Chapter 899 - 898

"C-Could the Great Devourer have reached the galaxy?!"

Commander Farsight's voice was hoarse. The sight of the stars being swallowed resembled the legendary end of the galaxy.

They had also heard the stories of the Great Devourer. When the creator of the Tyranids finally reached the galaxy, everything would be destroyed.

Forever hungry, the Great Devourer would consume all matter in the galaxy, leaving behind nothing but lifeless worlds.

"How can we stop such a being? Is there any hope for the T'au to survive...?"

Shadowsun's face had gone pale, and she could barely remain standing.

The shadow covered an unimaginably vast area, spreading in an enormous arc across the entire star system. Even if they launched their fleet and fled, they would struggle to escape its reach.

Their ether-drive technology could only briefly submerge their ships within the boundary between the Warp and reality. Before reaching a safe region, they would have to return to realspace several times.

That meant reappearing in the heart of the shadow and facing a deadly encirclement by the enemy.

The appearance of this terrifying darkness plunged the Farsight Homeworld into fear and despair.

Unrest inevitably erupted. Ordinary T'au and exalted figures such as Farsight and Shadowsun alike were gripped by terror.

The Great Devourer was an entity capable of destroying the entire galaxy.

The disparity in strength was so vast that resistance was meaningless. Even escape had become an extravagant dream.

Many T'au collapsed to their knees in fear. Farsight and Shadowsun had to grip the railing just to remain standing.

The shock of that horrifying sight was simply too great.

"Commander... those aren't Tyranids!" a Water Caste intelligence officer suddenly shouted, struggling to control his vocal cords.

"They're hu... humans! Yes, they're human ships!"

His voice rose into a shrill cry.

Images transmitted by the forward outposts were projected into the air. They clearly showed that the shadow was composed not of biological carapaces, but of steel warships, one after another.

"What?!"

Farsight and the others stared in disbelief, but the images before them were unmistakably real.

Those human warships were cold and black, forming a torrent of steel that blotted out the light of the stars.

Colossal banners hung beneath the fleet formations, each bearing a sacred image of humanity's Savior and Emperor.

The figure was majestic and intimidating beyond measure. His eyes seemed to stare directly at every T'au present.

Learning that this terrible shadow consisted of human warships did nothing to ease their fear.

In an instant, a different terror filled the hearts of the T'au.

The Savior had come to conquer the Farsight Homeworld!

The military power of the human Imperium had grown to an unimaginable scale. When that mighty being acted, he unleashed a force against which resistance was impossible.

With such numbers, it no longer mattered whether the shadow consisted of biological carapaces or steel warships.

If anything, the steel warships were even more terrifying. They could unleash far greater firepower!

For a time, Farsight, Shadowsun, and the others sank into a profound silence.

They despaired at the endless army descending upon them, and the majesty of the Savior left them utterly shaken.

With a single command, that being could crush the Farsight Homeworld. The T'au no longer had any hope of resistance.

More unrest erupted across the planet. Once the T'au realized the humans were coming specifically for them, the panic grew even worse.

Yet some T'au became excited despite their fear.

"Hahahaha! It's the Greater Greater Good!"

An Ethereal elder shakily climbed to his feet, a glimmer of hope returning to his eyes.

Amid the shadow and the vast torrent of steel warships, he had spotted a fleet belonging to the Ethereals.

That meant there was still a chance of survival.

There were Ethereals among the human fleet blotting out the stars. Members of their own species had come with them.

Perhaps they could open negotiations, obtain forgiveness, and ultimately join the great collective of the human Imperium.

The Ethereals on the Farsight Homeworld had long been confined, and they were strictly forbidden from worshiping the Greater Greater Good.

They had wanted to escape for years so they could participate in the far grander Greater Greater Good practiced by the human Imperium, an unprecedented collective in which countless species had been brought together.

Which species stood at its center was no longer important. The Ethereals now understood that the T'au were far too weak to shoulder the mission of the Greater Greater Good.

If the Greater Greater Good was to endure, their only option was to serve the mighty Savior.

In the Ethereals' view, the T'au were not vassals of the human Imperium. They were believers in the great Savior, the physical embodiment of the Greater Greater Good.

There was a fundamental distinction between the two.

In truth, Eden's original plan for the galaxy had been to preserve the absolute dominance of humanity while allowing a degree of diversity among the galaxy's other species.

Such diversity would further encourage humanity's development by preserving a measure of competition.

It would prevent humanity from falling into irreversible decadence after achieving overwhelming prosperity.

Adversity gave birth to strength, while comfort led to ruin.

Humanity should never fear a challenge, nor could it allow itself to sink into a comfortable existence without competition and then decline at terrifying speed.

If humanity eventually ventured beyond the galaxy, the galaxy's xenos would make excellent pioneers and colonial laborers.

The Imperium could use xenos against other xenos, reducing the hatred directed at humanity by alien species beyond the galaxy while also lowering administrative costs.

Of course, Eden had no intention of creating a pluralistic, xenophile republic like the United Nations of Earth. Nor did he want to build something like the Commonwealth of Man, founded on absolute militarism and maintained through brutal violence.

He preferred a middle path. Humanity's purity and supremacy would be preserved, but trade and economic development would also receive some consideration. Xenos would be ruled through somewhat gentler methods.

The results had been quite good, greatly reducing the cost of conquering and governing alien species.

This Ethereal elder was a perfect example. He did not object to worshiping the Savior if it meant survival.

In some cases, such subjects would come to worship the Savior even more fervently than humans did, while maintaining a healthy fear of the Imperium.

"Prepare a ship!"

The Ethereal elder's voice cracked as he shouted.

"I'm going to welcome His Majesty the Savior's celestial host! I'm going to welcome the glorious Greater Greater Good!"

He intended to activate the vessel they had hidden for years, break through their confinement, and fly out to greet the Savior's army.

Otherwise, he might be reduced to ashes in the coming bombardment.

Before long, a small stealth craft forced its way into the air and flew toward space.

Fire Caste sensors quickly detected it and stripped away its stealth field.

"Traitors!"

Farsight flew into a rage when he saw the vessel taking off beneath a white flag of surrender.

One glance was enough to tell him that those cowardly Ethereals were trying to surrender to humanity in exchange for their miserable lives.

"This world will never surrender to humanity! We would rather die fighting than yield in the slightest!"

"Shoot down that defector's ship! We cannot allow them to escape the planet. The T'au will never tolerate anyone bowing before humanity!"

Farsight issued the order to attack, commanding the orbital defense arrays to stop the Ethereal elder.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

More than a dozen torpedoes launched in an instant, racing toward the small craft displaying its white flag.

A moment later, point-defense beams streaked across the sky and intercepted the torpedoes, detonating them in midair.

Someone on the Farsight Homeworld clearly did not want the vessel destroyed, since doing so might extinguish the T'au's final hope of survival.

"Shadowsun!"

Farsight turned and glared at the Fire Caste commander beside him, his blue eyes burning with madness.

He ground out his words through clenched teeth.

"Even you intend to submit to humanity? Why won't you stand with me and launch our final attack?!"

Tears streamed down Shadowsun's face.

"I'm sorry, O'Shovah. I had no choice.

"You may not realize it yourself, but some unknown force has distorted your mind.

"This resistance is meaningless. It cannot shake humanity's control over the T'au.

"We must ensure that more of our people survive. Only then will we have a chance to change things in the future..."

In Shadowsun's view, far too many of their people lived on the Farsight Homeworld. They deserved to survive.

They should not be destroyed along with their entire homeworld.

Throughout the galaxy's history, many species had not begun as mighty powers. Some had once been enslaved.

Yet they had eventually risen to become dominant races of the galaxy.

The Necrons and Aeldari were examples. The mighty beings who had once ruled them had perished, allowing them to break free of their prisons and rise to supremacy.

The T'au were still a young species. They might someday receive the same opportunity.

Humanity would not remain powerful forever.

Shadowsun was gradually coming to understand that survival was everything in this cruel galaxy.

She continued trying to persuade Farsight.

"We Fire Caste warriors are willing to leave the homeworld with you and continue our final resistance as wanderers.

"But the other innocent people living here deserve to survive. Let the Imperial T'au receive them..."

Perhaps there was still room to negotiate with humanity and prevent the extermination of their species.

"Utterly absurd!"

Farsight stared at his former fellow student, the Fire Caste commander, and roared.

"Those are the thoughts of a coward and a surrenderist!

"The moment the T'au submit to humanity, they should die. There is no reason for such a people to continue existing. A species like that has no right to survive in the galaxy..."

He watched the small craft fly into the distance and smiled coldly.

"You don't truly believe this will stop me, do you?

"That is impossible.

"Carry out my order. The fleet will launch a full assault against humanity. The Farsight Homeworld will begin its final offensive.

"You, me, and everyone else here will become the final funeral offering to the T'au!"

"I'm going to die too?"

The Water Caste administrator beside them widened her eyes as the thought flashed through her mind.

She wanted to say something, but then she saw Farsight behead another administrator who had attempted to reason with him. He even crushed the severed head afterward.

Her entire body went numb with fear. She did not dare make a sound.

"No!"

Shadowsun lunged forward to stop Farsight, but it was already too late.

He seized the communicator and transmitted an order for the T'au fleet to attack humanity.

Once the first shot was fired, humanity's answering fury would engulf the entire Farsight Homeworld.

"Hahahaha! Those contemptible, shameless humans will witness the courage of the T'au!"

Farsight's expression twisted with madness.

Once the attack began, he intended to lead the last of the fleet in a suicidal charge against humanity.

In the forward combat zone, the T'au fleet faced a shadow that filled its entire field of vision, an endless torrent of pitch-black warships.

The density and sheer number of human vessels were far more terrifying than any known Tyranid Hive Fleet.

"Our fire has burned out. Perhaps every attack we make will be meaningless..."

An Air Caste captain stared at the torrent of warships, profound fear visible in his eyes.

He had no idea how to confront an enemy like this. Its scale surpassed anything the T'au could imagine.

It was infinitely more terrifying than the Tyranid swarms they had faced before. There was no hope to be seen.

"Do the Savior and... humanity truly intend to destroy us?" a Water Caste adjutant asked.

The other crew members turned toward the captain as well.

They still clung to a faint hope. Like many other T'au, they wanted to join the Greater Greater Good proclaimed by the Savior.

In truth, many ordinary T'au did not reject the Savior under the teachings of the new Greater Greater Good.

This new philosophy granted the T'au even greater freedom. Their choices and futures were no longer restricted by the caste into which they had been born.

Earth Caste members, for example, were no longer limited to becoming farmers, construction workers, or engineers. They could also become warriors.

Nor did members of the Air Caste have to spend their entire lives in space as crew members or pilots.

They were free to seek new lives for themselves.

In a sense, the new Greater Greater Good was more humane and offered far greater freedom, allowing many T'au to escape the shackles of their birth.

"All vessels, attack! Direct every weapon against the humans!"

Farsight's frenzied voice suddenly rang out over the communication channel.

The dictator had ordered the fleet to open fire.

The Air Caste captain froze.

At this distance, the moment his fleet attacked, it would be drowned beneath humanity's return fire.

It was a death sentence.

The captain was not the only one who realized it. Silence fell across the entire bridge as everyone understood that death had arrived.

Every crew member waited for the Air Caste captain's decision. His choice would determine the fate of their ship.

The captain raised his head and stared at the shadow descending upon them. He could already make out enormous human warships gleaming coldly within the darkness.

He wanted to carry out the order, but his throat seemed to have closed.

The shadow blotting out the stars, the crushing intimidation projected by the colossal human fleet, and the endless pressure rolling toward him left him unable to speak.

It was the instinctive suffocation of a living creature confronted by an irresistible threat and absolute terror.

"D-Damn it!"

The Air Caste captain did not want to fire, but he was also expected to obey his orders.

In the end, he made a decision.

If any other warship opened fire, his vessel would follow, regardless of the consequences.

Yet as the human fleet drew closer, the T'au fleet remained deathly silent.

Not a single vessel fired the first shot.

It seemed every captain had made the same decision.

The Air Caste captain released a breath of relief.

A moment later, however, even more cold sweat broke out across his body.

At some point, countless enemy fire-control systems had locked onto his ship. Its sensors were already overwhelmed and useless.

It was as if a child clutching a toy gun had not even managed to raise it before a wall of heavy cannons had been aimed at him, their muzzles gleaming with a heart-stopping chill.

Everything happened in silence, cold and merciless.

Fortunately, the disaster the Air Caste captain feared never occurred.

The human fleet did not open fire. It barely acknowledged the T'au vessels at all.

The colossal vanguard ships gently pushed aside the T'au warships blocking their path and continued onward without slowing.

More T'au warships moved aside voluntarily, making it appear as though they had assembled to welcome the Savior's army as it passed.

Afterward, the T'au Empire's warships trembled amid the pitch-black torrent of human vessels. They even shut down all fire-control systems and shields of their own accord, not daring to move an inch.

(End of Chapter)

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