The Let's Play Archive

WarHammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade

by Blind Sally

Part 5: Day 03, The Panrea Lowlands, Report on the State of the Tau Empire's Government from Shas'ui Nu'mars

"Hello, Fio'ui, I have often heard us referred to as "Space Communists. And thinking on this, I have become troubled. Is communism not an ideology based on workers owning the means of production while not being an exploited underclass?"

"Why, yes it is. But, my fellow earth caste, do we not own them?"

"Well, no. After all, are we not ranked below an overseer who directs us, appointed by our ethereal? If the overseer is a functionary appointed by someone in an entirely different hierarchy with the power to do this, automatically ranking them above anyone in the earth caste, then do the workers own it, or do the Ethereals?"

"Well, I suppose the etherals do then."

"But that means we are not communists, right?"

"Technically..."

"Then, my Fio'ui, what are we?"

"Hmm. An interesting question. Since we are ruled by the ethereals, who represent a small cloistered group whose numbers remain stable, unelected, interconnected and enjoy an exceedingly overwhelming amount of power, I would call them a set of oligarchs. Since their power is based on an ideology which is a religion in all but name, I suppose one could call their rule theocratic in nature.

"Oh, I see. But wait, the Imperium we fight against is also ruled by an unelected group of oligarchs,. whose mandate is ostensibly conferred by a god-emperor, which makes their rule also theocratic, correct? Not to mention one of them is the head of their church. Does not make the Imperium also an oligarchic theocracy?

"*Gasp* The horror, the sickening horror, we and them are the same! Quick, we must end this gross offense to good decency! What do we do?"

"We must put a stop to this flagrant and blatant horror, we must end the oppression of the proletariat earth caste and begin working towards FULL COMMUNISM NOW.