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From her seat in the first row of the stadium, Aun’Ui Kir’Qath could feel the earth tremble beneath her as the racing beasts barreled past, ridden by a mix of Tau and Kroot jockeys. It was perhaps uncouth for such a high ranking member of the colony, especially an Ethereal like herself, to be seated so close to the action. But she could not resist.
In her hands she held a report from an Air Caste commander detailing a small, but growing, hole in the warp storm that had surrounded the planet Tel’Ca for nearly a century. It heralded a return of the old ways of responsibility within the Greater Tau Empire, and perhaps the death of what had grown here on this world. Her grip tightened as that thought played across her mind, crumpling the pages.
She knew that the relationship between the Tau and Kroot of the Tel’Ca colony was unique in the Empire. The level of integration on both a military and social level that had come about due to their isolation on Tel’Ca was unheard of. Many Tau here were included in the clan-like Kindreds of the Kroot, including herself. They were family.
She also knew that some of the practices found here, especially those concerning funerary traditions, would not be tolerated. She had decided to sit on the report for the time being, until she could formulate a plan. But it was only a matter of time before a similar report found its way into the hands of another Ethereal.
Kir’Qath shook her head and tried to get back into the spirit of the race, cheering loudly as the racers passed her position once again. She checked the leaderboard on her datapad, and had nearly succeeded in pushing the dilemma out of her mind when a scribe appeared in the stands beside her.
“Aun’Ui Kir’Qath? I have a message for you from Aun’El Kir’La. Your eyes only.” He bowed as low as he could in the crowded space, holding out a letter.
She sighed quietly, trying to keep the trepidation she felt from showing on her face. She thanked him and took the letter, opening it carefully. Scanning it quickly, she saw that it was a summons, with some rather unpleasant wording. It seemed someone else had noticed.
She glanced at the report in her hand again, and felt her resolve solidify. She would not allow the culture of this colony, the unity of her people both Tau and Kroot, to be discarded by some distant group of bureaucrats. She would fight for her people and their ways. For what she believed was truly the Greater Good. She turned back to the scribe, who had been patiently waiting. “Please let Aun’El Kir’La know that I will be on my way as soon as possible. There are some things I must attend to.”
The scribe’s eyes widened slightly at the reply, but he retained his composure. He bowed again and made his way back through the crowd. Anything but immediate compliance with an order from one as powerful as the Aun’El was practically unheard of, but the scribe was Water Caste, and it would take a great deal more to rob him of his air of serenity.
She watched as he moved away, then opened her datapad and began to compose a new message, to her Shaper counterpart within her Kindred. She made him aware of the information in the report and the summons, knowing full well the punishment she would likely be sentenced to for doing so. She finished the message with a request for him to accompany her to the summons, and to join her in front of the Provincial Headquarters where the meeting was to be held in roughly an hour.
Sending the message, she looked up just in time to see the race end, a near tie between two of the racers who had been neck and neck for much of the final few laps. She heard the roar of the crowd and saw the elation evident in the victor’s movements, and knew this was what she would be protecting. This and so much more.
She made her way through the crowd toward an exit, calling her assistant to let him know he should begin warming up the engine of their flier. They had places to be.