XV104 Riptide Battlesuit - History: Since the start of the Third Sphere Expansion, rumours of a new, heavy class of T'au Battlesuit had spread throughout the ranks of the Fire Caste. There was initially no appearance of this long-awaited latest prototype, but that changed during the expansion's first big showdown with the Imperium of Mankind on the Imperial world of Agrellan.The Human armies had amassed and dug in to protect their Hive World; a situation that would normally call for the T'au to concentrate their forces on other, less fortified worlds. However, as the gateway planet to the whole of the coveted Dovar System, Agrellan was a keystone no invader could afford to bypass -- its orbit blocked the best route through the largely impassable Damocles Gulf, and so it had to be taken.The Imperial defensive positions surrounding each hive city were formidable -- heavy walls topped at regular intervals with ferro-concrete bunkers overlooked the open wastelands. These killing fields were strewn with impenetrable tank traps and gravity-mines.Should the T'au force their way through these perimeters, or simply airdrop within the fortified rings, they would find themselves within the claustrophobic and twisting streets of the great hive city itself. There, specially prepared blockades and defensive citadels awaited the unwary, with infantry and armour garrisoned within to launch counterattacks. It was a planet entirely given over to defending itself -- its whole population geared either for war, or for war production.To crack this formidable planet and open up the more vulnerable systems beyond, Commander Shadowsun herself planned and launched the assault. Twenty Hunter Cadres would simultaneously strike key hive nodes, and at the vanguard of each strode the cutting edge of Earth Caste weapons technology, and the pinnacle of their battlesuit development -- the XV104 Riptide.At long last, the largest T'au Battlesuit prototype yet created by the Earth Caste was unleashed. The ground assaults began, perfectly coinciding with entire shoals of Sun Shark bombers streaking overhead and numerous distracting attacks launched by forward-positioned Stealthsuit and Pathfinder Teams. As massed Hammerheads and skyborne Mantas rained fire on the enemy line, the XV104 Riptides at the fore came under attack. Enemy shells exploded harmlessly off their armour as each Riptide brought its arsenal to bear upon the defenders.Heavy Burst Cannons, the Riptide's standard main armament, raked the walls, stitching patterns of death that cut Imperial Guardsmen in two. Missiles, from the Riptide's secondary weapon systems and from its accompanying Shielded Missile Drones, blazed outwards, leaving contrails as they streaked into the enemy's ranks. To the rear, those Riptides outfitted with the Ion Accelerator showed off the range and hitting power of their prototype weapons -- destroying battle tanks and blowing chunks out of the reinforced bunkers.Amidst the rain of incoming ordnance and the blossoming of explosions, the distinctive thrumming sound of the Riptides overcharging their Nova Reactors could be heard. The very air crackled with electrical pulses due to the sheer energy generated by these indomitable power-packs. The massed guns of the Imperial Guard quickly targeted the giant Battlesuits, but to little avail. Near the gates of the prime hive, a battery of incoming Deathstrike Missiles momentarily lit the battlefield as they crashed into T'au lines. For a long moment it seemed as if both sides paused; only an XV104 Riptide, protected by its Nova Shield, emerged from the flaming crater, black scorch marks marring its armour, all it had to show for its brush with destruction.Upon reaching the walls, the Riptides either engaged their Jetpacks to hurdle the impediment, or stepped through the breaches made by repeated blasts from their Ion Accelerators. With Fire Warriors advancing at their feet, the streets of every hive on Agrellan soon ran red with blood. Their defence and spirit broken, Guardsmen fled their posts in a complete rout. Only the lenient surrender terms offered by the Water Caste saved an all-out massacre. Before the sun set, except for a few desperate pockets that would soon be wiped out, the planet belonged to the T'au, who would rename the planet Mu'gulath Bay. Later, it would serve as the foundation of a new T'au Sept. So began the auspicious debut of the highly anticipated XV104 Riptide.The start of the heavy Battlesuit development initiative can be traced back to conflicts such as the massive Ork invasion of Vior'la and the Damocles Gulf Crusade. The Fire Caste had long issued requests for a heavier class of Battlesuit; one more capable of standing up to the increasingly powerful enemy weaponry they were facing.Although crudely designed and built, the T'au could not help but be impressed with the amount of firepower that war machines such as primitive Ork Stompas, mountainous Gargants could produce. During the battles in the Damocles Gulf, the Fire Caste faced the fully deployed might of the Imperium of Mankind, pitting their own weaponry against super-heavy tanks and Imperial Titans for the first time. For a race used to holding technical superiority, the sheer power of these alien constructs was eye-opening.The T'au way of war stresses mobility over mass attacks and hit-and-run tactics over entrenched positions. A wise T'au Commander is not daunted by foes that outnumber his own troops many times over, nor is he dismayed by the sheer size of the crude war machines their foes might deploy. Coordinated tactics, tight discipline and a well enacted battle plan can overcome such minor advantages.However, even Commander Puretide, the ultimate master of the balanced attack, freely admitted that the creation of a heavier class of battlesuits, with upgraded size and armour, would better enable Hunter Cadres to withstand the prodigious firepower that was regularly directed at them.Yet despite such worthy requests, all Earth Caste attempts resulted in failure. Earlier prototypes were ponderous machines, not fit to enact the tactics of the Code of Fire, or they subjected their wearer (or the planet on which he stood) to risks beyond measure.What finally made the XV104 possible was the development of the Nova Reactor, an experimental power-pack that fuses dark matter, producing energy on scales closer to that of small stars than conventional fusion engines.Such devices have been used to empower the mighty fleets of the Air Caste but, until recently, could not be reduced to a suitable size. Although still in the prototype stage, the Nova Reactor has proven largely stable, despite some problems in safely releasing the vast energies it produces. The Riptide's higher functions can draw upon this almost unlimited source of power, but not without some risk.While attempting to utilise its Riptide Shield Generator, boost its Jetpack or charge any of its weapons, the XV104 Riptide can suffer dangerous power vents capable of wounding or even killing its pilot. That a pilot willingly risks using the Riptide's Nova Reactor -- even through the radiation may kill him -- highlights his heroic self-sacrifice and the nobility of the Greater Good.