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MEDUSON

Anthology edited by Laurie Goulding

The Horus Heresy

It is a time of legend. Mighty heroes battle for the right to rule the galaxy. The vast armies ofthe Emperor of Earth have conquered the galaxy in a Great Crusade – themyriad alien races have been smashed by the Emperor’s elite arriorsand iped from the face of history. The dan of a ne age of supremacy for humanity bec!ons. Gleaming citadels of marble and gold celebrate the many victories ofthe Emperor. Triumphs are raised on a million orlds to record the epicdeeds of his most poerful and deadly arriors. "irst and foremost amongst these are the primarchs# superheroic beingsho have led the Emperor’s armies of $pace Marines in victory aftervictory. They are unstoppable and magni%cent# the pinnacle of theEmperor’s genetic experimentation. The $pace Marines are the mightiesthuman arriors the galaxy has ever !non# each capable of besting ahundred normal men or more in combat. &rganised into vast armies of tens of thousands called 'egions# the$pace Marines and their primarch leaders conquer the galaxy in the name

of the Emperor.Chief amongst the primarchs is (orus# called the Glorious# the )rightest$tar# favourite of the Emperor# and li!e a son unto him. (e is the*armaster# the commander+in+chief of the Emperor’s military might#sub,ugator of a thousand thousand orlds and conqueror of the galaxy. (eis a arrior ithout peer# a diplomat supreme. -s the ames of ar spread through the /mperium# man!ind’schampions ill all be put to the ultimate test.

MEDUSON

Dan Abnett

T(E0E *E0E 1& surgical lasers available. - clustered missile stri!e over /sstvan 2 had blon out the /onside3 san! from the lateral exchangers aft# voiding eight deployment bays andthe portside apothecarion chambers. The smaller medicae annex on the

ship3s starboard side as overhelmed ith life+critical cases. 4yinglegionaries on stretcher boards ere lined up along the hallay.

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$hadra! had only lost a hand. (e reported instead to a ma!eshift triagestation set up in the forard hold. Most of the sta6 there ere frightenedserfs drummed up from the ship3s cre. Gorgonson of the 'o!opt Clan asthe only -pothecary present# the only one that could be spared from thechaos of the medicae annex. (e loo!ed at the hand.

3Excise#3 he instructed the human attendant aiting nearby. 3Cleandon to the forearm bones. 'eave some tissue for con,unction and graft./3ll be bac! to %t the augmetic.3 Gorgonson didn3t say anything to $hadra!. There as nothing to say. 1o. There as a great deal to say ,ust no ords ith hich to say it. (e treated $hadra! li!e a piece of bro!en machinery presented forrepair# not as a brother# an old friend or a fello son of Terra. (e didn3teven ma!e eye contact. (e ,ust moved on to the next case# abattlebrother hose helm had been fused to his chee! by a melta burst. The human as a young ensign# frec!le+faced and redheaded. (isanxiety made him seem li!e a small boy compared to $hadra!3s bul!.3$eat yourself# lord#3 he stammered# gesturing to a commandeeredsuitroom rediner that had a metal service trolley positioned beside it. $hadra! didn3t much care for the term 3 lord3 . (e as a captain# andthat ord alone as more than su7cient. )ut he as too tired to correctthe serf# too empty. (e felt li!e the tombs of -lbia that he had visited as achild8 vast and enduring# but long since robbed of the precious things theyhad once contained. 9sing his good hand# he too! o6 his helm and placed it on the dec!. Then he unstrapped his eapon belt# so that the harnessed gladius andbolt pistol ould not encumber him hen he sat. The belt had loops for

reload clips. They ere empty. The recliner crea!ed under his armoured eight. (e set his boots on thefoot rest# leaned bac! and placed his ruined left arm on the trolley. /tould have been palm up# if he had still had a palm. The attendant stared at the ound. The hand as missing most of the%ngers. /t as a bloody mitten of blac!ened meat# ith bro!en!nuc!lebones protruding li!e tigs. The rist as misaligned. Thecomposite ceramite sleeve of $hadra!3s ironblac! armour as mangled atthe cu6# the torn ends stabbing into his esh. 3/s there pain:3 Truth be told# $hadra! hadn3t been aare of any pain not physical pain#

anyay. The other pain as too immense# too entire. $urprised# he ansered# 31o.3 3/ have no anaesthetic#3 the man added reluctantly. 3/ have somenumbing agents# but resources are so;3 3<ust do it#3 said $hadra!. (is body had autonomically shut don a greatnumber of his neural receptors at the moment of in,ury. (is left handdidn3t feel much of anything anymore. /t as ,ust a dead eight# li!e apiece of !it he couldn3t unbuc!le and remove. 3There are no surgical lasers either#3 the serf apologised. $hadra! sahe as iping a manual bonesa ith a sterile sab. The man3s hands

ere sha!ing. 9nder other circumstances# in other ars# $hadra! ould have been

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amused by the sheer pathos of the situation. )ut his capacity for amusement as as empty as the tombs of -lbiatoo. (e sighed. 3>ou3ll never get through the vambrace ith that#3 he said. The man

loo!ed as though he as about to panic. 34o you have medical training:3 3/ am a ,unior gunnery o7cer# lord#3 the man replied. 3)ut / have mycorpsman certi%cate.3 -gain# the 33lord33? $hadra! reached over ith his right hand# unclasped the elbo guardand let it fall to the dec!. Then he unfastened the clamps in the croo! ofhis elbo and mid forearm# and tugged the composite plasteel andceramite sleeve o6. @arts of the gauntlet ere still attached# appingloose. The buc!led rist seal as impacted into his esh# and it too! alittle more e6ort to rench it clear. "luid and ec!s of meat spattered thedec!. (e stripped aay the undersleeve# tearing the fabric. (is exposed s!inloo!ed as pale as bone# in star! contrast to the mauled mess of his hand. 3(o did this happen:3 the man as!ed# eyes ide at the fully exposeddamage. 3(orus happened#3 said $hadra!. (e rested his arm bac! on the trolley. The man approached# gingerly#pu7ng counterseptic onto the ound from a as!# his hands still sha!ing.(e too! a grip on the bone sa# and consulted an anatomical diagram hehad called up on the display of his dataslate. $hadra! !ne that the manas dying to as! hat he had meant# but didn3t dare.

(e rested the sa3s serrated edge against $hadra!3s esh ,ust belo historn rist. The s!in as covered in spots of fast+clotted blood. The serfsabbed them aay# and then made the %rst dra. There as pain# of course# but it seemed minor and distant. $hadra! satbac! and let it pass over him. (e stared at the hold3s gloomy roof# into thedar!ness beyond the hanging lumens. (e let his mind %ll ith memoriesmemories from before the pain. (e tried to recollect something as farfrom it as possible. )efore this minor discomfort# before the greater in,uryof the dropsite# before Medusa# before the Gorgon# before the GreatCrusade? (e thought of Terra# and the last years of the 9ni%cation *ars. (e

thought of his %rst days as a $torm *al!er# serving under 'ordCommander -madeus 4uCaine in the theatres of -fri! and the @anpaci%c.)ac! then# ,ustly proud of their fresh# geneherited might# none of themhad !non hat the $torm *al!ers ould become# or hat revision ofstructure and loyalty they ould have to undergo. -nd even once theyhad !non# they had embraced it holeheartedly. /t had not been amatter of reformation or repair# though fates !ne that the A 'egion ereespecially resilient hen it came to repair. /t had been a matter of ascendancy. /t had been a blessing. To be called to your primarch3s side# to become

one of his. $hadra! had cast o6 his Terran surname# a mortal vestige thathad fallen into disuse anyay# and ta!en the name Meduson to

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demonstrate and a7rm his allegiance to his in home orld. (e had become $hadra! Meduson of Clan $orrgol# Captain of the TenthCompany. The $torm *al!ers of 9ni%cation had become the /ron (ands. They had expected nothing but glory in their future. Even if calamity chanced to overta!e the /ron Tenth on the %eld of ar#

it ould be a glorious calamity in the Emperor3s service. 1one of them had ever anticipated this inglorious ruin. 1one of themcould ever have imagined such a measure of ra treachery. 1one of them could ever have expected this scale of loss and pain. 3/3m sorry#3 the man said. $hadra! opened his eyes. 4espite his clotting factors and vascular shunts# the top of the trolleyas running ith blood. /t as dripping o6 the edges and ma!ing arectangular# splatter pattern halo on the dec!. The esh of his rist asmar!ed ith several bloody hesitation ounds. *hen the young serf had%nally found some con%dence and purpose# he had opened a gash li!e agasping mouth# but the bone as barely nic!ed. The man3s hands ere sha!ing more than ever. 3>our bones are very?very strong# lord.3 $hadra! sa that he as seating. 3They ere made that ay#3 he replied# sitting up. 3Give me that slate.3 The serf handed him the dataslate# and $hadra! revieed the anatomicalgraphic as dispassionately as he might chec! a mechanical diagram. (emade a note of the bone formation# compared it ith hat remained of hisrist# too! note of blood vessels and tendon assembly and paid heed tothe recommended lin! points for structural and neural grafting.

3/3ll do it#3 he said# handing the slate bac!. 3/t3ll be quic!er.3 The man sloly o6ered him the bloody sa# but $hadra! had alreadyleaned over the side of the recliner and dran his gladius. (e set the edgeof the blade along the clumsy guide cut that the bone sa had scored#paused# and struc! his ruined hand o6 ith a single# sift blo. /t bouncedo6 the side of the trolley and landed in the pool of blood on the dec!. Theserf hesitated# as though he felt it ould be polite to pic! the severedhand up and return it to $hadra!. Then he remembered himself# droppedthe sa# and hurried forard to attend ith clamps and adding. 3/f it3s going to hurt anyay#3 said $hadra! as the man or!ed# bindingthe stump tightly# 3it3s better that it doesn3t linger too.3

Good advice# he thought. -pplies to so damned much.

G&0G&1$&1 0ET901E4 -1 hour later and inspected the ound. 34o this yourself:3 3/t seemed for the best#3 $hadra! replied. 3>ou3re no surgeon#3 said Gorgonson. 31ever claimed to be. )ut your man there as intent on hittling medon until / as nothing but a spinal column and a rictus.3 Gorgonson froned. 3*e3re doing the best e can# given thecircumstances.3

3*ell# he made more of a mess of me in ten minutes than the damned$ons of (orus could manage in a ee!.3

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Gorgonson glared at him. 34on3t even ,o!e#3 he hissed. 34amn you#$hadra!. 4on3t even say the ords aloud.3 3>ou don3t thin! /3m angry:3 as!ed $hadra!. 3/3m beyond rage. /3m inanother place entirely. *hite heat and boiling blood. /3m going to butcherand burn every one of the bastards. Give me my ne hand so / can get on

ith it.3 Gorgonson hesitated. They had !non each other for tenty fourdecades. 'i!e $hadra!# Goran Gorgonson had been a $torm *al!er# a sonof Terra. They had fought through the 9ni%cation *ars side by side. -ttheir ascendancy# Goran had elected to ,oin 'o!opt# the clan that mostremembered and celebrated the Terran aspect of the founding. )ut he hadchanged his name to Gorgonson in honour of the primarch. 3-nger3s not going to get us anyhere# earth brother#3 $hadra! saidquietly# 3except deader than e are already. -nger3s a blindfold# a fool3s motivation. / reserve it only for !illing blos.*e need cool heads and clear minds. This is survival# repair# rebuilding. Terra only !nos# e3re good at repair e excel at it# so this should play toour strengths.3 3They3re calling a council#3 said Gorgonson. 3*ho3s they:3 3The clanfathers.3 3- clan council:3 $hadra! as!ed. 3*hat in Terra3s name for: This isn3t amatter of bloodline and heritage.3 3/sn3t it:3 3The clanfathers are proposing to assume command: Collectivecommand:3

3/ suppose so. /n the absence of?3 Gorgonson paused. There ereords that ere going to be too hard to say# names that ere going to betoo hard to utter. 3The clanfathers ta!e control# for no. /sn3t there comfortand assurance in that: They are veterans ho understand;3 3- clan council is the last thing e need#3 said $hadra!. 3Command bycommittee: @ointless. *e need positive# singular leadership.3 3/ didn3t !no you had aspirations of command#3 Gorgonson remar!ed. $hadra! thought about that for a moment. The notion came as asurprise. 3/ don3t#3 he replied. 3/3ve never considered it. / ,ust !no e needsomething no. $omeone. *e3re dead ithout it. <ust a shattered rabble.3

Gorgonson sighed. 3-ny -pothecary# even the best of us# ill tell youthat you can graft on a ne hand# but you can3t graft on a ne head.3 3Then e3ll have to learn ho#3 said $hadra!. - servitor beside Gorgonson as holding the augmetic on a tray. 31othing fancy#3 said the -pothecary# reaching for a scraper and aneurofuser. 3/ have no ,uvenat pac!ing left either# so you3ll have to let itbond by itself. 4on3t test it. /t3ll be ea!. "or months# probably. 'et it bedin and heal.3$hadra! nodded. 3<ust %x me up#3 he said. 3/3m sure /3ll have many ee!s of calm and

leisure to get the healing done.3 Gorgonson started or!ing. 3/s he dead:3 he as!ed quietly.

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3>es.3 3>ou !no this:3 3-madeus told me#3 said $hadra!. 3/t as con%rmed from the surface.3 3'ord Commander -madeus is dead too#3 murmured the -pothecary. 3>es. / sa it. )ut his ord lives. The Gorgon is dead# and our stepfather

-madeus is gone too. $o e can lie don and die ith them# or e canlearn to graft heads.3

/T T&& E/G(T ee!s for the Council to assemble. That meant eightmore ee!s of running. The Gorgon3s martial policy had alays been to%ght and move on# but this as not the sort of moving on that $hadra!approved of. They gathered at -eteria# a lonely roc! of sulphurous aste and taintedpin! s!ies on the edge of the &queth $ector. Tentynine ships hung lo in the heavens# including to $alamandersvessels and three 0aven Guard. They seemed ghostly# li!e dar!thunderheads behind the ispy ban!s of cloud. They ere survivors of/sstvan# all of them./t asn3t much of a council. &nly %ve clanfathers ere present. The fate of the others as un!non# though intelligence data reported that the forcesof the /ron Tenth had scattered after the massacre# put to rout. Many ofthe 0aven Guard and $alamanders had ed too. @urgeeets of the $ons of (orus and the Emperor3s Children ere reported to be raFing system aftersystem in an e6ort to obliterate any survivors before they could regroup.1o reliable %gures ere available# but it as possible that all three'egions had been reduced to mere thousands.

3*e have been? shattered#3 said 'ech 2ircule# Clan"ather of -traxii# risingto his feet. They had gathered in the courtyard of a ruined monasticstructure# built in the -ge of $trife and abandoned# li!e -eteria#generations before. The lonely alls echoed his ords.3)ut not bro!en#3 ansered the Clan"ather of "elg# 'oreson 9neshed.3There ill be others# li!e us# meeting in secret as e do no. *e aredisconnected# but not lost.32ircule shrugged.3*e cannot regroup or coordinate#3 he said. 3'ines of communication arecut or disadvantaged. 1o one dares sho himself or attempt an opensignal. *ith the traitors abroad in force# any glimpse of us ill result in

unstinting prosecution.33&ur structure allos for this# lord father#3 said -ugos 'uma!# a captain ofClan -vernii. (e as one of the fe members of the genesire3s favoured tohave made it out of the massacre alive. 3&ur clan structure# as ordainedby the Gorgon# ill serve us ell. /ndependent units of command#interloc!ing. *e can survive# by dint of our individual commands# andreassemble.3 The -traxii clanfather nodded. 3That is to be hoped. &nly hen uni%ed cane turn and %ght bac!.33Then e ill never %ght bac!#3 said $hadra! Meduson.

There as a silence# %lled only by the moan of the ind across the lagoon.3>ou spo!e# captain:3 said the eshspare 'oreson.

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3Huite clearly# lord father#3 said $hadra!. 3The accursed *armaster# mayfate smite him# ill not give us grace to regroup.33*e do not need his grace.3 The clanfather3s voice as a synthetic grol.3&r his permission.33-s he did not need our grace or permission to slaughter us# and to murder

our genefather and stepfather ali!e#3said $hadra!. 3*e are not alone in this. $alamanders and 0aven Guardstand ith us.3 (e gestured to the ran!s of the other 'egions present. 3&urbrothers of the Eighteenth and 1ineteenth follo di6erent martialphilosophies. *e could learn# learn mutually. *e could learn to %ght inne ays# marry the iron force of the Tenth to the stealth of the1ineteenth and;33&ur brothers of the Eighteenth and 1ineteenth are elcome here#3 said2ircule of -traxii.3&ur losses match yours in scale and grief#3 said a 0aven Guard captainnamed 4alcoth. 3*e must combine resources;3 3>ou are elcome here#3 2ircule repeated# cutting him short.3)ut our ords are not:3 as!ed 4alcoth. There as a bitter grin on his lips.3/n time# of course#3 said arel Mach# the Clan"ather of 0au!aan. 3)ut thisis clan council business and ords. &ur ay of ar is not yours# sir. *e illnot stoop to sly hitandrun tactics.33$toop:3 as!ed one of the other 0aven Guard o7cers.3/ meant no insult.33&n the ight here# e spent time discussing operational needs ith yourcaptains#3 said 4alcoth. 3Meduson of $orrgol agreed ith my proposal thata hybridisation of tactics might avail us of;3

3Captain Meduson should !no his place#3 said 2ircule.3(e as not the only o7cer of the Tenth ho thought so#3 said 4alcoth.3)ut / as the loudest# so / spea! for the notion here#3 said $hadra!.3Eight ee!s aboard the survivor ships# crammed in ith brothers fromother 'egions. &f course e tal!ed. /t is selfevident that;33no your place# Meduson#3 said the Clan"ather of -traxii more %rmly.3no your place# Terranborn.33/ !no my place ell enough#3 said $hadra!. 3/t appears to be somehereon a sulphurstin!ing aste at the end of the galaxy. -ny delay is going toea!en us further. *e are not# and e ill never be# hat e once ere. The 0aven Guard are ready to %ght. Guerrilla tactics# if necessary.3

4alcoth nodded.3The $alamanders too#3 said $hadra!.1uros# the most senior legionary of the A2/// 'egion present# nodded inturn.3This is clan council business#3 said 'oreson 9neshed.3/t ould seem that the Council does not !no its business#3 replied$hadra!. 3*hen e lose in ar# e are returned to the enclaves and arerebuilt. *e are made better than e ere before. )ut that luxury is notopen to us no. *hen e lose on the %eld# aay from an enclave# hat doe do:3

3*e repair as best e may#3 said arel Mach. 3)attle%eld %xes. *e ma!ethe best of the resources available to us.3

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3That is our situation no#3 said $hadra!. 3-nd hat is available to us: Thegood brotherhood of our fello 'egions. The chance to learn# to alter ourselves# and to rema!e ourselves in aysthat the traitors are not expecting.33EnoughJ3 bar!ed <ebeF -ug. -ug as an /ron "ather of the $orrgol Clan#

hailing from Medusa. *ith his venerable status came great inuence. 3>oushame our clan ith your outspo!en remar!s# Terranborn.33/ spea! only ith respect#3 said $hadra!.3>ou have shon the Council precious little respect#3 said -an olver# theClan"ather of 9ngavarr.3/ndeed# because you have arranted none#3 said $hadra!. 3/ spea! ithrespect to our genesire.33Escort the captain from this place immediately#3 said 2ircule to -ug. 3(eneeds time to level his head and dull his tongue.33*(-T -0E >&9 playing at:3 -ug as!ed. $hadra! could feel the /ron"ather3s anger radiating out li!e a force %eld. They stood on the caustic shoreline of the sulphur la!e. -cid vapoursirled li!e battle%eld smo!e.3*hat: *e bite our lips no: Even no# in this predicament:33$orrgol has no clanfather here#3 said -ug. 3>ou shame us in the companyof;33/ shame you:3 $hadra! shoo! his head. 3/s that really hat matters no: The shame of spea!ing out: "ates above# e are shamed enoughJ Theclan leaders are groping around# trying to recover something e have lostforever. )y the time they reach a decision# e ill be discovered andslaughtered. &r if they reach a decision# it ill be the rong one# and e

ill be slaughtered anyayJ33*e need uni%cation# $hadra!#3 said -ug. 3"or morale alone.33/ agree. )ut under one arleader# ith one purpose.33&ne leader:3 -ug laughed bitterly. 3*ho:33>ou# perhaps:3-ug spat and loo!ed aay.31o one ants it#3 said $hadra!. 31one of us. 1ot a single captain# not asingle /ron "ather. That3s hy the clanfathers have ta!en the lead. Theyare pro,ecting a sense of security# of unity# through our blood heritage. -reassurance in this time of loss through the bonds of fraternity. )ut it3s agroup decision# so that no one shoul ders the burden alone. 1o one bloody

ants itJ That3s hy no one has stepped forard and called the rallyaround him.3 (e loo!ed at -ug. 31o one ants to be seen as trying toreplace the Gorgon. 1o one ants to replace -madeus 4uCaine. 1o oneants to be seen as that impertinent or disrespectful. / understand it.3(e paused.3)ut e need to raise the storm again. 1o one ants the command. 1oone ants to appear so arrogant as to imagine that he can assume theprimarch3s role. )ut it3s not a matter of ant# or pride# or vaingloriousambition. /t3s a matter of necessity.33This tal! ill get you !illed# Terranborn#3 said -ug.

31oJ3 $hadra! snapped# pointing toards the monastery. 3That tal! ill getus !illed.3

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(e loered his hand. The augmetic graft had not fully healed and stillached abysmally. The violence of the gesture had ,arred it.3/ have it on good medical authority that you can3t graft on a ne head#3he said. <ebeF -ug uttered a dry laugh. (e shifted his eshspare frame and iped

his mouth ith the bac! of his hand. 3>ou don3t need to be a medicalauthority to !no that#3 he replied.3/3m not suggesting that anyone pretend to be the Gorgon. /3m notproposing that anyone presumes he can command as ell as "errusManus# or attempt to be such a master. / am simply tal!ing about focus ofauthority. &ne mind# one ill# one iron drive strong enough to compel usfor long enough to?33To hat:334o hat needs to be done.33*hich is hat: $urvive:331o.3 $hadra! loo!ed out over the misted la!e. 3>ou can3t graft on a nehead# but you can cut o6 an existing one.3(e turned to the /ron "ather. 3*e need to focus long enough to get (orus. To cut o6 his head. *e decapitate the traitors.*e do to them hat they did to us. *e shatter them# and scatter them tothe inds. *e end this treachery.3-fter a moment# he added# 3Then e can die# for all / care.3EM)-0-T/&1 (-4 )EE1 ordered. $tormbirds and lifter ships rose fromthe surface of -eteria and soared up to the aiting arships.$hadra! had been posted to the stri!e cruiser /ron (eart. They ere toescort the otilla3s agship Cron of "lame.

/ron "ather -ug gathered the o7cers of Clan $orrgol hile the shipprepared to ma!e ay. The clanfathers had instructed the respectedveteran -ug to ta!e command.3/ believe e have Meduson to than! for this#3 he said.3*hat have / done no:33&ur clan has the ea!est numbers after -vernii#3 said -ug# 3so e havebeen told by the Council to absorb the overspill into our formations. *eare to coordinate ith the $alamanders and 0aven Guard squads as theyare brought aboard# too.33$o e are bastardised hile the other clancompanies stand more or lessintact:3 as!ed Captain 'ars Mechosa.

31o one3s intact#3 hispered $hadra!.3/3d as! you to atch your ords# brother#3 -ugos 'uma! said to Mechosa.3>ou absorb my -vernii too. 4o e ma!e you bastards:331o# you ma!e us fatherless#3 snarled Mechosa. 3*here ere the favoured-vernii at /sstvan: $aving the Gorgon:*hy# noJ They ere dying at his feet.334amn your eyesJ3 'uma! cried# rising from his seat.3$it don# 'uma!J3 -ug shouted. 3Captain 'uma! of -verniiJ $it yourselfdonJ This clanunit is mine to command.33Then bring your foulmouthed dogs to heel# /ron "atherJ3 'uma! snapped.

3/f you expect me to recognise your authority# then you damned ellbetter exercise it and put Mechosa in his place.3

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3Captain 'uma!;33&r /3ll do it#3 'uma! added.3&h# really:3 replied Mechosa. 3/ ould love to see you try# you toothlesscur.3'uma! reached for his sord# but another hand clasped over his before he

could dra the blade.34on3t# 'uma!#3 said $hadra! through gritted teeth. 3/ mean it. 4on3t.33'et go of me#3 said 'uma!# loo!ing $hadra! in the eye.3>es# let him goJ3 moc!ed Mechosa. 3/ yearn for some sport.334o not unsheathe your blade#3 $hadra! hispered into 'uma!3s face. 31otin here. 1ot li!e this# against a brother.&nce it3s dran# it can not be put aay.33>ou $orrgol bastards#3 groled 'uma!# 3covering for each other#dishonouring the;33My loyalty to Clan $orrgol becomes more frayed ith each passing hour#3said $hadra!. 3/ ould rather cut it and cast o6 my chosen name ofMeduson. / ould go bac! to my Terran birth name. My loyalty is only tothe Tenth# and to the memory of the Gorgon.33Then unhand me#3 said 'uma!.3*e3re in the middle of a civil ar against traitor 'egions#3 said $hadra!sloly. 3/s this really time to start another one# inside our on:3(e loo!ed at Mechosa.3-pologise#3 he said# 3right no.3Mechosa loo!ed don and hesitated.3Civil ar is the greatest crime humanity has !non#3 $hadra! said to him.3)rother betraying brother: The very thought sic!ens me. *hat about you#

Mechosa: &r are you of that disposition too: 4o you %nd it a matter ofnothing to dra arms against your on:3Mechosa loo!ed up# his eyes burning brightly. 34amn you# $hadra!#3 hesaid.3-lready good and damned#3 $hadra! replied. (is grip on 'uma!3s sordhand had not diminished.3/3m no traitor#3 said Mechosa.3Then stop acting li!e you3re about to become one#3 said $hadra!.Mechosa cleared his throat.3)rother 'uma!# / apologise for my ords. *e have endured too much. Tempers are ea!? -hh# / ma!e no excuses. There as no call for that.3

'uma! loo!ed at $hadra!. 39nhand me# brother.3$hadra! released his grasp. 'uma! let go of his sord grip# al!ed aroundthe table and o6ered his hand to Mechosa.3/ ould that all of -vernii had died# and more besides# if e could havesaved the genesire#3 he said. 3>ou ere not there. >ou did not see. *e didnot shir!. *e gave all e could. /t as not enough. That fact ill haunt meuntil the day / die# surrounded by the butchered corpses of traitors.3Mechosa too! his hand.3/ do not doubt it. / ould gladly ,oin you in that death.3$hadra! sat don as the o7cers retoo! their places. (is graft throbbed

from the e6ort of !eeping 'uma!3s hand in place.- thin thread of ateryblood sobbed from the cu6 of his armour.

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- "/$T T(9M@E4 on the outer hatch. $hadra! rose# rebinding thebloodsoiled rap around his rist. (e as stripped to the aist# his torsoand shoulders shoing a hundred old scars. (is esh as inlaid ithaugmetic circuitry.&n his right side# his entire riball as an augmetic plate grafted to his

eshspare bone. That had been part of him since the )attle of 0ust.3ComeJ3 he called.(is quarters ere small and cluttered. $pace as limited on the /ron(eart. The hatch opened ith a scrape of metal on metal# and <ebeF -ug steppedinside.(e loo!ed around.3>our chamber is no better than mine#3 he remar!ed.3*hat do e need more than a dec! to sleep on:3 as!ed $hadra!.-ug smiled. 3/ sleep standing up.33-re e underay:3 $hadra! as!ed. (e !ne that they ere. (e had feltthe yaing slip of translation an hour before. (is question had been a softay of as!ing here they ere going.-ug nodded.3/ need a (and Elect#3 he said# cutting right to it. To recompense -ug and $orrgol for becoming a bastard clan# the Councilhad declared him acting arleader of the eet under their uithority. /npractice# this simply meant he as responsible for the clanfathers3protection. )ut hoever compromised a arleader3s role as# a arleaderalays needed a reliable deputy.3>ou3re as!ing my advice:3

3/ considered Mechosa# of course# because of his record# but he3s anilltempered brute.3 -ug paused# and idly scratched the bac! of his shavenhead. 3/ also considered 'uma!# as a gesture of good faith toards the-vernii. -fter today3s altercation# / can3t favour one ithout o6ending theother.3(e loo!ed at $hadra!.3)y the ay# my than!s for that#3 he added. 3>ou defused a bad moment.33/ spo!e my mind# /ron "ather. That3s all.33-s a (and Elect should.33Me:33>es# sir# you# sir.3

31o one li!es me#3 said $hadra!.3&ne of your most appealing qualities. >ou have been pretty blunt aboutyour demand that somebody steps up and ta!e the reins of authority.33>es# but not me. / have no ambitions above line command.33*asn3t that your very point:3 as!ed -ug. 31o one ants the responsibility: The Gorgon3s gone# and none of us ant to suggest e could ta!e hisplace.33>es.3-ug sat don on the cot.3$hadra!# you3re Terranborn. That means that e Medusans# no matter

ho brotherly e are# either thin! you3re superior because you eregenereared before us# or dismiss you as not actually Medusaborn

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truestoc!. >ou favour the elfare of the $alamanders and the 0avenGuard more than most. >ou seem to understand them and liaise ith thembetter than others. >ou spea! your bloody mind all over the place. Theclanfathers despise you. -nd you3re the only man / !no ho seems tohave a clear and singular vision of hat e should be doing.3

3*hich is:33"ocusing command and !illing that bastard (orus.33$o you ere listening to me.33$hadra!? for the dubious reasons /3ve ,ust enumerated# you seem to meto be the isest choice. / can3t thin! of a better (and Elect# not hen itcomes to helping me !eep hat3s left of this clan in line.33/ suppose the (and Elect ould get a privileged loo! at our line orders:3-ug reached into his thigh pouch and produced a dataslate. (e tossed itto $hadra!# ho caught it# instinctively# ith his left hand# and inced.3*hat3s the matter:3 as!ed -ug.3Graft3s still healing. The augmetic3s %ne. The esh is ea!.3(e speedread the slate3s summary.3$everal aspects of this / don3t li!e already#3 he said.3/ !ne you ouldn3t#3 said -ug.3Can / consult the other 'egions: $hare this ith them to get tacticalfeedbac!:33My (and Elect can do ,ust as he damn ell pleases#3 said -ug.4-'C&T(# 190&$ -14 their seniors slapped their %sts to theirbreastplates as $hadra! entered the chamber.31o need to salute#3 he said.3/ thin! there is#3 said 1uros softly. 3>ou are the (and Elect. 4iscipline and

respect remind us e3re not dead.3 They too! their seats around an oval table. $hadra! placed the dataslatein front of him.3>ou3ve seen the data#3 he said.3Troubling#3 said 4alcoth.3Enlighten me.33>ou !no already#3 said 1uros.34oesn3t hurt to hear someone else say it.33>our clanfathers are all transiting together on the Cron of "lame.33The Council stays together#3 says $hadra!.3-nd forms one nice# big target#3 said 4alcoth. 3/diocy.3

3Clan council business and clan council ords#3 said $hadra!. 3They arecollectively our leadership# no. 1o one has preeminence. They staytogether. Consider them as one being our leader.33-nd one big target#3 4alcoth repeated.3(o did the Tenth ever conquer orlds:3 as!ed 1uros.3)rute force#3 said $hadra!. 3-nd rigid discipline. /t served us ell. $uperblyell. )ut e alays had the Gorgon and 4uCaine to remind us hen tobrea! the rules. 1o e haven3t got the numerical strength to deliver anygreat degree of force# and e3re hidebound by the traditions of our 'egion. The clan council has alays gathered in times of need# to maintain a

sense of union and solidarity# especially in the absence of the primarch orthe lord commander. / thin! the custom as all ell and good hen those

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absences ere temporary.33>our 'egion must unlearn their old ays#3 said 1uros.3/ !no.33&r one of you must step up#3 4alcoth added.3<ebeF -ug has been named as arleader for this endeavor#3 said $hadra!.

3-n honori%c only#3 said 1uros. 3That is# if / understand the obscure andshifting lines of allegiance and fealty ithin your 'egion. <ebeF -ugansers to the clan council. (e is only as much of a arleader as they illlet him be.33/ !no that too.33>ou should also !no#3 said 4alcoth# 3ith respect# /3m not sure ho longthe Eighteenth or the 1ineteenth can stay ith the Tenth 'egionformations hile this attitude prevails. $ingular vision of ar leadership isessential# even if it is then divided beteen autonomous splinter eets.33- council can only advise#3 said 1uros. 3/t can3t command. (o long ill itta!e them to reach any tactical decision in the heat of combat:33'onger than usual#3 said $hadra!. 31o one ants to ma!e the call. 9nlesse can learn to graft heads bac! on.33*hat:3 as!ed 4alcoth.31othing. 1o matter.33'et3s move on#3 said 1uros.3&h# let3s#3 agreed $hadra!.4alcoth tapped the slate3s screen. 3-nd this is hat e3re doing: This isour underta!ing:3$hadra! nodded. 3$ubvox communiques have been received. Coded. /ron Tenth battlecant. There3s an /ron (ands otilla aiting in concealment in

the solar shado of &queth Minor. They have 0aven Guard forces iththem. They3re aaiting reinforcement. *e3re moving to ,oin them.Council3s orders. 9nited# e3ll form a reasonably serious battlegroup.33/f / as (orus#3 said 4alcoth# 3and / as hunting the remnants of myenemy# /3d ant to lure them out of hiding. /3d pretend to be a friend andcall for help.33/s that 0aven Guard tactics:3 as!ed $hadra!.3$ometimes.334o the traitors !no /ron Tenth battlecant:3 as!ed 1uros.3*hy should they:3 as!ed $hadra!.3*hy ouldn3t they:3 as!ed 4alcoth. 3*e study each other. *e all do it. *e

observe the strengths and ea!nesses of our fello 'egions. >ou can besure as hell the traitors have done it. (o else did they overhelm us soentirely at /sstvan: *e trusted them# and they ere right inside ourcommnets.33"ulgrim and your genesire ere good comrades of old#3 said 1uros quietly#3as close as any brothers. There as trust there. )ut "ulgrim cut o6 thehead of "errus Manus ithout a moment3s hesitation. )y comparison tothat foul act# ho little do you thin! he ould have agonised over stealingyour ciphers:33$o this is a trap:3 as!ed $hadra!.

31o#3 said 4alcoth. 3*e3re saying it could be a trap.33/ invite your recommendations#3 said $hadra!.

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3/" /T C&ME$ to a boarding action# or a counterboarding response# e3ll doit the old ay#3 said <ebeF -ug. 3Tubes.'aunches. $hiptoship teleportation requires a vast expenditure of poer#and it3s notoriously unreliable. *e3re li!ely to lose a %fth of our forces toan unsecured teleport during combat.3

34on3t orry#3 muttered $hadra!# 3they3ll mainly be 0aven Guard.33>our humour gros ever dar!er# brother#3 said -ug.3-re e going to employ their expertise or not:33The clanfathers ill never approve it.33They don3t have to. >ou have command. This ship is yours. >ou are theacting arleader.33/s this the true advice of my (and Elect:3 as!ed -ug.3>ou3d better hope so#3 replied $hadra!.-ug pursed his lips# and then nodded.3Good#3 said $hadra!. 31ext# tighter %eld control on the shields.339seless against longrange %re.33)ut perfect for close quarters# hich is hat this is going to be if ithappens. 1ext# all ship munitions set for impart detonation rather thantimed or ranged. 1ext...3$(-40- (-4 1E2E0 even made it onto the surface of /sstvan 2. Theclancompanies of $orrgol had been in the second line ith -madeus4uCaine# an orbital reserve for the Gorgon3s main assault. They had seen the horror blossom across the orld belo in disbelief. Then it had become a frenFy %rst to extract any of their brethren still alive#then simply to %ght their ay clear. $hips had amed out all around them. The heavy !illships of the /2 and A2/ 'egions had come in gunning# ra!ing

their ay across the orbital line. The /onside3s escape had been stalled by the cluster stri!e across her portside. *ith the drives oNine# they had been boarded. The $ons of (orushad poured in through the breach# hungry to ta!e the !illing to a personallevel. They had fought in corridors here the dec!s ere streaming ithblood. They had fought in voided compartments here the space aroundthem as full of spinning debris and obbling bubbles of gore and uid.$hadra! made ar ith a bolter in his right hand# and a gladius in his left.(is aim had alays been better righthanded# his speed and stri!e superiorith his left. That as here his strength and dexterity lay.(e3d ,ust emptied the last of his boltrounds through the faceplate of an

enemy legionary hen the plasma blast mutilated and coo!ed his lefthand. (e had pic!ed up his fallen gladius and fought on righthanded.1ot long after that# the frantic teams of enginseers had relit the cruiser3sdrives and# ith a series of desperate and unsteady burns# they had tornfree of the enemy ship grappling them.&n the bridge# dripping blood that asn3t all his on# $hadra! had ta!enthe last message from -madeus 4uCaine.(is old friend. (is commander from the very start.3The Gorgon3s deadJ3 4uCaine had yelled at him over the lin!# the image of him fracturing and brea!ing up.

3My lord:33(e 3s deadJ (e3s goneJ "ulgrim butchered himJ They3re all dying# $hadra!J

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shoering incandescent dust# ash and debris into the void. The cruiseralongside the /ron (eart shuddered and tore open under the enemybombardment.3Get us closer#3 -ug ordered. 3Gut themJ330aise the storm#3 $hadra! hispered.

(e loo!ed at the main oculus screen and shuddered. (ololithic pro,ectorsupon the pros of the approaching enemy ships had lit up# unfurlingbright banners of light.Each one# in gold and red# revealed the searing Eye of (orus. The screenblin!ed.3/ntercept signalJ3 the Master of 2ox called over the general chaos ofvoices yelling orders.3eep %ringJ3 -ug shouted.3/ntercept# sirJ3 the Master of 2ox repeated. The screen blin!ed again. - face appeared. /t as cold and expresionless#framed in blac! armour. There as no mista!ing the Cthonian aspect ofthe features8 a true son of (orus. The vox crac!led as the image spo!e.3/ am Tybalt Marr#3 he said. 3>ou are declared an enemy ithout restitution. >our extinction is my underta!ing. / o6er you a plain choice# in simplerespect of our old fraternity. $urrender no# and be rearded ith a siftand relatively painless death # or %ght on and receive the mostexcruciating doom imaginable. >ou have thirty seconds to anser.3 <ebeF-ug loo!ed at $hadra!. 3(and Elect:33My arleader:33)oard the bastard. )ring me his head.3

3Gladly. *hat are you going to do:33/3m going to anser him.3$hadra! ran to the bridge exit# calling out commands into his voxlin!.)ehind him# he heard <ebeF -ug open a channel and then begin the mostprofane stream of invective ever uttered by one of the /ron Tenth./t as as furious and blistering as the voidar around them. T(E $(/@T&$(/@ "/G(T/1G as as intense as any that had occurred abovecursed /sstvan. There ere feer ships# but they ere so closely pac!ed itas as though they ere being sept by artillery bombardment frombatteries of monstrous guns. $hips burned. Everything shoo!. 'ightburstsbloomed so brightly that they overhelmed legionary autosenses. 0ail

guns spat. 'aser batteries and hull mounts streamed ropes and stutters of light. (ardround cannons hosed shell loads into shields and hulls# orcountermeasured rushing shoals of missiles.-ug drove his eet directly in amongst the enemy ships# maximiFing thee6ect of his tightly calibrated shields and impactdetonating arheads.(e had been designated arleader# the escort protector of the agship#and thus# according to structure# as de facto secondin command to theclan council.-nd the Council as gone.3-re you ready:3 $hadra! as!ed as he entered the teleportarium.

4alcoth nodded. 3-ll four bays are set and ready for transfer# (and Elect#3he replied.

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$hadra! eyed the mix of battleready 0aven Guard and /ron (ands on thetransmission platform.(e opened his vox. 3*arleader#3 he said.3$pea!#3 -ug replied.30equest permission to divert poer to the teleportation systems. The

main batteries ill be deprived to the extent of fortyfour per cent for thenext to minutes33@ermission granted.3$hadra! loo!ed at the Master of Transfer as he too! his place on theplatform beside 4alcoth ho dre his bolt pistol.34o itJ3 he ordered. T(E> '&$T 1/1ETEE1 of their force in the transfer# transmitted atomsscattered li!e dust by the enemy shielding# or befouled by materialisationinside the dense hull plating. The interior of the A2/ 'egion arship smelled of smo!e and blood. Thelighting as on red reserve# ith primary poer diverted to eapons andshields.Coming out of the inding shoc! of teleport# $hadra! glanced around toget his bearings. /mmediately# he sa to 0aven Guard planted deep intothe dec! by mismaterialisation. )oth ere dead# blood streaming fromtheir dislocated nec! seals.3MoveJ3 4alcoth yelled.$hadra! ignited his visor3s preysight. The corridor became a luminousgreen cave. (e sa strea!s and ribbons of glare as gun%re erupted.$ons of (orus# nightblac! in green ash. Target one. (is ic!ering overlay crosshairs darted. (e put a massreactiveround into a faceplate at ten metres. The traitor3s head detonated in a

ash that $hadra!3s autosenses read as hiFFing shards of ceramite andhot# coo!ing chun!s of bone.@arts of the ceiling ble out. "iFFling poer cables slithered out# ,er!ingli!e sna!es. 4alcoth engaged to of the $ons of (orus# gutting one ithhis chainaxe# then tisting aay from the toppling %gure in a neatsidestep to blast a boltround into the chest of the other. The legionary e bac!ards# crunched o6 the all plating# and left liquidsmear of blood and pulped organs on the panel as he slumped onto hisside.-nother came at 4alcoth. $hadra! stepped in and sheared the traitor3shead in half crossise ith his gladius.

)lood ,etted into the air as the halfheadless arrior too! a couple ofstumbling steps and then collapsed.4espite the binding and bracing# $hadra!3s left rist stung ith the ,arringimpact of the blo.3"orardJ3 he ordered./ron (ands Terminators in Tartarospattern argear led the ay along thespinal hall# heavy amers hosing ahead of them. )reacher legionariesan!ed the group# their panoplies loc!ed. $hells and bolts rebounded fromthe shield all. Then $hadra! heard the shrie! of multimeltas and felt the

chestpummelling thump of heavy bolters.(eavy contact. The heaviest.

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$hadra! passed the fallen form of a $alamander ho had been shreddedby a vol!ite caliver. (e loosed o6 massreactives into the defensive linesahead of him. $omething energyladen and sensitive detonated# throingbodies and dec! plates into the air.3They have force superiorityJ3 1uros voxed.

3-greed#3 4alcoth cut in. 3/f our ob,ective as to ta!e the ship# it is nolonger viable.33*e3ve barely begunJ3 snapped $hadra!. 3-re you suggesting e abort:33(it and run tactics#3 4alcoth replied. 3*e hit# e run. That ay# e live to%ght again.33$ometimes# ith respect# your tactics sound li!e coardice#3 replied$hadra!. 3(o did you 0aven Guard ever conquer orlds:33)y !noing hen to %ght and hen to retreat. /t3s called tacticalrestraint.33-bort denied.33Then select a ne ob,ective# (and ElectJ3 4alcoth3s voice as temporarilydroned out by gun%re.3*e could loop bac! to the drive chambers and attempt to trigger anoverload#3 1uros voxed. 3My assault group has su7cient charges.334enied. &b,ective is no Tybalt Marr3s head#3 said $hadra!.3(o is that strategic:3 yelled 4alcoth.3/t3s symbolic. /t matters.33(o did the Tenth ever conquer orlds?:33Exactly li!e this#3 replied $hadra! Meduson.$(-40- ME49$&1 &" the Clan $orrgol# /ron Tenth# Terranborn $torm*al!er# did not achieve his ob,ective.

1ot that day# at least.(e as denied by circumstance# by fate# and speci%cally by a $ons of(orus Terminator that $hadra!3s visor display identi%ed as Aorn $albus.$hadra!# supported by 0aven Guard and /ron (ands )reachers# fought asfar as the enemy ship3s main bridge interloc!. Terminator lifeguards methim there# appalled and astonished that the loyalist boarding e6ort hadcut so far and so deep.2ol!ite and bolter %re sliced into the boarding party. )odies# and bodyparts# began to pile up in the narro entrance to the interloc! annex. There as turmoil# a deadloc! of ic!ed cross%re./n cover# returning %re# $hadra! felt his vox chime.

/t as -ug. 3$hadra!J33My lordJ33The day has turned against us# captain. -bort your e6orts and ,ump out.331egative. *e are too close. / can smell Marr3s fearseatJ3$hadra! duc!ed bac!# and slammed home a fresh clip.3/ repeat# abort#3 voxed <ebeF -ug# 3*e3ve crippled seven of their ships# forthe loss of nine of ours. )ut a relief force ying Third 'egion colours has ,ust translated into the system. They3re eighteen clic!s out and closingfast. $hadra!# e3re outnumbered four to one no. *e can brea! and run#or e can die.3

3My lord?33-ren3t they the tactics your 0aven Guard friends recommended: *e3ve

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hurt them# and hurt them properly. 'et that be enough. -bort andithdra no# or e leave ithout you. /3m brea!ing the grapple lines.33-bort. 9nderstood#3 $hadra! voxed bac!.(e !ne it as the right decision. /n the fever of close combat# his bloodas up# and that as clouding his ,udgment. - full measure of vengeance

as never going to be ta!en in a single day. (e had to live# so that hecould avenge again.$till# the temptation to press on ,ust a fe minutes longer and ta!e Marr3shead as a trophy?(is vox chimed again. This time# it as Mechosa.3MedusonJ (and ElectJ @romise me you3re aborting the raid noJ33Mechosa:33The /ron (eart3s bridge is hitJ To salvos. *arleader -ug is dead. /; 3- roar of blast ash and static droned out his voice.-ug as dead. -ccording to the ordained structure# after the Council andthe arleader# $hadra! as# by default# next in command succession.(e as arleader no. (e had to go here he as needed before theentire hierarchy collapsed in disarray.3-bortJ -bort noJ3 he yelled. 3-ll boarding squads trigger abortJ33-bort con%rmedJ3 4alcoth called.3 Con%rmedJ3 voxed 1uros."urther responses echoed in from the A 'egion3s on boarding o7cers.$hadra! %red to cover his men as they fell bac!. (e moved clear of theheavy iron bul!head so that the teleport could get the cleanest possibleloc! on him. The air as thic! ith smo!e and blood mist. - blac!plated Terminator

loomed out of it.Aorn $albus. The )utcher $albus# hose reputation for brutality had spread beyond theran!s of his on 'egion long before he had turned traitor. The monster sung his chainblade.$maller and lighter# $hadra! evaded# emptying his clip into the giant3schest plating. $albus reeled bac! in a %reball of exploding massreactives.)lood dribbled from his peppered# punctured chest# but he remained onhis feet.$hadra! didn3t ait for the Terminator to sing his blade again. (e lungedforards and drove his gladius tip%rst into the breastplate here it as

compromised. The plating caved li!e honeycomb. The gladius cleaved through $albus3schest# clean through# until $hadra!3s plunging %st as buried half aforearm deep in the arrior3s ooFing# throbbing innards.$albus shuddered and began to sin!. $hadra! tried to pull his hand andsord free. They ere edged tight by the inardpunched ceramite plate.$ons of (orus ere closing all around him. $hadra! sa them# shados inthe smo!e. 4alcoth and others ere desperately voxing his name.(e pulled again# unable to relax his grip on the gladius in order to slide hishand free.

$albus fell to one side# dragging $hadra! don ith him# ho fought torelease himself.

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&ne of the $ons of (orus emerged from the smo!e# but as immediatelyblon o6 his feet. 1uros appeared# blasting into the cho!ing vapour ith acaptured vol!ite caliver. There ere to of the /ron Tenth boarders and a0aven Guard ith him.3Come the hell onJ3 1uros yelled.

$hadra! renched again. 3Trigger the extractionJ3 he ordered. 3GoJ3(e pulled as hard as he could. @ain ared up his arm# hite hot.(e felt esh tear and graft bonds shear.(e pulled his arm free# and left his augmetic hand behind in $albus3schest.*/T( T(E '&$$ of one more ship# the loyalists bro!e from the void battleand made a ,ump at emergency velocities. They left a halfmauled enemy eet and a debris halo of burning hulls intheir a!e. <E)EO -9G *-$ not dead. The stri!e on the bridge had ta!en his right armand leg# and ruptured several organs. )ut he had survived.3(e ill ma!e recovery in time#3 the -pothecaries told $hadra!# 3but it illbe months# and he ill be more eshspare by the end of the process.3$hadra! sat at the /ron "ather3s bedside# atching the vital monitorsic!er.-ug stirred.3$hadra!?3 (e smiled ea!ly. 34id you bring me the head:33/ failed to do that# arleader#3 $hadra! replied. 3-nother time.33*e tasted some vengeance today#3 murmured -ug.3Too little# and at a terrible cost. )ut it is a start and# if nothing else# ehave learned hat e must do from here on.

*e have learned hat it means to be shattered# and the path e mustfollo if e are to achieve our vengeance.33$ingular focus of command#3 said -ug.3>es# that. "or this force# and for any bro!en unit li!e us. )ut more thanthat. *e must learn to pace ourselves. Tactical restraint. To hit and run# and not to be greedy and trust inoverhelming poer as of old. *e must learn the tactics and techniquesof those thron in ith us and respect them. *e must ta!e our iron andalloy it ith the mettle of the others ho ere shattered alongside us. *emust mix our bro!en strength ith other bro!en strengths to forge a ne#unbro!en edge.3

3$po!en li!e a arleader#3 hispered -ug.3/ am Captain of the Tenth Company# my lord# and you are living yet.33/n some degree#3 -ug smiled. 3$hadra!# / ill not be %t for command for along hile yet. These days are too crucial. The line of authority must be constant and unavering. There must becontinuity.33>es# but;33>ou !no this is the truth of it# $hadra!. >ou have alays been sharper ontactics than me. $ee the truth of it no# and do not %ght me on this. / amtoo tired to beat you into submission.3

$hadra! smiled. /t as the %rst time he had truly smiled in a long hile.3/ see the truth of it#3 he replied. 3)ut / ant it recorded that this is not

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something / ever as!ed for.3-ug nodded.3That ill be recorded. $hadra!# those ho aspire to command are seldomthe ones best %t to ta!e it. $ince /sstvan# you have proven yourself to bethe most clearsighted of us all. The right hour chooses the right man. The

right man emerges in the right hour. This is your time# $hadra!. The Tenth'egion needs you. Consider it destiny# if you ill. -nd it may be unantedby you# but you are the one ho must seiFe it. >ou are not presuming tota!e the Gorgon3s place the void he left has called you to this duty. 1o oneill oppose you# or they ill anser to me. (elp me up.3$hadra! eased -ug a little more upright ith his good hand.3*itness thisJ3 -ug called out.4alcoth# 1uros# 'uma! and Mechosa entered from the outer chamber.3My last act as arleader is to name $hadra! Meduson as arleader of thisbattle group. )ear itness# and honour him ith your loyal service.3 They nodded and slapped their %sts to their chestplates.3/ ill need a good (and Elect#3 $hadra! said# rising. (e loo!ed at theothers. 3/ ill need the %nest force captains too./ ant the four of you# and any men# o7cers or line troops# that youchoose to recommend. This is a moment to trust on experience# not therote of seniority.3(e raised his %st in the old salute of 9nity.3My %rst act as arleader is to name /ron "ather <ebeF -ug as my (andElect. /f you ill serve# brother# and su6er the indignity of our reversal.331o indignity# but / am not %t#3 said -ug.3>ou ill be. 9ntil you are on your feet again# these four ill ,ointly serve in

the role of (and Elect as a? *hat is it they call it again:33- Mournival#3 said 4alcoth.3-h#3 said $hadra!. 3<ust so. )ut / disli!e that term. >ou are the fourquarters of this hole# until <ebeF -ug is remade.3 T(E> 'E"T T(E chamber to let -ug rest.3Go to the bridge#3 $hadra! said to Mechosa. 3&pen the ideband comms#and send a direct signal. /ron Tenth cipher. "or the attention of Tybalt Marr#son of (orus. 'et the message read# 3 4ays ill pass. >ears perhaps. )ut!no this# traitor. / ill raise the storm# and / ill %nd you# and / ill ta!eyour head. This / sear by the blood of the /ron Tenth and the memory ofmy genesire. $hadra! Meduson# arleader.33 9nderstood:3

3>ou ould put your name to this:3 Mechosa as!ed. 3*hy:33)ecause a shattered 'egion of survivors inspires no dread#3 Medusonreplied. 3$o e ill give them a name to fear.Each stri!e e ma!e# each blo e deliver# e ill leave my name inblood until it breeds in them a terror for their very souls. The $ons of(orus are no match for the ronged sons of Medusa.3G&0-1 G&0G&1$&1 C'E-1E4 the ruptured stump and began his repairs.Ceiling fans breathed cold air into the apothecarion chamber.3/s there pain:3 Gorgonson as!ed.31one at all#3 replied $hadra!.

The -pothecary shoed him the ne bionic he as about to graft in. 3-better design. $uperior function and strength. /f you let it bed in this time.3

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scavenging# furtive dan marches. Time had become a meaningless valuethat their suit systems enumerated. Their armour as battered# thecolours unrecognisable# stripped don to dirty metal# or scorched blac!.3(ard to tell#3 he said. 3There might be a ledge don there# could be onthat. /t might be don at the very bottom that3s to !ilometres.3

3*e have to as! ourselves# assuming it is hole# then ho did they get itdon there:3(ae3@hast grunted. 3/t3s not that narro. / !ne a veteran pilot attached tothe Telfth Chapter. (e could thread a needle ith a Thunderha!. / don3tsee many places that are any better to put don ithout alerting thetraitors.3 <o3phor stared into the ravine. 1oon had passed three hours ago. Thebottom as lost in shado. Midnight lur!ed there# unconquered by thesun.3/t is a suitable place to hide a $tormbird.3 (e blin!ed several times# hiseyes gritty ith tiredness. They had gone past the point here the gifts ofthe Emperor could help them. 1ot since his transformation had he been sosorely pressed. (e !ne it as even harder on the neophyte# Go3sol.3/ don3t see ho it matters#3 <o3phor said. 3Either it is an extraction team# orit is a trap. *e can go don there or e can al! aay. - simple choice.3(ae3phast slid forard on his belly to gain a better vantage# but he sa nomore than <o3phor did.3*e might die if e do# or e ill die if e don3t#3 <o3phor continued. 3/sthat our choice# beteen probably and certain death: &r are e losingfocus# brothers. -re e giving up:3(ae3@hast3s face set. The light of his eyes# lo as embers these last days#

ared angrily. 31ever#3 he said.$ulphurous inds ble out of a grim s!y. Mountains of blac! granitestretched aay in every direction# the land beteen faulted by gapingchasms. $omehere to the south as the 9rgall 4epression# althoughhere exactly <o3phor as no longer sure. That as a good thing. Thechaotic terrain baNed their auspex and armour systems. /f they found themountains di7cult# so ould the traitors. They had seen no one else for days. <o3phor sometimes entertained theidea that they ere the only living things on the planet. -t other times#hen the sorro overhelmed him and the orld too! on a distant# brittlequality# he thought that they might all be dead.

There ere similarities beteen /sstvan 2 and his home orld of 1octurne.)oth ere landscapes crafted by volcanic upheaval# but 1octurne heavedith furious vitality. /sstvan3s heart as cold and still# its surface nigh onlifeless. 9p in the mountains# the air as so bitter that even the orld3smeagre apportionment of lo order vegetation ould not gro./f 1octurne ere to die# it ould be li!e /sstvan 2. <o3phor could notimagine a more %tting hell for his 'egion.-ay to the south# a straight line gave aay the location of one of theancient xenos highays. *ho they ere and hat had happened to themas lost to prehistory. They ere dead too# their or!s mere monuments

to the futility of existence. <o3phor loo!ed aay from the canyon to the rest of his pitiful squad. 3/

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can3t ma!e this decision. )rothers:3 The four of them loo!ed at each other. (ae3@hast curled his lip.3/ say let3s do it. )etter a slim chance than no chance at all.33Go3sol:3 The $cout thought a moment. 3(ae3@hast is right#3 he said. (e had

abandoned the honori%cs due to the others several days ago. (e hadproven himself to them time and again. /n their eyes at least# he as aneophyte no longer. 3*hat choice do e have:334ona!:3 said <o3phor. The last of their number as silent. (is features ere so tense they ereli!e a clay model that had been carelessly crumpled before %ring. (e didnot spea!. -s far as the others !ne# he as unable. &nly 4ona! couldhave told them# but he had not uttered a single ord since he had ,oinedthem. (is eyes ic!ered as they danced from face to face. (e noddedonce# and dre his !nife.3Then e are decided#3 said <o3phor# sliding bac! from the edge. 3*e godon.3 T(E 4E$CE1T *-$ arduous. The ravine3s side as a tisted mass ofboulders and grotesque roc! formations. The mountains ere youngP theirroc! had been rapidly formed and as as fragile as glass. The tre! too!hours. The eight of their armour caused seemingly solid roc! to give aybeneath them. $everal times they doubled bac! to %nd a safer ay# untilthey came to a place here they had no alternative a vast scree cone#high as a mountain itself# the far side bloc!ed by a cli6 that preventedthem from s!irting the top.3/ don3t li!e the loo! of it#3 said <o3phor. 3The material loo!s unstable.3

3/t is unstable#3 said (ae3@hast. (e thre a roc! into the centre of thescree. /t stuc! fast# but a portion of the slope slipped dangerously aroundit.'oose roc! and sand mantled the slopes as far as they could seedonards. The execresences of lava that made up the upper slopes ereburied beneath it.3*e3re not turning bac!#3 said (ae3@hast. 3*e3re almost there.3 They stood precariously# legs loc!ed against the treacherous blac! stone.3/3m lightest#3 said Go3sol. 3/ don3t have full battleplate# so /3ll ta!e a line.33>ou don3t have to do this# brother#3 said <o3phor.3>es# / do.3

"rom their utility pouches# the $pace Marines pulled out emergencyrappels %fty metres apiece of stringthin high tension cable. Go3sol lin!edthem together# then bound one end around his aist. (ae3@hast drove hiscombat !nife into a cleft in the roc! and tethered the other end to its hilt.Cautiously# Go3sol crabbed his ay across. $hattered stone s!ittered aayfrom his feet as if startled. The $cout froFe# his %ngers spread# ready tograb for any purchase he could. (e loo!ed as though he ere trying toplacate the mountain itself.)9T the debris moved no further# and Go3$ol ent on. $hortly after hemade the other side.

(ae3@hast tested the rope after Go3sol hauled it taut. 3That3s as good asit3ll get.3

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3/3// go next#3 <o3phor o6ered.- hand grabbed his arm. 4ona! shoo! his head and pushed past him.(is great# armoured eight sent miniature avalanches slipping don themountainside. (e slid on the material all the ay across# almost losing hisfooting toards the end. &nly the line saved him.

(e announced his arrival ith a single voxclic!.31o me#3 said <o3phor. (e chec!ed the !nife.3/t ill hold# or it ill not#3 said (ae3@hast gruNy. 3Cross# brother.3 <o3phor gripped the line. /t seemed ethereally slender# almost impossibleto feel through his gauntlets. The drop belo as staggering. The slopeas so steep that its integrity must have been at the utmost limit ofmaterial tolerance.(e ent sloly.)y the time he ,oined 4ona! and Go3sol at the foot of the cli6# it as dar!.3(ae3@hast#3 he said# ris!ing the vox.3&n my ay.3 The line tanged ith (ae3@hast3s every step. The light from his helmbecame steady as he %xed his eyes on his destination.(e paused. 3)rothers. There is;3(e never %nished. The line ent slac!. <o3phor sitched to light ampli%cation in time to see(ae3@hast fall# his arms indmilled. (e toppled bac!ards# tumbling headover heels# dislodging rolling curtains of stone as he tried to dig in ith hishands.)ut he could not hold on# and slithered aay into the dar!.- rumble heralded the avalanche. (undreds of tonnes of roc! sheared

aay. (ae3@hast3s helm lenses ashed once more in the gloom# far belo#and the mountainside folloed him.-s the thunder of the fall subsided# <o3phor searched the night.34o you see him: Could he have survived:3 Go3sol hispered desperately./n the greentinted# staticladen vie that <o3phor3s helm provided# he sanothing but settling dust. (ae3phast3s vital signs ere at.31o#3 he said. 3(e is gone.3"rom there# the ay as easier. <&3@(&0 @9T (/$ head around the corner carefully. (e had his boltgun inhis hands. The ravine oor proved ide enough to ta!e a gunship#bringing the slippery rush of hope. They ere close enough no for his

battleplate3s shortrange sensors to pic! up the locator signal. (e had athumbnail map active in the top right of his vision plate# the beacon therepulsing red. - bight oored ith blac! sand greeted him. &n the other sideas a crag. (e pulled his head bac! in.3/s it there:3 as!ed Go3sol hopefully.3There3s a spur of roc!. The signal3s coming from behind that#3 said <o3phor.3Even if someone3s atching# e should be able to get across ithoutbeing shot at.33*e should try signalling them. *e should turn our identi%cation mar!ersbac! on. /f there is someone here# and they3re friendly;3

3*e have fe friends left on this roc!#3 interrupted <o3phor. 3Chances areit3s a trap. *e3ll have to ris! it.3

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3-nd if it3s not:3 said Go3sol.4ona!# as alays# said nothing. They ran across the sand# eyes upon the cli6s and scree around them. -sthey rounded the corner# <o3phor3s hearts san!. There as no gunship.

The locator beacon as genuine# but there as no sign of the $tormbirdthat once housed it. The apparatus as propped up against the roc! face.-bove it three ords ere scraped onto the roc!# almost luminously hitein the dar!8 *E'C&ME T& @90G-T&0>. The air crac!ed gently the characteristic report of a legionary sniper rie. <o3phor spun around. Go3sol collapsed# shot cleanly through the head.- second shot caught 4ona! in the arm. (e fell sideays# spraling forcover. <o3phor thre himself to the side as a third shot spac!ed into the groundexactly here he had been standing. The Emperor3s gifts came alive#supercharging his metabolism. Time sloed. Conscious thought receded.*hat little as left of his humanity as submerged. The alterations to his mind bypassed his frontal lobe# reaching under forthe more primitive# e7cient systems it overlaid. )efore he !ne it# he asrunning# his body and armour or!ing in tandem# he functioned optimallydespite his eariness. (e as a eapon# forged to the Emperor3s design.(is helm3s autosenses sitched to thermal and highlighted three heatedpaths through the cold night# still coherent though arped by air currents.- laseapon3s discharge trac!.-nother round ared across his lenses. (e had his bolter up to hisshoulder# laying don a suppressive burst as a %gure moved to engage

him from behind another boulder. The arrior as forced to duc! bac!.(e could see them no %ve traitors betrayed by plumes of hot air ventedby their armour3s cooling plants. They ere visible to him as rithingcolumns that attened themselves out sixpointfour metres up against acap of cooler air# their tops dragged into cirrus shapes by sluggish laminaro at the thermal boundary. (is racing mind trac!ed them all. (e %redon fully automatic the moment he sa a cooling vent protrude over aroc!.(is infravision ared as the noFFle as caught and detonated# the blastsof other shells bursting all around it. The traitor as ung around by thehit# and his hand appeared bright in the falsecolour image as he steadied

himself. This <o3phor missed# but by then he as bounding up the slope#using the talus that sheltered the traitors as stepping stones.4ona! had gained cover and as %ring from behind <o3phor# !eeping theenemy pinned don.$o be it. /f they ere to die# let them ta!e a fe more of their treacherous!in ith them.)olt %re blasted the fragile roc! into pinging shards all around him# therest of his foes abandoning caution as he closed.(e reached the roc! sheltering the %rst $pace Marine and scrambled overthe top# slaying him ith three fast shots# gun pointed don as he leapt

across the gap to the next boulder. The vox clic!ed. 3$topJ $topJ3 came a frantic voice.

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Mercifully# the edge remained enervated or / ould surely have been deadalready. )ut then hy imbue it ith an actinic sharpness hen a simpleheft and cleave ill do the ,ob ,ust as ell:'ogic. E7ciency. Temperance."orged together# these ords ere our creed. - bond of iron# / alays

believed. *here as this alloy in our father hen he needed it most:-gain# as they often did in those days of bereavement and grief# mythoughts turned to melancholy.3-hrem#3 uttered a voice from the shados surrounding me# as sharp asthe na!ed blade against my esh. 3Tell us.3(e used my given name# the one a6orded to me by the chieftain of ClanGaarsa!# and it grated in my ears. (e had no right to use that name.3/ am 'egionary Galli!us# &rder @rimii#3 / replied ith minimum respect.)ac! then / sa it as needless theatre# all of this. 3Galli!us# then#3 utteredthe voice a second time# the irritation in its timbre unmas!ed. 3*e havequestions. >ou ill anser them.3 The axe blade descended incrementally# nic!ing my s!in to dra a bead of blood. / sa my breath fog in the cold# stagnant airP felt the thrum of the&bstinate3s impulse engines resonating from the loer dec!sP heard everyminute ad,ustment of my interrogator3s posture in the lo# predatorygrol of his armour./ as at peace# ready for my duty to end. My immortal duty. / loered myhead a fraction in gentle supplication.My interrogator too! that as an indication to proceed# hich it as. /n aay.3Tell us of the 0etiarius.3

The name of that vessel put %re in my veins# banishing the cold of thehangar dec! as my mind as cast bac! to hot halls# crimson and blac!.$eat# blood# death? it all collided in a moment of searing recollection. /tdid nothing to arm the froFen esh of the battlebrothers ho stared bac!at me# dead eyes %xed ide in their decapitated heads./ ondered briey if the method of execution as meant to be symbolic#ironic or inadvertently in bad taste.3Tell us hat you remember.3/ remembered %re in the upper atmosphere of /sstvan# and hell reigningacross the heavens. )ut this as amorphous# an impression only. -nemotional response.

/ considered the possibility of sanction if / had admitted that. Emoting issupposed to be anathema to the /ron Tenth./ am sometimes led to onder if life itself is# too. /nstead# the %rst memoryhit me. /t felt li!e a mailed %st# but sang ith the thunder of abattlebarge3s opening broadside?3)'&&4 &" ME49$-J3Mordan as seldom given to such outard expression# but our path to the0etiarius as proving volatile.(arnessed in the assault ram3s dual pros# my brothers ere giving o6the same# albeit unspo!en# sentiment.

atus gripped his breaching shield double%sted and held it across hischest li!e a totem. The bionic eye he ore in his right soc!et ared ith

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nerveinduced autocalibration.$ombra! ground his teeth. (e as my shieldbrother and did it beforeevery battle. /t as loud and discordant because his ,a as cybernetic.Most of us ere patched up thusly# our bro!en bodies rebuilt so that ecould age ar one %nal time.

This as my eighth 33%nal time33. "ate could be cruel li!e that.-Foth as the last brother / !ne ell# though in all there ere ten soulsarmoured in Medusan blac! in the hold. The rate of attrition as grievous amongst our ran!s# and / soon foundlittle need to learn names.&f all my brothers# those !non and un!non# -Foth as the most pronetoards rhetoric. *hen e ere made /mmortal# our father stripped us ofran! and title. 0eforged# our ne calling as a badge of shame to all inour 'egion# and e lost our old identities./ believe that -Foth had been a "rater "errum an /ron "ather before he fellfrom grace. (e still had the gaps in his armour here they had unboltedhis servoarm. *hatever he had been before# no he as our sergeant.(e called out to us# belloing against the tumult ithin the hold. 3"orlornhopeJ &ur ran!s have never been breached. )e steadfast.3 / could hear theservogrind of his gauntlet as he gripped the haft of his thunder hammer.3)e resolute. &ur dishonour demands it of us. 4eath aaits. *e do notfear itJ "or hat is death?:33To those ho are dead alreadyJ3 / roared in unison ith my brothers.(e had a ay ith ords# old -Foth. / thin! / ill miss him the most.*arning !laxons sounded# coinciding ith a rush of crimson light oodingthe lo ceiling above us. *e ere close# but that as no guarantee of us

reaching the 0etiarius intact.&ver thirty assault rams ere cast out into the void# all ridden by Medusan/mmortals. / doubted that even half ould ma!e it through.- Caestus as a durable vessel# fashioned speci%cally for this purpose. /tas fast too# but the sheer amount of eapons %re erupting beteen theto larger vessels across the gulf of space as intense.Great tracts of the void separated the Gorgonesque and the 0etiarius#littered ith silent explosions li!e scarred nebulae# and immense clouds of rapidly dispersing shrapnel. To us# aboard our diminutive assault ram# itas a long and perilous ,ourney. To those to great behemoths# it ouldbe regarded as close range.

-s our hull shuddered ith every close impact# the inertial suppressionclamps held us steady. / closed my eyes and imagined our destination./ had seen the 0etiarius before# during the Great Crusade. )ac! then ithad been an ugly# hul!ing vessel# ellsuited to its brutish occupants. /tsan!s ere stained aFure and dirty hite# the echo of legionary arplate.$labnosed and upscaled ith muscular %ghter bays and ablative armourplating# it as reminiscent of a pugilist in the form of a starship./ felt our punch resonate through the Caestus3s hull# a glass %st stri!ing a ,a of steel. *ere it not for the magnameltas burning furiously to softenthe 0etiarius3s formidable hide then e ould have been dashed to

rec!age in an eyeblin!.-s it as# e bit deep. &ur glass %st had shards# and these had cut the

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outer esh of the much larger vessel.*e bro!e through amidst an evaporating cloud of ferric smo!e# our smallassault ram having bored through the starship3s hull and clamped securelyin place. 4isgorged onto a dar!# semilit hangar e had little time to getour bearings before counterboarding troops arrived to try and repel us.

3'oc! shieldsJ3-Foth belloed out the command# but e had already begun to form up./t as an archaic tactic# reminiscent of the 0omanii or Gre!ans of &ldEarth# but it as e6ective. Much about ar endures# fraternal conictbeing foremost in my mind as e breached a vessel that e had onceconsidered to belong to our allies.)ut it as mortal armsmen and not our ersthile brothers in arms# the*orld Eaters# that e faced upon that dec!.- strong# determined fusillade hit us %rst# hot las raining in from hastilyerected eapon teams and bro!en %ring lines. *e held# soa!ing up their%re# ta!ing everything they thre at us ithout inching. Then e pushedon# moving as one# the aegis of our breacher shields impenetrable to thebrave men and omen ho had come to stop us.4espite their obvious disadvantage# the 0etiarius3s mortal troops ent inclose. Three further assault rams had struc! this section of the ship and allfour squads came together before the armsmen hit us. Their solid shoteapons and mauls proved fatally ine6ective. The feeble momentum of their attac! as dispersed hen they shatteredagainst our shield all# and e absorbed the impact before returning ittenfold. Medusan aroaths cut the air as cleanly as any blade.-nd almost as deadly.

The mortals quailed before our seeming inviolability and fury./ battered my %rst opponent# letting the blood from his bro!en s!ull sprayagainst my shield before / %nished him. The stomp of my foot as all it too!# and suddenly / as pushing forardsith my immortal brothers. / shot a second through the chee!bone# hisface erupting into mist as the massreactive shell exploded. / barged athird# splitting ribs. - fourth fell bac! in front of me against our advanceand / severed his nec! ith the edge of my breacher shield# barelynoticing the blood ash against my armoured boot.&ur purpose made us ruthless. - bloc!ade around /sstvan3s upperatmosphere as preventing the A 'egion from reaching its father# ith the

0etiarius ,ust one of the vessels impeding our path. &ur mission assimple. &ur /ron "athers had been clear. 4estroy the ship by any meanspossible. /f that meant our deaths# so be it./nexorable# inevitable# e crushed the counterassault forces from the0etiarius. Then e cut don the eapons teams# then the dec!hands#until every cremen in sight as slain. /t as an honourless but necessaryact.-fter this# e bro!e ran!s to quic!ly neutralise the rest. The dec! as slic!ith enemy blood# but it as hard to discern in the dull light.3*here are e:3 as!ed Mordan.

3-ft of the enginarium# / thin!#3 / replied. / !ne a little of the vessel3slayout# in so far as it ould adhere to extant expeditionary eet schemata.

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3/n one of the smaller hangar bays# near the ship3s outer s!in.3- relatively small chamber ith a lo ceiling and bare dec! plateunderfoot# the hangar ould have been used to cloister the 0etiarius3svarious smaller interdiction craft. "or no# it as empty of star%ghters andassault craft# the *orld Eaters having disgorged their entire complement

to duel ith the /ron (ands vessels attempting to brea! through thebloc!ade. /nstead# ammo hoppers and riggers croded the narro space.0igging chains hung don from overhead pulleys# gently saying in theaftermath of the battle. $team plumed from vents in the alls# and it asseltering. - pervasive# animal heat lathered every surface in a %neveneer of seat. /t stan!. The voxfeed in my ear crac!led. Communal channel. -s expected# thevoice of )rotherCaptain 9dris of the Gorgonesque came through thevoidstatic.-Foth told him that e had successfully made ingress and ere movingdeeper into the vessel. 0esistance had been minimal.*e all !ne that ould change.3The bloc!ade:3 as!ed $ombra!# hen -Foth had %nished receiving hisorders from the Gorgonesque.3$till intact#3 -Foth replied. 3*e3ll !no if it isn3t. These halls ill be %lledith %re# the alls ill shatter and e3ll be cast to the void. "or no# theystand. $o e must sunder them. The -vernii are dying belo us# brothers.33/ ould have li!ed to stand ith the Gorgon one last time#3 said atus# hishead boed.-Foth clapped a gauntleted hand on his shoulder. There as an underlyinganger in the former "rater3s tone. -t the betrayal unfolding on /sstvan or

the stripping of his ran!# it could be either or both.3-ye# atus. $o ould /# but e have our lot and it is here aboard the0etiarius.3*e moved out# leaving the dead to fester in the heat.-s $&&1 -$ our breach had been detected by the bridge cre# the0etiarius loc!ed don its bul!heads and sealed all blast doors# see!ing tocontain us in a nonvital part of the ship.*hile to of my brothers ith lascutters ent to or! cleaving open theblast door to the hangar# the rest of us adopted a defensive posture. -Fothtoo! me aside. (is mood as grim.31o ord from the other squads#3 he told me. 3Cunaeda# 2orrus# (a!!ar?3

he shoo! his head. 3Thirtythree assault rams ent out. Currently# / only!no of four that reached the 0etiarius and they stand in this hangar. (ofar is the enginarium:33/t3s relatively close#3 / said# recalling the schematics eidetically# 3but thereare arrens of tunnels and chambers beyond those doors before e reachit.3-Foth nodded# loo!ing to my side rather than at me# as if / had ,ustcon%rmed hat he already !ne in his gut. (e spo!e ith someresignation. 3This as alays a suicide mission?3&f all the /mmortals / had !non and fought beside# -Foth seemed the

least sanguine about dying to restore his impugned honour. &r perhaps itas dying ith hat he felt as his honour still impugned. -Foth as

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li!e !illtallies mar!ed his nec!# though the dar!ness made it hard to tell forsure./ mashed my shield into his body and he staggered# grunting. @ressing mybolt pistol into the purposeforged groove of my breacher shield# / shot himalmost pointblan! in the throat. $!ull fragments and red matter rattled

against my faceplate as the *orld Eater3s head exploded.Grimly# / advanced a step.*e all did.-Foth rallied us.3(old steadyJ3 he roared. 3$hields as oneJ3 They hit us again# raging# foaming at the mouth li!e rabid dogs. / felt thefrenFied# repeated axe stri!es against my shield resonate don to myshoulder. /t burned and a numbness born from excessive muscular tensionspread into my arm.-Foth as unrelenting. 3(oldJ3- fe more seconds of battery passed before he said# 31o? heaveJ39ni%ed# ordered# strong# e advanced and thre our aggressors bac!. Their !illing lust made them fearsome but proigate ith their e6ort. &neman# hoever s!illed and ferocious# cannot hold bac! a tide. - hundredmen# if acting individually# ill %nd themselves similarly disadvantaged.-fter their initial ild urry# the *orld Eaters ere struggling to brea! usdon. -fter herding them from the breach in the blast door made by ourlascutters# e found ourselves several metres into the arren of corridors.Compared to the hangar it as con%ned# but ide enough for six shieldsabreast.3"orm ran!sJ3

-Foth as trying to impose further order. 9nable to match their ruthlessfury# it as the only ay to brea! the *orld Eaters. Thrust to the front# / as shouldertoshoulder ith Mordan and atus. Theformer as an arch fatalist ho had surprised us all by living this long. The latter as a Fealot ho believed that strength came from adversity#and ho revelled in his /mmortal calling. 4i6erent though they may be#the mutual determination bleeding o6 my brothers as both infectiousand galvanising. )ehind us# / could sense -Foth3s desire to be a part of the%ghting ran!# to prove that his shaming had been un,ust. (is shield asagainst my left shoulder guard# stalart and unyielding. $ombra! had theright# as staunch as an iron buttress. 1ot once had / seen him ever ta!e a

bac!ards step in combat.-s ell as our former ran!s# our clans ere also scoured from us. To be/mmortal is to be alone# but despite this ab,ect form of penitence / felt asclosely bonded to these arriors as if they ere all from Gaarsa! and notspread the length and breadth of Medusa. The *orld Eaters hit us hard ith a reneed strength born of rage.)loodied# they carried on unboed# proving as tough and determined ase !ne them to be./ had seen their arma!ing %rst hand# not as an enemy but as an ally./ earned my shame that day on Golthya# during the Great Crusade# not

long after e ere reunited ith our father?/nside the 0etiarius e reached as far as a cross,unction before our

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progress as arrested. - hul!ing 4readnought almost %lled the corridorahead of us ith its sheer bul!. &ur sudden stall also prompted *orldEaters to attac! us from either an!. &ur steady advance as stopped atthe nexus of the ,unction# forcing us into an arro edge.atus and three others stormed the monstrous ar engine.

&ne of its eapon arms as missing# and / suspected it had been in themidst of ground deployment preparation hen e breached the vessel./nstead# it had been reassigned to stop us getting any further. $ombra!carried a meltacharge. $o did three other /mmortals in the boarding party.-lloed to detonate in the enginarium dec!# these incendiaries ouldrea! havoc on the 0etiarius.'eading ith his shield# atus too! a bruising blo that dashed himagainst the all. (is poer pac! ruptured and the small explosion threhim forards into the Contemptor3s lightning cla.(e spat blood. /t sprayed the inside of his helm and lea!ed out through acrac! in his faceplate. (e as dead before he hit the ground. )oltshellscaromed o6 the Contemptor3s armoured hide from the other three/mmortals ho had charged ith atus# but they ere no more thanirritants. The 4readnought battered to of them don ith its cla#gouging one through his shield and crushing the other under its armouredfoot hen the /ron (and lost his footing. The fourth /mmortal as Mordan# the only one to be alone out of thegroup that had gone forards to engage the monstrous Contemptor.(e asn3t alone for long. - reneed shield all rushed up to ,oin him./ tried to suppress a tinge of envy at my brother3s glorious death as /advanced on the 4readnought. /t sung again# blood boiling on its

energised talons and %lling the corridor ith the stench of burned copper.Mordan and / put up our shields as one# but / felt every pound of theContemptor3s pistondriven force rattling don through my body. /t put usboth on our !nees.3>our mista!e?3 / snarled# as -Foth aded into the gap left by Mordan andstaved in the 4readnought3s head ith his thunder hammer. $ombra!3svol!ite speared it through the chest in the same coordinated attac!. /tstaggered as if unable to comprehend the immediacy of its on demiseand fell bac! into an inert heap of metal. The 4readnought3s death barely registered ith the other *orld Eaters. They ere of the !illing mind no and ould not relent until either they or

e ere dead. "or the %rst time since e had boarded the 0etiarius# thethoughts of the /ron Tenth and the *orld Eaters aligned.*e rode the storm of their fury. *ithout the Contemptor to brea! ourran!s# the close con%nes of the corridors suited us.3Ta!e itJ3 shouted -Foth# no part of the front %ghting ran! here hebelonged. 3Ta!e everything they3ve gotJ3(ammer blos pummelled our collective defence# but e held. The shieldall held and e ere able to advance. The base of my shield scraped the oor ith every hardon step. Myshoulder burned from having to thrust it into the reverse side of my shield

to !eep the enemy from overrunning us. &ur strength came fromcohesion. /f one lin! failed then our entire chain ould unravel.

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They hit usP e hurled them bac!. Each time e stood %rm and absorbedthe punishment# the *orld Eaters became more frenFied in their attemptsto brea! us# and more rec!less./t too! over eighteen minutes for us to !ill every arriorberser!er in thearren. )y the time it as over# blood slic!ed the alls# and drenched the

dec! beneath us# and e emerged into the next chamber eary butvictorious./ had expected to see the enginarium. *hat e found as somethingquite di6erent.- ide slope led from the corridor section3s upraised bul!head. *ebarrelled out onto it# maintaining good order and siftly redressing ourran!s in the process. /t led to a pit# little more than a hollo basin of bare#bloodstained metal./t had been recently cleansed but some mar!s remained# the indeliblelegacy of a 'egion3s bloodletting.More of our /mmortal brothers ere aiting for us in the pit# impaled fromgroin to cron on ugly iron spi!es. / counted thirty and bal!ed at therealisation that so fe of us had even reached the 0etiarius# let alone diedon it./ heard the clenching of %sts in impotent rath# the muttering of vengefuloaths against the *orld Eaters. / !ept my on emotions buried# but feltthe deepest stirrings of hate begin to are li!e a hot# angry elt againstmy pride.-Foth had been right in his assessment this as a suicide mission.Glory and honour ere not the rights of the damned# and e eredamned men. &ur shame had made us that.

My shame had condemned me to that fate. &n Golthya./t had been a blea!# ugly orld. *e ere arrayed against the !ethid# ahairless# perversely humanoid alien species ho had# li!e so many othersduring the coming of &ld 1ight# sub,ugated the native human populace.4eep into the yaning mouth of <reth 2alley# e deployed clouds ofphosphex to !ill the greys!inned aliens# but the !ethid had fashionedanabatic inds through their crude science. /t turned our deadliest# mostloathsome eapon against us.(o e burned# the green ame aying our esh and turning our iron tonought but charred matter?Croen died %rst# our company3s vexillary. Then 'aeoc# Garric# Mae deg?

until there as only me# $ombra! and a handful of others left. &ur an!had been crippled and e too surely ould have died ere it not for theberser!ers clad in blue and hite that descended from on high.*e fought ith them# but only in a supporting role. /t as meant to be ourvictory. The *orld Eaters lauded us for our courage. / stood at theshoulder of 2ar!en 0ath# a legionary of singular s!ill# ho than!ed mepersonally for my e6orts. $ombra! and the rest of our surviving iron!inmade similar sordbrothers.-las# our father did not see it thusly. / have ielded a breacher shield eversince.

/ have often reected on the cruelty of that and ho the battle of Golthyamirrored that aboard the 0etiarius in both its desperation and ferocity.

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-t the edge of the pit on board the 0etiarius# the *orld Eaters ereaiting for us. 9nli!e the ones e had defeated in the arren# these menere armoured more li!e gladiators./ !ne them. / had seen them emerging from the burned metal teardropsof their deep insertion pods# through the dissipating phosphex mist that

had claimed over half my company before the alien !ethid attac!ed.$avage# even bac! then# the 0ampagers ere much changed.9nhooded# they ore their facial tattoos openly. Chains and thic! veils ofiron ringlets accented their hite and blue poer armour# the spi!esentined beteen the lin!s presaging a dar!er aspect to come. (ead tofoot# they ere sathed in gore# ba!ed hard over their arplate by the0etiarius3s immense enginarium heat. *ithout needing it con%rmed# /!ne in my marro that the blood as Medusan# rung from the torturedbodies of our brothers in the pit.&ne of the 0ampagers stood out amongst the rest. (e nodded toards us#/ thought. Then / realised he as actually gesturing to me.3Galli!us?3 his voice boomed across the echoing space# resonating o6 thepit and the shattered breacher shields lining its alls. 3*ell met.3 /t almostsounded genial# a greeting./t as# of sorts. &r rather# a challenge./t as 0ath. There could be no mista!ing my former comrade in arms. /tas blunt nomenclature for a genhanced instrument of ar that asanything but. (e as an exemplary sordsman and ielded a blade ineach hand as if to prove it. / needed none. (e had gutted !ethid on thoseblades li!e they ere sine. "alax# they ere called# or so 0ath had toldme.

3/f you ant to reach the enginarium then this is the battleground youmust cross to do it#3 he said# calmly gesturing to the pit here they hadsta!ed our brothers out to die. (e nodded to me again. 3/3ll give you agood death. >ou3ve earned that right.3/ anted to crush him. "or his unintended condescension and thebarbarous ay his !in had treated mine. / almost heard our sordbondbrea! in his casual laughter.3$ome yet liveJ3 cried $ombra!# ho ,abbed a %nger at an /mmortaltisting on his metal spit.3)lood of MedusaJ3 Mordan3s gauntlets crac!ed as they clenched tighteraround the handle of his shield.

0ath as smiling. -ll the 0ampagers ere smiling.-Foth had seen enough.3ill themJ -venge the fallenJ3 he roared# and every /ron (and in our slolydindling company dre sords and mauls."or hat the 0ampagers had done# e ould have our vengeance at closequarters.&ur desperate assault as over. -ll e had left as retribution and# somebelieved# a last chance for honour. &ur immortal duty. To their martial credit# the *orld Eaters aited until e ere halfayacross the pit before they rushed to engage us.

Then e clashed. There as no order to it# no unity. <ust blood.*e outnumbered the 0ampagers to to one# but in the %rst eight seconds

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of the battle those odds ere slashed drastically.-s / closed on 0ath# briey allying ith Mordan to bring don one of the0ampagers and atching the *orld Eater gut one of my brothers inreturn# / considered the very li!ely fact that e had been alloed to getthis far. That e had been dran here for the prospect of a good %ght.

@erhaps -ngron needed his psychotics to have their blood up before heunleashed them: That arrogance ould unstitch them# / decided.0ath and / met in the centre of the arena. / still had my shield it ould bea vital barrier against my opponent3s tin falax but had dran a gladius inlieu of my holstered pistol.)lade to blade. (onour demanded no less.-t %rst# 0ath seemed to appreciate the gesture but then his face loc!ed upin an expression of pure# agonised rage.(is eyes idened# the spontaneously rupturing veins turning the sclera adeep# visceral red. 1o trace of the man remainedP no there as only abeast."or almost three minutes he hac!ed into my shield as / mustered adesperate defence. (e only stopped hen $ombra! tried to ade in andrelieve me. 4espite his murderblindness# 0ath reacted on instinct. (ehalfparried $ombra!3s thrust and let the blade pierce his side. *ith theother falax# he cut o6 $ombra!3s head./ sagged bac!# too exhausted to ta!e advantage of 0ath3s distraction. Mybreacher shield as split don the middle# the arm holding it numbed tolead. / atched $ombra!3s body slump to its !nees and his head roll aayinto shado.

Then 0ath turned# exultant ith the !ill# and came again for me.1o martial quarter as given this time. 0ath as drun! on murderlust.(is falax came in high and / tisted to let my shoulder guard ta!e theblo. /t found the vulnerable ,oin beteen the metal plates of my armourand cut all the ay don to the mesh beneath# cleaving through to myesh. )lood elled instantly. / felt it seep into my armpit and gum aroundmy chest. The second blade / bloc!ed# turning it aside before aiming a stabbingthrust that san! my gladius to thirds of the ay into 0ath3s midri6./t as a debilitating ound# meant to slo and eventually incapacitate.0ath shoed no sign of either. *e ere up close. / could smell his charnel

breath. - savage headbutt smashed my faceplate# crac!ing the retinallenses and sending the glass splinters bac! into my face. -n elbo stri!eput me on one !nee before 0ath brought the falax round into my an!here it lodged li!e a nail./ screamed. (e roared. The end as near# my immortal duty almost dispensed at last. / sa mybreacher shield# smashed apart and discarded on the dec!. &ther shieldsand the bodies of my brothers had ,oined it.*e should never have bro!en our ran!s# given in to hate and fury. &ursas a colder creed# one of reason and the inviolability of tactical logic. *e

had erred# and no our atonement as due.(ead boed# / felt a chill progress through me. /t matched the cold

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disembodied sensation of my cybernetics.)ut the blo did not fall. My nec! and head remained attached./nstead# / heard the !laxon drone of emergency sirens as the arena asushed ith red urgent light.-Foth had fought his ay from the pit. (e as ounded# and his thunder

hammer as bloody# but he still stood.(e as venting the chamber# releasing everything into the void. The *orld Eaters had not cleansed the pit before. They had purged it inthe vacuum of space. My brother had found the mechanism and did soagain# only ith us and our enemies present./n the fe seconds / had left# / sa the grim resignation on -Foth3s face. This asn3t ho he had anted it to end. Then / as yan!ed out by the venting pressure. / felt light and not ,ustbecause of the absence of air and gravity.0ath3s last de%ant roar as stolen in that rushed exhalation# pitched intosilence in dar! and starless space. (e sung for me# out of compulsionfrom hatever fuelled his rage rather than petty impotence# but the slocut of his falax missed its mar!.'as ashes cut through the dar!ness#spearing us on their incandescent beams. 0ath as shredded# so too eremy brothers. / sa -Foth impaled through the chest before / as struc! aglancing blo./ spun# fading in the endless void# ,ust another piece of debris. The vista of the battling starships expanded before me# terrible andbeautiful at once. )roadsides carved through !ilometres of space.Explosions bloomed# ab,ect in their quietude. The Gorgonesque aslisting# her engines dead# her shields and armour stripped bare.

(er arp drives going critical as li!e the daning of a miniature sun# asilent ash of aesome light that seared my retinas. / rode the resultingbo ave of pressure# my armour crystallising ith hoarfrost even as / feltthe explosive burn of the Gorgonesque3 s dramatic last breath.3/ 0EMEM)E0 '/TT'E more after that#3 / told my accusers# the &bstinate sblac! dec! resolving before me as / left the memory of the 0etiariusbehind# 3save a!ing in your apothecarion and being marched to thishangar bay for summary ,udgement.3 / could not !eep the bitterness frommy voice.3>ou believe you are being treated harshly# 'egionary Galli!us:3/ declined to reply# my head boed ith the cold eight of the axe blade

upon my nec!. The dead stares of my decapitated brothers froFen on thedec! seemed moc!ing. -nd / as about to ,oin them.3)efore you !ill me#3 / said at length# 3tell me# did e brea! the bloc!ade:3My accuser came forards into the light. / heard some gesture he made#the hirring of old servos in a rist or elbo# and felt the pressure againstmy nec! ease. / loo!ed up into the face of an /ron "ather# but not one that/ recognised.(e as badly scarred and his left chee! and part of his s!ull shone dully inthe halight. - tight grey beard li!e ire ool as shaved into a speartipon a ,utting# imperious chin. The venerable /ron "ather loo!ed don upon

me li!e / as the dirty oil he had to scrape from his eapons.3*e failed#3 he replied. 3*e ere ea!.3

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There ere to others ith him# a $alamander and one of the 0avenGuard. This is barbaric?3 / heard the son of 2ul!an mutter# despite the lo hum of the &bstinate3s impulse engines partly mas!ing his voice. (is eyes aredli!e burning coals.

The 0aven Guard gently raised his hand# arning the $alamander tosilence# and they stepped bac! as one. This as /ron (ands business#conducted in the Medusan ay as our father had taught us./ as %nding it hard to process the situation# the incongruous presence ofthe other 'egion arriors# the mood of fatalism emanating from the /ron"ather. Then there as the last %gure in the room ith me# my ouldbeexecutioner# one / felt / recogniFed and that stirred a disquiet in me that /could not explain at the time.3Then hat are our primarch3s commands: /s (orus defeated: /s /sstvanstill contested:3 / had so many questions.3*hat of the 0etiarius:3 The /ron "ather shoo! his head# sadly. 3/t3s over# 'egionary Galli!us. >ouere the sole survivor of the attac! on the 0etiarius. The ar for /sstvan isdone. *e lost?3 (e paused# as if to telegraph the blo that as coming so/ could be ready for it. 3"errus Manus is dead.334ead:3 / tried to rise from my !nees but a strong hand held me don.30elease meJ3 / snapped# turning to meet the haunted eyes of an oldfriend. "or a moment# / let slip my other concerns. 3-Foth:3(e gave no recognition of the fact / had ,ust spo!en his name. / thought hehad died and yet here he as# aboard the &bstinate. )ut something asvery rong. (is esh loo!ed cold# gelid# li!e the severed heads in front of

me. -Foth3s %re had been extinguished. /ce %lled his veins andcountenance. - dead man stood before me ith the axe# dead and yetanimate# bereft of any sense of cognition that ould mar! him out as thearrior / once !ne.3*hat have you done:33*hat as necessary. (orus defeated us# scattered us. $hattered our'egions.3'oo!ing bac! at the /ron "ather# / sa he held my breacher shield. /t hadbeen reforged# made hole# even as e ourselves had fractured.3>ou have erred#3 he said# 3and so you must atone?3/ too! the pro6ered shield# stunned into silence by the revelations / had

,ust heard. The /ron "ather met my gaFe and / sa the determination in his eyes# thebitterness and soulshriving desire for revenge.3$uch is the fate of all /mmortals?3 uttered a voice behind me. The voiceof -Foth# the echo of our damnation.

G0E> T-'&1C(0/$ *0-/G(T/t *-$ - luc!y ship# one upon hich the fates smiled. /ts hull had beenlaid don on the forge orld -phret in the one hundred and thirtieth year

of the Crusade. $eventeen other destroyers had been completed in thesame series# their superstructures %lled out to the same template# each

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one also destined for 'egion eets. This one as number seven# a good number# free of the defects that erealays found in earlyrun models. -s ar fronts had multiplied and theMechanicum or!ed to evermore punishing schedules# such defects erepossible hatever the magi might have claimed.

"rom -phret3s orbital shipyards it as delivered to the distribution hub at Tallameder for %tting out and ritual dedication. 'egion bro!ers craledover the voiddoc!s in huddled pac!s# observing# noting# chec!ing andscheming. They !ne the consequences of returning to their masters bearingloerquality materiel than their rivals# and so bidding as %erce. The 'una *olves had a reputation. They ere tough# dragged to maturityon Cthonia ith none of the re%nement of# say# "ulgrim3s agents. $hipcaptains from other 'egions hispered that (orus had insiders throughoutthe requisition bureaucracy# and as a result his on eet had the edge. That might even have been true# although ship captains hispered allsorts of things. The unmar!ed ship as snapped up by a 'egion agent named "la! Tra!us#along ith %ve more of the series. (e said he li!ed the loo!ed of numberseven. -ll ere quic!ly mar!ed ith provisional A2/ 'egion iconography#before being escorted under lo burn to the 'una *olves3 forard base at/pheriax Tertius for trials. To failed to meet the 'egion3s exactingstandards# leaving four to be given the full livery. The ships3 induction as overseen by EFe!yle -baddon# deputising for hisprimarch# ho remained at the cutting edge of the Crusade. The "irstCaptain did his duty perfunctorily# eager to be bac! at his master3s side.

(e loo!ed so observers reported at the time deeply bored.1umber seven as named Grey Talon# and given to the command of hathad been the 5Lth Chapter of the 'una *olves. /ts %rst legionary captainas 'ucial 2ormar# a Cthonian ith ambitions to rise ithin the 'egion andan enthusiastic lodge member right from the inception of the quiet orders. The Talon as small by the standards of the eet# slotting beteen a puretorpedo boat and a line frigate. $uch vessels ere often referred to asdestroyers# though the forard lance mounted under the main pro shieldas uncommon for the class# ma!ing it eaponheavy for its voiddisplacement. The con%guration performed ell during seventy years ofconstant arfare# and it as only returned to its home berth tice for re%t

and overhaul. "our more captains and to more shipmasters too! thehelm during that period# each of them using it as a springboard for greaterthings.$oon the Talon had reinforced its reputation as a fortunate ship# one thatpromised advancement for its cre# and it found a regular place in actionsacross the everexpanding battlefront of the Great Crusade.)y the time of /sstvan ///# it as under the command of (iere! Mon# amember of 2ormar3s lodge ith an enviable !illtally and a reputation forvoid air. (e de%ed orders to remain on a highorbit bloc!ing station andentered the bombardment Fone in the a!e of -ngron3s disastrous

intervention# earning the ire of the 'egion command. (is reard as to beplaced in a suicidal position during the eet deployment for the

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subsequent inferno at /sstvan 2# given little cover and expected to atonefor his Feal in death.&nce again# though# the Grey Talon de%ed expectations# riding itseverpresent luc! during the ruinous battle over the scrap%lled void space.Mon almost survived the entire encounter# poised to re,oin the main

areet ith honour restored# but for the intervention of a eeing$alamanders boarding party on a captured lander. The loyalists used it tobrea! into the destroyer as she came about# and after a brief but brutalaction too! it from ithin.Mon died on his bridge# screaming out curses as his limbs ere hac!edfrom him. 4uring the confusion of the loyalist ithdraal# the Grey Talonmanaged to clear the system and enter the arp# its innards still riddledith closequarters %ghting as the $alamanders assumed full control./t as renamed after that# given the title of 1octurne3s primary city#(esiod. &ther refugees ere found and ta!en on board# including )ion(enricos of the A 'egion and the renoned *hite $cars 'ibrarian Targutai >esugei. The ship as dran into a ne !ind of ar# running the shados#hunting don isolated advancepac!s of the enemy and cutting theirthroats. /t as dangerous or!# testing the good fortune that had by thenbeen burned into the ship3s spars. The end almost came under the broadsides of the 4eath Guard frigateMind3s 0esolve. *ith the charred orb of @rospero belo it# the (esiod assurrounded in a corona of %re# !noc!ed o6beam and rolled intomacrocannon range of three more cruisers. /ts fortune held out# though#arriving in the shape of the main *hite $cars battleeet. The %ghtingsept over it# dragging it spinards# leaving it listing but still airtight. )y

then (enricos as its commander# cheated from the death he hadcon%dently expected and left to brood as his poereddon ship driftedsilently from the battlesphere. The (esiod as retrieved six hours later and pulled into the 2 'egion3sambit. Techcres discovered then that the enginechamber had beenpunctured and that it had been only minutes from destruction. The *hite$cars had laughed at that. (enricos hadn3t he !ne the reputation of theship# the one it had carried since its hull had been laid don# and did notsee survival as something necessarily to aspire to.*ith the last of the $alamanders dispersed throughout the eet# (enricosas ,oined by ne *hite $cars on the bridge. The ship3s name as

sitched again# restored to Grey Talon as it had been before# and itscolours reverted to those of the $ons of (orus. /ts ongoing role asdecided even before the policy came don from the han himself it ouldbe an in%ltrator# a chameleon# a sna!e in the shados. &utright arfare#openly declared# as no longer an option.(enricos never left the bridge during the re%t. (e or!ed obsessively#driving the menials to extreme lengths to refashion the engines andrealign the eapons. Those ho sa him during that time sent shoc!edreports bac! up the 2'egion hierarchy.

(e as li!e a devil# they said. - tortured spirit.@erhaps that as hy they sent (ibou to him# to act as some !ind of

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exemplary punishment. That as possible# though not li!ely. The primarchhad doled out penance in sorro rather than rancour.Moreover# (ibou !ne to hat manner of ship he had been assigned. /thad cheated death before# and might do so again# hatever odds it sailedinto. They had all told him that 1oFan# Torghun trying to improve his mood

before they ere sent on their on deathmissions. Even in the face oftheir great error# loc!ed don by the shame of it# they could still see apath into the future. - ay bac!# if fortune smiled on them.-nd the Grey Talon as a luc!y ship# they said. &ne upon hich the fatessmiled."&0 - '&1G time after boarding# (ibou han did not leave his cell. (e feltthe vibrations as the plasma drives !eyed up# thrusting the ship clear ofthe already dispersing *hite $cars eet. $ome time later# this changed tothe highpitched hine of arp engines# folloed by the lurch of entry intothe aether. -fter that as the eerily quiet passage through theimmaterium# punctuated only by the crea! and snap of the Talon3s an!s./t felt li!e they had been in the arp for a long time. The campaign onChondax had been a nearconstant series of ,umps# bridging the viciouscombatphases on the system3s farung orlds. (e3d had plenty of timebac! then to consider the 'egion3s place of dishonour# to listen to theords of (asi! 1oyanhan# to tal! to fello members of the lodges andta!e in their grievances. The %ghting had become almost secondary to thequestion that had come to dominate discourse in the brotherhoods.*hat next:-nd the anser to that had been8 the *armaster. 4istrust of /mperialcommand structures had become so absolute# so ingrained# that aligning

ith (orus had come to seem not so much as prudent as inevitable. Theentire 'egion admired (orus. They !ne of the regard beteen him andthe han. &ut of all the Eighteen# only the Thousand $ons had beencloser# and relations ith Magnus3s sons had been conducted largelythrough the $tormseers.$o it had been natural. *hen he as in the mood to %nd excuses# (ibouould remember that. &n other days# hen the shame made him ant toram his face into the metal alls of his cell until the blood ran# he ouldremember the arnings of his heart# the tremors of unease hen thetransmissions came in from beyond the veil around Chondax and thestrange light in the eyes of some of his fello loyalists.

'oyalists. 1one of them had been loyalists. That term as no reservedfor those ho had cleaved to the Throne# hile those ho had been dranto (orus3s magnetic presence had been cast into the dar!ness# reviled astraitors and consorts ith ya!sha. That had never been part of the dra. 1o one had shon them thedestination at the end of that path# and if they had done so the revoltould have been snu6ed out long before it could have threatened the'egion3s cohesion./t made him nauseous to thin! ho close they had come. The vidcapturesfrom the 2or!audar# the *ord )earers ship captured by >esugei# had made

the implications plain./t ould have started ith a vo. The vo ould have been made in good

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faith.-t times# musing on that# (ibou regretted not ta!ing the deathoath# thetsusan garag# hich ould at least have sealed his pact and left no roomfor reconsideration. /f he had done so# he ould no be dead# his heartspierced by the primarch3s on blade. -s it as# he had been left the path

of penance to cleanse his soul by ta!ing the %ght ahead of the main eet#stri!ing ith no hope of survival# carrying the anger of betrayal bac! to itsheart.(e as of the sagyar maFan no. They ould %nd absolution only byreturning the pain to its origin to blood the archtraitor as he had bloodedthem. 4eeper# more sharply.)ut there ould be ee!s before he could unleash his blade again# anduntil that moment he had to negotiate the inner arrens of the starshipith a soul ho hated him almost as much as he hated the ones ho hadcast their lot ith damnation.$ighing# (ibou han ad,usted his robe over his armour# and made to leavehis cell. /t could not be put o6 forever. /f they ere to %ght together# theyould %rst have to learn to spea!.(E10/C&$ *&0E4 &1 the machine. (e had been or!ing on it since theday he had been ta!en on board by Aa3ven./n contrast to the 2or!audar# it as a good# clean machine# one that hecould engage ith and improve. The $ons of (orus had not fallen quite sodeeply into debauchery as the *ord )earers# at least not by the time ofthe 4ropsite Massacre hen the ship had been ta!en over# and the metalremained unsullied. /t smelled of them still the fusty pelts they ore# theCthonian hides but it functioned more or less as a machine should.

"or as long as he or!ed# he could forget the anger. /f his hands# bionicand organic# ere occupied then they did not itch to carry a eapon. /nany case# there ere no eapons on board that ere orthy of hisadoption. (e still had his Medusan bolter# though no blade to go alongsideit. The *hite $cars had o6ered him doFens of their on# and it had beenhard not to laugh at them for that. Their metalor! as capable enoughbut they had fouled the metal ith seeping Chogorian runes# and theshafts ere too basic# too unaugmented. 1othing they had o6ered himhad had the same heft and !illing potential as a true MedusanFeihander# and so he had re,ected everything.(e leant over his navigation station# staring at the images on the

vidfeeds. (e had been loo!ing at the scan for hours# and his eyes erebeginning to have trouble focusing. (e could have let the cogitators ta!ethe strain# but they ere poor on detail# and detail as everything. The tas! consumed him. )y the time he sensed the other presence on thebridge# it as hard to guess ho long he had been there.4amned Chogorian stealth.3*hat do you ant:3 (enricos rasped# never ta!ing his eyes from thescreen.(ibou han dre closer. (enricos could smell him too old ceremonial oilson his ceramite# the last gift from his brothers in the 'egion that had

banished him. That had been sentimental and a aste. (enricos ouldhave !illed them all and recycled the geneseed and eapons. *hy trust a

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part that had already failed:3/ do not !no our tra,ectory#3 said (ibou# in accented but reasonablyuent Gothic. /t seemed that not all of them had the same impediment astheir stormitch.3-nd:3

(ibou sti6ened. 3*e are destined to %ght together. @erhaps / should !nosomething of your plan.3(enricos let a long breath slide out of his clenched lips# then stood up.31ine of you. -ll traitors. >ou ill !no the plan hen / tell you. 9ntil then#you ould do ell to !eep your mouth closed and your eyes aay frommy scanners.3 To his credit# (ibou absorbed the spite. (is tanned face# mar!ed ith thepuc!er of sel%nicted scars# ic!ered by ,ust an in%nitesimal amount.3/f e had been traitors# e ould be dead#3 he said.(enricos could feel his humours dar!en. Even loo!ing at the *hite $carmade him angry# ,ust as almost everything else made him angry. 3/ do notish to do this no#3 he muttered.(ibou stood his ground. 3*e have been in the arp for a ee!. / ouldtrain# if / !ne hat / as training for.3(enricos turned on him. 3*hat do you need that you do not possess: >ouhave your blades. -ll %ghting is much the same.33>ou truly believe that:3(enricos dre closer. 3$o hat %ghting have you seen# *hite $car:Greens!ins:3/t as so easy to bring it bac! the s!ies above the dropsite# ared red#strea!ed ith the contrails of falling assault clas. There had been seven

primarchs in that slaughter. $even. The !illing had been industrial.3/ !no you underestimate us#3 said (ibou evenly. 34o not thin! that thisill anger me. *e are used to it.334amn youJ3 spat (enricos# clenching his metal %st. 39nderestimate you: /!no the damage you can do.3 (e edged even closer# his sour breathashing over the scarred face before him. 3Tell me hy / should evensu6er you to loo! at me. / fought as the Gorgon as being cut apart. /fought as my 'egion as being cut apart. / have fought every secondsince# and ill %ght until fate stops my hearts# and you. >ou. >ou ere noteven sure ho the enemy as.3(ibou did not respond# but (enricos could see that he anted to stri!e

him. - nerve had been touched.3*e ere rong#3 the *hite $car said# softly. 3*e erred. *e ill pay theprice.33-ye# e all ill#3 (enricos said# his voice edged ith disgust.(e had never doubted# not for a microsecond. "errus Manus had neverdoubted. There had never been room for it they had the assignment# andthey executed it. That as hy (orus had gone for them %rst. &f all the'egions# the /ron Tenth had been the most steadfast# the only ones notplagued by ambitions beyond the most e7cient prosecution of ar. There ere moments hen he too! pride in that. Mostly# though# the

thoughts ,ust summoned the blind rage bac!# so he shoved it don#burying the memory in the or! schedule that made his servos stutter

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and his eyes scratch.3Get aay from me#3 (enricos said. 3/ ill summon you hen / need you.9ntil then# ,ust stay aay. >ou ma!e me?3/n another age# he might have said 3 sic!3 # but the /ron (ands did notsic!en# for hat as bro!en as quic!ly replaced.

3?angry.3-nd that as true enough# though hardly remar!able anymore.(/)&9 4/4 -$ he as bid. There as no point in antagonising the /ron(and further# for ho !ne here his rage ould ta!e him: (ibouadopted the same tactic his 'egion alays did ithdra# pull aay#conserve strength for another pass. (e tried not to let his everlur!ingshame cloud his emotions# for that ould ma!e him duller# less able toreact hen the time came. )ut that as not easy# for the shame asin%nite and did not diminish.(e al!ed don the corridors of the ship# feeling its otherness ith everystep. (e had only ever gone to ar on vessels of the ordu# ith their cleanlines and bright livery. This ship as stained by the temper of its originalmasters crude edges# dar! shades. /t as a bluntedged eapon. Theongoing sense of dislocation surprised him# and he made a mental note toattend to it in his meditation. The Grey Talon as sparsely inhabited a mix of servitors# a s!eleton creof menials from the *hite $cars# and no doubt some old A2/ 'egion serfsho had managed to avoid Aa3ven3s purge and no !ept their heads donin the dingy corners of the bilge levels. /n the absence of proper numbers#it as (enricos ho !ept the hole thing together# stringing automatedmechanisms into line# restoring burnedout systems# reviving dormant

machinespirits. The furious pace of or! as all that !ept him fromlashing out at living targets# and that as elcome enough.*ere all /ron (ands the same# (ibou ondered# ith that mix of sullenfury and morbid obsession: /mpossible to tell. (e had never foughtalongside them before# and did not expect the current experiment to lastlong enough for him to form a settled opinion.(e reached the practice cages# here Te,i as already limbering up. (iboudre one of the blades from the rac!s# atching his opponent idly.(e had not !non Te,i before. The young arrior had been ,ust one ofmany lodge members across many brotherhoods8 each of them seducedby the same ords and tiptoeing the precipice of damnation ithout

!noing it. The han had ruled that !illsquads of the sagyar maFan be composed ofstrangers# lest the bonds of old brotherhood return and !indle freshinsurrection. - sensible precaution# but in truth hardly necessary. They all!ne ho close they had come# and hat they had to do to redeemthemselves. Te,i had been from the )rotherhood of the 0ed $un# one of the many under <emulan3s command. (e had reached -scension ,ust before Chondax# ,oining the eet in the last reinforcement ave from Chogoris before theveil fell. 1ot long in hich to ma!e a choice that ould cripple his future

forever.(ibou entered the cage# boing. Te,i returned the gesture# and brought his

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blade into guard. The eapon as as blunt as (ibou3s# and ouldn3t havehurt even a mortal badly. 4amage as not the point of the exercise#though it as balance# speed and reaction.34id he spea! to you:3 as!ed Te,i.(ibou shoo! his head. 3/ made the %rst move. (e ill ma!e the next.3

Te,i smiled. 3Maybe.3 The sagyar maFan had become closer during the voyage# all nine of them#but ariness still remained. They ere an arti%cial unit# pushed togetheronly by a shared culpability# hich in itself as a poor foundation forvengeance. Combat ould test their ea! lin!s# either elding them %rmor shattering the hole.3)egin# then#3 said (ibou# and the to of them sept into movement#parrying# ,abbing# using the blades ith all the uidity of their training. /nseconds# the cage became an arena of Chogorian art# a crucible ofsordsmanship./mmersed ithin that# the divisions seemed trivial. The doubt# the guilt# allof it became invisible# sublimed by the dominant physicality of combat.$o they fought one another# en,oying the release. They !ne# though# thathen the blades ere loered again it ould all come bac!# vivid li!e theshuddered recollection of dreams.(e as bac! on Medusa# trudging beneath lightningscored s!ies# feelingthe primordial cold pressing in upon his s!in.$omehere up in the gloom# invisible beyond the nightdense clouds# theiron band of the Telstarax hung in orbit# ruined and echoinga gravemar!er of another age.(e had never seen it# but it had alays been a %gure of Medusan myth

the ancient torc that mar!ed the orld from the void# shac!ling it in metal.(e had never seen the primarch "errus Manus either# but !ne that heas there too# somehere. - mortal Telstarax of sorts# both guardian anddestroyer# forging the planet3s sons into ne eapons and purging thelast morsels of ea!ness from their privationhardened bodies.(e had al!ed for ten days as the dull Medusan sun had it# drin!ing little#eating little# his boots !ic!ing up blac! dust and ca!ing his layeredsynthfabrics. (is breathermas! had pic!ed up a fault and clic!ed hen heinhaled# letting in the gritty taste of spoildust. (is landengine as ,ust amemory no# grinding its ay south ith the rest of his clan. The dirtysmo!eplume had hung on the horiFon for a long time before being lost in

the smog# but he had never turned to loo! for it.&n the eleventh day# the toer rose up before him colossal# clad in platesof in!blac! iron. (e heard the boom of engines under the earth# and feltthe shiver of the solid roc! underfoot. *alls loomed aay from him ingeometric layers# starshaped for siege# croned ith guns as vast as hisold trac!ed home.(e thought he had reached the $orrgol citadel then# but he as rong#because the toer before him as only the smallest of many spires# amere sentinel over the southern gates. )eyond it stretched forges#burners# smelters and extractors# !ilometre after !ilometre# lin!ed by ebs

of iron pipeor! and covered in a cloa! of carbon vapour.)efore the gate stood "errus Manus# a titan in charcoal armour# invincible

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and eternal in his atch over the citadel. Except that he as rong aboutthat too the guard as ,ust a legionary of the Tenth# the %rst he had everseen# though to a youth3s aed eyes it might ,ust as ell have been theprimarch himself.(e felt his head go light at last# and struggled to !eep his feet. The

gateatcher gaFed don at him ith eyes that gloed dull red amidst aslopegrilled helm.3/ come to serve#3 he said# proudly# belligerently# daring the arrior abovehim to refuse.(e thought he heard a faint hirring# li!e optical instruments. Thelegionary might have been considering the ords# or as amused orirritated by them# but ith the helm in place his emotions ereunreadable.3$o / see#3 the legionary eventually replied. The gate crac!ed open# pulled bac! by immense cylinders. (e sayed onhis eary legs# catching sight of the furnaces beyond the %elds of metaland the boiling# underlit clouds. The legionary gestured for him to enter.3(ave you the spine# child:3 he as!ed# his voice a tinny# machine%lteredsnarl. 3Ma!e it to the toer# and they ill test you further.3(e as afraid then. 4esperately afraid. (is throat as dry# his hands coldith seat# and it as hard to ma!e his legs move. The legionary aited# silent again# as unmoving as the alls around him.(e anted to move. (e could see the great toer ithin# a ,agged bladeat the heart of the foundries# glistening li!e the slate edges of mountains.(e anted to move.

(E10/C&$ *&E */T( a ,er!. (e had fallen asleep over his station on thebridge# slumped on a scanner console. 1one of the cre had dared toa!e him.(e lifted his head# iping a line of drool from the smeared screen. (olong had he been out: $even minutes# by his armour3s chronos. That ashis sleeppattern no a fe moments here and there# islands ofunconsciousness beteen the long or! shifts. The lapse as shameful. (e as on the bridge# surrounded by those hohad mar!ed his ea!ness and ould no be ondering ho much longerhe could last.*or! harder.

(e tightened his shoulders# feeling the shift of armourplate over tightmuscle# the pain of limbs that had been cramped and compressed for toolong.(e loo!ed don at the screen. /t as covered ith phosphortrails ofarpa!e pro,ections# overlaid on a cartographic grid of diFFyingcomplexity. (e had traced the last to trail patterns over that# mar!ingthe passage of the Grey Talon through the maFe of the aether.(e studied the incoming signals# ma!ing alloances for the !non ghostreection from the augur array. )lin!ing to clear the last of his fuFFiness#he remembered here he had got to before unconsciousness had crept up

on him. (e activated a ne scanseep and atched the screen %ll ithdata. /t had ta!en %ve hours to prepare the algorithms# ,ust as it had done

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for all the other searches. -t times he ondered hether he had forgottenho to do it properly./t had been <ebeF -ug ho had hammered the technique into him# drillingthe procedures by rote under the shado of constant discipline. 3&thersmay be faster#3 the /ron "ather had been fond of saying to him. 3&thers

may even be stronger# but none are more methodical.3-ug# no doubt# as dead. /t as li!ely no that the entire clan had beeniped out# either at /sstvan or in the aftermath. -ll of them# lost in theinferno. The old lessons had not helped them then# but they had all goneinto that situation blind# forgetting their on maxims in their haste toreach the enemy."errus# too. The blindest of us all. The lens before him throbbed ith fresh runes# and (enricos snappedbac! to full attention. (e revieed the multilayered tangle of tra,ectorymar!ers# tisting aay ithin stylised arpconduits."or a moment# he sa nothing. Then a glimmer. - faint trace# ,ust visible over the range of possiblearppaths.(e could almost imagine -ug ith him again# leaning over him# uttering arare grunt of satisfaction.(enricos chec!ed# to be sure# then opened a channel to (ibou. There asno avoiding the meeting no.3han#3 he said# !eeping it to the point. 30eady your squad and meet me onthe bridge. *e have our target.3(/)&9 $T-0E4 -T the screen# ondering exactly hat he as supposed tobe loo!ing at. (e as adept at reading tactical displays of a doFen !inds#

but (enricos had created a mosaic of overlapping nonsense on thepictfeeds# one that even a Mechanicum magos ould have struggled toprocess.3>ou see it:33/ do not#3 said (ibou# bracing himself for fresh scorn. 3@lease# sho me.3(enricos snorted in exasperation# then Foomed in on the image. 3"orgetthree dimensions the arp operates di6erently. *e alter standard scanalgorithms and course settings to cover the greatest area in the shortesttime. The result is an organic pattern# developed by my clan3s /ron "atheron Medusa# and ta!es into account the underlying movement of aetherconduits. *e are not in physical space# so e do not move as if e are.

The equations are?complex.3(ibou could believe that. The screen as crammed ith tra,ectories# halfof hich meant nothing to him. 3>ou mean this#3 he said# pointing to ashipmar!er set several hours in Grey Talons a!e.31o. 'oo! at its movements# the same as ours it is a mirror. - ghost.Consider it an artefact of the scanners and ignore. The target is here.3(enricos gestured toards a faint blip on the extreme edge of the display.(ibou froned.3That is not a shipmar!er#3 he said.

(enricos rearded that ith a sarcastic smile. 3-stute. - shipmar!er is nothat e see!.3 (e Foomed in further# increasing the granularity of the

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seep. 3This is a arpa!e the sign of deep passage. Count yourselfluc!y# *hite $car. 1one of your 'egion could have detected this.3(ibou let the insult slide. (e as used to them. 3(o far:33/ can bring us ithin stri!e range. )ut remember this is not physicalspace. *e must trac! it# using the searchpattern# aiting for them to drop

out# then e fall upon them. / can materialise on top of it# in its shado. They ill have only seconds to respond.33They ill not see us coming:331ot unless they ere schooled to recognise an algorithmic pursuit. That isunli!ely.3(ibou detected the sullen pride there and let (enricos en,oy the moment. The /ron (ands had had precious little to celebrate# and if theirarptrac!ing proess as grounds for arrogance then they ere elcometo it.3*hich 'egion# then:3 (ibou as!ed. 3Can you tell me that:33'oo! here.3 (enricos Foomed in further# exposing the ound in the arpgouged by the preyship3s engines. 3Three salients# aggressively pitched#characteristic of 4racoseries drives an old con%guration. These erefavoured by one 'egion only# so either that is a $ons of (orus ship# or youmay have my eyes.3(ibou felt eagerness stir ,ust at the name. 3Can e ta!e it:331o idea# not until e brea! the veil. )ut it cannot be much larger than us#and e ill be on it before it !nos e are a threat.3 (e loo!ed up at(ibou# and for the %rst time there as a croo!ed grin titching at his lips.3>ou ished to !no the plan. (ere it is. *e are in their colours that illgive them a moment3s uncertainty. *e board before they can raise

shields# ta!e the command bridge# disable it. The guns on the Talon cando the rest.3(ibou nodded. The schematics ere already beginning to untangle in hismind# and he could half see the route that the /ron (ands legionary asproposing.3-nd you ill ta!e the Talon3s helm#3 he said# planning ho he oulddeploy the boarding party.3/ ill not#3 groled (enricos# slamming the screen aay on its angledmount and resuming the hostility that bubbled ,ust under the surface ofhis humour. 3/ ill be ith you. *e ill need all the blades e can muster.3 That anger as directed no no longer at those he as forced to serve

ith# but at the real enemy# the ones ho had unambiguously chosentreachery.3$ide by side# then#3 said (ibou# smiling dryly.3/f you insist#3 muttered (enricos# turning bac! to the data. 3-s long as e!ill and as long as e hurt them# / care not.3/T *-$ T*E'2E more hours before the target ship made signs of droppingfrom the arp. "or most of that time the !illteam aited in the holds ofthe gunship Golden 4agger# primed for rapid hangar exit. )oardingtorpedoes had been considered and re,ected they ould be coming in toofast to guarantee a %reangle so they trusted the manoeuvrability and

speed of the Thunderha! to get them across the void gulf.-fter launch# the Talon3s mortal cre# under the command of a stoic

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Chogorian bridge o7cer named &moF# ould !eep the destroyer as closeas possible# draing any incoming %re hile the boarding partiesin%ltrated the hangars.(enricos aited impatiently# loc!ed in the gunship3s forard hold# (ibou3s*hite $cars in restraint cages on either side of him. $treams of data

scrolled across his visor feed# giving him every detail of the %nalapproach. )oth vessels ere still in the arp# but the target had nochanged course dramatically and as sloing for exit. The Grey Talonpursued it along the tisting lines of the $orrgol pattern# operating on theautomatic guides he had set in place before ta!ing position.3$tart launch cycle#3 he muttered# !eeping an eye on the evolving timings. The Thunderha!3s thrusters roared into life. -head of them# glimpsedthrough grainy pictfeeds# the hangar door loc!s slammed open.3*arpbubble punctured ahead#3 reported &muoF over the comm. 3/t iscoming out.330emain tight on it#3 arned (enricos# frustrated that he could not be into places at once and y both ships. (e had tried to relax the 2 'egionpilots ho steered both the Talon and the gunship ere as good as anyhe3d ever seen but it as still hard to trust outsiders. 3"ive !ilometres# realspace. 1o more.3/t as insanely close# a arp exit virtually on top of their enemy3s# but ithad to be that tight or they ould lose the fractional chance.Golden 4agger rose from the apron on booming cushions of dondraft#hovering a metre clear. - second later# the Grey Talon ripped free of theaether3s clutches. -s soon as it had cleared the rift# the hangar3s voiddoorsground open amidst a smudge of straggling Geller remnants.

31oJ3 cried (enricos. The Thunderha! hit full speed# hurling him bac! against his restraintharness# and shot out into the void. The target hung ,ust ahead of them onthe augur screens# emerging from the last of its arp rift ,ust as the Talonas cleared# angled aay and ith its running lights lo.3$hields:3 demanded (enricos.31ot yet#3 reported &moF# his voice commendably calm. The enemy ship raced toards them. (enricos sa then ho big it as aline frigate ith a full battlelance and cursed under his breath. /t ouldalready be scanning the Grey Talon# sending hails# running chec!s againsteet ledgers and pic!ing up the incoming gunship. The subterfuge of their

A2/ 'egion livery as painfully slight.3Get us in no#3 he voxed to the Golden 4agger3s cre. They sped under the shado of the frigate3s hull. 0os of hangar bays# allof them barred# sam up into the vieers. The Thunderha!3sbattlecannon loosed# sending shells screaming into the nearest voiddoors.(ull plates exploded under the impact# disintegrating in a elter ofspinning adamantium.3"asterJ3 roared (enricos# !noing that the void shield arrays ould nobe poering up. The gunship sooped for the aperture# blasting through at a steep pitch#

scraping the edges of the hangar entrance before shuddering to a fullstopand coming to rest on a violent bloom of donthrust. The

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sponsonmounted heavy bolters opened up# spraying in tin arcs from theingress# ra!ing enemy ships loc!ed on the dec! rails and shredding anycre caught out on the apron.4isengaging his restraint cage# (enricos slammed the ramp release. 3&ut#out# outJ3

They spilled from the holds# accompanied by the hol of releasedatmosphere and the blare of alert !laxons. )ehind them# the gauFe ofatmospheric containment %elds %nally slid across the shattered hangarentrance# no too late to do anything other than trap the in%ltratorsithin the hull.(ibou raced ahead# ma!ing for the hangar3s inner doors. The han had apoer sord ith a orid dragon carved into its crac!ling edge. (enricosfolloed him ith his bolter at the ready# scanning for incoming targets. The %rst opposition came from the ship3s mortal cre. They reactedquic!ly# forming up at the intersections of the corridors leading up fromthe hangars and laying don concentrated %re. -ll of them ere from ahard orld and had lived lifetimes of combat# so they performedadmirably. >et it didn3t help them. The *hite $cars ere astonishingly fast# crashingaside the opposition before it had time to get established# hooping andyelling as they laid about them ith their blades. (enricos had never seenthem in action as squads before# and he could admire the seamlessinteraction beteen them a arrior ould say out of the ay to alloanother to %re# then dart bac! into contact# aare the hole time of theight of bolterrounds and the hirl of steel around him.3The esh is ea!J3 (enricos roared# atching the enemy die# listening for

the et slap of esh splitting and the echoing rip of the massreactiveshells going o6. That gave him pleasure# the %rst he had ta!en since thesimilar slaughter on the 2or!audar. The $cars ,oined him in viciousness. They hit rec!lessly# aiming for pain#and their cries ere edged ith something more ra than he had heardbefore. /t as a !ind of frenFy# ith each !ill seeming to spur them deeperinto it. They ere the sagyar maFan# the penitents# and they fought li!e it.(enricos and (ibou led them onards# carving tin passages toards thecommand bridge. The pace quic!ened# and they stormed through crehalls and armouries# leaving a long trail of slic!ed blood behind them. The

dec!s shoo! as heavy impacts roc!ed the hull the Talon %ring# stressingthe void shields and !eeping the enemy cres busy. The boarding party tore up through the levels# hurling grenades into cho!epoints# charging through them ith the eshscraps still ying. The *hite$cars3 armour became strea!ed ith red splatterpatterns across the ivory.(enricos3s on ironblac! plate barely reected the gore# though he as assteeped in it as the rest of them.)y the time they had reached the ide assembly chamber belo thebridge# the real enemy emerged# pushing past their on battling cre toget at the invaders# issuing Cthonian !illchallenges from brassedged

augmitters. The $cars scattered instantly# spreading out across the chamber3s marble

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oor and racing for the cover of the supporting columns. )olter%recrisscrossed the open spaces# shattering roc!crete and throing a poderhaFe across the hall. (enricos thudded up against a threemetreide pillar#feeling the stone of it tremble as the massreactives exploded.(e aited to seconds# letting his cover absorb the fusillade# before

charging out again !eeping lo# trusting his armour to ta!e the hits. )ythen the $cars ere moving too# itting li!e gorespec!led ghosts beteenthe columns. They danced through an oncoming storm of bolterrounds#spinning as they came ithin sordreach to give their blades more speed.(enricos lumbered by comparison# coming up against the bul! of a $onsof (orus arrior in dar!# seagreen plate.)oth bolters %red simultaneously (enricos as hit on the shoulder# hisenemy in the chest. The impact of the /ron (and3s round caused thegreater damage# throing the traitor bac! by a hand3s idth.(enricos pressed in fast. (e %red again# crac!ing his enemy3s faceplate#then piled in ith his gauntlets# punching rapidly and hard until he heardthe et crac! of a brea!ing spine. -s the arrior fell# (enricos grabbed hispoer maul %nally something he could relish using and pressed onards.)y then the noise in the hall as hammering# a mix of vox roars andexplosions. More $ons of (orus charged in# adding to the lattice ofshell%re.(enricos3s mind suddenly shifted bac! to /sstvan the last time he hadfaced the A2/ 'egion in numbers. (e remembered the desperate standson the ridges at the edge of the depression# atching as aves of theenemy advanced# the bloody dust !ic!ed up into a boiling cloud of rage.(e as hit again# a boltround smac!ing into his !nee ,oint before

exploding against the covering plate# and he staggered in the charge. -traitor got close to him ith a chainaxe# and (enricos hipped hiscrac!ling maul around to bloc! the challenge. They ere coming in fromall angles no# pushing the boarding party aay from the hall3s far endand driving them bac! toards the exposed centre.3"or "errusJ3 he belloed# lashing out and driving the maul deep into hisenemy3s nec! before !ic!ing the cho!ing adversary aside and launchinghimself at the next. They had to !eep the momentum up# brea! through tothe bridge before they ere dragged into a dranout melee# or thechance ould be gone.)y then the $cars ere %ghting ith an almost berser! energy# their

battlechallenges more li!e screams. (enricos sa a $ons of (ornslegionary literally torn apart by to of them# his body sliced at the armour ,oints by histling bladeor!. The *armaster3s on ere ,ust as vicious afe metres aay# an ivory battlebrother as dragged to the dec!# hisbac! bro!en and his helmplate smashed.(enricos limped over to avenge the !ill# but as slammed to the groundby a bolt impact# the third to hit him. (e s!idded over# his armourscraping against the marble. (e made to rise# and only then realised hatdamage had been done blood as cascading don from his stomach#foaming around the ragged edges of the hole in his armour.

(e spat# furious at the setbac!# and sitched to his bolter# snapping themuFFle up to %re. )ut his vision blurred from pain# and he missed the

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target. -n enemy legionary sprinted toards him# singing a poer axearound his head to generate the donforce for a !illing stri!e.(enricos tried to rise# to get his maul up to bloc! the blo# but he nevergot the chance. - *hite $cars legionary smashed into the charging traitor#bloc!ing him bodily and sending them both careering across the dec!.

They rolled together# hac!ing madly# until the *hite $car managed to pinhim. *ith a deft tist# he plunged his curved sord deep into his enemy3sgullet# ripping upards to tear out his throat. Then he as up again#falling bac! to (enricos3s position# draing a bolt pistol and %ring out intothe throng.3han?3 ac!noledged (enricos# still struggling to rise.(ibou crouched beside him. 3Can you %ght:3(enricos snarled# !noing the anser but unable to get the ords out. (eould be luc!y not to bleed to death here he lay. 3The bridge? is ithinrange?3 That# technically# as a lie. The assault had stalled# and the bodies of four*hite $cars lay motionless across the chamber oor. The rest ere fallingbac! toards his position# pursued by tice that number of $ons of (orus.(ibou !ept %ring# trying to slo the oncoming traitors. 3/ do not thin! so.*e ill end more of them yet# though.3(enricos reloaded his bolter and too! aim. -s he did so# the entirechamber roc!ed# as if bu6eted by a hull breach."or a moment he dared to hope that the Grey Talon had bro!en throughthe void shields# though the thought did not last long the ship did nothave the eaponry# and even if it had there ere no more troops aboardthat could have turned this battle.

34ie ell# brother#3 he snarled# ta!ing aim at an advancing group of $ons of (orus and opening %re again.(e didn3t expect his shots to do more than hinder their inevitableonslaught# but his shells seemed to multiply in midight# hitting thetargets in a hole volley of massreactive destruction. The advancecrumpled to a halt amidst a roiling ave of explosions# sending the $onsof (orus reeling bac!ards.$tartled# (enricos loo!ed around# and only then detected the acrid tang of teleport discharge. $even leviathans in Terminator battleplate stal!ed outof disintegrating arpfrost spheres# clad in a mix of Gorgon andCataphractii suits# laying don a heavy curtain of %re from tinlin!ed

bolters and combimeltas. Their plate as blac!# pitted ith bare metal scratches# the edges pic!edout in hite. (e sa Medusan emblems on the pauldrons cogs# %sts#s!ulls. They ere all clans he recognised# ones he had fought alongside orbeen rival too# including his on $orrgol# bearing the renchandcog sigil# ,ust as he himself ore. The *hite $cars reacted quic!er than he did# ,oining the ne assault#adding their speed to the advance of the Terminators. (enricos remainedloc!ed don by the shoc! of recognition.*e ere all dead?

(ibou sprinted bac! into the melee# ,oining his brothers in thecounterattac!# crying out in the outlandish tongue of his home orld. -s

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(enricos struggled to regain his feet# cursing at the sluggish recovery ofhis esh# a shado fell over him. (e loo!ed up into the redeyed glare of a'egion deathmas!. (e might as ell have been bac! on Medusa gaFingup# stupe%ed# at the anonymous legionary he had thought as "errusManus.

3)ion (enricos#3 came the familiar voice of $hadra! Meduson# once captainof $orrgol3s Tenth Company# but no so much more. 3Ensure you do notdie here. / ill have need of you.3ME49$&1 (-4 -00/2E4 in the A 'egion stri!e cruiser /ron (eart. Thearship as many orders more poerful than either Grey Talon or the A2/'egion frigate hich as named# somehat ironically# the /nexorableConquest so it had been able to render don the enemy ship3s shields into colossal broadsides. The Terminator bridgehead as ,ust the startmore troops ere sent over in boarding rams# spilling into the narroinner passages and clogging them ith slaughter.*ith such numbers# the assembly hall as quic!ly ta!en# folloed by asift and brutal assault on the bridge. The enemy# as could be expected#fought to the end# but it as Meduson ho ended it# decapitating theship3s captain ith a single savage sipe# mirroring the death of hisgenesire amidst the metallic choler of the assembled /ron (ands.(ours later# the ship as secured. "ive of the *hite $cars3 !illteam stilllived# including (ibou han. (enricos came closer to death than he feltcomfortable admitting# but the hated eshcomponents responded to thechallenge# aided by the !nives of the /ron (eart3s medicae teams.)y the time the last of Meduson3s troops returned to the stri!e cruiser heas on his feet again# and as there hen Meduson himself returned to

the ship3s council chamber. The room as hexagonal and of nightblac!iron# rising up into a shaft li!e a foundry vent and %lled ith the grindinghum of engines.3(enricos. >ou did as you ere bid#3 the arleader noted. That as as much congratulation as he as li!ely to get from Meduson forstaying alive. /t already felt unusual# having gron used to the courtesyand deference of the Chogorians# to be plunged bac! into the bluntmanner of his on 'egion.3/t as an order#3 said (enricos.Meduson stood alongside four others to /ron (ands# a $alamander and a0aven Guard. /t seemed that the hybrid army sent to /sstvan still endured#

at least in scraps.3Many clans#3 said (enricos. 3Many 'egions.33"orged into one. *e are gathering in numbers again.3(enricos could admire the sentiment. - nagging part of him thought itmista!en# but there could be no arguing ith rescuers. 3&thers of $orrgol:33<ebeF -ug lives# though / command the clan. Much has changed you illbe told all these things. *hat of you:3(enricos told them of the ight from /sstvan# the encounter on @rospero#and the penitents of the 2. $hadra! Meduson listened intently# absorbingthe data li!e a machine# scouring it for anything he could use.

3Then that as a ship of my 'egion:3 as!ed the $alamander# soundinggenuinely interested.

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3"or a time#3 said (enricos. Though it has been many things.33-nd the han remains loyal:3 pressed Meduson.3Completely. (is 'egion has mobilised for ar. Even no he ill beengaging the enemy.33)ut those you fought ith they ere traitors:3

(enricos paused. 31o. They ere not.3 (e struggled to %nd the ords.3There as? insu7cient data.3Meduson did not loo! convinced. 3>ou vouch for them:3/t felt strange# to be defending (ibou and the rest# but no that they hadfought together it as harder to maintain outright hostility. 3They areatoning.33$o be it. /f they can %ght# / can use them.3 Meduson loo!ed at (enricoscarefully. 3>ou can see hat is happening here. The strands are beingpulled together# inding into cords of greater strength.33-nd that is ise:33*hy ould it not be:3(enricos glanced across the faces in the room8 three of them ashen# onebonepale and another dar!. 3*hile e hunt apart# e are hard to detect.-nd hen e come together# e can be seen. *e cannot defeat thisenemy through strengththey have more of it.33>et there are things e can achieve#3 said Meduson. /f the challenge to hisstrategy irritated him# he made no sign of it. 3/ have mar!ed a soul fordestruction and / have bound the arriors under me to this cause. /f e dono more than this# it ill have satis%ed honour.3(enricos did not much li!e the sound of that# but !ne better than to

press the matter. /f Meduson as motivated by vendetta than that ouldat least be purpose# and he himself had been or!ing ithout that for toolong.3Count yourself fortunate#3 Meduson said. 3>ou ere fated for death on thatship. 1o you ill %ght on.3"ortunate. &f course.3)ut it as not fortune that brought you#3 said (enricos.Meduson snorted a dry laugh. 3$o you or!ed it out.33The sensorghost# mirroring our every move. >ou ere atching us.33-ug detected you. (e recognised the $orrgol searchpattern andreplicated it# mimic!ing a scannerartefact# something e have done many

times. Consider that your luc! in this if he had not counselled us to aitand to observe# e ould have destroyed you as a $ons of (orus vessel.3Meduson sounded amused. 3-ug admired the ay you ran the algorithm#though he as disappointed that you did not investigate the ghost.3(enricos felt the barb. The *hite $car had seen it# and he had not. 3/ asin error. / ill learn from it.33$ee that you do. This ill be a ar of deceptions# and they are as apt to itas e.3(enricos boed. 3$o hat no:33&ur eet has another ship. *e are used to the process no purge the

cre# instate our on and add the guns to our arsenal.33>ou are rebuilding the 'egion# brother:3

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Meduson shoo! his head. 31o# but e are more than scattered clans no. That is the lesson here.33-nd if there is no Tenth# / guess you are no longer captain.33*arleader. That is all.3(enricos could have commented on that. (e could have remar!ed that

there had already been an idea in hich many 'egions ere subsumedunder a single commander# ith a title that as not so far aay from thisne one. (e might have noted that this had not apparently ended elland that the parallels ere orth noting?&f course he did not do this. Meduson3s quiet command as evident. Thesuicide mission that (enricos had illingly embraced as no part ofsomething greater. (e as no longer alone amidst the arriors of other'egions# and he had the chance to do more than petty damage to thosehe hated ith such perfect clarity.(e should have been happy. That should have doused the anger that stillburned through his every vein.3Then you ill ,oin us#3 said Meduson# in a ay that as more observationthan command.3&n one condition#3 (enricos replied.Meduson loo!ed at him arily.31ame it#3 he said.Medusa3s s!ies ere never open. There ere never starlit nights ,ust theturmoil of toxinheavy vapour ban!s# ,ostling# boiling and murmuring in thedar!.(e limped from the southern gate toards the citadel3s heart. -ll aroundhim the forges or!ed# tended by ran!s of silent guardians ith faceplates

of beaten metal. "actory spires rose from the installation3s tisted entrails#each one crusted ith the panoply of the machine valves# inta!es andconveyors. )eteen them ere the great shafts# plunging aay into theplanet3s core# elling up rustred from the violence unfolding in their deepells.(e dragged his bandaged feet through streets thic! ith dust# his ,aclenched tight against the pain and the hunger. The alls ere far behindno and he had not seen another armoured guardian# ,ust mortals li!ehim in blac! climate suits# all consumed by the spinebrea!ing labour ofthe forges. (e had been told to enter# but did not !no the ay. -midstthe smog# the spar!spills and the biting cold# it as hard to see more than

ten metres ahead# let alone locate the path to the citadel3s heart.(e !ne even then that this as the test. &thers must have done hat heas doing left the precarious safety of the clan landengines and stumbledover the plains toards the strongholds. Maybe most of them died on theay# their bones pic!ed clean by the icy ind. That as the !ind ofselection Medusa specialised in# the one that made its children harderthan adamantium.(e loered his head# clutching his collar to !eep the chill out. There asno point in peering ahead through the gloom# so he ,ust focused onputting one foot in front of the other !eeping his muscles moving in

rhythm./t must have been many hours before the ground started to rise and the

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path sitched bac! beteen stairays of necut stone./nner alls rose up around him# vaster even than those on the perimeter.(e sa a great sigil made from polished slate a circular cog device#centred on a stylised renchhead. /t as huge# more than thirty metres indiameter# and embedded in a cli6 face of stone that seemed to toer up

into the turbulent heavens themselves.)efore he as even fully aare of it he as climbing steeply# breathingheavily# feeling the air gro more coarse and cold. (is eyes ere slitsno# screed against the dust. $omething as bleeding he could feel thehot tric!le don his chest but he !ept putting one foot on each ne stepbefore him# inching his ay upard.&nly once did he loo! bac!. (e sa the plains stretch aay from him farbelo# ebbed ith metal and punctured ith gaspluming ellheads. (esa concentric rings of alls# as solid as the sacred mountain# each onestudded ith defence toers. *hen the lightning hipped across theobsidian landscape he sa the detail there# pic!ed out in neon# mar!ers of a manufactory of in%nite poer and strength.(e never remembered the %nal ascent# the one that ripped the s!in fromthe soles of his feet and made his lungs burn. (e must have passedthrough many portals# each one opened for him by the machineguardiansof that place ho recognised a supplicant and alloed him passage.)y the time his senses returned he as in a great hall# lined ith ironcolumns and lit ith orange sodium lamps. (e had fallen and as on his!nees# but he still shuNed onards# !noing that he ould either reachthe place of testing or die li!e an animal.(e loo!ed up# blin!ing through the %lthsmear across his eyes. There ere

bodies all around him then s!eletal %gures ith metal parts embedded intheir ghostly esh# spidery amalgams of mortal and machine# anddar%sh attendants that scuttled beteen the legs of the greaterconstructs around them.-nd then there ere the 'ords of Medusa# clad in blac!ened iron andattended by scores of robed menials. They ere loo!ing don at him. (ecould hear their mas!%ltered breathing# scraping li!e the ind of theplains over stone.&ne of them came closer# stooped# and too! his chin in one gauntlet.(e lifted his head# painfully# trying not to ince. <ust as at the gate# heheard the hirr of instruments. (e as being scanned# ,udged and

assessed. The iron !night before him said nothing until the scans ere complete. The grip on his chin as icecold.3@ass the gate#3 said the !night# 3and your trials ill be eternal.3(e could feel his heart beating ea!ly.3>ou ill be $orrgol. 1one ill on you but us. *hen you learn secrets# youill never share them. >ou ill %ght alone# you ill ta!e no allies. *e arethe /ron Tenth# and e are alone. &utside this place is ea!ness. *e aloneare strong.3(e believed those ords as soon as he heard them. - %erce ,oy !indled in

his breast# and for the %rst time he became sure that he ould survive tota!e the trials.

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3>ou ill never trust. >ou ill never dilute your strength by %ghtingalongside another ho is not of Medusa. *e are the /ron Tenth. *e aloneare strong.3 There as moisture on his chee!s. (e ould listen# he ould learn. (eould brea! free of the shac!les set upon the orld by fate# and see the

iron collar in all its voidset ma,esty# and to accomplish this he ouldabsorb every maxim given to him.(e ould learn. (e ould believe.3>ou understand this:33/? do#3 he rasped# his lips dry and bleeding.3Then repeat it. $ay it# and never forget it.33*e are the /ron Tenth#3 he said# burning ith both pain and pride#yearning for nothing more than it to be true. 3-nd e alone are strong.3(E "&914 (/)&9 don in the Talon3s practice cages. The han had beenor!ing nearconstantly since the assault on the /nexorable Conquest#believing that faults in his !illteam3s tactics had led to the failure. 9nli!e(enricos# he could ta!e little satisfaction from the arrival of Meduson#since his actions had done nothing to bring it about. The redemptivemission he had embar!ed upon had brought him neither deserved victorynor honourable death# leaving him dependent once again on theintervention of others.(enricos atched him for a hile# remaining in the shados. The *hite$car fought ,ust as he had done on the frigate a blur of speed# farsurpassing anything that the common arriors of the A 'egion couldsummon. There as a virtue in that# ,ust as there as a virtue in the moresolid techniques that the Medusans had been schooled in.

Eventually the han stopped# glistening ith seat# panting heavily. (emust have been or!ing for hours.(enricos came to meet him at the cage3s entrance# o6ering him anoilstained cloth.3/ did not thin! to see you again#3 said the han# iping his bro.3>ou thought /3d ta!e a place on the /ron (eart.33/t is a %ne ship.3 They al!ed together# heading for the chamber3s exit. 3/t is a long timesince / as on a Medusan vessel. @erhaps / remember them di6erently.3(ibou raised an eyebro# and the movement made the scar on his chee!titch. 3Then you are staying on the Grey Talon:3

(enricos shrugged. 3This is a luc!y ship. -nd / do not trust you to y it.33That may be ise you have fouled half the systems.3 They reached the exit# and (ibou paused at the dooray. 3Te,i is dead. Three others. Their blood as asted e ould have lost the action.33That is ar.33*e must do better.3(enricos nodded. 3*e ill.3(e reached over his shoulder and dre a sord# the %rst he had carriedsince /sstvan. /t as no curved piece of Chogorian steel# but anaugmentedfunction Medusan Feihander# the length of a mortal man#

riddled ith poer feeds and lin!ed disruptor %eld generators. /t as the!ind of eapon he had dreamed of oning again# far better than a bolter

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or a borroed poermaul.31ext time e %ght# / ill be at your shoulder ith this. - single stri!e cancarve a legionary in to.3(ibou loo!ed at the longsord cautiously. The heavy construction as theantithesis of everything that his on 'egion practised in eaponry.

3/mpressive# certainly#3 he said# doing his best.(enricos laughed. 3/t as the condition of my ta!ing Meduson3s command. That# and captaining the Talon. / see potential here. / see a melding ofphilosophies.3 (e sheathed the sord again. 3>our !ind move a blade fast. >ou could teach me ho to do that.3(ibou didn3t manage to hide his surprise. 3Teach you:33-nd the reverse.3 (enricos hit the door release# and the blastpanel slidbac!. 3Meduson is serious. (e3s going after the $ixteenth no# right to thetop. >ou are correct e need to %nd a ay of doing better. @erhaps this isit.33That is madness.33/n all li!elihood# but hat strategic use is sanity no:3 (enricos %xed(ibou ith a steady glare. 3/f the chance comes# / ill ta!e it. / ill loo! onthe *armaster3s face as / end him. *ill you be beside me then:3(ibou stared bac! arily# seemingly unable to decide if he as beingmoc!ed. 3>ou ill never get the chance.33>ou3re probably right.33)ut if you did?3(enricos aited patiently. /n the end# though# (ibou never %nished thesentence. The Chogorian3s eyes moved bac! to the hilt of the Feihander.3$o ho does it handle:3 (ibou as!ed.

(enricos stepped bac! from the door and unsheathed the blade again. (enodded over to the practice cage.34ra your on blade#3 he said# ondering ho ell his ounds ouldhold up if things got too strenuous. 3/ ill demonstrate.3 T(E E>$ &" (E' <&(1 "0E1C(3The true danger of the un!non lies not in its existence# but in !noingthat it exists.3yril $indermann# in his speech to the $ymposium of 1essus*hat are the eys of (el:/ sleep and the question rises in my thoughts li!e the moon above a blac!

sea. / do not !no hat the question means# and if / !no the anserthen it is lost to me.My limbs are a dull echo on the edge of my aareness. My thoughts moveith crea!ing sloness through my mind./ see a face of dead esh# its lipsmoving though no ords come. / feel the cool ash as a blade punchesthrough my ribs. @ain s!itters don my nerves. The clin! of chains.*-E1.*arm blood. Thic!ening beat by sloing beat./ see?

1othing. Thoughts are echoes. (ave / had them before: (ave / as!ed this question

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before: /s this slo cycle of consciousness a heel turning ithout end#repeating again and again:/ !no ho / am. My name is Crius. / as 'ord of the adoran. / am thebanner bearer of the A 'egion. / am the emissary of "errus Manus. / amthe /ron (and of the Crusader (ost. / am all this. )ut these are ansers to

questions / have not as!ed.*here am /:-m / still beneath the mountain: 4o / lie still in the gaol of the Emperor forthe crime of being a loyal arrior in a ar of betrayal: /s the coldness ofthis sleep a prison:More questions# but still not the right question.*-E1./ see a face. /t is set in goldenyello armour# and it loo!s don upon me.- blac! cross on a hite %eld# and the clin! of chains."riend? The ord comes to me# but / do not !no hy. *hat is a friend:/ am not a creature of friends of brothers# perhaps# but not friends. / amone of a !indred. *e are bound by hat ma!es us strong# by the esh ofour father."ather?@ain# bright li!e a fractured sun. / am the pain and it is my orld. / am notalone here because it is here ith me.*hy is the pain here:$till not the right question# but closer. Much closer. The pain is rising no# spinning around me# aying the numbness of sleep.*hat is this:

The pain is everyhere. The orld is not blan! no. /t is hite. )linding#cutting# burning hite.-nd the pain is groing. /t has a shape. /t has a head no# and arms# anda hole that beats here there should be hearts. The %gure of pain reaches for me.*hy is it here:/t is pulling me in.*hy does it ant me:*hat is it:*-E1.-nd / a!e.

The connections snap into place don my spine. @ain ashes along nervesand cables. My limbs become my on# dead esh and machine anseringith icy snarls./ !no hat / am./ open my eyes. 'ight pours into my orld. @ro,ected data bathes thechamber before me. 2apour rises from icedogged machines. / feel thesna!ing sensation as the esh and machine fuse to my mind./ step forards. /ce falls from me in brittle scales. @istons extend and snapmy limbs into place. Energy crac!les along conduits and / hear iron %ngersex. The pain is everything. Every sensation is a colour of agony.

/ am a son ithout a father. / am a arrior risen from the edge of thegrave of all he !ne# and all that created him. / am the dead in a ar of

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fools.*hat are the eys of (el:/ am the anser./ am a life stolen from the dar!# and lived in oblivion./ al! from my tomb# and behind me my brothers a!e from their on

sleep and follo me to ar. T(E "/0E 0&-0$ and e fall. - shot hits the drop pod3s carapace andpeels o6 a petal of burning armour. The air rushes out. "lames roar in thespill of atmosphere and then vanish. *e are tumbling# the vie beyondic!ing past in snatches. / see the starforts sitting at the centre of ebs of light# great burning spiders hanging above the blue sphere of the orldbelo. / see our ship# the Thetis# sin!ing into the pool of %re pouring fromthem. $he is bright ith the blood of her ounds# liquid metal and gloinggas spilling from her bul! as she scatters more and more craft into theell of gravity./ am still clamped to the drop pod3s core. 1ine stand ith me. *e aresilent as our orld spins and spins. There is no air in the pod no. -sensation registers cold on the bare esh of my face. / neither blin! normove./ can feel the echo of the animating aves pulse through me# strongerthan the beat of blood# sharper than iceladen air. - all of gouged armour%lls the split in the pod all. The muFFles of vast guns shout silently intothe distance. *e spin and spin. Explosions thro shards of metal throughthe pod. / feel one stri!e my armour and bury itself deep. The sensationpasses. The drop pod3s thrusters %re. &ur spin is a blur# then a scream of thrusters

%ghting to steady us. They fail. The pod stri!es the starfort."orce slams through. - all buc!les inards. $heared edges slam into thearrior next to me. (e dies for a second time. )lac! pearls of stagnantblood and oil rise from him as the pod bounces bac! up from the starfort3ssurface. The thrusters are %ring at random. 'ights begin to pulse in timeith an alarm that no one can hear. *e are hit again# spinning# rolling andglancing over ravines and cli6s of armour.- plate rips from the pod and / can see the great# crenellated ring of thestarfort extending aay. @ods and gunships hurtle toards it# and the %reof a thousand guns rises to meet them. The Thetis is no longer sin!ing

through the starfort3s bombardment. /t is droning in an inferno. This is the end.*e ill not a!en again. (ere e perish. This is the last battle that ehave snatched from the ,as of death. /t is not an end of renon andglory. /t as never going to be. -ll things end. -ll ages pass# and even thedeathless may die.&ur pod leaps high above the starfort3s s!in# and / !no that e ill slamdon again. / can see the buttresses and ridges of antennae aiting forus# ready to mash the pod to splinters and spill the rec!age bac! into thevoid.

3"ire#3 / call# and the machines in my throat catch the ord and carry it tomy brothers. They move li!e sleepers still half in a dream. *e %re our

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fought from beyond death. /t as a ar of obliteration not victory# and itsend alays lay in a moment li!e this# in %re and ruin.My eyes %nd the helmed face of the 4eath Guard as he prepares to rip hisblade from my chest./t ill end no.

)ut not ithout a price for our destroyers./ punch my left hand forards# metal %ngers splayed. My %st closes on the4eath Guard3s gorget and / yan! him close. (e is fast# but my strength isnot that of esh. The chainblade is buFFing in the ruin of my chest. (isface plate crashes into my shoulder. (is eye lenses shatter and the airinside his helm vents outards ith a mist of blood. / ould li!e to thin!that he feels shoc!# that he feels doubt and panic# and the cold realisationthat retribution has found him. (e on3t though. The only thought runningthrough his s!ull ill be that he has to !ill me. / !no this. /t is hat /ould have thought. They made us ali!e in that respect.(E 0EC&/'$. T(E chainsord rips don. My hammer activates as / stri!e#and stri!e# and stri!e# until red meat and blood scatters ith the slivers ofhis armour./ stand still# suddenly cold and ithout the pain that tells me / am still inthe land of esh.4ata is cascading past my eyes li!e blood oing from a ound.$omehere beyond the runes / see the lights of battle. / turn my head upto see the Thetis fall as / !no she ill.-nd a vast# blac! shape cuts through the lattice of %re. /t is anothervessel# smaller than the Thetis but still vast a dagger compared to herscorched hammer head.

"resh oers of bright# cold light open across the blac!ness. - great domeof light erupts on the other side of the starfort# and a second later thetremor hits. The scrolling data in my eyes stops./ hear a voice calling to me in tones of static# but / am no longer a thingthat hears or replies. / am falling bac!ards aay from the orld above#falling bac! to the ,umbled memories of life and the questions that onlythe dead as!.*hat are the eys of (el: They are a dream that ends and ishes it had not. They are hat happenshen life runs out and hate endures.

*-E1./ am standing beneath the burning dome of the heavens.*-E1./ am atching the orld become a receding dot. )eneath and behind methe blan! dream of true death rushes up to catch me as / fall.3*a!en.3/t is a voice that calls me. / obey it. / a!en to the slo unfolding of painthat is the return from the dreams of ice./ !no the face that greets me. /t is a face of blan! iron ith slots for eyes./t is the face of @hidias# my resurrector# my brother amongst the living.

/nterface soc!ets dot his armour and a mane of interface cables hangdon his bac! li!e a cloa!.

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/ try to spea!# but the connections beteen my mind and body are notcomplete.@hidias gives a single sha!e of his head# as though hearing hat / asabout to as!.3*e endure still# Crius. The battle as on# the enemy destroyed.3

- spider of pain climbs my throat and / can spea!.3(o:3 / as!.3>ou ere found and ta!en from the void.3 (e pauses. 3/ made you again.3/ trac! the sensations as my body becomes mine again. /t is di6erent. Thebeat of blood is fainter# the tingle of esh more distant. The cold thrill ofmetal presses into my aareness here before there had been the armpulse of muscle and nerves. / have lost much# but / do not feel ea!er. /feel stronger.31o#3 / say# forming the ord sloly. There is still ice on the remaining eshof my face. 3(o did e prevail:3@hidias loo!s at me for a long moment. (e is calculating# processing dataand possibilities.3-nother ship came to our aid.33-nother ship:33/ts arrival caused the enemy to miscalculate its !ey defensive choices. That cost them everything.33*hat other ship:33They have been loo!ing for us# folloing the messages e sent into thearp to bring the enemy to us. They have been see!ing for some time. &rso they claim.33*ho are they:3

3The ship is the 4aedalus.3/ hear the ord# and at the bac! of my aareness / feel something move atitch# li!e the %ngers of a hand beneath a shroud.34o they !no / am here:331o#3 he says ith a brief sha!e of his head.3/s the 4aedalus still bound to the same clan:3(e nods. / ish that / could close my eyes to thin!# but / cannot. 4atablin!s across my vison as / consider. -fter a moment / spea! one of the!ey questions aloud.3/f they do not !no / am here# then hy ere they see!ing us:33They say that they have been see!ing all they can %nd of the Tenth

'egion. There is a gathering of might# an attempt to mend hat is bro!enso that e may be hole again.3/ pause. There is no point spea!ing of the delusion of such an idea. / thin!of 0ogal 4orn# of $igismund and the /mperial "ists squatting on Terra inhope of being able to face don the tide of treachery. / thin! of the hungerfor hope that too! me from Terra to %nd the shattered remains of my'egion. The nobility of such motives does not ma!e any of those actionsany less futile. There is only one reason to %ght no# and that is to ta!ethe measure of vengeance from this universe before it is ashes.3*hy have you o!en me# @hidias:3 / as!# and the master of the Thetis

nods again as though ac!noledging that e have reached the point heas aiting for.

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3)ecause they have as!ed to meet the chiefs of our force# and becausethey are not fools. The Thetis is still being repaired and ill not be able torun. &nce they realise hat / have done and hat you are# e ill have todestroy them before they attempt to destroy us. 9nless e can reach apoint of balance.3

3>ou ish to avoid death at the hands of our !in. 4oes the manner inhich e end still matter# @hidias:33>es. /t does3/ am silent. / do not !no if / feel the same ay he does. / do not !no if /feel anything. -t last / nod. The adoran. The 4aedalus.@earls of ice fall from my face as / shrug from my rappings of frost.My clan. My ship. To shards from a life / no longer live.32ery ell#3 / say as. 3'et us go and spea! ith my clanbrothers. 'et themsee hat has become of their lord.3*hat are the eys of (el: They are the %res ta!en from the mountain. They are hat should not andmust not be. &nly in the last days of humanity# hen la has no meaning#should any thin! to brea! the loc!s placed upon them. These are those days. T(E 0E@0E$E1T-T/2E$ &" Clan adoran ait for us. Tenty arriorsarmoured and armed# their eapons ready stand beneath the ings oftheir gunships on the dec! of a hangar bay. -round them# the ,umble ofour scavenged assault craft %ll the gloom li!e the halfgnaed leavings ofa carrion beast. /t is hot# or so the data tells me. / feel neither cold norheat anymore. They ill have noticed that# as they ill have noticed the

damage to the Thetis3s hull# and the quiet hich radiates from thedar!ness of the ship. They ait and onder exactly ho# and hat# theyhave found. / !no this. /t is a mirrored moment# an experience repeatedfrom my past but this time seen from the other side.*e atch them for several seconds# but they do not see us. )eside mestands @hidias# and to either side of us# stretching aay into the gloom#to hundred of our silent brotherhood. -t last @hidias steps forards and /go ith him.&ur brothers remain here they are# unseen and unmoving. The adoran react as they see us. Guns come up and vol!ite calivers andplasma blasters shrill as they rise to a %ring charge.

*e stop. $tillness extends into the space and silence. The moment has afeeling of stolen familiarity.3/ am $oter. / am Clan"ather of the adoran.3/ loo! at him and he loo!s bac!. (is armour is battle mar!ed# but themar!s are li!e scars over healed esh# and beneath them his armour purrsith smooth e7ciency. (is helm is clamped at his belt# his head bare. -strip of steelgrey hair runs don the centre of a scalp dotted ith cogstuds. (is eyes are his on# but the esh of the righthand side of his faceis a sculpture in circuitry and chrome. (e radiates calm and strength./ !no him. / !no him very ell. (is eyes move beteen @hidias and me

in a single seep of movement. 'ights ic!er beneath his right eye# buthis face shos nothing. (e aits# and hen e say nothing he spea!s

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again.3*e are come to you as blood of the same 'egion# and to call you togather ith our !in. *ho are you# and of hat clan:33/ am @hidias# master of the Thetis3. The ords are uninected# a blan! giftof fact.

$oter gives the smallest nod# and then turns his gaFe to me.3-nd you:33/t is /# brother#3 / say# even though / !no that my voice no longer soundsli!e the one they ould remember.(e stares at me. Everything is very still. / feel a pulse in the air and !nothat vox transmissions are ic!ing beteen $oter3s entourage. Their gunsdo not loer.3'ord Crius:3/ ta!e a single step closer# aare of the piston crea! of my frame as /move.3/t is a long ay from old ars# $oter# and longer since / as lord ofanything.3(e continues to stare.3*e did not !no you lived#3 he says at last./ do not respond to that. 3*hy are you here:3 / as! instead.(e pauses for a second# and / can feel him considering his anser. Thatas alays his strength# both in battle and in strategy. 'ogic and strengthere the pillars of the A 'egion3s might in ar# but in $oter there as avein of instinct rarely found in those of our blood. /t as one of thequalities that alloed him to rise above his peers# and triumph hereothers fell. /t as one of the reasons in the limited form e are given to

such sentiment that / li!ed him. -nd no / could tell that his instinct asholding his tongue# telling him that something as rong.3/ came loo!ing for any of our 'egion ho might endure.3 (is eyes movebeteen @hidas and me. 3/ came to summon all / found.33To hat end:33"or ar.3 (e leaves o6 both my name and the title he had previouslygiven me. /t is not an accident. The /ron (ands do not ma!e small errors.3*ar is everyhere# $oter. There is no need to gather to %nd it.33The 'egion ill be dran together again#3 he says.3(e is deadJ3 / hear the dry voice roar into the vast space. /t is athundercrac! of rage# bitterness and pain. /t is my voice. / feel the bul! of

my body ex# as pistons and cable feeds titch. *hen / spea! again myvoice is quieter# but / can still feel the edge in it# the emotion hich hascome from somehere / cannot see ithin myself. 3"errus Manus fell# ourfather is no more. *e are bro!en. The 'egion is no more. 1othing canchange that.33*e are strong. *e endure# and e can be reforged.33*e are not strong enough# brother. *e are the remains# the echo hichhas yet to fade.33>ou refuse# then:3 he as!s# and / hear the suspicion in the ords./ ta!e another step forards.

3That you as! is a courtesy / appreciate. )ut you !no already that e illnot be a part of the false dream you chase.3

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&ur gaFes are loc!ed# and in that moment / !no that / as right and thathe has deduced hat / am no. / ait to hear his next ords.3*hat have you done:3 he as!s# and / hear the voice of the youngMedusan arrior ho / chose from a throng of shivering humans# and hobecame a arrior at my side and bore my banner for six decades of

conquest and ar.3/ have become the vengeance of the fallen#3 / say# and behind me mybrothers in death step from the gloom.*hat are the eys of (el: They ere the seal placed by our father upon all the principles and!noledge that should never be applied. "e outside the 'egion !ne ofthe ban placed by "errus Manus on the $arcosan "ormulae# the@rogression of the $eventh Gate# and the &phidian $cale. Even amongsthis sons fe !ne more than the name and# of those ho did !no# mostgrasped only shados of dar! possibility. Cyberresurrection# ghola# deathand life bound by %eld# oven by metal and sung by axioms of theun!non. Created by man in the 4ar! -ge of Technology# or by alienhands under cruel suns# their origin does not matter. They are theevolution that our father placed beyond our reach# the loc! upon a gate toa denied realm./ have al!ed through those gates# and no / step beteen stolenmoments amongst the living. / al! ith %re# pain and hatred for all thathas brought me here# and for all that has been lost.-nd as / persist / thin! of my genefather. &f the arrior ho died# ho felland ho alloed himself to be ea!er than the universe.-nd / !no no ith every pulse of false life that he as right.

3(&'4J3 $&TE03$ $(&9T cuts through the buFF of %reready eapons./ atch him. (e has not ta!en his eyes o6 me. (is arriors freeFe. (e hadnot needed to call out he could have held their %re ith a subvocalcommand. )ut he had spo!en it aloud# and / !ne as / loo!ed at him thatit had been so / could hear it.)eside him one of his arriors ic!s a gaFe across the lines of the dead. /recognise him8 Taurus# a sergeant in the 5Ith. / had raised him to thatran!. (e had been a %ne arrior# hard and unyielding as a orn anvil. /realise that / no longer thin! of them as my arriors. /f / loo! further# andlet memory and logic o# / ill recognise more of them. They oncefolloed me in ar# !nelt to me as their lord# and / had called them

brothers. That is gone no. *e are separate# to shards cleaved from abro!en sord falling aay from one another.3*e did not come here as enemies#3 he says. (e loo!s carefully at thedead ranged behind me. / read the gesture and sha!e my head.3/ do not threaten# $oter. This is honesty. *e cannot be a part of hat youattempt. >ou !no that. >ou need to understand.3(e sha!es his head once.3That you could do this?33There is nothing to protect. *e are hat e are. The 'egion cannot beremade# and e are no longer ith you. *e are this age3s last children. Go

bac! to your dreams# $oter# and leave us to ours.3$oter is utterly still. (e is calculating# running the situation through logic

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and reason# searching for the decision he ill have to ma!e. The livingesh of his face shifts almost imperceptibly. (e is about to spea!.3>ou have bro!en the decrees of our father#3 he says. )ehind him# Taurusand the rest shift imperceptibly. They are holding themselves on theraFor%ne edge before violence. 3>ou have passed beyond. >ou have turned

your bac! on "errus Manus. >ou are not of the 'egion. >ou are its shame.3-nd there is a paused instant# as though the second that has ,ust passedand the one that is to come have yet to ,oin.(e is right. / !no that he is right. The ords are true# but they also do notmatter. The arriors facing me come from a di6erent orld# a orld that isnot the cold sleep of death and the pain of a!ing.3ill them#3 says $oter.Gun%re blaFes through the dar!. (aloed beams of light spear into armourand explode cold muscle. @lasma screams as it blasts metal into vapour.$oter3s /ron (ands are spreading out amongst the hulls of the assaultcraft# %ring as they pull bac! toards their on gunships even as the ringof dead arriors closes. 1one of my brothers %re bac!.3(old your %re# $oterJ3 / call. (e has leapt aay and is %ring at the sloshapes of the dead. (e has not %red at me# though. (e had theopportunity# in the long moment hen he faced me# his eapon in hishand as the dead stepped into the light. (e could have poured bolts intomy head until it as pulp and bone.(e did not %re. /ron (ands do not ma!e such errors. (e had chosen not to%re.3$oter#3 / call and stride forard. The air is thic! ith the strea!ed light andtattered shrie!s of gun%re.

3>ou are an abomination#3 he calls. They are halfay to their gunships. The craft3s heavy bolters are stitchingthe gloom into a sheet of explosions.3'eave us#3 / call# as rounds explode across my armour. / roc! in place. 3Endthis and go.33This ship ill burn#3 he calls and raises his bolter. /ts muFFle is a froFencircle of blac! in my sight. 3*e ill purge you from us.33/ cannot allo that#3 / call. 3>ou ill end here and e ill endure.33$o be it# then#3 he says# and squeeFes the trigger. The bolt never leaves the barrel. - sharp edge of plasteel and lightningcuts the eapon in to# and a ball of shrapnel bursts from it.

$oter is turning fast# but Taurus3s second blo cuts the front from his s!ull#and the third shatters his chest plate and ribs. $oter falls.3Cease#3 Taurus calls# and the arriors beside him put up their eapons.(e turns and loo!s at those hose brother and leader he has ,ust !illed.-gain there is the itching pulse of vox tra7c# felt but silent to me# passingbeteen them. Then he turns bac! to me. / cannot read his postureP he seems ,ust as allof the A 'egion can at times# unmoving# poised beteen detachment andfury.3My than!s#3 / say. (e titches.

3*e ill leave#3 he says. 3>ou ill not try to prevent us. >ou ill not standagainst us.3

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(e turns and al!s aay. / can still see the sheen of $oter3s blood on hisarmour# splattered red reecting blac! in the dim light. The rest fold inaround him# ta!ing the places of a arrior guard of a clanfather.3>ou claim his place by ta!ing his life:3 Taurus pauses and turns bac!# and in that motion / can sense the loathing

he is carrying ,ust beneath the surface of control.3That as alays the ay. The old Medusan ay. (e made the rongchoice# the ea! choice# the choice of esh and sentiment# not iron. /f heas stronger / ould not have been able to !ill him. 4eath is theconsequence of ea!ness.3 The blan! gaFe of his helm is %xed on me# and / hear the unspo!enimplication in his ords. 3*hat you have done is not gain strength. /t is notinevitable. /t is ea!ness.33Then hy leave us unpunished:3 / as!.(e laughs# a groling roll that sounds utterly inhuman# and utterly ithouthumour.34estruction is forgiveness. / ill not sacri%ce the strength of our clan toundo hat you have done. >ou are living the punishment for your onheresy# and / ill not spare you from it.3 Taurus turns his bac!# contempt sharp in every line and movement. (ebegins to al! toards the aiting gunships.3-nd him:3 as!s @hidias loo!ing don at the shape of $oter on the dec!beteen us. Taurus turns and loo!s at the bloody ruin of his former lord.3(e stays ith you#3 he says.*hat are the eys of (el : They are a voice groing fainter as the past al!s aay from us. - !ey is

a beginning# but once the door is open those beginnings are forgotten. *eal! through and leave hat brought us there behind. *e become thepresent.*e become the inescapable no.$&TE0 *-E$. / am aiting for him hen he does. (e loo!s up at me. (eno longer has a true face. 'enses and tangles of ire sit at the front of as!ull of chrome. / atch the lenses titch# atch the hand rise and thedigits ex.3*elcome# brother#3 / say.3/t?3 he begins# and then stops as though the buFF and clic! of his voicehas surprised him. 3/t is? pain.3

3>es#3 / say. 3/t is.3(e rises# each limb moving one at a time until he is standing. 3*ill thisend:3 he as!s and his eyes are not loo!ing at me but at the exposed eshof his right hand# aiting for its s!in of armour. 3>es#3 / reply. 3*hen ea!e no more.3(e loo!s for a moment longer at his still %ngers# and then nods.*hat are the eys of (el: They are the reard for our ea!ness. They are the cruelty of iron. Theyare all e have left.4EE4$ E1490E

G-2 T(&0@E3C&MME1CE )&M)-04ME1TJ3

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- second passed. Then another.$till there as no sign that the command of $pearheadCenturion ratoFhad been heard. The gun dec!s of the @horcys remained suspiciouslysilent. &n the ship schematic in the loer right corner of the main screen

the status display shoed the battle cruiser3s torpedo tubes still loaded. The /ron (ands3 commander turned arti%cial eyes on his %re controlo7cer# hrysaor# glinting yello in the dim light gloing from the panelsand screens of the strategium.3$ergeantatarms# hy have e not opened %re:33"orgive me# but our %ring solution has been compromised. / asattempting to recalculate.33Compromised: Explain.33&ur companions# spearheadcenturion. The $alamanders3 vessel hasmoved into close orbit# coming beteen us and the surface of @raestes. /fe open %re they ill be in the path of our ordnance.33They are in the ay: /s -ri3i an imbecile: 4oes he realise hat he isdoing:33/ ould suggest# commander# that he is entirely competent from ourrecent experience. -d,usting for navigational error ould not bring the(earth%re so close. / ould have to conclude that the intercession of hisship is deliberate.33)loc!ing our %re on purpose: / see. Truly the esh is ea!. -ri3i is mad#not stupid. 'et us see if sanity can prevail.3&1 )&-04 T(E frigate (earth%re @yre *arden -ri3i of the $alamandersconsidered the possibility that he had ,ust sacri%ced the life of nineteen

fello $pace Marines# as ell as his on# in a pointless gesture. /t as anoutcome not lost on his secondincommand# $igilmaster -!a3ula.3*ith much respect# my lord# e have no guarantees that the /ron (andsill not simply open %re regardless.33/ do not recall the pyre arden o6ering guarantees hen he as!ed thate remain ith him after /sstvan#3 ansered $ergeant (ema from thenavigational controls. 3Can not even the most prodigiouslytalented artisan%nd that his %nal blo quite unexpectedly shatters the blade he hasdiligently forged:33They ill not %re#3 -ri3i assured them. 1ot yet# he added silently.3They have no sense of brotherhood# my lord# not as e understand it.

They cannot be trusted to act in a rational manner.33- grave error# $igilmaster#3 replied -ri3i. 3The /ron (ands are exceptionallydedicated to their code# and reason and rationality are priFed amongstMedusa3s sons. / am hoping that my irrational act ill force them toreconsider. / ta!e it as a good sign that e are still alive to have thisconversation.3 The command chamber of the (earth%re fell silent as the trio of $paceMarines aited for the /ron (ands3 response.- shrill tone dre their attention to the sensorium controls. (ema asclosest# turning from his position to tap out an inquiry into the console3s

!eypad.3-ggressive sensor seep# localised#3 he announced.

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3"rom the @horcys:3 as!ed -!a3ula.3>es. /t3s a target loc!.33- blu6#3 -ri3i told them# having not moved a centimetre from his place atthe central command array. 3Centurion ratoF must !no that e realisehe has enough %repoer to destroy us in a single salvo# even ithout a

dedicated target loc!. (e is simply ma!ing a point of it.334etecting energy surge in the @horcys3s eapon batteries.33$@E-0(E-4CE1T90/&1# / submit that it is inadvisable to open %re at this ,uncture.3ratoF ignored his subordinate3s protest and considered having hrysaorreplaced. (e o6ered the sergeantatarms one last opportunity.3-ll poer to starboard armament# eapons o7cer. @repare to open %re ontarget vessel.33-s you command# spearheadcenturion.3 The screens ashed ith theredistribution of the main reactor output to the starboard energy grid. 3/submit that e cannot conclude one hundred per cent that the (earth%reill not have opportunity to return %re. $alamanders vessels are famed forbeing uparmed.33They have nothing that can penetrate our shields.33/ further submit that our target on the surface is stationary and hence notgoing to depart any time soon. >ou could request that they removethemselves from our line of %re.3ratoF could no longer glare# not ith arti%cial eyes# and it as anexpression he missed on occasions such is this.4espite his borderline insubordinate tone# hrysaor as correct in hisassessment. 32ery ell. Comms o7cer# hail the (earth%re.3

The commslin! display situated to ratoF3s left crac!led into life# thescreen %lling ith static for several seconds until the connection asestablished. - blurry# monochrome image appeared on the display#becoming more focused after another fe seconds. /n grainy grey andhite# -ri3i3s pitchblac! s!in seemed at and unmoving. The hoop ofornamentation he ore through his right bro as li!e a ring of hite andhis eyes a light grey# though in reality ratoF !ne they ere a disturbingscarlet. There as a four millisecond delay beteen -ri3i spea!ing# hiteteeth shoing on the screen# and his bass voice coming from the spea!ergrille beneath.3Centurion ratoF# / trust there is a solid reason for hy your ship seems to

have loc!ed its eapons onto my vessel.33*hy in the name of the Gorgon are you getting in my ay: Move asideand allo the @horcys to open %re on the target.33 / cannot do that at the moment# my ally. / am still not convinced thatyours is the ,usti%ed course of action.33>ou are not convinced: / have gigatonnes of destructive potential pointedat your vessel# that is all the convincing that is required. Move your shipout of my ayJ3 The bropiercing sayed as -ri3i froned.3>ou misunderstand# spearheadcenturion. @erhaps you have forgotten in

the six months since our introduction# so let me remind you that / am apraetor of the Emperor3s 'egiones -startes. / do not explain myself to

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o7cers of a captain3s ran!# no matter ho impressive their battlehonori%c.&r is it the case that the /ron (ands no longer care for chainofcommandand ran! protocol beteen 'egions: (as the loss of your primarch alsostripped you of any adherence to the discipline and order for hich your'egion as rightly famed:3

-ri3i3s ords burned li!e the acidetched geometric designs on the bac! ofratoF s hands# deliberately spiteful and yet utterly vindicated. ratoFtouched the %ngers of his left to his forehead in apology.3My error# !insman. / spo!e in anger. -s the Gorgon taught us# the esh isea!. $hall e let more rational# calmer heads prevail over the vagariesof the heart: / ould very much appreciate if you ould come aboard the@horcys to discuss the ongoing action against @raeneste.33>our invitation is elcome. )oth of our vessels ill hold station for themoment. / ill prepare to come aboard at once.3ratoF nodded and signalled to the comms o7cer to cut the lin!. Thescreen stuttered into grey and then turned blan!# reecting thespearheadcenturion3s gaunt features here -ri3i3s face had been momentsbefore. (is eye lenses loo!ed li!e circles of pure hite against a haggardmass of creased s!in.3@repare to receive the pyre arden and his party#3 ratoF told hiscommand cre# before his voice dropped to a mutter. 3@erhaps in personhe3ll be more tractable.30-T&O /1$@ECTE4 T(E conclave chamber# ensuring nothing as amissor out of place. The Thunderha! had already doc!ed and the$alamanders ere ma!ing their ay under an escort led by hrysaor. Themain table as a long rectangle of chrome polished to an almost blinding

sheen# gleaming in the pale blue light of the strips overhead. -t thetable3s centre as a plate of diorite carved in representation of the /ron(ands3 'egion icon. ratoF too! a moment to consider the facetedhiteandgrey stone. (arder than granite# it had been chosen to representthe unyielding nature of the Gorgon3s code# a code that ratoF had tried touphold in the months since he had left the /sstvan $ystem# his primarchdead# slain by the traitor "ulgrim./t as di7cult. To con%de in his subordinates ould be an unseemly act ofea!ness. /t as his ran! to lead# to be not only the spearheadcenturionbut the spearhead itself. *here he ent the others ould follo. )ut hocould he follo: The Gorgon as dead. The 'egion... *as there a 'egion

ithout its primarch: There had been anarchy# conicting orders# death and destructioneveryhere. (e had acted. (e had led. The preservation of arriors andmateriel had been his primary concern. *arriors and materiel that asno of use in the %ght bac! against (orus.$o hy did he feel guilty: *hy did he feel li!e a coard:3The esh is ea!#3 he hispered# running his gauntleted hand over thediorite.3*e shall be at the chamber in thirty seconds#3 hrysaor arned over thevox. 3 /n attendance ith 'ord -ri3i# Captain

$igilmaster -!a3ula and $ergeant (ema.33These 1octurnean names ma!e me orry /3ll cho!e on my on tongue.3

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ratoF too! his place at the head of the table and sat don. 32ery ell# /am ready.3(e aited# immobile# quelling the doubts and frustration ith thestraightforard facts he ould present to -ri3i. /n the last fe secondsbefore the $alamanders arrived he as settled again# con%dent that he

pursued the correct course of action. The doors slid open and hrysaor entered %rst. 'i!e ratoF he as clad inbattleplate of blac!# trimmed ith silver. The sergeantatarms had extensive bionic remodelling of his left arm andshoulder# replacing the limb that had been lost %ghting or!s on 4uraseth.-lthough hrysaor alays maintained that he as perfectly integratedith the arti%cial limb# he sometimes had the habit of clenching andunclenching his robotic %ngers repeatedly in times of stress# as he asdoing no. ratoF thought again of dismissing his subordinate but chosenot to better that he had some moral support against the three$alamanders than none at all.ratoF hated himself for momentarily questioning his authority on his onship# and it as perhaps his sour expression at this that greeted -ri3i asthe $alamanders commander crossed the threshold. Ta!en abac!# the pyrearden stopped a stride inside the dooray# head tilted slightly to oneside in surprise. To cover his momentary embarrassment. ratoF rose to his feet andboed# right %st held to his forehead.3*elcome aboard the @horcys# my lord#3 he intoned solemnly as hestraightened# glad that his arti%cial eyes could not further betray hisustered mood. ratoF gestured toards the empty bench that ran don

one side of the narro table facing the brie%ng displays.3My aidesdemilitant#3 said -ri3i as his to companions ,oined him. The %rstas nearly a head taller than any of the other $pace Marines# his esh li!ecarved ebony# crisscrossed ith scars that covered almost every part ofthe exposed s!in. (e ore a tabard of scaled reptilian hide over his dar!green armour# mottled dar! red and bron li!e dried blood.3$igilmaster -!a3ula.33$igilmaster: / am not familiar ith the ran!#3 said ratoF# inclining hishead toards the $alamanders legionary.3Mostly an honori%c#3 -!a3ula replied# seating himself close to ratoF. 3/as a record!eeper. My ran! is as company captain.3

3-nd this is $ergeant (ema#3 -ri3i continued# indicating the third memberof the visiting party. $ave for his broader chee!s to ratoF the sergeantas physically indistinguishable from his o7cer. (is armour# on the otherhand# had been heavily modi%ed# based on an old Mar! /// suit ithexternal reinforcement# additional plates and visible boostedmusdesystems and pneumatics.3>ou li!e it# my friend:3 said (ema ith a grin# raising his arms and turning%rst to one side and then the other to sho ratoF the battleplate. 3Theycall me a superstitious fool# but / could never abandon this armour. /tsaved me many times before they introduced the Mar! "our and / couldn3t

part ith it.33/mpressive#3 ratoF conceded. 3-nd the internal systems:3

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3"ully upgraded to the latest autosensor suites and blac! carapaceinterface# my friend.33@erhaps hen this current situation has been successfully resolved youmight spend some time ith my armourers./ am sure they ould be intrigued to learn more about hat you have

done.33&f course. *hat / !no you shall !no.3 (e cast a pointed loo! at ratoFas he sat don. 3*e are on the same side# are e not:3ratoF ignored the question as he sat. The conference as a delay heould have preferred to have avoided. Every minute before they actedris!ed the success of their mission at @raestes.3*e ere agreed that the *orld Eaters facility on @raestes had to bedestroyed. / believe you said it as an ideal target for our next mission.3ratoF held up a hand as -ri3i loo!ed to interrupt. The praetor nodded forratoF to continue. 3/ do not ish to thro your ords bac! at you#!insman# that is not my intent. There is a threat here. /t must beneutralised. 1ot only is the recruiting citadel creating the *orld Eatersthat e ill face on the %elds of battle in the future# they have begun touse their psycholobotomisation techniques and cybernetic augmentationson a ider sathe of the populace. The creation of legionaries is atimeconsuming process but all too soon @raestes ill ood the galaxy ithtens of thousands# perhaps millions of augmented# merciless# fearlesshuman soldiers.3-ri3i listened to this ith an intent loo! and hen ratoF as %nished the$alamanders commander stood up# placing his hands on the table.3/ do not ob,ect to the destruction of the citadel# but to the manner

employed. The main structure is shielded against laser and teleportation#e !no that much from our earlier scans. 9sing eapons batteries andtorpedoes ill cause immense collateral damage to the surrounding area. To destroy the *orld Eaters you ould annihilate the city of Taurius and!ill millions of /mperial citiFens.33CitiFens in league ith the *orld Eaters#3 countered ratoF. 3@raestes hasbeen a %ef orld of -ngron for decades.4o you thin! they ill stop supporting the *orld Eaters if e merely as!them:33/ !no for certain they ill not support us if e !ill their families andatten their capitalJ3 -ri3i banged a %st on the table# leaving a siFeable

dent. ratoF too! a deep breath# resisting the urge to berate his superiorfor such o6handed vandalism. 3*hen (orus is defeated# every orld eturn against the Emperor must be brought bac! to the /mperial Truth. *ecan neutralise the threat at @raestes ithout turning three billion peopleagainst the /mperium.33/ am only a simple spearheadcenturion#3 ratoF said# also rising to hisfeet. 3/ ill gladly leave such lofty matters of strategy to you# my lord# but /must apply myself to the immediate concern.33*hich is:3 as!ed (ema.3The prosecution of the ar against the traitors that have sided ith

(orus#3 ratoF ansered. 3There is a valuable target vulnerable to attac!beneath us and / ill destroy it. >ou spea! of the longer term: /f e allo

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the facility to continue to produce arriors it threatens any chance ehave of victory. The traitors cannot be alloed to use the civilians of the/mperium as a means of avoiding vengeance.332engeance:3 -ri3i said the ord quietly# leaning toard ratoF# his eyesbecome crimson slivers. 3That is simply another ord for revenge.3

3*hat of it: 4o you not ish to hurt those that have so hurt us: /t is notignoble to stri!e bac! at those ho have betrayed all e fought for. Theyhave !illed our primarchs# destroyed hole 'egions of their brothers. >ouould allo them to escape punishment for a fe million people: 4o notclaim that throughout the hole of the Great Crusade innocent bloodnever once stained the hands of the ohsonoble Eighteenth 'egionJ33*hen unavoidable# e !illed the innocent to secure compliance#3 -ri3iadmitted. 3)ut only then. /t seems to me that perhaps your desire topunish the *orld Eaters extends# to those that# through no decision oftheir on# supported -ngron3s 'egion in the past.33>ou are rong#3 added (ema# gloering at ratoF. 3-bout the primarch.2ul!an lives# and hen e are reunited ith him e ill have to loo! himin the eye and be proud of our conduct in his absence.33*hat alternative course of action ould you submit:3 as!ed hrysaorbefore ratoF could retaliate ith more venomous ords. 3/f e are agreedon the ob,ective# perhaps e should concentrate on the means.3 The spearheadcenturion alloed his subordinate to quell the tension#ta!ing the time to restore some equilibrium to his on thoughts. /t as ,ust too galling for the $alamanders to be so righteous# but there as stillpotential for them to be useful allies.3The praetor does not have to issue explanations# only orders#3 snapped

-!a3ula. 3)e than!ful he has indulged you thus far. >ou ill stand donuntil you receive such commands.33/ thin! you overestimate his authority#3 ratoF said sloly# trying hard notto let the $alamander3s ords goad him into another outburst. 3Theinter'egion codes ere left in bloody tatters in the 9rgall 4epression. Thesimple fact is that you have a frigate ith tenty legionaries on board#hile / have a battle cruiser ith more than to hundred# plusconsiderable materiel.33$uch threats are unnecessary# spearheadcenturion#3 said -ri3i# sittingdon.3/t as a statement of fact# not a threat. /f / ish to conduct an orbital

bombardment of Taurius / ill do so.33-nd / cannot force you to do otherise# but / hope that / can steer yourthoughts to another solution.3 -ri3i sighed and leaned bac!# turning hisgaFe to hrysaor. 34id you !no that / once met your primarch. "oughtalongside him# in fact.33/ as not aare of that#3 admitted thesergeantatarms. 3/t is a great honour for you.33/t is# it is indeed. (e told me that he admired the artisanship from1octurne# and that e should be proud of our heritage as ma!ers andarriors. $imple ords# but coming from 'ord Manus it as the highestpraise / had !non that had not come from the lips of 2ul!an.3

3-nd the point of this nostalgia:3 snapped ratoF# ho had only briey metthe Gorgon amongst a thousand others during his induction# and never

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exchanged ords ith him. 34o you see! to drag authority from a chanceencounter ith our dead father:33/ hope to help you see that e have more in common than divides us# butyou seem intent on confrontation. Tell me# son of Medusa# hy do youish to antagonise me in such fashion: (ave you something to prove:3

ratoF !ept his tone mattero6act# as though he as debating the best ayto ire a poer unit or strip an engine for maintenance. /t helped him toma!e his points ith precision# %nding comfort in the exactitude of hisstatements.3/t is your condescending manner that aggravates my mood# !insman. /am afraid your 'egion is notorious for its sanctimony on occasion. Todayyou have demonstrated hy that reputation as earned. Mercy and theprotection of innocents are orthy ideals to uphold in times of plenty. The$alamanders could choose to sacri%ce as many of their on as 2ul!anished to uphold such ambition.3 The centurion3s voice turned harsherdespite his e6ort# the thought of recent events too much to hold bac! theemotion. 3The universe has changedJ *e stand on the precipice of annihilation and you ould have me toss my arriors over the edge for the sa!eof a fe million civilians: *e ill mourn their loss# but nobody else ill. There are trillions more that require our protection. The Gorgon might nothave passed on his isdom to me in person# but / have folloed histeachings. (e taught us that in ar# a pragmatist ill alays defeat anidealist# because a pragmatist ill do hatever needs to be done. *e livein pragmatic times# @yre *arden -ri3i of the $alamanders. *e can nolonger a6ord the luxury of ideals.33/f e are not %ghting to protect our ideals# for hat cause do e %ght:3

as!ed (ema. (is armour heeFed as he turned on the bench to loo! at hiscommander. 3/ cannot see that e ill resolve this dispute any time soon.@erhaps a moment of reection for all of us and then e shall reconvene:33-s the Medusan saying ould have us believe# the isest head often sitson the shoulders of the least ran!#3 said ratoF. (e boed his head to -ri3iand stepped aay from the table. 3'et us not ta!e too long# the enemy areaare of us and even no / fear they ma!e preparations against ourdesign. / ill have refreshments delivered and e ill spea! again in tenminutes.330E"0E$(ME1T$3 T0-1$@/0E4 T& be thic! slabs of shipbread spread ithlumpy protein paste and ,ugs of recycled ater# hich remained

untouched on the table. Considering the circumstances fresh food had notbeen a priority in the last halfyear -ri3i convinced himself that ratoF hadmade the o6er ith sincerity.3/t3s beyond me hy you allo ratoF to spea! to you in this manner#3-!a3ula said after a fe minutes.-ri3i raised his hand to silence the $igilmaster.30emember here e are. eep a tight hold on your tongue for themoment.3 They aited for their hosts to return# each alone ith their thoughts. -fterten minutes# to the second# the doors opened and ratoF stepped into the

chamber ith hrysaor close behind. -s the spearheadcenturion seatedhimself# loo!ing ith a grimace at the uneaten food# -ri3i spo!e up.

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3-n orbital attac! is not only asteful of life# it is the least e6ective meanse have at our disposal. &nly a total saturation bombardment illguarantee the implantation facilities are destroyed beyond reconstruction.*e cannot expect resupply# so a good proportion of your ordnance ill beexpended in the attempt.3 -ri3i leaned his elbos on the table# the metal

crea!ing beneath the eight. 3- ground assault not only reduces collateralcasualties# it ensures total success ith the minimum use of our mostscarce resources.33- ground assault: -gainst the *orld Eaters: / ould estimate the garrisonof such a citadel at three to four hundred# and e have no informationregarding ho many of the lobotomised soldiers they have thus farcreated. Even if e ere against the legionaries alone# they are in aprepared position. )eteen us e do not have enough force to completean assault.33(oever# e ill try#3 said -ri3i.3*hy:3 ratoF loo!ed at the $alamanders# incredulous. 3*e give up thelives of our arriors to protect traitor lac!eys: /t ma!es no sense# morallyor tactically. 1o# praetor# your plan is simply unacceptable.33-re you not ready to die for the Emperor:3 as!ed -!a3ula# rubbing hisstubbled chin. 3(as the /ron (ands3 honour vanished so completely:33/t is not a question of honour# $igilmaster#3 hrysaor ansered quic!ly#cutting o6 his commander3s retort.3@racticality demands that e assess the bene%ts and costs of anystrategy# and the costs of the pyre arden3s strategy do not arrant thepotential costs.33(onour:3 groled ratoF. 3*here as the honour of the *ord )earers:

The /ron *arriors: The $ons of (orus: The Gorgon and his -verniiveterans fought ith honour and it earned them their graves. 4o notlecture me on honour# son of 2ul!an. *here as your master hen theGorgon confronted the foe:33>ou need to as! such questions because you ere not there#3 replied-!a3ula. 3(o convenient that you should arrive late to /sstvan hen youshould have been beside your primarch hen he led the attac!.3ratoF paled# ,a tightening. -gain hrysaor responded %rst# but hisdemeanour as as livid as his superior3s.3The vagaries of the arp robbed us of the opportunity to prove ourselveson /sstvan# but they do not explain ho it as that your ship as so close

to the edge of the system hen e arrived. The calculations are easyenough to ma!e and sho that you must have quit your holding orbit ofthe fourth orld ithin hours of the drop ta!ing place. *hy did the(earth%re ee so soon# my lord:3(ema and -!a3ula both ere on their feet in an instant# demandingapology for the accusation. ratoF3s ranted reply as lost in the shouting.3EnoughJ3 belloed -ri3i# once again slamming his hand onto the table# thecrash of ceramite on metal %lling the chamber. (e stood sloly# ta!ing adeep breath. (is glare as directed at his fello $alamanders more thanthe /ron (ands. 3This is not ho e conduct ourselves. Ever. Centurion

ratoF# accept my apology for any implication that you have beenanything less than a stalart arrior of the Emperor.3

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This molli%ed ratoF a little and he once again touched his forehead inapology.3My lord praetor# ith the utmost respect let me continue the petition. /t ispointless to ris! our lives in a direct confrontation ith the *orld Eatershen orbital attac! ill bring equal success.3

3/ ill consider your vies# spearheadcenturion.3 -ri3i al!ed the length ofthe table and extended a hand# hich ratoF shoo! hesitantly. The praetorheld him there for a fe seconds# loo!ing deep into the arti%cial eyes ofhis counterpart. 3/ do not thro aay the lives of arriors needlessly# butsometimes sacri%ce is required to uphold a greater truth. )e assured that /have made no %nal decision and / ill give your concerns the full eight of my thoughts.33/f you are not prepared to accept my plan immediately# / must be contentith such assurances#3 ratoF led -ri3i to the door and signalled tohrysaor. 3$ergeantatarms# escort our visitors bac! to their gunship. @yre*arden -ri3i# / aait the conclusion of your deliberations. / hope they donot ta!e long.3*(E1 T(E C&1T/1GE1T as bac! aboard the (earth%re# -ri3i summonedhis legionaries to attend him# leaving orders ith the bridge that thenavigational o7cers should continue to hold course beteen the @horcysand @raestes. The $alamanders convened on the upper mess dec!#standing in a circle so that all could see and address one another./t as a small command by the standards of a lord praetor# but -ri3ivalued it as though it as a tas! force of ten cruisers and tenty thousand$pace Marines.3*e ere delivered from the %restorm of /sstvan by fortune and the

command of our primarch#3 -ri3i began. 3/t is a chance to age ar against(orus that many of our 'egion ere not given. /t must not be thron aayith rash action# but e should not be so timid that opportunity to inictharm on our foes is squandered.3(e loo!ed around the circle of $alamanders and sa %erce pride in theexpressions of his blac!s!inned arriors.3>ou understand the situation that e face# and the options that havebeen laid before me. / !no that you are loyal and ill follo my lead intothe heart of Mount oranua itself# but e are fe and before / ma!e my%nal decision / ould hear your thoughts# pay heed to your guidance. / illlead# but / ill not be a tyrant.3

3>ou cannot allo ratoF to bully you into accepting his strategy#3 -!a3ulabegan# lifting his %st to his chest in salute as he spo!e. 3/f you defer to hisdemands no# all authority is lost.33/f you do not#3 ventured Tu3atta# repeating the $igilmaster3s gesture# 3youris! alienation. *e can accomplish more in concert ith the /ron (andsthan alone.33ratoF has a point#3 added (ema# giving respect to the others ith hissalute. 3(e has far more men than us# and his ship has greater %repoer.@erhaps e need him more than he needs us.33*e ill sho him the error of that vie#3 countered $ergeant Marsoon. 3/f

e do not act ith conviction no# hat is the point having ratoF as oursuperior in all but name: )etter that e sho him our true strength and

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fail than to continue to hide it for no future gain.33/ron (ands see! only revenge#3 -!a3ula snarled. 3They act out ofdestructive spite and ill do so again and again to our destruction unlessyou can leash ratoF to your authority and guide their passions to a moreorthy end.3

3>ou must lead.3 The ords ere quietly spo!en# but they came from 2estar# ho rarelyspo!e to anyone. Though uncommon# his observations alays containsound insight. -ll eyes %xed upon the 1octurneborn legionary.3ratoF has lost his father and fears to replace him. >ou cannot replace theGorgon# but you must assume command here.3-ri3i accepted this ith a nod# and others spo!e# but the ords of 2estarstayed at the forefront of the praetor3s thoughts. *hen all had spo!en#their %sts lifted to the plastrons to sho as such# -ri3i smiled.3*hatever occurs# / could not have as!ed fate to deliver to me a bettercompany of brothers than stand beside me no#3 he told them. (e movedaround the circle# touching foreheadtoforehead ith each of the$alamanders as a sign of respect.*hen he had returned to his place -ri3i too! a deep breath# his demeanoursolemn undiminished.3/ do not see! the preservation of life for its on sa!e# but / ill not eighthe lives of innocents against the orth of a $pace Marine. 'oyalty# honourand respect cannot be calculated# measured and balanced by logicengines# they can be ,udged only by the hearts of men. The countlesstrillions e %ght for may seem an uncountable mass at times# but emust remember that they are us – they are humanity. The seed of each is

our future# potential leaders and arriors and great saviours of our people. The Emperor created us to %ght# and to die if needed. There is no easyroute to victory. *e must tread the steeper trail to the summit of themountain# and some of us ill fall along the ay. )ut believe me# the viefrom the top ill be all the grander for the e6ortJ3'ed by the pyre arden# the $alamanders raised their %sts and soreane their oaths of fealty# to 2ul!an and the Emperor. -nd so the sons of1octurne began their preparations for battle.3$E1$&0$# 0E@&0T @&$/T/&1 of the (earth%re.3ratoF !ne the command as superuous the o7cer at the sensor ban!sould notify him the minute the $alamanders frigate moved out of the

ay but nearly an hour had passed since -ri3i had departed to ma!e hisdecision.3$till holding position relative to our orbit# spearheadcenturion.33Gunnery# loc! all eapons on that frigateJ3hrysaor turned to loo! at his commander# his expression conicted.3>ou ish to open %re on the $alamanders3 vessel# spearheadcenturion:33The senses of a legionary are famed across the galaxy# sergeantatarms#and yet tice no in the last fe hours your hearing appears to bede%cient. /f -ri3i does not move his ship out of the ay in the next ninetyseconds# /3ll blast him out of the ay. 4o / need to send you to the

apothecarion:33May / submit an alternative course of action# spearheadcenturion:3

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34oes it involve listening to -ri3i lecture me endlessly on protectinginnocent lives and adherence to duty and my moral obligations:331o# spearheadcenturion.332ery ell# submit your proposal.3hrysaor left his post to approach his superior and spo!e softly.

3Contact the (earth%re and request an audieqce ith the praetor.33/3m disli!ing this plan already# sergeantatarms# but continue.33(e ill accept your request. *e travel by gunship to the (earth%re# andta!e ith us a full complement of legionaries. &nce aboard the$alamanders ship e can commandeer the vessel and steer it out of theay ourselves.33>ou ant to commence a boarding action against the (earth%re: >ourhearing really has deteriorated# hrysaor# or perhaps your memory. *hyould / ris! boarding hen / can simply annihilate them from afar:3 The $alamanders ill not o6er resistance# spearheadcommander. 3Theyill be outnumbered and -ri3i ill see that the death of arriors fromeither 'egion serves only the enemy3s purpose. "aced ith such directaction# the $alamanders ill comply.3 The plan had some merit# not least because despite his threats# ratoFas not comfortable !illing his fello legionaries. (is anger dissipated byhrysaor3s intervention# the spearheadcommander could see the bene%tsof a peaceful resolution to the impasse.32ery ell# ma!e the necessary inquiries ith the pyre arden. / illassemble the boarding force myself.3 T(E C0-C'E &" cooling metal accompanied the thud of boots as ratoFdescended the assault ramp of the $tormstri!e gunship. (e had expected

-ri3i or one of his senior legionaries to meet him# but instead found asolitary member of the (earth%re3 s unenhanced cre standing toattention# hands by her side. $he as middleaged# perhaps %fty years by Terranstandard# and ore a dar! green dress coat bound tight at the aistith a thic! blac! belt# a sash of reptile hide across her torso perhapsdenoting she as of some higher ran! amongst the 'egion attendants.$he raised her %st sharply to her chest in salute as the centurion steppeddon to the dec! of the landing bay.3*here is the lord praetor:3 the /ron (ands commander demanded.3(e is currently engaged ith another matter#3 the aide replied. 3/ amMehhet 9lana 2acol# primaris dec! o7cer of the (earth%re. / have full

authority in the absence of the lord praetor.33-bsence:3 ratoF aved aay his on question. 3/t doesn3t matter# / cantell you as easily as -ri3i. Guide me to your main bridge# / am ta!ingcommand of this vessel.33)y hat authority# spearheadcenturion:3 /f the oman as surprised ornervous she as remar!ably adept at hiding it. 3This is a vessel of theEighteenth 'egion# and it is commanded by a praetorechelon o7cer.3ratoF sent a signal over the comm and his legionaries marched from the$tormstri!e# footfalls thunderous on the bare metal of the dec!. The /ron(ands formed to ran!s behind their leader# moving in perfect unison li!e

%fty blac!andsilver automatons. "or the moment their eapons ereloered# but ratoF as sure his intent as clear.

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3/ am not used to repeating myself# @rimaris 4ec! &7cer 2acol. Thisfrigate is no under the auspices of the /ron (ands. /t is currentlyinterfering ith my mission and ill move aside. / demand to see the lordpraetor.33(e is on his ay#3 2acol told him# glancing toards the massive blast

doors that split the hangar from the ad,acent landing bay.- rumble of hidden gears caused ratoF to turn in the same direction# intime to see the huge portal rumbling open and a blaFe of light from thead,oining ight dec! ooding beteen the receding doors. Tenty %guresere silhouetted against the light# far bul!ier than any normal $paceMarine. -s his eyes ad,usted# ratoF recognised Terminator armour# butunli!e anything he had seen in a long time. The arplate of the Terminators as far broader and taller than standardlegionary poer armour# and these had an additional exos!eletal framecarrying slanted plates of extra armour# all decorated in the dar! greenlivery of the $alamanders. Their left hands ere fashioned in a variety ofpoered %sts# clas and chainblades designed for close combat#antiarmour assault and bul!headcutting# and in the right they carried anassortment of eapons ranging from simple combibolters totriplebarrelled autocannons# plasma chargers and roc!et launchers# andone carried an immensely rare longmuFFled vol!ite culverin. >et it as not these amendments that amaFed ratoF. The /ron (ands hadnumerous experimental suits of Terminator armour ith modi%ed heavyeaponry and ablative shields. *hat stole the curse from ratoF3s lips asthe additional eapon systems mounted across the bac!pac!s andshoulders of the Terminators. - plethora of armourpiercing missiles#

lascannons# multimeltas and a conversion beamer ere all pointing in hisdirection. Each as quite literally a al!ing tan!. The voice of -ri3i emanated from the external vocaliser of the lead arrior.3$pearheadCenturion ratoF# elcome aboard the (earth%re. These suitsere designed by 2ul!an himself and e ere about to transit them to thesurface of /sstvan hen the massacre began. The primarch gave me adirect order not to allo them to fall into the hands of the traitors# henceour sift departure.3-ri3i sung %rst to the left and then to right# loo!ing at the ro of arriorsbehind him.3>ou mentioned something about trying to ta!e my ship from me:3

/" T(E $/T9-T/&1 had not been so fraught -ri3i might have en,oyed themoment of hesitation before ratoF reluctantly raised his hand in saluteand boed his head to the approaching pyre arden. The $alamanderscommander had not intended to humiliate his counterpart in this fashion#it had been happenstance that ratoF had launched his ridiculous coup as-ri3i and the others ere about to board their gunships in theneighbouring launch bay.3/ expect you to return to the @horcys immediately.3 -ri3i raised his poer%st and pointed to the $tormstri!e. 3-nd ta!e your legionaries ith you.33*hat a aste#3 replied the centurion. (e aved a hand at the

Terminators# sha!ing his head sloly. 32ul!an entrusted you ith his or!and this is ho you use it: Even ith these armoured suits you cannot

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ta!e the *orld Eaters3 fortress alone. )e than!ful that there ill benothing for the enemy once / have annihilated the city after your deaths./t is not the armour or eapons that ma!es the arrior# it is the spirit. >ouill fail. >our sentimentality ill be your undoing. The esh is ea!.33/ have heard you say that phrase on several occasions since our %rst

encounter. / am not sure that you really understand hat it means.33>ou may have spo!en ith the Gorgon but do not thin! to school me inthe teachings on my on primarchJ33@erhaps / must if the lesson as not learned properly#3 -ri3i snapped bac!.3*hat you say# the esh is ea!# is only part of the saying. /n forgettingthe end you have lost the meaning. 2ul!an said it in praise of "errusManus# after the &ne (undred and Eighty"ourth Expedition hen our'egions ,ointly liberated the or!dominated orlds of the $hoxua Cluster. The %ghting had been %ercer than anything e had expected. >ourprimarch said in ,est that his arm as tired from !illing so many or!s# and2ul!an retorted ith 3the esh is ea!# but deeds endure3. /t as acelebration of hat they had achieved# and a remar! that even primarchscan die but hat they do ill last beyond their lifespan. /t as a messageof humility# not condemnation. "lesh is ea! because it !nos it mustcome to an end# and so e must rise about the concerns of esh andleave a legacy that others ill be proud to inherit. "errus Manusunderstood that. (e as a harsh master# an unforgiving ally# but he asalso a ma!er of things a builder# not a destroyer.3ratoF stepped bac!# shoc!ed by -ri3i3s ords. /n a moment he hadrecovered# his confusion quic!ly turning to irritation.3-nother lecture#3 snarled the centurion. 3/t doesn3t matter hat you say#

the only thing you are going to leave behind on @raestes are corpses.3ratoF spun aay# shouting for his men to embar! onto the gunship. (efolloed them up the ramp and paused at the top to loo! bac! ith a lastsha!e of the head. -ri3i returned to his arriors and ordered the launchbay sealed again.-s they lined up to board the dropships# he paused at the foot of theramp.30econsidering your choices# my lord:3 (ema as!ed# stopping next to him. The old sergeant had tried to insist he could accompany the squad in hisMar! /// armour but had eventually relented and donned one of themodi%ed sets of battleplate. Even so# -ri3i could tell at a glance that (ema

had already started ma!ing ad,ustments# shamelessly thin!ing he couldre%ne the primarch3s or!.3@erhaps / am victim to a di6erent sort of hubris# (ema#3 -ri3i admitted. 3/fe fail# ratoF ill level the city anyay.*hat then of our sacri%ce: -m / ,ust asting the argear and time theprimarch gifted us:33That3s the problem ith legacies# my friend#3 said (ema as he started upthe ramp. 3>ou3re never around to see hich sort you3ve left.3 T(E $T0-TEG/C 4/$@'-> of the @horcys shoed the positions of -ri3i andhis Terminators# the signal routed to the battlecruiser via the

commsnetor! of the (earth%re. "rom a doFen spea!ers around thestrategium the voices of the $alamanders3 vox exchanges surrounded

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ratoF. (e listened intently# torn beteen ishing failure upon theselfrighteous pyre arden @raetor and admiring -ri3i3s bravery anddedication. 1ot to mention the s!ill and %repoer of his squad# ho hadalready stormed the outer barbican of the citadel and ere cutting theiray to the poer plant housing located near the east all.

3(ema# atch your left an!# there are more of those psychotic scum up inthat gun toer.33Trac!ing %ve poer armour thermal plumes on the all ahead. Engagingith tempest missile %re.33*e need a chain%st to get past these security doors. -banta# cover mehile / cut through.3&n the display the ashing icons of the $alamanders moved closer andcloser to the heart of the citadel# but they ere massively outnumbereddespite their proess and superior %repoer. Every fe minutes one ofthe ashing sensorium returns ould in! out# the lifesigns of the arriorno longer detected. Tentythree minutes after arriving on the surface# anenergy spi!e registered on the scanner# denoting a signi%cant explosion.3$pearheadcenturionJ3 ratoF turned at hrysaor3s uncharacteristicallyexcited exclamation. 3The shield generator. /t has been disabled.33"ull poer to laser batteries#3 ratoF snapped. 3'oc! targeting array on thecitadel.33*hile the $alamanders are still inside# spearheadcenturion:33$tand aside# sergeantatarms#3 insisted ratoF# his anger at beingcountermanded for a third time almost too much to bear. -t that momenthis ire burned sharply more than %ercely# turning his ords to an icyhisper. 3/ ill lay in the target coordinates myself. /ssue the standby for

battle readiness.3 There as no further protest from hrysaor. (e stood bac! from his panel#alloing the spearheadcenturion to ta!e his place at the eaponstargeting controls. ratoF loo!ed up at the strategic display and listenedto the terse conversations across the vox. To more Terminators had diedin the last fe seconds# surrounded by a small army of lobotomisedpsychopaths# leaving only telve to %ght their ay into the facility core.(e loo!ed at hrysaor ith unblin!ing lenses# hand hovering over thebutton that ould issue the %re command to the gun dec!s# torpedo baysand laser turrets.3The esh is ea!# sergeantatarms. 0emember that.3

3@0E$$ &1J "/G(T on for 2ul!an and the EmperorJ34espite his exhortations# -ri3i !ne that the battle as lost. Themomentum of the initial assault had drifted aay and the advance hadbecome bogged don by the sheer quantity of soldiers being thron intothe path of the Terminators. (is triplebarrelled autocannon cut a sathethrough a heavy gunnery team setting up a lascannon in a dooray to theright# the explosive shells turning the eapon to a mangle piece of metal#the esh of the gunners splashed across bare ferrocrete. (e turned theautocannon onto three *orld Eater legionaries %ring at him from a trenchahead and simultaneously activated the mind impulse unit of the

primarchforged battleplate to %re the heavy bolter mounted over hisshoulders.

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The $alamanders Terminators strode onards through a tempest of %re#lasers and bullets deected by their additional armour plating# shells andmortar bombs shoering them ith shrapnel and bro!en ferrocrete asexplosions engulfed the advancing squad. The !illing ground beteen the outer forti%cations and the !eep as %lled

ith the living and dead# a carpet of @raestan corpses underfoot as headvanced. Their guns ere proving insu7cient so the citadel3s garrisonpoured from sallyports and armoured doors ith !nives# mauls andchainsords. They thre themselves at -ri3i and his arriors# the *orldEaters implants buFFing in their temples# oblivious to the fact that theirsords and dir!s ere as e6ective against his Terminator plate as a gnat3sbite. -ri3i3s poer %st hissed ith energy as he smashed aside his foes#seeping them aay in bloodied pieces.(is suit3s sensors ared a high energy arning a moment beforesomething brilliantly hite ashed for an instant ,ust a fe doFen metresahead. - gun toer that had been ra!ing machine gun %re across thesquad exploded into molten droplets# shoering redhot rain onto thedefenders and Terminators ali!e. The shrie!s of the unarmoureed soldiersquic!ly merged ith the ongoing cacophony of battle. #3&rbital laserJ3 -!a3ula shouted as another pale line seared don throughthae gate toer of the !eep. 34amn ratoF# he couldn3t even ait until eere dead.3-ri3i loo!ed up and sa dar! blurs descending toards the ground.3Torpedoees#3 he muttered# not quite believing ratoF had %nally acted.Even the Terminator suits ould be no defence against ordnance designedto breach the hulls of battleships.

/f it spell lied the end for the $alamanders# it also heralded destruction forthe *orld Eaters. -ri3i contented himself ith the thought that had he notta!en out the shield generator# the @horcys ould be using mass driversand antiship missiles rather than pinpoint laser stri!ers. There ould bedeaths in the city# but far feer because of the $alamanders3actions. The quiet# con%dent voice of 2estar bro!e through the fog of confusionand disappointment that clouded -ri3i thoughts as he atched the dar!smudges groing larger above the citadel.3Those aren3t torpedoes.3@inpric!s of %re became the recognisable are of retroroc!ets %ring. The

torpedoes resolved into drop pods# several doFen of them. -s theyslaammed into the roc!crete of the !illing ground# some petailed opendischarging urries of explosive arheads that slashed bloody holesthrough the *orld Eaters3 slavesoldiers. $quads of legionary arriorspoured from others# bolts# plasma and laser %re adding to the torrent ofdeadly %re. - second ave of larger craft hit the grcround a fe secondslater# their armoured s!ins shed by explosive charges to reveal @redatortan!s# 2indicator siege tan!s and a 4readnought. The $alamanders parted to allo the /ron (ands armour to form anattac!ing lance point directed toards the inner forti%cations. 'asers#

hirlind missiles# autocannon shells and a storm of other ordnanceconverged on the !eep# lighting it ith doFens of detonations and slicing

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energy beams.- @redator tan! sleed to a halt beside -ri3i and he loo!ed up to see thecommand hatch in the bloc!y turret ip open. (elmetless#$pearheadCenturion ratoF emerged from inside the tan!. (e raised a %stto his forehead and then cupped his hands to shout don over the din of

groling engines and the crash of a citadel all falling under thebombardment.3>our an! is secured# push forard# lord praetor. / should not havedoubted the strength e gain from righteous conviction. 'et us leave aorthy legacy together. My than!s for setting me bac! on the right path.4eeds endureJ3 T(E 1&&$E4-2/4 -11-14-'E3>&9 -0E M-00E4#3 'ord Commander -riston said. Theotormon as silent. There as nothing he could say# -riston thought.1ot before that selfevident truth. The captain of the Emperor3s Childrenstri!e cruiser Tharmas stood in -riston3s quarters aboard the battlebarge9rthona. (is as ere an a6ront. 1o doubt conscious of this# Theotormon !ept his peace so as not to give further insult.-riston as conscious of the irony in his ords. They ere surrounded byas. (is irony as deliberate. (e revelled in it. >et it as a false one# forhe as ,usti%ed in upbraiding Theotormon. The tapestry series thatcovered his alls had once been exquisite in its alessness. /t as The Tribute of Europa. Millenniaold# it depicted the birth of the Emperor3sChildren brought to heel by the Emperor3s Thunder 0egiments during the9ni%cation *ars on Terra# the nobles of Europa o6ered up their youth in

service to the Emperor. The sequence as a movement from ,usti%eddefeat to glorious fealty# culminating ith the %rst arriors of the ///'egion marching under the banners of the @alatine aquila.&r so the tapestries had been. 1o they ere slashed by an elaboratecrosshatch of !nife stro!es. 1ailed to the marble all behind the hangingsere the bodies of remembrancers ho had spo!en out hen the greatenlightenment had come upon the 'egion. Their esh had been torn iththe tapestries# and their vitae had run don and stained the oven fabric. Thus the art of the enemy bled and died. The destruction of the perfectpossessed an even greater perfection.)ut it still asn3t enough# as it: The ordinary# completed alessness of

the atrocity fell short of the transporting sublimity he sought. The bloodhad dried and blac!ened. The su6ering as over.)ut the bleeding should not end. The cries should not fall silent. )lind tothe truth that had come to "ulgrim# the enemy should !no only pain andmore pain. That ould be betterP that ould be closer to true perfection. Theotormon3s as# on the other hand# ere the mundane# unforgivableones of failure. (is esh and his armour ere dis%gured by his on hand#but his ship had been scarred by another3s.3This is the tally of the encounter in the (amartia $ystem#3 -riston said.

3The battlebarge Callidora destroyed# its escorts# the /n%nite $ublime andthe Golden Mean# lost as ell. -nd hen a full eet ansers the call for

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help# not only are to more ships lost to mines and the Tharmasdamaged# but the enemy escapes. Tell me again# captain# hat enemy isthis:33The /ron (ands.33The /ron (ands.3 -riston paused# pretending to sort through his memories.3/ as under the impression that e had shattered them at /sstvan.

@erhaps / as rong. They must have been able to %eld a number offormidable squadrons to hurt us that much.3$ilence again. /nto it fell the distant screams of the tortured. Theexploratory desolation of the esh never ceased aboard the 9rthona. There as so much to learn# so much to experience. Morti%cation3ssupreme ecstasy bec!oned ,ust beyond the horiFon of !noledge. Thecries ere no part of the air of the battlebarge. They rose and fell iththe rhythms of lungs# of hearts. They ere the sound of the ne soul ofthe Emperor3s Children.3(o large as the squadron:3 -riston pressed.3They used a single stri!e cruiser#3 Theotormon said. 3The 2eritas "errum.3(is voice as at. -riston didn3t !no if the care ith hich he !eptemotion from his voice as due to shame or anger at being made toanser for the disaster.-riston hoped it as both.3&ne stri!e cruiser#3 he said. 3*hich then escaped.3 Theotormon nodded.-t the end of another long silence# -riston repeated# 3>ou are marred.33/ am# lord commander.3 Theotormon barely hid his resentment.3)ut from excess comes isdom#3 said -riston. 3The a is the foundationof future perfection.3

3/ do not understand.33Clearly not.3 This as hy a commander3s role as also one ofinstruction. 3*e ill extinguish the last spar!s of the /ron (andsresistance.3 - simple statement of fact. )ased on the estimates of theportion of the A 'egion to have escaped /sstvan# the squadrons that ereaccompanying the 9rthona ere enough on their on to exterminate the/ron (ands.3)ut e ill not aste resources in searching the galaxy for the hidingplaces. They ill come and o6er themselves up to us for the slaughter. Than!s to you. Than!s to your as.33/ see.3

34o you:33>ou ill put the Tharmas out for bait.3-riston smiled. The raForire he had threaded through the contours of hislips scratched at his esh# reopening ounds. The taste of his on bloodtric!led don his tongue.3-re you helpless:3 he as!ed. 3-re you that badly aed:3 Theotormon3s left %st tightened. 3*e can still %ght#3 he said. 3*e have losthalf the starboard guns. &ur Geller %eld is unstable. -ny ,umps e ma!emust be small# and e can3t do many.33(ardly bait# then#3 -riston said.

(e as lying. They both !ne it. *hen the eet coming to the aid of theCallidora had encountered the mine %eld left by the 2eritas "errum# not all

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the ships had been damaged. -nd some had been hit more severely thanthe Tharmas. The rest of the eet had pursued the /ron (ands through the immaterium.-nd lost them. -riston3s squadrons had ,oined up ith the oundedvessels later# and he had singled out the Tharmas for a reason. (e ould

construct the perfect trap for the /ron (ands# and the Tharmas as theperfect bait. /t as strong enough that it could put up a convincing %ght.)ut its in,uries ere such that -riston thought it very unli!ely it couldprevail against a stri!e cruiser or larger ship. That as the prey -ristonsought. 'et Theotormon pic! o6 any minor targets that salloed thelure. The lord commander strode to the ornate des! dominating the port side of the chamber. (uman limbs ere fastened to its legs. (e pic!ed up avellum star chart and shoed it to Theotormon. 3(ere#3 he said# pointing tothe CyFicus $ystem# a short ,ump from (amartia. 3>ou can ma!e it this far#/ believe.3 Theotormon nodded. 3/ believe so.33>ou are fatally marred if you do not. Ma!e for CyFicus. Then call for ourhelp.33-nd / call until the enemy appears#3 Theotormon said.3>es.33My redemption has a high cost.3-riston froned at the resentment. 3>ou are fortunate to have thisopportunity#3 he said. T(E 4E'/9M $>$TEM had a name only because it existed# and for no otherreason. /t as uninhabited. /ts four planets ere all gas giants. 1one of

their moons ere colonised. -nd yet# it as a hostile systemP halybussuspected that he and the ragged eet he led had found the most hostilecorner of it."leet. (e felt a ,ab of anger hen he remembered hat that ord hadmeant to the /ron (ands before /sstvan 2. /t had meant more than a singlestri!e cruiser and a handful of frigates and destroyers# all of themdamaged to a greater or lesser degree. (e !ne he as luc!y to haveeven that much at his disposal. &f his fello captains ith hom he hadmanaged to ma!e contact after the disaster# he as one of the fe tohave escaped /sstvan ith more than a single ship.'uc!.

Escape.(ateful concepts. They should have no place in the experience of the KDthClanCompany of the A 'egion# or aboard the )ane of -sirnoth. Theyshould have remained abstractions. Things that enemies relied upon# onlyto be fatally disappointed hen the /ron (ands shut don every destinyexcept total defeat. )ut he !ne luc! and escape no# along ith other#equally foul terms.4efeat. Treachery. "light. Then there as that other concept# the orst of them all8 "errus Manus isdead.

'i!e so many of his brothers# he refused the experience of that one. Though its shado fell over every moment of his existence# and every

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decision he made# he shunned it. (e ould not thin! about it. 1one ofthem could.halybus had enough to thin! about on Galeras. The moon as a study ingeological anguish. /t as in close orbit around its planet. Thegravitational forces of the giant tore and pulled at it. The crust distorted#

rising and falling ith an ocean3s tides. 2olcanic eruptions rac!ed theglobe# throing ash plumes hundreds of !ilometres into the air. Thesurface as layers of congealed lava os. Galeras had no indigenous lifeforms# but in its constant violence and change# it had its on form of life.'anding on Galeras had been a challenge in itself. The construction of abase as madness.halybus al!ed along the outer all of the madness# inspecting theor!. The modular forti%cation had to be modi%ed if they ere going tolast more than a day on Galeras3s heaving crust. The esh as ea!# yes#alays# but sometimes iron could become stronger if it too! on some ofthe characteristics of the esh. "lexible plasteel seals ,oined eachsegment of the alls# given them a degree of exibility. halybus stoodmotionless# feeling the microqua!es send vibrations up from stone#through the alls# and through his boots. )oth his legs and his right armere bionic# and the faint thrum ran along their length. The base as on the crest of an isolated hill. )eyond the alls the landdropped aay in a steep slope. The ground as uneven yet smooth thesuccession of os gave it the contours of melted ax. -sh fell from thes!y# an endless bliFFard of grey. 2isibility as a fe hundred metres atbest. Though the base3s location had been dictated by priorities otherthan defence# its position as a good one. /t ould ta!e a very determined

and poerful siege to triumph over hat as being constructed.-lso a mad one. "or ho ould ant to contest possession of a orthlesssatellite in a strategically irrelevant system: This as not a orld for the sane to inhabit# not even the sons of Medusa. The 'egion3s home orld put all of its life forms through brutal tests# but itdid still support life. (e had faith that the /ron (ands could sustain afoothold on Galeras inde%nitely# but there ere fe reasons to do so."e reasons. There as# hoever# one in particular.halybus turned to face the interior of the base. The hab units ere alongthe periphery# and there eren3t many.Even ith rebreathers# the mortal serfs of the KDth could not survive long

on the surface. The construction of the base and its operation as theor! of the legionaries. The central bloc! had been completed# and thepro,ect ithin as proceeding ell. $mo!e# steam and sulphur yentedfrom its chimneys. "rom the interior came the heavy# syncopated beat ofmachinery. 4eep booms and the harsh crac!s of splintering roc! blendedith the endless thunder of the dis tant eruptions. To legionaries emerged from the bloc!. &ne as another /ron (and fromthe )ane of -sirnoth# 0aud. The other as 'evannas# a battlebrother ofthe 0aven Guard contingent that had been part of the desperate ightfrom /sstvan 2.

-ltogether# there ere no to squads3 orth of A/A 'egion arriorsaboard the -sirnoth and its escorts. halybus !ne that some

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$alamanders had also been pic!ed up by his brothers# but there had beennone ithin reach during his on retreat.0aud and 'evannas spotted him and strode toards the all. halybusaited. *hen they reached the iron staircase up to the parapet# 'evannashung bac!# al!ing more sloly so that 0aud ould reach halybus %rst.

3/ ta!e it you have nes# sergeant#3 halybus said.0aud saluted. 3- message from the -sirnoth. The auspex has pic!ed up adistress beacon. /t appears to be from the Emperor3s Children stri!ecruiser Tharmas.33-ppears to be:33"ull con%rmation is impossible#3 he admitted.halybus hadn3t expected otherise. This as the ne reality of ar inthe /mperium. (e couldn3t trust anything to be hat it appeared.$till# this might hat they had been see!ing. 3*here is it:3 he as!ed.3The CyFicus $ystem.3 That as a piece of data hard to ignore. Close enough to the (armartia$ystem to be convincing. halybus had not spo!en ith -tticus since theyhad conferred along ith @lienus and $abenus by remote lithocast# but ashort time ago there had been a signal burst from him. /t had been lin!edto a mine# set to be released upon detonation. /t as a proud cursedirected at the Emperor3s Children# but it had been received by the )aneof -sirnoth as ell. /t as -tticus3s ay of telling his brothers that he asstill in the ar ithout ,eopardising his location. There had been no ord from -tticus since# and no detection of theenemy. The immense storms that had surged through the immaterium made

communication almost impossible and travel perilous. The ris!s needed ahigh priFe. The Tharmas might be it. The vessel3s location made sense.halybus could picture it limping ,ust that far from (armartia.'evannas ,oined them. 3*hat do you thin!# captain:3 he as!ed. 'evannashad become the liaison beteen the 0aven Guard and the /ron (ands. (isquali%cations for the role appeared to be an instinctive diplomacy# sincehe as not an o7cer by ran!. There ere none ho had escaped ithhalybus.3/t is clearly a trap#3 halybus said. /t as di7cult to spea! of strategy iththe 'evannas. The 0aven Guard and the $alamanders had not betrayedhis primarch# "errus Manus# but they had not marched ith him as they

should have either. (e !ne 'evannas believed in the decisions of CorvusCorax. (e !ne that there as nothing to be gained in shunning thearriors of the A/A 'egion. Trust# though# that as di6erent. (e could not trust. >et he had to# or at the very least not refuse to hear hat 'evannas had tosay. *hat as left of the /ron (ands must no engage in a ne form ofarfare. -s much as he resented having to admit it# even to himself# thisas a form ith hich the 0aven Guard as more familiar.3>es#3 'evannas said. 3/t is a trap. That does not mean it ill be a successfulone.3

3The Emperor3s Children do not do things by halves#3 0aud said. 3/t ill be agood trap.3

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3/ ould be insulted otherise#3 said halybus. 3Even more insulted than /am by the methods e must use.30aud muttered# 3$tri!e from the shados# then scuttle bac!.3'evannas smiled to sho that he as not o6ended.3The only dishonour#3 he said# 3belongs to the traitors. The shados are

true# brothers. /f you understand them# they have an honesty that ismissing in the light.3-s the 0aven Guard spo!e# it seemed to halybus that the crepuscularlight of Galeras dimmed around him. (e as standing in the open# as theyall ere# but he became harder to see. (is hard features became di7cultto ma!e out behind the ashfall. (is stillness too! on the characteristics ofan absence. (e as in and of the shados# and that# halybus sa# asindeed a truth. /n ithdraing from sight# 'evannas revealed his corereality to them.halybus loo!ed at his on right arm. (e moved the %ngers that had notbeen esh and blood for over to hundred years. (e considered his ontruth the truth of the /ron (ands that he must safeguard more ,ealouslythan ever before.3*e are not you#3 he said to 'evannas. 3-nd e ill not become you.33/ ould never suggest that you should#3 'evannas ansered.3*e still can3t attac! directly#3 said 0aud.3/ !no. *e all do.3 (e eyed the central bloc! of the base. 3$o e must %nda ne ay to %ght that is still true to our primarch.33Then e ill head into the trap.3 The upper half of 0aud3s s!ull as metal. There as still esh on his loer ,a# though# and he could ,ust about formthe approximation of a smile.

3*ell# they3re hardly going to come to us# are they:3 as!ed halybus. T(E '&G/C-' M&ME1T to spring the trap ould have been at theMandeville point of the CyFicus $ystem. halybus had the )ane of-sirnoth at full battle stations# ready to open %re the second aftertransition to real space. (e ould not let the Emperor3s Children have aneasy !ill. (e had no illusions about such a battle3s outcome# though. /f the-sirnoth ere unable to ee bac! into the arp# it ould not survive aprolonged encounter. The stri!e cruiser had been damaged over /sstvan.$ome repairs had been made# but there ere limits to hat had beenpossible. The void shields ere some ay from full strength. There hullhad been compromised# and the sites of those ounds ere painful

ea!nesses. The %rst hard reality of halybus3s gamble8 it as easily ithin the poerof the Emperor3s Children to annihilate any single ship that too! theo6ered bait. The second hard reality8 he had no choice but to ta!e that bait.(e stood in the lectern above the bridge of the )ane of -sirnoth. 1othingappeared in the oculus. The system as quiet except for the distressbeacon of the Tharmas.3-uspex:3 halybus as!ed.3*e have pic!ed up the radiation from the Tharmas3 s engines#3 $eteri!us

said. 31o other vessels ithin range.33*hich doesn3t mean they aren3t here#3 said 0aud. (e as at the eapons

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station# at the forard end of the bridge.3&f course they3re here#3 halybus said.)ut they hadn3t attac!ed. They ere remaining hidden. *hy: )ecause!illing the )ane of -sirnoth ould be insu7cient. The traitors had biggerprey in mind.

$o do /# he thought.3/t ould be disappointing if they ere not. $et course for the Tharmas.3 The /// 'egion stri!e cruiser as about a third of the ay from theMandeville point toard the system3s sun.CFysicus as an old red star. /t had salloed up its inner planetshundreds of millions of years ago# leaving only the outer gas giants andthe froFen planetoids of its uiper belt. CFysicus as as dead as 4elium#though it as no alive ith the anticipation of ar.halybus !ept the %rst stage of the approach to the Tharmas slo andcautious. There as no point in trying to disguise the )ane of -sirnoth3spresence. The Tharmas and hatever other Emperor3s Children vesselsthat aited concealed in the system already !ne that they ere here#but he anted time to detect the rest of the enemy force# if he could. (eanted a feel for the full nature of the trap.$till nothing. &nly the endless broadcast of the enemy cruiser3s beacon.halybus sa 'evannas loo!ing at him. The 0aven Guard had ta!en up adiscreet position on the bridge# near the bac! all# ,ust belo and to theright of the lectern. (e as out of the ay# but visible if the captainished to spea! to him. 3*ell:3 halybus as!ed. 3*hat do you see in theshados here:33/3m sure / see the same things you do# captain. They are aiting for us to

engage.33-t hich point they ill ound us# force us to retreat# and follo.33>es.3*hich is hat e3ve been expecting all along# he thought. The absence ofan initial attac! as con%rmation of that theory.halybus nodded to himself. 3*e have no choice but to play their game#3he announced. 3)ut e ill beat them at it."ull speed ahead# full barrage. / ant that verminous ship destroyed.3 The bac!ground hum that as the sum of the -sirnoth3 s machinery of lifeincreased. /ts vibrations became more intense. halybus felt the ship3sanger as though it ere his on. /ts life and his ere on a continuum.

This as part of hat it meant to be one of the /ron (ands not ,ust tounderstand the strength of the machine# but to be the machine. *hen heas aboard the )ane of -sirnoth# hen he commanded its course and itsactions# there as no absolute demarcation line beteen his being andthe ship3s. The helmsmen of other 'egions experienced that blurring henthe mechadendrites fused them to their vessels. )ut every arrior of theA 'egion al!ed the path toards the unbending poer of themechanical. The machine had a discipline# a focus and a clarity that asforeign to the esh. The )ane of -sirnoth as an extension of his ill# aforce multiplier of his on strength. /t as his right arm reaching out to

crush his foe. -nd he# and all the legionaries aboard# repaid the machine3sgifts by moving closer and closer toards complete identi%cation.

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"errus Manus had shon them the ay. (e had not been given the time tocomplete his ,ourney though he as not dead# he could not be dead and itas their duty to redouble e6orts to complete the pilgrimage. 1o# morethan ever# they needed the rigour of the machine.$tanding a fe steps behind halybus in the strategium# Cruax said# 3-nd

so# as e expected# e ill stri!e and e ill run.3 (is machine voicesounded more cold and hollo than ever.3>es# /ron "ather.3 halybus did not loo! bac!. 3)ut more than that# as ell.33/ !no. My concern remains. *hat ill this strategy cost us: (o much isit shaped by strangers to our philosophy:3halybus glanced don at 'evannas. Circumstances ere forcing the /ron(ands to learn from the methods of the 0aven Guard. )ut those lessonsould not alter the core of the 'egion. 34o you doubt me:3 he as!edCruax# quietly# !eeping the exchange beteen the to of them.3/ have doubts about here this path is leading us. The 'egions hoabandoned our primarch on /sstvan have nothing to teach us.3 There asno tone in the voice of the guardian of the /ron (ands3 soul. The anger asin the ords.halybus shared it. (e anted Cruax to understand that he had not madehis decisions lightly.3*hat choice do e have: /f e ish to %ght on# then e must adapt.3 (eloo!ed bac! at the other arrior. Cruax3s servoarms ere folded behindhis bac!. &f all the legionaries aboard the -sirnoth# he as the one mostfully transformed. halybus asn3t sure if he had any esh left at all.3*hat e are about to do#3 he said# 3is true to the /ron (ands. /t ill beprecise. /t ill be rigorous. /t ill succeed on those merits.3

Cruax said nothing. halybus faced the oculus once more.3/T3$ T(E )-1E &" -$/01&T(3# Enion reported. 3Captain halybus.33Than! you# equerry#3 -riston said. 1ot the 2eritas "errum. - shame.0evenge on -tticus ould have been a pleasing# violent symmetry. )utperhaps halybus ould be the !ey to the other captain as ell. -ristonatched the tra,ectories of the stri!e cruisers plotted on the tacticalscreens.3*e could ta!e them apart no.33*e could#3 -riston agreed.Enion hesitated# expecting an order. -riston amused himself by not givingit.

3There is no need to put the Tharmas at ris!#3 said Enion.3The imperfection of Theotormon3s command needs to be chastised#3-riston told him. 3Emphatically. -nd more to the point# are e going tosatisfy ourselves ith a single stri!e cruiser: 1ot even the one thatdestroyed the Callidora:331o# lord commander.331o#3 -riston repeated. 3*e ill use these /ron (ands to ta!e us to theirbrothers.33They aren3t fools.33True. $o our mista!e must be perfect. They must believe they have

tharted us.3 T(E T*& $(/@$ ent to ar. They opened %re at virtually the same

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moment. They ere as big as mountains# as long as cities. Theirmovements ere too massive to reect the urgency in the ills that drovethem. They struc! at each other ith torpedoes and cannons. Theireapons had speed# but the ills ere faster yet# the hatreds morefurious. The ships turned on each other ith ma,esty# ith the grace of

monuments. There ould be no evading the ounds of the duel./nstead# they engaged in the lethal# gradual dance of manoeuvring to bethe %rst to stri!e the greatest in,ury. The oculus ashed ith the energy discharges of the void shields.halybus heard the damage reports. (e sa# belo him# the telltale red of the runes appearing on the screens monitoring the cruiser3s health. (ehad little need to hear or see either. (e could feel ho his ship fared. /tsbody as his.)ut it had his ill# and it ould not stop before it had torn the life from itsenemy. The )ane of -sirnoth as cutting across the pro of the Tharmas. TheEmperor3s Children ship presented a smaller pro%le# but halybus asable to strafe it ith the full thunder of the starboard armament. The Tharmas %red forards# and halybus sa the ea!ness most of itstorpedoes and shells ere coming from the port side.3Get us around to their starboard an!#3 he told the helmsman# iri!tas. They don3t ant us there.3iri!tas complied. The -sirnoth began its turn# still at full speed. The Tharmas tried to counter. /t did not have to move as far or as fast to!eep the -sirnoth aay from its vulnerabilities. )ut its movements erehampered# and it revealed its second ea!ness.

3Their engines...3 0aud began.3/ can see#3 halybus said. (e sa more than that. (e sa the inevitableresult of the dance. The Emperor3s Children had already lost. They had lostthe moment the nature of their ounds had become visible. There asnothing the traitors could do to stop hat as coming. (e hoped theyrealised this as completely as he did. (e anted them to experience theclosing don of possibility# the unstoppable approach of execution. They fought to the end# though. They fought hard to ta!e the -sirnoth tooblivion ith them. The Tharmas3 s guns concentrated their %re on asingle point amidships.3$hields going don#3 4emir called. 3(ull integrity compromised.3

32ent and seal#3 halybus ordered. 3"ull energy to the starboard shields.33ContactsJ3 said $eteri!us. 3Multiple signals moving in33"rom hat direction:3 halybus as!ed.3-ll of them.33)rothercaptain#3 said 4emir# 3our port an! ill be vulnerable.33*e have time.34emir paused# then said# 3$o ordered.3 They had time# halybus told himself. (e ould create it himself ifnecessary. The )ane of -sirnoth completed the manoeuvre. The to ships ere an!

to an!. The distance beteen them became an irrelevance. The Tharmasas still %ghting# but it as dead.

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3"ire#3 halybus said. The -sirnoth struc! ith a full broadside# and then again. /t hit the Tharmas ith better than tice the force that the /// 'egion ship couldsummon. halybus grimaced as he felt the -sirnoth shudder. The shields ared again# and even ith the boost in poer# some of them

collapsed. 4emir as calling out damage reports# but halybus tunedthem out. (e focused on the Tharmas. (is concentration folloedship!illing ordnance across the void. (e had committed the -sirnoth tothis action# and by the Throne# this act of ,ustice ould be complete.9nder the bombardment of massive shells# the void shields of the Tharmas ared li!e suns# then fell into dar!ness. The torpedoes slammed through the hull# and then there as a ne light./t began as a pulsing crimson. That as the %restorms scouring the ship3scorridors. /t gre brighter# building in pain and intensity. /t became theplasma cry of a dying ship. The Tharmas crac!ed ide open. /ts fore andaft halves began to move independently even as they ere salloed bythe groing %reball. The immense ship as darfed by its explosions.Cascading shoc!aves reached out across the void.3Get us clear#3 said halybus# but iri!tas as already altering course#putting the -sirnoth into a straight run# ta!ing o6 on a tangent from thearc it had been ma!ing around the Tharmas. 30edistribute shield energy#)rother 4emir.3Even as he spo!e# the %rst torpedoes from the rest of the eet hit the-sirnoth3s port an!. The ,olt as a big one.Even before 4emir spo!e# halybus !ne the in,ury as serious. Thevibrations of the ship had carried the shoc! to him.

The pulse of the ship3s life stuttered. halybus ondered if he3d beenrong. This didn3t feel li!e an attac! to ound. The Emperor3s Childrenere coming to !ill.3*e3ve lost to ban!s of port cannons#3 4emir said. 3$econdary damagefrom exploding ordnance. There is a breach across the loading bay. "iresare spreading.334o hat is necessary#3 halybus said. 4emir did not need to be told hatto do. The order as con%rmation that# as captain# he understood thelosses that ere occurring# and the further toll that ould be paid. (omany battlebrothers had been near the bay and had been propelled intothe void: (ad they lost any gunships: (o many serfs had been

incinerated by the %res: Huestions hose ansers ere# in this moment#irrelevant. *hat mattered as the survival of the ship itself# and its abilityto continue the ar. $econd by second# that as the only consideration# ifthere as to be any hope of reaching the end game of this campaign.3Can e a6ord the greater loss ahead:3 Cruax as!ed# as if reading hismind.3/f there is a ay of avoiding it# / ill ta!e it#3 halybus said. The )ane of -sirnoth shuddered again. Tocsins ailed.3There ill not be#3 Cruax said.3The Emperor3s Children ill su6er orse#3 halybus promised.

)ut only if the -sirnoth escaped this system.3(elmsman iri!tas# ma!e course for the Mandeville point. )rother

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$eteri!us# hat are the positions of the foe:33$till on the outer edges of the system. The ships on the far side areclosing. The ones closest to the Mandeville point are not advancing.33They !no e have to come to them. Then let us do so. "ull speed. -llforard batteries %re.3

This as the hardest gamble he ould ma!e in the CFysicus $ystem. /tas also the one move that as open to him. The /ron (ands could not evade the net being dran around them# andthey could not %ght an entire eet. There as a tremble in the -sirnoth3svibrations no. halybus doubted his vessel could %ght a single enemyith any expectation of survival. There only ight or death no. -nd sothe stri!e cruiser ran in the teeth of the trap.3)rothercaptain#3 $eteri!us reported# 3e are ma!ing for the battlebarge9rthona.33Then let us give them cause to orry#3 halybus said.3This is desperate#3 Cruax muttered.3$o is this mission. $o is our ar.33/ understand# captain. )ut is the desperation one that is true to us:33/t is#3 halybus said. 3*e !ne this as a trap. The ris! is a calculatedone. That the odds are against us ma!es it no less calculated.33Good#3 said the /ron "ather. The )ane of -sirnoth ran straight for the 9rthona# cannon shells andtorpedoes racing ahead# as if they might clear the void of incoming %re. The -sirnoth3s pro%le ould be reduced from the perspective of thebattlebarge. halybus sa the irony in using the same tactic against theenemy that had done so little for the Tharmas. )ut the /ron (ands had

speed. That# and the faint hope of luc!# as all they had to see them through toescape.Calculated# halybus thought. The ord as all the more bitter for beingtrue. (e and his brothers had been pushed to this extremity by treachery.-ll the /ron (ands had no as the calculated ris! in its most dire form. The guns of the battlebarge and its escorts ashed.-0/$T&1 $M/'E4 -$ he turned from the tactical screens to observe thedisplay in the oculus. The cloc!or! toys of the A 'egion ere behavingith perfect predictability. They did as he expected# hen he expected. (ecould mar! time ith the beats of their manoeuvres. There as no art to

their arfare. /t as mechanistic. (e had never understood theircommitment to that approach. *hen they had fought side by side# he hadappreciated the pulveriFing victories they achieved# but found theirmethods uninspiring. 1o he had a di6erent perspective. 1o he oulduse their plodding dullness as a medium for his art. (e had the canvasprepared# and they ould travel across it# mar!ing it according to his ill.- creation on this scale ould be a source of delicious sensation# he assure# especially at its moment of fruition# hen the /ron (ands too! agreat leap toards %nal extinction.3-nnihilation#3 he said to Enion# 3has a piquancy that should be tasted

more often# don3t you agree:33Huite so# lord commander.3

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4id Enion agree because he felt he should# or because he truly didunderstand hat -riston meant: The equerry as an intelligent o7cer. (ehad been demonstrating a groing aptitude for the intricacies ofsensation# and the nuances of pain. (oo!s and ires lin!ed the corners ofhis eyes to his shoulder plates. Every time he turned his head# he opened

his esh again. (e appeared to be eternally eeping tears of blood#though he had slit the corners of his mouth into a %xed grin. @erhaps hedid have some conception of the exquisite nature of -riston3s plan.3(urt them#3 -riston ordered his o7cers. 3Ma!e them believe their momenthas come. )ut do not !ill them.33-T 'E-$T *E made one of them move#3 0aud said.- frigate to port of the 9rthona as engaging in evasive action# risingabove the plane of the battle. The battlebarge did not deviate in itscourse. /ts ran!s upon ran!s of guns blaFed# sha!ing the void ith silentthunder. The 9rthona as tice the siFe of the )ane of -sirnoth# but thereas still arrogance in its unavering slo approach. /t as notinvulnerable to the stri!e cruiser3s attac!s. They !no ho badly e3ve been hurt# halybus thought. (e samoc!ery in the 9rthona3s indomitability. The Emperor3s Children ereholding up a mirror to the /ron (ands. 'oo!# they ere saying. This is hoyou once ent to ar# and e have ta!en this from you. The -riston shuddered again as the enemy shells struc! its pro. Theshields bled o6 the orst of the impacts# but the !inetic force ofpro,ectiles a doFen metres long as such that heavy blos ran along thespine of the vessel. The armour on the pro crumpled.- torpedo ashed across the top of the hull and struc! the base of the

superstructure. The impact shoo! the bridge ith the force of anearthqua!e. /t !noc!ed the mortal cremembers o6 their feet. Thelegionaries remained standing# though halybus !ne they ere bracingfor the inevitable. /t ould not ta!e many more barrages of that scale todoom the -sirnoth. /f the rest of the eet started hitting them# the endould come in seconds.3(elmsman#3 halybus said# 3our need to escape gros pressing.3iri!tas summoned more poer from the engines. The bac!ground hum of the )ane of -sirnoth became a snarl. -nd beneath it as the deeper#coiling tension of the arp drive building up for the ,ump. The ,udderingand the stuttering spi!es in the vibrations became stronger too. halybus

spared a thought for the stability of the arp drive# the integrity of thehull# and the strength of the Geller %eld. Then he put the concerns to oneside. The -sirnoth ould survive the ,ump# or it ould not."irst it had to survive until the ,ump.3Ten seconds#3 ri!itas announded.-nother barrage from the 9rthona hit. $omehere# iron shrie!ed. - chainof explosions# building on each other# rattled don the spine of the ship./t seemed to halybus that he as holding his vessel together throughillpoer alone.*ell enough# then. (e had plenty to spare.

0eality shuddered and tore. The )ane of -sirnoth ,umped into the arp. T(E *&914E4 $(/@ vanished from the physical realm. /t left behind

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dissipating energies some from its on in,uries# some the hispers ofinsanity that bled in from the arp. -riston sa perfection in the damagedone to the stri!e cruiser. The /ron (ands ould# he ,udged# survive the ,ourney through the empyrean# though they ould be tested. /t ould be amuch more di7cult one for them than for the Emperor3s Children# even if

they eren3t limping.(e opened a communications channel to the entire eet. 3-ll ships# follobehind the 9rthona3# he said. 3*e shall let our quarry guide us through theimmaterium.3 The battlebarge made its ,ump minutes after the -sirnoth. /ts drives hadbeen poering up during the entire confrontation. The length of the /ron(ands3 lead meant little# though# in the arp. There# space collapsed andtime contorted. 1either had any ob,ective meaning. 4ar! simulacra too!their place# alongside the illusion of matter# the insistent presence ofdreams# and the being of dar! intelligences. The arp as a storm. /t convulsed ith a fusion of delight and fury.*aves of nonbeing rose to in%nity and crashed upon the mad creaturesho thought they could navigate the domain of the gods ithout theirleave."or the chosen fe# hoever# the ay as made clear. The 9rthonapassed beteen the vortices of destruction. The Emperor3s Children ouldtravel the seas of unreality ithout hindrance. Enlightenment had ta!enthem to the isdom hidden in the furthest extremes of sensation# and thatlight shone on their paths through the immaterium. The poers that ruledin the arp ere one ith (orus3s ar against the Emperor. The )ane of -sirnoth as caught in a tempest. Their 1avigator ould be

all but blind. *here as the Emperor3s light to guide them:1ohere. &ccluded. $amped by the great ruinstorm.3The enemy ill be luc!y to ma!e short ,umps#3 Enion commented.3'uc! has little to do ith it#3 said -riston.3/ don3t understand.33*e are here to follo. *e ant them to reach their destination. &urmasters ish it too.3 (e smiled. 3Their ,ourney on3t be easy# but they illreach safe harbour.3 (is smile became broader yet. 3*hich e ill thenburn.3 T(E $(944E0/1G &" the -sirnoth gre orse after the translation to thearp. The stresses of the immaterium ere less direct than a

bombardment# but they ere more insidious. The death of the realsurrounded the vessel# and sought to erode its existence.3-re e being folloed:3 halybus as!ed $eteri!us. The legionary shoo! his head in frustration. 3/ can3t tell# brothercaptain.3(e turned from the auspex display. 3They could be right on top of us ande ouldn3t !no.33They are here#3 'evannas said. 34epend upon it.33/ am.3 /f they eren3t# the /ron (ands ould have on a tiny victory# onehardly orth the sacri%ce. (e addressed the entire bridge. 3*e cannot seethe enemy# but e must assume that they can see us. -ll e6orts must

no be put toard evasion.33The longer e stay in the arp...3 0aud began.

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3/ !no# brother. / ish e had a choice.33/f e manage to lose them#3 $eteri!us as!ed# 3hat have eaccomplished:33*e on3t lose them. )ut e can3t underestimate them. /f our evasions area facade# they3ll !no. *e must try everything in our poer to sha!e

them.3 (e paused# aiting. There as a question his brothers ould beas!ing themselves. (e anted one of them to articulate it. $pea!ing italoud# and having it ansered# as important. 1ot for the success of hisstrategy# but for the morale of his clancompany.0aud spo!e %rst. 3)rothercaptain# it ould appear that our strategy ispredicated on the assumption of our on failure.33/t is#3 halybus told him# still spea!ing to them all. 3This is our ea!estmoment. *e !no this. $o do the traitors.noing exactly hat our relative strengths are is crucial to theprosecution of ar. *e ill be rigorous in all things.Even in this necessary failure. /t is from this precision that our victory illcome. 4o any of you thin! e can deceive the Emperor3s Children: 1o: /sear to you# brothers# that e can. )ut e ill deceive them ith thetruth.3(e loo!ed bac! at Cruax. The /ron "ather nodded.3@erfection#3 halybus said. (e faced the bridge again. 3@erfection. TheEmperor3s Children believe the concept is theirs. )ut recall the eaponsthat "errus Manus and "ulgrim forged on their %rst encounter. They ereboth perfect. &ur route is not theirs# and our perfection ill smash theirs.3(e paused for a moment.3-fter all#3 he added# 3they failed to stop us from entering the arp in the

%rst place.3 T0-C/1G T(E )-1E &" -$/01&T( as a pleasure in and of itself. /t as#-riston thought# li!e atching the scurrying of an insect across a sheet ofparchment. The insect could change direction all it anted# but itremained as visible at the end of its e6orts as it had been at thebeginning. The arp as not parchment. /t as obscurity and madness. The stri!ecruiser made sudden course corrections# ta!ing advantage of the verystorms that threatened the ship ith destruction. -riston pictured ho themanoeuvres must appear to the /ron (ands. They sailed don currentafter current of insanity# ma!ing ever more random choices# ris!ing ith

every decision the dissolution of coherence. They must# he thought# %nd itimpossible to believe that they could be detected in this raging insanity of nonspace. The 9rthona had no di7culty trac!ing its quarry. /f the chase had beenthrough the CFysicus $ystem# and the -sirnoth had been lea!ing radiation#the pursuit could hardly have been simpler. The art lay in !eeping bac!. 3/ill personally execute the captain of any vessel that is detected by theenemy#3 he announced to the eet. They ere all eager for the blood ofthe /ron (ands. $o as he. )ut there must be enough blood. There mustbe all of it.

$o the eet folloed. The distance beteen it and the A 'egion ship as a%ction here space as a lie. )ut the vessels ere all real. They had

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presence# an intensity that a6ected the arp and as detectable by theother ships.-riston held his force bac!. (e reduced to Fero the intensity of the eet3spresence ith respect to the )ane of -sirnoth. The stri!e cruiser faded to a dim perception. /t could still be trac!ed# but it

hovered on the edge of disappear ance. To the /ron (ands# beset by thefull force of the arp storm# the Emperor3s Children ould be invisible.Enion said# 3*e run the ris! of losing them.3 The -sirnoth as travellingdon yet another turbulent current.3*e do not#3 -riston replied.3)ut if they should...3-riston cut him o6. 3*hat they do is irrelevant. They have been lost fromthe moment they too! the bait. &ur actions are hat matters. / ill notsully the perfection of our art by rushing forards in blind eagerness. Thatis the ris!. *hen e mar the or! by accident instead of purpose is hene fail. That as Theotormon3s crime.3-nd he had been punished.(ours of shiptime passed before the )ane of -sirnoth at last translatedfrom the arp. -riston as surprised its captain had ris!ed a ,ump thislong and turbulent. (is ship as badly damaged. /t must be on the vergeof losing structural integrity. The 9rthona folloed. The eet reemerged in real space. The system as another dead one.34elium#3 Enion said. -riston li!ed the symmetry ith CFysicus. Chancehad reinforced the aesthetics of the trap. They ere running their prey to ground in a corner of the galaxy as empty

and hopeless as the one here the chase had begun.Good. The )ane of -sirnoth as lea!ing plasma. /t left a trail so easy to follo itas almost insulting. /f halybus as trying to hide# -riston really ouldta!e o6ence.(e asn3t. They found the stri!e cruiser at lo anchor over Galeras.&bserving the auspex readings# )romion called out# 3$trong energyreadings from the moon. The enemy has established a base.33$o they3ve chosen their gravesite#3 -riston said./n the oculus# the )ane of -sirnoth became more clear. /ts in,uries ereextensive. "ires shone through the %ssures in the hull. The cruiser3s

silhouette as deformed# sun!en. /t as a cheed bone.-riston pointed at it. 3*e ill march on the base. )ut %rst# rid my sight ofthat sad rec!.3 The /ron (ands %red bac!. &nce. -riston as surprised they managedeven that. The 9rthona3s void shields shrugged o6 the single broadside. /t respondedith a devastating barrage of torpedoes and cannon %re. /t as ,oined byevery ship in the eet. They surrounded the -sirnoth and seared the voidith the poer of the Emperor3s Children. The cruiser vanished# theexplosion of its ruptured arp drive indistinguishable from the %restorm

that caused it. The %re of the -sirnoth3s death still burned# a miniature sun# hen the

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drop pods began their descent on Galeras. The near orbit of the moon ascroded ith ships. Their hulls disgorged a metal hail that pummelled thesurface. The plains belo the /ron (ands base %lled ith legionaries inarmour the colour of luxury and violence.-riston stood at the base of the hill as the host gathered before him. (e

turned to Enion at his side. 3The point is not ,ust the victory#3 he said.3There is a lesson to be taught as ell.3 The Emperor3s Children ould roll over the /ron (ands ith anunstoppable ave. They ould smash the foe ith an echo of their onmachinic ar# and in the irony of that gesture ould be the excess of trueart. The ros of $pace Marines disappeared into the mur! of the atmosphere. The drop pods ere vague silhouettes."urther out came the snarl of the tan!s brought don by dropships.-riston could not see them# but their strength as at his command. Theirshells ould hammer the alls of the base hile the legionaries marchedon it.#3)rothers#3 he voxed to them all# 3the /ron (ands have ed# and no theycoer. $hall e complete their humiliation:3(e as ansered# exulted in the clamour of his arriors. This as arconverted to sensation# and sensation eaponised. The march began. The /ron (ands base as barely visible at the crest of the hill. -t %rst# itas a smudge# a blurred mass of blac!. /t asn3t until -riston as halfayup the slope that the details began to resolve themselves. The lines of the

all sharpened even as they ere battered by the 4emolisher shells ofthe 2indicator tan!s. /t as only then that the cannons on the allsansered bac!. That surprised -riston. The /ron (ands had given theEmperor3s Children all the time they needed to land and assemble.-riston3s army as beyond any numbers that halybus could possiblyhave behind the alls# but to ait this long to return %re as acompounding of errors.-t his side# Enion froned. 3-re they really this stupid:33/ %nd that hard to believe.33- trap of their on:33'i!ely.3

3)ut ho: *hat could they hope to do:3-riston didn3t !no. "or the %rst time since the arrival of the )ane of-sirnoth in CFysicus# he felt a ic!er of unease.(e tried to imagine hat the bro!en# depleted /ron (ands could possiblyuse to counter his advance. (e failed# and that failure disturbed him#because the ab,ect collapse of the A 'egion as even harder to imagine.-riston atched for a mine %eld or an ambush. )oth ould have beenpossible. The volcanic smog of the atmosphere as so thic!# that evenith his preysight he ould not have seen an attac! until it as too late.)ut even a successful ambush ould barely have sloed the advance.

-nd there as nothing. <ust the cannons on the all. Their shells punched craters into the hill. 'egionaries disintegrated. The

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guns too! their toll# though it as a small one. -nd one by one# they fellsilent as the tan!s dre nearer# concentrating their %re# and smashing thealls don. There had been no further defensive barrages for several minutes by thetime -riston crossed the ruined forti%cation lines. -head as the centre

bloc! of the fortress. The smaller prefab structures close to the alls ereburning.3*here are they:3 Enion as!ed.-riston as ondering that too. *hatever as buried in the rubble ouldremain hidden# though he sa hat loo!ed li!e the remains of servitorshere and there. There as no trace of the /ron (ands# and there as onlysilence from the heart of the fortress ahead.*as the ambush yet to come# he ondered: 1o. Even ith the greaterconcentration of his forces in the base# his army as so vast that it stillextended all the ay don the slope.3-n orbital stri!e:3 Enion suggested.3*ith hat:3 /f the )ane of -sirnoth had still remained intact# perhaps. (eheaded toard the main bun!er. 3&ur ansers ill be here#3 he said.3-s ill the trap.33/t ill be a poor one.3/t had to be.$ome shells had fallen upon the structure# but it had ithstood them. /thad lost a number of its vent stac!s# but appeared to be sound enough.)olter at the ready# -riston shouldered the doors openP they eren3tbarred. The corridor ahead as deserted. 'umen globes lit a silent pathand the air as thic! ith absence.

3There is no one here#3 Enion muttered.3/f they ere all aboard their stri!e cruiser# they are orse than fools#3replied -riston. The unease as still there# but also rage. (is greattriumph ould be an embarrassment against an enemy this incompetent.)ut no# that as impossible. The /ron (ands ere fools in their dogmaticloyalty to the Emperor. )ut they ere still tacticians. The corridor led to a massive open area at the centre of the bloc!. (ere ashaft descended deep into the tortured crust of Galeras.3- ris!y endeavour#3 Enion commented.3-greed.3 $ulphuric fumes rose from the depths. Even inside the alls#-riston could hear the distant# endless rumble of the moon3s volcanoes.

4ust# sha!en loose by the trembling roc!# oated don the sides of theshaft. &ne solid qua!e ould be enough to trigger a collapse.3/t3s deep#3 said Enion. There ere lumen strips at regular intervals as theydisappeared deeper into the gloom.3*hatever is don there# they ent to considerable e6ort and ris! toreach it#3 said -riston. (e gestured to an elevator hose trac!s appearedto descend the full length of the shaft. 3-n open invitation.33)ait:33&f course it is. They didn3t refuse ours. / on3t refuse theirs.33*e have a choice.3

34o e: /f e ant to %nish them o6# e have to !no here they are. *ehave to !no hat they3re doing.3

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-riston thought for a moment. 3&ne squad ith me#3 he said. 3-nd / antthe eet ready for emergency embar!ation.33*hat could they do against us:33/ don3t !no. They thin! they can do something. / on3t give them thechance.3

-riston# Enion and the eight brothers in the command squad entered theconveyor carriage it as a rapid one# but the descent as long# the shaftgoing much deeper than -riston ould have guessed. The violent life ofthe moon folloed them don. @rofound vibrations thrummed don thealls. They pluc!ed at the conveyor3s trac!s. The dec! of the platformbuFFed.4on. 4on. 1o branching tunnels. 1o mining. <ust don# don and donthrough the crust.3*hat ere they loo!ing for:3 Enion ondered.-nd ho did they !no it as here: -riston thought. There as only thisbase. This one shaft. This as the or! of certainty# not exploration. The temperature as rising. There as a glo coming from belo no./t as red. Molten. The anser came to -riston ,ust before he sa hat aited in the depths.3They eren3t loo!ing for anything#3 he said to Enion. 3They ere placingsomething.33*hat...3 Enion began# but then cylindrical shapes resolved in the gloom. They ere fastened to the alls of the shaft# aiting for a distant signal tobegin their brief but terrible oering.Cyclonic torpedoes.-riston opened his mouth# but he had no voice. /t had been throttled by

the noose that had tightened around his eet.$9C( *E-@&1$ C&9'4 crac! a planet in half# given the rightcircumstances. The KDth ClanCompany had removed the element ofchance. 0igour# halybus thought# as he itnessed the culmination of hisor!. @recision. That as here the /ron (ands found the sources ofperfection. The torpedoes detonated. Their immense poer multiplied the stressesthat sought to pull the moon apart. Galeras3s death came all at once. Themoon exploded. The %re of its ending as dull and ugly# a volcanic %stlashing out at the near orbit. - storm of %ery crust fragments bleoutards through the Emperor3s Children3s eet. The 9rthona

disintegrated# and its blast as bright# as proud as a star. /t assurrounded by the smaller pyres of other ships.Collisions and shoc!aves built upon each other. 2essels many thousandsof metres long ere mere fragments in the holocaust# battered to nothingas the moon3s fragments ere propelled outards. Mountains tore throughhulls. There as no time to react. There as no evasion. The only escape camefrom blind chance.-s the shoc!ave passed# a fe survivors pulled aay from the disaster.1one ere undamaged. "e ould have made the ,ump to the

immaterium.-board the /ron (ands frigate $thenelus# hich had lost its captain during

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its on ordeal over /sstvan# -tticus directed their extermination. (issquadron as small. There ere no capital ships. )ut it as more thanenough to smash hat as left of the enemy. The Emperor3s Children hadone cruiser remaining the (ypsous and it as already burning hen the$thenelus came for it. - gaping hole ran through the centre of its span. /t

as barely moving. /ts drive as li!ely about to go critical. halybus madesure that it did. The light from the (ypsous3s end ashed through the bridge of the$thenelus. halybus atched until there as only void again# then left thebridge. (e as heading for his ne quarters the chambers of a deadarrior# no occupied by the captain of a dead ship.'evannas as aiting in the corridor ,ust outside. halybus hadn3t seenhim on the bridge# but that didn3t mean the 0aven Guard hadn3t beenthere.3/3m curious to hear your thoughts# captain#3 'evannas said.3/ am glad of our victory#3 halybus said. 3/ regret that e su6ered asigni%cant loss# too.3 The )ane of -sirnoth had no longer been voidorthyhen they had reached 4elium again. The /ron (ands had abandoned it#leaving only enough servitors aboard the stri!e cruiser and at the base toma!e a sho of presence by %ring the guns.3The Emperor3s Children su6ered a much greater [email protected] The /// 'egion had been hurt. 1othing much more than that.34o you see hat e might be able to accomplish:3 'evannas as!ed# andat that moment# halybus heard his carefully suppressed desperation. The0aven Guard needed to continue the ar as badly as the /ron (ands did.3>es#3 halybus said quietly. 3>es# / do see.3

/ncorporating the 0aven Guard3s methods into the /ron (ands3 strategyhad borne fruit. $hattered# fragmented and ounded though they ere#they could still stri!e at the enemy# and hit hard. They ere still in the ar# and they ould exact their payment of blood.-nd yet...(e had assured the /ron "ather that he ould !eep to the path of the /ron(ands. (e believed he had done so.-nd yet...$o many shados. $o much subterfuge.Change had come. Caught by tragedy and necessity# the /ron (ands erebecoming something other than hat they had been hen "errus Manus

had led them. halybus could see the transformation happening before hiseyes./t disturbed him that hat he could not see as here it ould end.91$@&E1G9> (-'E>3T(/0T> M/19TE$ T& extraction. / ill be entering vox silence# commander.Con%rm:3Captain $ulnar held his breath to hear the voice in his earpiece. The Thunderha! pilot spo!e softly# as though he feared to be overheard.-nd ell he might be. Their furtive communications ere conveyed over

clandestine frequencies unique to their clan# but the *armaster seemedto !no everything.

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3 Con%rm. *ere close to escaping this death trap# so /3m not ta!ing anychances.33-c!noledged. 'eave your beacon active or /3ll be coming in blind.3 -clic!# small but de%nite# came over the vox.3Engaging ide band vox suppression in %ve... four... three... to... one...3

The vox crac!led out. $ulnar set a chronocounter running in his helmetdisplay. The numbers ran don# hundredths of a second tumbling#seemingly frantic to be spent.$till# too slo.(e searched the s!y for some sign of their extraction craft# but nothingmoved up there. $omehere beyond the blan! night s!y# vessels still loyalto the /mperium orbited the orld. (o# he had no idea. (e decided itbest not to question miracles. There ere %ve of them left# the survivors of the attac! at @urgatory. (esat propped up against a roc!# his mangled legs pro,ecting in front of him. The others ere secreted in the roc!s overloo!ing the beacon they hadta!en from the gunship. They operated on a closed voxnet# at the shortest range and narroestfrequency. Their identi%cation mar!ers ere deactivated# their armourpoered lo. They ere ta!ing no chances. Tar!an cursed.30eport#3 $ulnar ordered.3Movement %ve hundred metres up.3 Tar!an spo!e quietly#ith minimumexhalation. (is battleplate ould prevent anydisturbance to his aim# but Tar!an as meticulous.3"our# maybe %veor six. *e tagged them on the motion

sensor.33-nd:33*e lost them. -nd the sensor.3$ulnar breathed out through his teeth. Traitors. They had found theirsensor and blinded it. (e blin!clic!ed his longrange vox open again. (edid not use his neural interface to activate it. /t as or!ing# unli!e somany of his armour3s systems. (e felt so limited ithout the use of hislegs# and blin!ing the vox on as at least a physical act he could perform./t made him feel li!e he as doing something# not simply lying out of theay li!e so much dead meat hile others atched over him.3$pear of Truth# come in.3

4id he arn the pilot: /f he ere in his position# he ould not ris! anapproach if there ere traitors on the ay. The decision as irrelevant. There as no reply. 1ot even static hiss. The ,am held.(e chec!ed the positions of his men. *ith their mar!ers deactivated# theonly thing he had on his visor3s tactical display as their last locations.$light energy spi!es and mild thermal di6erences told him that they erestill there# but had he been unaare of their presence he ould not havefound them.9nless he ere loo!ing very carefully. (e hoped that the traitors ere not.

The irony of the current situation as somehat ridiculous. They had setup the trap for their enemies# only to guide friends to them for one %nal#

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desperate rescue attempt. -nd no# the e7cacy of their trap threatenedto !ill them ,ust as they seemed to have found a ay out.32ogarr# / can see your energy signature too easily. @oer don yourmotive systems a further tenty per cent.33My apologies brother#3 said 2ogarr. 3/ have erratic poer delivery. / ill see

to it hen e are safe.3 >es# thought $ulnar. 'i!e / ill repair my bolter# and see to my legs. (elonged to be bac! in the %ght. There as a tension in them all. 0escue had seemed impossible for solong. They had given their all to destruction and to vengeance# and nothis... They ere on edge# far more than hen only death had aaitedthem. They aited no in turn.3(o long:3 as!ed E3nesh# the $alamander. The other four of their groupere all /ron (ands# all members of Clan $orrgol. E3nesh as an outsider#but he as their brother. They all had the cloc! running. @erhaps E3neshas!ed because he did not believe it. $ulnar as not certain he believed ithimself.31ineteen minutes#3 he said.ortaan# the last of their number spo!e. 3/ thin! / see something.Movement# coming don the slope. Can you get a shot# Tar!an:33/ could# but they3ll scatter#3 replied Tar!an. 3That3s a $cout3s grasp oftactics# ortaan. eep it together. *e open %re as e planned# hen theyare close and grouped.33>es# brother.3/nformation rolled across $ulnar3s visor. (e patched through to ortaan3s

visual feed. Three shapes# still small in the vie# pic!ing their ay to theravine oor. They had no identi%cation mar!ers.3$hould e hail them:3 as!ed Tar!an.31egative # 3 said $ulnar. 3Might be a scouting party. Could haveblindhunters aiting# up behind.33The slope is too steep for constructs#3 said ortaan.31o# it is not. /f it as# then e3d never survive. Ta!e them by surprise# Tar!an.3 The %gures disappeared from sight# enhanced or otherise. They erecoming to the beacon3s position no# dran in by the lure. /t as tenminutes at a cautious pace.

*hen they came# they ere dealt ith# and Captain $ulnar discoveredthat /sstvan 2 had one last horror to inict upon him. The Thunderha! arrived three minutes after that./ (-2E )EE1 sleeping. / have been dreaming of the massacre# and havebrought my dreams into the a!ing orld. / am fully aa!e no# at thismoment. The events of /sstvan 2 are still ith me. They do not fade asnightmares ill# for they are not nightmares. &h# ho / ish they ere./ cannot spea!. / do not !no hy. The ords ill not come./ sit upon the edge of the examination table and aait my fate. Myounded arm is hot here the regeneration clasp or!s upon torn esh.

-lready / can move my %ngers again. The arriors of the /ron (ands stand in ,udgement over me# discussing me

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as though / ere a bro!en machine.'i!e a machine# / can say nothing in my defence# and / do not !no hy. The -pothecary gestures to me. 31o# captain# / am not saying there isanything the matter ith him. / am saying that there is nothing rong ithhim at all.3

9pon the glass overlay are displayed parts of my anatomy. They arena!ed# revealed to plain sight by the arti%ce of the medical scanner. @artof me onders ho it or!s. - little of the hunger for the craft is ithinme yet# then# but it is an ember# dying under a blac!# sodden eight ofpersistent realisation. 0ealisation should be a transitory state.*hat as not !non before becomes !non# and is processedaccordingly.)ut the enormity of the !noledge that cho!es my soul ill not allo itseasy resolution. Each moment# / relive that %rst instant of sic!eningrevelation.2ul!an is dead.Every time / thin! upon this truth# a ave of nausea and... fear: /t cannotbe. / have forgotten fear.)ut / never forgot grief. That / feel !eenly# and / !no it for hat it is.&ur father is slain. "errus Manus also. These /ron (ands have su6ered thesame loss as / have. Those around me spea! and operate# performingtheir duties ith the cold e7ciency their 'egion is !non for. /t is notobvious that they are damaged# but they are not undamaged. "ar from it.34o you understand me:3 one of their leaders as!s. (is insignia is that of acommander# / thin!. Their ran! system di6ers from ours. (is armour isbattered# his countenance %erce# tisted by pain and fury# li!e a dragon in

a trap. (e has a bionic arm the right. /t is uncovered by his battleplate#displayed for all to see# as is their custom. This too is damaged. Thegleaming metal is torn and blac!ened around the elbo# heat bloomsurrounding the ound to the prosthetic# purple fading through green toyello. /t is an iridescent bruise. *hen he moves his hand# it clic!s. Thethree loer %ngers no longer ex./ nod ithout hesitation# but only once. / blin!# putting out the forgelight of my eyes for a second# to sho deference. *hat happens over the nextfe minutes is of the utmost importance. The captain turns to the -pothecary. The medicae chamber of a stri!ecruiser is small and cramped# and this one is full of ounded /ron (ands.

More ait on gurneys outside.3(e ill not anser you# brother.33/ can see that.3 The commander turns again to the -pothecary# impatient.3/ do not care if he can spea! or not. *hat / need to !no is hether hecan %ght# )rother 2ra!a.32ra!a glances at me. (is eyes have been replaced ith augmeticsP amedical diagnostic model. They hir as they focus on my face.3Commander Tayvaar#3 says the -pothecary patiently# 3they found him ithto others. (e ould not have made it that far up into the mountains if hecould not. /3d say he can %ght.3

3The others:3 as!s the commander.2ra!a sha!es his head. The nes of hat happened to Go3sol and <o3phor

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is too shameful to voice./ cannot spea!# but yes# / can %ght. / grip the edge of the examinationtable ith my hands. /t is strange to be out of my armour after so long. /f /could# / ould put it bac! on again. The captain loo!s don at me. /t ta!es all my e6ort of ill not to loo!

aay. / nod. / so desperately ant to %ght.32ery ell#3 Tayvaar says abruptly. 3*hen he is rested# send him to me. -llho can %ght in the $hattered 'egions ill do so. -nd send for )rotherE3nesh. Get him assigned.3E31E$( *-$ &1E of our ambushers. / follo him don the spinal corridorof the ship. /ts unieldy name is the 2oluntas Ex "erro. )efore / left theapothecarion# a ildeyed /ron (ands legionary explained to me that theship arrived late in the eet chasing 'ord Manus to the system# after the-vernii ere all but annihilated and the primarch slain. The *armasterhad his victory and eventually moved on# leaving the dregs behind to%nish us o6 on the surface. -nd so the 2oluntas as one of the fe thatmanaged to creep bac!# months later# loo!ing for survivors. (e ascraFed as he recounted all this# evangelising an unpalatable truth# as if hestill could not believe that he had not died alongside his father. There are one hundred and sixtyseven $pace Marines on board. The2oluntas Ex "erro is designed to support ,ust over half of that# and so it iscroded. There are not enough quarters for all# and many of those onboard are ounded./ suppose / am one of the luc!y ones. My body is hole# even if / cannotspea!. This is a 'egion ship. There are fe human serfs left on board. They are

the indentured servants of the Medusans and of a phenotype unfamiliar tome. The /mperial Truth holds that humanity is as one# but one only has toloo! to see that humanity is many. $eeing the unenhanced su6ering theshoc! of betrayal ma!es me onder if e ere right ever to try andreunite them. They do not meet my eyes. The *armaster3s actions havea6ected them more than us# at least super%cially.&n a deeper level it may be orse for us in the long term. They are ea!#and therefore pliable hat is bent can be returned to shape. )ut thestrongest metal does not bend# it shatters. / loo! into haunted transhumanfaces as e al! to the gunship launch dec!# and see so much bro!eniron.

)rother E3nesh leads me to (angar To. This is to be my berth.3The other hangar#3 he says# the %rst ords he has uttered since hecollected me from the in%rmary# 3is full of the ounded.3 (e smiles#!noing of my aNiction. (e is trying to put me at ease# but his smile is fullof pain and shame.3They have only to operational Thunderha!s remaining.3*e pass them. They are scored by eapon impacts and reentry ounds#and croded around by servitors. Three /ronroughts and an /ron "atherminister to them# directing the cyborgs and a doFen of the lesstechnicallygifted /ron (ands to heal the machine. )rilliant blue spar!s

shoer onto the dec! as damaged armour is cut free./ thin! on ceramite. /t is durable and versatile. )ut it ill crac!. The

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heatshielding armour of this Thunderha!# for example# sub,ected overand over again to the stresses of reentry# ill begin to fail. /t may loo!hole to the na!ed eye# but the molecular structure ill be host to athousand microfractures. /t ill serve and serve and then# one dayperhaps su6ering the smallest impact# and for no obvious reason at all it

ill shatter. That is hy e have the rituals of maintenance. This is hy allcomponents are tested and replaced hen they have been sub,ected tooutparameter stresses. There is no one to replace these /ron (ands. 1ot any more.- third Thunderha! is not currently ight capable. The dec! around it istorn# the result of a hard landing. The gunship has been turned around#cradled by cranes# supporting it here its feet no longer could. "rom theright# missing landing clas aside# it appears %ne less mar!ed# even# thanits brothers. -s e pass# / turn my head to see the port engine and ingassembly missing. / silently salute the s!ill of the pilot ho brought it in. /onder if it can be salvaged at all.)eyond the crippled gunship the other %ve landing bays are empty. *iththe 2oluntas so croded# the area has been temporarily rigged as abarrac!s. There are places for us to sleep. Many cots# and a or! benchnext to each one. The Medusans are !in to us $alamanders in their love of mechanisms. <ustas ell# for not one of the legionaries / have seen has a fully functional setof argear. /t ould ta!e the fe adepts on this ship years to repair it all.E3nesh leads me to a repurposed administrative des!. / can see that it isintended for me# for my armour is there.

The plastron and left vambrace are neatly laid out on the or! surface. The rest is upon an arming frame.(e is embarrassed. 3/ am sorry that your battleplate is not ithin thearmoury or martial chambers#3 he says# 3but# as you ill have guessed#there is no space.3/ run my hand over the breastplate. /t has been polished free of carbonbloom. 4eeper mar!s in the metal have been smoothed and prepared forrepair. / loo! to E3nesh# and his eyes drop.3"orgive me. / thought to ma!e a start on your argear hile you erebeing seen to in the in%rmary. / had only the night. /t as the least / coulddo after...3 (is voice trails aay. The %relight of his eyes has an odd colour

to it./ scratch around the regeneration unit bound to my arm. The ound asgrave# nearly enough to necessitate amputation. / as luc!y it did not. /till heal. My muscles itch maddeningly as the cells replicate. The shotmight have come from E3nesh3s on gun. My three comrades Go3sol# <o3phor# and (ae3@hast are all dead. To of them slain by our allies# afterhaving survived so much./f / believed in such things# / ould say fate as cruel./ ould than! E3nesh for the or! he has done on my armour. /t is neatand precise. )ut / say nothing. The silence beteen us yans# a gulf /

cannot bridge.3*ell#3 he says. 3/ ill see you. My cot is there. There ere already half a

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doFen of us on the ship. *e $alamanders are all berthed together.3/ nod# though / cannot smile to reassure him. /t is not his fault# the deathsof our brothers. (e turns aay# unsuccessfully trying to conceal a shamethat / !no he ill carry forever./t is already !illing him.

T/ME @-$$E$# T/ME / spend or!ing on my armour. /f this ere the olddays# hen e travelled in glorious eets that laid the galaxy at theEmperor3s feet# / ould ,un! half of hat is here and request replacementsfrom the armoury. That is no longer possible. Materials are in short supply./ am# hoever# given another helmet# as / lost mine shortly after themassacre. /t is brought to me by &s!3mani# one of my six brothers here#hile / or!. The helmet is nely forged# dull metal. /t is of an unfamiliarpattern and inferior manufacture to my original# but the armour is thic!. Three additional layers# ith lamination achieved through the use ofmolecular bonding studs.&s!3mani feels the same ay about it as / do. (e rests a hand on myshoulder. 3/t is all they can do# brother. The internal systems are poorthings# but the thic!ness ill provide additional protection against massreactives. )e than!ful the rest of your armour is salvageable.3/ set the helmet on the stand# loo!ing at my or!./ ish / could or! faster. My brothers are all armoured# at full battlereadiness. / can %nally ear my plastron and bac!plate. / have replacedthe poer cabling running over my plac!art and repaired the interfacingsat the chest and spine. 'uc!ily# the circuitry required only minor repair# forthe complexity of the machinery there is such that a full reneal ouldrequire the !noledge of a Techmarine or Mechanicum priest. / am merely

an artisan.My right arm is also %nished. This / leave o6 so as not to hamper my or!.)ut the %bre bundles of both legs need replacingP it is intricate or!# butnot beyond me. The rerebrace of my left arm assembly is beyondsalvaging. My poer plant is open. &ne of the cooling coils is blac! andfriable to the touch. &s!3mani loo!s over my shoulder at it all# ma!ing anoise in his throat as if to say he ould not ish to underta!e this tas!himself. (e leaves me alone./ am still or!ing on my armour six ee!s later hen e are hailed byother survivors# and e ,oin them./n the folloing ee!# still more come# ,oining a otilla that hides itself in

the raging photosphere of a dying red star.C&MM-14E0 $9'1-0 $T0&4E across the doc!ing tube# his ne legsclanging on the dec! plates. (e felt empoered# full of grim purpose.Commander Tayvaar strode beside him. )ehind them came eightlegionaries# four from each of their clancompanies. The commanderssaluted the -vernii guarding the entry hatch to the other ship.3Commander /shmal $ulnar of Clan $orrgol.33Commander 0ab Tayvaar of Clan 2urgaan.3 The veterans inclined their heads# and shifted the bul! of their Terminatorarmoured bodies aside to open the ay.

3)e elcome# Commander $ulnar# Commander Tayvaar.30epresentatives of four clans croded the brie%ng room. Elements of

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tentyto companies of the A 'egion ere present in the fugitive eet#but together added up to little more than eight in actual %ghting strength.- 0aven Guard ship e alongside them. There ere also ademicompany3s orth of $alamanders scattered across the various ships.1one of them# hoever# had been invited to the meeting.

Three /ron "athers held the oor. Their leader# "rater <u!aar# addressed thelost sons of "errus Manus.3There should be no hastily appointed leader#3 he proclaimed. 3"or theduration of this crisis# the /ron "athers ill advise each companylevelcommanding o7cer individually. There ill be a moot of all the clanscalled on Medusa# and there it ill be decided ho shall lead the 'egion. Though not no# and not here. 1ot li!e this.33*hy:3 as!ed a grimfaced captain of Clan 9ngavarr. 3There are arriorsho are up to the tas!.3- commander of $orrgol stood and banged a bionic hand hard on hischestplate. 3/ ill not be dictated to by 9ngavarrJ331or /#3 groled another.3-nd that# Commander 9s!leer# is precisely hy our arriors are dividedand scattered#3 said "rater Griva!. 3To set one clan over another at a timeli!e this ill lead to dissension.33&r open conict.3 added "rater 2rayvuus.3There is one ho could reunite us#3 came a voice from the bac! of thechamber. 3$hadra! MedusonJ33Meduson: (e acts ithout forethought and ithout guidanceJ3 said an/ronrought in Griva!3s retinue.3-nd yet / have heard that many already follo him#3 $ulnar hispered to

Tayvaar.3Most of the clanfathers are gone#3 said <u!aar# raising his sta6. 3&nly e/ron "athers may no stand outside the 'egion3s structure# in accordanceith the old las of Medusa. 0ashness doomed us. 'isten to our isdom. This is ho *arleader Meduson ould have the /ron Tenth prosecute thisar.33Then hat are e to do:3 as!ed Tayvaar# spea!ing up for the %rst time.3>ou bring us nes of Meduson and others of our 'egion. *here are they:33*e do not !no#3 said 2rayvuus. 34eliberately so.33This is the isdom e bring#3 said Griva!. 3-ll survivors of the /sstvanMassacre are to divide into splinter cells.

)attlebrothers from any 'egion are elcome in our ran!s# if they canprove their commitment to the cause. *e cannot attac! the traitorsdirectly# but e can harry them. *e shall spread ourselves far and ide#attac!ing their supply lines and depots# and bringing nes of thetreachery to hoever e can.3$ulnar3s hand involuntarily tightened. To be separated once more from hisbrothers ould be too much. 3"rater# e have little strength in such smallnumbers#3 he said. 3*hat can e do:33-s! yourself instead# $ulnar# hat could e do all together: &ur 'egion isa fraction of its former strength. Much of the D=nd Expedition is lost# and

the rest of us are scattered idely. /f e all came together# in one place#e could still li!ely do nothing useful against the enemy3s superior

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numbers.33*e ould instead present (orus ith a single target#3 said Griva!. 3*eould be pursued# and annihilated.33&ur father is dead do not let his legacy die too#3 2rayvuus urged them all.3/f you ould follo $hadra! Meduson to ar# then do it on his terms. >ou

must %ght for him# but not ith him.3 Tayvaar agreed. 3There is sense in this plan. $eparately# e are moreagile# harder to pin don and attac!. $pread out across a broad front# eill tie up as many of the enemy by forcing them onto their guard as eill by actually attac!ing them.33-s it should be#3 said <uraa!. 3&ur disposition ill be examined andreordered. *e ill not expose the arriors under our command to thetruth of our 'egion3s inherent ea!ness. /t is a secret shame that e illnot share.33-nd that ea!ness is hat:33That our primarch as rong.3$ilence fell# full of foreboding.32ery ell then#3 said $ulnar# !een to brea! the moment. 3*hat is our %rstmove:33This#3 said 2rayvuus# producing a dataslate.$ulnar too! it# and froned.3- staging post:33-n astropathic relay station# and 'egion supply point. Thetaclassplanetoid ith attendant base units. -t the time of sending# %ftythree eetresupply vessels ere there. *e have coordinates. /t as discovered by asmall contingent of Clan -traxii eeing the battle at /sstvan.3

3$ending:3 as!ed 9s!leer. 3(ave them return to us# and share their %ndingsin person.33There are multiple command structures operating in parallel#3 Griva!explained. 3/t is ta!ing time to gather intelligence upon all the disparateelements of our 'egion. 1ot all of them are heeding our call Clan -traxiiare particularly intransigent. /ron 'ord (rottaava! openly de%es *arleaderMeduson# in fact.33)ut not this company:3 as!ed $ulnar.3&ur brothers appear to see sense#3 said Griva!.$ulnar passed the slate on# and Tayvaar loo!ed over the information. 3/snot the !ey in such asymmetrical arfare to !eep each cell in ignorance of

the actions of the other:33>es#3 said "rater <u!aar. 3-nd among those of us ho chose to or! ithMeduson before e came to you# there is a prohibition on contact in allbut the most exceptional circumstances.33$uch division suits our temperament#3 9s!leer murmured.3-nd these are exceptional circumstances:3 Tayvaar persisted.3'one elements reach out to the rest of the 'egion# as though it ere stillhole. They too see! to sla!e their thirst for revenge. They cannot do thisalone# or ithout guidance.3 Tayvaar nodded. 3The outpost is ell defended by the Tentieth 'egion.3

3)ombardment:3 suggested $ulnar. 3*e have the ships.33*e can3t aste those supplies on the ground#3 said 9s!leer. 3*e should

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launch a full combat drop. )oots on the ground.3 Tayvaar smiled unpleasantly. 3-nd hat if it is a trap:3Griva! aved a hand dismissively. 3/f it is# e ill surprise them. *e havesu7cient numbers in this group to destroy them outright# and scatter anyambush. /t is the ish of the /ron "athers that e proceed to our brothers3

aid# and turn any trap bac! upon the traitors. *e have fought our ay outfrom harder places.33The time for ea!ness is over#3 said <uraa!. 3*e ill charge into peril asour father did. They expect it. 'et us run at them. 'et them underestimateus# and e ill turn it to our favour.3M> -0M&90 /$ almost repaired by the time e go into battle. -ll systemschec! out perfectly. / am pleased ith my or!. / have repainted most ofthe plates# but not my left shoulder. There# / must rene my 'egionheraldry. / sit don in my ne arming chamber several times to do this#but %nd that / cannot./t is still incomplete# scorched by the betrayal of /sstvan# hen e attac!.*e come out from the arp li!e rage itself# right on top of our targetithout thought for safe distances# matter interlacing or proximitytranslation interference. The /ron (ands are eager to destroy the enemy#and ill have the element of surprise at all costs. The boave of ouremergence sends the tenders around the asteroid alloing as spaceconvulses about them. $everal are caught in brutal temporal eddies andare torn into fragments. The guns of the station are upon us quic!ly# trac!ing the 2oluntas Ex"erro# highrate macrocannons casting ultrahigh explosive rounds. Theyaim at here e ill be. &ur path and theirs intersect# void combat3s

geometry of destruction executed as expected. Explosions bloom all alongthe ventral facing of the ship. 2oid %elds ic!er ith otherorldly energy. They hold# and my brothers and / are aay# the 2oluntas falling up aboveus.&ur Thunderha! the third / sa# someho coaxed bac! to life hurtled atthe station ithout restraint or caution. The surface of the station rushesup to us. "orty per cent of its mass is of human construction. The rest isroc! into hich the arti%cial components are embedded. - thin regolith ofpulverised stone coats the surface# %ne as lapping poder.&ur target is the astropathic relay. /t arches up on a soaring buttress#fantastical architecture that ould be impossible on a Terranstandard

orld. The gravity of the asteroid is negligible# but / feel it pullnonetheless# a groing heaviness as e approach.$hips explode in the s!y around us. This is the or! of the 0aven Guard#stealing ahead. &ur commanders play to our strengths.3$tand readyJ3 commands Chosen 2ra3!esh. There are tenty of us no#brought together from all over the otilla# and e have a leader in the Terminatorclad 2ra3!esh of the "iredra!es. 3*e ill secure the relaystation. &ur primary target is this access port.3 The port ashes on our visor displays. *e !no it ell. *e have studied itand every battle possible contingency for the last three days.

3*e ill rendeFvous ith the /ron (ands of Clan 2urgaan#3 says 2ra3!esh.3/t is an honourable duty.3

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There is tension amongst their clans. They hope# / am sure# that overturesfrom another 'egion ill be better received. Ten of us bear breaching shields. These are loangifts from the /ron (ands. There has not been time to repaint them# and so e bear their emblem.2ra3!esh has a small shield of his on crafting# an ingenious device

around hich crac!les a poer %eld# its discharges as lively as lightning./n his right hand he bears a poer maul in the shape of a roaringsalamander3s head. / smile to myself# and imagine the !illers of our !insmashed don by it. There is a determination to us. 2ul!an told us to endure# and so e must.)ut there is a grim ,oy also. The necomers to our group brought nes... The primarch3s body as never found. (e might live./ am sure he does. / !no it someho. / feel it in my chest# a truth thatarms both my hearts# li!e a groing %re in a forge left cold for too long. The Thunderha! touches don for a handful of heartbeats. The pilotsblo open the assault ramp ithout venting the atmosphere# and eemerge rimed in voidfroFen gases. &ur guns are %ring before the shipta!es o6 again# blasting the dust around us. )eteen the gas cloud andthe debris# e are blind for crucial seconds.3'oc! shieldsJ3 calls Chosen 2ra3!esh.34istance to primary target# thirty metres#3 E3nesh reports. Those of us in the %rst ran! bring our shields up as the mess clears#carried o6 by momentum. *e run in a shuNing gait# s!ating on the loosematerial cloa!ing the surface. To push don too hard here is to ris! death. The gravity is so ea! it ould not hold a shove from poerarmouredlegs. &ur feet !ic! up more dust that moves outards in strange burst

patterns# unrestrained by atmosphere.3ContactJ ContactJ3 Threat indicators in my helm go ild. $even of our traitorous !in aremoving to engage./ hold my shield in front of me and brace. )oltrounds burn at us# theirpropellant loads bright in the vacuum. They rattle across our front li!ehail# the noise of their impact and detonation conveyed to my earsthrough the metal. Their combined impetus threatens to !noc! us over.&s!3mani stumbles. / move my breaching shield to cover him a fraction#saving him from the next volley. The rounds batter against the plasteel. (eo6ers no than!s as he rights himself.

)rothersinarms do not need than!s.*e return %re. The -lpha 'egionnaires of the AA are arranged loosely# ande pic! them o6 ith concentrated %re.&nly one of ours falls. - good exchange.&ur formation tightens again# and e are at the door. /t is plain plasteel# amodular design common across the /mperium. /t is set at an angle into theground. /n less terrible times# / have visited many such places but / neverthought that / ould have to %ght my ay into one.Chosen 2ra3!esh pushes his ay forard. )olts spar! from his heavyarmour. They veer into spaceP some become embed and explode in the

ground# others are caught and detonated by the energy %eld of his smallshield. (e has magloc!ed his poer maul to his thigh# and in his other

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hand he hefts a melta bomb. (e marches through a storm of bullets andslams it hard at the ,oin in the centre of the doors. The rest of us form asemicircle around him as he sets the charge.)attle rages across the surface of the planetoid. The /ron (ands fall uponthe -lpha 'egion ith terrible savagery.

They ever ere furious in battle# and the death of their primarch hasmade them more so. )ut here once the /ron (ands ould have marchedin step ith us# their allies# no they run ahead# as careless as -ngron3s*orld Eaters./ realise for all their grimness and rigid comportment# their 'egion haschanged. They %ght here as if they do not care for their on losses# solong as they !ill the enemy. Their lives have become meaningless. Theirattac! began in unity# but their vanguard is soon fragmented. Theyassault singly or in small groups. / see a ildness in them. They barely!eep themselves in formation# and %ght ith unrestrained violence.- lightning ash of an explosion comes from the torus of the station# and adoc!ing array oats aay as if gently nudged. $hortlived %re spes intospace. To tenders decouple violently# trailing strands of metal. )odiesshoot from the gaps unarmoured# human cre. @articulate matter reathsthem in shining clouds.)oltrounds strea! across the airless battle%eld. -ll / hear is brought to meby vox# but my augmented hearing and my suit systems or! hard todamp it don. The cacophony of battle is more disorienting hendelivered secondhand. The bul! of the traitor force is on the surface. Many ear void harnesses#or -nvilus poer pac!s ith spread venting arms# directing the outgassing

of their cooling coils through their stabilisation ,ets to manoeuvre. Thisgives them an advantage in agility# but e have the advantage of fury. The /ron (ands %ght ith the strength of the insane.3ClearJ3 shouts 2ra3!esh.*e admit him into our shield circle and ithdra. The fusion bomb gloshitehot. - large part of the door follos suit# collapsing inard li!emelted plaste!. The charge gives out# the metal cooling sloly. $pace iscold# but ith no medium to carry the heat all must be lost via directradiation.2enting air rushes from the breach. - spray of blood and matter assomeone is suc!ed through the toosmall hole. )olts strea! outards after

it. *e cover ourselves ith our shields as Tu3vash and <uphat move up toforce the doors ide ith spreading clas. 4isplaced items and screaming'egion thralls are suc!ed into the vacuum3s silence# bouncing from ourshields. They heel aay to ,oin the cloud of debris groing about thestation. Then e are inside. The station has hite corridors# brightly lit by lumen panels in the roof.Colour coded banding designates the sector. (ere it is red.Gravity plating gives an approximation of Terran norm. *e do not rely onit# and engage our boot magloc!s in preparation for its failure. $ure

enough# it is deliberately disengaged by the enemy the moment e arethrough and into the complex.

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The inner voidloc! has not been sealed. There are %ve -lpha 'egionnairesithin. *e can advance only three abreast# so cannot easily bring ournumbers to bear. They bac! aay from us# %ring as they go./t is a stately assault. *e proceed in slo formation behind our shields#leaning into the decompression inds.

The traitors retreat to match our pace. *e pass humans gripping ontoemergency grabbars# struggling against the gale. Their eyes are ide ithfear and their faces purple. / onder if they understand hat they do. 4othey follo the -lpha 'egion through loyalty or through fear: 4o theyeven !no hat is happening at all: 1ot all of them could have the blac!hearts of traitors# surely: These thoughts came to mind during theCrusade from time to time# but / put them aside as e cleansed onenoncompliant orld after another. They seem more pressing no. Theunitting humans might be saved from themselves# if they !ne the truthof this ar. These questions do not trouble our /ron (ands !insmen. They pour inthrough the breached doors behind us and slaughter everyone they comeacross. The ind drops. This section has breathed its last. To of the remaining enemy legionaries brea! for a side corridor# coveredby the last of them. &ne duc!s bac!# his bolts punching holes in ourbreaching shields. They may be traitors# but they are still $pace Marinesand their combat discipline is impressive.My suit systems %nd something of interest in the vox chatter and presentit to me. 2oices from both sides ,abber aay in our helms. The station hasbeen breached in several areas.

3@roceed to the main ob,ectiveJ 'et the /ron (ands %nish clearing thisarea#3 orders 2ra3!esh. 3$ecure the astropathic relay.30esistance is light.*e pic! up the pace. *e pass through an unloc!ed door into an area iththin residual atmosphere. The di6erence is mostly aural. $ounds arecarried by more than ,ust the vox here.3This ay#3 says 2ra3!esh# pointing ith his poer maul. The corridor opens out. *e enter an armourglass dome loo!ing out intothe void. The relay post is visible through the curved roof. The Emperor3seagle %nials on the relay have been beheaded# and baleful red lights shinefrom its indos. )urning ships and rec!age tangles frame it. There# at the double doors that lead to the access spur# /ron (ands %ght

ith -lpha 'egionnaires. /ron (ands ho ere not of our assault group.3To their aid# brothersJ3 2ra3!esh orders.*e brea! into a run# shouting out the nelyminted battlecry of our 'egion.32ul!an livesJ3$houlder to shoulder ith the /ron (ands# e slaughter the enemy. Thereare seven of them# bearing the sigils of Clan -traxii. $tanding amongst thedead# their armour is battered. They are the ones# then# ho brought ordof the installation to us. To of them turn aay and al! through the doorleading to the relay ithout a ord. Their leader steps before us. 3Than! you for your assistance#3 he says#

earnestly.-nd then the rest of them turn their guns upon us.

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)rother raydo goes don# his helmet holloed out by a bolt. <uphor falls#hands failing to stop the crimson gushing from his ruined gorget. &nce# eould have reacted to such an attac! ith shoc! and disorientation.1o longer. *e have become inured to treachery.*e are close in. *e grapple. There are more of us than them# and e are

tired of betrayal. 2ra3!esh proves the leveller. (is poer maul sipeside# caving in the breastplate of one. - aring of his shield3s poer %eldhalts the donard arc of a chainsord# and another of their number dies./ restle ith my opponent. &ur guns are gone. / pin his right arm# and he!ic!s my legs out from under me and e both fall# he on top of me. Through his red helm lenses# / see a fervid glee in his eyes. (e grips at myshoulder guard and sha!es it hard. 3/ am the -lpha and the &mega# youfool#3 he grols. 3-nd e are not your enemy.3/ see the !ra! grenade in his hand ,ust in time. Tisting# / thro him hardenough to send him into the armourglass beyond. The detonationobliterates his left arm and the indo. The corpse is suc!ed outards by the explosive decompression. / follo#but E3nesh grabs my arm. (e is magloc!ed to the oor and holds meeasily. laxons blare and blast shielding clangs shut over the shatteredindo pane. The gale drops ith it. The false /ron (ands are all dead. )ut they have achieved their apparentgoal.-t the end of its slender hite bridge# the astropathic relay goes don inames.2ra3!esh is stunned by the sight# his poer maul sin!ing to the oor.

3/ do not understand#3 says )rother i3shen.3/n%ltrators#3 says 4a3eev. (e !ic!s one of the corpses. The rest appear tobe earing actual /ron (ands plate# but not this one. The paint is ne.0evealed by scratches# -lpha 'egion blue shines.3)ut hy pose as /ron (ands to get us to attac! their on outpost:3 as!sE3nesh incredulously.3@erhaps ours are not the only shattered 'egions# brother#3 muttersi3shen.2ra3!esh sha!es his head. 3/f they ere loyal# hy then turn their guns onus: /t ma!es no sense.33(e said something to )rother 4ona!#3 says 4a3eev. 3*hat:3

3/ did not hear# brother#3 said i3shen. The others reply similarly.3*hat did he say:3 2ra3!esh demands of me./ do not reply. The "iredra!e marches up to me. /n his Terminator plate# heis taller and far more imposing.3*hat. 4id. (e. $ay:3 he as!s again.)ut / cannot say# and so the truth of it remains unspo!en."or no at least.-"TE0 M&0E 4E'-># / settle to %nish painting my second pauldron. &ncethis is done# then my armour ill be compliant ith my 'egion3s heraldic

code. /t is an important moment. Clad in this battleplate# / ill be the4ona! of old on the outside. )ut / fear that / ill never be the same ithin#

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and so do not stop in reverence or contemplation./ !ey the brush on. The pistons of the pump chirr quietly. $pray mists theair.*ithin a fe seconds# the pauldron is a glossy $alamander green# as itshould be. / feel something ithin me a budding optimism# perhaps: / !ey

the paint to a yello# ait for the brush noFFle to clean itself# then beginto rough in the stencilled outlines of ames along the bottom edge. This ta!es me a quarter of an hour. / am lost in my or!.*hen / am done# / stop. / should add the great emblem no. The dra!e3shead./ pause. $omething is not quite right./ set the paintbrush don and ta!e up my combat !nife from the table.Gripping the pauldron as hard as / can# / dig into the metal ith the tip ofmy blade. The paint scratches# but / must go deeper# / must mar! themetal as / have been mar!ed. The blade squeals on the ceramite s!incovering the plasteel beneath. The metal is strong# but / am stronger. /clench my teeth as / force the point into the otherise aless metal#ruining hat only minutes ago / had set to rights. The ceramite curls beneath the blade. Millimetre by millimetre / etch thesalamander3s head into the metal directly. &f course# / could use myengraving tools and have the emblem done in minutes# but that is not thepoint. The struggle is the point.3)rother# hat are you doing:3/ turn# &s!3Mani is behind me ith E3nesh. They appear troubled that / amvandalising my argear# but / ignore them and turn bac! to my or!. / am

nearly %nished. / do not care if they do not understand. They must also dothis. The last scru6 of metal drops aay. / hold up the pauldron. The emblem issound# albeit rough. The hard scratches of it catch the light# ma!ing itappear to move./t is hat <o3phor ould do# / ant to say. &n /sstvan# he carvedsalamander heads such as this into the armour of our enemy# to ma!ethem aare that thoste faithful to the Emperor still lived# and ould bringvengeance for their treachery. / do it to honour him# and to remember ourcause. <o3phor as right. *e stand no in numbers# and together emight conclude hat e began on /sstvan 2.

/t is a %tting tribute# and the reneal of a promise to pursue vengeance.)ut / cannot spea!. 1ot yet./ loo! at my brothers# imploring them to understand. E3nesh nods andrests a hand upon my shoulder.32ul!an lives#3 he hispers./ nod. *hether it is true or not# e shall endure./ turn bac! to my or!./ have blunted my !nife. / must sharpen it again.

T(E E/T(E0

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G0-(-M MC1E/''

/

$(/@)&-04 (&0&'&G$ $(&*E4 that three years had passed since the

infamy of /sstvan. /t felt longer. Much longer. Three bloody years hunting the meling scraps of 'egions culled on theblac! sands. - duty he hadn3t relished# even as he recognised itsnecessity. Three years the A2/ 'egion spent earning glory ithout him# %ghting atthe forefront of this nebirthed ar. That hurt. That hurt a lot.)ut he as nothing if not a true son# and he !ne the value of obeyingorders. $o much time apart from his brothers and 'upercal as a!in to ahot blade cutting pieces of his soul aay.'eaving a void li!e the one gouged by 2erulam Moy3s death.*as this hat the arriors of the A 'egion felt# !noing their genesire asdead: (olloed out and empty. /n need of fresh purpose to %ll that void:*as that hat drove them to !eep %ghting in the face of certainextinction:- yearning for purpose hen there as no purpose:(e had described his feelings to a eshspare arrior of the /ron (andsthey3d captured a year ago in the airless hul! of the last remaining Momedvoidhive.(is name as Tharbis of Clan "elg# but that as about all he ever toldthem. /nterrogating one of the 'egiones -startes through pain as an

exercise in futility. 4oubly so ith an /ron (and./nstead# he sought to brea! Tharbis ith ords of "errus Manus.3/ sa your genesire die on /sstvan#3 he ould say on one of his frequentvisits to his captive3s cell. 3/ atched the @hoenician eep as he clove hisbrother primarch3s head from his shoulders. -nd do you !no hat else /sa as he fell:/ sa the %ght ither in the /ron (ands still standing. They simply gave up.&ne by one# they laid don their eapons and ere slaughtered li!esine. -ll so they might die next to their father. Huite noble in its onay.3-ll inventions# of course he had seen nothing but dying $alamanders on

/sstvan but they cut Tharbis deeply. &ver and over he sought to brea! hiscaptive ith hopelessness and despair# yet even to his last# metallic#oilrich breath# Tharbis had de%ed him. The last ord to pass his lips had been a curse and a threat all in one. -name# he had since come to learn.$hadra! Meduson.(e had laughed as Tharbis died# leaning close so that the last thing thearrior ould hear ould %nally crush him.3(aven3t you heard:3 said Tybalt Marr. 3/3ve already !illed $hadra!Meduson.3

T(E $/E$ &2E0 4ell burned hot. 0eentry cones painted it in %re. TybaltMarr as bringing his ships and his arriors bac! to the *armaster.

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They3d translated insystem seven days ago and made all speed for the%fth planet. &nly the ruins of the ship schools# battery plates and driftingsiegehul!s loc!ed in everdecreasing orbits forced them to exercise morecaution in their approach. The $ea of Enna shone li!e an elliptical mirror of brass# reecting the lo

sun and the s!yborn atomic %res. /t reminded Marr of the great amber eyeat the centre of 'upercal3s breastplate.(e guided the $tormbird loer# circling the haphaFard collection ofdellings that made up the city of Ty,un# a disordered collection of eclecticstructural forms %lling a shallo rift valley li!e the leavings of a tsunami.&nly a vast ochre necropolis atop an overloo!ing plateau presented anyunity of form. (e3d learned it as !non as the Mausolytic# and that itpredated the /mperium by millennia."itting that this reunion ould be held in the shado of a house of thedead.Marr overe its bloc!y immensity# !eeping the proud nose of the$tormbird high. - yby to honour 'upercal and to announce thetriumphant return of one of his true sons. *asteful not to simply land# yes#but he and his arriors had earned the right to preen a little.- dangerous arleader as dead by their hand# his host bro!en. That asorth a little grandstanding. Ten $tormbirds e in formation ith Marr3s craft# roaring overhead ith alegacy of victory carved into their entryhot an!s. Marr made one morecircle before %nally issuing the order to land. Coming in from the north#the septentrional aspect he had alays favoured# he transitioned hisgunship to vertical ight.

(e brought the heavy craft don hard# a ar landing.'eaving the postlanding chec!s and protocols to a 'egion thrallservitor#Marr decoupled from the controls and made his ay bac! through thecre bays.ysen $cybale already had the squads on their feet. $cybale as asergeant# Cthonian to the core. &ld guard# but ith sense enough to moveith the times. - man of his experience should have been made captainby no# but $cybale !ne here he %tted best.&ne loo! into his inty grey eyes# lit from ithin by Cthonia3s dar! %re# andeven captains found themselves ta!ing an unaccounted step bac!.Marr3s chosen arriors formed up# eager to re,oin the 'egion. $cybale

stood at Marr3s right hand# Cyon -Fedine on his left. The CompanyChampion3s hand never strayed from the leatheround grip of hismortuary sord# its bas!ethilt reor!ed to bear the death mas! of the /ron(and ho had borne it before him.34on3t e all ma!e a pretty picture:3 as!ed $cybale.Marr grinned and gave the sergeant a nod# loc!ing his transversecrestedhelm into the croo! of his arm as the forard assault ramp loered ith asqueal of pneumatics.0usset light poured in on a gust of air# hot ith propellant from the$tormbird3s exhausts.

Marr tasted 4ell.4ry# spiced atmosphere. $altrich ind from the sea and a lo range of

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stillsmouldering heavy metals. - lingering taste of acrid preservatives.(e marched don the ramp# his stride sure and con%dent# purposeful in aay it hadn3t been for a long time. (e emerged from the shado of the$tormbird onto a nelyconstructed apron of scorched plascrete at theedge of the plateau. Gunships squatted li!e scaled raptors in hot clouds of

vapour to either side.3The 'egion as expecting us# yes:3 as!ed -Fedine.Marr had no anser for him.(e hadn3t expected a triumph to match 9llanor. (e3d hoped# but hadn3treally expected (orus 'upercal to be here.(e3d hoped a fe companies of $ons of (orus at least."our arriors stood at the far end of the apron. Three ere !non to himas brothers# the fourth a stranger. -t their number# Marr felt a tinge ofunease. 1othing he could identify# ,ust a ripple of sourceless disquiet."irst Captain EFe!yle -baddon as impossible to mista!e. Tybalt Marr# 5Kth Captain of the $ons of (orus Toering and brutal# his shaven head and sishing top!not made himunique among the A2/ 'egion. Cleaving close to -baddon as "al!usibre# his enormous arplate ma!ing his already massive frame evenlarger. The third arrior3s face as cold and humourless# sharply angled andpatrician in mien. 'i!e the *armaster# but ithout the dynamism of (orus'upercal. - true son# sa Marr# but one that as un!non to him.)ut in the face of 'ittle (orus -ximand# Marr had his %rst real shoc!. (edid his best to hide it# but the loo! on -ximand3s face told him he hadn3tbeen successful.

'ittle (orus held out his gauntlet before he could say anything.3*elcome to 4ell# Tybalt#3 said -ximand# his dis%gured face moving asthough the muscles beneath his s!in ere being or!ed by invisiblestrings. $till recognisably a true son# but someho entirely other. Marrcouldn3t decide hether -ximand no loo!ed more or less li!e their sire.3'ittle (orus# hat;3 said Marr# but -ximand shoo! his head.3-nother time#3 said -ximand. 3'et3s ,ust say that steel forged on Medusahas such a %ne edge# and leave it at that.33-s you say#3 agreed Marr ith a slight incline of his head.3$o the Either returns to us#3 said -baddon ith hat as probably meantto be a grin# but came o6 loo!ing more li!e the death mas! on -Fedine3s

mortuary blade. 3&r is it the 3&r3# / could never tell you to apart?3-nger touched Marr at -baddon3s poor attempt at humour.3>ou never did have any s!ill at ,ests# did you# EFe!yle:3 he said. 32erulamdied on 4avin3s moon. $o /3m not the Either any more# and /3m certainlynot the &r. 1o /3m ,ust Tybalt Marr. Captain Tybalt Marr.3-baddon3s bro furroed# but he refrained from rising to the barb# muchto Marr3s surprise.)efore that changed# -ximand too! a step toards him and put a hand onhis shoulder guard. (e gently# but %rmly turned Marr toards the polishedochre stone of the Mausolytic.

3*e meet in a liminal space#3 he said. 3- place here life and death are notso far apart as e might ish. /t3s %tting e remember the dead as e

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!ne them. EFe!yle meant no disrespect to the memory of 2erulam. 4idyou# EFe!yle:331o#3 said -baddon through gritted teeth. 3/ did not.3-ximand nodded and stepped bac!. 3>ou see: The restoration of theMournival has given EFe!yle fresh reserves of empathy and humility.3

That made Marr smile until the full import of -ximand3s ords hit home. That explained the vague unease he3d felt hen he3d seen there ere fourof them. The others sa the realisation in his eyes.3(e didn3t !no#3 said the un!non arrior. 3&f course# ho could he:3Marr rounded on him# ta!ing in his inferior ran!.3*ho are you# and hy are you tal!ing to me as though you3re my equal:3 The arrior gave a curt bo# barely enough to sho respect.3-pologies# Captain Marr# / o6er all respect#3 he said. 3My name is Grael1octua of the Tenty"ifth *arloc!ed.33>ou3re ,ust a squad commander#3 said Marr.3>es#3 said 1octua. 3"or no.33-nd you3re Mournival: -ll of you:31octua nodded# and Marr sa a cold glimmer of a ruthlessly calculatingintelligence. (e ondered if the others had seen it.3*e needed our confraternity restored#3 said -ximand. 31o more thanever.3Marr nodded# the muscles in his ,a tight as tension cables in a$tormbird3s ing.3-nd 'upercal:3 he said. 3(e approves:33(e does#3 said -baddon# and Marr felt the !nife in his bac! tist ,ust a

little deeper."al!us ibre stepped forard and clapped both gauntlets on Marr3sforearms. (e and the Master of the <ustaerin had never been close# butMarr had alays respected ibre3s honest and brusque tothepoint manner.3/t3s good to have you bac!#3 said ibre. 3Too! your time disposing of a feragamu7n survivors# eh:33>ou didn3t vox ahead to tell them:3 as!ed $cybale. 3Tell them hat youdid.33Tell us hat:3 as!ed -ximand.Marr too! a breath and said# 3That a arleader of the Tenth 'egion named$hadra! Meduson as alloying those ragamu7n survivors into a %ghting

force of not inconsiderable strength. *e destroyed his eet at -rissa!.3-lmost immediately# Marr !ne something as rong hen he sa theconfused reaction to his pronouncement.31o# Tybalt#3 said -ximand. 3/3m afraid $hadra! Meduson is very muchalive.3(e should have died. That as the thought uppermost in Marr3s mind as he atched grainypictcapture of the /ron (ands3 "ire 0aptors stra%ng the 4ome of0evivi%cation ith gun%re. (ighvelocity shells tore through its latticeor!structure# detonating the cryotubes ithin and rec!ing mechanisms

thousands of years old. The "ire 0aptors circled# their centreline and aist turrets braying ith

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explosive %re# and the toer upon hich the dome sat erupted li!e aaming geyser.(orus# Mortarion and "ulgrim ere in that dome.- meeting of brothers undone by an attempted decapitating stri!e./f it hadn3t been directed at his on primarch# Marr ould have admired

such a gutsy approach. Especially in the a!e of the *hite $cars3 abortiveassassination attempt. To have lain in ait for so long displayed a level of patience Marr hadhitherto not encountered in his dealings ith $hadra! Meduson. Theboarding action he3d led aboard the Cron of "lame had taught Marr muchabout the man8 his cunning# his determination and his resilience. -lsorec!lessness and the exploitable desire to stri!e bac! hard.)ut patience: 1o# that asn3t a virtue he associated ith the arleader ofthe /ron Tenth.Could Meduson be alive: Might he have escaped the slaughter in the-rissa! $ystem: /t had been so comprehensive a defeat# so thorough in itsbloodletting# that it seemed impossible anything could have escaped. (e3datched Meduson3s agship die# seen its guttering hul! tear itself apart ina lethal torsion of reactor detonations and arp implosions.Marr shoo! his head and returned his attention to the pict capture# thesaying feed coming from a servitor drone attracted by the sudden noiseand light.*hen the end came# it came suddenly.&ne of the gunships crumpled as though being crushed in the inescapablegravity of a blac! hole. Then (orus 'upercal as there.

Marr3s breath caught in his throat.(e3d atched this a doFen times already# and still the poer of the*armaster as astonishing. (e leapt onto the pro of a gunship hoo!edby a chain hurled by the 4eath 'ord. *ith one seep of *orldbrea!er#'upercal demolished the "ire 0aptor3s pro# before vaulting onto the lastenemy craft and brea!ing its spine./t as the most incredible thing Marr had ever seen. The pict capture exploded into static as $ons of (orus gunships %nallyarrived on station and shot don anything that didn3t bear the Eye of(orus. Marr reached forard. (e toggled the ivory sitch to loop thebroadcast and sat bac! on his bench seat as the image of the dome

reconstituted itself in veils of light.Marr sat in the central courtyard of hat might once have been a ealthymerchant3s villa# but as no ,ust an empty marble shell. /t sat on theupper slopes of the rift valley# ithin al!ing distance of the Mausolytic@recinct# herein (orus 'upercal as said to be communing ith thefroFen dead of 4ell.Marr had brooded ithin the villa for %ve days# the !noledge of $hadra!Meduson3s survival having robbed him of the triumphant nes he as todeliver. $mall onder the primarch made no time for him. To doFen dataslates lay scattered on the blac!veined agstones of the

courtyard# each %lled ith notations of enemy actions over the last threeyears# spreading out from /sstvan. (e3d studied them obsessively for those

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%ve days and his eidetic memory as fully conversant ith everythingthey contained.Marr pic!ed up the nearest and scanned its contents again.-cts of sabotage# supply lines cut# fuelling asteroids destroyed and a hostof guerilla engagements here enemy forces had attac!ed# fallen bac!

then attac!ed again.0aven Guard through and through. The random nature of each stri!e# and# more tellingly# its isolation fromthe others# had !ept Marr !ept everyone from registering theirimportance. )ut hen vieed as being part of a greater hole# thefaintest hint of an implacable# resolute and indefatigable ill becameapparent.-n iron ill.Marr sa nothing de%nitive# but each morsel as a tantalisingbreadcrumb that pointed to one inescapable conclusion.$hadra! Meduson as indeed alive.1ot ,ust alive# but raising his threatened storm ith ne s!ills and a nelevel of cunning alloyed in the %re of his apparent destruction.Meduson3s supposed defeat had come in the shoc!spasms folloing/sstvan 2. The /ron (ands arleader had fought as he3d alays fought# theonly ay he !ne ho# gathering hatever resources he could toassemble a fresh %ghting force. That as the ay of the A 'egion. /f a machine bro!e don# they didhatever it too! to get it or!ing again# replacing bro!en parts ithhatever came to hand. Meduson had ta!en that credo to its logicalextension by incorporating squads from the $alamanders and 0aven

Guard into his formations.-nd it had very nearly or!ed.Marr had destroyed Meduson3s agglomerated eet# but the scattered# adhoc otillas in the outer reaches of the system had ta!en much longer tohunt don./n the end# the survivors had been too bro!en# too dispersed and toopsychologically shattered to endure the ferocity of Marr3s vengefulprosecution. &f course# there had been elements that evaded destruction#but he3d believed them to be minor irritations and barely orth notice. The assassination attempt on 4ell as the prism that thre an entirelyne and dreadful light on that belief.

(e reached don and lifted a clay amphora of ine that had somehosurvived the city3s fall and hich he3d found halfempty in the basement. /tas too thin and atery to his tastes# but ,ust drin!ing it sto!ed a %re inhis belly as his genhanced metabolism countered the alcohol. The ine tasted sour# but everything tasted sour ,ust no.M-00 *-14E0E4 T(E empty halls of the villa# drin!ing from the amphoraand letting his mind consider the idea that the random attac!s on forcessorn to the *armaster ere not random at all.(e had to ta!e his suspicions to (orus 'upercal# but needed to beabsolutely sure that hat he believed as beyond doubt.

Too much certainty and he ould be vieed as paranoid# ,umping atshados and seeing threats here none existed. Too little and 'upercal

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ould dismiss him out of hand# relegating him to the rear echelons offorgotten arriors hose names history ouldn3t bother to remember.)ut hadn3t that already happened:(o many more times could he be passed over: (o many more timescould he be ignored: The Either and the &r# to nic!names blithely

indi6erent to the individual heroism of Tybalt Marr and 2erulam Moy3sachievements.Marr !ne ho the 'egion vieed him. @recise# e7cient and or!manli!e.$teady# but ithout the glories on by men li!e $edirae# -baddon or#apparently# Grael 1octua. Even Marr3s magni%cent victories in the lomountains of Murder hadn3t changed that perception.(e remembered standing in the strategium of the 2engeful $pirit duringthe early stages of the ar on Murder.'o!en had been there# spitefully leaving him to the droning attentions of/acton HruFe. The old arrior had been a relic from a bygone age of the'egion# a man hose counsel as rarely sought# but alays o6ered.3/ on3t be the halfheard#3 said Marr# ma!ing his ay don a carpetedhallay in the upper levels of the villa# a passageay replete ithportraits that bore unmista!able genetic lin!s.&nly the most recent picture had no date of death beneath it. - omanshaled ith rich fabrics and draped in expensive ,eellery stared bac! athim# handsome ith rich living and hat loo!ed li!e subtle esh sculpting.34id you on this %ne delling:3 he as!ed the portrait. 3(o did it feel tohave it ta!en from you: To have your dreams crushed under the boots ofthe $ons of (orus:3 The portrait as# of course# silent.

3-re you even still alive: @erhaps you ed to the interior countryside toait out the ar. Maybe you too! refuge in another of your holdings# or inthe household of a friend.3Marr stepped aay from the portrait and hurled the amphora at the all./t shattered and soa!ed the picture# drenching it in ine that dripped ingarnet droplets from its gilt frame.3/t doesn3t matterJ3 he roared. 3*hatever became of you# you are nothingno. *hatever your achievements# they are as dust in the ind. -ll yourlabours# all your dedication# blood# seat and tears? all shed for nothing.3(e turned as he heard a door opening belo. "ootsteps on marble. Tooheavy a tread to be anything other than a legionary.

3Tybalt:3 shouted a voice# echoing through the villa. 3-re you in here:3(e made his ay bac! through the villa to the head of a %ne set of marbleand ouslite stairs that split apart miday don their length to curvegroundards in opposing symmetrical arcs. )elo as 'ittle (orus-ximand# standing in the centre of a mosaic oor of coloured glass tilesthat depicted bucolic scenes of 4ell3s pastoral antiquity.3*hat do you ant:33To tal!#3 said -ximand. 3-s old friends do hen they meet after longabsences.3Marr made his ay don the stairs# much as the lady of this house must

once have done hen receiving guests.-ximand aited patiently# his ne face regarding Marr quiFFically. )elted

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at his aist as a huge blade of Cthonian bluesteel# its edge notched andbadly in need of repair.3/ ant you to !no that / put your name forard#3 said -ximand. 3"or theMournival# / mean.33)ut / as re,ected.3

3EFe!yle !nos you are a good man# and coming from him that is asuperlative compliment.3Marr reached the bottom of the steps.3)ut he still re,ected my appointment#3 said Marr. 3*hich goes some ay toexplaining hy he didn3t tear my head o6 hen / insulted him on thelanding %eld.3-ximand nodded. 3/3d urged him to be sympathetic. -fter a hile heagreed.3Marr grinned. 'ittle (orus -ximand had been a true friend to him over theyears# but this latest ound in his pride as going to ta!e more thanconsoling ords to salve.3*hy as / re,ected this time:3 as!ed Marr. 3-nd please# don3t try andseeten the balm.332ery ell. EFe!yle didn3t thin! you had the stomach for the ,ob#3 said-ximand.Marr ground his teeth at so casual a dismissal.3(e !ept pushing for his on men#3 continued -ximand. 3Choleric types li!eibre# Targost and E!addon# but e needed balance. / hoped you ould bethe one to bring it# upon your return.33)alance:3 as!ed Marr. 3-nd yet you let the *idoma!er in: / onder ifyou properly understand the concept of balance.3

3>ou !no EFe!yle#3 said -ximand ith a shrug. 3&nce he gets an idea inhis head# it3s next to impossible to shift.33$o that3s hy you made the overture to Grael 1octua: &ne of his# one ofyours.33$omething li!e that#3 said -ximand# and Marr caught a trace of somethingelse# some other reason behind -ximand3s suggestion of Grael 1octua#something he ondered if -ximand himself even understood.(e sighed and said# 3/3d o6er you some ine# but / thin! / ,ust smashed thelast amphora in Ty,un.33$hame.331o# it asn3t very good.3

-ximand smiled# and even ith his ne face# its armth as genuine. 3$ohat are e to do if not drin! as arriors:33>ou brought a sord#3 said Marr. 3*e could %ght.33*ould that help:33(elp ith hat:33To balance your humours#3 said -ximand. 3)ecause it loo!s li!e they needbalancing.33-ye#3 said Marr. 3There3s a courtyard at the centre of the villa# that shouldsu7ce for an arena. Ta!e up that monstrous blade of yours and e3ll %ght.33 Mournit-ll#3 said -ximand.

3*hat:33My sord# it3s called Mournit-ll3.

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3/ !no ho it feels#3 said Marr.//30/4/C9'&9$#3 $-/4 -)-44&1# dropping the dataslate to the gleamingobsidian table. 3That3s hat they ant you to thin!.3 They gathered in one of the sepulchral audience chambers of the

Mausolytic# a place here the citiFens of 4ell could meet and communeith their ancestors. &ctagonal# ith semicircular alcoves spaced atregular intervals around the all# the gloomy and sombre chamber hadbeen appropriated by the Mournival for their nely instigated meetings.-t Marr3s request they gathered to hear his suspicions of the groingthreat of $hadra! Meduson.-ximand sat before a gloing hololith# the light throing the bruises onhis chee! and sollen eye into sharp relief. Their sparring in the villa had been a brutal# punishing a6air# of hichMarr had ta!en the honours. Cathartic and not a little liberating# -ximandhad been proven correct in that it had balanced Marr3s humours.'ittle (orus studied an entoptic rendering of interlin!ed icons.Each one as the location of an attac! on their or their allies3 forces# itha spreading chain of outcomes lin!ing to other attac!s and theirconsequences./t loo!ed so much li!e a eb Marr half expected to see the image of agloing spider at its centre.&r an iron %st.3/t3s entirely the opposite#3 said -ximand. 3/f Tybalt3s right# then they antus to dismiss them# to vie them as a negligible threat until it3s too late.3Grael 1octua had a spread of dataslates fanned out before him# scrolling

through multiple informational cascades at once.3&r EFe!yle3s right and it3s all ,ust beating the brush to ma!e noise# toma!e us thin! there3s a huge force out there or!ing to some unseen planand forcing the *armaster to divert resources to %ght them.3&f all the Moumival# 1octua had thus far as!ed the most penetratingquestions. -spects Marr himself had not considered# counterpositions and-dvocatus diaboli refutations that made him feel li!e he had entered acourtmartial ith nothing more than circumstantial evidence and hearsayto prove his case.-baddon paced the oor# his boundless energies !eeping him from sittingin one place for any length of time. ibre sat opposite -ximand#

restraining himself from pacing as -baddon did ith visible e6ort.3/f this ere true#3 said "al!us ibre# spea!ing sloly and tapping thenearest dataslate# 3don3t you thin! (orus 'upercal ould have seen it:3Elevation to the Moumival as evidently suiting ibre.Much to Marr3s surprise# it as alloing a maturity he hadn3t suspectedthe *idoma!er as capable of attaining to bloom. (e3d as!ed the oneand only question that had given Marr second thoughts about presentinghis %ndings at all.Marr hesitated# !noing he as ta!ing a ris! in suggesting any lac! on thepart of the *armaster.

3'upercal3s gaFe is %xed upon Terra#3 he said 3/t !eeps him from seeinghat is behind us.3

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-baddon stopped his pacing.3-nd you said he didn3t have the stomach for this#3 said -ximand ith achuc!le. The "irst Captain sitched his thunderous gaFe beteen Marr and-ximand. 3-nother one ho thin!s he !nos ar better than the

*armaster#3 he said# ith a sha!e of the head. 3There3s nothing here# Marr# ,ust a lot of smo!e ith no %re. >ou ere on /sstvan. >ou !no hat e didthere. 4o you really thin! 'upercal ould have been so careless as to letenough arriors escape ho might form any !ind of credible threat:3Marr !ne he as on dangerous ground here. To agree ith -baddon asto openly criticise their primarch# and even -ximand ould ta!e a dimvie of such open dissent.$peculation as dangerous here# so he stuc! to facts.(e leaned over the table and sitched the hololith to display scrollingdiagrams that loo!ed li!e genealogical trees# but hich ere in fact 'egionorders of battle.3This is a full manifest of the enemy forces deployed at /sstvan as it asdivined at the opening of the assault#3 said Marr# splitting the holo intothree columns# silver# green and blac!. 3/ron (ands# $alamanders and0aven Guard. *atch.3&ne by one# the icons representing enemy squads changed from pale blueto red as Marr fed in casualty reports and recorded exterminations. 'i!ethe creeping cellular sic!ness Marr had once observed -pothecary 2addonstudying in the bloodstream of an infected $cout auxilia# it expanded andincreased the speed of its attac!.3Even though they are our enemies# it still chills the blood to see so much

'egion strength lost#3 said 1octua.34on3t be foolish#3 said -baddon. 3>ou don3t grieve for the enemy hen hedies# you give than!s it asn3t you.3Eventually the display %nished updating# leaving the estimated forces aragged shado of their former glory.3-s best as can be estimated through collated butcher3s bills andrecovered armour# this is as close to an accurate %gure as / can ascribe tothe number of arriors ho li!ely escaped /sstvan.3 The red icons of destroyed 'egion formations faded out# and Marr septthe remaining icons together. They didn3t %t together nearly as neatly asthe original diagram# but then this asn3t an order of battle# ,ust a

representation of hat had li!ely survived the massacre.3'oo! at hat3s left# loo! at hat e can3t account for#3 said Marr. 3/3llager it3s more than you thought# yes: @erhaps tentyto thousandarriors all told# give or ta!e a fe thousand either side. That3s not a forcee can ,ust ignore.33$o more got o6 /sstvan that e thought#3 said -baddon. 3/t still doesn3tprove $hadra! Meduson3s behind all these attac!s or that he has someoverarching plan. (e mustered some resistance here at 4ell# but edefeated him. >ou bro!e him at -rissa!. /f he is in command# then he3sdoing a pretty poor ,ob of %ghting us. These attac!s# irritating as they

might be# are meaningless in the larger scheme of things.33-re they:3 as!ed Marr# s!idding a dataslate over the tabletop toards

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-baddon. 3Meduson threatened to raise the storm against us# and that3s ,ust hat he3s done. 'oo! at hat these meaningless attac!s achieved. -nentire company of $ons of (orus diverted from the front lines of the ar.Months spent securing /sstvan3s supply routes# increased security aroundcaptured systems and# more crucially# the sloing of the march to Terra.3

-baddon slammed his %st don on the table and crac!s spread across itsmirrorblac! surface# reaching out to each member of the Mournival.3EnoughJ >ou thin! because Meduson escaped you once before that he iseveryhere no. >ou really expect us to ta!e these guilty delusions ofyours to 'upercal: 1o# Tybalt# go bac! to your company and get themready for ar.*ithin the ee! e ill leave 4ell for a greater priFe.33>ou on3t ta!e this to 'upercal:3 as!ed Marr.31o#3 said the "irst Captain. 3*e ill not.33-nd the rest of you agree ith this:3ibre nodded# as Marr !ne he ould. 1octua also nodded# but he had atleast considered his decision.-ximand placed his palms on the table# but any hopes that 'ittle (orusould side ith him ere quic!ly dashed.3/ thin! there is some merit in this# Tybalt# but / have to agree ith myMournival brothers#3 he said. 3/f this threat is as dire as you believe# todivert the level of resources you3d need to deal ith it ould greatlyea!en our thrust on Terra.3Marr nodded sloly and sitched the hololith3s display from the combinedsurvivor lists to an image of the galactic spiral. /sstvan shimmered ith afaint nimbus of cerulean light# Terra ith a pulsing yello haFe# a blister in

need of lancing.3-s! yourself this# Mournival#3 said Marr# pointing to the tenebrous gulfs ofspace beteen the blue and the gold.3*ho !nos ho much time the remnants of these shattered 'egions havebought the Emperor and his arriors to fortify# regroup and prepare: (omuch closer to Terra ould e be no# if not for them:3(e leaned forards.3-nd /3ll tell you another thing# if Meduson is behind these attac!s# then hehas a plan# and things are only going to get orse.3>$E1 $C>)-'E -14 Cyon -Fedine ere aiting for him in the pillaredapproach vestibule beyond the Mausolytic3s inner chambers. (e marched

past them# helm held in the croo! of one arm# his other hand gripping thehilt of his sord.(e !ept up the sift pace until they stood on the scorched granite steps of the Mausolytic# loo!ing out over the $ea of Enna.3/3m guessing that didn3t go ell#3 said $cybale.31o#3 said Marr. 3/t didn3t.33-nd there is no ord yet from the primarch:3 as!ed -Fedine.31one.33)ut / see you3re still set on this course#3 said $cybale. 3*ithout sanction orauthority:3

Marr loo!ed up into the burning s!y and nodded.31o more than ever#3 he said.

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$&0T/E$ &9T T&*-04 4ells Mandeville point ere rare# and despite thename such locations ere very rarely %xed points in space. The term asequally applied to any point far enough aay from the gravity ell of astar to allo safe translation into the arp. /n essence# any point on anotional sphere surrounding the star could be the Mandeville point# hich

made a moc!ery of any attempt to guard it.'ocal system pilots and astropaths# of course# !ne points upon thatsphere here the angles beteen the Empyreal realm and real spaceintersected to a greater degree and alloed for a smootherarptranslation.&ccupying regions of space tens of thousands of !ilometres ide# theyere haunted voids# here sourceless voices muttered obscenities andghosts lur!ed in the shados.-nd such points could be guarded. Three $ons of (orus vessels folloed a stately course toards 4ellscoreard ,ump point# !non locally as the -Foth Gate. The todestroyers# the (elicanus and the ashin# and the frigate 'upercal@ursuivant# bristled ith vanes and spi!es# mailed %sts in the face of thevoid. The small otilla had set out from 4ell six days ago# and ere ma!inggood time through the asteroid belt spread beteen the seventh andeighth planets. Marr commanded from the bridge of 'upercal @ursuivant#!eeping his vessels in close formation as they navigated beteenaypoints toards the -Foth Gate. The asteroids ere the debris of the system3s creation millions of yearsbefore# left to drift in a captured orbit around the sun. (undreds of

!ilometres in diameter# each vast hun! of inert roc! drifted through spaceli!e an aimless anderer. Thousands of !ilometres separated each asteroid from its nearestneighbour# ma!ing transit of the belt a relatively simple a6air.Cosmic dust and micrometeor impacts ablated the hulls of all threevessels# fouling local auspex sectors ith false returns and phantomimages./f there ere going to be an attac!# this ould be an ideal location fromhich to launch it. 4espite that# the three shipmasters ere ma!ing noattempt at stealth. - constant chatter of vox passed beteen each vesseland active surveyor seeps# together ith highenergy electromagnetic

pulses# lashed the void before them. The auspex stations on every bridge revealed no trace of enemypresence.1ot that Marr expected any.1ot yet# at least. T(E "/0$T $/G1 of trouble came hen the engines of the 'upercal@ursuivant stuttered ith occlusion are. The venting systems of astarship3s drive systems ere necessarily extensive# given the volatileplasmas employed in their reactor cores. The fouling of venting systems ith voidborne dust as something no

captain could a6ord# carrying as it did the ris! of explosive blobac! intothe reactor cores.

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*hen the Master of Engines sent ord to the bridge of the 'upercal@ursuivant of e,ection failures throughout the engineering dec!s# Marrimmediately shut don the reactors.- urry of urgent vox passed beteen the three shipmasters as the bestcourse of action as deliberated. The Master of Engines estimated

thirteen hours for the servitors to scrub the vents clear# and thus Marrgave the order for the (elicanus and the ashin to continue onards. To vessels on station as better than none. The 'upercal @ursuivant ould haul anchor in the shado of an asteroidand re,oin the otilla upon the restoration of drive functionality.E'E2E1 (&90$ @-$$E4 before they caught the %rst hint of another shipon an intercepting parabola. Marr sti6ened on the command throne as theMaster of -uspex lifted his %st a ithered# fused cla of a thing.3Captain Marr#3 he said in a sopping gestalt of a doFen or more interleavedvoices. 3- vessel approaches.334esignation:33)y displacement# a rapid stri!e cruiser. The minds aboard bear theunmista!able touch of Medusa upon them.3Marr didn3t question this last morsel of information.More than ,ust machines ere searching the void around the 'upercal@ursuivant. 'oc!ed in a pitch blac! chamber ithin the vessel3s pro# ahost of arptouched astropaths ere lin!ed to its sensorium via neuralspi!es driven into their cuneocerebellar tracts.-s it had been described to Marr# they felt vibrations in the spacesbeteen real space and the arp.4ar!robed Mechanicum adepts had modi%ed the 'upercal @ursuivant3s

auspex systems during the three year hunt for Meduson3s eet# hich hadgiven the $ons of (orus a mar!ed advantage against the /ron (ands.- ship could go as dar! as it as possible to go and still the 'upercal@ursuivant3s shuttered astropaths could %nd it if the minds aboard burnedbrightly enough.-nd from the loo! of the phosphorbright image on the viescreen# theminds on this ne ship burned so very brightly. The Master of -uspex had once been a arrior of the $ons of (orus# butno he as something both more and less than transhuman. (is alteredbody reclined on a gravcouch# pierced through by scores of bubbling tubesand inload cables. (is head as encased in a latticeor! sca6old and the

lid of his s!ull as croned by numerous invasive implants. -ll of hichcompletely remodelled the synaptic architecture of his brain to betterprocess the visions coming from the astropaths and display them in auseable fashion.3'oo!s li!e you ere right#3 said $cybale# his slategrey eyes folloing theglittering trac! of the incoming starship.3They3ve been atching us. *ho !nos for ho long?3Marr nodded.3/t ma!es sense#3 he said. 3*e ere the last of the $ons of (orus eetscoming in to 4ell# and such a muster spea!s of a greater deployment to

come. / can3t imagine that $hadra! Meduson ouldn3t ant to !no hat'upercal3s next move is.3

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3$o he left a vessel lying in ait to atch our movements.33>es# but hoever is in command of that ship is /ron (ands to the core#3said Marr. 3(e couldn3t resist a foundering vessel in an asteroid belt.33More fool him.33*ho3s to say e ouldn3t do the same if 'upercal fell: *hat ris!s ould

e ta!e to stri!e bac! at those ho cut him don:3$cybale shrugged# unilling to concede he might ma!e such an error of ,udgement. /nstead# he changed the sub,ect# gesturing toards the Masterof -uspex.3-s useful as? this has proven# it3s no end for a arrior of the 'egion#3 said$cybale.Marr nodded in agreement. 3/t sits ill ith me also# sergeant# but theresults spea! for themselves.3$cybale3s vox chirruped and he placed to %ngers to his ear. (e nodded athat he as hearing.3Enemy vessel %ve thousand !ilometres and closing on our ventral rearquarter#3 said the Master of -uspex.3Coming in behind and belo#3 said Marr. 3Classic breaching tactics. Theymean to cripple us then board us.33-Fedine has his arriors ready on your ord#3 said $cybale# unable tomas! his on urge to be loc!ed in a gunship assault pattern.Marr grinned.34on3t orry# ysen# you3ll get your chance to %ght#3 said Marr. 3>ou and /both.3 T(E @E0"ECT /''. Executed alessly. The enemy3s demise ould beelcome in and of itself# but to deliver a deathblo ith such machineli!e

precision against the *armaster3s on 'egion ,ust made this manoeuvreall the seeter. The Gorgorex as a rapid stri!e cruiser of the 2urgaan Clan# old and hoaryeven before the treachery of (orus. /t had fought its ay clear of /sstvanith a shellshoc!ed cadre of survivorsP mainly /ron (ands# but ith a solidproportion of $alamanders and a handful of 0aven Guard. The 2urgaan ere a proud and isolated clan# and thus the cre of theGorgorex ere ell suited to the ne ay of ar forced upon them after/sstvan./ts commander as an /ron "ather of the A 'egion named &ctar 9ldin# andhe sung the Gorgorex in belo the stric!en 'upercal @ursuivant using

only the smallest bursts of thrust to manoeuvre. They ere operatingpurely on external visual feedsP the ris! of the enemy ship detecting anyauspex seeps ere too great to countenance.9ldin had atched the three vessels surging toards the -Foth Gate andlogged them in the ship3s database# assaying their speed# armaments andquir!s as they ent.-ny and all information on enemy vessels as invaluable# for ,ust asarriors had their foibles# strengths and ea!nesses that could beexploited# so too did starships.'egion registries identi%ed the frigate as 'upercal @ursuivant# the

destroyers as (elicanus and ashin. -ll ere !non to the /ron (andsafter nes of the disastrous engagement at -rissa! had tric!led don

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through the necessarily compartmentalised netor! of attac! cells. The (elicanus# the larger of the to destroyers# as slightly sloerad,usting course to port. /ts armour loo!ed to have been repairednumerous times on its starboard an!# layered plate over layered plate#ma!ing it heavy on the turn.

The ashin had a fe seconds latency on its manoeuvring igniters# aea!ness that a foe ith greater agility could turn to its advantage.-nd# it no transpired# the 'upercal @ursuivant had issues ith its ventcolings. /ts reactors ere burning hot# far beyond any recommendedtolerances. /f those vents eren3t cleared soon# the ship ould blo itselfto pieces ithout any help from the Gorgorex.-t full magni%cation# the servitor cres struggling to clear the vents ereli!e sarms of ants moving around the armoured haunches of aplainsdelling leviathan.9nder normal circumstances# 9ldin ould not have engaged. (is orders#passed don through secretive relays and encoded ith the highestpriorities# ere to atch and ait. To observe and report. That asn3t the 2urgaan ay# especially hen intercepted voxtra7cbeteen the enemy ships appeared to con%rm that the 'upercal@ursuivant as the agship of a A2/ 'egion captain named Tybalt Marr. That this as undoubtedly the same Tybalt Marr hose head $hadra!Meduson had sorn to ta!e# made the danger of exposure orth any ris!. The dorsal launch tubes ere loaded and ready. They ould !ill the cre of this vessel# render it dar! and then ram it outof the 4ell system ith a single# highintensity burst of acceleration. Theship ould never be seen again# its disappearance a celestial mystery that

ould never be explained.3&n my mar!# light them up#3 said 9ldin.3T(E>30E M-/1G 0E-4> to launch#3 said $cybale.3Counterspread on my command.33/t3s a ris! letting them %re %rst.3Marr shoo! his head.31o# it as the only ay to get them in close enough#3 he said. 3&nce estir the void ith enough blood# the shar!s ill come to feed. -nd you!no the %rst rule of voidar:3$cybale grinned and said# 3)e the shar!.3 T(E "/0$T *-2E of boarding torpedoes raced from the Gorgorex at almost

the same instant as a spread of countermeasures launched from theventral guns of the 'upercal @ursuivant.*ith a much lighter payload# the $ons of (orus missiles closed thedistance beteen the to ships in the time it too! the boarding forces totravel a hundred !ilometres.'ittle more than to hundred metrelong tubes %lled ith shrapnel# thecountermeasures exploded and formed supersonic clouds of tumblingdebris. The torpedoes had no chance to evade# their guidance systemsloc!ed until their terminal manoeuvres# and fully half ere ripped open orsent tumbling o6 into deep space.

)attery %re engaged the rest and yet more ere blasted to ruin beforethey got to ithin %fty !ilometres of the 'upercal @ursuivant.

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@oint defence guns !illed the rest as they executed their terminal dive.&nly one torpedo survived to penetrate the frigate3s hull.-va!hol (urr# one of 5Kth Company3s most feared breachleaders# asaiting for it ith his bloodspattered arriors.1ot a single enemy arrior set foot on the 'upercal @ursuivant.

0ealising he had been lured into the attac!# &ctar 9ldin bro!e o6immediately. The Gorgorex3 s engines %red# but having drifted for so long#it too! time to coax them to full poer. Time that the 'upercal @ursuivant did not need# having !ept its engineshot to maintain the illusion of reactor cores on the verge of overload.Marr sung the frigate around and let the multiple batteries on its proand portside an! have free rein as it rapidly closed the distance to itsprey. The hunted no became the hunter as slashing arcs of highyieldlasers ra!ed the Gorgorex s length./ts voids ere yet to ignite# and detonations marched across the dorsalarmour# melting armoured plates to molten slag and explosively ventinghull compartments to the void. $erfs and menials spiralled out#shoc!freeFing in an instant. The Gorgorex shuddered in pain# but it as a vessel of the /ron (ands#proud and de%ant. The voids %nally lit as it too! its ounding stoically# li!ea pugilist ho !nos he cannot in the %ght# but ill stay on his feet untilthe last bell./ts engines ared# ready to push it from this onesided engagement./ts rear quarters exploded as a urry of torpedoes launched in its rear arcslammed home and detonated ithin the drive colings.$inging out from behind the moonsiFed asteroids that had covered their

sift turns# (elicanus and ashin e6ectively crushed any hope of theGorgorex3 s escape. /ts engines vanished in an expanding plasma coronaand oxygen bled into the void li!e glittering silver blood trails. The to destroyers manoeuvred into close range. Their guns ayed itsvoids# collapsing entire quadrants of protection in moments beforetargeting its point defences. They pulled aay ith perfect synchrony as ashado fell across the Gorgorex.-ngular and deadly# an assassin3s blade over the face of the sun.'upercal @ursuivant hove to# so close that the space beteen it and theGorgorex danced ith borealis light as the remaining void envelopesoverlapped. Generator vanes ble out in aring surges of feedbac!. $pace

burned blue and purple and crimson.- frigate of 'upercal @ursuivant3s displacement normally had no capacityto launch stri!e craft# but its loading bays opened and three $tormbirdsthat had spent the voyage from 4ell chained to the dec! no fell intospace. They rammed their engines to maximum thrust and poered toards thetheir stric!en prey. (elpless# the cre of the Gorgorex could only atchand aait the inevitable assault.(ull penetration came to minutes later.///

34&13T T(E> 1&* they3re beaten:3 said $cybale# duc!ing out from coverto %re don the transverse approach to the main axial. 0eturn %re tore up

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the bul!head behind him.$hrapnel and a!es of metal drifted from the impacts# spiralling in theFerogravity chill. )ehind them# a meltacut breach gusted ith condensingair from the interior of the $tormbird loc!ed to the Gorgorex s hull.(alf a doFen $ons of (orus %red bac! Marr3s honour squad# positioned all

around the hexagonal approach. The absence of up or don as relativeterms as a bene%t of combat in Ferogravity. The voxnet crac!led as Cyon -Fedine replied.3*ould you yield to an enemy ho thought you beaten:3 said thechampion# his mortuary blade poised behind his combat shield. The Eye of (orus emblaFoned upon it glinted ith a eb of frost in the voidchilledcorridor.31o# but /3m $ixteenth#3 said $cybale. 3Even the /ron Tenth can3t matchthat.33They appear to thin! di6erently#3 said -Fedine.3Then it3s time e disabuse them of that foolishness#3 said Marr# hefting aidebarrelled eapon he3d appropriated from one of the support squads.-ll cogs# coilrapped condensing tubes and a tight ring of focus blades#the vol!ite caliver as a eapon more suited to lightly armoured targets#but it did have the advantage of being utterly lethal in con%ned spaces.3$ince hen does a captain deign to ield a caliver:3 as!ed -Fedine# aman to hom the protocols of arfare ere of paramount importance.3*hen he ants the ,ob done yesterday#3 said Marr and depressed thegriptrigger.- searing beam of tightly focused energy shot don the transverseapproach. /t impacted on the far all of the axial approach and exploded

in a billoing cloud of caustic %re. @hosphorbright trails blaFed ithsudden# shoc!ing intensity. There ere no screams in a vacuum.3-Fedine#3 said Marr. 3Go. 1o.3Cyon -Fedine spun out from cover# and his speed as something uncanny.Movement in lo gravity as usually slo and painsta!ing# each stepta!en ith magnetiFed boots.Marr3s champion had no truc! ith that./nstead# he bounded from all to all# pushing o6 ith limbs li!e coiledsprings. (e spun aay from incoming rounds and# ith a last pistonli!ethrust from the ceiling# he slammed don onto the dec! among the

reeling survivors of the vol!ite blast.(is boots clamped the metal dec! and his sord reaped lives. $prays ofblood hung li!e red archays in the air.Marr released the vol!ite eapon and left it oating behind him.3'et3s go#3 he said# and the rest of his honour squad folloed him toardsthe enemy. 1ot that he expected to meet any resistance from here on in#since most of the ship3s %ghting strength had died in the void.-ll through the enemy ship# breacher squads ere converging on strategictargets8 life support# reactor cores# engine spaces. The last thing Marranted as for the remaining cre to scuttle their vessel in spite. (e

needed it in once piece.- starship had numerous routes through its superstructure# but only one

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to the command bridge.-nd that target as Marr3s.)y the time he and his arriors reached the main axial# Cyon -Fedine had!illed everyone there. $ix bodies oated in the axial# trailing drifting slic!sof vivid crimson. - blob of blood a7xed itself to Marr3s shoulder guard#

painting his 'egion mar!ing in red.(e turned and moved up the axial toards the shuttered bridge interloc!./ts defence guns eren3t %ring# hich told Marr they ere either out ofammunition or no longer functional. Most li!ely the latter# the arrogance of the /ron (ands leading them to believe they ould never be boarded.Crac!ling voices spo!e of areas seiFed ithin the ship. 0esistance as%erce# but minimal. Clearly this ship had been operating ith somethingless than a s!eleton cre. That they had managed to y it and %ght at all as to be admired.$chematics overlaid the visor display ithin his helm# his arriors pic!edout in pale blue.3-va!hol# bring your )reachers to me#3 ordered Marr.Moments later# he felt the vibration of heavy footfalls along the axial as ademisquad of 0u!al )reachers approached.-va!hol (urr led them# a febrile arrior ith a potent love of all thingsexplosive. (e carried a goresmeared thunder hammer# and his ironarmour as a %lthy mix of ocean green and rustcoloured stains.- breacher never cleaned the blood from his battleplate and (urr as noexception. (e3d been a line arrior during the <ubal $ecundus 'iberation#but earned his command during the bloody shiptoship %ghting above/sstvan.

Marr ,er!ed his thumb at the bridge access. 3Get that open.3 The )reacher sergeant nodded and hefted his thunder hammer.3My pleasure.3M-00 $T&0ME4 T(0&9G( the ragged# cherryred ruin of the entrance tothe bridge. The 0u!al )reachers folloed# fanning out ith their shieldsloc!ed and bolters levelled# ready to annihilate any resistance. The bridge as empty.&r as good as empty# it made no di6erence. - single eshspare arriorstood at its centre# loc!ed to the dec! and ith a photonicedged arscythe. - doFen servitors an!ed him# armed ith a mix of clubbingeapons and tools adapted to form rudimentary %rearms.

-n /ron "ather# if Marr asn3t mista!en. The machinery around him as smashed and cratered# ruined beyondrepair and useless. 4eliberate sabotage to !eep hatever data thisvessel3s logic engines had once held from falling into enemy hands.)ut Marr had seen ho much information could be retrieved fromsupposedly irreparable machines by the techsorceries of the Mechanicum#and !ne something of value could probably still be extracted.3/ am &ctar 9ldin#3 said the /ron "ather. 3*hich of you dogs ishes to die%rst:3Marr almost laughed.

3>ou and /: *e %ght an honourable duel to the death: /s that hat $hadra!Meduson is teaching you no# even after -rissa!:3

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Even a arrior ith so little esh left to him couldn3t help but react to thename of the A 'egion3s ne saviour.3(e teaches us that hoever e die# it ill be ith honour#3 said 9ldin#dropping into a %ghting crouch ith his scythe held to one shoulder.31o#3 said Marr# 3/t ill be screaming in agony hen e torment hat little

esh you have left# beyond anything even you can stand.3(e turned aay.3(e3s all yours# -Fedine. Ma!e him bleed# but don3t !ill him. The *armasterill ant him alive.3 T(E> *E0E *-/T/1G for Marr hen he returned from 4ell# as he3d !nonthey ould be. They3d denied him the *armaster# but hat had theyexpected him to do: $it mee!ly by and accept the ,udgement of those he!ne to be rong: That asn3t the A2/3s ay of doing things./t asn3t his ay of doing things. 1ot any more. The $tormbird3s engines groled as they poered don# hissing andsteaming in the rain. 4ell3s atmosphere as paying the inevitable pricefor a ferocious ar fought in lo orbit. 1umerous spacebased gunbatteries and drydoc!s had %nally come don# and the s!y over Ty,un aslousy ith distortion. -ctinic thunder boomed over the mountains andelectrical tempests danced on the horiFon. The smell of et plascrete andfoaming ocean ater as strong. 0ain battered the ground and the outerhull of the gunship.Marr# $cybale and -Fedine stood at the top of the assault ramp as astrobing sheet of purple lightning lit the $tormbird3s interior.3This could be bad# yes:3 as!ed -Fedine.

3/t could be#3 agreed Marr. 3*e embar!ed on an unauthorised mission# too!ships ithout the express consent of the *armaster. >es. This could bebad.33)ut hat e learned#3 said $cybale# 3from the very presence of the /ron(ands# from 9ldin# that3s got to count for something. &therise# hat asthe point:33That3s hat / hope#3 said Marr.3This could be bad#3 repeated -Fedine# rapping his too delicate %ngersaround the hilt of his mortuary blade. 3They could strip us of our ran!. &urposition. &ur honour.33They could do a lot orse than that#3 said $cybale. 3>ou3ve seen some of

the changes in the 'egion# the things Erebus brought ith him# the oldCthonian ays coming bac!. /3m not saying /3m against that# per se# butsome of those ays ere left behind for good reason.3Marr straightened his spine. 3*e3re delaying# and e3re better than that.Come on.3(e set o6 don the ramp# %nding not four arriors aaiting him# but %ve."our he3d expected# but the %fth?(orus 'upercal# the primarch.Encased in glossy blac! plate of colossal dimensions# he as a titanamongst giants. The glaring eye on his breastplate seethed in amber# the

dar! slit at its centre seeming to regard Marr ith utter indi6erence. - peltof resinsti6ened fur mantled 'upercal3s shoulders# the long fangs of its

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upper ,a splayed over one curved shoulder guard.(e held *orldbrea!er in one hand# as easily as Marr might carry a slenderdata and. /t as of cold iron# its eight unimaginable. (is other handas bladed ith reaper3s talons# a tearing eapon as far beyond thepoer of a lightning cla as a legionary as above a mortal soldier.

)ut it as his face# a face that as both beautiful and cruel# that dreMarr in. - face that as the fountainhead of the 'egion. (adn3t theirrenaming after Aenobia simply a7rmed hat they all !ne:Every one of the Mournival called themselves true sons# as did Marr# butthey ere pale imitations of the *armaster3s perfection. &nly -ximand#ith his terrible surgical rebirth# came anyhere close to the essence ofthe *armaster.&nly no did Marr realise ,ust ho terrifying that as.(e dropped to one !nee# -Fedine and $cybale folloing his lead aheartbeat later.3$ire#3 he began# but the sensation of great eight on one shoulderstopped him from saying more.*orldbrea!er rested on his armour# !ept from crushing him only by the*armaster3s great strength. (e held the enormous# ultradense mace atfull extension# a feat none gathered there could match.3>ou3ve been busy# Tybalt#3 said (orus.3/ have been %ghting our enemies# my lord#3 he said# !eeping his headboed.3$o / gather. 4raing up missions of your on and executing them ith myships.3Marr %nally dared loo! up# and a tremor ran don his spine as his eyes

met those of the *armaster. )etter men than he had quailed before thatiron gaFe. -rmies had laid don their eapons rather than stand againstthis mortal god. >et even in the stormcloud fury he sa a glimmer ofamusement behind this sho of anger. (oping he as right# Marr !nethere as only one ay to respond.3/ did# sire#3 said Marr. 3To prove the bro!en arriors e left in our a!e at/sstvan are no longer bro!en. They are organised# e7cient. /n contact.3(orus removed *orldbrea!er from Marr3s shoulder.3(o do you !no this:3 he as!ed.3)ecause he is going to tell me#3 said Marr# rising and bec!oning -va!hol(urr from the $tormbird. The bloody )reacher and his fello gutter!illers

led &ctar 9ldin don the assault ramp# his nec! clamped in the spi!edcollar of a mancatcher. $napping spar!s of electrical discharge burned themeat and metal of his nec!# and his steps ere sti6 and ungainly asarti%cial nerves ere stimulated ith pain signals.3&ne of the /ron Tenth#3 said (orus. 3>ou too! him in this system:33(im and his vessel#3 said Marr. 3'ur!ing out by the -Foth Gate# !eepingatch on our comings and goings and passing that information bac! to$hadra! Meduson.33>ou can3t !no that for sure#3 said -baddon.3Can3t /:3 snapped Marr. 3*hile you ere sitting on your complacent

behinds# / too! action. >ou ere so sure of your on proess that younever gave any other 'egion credit for being as good# as resilient# as

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tough as us. *ell# guess hat: They are strong# and they are %ghtingbac!J3(orus stepped in and too! hold of Marr3s shoulder guards# pulling him intight to embrace him in a clatter of plate.3Tybalt Marr#3 he said as he released him. 3Truly you are a son of the north#

the aspect of illumination# discovery# isdom and understanding. -sancient @olaris as permanent# so too are you a symbol of the eternal.33Than! you# my lord#3 said Marr# but (orus asn3t done yet.3>et the ancient peoples of &ld Earth loo!ed upon the north as a place ofdar!ness# an aspect regarded ith suspicion and# aye# even terror. Thegreat $ha!espire spo!e of daemons 3ho are substitutes under the lonelymonarch of the north3.33/ don3t understand# my lord#3 said Marr# as -va!hol (urr forced &ctar 9ldinto his !nees before the *armaster.3/t means that you have been aay from your brothers too long# / thin!#3said (orus# a single !illing cla lifting 9ldin3s battered chin. The /ron"ather3s eyes ere gone# pluc!ed by -Fedine3s mortuary blade and nonothing more than sliced cables hanging don over his chee!s. 3That youhave become the lone olf# the hunter ho or!s best alone.33*hat are you saying# sire: Exile:331o# but hether you are right or rong# Tybalt# you ill cost me dearly#3said (orus. 3/f you are right# and Meduson is raising a storm in our a!e#then / must send arriors to %nd him and !ill him. /f you are rong# / mustpunish you for your disobedience. $o hich is it to be:33/ am not rong#3 said Marr# certainty %lling him.(orus regarded him for a moment# as though eighing up hich option

ould cost him the least. )ut that glimmer of amusement as still there#and Marr ondered if the others had seen it or even !ne 'upercal hadmade his decision long before Marr3s $tormbird had landed.

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