Where most seasoned Fire Warriors aspire to don a battlesuit, the veteran known as a Cadre Fireblade, or shas'nel, chooses a different road. Having risen through years of war to the rank of shas'ui, these warriors decline the great honour of Crisis or Stealth armour and remain instead at the heart of the T'au gunline, leading the infantry they have fought beside all their lives. For some the choice reflects a temperament ill-suited to a battlesuit's demands; for others it is simple devotion to the massed pulse fire that is the soul of the Fire Caste's art.
A Fireblade's worth lies in the calm they radiate and the precision they instil. Long experience has taught them exactly where a shot must fall to reap the greatest harvest, and under their direction a Fire Warrior team maintains disciplined, unerring fire no matter how dire the moment. Their guidance turns an ordinary squad into a scythe, each trooper firing with a steadiness born of the veteran's example.
Most Fireblades carry a pulse rifle fitted with a markerlight designator, marrying their personal marksmanship to the target-marking that lets the wider cadre concentrate its fury. Many also bear a bonding knife, the token of the ta'lissera ritual through which they have sworn themselves to their comrades. In the Fireblade the Fire Caste beholds the finest of its foot soldiers made teacher and leader both, the living memory of thousands of years of martial tradition.
Order of battle
