An Alliance Forms

Although he was nervous, Steadstrike dared not show it to anyone except Lightstar. Sat in the comms room on his own, he drummed his fingers on the table nervously as the Ethereal tried to reassure him.

"All you have ~bzzz~ is be patient and calm with them. We've fought alongsi- ~bzzz~ before, against ~bzzz~ -anis Aureus nonetheless."

"I know, but what if it is a trap? You saw what the Mechanicum did to that planet, what if this is just some ruse?"

The Commander stood up and paced for a few steps. The hologram flickered and buzzed for a second.

"Besides", he said finally. "You're back in Vu'est and I'm the one flying out here."

"I know O'Lynu'Ka. I'm not ~bzzz~ the idea either, but if we show willingness then we'll have ~bzzz~ powerful ally this day, perhaps one that could turn the tide of this war. Now, I have things to attend to. Stay vigilant. ~bzzz~ Greater Good."

Steadstrike didn't reply and simply switched the holo-communicator off. He sat down and crossed his arms, so deep in thought that he flinched when a voice came over the intercom a few minutes later.

"We're entering the planet's atmosphere now Commander."

Steadstrike sighed and made his way to the front of the small ship, strapping himself in to the co-pilots seat.

"We were lucky to make it this far without being detected.." he thought to himself, growing more nervous as the seconds passed.

The ship then flew beneath the cloud cover, the sun glaring through the windshield. A deep reddish sky and a vast green and purple forest were all that laid before them, permeated by lavish, ancient stone ruins, clearly built by the Eldar many years ago. In the distance, a few miles off, a small, grey military installation loomed in the middle of a clearing. The planet was undeniably beautiful, almost a true paradise, but it did little to calm the T'au Commander.

Suddenly, a voice buzzed over the radio.

"This is Kin's Ruin Control. Begin your approach."

"Understood", the pilot replied simply and began to flick a variety of switches. The engines began to slow as the ship descended down towards the large landing pad in the centre of the installation.

As they flew closer, Steadstrike could see several Guardians, all armed with deadly Shuriken Catapults, on guard and presumably ready for anyone, or anything.

A greeting party stood a few feet back from the pad. Steadstrike recognised the garb of two Farseers, having fought alongside their kind before. The group were flanked by a squad of Dire Avengers, their armour glistening in the low evening sunlight. The one in the centre was different however. A female Eldar, clearly the Commander of these forces. It was plain to see she had absolute authority - it almost exuded from her, even at this distance.

The ship landed smoothly and the pilot began to switch off the systems and power down the engines before Steadstrike put a hand on his shoulder.

"Keep the engines running. We may need to get out of here quickly."

The pilot nodded and complied, keeping the engines primed. Steadstrike headed back and into the hold where a small team of Fire Warriors were preparing to escort him outside.

"Listen up. I'll be honest with you all. I don't know what the intentions of these Eldar are. If anything goes awry, I want you back on the ship and preparing to leave immediately. You will not engage in combat, no matter what, understood?"

The squad saluted in agreement and stood ready to leave. Hitting a switch, Steadstrike moved to the loading ramp as it lowered down, the lush, warm air hitting him as it rushed into the hold.

The T'au Commander marched forwards and around to where the greeting party was, stopping a few feet away from them.

The female in the centre took a step forward and spoke in a soft voice, surprisingly gentle for a woman of war.

"Greetings O'Lynu'Ka. I am Miranel of Nai'Tzeleth. I trust your journey here was.. uneventful?"

"I am Commander Steadstrike of the Pax'nera Sept. I thank you for your hospitality and yes, our journey was pleasant enough."

She smiled knowingly, putting Steadstrike on edge a little.

"Come, we have much to discuss."