Cost of Loyalty and Independence

"I have my orders." *he flicks a switch on his pulse carbine, and it whines into life.* "If necessary, we have more than enough firepower to deal with some gue'la."

*At the outpost, the automated railgun turrets snap around, intercepting the emp shells before they detonate, sparing its electronics. However, out in the valley, they have no such luck, the engines of the hover truck cutting, and dropping it to the ground.*

*The shas'la drops his pulse carbine, and half draws the honour blade at his waist* "Foolish gue'la, your own ranged weapons are also nulled."

Shas'la: *he fully draws his honour blade.*

*the rest of the fire warriors discard their useless weapons, and also draw whatever melee weapons they are carrying.*

*The outpost does not respond, save for a faint, barely audible alarm sounding within the compound.*

they suddenly hear movement nearby

*The shas'la is standing in front of the ambassador, shielding her with his body, his eyes flick over towards the movement.*

A horn sounds

they see, on both sides, several men emerge from the terrain
about two dozen
they wear what looks like salvaged imperial guard armour...but they're no guardsmen
hooves, horns, goat and cow like features
very hairy, some larger than men
most armed with makeshift, or stolen, swords, axes and chainswords, a few firearms amongst them

Shas'la: "To the ambassador fire warriors. Stand fast... and we shall persevere." *The fire warriors move to protect the ambassador, and a shorter, more stout looking tau climbs from the downed hover truck, and moves over with them also, wielding a large metal bar as a makeshift club of sorts*

the beastmen simply charge head on. one of them bellows loudly. "KILL THE HORSEMEN!"

*The tau turrets snap their weapons around to the kill teams, the cloaking fields obviously not able to hide them fully, be it infa red, ultra violet, the turrets can see them. From the outpost, a message plays on speakers* "Gue'la. Pull back from the outpost, or we will open fire. Ten. Nine..."

*The tau begin to move, running back towards the outpost, maintaining a cordon around the water caste diplomat.*

the beastmen charge headlong at the horsemen

*the outpost does not respond*

The ambushing riders are themselves ambushed as a volley of autogun fire cuts into them

The beastmen reach the first riders, hacking and slashing with extreme fury

*Four of the projectiles are shot out of the air by the automated turrets, another by a broadside battlesuit, firing its railguns without setting its stabilisers, the recoil throwing it to the ground. The last projectile hits home*

*The small knot of tau are moving quickly back towards their outpost, still tight packed around the ambassador.*

OOC: Eight orbital kenetic bombardment weapons? Um.. well that outpost doesn't exist anymore.

*The Tau warriors turn and balk at the wanton destruction.*
Ambasador: "...I..."

Shas'la: "I have my morals, you barbarian! The greater good!" *The tau charge, even the ambasador, from the water caste, who shun violence in all its forms, clenches her fists and runs forwards with the fire warriors*

*The fire warriors put up a decent fight, a few horses fall with blades stuck in them, the earth caste engineer's pipe swings into a horses legs, snapping them as if they were little more than twigs. The ambassador fights back against her captor, opting for punches to the groin*

OOC: So how are we doing this?

Ambassador: "Let us pass gue'la, conflict between our peoples will not further the greater good."

OOC beastmen still hiding

Ambassador: "I have been informed that this outpost is fully allowed, and protected under treaty, please contact your superiors, i am sure they will confirm it."

Ambassador: "Then this is simply a case of honest misunderstanding." *she places a hand on the shas'la's chest plate, pushing him back behind her.* "I will see to it our operations here cease, and a transport is arranged."

OOC and no one had to die

Shas'la: "I will not allow such a thing. Unfettered access to our systems and technology, you must be mad."

"Then give me two hours. I will destroy anything that we cannot take with us."

*he looks at the horse.* "how do I.."

*The ambassador just kind of lets it happen, showing signs of being mildly horrified by being manhandled, while the shas'la shrugs, and starts running after them*

*An xv-88 broadside battlesuit strides out of the outpost* "Por'El?" 

Ambassador: "We will be leaving soon Shas'ui... It seems the Guela care not for their people, nor our attempts to help them."

OOC: The tau would still consider that archaic, subsistence farming? how backwards.
Coming from a fully centralised communist state, where each person's needs are catered to. They would consider subsistence farming a poor standard of living.

OOC: The tau would see it as we see a tribal society, sure, they seem happy, but they're suffering with lack of medical care, probably malnutrition, high infant mortality. all that stuff.

*After about an hour, they see the full complement of the tau outposts personel leaving the outpost, then, when they are all about a hundred metres away. A chain of plasma explosions ripple across the outpost, completely levelling it to the ground.*