Chapter 84: T'au-Style High Gothic
Inquisitor Fenni, ever since she had inherited her master's position and legacy, had never been so close to death. The ultrasonic blade, emitting a nauseating, low hum, was pressed against her pale neck. The sound waves from the weapon made her dizzy, but she dared not move a muscle, for the weapon was in the hands of one of the Adeptus Mechanicus's most infamous Sicarian Ruststalkers.
"These guards are really something," Omega said, settling back into his seat after having half-risen in alarm. The moment he had shouted, several figures had shot down from the ceiling with imperceptible speed. One had restrained the suspected traitor Inquisitor, while the others had formed a wall in front of him.
This guard detail had been given to Omega by Veyl. Although he wanted Omega to leave Teyedan, he was also very worried about his safety. So he had selected an elite guard team for Omega from the Praetorians of the Omnissiah. This team would guard him 24/7, ready to eliminate any enemy that threatened him.
"Ahem, let her go. Any longer and the sound waves will kill her."
"Yes, Magos Omega."
The Ruststalker retracted its blade and took a step back, creating a distance just enough to spare the Inquisitor from the ultrasonic weapon's damage, while still keeping her within its attack range.
"Inquisitor Fenni, are you colluding with the xenos?!" Omega asked the suspected heretic in a stern voice.
Omega's thought: Confess, or I'll let you see the perverted methods of the cog-heads!
"Ahem, Magos Omega, you misunderstand. I am loyal!"
"Hmph! All traitors claim to be loyal before they're exposed! What is your conspiracy with the xenos? Tell me, or don't blame me for being impolite."
The female Inquisitor rubbed her temples, fighting back the urge to vomit, and explained, "Magos, this 'Xenocide Crusade' has already deviated from its original plan. If we continue this stalemate, we will only be wasting the Imperium's strength in the Far East. If this goes on, it will give other xenos and heretics an opportunity."
"Err..." Omega, not knowing the situation, didn't know whether to believe her.
"The T'au are also facing this situation. So some of them want to end this war through peace talks. And so do some of us."
"'Some of them'?"
The Inquisitor smiled wryly. "For every dove, there is a hawk."
"Hmm. But if that's all, do you need to hide yourself by using my name?"
"If it were just the obstruction from the war hawks, of course not. But heretic traitors also do not want us to stop this war. They will use any means to stop us."
"Hmm," Omega nodded.
"And among the T'au's allies, there are many who are extremely hostile to the Imperium. If they learn of this, they will also do everything they can to obstruct the peace talks."
When will this cycle of revenge end? Can't you people just do a clean job? Omega was annoyed with the fools who had left loose ends. But the mistake had been made, and his annoyance wouldn't change anything. "Alright, I understand. But this plan is just your peace faction's..."
"I have a handwritten order from the Regent!"
"You should have said so earlier! Why waste so much breath explaining? If you delay the Regent's great cause, can you bear the responsibility?" Omega complained, and immediately took out his comms unit. "Notify everyone to pack up immediately! We need to leave O'nyl as quickly as possible!" Holding the comms unit, Omega added, "By the way, show me Regent Guilliman's order. I'll be able to tell if it's real or fake with just a glance!"
The Inquisitor: ...
And so, after promising the "triumvirate" that he would definitely return, Omega left O'nyl under their "you'd better put it in writing" gazes, and plunged into the warp, heading straight for the T'au Empire.
Magos Omega, codenamed "Emei Peak," was now getting into character. He was about to go to the prisoner's hold to console the captives, to tell them the purpose of their rescue. As long as they delivered a message to the T'au, and talked about how friendly Magos Omega was, how well he had treated them, he would give them a great reward.
Feeling that he had fully embraced his role as a cog-head interested in T'au technology, Omega, once again playing himself, went to the prisoner of war camp, accompanied by Inquisitor Fenni. Their appearance caused a stir among the T'au, who were covered in scars and emaciated, clearly having been mistreated by the humans. Omega looked at the abused prisoners and was, for a moment, unsure who the villains of this drama were. Am I the villain? A flicker of doubt crossed his mind, and then he tore it to shreds and threw it away. Mere xenos, are they worthy of my doubt? The Emperor himself said: The xenos must die!
(The Emperor: Xenos who don't like melee combat especially must die!)
One of the T'au stepped forward. From the attitude of the others, this T'au was the highest-ranking among them. With a heroic air, he dragged his wounded body, step by step, to Omega. There was not a trace of fear in his eyes, only the responsibility of a leader and the courage of a warrior.
Omega could see that this was a tough one. He liked to deal with—admire—such tough heroes (xenos). So he said, "You, what is your purpose?"
Fenni (O_O;)
The T'au: When did the human High Gothic change its flavor?
"Shas'ui 'Brightblade,' former cadre commander."
"Yoshi! I am Omega, the Magos. Your lives have been saved by me!"
"...I thank you."
"I would like to ask you to deliver a message to the T'au. If you cooperate, the rewards will be great!"
Inquisitor Fenni could no longer stand Omega's strange accent. This tone of High Gothic was too blasphemous. She said, "Magos Omega, allow me to explain to 'Brightblade'."
"Huh? Why?"
"Commander 'Brightblade' is not proficient in the human language."
"Yes, I am not proficient in the human language," 'Brightblade' immediately admitted.
Omega (o_O)??
Pushed to the side, Omega watched as Fenni spoke a stream of T'au to 'Brightblade', who replied with a few sentences of his own. Then Fenni said to Omega, "Commander 'Brightblade' has agreed to your request."
"Oh, as long as he agrees. How was my T'au-accented High Gothic just now? He should have been able to understand it."
'Brightblade' (╯_╰): We don't have that accent.
"Magos Omega, where did you learn the T'au language?" Fenni asked, speechless.
"I've never learned it."
"Have you had contact with the T'au before?"
"No, this is the first time I've seen one alive."
The Inquisitor (°_°)
Omega, who was smart from a young age, could see from their expressions that his self-created T'au-style High Gothic was a minority language, not yet accepted by the wider population of Warhammer. He could only try to save face. "Hahaha, I was just joking. I just wanted to appear a little more friendly—"
'Brightblade' had some tact. He took Omega's words and said, "I have received Magos Omega's goodwill. Thank you again for your help."
Omega was starting to like this xenos. Compared to the Inquisitor who was glaring at him, the difference was clear. Seeing the other party being so gracious, he had the apprentices outside bring in the things he had prepared. "I've prepared some daily necessities and food for you."
"Thank you very much, Magos Omega. I have an impertinent request."
"Speak. As long as it's not an excessive request, I will not make things difficult for you."
Hearing this, a look of joy appeared on 'Brightblade's' face. It seemed the human female had not been lying. This Magos Omega valued them highly. He said, "As you can see, we have been cruelly mistreated. All of us who have survived are seriously injured. We need treatment!"
This made Omega's face flush with embarrassment. He was once again reminded that his side was the absolute villain in the eyes of the xenos. To cover his embarrassment, he quickly said, "Of course, no problem. I happen to have a few of your medical instruments on my ship. I'll have them sent over immediately."
"Thank you for your mercy."
In the following journey, Omega would frequently go to the T'au to show his face. The effect was remarkable. With his appearance, his friendly attitude, and his praise of T'au technology, his favorability among the T'au prisoners skyrocketed. Especially after he had learned from 'Brightblade' that the T'au had a food called "N'im O'yi," which was similar to instant noodles. A wave of nostalgia washed over him, and he spent the whole night developing several nostalgic creations. The next day, he invited a few of the "N'im O'yi" lovers among the T'au to a tasting. The result was that Omega's instant noodles were a great hit among the T'au. Even some who didn't like the bland taste of "N'im O'yi" approved of Omega's unique and strongly flavored instant noodles.
The insidious little cog-head secretly recorded the T'au's approval of his instant noodles, as another piece of evidence of the xenos plagiarizing human technology.
Of course, not all the T'au accepted Omega. A considerable number of the prisoners were extremely hostile to him. Omega paid them no mind and treated them the same as the other T'au. He even said to 'Brightblade' with false benevolence, "We are all victims of war. Your experience is pitiable. I am not an absolute pacifist, but I also think that the Imperium has been too barbaric in war."
Omega's thought: Acting like barbarians is so inefficient.
This made the Fire Caste 'Brightblade' think even more highly of Omega. He believed that if Omega hadn't chosen to become a scientist, he could have become a virtuous warrior. Hearing 'Brightblade's' evaluation of him, Omega said, "My ancestors would not be honored by me killing an unarmed enemy."