Swordlight
Shas'nel Vior'la Ta'rau En'kowu'm, simply known as Swordlight, is a legendary Tau Fireblade.[1a]
History
In truth, Swordlight is simply a mantle taken by successive Tau warriors all cloned from the same individual. After the "current" Swordlight inevitably falls in battle, their death is covered up and a new clone is produced as a replacement. The Swordlight deployed to the war on Cao Quo was the 6th to bear the title, and she has noticed that her health is rapidly declining due to degradation of her original genetic template through successive cloning.[1b]
The sixth Swordlight was deployed to Cao Quo, where she took part in the war against the Imperium and Human rebels. During the battle at Castellum Epiphania, Swordlight and a squad of Fire Warrior's under Shas'ui Relo discover the Earth Caste engineer Ke and the Water Caste operative Orr.[1b] Relo is killed in the evacuation back to Thapes Quo Operating base, where the Ethereal Aun'ui Yor'i reveals that to rescue the missing Ethereal Aun'ui Kir'qath, an Elemental Council would be formed with Swordlight, Ke, Orr, Sei, and the Human Gue'vesa agent Jules Rare.[1c]
During their subsequent mission, Orr grows close to most of the squad as they unravel a conspiracy involving the mysterious Syra group that spreads to the highest levels of Tau command which the rescued Kir'qath had discovered. In the final battle at the Cao Quo floating forward operating base, Orr is killed by a Imperial Callidus Assassin who is revealed to have been impersonating Yor'i[1d] while Ke and Swordlight battle the Raptors Sergeant Artamax. Ke is able to interfere with Artamax's armour interface, allowing Swordlight to slash his throat and kill the Marine. Ke and Swordlight, alongside the Kroot Ghodh, are then able to corner and wound the Imperial assassin.[1e]
Ultimately, Swordlight survives the mission on Cao Quo alongside Ke, though she her health is quickly degrading and she has become dependent on medical stimulants for survival. She and Ke then meet with the real Yor'i, who commends them for their work but notes that to spare the Human population of Cao Quo future violence that he had ordered a withdrawal from the planet.[1f]
