Operation Sunstrike Begins

The Tau operation Sunstrike began with the "securing" of the Cernunnos facility, where nearly half a million tau now lived and worked. Commander Longstride met with his advisors and planned their strategy. It became obvious that bases on Tantalon V, Lucardium and Myrentas II would provide the logistical links which they needed. Three task forces, each with a number of hunter cadres on board set out for these systems.

Lucardium
Lucardium, a hot and sparsely inhabited desert planet with few resources put up no resistance to the Tau arrival. After arriving in the planet's one and only city the Tau emissaries quickly established relations with the few human settlers and the planet became part of the Tau empire without a fight.

Tantalon V
Things did not go as well for the task force sent to the forest world of Tantalon V. Instead of an uninhabited world teeming with natural life the Tau found a lifeless ball of rock devoid of life or even atmosphere. Intrigued the Tau landed at the former Imperial outpost and found it in ruins. Before they had time to investigate further they were assaulted by a ferocious tyranid horde and forced to flee. The Tau lost several hundred in the attack and were forced to abandon their heavy equipment on the planet.
The commander of the task force realised the tyranids on the planet were nowhere near enough to overwhelm the planet. Where were the rest of the aliens? Had a new hive fleet been born? Unable to send out further scouting forces, these questions had to wait.

Myrentas II
In the pirate system of Myrentas the Tau had more success. Dropping their fleet into the system the Imperial supply fleet was forced to flee before superior firepower. This meant vital fuel supplies failed to reach the Imperial armies on the ground and the offensive against Whiteridge had to be cancelled.
Meanwhile the Tau water caste sent diplomats to the besieged pirate city of Rockwell. An agreement was quickly reached. The pirates would join the Tau empire in exchange for protection from the Imperium and the Iron Warriors, who now had a third of the city under their control. Not all the pirates were happy with this authority over them, while the ork forces were told their services were no longer required.
Upon landing the Tau immediately took positions around the city and secured the spaceport. They even made gains into the Iron Warriors' territory before a determined attack halted the aliens and prevented them from taking the westgate.

The Eldar Learn the Truth
Meanwhile the eldar, worried by the Tau findings on Tantalon V visited the system for themselves. It was a dangerous reconaissance mission and a number of the eldar did not return. Still the tyranid assaults were driven off and the eldar learned the real truth on Tantalon. A new hive fleet had been created from the life which once thrived on Tantalon. It had split in two. Half headed to Lucardium and the new Tau base, the other half toward the 10 billion souls living in the Zadoc sector. Their first target the massively populous system of Libria...