Purging of Tathos IV

Inquisitorial report into the purging of Tathos IV.

Imperial records state that Tathos IV is a fringe world sitting at the edge of the Imperium in the far reaches of the Eastern Fringe. The planet itself numbers barely 300,000 souls due to the intense heat and barren conditions leading the Administratum to classify it as a death world. With temperatures exceeding 70C during the day, colonists find themselves with minimal agricultural facilities to sustain themselves and the planet can barely raise enough conscripts to meet it's tithe for the Imperial Guard, pushing it to the bottom of the Administratum's eternally long supply queue.

However, in Imperial date 990.M41 the planetary governor was approached by an Eldar claiming to offer aid to provide agricultural facilities that would survive the harsh climate of Tathos IV. As a gesture of goodwill, the planetary governor was given co-ordinates where he would find proof of the stranger's deeds. A local taskforce was sent to the co-ordinates and returned with news that a bio-dome filled with green crops and a bountiful supply of food had been erected at that location. A great feast was held that night in celebration of their new found prosperity and the colonists of Tathos IV became very optimistic about their future.

After the feast, the Eldar appeared again in the governor's chambers. He gave him more co-ordinates and told him to send another taskforce in the morning. The following day, as requested, the governor sent a team to the co-ordinates to find yet another bio-dome, this time filled with soil ready to be sown with seeds. This was repeated over the space of a few years, each time a new set of co-ordinates gave more seeds and more bio-domes. Over time, the people of Tathos became reliant on the Eldar as the population entered a period of booming growth and prosperity out of the sight of Imperial authorities.

Then it began. Strange flowers began to appear amongst the crops in a number of bio-domes and any who lay eyes upon them mysteriously vanished that very night. The planetary governor became concerned and asked for the Eldar stranger to appear but he had no reliable way to contact him. Weeks passed and more of his population vanished. Then one night the Eldar appeared with an ultimatum, any bio-dome with the flowers in was to be seized. The governor pleaded with the mysterious Eldar stranger, begging that he be allowed to keep the crops as over half the bio-domes had been infested with the strange plants. He wouldn't have enough to feed his population, but the Eldar smirked and vanished.

The following morning, 75% of the bio-domes had been razed and stripped clean by shadowy forces overnight. Over the coming months, more bio-domes were destroyed leading to starvation on a massive scale. Realising he had to do something, the planetary governor rallied his people together to protect the last of the bio-domes. Little more then angry farmers with scattered PDF troops mixed amongst them, they barricaded the few resources they had left on the planet when a blazing fire rained from the sky, crashing before the picket lines of angry civilians.

Little did they know, Archon Ysieth Kaliri had already filled his cargo hold with the flowers which were to be processed and refined into the various combat drugs used by his kabal's elite fighters. Having no further use for the planet's population, the Archon had sent a masked distress call to a nearby Imperial listening post detailing alleged heretical practices and a rebellion by Tathos IV's colonists against the Imperium. The call was answered by an Adeptus Sororitas taskforce who entered orbit to find a world beyond redemption. The bio-domes had been laid out in such a fashion that they formed heretical, Xenos runes leaving the Sisters of Battle with no choice but to descend upon the planet and purge it in the name of the holy Emperor of Mankind.

With his fleet cloaked in orbit, Archon Ysieth Kaliri savoured the destruction of 300,000 innocent civilians as the Imperium tore itself apart below him. Massed bolter fire and gouts of holy flame poured into the now terrified farmers as the Adeptus Sororitas forces mistook their angry protests as an alien-influenced uprising. Sated by the carnage and with a full cargo hold, the Dark Eldar fleet disappeared back into the webway without so much as a blip on the Imperial fleet's scanners.

Sounds like something you'd read in dex fluff - fun setup.

I agree with Thor665, really good stuff, high quality and super dark eldar-y.

Thanks, my proof-reading suck though!

I wanted it to be Codex-like so I tried to mimic the style that they use. And Dark Eldar are perfect for writing up some crazy plot that works just as planned!.

Yep, I liked it too, very true to DE (and indeed CWE) nature.

beware of Eldar bearing flowers...