# Tau - Imperium Relationship



## Komrad (Oct 30, 2008)

I was just wondering, since the Tau strive for unity, and the galaxy dominant (loose term) power being the Imperium, they obviously would try to befriend such a powerful possible allie, and they even knew of the Great Crusade and commended their Emperor on striving for unity, so basically my question is, are there any short storys or cannon about Tau - Imperium interactions on a peacefull means? i recall seeing pictures of Ultramarines standing with Ethereals within a Tau city and i love the idea of the stubborn Imperium being smart enough to befriend the Tau, even tho i do hate them for they are space commies, but still, ahem, i do tend to ramble, just any extracts or info at all on Imperium/Tau allegiances? Muchly oblidged.


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## Androxine Vortex (Jan 20, 2010)

I think in the Tau codex it shows some examples of tau making treaties with astartes. I could be wrong however and sorry it's not of much help. I never got into the tau myself either.


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## Baron Spikey (Mar 26, 2008)

There's a picture of an Imperial Fist Captain stood with an Imperial and Tau Diplomat in the Tau Codex, it's not in the Codex itself but the story regarding that event is in a WD, I think (don't ask me which one as I have no idea).

Essentially it boiled down that the Imperial Fist complement was with the Imperial Diplomat to show a force of strength to the Tau, trying to delay them from invading Nimbosa before the Imperial reinforcements turned up...they failed.

In areas of the Galaxy where the Imperium is particularly hard pressed then they might agree to a temporary cease fire with the Tau but it won't last, and the Tau don't want allies per say- they want vassals.


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## Tel Asra Nejoar (Mar 16, 2010)

marney calgarnegger let a load evac from a planet before virus bombing it iirc.


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## cheef3 (Aug 8, 2009)

i know of one story when tau and ultramarines teamed up to fight against an awakening tomb world they were on. not too sure they survived though.


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## Turkeyspit (Jun 11, 2010)

The way I see it, is the U.S.S.R gladly fought alongside the British, French, Americans, etc. against Germany in WWII. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and all that.

But the Tau and Imperium have vastly conflicting doctrines, so co-existence at the very least, is a stretch.


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## NiceGuyEddy (Mar 6, 2010)

The two races have worked together. An imperial team was used to assassinate a "rogue" tau commander with the ultra secret assistance of the tau. 

I won't ruin too much of it but there was a bit of backstabbing and the tau involvement was minimal as they didn't want to be seen assassinating one of their own but it was DEFINITELY a joint operation, or at very least one sanctioned by both races.

Read "Annihilation Squad" by Gav Thorpe.


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## gen.ahab (Dec 22, 2009)

If you define peaceful as two sides talking while massive weapons on both sides sit poised to annihilate their counterparts on the other side.... Then yes.


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## Komrad (Oct 30, 2008)

gen.ahab said:


> If you define peaceful as two sides talking while massive weapons on both sides sit poised to annihilate their counterparts on the other side.... Then yes.


Hmm...ni shee. I suppose then I was leaning towards joining forces for a common foe, helpful replies tho guys, muchly appreciated :biggrin:
buh i need moar...MOOAR


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Well when the tau first met the imp, 4th codex, a tau ship entered imp territory and was blown.... er....out of space...They have joined together against an enemies and then kill eachother, in one case though the smurfs gave the tau 2 hours to leave a tomb planet before they blew it up.


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## cragnes417 (Jul 22, 2010)

IN the FIRE WARRIOR game and novel mention a truce (for now?) between the tau and Imp's thats all i got


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## Baron Spikey (Mar 26, 2008)

cragnes417 said:


> IN the FIRE WARRIOR game and novel mention a truce (for now?) between the tau and Imp's thats all i got


It's not a truce between the Imperium and the Tau Empire just a ceasefire between those Imperial forces and those Tau forces for a limited time.


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## Belthazor Aurellius (Jan 16, 2009)

From what I've garnered (one of my brothers plays tau, the other, ultrasmurfs, they both found fluffy reasons to ally against ork and chaos, but also have plenty of excuses to railgun/lascannon each other), the tau is regarded as a sovereign empire outside the Imperium's grasp. As such, the Imperium at this time cannot and will not spare the military force to smite their small empire from the galaxy. If they did, their primary objectives of holding back Chaos, purging heretics and fighting off the necrons, tyranids, orks, eldar and whatever else the tau aren't, would suffer for their abandoning the fight, if you will.

The Imperium isn't the Tau's ally, nor is the Tau the Imperium's, but the Tau can't traverse the warp, except in short leaps and skips, they don't have navigators, as they don't have sensitivity to the warp, so the Imperium doesn't regard them as a threat, but knows they're too well armed to invade and crush.

The Tau don't want Imperium allies, they want human vassal worlds. It is these worlds which the Imperium fights hardest for, as they do not wish to lose tithing worlds, and they will not tolerate xeno-friendly collaborators.

When the Imperium knows a world is lost (tomb worlds, those lost to hive fleets, etc) they'll virus bomb it, and because the Tau do follow a sense of honor, the Imperium tends to give them a heads up. Not all chapters are as noble as the Imperial Fists and Ultramarines though. I'm sure some chapters would rather just leave the world, virus bomb it and then assault the tau warships in orbit.


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

I read that the tau use a sort of inbetween warptravel, it's inbetween the warp deminsion and real deminsion


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## Doelago (Nov 29, 2009)

Why would the Imperium always Virus Bomb a planet? Thats kind of lame... And did someone say that the Ultrasmurfs virus bombed the necron tomb world? Hhahaha!, only the blue idiots are to stuppid to understand that it wont really affect the space robots... 

So why virus bomb, when you can Lance Strike the planet from space!

And the story between the Imperial Fist, the Inquisitor or what ever it was and the Tau talking crap about some crappy planet was in the old Tau codex...


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

Doelago said:


> Why would the Imperium always Virus Bomb a planet? Thats kind of lame... And did someone say that the Ultrasmurfs virus bombed the necron tomb world? Hhahaha!, only the blue idiots are to stuppid to understand that it wont really affect the space robots...


It didn't say virus bombed, i think they used a Cyclonic torpedo(it just said destroyed).


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## Doelago (Nov 29, 2009)

locustgate said:


> It didn't say virus bombed, i think they used a Cyclonic torpedo.


Well, sorry, it was me speed reading too fast, and I think they might have used more than one torpedo


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## Belthazor Aurellius (Jan 16, 2009)

Aren't they called cyclotronic?

Anywho. The Imperium uses many variant weapons to destroy a planet or otherwise render it lifeless.

Nukes work well, so do cyclonic or cyclotronic warheads, as do seismic warheads, orbital lance strikes, magma bombs (which are gigantor meltabombs, kinda like hydrogen bombs without the radiation or fallout).

At the end of Fire Warrior, the ultramarines more or less open fire with the whole arsenal, and burn the planet from space.


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## Baron Spikey (Mar 26, 2008)

Belthazor Aurellius said:


> Aren't they called cyclotronic?
> 
> Anywho. The Imperium uses many variant weapons to destroy a planet or otherwise render it lifeless.
> 
> ...


It cyclonic- they penetrate the planet crust and cause devastating magma eruptions and earthquakes. So think- colonic irrigation after a vindaloo


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## gen.ahab (Dec 22, 2009)

So basically planetary enemas?


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## Baron Spikey (Mar 26, 2008)

But with searing hot lumps of foul smelling curry/lava


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