Editing Nobledark Imperium Imperial Forces (section)

=== Mont'Kau Battlesuits ===

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%"> '''''Front-Line Defenders of the Greater Good:'''''

[[Image:Mont%27kau_Battlesuit.png|thumb|]]

As the Tau first expanded from their cradle of civilization on T’au into the greater galaxy, they began to realize that many of their opponents—including Orks, tyranids, Space Marines, and more—were devastatingly effective in close-quarters combat. Although the Tau preferred to avoid melee combat whenever possible, they realized that many of their opponents were not going to do them a favor and do the same. The Tau would have loved to use their auxiliaries to make up for this deficiency, but among their close allies only the Kroot were well-suited for close combat. And there were far more Tau regiments than there were Kroot to go around.
 
As a result, at the behest of O’Shovah (Commander Farsight) back before the Schism, the Tau Empire decided to solve this problem by building bigger and more durable versions of the Crisis battlesuit, specifically designed for melee combat. It has been suggested that O’Shovah was inspired to pitch his idea when he realized that battlesuits could be used to compensate for the Tau’s smaller physical stature and reluctance to engage in melee combat against foes, such as Orks and Space Marines, but the Tau vehemently deny this is the case. Unlike most battlesuits, which were designed as mobile platforms for heavy ranged weaponry, these suits were designed for close quarters combat. Like all Tau battlesuits these suits often carry guns, but more often than not these tend to be close-range weapons like shotguns, or tend to be a melee weapon first and foremost, like a giant bayonet to which attaching an actual gun is an afterthought. The Tau called them Mont’kau Battlesuits, named after a particularly terrifying species of predator from their homeworld of T’au. To the rest of the Imperium, who lacked the appreciation for the intricacies of the Tau language, these suits simply became known as Predator Battlesuits.

<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
 
Compared to a Space Marine or an Aspect Warrior, Mont’kau battlesuits aren’t as particularly agile in close-quarters combat, as they lack the Black Carapace of a Space Marine or the flesh and blood agility of an Eldar. But like all Tau battlesuits they are lightweight for their size and—more importantly—easily replaceable. The purpose of the Mont’kau battlesuits is not to serve as shock troops, but instead to act as a bulwark to keep the close combat forces of the enemy away from the firing line. Mont’kau battlesuits are typically piloted by battlefield veterans, ones who are accustomed to the chaos of battle and have fast enough reflexes to fight on the front lines. As a result, although melee combat is still the Tau’s biggest weakness, at least the Tau now have an answer to the numerous close-combat specialists that dominate the galactic landscape and are not a complete joke about it. Nevertheless, the Tau claim that they are continually improving on the Mont’kau design, and that one day the Mont’kau battlesuits will be the equal of the front line combatants of the other major races.
 
One common addition to Mont’kau battlesuits is an outer layer of explosive reactive armor, made of an alloy similar to (but more brittle than) the traditional fio’tak, which is designed to fragment into a spray of ceramite-like shrapnel. This reactive armor can either be used to provide additional protection against anti-personnel ranged attacks or be command-detonated to act like a makeshift claymore mine. These reactive armor plates are actually capable of being added to a wide-variety of battlesuits, but are most often associated with the Mont’kau battlesuits due to their role in close combat. These additions, along with the directed flechette grenades that are now a common component of Tau infantry gear, were largely devised as contingencies against the Dark Eldar, whom the Tau held a particular hatred for after their repeated raids of the Tau Empire in the wake of the A.I. rebellion, the Tau Reformation, and the vanguard Hive Fleets. To the Dark Eldar, for whom speed was their primary protection, such devices would prove lethal.

</div>
</div>