These Reflection Warriors were truly terrifying.
After several months of command, this was the only conclusion Shadowsun had reached. The Reflection Warriors were faster than Fire Warriors, more agile than battlesuits, and deadlier than Nucleus Hunter Teams.
Like the Space Marines of the Imperium of Man, they appeared and vanished across the battlefield. After leaving behind clouds of red and blue mist with the Rotary Ion Cannons in their hands, they disappeared without a trace. Shadowsun had them break through layer upon layer of blockades and encirclements, or repel wave after wave of human forces in the junction zones between hive cities and T'au Fortresses.
Yet after growing accustomed to these Reflection Warriors, Shadowsun found a new worry taking root in her heart. If these Reflection Warriors had truly been modified from Fire Warriors who had volunteered to sacrifice themselves, as Yongtan had claimed, could they still be considered T'au? Their near-perfect combat capabilities were enough to wipe out the forces at Mugula Gulf rather than merely fight alongside Shadowsun.
Shadowsun felt less like a commander and more like someone entering commands into a toy car capable of performing difficult maneuvers on its own. The car's dazzling performance had nothing to do with her command or control.
Two teams of Reflection Warriors, more than two hundred in total, marched toward Shadowsun. Beneath their optical-camouflage cloaks were Rotary Ion Cannons venting heat. Their armor was immaculate, almost entirely free of bloodstains or dust, and their iridium alloy plating always gleamed with a silvery-white light.
"Were there no casualties?" Shadowsun asked. She had no real sense of the Reflection Warriors' exact numbers. The soldiers under her command had all been transferred over by Director Yongtan, supposedly for training and adaptation, something like brain-machine pilots integrating with an AI system.
Aun'Va did not