Brightsword
 | |
|---|---|
| Title(s) | Commander Brightsword |
| Homeworld | Tash'var |
| Active Period | M41 - Present |
| Death | Seven deaths and subsequent replacements[1e] |
| Species | Tau |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation(s) | Tau Commander |
| Affiliation(s) |
|
O'var, short for Shas'o Tash'var Ol'nan B'kak (which loosely translates as Commander Brightsword, was a student of Commander Farsight and the commander of Es'Tau.[7]
Biography
The original Commander Brightsword served alongside Commander Farsight in the Arkunasha War[1a] against the Orks of Waaagh! Dok, lead by Warboss Toofjaw.[1b]
Following the Second Phase Expansion Brightsword led the Tau forces against the Imperium attacking the world of Nimbosa.[8] During the initial assault he annihilated the Vostroyan Firstborn IX at the battle for Polia.[9] When the Imperium counter-attacked, Brightsword wiped out the first invasion force at a battle now known as the Koloth Gorge Massacre.[8] As a result of his particularly brutal tactics he was recalled back to T'au[8] and the world of Nimbosa was reconquered by the Imperium shortly after.[9] He was assassinated by The Last Chancers with the help of some members of the Water Caste who feared his aggression would spark an unnecessary war with the Imperium.[7]
Since his death many Commanders have since taken up the name Brightsword, seven known so far[1e], all serving under Farsight; from the Damocles Crusade and the defence of the Sept world of Dal'yth[1c], to the Farsight Expedition[1d] and centuries after the founding of the Farsight Enclaves.[1e]
The latest Commander Brightsword is part of Farsight's bodyguard unit, The Eight, and though half a dozen generations separate him from the original, he has inherited all of that lineage’s legendary ferocity, and like those before him, has pledged his life to the service of Farsight and the Enclaves.[1f] The dark truth behind Brightsword is that each of the title's bearers are not volunteers, but rather clones of the original manufactured by O'Vesa.[3] At least one clone was cut in half by a Space Marine champion during the Damocles Crusade.[6b]
It is also known that before his defection from the T'au Empire, Brightsword sullied his honour during the famous Koloth Gorge Massacre in the Nimbosa campaign, where he so cruelly ordered to destroy all of the human warriors, that he was summoned back to T'au to answer for this evil doing.[2] During Farsight's self-imposed exile into the wastes of Vior'los, Brightsword was made military leader of the Farsight Enclaves in his stead.[4] Upon Farsight's return in the face of the new threat by Hive Fleet Gorgon, Brightsword fought alongside his old commander and the rest of The Eight once more. During the fighting, he saved O'Vesa from the clutches of a Mawloc.[6a]
During the Arks of Omen Campaign, Brightsword led forces on Arthas Moloch. During the defence of Temporary Air base Zephyr33, Brightsword's forces responded for a plea for aid from the overwhelmed defenders to buy time for their withdrawal. While launching a Mont'ka that drove back both the Ork and Chaos forces long enough for the T'au to evacuate, Brightsword was slain by a missile barrage while leading a fighting retreat to the final extraction point.[5]
Wargear
Brightsword goes into battle in an XV8 Crisis Battlesuit equipped with twin Fusion Blasters, Fusion Blades, a Shield Drone, a Warscaper Drone, advanced targeting system, Vectored Retro-Thrusterss, and stimulant injector.[1g]
Sources
- 1: Farsight Enclaves - A Codex: Tau Empire Supplement (eBook Edition)
- 2: Codex: Tau Empire (7th Edition), pg. 41 - Relentless Expansion - The Nimbosa Annexation
- 3: Blades of Damocles (Novel), Chapter 17
- 4: Farsight: Empire of Lies (Novel), Chapter 27
- 5: Arks of Omen: Farsight, pg. 21
- 6: Farsight: Blade of Truth (Novel)
- 7: Kill Team (Novel) - Chapter 5
- 8: Codex: Tau Empire (4th Edition), pgs. 14-15
- 9: Warhammer 40,000: Cities of Death, pgs. 56, 57
