Fanfiction plot question;

[Trevak Dal]

Hey all, I'm brainstorming a couple of stories (and editing down a couple that I went on a 30 page tear), but I was wondering what you think would be a greater existential threat to the Imperium, the Enclave Tau finding and retrofitting a dead eldar craftworld and creating better FTL technology, or developing technology that allows them to instantly communicate across vast distances without need of astropaths.

 

The inspiration for the communication tech is the Quantum Entanglement devices that they use in the Mass Effect series.

 

The perspective would be board appropriate of course, with the Tau being the antagonists, with a untraditional protagonist.

 

Each idea seems like they could break the shakey truce the Imperium has with the Tau, but which one seems more likely to generate a "send in everyone...EVERYONE!" Response.

 

Naturally the antagonists are going to be Enclave so they have tertiary association with the Tau Empire...

 

Anyways thoughts?

[Marshal Rohr]

The Imperium has quantum-entanglement communication. It's mentioned in one of the Heresy novels. Maybe one the mechanicum heavy ones. As for FTL, it would be pretty universe breaking to develop Star Wars like hyper space travel.

[Tyriks]

The issue with Tau FTL travel is that they are almost completely disconnected from the Warp, so they can't even imagine how Warp travel should work.  So they have recovered better engines in the various wars they've gotten into, but they just can't make heads or tails of it, even when it's still operational.  So I'm not sure finding a dead craftworld would have that result.  I suppose they might have an easier time with the webway, but since that's connected to warpcraft I'm not sure.

[Dagoth Ur]

Do the Eldar even use warp travel? I was under the impression that they travelled exclusively through the Webway? Then again, I am not very proficient in Eldar fluff.

[NovemberIX]

FTL is the much greater threat, especially in this universe where stellar travel is fraught with difficulties. Stable FTL would allow them to spread  forces much more efficiently, especially with a stable logistics tail to support them. Communication would be improved as well since you can be sure a message is sent and assure it's received. That doesn't even get into the tactical possibilities depending on the capabilities of the FTL drive.

[Trevak Dal]

The idea is that the Tau Enclaves develop "a new way". Not webway, not warp skimming like they do, or warp diving like imperials and orks.

 

 

The craftworld is a hulk, nothing active as far as the Earth Caste archeologists and scientists can tell. They build it up, utilizing growing nanocrystal mesh based off a design of wraithbone. In trying to replicate Geller Field technology and merge it with their pulse tech, they made an accidental discovery, a field that would increase the structural integrity of a given object several thousands of times over its base line capabilities, while simultaneously reducing its mass, allowing them to make super luminal velocities with traditional engines, and when using their standard warp skimming technique fly far further than before, comparable to Imperial/Chaos/Ork warp diving, but with greater accuracy and far less danger. It is being outfitted onto the salvaged craftworld as a exploration and Intervention ship, but at the time of writing isn't complete yet.

 

Thank you guys for the input.

[Marshal Rohr]

The idea is that the Tau Enclaves develop "a new way". Not webway, not warp skimming like they do, or warp diving like imperials and orks.

 

 

The craftworld is a hulk, nothing active as far as the Earth Caste archeologists and scientists can tell. They build it up, utilizing growing nanocrystal mesh based off a design of wraithbone. In trying to replicate Geller Field technology and merge it with their pulse tech, they made an accidental discovery, a field that would increase the structural integrity of a given object several thousands of times over its base line capabilities, while simultaneously reducing its mass, allowing them to make super luminal velocities with traditional engines, and when using their standard warp skimming technique fly far further than before, comparable to Imperial/Chaos/Ork warp diving, but with greater accuracy and far less danger. It is being outfitted onto the salvaged craftworld as a exploration and Intervention ship, but at the time of writing isn't complete yet.

 

Thank you guys for the input.

You would probably want to either just have them find it, and not explain how it works, or write it from the perspective the Imperium doesnt know how it works because its so classified. The minute you talk about reducing mass, increasing strength everyone is like 'oh, mass relay and eezo'. Like if you wanted to make a lightsaber analogue, you wouldnt say its made from kyber crystals, you know?

[Volt]

Communication doesn't really matter without the speed to match if. All it allows you is to maintain a very extensive empire with centralized control- what matters more is travel speed which also factors into logistics. If you can reliably speed across tens of lightyears, you can start spreading out your civilization as you can also reliably ship food and water to those colonies. 

 

That said this doesn't really matter at all because the Admech set space on fire with some crazy areotech so the Tau can't even expand anymore. They're trapped.

[Bryan Blaire]

Even with communication assured, you can't automatically control said empire and shipping if the cost to do so is more than the benefit resulting, especially if the effect is achievable in another fashion for less cost (such as simply farming and digging wells for whatever you drink on the planets you settle).

 

There's a reason 40Kverse doesn't steer too close to hard Sci-Fi, and while still mythical, this new discovery by the Tau starts to head a lot closer to that concept than the rest of the 40Kverse does. I'd agree with the Marshal on this one, describe the effect from the Imperial character's perspective (appropriate awe, wonder, assumption and derision of Xenos) and don't say any more than that. Handwavium for the win, much like the rest of 40Kverse.

[Apothecary Vaddon]

The Imperium has quantum-entanglement communication. It's mentioned in one of the Heresy novels. Maybe one the mechanicum heavy ones. As for FTL, it would be pretty universe breaking to develop Star Wars like hyper space travel.

You wouldn't happen to know which HH novel, would you? I need it to win arguments on the internet.