How would you write this?

[WarHammerman]

Okay, so in the rules, it clearly states that non-chapter-specific marines are Battle Brothers with the Tau.


My first thought is that one of the worlds the Tau captured (w/o violence) during the Second Sphere of Expansion (you know, the ones they took that caused the Damocles Crusade to occour) - was indeed a Space Marine Recruiting World for a chapter that generally hangs out on the Eastern Fringe.


But, this leaves a lot of holes.


So, I'm going to ask my literary betters:

How would you write a Space Marine Chapter going all buddy-buddy with Tau?

BONUS!!
I have here a model I like to call "Commander Surefire" (plays as Lysander). How would you write his story of how he became a tau allied detachment leader?
https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1003812_477216839032063_1569110865_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1045206_477216912365389_2106529217_n.jpg

That is the sept symbol for Ksi'm'yen on his shoulder, and since they have no official color I painted mine dark green, dark purple with ice-blue highlights (since it is said Ksi'm'yen was taken over by Stealth - and Commander Shadowsun).


If you have any questions, please ask =D
- WarHammerman

[Nabterayl]

My approach to the allies table is to treat it primarily as a descriptor of a very short period of time. The allies table does not answer the question, "How do these factions form a strategic alliance?" but "How do these factions work together when it is undeniably in their common interest to do so?" If two forces are fighting each other and facing a truly apocalyptic scenario - say, the planet is going to explode and kill them all unless they work together - how do they behave? "Come the Apocalypse" means they continue to fight each other anyway despite their mutually assured destruction. "Desperate Allies" means they stop fighting each other to save their skins, but at least one of the two is expecting the other to betray them at the first opportunity. "Allies of Convenience" means they stop fighting each other to save their skins. "Battle Brothers" means they work together, at least until the immediate mutual threat is ended.

In this sense, I could see a particularly honorable space marine chapter being battle brothers with Tau forces. The Tau, I think, will work together with anybody if there is a truly compelling reason to do so, except for one or two demonstrated exceptions where the Empire has learned over the centuries that virtually every member of that race is untrustworthy (tyranids, orks). I personally think space marines are more professional than many fans give them credit for - they aren't knights, they're commandos. So long as they have a strong enough sense of honor to abide by their word when they say, "We promise not to stab you in the back until this crisis is over," I think most space marines would work with the Tau if it was the efficient thing to do.

That's how I would approach it first; I don't know if you are looking for an excuse for a long-term strategic alliance. In my scenario, I would have the Tauminator commander wearing armor looted from a diferent chapter - otherwise you run into the question of why the marines are not incensed at the insult, or why even battle brothers would share such relics (I mean, under normal circumstances, space marines don't even share terminator armor with each other).

[WarHammerman]

That's how I would approach it first; I don't know if you are looking for an excuse for a long-term strategic alliance. In my scenario, I would have the Tauminator commander wearing armor looted from a diferent chapter - otherwise you run into the question of why the marines are not incensed at the insult, or why even battle brothers would share such relics (I mean, under normal circumstances, space marines don't even share terminator armor with each other).

The idea is that he was a Space Marine first, w/ Terminator armor. He got messed up on the left side and in the helmet - and the Tau fixed him up / replaced it.

The idea was in my head, since they were recruited from a Tau-Controlled world, they would be more permissive of the Tau Tech.

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

It seems a lot like the Space Marine-creation process is relatively easy to reproduce if you're approaching it from a scientific standpoint, rather than the Imperium's ritualized approach; and the Tau are quite willing to research/duplicate Imperial tech (the 'dex has them trying to understand captured warp drives through the use of captured Enginseers).

Perhaps this Sept world, after researching captured geneseed and interrogating/brain-probing Apothecaries, has created a prototype force of "Space Marine" Gue'vesa (Tau-allied humans).

[WarHammerman]

It seems a lot like the Space Marine-creation process is relatively easy to reproduce if you're approaching it from a scientific standpoint, rather than the Imperium's ritualized approach; and the Tau are quite willing to research/duplicate Imperial tech (the 'dex has them trying to understand captured warp drives through the use of captured Enginseers).

Perhaps this Sept world, after researching captured geneseed and interrogating/brain-probing Apothecaries, has created a prototype force of "Space Marine" Gue'vesa (Tau-allied humans).

OH! That's an awesome idea!

[Daemonette666]

I would write it up that he got disheartened with the corrupt nature of the Imperium similar to the "Soul Drinkers, or the "Astral Claws" - later renamed as the "Red Corsairs".

The Space Marine Chapter Master was close to causing another Badab Wars sector war over the corrupt Imperium, and had not only killed off the Imperial Governor for the Planetary system, but also the commanders of the local Sisters of Battle, The Minestorum Cardinal who was as corrupt as they come, and the few Local Imperial Guard Generals who stayed loyal to the Imperium.

He was going to fight the Tau forces as well, when one of their most gifted Water caste negotiators and a high ranking Ethereal came bearing a white flag, and had a lengthy 2 day discussion over the whole affair. They offered a peace accord, and an agreement- a pact of non aggression and support between the 2 groups. Over time the negotiator worked his way into the advisory group of Officers the SM Commander kept, and broke the final barriers he had concerning keeping his planet and the Space Marines under his command separate from the Tau Empire.

After a couple years, they finally and officially joined the Tau empire, but unlike other races, they (the Space Marines, but not the rest of the human populace) were considered equals of the Tau, and were given the right to command standard Tau Fire Warrior and other Tau units. They even were given some tau technology in Trade, and the Planets Mechanicum elements have made a lasting bond with the Tau Earth caste Engineers.

Give the SM Chapter a previous name that they were once called, and have it that they adopted a new colour scheme and name to seal the new pact with the Tau.

How does that sound?

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

Oooo, 666's is probably a better fit, since it means they can keep all their ritualized Space Marine Iconography (scrolls, eagles, skulls and such). Just because they've become disillusioned with the Imperium doesn't mean they don't still revere the Emperor and their Primarch as paragons of awesomeness (maybe their Chaplains talk of how the Tau's secular/scientific "Greater Good" ideal is much closer to the Emperor's goal of the Great Crusade than the modern Imperium).

[Nabterayl]

I also like 666's idea a lot.

[Denzark]

I wouldn't try and explain it, because SMs are hard-wired to hate Xenos. They may have a temporary alliance in the face of something nasty such as mass Daemon incursion or the like but otherwise it is GW sales policy interfering with long established fluff.

The only way I could see it is something like a radical inquisitor having these 'alien mercenaries' disguised as human troops in exotic armour. Maybe the SMs are under a severe psychic spell or some such, and never see the blue skins or dodgy feet?

[Katharon]

Yeah...there is absolutely no way that a Space Marine chapter would ever become that "buddy-buddy" with any Xenos faction. Only if the Emperor himself stepped off the Golden Throne and countermanded his own edict would any Space Marine ever consider it. Allies of convenience is what mostly happens in the fluff -- an extraordinary situation arises where the Imperium forces must momentarily put aside their hatred or prejudice against Xenos in order to fight an extraordinary threat (ie Tyranids, Chaos, Necrons).

If the Tau (even peacefully) conquered a Space Marine recruiting world, that world would soon be the target of a reconquest crusade by said Space Marine chapter.