War soon descended upon the world of Anreva.
Horus gazed down at the world below, covered in fortresses and firing positions, and revised his assessment of these xenos.
According to the available intelligence, this should have been a colony world still undergoing development just a month ago, yet they had transformed it into a fortress in so little time.
But Horus had prepared for this long ago.
"Tell those people from the Adeptus Mechanicus to start deploying their experimental models."
From high above, the fleet launched numerous Drop Pods. They plunged toward the ground like meteors, streaking across the sky in trails of fiery rain.
On the ground, the Gue'vesa clutched their Pulse Rifles and watched the fiery meteors streak across the sky.
"Gue'vesa" meant "human helper" in the T'au language, referring to the human troops of the T'au Empire.
The Gue'vesa came from a wide range of backgrounds, from humans under T'au rule who had volunteered for military service to surrendered soldiers of the Astra Militarum.
The Greater Good took a very permissive approach to religious belief, so much so that many Gue'vesa still retained their faith in the God-Emperor. But that did not stop them from taking up T'au Pulse Rifles against the invading Imperium of Man.
"Those Drop Pods are huge. There should be a Knight walker inside each one," Anzes said.
La'Ruk watched the Drop Pods falling from high above. He had fought Knight walkers before.
"You are mistaken, Gue'vesa Anzes. Those ponderous combat walkers are never deployed on their own."
"Who knows? Maybe the Knight lords had a falling-out with the Astra Militarum." Anzes shrugged, cradling his Pulse Rifle.
As they spoke, the enormous Drop Pods slammed into the ground one after another, making the earth tremble.
But instead of the distinctive, deep, thunderous horn