The Lesser of Evils

 

Edea felt pretty good, all things considered. For one, she survived. She acknowledged that Dark Eldar are the master of the races, but they took casualties just like everyone else. This was not good, as the Eldar in general face extinction in the long term. Still, there were worse things than death, far worse things. She did her job unlike some of the other cowards, so hopefully she would not face punishment this time. After she and the other officers gathered all the information they could from the troops, she could begin the debriefing. She knew nothing about these Necrons, but helping out these automations was better than dealing with those despicable humans.

J.E.: Now what the hell was the discrepancy?

Edea: I'll think I'll go first. <glares at Osiris>

Osiris: I could care less.

Edea: We zoomed in with relative ease. Our casualties were minimal in the beginning. But then there was this...giant Orb that accompanied the Tyranids. It moved very fast and it sh*t out genestealers. It was disgusting. Nevertheless, d*ckhead gave the order to run away.

Osiris: You're damn right I did.

J.E.: Why...would you do a thing like that?

Osiris: Simple. First, I saw the Sisters attempt to outflank us (imagine that), but I protected the Emerald Knights. The Tyranids also joined in and sent fleshborers to handle the Talos. The Talos does indeed draw fire very well. <the Haemonculi smile> A Venom Cannon and Warp Blast later, the Talos was done. <the Haemonculi stop smiling> This Orb thing was no joke. It warped blasted and destroyed most of the Horns so they lost their bearings and probably would have been useless anyway. They left. Then this Orb assaulted our unit and used it's tentacles--

J.E.: It had tentacles?

Osiris: Yes. And it tore apart three soldiers. I said, "f*ck that shit" and about faced. Yes, I gave the order. Maybe I should have checked the records better, which is a daunting task, but I don't recall any files mentioning this Orb. I know that these Tyranids are the most variable of the races, but that was unexpected. I would rather survive and gather the information gathered for reference and future implentation than to get torn apart trying to be tough.

J.E.: Good point. So what is your prognosis on the Orb?

Osiris: I'm assuming of course that it is as variable in its abilities as any Tyranid is. This Orb was particularly tough so I've come to the conclusion that it was the centerpiece of the Tyranid strategy this time. To say the very least, if the Orb is taken out, the rest of the Tyranid army would be relatively easy to pick apart. They would be foolish to keep it at its regular strength-and I'm using our first encounter with it as a standard-because it would breed predictablility. The primary strength of the Tyranids is their lack of predictability. In summation, it shouldn't be too big a deal when we encounter it next.

J.E.: Good. Now, all, continue with the report.

Edea: The Leopard Squad missed their intended target but still made it behind the Tyranid warriors. The Cobalt Knights appeared to wound the Orb with a 'lance shot. My unit killed a Zoanthorpe, and the Leopards annihilated the Warriors. Then, the Zulu Knights shot up the termagaunts and closed in on them to assault what was left of them. I received reports that the Hive Tyrant was taken down by the Necrons. Apparently, we were a great help to them. My unit, feeling a boost of morale, focused on the second Zoanthorpe and wounded it. The Zulu Knights appeared to have a bad day, as only two termagaunts were taken out. I heard that Jedi was surprizingly ineffective before he died. The Orb continued to use warp blasts, this time on the Leopard Squad, and caused 2 casualties. Then, a Lictor appeared out of nowhere. For a second, we thought that the forest itself was alive. The Screamergaunts joined the Orb in fired upon and then assaulted the Leopard Squad, forcing them to retreat. There was a lot of retreating going on. We could have been a lot more successful if fear hadn't played a factor with some of our units.

Osiris: Tyranids are fearsome by nature. They aren't even from our galaxy, they don't appear to make sense, and their communication skills are null, which I have reason to believe is by choice. In any event, It's hard for anyone to keep their heads up when a Tyranid army approaches.

Edea: Excuses! Pathetic Excuses!

Osiris: Whatever. The Obsidian Knights did a great job of avoiding the Orb from what I've gathered.

Edea: We were instructed to! Besides, how could you have known being that you ran away at light sp--

J.E.: Enough of this sh*t. Continue the report.

Edea: To hear is to obey. The Zulu Knights lost half of their squad to the genestealers. I have heard that the genestealers are awesome in close combat. In fact that's all they are good for. The Lictor and the Zoanthorpe were not effective with their attacks upon us. As the Leopard Squad retreated, they continued to fire and tore apart 3 Screamergaunts, forcing them to retreat.

J.E.: Why do you keep calling them Screamergaunts?

Osiris: You have to hear them. It's on the video data disks from the battle.

J.E.: And what of the Cobalt Knights?

Masai: <nervous> The 'Lancers' had a...difficult time with the Orb. Nothing else even came close to harming it. The Orb occupied most of our attention, your mighty omnipotence.

Edea: And again, the Zulu Knights acted as if they were outmatched. I heard that Archon was totally ineffective, but he did maintain defensively against the genestealers. The Lictor took a wound and the Orb continued to warp blast, this time the Cobalt Knights were the target. As we dealt the final blows to the zoanthorpe, taking it down, the Orb assaulted our unit. Archon's shadowfield was neutralized and he was hurt, but continued to fight. He charged himself up with drugs for 3 extra attacks, and hurt himself some more. I think he was desparate to turn things around. He singlehandedly killed 2 genestealers. He didn't even bother to capture them. The Lictor continued to get wounded, that's all it appeared to do. Archon finally overdosed on drugs and the Leopard Squad continued to fire and retreat and was then cut off and cut down by the Sisters' Retributors. I suspect that these were Lord Scarab's Sisters; they appear to be very, very active lately. He is up to something big, and he has a serious competitive advantage with them.

Osiris: Indeed. I read that he has successfully appealed to the Adeptus Terra in order to get extra concessions for all Sisters of Battle, and therefore his Sisters of Battle. I suspect that he sees you as a chief rival. He has been very active since your kabal has expanded. He appeared to be very jealous of your power move.

J.E.: How...interesting. And what of the Necrons?

Edea: The data collected on them was limited, as we had our hands full with the Tyranids. They did keep the Sisters of Battle occupied for the most part. As to whether or not they acquired any 'samples', or even set such goals, I have no idea. My apologies. If it is any consolation, we did capture the zoanthorpe and some genestealers.

J.E.: Transgression pardoned. Nevertheless, some transgressions won't be pardoned. Such as the overt cowardice in terms of dealing with the Tyranids. When I'm done venting my anger, the Liquid Sword will fear me more than those intruders from another galaxy. Anything else?

Osiris: Yes. Now would be a good time to tell you.

J.E.: Tell me what?

Osiris: There is another race in contention for control of the galaxy.

J.E.: What? <all in the room are surpized>

Osiris: Yes. They are known as the Tau. Apparently, they are integrationists, but not in the same way that the Tyranids do things. They will negotiate just as quickly as they fight. In fact, this new race doesn't appear to have a clue. According to Dark Sun's research, they had the audacity to approach the Tyranids and suggest an alliance 'for the greater good.' I was told that the Hive Tyrant involved actually took the time to hear them out. It then said, "no," and they proceeded to wipe out the diplomatic party of the Tau.

J.E.: It actually had the courtesy to speak? And then wiped them out? <breaks out in laughter> Well, they should be easier to manipulate then.

Osiris: Yes. But make no mistake, the Tau's ignorance has not been hindering them for the most part. They appear to be gaining strength, and have at least one other minor race called the Kroot working for them. They could become dangerous in due time.

J.E. I guess its time for a recon mission then...