The Rise of The Skaven Tau Part 2

Year 1545: As the vehicle makes its way to an unknown destination through the darkness of space the new nest, unimpeded by the squabbling of the mob, makes technological breakthroughs that they have never previously dreamed of. Engineers of Clan Skryre, through investigation and scavenging of the vehicles components learned how the humans were able to produce such tremendous power without the severe limitations of Warpstone, the Moulders moved away from their ad-hoc surgical methods and began working with tissue on a cellular level and Eshin agents turned their attention towards accessing the vast stores of information that the humans kept.

Year 1562: For thirty years the Skaven nest aboard the vehicle had remained undiscovered by the humans though it was not until an experiment with using human technology to stabilise Warpstone went wrong causing a massive explosion that the stowaways realised that there appeared to be no humans onboard at all. Discovering this, the Skaven set about taking some measure of control of the vehicle by trying to establish where they were and where they were travelling to.

Year 1563: Having thoroughly investigated the vehicle it was established that there were once humans on the ship however, in an apparent attempt to prolong their lifespan they had reduced their own body temperatures. While in this state one of the many experiments that were carried out by the Skaven had caused their temperatures to rise without the proper procedure and as such none of the thousands of humans onboard survived the process.

Year 1830: After hundreds of years aboard the vessel the Skaven had gained a full understanding of the human technology to the level where they were continuing the human’s cultivation of plants for both oxygen and food, maintaining the power systems built by the humans and had completely mapped out the computer systems present on the ship. Strict breeding controls were in effect aboard the ship to ensure that overcrowding was kept in check and the clan system had faded into a distant memory. The nest was ruled over by a meritocracy with each potential leader being tasked with inventing a device of some kind, the most impressive device as voted every two years by all (male) Skaven was declared the winner.

Year 2878: It had been over one thousand years now and hundreds of generations of Skaven had lived and died aboard the vehicle that the humans had called Icarus III. Stories of Skavendom were vague now but generally they told of the horrors of life underground and how evil, selfish rats had ruled over clans fighting petty wars over the ownership of dark, worthless tunnels. Young Skaven were uncared for and each Skaven was left to fend for themselves without the rigid support structures and discipline of New Icarus.

Year 2891: 1359 years after they left Skavendom forever the new nest continued to maintain and control Icarus III however the time had come when the powerplant seemed unlikely to be able to continue operating for much longer. The Skaven had done what they could to keep it running but they had run out of Warpstone hundreds of years ago and without it the repairs were only temporary. The currently acting leader of New Icarus, Brighteyes Kritkin, made the decision to leave space and attempt a landing on one of the planets orbiting a nearby star.

Year 2892: Using the sensors constructed by the humans the Skaven located a planet not unlike the planet that their ancestors had left behind when they first boarded Icarus III. From information left behind by the humans and his own understanding of the vessel Kritkin was able to land the massive vessel without loss of life though on inspection of the crafts engines after landing it was clear that the damage was significant and the decision to land had saved New Icarus.

Year 2893: After his performance in the landing of the craft along with a recent brilliant invention it was decided that Kritkin would remain leader of Skaven for his entire life and that elections would be held immediately upon his death. Exercising caution on behalf of New Icarus Kritkin declared that most Skaven would remain on board Icarus III for another two years while specially chosen teams investigated the planet.

The Rise of The Skaven Tau

While I'm still in the process of building, converting and painting my army I have written a few words of 'fluff' behind my idea for the Skaven Tau army.
Keep in mind that in terms of rules on the tabletop nothing changes and for all intents the Skaven Tau are simply different looking Tau models.

Timeline

All dates given in years after the events of the ‘Warhammer Fantasy’ setting.

Year 500: As fighting on the surface dies down and Clan Moulder has been all but wiped out by the combined forces of Clan Skryre and Clan Eshin an uneasy peace falls upon Skavendom that will last hundreds of years. The humans on the surface have made quantum leaps in technology that are unrivalled by even the most capable of the Skryre engineers.

Year 900: After a long period of technological stagnation and dwindling food sources the Skaven population has fallen by 80% in the past 700 years. Belief in The Horned Rat has all but vanished, The Council of 13 has lost credibility and most of the viruses, the last weapon that the Skaven had against other races has been rendered useless by advances in medical technology.

Year 934: Through a short civil war lasting only a matter of days, Clan Skryre kills all members of The Council of 13 and their few remaining followers. Clan Skryre declares themselves to be lord over all other clans with their Lord-Warlock as supreme ruler over Skavendom. Skryre rules with an iron fist, crushing any dissent with brutal force backed up by their war machines and their close allies in Clan Eshin.

Year 1482: After 500 years of relative peace and technological prosperity under Clan Skryre the Skaven have made a significant leap forward in the subterranean agricultural technology signalling an end to the long running food shortage which had hampered their much needed population growth.

Year 1529: On a routine mission to the surface to gather information and intelligence, agents of Clan Eshin discover the existence of a vehicle designed and built by humans with the intention of travelling to distant places far from the tunnels of Skavendom. The technology described by the agents is unlike anything that the minds of Skryre engineers ever thought would be possible. Aware that Skaven technology is no longer able to compete with that of humans the Lord-Warlock of the Skaven declares that they will attempt to infiltrate this vehicle and follow the humans to wherever they plan to go.

Year 1531: With a close eye on the human vehicle, the construction of which is near completion, the Lord-Warlock assembles a team of 2,500 of the strongest and most cunning Skaven from each of the four clans. The team would include breeders and nurses with the intention of creating a nest aboard the huge vehicle while the engineers would gather information on human technology which could someday be sent back to Skavendom.

Year 1532: With the Skaven nest successfully set up aboard the human vehicle without detection the new colony is cut-off from Skavendom and it becomes apparent that they will never be able to return.

To be continued...