mont'yr: Luna I'm not one to be indirect, the situation is a catastrophe, especially on the ground. The entire expedition has been pretty much set up to fail by the faulty intelligence informing it, and I'm sure everyone following it will be interested to see what answers the ongoing investigation into the planning process finds. 

Luna: So in your opinion then do you think the Coalition should abandon the system, or- or at least the planet Penros VII? 

Mont'yr: It is certainly an option that's making more and more sense, but I'd hesitate to write off the entire Penros VII operation just yet. As you've seen our forces still have a pretty formidable aerospace at their component, and neither the local pirates nor the Gue'la invasion force has been able to seriously challenge our aerospace superiority just yet. That is obviously not going to do much without troops on the ground to really occupy that territory, and make that planet secure, but it can certainly buy the ground forces some time to recover and regroup. 

Luna: But you've said yourself that the situation is very dire Shas'O, a catastrophe as you put it, surely prolonged combat operations are just going to be.. just going to be throwing these good resources after bad, surely? At what point- at what point do you need to just go 'look we can't do anything more here' and just.. just cut your losses? 

Mont'yr: That answer is above my paygrade Luna. It is a talk that needs having, but it is also a talk for the Coalition command in Penros and the Aun to have, not me- 

Luna: But you must have an opinion on what the right choice is. 

Mont'yr: Yes, I do. I would say that as logical as abandoning the planet might be, it is also true that wars are not won by evacuations, and there is still an important job that needs doing there for the Greater Good. There is after all a reason why this Coalition was sent in the first place. The Penros region has been a hotbed of piracy on the frontiers of the Tau Empire for many Tau'cyr now. If we hold on and keep fighting there then there is a chance - just a small chance I think - that we might be able to change that. Just a small chance. But - this is important - if we do nothing, if we just leave the system to fend for itself, then there's no chance of things getting better there. And that's an important factor I think. 

Luna: So then suppose the Penros Coalition decides to keep fighting on Penros VII, tell us Shas'O what would you say would be the best approach for the Coalition forces on the ground? 

Mont'yr: Well so far I would say that the commanders on the ground are making most of the right moves and using the assets they have to make the best of a bad situation. They've leveraged their aerospace superiority as we've seen, they seem to have a lot of these remnant forces still active behind the opposing lines that can cause headaches for the Ores'la and Gue'la supply lines, of course they're making progress towards getting their heavier ground forces back online as we've seen, and what hasn't been talked about as much is that one big asset the Coalition has right now is the divided nature of the opposing forces in Penros, and we have seen that the local Shas'O has been doing a good job of channeling those different pirate and Ores'la and terrorist groups into fighting each other and not us. 

Luna: So you think the Shas'O commanding Penros forces can turn the situation around then? 

Mont'yr: I think with enough patience and cunning they very well could yes. 

Luna: Alright  Shas'O'T'au Mont'yr'Kais'ka'Eoro I'm afraid we are now out of time but thank you for joining us we are very grateful to have your insight into the Penros situation. 

Mont'yr: Thank you Luna. 

Luna: Moving onto other news now and the Nova Llaplandi all-system Pilas team the Silver Sparrows have returned home after winning the Gue'vessa Federation Interstellar Championship. Star captain Zelenna Laurenič was greeted to an ecstatic reception as she and her teammates stepped off the shuttle carrying the Nova-diamond championship trophy, marking the first time the team has won in...