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Submitted: March 28, 2010
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Emperors Will be done Pt14by ~DustyGrafix

Fan Art / Digital Art / Drawings / Games

You folks are amazing. I love the feedback, and because so, I am trying harder on every drawing.
The votes were close:
23 voted for firing on the orks to distract while the Guards charge.
19 voted for sneaking away quietly and safely

Previous: [link]
Next: [link]

I took some time because I wanted to do another two pictures for the next chapter:

The choice will be on the next part.
Here we go:
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I remember during boot camp; we had a brief study on the savage Tau Empire. The instructor taught us about how these xeno had accepted other races into their Empire. They even incorporated other alien races and even humans as “helpers” for their small delicate corner in the Eastern fringe of the galaxy. The lessons for this species had always been short. I guess the Imperium had more important wars to fight. The forces of the warped chaos, the barbaric Orks and the growing concern of a Tyranid hive fleet coming in from the outer rim of Segmetum Tempestus. The Tau had been just a nuisance, but we had been instructed to shoot these human Tau helpers on sight.

I nodded towards the orks, and my companions seemed to understand. I had helped them this far, they would want to return the favor.

Kai’Faan entered a few commands into this wrist CPU, and the drone; holding the two spheres in its claws, it floated off. The stealth suit guard took off and ran to the southern side to flank them. Xin’Vauk and I stayed in cover, and primed our carbines. She told me of the photon grenades that could launch from the under slung of the weapon. I felt as ready as I could get.

The Imperial Guards had about less than 100 meters until they met the orks. Looking closer, the orks had been shooting whatever guns they had in the air. They weren’t even shooting directly at the guards. The sound of the guns they shot just made them more excited. How could humans ever win against a race that thrives off the excitement of bloody warfare? Meanwhile, these young Imperial Guards look terrified, both from the Waaagh’ing Orks and from the death threats of the sergeant that leads them.

I aimed my scope at one of the larger Orks, and told Xin to do the same. One thing I did learn from bootcamp, when fighting orks, you shoot for the big ones, and work your way smaller. I overheard Xin say to me while we both had guns at the ready that she saw more potential in me than most of the hunter cadre she had been raised with. And then she said something to me in her xeno tongue; that someday, I will have to find out what it means (if I survive). I’ll write it down for so I don’t forget it: “M’yen gue’va ko’vas’shi Tau’va”

We both fired down on the greenskins. I expected to feel a kickback from the weapon, but it was steady and balanced. It was strange not to be chanting litanies to the Machine God to keep the weapon deadly and efficient. I fired a photon grenade from my carbine. She followed suit. The Orks seemed to have been caught off guard. Their attention was diverted, and once a few (meaning probably 10) of them began to charge at our position, the drone came from above and dropped both spheres on their position. There was no explosion like I expected, but a bright concussive pulse that both seemed blinding and made my ears ring. But the scope I was using auto-adjusted its light intake for a few moments before returning back to normal. This made the orks pause to regain their senses. It bought me enough time to fire at a few orks that had been squinting their eyes while cupping their ears. I cringed at the thought of our human military being attacked by a whole army of Tau with an arsenal like this.

Xin and I began to fire upon the ranks of orks coming up to our position. Some had been staggering and slowed by the grenades dropped on them from the drone. These orks can take some punishment. I swear, I shot an arm off one, and he just got more excited, and swung his ax around and roared. I didn’t think we were going to survive the upcoming onslaught.

Then bright blue pulses came from another position, I am guessing this was from the hidden stealth suit. It was utter chaos on the battlefield. By the time the Imperial Guards reached the orks, the green mob was in disarray. I saw a glimpse of humans vaulting over the bunker and using lasguns and frag grenades to get the orks out of cover. It looked like it was working, and the orks had plenty to worry about now. We needed to move.

I motioned to Xin and Kai’Faan to keep moving north to the dried up riverbed where the hidden caverns were. When I turned north to run with Xin, and ork was in the building with us. He swung a huge blunt metal object (I think it was an ork gun), nearly missing my head. Xin; standing next to me, fired and hit him in the shoulder. I instinctively squeezed the trigger and blasted through his head. Then another ork grabbed my head from behind. This was how I was going to die. I knew it. But the thick orkish hand went limp as quick as it squeezed. I looked back and noticed a sharp object protruding from the bottom of his jaw exiting out the top of his skull. Xin must have found a piece of metal and jabbed this jaw, piercing his brain. She was still holding on to the jagged piece of metal when I moved her aside to thump a photon grenade into the doorway where more orks had been pouring into.
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The choice is on the next part: [link]

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~human72 May 22, 2012

There we go help the guard fight off the orks. That is the proper way to do that. and for the guardmen himself that is proper as well.

~AssassinsFear Feb 13, 2011

The phrase Xin says roughly translates M'yen is unforeseen or unexpected, gue'va may be a misspelling of gue'la which is human or gue'vesa which is human helper , ko'vas may be a misspelling of ko'vash which means a worthy cause or to strive for, shi may mean victory and Tau'va is the greater good. So my best guess is that she said "Unexpected human we will strive for victory for the greater good."
I hope this answers some questions.

~DustyGrafix Feb 14, 2011

M’yen gue’va ko’vas’shi Tau’va (translates to) You are an unexpected great man (human) worthy of achieving the Greater Good.

The gue is just the begining meaning where as the inflection afterwords is more or less the adjective.
Hence Shas'la, Shas'ui and so on. It describes the level of respect an honor for each person or thing. The drone that Kai'Faan has is considered a kor'vesa (earth-caste helper). Humans that help in Tau society, but cannot fight in wars are Gue'vesa. Humans who are soldiers are Gue'la (Human Private). Like Shas'la. If a human moved up the ranks (unlikely) in the Fire Caste, he would be called Gue'ui or Gue'vre.
The "va" in Tau means Great. Hence an Aun'va is a Great Ethereal. Or even Tau'va (Greater Good) So when Xin called Randall Gue'va, you'll understand.

So there wouldn't be a misspelling, but just an advanced description of Randall. The ko'vas'shi is the combination of the two words ko'vash and shi. But a single word description, I have seen in the book Kill Team, Tau combine words as such for a better description. It would read strange if it said, ko'vash'shi. The two "SH" "SH" next wouldn't read that well.

~AssassinsFear Feb 15, 2011

The translation that I got was from the Tau Lexicon which is the most complete sources of their language I could find.
The url is [link]

~DustyGrafix Feb 16, 2011

I use the Lex for certain resources I need. But one that is more extensive than that is the novel Fire Warrior by Simon Spurrier. The use of Tau culture and language is very resourceful. Even the PC game Fire Warrior has a few tid bits (not much) to get some good material out of.

Another good source is right here on DA. A good friend took several sources and compiled them into one. Check it out: [link]

~AssassinsFear Feb 16, 2011

Thank you for the link. I have wanted to get my hands on the Fire Warrior novel but it is currently out of print and the copies online are more than I'm willing to pay for a book. Once again thank you so much for the link.
PS: I'm semi fluent in speaking and writing basic Tau

~DustyGrafix Feb 16, 2011

Well, once you get a hold of Fire Warrior and Kill Team, you will become more fluent in WRITING basic Tau than before. It will also teach you in the culture and thought processes of Tau society.

As for speaking it, it probably isn't possible. The Tau originate from an arid semi-desert environment, so their speech patterns evolved into a soft, complex form of a lyrical sound. This was done because it preserved the valuable saliva based within their oral cavity for hydration and sense of smell. It is a highly advanced form of communication that (in fluff terms) the most skilled of Imperial linguist would have a hard time speaking even basic Tau. Even some words (as you have noticed) have duel meanings. This is only because the speech is also based off of body language as well. The only way Kroot can speak Tau is because the shapers are the perfect definition of mimicry. It has been known that certain kroot breeds can speak perfect low gothic and even high gothic with superb emphasis on regional dialects. Would be almost the perfect infiltrator if they didn't smell so bad.

~Takedownpaladin Sep 29, 2010

Can you PM me with the translation please? I understand bits of it without a codex.

~megalothero Apr 11, 2010

i'm too lazy too read all the artist's comments to the comic
so could someone explain what's going on
p.s tell it that easy that even an idiot understand it

~DustyGrafix Apr 13, 2010

Ok, long story short:

This is an interactive story that commenters vote on to continue the story.

The basis of the series:
A below than average recuit is saved by a stranger during war, but ends up following her through danger that makes him save her.
The end result, he is just a small part of a hidden plan, and the savior doesn't want him to die, so she makes him escape the cluches of her own kind, but tags along with some friends to help on the secret mission. The mission: find the underground plants to dave a whole planet of her own kind.

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