A request for new year's eve. To tell a story with one of my oc's and someone else's.
@dsol500 - I hope this is ok?
The patrol made their way down the road. Their armour was mud splattered and dirty, the result of a long and fruitless journey through the wetlands.
These fire warriors were different, they had no great shoulder pad, and their armour was the green of Dal'yth sept. They had communicated they're presence before hand, letting the t'au in the town know they were coming.
At the commune, they were met by the shas'ui
"So, you want a bed for the night?"
"You are not bringing trouble to my little part of the world, are you?"
'No, shas'ui. Our mission, such as it was, was not a success. We will be returning to the fleet as soon as the train arrives tomorrow."
After dropping off their gear, the pathfinders decided to get some rest. It had been a hard slog, with nothing to show for it. By contrast, Shas'la Dal'yth Rais decided to explore the town. Out of curiosity more than anything else. She grabbed hold of bag, wearing it across her body, then went out for a walk.
She sat by a fountain beside the piazza, enjoying the quiet. The locals eyeing her cautiously. Strange t'au were not always a welcome sight.
A child walked up to her. A young boy.
"May I be of help?" She asked.
"You're not like the others." He said.
"That." He said, pointing to her nasal cavity. "And you talk funny."
"I see. I am a female, a woman. Our nasal cavity is shaped differently to men. And my voice? My home is called Da'lyth, I speak with the clip, as they say."
"I didn't think t'au had women. Marie's mother said xenos aren't like us. Not like people."
"Marie's mother is half right. We are not like you. But I am a woman."
He was small, she couldn't be sure of his age. Young Gue'la were hard to judge.
"You are very curious, also very brave. How do you know I won't just gobble you up!" She said.
"No you won't! T'au only eat vegetables!" He announced confidently.
"Ah, but I am a fire warrior! We also eat meat!"
The child looked uncertain, ready to take a step backwards. Perhaps that was to much, she thought.
"My name is shas'la Dal'yth Rais. But my friends call me Iduali." She said.
"Well met, brave Lorenzo. Do not be afraid, I will not eat you. You're far to small!"
He didn't look happy at that last comment. Was his size an problem? Little Lorenzo did have a ring to it.
"Are you hungry, Lorenzo?"
She approached a nearby building. A shas'la was sat at a desk with a data pad. A bowel of fruit beside him.
"And what brings a cadre from Da'lyth sept to this world?" He asked.
"This was the nearest outpost I believe. Our ships are in high orbit, the earth caste are performing maintenance of some kind? I do not pretend to have knowledge of such things."
"Is the rest of the cadre on the ground?"
"Some elements, but just to guard the ethereals. They are meeting the planetary aun in the capital."
"And you? What are pathfinders doing this far out?"
"We have a somewhat different mission. Our shas'o likes to hunt. He sent his pathfinders to seek out any game."
The shas'la signed his understanding. It was not uncommon among the senior officers. They viewed it as keeping old traditions alive.
"There is precious little here to track down, shas'la! I suspect your shas'o will be disappointed."
Iduali signed, the t'au equivalent of shrug.
"It is an odd building, some aquila are still evident?" Iduali pointed to the rooms decor.
The shas'la turned to look, they had yet to remove the presence of the imperium. Not high on the list of priorities.
"It will be scrubbed away eventually. But for now it remains." He replied.
"I must take my leave, rejoin my team. Good day, shas'la."
She bowed, before moving away.
When they were out of the view, Iduali reached into her bag. She removed a pear, tossing it to Lorenzo. She took another, but for herself.
"Where did you get this?" He asked.
"The shas'la had them in a bowl on his desk. While his back was turned, they happened to find their way into bag."
"You stole them?" Asked Lorenzo,
"I acquired them. The means are not important."
"But t'au-" began Lorenzo.
"-do not steal." Finished Iduali, smiling, or at least a close approximation to one.
"That is true. Most of the time. But I am more than just a t'au! I am the water thief! I'm here to cause mischief!"
Lorenzo smiled, biting into the stolen pear.
I may have made a friend, though Iduali.
"The trees that this grew on, they are green, is that right?' She asked him, holding up the pear. Lorenzo nodded, his mouth full.
"On Da'lyth, the trees are blue!"
He looked at her, not sure whether to believe her or not.
Lorenzo ran, anxious to tell of the the new t'au in town.
"I saw what you did, with the pears."
Iduali turned to see who had spoken, it was an old woman.
"Oh, that?" Replied Iduali. She looked briefly over her shoulder, in the direction of the shas'la. "Just a trick, to entertain the boy. Surely not worth speaking of?"
"Perhaps not. I just hope you have not given him ideas."
"Shas'la Dal'yth Rais, at your service." Said Iduali, bowing her head.
"Nonna Bianca." She replied.
"You're not a scoundrel, are you?" Asked Nonna Bianca. "I've seen my fair share of scoundrels over the years."
"A scoundrel? I assume that is not a term of endearment. I have been called many things in my time, but never that!"
"Just don't let me catch you up to no good!"
"Rest assured, I shall do my best not to let catch me."
Nonna Bianca narrowed her eyes, the t'au's face was impassive, and conveniently she had her hands behind her back, preventing her gestures from giving her away.
"You may want to give Shas’la Ke’lshan Agha some space, she is carabinieri by training."
'I am not familiar with that word?' Replied Iduali. She took a handheld device from her bag, consulting it a read out.
"Ah, I understand. I was not aware. My thanks, signorina."
Nonna Bianca smiled, pleased to catch the sly t'au out.
"My uncle was a scoundrel. I think you might have liked him." Said Iduali.
"Perhaps. Good day, Shas'la Dal'yth Rais."
"Good day, signorina Nonna Bianca."
Night had fallen. The towns folk retreating to their homes.
She had learnt that the shas'ui liked to patrol at night. She was watching him now from the darkness. What was she doing out this late? Old habits, she supposed. A quick recee around the town, to see if there was anything worth a taking. But probably not. This wasn't a rich suburb, nothing to be gained by causing trouble. She also didn't want to get on the wrong side of Nonna Bianca!
Down the alley, someone was attempting to sneak up on her. She turned. Lorenzo.
"What are you doing here!?" She demanded.
"I wanted to see what you were going to do. You said you were going to cause mischief."
"I did say that. But now I am going to do nothing! I will have to take you home, you shouldn't be out this late."
She was about to walk the boy home when she heard a noise from above. She placed a hand on the Lorenzo's shoulder, then put a single finger to her mouth, a human gesture, something the child could understand. She stood back into the shadows, taking him with her. The noise came again. Footsteps on the tiled rooftop.
"Someone else is hunting tonight." she said quietly.
She followed from below, careful not to be seen, with Lorenzo following after her. Eventually the footsteps stopped.
"What is this place, child?" She asked.
"The union office. Papa comes here when there's a problem at work."
"The union, do they keep money here?"
"Um, I think so? Papa paid a donation last week. It wasn't much, but he said it was important. They help people. Papa says we need all the help we can get!"
Something was going on. Whoever they were, they knew what they were doing. Keeping to the rooftops, out of sight. They had avoided the shas'ui as well. Professional, probably not local.
"There are wealthier targets for someone who knows what they are doing. My suspicion is another game is being played." She said, thinking outloud rather than addressing Lorenzo directly.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"You can pay a thief to carry out specific tasks. I suspect someone wants to cause trouble. The union funds, they will not easily replenished. And there will be documents, membership lists, records of donations, someone could use that."
"Because that is what I would do."
"Should we tell someone?"
"By the time we do, they will be long gone. The mission accomplished. Unless someone intervenes."
"Will you do something? We can't let get away!"
"Do you know what 'Honour among thieves' means? It's a human saying. It means I shouldn't do anything. A professional courtesy."
"I am thief, Lorenzo. I stole the pears from the shas'la, he had more than enough already, and would not miss them. And I've stolen from others in the past. But stealing from people already hard pressed? There is no honour in that."
"Yes, a strange thing to say, isn't it? My uncle, he taught me how to steal. But my grandfather, he taught me about honour."
Her uncle, he would have told her not to interfere. Someone else's job, not her business. But her grandfather, what would he say? Stealing from those already struggling? There was no honour in that. But there was also something else, something they both would have agreed on. Don't be a hero.
She looked down at Lorenzo. She was wasn't sure exactly, young humans were hard to read, but his eyes, was he about to cry?
"Stay here." She told him.
She found a way up to the roof, a drain pipe. She took hold, skillfully making her way up the wall and on to the roof. With care, she made her way to the skylight. Dropping down into the building, the same way the thieves had got in.
She stayed in the shadows, observing. Two of them, they were careful, professional. The office was a mess, but that was just a distraction.
She crept behind the first, then put him in a choke hold. Keeping a tight grip until he stopped resisting. Then laying him on the ground. She checked for a pulse. Still alive, she didn't want to be responsible for a death.
She stood back into the shadows, waiting for the second thief. When he saw his partner on the floor, she struck.
A hoof to the side of his knee, and he went down on the floor. She pushed him over, forcing him to the ground, then using all her weight, pinned him there. He attempted to get up, but was dissuaded when Iduali pulled out a knife, sticking the tip into the floor beside his face. His eyes went wide at the sight of it!
"Be still, gue'la. I have the advantage. And I will not hesitate if you force the issue."
She grabbed his wrists, forcing them behind his back. She had restraints with her, they were used by crowd control units to secure trouble makers. But useful if needed for other purposes.
She restrained each of them, hands and feet. Then making sure they couldn't free themselves, she left the way she came in.
"What happened!" Asked Lorenzo.
"Something for tomorrow, young one. Time to go home."
There was a great commotion the next day when the thieves where found. The office was a mess, and though nothing had been stolen, the thieves intent was obvious.
Arianna was furious when she found out! When the thieves were led out, the shas'ui had to stand between her and them, least she tried to cause them harm. Her wrath was worse than the humiliation of being caught! They had been disturbed was obvious, but who was responsible?
Lorenzo had witnessed it all, with great excitement, he sought out Iduali at the commune.
When he found her, she was wearing her armour and equipment. The pathfinders were leaving, getting the next train back to the capital, then a transport back to their ship.
"You can't leave! You should tell them! Tell them what you did!"
"Oh no! Far too many questions to answer! I am just a humble shas'la, passing through your town. I'll be gone within the day."
"But that's not fair! You stopped them!"
"I do not want to sound harsh, but life can be unfair at times. But that is not a lesson you need to worry about just yet."
He frowned. This wasn't right!
"But after I'm gone? Well, then you will have a story to tell your friends. The day the water thief visited your town and caused a little mischief! But just be wary about who you tell that story to." Warned Iduali.
She reached into her bag and tossed him a coin, one he had never seen before. It had the Emperor on one side, and image of someone he seen on the fresco in the church. The primarch sanguius!
"It's 5 drachma coin. I acquired it on my last deployment. The guard captain no longer needed it. It does not exist on this world. Some proof, should you need it."
Lorenzo turned the coin over in his hands. It was something strange, he might be the only person on his whole world to own one of these!
"Farewell, brave Lorenzo." She said.
She put on her helmet, the lens glowing red as it's internal systems activated. She nodded to Lorenzo, then joined the rest of the pathfinders as they marched off to the station.
But what should he do now? Marie! He would tell her the story, and show her the coin! He raced off into the streets, eager to share with his friends.
