# Gue'Vasa Marines



## GabrialSagan (Sep 20, 2009)

I know that cannonically this has not happened...yet. But if Marines fall to the seductive power of chaos all the time and their are billions of humans living under tau rulership then is it so hard to imagine a company or even chapter of marines deciding that through the greater good humanity can find salvation from the ravages of heresy. 

What would space marines with access to the tau armory be like? What would the Tau do with an elite squad of super soldiers. ( I need not ask what would the Imperium think, we all know the answer to that, the question is how fast would the crusade get underway and how many chapters would be on board?)


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## Carnivore (Aug 4, 2009)

GabrialSagan said:


> I know that cannonically this has not happened...yet. But if Marines fall to the seductive power of chaos all the time and their are billions of humans living under tau rulership then is it so hard to imagine a company or even chapter of marines deciding that through the greater good humanity can find salvation from the ravages of heresy.
> 
> What would space marines with access to the tau armory be like? What would the Tau do with an elite squad of super soldiers. ( I need not ask what would the Imperium think, we all know the answer to that, the question is how fast would the crusade get underway and how many chapters would be on board?)


I think Space-Marine can't forget Tau are Xenos. Since they're Xenos, they can't be trusted, so believed. Chaos is much more insidious and strike from within.

According to me...

And marines don't fall to Chaos all the time, pal... But times to times, and it takes a pretty long period of "incubation"...


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

I think its plausable but unlikely. As my French Friend grin above said, Astartes are the epitomy of the Imperial War Effort and are unlikely to ever trust a Xenos. That being said however some Marines often consciously side with Chaos, which is just as hated if not more so than Xenos. 

I think its plausable, but would more likely happen with individual or squads of marines rather than entire Chapters.


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## Carnivore (Aug 4, 2009)

Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> I think its plausable but unlikely. As my French Friend grin above said, Astartes are the epitomy of the Imperial War Effort and are unlikely to ever trust a Xenos. That being said however some Marines often consciously side with Chaos, which is just as hated if not more so than Xenos.
> 
> I think its plausable, but would more likely happen with individual or squads of marines rather than entire Chapters.


You're absolutely right, my english friend ( :drinks: ), but I think it would need a more than strange siding occurance for a Marine to actually trust a Xenos for a start.
But I seem to remember a short story (largely inspired by the "Enemy Mine" book/film) where an _Eldar_ and an _Ultramarine_ (or is it a _Dark Angel_) are stuck on an asteroid and they must cooperate to survive. They end up like friends and the Marine goes nearly rogue when his chapter "rescue" him by killing the _Eldar_.


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## DeathTyrant (Aug 23, 2009)

GabrialSagan said:


> What would space marines with access to the tau armory be like? What would the Tau do with an elite squad of super soldiers.


Such a union would result in a super elite force that costs a lot of points, I think.

Assuming that the whole Chapter was on board with joining the Tau, then having the Master of the Forge, the Techmarines, the Chief Apothecary and his Apothecaries would make things very interesting indeed. Perhaps some rogue Mechanicum Tech Priests for good measure. With their cooperation, the Technologically advanced Tau could learn the SM secrets and share their own technology in return.

Imagine Tau with the physical prowess (and CC ability) of Space Marines.
Imagine Space Marines being issued with lovely Plasma weapons that don't blow up in their faces.

Imagine the points cost of a single trooper!


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## Fire Lord (Feb 15, 2009)

IMO, individually, sure it could happen. A squad, MAYBE. A chapter, probably not. Marines are still people, and feelings toward the xeno would be stronger in a group. I would say it is very unlikely. The weapon combinations would be staggering though.


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## Fangio (Nov 23, 2008)

While it is totally plausible for an entire chapter of marines to go rogue in favour of the Greater Good, there are a few things that need to be taken into account.

Firstly, the Tau haven't really been around very long. Chaos reared its ugly head 10,000yrs ago. So the large number of renegade and corrupted marines is high as they have had more time to turn them. Tau have been around only a few centuries (tops a couple of millenia).

Secondly, the Tau are very much located in the Imperium's Eastern Segmentum, so contact is lower. In fact, Imperial forces only really make contact with Tau on the battlefield. The millions of humans living within the Tau's area of control are normal people living out their lives as best they can. Marines only really make planetfall to destroy or recruit, so the Tau propaganda machine wouldn't have had much of an effect on them, especially that they trained to ignore outside influence. Chaos on the other hand, is present in differing degrees everywhere and usually turns people through mental methods (dreams, whisperings and so forth). It is harder to ignore what seems like your own thoughts than something that is very clearly an outside influence. That it isn't to say that no chapters or companies would think that the Tau message isn't a better one to the Imperial Creed but it would be rarer than simply going rogue. 

And last of all, Tau do not allow autonomy. Chapters work like Inquisitors in that they do what they want, when they want. Planetary Governors have to request their aid when attacked but they can call on the IG to simply rock up and die for them. The Tau would keep any marine chapters under their command on a very tight leash, especially that they can't truly trust them. Marine commanders would probably hate that. 

I am not saying it wouldn't happen but that it is simply very unlikely. The Tau look down on humans in general, but SM are used to being looked up to or at least feared and if a chapter turned to the Greater Good, I think they would get very quickly crushed by the marine forces in the area. No marine likes a stain on his honour!


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## Samir_Duran (Apr 6, 2009)

Now this is a problem, cuz Marines on their side woudln't exactly be Gue'vesas according to the differencies in tactics, culture and anatomy. I think, that Tau could treat them like Kroot's more than like normal Gue'vesas or Vespids... Eg. Kroots have autonomous culture and goals, yet still, majoprity of them vow to the Tau Dominion as their masters... Also, there is no Data a bout how the que'vesas function in the tau Society... Are they divided into casts? I mean, people don't have the same basic gene-engineery that Fire Warriors have, the are not born soldiers, but are made them... so the Caste system is just unfitted for gue'vesas... but, seeing as Gue'vesas sargeants are giving the ui title in the tau military, i think that they're made into a sub or even autonomical caste. Autonomical up to the point when it doesn't interfere with the greater good's directives.


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## Chocobuncle (Feb 5, 2009)

Kind of reviving this thread but just found this at The Bolter and Chainsword about Tau Marines which is the same thing here

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.php?showtopic=167450&st=0


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## Madshaw (Oct 8, 2009)

I play regularly with a tau player and a few others, and i am always on his side against our common foes, namely necrons and either korhnate or death guard chaos marines. The way I explain it is that my own chapter has been stuck defending a single solar system, containing both fortress monestry and fleet cut off from the rest of the imperium by warp storms, there are also tau fleets and necron tombs in the area. My marines have a truce with the tau, depending on how long it takes for the storms to pass the truce could develop into a friendship


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## GabrialSagan (Sep 20, 2009)

Madshaw said:


> I play regularly with a tau player and a few others, and i am always on his side against our common foes, namely necrons and either korhnate or death guard chaos marines. The way I explain it is that my own chapter has been stuck defending a single solar system, containing both fortress monestry and fleet cut off from the rest of the imperium by warp storms, there are also tau fleets and necron tombs in the area. My marines have a truce with the tau, depending on how long it takes for the storms to pass the truce could develop into a friendship


Do the Tau ever equip the marines with pulse guns?


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## godzy (Jun 5, 2008)

what about a radical Ordo Xeno inquisitor? he might team up with the tau for some reason-temporary cooperation, ea-the greater good.
its not that far away from using xeno tech, just like when assaulting the tyranid norn queen, uriel ventris was given a xeno weapon by the INQ lord. and he is an ultramarine. anot that codex chapter might be more tolerant towards the xeno, especially with an INQ on their side.


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## Wraithian (Jul 23, 2008)

I just can't see marines, be it a squad or a chapter, working for (face it, with Tau, there is no working, "with." You are either an enemy, or a servant, of their ideology).

Just had a mental image of some Tau trying to, "persuade," a marine, and the marine going all Liberty Prime on the Tau. "Death is a preferrable alternative to communism!"

Seriously. It made me laugh. :biggrin:


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## GabrialSagan (Sep 20, 2009)

Ok. I think people missed what I was asking. I know that its highly unlikely that the Emperor's angels of war would ever serve xeno masters. 

What I am asking is IF THEY DID and the Tau gave them access to the latest and greatest in fire warrior technology what sort of enemy would the loyal imperial forces be facing when they went to cleanse the galaxy of these xeno-loving traitors?


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