Fire Caste

The Fire Caste are the military caste of the Tau Empire. The Tau of this caste are tall and have relatively stronger and more muscular frames than their counterparts in the other Tau castes. This comes from the Fire Caste's origin on the plains T'au, the Tau homeworld, where they were predators and warriors. Tau from the world of Vior'la tend to have slightly greater muscle mass.

Hierarchy
Ranks within the Fire Caste are determined by a rite of passage known as a Trial by Fire, which can be anything from a gladiatorial combat to superior performance in a real battle. The first Trial by Fire can be undertaken after a Tau warrior of the Fire Caste has served for 4 Terran years of active combat duty. If the Shas'la survives his first Trial by Fire, he is promoted to the rank of Shas'ui, or Veteran. For every consecutive four Terran years of service thereafter, the Fire Warrior undergoes another Trial by Fire.

The higher one's rank within the Fire Caste, the more likely one is to be a Tau Battlesuit pilot. Upon attaining the rank of Shas'O, a member of the Fire Caste may be allowed to retire peacefully, although more often than not he or she will become an advisor to the Tau military's high command, the Shas'ar'tol. Other than death this is the only way to leave the Tau military caste.

Battle Tactics
The Fire Caste are an army that specialise in the use of ranged weapons and tactics. They prefer to fire upon their enemy with their pulse rifles at a distance rather than to close and engage in melee combat. They maximise their ranged capability by using two tactics. The Montka ("Killing Blow") is a well-planned strike at the enemy. The Kauyon ("Patient Hunter") is the name for the tactic by which the Tau lure their enemy into an ambush, slaughtering them in pre-planned kill zones.

Notable Fire Caste Members

 * Commander Firsight - Commander Farsight, leader of the renegade Tau of the Farsight Enclaves of the Damocles Gulf
 * Commander Brightsword - Commander Brightsword
 * Shas'la T'au Kais - Shas'la Kais, main character of the PC game Fire Warrior
 * Shas'O Vera