Vespid Stingwings

The Vespid provide auxiliaries to Tau armies, who value them for their skill at negotiating dangerous ground at speed. They make ideal mobile reserve or flanking troops, though the Tau rely on the communion helm issued to the Strain Leaders to communicate with the Stingwings and coordinate their actions.

The Stingwings evolved in a harsh climate, and they are well equipped to prosper in their homeworld's lethal atmosphere. Chitinous wings carry them aloft upon the cold, gusting winds, and diamond-hard claws provide the means to tunnel within the rock of sky-borne islands covered in stalactites. The weapons carried by the Stingwings represent a technology unique to Vespid. Mounted at the barrel of each is a highly energetic and unstable crystal harvested from the lowest levels of the largest islands. At such depths, the atmospheric pressures create bizarre crystal formations. The Tau have provided the Stingwings with the technology to mount these weapons upon advanced and highly efficient neutron containment and projection systems, making them amongst the most deadly weapons of their type.

The Stingwings have proven themselves of great use to the Fire Caste, which values the aliens' speed and agility as well as the lethality of their weapons. The Stingwings are often integrated into Hunter Cadres that are configured as fast-moving, highly mobile forces, where they act as scouts alongside infiltrating Pathfinder Teams. Vespid have also been deployed as reserves for Cadres with a high number of Crisis Teams, their speed and maneuverability allowing them to respond to orders and react to threats with astonishing speed. It is a great compliment that the Fire Caste regards the Vespid Stingwings as skillful and reliable allies, an honor yet to be paid to the mercenary Kroot of Pech.