Commander Shadowsun

Shas’O Shaserra trained under Commander Puretide alongside O’Shovah and O’Kais. The three survived Puretide’s trials on Mount Kan’ji and became some of his most accomplished students. Shaserra developed exceptional mastery of the Kauyon method of warfare which relies on patience and carefully prepared traps. She later served beneath O’Shovah before he became Commander Farsight. When his forces broke from the T’au Empire she remained loyal to the Ethereal Council. Aun’Va preserved Shaserra in cryogenic stasis so her experience could be used in future campaigns. She was eventually awakened during the Great War of Confederation and earned the name Shadowsun after using an artificial eclipse to infiltrate an Ork encampment and eliminate its leadership.

Shadowsun was chosen to lead the Third Sphere of Expansion and became Supreme Commander of the T’au military forces committed to it. Her campaigns expanded the Empire across numerous systems and culminated in a major victory at Mu’gulath Bay. Her confidence later led her into an Imperial ambush after Kor’sarro Khan devastated members of her command staff and provoked her into abandoning her usual restraint. Shadowsun survived and adjusted her strategy. She subsequently directed the Prefectia Campaign before returning to defend Mu’gulath Bay when the Imperium struck again. Aun’Va was killed during the fighting. Shadowsun later warned Farsight that the Ethereal Council intended to capture him after his forces had assisted the Empire.

Shadowsun was placed into stasis again before being awakened to lead the Fifth Sphere of Expansion through the Startide Nexus. She encountered the surviving Fourth Sphere forces and became disturbed by their growing hostility toward non-T’au auxiliaries. Shadowsun disciplined their commanders and later directed the defense of the Nexus against the Death Guard. Her determination to investigate the strange power associated with the Fourth Sphere briefly cost her command. She nevertheless assembled a force of T’au auxiliaries and boarded the Death Guard vessel Nephylum. After surviving the battle she was restored as Supreme Commander and resumed directing expansion throughout the Chalnath Expanse and the Nem’yar Atoll.

Appearance: Commander Shadowsun has muted blue-gray skin and a lean athletic build. Her visible eyes are amber gold. Her dark auburn hair is gathered into two long ponytails tied with black bands and extending far behind her head.

Her XV22 Stealthsuit is a large white and pale gray armored frame with broad shoulders and long mechanical limbs. The torso is compact with layered white plating over dark flexible joints. Circular black mechanical ports and recessed panels sit across the chest and abdomen. Yellow markings appear along several armor sections.

The shoulders are heavily reinforced with angular white housings and dark gray undersides. One shoulder carries a long black antenna with a pale cap and a small red sensor at its base. Thick segmented armor covers the thighs and shins with black knee sections and pointed ankle projections.

One arm carries a massive rectangular fusion weapon in bronze and dark gray metal. Two large circular muzzle openings glow orange inside the housing. Her other arm ends in a compact armored hand with articulated black fingers. Additional dark mechanical sections remain exposed at the elbows hips and knees beneath the white armor plates.

Personality: Shadowsun is patient and highly disciplined. She prefers to control the shape of a battle before committing herself and rarely wastes forces on an attack that has not been prepared properly. Her loyalty to the Greater Good remains sincere but experience has made her less willing to accept every decision of the Ethereals without question. She values cooperation with auxiliary species and reacted strongly against the xenophobia displayed by elements of the Fourth Sphere. Shadowsun can still be provoked into anger when people under her command are slaughtered. Her defeat after Kor’sarro Khan attacked her command staff demonstrated the danger of allowing that anger to override the patience on which her strategy depends.

Puretide remains the strongest influence on Shadowsun’s military thinking. Farsight was once her fellow student and bond-mate before his rebellion divided them. She condemns his rejection of the Ethereals but retains personal respect for him and has shown that she will protect him when circumstances demand it. O’Kais shares the same bond formed during their training under Puretide. Shadowsun’s relationships with the Ethereal leadership are more complicated. She serves their cause and accepts their authority while occasionally acting according to her own judgment when their orders conflict with what she believes will protect the T’au Empire.

Shadowsun is one of the T’au Empire’s greatest living commanders and an exceptional practitioner of Kauyon warfare. She uses concealment and false openings to draw an enemy into positions where coordinated fire can destroy them. Her experience includes wars against Orks and Tyranids as well as the Imperium and the forces of Chaos. She is also an expert battlesuit pilot who specializes in infiltration and rapid strikes against command elements or armored targets. Her ability to operate from concealment allows her to direct an engagement while remaining difficult for opposing forces to locate.

Shadowsun wears an upgraded XV22 Stalker Stealth Battlesuit fitted with a stealth field and advanced mobility systems. Its primary weapons are twin high-energy fusion blasters capable of destroying heavily armored targets at short range. The suit also carries a light missile pod and a flechette launcher. She is accompanied by the MV37 Advanced Guardian Drone Oe-hei and the MV62 Command-Link Drone Oe-ken-yon which provide defensive and battlefield support. Earlier versions of her XV22 were equipped with standard fusion blasters and shield drones alongside her bonding knife.