[Wargamer]

Kor'Ui Beth'nar put his Stingray into a savage dive, bracing himself against the massive g-forces the fall was causing. He glanced, horrified, as the scanner-blips representing his team-mates went out one by one. Most sickening of all was that of Y'eldi Kor'Vre Kais. The hostile Gue'La closed on him with sickening speed, and within a hearbeat, the veteran pilot was lost. He pulled up, hard, and screamed towards the nearby valley network. The red scanner rune changed from a diamond to a sphere, meaning that the Gue'La was now on the same level as himself. He risked a glance back, and saw the blood-red flyer. It accelerated, rolling around, and perched itself above him. He looked up. The Gue'La pilot smiled and waved, before falling back again.

Beth'nar felt sick. He was toying with him...

The Stingray's engines exploded. The small fighter span hopelessly out of control. The autoeject system activated just in time, blasting Beth'nar clear of his fighter's firey death. He hit the ground, and screamed as his legs broke beneath him. Crawling in agony, he scrambled under a lip of rock, and passed out from pain.

** ** *

"I'm afraid we have little information on his new threat," Shas'El Vior'la M'yen'ka said to the assembled Tau, his voice serious and grim, "The Air Caste have named him Y'eldi Kor Mont'au; the Winged Terror. So far, every single pilot who has faced him has died, with one exception."
M'yen'ka nodded to the pale-faced pilot sat to his right.
"Why did he attack us?" A Water Caste diplomat asked.
Mon'tau shook his head slightly, "we don't know. All we know is that he's slaughtering our pilots and ground troops. Nothing can touch him."
"Then perhaps negotiation will succeed. At the least, it will buy our forces more time to prepare," The Water Caste said simply. He excused himself from the gathering, and prepared to meet with the pilot.

** ** *

The Pilot agreed to meet in a clearing, not far from where Beth'nar had crashed a few days before. The diplomat arrived, flanked by two Firewarriors.
"I am Por'vre T-"
"State your business!" the pilot snapped. He was pacing impatiently from one side of the clearing to the other. He glanced at his flyer occasionally, as if afraid someone would try to steal it.
"Very well. We request that you cease-"
"Ha!"
The pilot stopped pacing. He walked up to the Water Caste, and stared directly into his face.

His eyes shone like black diamonds, filled with insane desire that made the diplomat uncomfortable.
"You want me to stop? You want me to go home and leave you be? Ha! I won't."
He resumed his pacing, turning to face the Tau every time he spoke.
"I came here for one reason only... to feel alive! I need a challenge! I seek a worthy opponent, one who can bring me the satisfaction I crave so dearly..."
He stared, almost longingly, at the sky, before turning back to the Tau deligate, "Your Firewarriors are weak! I blast them apart and they cannot retaliate! Your pilots are pathetic! They fly like chicks! I want a true warrior! A pilot worthy of testing his skills against me... and if I don't get what I want by dawn tomorrow, I will turn your cities to desolate ruin... go now, and tell them Ragnarok is waiting!"
With that he turned, and climbed back in his fighter. Por'vre T'au

Kauyon sighed deeply, and hoped that the Air Caste could stop the madman before it was too late.

** ** *

At dawn, all hell broke loose.

Three Barracudas, accompanied by half a dozen Stingray interceptors, set out to find and destroy Ragnarok. They flew in a loose formation; past encounters had shown them the power of this enemy.

Barracuda two's cockpit exploded. The massive craft wobbled, and began to arc towards the ground. A Stingray exploded a moment later, as Ragnarok burned down from orbit, slicing through their formation like a shooting star.

Beth'nar winced, watching his wingman die in a firey explosion. He fought to suppress the feeling of dread that filled him, and moved to engage.
"Hello again."
He panicked. The pilot pulled out, and sped away from the engagement. Still Ragnarok taunted him over the comm, speaking in his soft, seductive voice.
"You're probably right to run. You're not good enough. You'll never be good enough. Oh, another Barracuda just exploded... shame..."
Beth'nar tried to turn off the communicator, but it wouldn't deactivate. He felt tears welling in his eyes, and wished the Gue'La would stop. But he didn't.
"But there is an option... join me."
"No!"
"You don't have a choice. All your friends are dead, and soon every Tau on this world will die along with them. My forces have come. Your world is mine now..."
"Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up!" Beth'nar covered his ears, and prayed for death....

...then something changed. Like one of those optic puzzles he'd played with as a child, the madness of the world came into focus, and became a simple, obvious choice.
"...I'll join you."

** ** *

The planet burned. Armoured soldiers rounded up the last of the Tau, who had been herded into the landing fields like cattle. Ragnarok sat on the wing of his Lightning, grinning at them.
"You're mine."

He grinned at the pilot who landed next to him. The figure stepped out, and approached the crowd of xenos. He found a young Earth Caste, clutching at its mother, crying in horror at what was happening. The pilot knelt down, and whispered softly.
"Don't be afraid. We will show you things... wonderous things... we will teach you how to fly... and all will be ours."
The pilot turned back to Ragnarok, and grinned that same wolfish grin as his commander.
"I want to get back in the air. There's still a few pockets of resistance left."
Ragnarok nodded, "Good hunting... Kor'Ui Beth'nar."

[BlackLotusElite]

its pretty good i'd like to read

more of this story

[Wargamer]

Mel'tath was next to feel Ragnarok's fury.

His forces struck suddenly. Despite Tau naval patrols, Ragnarok appeared out of nowhere, and made a quick, viscious attack run on the Hall of Bureaucracy that left two-dozen either dead or wounded. Air Caste pilots scrambled to hunt him down, but Mel'tath is a world plagued by severe dust-storms that scramble sensors and reduce visibility. Twenty pilots went out into the storms. Only nine returned.

"He's toying with us," M'yen'ka snarled, punching his desk hard in anger.
With him was Por'vre T'au Kauyon, a Water Caste diplomat who had encountered Ragnarok previously, "We were lucky to escape him last time. However, with a fleet blockade, we should hold his armies at bay."
The Shas'El looked up, coldly, "true, but he's still here... and too many lives have been wasted fighting him. We can't find him until it's too late."
"I am puzzled as to how he can navigate in the storms. Even our pilots, briefed on the planet's terrain, struggle to find their way in these tempests." The voice was that of Kor'O Y'Eldi J'Kaara, transmitted via vid-com from orbit.
"I am convinced we can solve this problem through words. We have already learned that force will not avail us..."
The Shas'El laughed humourlessly, "You're persistent."
"However, he refuses to talk. Twice we have accessed his communication frequencies, but he simply shuts them off again. It seems we must meet face to face..."
M'yen'ka grinned like a Kroot, "Then our Pathfinders will blow his head off."
The diplomat's smile indicated he liked the idea, "I shall arrange suitable negotiations."

Ragnarok arrived on time. His blood-red Lightning touched down on a little-used airfield twenty klicks south of the capital. He climbed out of his craft, carrying an unidentifiable item.
"Hello again! You must have joined my fan club..."
"Not quite," the Tau replied solemnly.
Ragnarok shrugged, and handed him a small box. It contained a list of names, mostly Air Caste.
"Thought you'd like them. These are what's left of the population of that last lump of rock I visited. They're alive... for now." He grinned, like a cat who'd caught a mouse, and wanted to play before killing it.
"Of course," he continued, "should I fail to return, my men are under orders to kill them... slowly..." He strode forward, bringing himself inches from Kauyon's face. "So it would be a shame if someone tried to... say... assassinate me, now wouldn't it?" Kauyon's expression did not change.
"Of course. Where I in your position. I would never have considered a meeting like this... unless I was certain I had an ace up my sleeve. However, Ragnarok, what if we decide that it is better to sacrifice the minority, in favour of the Greater Good?"
A sense of satisfaction filled Kauyon as, for a moment, Ragnarok's black-diamond eyes flickered. He ran back to his flyer, and vaulted on to the wing.
"So my little blue chum, what is it this time? Same again?"
The diplomat smiled, mimicking Ragnarok's predatory stance. He had him, he knew it. "How did you get here?"
"I turn up, you know."
"Fascinating..."
The Pulse shot rang out. Ragnarok was blown off his feet like a rag doll, and was dead before he hit the dirt.
"I was wondering when you'd do that..." Kauyon nodded in aknowledgement to the Shas'Ui sniper, who seemed concerned.
"We've sentenced them to death."
"Sadly, we had to. Their sacrifice will ensure that we survive, and that no more lives will be lost to this monster."
The Shas'Ui nodded, and ordered the departure. He turned, briefly, to the Por'Vre, who was examening the Lightning.
"Coming sir?"

Ragnarok turned, grinned, and shot him in the face.

** ** *

"I though he was dead!"
"He was sir!" the young Firewarrior stammered, "but then... he was back. The Por'Vre just... changed..."
The comm activated. Ragnarok's soft, sickening voice filtered in.
"That wasn't very nice."
M'yen'ka pressed the activation dial, and spoke into the mic.
"How are you still alive!?"
Ragnarok's chuckle filtered back, "[i]I wasn't ready to die, not yet... Now listen closely, Tau, your actions were foolish, and you will pay for them. As I warned, the captives will be executed... as will all the populace of this world... unless you give me what I want!"
"What do you want?" M'yen'ka snarled, but Ragnarok had deactivated the comm, and only white-noise replied.

** ** *

Ragnarok approached. The storms had begun to subside, and patches of sky were visible above. He checked the Chronometer. Five minutes until dawn...

Another flyer approached. It was a Stingray, modified, but clearly an Interceptor. Ragnarok sensed no other craft; he had come alone...
"Y'eldi Kor Mont'au, I am Kor'O Y'Eldi J'Kaara. I have come to engage you in single combat."
Ragnarok laughed, "You come alone!? You are either brave, or foolish!"
"I believe you to have some honour. My demands are simple; if I best you, you will withdraw from our space."
"Fair enough, but I warn you, I won't be easy to beat. Let's see if you're worth of being a "Y'Eldi", shall we?"Raganrok banked hard. The Kor'O had pulled into a storm-formation, but Ragnarok could feel him amidst the storm. He closed in, firing into the maelstrom, but hit nothing.
J'Kaara came around behind him. His missles scored a lock, and he fired. Somehow, Ragnarok evaded, and the Missiles flew harmlessly into ground.
The dogfight continued. The Air Caste pilot fought as best he could, but his assailant seemed to know his every move in advance, as if he could see what he was going to do before he did it.

His canopy exploded. An Autocannon round shattered the front pane, and sliced J'Kaara with shrapnel. He veered right, and lost control. As his plane fell, and his life drained

away, he saw Ragnarok. With the last of his strength, he squeezed the triggers, and the Ion blast striking the Lightning was the last thing he saw.

** * *

The Firewarriors found the crash site. What remained of the Y'Eldi pilot was laid peacefully on the ground, hands crossed over his chest.

Ragnarok stood nearby, pilot and plane unscratched.
"About time." The lead Shas'La raised his weapon, but Ragnarok simply laughed.
"Don't bother, I got what I wanted... I'll go, and I will not continue my attacks. You have my word as an Ace on that."
He climbed back into the Lightning, and grinned once more at the Firewarriors.
"Honour him, and let it be known that it was Kor'O Y'Eldi J'Kaara who defeated Ragnarok... if only for a time."
Firing up his engines, Ragnarok took off, and vanished into the distance.

[FTyross]

I like your story! good stuff! Is that the last

of it?

[BlackLotusElite]

ya its really good

[Necromonger]

GREAT STORY!

[Maureth]

good, what race and allegiance was Ragnarok?
He sounds like a druggie
Maureth

Yes, fantastic story, is there any more?

[Wargamer]

This one be an old story... though I doubt we've heard the last of Ragnarok.

[TopBanana]

That was a really cool story. Personally, I am wondering how he survived. My bet is that he is somehow connected with chaos. The sensing of his enemies and the fact that the Por'Vre “changed” seems to indicate that he belongs to Chaos.

If you write anything more about him, I’ll be reading it.
TB