Chapter 86: Omega in the T'au Empire, Part I
Just as Omega was starting to consider whether he should go back to the ship and bring down a squad of Battle Automata, the T'au took the initiative and approached him. They asked if he would be willing to give a public lecture.
Omega did not refuse. This was a perfect opportunity to break the ice. He could use this gesture of goodwill to attract T'au who were interested in him, and thus achieve his goal of an academic exchange. Otherwise, if he did nothing, anyone would suspect that he had other motives for this trip.
However, the request was so normal that it made Omega uncomfortable. He couldn't tell if he was the abnormal one, or if the T'au were too normal. It was like returning to normal society after a long stay in a madhouse.
The public lecture was scheduled for the next day. Using the excuse that he needed to go back and prepare, Omega left the academy city and returned to the Cogboy. Since he was going to release goodwill, he thought he could give a small gift to the T'au who came to his lecture. Instant noodles would be perfect; 'Brightblade' and the others had given them a good review.
In terms of teaching standards, the cog-heads and the T'au were simply incomparable. This also gave Omega an idea. The exchange could be about technology, or it could be about other things. He now planned to copy the T'au's educational model and then pick out some useful parts for the apprentices on his ship.
During his secret contest with Inquisitor Fenni, he had several times tried to find a flaw in her by checking the surveillance, but he had found nothing. Instead, he had found a few couples making out, which had not only polluted his eyes but also his mind. He thought about his own apprentices, who had no such thoughts. He felt that he had been too lenient with them. He needed to launch a "campaign to rectify the style of study," to make them think of nothing but their studies and not these eye-straining things.
While waiting for the public lecture, Omega chatted with the T'au who was assisting him, through a translator, asking them how they managed so many students.
"Are your caste divisions really that strict?" Omega asked, after hearing that inter-caste marriage was a serious crime.
The Water Caste T'au who was assisting him replied matter-of-factly, "Free love and sex are not encouraged. Inter-caste marriage is a serious crime."
"I understand your collectivism, but is it necessary to go to this extent? Why?"
"The Ethereals believe that this will blur the biological differences between the castes and species, and thus blur the lines of social status," the T'au explained.
His answer sent a chill down Omega's spine. The T'au's expression and tone when he said this were too natural, too matter-of-fact. This was the second time Omega had felt this way. He realized that there was something very wrong hidden beneath the seemingly normal social environment of the T'au, especially with those Ethereals.
"Is this to allow your four castes to better perform their respective duties?" Omega asked.
"Yes. The Fire Caste are the warriors and generals, the Earth Caste are the workers and engineers, the Air Caste are the pilots and captains, and we of the Water Caste are the diplomats, merchants, and civil servants."
"I see. Your division of labor is very clear. Is it almost time?"
"Yes, Magos Omega. Please, follow me."
Under the guidance of the Water Caste T'au, Omega came to a passage. After passing through several identification gates, they arrived at a large hall that looked like an auditorium, which was already packed with T'au.
Omega was led to the podium. This scene, for someone who had given many mass meetings, did not make him nervous at all. In fact, it reminded him of his time as a "life coach." He said through the translator, "Today, I am very happy to have this opportunity to communicate with all of you. First, let me introduce myself. I am Omega, a Tech-Priest from the Adeptus Mechanicus of the Imperium of Man."
The moment he finished, the T'au, to their credit, began to applaud.
"This is also the first public lecture of my life, so I don't really know what to talk about. So I would like to give the right to ask questions to all of you. You ask, and I will answer."
But this time, the T'au's reaction puzzled Omega. He only learned the reason later. If you were to ask a T'au what they lacked most in their life, Omega's answer would have been "the right to choose." The T'au have no choice. From birth to work to death, they have no choice. The terrifying thing about T'au society is that every race, every class, and every individual is deprived of the right to choose.
Suppose you are a good-for-nothing in the T'au Empire. Don't worry, you won't be executed and turned into Corpse Starch. On the contrary, you will get a one-bedroom apartment, universal healthcare, a broom, and a job as a cleaner. But that's it. You are not allowed to do any other work, you are not allowed to go to school or further your education, you are not allowed to decide who you love. In short, you are not allowed to create any value beyond your status. If you dare to cross the line, you will be sent for re-education. If you cross it again, you will be re-educated again, and so on, until you no longer transgress. But they will not execute you, because that is not the "Greater Good."
The T'au, who have been raised collectively since childhood, have been indoctrinated with these ideas from a young age. Their growth process has also been so required. When Omega gave the choice to these students, they didn't know how to choose.
Seeing that no one was asking any questions, to avoid an awkward silence, Omega continued, "Don't worry about asking any sensitive questions. I will choose to avoid such questions. So feel free to ask whatever you want to ask."
Fortunately, there are rebellious students everywhere. The nature of living beings can be tamed, but not erased. Finally, a T'au stood up and asked, "What is a Tech-Priest? Is it an engineer?"
"That's a good question. In my opinion, the duties of a Tech-Priest are similar to those of an engineer. But strictly speaking, we are clergy, priests of the Machine God, followers of the Omnissiah." Omega's answer confused the T'au. They couldn't understand how science and theology could be combined. Another reason was that the T'au were atheists. In their education, all gods were false.
Just then, another T'au asked, "Magos Omega, can you tell us the reason why the humans attacked us? Why are you so hostile to other races?"
"That's not an easy question to answer. The specific truth has been buried by time. But the only thing that can be confirmed is that we humans once treated other races just as you do. But they betrayed us." Omega's answer caused a stir among the T'au. They had not expected to get such an answer from him. Since the disaster of the T'au's Fourth Sphere Expansion, the T'au's attitude towards auxiliary races had undergone a subtle change. Although the Ethereals had suppressed the relevant information, there is no wall in the world that does not leak.
"This universe is far from as peaceful as you imagine. I'm sure you have also seen the danger of some races, such as the Greenskins and the Tyranids. As for the reason why the Imperium attacked you, although I can tell you, you will not like the answer."
The T'au who had asked the question did not sit down. He continued, "Please, tell us."
"In the eyes of the Imperium, attacking you is just a matter of cleaning up and suppressing a threatening xenos on the frontier. That's all."
"Thank you very much for your candor, Scholar Omega."
"Candor is the prerequisite for communication, is it not? Who else has a question?"
A few more T'au asked questions, and Omega answered them one by one. Because they were all students and had not yet personally experienced the harshness of the Imperium of Man, their attitude towards Omega was still friendly. There were no aggressive words. Of course, the T'au's weak concept of family was also a factor. They had no strong feelings for their own biological parents, let alone others.
Overall, Omega's first public lecture was a success. Especially after the students who had received the instant noodles had gone back and tried them, their attitude towards Omega was significantly better than that of others. After discovering that the diplomatic properties of instant noodles among students were still strong in the 42k, Omega proactively gave the T'au the recipe and production process for the instant noodles. This immediately raised Omega's reputation in this "academy city" to "friendly." To achieve such an achievement as a human was enough to get Omega executed by "white phosphorus."
In just over a week, Omega had managed to get himself another title: "tutor." This title allowed him to participate in the T'au's training courses. For example, he was now having his guards teach the Fire Caste... the holy art of melee combat.
"Of all the warriors who have made a name for themselves in the galaxy, I have never heard of one who relied on a gun. Which one of them did not cut down their opponents in close combat?" Omega instilled the "way of the warrior" into the Fire Caste in the training ground.
"Magos Omega, I don't understand why," a bruised and swollen apprentice asked.
"Various shield technologies make ranged firepower far less effective than melee combat when assassinating important targets. At the same time, a high-ranking commander also needs a good set of martial skills to deal with various assassinations. Without it, they often don't live long enough to become famous."
"Is that so?"
"And I'll tell you, the various artifacts with magical effects in the universe are also basically melee weapons. These weapons are all relics left behind by the former masters of the galaxy. It's not just that you are smart. Those ancient races had their reasons for designing their weapons this way."
"Ah?"
"Take, for example, the one whose name cannot be mentioned among your Fire Caste. He is the most successful of your Fire Caste in hundreds of years, and he has a considerable reputation in the Imperium of Man. Do you not know what his weapon is? He has lived for so long and has maintained his physical functions, and it is related to his weapon. Life-extension technology has never been your strong suit. I heard that you are still using cryogenic sleep to extend the lifespan of your elites."
"Hiss!"
Seeing the flames ignite in the eyes of the Fire Caste, Omega felt a sense of pride for bringing these "heretical cultivators" who favored ranged combat back to the "righteous path."