It seemed that the unidentifiable dark-gold object had put Walu in a foul mood. Shadowsun's expression was somewhat grim, but she still wore a confident smile.
"At least we've gained new knowledge. Leave it to the research institute. If that doesn't work, send it to Tu-Xiaowake."
Walu and the Fire Warriors saluted Shadowsun and withdrew from the meditation chamber. Shadowsun, too, shed her facade.
Her eyes were filled with deep confusion. "Instructor Qingxi... guide me."
Victory or death.
The rise and fall of the T'au Empire would be decided in this battle!
Several months later, the fleet under Shadowsun's command was ready. She stood aboard a Protector-class Battleship, one of those immense warships large enough to block out a star's light and cast colossal shadows across a planet's surface.
Those artificial-eclipse-like shadows were the origin of Shadowsun's title. When facing Ork assaults, she had cleverly used the shadows cast by warships to bring about sudden darkness.
The Orks had fallen into panic, while she led infiltration teams straight to the heart of their forces beneath the cover of darkness. Leaderless, the Orks quickly collapsed under Shadowsun's assault.
When sunlight returned to the land, the smoke of war had already dispersed. Only the name Shadowsun rose in the hearts of the T'au warriors.
The capital warships stood at the head of the vast fleet, like the hardened steel tips of a spear. They were few in number, but immensely powerful and exceptionally sturdy.
The remaining vessels came in all varieties, from transport ships of differing sizes to trade vessels and colony ships.
They formed the fleet's true bulk. Though not large, they numbered in the thousands upon thousands, filling the heavens.
The fleet was arrayed in the void as a three-dimensional cube, with ample gaps between ships. From the planet's surface,