Prelude to An Unexpected Foe

The Eldar had for the longest of times been a dominant, albeit secretive presence in the Caerphillax Sector. On many worlds the Eldar remained shrouded and obscured from view and from the sensor arrays of space faring ships either travelling through the sector or in orbit around various planets. On some worlds where their presence had been discovered war was breaking out.

One such world was Kotheous, with recent confrontations with a small but deadly Space Wolves contingent. However on Thrask the mysterious xenos were hidden, for the time being. A nearby outbreak of fighting was of no immediate concern to them, their reasons for being on the planet were to serve a higher purpose and the squabblings of less educated races were of no consequence to them.

In the surrounding plains of the star port, Aun'Li and his ethereal comrades, still having to make do without the great but heavily injured o'Ralai, were heavily consumed with the replenishment of their battered but righteous cadre. Common Tau doctrine stated that fortification of positions was not a feasible strategy, and so advance parties were sent out in all directions to observe the Gue'la they had landed on the planet to absorb into the greater good. Despite the victory they had just achieved, tensions were running high and no one wanted to be the one who failed to spot another attack from the foul forces of Chaos. Possibly due to this blinkered focus, or the outstanding stealth capabilities of the Eldar, but none of the Eldar rangers or scout jetbikes were spotted. Their heat signatures and engine noise kept well hidden by ancient knowledge of technology.

As the Tau advanced, the concealed Eldar kept close watch, observing to see what the latest visitors to Thrask were up to. They weren't looking for a conflict but were on high alert just in case lethal force had to be employed. Nothing could stand between them and their mysterious objective they'd worked towards for so long in the Caerphillax sector.

Devilfish crested the peak of yet another rocky outcrop to be confronted with further plains. The landscape of this world was proving to be rather mundane, not that it mattered when there was a population to enlighten and envelop into the greater good. That being said, something didn't look quite right about this particular stretch of low land. Everything appeared too perfect, and repetitive, almost like a painting rather than real life. To a casual passer by, or a lesser race, this would probably have gone unnoticed. Quick bursts of communication erupted over the internal comms feed, and while most agreed that there was no cause to slow the advance, a concession was made that the wide area should be approached from all angles, the speed and manoeuvrability of their vehicles and equipment enabling them the easily approach the picture perfect plains from all sides. That was the first mistake the Eldar would punish them for...