The Descent into Madness

by FenrisianBrony

Battleplan

Applejack

Aun'Vesa approached Applejack’s quarters, hesitating for the briefest of seconds before knocking three times on the metal door, waiting patiently for a reply. It had been almost three hours since the Shas’O had been presented with members of her own kind, the four of them retreating into Applejack’s chamber with the express command that they were not to be disturbed for anything, short of an attack on the world. Aun’Vesa could have overridden this command with ease, but there were some things that an Ethereal shouldn’t do, even if they could do it.

While Applejack talked to her kin, Aun’Vesa had talked to the two Eldar, the human moving to speak to the Demiurg, Koghad. He was relieved that the human hadn’t spoken to him if he was honest, mostly for his alliances than his race. Humans could be good people, but those who still called the Imperium home were as far from those who followed the Greater Good as the Orks were from the Tau. The Eldar however an entirely different people, more akin to the Tau at times, especially when they were in an amicable mood, which these two were, at least when it came to dealing with the Empire.

The pair of them, Tar’nek and Juhani were their names, had explained what had happened as best they could, lamenting that they only entered the horror story that had apparently been progressing for years very late. Still, their insight was useful, telling of a friend who had been lost to a monster thanks to the darker of their kin. Aun’Vesa had known what those monsters were capable of, the events of Vigos and Rubikon, and Urien Rakarth’s vile treachery and creations, and the thought of a close friend turning into a monster even fractionally as evil as Urien chilled him to the bone.

Eventually though, Applejack had finished speaking to her friends, the three being quickly taken for medical examination, the orderly’s complaining under their breath that the medical facilities should have been done before a conversation. Aun’Vesa had waited a further half an hour, before approaching the door where he now stood.

“Ya can come in, Aun’Vesa. Ah know it’s gonna be you.”

Applejack’s voice was almost entirely monotone, the door muffling it to the point where Aun’Vesa had to strain to hear it. It was clear however that Applejack had not taken the news well, not that anyone could blame her. Who in all of creation could truly say they could take the news she had received well?

Waving his hand over the doors control panel, Aun’Vesa swept into the room, taking in his surroundings in an instant. Everything was a mess, papers and datapads strewn across the floor, while some of the walls were cracked, looking like something had hit them with unrestrained rage and sorrow. And by the window was Applejack.

Applejack had discarded her armour, the plates of the suit as dented and disfigured as the rest of the room. Her burns and scars bled sluggishly from being ripped open, but she paid them no heed, instead sitting in front of the large window, staring up into the night sky, the stars twinkling above her. Beside her, the remains of the drone assigned to her sparked and twitched, trying in vain to follow it’s cleaning programming.

Even from where Aun’Vesa was standing he could see enough of Applejack’s face to read her expression. There was mixture of loss, sadness, and confusion written across her face as she stared pleadingly upwards. It was as if by looking up at the stars, she would find answers that would help with the crisis that had found itself in her mane.

All that the lifeless lights did however was somehow blink back at her, telling her nothing in the form of answers, stubborn in their silence.

"There are three sayings amongst the gue'la that seem prudent now, ones that were ancient even before their Imperium came to be,” Aun’Vesa started, slowly approaching Applejack. “Would you like to know them?”

“Ya gonna say ‘em anyway,” Applejack shrugged dejectedly, not turning around. “Might as well tell me.”

“They were, 'I would do anything for love,' 'Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster... for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you,' and 'The fault lies not in the stars, but within ourselves'. It seems the humans can be wise without the Greater Good…on very rare occasions,” Aun’Vesa recited, deciding to ignore the way Applejack was addressing him and instead attempting a small laugh, attempting to cheer the pony up with some humour. When he got no response, he continued.

“I’m sure you’d rather I not go into explaining why each one is prudent in this situation, you’re a smart warrior, you’ll see the parallels, but…”

Aun’Vesa would have continued, if Applejack had done something that he never expected of her, or anyone in the Empire for that matter. For any Tau, it would be tantamount to suicide, even Auxila members knowing the ramifications of such an action. Aun’Vesa knew Applejack knew the ramifications as well, but in her grief she had chosen to ignore them. Or maybe she remembered, and just didn’t care.

“Oh Aun’Vesa, please shut up!” she roared, turning around to face him for the first time, her face twisted with rage and sorrow. “Yer philosophies and sayin’s ain’t gonna help here! Do ya understand that?! The time fer talkin’ is over! Mah friend…the thing that used to be Rainbow Dash, she’s gonna come here to try and ‘save’ me, and y’all know what the monsters she’s fallen in with will do when they get here!”

Applejack was on her hooves now, although she couldn’t remember getting up. Letting out a wordless screech, she lashed out behind her, delivering a double legged buck into the wall, creating two huge craters and a spider web of cracks.

“Celestia damn ya Twilight!” she roared, falling to the floor as the damn finally broke and tears streamed from her eye. “Damn ya and all yer fuckin’ spells! If it weren’t fer y’all, Dash and I wouldn’t even be here!”

With her rage finally burnt out, Applejack lapsed into sobs, not caring that Aun’Vesa was watching her, or even that he came towards her, sitting down and wrapping his arm around her shaking form. He didn’t know how long he stayed like that, comforting the sobbing Equine, but eventually Applejack seemed to run out of tears to shed, wiping her one eye with the back of a hoof and standing up, swaying slightly as she tried to regain what little composure she could.

“Ya don’t need ta worry about me, mighty Ethereal,” she said, her voice just as monotone as before, but this time with a grim determination, rather than grief. “No matter what comes, ah’ll see it through ta the end, ah promise y’all. But…ah’ll need all yer help Ethereal.”

“It is given, of course,” Aun’Vesa smiled, bowing his head slightly, before walking over to the desk.

Much of the coverings that were strewn across the floor or broken beyond repair, but the desks projector was still functional. Sweeping aside what was left on the desk, he quickly keyed in a few commands, plugging in his own datapad, some holo-books appearing on its surface.

“I have fought alongside Eldar before in my time, as well as learning of their ways at the academies on T’olku and Dal’yth, and more importantly, the techniques best used to counter them,” he began, looking straight at Applejack. “Like us, they value speed over heavy armour, preferring a Mont’Ka approach of war, striking fast and fading before reprisals, their dark kin valuing this even more. Unlike us however, they are not only well-versed in, but relish close quarter combat over ranged fighting, although they are equally skilled in that as well. Any fight against them, any fight, will be costly, and we will need to rely as much on our auxiliary cadres as our Fire Warriors. They will hit us at range and then be amongst our lines without our eyes even being able to follow their progress if we are not careful. And that's even before we get to their...abilities. The dark eldar have developed a means of feeding off of the terror and suffering that they leave in the wake of their attacks, literally drawing sustenance from the pain they inflict. It revitalizes them, keeps them energized for a fight even when they've fought for hours on end, and if they capture you...well, after speaking to your friends about their experiences, I am sure I don't need to tell you that death by your own weapon would be preferable to being taken alive.”

Aun’Vesa spread out three hard light tomes out as he spoke, shaking his head as if to clear away the troubling thoughts as Applejack made out the title of the central book, ‘The Puretide Theorems’ just as Aun’Vesa tapped its surface, his eyes flicking to one of the books for the briefest of seconds before returning to Applejack.

“This is the training manuals of the late Commander Puretide, all of his tactical knowledge went into this book, I suggest you read it. It does deal mostly with combat against the Ork hordes, but his ideas of how to combat a foe intent on closing the gaps between forces may prove enlightening. I would recommend reading all three of these books, and you are also to report to the medical bay tomorrow at high sun, I have arranged for a Puretide Engram Neurochip to be released from our stores. We will need every edge in the coming fight.”

“Joy, more metal shoved inside me,” Applejack scowled, sitting down behind the desk and looking over the three books, seeing the other two books were titled ‘The Way of the Beast’ and ‘The Mirrorcodex’, the one that Aun’Vesa had looked slightly nervous about as he presented it.

“Yes, I know you are not a fan, but it must be done,” Aun’Vesa spoke as he moved to the other side of the desk, looking at Applejack. “But before you read any of these books, remember this. Puretide said that those with superior reach can dictate the terms of battle, and impose their will upon the foe, but another commander, one whose name I cannot speak, rightly said that if a foe can close the gap and come close enough to negate your striking power, all stratagem is lost, and when all stratagem is lost, the battle is lost. That commander understood something that few Tau have ever grasped, superior reach does not always mean longer reach, we out-range most enemies, but fall apart when close in killing happens...”

“Ah was a Breacher Team leader, ah know how lackin’ the Tau are in a knife fight,” Applejack cut in, before adding “Ethereal.”

“Yes, I remember, but we have two teams left, the Kroot and the Demiurg are the few close combatants that we have available to us, other than battlesuit teams, and even then we are shorthanded. The commander of a force, you, must know how to dictate when and where a fight happens, at what range, but you must never confuse superior reach with longer, or the Sept will die.”

As he spoke, Aun’Vesa drew his personal Equalizers from his side, placing the side by side on the desk carefully, before moving to the wall, reaching up and plucking a ceremonial sword from its bracket, the item untouched by Applejack’s fury.

“There is one more thing that you must do however, something I know you have the capability to do,” he spoke as he re-approached the desk.

“And that is, Ethereal?” Applejack asked, eyeing the sword and the Equalizers warily.

Aun’Vesa didn’t reply for a moment, before driving the sword deep into the desk in between the two Equalizers, letting the sword wobble slightly as he spoke with an air of finality.

“You must learn to shorten your reach even further.”

With that, Aun’Vesa turned to leave, getting to the door before Applejack called out after him.

“So, when were ya planning ta tell me?”

“Tell you what?” Aun’Vesa asked, turning around to face her once more.

“Oh come on, Ethereal, come off it,” Applejack sighed, shaking her head. “‘superior reach doesn’t equal longer reach’, that’s the teachings of Farsight,” she ignored Aun’Vesa’s widening eyes as she continued, making sure the door was locked before continuing. “So that’s strike one fer yer secret, strike two, y’all have a copy of the Mirrorcodex, that’s his book, ah doubt y’all just happened upon it one day, that had ta be sought out. So, why don’t ya tell me what strike three’s gonna be?”

“You’re getting too familiar,” Aun’Vesa warned, narrowing his eyes and for the first time, Applejack saw that he resented the informal relationship that they had developed.

“Maybe,” Applejack shrugged. “But ah’m also about to plan to fight mah best friend and ah’m the only warrior who can act as an ‘O’ for the foreseeable future, plus yer actin’ mighty familiar around an enemy of the Empire, so ah think ah’m allowed to be familiar.”

“What do you want to know,” Aun’Vesa scowled.

“Farsight doesn’t take kindly to yer kind, why d’you care so much about him?”

“I don’t care about him, beyond wanting him brought to justice,” Aun’Vesa snapped. “But he is not wrong in everything, and he is more capable than any of our Empires commanders, Shadowsun included. If he were not at Second Battle of Mu’gulath bay then the Imperium would have reclaimed the world, rather than spitefully destroying it, and from there the entire sphere would have been undone and we would have lost far more than we did, even amongst the other unspeakable cost of that campaign.”

“What else did we lose? You’re speaking of more than a planet and the gulf,” Applejack asked slowly, suddenly feeling like she didn’t have all the answers that she wanted.”

“That is a conversation for another time,” Aun’Vesa shook his head.

“It’s a conversation fer now,” Applejack shot back.

“No, it’s not,” Aun’Vesa insisted. “We have more important things to talk about than Farsight and Mu'gulath bay, but I promise, that if we repulse Rainbow Dash I will tell you everything, beyond what is common knowledge among the Empire.”

“Fine, ah guess ah’ll take that,” Applejack rolled her eye, before turning back to the desk and unlocking the door. “Ah’ll be at medical tomorrow, anything else send a messenger please, Mighty Ethereal.”

“Yes, Shas’O,” Aun’Vesa nodded, before backing out of the room and leaving Applejack to devour the books contents.

***

Koghad stared across the bench at Goge, a scowl written across his face. In return, Goge stared back at Koghad, his bionics giving away nothing, daring the Demiurg to make the first move.

“So…yer a human,” Koghad finally spoke.

“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” Goge shot back. “And you’re an abhuman Squat.”

“We go by Demiurg now, Squat’s an…antiquated term,” Koghad searched for the right word, ‘Squat’ being spat out like an insult. “Ya befriended a pony?”

“And I did it first, years ago,” Goge nodded.

“Aye, but mine ain’t a murderous bitch now is she?”

“I don’t know, you tell me. I’ve heard very little about Applejack in the Tau Empire.”

“That’s Shas’O Applejack,” Koghad growled, leaning closer.

“Not my chain of command, not my title,” Goge growled back, mirroring Koghad. “Unless you want to start referring to me as Colonel Goge.”

The atmosphere was tense for a few more seconds, both belligerents looking like they were trying to melt a hole through the other with their stares, before finally, Koghad failed to stifle a snort.

With that, it was like a damn opening, Koghad bursting into fits of laughter, while Goge’s face only got darker.

“I’m glad you’re finding the situation funny,” he deadpanned. “You’re only looking at a war with your commanding officers old friend. Why would that cause you to stop your childish laughing?”

“Because ah know Applejack, and ah know that she’ll do just fine against this new enemy. But,” Koghad snorted, pulling a bottle of whisky from beneath the bench and slamming it down, producing two glasses, “ah also know that she’ll be needin’ someone who ain’t moping around to advise ‘er. So, ah’ll be the lass’s breath of fresh air. Now, ah heard ya came here because ya wanted some booze.”

“Seems like the right time to drink myself stupid,” Goge nodded with a sigh.

“Alright, ah’ll cut ya a deal, human. Ya can have some of this, and some of the rest of mah stash, but, ya have to tell me about this Rainbow Dash, before all this crap.”

“It won’t help, I don’t think I know her anymore,” Goge shook his head, looking down. “Once, I thought I knew her, taught her things, built up a friendship. Who knows, maybe I never knew her. Maybe this was there the whole time, but I doubt it. Whatever she’s been through killed her, something just parading round in her skin now. So if that’s not enough for you, then I’ll take my leave and find a release somewhere else.”

“Oh stop bein’ melodramatic,” Koghad rolled his eyes, pouring two glasses and offering one to Goge. “Ah make it a principle of mine ta never drink alone, and since ah’m wantin’ a drink, and yer the only one here, guess ah’ve got no choice.”

Goge took the glass from Koghad, the pair knocking back a glass, followed swiftly by a second, and a third.

“I’ll give it to you,” Goge muttered, his voice slightly strained. “You Sq…Demiurg sure know how to make good booze.”

“Well of course, ya don’t think ta Tau keep us around for our devilish good looks, do you?” Koghad snorted, pouring them both a forth glass. “Ya should probably ease up though, this stuff will go right to a Demiurg’s head if he ain’t used to it, and we can handle our hooch far better than a human.”

“Don’t care,” Goge shrugged, downing the glass and looking at the bottle expectantly. “If this is going to be my last war, I might as well enjoy the lead up to it.”

“Stop bein’ so melodramatic,” Koghad refilled the glass. “Applejack’s gotten me out of worse situations before, this time on Styro she lead me and a group o’others through a war zone, even captured a titan princeps. Don’t count ‘er out or this Sept lost.”

“Maybe she will win, maybe she’ll repulse the Dark Eldar and kill this monster, but it’s still it for me,” Goge shook his head. “If I die in battle, that’s me done. If I live and go home, Commissars will execute me or the Inquisition will interrogate me and then execute me. I’m finished, the Cusatis line is dead, I’m just glad I never had any kids who’d have to bear this stigma.”

“Well that all does sound a bit shit,” Koghad nodded in agreement, pouring Goge yet another glass, not bothering with his own, before leaning forward, resting his elbows on the surface and placing his chin into his hand. “You know though, fer someone like you, there may be a third way.”

Goge looked at Koghad, swaying ever so slightly as the alcohol started to hit home. “I’m listening.”

Comments

[Bazing]

rip Applejack :(

[Aatxe360]

Oh, I've been waiting for this to update. Very much appreciated.

[FleetlordAvatar]

I like the little reference to the Squats, but I find myself intrigued by the idea that the Demiurg and the Squats might be one and the same.

[the other sans]

trying in vain to follow it’s cleaning programming
placing the side by side on the desk carefully
feeling like she didn’t have all the answers that she wanted.”
pouring them both a forth glass

1. Its.
2. Them.
3. Extra closing quotation mark.
4. Fourth.

I believe there was a saying: "No plan ever survives contact with the enemy." So probably Thebes thing to do is to plan for anything and everything but still be able to improvise as needed. Let's hope AJ can do the same and bring back the Dash that she knows even if it has to be kicking and screaming.

[N4rwh41]

Nooooooo... Is the fact that the Tau put brainwashing chemicals in the water canon to this fic?

[FenrisianBrony]

8110490
Working on another one as we speak :P

[FenrisianBrony]

8111154
What makes you say that? I thought i'd avoided tuff like that

[N4rwh41]

8111183 just wondering. Read some of the Tau's fluff on a wiki while board. Question was not related to the story.

[FenrisianBrony]

8111229
Ah, makes more sense. I personally never liked that fluff, prefer the Tau when they are the one objectively "good" faction in a see of morally grey or evil factions

[N4rwh41]

8111237 Yeah, that universe really needs some good guys. Good to know these are old Tau.

[Bahamuttone]

starring up into the night sky,

staring