40K Editorial: End Times & The Xenos
If the 40K “End Times” is upon us…what happens to the Xenos Races?
Hey BoLS Readers! I had a question posed to me by a friend when all the rumors of the 40K “End Times” Rumors started up: So what happens to all the Xenos races? And I scratched my head and thought, “Well that is an interesting question!”
So lets talk about – Let’s assume the End Times are here and the Universe of 40k is done. What happens to the Xenos? Well, if we are going to have that talk we first need to establish exactly HOW the universe ends because that will color the rest of the discussion.
For the sake of this article and to help focus our discussion, let’s just assume that Chaos Wins and the Imperium of Mankind is dead. The Emperor is dead-dead and has no way to re-incarnate. Maybe the Eye of Terror exploded and consumed the entirety of humanity in some type of hellish torment and bad things happened. But in the end, Mankind is gone and the Chaos tides reside because of the lack of human emotions to help “fuel” the Chaos of the Warp.
Still with me? Okay – let’s talk about the Xenos!
Necrons
For the Necron’s I think it’s important to ask what their end-game is – why do they fight? Perhaps they just hate “life” because it reminds them they are no longer “alive” and that deal the Necrontyr made those many millennia ago still haunts them. Maybe they just want to resume their supremacy across the Galaxy – they were the big boys on the block and they want to go back to their glory days. So now that the Humans are gone and the Warp has calmed, what now?
I think the Necrons finally do wake up – the rest of them. Tomb Worlds would come online and begin to activate others, exponentially increasing their numbers. Of all the races out there, I think the Necrons are probably at the best position to really gain a lot of territory, at first. The thing is, even with all the humans gone, the galaxy is FAR from empty…
Orks
Nature abhors a vacuum. Orks are very much a force of nature – these fungal warriors would spread like WILDFIRE across the stars. With no humans to oppose them and the search for a good fight coded into their DNA, I think they would go looking for some one else to pick a fight with quick!
The Orks would probably become the biggest rivals to the Necrons in terms of “Scale of Empires” pretty fast. And they would get even tougher once they started looting all those empty planets of their tech. Ork Fleets would roam freely looking for a fight worthy of the Wrath of the Greenskin hordes. But because they are a great source of” life” they would also attract some unwanted attention…
Tyranids
All that life. All that bio-mass. The Great Devourer has one heck of an appetite. The Orks would probably be their most sought after meal…aside from all the now empty planets they could consume at will. With no major organized resistance the Shadow in the Warp would spread it’s icy tendrils out and begin absorbing planets at an alarming rate. The Tyrand fleet would swell and become bloated with biomass as would attack the Milky Way Galaxy like an all-you-can-eat buffet.
However, between the Necron’s hate for all things living and the Orks need to fight they would eventually hit some pretty big road blocks. I’m not sure how quickly they would spread unchecked, but at some point the rest of the Galaxy would fight back. We’re still not sure how large those other tendrils are or just how many bio-fleets are waiting beyond the rim – but after gorging, they would have to decide if devouring the rest is worth the expenditure in biomass. Whatever happens, they would cause some significant damage to the Galaxy with out the humans around to fight. But there are others…
Tau
The Tau are quick studies. This young, upstart race has proved it can handle itself against all the threats the rest of the Galaxy has been throwing at it. In the current setting, only the lack of warp-space travel has really kept them from truly rivaling the Imperium. But if their rapid technological advances show anything it’s that the limitations on their space-fleets won’t last forever.
Once the Tau truly master Space Travel they would be able to carve out a powerful empire. Their main issue is that they would probably be surrounded by the Tyranid tendrils in their neck of the woods. Again, they have proved they can push those aggressors back and the profit-loss in bio mass doesn’t bode well for the Tyranids. Plus their belief in “The Greater Good” sets them apart – they would be willing to sacrifice themselves to stop such a threat.
I think they could eventually breakthrough the Tyranid fleets in their area, perhaps they could develop new technology specifically to counter them. Who knows? I do think they have an uphill battle and without a jump start on Space Travel or some guidance, it could go the other way for them just as fast. If only they had some to help them…
Eldar
The Eldar may be a” Dying Race” – but they just outlasted the humans…They play the long game and haven’t been knocked out yet. They may be a shadow of their former empire, but so were the Necrons. And now that the threat of Chaos has receded (for now) they might just be back on the road to recovery.
There was a theory that the Eldar did something to those Primitive Tau and created the Ethereals to help guide their race. Perhaps in all their visions they knew that the Tau would be the race they would be passing the torch to, eventually. Well now that the Humans are gone, the Tau are looking like a pretty safe bet compared to the other races. The Eldar might be the ones to help the Tau out with their little Space-travel issue. If they can get by all those Tyranids on the Eastern Fringe.
I don’t think the Eldar will ever truly be dead. Between the pirate raiders of the Dark Eldar and the long-term planning of the regular Eldar they will survive. They may not be able to recapture their glory days but they will still have an influence on things at the Galactic Scale. Their technology and guidance might be the only thing that stops the Tyranids from overrunning the Galactic East before the Tau can counter them. However, that very tech would make them targets for both the Necrons (who hate them and see that tech as a threat) and the Orks (who want to loot it for more dakka). Their constant meddling and puppeteering may not be enough to avoid those two ancient rivals forever.
Turns out that even if all the Humans are dead and gone the Galaxy will still be at war. The war might look different, but it’s hardly a peaceful place out among the stars. This, is of course, making some pretty big assumptions about the fate of humanity and the nature of Chaos/The Warp. Maybe once the Humans are gone the Chaos entities will be freed to attack everyone. Maybe they feast on the Souls of the Eldar and wipe them out completely! Who knows?
But I still wonder, what happens to the Xenos?
What do you think happens to the Xenos Races if the “End Times” happens? Will they all be destroyed or will they live on to continue to light the fires of war?
