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Submitted: September 24, 2009
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Emperor's Will be done? Pt 7by ~DustyGrafix

Fan Art / Digital Art / Drawings / Games

Sweet!! This time the votes seemed pretty one sided. I guess the majority really wanted to trust the Tau.

Votes are in:
20 voted to follow Xin'Vauk (the Tau companion)
9 voted to lead the Kommandos off from the path

Previous: [link]
Next: [link]

I really am sorry for the length on this one. A lot of crap had to happen to get to the choice at the end of this chapter.

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Well, if her confidence was contagious, I wasn’t catching it. Maybe that is what I need, just another Commissar to blast a hole in a fellow team member’s head to boost my morale. Commissar Sertorius was good at that. He was also the great tactician that lead the 137th to gain the Sector Cassius stronghold from the Orks last month. The Guardsmen seem to trust his judgment. I did, until he fired a single shot into my younger brother’s head in front of thousands to make an example.

These Ork Kommandos were more calculating than some of the vets back on the transport ship. Not only did I lose track of the single Kommando I saw, but Xin’Vauk lost track of all that she noticed. I knew they were there, my heart was pounding out of my chest, and she was calm as a stream on an Agri-planet. She pulled me up and we ran further into the ruins. My head was in pain from the wound, but I had to keep up. She was running straight ahead. If there was a destination to be plotted I could easily figure it out now by her path, this old treatment plant that resided next to a dry concrete riverbed.

That is when we both got blindsided by a Kommando. Their job was done, they knew the Tau base location. Now they need to kill us and report back to the Warboss. He slammed into us with his huge shoulder which made Xin’Vauk and I to smash into an old rusted out truck. This must have been sport for him because he carried two huge daggers on his back that still was left untouched. He could have killed us right there, but he just chuckled a bit and mumbled what sounded like, “softies like dis ain’t even werf da time ta crump.” He came to me first, probably because my Tau companion probably was killed just from the first slam itself. I couldn’t breathe. The first hit knocked my air out, and my body just wasn’t cooperating with me.

I wanted to run, but the next punch was to my face, and I think I blacked out just before I heard the greenskin chuckle. I think I was only out for a few seconds (maybe the Tau drugs still have something to it) because the next thing I remember was seeing Xin crawl away while the Kommando “strolled” to her helpess broken body. His hand had a dagger in it this time, so I acted on impulse.

What happened in the next half hour or so was a blur, or a dream, but let me shorten this up by telling you some lessons I just learned:
-Jumping off the truck towards an ork with a sharp object SEEMS like a good idea, but the greenskin knows what he’s doing.
-Being caught with one hand in the air by the neck REALLY hurts.
-Delaying a Kommando’s coup de grace on Xin’Vauk was all her friends needed, I know this because hundreds of bright blue pulse rounds can drop an Ork very fast.
-Burned Ork flesh smells awful.
-Noticing 20 something Ork Kommandos popping up from the surrounding buildings in a few seconds is frightening.
-NOT noticing a hidden force open up blue pulse rounds on all Kommandos scares the SH#T out of you.
-Watching a Tau Stealth Suit (the boot camp instructor showed us pics of a confiscated suit under study once) shimmer into view a few feet from you is suprising.
-Finding out that Xin’Vauk shows some sympathy towards me is ALMOST a relief. I knew she felt that way because she refused to leave my side while they carried me into the old treatment plant, even though it seemed like they wanted her to receive medical treatment.

They placed me into a room (or makeshift cell), and I was left alone for a bit…..well, I wasn’t alone. She stood outside my room, asking me (in Low Gothic) if I am OK.

Well, what should I do:
1)She seems like she is concerned for me. Should I ask to see if she can get me out, and I can escape? I don’t know how many are here, and how secure this place is, so I could be killed, and maybe her. I don’t know how ruthless Tau are. The risk might be too high, and I think I got a cracked rib, so running fast isn’t going to happen.

2)I got this far, and the Tau went this far to keep me safe. Maybe my fate is more positive if I stick around and find out why they need me safe. The room doesn’t seem like it’s heartless, they even have some weird fruit and bread like biscuits here. Tastes pretty good. But it worries me that Xin is concerned. Maybe she is just concerned about my current health.
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I'll close the votes on October 3rd.