A WARHAMMER 40,000 NOVEL

Ciaphas Cain

CAIN'S LAST STAND

Sandy Mitche

Editorial Note: I must confess to feeling a certain amount of relief in finally being able to present the latest extract from the Cain Archive to my fellow inquisitors for their perusal, this volume of his memoirs having turned out to be by far the most difficult editorial tas I!ve tac led to date" #eaders with sufficiently long memories may recall that in my preface to the third volume I mentioned that the material therein had formed an extended digression in Cain!s account of his activities during the $hirteenth %lac Crusade& suffice it to say that it was far from being the only one and several of these anecdotes were at least as long as his account of Adumbria campaign" In part, I suspect, his inability to stic to the point for very long was because the events he was attempting to recount were still relatively recent, and he simply felt more comfortable recalling more distant, less immediately painful memories" At the ris of sounding a trifle self'congratulatory, however, I thin I!ve succeeded in patching together a reasonably coherent account of Cain!s activities during the (econd (iege of )erlia, with no more visible signs of editorial interference than usual" *hether or not it was worth the effort, I leave to your +udgement" Attentive readers who have been following this little hobby of mine for some while should realise at once that this volume lin s thematically with both of the immediately preceding ones, finally resolving a number of matters which began to unfold almost at the onset of his career" Even more importantly, the finished document gives us the closest thing we!re ever li ely to have to a reliable first'hand account of what may well have been a decisive blow against the %lac Crusade itself" *hich is not to diminish the nobility and sacrifice of so many of the Emperor!s faithful servants in those harsh and terrifying times& but if Cain is indeed accurate in his recollections ,and despite his other faults, which he remains disarmingly candid about for the most part, he is at least consistent in reporting things pretty much as he experienced them-, it can hardly be an exaggeration to suggest that had he not acted as he did, the .reat Enemy would have had ultimate victory pretty much within their grasp" /n the other hand, I can!t quite sha e the disquieting suspicion that the eventual consequences of the way matters were so unexpectedly resolved may turn out to be almost equally catastrophic" $hat particular shoe has still to drop, however, and at the very least Cain!s resourcefulness has brought us additional time to prepare if the worst should come to pass" %ut enough about my problems" 0espite the considerable amount of wor required to render it into a coherent form, I!ve been as scrupulous as ever in my attempts to remain as true as possible to both the spirit and the letter of Cain!s reminiscences" *here necessary I have, as usual, added explanatory footnotes and material from other sources in order to provide a wider context to their author!s perennially self'centered view of events& the rest is entirely Cain!s own words" Amberly 1ail, /rdo 2enos

ONE I CAN NEVER see Perlia from orbit without experiencing a peculiar mixture of emotions. On the one hand the memories of m! first sight of that world and the narrowness with which I escaped ma"ing no more of a mar" on it than a small crater shortl! thereafter than"s to an or"ish fighter pilot using m! lifepod for target practice come bac" with startling #i#idness e#er! time I loo" down on it from outside the atmosphere. On the other I$#e grown tolerabl! fond of the place in the last few !ears% after almost a centur! of rattling around the galax! in mortal peril more often than not it$s still a refreshing no#elt! to ha#e somewhere to call home. &hus it was as our shuttle shrugged off the last of the atmosphere on that fateful da! earl! in the last !ear of the old millennium' I found m!self ga(ing out of the #iewport in something of a pensi#e mood. 34" 564, of course" 5ost of the material presented in this volume was recorded piecemeal between 778 and 779 568, with scant regard for strict chronological order even by Cain!s usual slapdash standards": $&ea commissar)$ a familiar #oice en*uired at m! elbow and +urgen$s face appeared in the reflecti#e armourcr!s occulting the soothing panorama of blue green and umber mottling the #oid be!ond an instant after m! nose had forewarned me that he$d begun to lean in m! direction. &o sa! that the !ears had been "ind to m! aide would be something of an exaggeration% it would perhaps be more accurate to sa! that the! were distantl! polite to him when the! could be bothered to ac"nowledge his presence at all. ,hat was left of his hair had turned white decades before although most of it had long since abandoned his head completel! re#ealing a scalp as mottled with psoriasis as his face had alwa!s been in the patches #isible between his ragged eruptions of facial hair '. -e was still as #igorous as I was though than"s to the .u#enat treatments Amberle! had discreetl! pro#ided for him. 34" $hough ;urgen was ostensibly excused shaving on medical grounds, due to his interesting collection of s in diseases, I always suspected the real reason he was allowed to grow a beard was Cain s understandable apprehension about what might be revealed by the application of a ra<or": /espite the number of life0threatening errands I$d run for her o#er the !ears I was under no illusion about which of the two of us she regarded as the greater asset among her little stable of associates. E#en heroes of the Imperium are two a credit compared to blan"s and ha#ing benefited from his inexplicable abilit! to nullif! the powers of the warp on more occasions than I care to contemplate I could well understand wh! she #alued his assistance so highl!. &han" !ou +urgen $ I said accepting the mug of tanna he held out to me with surprising ease as despite the confined space of the passenger compartment m! little "not of commissar cadets had chosen to sit as far awa! from the pair of us as the! decentl! could. 1or that I could hardl! blame them% m! aide$s bou*uet was pungent enough at the best of times and his propensit! to airsic"ness tended to exacerbate it e#en more than usual. $2ost thoughtful.$ $3ou$re welcome sir.$ An expression somewhat approximating a smile appeared briefl! on his face before wandering awa! again and he replaced the cap on the flas" carefull! before stowing it somewhere among the profusion of webbing his torso armour

was habituall! festooned with. $I$#e got some sandwiches in here somewhere too if !ou$d li"e one)$ $&he tea will be fine $ I said hastil! as he began to rummage through a couple of pouches apparentl! at random. -is relief at being outside the atmosphere at last was palpable and I began to breathe a little less shallowl! as I sipped the fragrant be#erage watching our adopted homeworld recede behind our reflected faces. I was beginning to show the weight of !ears m!self truth to tell patches of white appearing at m! own temples despite the periodic .u#enats m! seniorit! and supposedl! heroic status had bestowed upon me. ,ell I could hardl! complain about that4 after some of the things I$d seen and done it was a wonder the whole lot hadn$t turned to snow decades ago. 5! this point I$d been li#ing on Perlia for around six !ears off and on en.o!ing what was supposed to be a peaceful retirement. 1rom time to time it actuall! had been. &o m! #ague surprise I$d *uite ta"en to the role of pedagogue and the !oung pups I$d been put in charge of at the schola progenium someone had seen fit to found there since m! last e#entful #isit' were a great deal less troublesome than a 6uard regiment. It probabl! didn$t hurt that I was the first instructor the!$d had with a relati#el! lax attitude to the standards of discipline usuall! enforced in such institutions. I$d found #er! earl! on in m! own career that a subtle approach was far more effecti#e in inspiring lo!alt! among the troops than simple intimidation and it seemed to me that imparting this lesson b! example would greatl! increase their chances of future sur#i#al. 7Not to mention the fact that it anno!ed most of the Emperor0botherers who ran the place which was alwa!s amusing from m! point of #iew.8 34" =ollowing the repulsion of the or invasion in >8? 564, and in response to the growing number of tau incursions into Imperial space at about that time, the military presence in the sectors around the 0amocles .ulf was greatly increased" )erlia, being both strategically located and in need of considerable reconstruction, became an obvious staging post for these forces, and benefited from the introduction of a number of Imperial institutions, the schola among them": 9nfortunatel! though I hadn$t been left to en.o! the relati#e tran*uillit! for long4 the t!ranid hi#e fleets had chosen the !ear of m! arri#al to begin their onslaught against the Eastern Arm and I$d been called bac" to the colours on se#eral occasions since. :ometimes b! the Commissariat who seemed to belie#e that m! presence too close to the firing line for comfort might ma"e the scuttling horrors spit out the latest world the! were attempting to de#our or at least ma"e it unpleasantl! indigestible and almost as often b! Amberle! who li"e most of the Ordo ;enos in the 9ltima :egmentum at the time found her hands uncomfortabl! full and seemed to find it necessar! to delegate a good deal of the ensuing crisis management to those of us among her cadre of acol!tes with a pro#en talent for sur#i#al'. 34" Cain!s activities during the later tyrannic wars, though both valuable and fascinating, need not detain us at this +uncture": At an! e#ent I$d been awa! from Perlia for *uite some time when I returned home towards the end of <<= to find that *uite a lot had been going on there in m! absence. >uc"il! the main $nid ad#ance had bored on past the s!stem as I "new onl! too well ha#ing been stuc" right in its path but it hadn$t escaped entirel! unscathed. A #anguard fleet had wandered in about eight months before loo"ing for an eas! target to replenish their store of biomass and our s!stem defence s*uadrons had had their wor" cut out "eeping them awa! from Perlia itself. As it turned out the!$d succeeded be!ond all reasonable expectation onl! a few

warrior forms ma"ing it as far as the surface and being swiftl! dispatched b! the P/1 but the price of #ictor! had been a hea#! one. All the outl!ing installations had been either o#errun or abandoned to allow the fleet to concentrate on defending the planet itself% now the dust had settled e#er! #oid station and off0world habitat had to be cleansed of whate#er chitinous horrors had gone to ground there before the! could be got running again. ,hich is wh! I found m!self staring out of the #iewport of the schola$s battered old A*uila which I strongl! suspected onl! remained spaceworth! so the Na#! cadets could get used to being #oid sic" without incon#eniencing the captains of the sector fleet and the seminarians from the Adeptus 2echanicus shrine ad.oining our grounds had something to practice their rituals of maintenance on. $&ime to rende(#ous with the troop transport)$ I as"ed turning in m! seat to regard the double row of cadets most of whom made a hurried attempt to loo" as though the!$d been sitting upright and pa!ing attention instead of pla!ing regicide on their data0 slates or swapping salacious holo0picts. &he ob#ious exception was Cadet Nel!s who was alread! bolt upright and wouldn$t "now how to slouch if I ordered him to% Emperor$s teeth I sometimes thought the lad slept at attention. $:e#enteen minutes commissar.$ A clear contralto clipped and precise cut through the sheepish murmur of wild guesses and mumbled excuses a fraction of a second before Nel!s could get his repl! out and he flushed no doubt irritated at being beaten to the punch b! the onl! girl in the s*uad. ' 34" $hough relatively rare among the ran s of the Commissariat, there are a surprising number of female commissars: presumably because none of the all'women regiments in the Imperial .uard would ta e too indly to being bossed about by a mere man": $,ell done ?a!la $ I said despite not ha#ing a clue whether she was right or not% she$d put Nel!s$s nose out of .oint which was good enough for me. &he lad had all the ma"ings of an ideal commissar4 pious (ealous and apparentl! con#inced that a sense of humour was something which onl! happened to other people. ,hich is the main reason I$d made it m! mission in life to get him to lighten up a little before he graduated% with an attitude li"e that he was a friendl! fire accident .ust waiting to happen as soon as he got assigned to a real regiment. $Commissar $ Cadet ?a!la ac"nowledged curtl! her cap wobbling slightl! o#er the pad of gloss! brown hair she$d stuffed under it. -er refusal to adopt the short crop of her fellow cadets was the one sign of femininit! I$d so far seen her allow herself. Apart from that she was almost as relentless as Nel!s although I strongl! suspected that this was more because she felt the need to .ustif! her presence in an otherwise all0male en#ironment. Emperor "nows it can$t ha#e been eas! for her% but she was more than ma"ing her mar". If I$m honest I thought she was one of the most promising of the bunch and would probabl! go far once she$d de#eloped a little more confidence in her own .udgement. ,hich was the opposite of m! concern about the lad sitting next to her. /onal worried me although I couldn$t ha#e said wh! exactl!% not truthfull! an!wa!. -is assessments were all satisfactor! and his combat s"ills a little abo#e the a#erage. -e was bright too of that I had no doubt although not as percepti#e as ?a!la and had the rare abilit! to thin" on his feet and ta"e immediate ad#antage of an! unexpected circumstance that came up. &he plain fact was he reminded me of m!self at that age which meant that

although I had no clearl! discernable grounds for dis*uiet I ne#er felt entirel! able to trust him. -e must ha#e noticed m! e!es resting on him for a moment because he nodded at me with e#er! outward sign of respect. ,ill !ou be going in with us !ourself sir)$ @,ell I had been planning to sit here with m! feet up sipping tea $ I said inflecting it li"e a .o"e and e#er!one laughed dutifull! except Nel!s who .ust loo"ed confused. 1at chance of that now though and I couldn$t help wondering if /onal had spo"en up on purpose intending to undermine m! authorit! if I appeared to be shir"ing which is precisel! the sort of thing I used to pull on m! own tutors. $5ut if !ou feel !ou need !our hand held I$ll tag along.$ $&han" !ou sir $ he said. $I$m sure we all feel better "nowing !ou$re watching our bac"s.$ As usual there was no o#ert trace of sarcasm in his #oice though I found m!self searching for it ne#ertheless. $If !ou$ll all get !our slates out !ou$ll find a schematic of the ob.ecti#e $ I said. ,hat the hell I had their attention now so I might as well get on with the briefing. $Asteroid AB' "appa. A mining hab we reclaimed from the bugs six months ago.$ $&hen wh! are we going bac")$ ?a!la as"ed. Precisel! m! own *uestion of three da!s before as it happened so I nodded .udiciousl!. $6ood *uestion. 9nfortunatel! we won$t "now the answer until we get there. All we "now at this stage is that the Administratum reported losing contact with the miners about a wee" ago and re*uested the :/1 to ta"e a loo". &he! ha#en$t got the manpower aboard a s!stem defence boat to muster a boarding part! large enough so the! re*uested some bac"up from the P/1 who thoughtfull! pro#ided a platoon of flings' .ust out of basic. ,hich means the!$ll be .ump! especiall! if it turns out the first sweep missed a few $nids and the!$#e been snac"ing on the ci##ies. ,hich means in turn that !ou get some much0needed field experience.$ -erding a bunch of P/1 trolls shouldn$t be all that taxing and would be the perfect opportunit! to see how well m! cadets were able to perform awa! from the schola. $An! *uestions)$ 34" Imperial .uard slang for raw recruits: apparently a phonetic rendering of =N., or =ra ing New .uys": $-ow are we going to be deplo!ed)$ ?a!la as"ed. :he loo"ed at the schematic of the mine again. &hose tunnels seem far too narrow for an! large concentration of troops.$ $Cuite right the! are $ I agreed m! lifelong affinit! for en#ironments li"e that enabling me to picture them all too easil!. $&he P/1 will be splitting up into s*uads and sweeping a sector each. &hat means a pair of !ou will be going in with each one. If !our assigned s*uad splits down into fireteams !ou$ll ha#e to decide for !oursel#es who goes with which.$ $&hat seems clear enough $ she agreed loo"ing thoughtful. $I$m glad !ou thin" so $ I said. $An! more *uestions)$ $:ir $ Nel!s said. $Are we to infer that we ha#e full commissarial authorit! on this assignment)$ $9p to a point $ I said with a distinct sin"ing feeling. $3ou$re there to encourage the troopers !ou$re attached to in an! manner !ou see fit. 5ut that doesn$t mean !ou can execute an!bod! without as"ing me first is that clear)$ &hat would be all I needed some o#er0(ealous cadet landing me with a mountain of paperwor". $3es sir $ Nel!s said loo"ing faintl! disappointed and the others all nodded too.

$6ood.$ I resumed m! seat not entirel! sure whether I was pleased or not that the attitude of our shuttle had changed during m! brief tal" with the cadets and that Perlia was no longer #isible through the #iewport as our pilot boosted us further out into deep space. Instead the stars were staring in at me sharp pinpric"s of light spec"ling the #oid li"e the dandruff on +urgen$s collar and I found m!self tr!ing to spot the one that was mo#ing% that would be the transport #essel we were rende(#ousing with. After a few moments of minor tedium it swam into #iew resol#ing itself o#er the next ten minutes or so into a battered intra0s!stem cargo hauler. -a#ing had m! first sight of it I didn$t en#! the P/1 s*uaddies no doubt .ammed into a hold more suited to chun"s of ore than passengers. $,e$#e ta"en up formation $ our pilot$s #oice informed me through the comm0bead in m! ear. $Estimated time of arri#al at the ob.ecti#e se#en hours thirt!0two minutes.$ $&han" !ou $ I said reclining the seat as far as it would go. 5efore settling I glanced bac" at the cadets. $I$d recommend catching some sleep. &here$s no telling how much !ou$ll get later if we do turn out to be heading into a combat (one.$ Or how much an! of us were li"el! to get now since +urgen a seasoned campaigner if e#er there was one had pre0empted m! ad#ice and was alread! snoring loudl! enough to intimidate an or". Ne#ertheless I managed to do(e off reasonabl! *uic"l!% certainl! far more rapidl! than I would ha#e done if I$d had an! idea of what was waiting for us on the nameless roc" tumbling through the #oid ahead let alone the nightmare that was alread! poised to sweep across the galax! engulfing us along with e#er!bod! else.

Editorial Note: In the light of later developments, and Cain!s perennial tendency to s ip over everything that didn!t affect him personally, this seems li e a good point at which to insert a brief note about the asteroid, which he and his charges had been sent to reconnoitre" It comes from the Concise Compendium Of Extraplanetar! Resources a two hundred and thirty' seven thousand page document maintained by the )erlian %ureau of $ithes, 5ineralogical Assessment and fisheries, and is, unfortunately, as dry as most Administratum documents of that type" It does, however, point out one characteristic of the roc in question which, in the light of later events, is almost certainty highly significant: the italics highlighting this are, of course, mine" Asteroid AB' "appa4 approximate dimensions D.AE "ilometres b! '.F<. Primar! extractable4 ferrous metals. :econdar! extractables4 silicates #olatiles. 2ining station established ==A. 2D'4 reclaimed from or"s <GF 2D' reclaimed from t!ranids <<=. 2D' <<<. 2D'. Other remar"s4 /rbital path trailing )erlia by constant 8 degrees at equal distance from primary"

TWO I CAN$& :A3 for certain how the cadets fared but certainl! I managed to get a reasonable amount of sleep m!self as we drifted closer to our ob.ecti#e. ,hen I wo"e at last roused b! the mingled aromas of tanna and +urgen$s halitosis the asteroid was #isible .ust be!ond the #iewport resembling nothing so much as a diseased tuber gre! in colour and roughl! twice as long as it was thic" around its widest point. $5rea"fast sir)$ m! aide en*uired proffering another mug of the fragrant be#erage which I too" with enthusiasm and a standard0issue ration bar which I accepted with rather less alacrit!. $:orr! it$s a bit basic but the! ha#en$t got a galle! I can use.$ $&his will do fine $ I assured him insincerel! chewing the pulp! mass which as usual tasted of nothing either particularl! identifiable or particularl! palatable. At least the tanna was as in#igorating as e#er washing the peculiar absence of fla#our from m! mouth as I finished the bar. +urgen slurped at his own drin". $2a!be I can find a "itchen or something when we doc".$ $>et$s hope that$s the most pressing matter on our minds $ I said mindful of the reason for our little expedition. &o m! complete lac" of surprise none of the miners had resumed contact while I$d been asleep and the palms of m! hands began to itch in the disconcerting fashion which usuall! forewarned me of trouble to come. I turned to the gaggle of cadets who for the most part were snac"ing lightl! on their own ration bars or ignoring them altogether. A few were loo"ing distinctl! *ueas! which was hardl! surprising gi#en that the! could find themsel#es in action against a genuine enem! for the first time in their li#es within the hour. $E#er!one read!)$ 3es sir.$ &he chorus of assent was distinctl! halfhearted apart from Nel!s who loo"ed as if he couldn$t wait to get started and ?a!la who still seemed to thin" she had something to pro#e. /onal didn$t sa! an!thing but nodded with an eas! insouciance which left me distinctl! uneas!. $6lad to hear it $ I said pretending not to notice the desultor! nature of the response. $5ecause I$m terrified.$ $:ir)$ Nel!s loo"ed pu((led as he alwa!s did when someone crac"ed a .o"e 7or in this instance pretended to8 but I was pleased to see a few wan smiles appearing on the faces of most of m! charges. $,ell $ I said easil! $perhaps terrified is o#erstating it a little.$ 7&hough not as much as the! thought of course.8 A few of them nodded gra#el! as if the! understood. $5ut I don$t mind admitting that I$#e got a bad feeling about this.$ $5ut !ou$re a hero of the Imperium $ ?a!la said an element of surprise creeping into her #oice. 3ou$#e been in action hundreds of times. ,h! should this one be an! different)$ $,ho said it was)$ I as"ed. I turned to the #iewport behind me. $I ha#en$t a clue what$s waiting for us on that roc" o#er there $ I said pointing to the asteroid which had grown astonishingl! large in the few minutes m! bac" had been turned. /eepl! shadowed crac"s and fissures mottled its surface now along with an indeterminate number of hummoc"s and ridges interspersed with occasional man0made protrusions which could ha#e been an!thing from auspex arra!s to washing lines for all I "new. $5ut I do "now

that as soon as we doc" we$re going to ha#e to con#ince the troopers that whate#er it is we can beat it.$ I pointed to the troopship which dwarfed the shuttle we were in occulting part of the asteroid li"e a metal echo of the drifting roc" be!ond. $And to do that !ou ha#e to allow !ourself to feel a little of what the! do.$ &he girl nodded along with /onal and a couple of the others. Onl! Nel!s seemed not to get it. $:o what !ou$re sa!ing is $ he said slowl! $that to lead cowards we ha#e to beha#e li"e cowards oursel#es)$ $Of course not$ I said tr!ing to disguise m! irritation at his obtuseness. 1rom the expression on ?a!la and /onal$s faces I suspected that I hadn$t altogether succeeded. $5ut caution and cowardice aren$t the same thing at all. &hat fear is !our friend% it sharpens !our reactions and it "eeps !ou ali#e ,ithout it !ou$ll ta"e needless ris"s putting !our own life in danger along with the soldiers !ou$re ser#ing with. Casualties are ine#itable on the battlefield but we gi#e the Emperor best b! ma"ing sure that the ma.orit! of them are the enem!$s not ours. E#er! Imperial soldier "illed b! a bad call from us or their own commanders is a blow against our armies and against the 6olden &hrone itself.$ &here was an awestruc" silence for a moment and I began to wonder if perhaps I$d o#erdone it. 5ut Nel!s nodding slowl!. &hat ma"es sense $ he said. $I$m glad !ou agree $ I said feeling it was time to lighten the mood. I smiled at the cadets. $I$m afraid our .ob isn$t eas!. &here$s a lot more to it than a sash and a fanc! hat. 5ut !ou$re here because !ou$re the best and the brightest that the Imperium has to offer. If the responsibilit! feels hea#! at times then it should. 5ut it$s a burden I hope !ou$ll be proud to shoulder when the time comes.$ And .ust li"e that I had them. After almost a centur! of trotting out morale0 boosting platitudes for all occasions I could ha#e done it in m! sleep. &r!ing not to wonder how man! of them would ma"e it bac" to the shuttle once we were done here I turned from the do(en eager faces in front of me to stare out of the #iewport again. 5! now we were drifting gentl! towards an open pair of thic" iron gates set into the roc"! surface of the asteroid through which light was spilling spar"ing highlights from the rim of the portal and what I could see of the A*uila$s fuselage. A moment later the #iew through the armourcr!s altered abruptl! from the cold hard stars of open space and the looming bul" of the commandeered freighter accompan!ing us to a rough0hewn ca#ern about the si(e of a scrumball pitch. >uminators dangled from the ceiling almost twent! metres abo#e the more0or0less le#el floor which li"e the walls themsel#es loo"ed as though it had been hac"ed straight from the roc" with mining tools as *uic"l! as possible. A couple of utilit! shuttles from which a #ariet! of tools protruded mounted on flexible metal tubes which strongl! resembled the mechadendrites often sported b! tech0 priests were par"ed on launch cradles in one corner% no doubt the! were intended to ser#ice the surface0mounted ironmonger! I$d noticed on the wa! in although .udging b! the number of wires and pra!er scrolls spilling from the open inspection hatches these were in no fit state to lea#e their ma"eshift hangar. As our pilot brought us gentl! to rest next to them and the doors behind us began to close I found m!self staring at the tin! spacecraft next to our own with a sense of foreboding4 I$d ne#er "nown a cogbo! ' lea#e a .ob half0finished at least not #oluntaril! and if whate#er rites of maintenance had been underwa! here had been interrupted the chances were it had been b! nothing good. &he

palms of m! hands began to itch in earnest. 34" A mildly disparaging nic name for tech' priests, common among the Imperial .uard, apparently a reference to the cogwheel symbol of their calling": $,e$re down sir $ +urgen reported unnecessaril! as the whine of our engines died awa! and the narrow door to the coc"pit banged open .ust missing m! "nees. A redheaded !outh in the uniform of a na#al cadet popped out of it as abruptl! as one of the figures on the ridiculous ornamental doc" in >iberation :*uare' and saluted in m! general direction. &he name tape on the left breast of his flight suit read $:prie $ presumabl! in case he forgot who he was and the unit patch on his upper arm showed the entwined crests of the sector fleet and the schola progenium to ma"e sure he remembered where he li#ed and which branch of the ser#ice he was in training for. $An! further instructions sir)$ he as"ed. 38" A truly hideous timepiece, which was supposed to commemorate Cain!s victory over the greens in invaders a couple of generations before" Every hour, on the hour, a cloc wor commissar decapitated however many cloc wor or s corresponded to the time, their falling heads chiming the hours as they fell into a resonant metal bin" Cain, not surprisingly, loathed it": $3es.$ I thought rapidl!. $&a"e off again as soon as we$re dear and loiter .ust outside the main airloc".$ $9nderstood.$ -e saluted again and popped bac" inside the narrow flight dec" allowing me to see the brace of cadets manning the other lecterns and the instructor o#erseeing the pac" of them. I had a lot of time for -ubert Visiter the gre!0haired commodore in charge of the na#al cadets and was far less surprised to find him along for the ride than I would ha#e done most of our colleagues among the facult!. $Expectin$ trouble Cain)$ he as"ed without preamble his neatl! dipped moustache #ibrating on his upper lip. $Alwa!s $ I replied truthfull! enough. $And if it gets this close I want to ma"e sure !ou$re still around to pic" us up.$ ,ell me an!wa! and +urgen if possible. As for the rest it was -orus ta"e the hindmost so far as I was concerned. $It$ll ta"e about three minutes to re0pressurise the ca#ern once we$re bac" inside $ :prie #olunteered earning an appro#ing nod from his instructor. $&hat$s a long time if !ou need a *uic" dust0off.$ I began to warm to the lad as well at that point% in m! experience it$s alwa!s a good sign when the pilot$s thin"ing about the fastest wa! to extract !ou if it all goes ploin0shaped. $6ood point $ Visiter agreed. $/o !ou thin" !ou$ll be able to hold that long on the other side of the pressure door if !ou ha#e to)$ $,e shouldn$t ha#e to $ I countered. $If we need to ma"e a run for it that badl! we$ll head straight for the freighter. 3ou can ta"e us off from one of their personnel loc"s if necessar!.$ &hat could wor" $ Visiter conceded. &he ma"eshift troopship was far too large to doc" internall! and according to the #ox chatter in m! comm0bead which I was listening to with a small corner of m! mind out of long habit had .ust made a hard seal with one of the cargo loc"s on the next le#el. &hen we$ll be seeing !ou when we want a ride home $ I concluded. :omething went ping@ inside the coc"pit and a rune on one of the lecterns turned green. &he ca#ern$s pressurised $ a female cadet informed us. $&hen let$s go $ I said turning to m! motle! collection of would0be commissars.

&he! certainl! loo"ed the part although the! hadn$t got their sashes !et of course'% on the other hand after much internal debate I$d decided to issue them with a sidearm and a chainsword apiece. If we reall! were about to start pla!ing hunt the $nid in a lab!rinth of narrow passagewa!s sending them in unarmed would be tantamount to a death sentence. 2ost of them were at least familiar enough with the weapons not to shoot themsel#es in the foot or lop their own heads off 7with the possible exception of !oung :tebbins who was the worst shot with a laspistol I$d e#er encountered and considering the number of gretchin and Chaos cultists who$#e ta"en a pot at me o#er the !ears that$s reall! sa!ing something8. 34" $he crimson sash of the Commissariat, the mar of their authority, would be formally presented to them at their graduation ceremony": $3es sirH$ &his time the chorus of assent sounded a little more robust so drawing m! laspistol and loosening m! trust! chainsword in its scabbard 7I$#e alwa!s found a dramatic gesture goes down well at a time li"e this8 I led the wa! towards the exit ramp. $At least the gra#it!$s still on $ +urgen remar"ed as we disembar"ed glancing around suspiciousl! the melta he insisted on carr!ing whene#er we were expecting serious trouble a reassuring presence in his hands. &hat$s something $ I agreed getting the measure of our surroundings. /espite the suffocating sense of imminent danger there was something almost homeli"e about it and for a moment I wondered at that before realising that the warren of tunnels we$d found oursel#es in wasn$t #er! different from prett! much an! underhi#e !ou care to point at'. 2! bootsoles crunched on the gritt! surface as I left the boarding ramp the harsh scent of mineral dust tic"ling m! nostrils for a moment before +urgen$s earthier bou*uet nudged it out of the wa!. $/oing this in free fall wouldn$t ha#e been much fun at all.$ 34" $hough Cain!s origins remain something of a mystery, he ma es frequent allusions throughout his memoirs to having been native to a hive world" *hich one, however, he never specifies: perhaps he never new himself": $It$s hardl! going to be a stroll round the gardens as it is $ /onal remar"ed chec"ing the power pac" of his laspistol before stowing it bac" in its holster. 2ore or less con#inced that a pac" of sla#ering hormagaunts wasn$t about to leap out from behind the e#iscerated shuttles I followed suit. No point alarming the P/1 troops b! wa#ing weapons in their direction at least unless I had to. $No it$s not $ I agreed le#ell!. $I$#e fought $nids before and the best piece of ad#ice I can gi#e !ou is ne#er underestimate them. &he! might seem li"e mindless animals and indi#iduall! the! are but the intelligence directing them is an!thing but.$ $I$ll bear that in mind $ /onal told me loo"ing far too confident for m! li"ing. No point in fretting about it though so I led the wa! towards the thic" airtight door set into the ca#ern wall a score or so metres awa!. It s*uealed on its hinges as Nel!s shouldered it open and disappeared though it% no screaming ensued and his head didn$t bounce bac" at us so I concluded it was safe to proceed. &he chamber be!ond was prett! much what I was expecting and once :tebbins and 1rister the last two cadets to follow us through had dogged the door closed again to allow the shuttle to depart I paused for a moment to glance at the schematic of the station displa!ed on the screen of m! data0slate. &he internal la!out was .ust as much of a .umbled mess as I remembered from m! pre#ious loo"s at it the tangle of passagewa!s wandering through the roc" apparentl! at random their direction dictated more b! the presence of something extractable than an!

o#erall plan. -ere and there larger chambers mar"ed the points where significant deposits of something or other had been gouged out se#eral of them since con#erted into utilit! areas of one sort or another while others had simpl! been abandoned showing as nothing more than the nodes from which more *uesting corridors had been drilled. &his .udging b! a *uic" #isual inspection had been one of the latter. ,e stood in a wide roc"! chamber its rough walls pitted with shaft entrances and its undulating floor bare apart from a few scattered pieces of mining e*uipment I didn$t recognise. Portable luminators had been erected close to the door we$d entered the ca#ern b! and also b! a similar door in the far wall the cables trailing from both disappearing up one of the tunnels in between but apart from that there wasn$t a due which wa! to go. After a moment though I slipped the slate bac" into m! greatcoat poc"et grateful for the insulation the thic" garment afforded me against the clamm! chill in the air confident that m! innate affinit! for en#ironments li"e this had "ic"ed in and that I$d be able to find m! wa! bac" here if I needed to. $,hich wa! sir)$ :tebbins as"ed diffidentl! no doubt wondering if I was going to put him on point although his mar"smanship was so bad being behind him would hardl! be an! safer than in front if we got into a fire0fight. 7Not that t!ranids use firearms of course but the ranged weapons the! do ha#e at their disposal are no less lethal not to sa! considerabl! more re#olting.8 $A good *uestion $ I said feeling that the familiar routine of instruction would alla! their ner#ousness at least for a while. $An!one got an answer)$ $&hrough there $ Nel!s said pointing to the doorwa! in the opposite wall. $,here else)$ $,e could follow the cables $ ?a!la suggested. &he! must lead to a hab area.$ /onal shrugged. $At least that wa!$s lit $ he pointed out. ,hich was true. 2ost of the other tunnels were dar" and unin#iting and I tried not to read the stealth! footfalls of a lictor into e#er! stra! sound echoing through the chamber. If there reall! were $nids here it was credits to carrots the!$d be lur"ing in the unlit passagewa!s and I wasn$t about to #enture down an! of those without a s*uad or two of the P/1 in front of me to find an! unpleasant surprises first. $,ell done /onal $ I said. $3ou too ?a!la. &hat ser#ice passage connects with the external doc"ing ports where the troopers we$re here to super#ise are currentl! disembar"ing.$ At least it did if the map in m! data0slate could be trusted which was b! no means certain% these mining habs had an unner#ing tendenc! to change their internal la!out faster than a noblewoman$s wardrobe. 1ortunatel! it turned out to be reliable in this instance as m! internal compass had alread! assured me and within a few moments we were ma"ing our wa! up a gradual slope towards the unmista"able sound of a lot of people .ammed into a confined space and not at all happ! about it. &his wa! $ /onal said decisi#el! leading the wa! down a cross corridor we$d come to after a minute or two of climbing and I found it hard to disagree. &here were more cables here and electrosconces attached to the walls at regular inter#als not to mention more of the metal doorwa!s set into the roc"4 clearl! we were entering one of the more fre*uentl!0used utilit! (ones. 1re*uentl! used when the three hundred or so miners we$d come here to loo" for were going about their normal business that was and the sudden reminder of their absence set m! palms tingling again. Almost without realising it m! hands fell to the weapons on m! belt.

&he ca#ern we entered was the largest we$d come to !et which was .ust as well as the P/1 had done us proud4 the!$d promised a full platoon and that$s what we got fi#e full s*uads and a command team supplemented b! a gaggle of hea#! support troopers apparentl! attached at command le#el. &he! were forming up reasonabl! efficientl! as we arri#ed and I made a *uic" mental note of which of the ubi*uitous metal doors led to the doc"ing port and the mineral barge be!ond4 a reasonabl! eas! deduction as the portal had been left open and the ding! metal walls of a cargo airloc" were clearl! #isible on the other side their angular metal a star" and unmista"able contrast to the unfinished roc" surrounding us. $Commissar.$ &he !oung officer leading the rabble trotted across to me his #ox operator at his shoulder and a trio of hard0faced troopers double0timing it behind their lasguns alread! held read! for use. I$d ha#e felt a lot happier with proper 6uardsmen on the .ob of course but I ha#e to admit that the Perlian P/1 weren$t too bad for a local militia% the!$d learned a lot the hard wa! from the or"ish in#asion less than a centur! ago and were determined to ma"e sure the greens"ins wouldn$t get a second chance if the! e#er turned up again. 7,hich the occasional warband did from time to time of course as the! so often do on worlds once sullied b! their presence despite the campaign to eradicate them apparentl! ha#ing been completel! successful at the time.8 ' As a result the! were more battle0read! than most P/1s in the sector a fact I suspected a good man! of them had come to regret in the last few !ears as the!$d been comprehensi#el! tithed for the 6uard in order to ma"e up the losses caused b! the first onslaught of the t!ranid assault. $>ieutenant Vorlens officer commanding.$ 34" A phenomenon which seems to be related to their peculiar biology: for a short and relatively accessible prAcis of the current theory of spore dissemination, see $he =ungoid 5enace: /r ish )hysiology And Its Implications by 5igo Buggoth": $>ieutenant.$ I returned the salute tr!ing to get a reasonable picture of the man as I did so. -e was !oung li"e most of the troopers surrounding us but he seemed dear and decisi#e enough despite his inexperience. At least he didn$t gawp at me li"e most Perlians catching sight of me for the first time tended to do so it appeared he was capable of "eeping his mind on the .ob which was an encouraging sign. If the best of the P/1 had been sent off to fight the hi#e fleets 7or more li"el! end up as fodder for them8 Vorlens at least seemed li"e one of the best of the rest. ,hich under the circumstances was probabl! the best I could hope for. $3ou ha#e a battle plan)$ $Not much of one $ he admitted which paradoxicall! I found distinctl! encouraging% o#erconfidence "ills more soldiers than las0bolts do. $An!thing complicated would .ust fall apart in a place li"e this an!wa!.$ $3ou$re right about that $ I agreed to the !oung officer$s manifest surprise and relief. $I$#e been on sweeps li"e this before and an! "ind of large0scale deplo!ment is right out.$ &hat$s .ust what I thought $ Vorlens said. -e produced a data0slate of his own and brought up a cop! of the map I$d been loo"ing at a few moments before. $:o I$m di#iding the platoon up into s*uads and assigning them each a sector fanning out from here along the main access tunnels.$ :e#eral of the principal corridors turned blue indicating the main line of the planned ad#ance. $As the! reach the side passages the! can detach a fireteam to reconnoitre along them while the other half of the s*uad remains at the .unction to co#er their bac"s.'$ -e glanced sidewa!s at me clearl! prepared for m!

disappro#al and hoping I wouldn$t o#errule the unorthodox tactic. 34" (plitting a standard ten'man squad into two five'man fireteams is common practice among Imperial .uard regiments experienced in urban combat and counter'insurgency, but far rarer among )lanetary 0efence =orces": $+ust what I$d do $ I assured him. I turned to the cadets behind me. $3ou$ll be assigned as we discussed in the shuttle. One per fireteam.$ I noticed a hand twitching before the impulse to raise it was suppressed. 6ood. &he! might not be full!0fledged commissars !et but drawing attention to the fact would hardl! help morale. $?a!la !ou ha#e a *uestion)$ $3es commissar.$ Vorlens blin"ed suddenl! registering the fact of her gender. $&wo of us per s*uad lea#es two o#er. ,hat will the! be doing)$ $,ell someone needs to "eep an e!e on the hea#! weapons teams $ I said. I glanced at Vorlens. $I assume !ou ha#e some idea of how !ou want to deplo! them)$ &wo sets of autocannon crews were setting up their weapon mounts as we spo"e flan"ing the doorwa! leading to the airloc" and the doc"ed freighter be!ond and the !oung lieutenant nodded. $Right here $ he said. &he! can$t lug that "it around in the main tunnel complex without getting in e#er!one$s wa!.$ Picturing the clums! hea#! weapons in such a confined space I certainl! couldn$t argue with that. $And that rust buc"et$s our onl! wa! off this roc". If there reall! are t!ranids running around loose up here I want it defended.$ $2e too $ I agreed. I pic"ed a cadet at random. $6ar#ie that$s !our assignment.$ $3es sir $ he replied loo"ing both serious and resigned and I fa#oured him with a smile. $/on$t thin" !ou$re missing out on the fun $ I assured him. $If the $nids realise how #ital this chamber is !ou$ll see plent! of action.$ 6ar#ie nodded again his face set and trotted off to get in the wa! of the gunners guarding the airloc". $3ou thin" the!$re definitel! here then)$ Vorlens as"ed. $I$d put mone! on it $ I said. $&hree hundred miners don$t .ust #anish.$ 1or a moment a chill fragment of memor! flitted across m! s!napses and I shuddered at the recollection of a similar con#ersation some se#ent! !ears earlier. I$d gone loo"ing for a few missing miners on :imia Orichalcae and ended up blundering into a necron tomb managing to sur#i#e onl! b! the narrowest of margins and a ridiculous amount of luc". Recalling m!self to the present with an effort I chided m!self for allowing the thought to spoo" me. Compared to the necrons e#en the prospect of facing a genestealer brood seemed positi#el! welcome. $&hen where are the!)$ /onal as"ed loo"ing around with a faintl! theatrical air. $3ou$ll see them soon enough $ I assured him more prescientl! than I "new and returned m! attention to Vorlens. $&he!$re stealth!. &he!$ll hide in the shadows and the!$ll attac" on sight. 3our men should "eep their luminators on at all times and chec" e#er! noo" and crann! the! come across. E#en ones which seem far too small to hide in% belie#e me the! can s*uee(e in an!where.$ &han"s for the ad#ice $ the !oung lieutenant said. $An!thing else we should bear in mind)$ $3es.$ I nodded. $?eep an e!e on the ceilings too. :ome of them can cling on up there and drop on !ou when !ou$re passing.$ I glanced at Nel!s whose expression was

one of incredulous disbelief and felt a flare of irritation in response. $I$#e seen them ta"e out an entire s*uad of Astartes that wa!.$ No point mentioning that the luc"less :pace 2arines in *uestion had been wearing &erminator armour and the genestealer swarm had ripped them apart regardless% the troops surrounding us were "e!ed up enough alread! without me scaring them half to death before we e#en got started. $3our best tactic is to ma"e sure !ou$#e got clear fire0lanes and as much distance as possible between !ou and an! possible concealment. &he!$ll bunch up nice and tightl! in these narrow tunnels and the! generall! charge in a swarm so !ou should be able to gun most of them down before the! get close enough to do an! harm.$ Assuming we weren$t facing $nids with ranged weapons of course and e#en then most close0combat forms were hellishl! fast and agile but it wouldn$t be tactful to mention that either so I didn$t. &he troopers around us who were all conspicuousl! failing to loo" as though the! weren$t listening a#idl! to the con#ersation were at least starting to ta"e heart from m! carefull!0phrased pose of confidence so it loo"ed as if we were about as read! as we were e#er going to get. $&hen we ma! as well get started $ Vorlens said gesturing to his #ox man. $2o#e them out following the assigned routes.$ -e glanced in m! direction. $As soon as !ou$#e got !our people deplo!ed of course.$ $Of course $ I said pleased to note that he$d fallen *uite naturall! into the ideal relationship between soldier and commissar% he was prepared to listen to an! ad#ice I had to offer and ma"e use of an! he felt #aluable but wasn$t going to let m! presence undermine his own authorit! with the troopers under his command. Cuite right too% we were there to boost morale not gi#e orders'. I .ust hoped Nel!s would realise that and sta! on the right side of the line. 34" $hough their authority and responsibilities in the field are wide'ranging, members of the Commissariat are outside the chain of command" If they weren!t, there wouldn!t be much point in having them": ,ell that at least I could do something about. I bec"oned him o#er. $Nel!s $ I said $!ou ta"e 1irst :*uad. >iaise with the platoon sergeant.$ I had no doubt that the most senior NCO present would be more than capable of reining him in if he got too coc"!% in m! experience the! didn$t get to that position b! suffering fools gladl!. And .ust in case that wasn$t enough... $?a!la go with him.$ :he had enough common sense for the pair of them I hoped. $Commissar.$ :he ga#e me a than"s0for0nothing loo" as she saluted no doubt di#ining m! purpose in pairing them off which fortunatel! Nel!s missed being too bus! preening at being assigned to what he no doubt thought was a prime position. &he two of them peeled off to .oin their s*uad which promptl! mo#ed out of the ca#ern their feet raising echoes from the enclosed walls of the tunnel the! were searching. I was pleased to note that the soldiers comprising it were co#ering each other e#en at this stage ta"ing nothing for granted and began to feel a little easier about the assignment. Vorlens$ bo!s might ha#e been wet behind the ears but the!$d clearl! been pa!ing attention in basic training. $:tebbins 1rister !ou$#e got :econd :*uad $ I said. &he two of them were friends and wor"ed reasonabl! well together. $2a"lin and /allor! !ou ta"e &hird. -es"in and ?larch 1ourth. &ilar and 5riel 1ifth.$ One b! one the remaining s*uads reinforced b! the pairs of commissar cadets mo#ed out until onl! +urgen m!self and the command team was left. And /onal of course. I turned to him. $3ou$re with the lieutenant $ I told

him unnecessaril!. $I$m flattered b! !our confidence in me $ he replied which was uncomfortabl! close to the sort of answer I would ha#e gi#en at his age and which confirmed m! .udgement in not letting him out of m! sight. -e turned to Vorlens. $Are !ou intending to monitor the operation from here)$ $No.$ &o m! well0concealed horror the !oung lieutenant was sha"ing his head. 9p until then I$d been ta"ing it for granted that sta!ing put and co0ordinating the sweep a stone$s throw from the safet! of the airloc" had been part of his plan% it certainl! would ha#e been in an! of the 6uard regiments I$d ser#ed with. 5ut of course there wasn$t a nice cos! command Chimera to sit in here full of #ox gear and auspex arra!s to ma"e that wor"% .ust a data0slate and his #ox operator. In fact I was probabl! more on top of things m!self than"s to the networ" of comm0beads lin"ing me to +urgen and the cadets. $,e$ll be pushing on to the main habitation area. If there are an! sur#i#ors that$s where we$re most li"el! to find them.$ $:ounds good to me $ /onal said drawing his laspistol and glancing in m! direction. $,ill !ou be accompan!ing us commissar)$ $Of course $ I said drawing m! own. As usual m! completel! undeser#ed reputation for extra#agant heroics was about to drag me into mortal danger and there wasn$t a thing I could do to bac" out of it without fatall! undermining m! authorit! with the cadets. $&hen if !ou$re read! $ Vorlens said $let$s go hunt some $nids.$

THREE I /ON$& ?NO, if Vorlens e#er realised how ironic his words were but I was all too aware as we set off into the lab!rinth of tunnels that if there was an! hunting to be done it was going to be done b! the t!ranids. I$d been in similar situations to this far too man! times to count and none of them had ended well be!ond the faintl! surprising fact of m! continued sur#i#al. At least we were heading along one of the primar! access tunnels which was relati#el! wide and brightl! lit so we$d ha#e plent! of warning of an! lur"ing organisms up ahead. Or so I hoped. $:ector twel#e dear $ :tebbins reported his #oice a little attenuated in m! comm0 bead b! scores of metres of inter#ening roc" a moment before Vorlens$s #ox man began to rela! an identical report from the sergeant in charge of :econd :*uad. $2o#ing on to sixteen.$ $Ac"nowledged $ I said "eeping m! #oice stead! with an effort. None of the other teams had found an!thing !et either and the longer we went without contacting the enem! the less I li"ed it. ,hich if !ou$#e read much of these ramblings of mine will probabl! surprise !ou but I don$t mind admitting I was getting thoroughl! spoo"ed b! this time. I was all too aware that to ha#e ta"en out o#er three hundred people before someone managed to get to a #ox and !ell for help would ha#e re*uired a significant number of attac"ers so we should ha#e stumbled across a few of them b! now. &he fact that we hadn$t meant that the! were probabl! concentrated somewhere up ahead perhaps e#en waiting in ambush which was far from a comforting reflection. $Perhaps the!$re dormant again $ +urgen suggested. $>i"e the nest we found on 9toxita.$ $&hat$s possible $ I said hoping he was right but pri#atel! doubting that we$d be that luc"!. I turned to Vorlens. $If the! are the!$ll be concentrated in a ca#ern somewhere digesting what$s left of the miners and waiting for dessert to turn up.$ $-ow big a ca#ern)$ /onal as"ed ta"ing out his data0slate. I shrugged. &hat depends on how man! there are. 2! guess would be somewhere between thirt! and sixt! but with $nids !ou can ne#er be sure of an!thing.$ &hat$s a lot of t!ranids $ Vorlens said. $-ow could that man! sta! hidden for so long)$ -e loo"ed dubious. $One or two might ha#e been able to e#ade the search teams but I don$t see how a swarm that si(e could possibl! ha#e managed it.$ &he fighting to cleanse this place was prett! intense $ /onal said showing that he$d at least s"immed through the briefing materials at some point on the shuttle trip or wanted me to thin" that he had. $If one of the galleries collapsed I suppose an entire brood might ha#e been o#erloo"ed behind the roc"fall.$ $+ust waiting for some frothead to come along and dig them out $ Vorlens said. -e glanced at me briefl! before returning his attention to the shadows between the luminators spaced along the tunnel. @,hen we get to the main administration section we can loo" for a wor" schedule. &hat ought to tell us if an!one$s reopened a sealed0off shaft recentl!.$ $6ood idea $ I responded ta"ing a slightl! tighter grip on the butt of m! laspistol. 2! palms were itching again and I couldn$t account for it consciousl! but something about the corridor up ahead seemed subtl! wrong. &hen it struc" me. All the doors we$d

passed so for had been closed dela!ing us for se#eral minutes while we chec"ed a plethora of storerooms and side shafts most of them dead ends before resuming our march towards the heart of this tumbling death trap% but the portal a do(en or so metres ahead of us was a.ar. I felt the hairs on the bac" of m! nec" begin to bristle and dropped bac" a pace or two ensuring that Vorlens and a couple of his troopers were ahead of me. $&here are two hundred and se#en ca#erns large enough to hold a swarm of the si(e !ou suggested $ /onal said glancing up from his data0slate. $None of them are recorded as ha#ing been sealed off but this is an old map...$ -is #oice trailed awa! and he stowed the slate hastil! in a poc"et of his greatcoat. $,hat$s wrong)$ $&hat doorwa! $ I said drawing m! chainsword and indicating the portal ahead of us. &o his credit the lad was *uic" on the upta"e% he drew his own weapons at once. Vorlens gestured to his troopers with the barrel of his laspistol and two of them too" up position on either side of the hinged metal slab while the third co#ered it with his lasgun. &hat left the rest of us hanging bac" a little which was fine b! me although I must confess to glancing up and down the echoing tunnel straining m! ears for the telltale s"ittering of claws on roc" that would warn us of the approach of a pac" of gaunts. $On three $ Vorlens said raising his hand to count down b! folding one finger at a time into his clenched fist. As the last digit disappeared one of the troopers "ic"ed the door open and the other di#ed through the gap his lasgun read! .ust the wa! the! must ha#e rehearsed it in basic training'. A moment later his two s*uad mates followed. 34" =ollowing their experiences during the or invasion, the )erlian )0= paid particular attention to guerrilla and urban combat techniques& something which was to stand them in good stead during the (econd (iege": $ClearH$ one of the troopers called and the rest of us filed in after them apart from +urgen who continued to ho#er .ust outside "eeping an e!e on the tunnel in case we were being outflan"ed. +ust as well reall! as the melta would ha#e been as dangerous to us as to the enem! in such a confined space and the prolonged tension hadn$t been doing a lot for his personal freshness either. >i"e the rest of the rooms we$d chec"ed so far on our erratic progress towards the heart of the asteroid the chamber had been hac"ed out of the roc" with scant regard for regularit! of line or smoothness of finish. It was e#identl! used for storage as a series of metal shel#ing units had been erected di#iding the space into$ narrow lanes .ust wide enough to wal" along stac"ed for most of their length with boxes on which serial numbers which meant nothing to me had been scrawled in penstic". $Roc" samples $ /onal said peering into the nearest and extracting a lump of something which loo"ed li"e *uart(. As he rattled it bac" into place I held up m! hand for silence. $CuietH$ I said straining m! ears. :omething about the echoes sounded wrong unmista"abl! so to an!one familiar with the ambient sounds of the underhi#e and I turned m! head tr!ing to pinpoint the source of the anomal!. &here$s another wa! in hereH$ $&here can$t be.$ /onal had returned his weapons to his belt b! now and was messing about with the data0slate again. $&his is .ust a room. :ee it$s *uite clearl! mar"ed as ha#ing onl! one door.$ $&hen the map$s wrongH$ I snapped heading down a narrow aisle between two of the metal shel#es. Right then I$d ha#e gi#en .ust about an!thing to step bac" through the

door and seal it but I "new from long and bitter experience that what !ou didn$t "now could "ill !ou in situations li"e this. One *uic" loo" I thought .ust enough to let me "now what we were facing that was all. At least Vorlens was *uic" on the upta"e% as I started to mo#e he gestured to a couple of the troopers accompan!ing us and the! began to flan" me a couple of paces behind intermittentl! #isible between the rac"ed boxes on the inter#ening shel#es. :omething scraped against roc" a few metres ahead of me but I couldn$t see it and wished I$d ta"en m! own ad#ice about carr!ing a luminator. &he luxplates set into the ceiling cast too man! conflicting shadows for m! li"ing the lab!rinth of boxed roc"s scattering their illumination and cra(ing it with too man! poc"ets of dar"ness where an!thing might be lur"ing. I strained m! ears tr!ing to pinpoint the sound and disentangle it from the echoes of the troopers$ footfalls. &hereH I twisted bringing m! laspistol round to bear as the noise echoed again the unmista"able scrabbling of something as large as I was within a handful of metres m! finger tightening on the trigger. $/on$t shootH$ a #oice cried shrill with an edge of h!steria and I chec"ed the motion in the nic" of time. An emaciated figure in the robes of an Administratum functionar! so stained with roc" dust and other less identifiable substances as to be almost unrecognisable lunged awa! from me and appeared to be tr!ing to burrow into the roc" with his bare hands. $I$m not one of themH$ $:o I see $ I responded tr!ing to sound as soothing as possible and holding up a hand to "eep the troopers bac". No point in spoo"ing the fellow e#en more than he alread! was. I holstered m! pistol and resheathed the chainsword which seemed to reassure him to some extent and held out a hand to help him up. $I$m Commissar Cain b! the wa! here with a P/1 relief force.$ As I$d expected m! name and reputation seemed to calm him at least as effecti#el! as a sedati#e from the medi0"it would ha#e done and left him in a much fitter state to answer *uestions. $Vallen Clode :cri#ener to the 2aster of 2ines.$ -is #oice was hoarse so I handed him m! canteen% he too" it in trembling fingers and dran" deepl! spilling much of the water which etched clean ri#ulets through the grime encrusted on his face before pattering onto the floor around his boots. $,hat happened here)$ /onal appeared at m! shoulder ma"ing Clode twitch li"e a startled sump rat before he registered that the cadet was relati#el! harmless and calmed down again. $,e found a chamber in the roc" $ Clode said relin*uishing the canteen at last which was almost empt!. $:ometimes it happens !ou .ust brea" through and find a fissure. No one thought an!thing of it at the time. &hen the! started appearing all o#er the hab.$ -is #oice was *ui#ering with suppressed h!steria. $&he! came through the wallsH$ $,hat did)$ I as"ed feeling an old familiar terror welling up in me at the sound of his words. I$d heard them in the tombs of Interims Prime seen shining metal "illers ghosting through solid walls there as insubstantial as smo"e and I couldn$t sha"e the fear irrational as it seemed that I was about to reli#e a ne#er0forgotten nightmare. I felt m! augmetic fingers flexing in#oluntaril! as though remembering their flesh and blood predecessors torn awa! b! a glancing hit from a necron gauss fla!er. 5efore he could answer though /onal spo"e almost as I did cutting across me and drowning me out.

$-ow did !ou sur#i#e)$ he as"ed. $I hid in the air ducts $ the scri#ener said gesturing towards a hole in the wall less than a metre across from which a metal grille was hanging dearl! recentl! dislodged. A faint current of air was wafting from it and I peered suspiciousl! at the dar" patch of shadow inside. It could ha#e been m! imagination but I was certain I could hear a faint all0too0familiar s"ittering sound echoing along the narrow shaft. $E#er!one out $ I said drawing m! laspistol again and beginning to bac" awa!. +ust as well I did too% no sooner had I started mo#ing than something with too man! limbs and far too man! claws and teeth to go with them erupted from the hole in the wall and flung itself at me. I s*uee(ed the trigger more b! reflex than an!thing blowing a hole through its thorax which at least chec"ed its ad#ance% dearl! loo"ing for easier meat it turned slashing at Clode in a flurr! of talon stro"es. &he luc"less scri#ener shrie"ed once before the genestealer$s .aws dosed around his nec" almost se#ering his head from his bod!. $&hrone on EarthH$ /onal !elled bac"ing off too while the troopers opened up with their lasguns. &he $stealer fell blown to blood! chun"s and dropping Clode$s spasming bod! as it collapsed. -e was well past an! help we could gi#e b! now expiring e#en before we made it to the door. $Co#er the #entH$ I shouted "nowing all too well that $stealers come in pac"s and it was luc"! I did because more of the nightmarish shapes were emerging from the dar"ened shaft be!ond their eldritch "eening free(ing the blood almost as much as the sight of their ra(or0edged talons reaching out to rend flesh. Our las weapons strobed and flashed the crac" of ionised air deafening us as e#er! shot echoed and re#erberated in the confined space but the! came on an!wa! after onl! the briefest of pauses bounding o#er the tottering shel#es. One of the troopers went down torn to pieces in front of m! e!es his blood hanging in the air for a moment li"e fine crimson mist and then we were bac" in the corridor scattering as we came tr!ing to "eep our weapons trained on the leaping sc!thing monstrosities bearing down on us. $CommissarH$ +urgen shouted stepping in with his melta raised and forewarned I closed m! e!es momentaril! against the retina0searing flash as he pulled the trigger. &he ra#ening cone of white0hot energ! which burst from the mu((le #aporised the torso of a $stealer reaching out for me as it bounded across the threshold setting fire to the nearest stac" of boxes with the thermal bac"wash. Alarms inside the storeroom began to whoop. $Close the damned doorH$ I bellowed and /onal reached out to grab the handle. A $stealer sei(ed his arm .ust as his fingers dosed around it and he would surel! ha#e been dragged to his death in its .aws had I not swung m! chainsword almost as it struc" shearing through the creature$s arm and decapitating it on the bac"swing as I turned to plant another las0bolt in the face of the monstrosit! behind it. $&han"sH$ /onal gasped his face ashen and !an"ed on the handle. &he door began to dose then stopped bloc"ed b! another taloned arm which began to flail wildl! as the #ox op' and the sur#i#ing troopers stepped in to assist the struggling cadet adding their strength to his. 34" 1ox operator, a common Imperial .uard abbreviation": After an agonising second the door began to swing open again regardless as the fren(ied creatures in the room be!ond began to force their wa! through the aperture created b! the wedge of their own bodies. $1ire in the holeH$ Vorlens !elled lobbing a grenade through the widening gap

around the .amb .ust as I se#ered the obstructing limb in a spra! of foul0smelling ichor and the door slammed to at last. &he muffled crump@ of the frag charge going off shoo" the slab of metal which became pitted b! a thousand tin! indentations as the hail of shrapnel pattered against its far side and e#er!thing went *uiet. $/id we get them all)$ Vorlens as"ed sounding sha"en. $I doubt it $ I said .amming the mechanism as best I could from this side and putting a las0bolt through the loc"ing plate .ust to ma"e sure. $And if those shafts are as extensi#e as the! usuall! are in a place li"e this the! could ha#e gone an!where.$ $&he! were pin" $ /onal said an expression of stupefied astonishment on his face. $No one e#er said the! were pin".$ $&he! come in all sorts of colours $ I told him. I$d seen enough of the damned things o#er the !ears to be certain of that. $Emperor "nows wh! though'.$ I tapped m! comm0bead. $Cain to all units $ I said. $,e$#e made contact. 6enestealers definitel! present no other organisms sighted !et.$ A chorus of ac"nowledgement assured me that the cadets were as read! as the!$d e#er be and there was nothing more I could do to warn them. 34" /pinion among the /rdo 2enos is still divided on that point" $he prevailing theory is that the astonishing amount of variation in colour and patterning observed in the field in some way identifies the hiveship or digestion pool which spawned the organism in question, and some considerable effort has gone into attempting to codify them accordingly" Cnder this system, the genestealers Cain encountered here would appear to have originated in one of the splinter fleets currently infesting the Dambshead Nebula& which would indeed have put them in easy stri ing distance of )erlia": $Commissar.$ I barel! had time to get m! breath bac" before -es"in$s #oice echoed in m! comm0bead gabbling a little with suppressed excitement. $,e$#e found a fresh tunnel. It$s not on our map.$ $:how me $ I said fishing out the data0slate and expanding the image as much as I could around the runes that mar"ed the position of his and ?larch$s comm0beads. According to the displa! the! were in the middle of one of the main tunnels still a score of metres from an! inter#ening passagewa!s. $+ust a second $ -es"in said. $I need to get m! slate out.$ A moment later the pict screen flic"ered and the map was replaced b! a grain! image of his face which loo"ed as though he was standing in the middle of a snowstorm. $Are !ou getting an! of this)$ $+ust barel! $ I told him. If the dense roc" surrounding us was attenuating the #ox signals it was pla!ing merr! hell with the more complex pict transmissions. -es"in began to turn the slate gi#ing me as wide a #iew as possible of his surroundings. $>oo"s li"e a new shaft $ Vorlens said craning his nec" to peer o#er m! shoulder. /onal had his own slate out again stud!ing the transmitted picts with e#er! sign of attention but he still had his laspistol clutched in his other hand and I had no doubt that under his glo#e his "nuc"les would be white. &he lad was definitel! learning. +urgen and the sur#i#ing troopers were loo"ing waril! up and down the tunnels their weapons at the read!% certain that we$d get plent! of warning of an! nast! surprises heading in our direction I ga#e most of m! attention to the blurr! images on the slate in front of me. $It does $ I agreed. &he opening in the roc" wall -es"in was showing us was ragged e#en more so than the tunnel mouths I$d seen earlier and a litter of e*uipment was scattered about in front of it cluttering the floor of the main passagewa! the troopers and cadets had been following. &his turned out to be surprisingl! wide much more so

than the one we were in and I remar"ed on the fact. $&hat$s one of the extraction shafts $ Vorlens confirmed. $&he! too" out a ma.or #ein there about sixt! !ears ago.$ ,ell he should "now he$d studied prett! much e#er! centimetre of this Emperor0forsa"en pebble while planning his search patterns so I .ust too" his word for it. &hat would account for the tram trac"s I could see in the bac"ground a couple of mining carts still sitting forlornl! on them waiting to be filled with spoil from the fresh exca#ation. $,hat$s that e*uipment)$ I as"ed as the #iew panned past a half0score of milling troopers all doing their best to loo" alert and ?larch sitting on a crate of something eating another ration bar. :trange metallic shapes about the si(e of a lascannon too indistinct to be seen clearl! through the ha(e of static cast twisted shadows across the tunnel floor. $Roc" drills $ -es"in said "ic"ing the nearest one. &he! loo" li"e the! were .ust dropped and abandoned.$ I felt the palms of m! hands beginning to itch again. :omehow I doubted that the miners would ha#e been *uite so casual about the means of their li#elihoods. $And mining charges $ ?larch added standing up and gesturing towards the crate which had up until then been supporting his buttoc"s. &his is full of the things. /et cord too.$ 2! sense of unease intensified. E#en if the! had been willing to lea#e their tools l!ing about no one would ha#e been that ca#alier about a significant *uantit! of explosi#es. -e raised his #oice a little letting it carr! to the troopers surrounding him. $:o we$d all better be careful what we shoot at.$ No one seemed inclined to dispute the point so he stuffed the rest of the bar into his mouth and chewed energeticall!. $Proceed with caution $ I ad#ised. $Our latest information is that a new shaft was being opened when the $nids first appeared. If it was that one !ou could be heading straight for the main swarm.$ $,e ha#en$t seen an! sign of them !et $ ?larch said a trifle indistinctl! and drew his laspistol. -e must ha#e swallowed because when he spo"e again his #oice was clearer. $1irst team with me. :econd sta! here and co#er our bac"s.$ $2a!be we should all go $ -es"in suggested. $If it reall! is the main brood down there we$ll need all the firepower we can get.$ $1irst s*uad here $ Nel!s$s #oice cut in eagerl! almost at once. $,e can mo#e up and reinforce.$ $Or we could sta! where we are and complete our assignment $ ?a!la suggested with a hint of impatience. $&his isn$t up for debate $ I snapped. $E#er!one sta! focussed on !our current ob.ecti#e until !ou get orders to the contrar!. ,e$re here to ad#ise and support not ta"e o#er.$ ,hich co#ered m! own arse nicel! if things got as mess! as I suspected the! were about to. I turned to Vorlens. $3our call I$m afraid lieutenant.$ -e didn$t loo" too happ! about it but he didn$t shir" the responsibilit! either simpl! turning to the #ox op and ta"ing the microphone the specialist was holding out towards him. $:ergeant 1reel $ he said. $:end one of the teams in. >ea#e the other to hold the tunnel mouth.$ -e turned bac" to me. $,e don$t "now what$s down there or how wide the shaft is at the end. &here$s no point putting the whole s*uad in danger if the!$re .ust going to get in each other$s wa! when the shooting starts.$ $I agree $ I said deacti#ating m! comm0bead for a moment. $5esides it$ll remind

m! lot that the!$re technicall! onl! here as obser#ers.$ Vorlens nodded reassured that the cadets would follow his plans without further argument and I switched it bac" on again. $?eep the pict transmission going if !ou can $ I told -es"in. $&he more we can see the more the rest of us will "now about what we$re facing.$ $,ill do $ he assured me. &he bli((ard0obscured ca#ern on m! slate screen seemed to be sha"en b! a small brief hi#e*ua"e as he handed his own data0slate to ?larch. It seemed :ergeant 1reel was the "ind of NCO who wouldn$t as" his men to do an!thing he wouldn$t do himself 7more fool him too as things turned out8 so 1irst &eam would indeed be ma"ing the recon. After a moment the image steadied a little and I could .ust ma"e out 2arch$s other hand holding his laspistol at the read!. $All set $ he said his #oice a little breathless and 1reel made some "ind of ac"nowledgement that the comm0bead failed to pic" up. :hadows were mo#ing in the bli((ard on the tin! screen in front of me and I blin"ed m! e!es alread! feeling sore from the effort of tr!ing to disentangle a coherent image from it. After a moment I identified them as the troopers gi#en the dubious honour of going down the hole to po"e at whate#er might be lur"ing in its depths with a metaphorical stic". 1rom what little I could ma"e out none of them were terribl! happ! about it which I could hardl! blame them for and I made a mental note to "eep an e!e on ?larch to see that he "ept up morale li"e he was supposed to. :trangel! enough gi#en the number of times I$#e been in a similar situation I found the unaccustomed sensation of being a spectator rather than a participant peculiarl! uncomfortable. I suppose if I$m honest there was a certain sense of relief at not being in imminent ph!sical danger m!self for once but the blurred static0ha(ed images on m! slate screen had a curious nightmarish tinge to them% at least if I$d been there in person I$d ha#e felt able to affect things in some wa!. 7Of course I$d probabl! ha#e been dead too shortl! thereafter but that$s beside the point.8 $,e$re coming to another ca#ern $ ?larch reported after a few moments. -e was near the front of the group stic"ing close to the sergeant as I$d ad#ised all m! cadets to do earl! on in their training% when all else failed following the lead of the senior NCO present in a crisis would generall! be their best chance of getting out in one piece. &he point man #anished into the gloom ahead of them his luminator flic"ering until it got so faint I couldn$t distinguish it from an! of the flares of interference still mottling the pict displa!. $Can !ou see an! lights)$ I as"ed. $Other than !our own I mean.$ $No commissar.$ ?larch sounded pu((led as well he might but then he had no idea of the old terrors Clode$s words had so unexpectedl! "indled in me. Ridiculous of course m! rational mind "ept insisting but all the same now the memories of that ghastl! tomb world had been raised the! couldn$t be that lightl! dismissed. $:hould we)$ $Emperor$s bowels I hope not $ I said without thin"ing and Vorlens glanced in m! direction his expression curious. &hen because I couldn$t help m!self I added $if !ou see an!thing that loo"s li"e a green glow up ahead .ust turn bac".$ If there reall! were necrons here the onl! sensible option would be to run for the ship call a couple of :/1 gunboats to pound the place to gra#el and get a message to Amberle! as *uic"l! as possible. $Ac"nowledged $ ?larch said in a tone which left me in no doubt that he was wondering if I$d been at the amasec 7chance would ha#e been a fine thing under the

circumstances8 and I loo"ed up to find Vorlens loo"ing at me speculati#el!. $A green glow)$ he as"ed. I nodded. $:omething I ran into in a place li"e this once $ I said. $+ust discounting the possibilit! that$s all.$ $I see.$ Vorlens nodded too thoughtfull!. $And if I as"ed what it was)$ $I$d rather not tell !ou $ I said truthfull!. $An in*uisitor I "now wouldn$t be pleased.$ Amberle!$s line on the necrons seemed to be that the general population was better off not "nowing about them and since prett! much e#er!one the!$d e#er come into contact with was dead that was a surprisingl! eas! secret to "eep. $+ust ta"e m! word for it if the!$re around we$ll "now about it soon enough.$ ,hich was true so far as it went although had we but "nown we would soon be engulfed in e#ents so catacl!smic I would almost ha#e welcomed an enem! as straightforwardl! uncomplicated as the necrons. Vorlens was clearl! about to ma"e some "ind of remar" in response but before he could do so the recon detail entered the ca#ern and our attention was ta"en up entirel! b! the e#ents unfolding there. $It$s big $ ?larch reported. $Our luminators can barel! reach the far wall.$ -e wa#ed the slate in his off0hand showing a brief glimpse of what might ha#e been smooth chamber walls the first I$d seen since we$d arri#ed on this benighted roc" although the pict *ualit! was so poor it was hard to be sure. Ne#ertheless I felt a "not of apprehension tightening itself in the pit of m! stomach. I might ha#e as"ed ?larch to put m! mind at rest b! getting some close0ups and pro#ing definiti#el! that the walls were as pitted as the rest of the ca#erns but I ne#er got the chance. $IncomingH$ somebod! screamed opening up on full auto and within seconds the tin! transcei#er in m! ear was full of the sounds of battle. I had a momentar! sight of a hea#ing mass of chitin bearing down on ?larch three or four genestealers and what loo"ed li"e a couple of gaunts before he dropped the slate and it abruptl! stopped transmitting. I could still hear the progress of the one0sided battle though as his comm0 bead continued to wor" the crac"H of las weapons mingling with the shrie"s of the soldier! the ululation of the $nids and the unmista"able retching sound of firing fleshborers. $1all bac"H 1ire and mo#ementH$ :ergeant 1reel bellowed but the sound of las weapons was alread! growing sporadic. $&he!$re alread! in the tunnelH$ ?larch !elled desperatel!. $-es"in defensi#e positionsH$ &he lad would ha#e made a good commissar probabl! still thin"ing of the bigger picture e#en as his own life hung b! a thread but he wasn$t going to get the chance now. -is last scream was still echoing in m! ear as I turned to Vorlens. $,e ha#e to "eep them containedH$ I said. $If the! get out into the tunnels now the! can pic" us off at their leisure.$ -e nodded griml! alread! reaching for the #ox. $5laine &or#en sector nineteen. Reinforce fourth s*uad.$ -e loo"ed at me and shrugged. $,hat$s left of it.$ I nodded ha#ing recognised one of the names as the platoon sergeant accompan!ing Nel!s and ?a!la. $Nel!s report $ I said. 9nder the circumstances I wanted to hear what was going on from one of m! own people. $,e$re mo#ing to reinforce $ Nel!s told me his words o#erlaid b! the echo of hurr!ing footsteps.

$9s too $ :tebbins #olunteered his #oice tense. $-es"in sit tight $ I ordered. -e would ha#e o#erheard the exchanges as I$d intended him to so right now with an! luc" he$d be digging in secure in the "nowledge that help was on its wa!. $-old !our position and wait for bac"up.$ $,hat about ?larch and the others)$ -es"in as"ed. $If we mo#e fast enough we might...$ $&he!$re be!ond help $ I told him shortl!. $3ou heard what ?larch said the $nids are alread! in the tunnel. 3our onl! hope is to sit tight and pic" them off as the! emerge.$ $Ac"nowledged $ he said sounding far from happ! about it. $If we ta"e this access tunnel we can be there oursel#es in a couple of minutes $ /onal said glancing up from his slate which was displa!ing the map again. :ure enough a narrow conduit was mar"ed barel! wide enough to mo#e along in single file but the moment I saw it I "new he was right. :o much for sta!ing on the sidelines I thought. $Come onH$ Vorlens said gesturing to his men and double0timing it in the direction /onal had indicated. As usual I felt I had no option but to follow% maintaining m! reputation and m! authorit! o#er the cadets demanded it. $Right behind !ouH$ I replied turning to follow and ma"ing sure /onal went into the tunnel ahead of me. If he reall! thought it was a good idea to go charging into the middle of a $nids swarm he was welcome to go first.

FOUR /ONA> ,A: RI6-&4 a few metres further on we found a narrow passagewa! lined with pipes and cabling heading in the direction we wanted. 7Or at least in the direction of the battle which in m! case was far from being the same thing.8 It was e#en more cramped than I$d feared barel! wide enough to wal" down our shoulders brushing the ironmonger! bolted to the walls and occasional protrusions in the roc" as we passed. 1ortunatel! Vorlens was still leading from the front disappearing down the fissure li"e a homing ferret and his men followed without hesitation. /onal was hard on their heels which left +urgen and me standing alone in the main passagewa! for a moment. &here$s something I don$t understand $ m! aide said lowering his #oice conspiratoriall! and leaning a little closer to gi#e me the full benefit of his halitosis. ,hich was hardl! a no#elt! but under the circumstances I was inclined to listen. /espite his unprepossessing appearance and bod! odour which would ha#e made an or" blench he was prett! much the onl! man I e#er trusted. ,hich was hardl! surprising gi#en the number of times he$d sa#ed m! miserable hide o#er the !ears. $,hich is)$ I as"ed. +urgen$s forehead furrowed under its usual patina of grime which b! now had been richl! supplemented b! the dust drifting e#er!where in the crudel! chiselled lab!rinth. $If that *uill0pusher reall! had been hiding in the air #ents $ he said slowl! $how come the $stealers didn$t get him)$ $I$#e been wondering that too $ I admitted. E#en though I$d hardl! had much time to mull o#er Clode$s abruptl! truncated stor! parts of it still bothered me. In m! experience air #ents and ser#ice ducts were precisel! the "ind of places the in#ading organisms would go to ground as e#idenced b! their presence in the shaft leading to the storage room in which we$d encountered them. An!one hoping to find refuge in one would be abruptl! and fatall! disappointed in prett! short order. $Perhaps he .ust wasn$t down there for #er! long.$ In an! case there wasn$t much point in worr!ing about it. As !ou$ll readil! appreciate I was a lot more concerned about where the rest of them had gone especiall! as I was about to s*uee(e into a narrow passagewa! m!self. All I can sa! for the few moments it too" us to reach the main shaft where -es"in was doing his best to stem the tide is that the! were o#er mercifull! *uic"l!. As I$#e alread! remar"ed the ser#ice tunnel was claustrophobicall! narrow so much so that it was all but impossible to turn round in it and m! shoulder blades tingled the whole time we were down there anticipating the sudden impact of a genestealer$s talons. Onl! +urgen$s presence behind me which I could smell e#en if I couldn$t see him went some wa! towards assuaging m! fears% he was clearl! ha#ing some difficult! with the bul"! melta in such a confined space .udging b! the leitmotif of sotto voce profanit! which accompanied our progress but I was still grateful that he$d "ept it in his hands. +udging b! the #oices in m! comm0bead we were going to need all the firepower we could get in a moment or two. -es"in and the *uintet of troopers with him were apparentl! gi#ing a prett! good account of themsel#es at least so far ha#ing caught the emerging $nids in a withering crossfire the moment the! emerged from the tunnel mouth. 5eing $nids of course this hadn$t particularl! bothered them but it had slowed them down a bit .ust long enough for

1irst :*uad to arri#e and pitch in which seemed to be e#ening up the odds a little. Once :econd :*uad and oursel#es arri#ed we might actuall! be able to contain them after all. I hoped... $&his wa!H$ Vorlens called from somewhere up ahead and after a moment the looming bul" of /onal$s greatcoat and cap in front of me mo#ed aside too to re#eal a wide tunnel car#ed through the roc". As I stepped out of the narrow passagewa! behind the cadet I glanced around orientating m!self from long habit and getting m! first glimpse of the disputed shaft in the process. It was e#en bigger than it had appeared on the data0slate screen full! wide enough to ha#e dri#en a Chimera down with plent! of room to spare on either side. &he tram trac"s I$d noted before ran awa! into the distance presumabl! to a spoil heap or a processing area and I almost tripped on the nearest rail as I turned towards the sounds of combat. &o m! mingled surprise and relief the combined force of cadets and P/1 troopers loo"ed as though the! were still holding the line although the $nids seemed perilousl! close to gaining the upper hand. None of the $stealers or hormagaunts had succeeded in closing the distance enough to get into close combat range before being shot to bits !et which was a minor miracle in itself but a small brood of gaunts was poised in the entrance to the narrow side tunnel ra"ing the main ca#ern with fleshborer fire. :e#eral of the troopers were down too b! now thrashing and screaming or ominousl! inert but the sur#i#ors were still pouring las0bolts into the chitinous horde with undiminished enthusiasm. $CommissarH$ -es"in loo"ed up and saw me relief etched on his face for a moment before all traces of expression #anished along with most of his head. -is corpse flew bac"wards propelled b! an impact far greater than the deadl! clouds of beetles disgorged b! the fleshborers could possibl! ha#e deli#ered. I turned to the tunnel mouth horrified realisation curdling m! guts and saw what I most dreaded. One of the larger warrior forms had .oined the gaunts imbuing them with malign purpose the unmista"able bul" of a #enom cannon hanging from its lower limbs. $:hoot the big oneH$ I shouted hoping to disrupt the influence of the hi#e mind if onl! for a moment or two but all I succeeded in doing was attracting its attention and to m! horror the monstrous weapon began to swing in m! direction. I di#ed for co#er behind the nearest ore cart hearing the wood explode abo#e me and the hiss of the hail of deadl! poison cr!stals passing .ust o#er m! head. A moment later an unmista"able odour of unwashed soc"s informed me that +urgen had made it to our impro#ised refuge as well. $Commissar.$ ?a!la popped up on the other side of me and loosed off a couple of las0bolts at the hul"ing abomination before duc"ing bac". $,e$re getting our arses handed to us here.$ As a formal sitrep ' I suppose it left :omething to be desired but I$d come to prett! much the same conclusion m!self so I couldn$t reall! fault her anal!sis. 34" (ituation report" /ne of the many abbreviations common among the Imperial .uard": I$#e got a shot $ +urgen informed us as casuall! as if he was as"ing whether I$d li"e some more tanna. &he warrior staggered bac" a pace as Vorlens and his three remaining troopers ga#e it fi#e rapid rounds apiece and +urgen s*uee(ed the trigger of the melta. &he results were gratif!ing to sa! the least. &he towering creature shrie"ed

staggered and went down steaming li"e a grox roast 7although smelling a great deal less pleasant8 its hea#! weapon seared into uselessness. It scrabbled against the stone floor for a moment gouging parallel groo#es in the roc" attempting to rise before another barrage of lasgun fire put it out of the fight for good. /epri#ed of its influence the gaunts milled uncertainl! for a moment before retreating deeper into the tunnel though the! still "ept up their barrage of fleshborer rounds. $&he!$re pulling bac"H$ Nel!s cried and actuall! began to stand flourishing his chainsword li"e the hero of a holodrama. $1ollow up and finish themH$ $6et !our fra""ing head down before the! finish !ouH$ I bellowed *uite unnecessaril! in retrospect as he still had his comm0bead in. I swear he winced as he followed m! instructions. $If !ou set foot in that tunnel !ou$re a dead manH$ -e complied with ill grace but at least he duc"ed bac" behind a hand! heap of rubble perhaps encouraged b! the nois! demise of another of the P/1 troopers who happened to be standing nearb!. $Can we seal the shaft with those mining charges)$ Vorlens as"ed indicating the crate ?larch had been en.o!ing his last meal on such a short time before. $-a#en$t a due $ I admitted. $1or all I "now it$ll bring the whole roof down on top of us.$ &hat seemed the most li"el! result to me although of course I couldn$t tell from there how much was in the box. I did "now what an explosion in a confined space could do though and under most circumstances I$d be disinclined to ris" it. Right now howe#er we didn$t seem to ha#e a lot of options left. &he scuttling in the tunnel was beginning to sound more purposeful again which meant that another of the s!napse creatures was beginning to restore order and that we could expect another co0ordinated assault at an! time. I indicated the box with a tilt of m! head. &he real problem$s going to be getting our hands on it $ I added. $Not a problem $ Nel!s assured me and before I could protest he was up and running head down as though the hail of fleshborer rounds was nothing more deadl! than a rain shower. $1ra"head $ ?a!la said a tinge of admiration elbowing its wa! past the disappro#al in her #oice and she began to pop off las0rounds in the general direction of the tunnel mouth. $6i#e him co#ering fireH$ I ordered although /onal and most of the troopers were alread! doing so. +urgen triggered the melta again and a ra#ening blast of superheated air belched down the tunnel eliciting a shrie" which set m! teeth on edge. It sounded as though the s!napse beastie was ha#ing problems of its own and I began to hope that the main assault might .ust be dela!ed another moment or two. It was a #ain hope howe#er. Nel!s had almost made it to the box of explosi#es when another warrior form its bod! scorched and lea"ing ichor but still functioning far too well for m! peace of mind emerged from the tunnel mouth and aimed another tube of flesh in his direction. $Nel!s two o$cloc"H$ /onal shouted .ust in time and the impetuous cadet chec"ed his rush di#ing sidewa!s to ta"e refuge behind an ore cart which had apparentl! been remo#ed from the rails for some reason. Powerful acids seared their wa! through the stone where he$d been standing an instant before as the de#ourer rounds burst spattering their lethal pa!load and a few stra! drops began to eat their wa! through the wooden slats ma"ing up the mobile ore bin he was hiding behind. $Now what$s he up to)$ ?a!la muttered shooting at the hul"ing creature again and

for a moment I thought she meant the $nid until she added $-asn$t got the sense he was born with.$ Nel!s peered cautiousl! round the obstruction clearl! wondering if he dared ma"e another run for it and she tapped the comm0bead in her ear impatientl!. $It$s got wheels or"brain.$ $Oh right.$ Nel!s di#ined her meaning almost at once and began to mo#e cautiousl! towards the box of explosi#es pushing the ma"eshift barrier in front of him. It was too flims! to stop more than another round or two but with an! luc" the $nid wouldn$t ha#e enough time to get that man! shots off in an! case. $?eep firing $ I encouraged e#er!one. $,e$#e got them on the run.$ &his wasn$t exactl! true but at least we were holding them which was more than I$d expected when we got into this mess in the first place. +urgen nodded and fired the melta again barbecuing the $nid neat as !ou please. $,ell done +urgen.$ $3ou$re welcome sir.$ 2! aide nodded as though I$d .ust than"ed him for bringing me a mug of tanna and a florn ca"e and resumed his watchful posture as the warrior form flailed and expired in a cloud of ran"0smelling steam its now flaccid limbs trailing down the gentle slope behind it. $,ill the! send out another one)$ Vorlens as"ed and I shoo" m! head. $Probabl! not.$ I too" in the scattered corpses of the t!ranid organisms interspersed with too man! casualties of our own for m! li"ing and performed a *uic" mental calculation. $&he! can$t ha#e too man! s!napse creatures left b! now. 2a!be onl! one if we$re luc"!. &hat means the!$ll tr! to protect it in the tunnel.$ $&he!$ll ha#e to do a lot better than that sir $ Nel!s said in m! comm0bead the o#erconfident tone I$d learned to dread creeping bac" into his #oice. -e$d reached the box b! now and had le#ered the top off before rummaging in it eagerl!. &here$s enough f!celine in here to bring the whole tunnel down.$ -e emerged again holding something up to the light. $And det cord. 3ou rec"on two minutes will be enough)$ $Nothing li"e enoughH$ I snapped but I was too late. E#en before I spo"e he$d clipped off a length and hea#ed the whole box full of explosi#e nastiness into the ore truc". $-e$s insaneH$ ?a!la said the tone of grudging admiration e#en more pronounced than before. It was clear now what Nel!s had in mind and I ha#e to admit that for once he seemed to ha#e had the germ of a decent idea% apart from the appalling ris" of entombing us along with the $nids of course. $Clearl! $ I agreed and turned to /onal. $/on$t .ust stand there help himH$ $3es commissar.$ /onal leapt to his feet and sprinted o#er to his fellow cadet while e#er!one else "ept wasting las0bolts down the dar"ness of the tunnel. &here didn$t seem an!thing much to shoot at an! more but that didn$t mean a thing where t!ranids were concerned so I let them get on with it. At least it ga#e the troopers something to do which would be good for morale and with an! luc" it would di#ert the swarm$s attention from what was going on abo#e their heads. Nel!s and /onal got their shoulders to the ore cart and hea#ed% within seconds the!$d got it up to a fair turn of speed sprinting along behind it while its deadl! cargo bounced around in a fashion I found far from comforting. $Cease firingH$ I shouted .ust as the! got close enough to the tunnel mouth to seem in imminent danger of being felled b! their own comrades. 5ut I needn$t ha#e worried% Vorlens$ men were prett! disciplined for P/1 and had seen the danger for themsel#es. ,ith a final hea#e the two cadets rounded the corpse of the warrior +urgen had

felled and started the cart rattling down the gentle slope be!ond. &he moment it was mo#ing the! flung themsel#es aside no doubt anticipating a further hail of bioengineered lethalit! but it seemed m! guess was correct% the $nids were retrenching at the bottom of their hole. Not that it did them much good of course. /onal and Nel!s were alread! running for co#er as the cart disappeared into the dar"ness the echoes of its passage re#erberating bac" as it bounced into the depths of the shaft. &he noise and mo#ement e#identl! distracted our abominable ad#ersaries as I distinctl! heard another barrage of fleshborer fire no doubt an instincti#e response to the intrusion. &hen I was flinging m!self flat behind the dubious refuge of the ore cart certain that Nel!s$s two minutes must surel! be up. I wasn$t wrong. ,ith a roar li"e an ammunition dump exploding a plume of smo"e and roc" dust probabl! mixed with fragments of t!ranid if I$d cared enough to loo" erupted from the tunnel mouth ahead of us turning it into a miniature fumerole. Cho"ing li"e e#er!one else present I clambered to m! feet blin"ing m! e!es clear of the stinging residue of the detonation and tried to distinguish the babble of #oices around me from the ringing in m! ears. $/onalH Nel!sH ReportH$ I demanded still b! no means certain that either would be in a fit state to respond. $:till here commissar $ /onal assured me laconicall!. $5oth of us.$ $/id we get them)$ Nel!s as"ed coughing loudl! as he inhaled a little too much of the results of his handiwor". $3ou could sa! that $ I agreed. &he entire tunnel was collapsing chun"s of roc" as big as I was thundering down from the ceiling to crac" and cra(e against the une#en floor while innumerable smaller pieces clattered and rolled about them. It loo"ed to me as if it was bloc"ed from end to end and that an! $nids which had escaped the conflagration would ha#e been mashed to pulp before the! could flee. $3esH$ Nel!s crowed grinning from ear to ear and I fought down the impulse to chide him. 5etter to let him ha#e his moment of triumph% at least the bang seemed to ha#e "noc"ed a little of the starch out of his underwear which was no bad thing. $,ell done $ I said ma"ing sure I included /onal in the general bac"slapping. $If a trifle rec"less.$ I turned hearing the clatter of running feet to find 1rister :tebbins and :econd :*uad double0timing it into the battle(one. :tebbins gaped at the mess for a moment then recollected himself and saluted. $Commissar. ,hat happened)$ $Nel!s s*uished the bugs $ ?a!la told him. $Oh.$ -e loo"ed #aguel! disappointed. $An!thing we can do now we$re here)$ $-elp the wounded $ I said conscious of ha#ing an image to maintain and turned to Vorlens. $&hen I suggest we resume the sweep. &here could still be some stragglers roaming around.$ $Right.$ &he lieutenant nodded and went into a huddle with his NCOs lea#ing me to ga(e thoughtfull! at the mound of debris. &here would be no chance now of alla!ing m! nagging sense of dis*uiet b! inspecting the chamber at the far end or better still sending someone else to do it e#en if it hadn$t collapsed along with the tunnel. Once again I told m!self that Clode$s words had .ust been a figure of speech4 no one "new better than I did that if there reall! were necrons here none of us would ha#e made it out of the doc"ing ba! let alone this deep into the asteroid. And the! would ha#e

slaughtered the t!ranids too I had no doubt of that. 5ut something about the whole situation still struc" me as fundamentall! wrong and if I$#e learned one thing in m! centur! or more of attempting to e#ade all the trouble the galax! "eeps throwing at me it$s to trust that nagging sense of paranoia. $6ood news sir.$ A familiar #oice and e*uall! familiar odour bro"e into m! re#erie. +urgen was standing at m! shoulder the melta slung across his bac" next to his las0gun now that he had no further pressing need of either. -e was holding a data0slate his brow furrowed in concentration as he studied the tangled mess of the mining hab$s internal la!out. $I thin" I$#e .ust found a "itchen.$ ,ell he had and I must admit that a couple of salt grox buns and a mug of fresh recaff went a long wa! towards impro#ing m! mood. 5ut I didn$t feel reall! comfortable again until we were bac" aboard the A*uila our sweep finall! completed and the last few genestealers hunted down and dispatched. $It sounds li"e !ou did a good .ob $ Visiter greeted me on our return while the subdued cadets filed bac" to their seats tr!ing not to loo" at the empt! ones which had been occupied b! -es"in and ?larch on our flight here. I$d been careful to find them all plent! of ma"e0wor" to "eep them from brooding on our losses but now on the long .ourne! bac" I$d ha#e to "eep an e!e on them% sooner or later the reaction would set in. ,ith an! luc" most of them would sleep for the next few hours but after that I$d need to handle them carefull! until the!$d had time to come to terms with what had happened. &he!$d all "nown intellectuall! that casualties happen on a battlefield but it was the first time the!$d actuall! experienced it and the first time an! of them had lost a fellow cadet. $6ood enough $ I conceded wearil!. -e alread! "new about our losses of course so there was no point in going into that now. $3ou said !ou had something to show me)$ $I do.$ &he commodore nodded apparentl! amused at some pri#ate .o"e. $?eep !our e!e on the #iewport.$ -e settled into the seat next to me apparentl! unconcerned b! +urgen$s proximit! and tapped his comm0bead. &a"e us out 2ister :prie.$ ,e$d boarded the shuttle in the ca#ern we$d disembar"ed in little less than a da! ago and the dull gre! walls be!ond the armourcr!s and the disembowelled utilit! craft still loo"ed exactl! the same as the! had when we arri#ed. &he great iron doors leading to open space had been ponderousl! retracting while we too" our seats and now the mottled roc" began to slip past the #iewport as :prie fed power to the engines lifting the A*uila from the floor and nudging it gentl! bac" towards its natural element. $&he funn! thing is $ Visiter told me $we$d ne#er ha#e noticed the thing if !ou hadn$t told us to loiter off0station. It$s not exactl! #isible unless !ou get close to it.$ $,hat isn$t)$ I as"ed as :prie boosted us out of the hangar ba! in a neat parabola. ,e were s"imming the surface it seemed to me swooping low o#er the crac"ed and desolate terrain so close that a few of the surface0mounted p!lons I$d noticed on the wa! in seemed e#en higher than our flight path. $>uc"il! I thought of gettin$ the !oung sha#ers to practise some low0altitude attac" runs while we were waitin$ $ Visiter continued as if he hadn$t heard the *uestion. 1air enough then I thought if he wanted to be all m!sterious about it I wouldn$t spoil his fun. $Or"s use roc"s li"e this for transport !ou "now as well as proper ships.$ I did "now as it happened ha#ing been aboard a couple in m! time so I nodded. $9suall! for large0scale planetar! assaults $ I said. 1rom an or"ish point of #iew the! were perfect for the .ob% either whate#er bra"ing s!stem their me"s had been able to

cobble together wor"ed deli#ering a far greater number of warriors to the surface than a con#entional drop0ship could e#er ha#e done or the! failed resulting in a titanic explosion and widespread destruction which the! seemed to thin" was almost as good.. $Cuite $ Visiter said his moustache *ui#ering. After a moment he pointed. &here it is.$ It too" me a moment to ma"e out what he was indicating then m! .aw dropped. It was a t!ranid bio0construct wedged deep in a fissure on the asteroid$s surface almost hidden b! the shadows surrounding it. &hat$s a m!cetic sporeH$ I said not bothering to conceal m! surprise. $Certainl! loo"s li"e one $ the commodore agreed clearl! pleased with m! reaction. $Probabl! been driftin$ around e#er since the :/1 too" out the hi#e ships last !ear and .ust made for this place once it got into range.$ $An! idea how long it$s been there)$ I as"ed. Visiter shrugged. $Not long b! the loo" of it. 5ut I$d bet half m! pension that$s how !our swarm arri#ed.$ $Not a bet I$d ta"e $ I agreed. As :prie brought us around in a wide slow circle I could dearl! see the split in the side through which the organisms had disembar"ed the interior lit b! the external floodlights of our A*uila. &he flesh inside had been desiccated b! exposure to #acuum of course but still seemed to retain a little resilience in contrast to the hard outer shell. &hat meant that it had arri#ed relati#el! recentl! I was sure but it would ta"e a 2agos 5iologis to narrow it down an! more than that. $/id !ou find an! others)$ $Others)$ Now it was Visiter$s turn to loo" surprised. $No. :hould we ha#e done)$ $I don$t "now $ I admitted m! sense of unease returning e#en more strongl! than before. &he pod could onl! ha#e held about a score of t!ranids and we$d accounted for more or less that man! in our face0to0face encounters aboard the asteroid. 9p until then I$d been assuming that a significant number of them had been trapped and exterminated in the tunnel collapse as well% but if not and the chamber ?larch had disco#ered was all but empt! when Nel!s$s bomb went off that brought me right bac" to m! original *uestion. ,hat had "illed all the miners so swiftl! and efficientl!) ,h! hadn$t we disco#ered an! bodies) And if someone or something else had been responsible had the t!ranids simpl! arri#ed after the dust had settled and ta"en ad#antage of the abandoned installation to set up home) E#en more unsettling was the thought that if some other force had indeed attac"ed the mining hab where were the! now) E#entuall! I succeeded in do(ing off more from sheer ph!sical fatigue than an!thing else but m! dreams were far from restful full of blan"0faced metal "illers and their scuttling spider0li"e ser#itors. -ad I but "nown of course all m! *uestions would be answered soon enough% but if I$d had e#en the merest in"ling of what form those answers would ta"e !ou can be sure m! dreams would ha#e been infinitel! worse than the! were.

Editorial Note I had considered placing this extract at the very beginning of Cain!s narrative& although, on reflection, this seems li e the proper place to insert it" 1rom In %lac est Night: $he 5illennial *ars Appraised b! A!.aepi Clothier 'GA. 2DG. &-E 1OR&301IR:& 2I>>ENNI92 ended li"e so man! of its predecessors in widespread conflict% although it$s probabl! fair to sa! that seldom in the histor! of the Imperium has humanit! found itself beset b! so man! enemies on so man! sides. &he broad brush stro"es of most popular accounts ha#e tended to parcel up the #arious war (ones with un.ustified neatness howe#er blurring the manner in which successi#e crises interacted with one another and in some cases o#erlapped. Nowhere is this misconception more egregious than in the popular image of the two principal battlefronts of the time4 the so0called 5lac" Crusade and the &!rannic wars. In the minds of most interested la!men the 5lac" Crusade was largel! confined to the aptl! named :egmentum Obscurus while the t!ranid hi#e fleets constituted a threat solel! to the s!stems of the Eastern Arm. In realit! the picture was a great deal more confused with the raiding fleets of the 6reat Enem! stri"ing far from the main battleground around the Cadian 6ate and its ad.acent sectors. At least one such flotilla is reliabl! recorded as being acti#e as far to the East as the /amocles 6ulf close to what was then the border of the &au Empire although wh! it should ha#e been there and the circumstances of its e#entual defeat remain shrouded in con.ecture and debate. I propose to de#ote a modest chapter to the affair howe#er since one thing about it that is be!ond dispute is the in#ol#ement of the near0legendar! hero Ciaphas Cain whose stalwart defence of the planet Perlia remains .ustifiabl! celebrated e#en toda!.

FIVE $&-E3 &E>> 2E !ou were recommending a full *uarantine of the place $ 5ras"er said his dr! paper! #oice as alwa!s managing to sound both condescending and mildl! incredulous. ,ith one or two exceptions 7Commodore Visiter and Ror"ins the retired colonel in charge of the stormtrooper cadets chief among them8 I found m! colleagues on the facult! tedious compan! at best and the schola$s bursar ir"ed me more than most. Almost a parod! of an Administratum functionar! his gre! s"in and creased robes in#ariabl! spattered with in" he had an opinion on e#er! sub.ect which he generousl! shared with e#er!one in the #icinit! whether the! were interested in it or not. Apart from the progeni of course who he preferred to ignore expressing the #iew at e#er! opportunit! that their presence was the onl! thing pre#enting the schola from running as efficientl! as he would ha#e li"ed. 9nfortunatel! his societ! was the tariff the rest of us had to bear if we wanted to dine in the butter! which the "itchen staff were s"illed enough to ma"e seem worth the irritation. I$d arri#ed in the hall a little late than"s to some administrati#e wor" that for once I$d been unable to delegate to +urgen and m! heart had sun" as I$d approached the high table through the usual gaggle of face0stuffing cadets to find that the onl! #acant seat left was next to 5ras"er. 7:omething I had anticipated of course since the rest of us had long since di#ined that our best chance of a#oiding his compan! was to arri#e earl! for meals but I$d clung to the hope that someone else would be later than I was.8 $&he! tell !ou correctl! $ I replied as I seated m!self maintaining a #eneer of politeness despite m! irritation. All those !ears of attending tedious diplomatic functions while I was attached to the >ord 6eneral$s staff had made the pose of courteous attention second nature to me and I was too seasoned a campaigner to ma"e needless enemies. Particularl! of the man who controlled the schola$s budget and who so far had been almost preternaturall! trusting about m! departmental accounts. $5ut !ou were o#erruled of course $ 5ras"er went on as though he alread! "new rather than transparentl! fishing for gossip. $I$m afraid so $ I said digging into m! poached ploin. &hrowing him a couple of con#ersational titbits now and again ne#er hurt I$d found% he might ha#e been an opinionated bore with all the charisma of a ser#itor but li"e most bureaucrats abo#e a certain ran" he was well connected among the Administratum and blithel! indiscreet. &he little crumbs of rumour I$d allowed to fall in his #icinit! before had been ampl! repaid in far more interesting "ind and I$d been stringing for Amberle! for too long not to culti#ate so potentiall! useful a source. $I$m still not entirel! satisfied that it was safe to resume mining.$ &hat pi*ued his interest nicel! of course. $And wh! would that be so)$ he as"ed as one of the ser#ants remo#ed the remains of his starter and deposited a platter of gentl!0steaming fish in front of him garnished with thinl! sliced stic"s of fried tuber. I shrugged. $&hat$s .ust it $ I admitted #aguel! surprised to find m!self confiding in the fellow. I can onl! account for it b! admitting that m! formless forebodings hadn$t diminished at all in the wee" since our return and that it was a relief to finall! be able to #erbalise them. Not to mention the sure and certain "nowledge that than"s to his incurable tendenc! to gossip it would soon be all round the Administratum that Cain had

doubts about the whole enterprise. &hat should co#er m! own bac" #er! nicel! and enhance m! reputation into the bargain if Emperor forbid things did go wrong up there again. $&here was nothing concrete I could put m! finger on. +ust an old soldier$s instinct I suppose.$ $-mm.$ 5ras"er masticated thoughtfull! for a moment. $I can see wh! !ou didn$t get #er! far. &he Administratum is built on a firm foundation of solid and #erifiable fact. One man$s instinct howe#er finel! honed wouldn$t carr! an awful lot of weight.$ $&hat$s because !ou put more faith in !our data0slates than in matters of the soul $ :ister +ulien the battle0scarred Celestian #eteran in charge of the :ororitas no#itiates put in'. $3ou wouldn$t e#en listen to the word of the Emperor unless it was in triplicate.$ &he two of them were old sparring partners bic"ering more0or0less amiabl! whene#er the! came into contact although their respecti#e world #iews seemed so much at #ariance and so deepl! entrenched I ne#er reall! understood wh! the! bothered. 34" Although most recruits to the Adepta (ororitas are, of course, trained in their own convents, it!s by no means unusual to have a %attle (ister or two attached to a schola progenium, since many of the girls ta en in by them are li ely to feel a calling to +oin their ran s" (ister ;ulien would see to their initial induction, assessing which of the aspirants were best suited to the /rdos 5ilitant, Eospitaller, =amulous, or what have you, and which were better redirected along other paths altogether": $I$m afraid the word of Cain is regarded rather more lightl! $ I told her ta"ing refuge behind the facade of modest! I$d erected so carefull! o#er the !ears. As Emperor0 botherers go she was tolerable enough compan! I suppose and we$d e#en spent a few surprisingl! pleasant e#enings reminiscing o#er some old campaigns together. &hat said I$d been in the field with the :ororitas too often to consider them reliable when things got mess! far too apt to go loo"ing for mart!rdom or heretics to cleanse instead of following the battle plan e#en if it left the real soldiers flapping in the bree(e while the! did so. ,hich along with the ris" of getting dragged off to chapel whene#er the con#ersation flagged had got in the wa! of an! real friendship de#eloping between us. $2ore fool them then $ she said decisi#el!. -er irises were ha(el and regarded me o#er the lump of a repeatedl! bro"en nose with faint amusement. $If e#er a man had the Emperor at his bac" it must ha#e been !ou.$ $I$#e heard it said $ I admitted more than a little uncomfortable with the wa! the con#ersation was heading $but I$m sure -e$s no more interested in me than in an!one else.$ &hat seemed to satisf! her. $If an!thing $ 5ras"er said $I$d expect -is attention to be directed primaril! at the Cadian 6ate at the moment.$ $Oh)$ I sei(ed on the apparent change of topic with alacrit!. $And wh! would that be)$ 2! own fish arri#ed and I began pl!ing m! cutler! slicing through the thin coating of batter to fla"e the succulent flesh from the bones. $3ou mean !ou ha#en$t heard)$ 5ras"er feigned surprise. &here$s been a massi#e incursion from the E!e of &error. &he &raitor >egions are massing for a full assault the! tell me and the fighting$s alread! engulfed most of the :egmentum Obscurus.$ I suppose in retrospect it seems astonishing that we were able to discuss such catacl!smic e#ents in so casual a manner but in our defence I ha#e to point out that the! were transpiring on the far side of the galax! and that from where we were sitting the

t!ranids seemed far more of a clear and present danger. At the time we had no reason to belie#e that Abaddon$s latest rampage would ha#e an! more of an impact on the Eastern Arm than the pre#ious ones had which amounted to little more than #ague rumours and unsubstantiated battle reports tric"ling down the astropathic networ" long after the dust had settled. $,ell whoe#er @the!@ are !ou can tell them the!$re wrong $ Ror"ins put in from the opposite end of the table. $And if the! "now what$s good for them the!$d better stop spreading heretical twaddle li"e that.$ ,e exchanged a loo". I couldn$t pro#e it of course but I was prett! sure he$d ser#ed his time as an acti#e stormtrooper in the ran"s of the In*uisition$s pri#ate arm! rather than the Imperial 6uard and "ept in touch at least sporadicall! with his former emplo!ers and I had no doubt at all that he harboured similar suspicions about m! connection with Amberle!. 5ras"er of course was too dense or nai#e to realise that he was perilousl! dose to getting his name on a list that would be #er! bad for his health and positi#el! inflated with self0importance. $I ha#e it from a #er! reliable source $ he said $among the codiciers at the legation of the Adeptus Astra &elepathica.$ At which point I pric"ed up m! ears thin"ing that although the! were undoubtedl! exaggerated 7I$#e !et to meet an astropath without a flair for the dramatic8 there might be some truth to the stories after all. $&he!$re alread! calling it the thirteenth 5lac" Crusade apparentl!.$ $:tuff and nonsense $ +ulien remar"ed snorting derisi#el! and holding out a metal cup for one of the ho#ering ser#ants to fill with recaff. $Abaddon was finished after the 6othic ,ar e#er!one "nows that. -e wouldn$t dare show his face in the Emperor$s realm again.$ $,ell let$s hope !ou$re right $ I said finding m! appetite somewhat diminished. I$d faced the ser#ants of the 6reat Enem! more often than I cared to contemplate and in m! experience it was ne#er wise to underestimate them. Particularl! a ten thousand !ear old madman who$d been marinating himself in the raw stuff of Chaos for most of that time. Abandoning m! supper for the moment I sur#e!ed the crowded dining room from our slightl! ele#ated position pic"ing out m! now diminished band of commissar cadets who were tuc"ing into their somewhat plainer fare heartil! enough. &he! seemed to ha#e ad.usted to the loss of their comrades about as well as I could ha#e hoped although 5riel was still causing me some mild concern seeming a little less focussed than he had done before our encounter with the t!ranids. -e and ?larch had been friends and he$d clearl! been sha"en b! the two deaths. After all none of the cadets had an! famil! or ties of an! "ind be!ond the ones the!$d forged for themsel#es here. I remembered well enough how that felt. 2! e!e fell on ?a!la and :tebbins hunched o#er a data0slate as the! ate comparing notes on the assignment I$d gi#en them that afternoon 7something about the degree of proof re*uired before summaril! executing a trooper in the field if I remember rightl!8 and Nel!s chewing thoughtfull! as he listened to the con#ersation occasionall! inter.ecting something the! were dearl! finding far from helpful. /onal was laughing with 1rister and /allor! sharing some "ind of .o"e and I determined then and there that I$d at least ta"e 5ras"er$s nonsense seriousl! enough to prepare them for the worst if it should come. And for that if nothing else I suppose I should than" the ridiculous little man.

$-ERE&ICA> IN1I>&RA&ION)$ /onal as"ed a tone of surprise in his #oice. As the weather was unseasonabl! warm for these latitudes' I$d decided to ta"e the next morning$s tutorial outdoors commandeering the roof of one of the outer towers for the purpose. I$d done so often enough before for no one to consider it out of the ordinar! and there was less chance of being o#erheard awa! from the main building. &he last thing I wanted was word of what I was doing getting bac" to 5ras"er and thence to half the planet before the wee" was out. Ror"ins had been right the important thing now was to calm e#er!bod!$s fears not ma"e them worse b! #ox0casting to all and sundr! that Cain the -ero was ta"ing the rumours of impending doom seriousl!. 34" $he schola was sited on the outs irts of (alubria )arva, a mountain village conveniently close to Eavendown, the planetary capital": I nodded after a *uic" glance o#er the parapet to ma"e sure there was no one else within earshot. 1rom up here we were afforded a breathta"ing #iew across the #alle! to the pea"s be!ond man! of which were permanentl! shrouded in snow. &he distant roofs of :alubria glittered in the warm autumn sunshine huddled around the ri#er a couple of "ilometres awa! and a few hundred metres below the crag on which our citadel stood while the constant bac"ground noise of the schola echoed up to surround us a barel!0 percei#ed bu(( of human acti#it!. A part! of !ouths was down on the firing range blowing cardboard targets to confetti under the watchful e!e of one of the drill abbots while o#er to our left a s*uad of earl! adolescents was embar"ing on a run up one of the nearb! mountains urged on b! their proctors'. Narrowing m! e!es I was .ust able to ma"e out the familiar shape of the blac"0painted truc" from the .udiciar! in -a#endown ma"ing its wa! up the winding trac" which led to our gates with its wee"l! deli#er! of condemned criminals for the interrogation execution and li#e fire exercises. :ure that e#er!thing was peaceful and orderl! and that there was no chance of being o#erheard I nodded. 34" $he bul of the education provided at a schola progenium is the same whichever branch of Imperial service the student eventually enters& after this was determined in their early teens, the specialised training provided by Cain and his colleagues would begin" Although he!s never specific about the matter, the cadets under his tutelage would have been between thirteen and seventeen standard years of age, the younger ones still spending part of their time following a more general academic curriculum": $-eretical infiltration $ I confirmed. Nel!s stuc" up a hand. $I thought we were supposed to be stud!ing interrogation and intelligence retrie#al this morning $ he said sounding #aguel! disappointed. $,e were and we will $ I reassured him. $5ut this topic is related and in m! experience there are few more pressing pieces of intelligence than the existence of a heretic cell attempting to sub#ert our forces from within.$ As I$d expected the casual reference to m! colourful histor! hoo"ed them at once and e#en Nel!s per"ed up loo"ing e#en more attenti#e than usual. 5riel seemed to be with us as well which was something of a relief. I nodded sombrel! and glanced around again this time for dramatic effect rather than the fear of unseen listeners. $I need hardl! tell !ou that whate#er !ou hear in these tutorials should be "ept to !oursel#es. :ome of m! more academicall!0minded colleagues might not appro#e of me modif!ing the s!llabus.$ &hat was an understatement if e#er I$d uttered one. Our principal Cuthbert

Cathcart a minor ecclesiarch who$d spent his entire life hindering the education of the !outh of the Imperium in one capacit! or another than"s to a mind so narrow I was ama(ed he could balance a hat on it would probabl! ha#e an embolism on the spot if he e#er found out. 1ortunatel! once his unfortunate charges passed into the hands of whate#er ser#ice branch the!$d been directed to Visiter Ror"ins and I 7and a few of the others I suppose8 were able to straighten out most of them reasonabl! satisfactoril! '. 34" $his is, perhaps, a little unfair to Cathcart, who, though plodding and unimaginative, did manage to provide a satisfactory basic education for most of his charges" As so often in his memoirs, Cain!s disdain for most of the ecclesiarchs he came into contact with may be colouring his view of their characters and abilities": I glanced at the cadet appearing to pa! the least amount of attention to me and most to the :ororitas no#ices who had begun running through some unarmed combat drills on the parade ground below. $Cadet 2a"lin. ,hat do !ou "now of the Ruinous Powers)$ I swear the sudden silence was so profound as ten pairs of e!es stared at me in horrified astonishment that I found m!self wondering if the!$d stopped breathing. 2a"lin$s mouth wor"ed li"e a freshl! landed fish for a moment. &he!$re reall! reall! bad)$ he ha(arded at length. $Correct $ told him. $5ut it$s their human acol!tes !ou ha#e to loo" out for.$ I hesitated for a moment then decided not to burden them with an! more "nowledge about the Powers themsel#es. Emperor "nows it$s hardl! the most comfortable thing to be scratching around in !our head and it would hardl! help matters to gi#e them all nightmares. $&he! form cults and tr! to attract the attention of one of the Powers b! furthering whate#er the! imagine its ends to be. &he luc"! ones generall! .ust muc" about enacting rituals the! don$t understand and start worming their wa! into positions of influence where the! can disrupt the proper functioning of the Imperium.$ $,hat about the unluc"! ones)$ ?a!la as"ed. $&he! succeed $ I told her seriousl!. &heir patron power reall! does ta"e an interest. 5ad news for them and far worse for e#er!one else.$ $5ut the! can be beaten can$t the!)$ :tebbins as"ed sounding a little uncertain. @3ou$#e fought them and won.$ $A few times $ I said deciding to gloss o#er m! encounters with daemons and w!rds. I$d got out in one piece e#er! time it was true but a lot of other fol" hadn$t and I$d probabl! ha#e gone the same wa! if it wasn$t for +urgen$s peculiar talent for disrupting an! warp0spawned powers in the #icinit!. $5ut I$#e alwa!s had help and it was ne#er eas!. &he! can place their people an!where e#en inside the Imperial 6uard. I don$t ha#e to tell !ou how serious that can be.$ $&he 6uard)$ /onal of course. $:urel! that can$t happen #er! often.$ $-ardl! e#er $ I said. $5ut I$#e seen entire regiments turn to Chaos before now fighting for their new masters with .ust as much tenacit! and de#otion as the! used to do for the Emperor.$ /onal still loo"ed sceptical but from the expressions of horror and disgust on most of the other faces I could see that the! were digesting this new and unwelcome idea. $,hat about their commissars)$ Nel!s as"ed indignantl!. $,h! didn$t the! stop them)$ &he! seemed to be a bit too bus! being dead $ I told him. $One of the more

dubious benefits of our calling is being top of the target list in a mutin!.$ I smiled blea"l!. $,hich is a #er! good reason for ma"ing sure no one foments one in a regiment !ou$re attached to.$ 2ost of them nodded ta"ing the answer at face #alue although I was far from sure it had been the right one in e#er! case. I$d "nown at least one commissar defect to the 6reat Enem! and was morbidl! certain that there must ha#e been others. $:o how can we tell if there are Chaos cultists among the soldiers we$#e been assigned to)$ ?a!la as"ed coming to the point before an! of the others as usual. $&here are a number of signs $ I said $which might indicate cultist infiltration. In particular loo" out for an! groups forming around #eteran warriors which claim to be some "ind of battlefield brotherhood especiall! if the! start showing signs of wanting to get into dose combat instead of using their guns...$ 5! the time lunch rolled around and almost awa! again I$d run m! charges through the most ob#ious scenarios I could thin" of and felt it prudent to add a ca#eat. $&here are no hard and fast rules where this is concerned $ I cautioned them. $3ou$ll .ust ha#e to rel! on !our instincts.$ $I don$t thin" I$#e got an! $ Nel!s said seriousl! allowing e#er!one to brea" the tension with a laugh which left him loo"ing faintl! bewildered. $3ou followed !our instincts on the asteroid $ ?a!la reminded him. $&hat seemed to wor" out all right.$ $3es I suppose it did $ Nel!s conceded his expression so serious that e#en I couldn$t *uite suppress a smile. /onal frowned thoughtfull!. $It$s all #er! well telling us what to loo" out for in a compromised 6uard regiment $ he said. $5ut surel! the!$re one of the least li"el! institutions to be infiltrated.$ $Cuite right $ I conceded. $Normall! !ou$ll find Chaos cults acti#e among the ci#ilian population. ,here the! can the!$ll tr! and sub#ert P/1 units and the local arbites' too. 1or ob#ious reasons.$ 34" It seems fairly clear here that by !arbites! Cain means law enforcers in general rather than the Adeptus Arbites itself" Di e many seasoned travellers he often uses the word generically, rather than attempting to eep trac of the bewildering variety of local nomenclature as it varies from planet to planet, although he is usually precise about the distinction when discussing occasions on which actual arbitrators were present": $,ell I suppose the!$ll be someone else$s problem in an! case $ /onal said shrugging. ,e won$t be mixing too much with ci#ilians.$ $Apart from RIR $ 1rister said watching a couple of "itchen maids not much older than he was undulating past below us with a faintl! wistful expression on his face. 1or a moment I considered counselling caution there too mindful of the bordello I$d stumbled across on ?effia which had turned out to be staffed with genestealer h!brids then decided against it. I$d probabl! gi#e the poor lad a complex or something. ?inder to let him dream% after all it was the closest he was e#er li"el! to get. $,-A& /O 3O9 ma"e of it Cain)$ Ror"ins as"ed narrowing his slate0gre! e!es o#er the fan of cards in his hand as he tried to wor" out whether I was reall! holding the pair of In*uisitors which would gi#e me the pot. &oo seasoned a tarot pla!er to let m! expression betra! me I simpl! shrugged

and lobbed another couple of coins onto the heap in the middle of the table. $1ra""ed if I "now $ I admitted honestl! enough. $I$m sure the rumours are exaggerated but the! don$t seem to be going awa!.$ I reached for the glass of the well0matured amasec the colonel "ept for his more fa#oured guests which I$d left within eas! reach and sipped at it. &he room was a pleasant one% Ror"ins$s *uarters were neat and comfortabl! furnished with a #iew across the dar"ening #alle! to the far distant pea"s where the setting sun was tinting the snow0 shrouded tips a shade of red which reminded me rather too uncomfortabl! of clotting blood. $,ere !ou expectin$ $em to)$ Visiter as"ed permitting a faintl! "nowing smir" to twitch his moustache as he called m! bluff and matched the fresh wager. $Not reall! $ I admitted. $Not this *uic"l! an!wa!.$ >ess than a month had gone b! since 5ras"er had first brought the rumours of a new 5lac" Crusade to m! attention. $5ut I$d ha#e expected some "ind of official rebuttal b! now. &he longer these stories are permitted to circulate the more wild and exaggerated the!$ll become and the more stirred up the ci#ilians will get.$ I shrugged again. $I$#e seen it all before. If the 6o#ernor doesn$t do something about it soon the!$ll be rioting in the streets.$ $&he! alread! are $ :ister +ulien said glancing up from her cards .ust long enough to raise the sta"es again. I$d been surprised to see her when I$d arri#ed in Ror"ins$s rooms for our regular tarot e#ening4 she$d ne#er attended one before and I$d alwa!s assumed she$d disappro#e of gambling on principle but she certainl! didn$t pla! li"e a no#ice. If an!thing she was as good as I was which was an interesting challenge to sa! the least% I$d got so used to ha#ing things m! own wa! o#er the card table that the no#elt! of ha#ing to reall! wor" at winning was rather an en.o!able one. $Or at least the!$re about to. I was in -a#endown !esterda! for mass at the cathedral and the tribunes' had rapid response teams deplo!ed all o#er the capital.$ 34" $he )erlian name for local law enforcers": $:ounds li"e a reasonable precaution $ Ror"ins said deciding to fold after all. $It was more than a precaution if !ou as" me $ +ulien said "noc"ing bac" her tumbler of amasec rather more bris"l! than such a fine example of the distiller$s art deser#ed and loo"ing pointedl! at the decanter. &a"ing the hint Ror"ins stood and refreshed her glass. $&he confessor preached a sermon about the need for faith in hard times and the sin of sedition.$ $:ounds li"e business as usual to me $ Visiter said his hand hesitating o#er the pile of coins in front of him and then withdrawing. Perfect. 2! pot then I thought. $&he salient point being the part about sedition $ +ulien pointed out. $-e wouldn$t ha#e pulled that topic out of thin air. &hat sermon was a direct response to the popular mood belie#e me.$ :he sounded prett! con#inced about it which I found particularl! disturbing. :he "new the wa! the Ecclesiarch! wor"ed about as well as I understood the lab!rinthine bureaucrac! of the 2unitorium and if the :isters were concerned about the effect the rumours were ha#ing on ci#ilian morale that meant things were getting dire indeed. :he glanced at me an implicit challenge and stretched out a hand towards the pile of currenc! in the middle of the table. $Planning to match that Cain or shall I .ust pic" it up here and now)$ $I thin" I can do a little better than match it $ I said easil! raising the sta"es again and she nodded appro#ingl!.

$I thought !ou must ha#e pic"ed up that last In*uisitor $ she said casuall! tr!ing to fa"e me into some "ind of tell but I wasn$t about to be read that easil! so I .ust smiled in return. $I suppose !ou$ll ha#e to pa! to find out $ I said. I didn$t .ust ha#e two In*uisitors there was a Primarch in there as well. It was a strong hand one of the best I$d had all e#ening and I$d won a couple of pots with far wea"er. $&he trouble is $ Visiter said $no one reall! "nows an!0thin$. Astropathic communication$s in a hell of a state with the shadow the hi#e fleets are castin$ in the warp and the sector fleet$s prett! much isolated out here. ,hate#er news is comin$ in b! courier boat$s out of date before it e#en gets to this side of the galax!.$ $,ell don$t loo" at me $ +ulien said. $I ha#en$t heard a thing from the preceptor! in months.$ &his didn$t seem to stri"e her as much of a depri#ation. $,ell trust the Emperor and ta"e a chance as m! old abbess used to sa!.$ :he matched m! bet and turned her cards o#er. $Emperor ascendant. :till thin" !ou can beat that commissar)$ $Not unless I$#e got another Emperor up m! slee#e $ I said lightl! staring in what I hoped was well0concealed perplexit! at the strongest and rarest hand in the game. Ror"ins and Visiter laughed and the colonel refilled m! glass for me. $I$m not sure pra!ing for a miracle is *uite within the spirit of the game $ he said as +ulien scooped up the pot. $No need to $ the Celestian assured him. $:ometimes -e .ust pro#ides them regardless.$ :he shuffled the dec" with a dexterit! the owner of a downhi#e gambling den would ha#e en#ied and began to deal again. $I ta"e it !ou$re all still in)$ $Absolutel! $ Visiter assured her. $I$m hopin$ to get a bit of that bac" before !ou drop it in the poor box.$ $Actuall! I was planning to s*uander it on riotous li#ing $ +ulien said pausing .ust long enough for the rest of us to start wondering if she was actuall! being serious before she laughed raucousl! at our resulting expressions. $5ut !ou$re right it can do a lot more good in the collection plate.$ Personall! I disagreed *uite strongl! with that opinion and determined to di#ert as much of it as I could towards her first suggestion before the e#ening was out with m!self as the main beneficiar!. $,hate#er$s going on in the :egmentum Obscurus I don$t suppose it$s going to affect us directl! $ Ror"ins said thoughtfull! arranging the cards he$d been dealt and opening the bidding with a low denomination coin or two. $Not for a while an!wa!.$ ,hich as things were to turn out was about as wide of the mar" as it was possible to get although we had no wa! of "nowing that at the time. $5ut there$s no doubt that we are #ulnerable here particularl! if the ci#ilian authorities continue to #acillate.$ $I agree $ I said. I turned m! head ta"ing in the three other faces around the table. $&he four of us are probabl! the most experienced militar! personnel on the planet.$ All right I had m! reser#ations about +ulien of course but I couldn$t den! that she$d seen her fair share of action o#er the !ears and it seemed polite to include her. Visiter nodded sombrel!. $In the entire subsector more li"e.$ -e made another to"en bet and glanced speculati#el! at Ror"ins. @,hich means I ta"e it that !ou didn$t .ust in#ite us here tonight for the tarot.$ $It seemed a reasonable pretext $ the colonel admitted. ,e$#e got together li"e this often enough for no one to remar" on it.$ -e nodded cordiall! at +ulien. $2ost of us an!wa!. And I$m bound to sa! that if we$d "nown !ou were that good a pla!er we$d ha#e

in#ited !ou to .oin us long ago.$ $A suc"er as well as a gentleman $ +ulien said with some amusement. :he glanced in m! direction. $Are !ou in or out Cain)$ ,ith a sense of mounting trepidation I threw some more coins in the pot. &he palms of m! hands were tingling again and I couldn$t sha"e the feeling that I was standing on the brin" of a precipice. $I$m in $ I said easil! mas"ing m! true feelings with the ease of a lifetime$s dissembling. $&he real *uestion is into what)$ I loo"ed directl! at Ror"ins as I spo"e. $5ecause I$d rather not find m!self ha#ing to choose between friendship and dut!.$ Not that I$d e#er gi#en the pro#erbial fl!ing one for either of course but it was the sort of thing the!$d expect me to sa! so I thought I ought to sa! it. $I would ha#e thought that$s ob#ious $ Ror"ins said. $Contingenc! planning. If things reall! do go ploin0shaped in the next few months we$re going to ha#e to be the ones to sort it out.$ ,ell he was right about that too although none of us had an! idea at the time .ust how catastrophic a situation we$d find oursel#es dealing with. $&hat sounds reasonable $ I agreed. At least the schola was reasonabl! isolated so in the e#ent of widespread ci#il unrest we should escape the worst of it. $It shouldn$t be too difficult to defend this place if we ha#e to.$ Not against a rabble of rioters an!wa! which at the time was the worst0case scenario I could en#isage. +ulien nodded and made her own bet. $I$#e alread! started teaching m! no#itiates a few counter0insurgenc! drills .ust to be on the safe side.$ :he glanced up and stared at us tr!ing to read our expressions. $Oh come on. >i"e !ou three ha#en$t considered something similar.$ $Alread! doing it $ Ror"ins admitted. $:treet fighting and house clearance.$ -e discarded a couple of cards considered their replacements and made another to"en bet. $Optimum fleet deplo!ment for the :/1 assets we$#e got $ Visiter said loo"ing faintl! relie#ed. $Purel! a theoretical exercise of course.$ -e replaced a single card with a studied deliberation which loo"ed li"e a bluff to me and raised the sta"es. E#er!one loo"ed at me. $-eretic spotting for beginners $ I said throwing in fi#e cards of no immediate #alue and mildl! surprised to find m!self recei#ing the Emperor an In*uisitor and another Primarch to reinforce the one I$d decided to hold on to. Emboldened I made a substantial bet which left e#er!one else loo"ing worried and onl! +ulien decided to match it. $3ou thin" that$s the main threat we$ll be facing)$ she as"ed seriousl! holding on to the cards she alread! held which was a faintl! ominous sign. $It$s the most ob#ious one $ I said cautiousl! deciding not to mention m! paranoid fancies about the chamber in the asteroid. 5! now I$d managed to con#ince m!self that m! fears of a necron tomb up there were no more than that the simple result of old memories being disturbed in a stressful situation and that whate#er we$d be facing in the wee"s to come would be far less terrible. $If there are an! heretical cults acti#e on Perlia the!$ll be doing all the! can to ta"e ad#antage of the confusion.$ :ure enough I had the strongest hand and since no one else seemed inclined to bet I scooped the somewhat meagre pot. $&hat$s their st!le all right $ Ror"ins conceded prett! much confirming m! suspicions about his ser#ice record. -e loo"ed at me narrowl! as I began to deal the next hand. $3ou thin" there might be other threats too)$

$Alwa!s $ I told him folding the fingers of m! right hand down to enumerate them and tr!ing not to remember the circumstances under which I$d ac*uired the augmetic ones. $&he $nids are all o#er the sector. &he main front ma! be parsecs awa! but Emperor alone "nows how man! splinter fleets are still out there and there could still be other poc"ets of sur#i#ors of the last infestation lur"ing somewhere in s!stem.$ Visiter nodded thoughtfull! so I continued. $Not to mention the or"s. It$s been a while since an! more popped up but we can$t discount the possibilit! of another warband emerging somewhere o#er the isthmus.$ 2ost of the outbrea"s still occurred on the other side of the narrow land bridge connecting us to the eastern continent where I$d spent such a fraught few months on m! first #isit to Perlia and which I$d been careful to tra#el to as infre*uentl! as possible since ta"ing up residence here. I folded a third finger down. $And while we$re considering all the possibilities what about an opportunistic raid b! the tau) &he!$#e ne#er been slow to ta"e ad#antage of an! instabilit! in the Imperium to expand their own borders.$ $All possible $ Ror"ins conceded an! pretence of interest in the game completel! forgotten. $5ut from what I hear the tau ha#e as much of a problem with the t!ranids as we do.$ Visiter nodded. $Accordin$ to some old friends in fleet intelligence that$s true. Couple of their ma.or septs are under siege and the!$re di#ertin$ a lot of their resources to dealin$ with that.$ -e shrugged. $Or the! were six months ago. 1or all I "now the!$#e been eaten b! now and the little blue blighters are loo"in$ around for new worlds to replace $em.$ $It still sounds to me as though the heretics are the main problem $ +ulien said predictabl!. &his time though I found it hard to disagree. $&he main problem $ I said $is that right now Perlia couldn$t defend itself against a couple of hrud using harsh language. &he P/1 has been stripped to the bone replacing the 6uard losses against the t!ranids.$ It occurred to me belatedl! that under the circumstances I could ha#e chosen a less graphic metaphor but there was no point in worr!ing about that now. &hen in the interests of maintaining a united front I nodded at +ulien. $5ut the sister$s right the most immediate threat is dearl! the one of sub#ersion.$ After that the con#ersation got a good deal more general as we thrashed out a few reasonabl! practical things we could do and agreed to meet again the following wee" to compare progress. $&he trouble is $ Ror"ins complained as we said our farewells $we$re going in blind. ,e need hard information about what we$re facing.$ ,ell that wasn$t going to be too long in coming and when it arri#ed it was far from comforting. Certainl! if I$d "nown then what I was going to learn in the next few da!s I$d ha#e returned to m! *uarters in a far less sanguine state than I did. As it was though the e#ening$s discussion had buo!ed m! spirits considerabl! and I retired for the night still embracing the cos! delusion that disaster might !et be a#erted.

Editorial Note: Although Cain has been a little more forthcoming than usual about the under situation then prevailing on )erlia, he has, as always, concentrated on those aspects of it which he experienced personally" Accordingly, I!ve appended the following, which may prove enlightening, despite the excessively hagiographic tone of most of the wor it!s extracted from" 1rom $he #eturn of the Diberator: Ciaphas Cain and the (econd (iege of )erlia b! Orten 5assit JFA. 2DG. &-E ,I/ER CO9R:E of the later &!rannic ,ars is far too widel! "nown to re*uire elucidation here but it$s no exaggeration to sa! that those momentous e#ents had a profound effect on Perlia despite its good fortune in being so well remo#ed from the main areas of conflict. :urel! no citi(en of our Emperor0blessed globe can feel an!thing but pride in the celerit! with which its people answered the Imperium$s call to arms and the speed and efficienc! with which regiment after regiment of the Planetar! /efence 1orce was inducted into the Imperial 6uard and dispatched to the front. Ine#itabl! those forces left behind were stretched to the limit but managed to pre#ail regardless when the fearsome foe so unexpectedl! arri#ed in our own fair stellar s!stem. Ne#ertheless repulsing them cost Perlia dear in the thousands of li#es of P/1 troopers and :/1 crewmen lea#ing her ramshac"le defences wea"ened still further. :erious as these e#ents were howe#er the real crisis had !et to become apparent% and to be fair there was no real reason wh! it should since it had its roots in e#ents that were occurring almost the entire galax! awa!. E#en so had it not been for the fortuitous return of Ciaphas Cain the hero of the first siege at .ust the right time things would undoubtedl! ha#e gone #er! badl! indeed for Perlia in the next few months. As so often where the machinations of the 6reat Enem! are concerned the first intimations of the onslaught to come were not the cannonades of the &raitor >egions but the insidious rumour0mongering which so sapped public morale and must surel! ha#e been the wor" of a cabal of traitors lur"ing within our midst. Initial word of the 5lac" Crusade spread across the galax! as fast as the warp could carr! it first arri#ing on Perlia some time around DJJ <<<. 2D'. At this point those appointed to carr! out the Emperor$s wishes in -is hol! name could still ha#e reined in the wild and uninformed speculation which did so much to erode the spirits of the populace but to the surprise and growing disma! of -is most lo!al sub.ects the 6o#ernor and his staff remained silent on the matter along with the most senior adepts of the Administratum and the general staff of the P/1. &he most charitable interpretation of this almost inexplicable dereliction of dut! is that the! were so concerned with the course of the &!rannic ,ar that the! barel! noticed what must ha#e seemed a minor distraction at home although subse*uent e#ents were to pro#e .ust how wrong the! were if that was indeed the case. 6i#en how things unfolded o#er the next few months howe#er it$s far more probable that some at least had their own more sinister reasons for allowing the unrest to continue if not acti#el! encouraging it behind the scenes. 1ortunatel! for Perlia Commissar Cain had been far from idle alread!

anticipating the crisis bearing down on us all and had ta"en the first steps towards dealing with the situation on his own more honourable terms. Indeed it was he who obtained the first reliable information about what was facing us and lost no time in acting on it.

SIX &-ERE$: AN O>/ Valhallan pro#erb which I first heard bac" in m! da!s with the 'Gth 1ield Artiller!' which *uite accuratel! states that $things can alwa!s get worse.$ Indeed I sometimes feel that m! entire career has been little more than a practical demonstration of the adage although it$s seldom pro#en *uite so comprehensi#el! true as it was about to on this occasion. 34" Cain!s first assignment as a fully'fledged commissar, some eighty years prior to the events he!s describing here": Almost a wee" had gone b! since our first clandestine council of war and although none of us was sufficientl! indiscreet to mention it or an! of the matters we$d discussed when we encountered one another around the schola it was more than e#ident that m! co0conspirators were becoming as edg! as I was. &he rumours continued to fl! the general populace was getting steadil! more resti#e and be!ond tr!ing to ensure that a relati#e handful of callow !ouths were a little more prepared for the gathering storm there still seemed to be nothing we could do about it. &hat ma! seem a little strange I suppose gi#en m! ridiculousl! inflated reputation among the Perlians% I could certainl! ha#e marched into the 6o#ernor$s palace and demanded an audience or descended on the high command of the P/1 li"e the wrath of the Emperor and started tr!ing to get the imbeciles there to ta"e the matter more seriousl! but caution held me bac". If the unrest reall! was being orchestrated b! a secreti#e cabal of Chaos s!mpathisers among the ruling oligarch! then letting them "now we suspected their existence would be unwise in the extreme. At the #er! least the!$d tr! to hinder what little good we$d be able to do b! exerting their influence against us and at the worst the!$d resort to more direct methods% I$d alread! sur#i#ed enough assassination attempts for one lifetime and had no wish to fend off an! more. $Ah :ister $ Ror"ins said nodding courteousl! to +ulien as she wal"ed past the table we were occup!ing together in the facult! lounge 5ras"er at her heels droning on about the dismal decline in the standard of third le#el aspirants in his usual pedantic monotone. $,e were .ust wondering if !ou$d care to .oin us for another card game tomorrow e#ening.$ $,h! not)$ :he nudged the bundle of data0slates under her arm to a more comfortable position pausing to tal" to us while 5ras"er shifted from foot to foot li"e a ser#itor caught between conflicting instructions. After a moment he inclined his head politel! and greeted us b! name before subsiding into uncharacteristic silence. $3our *uarters again)$ $I belie#e it$s m! turn to be the host $ I said. ,e generall! too" it in turns and +urgen$s almost preternatural talent for scrounging meant that we$d be tolerabl! well fed during our deliberations howe#er futile the! might turn out to be. $:ounds fine to me $ +ulien agreed. $I$d offer to ha#e !ou round m!self but tongues might wag.$ :he grinned at 5ras"er who seemed completel! unaware of the .o"e at his expense. $:ame time as last wee")$ $If it suits !ou $ I said. After a few more pleasantries the two of them mo#ed awa! and left Ror"ins and I to our mid0morning recaff. ,e continued to con#erse for a while in a desultor! fashion our thoughts on far more weight! matters than the ones we discussed for appearances$ sa"e until a small and odoriferous altercation b! the door informed me

that +urgen was in no mood to abide b! the general con#ention that onl! tutors and the house"eeping staff were admitted to these chambers. $It$s all right $ I soothed the small comet tail of agitated timewasters .abbering and gesticulating in his wa"e $he$s with me.$ :omething the! were all no doubt aware of in an! case since he was ne#er exactl! inconspicuous howe#er hard !ou tried and had been infesting the schola for as long as I had. :atisfied that if the! couldn$t ignore his presence e#en with the window open at least he was someone else$s responsibilit! now the! scuttled bac" to their own concerns while +urgen handed me a data0slate his expression sour. $2essage for !ou sir. 2ar"ed personal.$ -e glared around the room as though an!one else who stood between him and his dut! was little better than an or" and .ust about as expendable. $And urgent.$ $I see. &han" !ou.$ I too" the slate and scanned the contents. After a moment I loo"ed up catching Ror"ins$s e!e and nodded almost imperceptibl!. $I thin" this might go some wa! towards clearing up that little difficult! !ou mentioned after the last tarot game.$ ,hich was about as explicit as I wanted to get surrounded as we were b! listening ears. Astute enough to ha#e come to the same conclusion Ror"ins simpl! nodded in response. $I$m glad to hear it $ he said. $Not bad news I hope.$ $1ar from it $ I told him feeling the first faint stirrings of optimism in se#eral da!s. $It$s a dinner in#itation.$ 9N/ER &-E CIRC92:&ANCE: I felt able to pre#ail upon Visiter to pro#ide me with the use of the A*uila and a pilot to go with it. &o m! pleasant surprise the pilot he$d assigned turned out to be :prie who confirmed the fa#ourable impression I$d formed of him on our e#entful fora! to the mining hab with a swift and thorough coc"pit chec" which left him sufficientl! occupied for the commodore and I to hold a *uic" con#ersation on the landing pad without the ris" of being o#erheard. $-e$s a good lad $ Visiter confirmed. $5est pilot in the whole bunch. 2ore to the point though he$s bright enough to "eep his mouth shut about an!thin$ !ou as" him to.$ ,hich might pro#e necessar! at that. I hadn$t been entirel! honest with m! fellow conspirators !ou see telling them onl! that I was dining with a rogue trader of m! ac*uaintance. As !ou can imagine that little titbit of news swept the campus from end to end 7than"s in no small part to 5ras"er who I$d made sure was close enough to o#erhear the end of m! con#ersation with Ror"ins8% onl! +urgen Visiter and now :prie "new that I was meeting him aboard his ship. ,hat no one else apart from +urgen "new and I was *uite determined to "eep it that wa! was that Orelius was far more than a simple merchant% he was another of Amberle!$s agents gathering information from across half the segmentum on her behalf. If an!one in the sector "new what was reall! going on it would undoubtedl! be him. Of course his arri#al here was hardl! li"el! to be a coincidence which was also an encouraging sign% slapping down heretics wasn$t exactl! Amberle!$s specialit! but I was sure she had a few contacts among the Ordo -ereticus in whose laps she could drop the problem once I$d made her aware of it'. 34" I did, and I did" Cnfortunately, by the time Inquisitor Furya in and his entourage arrived, most of the dust had already settled, but that was hardly his fault":

-is chec"s complete :prie boosted us smoothl! from the ground lifting us into orbit with an ease e#en +urgen would ha#e had little to complain about had I decided to bring him along. I ha#e to admit to a sense of pleasurable anticipation as the familiar gilded pinnacles of the Ducre =oedus rolled past the #iewport and the welcoming maw of the might! #essel$s main hangar ba! loomed ahead. Amberle! I "new was unli"el! to be aboard generall! preferring to ma"e use of her own !acht the Externus Exterminatus to flit around the galax! but e#en the remote possibilit! that she might be was enough to trigger some pleasant re#eries which occupied m! mind to the exclusion of practicall! e#er!thing else. I was onl! recalled to business as we passed through the main hangar doors #ast slabs of orichalcum chased with gold filigree and :prie cut in the retros settling us as gentl! as a piece of windblown thistledown in the middle of the landing area mar"ed out b! a score or so of dec"hands wa#ing hand0held luminators. $2! dear Cain. A pleasure to see !ou again $ Orelius greeted me as I stepped off the boarding ramp his cada#erous appearance and a*uiline nose as prominent as the! had been the first time we$d met although li"e m!self he was sporting a touch of gre! in the hair these da!s and he$d ac*uired an impressi#e scar on his right chee" since I$d last set e!es on him. -e was still .ust as enamoured of gaud! clothing as he$d e#er been howe#er a pair of crimson hose #isible beneath a bright !ellow tunic o#er which an open mesh cape of spun gold had been casuall! thrown. $Orelius. I could sa! the same $ I replied tr!ing not to feel too let down b! Amberle!$s ob#ious absence. &hat aside I was perfectl! sincere in the compliment as his compan! was alwa!s pleasurable and his hospitalit! generous. Although it had been some considerable time since we$d seen each other we fell easil! and naturall! into a companionable gait strolling side b! side across the echoing plain of metal chatting amiabl! about our respecti#e ad#entures in the interim both being careful from long habit not to sa! too much before we reached the seclusion of his *uarters. As we passed a line of hea#! cargo shuttles which dwarfed the A*uila now par"ed at the end of the row I raised an e!ebrow in polite en*uir!. All were armed and se#eral showed the scars of recent combat. $:omeone as" for their mone! bac")$ I as"ed. $Not this time $ Orelius replied an! further remar"s he might ha#e been about to ma"e drowned out b! the rapping of boot0heels against the dec" plates as an honour guard of his household troops came smartl! to attention. -a#ing been in action alongside them more than once I "new better than to let the gaud! li#er! the! wore fool me into underestimating them. 2ost were Imperial 6uard #eterans and man! possessed special s"ills of *uite staggering lethalit!. I nodded to a couple of faces I recognised who were too well disciplined to return the greeting but who no doubt appreciated the courtes! and spo"e their names as I passed. As I tell the !oung pups I$#e been tr!ing to lic" into shape it alwa!s helps to let the troopers thin" !ou care about them as indi#iduals not .ust a faceless mass4 belie#e me when the las0bolts start fl!ing that sense of connection is going to sa#e !our nec". ,e passed from the hangar ba! into a carpeted corridor where little "nots of people scurried to and fro on the m!sterious errands ship crew alwa!s seem to be engaged in and marble busts of people I didn$t recognise lined the tapestried walls on waist0high plinths. 3our man not with !ou)$ Orelius en*uired no doubt surprised at +urgen$s absence. $Not this time $ I said. $9nder the circumstances I thought it best to lea#e him in

place.$ ,ith the situation on Perlia still so unstable I wanted him where he could "eep his ear to the ground and notif! me at once if an!thing happened. Ror"ins and the others were good enough allies of course but I couldn$t bring m!self to trust an! of them to the extent I would +urgen or rel! on them to co#er m! bac" in *uite the same wa!. After almost a centur! of soldiering together the rapport we shared was second to none. 5esides which I "new that Orelius occasionall! made use of sanctioned ps!"ers and if an! of them were li"el! to be around the secret of m! aide$s abilities would pro#e almost impossible to "eep. $Probabl! .ust as well $ Orelius agreed standing aside to usher me into his personal apartments. &he! were .ust as richl! decorated as I recalled from pre#ious #isits scarlet hangings ornamented with his famil! crest obscuring most of the metal bul"heads which had been gilded and polished to a rich lustre ma"ing the room feel curiousl! as though it had been flooded with hone!. I$d alwa!s found the displa! of ostentation rather #ulgar to be honest and was *uietl! relie#ed when the trader carried on through the formal reception rooms to the cosier en#irons of the parlour be!ond where he li"ed to relax when he wasn$t tr!ing to impress some chinless piece of bac"water nobilit!. $3ou might want to tal" to the Na#igator a bit later on.$ &hat I rather doubted as I$#e !et to meet a member of the Na#is Nobilite I didn$t ha#e an almost irresistible urge to shoot on sight. I "now the!$re a necessar! e#il and the Imperium could barel! function without them but an!one who is more at home in the warp than the real world is a bit too close to the 6reat Enem! for m! li"ing. 5esides the!$re arrogant condescending snobs and those are the ones who are ma"ing an effort to get along with !ou. Ne#ertheless I let the matter go and merel! nodded in repl!. Orelius$s inner sanctum was surprisingl! cos! with wood panelling on the walls and a dar" blue carpet almost the same colour as the oceans of Perlia which could be glimpsed through the wide #iewport at one end of the room. ,ithout that somewhat #ertiginous reminder it would ha#e been eas! to forget we were aboard a starship at all. $3ou$#e heard the rumours I ta"e it)$ I as"ed him as we sat and m! host lifted the lids from a batter! of chafing dishes cluttering the table. &hat alone told me how sensiti#e he expected our con#ersation to become4 e#en his most trusted ser#ants were being excluded from the room while we tal"ed. $,hich ones)$ Orelius as"ed helping himself to some cottleston pie while I poured a large goblet of whiche#er wine he$d chosen to accompan! our meal and found it as excellent as I$d expected. $&he whole planet$s bu((ing with them $ I told him. $About a new 5lac" Crusade. Absurdl! exaggerated of course but the local authorities are .ust sitting on their hands instead of issuing a denial which .ust ma"es things worse. If somebod! doesn$t do something soon there$s going to be so much ci#il unrest the 6o#ernor will need to call in the sector fleet to restore order.$ $&he sector fleet$s got its hands full alread! $ Orelius told me to m! complete lac" of surprise. &he main thrust of the t!ranid ad#ance has di#erted towards or"0held space for some reason' but there are enough of them left on the fringes to "eep most of our assets pinned down for the foreseeable future.$ -e shrugged accepting a goblet of wine which I handed to him as he spo"e. $5ut right now that loo"s li"e the least of !our worries.$ 34" $he result of what has since become nown as the Fryptmann gambit,

although they would have had no way of nowing that at the time": $&he rumours are true then $ I said a statement rather than a *uestion and Orelius nodded. $I$m afraid so $ he confirmed a trifle indistinctl! around a mouthful of pie. &he &raitor >egions attac"ed in force some months ago tr!ing to force passage through the Cadian 6ate. Enough of them are getting through to ma"e things #er! difficult in the :egmentum Obscurus.$ $5ut that$s half the galax! awa! $ I said tuc"ing in to the tempting arra! of #iands on offer in front of me although m! appetite was considerabl! less "een than it had been a moment ago. $I don$t see how that can affect us here.$ Actuall! I could because it was precisel! the topic I$d been discussing with Ror"ins and the others but I was still hoping desperatel! that Orelius was about to reassure me that the situation was being contained. $Other than the resources being di#erted to deal with it wea"ening our defences against the t!ranids of course.$ $2ost of the fighting$s been confined to the Obscurus so far $ Orelius confirmed idl! dismissing about a *uarter of the galax! as though it were a single cohesi#e lump $but the enem! raiding fleets are getting bolder. :e#eral ha#e been ranging farther afield.$ -e paused pic"ing at a palo#ine pastr! waiting for me to draw the ob#ious conclusion. $Ranging in this direction $ I said ta"ing his meaning at once. Orelius nodded. $&here$s a whole flotilla heading this wa! as fast as the warp can carr! them. And that$s prett! fast at the moment% according to our Na#igator there are currents flowing out of the E!e stronger than an! he$s e#er seen.$ $E#en so $ I said feeling the old familiar chill of foreboding $there must be plent! of other eas! targets between them and us.$ $3ou$d thin" so $ Orelius agreed. $5ut the! don$t seem to be slowing down much.$ -e touched a large emerald on the thic" bracelet around his wrist and a hidden hololith hummed into life pro.ecting a flic"ering image of the galax! into the empt! space abo#e the table. A line appeared originating in the E!e of &error and heading unmista"abl! in our direction. Orelius wa#ed a hand through the insubstantial pro.ection indicating se#eral stellar s!stems close to the crimson smear. &he!$#e b!passed these s!stems entirel! e#en though the! were ob#iousl! sitting duc"s with little or no effecti#e defences.$ $&hat doesn$t sound li"e an! Chaos raiders I$#e e#er seen $ I said. Normall! the wea"er the targets the better from their point of #iew .ust li"e the cowardl! scum the! are. I pointed to a couple of contact icons along the line of the enem!$s progress. $5ut the! fought here and here.$ $&he! did.$ Orelius nodded loo"ing gra#e. $1ought and won. ,hich simpl! shouldn$t ha#e happened.$ -e expanded the image o#erla!ing the contested s!stems with battlefield data I found m!self reluctant to belie#e. $&he! were outnumbered and outgunned on each occasion. At 2adasa the! were e#en faced with an entire con#ent of Adepta :ororitas which fell within the hour.$ $&hat$s impossible $ I said. Emperor "nows I had little enough time for the psalm0 singing harpies in the normal course of e#ents but I$d seen them hold their ground tenaciousl! against almost impossible odds on se#eral occasions. $&he!$d ha#e fought to the last woman.$ $&he! seem to ha#e fought all right.$ Orelius$s #oice was grim. &he! fought for

the enem!.$ &hen as if realising how absurd the accusation sounded a faintl! defensi#e tone entered his #oice. $:o far as I$#e been able to determine an!wa!. &here were sporadic reports of what sounded li"e a formation of battle sisters engaging one of the last P/1 units to fall.$ $2isdirection and propaganda $ I said decisi#el!. Orelius nodded slowl!. $I hope !ou$re right $ he said sounding far from con#inced. $At an! e#ent the 2adasa s!stem is now firml! under enem! control and resisting all the attempts of the Astartes to reclaim it.$ -e returned the hololith to its original #iew and extended the red line from its final position. As I$d expected it intersected the Perlia s!stem before disappearing somewhere into the blan" space chewed into the heart of the Imperium b! the ad#ance of the hi#e fleets. $2a!be the! want something from the t!ranids $ I suggested failing to con#ince e#en m!self. $2a!be the! do $ Orelius said throwing me that small crumb of comfort before adding $but I doubt it.$ $:o do I $ I agreed. $In which case it$s prett! ob#ious what the!$re coming after.$ 5eing an agent of the Ordo ;enos I was sure Orelius was well aware of the clandestine In*uisition research facilit! in the Valle! of /aemons somewhere under the wisps of cloud trailing o#er the eastern continent of the gentl! rotating globe be!ond the #iewport. $&he :hadowlight $ he confirmed. $In*uisitor Vail is of the opinion that Abaddon or more li"el! one of his lac"e!s wanting to curr! fa#our with him has somehow learned of its existence. If that$s the case then its remo#al from Perlia before the enem! arri#es becomes of paramount importance.$ ,hich was a ma.or understatement. I hadn$t set e!es on the cursed thing for more than sixt!0fi#e !ears but the memor! of it was still enough to send a shi#er down m! spine. I nodded. $I ta"e it that$s wh! !ou$re here $ I said. $Cuite.$ Orelius echoed the gesture. $,e still don$t "now where it came from or what it$s reall! supposed to do but we do "now from ?illian$s researches that it can turn latent ps!"ers into powerful acti#e ones.$ $Not something I$m li"el! to forget $ I said suppressing a shudder at the memor!. &he rogue in*uisitor had intended using the thing in an insane attempt to mass produce ps!"ers hoping to beat the forces of Chaos at their own game which still seemed li"e burning down the house to get rid of the termites to me. >uc"il! he$d ended up messil! dead in the nic" of time allowing Amberle! to snaffle the thing and send it bac" to where it came from which was now roughl! a hundred "ilometres below m! feet and a bit to the left. If the forces of Chaos succeeded in getting hold of it though I had no doubt that the!$d carr! on where the late and unlamented ?illian had left off lea#ing us up to our ears in w!rds. &hat simpl! couldn$t be allowed to happen. $I ta"e it !ou$#e got the blasted thing safel! stowed awa! in !our most secure hold b! now)$ I as"ed and Orelius shoo" his head. $I wish we did. 5ut there$s a problem.$ $&here alwa!s is $ I said tr!ing not to sound bitter about it. I nibbled at one of the delicacies on m! plate but for all the pleasure I was able to ta"e in it it might as well ha#e been a standard ration bar. $,hat "ind of a problem)$ $&he magi staffing the facilit! ha#e reco#ered se#eral more artefacts in the last few decades $ Orelius told me soberl!. $&he!$re now wor"ing on the assumption that the

:hadowlight is part of a more complex mechanism which the!$#e spent a number of !ears attempting to assemble. Apparentl! dismantling it now would be an affront to the Omnissiah or some such fooler!. I$#e been tr!ing to impress upon them that letting Abaddon stroll off with it would be a damn sight worse but !ou "now what tech0priests are li"e. It$s going to ta"e a while to persuade them to let me pac" the thing up and go.$ I nodded again and sipped at the wine letting its head! fragrance calm the alarm bells shrilling in m! head. &his was a complication I suppose I should ha#e foreseen% the research facilit! in the Valle! of /aemons was a .oint operation between the Ordo ;enos and the Adeptus 2echanicus and I$d gathered from Amberle! that the partnership was sometimes a strained one. &he tech0priests manning the plate eight! !ears ago had told ?illian to go frot himself when he tried to pull ran" on them despite his In*uisitorial status'% unfortunatel! for them he wasn$t the "ind to ta"e no for an answer came bac" with an arm! and grabbed the thing o#er their gentl! steaming corpses. $Are !ou ma"ing an! headwa! at all)$ I as"ed. 34" *hich they were well within their rights to do& as a member of the /rdo Eereticus, he had no official +urisdiction over the operation any' way": $A little $ Orelius said. $I$#e been able to persuade them to let me ha#e copies of all their data at least. 5ut that$s not going to be a whole lot of use if Abaddon$s got the de#ice itself.$ $I suppose not.$ I shoo" m! head s!mpatheticall!. @,hich reminds me.$ I too" a data0slate from m! poc"et and laid it on the table. &his is all the intelligence I$#e been able to collate since the last time I saw Amberle!.$ $I$ll see that she gets it $ Orelius promised not *uite managing to mas" his unease at m! casual use of Amberle!$s gi#en name. It was hardl! news to him or an!one else among her associates that we shared a personal relationship be!ond the merel! professional but for some reason none of them li"ed to be reminded of it. $&han" !ou $ I said. After some deliberation I$d decided to mention m! feelings of dis*uiet about the mining station in the report despite the near certaint! that Amberle! would simpl! dismiss them as the paranoid imaginings I$d almost succeeded in con#incing m!self the! actuall! were. Necrons weren$t exactl! subtle in m! experience and if the! reall! were ta"ing an interest in Perlia I was morbidl! certain that we$d ha#e "nown about it b! now. ,ith an effort I returned m! attention to the main topic of con#ersation. $-ow long do !ou thin" it will ta"e to con#ince them)$ $Not too long I hope $ Orelius said smiling mirthlessl!. It ne#er occurred to either of us that he wouldn$t get his own wa! in the end% rogue traders are notoriousl! tough negotiators. Neither of us was crass enough to #erbalise the ob#ious thought that if push came to sho#e he probabl! had enough firepower aboard to repeat ?illian$s solution to the problem. &hat might get the :hadowlight to safet! but wouldn$t do a lot to "eep the 2echanicus on side once the immediate crisis was past. $I imagine the!$ll see sense once the enem! gets dose enough.$ $An! idea how long that$ll ta"e)$ I as"ed a small "not of tension winding itself around m! gut as I spo"e. Orelius shrugged. $About a wee" I thin" at least so far as the main fleet goes.$ -e pulled a data0slate from the poc"et of his tunic and handed it to me. $&his contains the best estimate I can gi#e !ou of their strength and numbers but I should warn !ou it$s highl! con.ectural.$

$It$s better than nothing $ I replied griml! stowing it in the poc"et of m! greatcoat. I$d show it to Ror"ins and the others and with an! luc" we$d be able to de#ise a strateg! or two we could ta"e to the P/1. Potentiall! compromised or not the! were the onl! thing standing between Perlia and annihilation now and the sooner this information got to them the better our chances of holding the planet. &here was also the distinctl! tempting possibilit! that since Orelius was here to retrie#e the :hadowlight I could come up with a plausible0sounding reason in the next da! or two for lea#ing along with it. As far as I "new +urgen was still the onl! man capable of handling the thing without extensi#e precautions and our pre#ious experience was bound to pro#e #aluable in "eeping it safe. $I hope it helps.$ Orelius might ha#e said more but before he got the chance the picture in the hololith flic"ered and changed. &he slash across the galax! li"e a blood! claw mar" #anished to be replaced b! a #iew of the Perlia s!stem. I *uic"l! identified the runes mar"ing our own position in orbit and with a #ertiginous lurch to m! stomach a scatter of icons mar"ing an enem! contact. $I$m sorr! to interrupt !our supper m! lord $ the #oice of the #essel$s captain said issuing from some artfull! concealed #ox unit $but we ha#e warp portals forming throughout the s!stem. &he enem! seem to ha#e been less tard! than we hoped.$

Editorial Note: Cain!s account of what Eappened next is, quite understandably, somewhat incomplete" Accordingly, another brief extract from a more dispassionate and authoritative source seems appropriate at this +uncture" 1rom In %lac est Night: $he 5illennial *ars Appraised b! A!.aepi Clothier 'GA. 2DG. 53 &-E 2ERE:& good fortune the first incursion b! the heretical fleet met much stiffer resistance than it expected. &he trading #essel Ducre =oedus had put into Perlia shortl! before their arri#al and was riding at anchor in the s"ies abo#e -a#endown as the scouting flotilla emerged from the warp. -ow the! reacted to this unwelcome surprise we can onl! con.ecture for the ships of our Rogue &raders are formidable indeed designed as the! are for #enturing be!ond the bounds of the Imperium and the Emperor$s unfailing protection. No doubt those in command of the raiding force felt that a handful of destro!ers would be sufficient to sweep the remaining s!stem defence boats from the s"ies and had that been all that stood between them and the helpless world below the! might e#en ha#e been right. 5ut the Ducre =oedus was made of sterner stuff destro!ing or crippling most of the incoming fleet before sustaining so much damage herself that she was forced to withdraw. A persistent local legend that Ciaphas Cain himself was aboard the ship during the engagement can safel! be discounted although he was certainl! prominent in the ground action which followed as the sur#i#ing forces of Chaos arri#ed on the surface of Perlia to face whate#er defences could be mobilised against them.

SEVEN $I$2 A1RAI/ ,E$RE going to ha#e to cut our meal a little short $ Orelius said standing as he spo"e and leading the wa! out of the parlour. Not for the first time I found m!self mar#elling at his self0possession. I$#e no doubt most men in his position would ha#e been gibbering with panic at this point or running round in little circles wa#ing their arms in the air. I probabl! would ha#e been m!self if I hadn$t had so much practice at appearing calm in a crisis which prett! much goes with the .ob of course. $Rather a shame $ I responded instead determined to seem no less phlegmatic than m! host. $3our chef seems as s"ilful as e#er.$ I tapped the comm0bead in m! ear. $:prie we$re lea#ing earl!. &he enem! has been rather inconsiderate in the timing of their arri#al.$ $,e$ll be sure to con#e! !our displeasure $ Orelius assured me as we regained the corridor leading bac" towards the hangar and in the other direction the bridge. $Our gun crews can generall! be relied on to get the message across.$ $I$ll lea#e !ou to it then $ I said as we halted in preparation for going our separate wa!s. I$#e been in#ol#ed in space battles before of course one particularl! memorable example preceding m! first arri#al on Perlia but I$#e alwa!s felt the!$re no place for a soldier. I$d far rather face the enem! with solid ground under m! feet and preferabl! a lot of solid co#er to hide behind as well. &hat would be best $ Orelius agreed. $If we can$t get the :hadowlight to safet! !ou$re the onl! hope we ha#e of "eeping it out of Abaddon$s hands.$ $I$ll do m! best $ I said hoping the star" terror twisting m! bowels wasn$t #isible on m! face and ta"ing automatic refuge in the "ind of understated resol#e he$d expect me to respond with. $5ut I$m sure !ou$ll see this rabble off without too much trouble.$ $I hope so $ he said sounding far from certain. $,e$#e as much firepower as a cruiser and most of the contacts seemed small for warships. 5ut if we ta"e too much damage we$ll ha#e to run for it.$ I nodded griml! ha#ing come to the same conclusion m!self. If Orelius couldn$t reco#er the :hadowlight it was #ital that he get the information he$d pic"ed up from the Valle! of /aemons to Amberle!% that wa! if the worst came to the worst at least the In*uisition would ha#e some idea of what it was facing. Of course in the meantime I$d be stuc" in the firing line tr!ing to stop an arm! of Chaos fanatics from getting their hands on the blasted thing but that was a problem for later% right now I .ust wanted to get bac" to Perlia before the shooting started. $Emperor be with !ou $ I said simpl! actuall! meaning it for once and turned towards the hangar ba! with a wa#e of farewell tr!ing not to wonder if I$d e#er see him again. :prie I was pleased to disco#er was .ust as on top of things as Visiter had led me to expect waiting in the coc"pit with the boarding ramp down and the A*uila$s engines alread! fired up read! to lea#e. Indeed the ramp had begun to rise e#en before I$d reached the top of it and the rugged little shuttle had risen from the dec" before the atmosphere seals had finished hissing into place behind me. $6ood wor" :prie $ I encouraged him as I entered the coc"pit and dropped into the seat Visiter had occupied during the e#entful training run to the asteroid station. If he was surprised to see me there rather than riding in the bac" li"e passengers were

supposed to he was too polite or bus! to mention the fact% but if we were about to be shot at I wanted to be able to see what was tr!ing to "ill me. $A textboo" dust0off.$ $Except nobod!$s shooting at us $ :prie replied sounding a little disappointed about it. ,ell there was plent! of time for that to change. -e fed a little more power to the engines and we began to glide smoothl! towards the huge bra(en portal ahead through which a widening strip of eternal night spec"led with stars was beginning to show. As we passed through it and into open space I noticed shadows on the hull plates mo#ing parallel to our own and glanced up to see a s*uadron of the hea#! shuttles I$d noticed before flitting around the enormous bul" of the trading #essel li"e flies around a grox forming an unmista"able defensi#e screen. &he!$d be no match for real fighters of course but the!$d be able to pic" off incoming ordnance and boarding pods neat as !ou please and I nodded thoughtfull! pleased to see that none of Orelius$s people seemed to ha#e lost their edge. $6oodb!e and good luc" $ Orelius$s #oice said in m! comm0bead echoing slightl! and the might! #essel$s main engines ignited powering her up and out of the gra#it! well of Perlia with the casual ease of a man shrugging off a sogg! rain cape. $&he Emperor protects $ I responded automaticall! hoping that in this instance it would turn out to be true. $&he!$re engaging $ :prie said a moment or two later. I glanced at the auspex screen tr!ing to ma"e sense of the o#erall tactical picture. As alwa!s when fighting in space was concerned I found m!self momentaril! disorientated until m! brain added the third dimension missing from battles on the surface of a planet. &hree of the enem! #essels seemed to be closing on the Ducre =oedus or perhaps it was the other wa! round while two more bored in towards the planet below. At an! e#ent Orelius must ha#e fired first as the leading Chaos #essel abruptl! #anished from the screen. $1irst blood to us then $ I said. I was distracted from obser#ing the rest of the fight b! a rising babble of panic"ed #oices on .ust about e#er! fre*uenc! m! earpiece was capable of pic"ing up as the shambolic remnants of the P/1 finall! noticed we were under attac"'. 34" $his isn!t entirely fair, as /relius!s bridge crew transmitted a warning as soon as the traitor fleet emerged from the warp" $hey were undeniably slow to respond, however": $5ac" to the schola sir)$ :prie as"ed and I shoo" m! head. $No $ I instructed him. $-ead for -a#endown.$ If someone didn$t do something to get the rabble down there organised the enem! would simpl! stroll in and ta"e the place which would ma"e m! life intensel! difficult not to sa! short probabl!. $A!e a!e sir.$ &he flame0haired cadet bent o#er his instrumentation for a moment plotting the optimum flight path then loo"ed up grinning. $&his should be interesting an!wa!.$ $Interesting how)$ I as"ed. A cluster of tin! dots was closing on the pair of enem! #essels which had slipped past Orelius and :prie nodded at the auspex screen with an expression of tolerant amusement. $&here go our fighters $ he said. $:wallowing the bait .ust li"e the! were supposed to.$ $,hat bait)$ I as"ed feeling the hairs on the bac" of m! nec" begin to pric"le. &he hull of our shuttle shoo" almost imperceptibl! as if sensing m! unease although the

rational part of m! mind recognised the sensation as simpl! the first "iss of the thic"ening atmosphere against the fuselage. $&he s!stem defence boats are all on the outer pic"et lines $ :prie reminded me $in case the $nids come bac". &hese ships emerged well within the defensi#e perimeter.$ -e shoo" his head. $,a! too close to our gra#it! well for safet!4 the! must be mad.$ $Of course the! are $ I replied testil! $the!$re Chaos0worshipping loonies. :o far as the!$re concerned self0preser#ation$s something that onl! happens to other people. ,hat did !ou mean about the fighters)$ &he! were the onl! defensi#e assets we had capable of engaging them $ :prie said. $:o of course the! went rushing off to do .ust that. >ea#ing nothing inside the atmosphere to intercept the landing craft.$ $,hat landing craft)$ I as"ed alread! beginning to ma"e sense of the approaching #essels$ tra.ector!. :prie shrugged. $&he ones the!$ll be launching an! moment now .ust as soon as the fl!bo!s start their attac" runs against the carriers. &he!$ll brea" off when the! realise the!$#e been suc"ered of course but b! that time the barges will be well into the atmosphere and the!$ll ne#er catch up before the! hit the dec". Prett! slic" when !ou come to thin" about it.$ I nodded. &he lad ma! still onl! ha#e been a cadet but he dearl! had a sound grasp of three0dimensional tactics and I wasn$t too proud to defer to his greater expertise. Not with m! nec" on the line. $,hat about the ships)$ I as"ed. &he thought of a pair of uncontested warships in orbit able to ta"e pot0shots at an!thing that too" their fanc! was far from comforting. &he!$re not going an!where $ :prie said sounding pleased at the thought. $&his is a suicide run.$ 6lancing at the auspex again I could see he was right. &he! should ha#e been bra"ing b! now preparing to enter orbit but the! simpl! continued to descend following us into the outer reaches of the atmosphere. &he! were probabl! hoping to slingshot round the planet but the fighters must ha#e inflicted some damage to their engines. $&he!$d be the ob#ious targets.$ I nodded again ha#ing gathered as much from the chatter in m! comm0bead. &he! ha#e $ I confirmed and :prie grinned with #indicti#e satisfaction. $&hen the!$ll burn or the!$ll bounce $ he said. In the e#ent it seemed the! did both% hardl! had a duster of smaller dots bro"en from the nearer contact than both ships hit the denser air abo#e us dipping within it to bla(e across the s"! li"e twin meteors trailing a shower of lesser spar"s as hull plates and external mounts tore loose and #aporised. $-ang on this is going to get rough.$ 1orewarned I gripped the crash webbing in the nic" of time an instant before the shoc"wa#e hit crashing through the boiling air li"e a tsunami. Our gallant little shuttle bounced li"e a pea in a drum and I found m!self blessing Visiter for his foresight in assigning this particular pilot to me. Remaining methodical and calm he wor"ed the controls li"e a concert meister at a cla#ichord graduall! restoring our flight path to something reasonabl! straight and le#el. As he le#elled off I glanced out of the windshield ahead of us and winced in#oluntaril!% we were far closer to the ground than we had been purple moorland and culti#ated fields flic"ing past almost too fast to be seen as an!thing other than a parti0coloured blur and the memor! of m! first arri#al on this world rose up to haunt me.

$6ood piloting $ I commended him and :prie shoo" his head griml!. $,e$re not down !et sir. :ome of the flight s!stems too" an awful battering.$ -e started paging down a cogitator screen muttering the litan! of fault diagnosis and I glanced at the auspex again. 5oth Chaos #essels had re0emerged from the atmosphere and were now spinning awa! on an uncontrolled tra.ector! no doubt melted to slag b! their fier! passage through the superheated air'. 2ore to distract m!self from the implications of his ominous words than an!thing else I tried to contact Orelius again and much to m! surprise I succeeded. 34" Actually, starships are a lot tougher than that& although both were now lifeless, and their outer hulls little more than featureless blobs of congealed metal, much of their internal structures remained intact" %oth were boarded and inspected by /rdo Eereticus investigation teams after hostilities ceased, although I!m assured nothing of particular interest was found on either": $-ow are !ou doing)$ I as"ed as the second of the enem! ships he was engaging #anished from the auspex screen. $-olding our own but that$s about all $ Orelius said. $,e$#e lost the starboard batteries and the main fire control s!stems. ,e$re down to sending the shuttles in and the!$re barel! ma"ing a dent in the last one$ $5etter get out while !ou can $ I ad#ised reluctantl!. According to the chatter in m! comm0bead the s!stem defence boats were inbound and should be able to deal with the sole sur#i#ing intruder. &he!$d ta"e some time to do it though and if the Ducre =oedus was destro!ed in the interim the intelligence she was carr!ing bac" to Amberle! would be lost. On the other hand if Orelius followed m! suggestion m! last chance of getting off Perlia before the enem! arri#ed in force would go with him. $I intend to.$ &he rogue trader$s tone was grim. $,e$re preparing to ma"e the transit right now. &a"e care of the :hadowlight whate#er happens.$ $3ou can count on it $ I assured him insincerel! wondering how in the Emperor$s name I was supposed to do that. Oh well time enough to worr! about it when the time came. A few moments later the blip mar"ing the position of his ship wa#ered and #anished lea#ing his sole sur#i#ing opponent in uncontested control of the battlefield. :hortl! thereafter it too flic"ered out of existence no doubt returning to where#er it had come from to report that their first attempt to probe our defences hadn$t been an entirel! un*ualified success. $,e$re approaching -a#endown $ :prie informed me a moment or two later the faint tremors I$d alread! noticed in the A*uila$s fuselage beginning to feel a little more pronounced. @,here do !ou want to put down)$ /espite the increasingl! se#ere problems he was ob#iousl! ha#ing "eeping us in the air at all his tone was still casual and I found his ob#ious confidence reasonabl! reassuring. $-ead for the P/1 head*uarters $ I told him. $,e$re going to need to organise a reception committee for those shuttles coming in behind us and we won$t ha#e a lot of time to spare.$ $A!e a!e sir $ he said again and busied himself at the controls. Reluctantl! the A*uila gained a little height wallowing as it did so and I got m! first glimpse of the planetar! capital in the distance the marble domes of the cathedral tinted blood red b! the ra!s of the setting sun. I hoped that wouldn$t turn out to be an omen. $&his is Commissar Cain $ I #oxed $inbound aboard the schola progenium shuttle :anguis Iu#enis estimated time of arri#al at R!tepat... '$ I paused momentaril! and

glanced at :prie. 34" $he main )0= airbase defending the capital, apparently named for some hotshot fighter pilot who downed an unfeasible number of or planes during the =irst (iege" It was ad+acent to the main )0= command centre and barrac s, so would be the obvious place for Cain to set down": $About se#en minutes $ he assured me. $1our minutes $ I said crispl!. $-a#e a #ehicle waiting on the pad read! to ta"e me to the operations room.$ I glanced at the pilot again noting his faintl! pu((led expression. $Ne#er hurts to "eep them on the hop. And this wa! there$s a remote possibilit! the! might actuall! be able to get something organised before we arri#e.$ -e nodded and returned his attention to the controls. ,e could do with an enginseer to ta"e a loo" at these s!stems $ he said speculati#el!. $6ood point.$ I acti#ated the comm0bead again. $6et a cogbo! out there too $ I added. ,e got a bit too close to those heretic barges for comfort.$ I didn$t elaborate of course but it certainl! wouldn$t hurt to gi#e the impression that we$d been in combat alread!. $3es sirH$ the #ox op replied sounding faintl! breathless and the lin" went dead. $I can see the field $ :prie said calml! heading straight for it across the middle of the cit! showing a fine disregard for ci#ilian air traffic restrictions in the process. 5! the time we were on the final approach we were actuall! s"imming between the spires of the taller buildings no doubt lea#ing a trail of shattered windows in our wa"e and I could *uite clearl! see the pale blobs of upturned faces turning to stare at us as we descended '. $Crossing the threshold.$ 34" I suspect he!s exaggerating here, as none of the buildings around the aerodrome are high enough to impede the passage of incoming aircraft, for obvious reasons" /n the other, hand, (prie was clearly having some difficulty in remaining airborne at all, so I suppose there might be a grain of truth in it": I made sure m! crash webbing was tight again .ust to be on the safe side anticipating the impact of our struggling A*uila against the apron at an! moment but to m! relie#ed surprise it ne#er came. :prie "ic"ed in the landing thrusters bringing the nose up and round as he did so and there ahead of us was a landing pad its perimeter mar"ed b! win"ing lights which seemed all the brighter in the gathering gloom a utilit! truc" .ust drawing up next to it to disgorge a faintl! panic0stric"en honour guard. ,e did hit the roc"crete with a noticeable thump which made :prie wince but in all honest! I$#e been in full! controlled landings hea#ier than that and I was up and out of m! seat e#en before he$d finished powering down. $&han" !ou $ I said sincerel!. $Not one of m! better touchdowns $ he replied a touch ruefull! $but it$s done the .ob.$ -e hit the control for the boarding ramp and the smell of burned fuel and suppressed panic hissed in from outside along with the growling of engines and a babble of #oices. $And it$s time I got on with mine $ I said. $3ou$d better ma"e it *uic" sir.$ :prie indicated the auspex screen on which a small cluster of fast0mo#ing dots had .ust appeared. $,e$re about to ha#e compan!.$

Editorial Note: $his seems as good a time as any to append the following, which gives a slightly wider overview of the subsequent action than Cain is able to supply from his own position in the thic of things" 1rom In %lac est Night: $he 5illennial *ars Appraised b! A!.aepi Clothier 'GA. 2DG. &-O96- &-E 1IR:& incursion was dri#en off b! the combined efforts of the Ducre =oedus and a concerted assault b! the tactical fighter wing based at R!tepat aerodrome on the outs"irts of -a#endown the fleeing heretics left a poisonous legac! behind them. Assault shuttles began to land in se#eral places where their occupants were able to wrea" considerable ha#oc before the local P/1 garrisons brought them to heel% none more so than in the planetar! capital itself which bore the brunt of the attac". It was in this action that Commissar Cain was first in#ol#ed in the unfolding drama ha#ing hastened to offer his ser#ices to the gallant defenders who were no doubt suitabl! grateful.

EIGHT $,-O$: IN C-AR6E here)$ I as"ed hurr!ing down the ramp with a carefull! assumed air of purposeful energ!. If I$d read the auspex right we had onl! a handful of minutes before the enem! arri#ed and I wanted to be comfortabl! ensconced in a nice cos! command bun"er before that happened. &he sergeant in charge of the group of troops lined up beside the truc" I$d noticed before saluted a little ner#ousl!. &hat would be me sir. :ergeant 5enten.$ $Commissar Cain $ I said as though he wouldn$t alread! "now. $6ood of !ou to come and meet me.$ I nodded at the nine troopers accompan!ing him. $Although I wasn$t reall! expecting an escort.$ &hat was the sort of thing a modest hero was supposed to sa! of course so I supposed I ought to sa! it. I ne#er li"e to disappoint people especiall! if there$s a chance that the!$re going to li#e long enough to hold a grudge. I can$t den! I was pleased to see them though% if I was about to be caught out in the open when the enem! arri#ed it wasn$t going to hurt to ha#e half a score of lasgun0toting troopers standing between me and a horde of Chaos0worshipping ps!chopaths. On the other hand it would ta"e precious moments to get them all embar"ed again. I returned the salute tr!ing to conceal m! impatience and too" a step towards the cab of the truc". $Perhaps we$d better get going. I$m afraid we don$t ha#e much time.$ $No sir.$ 5enten clambered up after me while the dri#er swung into his seat and gunned the engine which than" the Emperor he$d had the sense to lea#e running. $,e$#e got incoming contacts. 5ut I$m sure !ou alread! "now that.$ $It was "ind of hard to miss $ I told him wishing I was as relaxed as I was tr!ing to appear. At least the dolts in the command post appeared to realise what was going on though and were reacting to it with some semblance of efficienc!. A s*uadron of -!dras roared past us as we got underwa! deplo!ing around the landing pads and the runwa!s used b! the hea#ier cargo lifters' their *uad barrels sweeping the s"! for the first sign of the approaching enem!. O#er b! the perimeter more troopers were running to man fixed weapon emplacements and as we began to pic" up speed towards the P/1 compound ad.acent to the aerodrome I could see similar efforts under wa! around the complex of stores and barrac" bloc"s be!ond the chain lin" fence separating the two installations. 34" 5any of the atmosphere craft in use by the )0= were simple aerofoil designs, which required runways to ta e off and land, and even some of the ones capable of lifting or landing vertically would still use them in order to maximise their payloads": $6et those luminators doused $ I #oxed the command centre. &here were no more friendl! aircraft behind us and the bright lights around the runwa! and the landing pads would onl! ser#e to guide the enem! to their target. After a moment the! went dar" along with the external floodlights dotted around the P/1 compound and a few seconds later the lights in the buildings began to flic"er out too. As the gathering night o#ertoo" the militar! sites the distant lights of the cit! seemed to shine clearer and stronger b! contrast and I began to wonder if perhaps there was a flaw in m! strateg!% if the enem! pilots o#erloo"ed us entirel! and aimed for the most #isible target instead the!$d be coming down smac" in the middle of the planetar! capital. Oh well too late to worr! about that now and I didn$t suppose it would ma"e much difference in an! case% in m! experience the forces of Chaos would far rather

slaughter unarmed ci#ilians than get into a stand0up fight with real soldiers. 7Or in this case the dregs of the P/1 but the! were all we had so I$d .ust ha#e to ma"e the best of it.8 Our dri#er reached out a hand to the headlight switch on the dashboard then hesitated before flic"ing it. $,ait $ 5enten told him. $>et !our e!es ad.ust.$ ,e$d ha#e the ad#antage in the initial exchange of fire now our night #ision alread! wor"ing whereas the enem! would still be tr!ing to get orientated as the! stumbled out of the landing craft. Relie#ed that the sergeant understood I nodded. $It$s not as if there$s much out here to hit $ I told the dri#er encouragingl! .ust as another -!dra loomed up out of nowhere forcing us to swer#e. In a moment or two though our dri#er$s confidence returned and he accelerated through the thic"ening e#ening twilight. &he gate in the chain lin" fence was growing closer seeming to glow faintl! in the !ellowish radiance of the cit! in the distance and I began to thin" we might .ust ma"e it to safet! before the attac" began. Of course I was wrong. :omething big and dar" howled o#erhead shrie"ing li"e a daemon getting its first whiff of +urgen and ploughed into the roc"crete ahead of us gouging a trench as it went bouncing our hurtling truc" on its springs. &he dri#er swung the wheel franticall! as the crippled shuttle slithered towards the fence in a shower of pul#erised $crete spar"s and flames spewing all around it as though it had .ust been #omited up b! hell itself demolishing the fragile barrier before finall! coming to rest. ,e clipped the edge of the furrow it had left and began to roll bouncing bac" upright again b! a miracle and roared through a pool of bla(ing promethium. A second or two later our burning t!res burst unable to sustain the pressure of the expanding air inside them. $E#er!one outH$ I commanded as we slewed to a halt. ,e$d be sitting duc"s in an immobilised #ehicle. &ime to leg it and find some more solid co#er. I glanced around. &he -!dras were engaging the incoming shuttles in earnest now their guns hammering lighting up the dar"ness with #i#id orange flashes and ripping most of the enem! drop0ships to shreds. -ardl! surprising too% as one exploded in midair a few hundred metres awa! raining fire debris and bod! parts onto the apron below I could see b! the light of its destruction that most of the formation was made up of unarmoured ci#ilian craft apparentl! pressed into ser#ice rather than the more robust militar! ships I might ha#e expected. &hat meant that this little expedition had been dispatched ahead of the main fleet in a hurr! although there wasn$t time to ponder the full implications of that at the moment. $&his wa! sirH$ 5enten gestured towards a bloc"house standing off to one side the "ind of thing !ou see scattered around starports and aerodromes all the time without e#er stopping to wonder what might be in them and we began to run towards it. &his particular example once the door had been persuaded open b! a couple of las0bolts and a swipe from m! chainsword pro#ed to house firefighting e*uipment. 7Rather ironicall! I found m!self thin"ing at the time.8 ,e piled inside grateful for the thic" walls and I set the troopers to rolling the most solid pieces of "it we could find across the entrance to set up a tolerable firing position. $&his seems defensible enough $ 5enten said and I nodded griml!. $It$s going to ha#e to be $ I said. /espite the best efforts of the -!dra gunners se#eral of the shuttles were down more or less in one piece and dim figures were piling out of them silhouetted nicel! b! the flames of their arri#al for the most part loo"ing for

a target to engage. &he! were finding them too% local troopers were hurr!ing to intercept them truc"s and light utilit! #ehicles hurtling across the runwa!s pintel0mounted stubbers bla(ing awa! as the! came while slower0mo#ing Chimera troop carriers followed in their wa"e the multi0lasers in their turrets see"ing out the largest concentrations of enem! soldiers. &he! weren$t getting it all their own wa! though% some of the intruders were armed with roc"et launchers engaging the oncoming armour as smoothl! and efficientl! as Imperial 6uardsmen wor"ing in cohesi#e hea#! weapons teams. I felt a pric"ling sensation in the palms of m! hands and flinched as one of the Chimeras exploded% instead of wasting time in h!sterical .ubilation li"e the Chaotic rabbles I$d generall! faced before the enem! troopers simpl! prepared to fire again. $Aim for the hea#! weapon teams $ I told 5enten who rela!ed the instruction to the rest of the s*uad with undisguised enthusiasm. &he enem! hadn$t seen us !et although it could onl! be a matter of time and I didn$t want to s*uander the ad#antage of surprise. If we could ta"e out the roc"eteers and let the Chimeras ad#ance unmolested I$d be able to complete m! interrupted .ourne! surrounded b! armour plate which ought to be proof against whate#er small arms the in#aders carried. Our first #olle! too" them in the flan" dropping a couple of the gunners and a brace of loaders and attracting the attention of their small0arms toting s*uad mates. &o m! surprise the answering fire which began to patter off the reassuringl! solid roc"crete surrounding us was a hail of las0bolts rather than the odd mixture of rounds from obsolete firearms and whate#er else the!$d been able to sca#enge which I$d expected and m! palms began to itch e#en more strongl! than before. :omething about this situation definitel! wasn$t right. $,e$re getting reports from the tribunes in -a#en0down $ a #oice in m! comm0 bead told me tense with stress. &hree enem! shuttles are down inside the cit!. &he enem!$s deplo!ing and firing on the ci#ilian population. &he tribunes are mobilising riot s*uads but the!$re unable to contain them.$ $6et a platoon or two in there to bac" them up $ I instructed wishing I$d made it to the bun"er where I$d ha#e a nice big hololith to help me "eep trac" of which units were where not to mention a distinct lac" of heretics tr!ing to part m! hair with a las0bolt. &hen inspiration struc" and I fished m! data0slate out of m! greatcoat poc"et.$ $Patch a tactical update to m! slate.$ 1ortunatel! their tech0priests were *uic" off the mar" with the correct incantations and m! commissarial o#erride codes got me into the core of the P/1 datanet without an! problems so I was able to run a *uic" e!e o#er the troop dispositions while 5enten and his men' pla!ed pot the heretic with e#er! sign of en.o!ment. &he walls of our ma"eshift redoubt were strong and so far we hadn$t sustained an! casualties to m! carefull! concealed surprise. 34" No doubt the one he gave /relius had been ta en aboard purely for that purpose": $&hird compan! first fourth and sixth platoons $ I said. &he!$re mounted up and unengaged.$ At least according to the data I had the! were sitting in their Chimeras read! to lead a death or glor! charge down the main road to -a#endown the minute a non0 existent heretic horde showed their faces. $5ut that would lea#e the southern perimeter #irtuall! undefended $ m! unseen interlocutor ob.ected.

$&here$s nothing to defend it from until the enem! in the cit! gets tired of murdering ci#ilians $ I snapped hoping I was right. $&a"e the fight to them and put a stop to it$ Right then of course I was more interested in sa#ing m! own nec" but I "new that if we wanted to ha#e e#en a pra!er of holding on to this world in the long term we needed to con#ince the proles that we could defend them. Otherwise morale would go through the floor and we wouldn$t ha#e a hope in hell of maintaining order. $3es sir.$ ,hoe#er it was in command clearl! didn$t li"e m! call but that wasn$t m! concern% mindful that I$d been left with a distinctl! unwelcome errand for the In*uisition I was "eeping the bigger picture in mind as well as the more pressing matter of sta!ing ali#e long enough to sa! $I told !ou so.$ $&he!$re ad#ancing $ 5enten told me abruptl! shattering the illusion that I$d found a reasonabl! safe bolt hole from which to obser#e things until the noise stopped. $5! fire and mo#ement.$ $Are !ou sure)$ I as"ed. In m! experience the forces of Chaos ad#anced in a single uncoordinated rush screaming blasphemous gibberish and obligingl! d!ing in dro#es without displa!ing an!thing remotel! li"e sensible tactics. 5enten nodded clearl! pi*ued b! what must ha#e sounded li"e a lac" of confidence in his abilities and gestured towards the doorwa!. $:ee for !ourself $ he said. $I$#e no doubt !ou$re right $ I said repairing the damage as best I could $but that$s extremel! unusual.$ I peered out at the twilight battlefield unable for a moment to distinguish friend from foe in the deepening gloom which in itself was disturbing. &he Chimeras and the fast0mo#ing light #ehicles were rolling up the enem! flan"s now we$d put a dent in their anti0armour capabilit! and the main bul" of the Chaotic force was pulling bac" in our direction. Not good. I duc"ed bac" reflexi#el! as a #olle! of las0 rounds gouged little craters from the roc"crete walls defending us and sent a couple of shots bac" from m! laspistol in repl! with no noticeable effect. As the sergeant had said while half the group facing us fired forcing us to "eep our heads down the rest of the shadow! figures hurried forward racing for the refuge of the next piece of co#er or patch of dar"ness. $Is it)$ 5enten as"ed and I nodded beginning to feel seriousl! concerned. It would onl! be a matter of time before one of those figures got dose enough to lob a grenade in here at which point all bets would be off. $It is. I$#e seldom seen Chaotic troops so disciplined $ I said paging through the datafiles in search of the call0sign I wanted. I could alwa!s ha#e gone through the command centre of course but as !ou$#e no doubt deduced I didn$t ha#e a lot of confidence in them and where sa#ing m! s"in is concerned I prefer not to delegate. 1inding the one I wanted I cut into the comnet with m! commissarial clearance. $ 1acca =erreus this is Commissar Cain re*uesting pic"up for m! escort detail.$ As alwa!s I was careful to phrase things so that m! primar! concern would seem to be the welfare of the troopers I was with rather than m! own miserable s"in. @,e$re pinned down and about to be o#errun.$ $1acca =erreus responding $ a faintl! o#erawed #oice replied and the nearest Chimera accelerated in our direction spitting incandescent death from the multi0laser in its main turret while the forward0mounted hea#! bolter chewed awa! at the heretics ad#ancing on our position. A #olle! of small0arms fire greeted it peppering its armour plate with scorch mar"s and surrounding it with a nimbus of spar"s from the flec"s of

paint which #aporised with e#er! hit but nothing #ital seemed to be damaged and within moments it was slewing to a halt next to where we were holed up. &he dri#er rotated the hea#! #ehicle on its trac"s "eeping the hull0mounted anti0personnel weapon and the hea#iest armour pointing at the enem! troopers and the rear boarding ramp clanged to the roc"crete ahead of us. $&his wa!H$ &he #ehicle$s commander was waiting inside a laspistol in his hand and gestured us forward. @,e$ll co#er !ouH$ $2uch obliged $ I told him hanging bac" a little to ma"e sure none of the troopers got shot b! an unsuspected flan"ing unit on the short but ner#e0rac"ing .ourne! across the open space in between. No one did so I followed a moment later secure in the "nowledge that b! being the last to lea#e our refuge I$d .ust consolidated m! undeser#ed reputation for being concerned for the welfare of the common troopers !et again. I was halfwa! across the open space when I caught sight of a flic"er of mo#ement out of the corner of m! e!e and the coin finall! dropped. Of course the enem! had outflan"ed us .ust as I$d feared4 the! .ust weren$t stupid enough to betra! their position b! potting a few expendable troopers when there was a -ero of the Imperium there to gun down instead. I raised m! pistol then hesitated% the figures in the gloom seemed to be wearing standard 2unitorum issue fla" armour after all. $CommissarH ,aitH$ &he leader of the soldiers running towards me called out as he came. $I$#e got a message from the command bun"erH$ I shot him all doubts abruptl! dispelled and he fell but his fellow troopers came on bringing up their las0guns to fire. 1ortunatel! in order to perpetrate their little mas*uerade the!$d held the barrels down and had to bring them bac" on aim before the! could shoot at me% that ga#e me a split second to act and I too" it di#ing for the open hatch of the Chimera from which warm !ellow light was spilling. A #olle! of las0bolts followed me but fortunatel! it$s almost impossible to shoot accuratel! and run at the same time so I hit the dec" and rolled to m! feet with little more to show for the experience than a thic" smear of grime on m! greatcoat and a few scorched holes around the hem where the heretic scum had got almost but not *uite luc"! enough. $CommissarH -ow did !ou "now)$ the Chimera commander a :ergeant 5lease according to the name stencilled on his torso armour as"ed loo"ing stunned. $If the bun"er had a message the! would ha#e #oxed it $ I replied as the hea#! armour plate rose to shield us from the bli((ard of shots. +ust in the nic" of time too% e#en on the run !ou can put enough las0bolts into the air to ma"e things extremel! unhealth! if !ou switch to full auto which most of the heretic s*uad seemed to ha#e done. &he turret abo#e us rotated rapidl! with a whine of ser#os the multi0laser bar"ed once and it all went *uiet outside again. I turned to 5enten. $5ac" outside $ I said. $>et$s mop them up before the! can regroup.$ $Ver! good sir $ he said clearl! wishing I$d ma"e m! mind up and stic" to it. 2ore than an!thing at that point I$d ha#e li"ed to ha#e followed m! original plan ma"ing a run for the bun"er and lea#ing the mopping up to the P/1 but something about the heretic s*uad continued to worr! me and I "new I wouldn$t be able to rest unless I made sure of it. 2ore to the point I "new Amberle! would be #er! unhapp! if I didn$t either confirm or discount the unsettling thought I$d .ust had. $?indle the spotlights $ I told 5lease. 5! this time there would be little ad#antage to fighting in the dar" and I wanted to be absolutel! sure of what I suspected I$d find. If

he was surprised he didn$t show it simpl! nodding in confirmation and hitting the external luminator controls as he dropped the ramp again. Outside was .ust as confused as most of the firefights I$d e#er been in with people running falling screaming and shooting at each other the dar"ness pierced with flic"ering orange beacons where #ehicles and pieces of debris continued to burn. &he clear white light of our Chimera$s spotlight seemed da((ling b! contrast and I s*uinted for a moment until m! e!es ad.usted acutel! aware that the moment I stepped into the cone of radiance I$d become a fire magnet for e#er! heretic still standing. I turned to 5enten. $1ire for suppression $ I ordered and the s*uad complied with a will unleashing a barrage of full! automatic las0bolts at the nearest concentration of Chaos troopers. &he 1acca =erreus$s gunner responded too and the! scattered li"e a floc" of widgeon surprised b! a hunting part!. 6ood enough4 I wasn$t going to get a better chance. I hurried forward fastidiousl! s"irting the ran"0smelling scorch mar"s and lumps of carbonised gristle that mar"ed the last resting place of the group which had tried to ambush me and reached their erstwhile leader. &o m! surprise he was still twitching m! las0bolt ha#ing been partiall! stopped b! his armour and he tried to raise his gun the moment he saw me. $/eath to the lac"e!s of the corpse godH$ he gasped the light of madness in his e!es and I "ic"ed the lasgun awa! before his finger could tighten on the trigger. $6ood e#ening to !ou too $ I responded aiming m! laspistol at his head. -e wasn$t going to last much longer in an! case but I$d waste the bolt in a heartbeat if he tried an!thing li"e that again. A *uic" glance at his uniform told me all I needed to "now and a cold chill of pure horror wor"ed its wa! down m! spine. 2! initial impression had been correct4 it was standard 2unitorum issue. &he Imperial a*uila embossed on the helmet and chest plate had been crudel! defaced probabl! b! some sort of power tool and the eight0 pointed s!mbol of Chaos daubed on in their stead. -is lasgun had recei#ed the same treatment and I made a mental note to order all reco#ered e*uipment destro!ed4 if the spirits of the weapons had been corrupted along with the souls of their owners the! could ne#er be safel! returned to Imperial ser#ice. $,hat happened at 2adasa)$ I as"ed recognising the unit patch of one of their P/1 regiments on the shoulder of his fatigues'. 34" Dargely, I suspect, because they all included the word !5adasa! in large red letters& he would hardly have had time to loo it up": &he man struggled for breath for a moment then to m! astonishment he smiled. $Varan $ he said. $Varan)$ I as"ed baffled as at the time the name meant nothing to me. $,ho$s Varan)$ $-e showed us the truth. -e set us free.$ ,onderful a whole airfield full of d!ing heretics I could ha#e chosen to interrogate and I get the one who$s alread! delirious. $-e$ll do the same for !ou when he arri#es.$ $Not if I can help it $ I said a strange sense of foreboding settling across me as I spo"e. &he word of the Emperor$s alwa!s been good enough for me.$ $&hen !ou$re surel! damned along with !our rotting master$ Emperor help me I swear he actuall! sounded sorr! for me. Completel! wrong0footed I barel! noticed the

stealth! mo#ement of his hand until it was almost too late. $/eath to the ser#ants of...$ $3ou$#e alread! done that bit $ I snapped pulling the trigger. -is head exploded into crimson mist and he slumped bac" onto the roc"crete the grenade he$d been tr!ing to prime inside his e*uipment pouch rolling out of his slac"ening hand to come to rest against the toe of m! boot. $:irH Are !ou all right)$ 5enten as"ed and I became abruptl! aware that the firing around us had all but died awa!. I listened to the #oices in m! comm0bead for a moment which confirmed that the battle had been won and shoo" m! head. $No $ I told the sergeant. $I$m worried. And I$m not at all happ! about it.$ I turned and led the wa! bac" towards the Chimera I$d commandeered the palms of m! hands itching furiousl!. &hings were #er! wrong indeed and if m! lifetime of experience was an!thing to go b! the! were about to get a whole lot worse.

NINE 1OR&9NA&E>3 53 &-E time I made it to the command bun"er it reall! was all o#er bar the shouting at least in the immediate #icinit! of R!tepat4 so instead of getting caught up in an! more firefights I got to sit and drin" recaff and watch the reports coming in from around the globe which I found infinitel! preferable despite the grim tidings the! contained. &he enem! had struc" hard in o#er a do(en places although b! the grace of the Emperor it seemed that the #ast ma.orit! of them had been in#ol#ed in the attac" on the P/1 head*uarters instead of the apparentl! random scattering of ci#ilian targets. Outnumbered if not exactl! o#ermatched the ones who$d assaulted the aerodrome and the barrac"s attached to it had ended up annihilated almost to a man4 something I seemed to be recei#ing a great deal of undeser#ed credit for simpl! because I$d happened to be on the spot at the time.' 34" $ypically, it doesn!t seem to have occurred to him that his presence there had greatly increased the morale of the defenders, thus ma ing a substantial contribution to the victory": It had been a #er! different stor! in -a#endown though not to mention the other towns and cities the!$d hit. &here the ci#ilians had borne the brunt of the in#asion effecti#el! unprotected for far too long until the P/1 had finall! got their collecti#e fingers out and mounted a #igorous counter0attac" which for the most part seemed to ha#e inflicted as much collateral damage as the wanton destruction of the enem!. $A #er! gra#e business $ the planetar! 6o#ernor said sha"ing his head sadl! so we all "new how seriousl! he was ta"ing it. $-a#e !ou an! idea what the! were hoping to achie#e)$ $:impl! to sow as much panic as the! could before the main in#asion fleet arri#es $ Ror"ins told him. ,e were meeting the 6o#ernor >io &re#ell!an in the gardens of his residence a wide #ista of carefull! landscaped gardens near the centre of the cit!% onl! the spires of hab bloc"s and manufactoria protruding o#er the perimeter wall bro"e the illusion of a rural retreat. 1rom our seats in a fragrant hegantha bower which acted as a windbrea" and effecti#el! shielded us from both the pr!ing e!es and o#eracti#e ears which would ha#e been all too ubi*uitous inside the palace I could see detachments of the household guard patrolling the top of the wall. &hin spires of smo"e still rose in the distance mar"ing the sites of last night$s battles which the troopers I$d dispatched seemed to ha#e won without too much difficult! than" the &hrone. $&hat seems to be the case $ I agreed tr!ing to ignore the scent of the hegantha blossoms surrounding us. &he! were Amberle!$s fa#ourite flower and pleasant as it alwa!s was to be reminded of her it was hardl! helping m! concentration. Not onl! that of course b! extension the! were a reminder of the seemingl! impossible commission Orelius had dumped in m! lap on her behalf before scuttling out of the s!stem with his tail between his legs which was something of a distraction to sa! the least. $&he main ob.ecti#e was clearl! a decapitation stri"e against the high command of the P/1 but there were no militar! targets at an! of the other sites the! hit.$ Although from what I$d seen the senior commanders left behind after the 6uard tithes had scooped up an!one halfwa! competent could hardl! ha#e performed an! worse if the!$d been literall! depri#ed of their heads. $,e$ll anal!se all the intelligence we can gather of course% that ma! point to some underl!ing moti#e we$#e so far o#erloo"ed.$

2ost of the heads around the ma"eshift conference table which had been hastil! erected on a couple of trestles b! no doubt disgruntled gardeners nodded in agreement. Apart from Ror"ins m!self and 6o#ernor &re#ell!an Visiter and +ulien were also present together with a handful of senior P/1 staffers whose names I hadn$t caught or particularl! cared to. &heir apparent willingness to lea#e the citi(ens of -a#endown to fend for themsel#es rather than depart from some standard battle plan still incensed me4 not that I cared particularl! about a bunch of ci#ilians I$d ne#er e#en met of course but protecting them was what the P/1 was supposed to be for and if the! were derelict in this dut! there was no telling what else the!$d let slide. Not onl! that it betra!ed a rigidit! of thin"ing that was potentiall! disastrous on the battlefield where circumstances are in a constant state of flux and failing to adapt to them means people d!ing possibl! e#en me. &he 6o#ernor$s summons had come shortl! after dawn catching up with me .ust as I was on the #erge of I returning to the schola so sei(ing the moment I$d made a few excuses and sent :prie bac" in the A*uila' to collect m! fellow conspirators. If we were reall! going to sei(e control of the war effort and cut out the dead wood at the heart of the defenders we$d ne#er ha#e a better opportunit! than this. 34" *hich implies that he got the tech'priest he!d requested after all, even though he doesn!t bother to mention it": $,e$re also considering the possibilit! that !ou might ha#e been the target of the group which came down in the capital $ +ulien said. :he$d donned her power armour for the occasion the first time I$d e#er seen her wear it the bright red sheen of its ceramite carapace contrasting with the blac" surcoat embroidered with the sigil of her order '. It certainl! seemed to ha#e impressed &re#ell!an an!wa!% he$d barel! glanced at the rest of us since we$d arri#ed with the ob#ious exception of m!self of course. $3ou$re the Emperor$s anointed guardian of this world so !our assassination would certainl! ha#e impeded our efforts to defend it.$ 34" $he %loody #ose, from the description of her vestments, although Cain is never specific about this": $I$d li"e to thin" so :ister but I rather doubt that $ &re#ell!an said. $If I$d died m! niece would simpl! ha#e ta"en o#er precisel! where I left off.$ -e smiled in a self0 deprecating manner I was unused to seeing on the faces of the aristocrac! and to m! surprise I found m!self *uite li"ing him. $In fact she$d probabl! do a damn sight better .ob. 5ut b! the Emperor$s grace it seems I$m going to "eep the throne warm for her for a while longer.$ 2! first impression had been that he was startlingl! !oung to be in such an exalted position but as we continued to con#erse I began to realise he was a great deal older than he seemed. No doubt he$d undergone a .u#enat treatment or two but it wasn$t so much that which made him appear !ounger than his !ears as his e#ident relish for life. A relish tempered with a bit of hard0won wisdom too if I was an! .udge. $Ne#ertheless I trust !ou won$t ob.ect too strongl! if we endea#our to "eep !our niece waitin$ for as long as we can $ Visiter put in. ,e$d all agreed to present the most united front possible bac"ing each other up where#er the con#ersation led in order to underline our experience of such matters and the fact that we could function smoothl! as a team. Of course e#en if we succeeded in free(ing out the P/1 commanders e#er!thing we did would still be under the 6o#ernor$s nominal .urisdiction but he seemed sensible enough to .ust let us get on with the business of sa#ing his world with minimal interference. $I won$t ob.ect at all $ &re#ell!an assured him with the hint of a smile.

$6ood.$ I adopted m! most commissarial expression the one that had been "nown to ma"e generals brea" wind with apprehension and leaned across the table to emphasise how serious I was being. $&hen we need to get down to business. >ast night$s raid was a wa"e0up call and if we$re going to still ha#e a planet to stand on b! the end of the month we$d better listen to it.$ $All our units are on high alert $ the P/1 representati#e with the greatest amount of gold braid and the highest number of chins assured me blandl!. $Read! to respond to an! repeat of the incursion.$ $I$m sure the citi(ens of -a#endown !ou were read! to lea#e flapping in the bree(e last night for !our administrati#e con#enience will be relie#ed to hear it $ I said sarcasticall!. $I on the other hand am far from confident that that will be enough.$ I half expected him to argue but either m! absurdl! inflated reputation on this planet or a proper appreciation of what a commissar was and was able to do if sufficientl! pro#o"ed made him hold his tongue. I turned to the 6o#ernor. $I would li"e to suggest that !ou appoint Colonel Ror"ins commander in chief of the defence forces for the duration of the emergenc!. -e$s had extensi#e experience of fighting the 6reat Enem! and if an!one on Perlia is capable of holding the line against them it$s him.$ $And !ou commissar $ &re#ell!an said e!eing me narrowl!. $I would ha#e thought !ou were the natural choice for the .ob.$ $A commissar$s role is purel! an ad#isor! one $ I explained carefull! conscious that to most ci#ilians we$re .ust Imperial 6uard officers in fanc! hats. $,e$re outside the chain of command.$ Of course most 6uard officers listen *uite carefull! to whate#er ad#ice a commissar cares to offer despite that as we$re allowed to shoot them if the! don$t but that was beside the point. $Cuite so $ Visiter agreed. $And e#en if Cain was willin$ to ta"e direct command he$d still be far better emplo!ed elsewhere boostin$ morale and sniffin$ out an! traitors or slac"ers alread! in our midst.$ -is ga(e rested momentaril! on the arra! of dress uniforms across the table .ust long enough to ma"e his point and ma"e a few of the less cautious bridle indignantl!. $I most certainl! would $ I agreed. Apart from an!thing else there was still the :hadowlight to consider% m! chances of snea"ing off to tr! and fulfil m! commission from the In*uisition without an!one noticing would be all but impossible if I was stuc" somewhere surrounded b! fra"wits expecting me to sa#e the damn planet for them. Not to mention the fact that if as m! itching palms insisted it was all going to go horribl! wrong I had no ob.ection to Ror"ins ta"ing the blame. After all if things were to turn out right after all despite m! misgi#ings I was sure there$d be plent! of credit to go around. $Ver! well then colonel.$ &re#ell!an inclined his head. $Consider !ourself our ,armaster for the duration of the emergenc!.$ -is ga(e swept the P/1 end of the table. $I trust no one has an! ob.ections)$ $No of course not $ the chin collector said without e#en a to"en attempt to hide his resentment. -e was hardl! going to argue with the 6o#ernor about it though not with a commissar sitting there too with a hand resting casuall! on the holster of his laspistol so he turned to Ror"ins and nodded. $5! !our command ,armaster.$ $:ir will do $ Ror"ins said mildl!. $I$#e ne#er li"ed that particular title. It seems to foster unhealth! ambitions.$ &he implicit reference to the most notorious follower of the Ruinous Powers

wasn$t lost on an!one and &re#ell!an loo"ed at him thoughtfull!. $,e can hardl! stic" with colonel $ he pointed out. $&hat would lea#e most of !our immediate subordinates outran"ing !ou at least on paper.$ Ror"ins shrugged with a hint of impatience. $Commander in chief then. ,e$#e got rather more pressing things to discuss than what goes on the office door plate.$ $Cuite so $ another of the P/1 drones put in managing to sound both condescending and unctuous at the same time. $,e need to de#ise an effecti#e strateg! against the in#aders as *uic"l! as possible.$ $1irst sensible thing I$#e heard out of an! of !ou $ Ror"ins said. -e swept his ga(e along them. $:trateg! meeting in m! office then. I expect !ou$ll ha#e found a suitable one for me b! the time I get to the bun"er. Ninet! minutes ought to be long enough for !ou to get a complete in#entor! of our assets together so I$ll see !ou then.$ -e waited a fraction of a second. $-op to it. &hat wasn$t a re*uest.$ $3es sir.$ Visibl! swallowing their resentment at being so summaril! dismissed the dead wood left the table and we were able to begin planning the defence of Perlia in earnest. $:o.$ &re#ell!an waited until the! were all out of earshot. $I$ll be interested to hear what !ou$#e got in mind.$ $At the moment $ I confessed $we$re .ust winging it. 5ut in all honest! the situation doesn$t loo" too good.$ $No it doesn$t.$ &re#ell!an nodded thoughtfull! and fa#oured us with a wintr! smile. $5ut it$s loo"ing a good deal more hopeful now than it did last night.$ $,hich doesn$t alter the fact that the P/1 has been bled white b! the 6uard tithes $ +ulien put in. $&here are fewer than a *uarter of the number of men under arms that there ought to be for a population of this si(e the indi#idual troopers lac" combat experience and the higher command le#els are barel! capable of t!ing their own shoelaces.$ :he glanced in m! direction. $/o !ou see an! potential morale problems)$ $-ardl! an!thing but $ I agreed. $Although the!$ll be fighting for their homes and families% that means the!$ll be moti#ated at least.$ I shrugged. $I started out with far less promising material than that the last time I was here.$ $And ended up throwing the or"s off the planet $ &re#ell!an agreed. $>et$s hope !ou ha#e as much luc" with this heretic fleet.$ $It won$t be eas! $ Visiter said loo"ing thoughtful $but we might be able to do somethin$ with the :/1 boats to e#en the odds a bit.$ -e pulled out a data0slate and began s"etching complicated diagrams with the tip of a luxpen. 3our rogue trader friend gi#e !ou an! idea of the number of ships we$ll be facin$)$ $Not as such $ I admitted. $5ut it$s high. -igh enough to ha#e rolled up two hea#il!0defended s!stems along the wa!. E#en if the! too" some serious losses at 2adasa the handful of boats !ou$#e got left won$t hold them up for long.$ $Not in a battle line no $ Visiter agreed seeming unperturbed at the prospect. $5ut there$s another wa!.$ -e held up his scribblings which I$m bound to admit meant nothing to me. $If we station them out in the halo' or one of the asteroid fields powered down the!$ll be almost impossible to detect. Once the enem! start mo#in$ in towards the planet from the outer s!stem we can mount hit and run raids against their flan"s pic"in$ off their transport #essels% Emperor willin$ that should "eep a lot of their troops from ma"in$ it

down to the surface.$ 34" $he cloud of cometary debris mar ing the nominal boundary of a stellar system": $&hat sounds suicidal to me $ Ror"ins said. &he transporters will be protected b! warships. I can$t as" !ou to sacrifice !our crews on a desperate gamble li"e that.$ No one challenged the implicit assumption that the commodore was now in charge of all our spaceborne assets and I didn$t expect them to. Visiter shoo" his head loo"ing faintl! amused. $No one$s gettin$ sacrificed on m! watch $ he assured us. $>ea#e the fleet tactics to me.$ $1ine thenH$ Ror"ins smiled blea"l!. $Now all we ha#e to worr! about is getting the P/1 to function li"e the!$re supposed to.$ -e glanced in m! direction. $Are an! of !our cadets up to the .ob)$ $&he!$ll ha#e to be $ I told him. $&he! stood up well enough to the t!ranids which augers well. 5ut we$ll need a lot more than ten to "eep the rabble !ou$#e inherited up to the mar".$ 2a!be Nel!s would get to shoot someone for cowardice after all I thought griml!. $I was hoping !ou$d attach them to the head*uarters staff $ Ror"ins said to m! *uiet relief. &he thought of scattering them around the planet to ta"e care of themsel#es as best the! could had been mildl! disturbing to sa! the least. $&hat shouldn$t be a problem $ I agreed. $I was planning to get them started on the intelligence anal!sis.$ &hat was part of their training and should "eep them out of trouble while I snea"ed off to the Valle! of /aemons to tr! and secure the :hadowlight. Of course what I did with it then assuming I could persuade the 2echanicus to part with the wretched thing where Orelius had alread! failed Emperor alone "new% but I$d worr! about that when the time came. $6ood.$ Ror"ins nodded again and turned to +ulien. $I trust I can rel! on !ou to help co0ordinate some battlefield strategies)$ @3ou can $ the Celestian assured him. $And once we get bac" to the schola I$ll get some of m! senior no#itiates to form a mobile reser#e. &he!$re raw but the! can still heft a bolter.$ $6ood $ Ror"ins said considering it. &he :ororitas no#ices had half a do(en suits of anti*uated power armour between them rather more battered and utilitarian than +ulien$s set which the! used for practice drills% poor as the! undoubtedl! were as such things went the! would still be *uite formidable against lasguns and flesh. $An! other suggestions)$ $,e could tr! calling for help $ the 6o#ernor suggested dr!l!. In all honest! I$d forgotten he was there for a moment engrossed as we had been in tr!ing to find a wa! of defending the planet. ,e all loo"ed at him blan"l!. $,e do ha#e astropaths on Perlia !ou "now.$ Remembering the source of 5ras"er$s rumour mongering I nodded slowl!. $Of course we do. 5ut it ma! not be much of a help.$ &hat was a considerable understatement. Astropathic communication was somewhat hit or miss at the best of times and with the warp currents stirred up b! the male#olent forces haemorrhaging from the E!e of &error and the #ast shadow cast across them b! the t!ranid hi#e mind we$d ha#e about as much chance of getting through to the sector fleet as if we$d scribbled a note to them and flung it out of the airloc" of an A*uila. Ne#ertheless as I$d found on man! pre#ious occasions a slim chance is infinitel! better than no chance at all so I shrugged and spread m!

hands. $,orth a tr! though. :omeone out there might be listening.$ Of course as it turned out something was listening #er! carefull! for some #er! specific signals but fortunatel! for m! peace of mind I remained in blissful ignorance of the fact. $I$ll gi#e the instructions $ &re#ell!an said leaning bac" in his chair. $Is there an!thing else I should "now)$ $Not at this stage !our excellenc! $ Ror"ins said tactfull!. ,e still couldn$t rule out a hidden cabal of Chaotic s!mpathisers gnawing awa! at the roots of go#ernment don$t forget which was wh! we$d decided to ta"e o#er the defence of Perlia oursel#es4 unli"el! as it seemed that the 6o#ernor was a member of such a conspirac! there was no telling who he might tal" to. $I$ll send !ou a full report at the earliest opportunit!.$ $Of course !ou will $ &re#ell!an said with a faint smile no doubt di#ining that such an opportunit! was unli"el! to arise in the foreseeable future. &hen if !ou$ll excuse me :ister gentlemen I$#e a rather pressing appointment at the sanitorium in -a#endown. Rather too man! of our citi(ens found the war arri#ing a little earl! last night and it wouldn$t do to neglect m! pastoral duties to the sur#i#ors.$ $,ith a pictcaster crew in tow no doubt $ Ror"ins said sourl! once he was sure the 6o#ernor was out of earshot. $I hope so $ I said. $,e need something to boost morale among the ci#ilians and if he$s willing to ta"e on the .ob good luc" to him.$ $1ine.$ Ror"ins nodded his mind alread! returning to business. $&hen let$s concentrate on the militar! situation.$ -e glanced around again ma"ing sure that we weren$t being o#erheard. $I$ll be ma"ing a big show of mo#ing into the main command bun"er at R!tepat but I$ll be spending as little time there as possible. 1or all intents and purposes I want to run things from the schola progenium% if there reall! is a heretic cell in the high command I want it insulated from an! sensiti#e tactical information.$ $&hat ma"es sense $ I agreed while Visiter and +ulien nodded *uietl!. $And since the enem! clearl! "nows where the main defence head*uarters is in an! case let$s not ma"e it eas! for them b! being in the middle of a target (one when the! arri#e.$ One *uic" orbital bombardment would be all that it too" to succeed where last night$s commando raid had failed. Reflecting that if it hadn$t been for the fortuitous circumstance of Orelius$s presence in the s"ies o#er Perlia and the damage he$d been able to inflict on the incoming fleet we$d probabl! ha#e a flotilla of gunboats o#er our heads raining death and destruction from the s"ies right at this moment I shuddered inwardl!. $&he ground$s more defensible there too $ +ulien added. &hat was a worr!ing thought in its wa!% she was right but the mountainous terrain which would wor" so well to our ad#antage in sta#ing off an assault would also lea#e us with nowhere to go if the enem! did succeed in brea"ing through. I pointed this out. $2a!be we should be factoring in some contingenc! plans for an e#acuation too $ I added. $6lorious last stands are a lot more fun in the histor! boo"s than in the flesh.$ $I$ll wor" somethin$ out $ Visiter promised lea#ing me feeling a little bit more encouraged. $,ell then $ Ror"ins said with what seemed to m! uneas! mind rather too much relish $if no one$s got an!thing else to add let$s go and sa#e the planet.$ As things turned out of course it wasn$t going to be *uite as simple as that.

Editorial Note: 0espite Colonel #or ins!s cynicism, governor $revellyan!s pictcast did prove remar ably effective in soothing the understandable degree of alarm among the civilian population following the first enemy attac " $he following is a partial transcript of the address he made from the main medicae facility in Eavendown that morning, after visiting a few of the more photogenic casualties, and it seems to have succeeded in bolstering civilian morale, at least in the short term" &-E CO,AR/: ,-O carried out this unforgi#able atrocit! and others li"e it around the globe ha#e se#erel! underestimated the citi(ens of Perlia if the! thin" such acts of barbarit! will sap our resol#e. On the contrar! it onl! ser#es to increase it as the last in#aders who dared to set foot on our Emperor0blessed world found to their cost. :carcel! two generations ha#e gone b! since the >iberator$s arm! swept the greens"ins from Perlia% an arm! made up not primaril! of professional soldiers but of ordinar! citi(ens li"e !ou and I caught up in extraordinar! times. I "now I can rel! on !ou all to displa! the same fortitude as our illustrious forebears did% and with Cain the >iberator once more poised to ta"e up arms I ha#e no doubt that we will pre#ail once again. &he Emperor$s blessing be upon !ou all.

TEN I :PEN& &-E rest of that da! and the following night in a fe#er of carefull!0 concealed impatience. I could hardl! turn round to Ror"ins and the others and sa! $:ee !ou later I$#e got a little errand to run for the In*uisition best of luc" with the in#asion while I$m gone $ so I threw m!self into the preparations as energeticall! as I could and waited for an opportunit! to snea" awa! on some plausible0seeming pretext. &o sa! that I chafed at the dela! would be something of an understatement4 I was acutel! aware that we had no idea how long it was going to be before the enem! fleet arri#ed and howe#er much time we had it wasn$t going to be nearl! enough. $,e need more bodies $ +ulien said $it$s as simple as that.$ ,e$d run into each other in the refector! grabbing some long0o#erdue food and recaff on the fl! and tal"ing as we ate. :he$d discarded her power armour for the time being although she "ept her bolt pistol hand! and carried a chainsword almost as battered and ill0used as m! own where#er she went. 2ost of the other instructors were going about the place armed too generall! fa#ouring the hammers and shoc" mauls which seem to appeal to the Emperor0 botherers' while the administrati#e staff opted more sensibl! for firearms. E#en 5ras"er was sporting an autopistol somewhat surprisingl! engra#ed with icons of the saints in gold filigree which he "ept stashed in a poc"et of his robe where it deformed the material with a noticeable bulge. 34" Di e most such institutions, the schola progenium would have been endowed by the Ecclesiarchy, and most of the non'specialist staff drawn from their ran s": $3ou$re right $ I agreed. &he report she$d .ust shown me made depressing reading. -er original estimate that the P/1 was down to a *uarter of its usual strength had turned out to be a little on the pessimistic side but not b! much. $&he *uestion is where do we find them)$ $3ou seemed to manage all right during the or" in#asion $ the Celestian said dr!l!. &hat was different $ I said. $&he entire continent was o#errun and occupied. An!one who$d sur#i#ed that had alread! gone through hell4 it was .ust a *uestion of gi#ing them guns pointing them at the greens"ins and telling them it was pa!bac" time.$ I smiled griml!. $And despite what !ou might ha#e seen in the holos the core of the force was alwa!s P/1 #eterans% the ci#ilian militia .ust get most of the attention because the!$re seen as more romantic for some reason.$ $Of course the! are $ +ulien said. $E#er!one wants to thin" the! could be a hero too if the chips were down.$ :he smiled at me and shoo" her head. $3ou don$t reall! understand the ci#ilian mindset #er! well do !ou)$ $It$s not m! .ob to $ I told her tr!ing not to sound too defensi#e. I$d met a few ci##ies o#er the !ears of course e#en one or two I *uite li"ed but I$d been in a militar! en#ironment e#er since a schola li"e this one had spat me out in the direction of the Commissariat and most of the ones I$d come into contact with had seemed almost as strange as the tau. 7Although at least none of them were gre!.8 $,ell trust me it$s something we can use $ +ulien said. I shrugged willing to ta"e her word for it. -er sisterhood mo#ed among the proles as a matter of course at least the non0militant parts of it did so it seemed reasonable to assume she "new what she was tal"ing about. $Or !ou can at an! rate.$

$I might seem dense $ I said draining the dregs of m! recaff which had sublimed to bitter sludge in the bottom of the mug and ma"ing a mental note to send +urgen to fetch me some tanna $but I don$t see how.$ /espite m! best efforts I failed to suppress a !awn. /awn was alread! tinting the s"! be!ond the windows a rich smo"! blue li"e Amberle!$s e!es and I hadn$t had an! sleep since the pre#ious night. I$d been far more exhausted on countless campaigns before of course but I was beginning to thin" I was getting too old for all this. $It$s eas! $ +ulien said with a faint smile of s!mpath! but then she was half m! age and no doubt all fired up with hol! (eal into the bargain. $3ou .ust ma"e a pictcast or two as"ing for #olunteers to form a new militia. &he!$ll turn out in dro#es.$ $And get slaughtered $ I pointed out. $,e won$t ha#e time to train them that$s for sure.$ $&he!$ll get slaughtered an!wa! as soon as the heretics arri#e $ +ulien said. $3ou "now that as well as I do.$ I nodded soberl! conceding her point. I$d seen the aftermath of Chaotic incursions before man! times and if there was one thing I was certain of it was that the concept of non0combatants didn$t e#en exist for the degenerate pawns of the Ruinous Powers. If some of their #ictims too" a few of the in#aders with them it would bu! us a little more time if nothing else and I$#e ne#er been a#erse to a bit more cannon fodder standing in harm$s wa! ahead of me. $It$s worth a tr! $ I said. $I$ll get +urgen to ma"e the arrangements.$ $6ood man.$ +ulien smiled encouragingl!. &hen !ou might want to start putting the fear of the &hrone into some of these regimental commanders while !ou$re waiting.$ :he brought up some more reports about the P/1s state of readiness on the screen of her data0 slate and I groaned inwardl!. E#en from a *uic" s"im which was all I had time for before she shut off the power and stowed it in a pouch at her belt alongside her holstered bolt pistol and se#eral spare clips for it things loo"ed prett! bad. $I$ll get one of m! cadets to prepare a summar! $ I said. I$d alread! thrown most of the intelligence anal!sis their wa! in an! case as it was a useful exercise for them and was far too tedious to bother with m!self e#en if I had been able to find the time to deal with it. $6ood idea. And while the!$re doing that tr! and get some sleep $ +ulien ad#ised. $3ou$re going to ha#e to loo" li"e a hero not some starport dreg on a bender.$ &actless as her ad#ice ma! ha#e been it was undoubtedl! sound and I decided to follow it. In the e#ent of course I was onl! able to grab a couple of hours sleep but I$d spent long enough in the field o#er the !ears to be well aware of how much difference e#en a cat nap could ma"e so assisted b! the large bowl of tanna and the plateful of salt grox and eggs +urgen had thoughtfull! pro#ided on rousing me I was feeling reasonabl! compos mentis when ?a!la and /onal turned up in m! stud! with the first summar! the!$d managed to distil from the raw intelligence I$d turned o#er to them the afternoon before. $It seems the colonel was right $ /onal said. $Apart from the attac" on R!tepat the landings seemed prett! much at random.$ -e passed me a slate on which he$d helpfull! mar"ed the positions of the ensuing engagements. $&he red ones are the confirmed contacts and the !ellow ones unconfirmed.$

$9nconfirmed)$ I as"ed. $I thought we$d trac"ed all their tra.ectories before the! hit.$ &he P/1 claim the! did $ ?a!la said a tone of scepticism clear in her #oice. $5ut these two landing sites were deserted when the! finall! arri#ed to contain them.$ :he indicated the pair of !ellow icons which I noted with a shi#er of unease were both on the eastern continent although far too distant from the Valle! of /aemons for the hidden In*uisition facilit! to ha#e been their targets. $&he reports of the officers in charge are as comprehensi#e as !ou might expect.$ Again from the tone of her #oice she clearl! hadn$t expected #er! much. $>et me see $ I said paging through the datafiles until I$d found them. &he! were e#er! bit as waffling and self0.ustificator! as I$d anticipated and I dropped the slate on to m! des" after no more than a moment of desultor! s"imming. $,hat$s left after !ou strip out the buc"0passing and arse0co#ering)$ $Ver! little $ /onal said somehow managing to con#e! a degree of world0 weariness astonishing in a lad of his !ears. $&here were signs of a hea#! landing in both locations but the shuttles were substantiall! intact e#en if the! weren$t particularl! airworth! an! more. &here were no bodies found at either >K which implies that the occupants disembar"ed normall! despite the impart. &he lieutenant in charge of the platoon which responded to the landing in the 5arrens claims to ha#e found a lot of trampled ground and expended power pac"s4 he #entures to suggest this might indicate that the intruders got into a firefight with someone. &he platoon which went to the other site doesn$t e#en report that.$ $&he! wouldn$t $ I said. &he second site mar"ed in !ellow was in the middle of the desert which sliced across the continent and I remembered all too #i#idl! how the constant wind would erase an! traces of a human presence with drifts of sand within moments when the conditions were right. $5ut we$d better warn an! settlements close to those areas that the! might be about to get #isitors.$ &hat would be all we needed wandering guerrilla bands of Chaotic infiltrators coming and going more or less as the! pleased. $,ho could the! ha#e got into a firelight with in an! case)$ ?a!la as"ed and /onal shrugged. $&he lieutenant suggests or"s $ he said as though deli#ering the punch line of a .o"e he didn$t thin" was all that funn!. $&he! do ha#e occasional outbrea"s in the region apparentl! and he$s certain that none of our people were around to engage the enem!.$ $&he! sound li"e remar"abl! tid! or"s $ I said tr!ing to suppress a sudden mental image of blan"0faced metal "illers. $If the!$d .umped the heretics the place would ha#e been littered with bolter shells.$ Not to mention bits of heretic. $&r!ing to ignore the tingling in m! palms I paged through the report again a little more carefull!. &his lieutenant &!so b! name had been *uite thorough it seemed if onl! to deflect the possibilit! of being blamed for letting &hrone alone "new how man! hea#il! armed raiders loose on the pro#ince. -e$d e#en attached a few picts and a diagram pinpointing the precise locations of the dropped powerpac"s which to m! resigned lac" of surprise all seemed to be from standard0issue lasguns. 2ore 2adasan defectors then in all li"elihood which was hardl! a prospect to relish. Instead of ob#ious cult warriors sprouting horns and hideous limbs we$d apparentl! lost trac" of trained soldiers who could pass unremar"ed among our own people wrea"ing Emperor "new

what ha#oc along the wa!. &hen something about the wa! the power pac"s had been scattered suddenl! struc" me. &he!$d been discarded in a rough perimeter around the downed shuttle precisel! where gi#en the terrain I would ha#e posted pic"ets to secure the drop(one while the troopers deplo!ed. It didn$t ta"e much imagination to fill in the rest4 an inexorable enem! ad#ance the defenders falling bac" letting their depleted maga(ines fall where the! stood as the! reloaded pouring round after ineffectual round into the tightening noose of silent warriors the rising sun glittering from their metal bodies as the! ad#anced unhindered through the barrage of las0bolts... Enough I chided m!self. >ac" of sleep and m! understandable concern about the :hadowlight were raising old phantoms. /espite m! continuing to fret about the possibilit! there was still no actual e#idence that the necrons were e#en an!where in the sector let alone running around on Perlia. 5ut m! paranoia insisted ignoring m! best efforts to silence it the :hadowlight was unimaginabl! ancient wasn$t it) &rue there were stories about m!sterious precursor races aeons dead which e#en the eldar barel! belie#ed but the onl! ones from the dawn of time still une*ui#ocall! ali#e and "ic"ing now were the necrons '. ,hat if the :hadowlight belonged to them and the! wanted it bac") 34" Actually, !alive! is somewhat debatable where the necrons are concerned" !Animate! would probably be a better description": $:ir) Are !ou all right)$ ?a!la as"ed a note of concern e#ident in her #oiceL Recalled to the present I shoo" m! head dispelling the ghosts m! fearful and exhausted mind had con.ured up. $Not a lot of sleep last night $ I said contri#ing to loo" as though I was suppressing a !awn to plausibl! co#er m! momentar! lac" of attention. $Another dubious per" of the .ob.$ I returned m! attention to the data0slate. $Is there an! indication at all of what their ob.ecti#e might ha#e been)$ If there was it would simplif! things enormousl!. Instead of ha#ing to comb the countr!side for an un"nown number of infiltrators we$d .ust ha#e to post a guard at their target and wait for them to turn up and be shot. $None at all $ /onal said sounding personall! affronted b! the fact. @&he whole area$s .ust wilderness. Nothing for "ilometres in an! direction.$ -e winced #isibl! as +urgen appeared behind him a tra! in his hands and seemed to be tr!ing not to breathe for a moment. &hought !ou might li"e a bit of tanna sir $ m! aide said depositing a tea bowl on the table in front of me and pouring a generous measure from the pot accompan!ing it. $&han" !ou +urgen. Ver! welcome $ I assured him sipping the fragrant li*uid gratefull!. $Nothing in the desert either $ I mused aloud. $Not unless the! were loo"ing for sand de#ils $ ?a!la said surprising me. I$d spo"en more to clarif! m! own thoughts than an!thing else and I hadn$t expected to elicit a repl!. $:and de#ils)$ I as"ed belatedl! remembering that she was a nati#e of Perlia li"e a lot of the schola students% with so man! Perlians ser#ing in the Imperial 6uard against the t!ranids a stead! tric"le of their dependants had been arri#ing throughout the war. $+ust a local legend $ she said dismissi#el!. $A few of the sandsiders claim to ha#e seen things out there from time to time and of course whene#er an!one goes missing the de#ils get the blame.$ :he paused for a moment. $,ell the! used to before the or"s

arri#ed an!wa!.$ $,hat do these de#ils loo" li"e)$ I as"ed tr!ing to "eep m! #oice casual. ?a!la loo"ed at me a trifle oddl! then shrugged. $I thin" that rather depends on who$s telling the stor! $ she said $and how much the!$#e had to drin". It$s not as if the! actuall! exist.$ $Of course not $ I said faintl! relie#ed b! her ob#ious scepticism. 5ut I$d seen a lot of strange stuff o#er the !ears and wasn$t about to dismiss an apparent coincidence that lightl!. &he Valle! of /aemons had a sinister reputation among the Perlians too as its name implied and the :hadowlight had been dug up there. It wasn$t too much of a stretch to assume that who or whate#er had built it had left other traces of their presence scattered around the planet e*uall! deepl! buried and that similar traces of ps!chic miasma still clung to them. &he forces of Chaos had w!rds with them as surel! as hounds had fleas% perhaps some of them could sense this aura guiding the raiders to sites the In*uisition and the Adeptus 2echanicus hadn$t been able to identif! !et. 5ut that didn$t *uite ma"e sense to me4 if the! reall! could pull a tric" li"e that wh! hadn$t the raiders homed in on the Valle! of /aemons straight awa! instead of the arse end of nowhere') 34" %ecause neither we nor the 5echanicus are particularly stupid, and had made very sure that our installation there was well shielded from psychic detection": ,ithout an! "ind of hard e#idence of course further speculation along these lines would ha#e been particularl! fruitless so I returned m! attention to the matters we were able to #erif!. $-a#e !ou been able to identif! an! enem! ob.ecti#es among the confirmed contacts)$ I as"ed. I$d had almost the whole group wor"ing on the problem of course not .ust these two but I$d pic"ed ?a!la and /onal to deli#er the report because in their own wa!s the! were the most intuiti#e of the bunch and would be the most li"el! to ma"e an! new connections as we discussed the distilled intelligence. /onal shoo" his head. $Entirel! random so far as we can see $ he said. &he! generall! came down in or near a local population centre mo#ed in and started trashing the place until the P/1 turned up. &hen the! fought to the death in most cases.$ Remembering the tric" the trooper I$d tried to interrogate had almost succeeded in pulling with the concealed grenade I didn$t doubt that. $It was pure wanton destruction $ ?a!la concurred. $No pattern to an! of it.$ :he started paging down a list. $2ar"ets museums hab bloc"s 2echanicus shrines agricultural stores and a couple of &ribune sector houses.$ :he shrugged. $,hich is about as close as !ou$ll find to an! strategic ob.ecti#es.$ @,hat about temples)$ I as"ed feeling a sudden shi#er of unease. &he two cadets loo"ed at me curiousl! for a moment then glanced bac" at their slates. $+ust one $ /onal said after paging through the data for a moment. $In 2istfall. &oo" some collateral damage when the enem! fell bac" towards it.$ $&hat$s definitel! not right $ I said. I$d seen plent! of Chaotic raids in m! time and the aftermath of man! more and in e#er! case the first thing the!$d done was desecrate all the temples and s!mbols of the Emperor the! could find e#en melting down the coinage if the! had the time. E#er! settlement on the planet had at least a chapel dedicated to -im on Earth and most a full0si(ed temple preferabl! larger and gaudier than the one in the #illage down the road. 1or Chaos rea#ers to simpl! ignore these

shrines to their most hated enem! in fa#our of apparentl! aimless pillaging was completel! unprecedented. $If the! ignored the temples the! were after something specific belie#e me.$ ,hat that might be though I couldn$t begin to speculate. Not in front of the cadets an!wa!. $&hat does seem odd now !ou mention it $ /onal said loo"ing faintl! surprised. $I$ll ta"e another loo" at the intel.$ $/o that.$ I nodded. &here might be a pattern there we ha#en$t unco#ered !et.$ I turned to ?a!la. $Can I reassure the 6o#ernor that he wasn$t the intended target of a "ill team !et or do the AARs' from -a#endown still support :ister +ulien$s h!pothesis)$ 34" After Action #eports, passed up the chain of command from the units engaged in combat for later evaluation": $None of the enem! units seemed to be ma"ing directl! for the palace $ ?a!la assured me. $Although I suppose it$s possible that the! were hoping to lure enough of the defenders out of position to allow a specialist or two to snea" through.$ $Not that li"el! though $ /onal added bringing up a map of the planetar! capital on his slate as he spo"e. $&he shuttles came down here here and here in Ri#erside the 6rand Pia((a and >iberation :*uare.$ $,as that blood! cloc" damaged at all)$ I as"ed hopefull! and /onal shoo" his head. $Completel! intact $ he assured me enlarging the image. $If the 6o#ernor was the primar! target the! could ha#e come down easil! in the palace gardens.$ $I see.$ &hat much was ob#ious. $:o we$re bac" to thin"ing the! were .ust tr!ing to cause panic.$ $>oo"s that wa! $ ?a!la agreed. $&he ones in Ri#erside deplo!ed across the uni#ersit! campus and got wiped out tr!ing to cross the freefire (one between the drama studio the histor! department and the facult! of 6othic literature. &he &ribunes "ept the group from the s*uare bottled up until the P/1 arri#ed so the! didn$t go an!where but tried to ma"e a stand in the Administratum records office. And the ones from the Pia((a set off suicide charges when the 2useum of Colonisation was surrounded.$ :he shrugged. $Nothing much there in an! case .ust a few models and displa!s about the earl! settlements.$ $I see $ I said le#ell!. In m! experience the minions of the 6reat Enem! generall! had some "ind of reason for e#er!thing the! did e#en if !ou had to be as barm! as the! were to understand it. In this case though it seemed ob#ious to me that the! were after information about ancient Perlia although what "ind I had no idea. Almost certainl! something the!$d hoped would lead them to the :hadowlight I strongl! suspected. I could hardl! tell the cadets that though. $Perhaps it was meant to distract our attention from the attac" on the P/1 command structure.$ ,hich sounded reasonabl! plausible so I was sure Ror"ins and the others would bu! it. /onal and ?a!la nodded apparentl! happ! to belie#e it too so I leaned bac" in m! chair on the #erge of dismissing them. At that point someone "noc"ed on the door and a graduall! rising babble be!ond the slab of wood told me that +urgen was guarding m! pri#ac! as (ealousl! as he$d alwa!s done. $&his won$t waitH$ Nel!s$s #oice insisted and I sighed. $>et him in +urgenH$ I called hoping I wasn$t going to regret this. I$d assigned Nel!s to the team o#erseeing the interrogation of the handful of enem! sur#i#ors and I

hadn$t expected him to get an! concrete results nearl! so soon. After a moment the door swung open and Nel!s came into the room tr!ing hard not to loo" excited. $Commissar. ,e$#e found something $ he said without preamble and the merest glance at his fellow cadets. -e dropped a data0slate on m! des" loo"ing so absurdl! pleased with himself I felt a momentar! urge to throw him a biscuit. $I thought !ou should see this right awa!$ $,hat is it exactl!)$ Visiter as"ed frowning at the tin! screen. $&hat $ I said dramaticall! $is our enem!.$ I nodded at the tech0priest in the corner who did something arcane to the conference room$s pro.ection e*uipment and the little pict was abruptl! reproduced on the hololith built into the tabletop. A man appeared flic"ering slightl! dad in an austere uniform of militar! cut the eight0pointed s!mbol of Chaos wor"ed into the breast poc"et of his greatcoat and the badge on his hat. $,armaster Varan. Apparentl! "nown to his followers as the Con*ueror the 9ndefeatable the 6reat >eader and a plethora of other s!cophantic epithets.$ $,here did it come from)$ Ror"ins as"ed. $One of m! cadets found it among the personal effects of a prisoner he$d been processing $ I told him. &he sur#i#ors of the raid ha#en$t been exactl! forthcoming about the reasons for their mission or the resources the main fleet$s got but according to the interrogation transcripts the! can hardl! be persuaded to shut up about him. According to them Varan$s the greatest leader the galax!$s e#er seen.$ $>oo"s a bit short to me $ +ulien said snorting impatientl! at the implied blasphem!. $And that ridiculous little moustache ma"es him loo" li"e a down.$ $-e seems to be *uite a charismatic orator though $ I said. &he pict dip showed Varan standing on a podium ranting awa! about the supposed perfid! of the Emperor and all who followed him in front of a rapturous crowd that must ha#e numbered in the thousands. 2an! of his audience were still wearing Imperial uniforms I noted with a shudder but their enthusiasm for the dri#el he was spouting seemed .ust as genuine as e#er!one else$s. $Can$t see it m!self $ Visiter commented and I was forced to agree. E#en allowing for the deficiencies of the slate$s rather basic audio feed Varan$s #oice had an unctuous whin! timbre which set m! teeth on edge and his theatrical hand gestures were o#erdone to the point of self0parod!. Instead of interrupting periodicall! with rapturous applause I was ama(ed his audience hadn$t started to throw fruit b! now. $I don$t thin" we need to hear an! more of this $ Ror"ins said and the tech0priest in the corner obligingl! switched off the ranting demagogue. $It$s palpable nonsense.$ $-eard it all before $ I agreed. In fact I had4 for a supposed genius Varan had a prett! restricted #ocabular! and his grasp of analog! and metaphor seemed tenuous at best. -is rabble0rousing speech which had seemed to so impress the new con#erts in front of him was little more than a #apid compendium of the "ind of slogans the usual degenerate foot soldiers of Chaos would !ell while throwing themsel#es obligingl! down the barrels of our guns. $Clearl! staged for propaganda purposes $ +ulien agreed. $No one could reall! stand listening to that.$ $Ne#ertheless the enem! soldier Nel!s confiscated it from seemed genuinel! distressed to ha#e lost it $ I said referring bac" to the cadet$s report. $-e claims to ha#e carried it for inspiration in the field and as #isible proof of Varan$s in#incibilit!.$ I read

on. $According to Nel!s the fellow seemed *uite astonished that he didn$t immediatel! con#ert to the cause of Chaos the moment he saw the picts.$ $Clearl! delusional $ Ror"ins said then shrugged. $I suppose it$s onl! to be expected.$ $6ot that right $ +ulien agreed. $No one in their right mind would e#er turn their bac" on -is 2a.est! especiall! on the sa!0so of a pathetic little runt li"e that.$ &he rest of the heads around the table nodded m! own among them and we went bac" to the business of preparing for war. In retrospect of course it seems astonishing that we dismissed our antagonist so lightl! especiall! "nowing that he$d alread! con*uered two s!stems far more hea#il! defended than our own% all that I can sa! in our defence is that in the picts at least he didn$t loo" li"e so much of a threat. And once it became clear .ust how badl! we$d underestimated him it was alread! far too late.

Editorial Note: $he following transcript is appended without further comment, as, quite fran ly, words fail me" CI&IKEN: O1 PER>IA. :ome of !ou ma! ha#e heard of me% a few of !ou ma! e#en recognise me. 2! name is Ciaphas Cain and almost two generations ago I fought to defend this world from the greens"in in#aders who had dared to desecrate it standing shoulder to shoulder with ordinar! men and women li"e !oursel#es. 3our ancestors$ courage and resourcefulness has rightfull! gone down in histor! celebrated e#en toda!. Now their noble legac! is under threat from an e#en greater foe. ,e$#e all heard the rumours that the 6reat Enem! has unleashed one of their so0called crusades against the Imperium and I regret to inform !ou that there is an element of truth to these stories. &hough our forces are holding bac" the tide on the far side of the galax! "eeping them penned in their own foul realm a few scattered sur#i#ors of the enem! fleet ha#e fled in terror from the righteous retribution being #isited upon them. One such flotilla has alread! made the mista"e of thin"ing Perlia undefended and paid the price for their arrogance in blood and we ha#e reason to suspect that a second possibl! larger group is following in their footsteps. &he P/1 and their spaceborne comrades in arms are well prepared for an! further incursions but the war against the t!ranids has left them in dire need of further support. Accordingl! Commander Ror"ins has decided to re0establish the ci#ilian militia which performed so abl! during the dar" da!s of the in#asion in order to free more of the professional soldiers for front0line duties. I$m therefore appealing to an! able0bodied citi(ens who feel able to assist to .oin us in this heroic endea#our. Recruiting stations are being set up somewhere in !our local communit! at &ribune sector houses temple halls and other such centres% !our regional pictcasts and printsheets will carr! the details. &he da!s and wee"s ahead will undoubtedl! be tr!ing for all of us but if we stand together we will surel! pre#ail in the name of -is /i#ine 2a.est!. &he Emperor Protects.

ELEVEN ,E>> I -AVE to admit that despite m! scepticism it seemed as though +ulien had "nown what she was tal"ing about after all. ,ithin a da! of me ma"ing the pictcast the recruiting stations were practicall! besieged. Citi(ens were signing up in dro#es eager to la! down their li#es for the Emperor or more li"el! fondl! imagining that someone else would la! down theirs instead lea#ing them to bore future generations with their war stories. $Not that I$m complaining $ Ror"ins said dr!l! $but !ou seem to ha#e landed us with *uite another problem. Emperor alone "nows how we$re going to feed and accommodate them all.$ @,e don$t ha#e to $ I assured him as we s"irted the parade ground of the schola the chiselled a*uilae set into the flagstones still glistening with the morning dew and sidestepping a couple of progenii pa!ing for some minor infraction in the time0honoured wa! b! scouring them free of lichen with toothbrushes as we did so. $:ister +ulien and I ha#e made other arrangements.$ Cuite clearl! we couldn$t induct so man! raw recruits into the P/1 without sin"ing its alread! ramshac"le command structure entirel! so we$d decided to lea#e the militia recruits where the! were in the first place li#ing in their own homes and generall! fending for themsel#es. ,hate#er moderatel! competent troopers could be found to instruct them would assemble the motle! collection of #olunteers once a da! usuall! in the e#enings to run them through the basics of how to fire a lasgun and "eep their heads down when someone started firing bac". If it turned out that we had a little more time before the enem! got here once the!$d grasped that the professional troopers could impart an! other s"ills the! thought might be useful at their discretion. $:ounds a bit ris"! to me $ Ror"ins said his breath misting slightl! as he spo"e almost matching the pearlescent ha(e of the pre0dawn light surrounding us. ,hat happens if the enem! turns up while the!$re not on dut!)$ $&he! assemble in their training areas as soon as the alert comes $ I said. I shrugged tacitl! admitting to a few doubts of m! own. $Emperor "nows how man! will actuall! turn up when the! "now the shooting$s about to start though.$ Ror"ins fa#oured me with a blea" smile. $I thought that was !our area of expertise commissar. ?eeping the cannon fodder up to the mar".$ $Easier said than done commander $ I replied. $:oldiers are trained and disciplined e#en the P/1 rabble. &he militia are .ust ci#ilians with guns.$ $All the more reason the! shouldn$t be left to run around on their own most of the time $ Ror"ins said. $On the contrar! $ I demurred. $5eing able to carr! on their usual occupations gi#es them the illusion of normalit!. &hat$ll be a #ital ps!chological prop for them when the realit! of what the!$re getting into finall! hits home.$ $If !ou sa! so $ Ror"ins said sounding far from con#inced. :ei(ing the opportunit! I$d so carefull! contri#ed I nodded thoughtfull!. $&hat$s wh! I$m planning to ma"e some personal inspections $ I remar"ed casuall!. $It$ll be good for morale to put in an appearance at a few of the militia platoons and I can harass the P/1 field commanders at the same time.$ I glanced round the schola as I spo"e watching the free(ing mist curl around the buildings as though the nearest towers were lur"ing in

ambush. $I must admit I$m getting a bit twitch! hanging around here waiting for the noise to start.$ Ror"ins smiled s!mpatheticall! one old warrior to another and nodded his agreement. $I "now what !ou mean $ he conceded. $If I ha#e to sit through one more meeting with those fra"wits from R!tepat I$m going to shoot somebod!. Probabl! m!self.$ -e sighed a little en#iousl!. $Neither of us ta"e too "indl! to sitting on our hands.$ $I "now it$s .ust ma"ewor" reall! $ I said gauging his reaction carefull! $but at least it$ll feel li"e doing something. And if it gi#es us a few more effecti#es in the field when it all goes ploin0shaped that$s no bad thing.$ $No I suppose not.$ Ror"ins shoo" his head. $,hen are !ou lea#ing)$ $&his morning $ I said. :prie had the A*uila fired up and read! +urgen was stuffing things into m! "itbag e#en as I spo"e and I couldn$t see an! reason to dela!. $I .ust want a *uic" word with 5ras"er before I go.$ $5ras"er)$ Ror"ins loo"ed astonished. @,hat in &erra$s name for)$ $+ust some administrati#e stuff $ I said blandl!. /espite rechec"ing the intelligence data as he$d promised /onal had completel! failed to find an! plausible ob.ecti#es for the enem! raiders and it was time for a change of tac". If an!one of m! ac*uaintance would be able to find the records I needed among the billions of pieces of superfluous #erbiage the Administratum had filed awa! and forgotten o#er the !ears it would be the bursar and he was unimaginati#e enough not to wonder wh! I wanted a loo" at them. I hoped. $An! idea where he is)$ $-is *uarters I suppose $ Ror"ins said wrapping his cloa" around himself as though the pre0dawn chill was intended as a personal insult. $At least if he$s got an! sense.$ $I$ll tr! there then $ I said. Perfect. I doubted that he$d be an! too pleased to be roused this earl! but that wasn$t m! problem and at least there$d be no other ears around to o#erhear our con#ersation. Of course on the downside I was about to confide a little of m! business to the most indiscreet man in the segmentum but I was sure a few choice phrases about martial law and the need for secrec! would persuade him to hold his tongue. After all it wasn$t as though the source of an! lea" about the commission I ga#e him wouldn$t be ob#ious. After a few more words with Ror"ins we parted him towards the lecture halls he$d commandeered as a ma"eshift head*uarters and me to the lodgings across the main *uadrangle where 5ras"er and the other senior administrators had their rooms. As !ou$d expect the pec"ing order was prett! well established when it came to the percei#ed desirabilit! of the facult! accommodation with the Ecclesiarch! ta"ing what were generall! thought of as the best rooms affording them a #iew of the chapel and onl! a few metres to wal" to get to the ser#ices. &he Administratum adepts came next in the heart of the schola complex where in theor! the! could "eep an e!e on the smooth functioning of the institution with the minimum of effort and out on the fringes were the pensioned0off #eterans li"e me Ror"ins and Visiter. 7+ulien of course was in with the Emperor0botherers.8 &he onl! bunch e#en further remo#ed from the centre of things was the small staff of Adeptus 2echanicus drones who "ept themsel#es to themsel#es most of the time in an! case to e#er!one$s relief including their own '. 34" Eardly surprising, since relations between the Ecclesiarchy and the acolytes of the /mnissiah are generally

somewhat strained at best": 6i#en m! absurdl! inflated status on Perlia I could no doubt ha#e had m!self reassigned to one of the prime suites if I$d chosen to ma"e an issue of it but of course I did nothing of the sort. 1or one thing it wouldn$t sit well with the image of modest! about m! supposed achie#ements that I generall! li"ed to culti#ate and for another it suited me #er! well to be able to snea" off on business of m! own from time to time without it being too ob#ious that I was s"i#ing. 2ost of all though I li"ed the rooms I$d been assigned% the #iew of the mountains was a pleasant one the compan! of the ageing #eterans around me congenial and I didn$t ha#e to put up with the bells and smells ' from the chapel disturbing me e#er! fi#e minutes. Not to mention that it was close to both the shuttle pad and the transport pool which I found a definite plus point. I$#e alwa!s slept more soundl! for "nowing there was an escape route dose to hand if things turned bad. 7,hich in m! experience was onl! a matter of time in most cases.8 34" /f incense, presumably": &his earl! in the morning there were few people around apart from the schola ser#ants trotting about the place on errands of their own so I was able to ma"e m! wa! into the main lobb! of the Adeptus lodgings without exciting much notice '. It was onl! as I paused at the bottom of the car#ed wooden staircase that I realised I had no idea where in the rambling building 5ras"er$s rooms were located. 1ortunatel! a few moments$ reconnaissance was sufficient to locate a porter$s office tuc"ed awa! under the rising treads unoccupied of course at this hour of the da! along with a board of polished thornburr into which the names of the #arious residents had been meticulousl! chased and inlaid in some lighter0coloured wood. According to the little sliding panel next to 5ras"er$s which could be mo#ed to alternatel! obscure two different sets of letters the bursar was IN so I made a careful note of the number of his suite and climbed the stairs to find it. 34" An understandable assumption in a man who!d never had much to do with domestics& although, given how useful they generally are as informants, I!ve no doubt that his presence was both noted and discussed at length by them": Out of habit I mo#ed somewhat stealthil! since more often than not whene#er I$#e found m!self in an unfamiliar building there$s been a better than e#en chance that someone was lur"ing in ambush up ahead intending to shoot me if the! got the chance. Perhaps because of that I was listening out for an! change to the ambient sound a little more intentl! than usual so as I raised m! hand to "noc" I fancied I heard mo#ement inside 5ras"er$s *uarters. ,ell that was no bad thing% at least if he was up alread! he couldn$t resent me wa"ing him. +ust before m! "nuc"les hit the wood panels though I was sure I$d heard something more a murmur of muted con#ersation. 5efore I could still the gesture I$d alread! rapped twice howe#er so m! immediate impulse to wait and see if I$d been right was no longer an option. $3es)$ 5ras"er opened the door .ust wide enough to peer out at me and we goggled at one another for a moment of stunned mutual astonishment. $Commissar Cain.$ -e enunciated m! name carefull! surprise ma"ing his #oice seem a little bit louder than usual before recalling his manners and dropping his tone to a more normal con#ersational le#el. $I thought !ou were one of the ser#ants.$ $I don$t belie#e so $ I said still reeling from the sight of his night attire. -e was wearing a nightshirt of purple sil" a monogram of some sort wor"ed in gold thread on

the breast poc"et. $I$m sorr! to disturb !ou at this hour but I$m about to lea#e the schola for a da! or two and I needed an urgent word.$ $I see.$ -e clearl! didn$t but wasn$t going to be impolite enough to admit the fact. $&hen I suppose !ou$d better come in.$ -e made no mo#e to stand aside though .ust glancing at something inside the chambers then seemed to recollect himself with an effort and pulled the door open. I wasn$t sure what I expected to find inside% piles of paper and data0slates probabl!. &he realit! was a small hall leading to a neatl! appointed li#ing room roughl! the si(e of m! own the closed doors leading off the lobb! presumabl! those of bathroom and bedroom although which was which I had no idea since m! own suite of rooms was laid out on a more linear pattern. &he blinds were still drawn and 5ras"er "indled a luminator as we entered the lounge area. $:orr! about the mess $ he said apologeticall!. $I had a #isitor last night.$ In actual fact the room seemed perfectl! tid! to me apart from a pair of abandoned goblets which .udging b! the smell still contained a few stic"! dregs of amasec standing next to a decanter on an occasional table in the corner and a neatl! stac"ed tarot dec" on a dining table in the middle of the room next to a couple of stained plates. $:ure the! didn$t sta!)$ I as"ed unable to resist teasing him a little. $I thought ' heard #oices .ust before I "noc"ed.$ $I was watching the newspicts $ 5ras"er said colouring slightl! which clashed hideousl! with his nightgown. &here was no sign of a pict set an!where in the room I could see but I let it go% whate#er he was hiding 7and I didn$t need much0imagination to wor" it out8 was his own affair *uite literall! if I was an! .udge. I$d ha#e bet half m! pension his guest was still in the bedroom waiting for me to fra" off so she could get bac" to wor" in the "itchens or where#er she belonged so out of common politeness I got straight down to business "eeping m! #oice as low as possible. $I need some old records run down $ I said without preamble. $It$s not going to be eas! but it$s important for the defence of the planet so it has to be done b! someone reliable with wide0ranging contacts in the Administratum. 3ou were the first man I thought of.$ $Reall!.$ 5ras"er loo"ed at me an odd expression on his face. $I$m surprised !ou thin" I$m sufficientl! trustworth!. I$m well aware I ha#e something of a reputation for being both fri#olous and indiscreet.$ $Reputations can be misleading $ I said. $And in this case !ours will be a positi#e asset. No one will thin" it odd if !ou seem to be as"ing *uestions and no one will suspect that !ou$#e been entrusted with something which has to be "ept confidential.$ &o m! relief the bursar was nodding slowl!. I$m prett! good at reading people it goes with the .ob and I began to feel that perhaps coming to him with m! little problem wasn$t such a huge gamble after all. $3ou can rel! on me $ he said after a moment. $5ut I can swear it on the a*uila if !ou li"e.$ $I$m sure that won$t be necessar! $ I said surprised in m! turn. $3our word$s good enough for me. After all if !ou accept the commission !ou$ll be acting in the name of the Commissariat.$ In other words if he let me down I$d be entitled to shoot him although I didn$t ha#e to spell it out% the *uic" glance he ga#e to the weapons at m! belt was enough to tell me that he$d got that particular message well enough. $If I can help defend this world in an! wa! I$m at !our disposal of course $

5ras"er said. -e leaned a little closer to me. $,hich records do !ou want me to research)$ $&he!$re all in here $ I said handing him a data0slate. $&here$s something about these locations that$s significant to the enem! although in the name of the &hrone I$#e got no idea what. I suspect that it$s something #er! old though perhaps dating bac" to the first colonisation. And I want to "now if there are an! fol" tales about these places too.$ $1ol" tales)$ 5ras"er loo"ed pu((led for a moment. $I$ll do m! best. 5ut it sounds as though the records !ou$re after will be fragmentar! at the #er! least.$ $&hat$s wh! I need someone of !our calibre to ma"e the search $ I said thin"ing a little bit of flatter! wouldn$t come amiss at that stage. $I won$t let !ou down $ 5ras"er assured me loo"ing more serious than I$d e#er seen him. $If there$s an!thing there I$ll find it.$ $I appreciate that $ I told him preparing to lea#e. On the #erge of exiting the lounge I paused struc" b! a new and unwelcome thought. $If I don$t ma"e it bac" or the enem! attac"s before I return ta"e whate#er !ou$#e managed to unco#er to Colonel Ror"ins or :ister +ulien and tell them I sent !ou. &he!$ll "now what to do with the information.$ I hoped. ,ell I wasn$t planning to get "illed an! time soon so with an! luc" our little arrangement would .ust remain between the two of us. And if it all wor"ed out and we somehow managed to "eep Perlia out of the clutches of this Varan whoe#er he was I could ma"e good use of 5ras"er$s connections in the future upgrading him from an occasional source of gossip to a prime intelligence source for Amberle!. :he alwa!s appreciated little surprises and would certainl! be grateful for some of the nuggets of information I could get the bursar to mine on her behalf. Of course I wouldn$t dream of telling him who I was acting for but e#en if he wor"ed it out that might not be too much of a problem. -e$d alread! surprised me once toda! b! apparentl! ha#ing successfull! concealed an illicit affair for Emperor "new how long so he was ob#iousl! capable of discretion if it were needed. As I left I couldn$t help glancing at the closed doors in the hallwa! wondering which concealed his inamorata and what she could possibl! ha#e seen in him in the first place but such speculation was fruitless and I had a shuttle to catch. As the dawn chill was still acute I paused in the entrance hall of the lodgings for a few moments to #ox +urgen and ma"e sure that the arrangements for our departure were still proceeding as planned. -e assured me that all was well and that he was on his wa! to the shuttle pad so I #oxed :prie too to let him "now I$d be with him almost at once. $Read! when !ou are commissar $ he assured me cheerfull!. I$d .ust cut the lin" when I became aware of footsteps descending the stairs and impelled b! m! habitual sense of discretion I stepped into the shadows of the porter$s cubb! hole. I didn$t want an!one as"ing aw"ward *uestions about m! business in the Administratum bloc" especiall! after impressing on 5ras"er .ust how important it was that no one thin" an!thing of his en*uiries on m! behalf. 5esides if I$m honest it had also occurred to me that this might be 5ras"er$s lad! friend lea#ing the premises and I couldn$t resist tr!ing to get a glimpse of her. ,ell I did and it was a shoc" I can tell !ou that. After a few more echoing footfalls the unmista"able figure of :ister +ulien came into #iew swathed in a dar" cloa" which almost succeeded in blurring the outline of her scabbarded chainsword and hurried out into the gathering brightness of the court!ard. 1or a moment I simpl! stared

after her in stunned astonishment4 no wonder 5ras"er had been so e#asi#e. 5ut then I alread! "new that she dran" and pla!ed cards so I suppose it wasn$t too much of a stretch to find that she harboured a taste for more basic di#ersions as well '. 34" None at all: contrary to popular belief, the Adepta (ororitas doesn!t actually require its members to remain celibate, although few find the time to ta e advantage of the fact": 6rinning *uietl! to m!self I went off to meet +urgen and :prie and despite the magnitude of the tas" in front of me m! heart was almost light as our shuttle lifted from the pad. +ust as well too as it turned out4 there$d be precious little to smile about in the da!s that followed.

TWELVE /E:PI&E 23 I2PA&IENCE to get to the Valle! of /aemons as *uic"l! as possible caution and the demands of m! co#er stor! meant that we too" a roundabout route dropping in on se#eral different communities on the wa!. E#er!where we landed whether in a cit! or a #illage our reception was the same4 a brass band horribl! under0 rehearsed mangling some suitabl! martial piece of music a local dignitar! ma"ing a platitudinous speech about how pleased the! were to see me and a muster of the new militia recruits. &he! all seemed "een enough but at the moment the! were still comfortabl! insulated from the blood! realities of combat b! the imagined romanticism of it all. E#entuall! on the second da! we pitched up in Chilin#ale the closest town to m! real ob.ecti#e and paused for a bite of lunch before resuming m! ostensible tour of inspection. It was a pleasant enough little communit! nestling in the foothills of the mountain range which separated the interior of the eastern continent from its coastal plains and the narrow isthmus leading to the more populous and industrialised western one. 2uch of it seemed new the architecture of its southern side surprisingl! uniform and of a st!le less than a centur! old. I remar"ed on the fact to our guide a Corporal 2anrin detached from the nearest P/1 garrison to ta"e charge of the local militia recruits and he nodded around a mouthful of bread and cheese. $Rebuilding wor" $ he told me swallowing hastil!. $After the liberation.$ $&he or"s made a bit of a mess of things I ta"e it $ I said ha#ing seen more than enough of the wanton destruction left in their wa"e on m! e#entful .ourne! across the continent eight decades before. 2anrin shoo" his head. $Actuall! it was !ou $ he said. $&he flood waters came through here after !ou blew the dam. &here wasn$t a lot of the town left after that.$ &hen perhaps conscious of an implied criticism in his choice of words he shrugged. $>uc"il! the place was full of greenies at the time so it was a good thing if !ou as" me.$ $I$m glad !ou appro#e $ I told him dr!l!. &he militia group he led was fairl! t!pical of the ones I$d seen so far a couple of do(en men and women ranging in age from their late teens to their dotage more than ma"ing up in enthusiasm what the! lac"ed in expertise. 9nfortunatel! once the las0bolts started fl!ing enthusiasm wasn$t going to be enough and I didn$t en#! 2anrin the .ob of tr!ing to "eep them ali#e and facing forward. &he! were slouching around on the touchline of a scrumball pitch which had been re*uisitioned as a ma"eshift firing range tr!ing to loo" as though the! weren$t staring at me which was difficult and failing to manage e#en the pretence where +urgen was concerned. 1or this I could hardl! blame them howe#er as he wasn$t exactl! recruiting poster material to begin with and as I$#e pre#iousl! remar"ed the passage of !ears had more than made their mar" on him. $2ore recaff commissar)$ 2! aide approached us brandishing the pot and 2anrin flinched a little but held his ground. $&han" !ou +urgen $ I said holding out m! cup although I didn$t reall! need another drin" at the moment and framing m! next remar" for 2anrin$s benefit. $Perhaps we could ta"e a little time out to #isit our old battleground before we lea#e. I hadn$t realised we were *uite so dose to the dam here.$ &hat should a#oid an! aw"ward

*uestions about what we were doing if an!one noticed we were missing or became aware of our destination% pa!ing tribute to m! fallen comrades was the sort of thing people expected me to do. In m! experience if !ou want to "eep something secret it$s ne#er a good idea to loo" furti#e. $I$ll see what I can arrange $ +urgen said. $I$m sure I can find some transport once !ou$#e finished eating.$ -e wandered awa! after scooping a handful of sandwiches from a nearb! trestle table into one of his webbing pouches. $3ou could .ust fl! $ 2anrin suggested nodding towards :prie whose red hair stood out li"e a landing flare among the crowd ma"ing him hard to miss. -e was chatting to a couple of the !ounger female recruits who seemed fascinated b! his na#al uniform to his e#ident bemusement% being awa! from the circumscribed world of the schola if onl! for a short time was clearl! a no#el experience he had e#er! intention of ma"ing the most of. $,e could $ I said as though it were of little conse*uence. $5ut I$m sure our pilot would appreciate a brea".$ &hat much was true the lad had been hopping us around the globe for a da! and a half b! that point. Rather more salientl! though he had no idea of the real purpose of the trip and it seemed best to prolong that state of ignorance indefinitel! if I could. I hadn$t realised at first that the town council were going to la! on a buffet lunch outside the pa#ilion at the edge of the sports field and once I had it would ha#e been churlish not to ha#e in#ited :prie to .oin us4 while he was bus! stuffing his face and tr!ing to wor" out what girls were for +urgen and I could slip awa! on our own errand. $-ow are the recruits shaping up)$ I as"ed the corporal and 2anrin shrugged. $About as well as !ou$d expect $ he said. $&he!$re "een but the! don$t thin" li"e soldiers. 2ost of them might as well be wal"ing around with targets on their shirts.$ -e sighed. $5ut the!$ll ta"e a few of the reamers with them I can promise !ou.$ $I$d expect nothing else $ I told him hoping it wouldn$t come to that. $-ow are !ou off for supplies)$ $Ade*uate $ 2anrin told me after a moment$s thought. $,e$#e enough lasguns to go around and about three spare power pac"s apiece. If the! remember their fire discipline and don$t .ust spra! it that ought to be enough to hold until reinforcements arri#e.$ -e didn$t need to add that man! of the amateur soldiers would be able to supplement their supplies with power pac"s issued to the casualties once the shooting started% that much was depressingl! ob#ious. &he thing that worries me is...$ -e bro"e off dearl! wondering if he$d o#erstepped the mar". $6o on $ I said in an encouraging tone. $In m! experience the concerns of the troopers on the ground are ne#er to be ta"en lightl!.$ $,ell sir $ 2anrin said apparentl! reassured $all these guns and ammo pac"s ha#e to come from somewhere. &housands of them all o#er the planet.$ $It$s a logistical nightmare $ I admitted. $-alf the recruits are still drilling with broom handles. 5ut we will get weapons out to e#er!one before the enem! arri#es !ou can be sure of that.$ $Oh I am $ he said with e#er! appearance of sincerit!. $5ut the onl! place the! could all be coming from this *uic"l! is the emergenc! caches.$ $&hat$s right $ I agreed. 6enerations before the Perlian P/1 had established a networ" of suppl! dumps all o#er the planet so that in the e#ent of an in#asion local units

would be able to "eep on fighting e#en after the chain of command was se#ered a polic! I$d been more than grateful for during m! ad#entures in the occupied (one during the first siege. If it hadn$t been for those scattered caches of food and ammunition m! ma"eshift arm! would ha#e star#ed or been cut to pieces long before we$d made it to safet!. $&hen we reall! will be fighting in the last ditch $ 2anrin said. I nodded soberl!. &hat hoard of supplies was being pillaged e#en as we spo"e to enable the #olunteers to engage the enem! with something marginall! more deadl! than harsh language and that would lea#e almost nothing to nourish a nascent resistance mo#ement with if things got so bad we needed to establish one. $I$m afraid so $ I agreed. $5ut we can beat them and we will.$ $Cuite right sir.$ A man so elderl! that he seemed at first sight to be barel! capable of standing unsupported snapped me a parade0ground salute. $-eretics is all cowards I$#e seen it before. &he! don$t li"e the straight sil#er sir the!$ll turn and run the minute !ou fix ba!onets.$ -e chuc"led phlegmaticall!. $&hen !ou can shoot $em in the bac".$ $Admirabl! put $ I said "eeping m! face as straight as I could. -e might ha#e loo"ed almost as unprepossessing as +urgen but his shoulders were bac" and his e!es still "een. $I can see b! !our bearing !ou$re a militar! man.$ $&rooper +a* sir FB'st Coranian. &went! !ears a 6uardsman. 2ustered out on Perlia in <DF been here e#er since.$ -e nodded #ehementl!. $:till not too old to rall! to the colours though.$ -e indicated his armband proudl!'. $,e$ll ha#e those scall!wags on the run before !ou can sa! @&he Emperor protects@.$ 34" /bviously, given the time constraints, there was no question of being able to issue proper uniforms to the newly' formed militia" Instead they were given armbands, bearing the letters )01, which stood for )lanetary 0efence 1olunteers": $I$m sure we will $ I said with e#er! sign of sincerit! I could fa"e. &he truth was if the enem! decided to attac" Chilin#ale for whate#er reason these eager idiots were going to be slaughtered. &heir onl! purpose was to bu! time for the regular P/1 to get organised enough for a counterattac" and from what I$d seen so far that was a faint hope at best. $1all the men in +a* $ 2anrin said then corrected himself. Volunteers that is.$ >i"e most of the P/1 bab!sitters I$d met so far he was unused to the idea of ha#ing women among his command'. 34" $here were women serving in the )0=, but, li e the Imperial .uard regiments the organisation was modelled on, most were attached to single'sex formations": $Ver! good sir.$ +a* saluted again and shuffled off in a remar"abl! sprightl! fashion for a man of his !ears bawling $6et fell in for the officer *uic" as !ou can we ha#en$t got all da!H$ $-e$s a good man $ 2anrin said a faintl! apologetic tone entering his #oice. $And at least he remembers how to hold a weapon.$ :omething most of the others seemed to ha#e at least a tenuous grasp of b! now% the! coalesced into an inchoate clump shuffled into a couple of roughl! parallel lines and held out their lasguns for inspection. $E!es frontH$ 2anrin bellowed. $1ran"a that means !ouH$ One of the teenage girls who$d been attempting to flirt with :prie tore her ga(e awa! from the na#al cadet with ob#ious reluctance.

$2! mum sa!s it$s not polite to ignore #isitors 2r 2anrin.$ $-e$s not a #isitor he$s an inspecting officerH$ 2anrin said "eeping his #oice down with a considerable effort. Clearl! some of the militia recruits had an exceptionall! feeble grasp of militar! protocol. $&en press0ups nowH$ &he !oung woman sighed but began to puff her wa! through the press0ups ne#ertheless. $I can see !ou ha#e a lot to contend with $ I said s!mpatheticall!. 2anrin nodded. $/iscipline$s a ma.or problem $ he admitted. $&he!$re onl! #olunteers so I can$t be too hard on them or the!$ll .ust wal" out.$ $It was a lot easier for me the first time round $ I said. $I could .ust threaten to shoot them if the! got out of line and the! had nowhere else to go in an! case.$ $:o I$#e heard.$ 2anrin nodded a trace of en#! suffusing his #oice and waited while 1ran"a scrambled to her feet again pic"ed up her lasgun and held it out li"e the others. I strolled down the line tr!ing not to wince at how slopp! the! were apart from +a* who might still ha#e been in uniform so smart was his bearing. $A fine bod! of troops $ I told 2anrin pitching m! #oice so that it would carr! .ust far enough to reach them. 2ost of them smir"ed in a distinctl! unmilitar! fashion and 1ran"a simpered at :prie again as soon as the corporal$s bac" was turned. $I$m sure the!$ll ac*uit themsel#es well.$ $5! the Emperor$s grace $ 2anrin said astute enough to realise I was more interested in boosting morale than strict adherence to the facts. &he Emperor was going to ha#e his wor" cut out with this lot I thought and made m! farewells as *uic"l! as I decentl! could. +urgen meanwhile had been true to his word obtaining the use of a ci#ilian groundcar from somewhere while I was being *uietl! appalled b! the state of readiness of 2anrin$s rabble and he dro#e us out of Chilin#ale with his usual disregard for an!thing else which might be sharing the carriagewa! with us. Normall! that wouldn$t ha#e worried me too much as m! preferred mode of transport was a scout :alamander the armour plate of which would be sufficientl! robust to withstand an! minor impacts we sustained on the wa! but in this case all that stood between me and se#ere in.ur! was the fragile bod!wor" of a light utilit! #ehicle. ,ell that and m! aide$s phenomenal reflexes. :uffice it to sa! that we e#entuall! made it out of the town unscathed unless !ou count a few more gre! hairs to add to m! e#er0growing collection and as the traffic thinned I began to relax and en.o! the .ourne!. :pring was a little further ad#anced in this part of the world so I cran"ed the window down 7alwa!s a wise mo#e when inside an enclosed space with +urgen in an! case8 and sa#oured the fresh air spilling down the sides of the distant mountains. &he! seemed li"e a solid wall purple against the hori(on li"e a looming thunderhead enclosing the world .ust as the! had done all those !ears ago when I$d led m! ragtag arm! towards them. &his time howe#er the! appeared far less ominous. 5ac" then the!$d seemed li"e a death trap funnelling us into an inescapable ambush with nothing be!ond except the bul" of the or"ish armies e#en if we had managed to brea" through. As it was we$d managed to outflan" the in#aders more b! luc" than .udgement if I$m honest and inflict a telling blow against them in the process. $9p here I thin" :ir $ +urgen said swinging the wheel #iolentl! slewing across two lanes of oncoming #ehicles and blithel! ignoring the blaring of horns s*uealing of

t!res and paint0blistering profanit! which echoed in our wa"e. Our suspension began to bounce and rumble o#er a badl!0maintained mountain road until I started to fear for the structural integrit! of m! fillings. $It doesn$t loo" all that familiar $ I said as steadil! as I could under the circumstances and +urgen nodded. $It$s changed a bit $ he agreed. $And we$re approaching it from a different direction as well.$ $Of course.$ I nodded conceding his point and onl! then realising that subconsciousl! at least I$d expected the Valle! of /aemons to loo" prett! much as it had done the last time I$d dri#en up it. 5ut that was before we$d let Emperor "new how man! megatonnes of water loose to scour its wa! through the decli#ities of the region rearranging the topograph! *uite comprehensi#el! along the wa!. In fact so different did e#er!thing appear from the images in m! mind that it was onl! as we crested a ridge and I caught sight of a glint of reflected sunlight from a large bod! of water in the distance below us that I realised we had alread! entered the #alle!. ,here once a narrow tric"le of water had hugged the bed of a winding ri#er flowing out though the nec" of a steep0sided gorge purple with heather and green with scrub dotted with the occasional tenacious tree foaming rapids bounced along a defile of gre! bedroc" scoured clean of topsoil. On either side the sheer roc" walls were spec"led with mosses and lichen which softened the star"ness of their outline but did little to lessen the impression of blea"ness. -igher be!ond the le#el the solid wall of water had reached the moorland resumed the point of transition as sharpl! delineated as if etched with a "nife. &here was no mista"ing the #ast la"e that filled the head of the #alle! howe#er or the solid bul" of the Adeptus 2echanicus shrine nestling into the hillside next to it% that part of the terrain hadn$t altered at all and as I caught sight of it I was able to orientate m!self at last. Instead of following our old route up from the mouth of the #alle! and across the dam we$d entered it higher up and on the opposite side. I scanned the distant slope loo"ing for some sign of the old road which had wound its wa! up and across the top of the dam to reach the shrine but there was no sign of it at all e#er! last trace of it ha#ing been swept awa! in the flood. &he route we were coming in b! had ob#iousl! been constructed later as a replacement while the dam was being rebuilt% it swept down to the pia((a outside the main doors of the shrine without s"irting the la"e at all or to m! unspo"en relief gi#en the wa! +urgen was dri#ing ta"ing us an!where near the #ertiginous drop before the #ast gre! wall spanning the cleft and holding bac" the waters. &he new dam was more or less identical to its predecessor or so it seemed to me although I thought there was an extra sluice gate at the bottom and an extra buttress or two no doubt to add a bit more structural integrit! in case someone else decided to ta"e a pot0shot at it with an artiller! piece. In spite of these ob#ious precautions and no doubt the existence of others I couldn$t see I still felt uneas! loo"ing at the huge edifice being able to picture the tidal wa#e which would be unleashed if the roc"crete ga#e wa! all too readil!. &he memor! of the one we$d sent roaring down the #alle! on our pre#ious #isit was still #i#id the huge or" arm! which had sought to destro! us being swept awa! li"e flec"s of foam in a mountain torrent. $&he! put it bac" up then$ +urgen said sounding far from impressed and

bouncing us down the trac" towards the shrine. $-ence our little problem $ I agreed scanning the bedroc" walls for an! sign of the fresh xenos artefacts the flood had apparentl! re#ealed but without success'.In fact so engrossed was I in this pursuit that I hadn$t noticed how close we were getting to our destination until the shuddering of our suspension against the pitted roadbed abruptl! ceased and I found us hurtling across the intricate mosaic of the pia((a in front of the shrine itself. $Perhaps !ou$d better slow down $ I suggested. $,e don$t want to alarm an!one.$ 34" Eardly surprising, as we!d gone to considerable trouble to conceal the real reason for the shrine!s existence": &hat was a considerable understatement. &he first time we$d stumbled across this place and the secret it concealed the onl! thing left mo#ing in the aftermath of ?illian$s assault had been a badl! damaged combat ser#itor which had almost done for me before a militia "ill team had finall! managed to finish it off. I had no doubt that similar full! functional s!stems still protected the site and I had no wish to pro#o"e them. $Ver! good sir.$ +urgen slammed on the bra"es lea#ing strea"s of residue from our abused t!res marring the mosaic and bringing us to a halt a few do(en metres from the main doors. &he! were .ust as big and impressi#e as I remembered4 twin slabs of polished bron(e full! eight metres high and embossed with the cogwheel sigil of the Adeptus 2echanicus. I clambered out ad.usting m! cap weapons belt and dignit! as best I could and waited for +urgen to .oin me. As he fell in at m! side his lasgun slung from his shoulder as usual the doors began to swing open. $It loo"s as though our arri#al has been noticed $ I said beginning to wal" towards them then hesitated. &he figures mo#ing be!ond the portal seemed too large to be human bul"! as an ogr!n at least and as the! stepped into the sunshine m! "nees went wea". &he guardians I$d most dreaded were indeed protecting the site% three hul"ing slabs of meat and metal their flesh and augmetics so closel! melded it was almost impossible to tell where the di#iding line came fanned out ahead of us barring our wa!. $>oo"s li"e the! mended those too $ +urgen remar"ed as casuall! as if he was commenting on the weather. $:o it seems $ I replied determined to seem no less imperturbable than m! aide and began to wal" towards them. I was b! no means sure he was correct these all seemed to be different from the one I$d encountered before. &hat had been a h!brid mounting an autocannon on one arm and a chainfist on the other4 two of these carried ranged weapons a plasma gun and a hea#! bolter while the third was clearl! built to specialise in close combat its paired chain0blades whining unner#ingl! as the! powered up. A second or so later a familiar and surprisingl! welcome odour of old soc"s and armpits told me that +urgen was watching m! bac" as alwa!s. Emboldened I raised a hand. $I$m Commissar...$ I .ust had time to begin before the leading construct drowned me out its #oice emanating from a #oxcoder of remar"able resonance. $:can completed. Intruders armed. &erminate.$ $Now wait .ust a minute $ I began as the barrels of the weapons the things carried rotated towards me and the close combat model started mo#ing forwards. 5ut of course I might .ust as well ha#e sa#ed m! breath. $&erminate intruders. Protect the sanctum $ the first one grated the exact same

phrase I$d heard some eight! !ears before and the others echoed it. $&erminate... &erminate...$ &hen almost at the same instant the two gun ser#itors fired.

THIRTEEN O1 CO9R:E I hadn$t .ust been standing around waiting to be shot4 e#en as the hul"ing automata brought their weapons to bear I$d been mo#ing sprinting towards the most solid piece of co#er I could see a remar"abl! ugl! obelis" of polished steel which someone had apparentl! dumped at the edge of the pa#ed area since the last time I$d been there. Running bac" to the car would ha#e been pointless% the hea#! weapons the things carried would ha#e shredded and #aporised the thin metal within seconds along with an!one foolish enough to be crouching behind it. Of course that might be true of the lump of ironmonger! I was heading towards as well but I didn$t "now for certain that it wouldn$t protect me unli"e the #ehicle so all things considered it seemed worth ta"ing a chance. Especiall! as the alternati#e seemed to be standing around in the open waiting for the ad#ancing ser#itors to ma"e a mess on the mosaic with m! entrails. 1ortunatel! the! seemed as slow to react as such constructs generall! are wasting their first #olle! on the spot I$d occupied before I started running% the image of some "ind of machine part exploded in a hail of bolter fire the thin tiles transmogrif!ing instantaneousl! into fl!ing shards which tugged at m! greatcoat and stung m! ears and the bac" of m! nec" before the plasma round arri#ed an instant later obliterating e#en more of the picture in a cloud of ra#ening incandescence. ?nowing that the cumbersome energ! weapon would ta"e precious seconds to recharge I drew m! laspistol and snapped off a couple of shots at the one armed with the bolter% not that I had an! real hope of incapacitating the thing of course but at least I might ma"e it hesitate while it assessed the new threat. 1at chance4 it fired again almost at once but anticipating this I$d .in"ed to the side .ust in time and it missed me again b! an e#en narrower margin. I di#ed behind the obelis" .ust as the plasma cannon recharged and a searing bolt of star0stuff roared past the glittering lump of ironmonger! finall! expending itself in the la"e be!ond. A thousand litres of water flashed instantl! into steam wreathing the whole scene in a chilling mist which bloc"ed out the sunlight as abruptl! as a slamming door and I began to thin" we might ha#e a chance after all. It was a slim hope but the artificial fog might .ust confuse the constructs$ sensoria long enough for me to get the drop on them somehow or at least get to safet!. I loo"ed up searching for some sign of +urgen but he$d #anished in the mur"% it loo"ed as if I was on m! own. $Cease fireH$ I snapped broadcasting on e#er! fre*uenc! of which m! comm0bead was capable. $&his is Commissar Cain here on the authorit! of In*uisitor VailH$ I wasn$t sure how Amberle! was li"el! to ta"e me using her name so casuall! but under the circumstances I was prepared to ris" her ire. I listened for a response but no answer came so I peered cautiousl! round the lump of metal and drew m! chainsword. $&erminate intruders. Protect the sanctum $ a s!nthetic #oice grated somewhere behind me and warned in the nic" of time b! the constructs$ anno!ing habit of repeating their instructions ad nauseum I duc"ed .ust fast enough to pre#ent a swinging chainblade from ta"ing m! head off. I parried the follow0up stri"e b! reflex instincti#el! recognising the combination mo#e as a standard one from the 2unitorum manual on paired blade techni*ues and reasoning that the flesh and metal monstrosit! had

undoubtedl! been programmed to counter all the con#entional responses shot it in the left "nee with m! laspistol instead. &he .oint was armoured of course so it didn$t fall li"e a man would ha#e done but it staggered and when it struc" at me again raising spar"s from the lump of metal behind me its mobilit! was clearl! impaired. E#en though its attac"s were now easier to e#ade I wasn$t about to write it off .ust !et though% it was still blindingl! fast and onl! reflexes honed in innumerable practice sessions and more desperate scuffles for m! miserable life than I care to count enabled me to continue parr!ing the flurr! of stro"es it "ept aiming in m! direction. $+urgenH$ I snouted the muffling mist swallowing m! #oice. $,here the fra" are !ou)$ $5e with !ou in a moment sir $ m! aide$s #oice assured me sounding as calm as e#er in the tin! spea"er of m! comm0bead. $I .ust had to go bac" for something.$ If he was about to elaborate he ne#er got the chance4 the ripping sound of the hea#!0calibre bolter firing echoed flatl! across the #alle! again its mu((le flash spar"ing through the gre! ha(e li"e lightning pla!ing around a distant hill and a moment later the muffled detonation of an explosion followed. Orange light flic"ered through the blan"eting mist and m! heart seemed to stop for a moment. :urel! m! aide hadn$t been foolish enough to return to the car e#en under the co#er of the artificial fog... I began to realise that the mur" was beginning to lift now the faint disc of the sun slowl! becoming #isible again and resol#ed to finish this fast while the unexpected ad#antage remained. :omething was mo#ing in the ha(e behind me and for a moment I dared to hope that it was +urgen before the familiar #oxcoder #oice grated $&erminate intruders. Protect the sanctum$ for the umpteenth time. ,ell perhaps one of m! problems could sol#e the other. Pi#oting out of the wa! of another swipe from a chainblade I snapped off a shot at the newcomer which seemed to expend itself harmlessl! against its hea#il! armoured torso. It reacted precisel! as I$d hoped it would. I flung m!self aside see"ing whate#er refuge I could find behind the next face of the metal obelis" .ust as another bolt of plasma hissed past missing me b! millimetres' and impacting against the chest of the construct I$d been fighting with a satisfactor! si((le of #aporising metal and flesh. &o m! astonishment howe#er the thing remained standing although it was se#erel! damaged. No matter its internal s!stems were now dearl! #isible and I drew bac" m! chainsword read! to stri"e at some #ital component. &o m! astonishment howe#er before I could administer the coup de grace it turned awa! from me and too" a few faltering steps towards the ser#itor which had in.ured it so grie#ousl!. 34" Clearly an exaggeration, as a plasma bolt passing that closely would have inflicted severe flash burns": $-igher priorit! target identified. Engaging $ it grated and m! heart leapt. 9nable to tell a friendl! fire accident from an intentional attac" its rudimentar! cognition s!stems had misidentified the other construct as an enem! and it was forgetting about me to ta"e on what it percei#ed as the greater threat. 5efore the gun unit could assess the sudden change in circumstances it had alread! ta"en a couple of swipes from the humming blades which se#ered the power cables leading to its plasma weapon. ,ith its primar! armament disabled the beleaguered construct defaulted to whate#er protocols commanded it under such circumstances closing with its erstwhile comrade in an unseeml! brawl which reminded me of nothing so much as a couple of ogr!ns on RIR. I glanced round at the battlefield. &he mist had almost lifted b! now but a pall of

thic" blac" smo"e from the burning car had more than made up for that la!ing an impenetrable screen across half the pia((a obscuring e#er!thing which la! be!ond. &here was no sign of +urgen or the bolter0wielding ser#itor but the bron(e doors of the 2echanicus shrine still stood in#itingl! a.ar onl! a few score metres awa!. Of course the! merel! offered an illusion of safet! particularl! if there were other securit! s!stems inside the building and I couldn$t find someone in authorit! to call off the watchdogs but if I sta!ed out here it was onl! a matter of time before I too" rather more bolter rounds than would be good for m! health. Putting m! trust in the Emperor I started to run. Of course I should ha#e remembered that as I$#e remar"ed before -e has a nast! sense of humour% I$d barel! gone a do(en paces before the third ser#itor stepped out of the curtain of smo"e and le#elled the hea#! bolter at me. I glanced round but there was nowhere to go4 the obelis" was too far awa! now to return to and if I tried I$d .ust end up ta"ing the rounds in the bac". Not for the first time I began to regret lea#ing m! precious and b! now rather shabb! set of carapace armour' bac" at the schola% whate#er protection it might ha#e afforded would ha#e been minimal at best but in m! experience e#er! little helps under circumstances li"e this. ?nowing that the gesture was futile I raised m! laspistol determined to at least dent the blood! thing before it "illed me but before I could pull the trigger it staggered most of its cortex disappearing in a gout of superheated air. 34" *hich he!d !forgotten! to return to stores after our eventful foray into the undercity on .ravalax, some seventy years before& by this time it was somewhat battered, to say the least": $&han" !ou sir.$ +urgen appeared through the smo"e nodding in satisfaction as though he$d .ust turned out a perfectl!0coo"ed omelette his melta still aimed at the toppling ser#itor in case it showed an! further signs of belligerence. :o that was what he$d ris"ed going bac" to the car for. @3ou distracted it .ust long enough for me to line up a head shot.$ $-app! to be of help $ I said as casuall! as I could turning towards the door again. I could see mo#ement in the shadows and brought the laspistol up prepared for whate#er further surprises might be about to emerge4 or so I thought. $:top that right this minuteH$ a strong female #oice rang out sounding understandabl! test!. $I thin" !ou$#e done more than enough damage for one da!$ A woman in the white robes of a tech0priest bustled out into the sunlight which glinted on the augmetic enhancements fused to her face and strode towards us. 1or a moment I thought she was addressing me but her ga(e so far as I could tell was directed at the s*uabbling constructs behind us which b! now had done a prett! good .ob of rendering one another into their component parts. $Omnissiah$s cogs deacti#ate !ou stupid pieces of res!"H$ &o m! relief the two sur#i#ing ser#itors or what was left of them at least complied subsiding to the tiles with a rather unpleasant mixture of clan"s and s*uelching noises. ,ith a faint sigh of exasperation the tech0priest turned towards me her robe flapping in the bree(e. $-onestl! Ciaphas $ she said $what is the matter with !ou) E#er! time !ou set foot in the place !ou brea" somethingH$ 1rom the first moment I$d caught sight of the woman I$d been struggling with a #ague sense of familiarit! but of course where tech0priests are concerned all that ironmonger! the!$re festooned with tends to ma"e recognising them rather difficult% e#en

one !ou$re on intimate terms with might ha#e a completel! different head the next time !ou meet. Certainl! there was little about her features which struc" me as familiar. &he top of her head had been replaced b! a metallic s"ull from which augmetic sensors glittered roughl! where her e!es would ha#e been and specialised mechadendrites of some sort wa#ed abo#e her shoulders flan"ing a rather battered0loo"ing general0purpose one. -er original mouth and .aw remained in place though the s"in furrowed with age and her #oice raised the echo of old memories which in itself was unusual. If I was reading the iconograph! wo#en into her robe correctl! which I was b! no means sure I was she was prett! high up in the 2echanicus hierarch! and tech0priests of that status had usuall! traded in their lar!nxes for #oxcoders decades before. &hen the coin suddenl! dropped. ,ho else among the 2echanicus would be using m! gi#en name particularl! on Perlia or for that matter be beha#ing in a manner so completel! unt!pical of most of her "ind) $1elicia)$ I ha(arded hardl! daring to belie#e I was right. @,hat in the name of the &hrone are !ou doing here)$ $2! .ob $ she replied the faintl! moc"ing tone I remembered so well infusing her #oice. $Although I suppose that$s about to be disrupted again.$ $It will be when the enem! gets here $ I said. I glanced at her sharpl!. $3ou do "now about the in#asion fleet about to descend on us all)$ $,e$#e heard the rumours $ she said in a faintl! offhand manner $and there was a rogue trader round here peddling scare stories a while bac".$ $I$m afraid the!$re a bit more than .ust scare stories $ I said. I cleared m! throat. $I assume he told !ou who he was here on behalf of)$ $:ome o#er0officious in*uisitor he said.$ 1elicia loo"ed at me and despite the blan" metal #isage that had replaced the face I remembered I thought I could detect a spar" of the old sense of mischief she$d so often displa!ed in the course of our long and e#entful march towards safet! so man! decades before. $&he same one !ou$re wor"ing for if that transmission of !ours was true.$ $I$m afraid it is $ I said hea#il!. &here was no point in tr!ing to conceal m! connection with Amberle! e#er!one in the building would be in on the secret of the :hadowlight in an! case and well aware of who the! reported to. ,hich didn$t in the least diminish m! astonishment at finding 1elicia here. $I see !ou$#e progressed a bit in the priesthood after all.$ $3es I ha#e.$ 1elicia smir"ed a bit before appearing to recall that the Omnissiah frowned upon such displa!s of emotion. $,hich is one in the e!e for all those rust0brains in the seminar! who told me I wouldn$t amount to an!thing.$ I nodded ha#ing gathered in the course of our earlier ac*uaintance that her somewhat exuberant personalit! hadn$t gone down at all well with the senior tech0priests who$d told her in no uncertain terms that she$d ne#er be an!thing other than a humble enginseer4 a prognostication which had singl! failed to disma! her as she$d alwa!s been more interested in getting her hands grubb! than the theological side of her #ocation in an! case. Clearl! her unexpected promotion hadn$t done much to change that which was something of a relief to me% I$d alwa!s found her at!pical ebullience a great deal easier to deal with than the emotionless intellect of most of the tech0priests I$d come into contact with o#er the !ears. $:o what happened)$ I as"ed angling m! path to intersect +urgen$s.

&o m! surprise 1elicia fell in at m! shoulder as naturall! and companionabl! as if we$d last seen each other a few da!s ago rather than the best part of a centur!. $,e stumbled across this place $ she reminded me pausing next to the metal column behind which I$d sought refuge such a short time before. $None of the rest of !ou could possibl! ha#e "nown what it was or cared but once the! realised a tech0priest had been inside the pro.ect leaders got a little ner#ous.$ I tried to picture a cabal of ner#ous in*uisitors and failed miserabl!. $&he! thought I might ha#e seen enough to wor" out what was going on here so when the facilit! re0opened the! recruited me.$ $-ow #er! far0sighted of them $ I commented m! e!e suddenl! catching sight of a name engra#ed on the nearest face of the obelis". It was a familiar one ?olfax the guide who$d led us out of the desert onl! to be felled b! the or"s during our desperate battle here and with a shi#er I finall! realised what it was which had sa#ed m! life4 a memorial to the fallen of that decisi#e and blood! action. ,ith a faint pang I found I couldn$t recall his face at all or an! of the others whose names had been so carefull! etched into the smooth metal surface. $3es it was $ 1elicia agreed. $Although the! didn$t realise it at first the! .ust had me fetching and carr!ing for the magi. &hen the! started to appreciate that what a .ob li"e this reall! needs is an uncon#entional approach.$ $,hich !ou would most certainl! ha#e pro#ided $ I agreed dr!l!. $I did.$ 1elicia nodded producing a ration bar from a poc"et of her robes and began to chew thoughtfull!% clearl! her habit of snac"ing at odd moments had remained with her e#en after all these !ears another character *uir" most tech0priests would ha#e regarded as eccentric at best. $Of course some of the more con#entionall!0minded ones resisted gi#ing me more responsibilit! at first but the! couldn$t argue with the results I was getting.$ $:o now !ou$re in charge here $ I said. 1elicia chuc"led which surprised me% I$d forgotten how rich and good0humoured her laugh was another trait which I had no doubt had failed to impress her superiors. $Omnissiah$s cogs no. ,ho wants all that paperwor") I .ust super#ise the pro.ect team.$ $6ood afternoon miss $ +urgen said apparentl! completel! unsurprised to see her. 5ut then I$d seldom seen him express surprise about an!thing. $-ello +urgen.$ 1elicia wiped her hand on her robe and proffered it in greeting. After a moment of perplexit! m! aide rubbed the worst of the grime off his own and shoo" it gingerl!. $3ou$re loo"ing well.$ ,hich had hardl! been true e#en the first time she$d "nown him but the sentiment was a "indl! one so I couldn$t reall! ta"e issue with it. $It$s a pleasure to see !ou too miss $ +urgen said with e#er! sign of sincerit! retrie#ing his hand as soon as he decentl! could. $,ell this is all #er! nice $ 1elicia said ta"ing in the wrec"age of our car and the scattered remnants of the ser#itors with a regretful sigh $but I suppose we$d better get down to the business which brought !ou here.$ :he began to lead the wa! towards the shrine fastidiousl! sidestepping a few fragments of mangled flesh and metal. $I$m sure !ou$re anxious to get bac" to !our war.$ &he main hall of the shrine had hardl! changed at all since the last time I$d seen it the same high air! ceiling suspended abo#e a scattering of metallic ob.ects I couldn$t identif! arranged on plinths placed around the floor in some regular but complex pattern.

As before the lighting was diffuse emanating from no ob#ious source but somehow managing to impart an air of serenit! and *uiet contemplation. Ne#ertheless I remained war!% the last time I$d set foot in here we$d stumbled across a messil!0murdered tech0 priest then a malfunctioning "illing machine had tried to ta"e m! head off. $&his wa! $ 1elicia said as though I might ha#e forgotten leading us towards the mo#ing staircase that ga#e access to the control chapel on the upper le#el. I glanced briefl! in its direction but the door was closed. I had no doubt that nothing had altered at all while I$d been awa! though the ban"s of control lecterns still flic"ering with arcane information as the! monitored the state of the generators buried at the base of the dam and the #iew of the la"e and the #alle! be!ond through the wide picture window .ust as spectacular as e#er. &hat wasn$t our destination howe#er% as we approached the foot of the escalator 1elicia raised her hand imperiousl! and a section of wall mo#ed smoothl! aside s*uea"ing slightl! on its metal runners. $3ou mended that then $ +urgen said nodding sagel! at his own statement of the ob#ious. &he last time we$d been here the concealed door had been blasted open b! something not dissimilar to the melta he carried and the staircase be!ond had been #isible to an!one who might ha#e wandered in out of the rain. $,e thought it best $ 1elicia said e#enl! $gi#en that what we$re doing here$s supposed to be a secret.$ 2ost men would probabl! ha#e ta"en offence at the barel!0 concealed amusement in her tone but as e#er +urgen remained constitutionall! immune to sarcasm and simpl! nodded .udiciousl!. I must confess to hesitating for a fraction of a second before beginning m! descent but it was hard to forget the sight of all the wanton carnage I$d disco#ered in the complex buried beneath the shrine the last time I$d #entured down those stairs. On this occasion howe#er all the white0robed acol!tes of the Omnissiah that I passed were ali#e and well if that phrase can be properl! applied to an!one more machine than human and the red uniformed s"itarii seemed as alert as I might ha#e expected. A couple of them were stationed at the bottom of the flight their hellguns read! and if 1elicia hadn$t been with us I$m sure the! would ha#e issued a challenge. As it was the! simpl! saluted as soon as the! caught sight of her recei#ing a friendl! nod of the head in return which seemed to disconcert them e#en more than a part! of Chaotic raiders brandishing lasguns would ha#e done. $3ou seem reasonabl! well protected $ I admitted. I$d fought alongside the 2echanicus$s pri#ate arm! on a number of occasions and in most cases the!$d ac*uitted themsel#es well. &he most glaring exception being the disastrous expedition to Interitus Prime which I$d tagged along on completel! b! accident and which had been wiped out to a man b! the necrons. &hat thought brought scant comfort and for a moment all m! paranoid imaginings about the chamber I thought I$d glimpsed on the asteroid came rushing to the forefront of m! mind again before the more urgent demands of the here and now pushed them firml! awa!. ,e had Varan and his horde about to descend on us that was an incontro#ertible fact and panic"ing about nonexistent necron tombs was hardl! going to help matters. $&hat$s probabl! what the last lot thought $ +urgen opined gloomil! and I nodded grateful that someone else had #oiced the thought before I could. $I thin" !ou$ll find we$re a bit better prepared this time $ 1elicia said in a #oice that was neither a threat nor a warning but somehow managed to con#e! o#ertones of both.

Clearl! the ?illian solution wasn$t going to be an option if diplomac! failed. :he paused for a moment before a wide bron(e door did something to a loc"ing plate with the old mechadendrite which still grew from the base of her spine and stood aside as the portal swung open. $After !ou.$ $>adies first $ I riposted% there was no telling what might be waiting inside. 1elicia laughed. $3ou ha#en$t changed a bit $ she said more accuratel! than she "new and led the wa! into the room be!ond. After ta"ing a couple of paces she glanced bac" at me a challenging smile on her lips. $Come on then. As !ou$#e come all this wa! !ou might as well see what we$#e managed to put together.$ $,ait here +urgen $ I said *uietl!. 1or one thing I$d feel a lot happier with him watching m! bac" and for another the :hadowlight had alwa!s lost its power whene#er he$d got close to it. :o far as I was aware no one here "new he was a blan" and that was a secret I was determined to "eep partl! because Amberle! would get seriousl! snitt! if her most precious asset became public "nowledge' and partl! because if I did end up ha#ing to steal the blood! thing to "eep it safe I didn$t want to blow the main ad#antage we had which was that no one here "new +urgen could handle it safel! without ta"ing all "inds of special precautions. 34" Annoyed, most certainly: I do not, nor ever have, become !snitty!@: $Coming $ I replied entering the chamber behind her then stopped still staring in wonderment. 1or the first time in sixt! !ears I was close enough to the :hadowlight to ha#e reached out and touched it but ' was so astonished b! what else was in the room that I barel! noticed.

FOURTEEN $,E>>)$ 1elicia as"ed stepping aside to afford me a better #iew. $,hat do !ou thin")$ $I$m not sure $ I admitted cautiousl! ta"ing another step forward to stand beside her. 2indful of the nausea which had assailed me whene#er I$d got too close to the :hadowlight before not to mention the mess that was left of ?illian after he$d fallen under its baleful influence I still "ept a fair amount of distance between me and it though !ou can be sure of that. &o m! faint surprise I still felt no ill effects but determined not to push m! luc" ad#anced no further. $,hat$s that thing it$s standing on)$ $,e$re still not entirel! sure $ 1elicia ac"nowledged cheerfull! $but it$s impressi#e isn$t it)$ $Impressi#e is hardl! the word $ I agreed as le#ell! as I could. &errif!ing would be closer to the mar" if !ou as"ed me. &he whole thing seemed utterl! unnatural and I could practicall! feel the presence of the warp in the room with us coiling about the artefact li"e a serpent preparing to stri"e. 5ut I$m getting ahead of m!self% I suppose I should ha#e started out b! describing the thing. ,ithout setting down the unsettling effect that the sight of it had on me first howe#er it would be difficult to con#e! how profoundl! disconcerting it was to loo" upon% something no mere description of its ph!sical form could possibl! hope to do. &he first thing ' recognised was the :hadowlight of course still loo"ing li"e a slab of polished stone roughl! the si(e of a data0slate into which light seemed to fall li"e water into a sponge. &his time howe#er it was resting in a narrow slot cut into the top of a pedestal of shining cr!stal which held it upright more or less le#el with m! belt buc"le surrounded b! three polished spheres of some strange blue mineral which loo"ed uncannil! li"e solid water roughl! the si(e of m! fist. &hese all rested in circular depressions in the glowing surface of the cr!stal pillar% other holes identical in si(e and shape were left #acant and I pointed them out more to show I was pa!ing attention than because I expected to understand what the! meant. $>oo"s li"e !ou$#e got a few more of those ball things to find before !ou can complete the set $ I said. $-m $ 1elicia replied. $,e thought that too at first but then we realised the spheres are controls of some "ind. >oo".$ 5efore I could protest she$d reached out with a mechadendrite and pluc"ed one from its resting place depositing it in another depression close to its original position. I couldn$t ha#e said wh! exactl! but m! s"in pric"led as though there was a static charge in the air and for a moment I felt a faint throbbing against the inside of m! temples li"e the ghostl! presentiment of a forthcoming headache. $,hat did !ou do)$ I as"ed fighting the impulse to draw m! weapons again in response to the air of untrammelled sorcer! which had suddenl! permeated the room. 1elicia shrugged. $I ha#en$t the faintest idea $ she said. $5ut it$s interesting don$t !ou thin")$ &he soft refulgence of the cr!stal pillar had changed faint bands of colour rippling in the whiteness of it li"e the patterns on a large bod! of water at sunset. &he effect was almost h!pnotic and I dragged m! e!es awa! with an effort feeling the baleful influence of the warp reaching out for me through the strange de#ice. It seemed incredible that 1elicia hadn$t felt it too but she seemed completel! unconcerned4

probabl! because b! now she was more machine than human and accordingl! less sensiti#e to the presence of the abnatural. $,e "now that the :hadowlight could boost ps!chic powers all on its own $ I said conscious that I was prattling to tr! and calm m! own ner#es and uncomfortabl! aware that the tech0priest "new me well enough to ha#e probabl! noticed the fact. $&hat$s right we do.$ :he nodded in agreement. $:o far as we$#e been able to determine it collects and focuses energ! directl! from the emp!rean presumabl! for the rest of the s!stem to ma"e use of.$ $,hich ma"es it dangerous enough .ust on its own $ I said. $5elie#e me I$#e seen what that lump of roc" can do and it isn$t prett!.$ $I don$t doubt that $ 1elicia replied dr!l!. $I$#e read the report of how !ou helped reco#er it'.$ 34" A somewhat abridged version, anyway ' there were certain aspects of our activities on )eririmunda which our Adeptus 5echanicus partners in the pro+ect most definitely didn!t need to now": $&hen !ou$ll "now I$#e got #alid grounds for concern $ I shot bac" ta"ing in the rest of our surroundings for the first time. &he peculiar xenos de#ice had naturall! attracted the bul" of m! attention but now I became aware that the walls were co#ered with flat shards of stone polished almost as smooth as the :hadowlight but than" the Emperor without an! sign of its more unsettling properties. Each was co#ered in angular scratches which I felt #aguel! repelled b! without e#er *uite being able to put m! finger on wh! that might be. I wal"ed across to examine the nearest not because I was particularl! interested but because it ga#e me a reasonable excuse to put a bit of distance between m!self and the :hadowlight. $,hat are these)$ $&he instruction manual we thin" $ 1elicia said staring at them with a peculiar expression I can onl! describe as $hungr!$ on her face. 7At least as much of her face as was still capable of expression of course.8 $5ut it$s not been that eas! to translate.$ $I imagine not $ I replied remembering the comments that 2ott Amberle!$s sa#ant had made about the enigmatic records during our pursuit of the artefact on Peririmunda. A few similar finds had been made on worlds across the entire breadth of the galax! I recalled #aguel! left b! a ci#ilisation which had been gone for aeons e#en before humanit! first e#ol#ed bac" on the prime#al plains of -ol! &erra but without an! common frame of reference #er! little progress had been made in translating them '. :truc" b! m! earlier thought that the onl! sur#i#ing presence from those da!s which we still "new about was the necrons I loo"ed at the slab a little more closel! finding to m! inexpressible relief no trace of the peculiar tracer! of circles and lines which seems to ser#e those hellspawned machine creatures as some "ind of scriptG. 34" And what meaning has been assigned to some of the symbols is con+ectural at best": 38" Although, given their fixity of purpose, and apparent lac of free will, why they would bother writing anything down is beyond me": $:o !ou still ha#en$t got a clue what this thing$s for $ I concluded and 1elicia shrugged. $I wouldn$t sa! that exactl! $ she replied in a manner which in most people I would ha#e found distinctl! e#asi#e $but I thin" !ou need to tal" to the rest of the team before I tell !ou an! more. &he situation here$s a bit complicated.$ $Of course it is $ I said sighing. 1or a moment I was almost nostalgic for m! !outhful da!s of dodging or"s across the landscape of Perlia which though unpleasant

enough at the time had at least been straightforward% all I$d had to worr! about then was going as fast as possible and shooting e#er!thing green I came across along the wa!. $,ell then I suppose we$d better get to it $ 1elicia said turning awa! from the infernal de#ice at last and leading the wa! towards the door. I followed as *uic"l! as I decentl! could inhaling the familiar odour of festering soc"s and unwashed hair almost gratefull! as I gained the corridor and the closing portal finall! cut off the sight of that balefull! glowing pedestal. $Commissar.$ +urgen greeted me his melta still held read! for action to m! mingled relief and amusement. Clearl! despite the unexpected appearance of an old friend he was unwilling to discount the possibilit! of further trouble before we left. Cuite wisel! too in m! opinion% e#er!one here would be well aware of what had happened the last time an in*uisitor had demanded access to the :hadowlight and would no doubt be on their guard for the slightest sign of treacher! from either of us. Not that we had an! intention of tr!ing to sei(e the wretched thing b! force of course particularl! after seeing how bul"! the assembled mechanism was now but it$s what I$d be thin"ing in their position so I could hardl! blame them if the! were as paranoid as I am. $E#er!thing all right)$ $9p to a point $ I told him carefull!. $2o#ing it would no longer appear to be a realistic option.$ Not now that Orelius and his ship along with the hea#! lifting ser#itors from the cargo holds we$d ha#e needed to lug the wretched thing about in the first place were well out of the s!stem and high0tailing it along the warp currents to where#er he was due to meet Amberle!'. 34" 1oid station 0elta (igma Novem, if anybody cares": O#erhearing the exchange 1elicia loo"ed smug. $I$#e set up a meeting in the conference room $ she said although how she$d managed that while we$d been together I had no idea% presumabl! she had some "ind of internal #ox unit which she$d been able to use during our con#ersation in spite of the distraction that must ha#e afforded. 7,hen I as"ed her later she said it was something to do with her cerebral implants which let her thin" about a multitude of things at the same time% a sacrament she referred to as $multitas"ing$.8' 34" (omething most women have been perfectly able to do since the dawn of history in any case, much to the bemusement of men": $6ood $ I replied mas"ing m! surprise as best I could. &he sooner we get things sorted out here the better.$ $/o !ou want me to accompan! !ou sir)$ +urgen as"ed and I shoo" m! head. $5est to sta! outside and watch the door $ I told him tactfull!. I was going to ha#e to wor" hard enough to bring the people here onside as it was and ha#ing m! aide at m! shoulder brandishing a melta was hardl! going to help win their confidence. $,e won$t want to be disturbed while we$re discussing things.$ $Cuite so $ 1elicia agreed "eeping the fleshl! part of her face completel! deadpan. After a few more words of little conse*uence she led me along a corridor I didn$t recognise 7but then I hadn$t explored much of the underground complex when we first disco#ered it and I was certain that it had been considerabl! enlarged in the eight! !ears or so since m! last #isit% something about the echoes and the circulation of the air felt different to m! hi#er$s instincts8 e#entuall! fetching up in front of a polished wooden door. &his alone was enough to tell me that we$d crossed o#er into the In*uisition side of the complex as cogbo!s prefer the all0metal loo" when it comes to matters of interior design and I began to breathe a little more easil!. I might not be about to find allies here

but at least the! should be willing to listen to what I had to sa!. I left +urgen outside accompanied b! a couple of hellgun0toting s"itarii 7who were probabl! wishing the! had augmetic noses b! now to go with the ocular implants the! both sported8 which left me in little doubt that at least the 2echanicus side of the partnership still harboured misgi#ings about the purit! of our intentions. 1elicia barel! glanced at the scarlet0uniformed troopers before pushing the doors open and in#iting me inside though so perhaps the guards were simpl! meant as a courtes! after all'. 34" (omehow, I doubt that": 2! first impression was a mixed one of both familiarit! and oddness. &he basic la!out of the room was con#entional enough with a long table down the centre flan"ed b! chairs and a crimson carpet on the floor into which the familiar barred I of the in*uisition had been wor"ed in gre! surrounded b! the cogwheel of the Adeptus 2echanicus in white. Instead of wood howe#er the table was of burnished bron(e with the interlin"ed sigils engra#ed into its upper surface chased in gold. &he onl! wooden furniture in the room was a small side table containing a sil#er tra! on which a couple of decanters and a handful of cr!stal goblets stood in#itingl! and a lac*uered cabinet in which the mingled s!mbols of the two institutions had been incorporated and which long experience of such places led me to belie#e was the normal resting place of the drin"s. &he seats around the table were of metal but those on one side had been pro#ided with cushions so e#en if the room were empt! I would ha#e been able to deduce *uite easil! that these were the ones generall! used b! the In*uisition delegates to the partnership. In fact though it was prett! ob#ious which parties habituall! sat where since most of the seats were occupied. As 1elicia and I entered the chamber a do(en faces glanced up in our direction% those on the left showing clear signs of augmetic enhancement those on the right generall! unmodified but almost as unreadable. All but one of the 2echanicus delegation were wearing the white robes of their calling of course but none that I could see were as elaboratel! ornamented as 1elicia$s so it hardl! surprised me when the! nodded in unison with a respectful murmur of $2agos $ and she too" her place at the head of the table. &here wasn$t a chair there but it didn$t seem to bother her% another habit she seemed to ha#e retained from the da!s when I$d "nown her rather better was to perch on the mechadendrite attached to the bottom of her spine using it as a ma"eshift seat. $3ou told me !ou weren$t in charge here $ I said easil! circling the table to get to the drin"s. 1or one thing I needed one after all the excitement since our arri#al and for another it ga#e me a chance to stud! the other people in the room without appearing to stall for time. I wouldn$t be able to tell much about most of them of course but if I could pic" out a few indi#iduals I could read easil! it would help me to get a feel for how well the meeting was going. Or "nowing m! luc" how badl!. $I$m not $ 1elicia said. $I$m super#ising the technotheological side of the enterprise but this concilium sets matters of polic! and the In*uisition scribes ta"e care of the paperwor".$ &he tech0priests were all loo"ing at me blan"l! with about as much expression as a necron but the single exception on that side of the table I$d noticed before a dar"0 haired man in the crimson uniform of a s"itarii officer was ga(ing in m! direction with an air of war! respect no doubt aware of m! reputation. I nodded an affable greeting which after a moment he returned% that was a good sign so I made a show of pouring

m!self a measure of the rather indifferent amasec the decanter had disappointingl! turned out to contain 7after all m! !ears as an occasional associate of Amberle!$s entourage I$d got used to the idea that In*uisition operati#es tended to ma"e the most of life$s little luxuries8' and smiled at the assembled compan! in the open and friendl! fashion I was so good at feigning. $An!one else li"e one while I$m up)$ I as"ed. 34" And why not, since life turns out to be depressingly short for so many of them": No one did so I made for one of the #acant seats on the In*uisition side of the line. I$d alread! as good as declared m! co#ert allegiance to the organisation in an! case so there was no point in dissembling further and there was no seat on the onl! neutral table edge opposite 1elicia an!how. I too" the closest empt! chair to where she was sitting partl! because it was ob#ious that her opinion would ha#e a great deal of influence on the assembled tech0priests and partl! because that placed me as far as possible from the !oung man with the glass! expression and the unrul! thatch of brown hair sitting almost opposite the s"itarii captain. I$d met enough ps!"ers in m! life to be war! of them e#en a sanctionite as he clearl! was. +ust as well I$d left +urgen outside I thought. $In case !ou don$t "now $ 1elicia said with .ust enough seriousness for me to be sure that she was treating m! presence here as a bit of a .o"e again $this is m! old friend Ciaphas Cain. -ero of the Imperium >iberator of Perlia all that stuff !ou see on the statue plinths.$ :he coc"ed her head *ui((icall!. $And apparentl! a co#ert acol!te wor"ing for In*uisitor Vail. Care to clarif! that commissar)$ $As much as I can $ I said doing the open honest face again. I was well aware of how much the In*uisition group would en.o! their little cloa" and dagger games and how fiercel! the!$d .oc"e! for position in their shadow! hierarch! so it would be as well to hint that I "new stuff the! weren$t pri#! to. $&hough I$m not reall! an acol!te as such. In*uisitor Vail$s a personal friend and I$#e occasionall! been in a position to help her out a bit that$s all.$ &he hard0faced man on m! left nodded thoughtfull! clearl! con#inced that I was far deeper into the inner m!steries of the Ordo ;enos than he was. $?nowing this her last emissar! as"ed me to pic" up where he left off when he was forced to lea#e the s!stem during the first incursion.$ $I$#e read the report $ -ard0face said e#enl!. After a moment he stuc" out a hand. $As we seem to be s"ipping the introductions I$m &erie 2a"an head of pro.ect securit!.$ -e exchanged an aw"ward loo" with the s"itarii officer. $On the In*uisition side ob#iousl!. Captain 3ait( handles things for the 2echanicus.$ $:ieur 2a"an.$ I shoo" his hand ad.usting the smile a little. &he loo" that passed between the two men had told me a good deal mainl! that the! were willing to co0operate with each other but with a certain degree of reser#ation on both sides. &o e#er!one$s surprise I then nodded to 3ait( down the length of the table. $Captain 3ait(. I loo" forward to wor"ing more closel! with the two of !ou.$ &heir almost identical expressions of surprise told me that this was an e*uall! unexpected de#elopment for both men. $Are we to infer from that remar" that the ridiculous idea !our rogue trader friend proposed has been shel#ed)$ one of the tech0priests as"ed. I nodded. $2agos &a!ber has been good enough to show me the assembled artefact $ ' said 1elicia$s formal title sounding slightl! strange issuing from m! own mouth. $It$s *uite clear to me that there$s no realistic prospect of remo#ing it to a safer location now at least in the time we ha#e a#ailable.$ A mingled air of relief and smugness

began to radiate from the cogbo! side of the table and a faint tingle of alarm began to manifest o#er in the In*uisition section. $&hen we need to ta"e steps to ensure its securit! $ 2a"an said loo"ing uncomfortabl! li"e a man who$s .ust bitten his own tongue. $Precisel! wh! I$m here $ I assured him. $,hate#er happens we must "eep the :hadowlight out of Varan$s hands. E#en if that means destro!ing it oursel#es.$ I half expected the room to erupt at that point but instead all I could hear was the faint hiss of indrawn breath from around the table. 7,ell most of the table. I suspect some of the tech0priests were be!ond such human frailties as breathing.8 $&hat would be #er! much our last resort of course $ I said after a moment and e#er!one relaxed again. $I$m not entirel! sure that we could destro! it e#en if we wanted to $ one of the tech0priests #entured after a moment. $It$s alread! sur#i#ed aeons of geological uphea#al without so much as a scratch. I hardl! thin" a con#entional explosion would do it much harm.$ $?illian seemed to thin" a plasma bolt might hurt it $ I #entured hopefull!. $?illian was an imbecile $ 2a"an said which seemed to be something e#er!one agreed on In*uisition and 2echanicus ali"e. $-e didn$t ha#e the faintest conception of what he was dealing with.$ $>unatics seldom do $ I pointed out e#enl!. $,hich brings us bac" to the Chaos horde about to descend on this planet. &he!$re about as mad as !ou can get b! definition and !ou can be sure Varan won$t hesitate to muc" about with the thing if he manages to get his hands on it$ I paused. $And e#en if b! some miracle he does resist the temptation Abaddon most certainl! won$t.$ $&he /espoiler)$ &he !oung ps!"er spo"e for the first time his #oice faintl! reed! as though listening to some distant music in his head. $3ou thin" he has a direct hand in this)$ ,ho "nows)$ I shrugged tr!ing to seem bluff and businessli"e and mas" the terror which had almost o#erwhelmed me at the thought of attracting the attention of the worst piece of wal"ing male#olence to hit the galax! since -orus$s da!. $Varan undoubtedl! answers to him at an! rate. All the warmasters do.$ $&rue.$ 3ait( nodded in agreement. $&he one ad#antage we still ha#e is that the!$re presumabl! unaware of the de#ice$s existence.$ $9nfortunatel! that might not be the case $ I said pro#o"ing another windstorm of wordless consternation around the table. $Our best intelligence would indicate that Perlia has been deliberatel! targeted b! Varan$s flotilla. No one in the defence force has an! idea wh! but I thin" we all "now what there is here which would tempt a raiding force to cross almost the entire galax! in an attempt to reach it.$ $5ut how could the! "now about the :hadowlight)$ 3ait( as"ed with a pointed loo" at 2a"an. $It$s supposed to be one of the most securel! "ept secrets in the segmentum.$ $It is.$ &he securit! man nodded bris"l!. $5ut secrets ha#e an uncomfortable habit of getting out. Innumerable people ha#e rotated through here in the last few hundred !ears from both our institutions. It would onl! ta"e one to let something slip or fall into the hands of the enem!.$ $I can assure !ou no ser#ant of the Omnissiah would e#er be so indiscreet $ 3ait(

said frostil!. $2! mone!$s on ?illian $ I said stepping in *uic"l! to defuse the incipient argument. In fact I had no idea how the secret had got out nor did I particularl! care but I$d been a commissar long enough to "now that di#ision in our own ran"s would be worth an extra compan! of traitor marines to the enem!. $-e was sponsoring a Chaos cult on Pererimunda to recruit potential ps!"ers for his lunatic scheme. If an! of them sur#i#ed the purges the! could ha#e spread the word.$ &o m! relief e#er!one around the table seemed to be bu!ing it accepting ?illian as the designated scapegoat without further argument. $,hat reall! worries me is the prospect of Varan or Abaddon or an!one else for that matter pic"ing up where he left off. &he! wouldn$t hesitate to turn out w!rds in industrial *uantities if the! could and Emperor alone "nows how much harm that could do.$ $It would destro! the galax! $ the !oung ps!"er said *uietl! his #oice somehow resonating all the more for its lac" of #olume. $2aster :parsen ma! be exaggerating $ 2a"an began $but...$ $I$m not exaggerating in the least $ the pale !oung man I assured him. $&he power of the warp would flow through them untrammelled b! the wards the blessing of the Emperor places in the minds of his true ser#ants. Aside from the harm the!$d do directl! man! would become possessed b! daemons and worse allowing the full horrors of the emp!rean to rampage unchec"ed among the stars. ,ithin two generations the E!e of &error would grow to swallow us all.$ -is #oice was no louder than before but it was the expression of absolute horror on his face that con#inced me. -ere was a man who ga(ed into the depths of the warp on a dail! basis and wouldn$t be lightl! mo#ed b! what he saw there and he was clearl! con#inced that he spo"e no more than the literal truth. $&hen let$s ma"e sure it doesn$t come to that $ 1elicia said calml! and the !oung ps!"er nodded. $&hat would be best $ he said *uietl!. $If we can$t remo#e the :hadowlight and we can$t destro! it we$ll .ust ha#e to ma"e sure the enem! can$t get their hands on it $ I said e#enl!. $Captain 3ait( perhaps we could confer afterwards about our options for defending this installation. I$m sure !ou ha#e some ideas in that regard.$ $I do.$ 3ait( nodded. $And I$m sure !our own experience of engaging the enem! here would pro#e in#aluable in assessing them. 3ou probabl! ha#e some suggestions of !our own too.$ $,ell I suppose we could blow up the dam again $ I said being careful to inflect the remar" li"e a .o"e $but I suspect the!$ll be read! for that.$ I "now I would be if I$d heard about the earlier battle on this site and if Varan and his confederates hadn$t alread! the! certainl! would do almost as soon as the! set foot on Perlia. Cain$s >ast :tand as the locals both flatteringl! and erroneousl! insist on calling the engagement is a legend on this generall! rather dull little world and has spawned innumerable boo"s pict dramas holos and picturestrips each one more exaggerated and inaccurate than the last. $,e$ll set some demo charges an!wa! $ 1elicia said decisi#el! ta"ing me abac" rather gi#en how stropp! she$d been the first time I$d breached the dam. It seemed that time and greater responsibilit! had grafted a stronger strea" of pragmatism into her along with all the augmetic .un". $If the!$re dumb enough to fall for it again we might as

well be prepared to ta"e ad#antage of the fact.$ :he ga(ed le#ell! at the assembled tech0 priests as if waiting for a challenge to her authorit!. None of them spo"e but most of them were dearl! far from happ! at the prospect. $,e can alwa!s build another dam but there$s onl! one :hadowlight.$ &han" the Emperor $ I muttered rather more loudl! than I$d intended and turned to 2a"an. $I$d li"e !ou to sit in on the discussion too $ I added. $I$m sure !ou$#e done a thorough threat assessment which ought to co#er most of the li"el! scenarios.$ $E#er!thing from the or"s coming bac" to a hrud migration $ he assured me $or a coup d$etat b! tau0bac"ed secessionists. >ines of approach infiltration of the staff b! enem! s!mpathisers !ou name it.$ Aware of the hard stares being directed at him from all *uarters of the room he shrugged defiantl!. $I$m not sa!ing an!one is a traitor .ust that I$#e drawn up contingenc! plans for dealing with that possibilit! along with an!thing else I could thin" of. It$s m! .ob.$ $,hich we should all than" the Emperor !ou ta"e as seriousl! as !ou so clearl! do $ I put in smoothing o#er the aw"ward moment as effortlessl! as m! training and lifetime of experience allowed me to. $/oes an!one else ha#e an!thing to add that might be useful)$ $Onl! that the completed de#ice is far more than a ps!chic amplifier $ 1elicia put in. :he glanced around the table waiting for a challenge again and relaxed almost imperceptibl! when one failed to materialise. &he next time she spo"e it was directl! to me. $,e$re still far from understanding its true purpose but we are beginning to form some tentati#e conclusions.$ $&hat$s right $ another of the tech0priests chimed in. $As 2agos &a!ber might ha#e explained alread! the :hadowlight component draws directl! on the power of the warp which appears to be wh! it can boost or acti#ate latent ps!chic abilities.$ $:he has $ I confirmed. $6o on.$ &he rest of the de#ice seems to be a s!stem for focussing that energ! $ 1elicia said gi#ing her tal"ati#e underling the sort of loo" I used to reser#e for 6unner Ehrlsen m! most regular disciplinar! problem bac" in the relati#el! carefree da!s I$d spent in the 'Gth 1ield Artiller!. $,hat it was originall! intended to achie#e we$re still not entirel! sure but if we$re right it can alter the #er! fabric of realit!.$ $-ol! &hroneH$ I said in#oluntaril! seeing :parsen$s horrif!ing #ision of the future suddenl! transformed into a relati#el! optimistic picture b! comparison. Instead of ta"ing the better part of a centur! to annihilate the galax! it seemed the :hadowlight could do the .ob in little more than an e!e blin" if it fell into the wrong hands. ,hate#er 1elicia might ha#e to sa! about it or Amberle! too come to that I determined then and there to find some wa! of destro!ing the cursed thing before it was too late. $,h! would an!one build a monstrosit! li"e that)$ $Out of fear $ another In*uisitorial delegate chimed in. :he was a sharp0featured !oung woman in the habit of a sister of the Ordo /ialogus presumabl! charged with the than"less tas" of ma"ing some "ind of sense of the chic"en scratches I$d obser#ed on the tablets lining the walls of the chamber in which the :hadowlight now resided. $,e "now from some of the fragments reco#ered at other sites across the galax! that the Ancients were at war. ,ho or what with we ha#e no idea although some scholars ha#e speculated that the character most fre*uentl! associated with the enem! can be transliterated into 6othic as Fatarn or C!tan.$

$Ne#er heard of them $ I said with some relief4 at least it wasn$t the damned necrons. $5oth sides appear to ha#e been wiped out in the war $ the sister said. $Complete mutual annihilation. Onl! the occasional relic of the Ancients sur#i#es and nothing at all of the C!tan'. 5ut there are legends among the eldar which might possibl! ha#e their roots in that conflict. Of course the point!0eared limpwrists are too far up their own fundaments to share an! useful "nowledge with us lesser breeds but we ha#e managed to find a few bits of information which might be rele#ant through some rather unorthodox channels.$ 34" Cnfortunately, in the light of more recent events, this no longer appears to be the case": 2eaning In*uisition assets presumabl!. It wasn$t entirel! un"nown for indi#idual eldar to co0operate with members of the Ordo ;enos on #er! rare occasions4 Amberle! spo"e their tongue tolerabl! well and I recalled her mentioning that she$d learned it on one such enterprise the details of which she ne#er confided in me' so I assumed that the forthright sister had been able to ma"e use of some similar line of contact. :he$d probabl! get on well with +ulien I thought fleetingl! before returning m! mind to more pressing concerns. 34" *ith very good reason& anyone with sufficiently high clearance may find the details in the restricted archives of the 0amocles Conclave, filed as $he (tanvind Affair": $Information about the :hadowlight)$ I ha(arded more to gi#e the impression that I was still on top of things than because I expected to be able to understand the answer. $Possibl! $ the sharp0featured sister said. $According to some rather obscure passages in the Day of Felce the Ancients ma! ha#e attempted to tap into the power of the warp directl! in an attempt to defend themsel#es against their enemies. :ome eldar scholars e#en belie#e that it was this which first unleashed the curse of Chaos on the galax!.$ $A far0fetched piece of speculation which :ister Rosetta seems to ta"e considerabl! more seriousl! than it warrants $ 1elicia said firml! recei#ing a most unbeatific glare in return. $6i#en how old and powerful the artefact undoubtedl! is it would be unwise in the extreme to ignore the possibilit! that$s all I$m sa!ing $ Rosetta said with the air of someone who said it *uite often. As I considered the full import of her words I felt m! bowels turn to water and had to muster all m! willpower not to let m! consternation show on m! face. +ust when I$d been thin"ing the situation couldn$t possibl! get an! worse too. $It seems to me that whether it$s true or not !ou should be proceeding with the utmost caution $ I said carefull!. $/on$t worr! we are $ 1elicia assured me bree(il! which signall! failed to ma"e me feel an! better. I "new her headstrong strea" of old and had little doubt that if all seemed lost she$d ta"e a chance on acti#ating the thing .ust to see what happened. ,orse still Emperor help me I$d probabl! let her if there seemed to be the slightest chance that it might wor". ,ell that was a problem for another da!. Right now as 1elicia had pointed out bac" on the pia((a so soon after our arri#al +urgen and I had a war to get bac" to. I nodded thoughtfull!. $It seems to me then that we$d best lea#e !ou to !our researches.$ After all the! hadn$t managed to blow up the galax! so far despite decades

of doing their best and if there was e#en the remotest chance that 1elicia and her people could find a wa! of using the de#ice reasonabl! safel! against our enemies we might still be desperate enough to tr! it once the in#asion started. E#en if there wasn$t it would "eep them occupied and out from under m! feet. I glanced at 2a"an and 3ait( as I rose. $I presume there$s somewhere we can thrash out our defensi#e strategies without bothering e#er!one else gentlemen)$ And get +urgen out of the corridor before :parsen encountered him more to the point. $2! office is nearest $ 2a"an said clearl! prepared for an ob.ection from his opposite number but 3ait( simpl! nodded his agreement. $It would sa#e a little time $ he conceded e#identl! prepared to co0operate to the best of his abilit!. $6ood $ I said in m! best Cain the -ero manner. $&hen let$s get to it.$ I nodded at 1elicia. $No doubt I$ll see !ou again before we lea#e.$ $3ou will if !ou don$t want to wal" bac" to Chilin#ale $ she agreed cheerfull!. $&hat car of !ours loo"s as though it$s going to be difficult to start.$

Editorial Note: Evidently Cain, or, more li ely, ;urgen, did manage to find some form of transport, because by the time his narrative resumes his ostensible tour of inspection has concluded" $ypically, he is as vague as ever about the passage of time, but from other references in the text we can infer that roughly three days have passed in the interim"

FIFTEEN $>E& 2E 6E& this straight $ Visiter said with an air of #ague bafflement. ,e were standing on the schola$s shuttle pad our #oices sufficientl! muffled b! the roar of the A*uila$s engines as :prie powered them up in preparation for ta"e0off to render the con#ersation as proof against ea#esdropping as I felt able to contri#e which was wh! I$d gone to see the Commodore off in the first place. At our last strateg! meeting he$d argued *uite forcefull! that there was no point in him attempting to co0ordinate a war in space from down here on the ground and accordingl! was preparing to ta"e up residence aboard one of the :/1 gunboats which had put in for supplies .ust in time to find itself unexpectedl! promoted to the flagship of Visiter$s ma"eshift space fleet. $3ou$re plannin$ to e#acuate the schola to some 2echanicus shrine in the middle of nowhere)$ $I$m hoping it won$t come to that $ I told him truthfull! enough. $5ut if we do ha#e to cut and run there won$t be a lot of choice about where to go. It$s remote enough for the enem! to ha#e trouble catching up and it$s ground I$#e fought o#er before which gi#es us as much of an ad#antage as we$re li"el! to get.$ I could hardl! tell him the real reason I wanted to concentrate as man! of our forces in the Valle! of /aemons as I could was to defend a secret In*uisition facilit! so had decided that this was a reasonable excuse for ma"ing it our fallbac" position. Certainl! the battle plan I$d managed to coo" up with 3ait( and 2a"an$s help made it seem readil! defensible which went some wa! towards casting a sheen of #erisimilitude o#er our necessar! deception. $1air point $ Visiter conceded. -e put down the "itbag that up until that point he$d been carr!ing o#er his shoulder and rummaged inside it for a data0slate. $I$#e managed to put an e#acuation plan together in case !ou do ha#e to pull out.$ -e "ic"ed a couple of files across to m! own slate which I resol#ed to peruse at the earliest opportunit! and glanced at the A*uila$s coc"pit behind the armourcr!s windshield of which the redheaded na#al cadet could be discerned still wor"ing methodicall! through his pre0 flight chec"s. $6ood luc" to !ou all.$ $And to !ou $ I replied sincerel!. Preparing to go into battle inside a thin shell of metal surrounded b! an almost infinite amount of nothing at all has alwa!s struc" me as a reall! bad idea but it was ob#ious from his bod! language that Visiter couldn$t wait to get bac" aboard a ship e#en one as fragile and undergunned as a s!stem defence boat% but then I suppose he$d got used to shipboard life during his long and illustrious career with the Na#! and settling down on a planet somewhere had gi#en him itch! feet '. $&he Emperor protects.$ 34" In fact 1isiter was void born, which might have accounted for his eagerness to get bac into space": I trotted out the tired old formula b! rote without e#en thin"ing then found m!self hoping that in this particular instance it would turn out to be true. Visiter saluted shouldered his ditt! bag' again and wal"ed up the ramp as I returned the gesture. Once he was inside and out of sight I turned awa! retreating to a safe distance while the A*uila lifted and watched it rise until it was little more than a fast0mo#ing dot against the clear mountain s"!. 34" A naval term for a itbag& it!s not in use among the Imperial .uard, so presumably Cain pic ed it up from 1isiter": $One down $ I told m!self and went to loo" for Ror"ins. &he schola had become e#en more infused with militant purposefulness than usual in m! absence and if it hadn$t

been for the !outhfulness of most of the faces I passed I might almost ha#e been bac" on an Imperial 6uard post somewhere. E#en the !oungest residents were preparing as best the! could learning to fold bandages and recharge ammo pac"s although se#eral of them seemed distinctl! disappointed that the! wouldn$t be allowed to carr! guns% desperate as we were we hadn$t *uite reached the stage where arming fi#e0!ear0olds seemed li"e a particularl! good idea. $Commissar.$ 2a"lin was approaching me a data0slate in his hand and an air of eager expectation ho#ering about him. $I$#e got the tactical updates !ou as"ed for.$ $6ood.$ I too" the slate without loo"ing at it as there would be time to wade through the details later and gestured for the cadet to wal" with me. $,hat$s the bottom line)$ I too" it for granted that he$d ha#e s"immed through the files before bringing them to me in the expectation that I$d as" for a summar! and I wasn$t disappointed% li"e all of them he was learning fast. $Our state of readiness has impro#ed $ he said cautiousl! with the air of someone refraining from adding $but...$ I nodded and did it for him. $5ut that$s not sa!ing a lot $ I said. $I$m afraid so $ 2a"lin agreed. $2ost of the P/1 are as prepared as the!$re e#er going to be in the time we$#e got but the #ast ma.orit! are still undertrained and undere*uipped. And the! loo" li"e stormtroopers compared to the militia.$ $I don$t doubt that $ I said then sensing that his mood had dar"ened I clapped him on the bac". $>uc"il! the!$#e got us to "eep them up to the mar". 3ou$ll ha#e more than earned !our sash b! the time this is o#er I$m sure.$ 1or a moment I thought the faintl! goof! grin on his face meant that I$d successfull! boosted his morale then I followed the direction of his ga(e. $Cain. :een the commodore off !et)$ :ister +ulien as"ed. :he was in full powered armour again leading a group of her most senior no#ices in the battered practice sets towards the firing range. &he contrast between the scarred and pitted ceramite on which #oti#e icons were still #isible despite decades of being bashed about and the fresh complexions of the teenage girls wearing them was mar"ed and rather poignant% I found m!self thin"ing the! should ha#e been worr!ing about acne and scrumball at that age not how to field strip a bolter and the best wa! of disembowelling a heretic with their sarissas. $+ust now $ I said glancing up at the faint contrail mar"ing the shuttle$s passage towards orbit. $,ell good luc" to him $ +ulien said ma"ing the sign of the a*uila. $-e$s going to need e#er! bit of it $ I agreed. I$d had ?a!la anal!sing the intelligence Orelius had supplied about the si(e and disposition of the enem! fleet which had pro#en to be e#er! bit as #ague as he$d intimated but which was at least better than nothing and e#en her most optimistic estimate of the forces now ranged against us was far larger than an!thing Visiter might be able to bring to battle. ,e$d .ust ha#e to hope that the hit and run tactics he$d ad#ocated would turn out to be effecti#e. $I see !ou ha#en$t been idle while I$#e been awa! either.$ $,e$#e done our best $ +ulien said. $&he schola was designed to be defensible of course but not against a full0scale planetar! assault.$ &o 2a"lin$s e#ident delight she fell in at m! shoulder continuing to tal" on the mo#e and her gaggle of charges followed with a clattering of armoured boots and a whining of ser#os that echoed from the walls

surrounding us. $Visiter$s gi#en us an exit strateg! $ I said $in case we need it.$ No point !et in sa!ing that I thought we would as filling the Valle! of /aemons with troops too earl! would be tantamount to holding up a sign sa!ing $It$s O#er -ereH$ when the enem! arri#ed. $6ood.$ +ulien nodded and bounded o#er a sandbagged autocannon emplacement which had narrowed the entrance to one of the inner court!ards to a cho"e point landing with a clatter li"e someone dropping a plateful of ri#ets. Probabl! ne#er ha#ing seen an expert in power armour using the enhanced strength and agilit! it ga#e them and certainl! not with such casual ease 2a"lin$s .aw dropped though not nearl! as much as those of the arbites cadets manning the thing as the Celestian soared o#er their heads. &o m! relief and e#identl! that of the arbitrator cadets man*uM her charges declined to follow filing through the gap in good order. $,e can hold out here indefinitel! against ci#il disorder or an unrul! mob but a determined assault b! disciplined troops would be another matter entirel!.$ $Cuite so $ I said as we reached the archwa! on the far side of the *uadrangle. Our paths di#erged here but she hesitated clearl! intent on prolonging the con#ersation. $2on!"a $ +ulien called. One of the no#itiates her face lightl! dusted with frec"les bro"e off from a con#ersation with 2a"lin and glanced in the sister$s direction manifestl! unsure of whether her drifting attention merited a rebu"e. $3ou$re in charge. &wice round the assault course then on to the firing range. I$ll .oin !ou in a moment.$ @3es sister.$ Clearl! unable to belie#e her luc" in being presented with a chance to show off in front of 2a"lin 2on!"a bec"oned the rest of the group forward. ,ith a chorus of shrie"s and !ells which wouldn$t ha#e disgraced an or" mob though in a much higher register the whole pac" of them bounded awa! towards the butts. $,ell I don$t "now how the enem! will react to a charge li"e that $ I said e#entuall! $but the! terrif! me.$ $2e too $ +ulien said but the bantering tone in her #oice sounded a lot more forced than mine did. 7&hen again I$d had a lot more practice at pretending to an ease I didn$t feel.8 :he glanced around ma"ing sure we wouldn$t be o#erheard. $5ut I hope !ou$#e got a good fallbac" position in mind. If the raiders !ou faced in -a#endown are t!pical of what$s going to be thrown at us we can$t hold this place for long.$ $&hat$s the big *uestion $ I agreed. $&he! were clearl! recent con#erts to the enem! cause but I$m still not sure if the! were assigned to the attac" because the! hadn$t had time to degenerate into the sort of mindless horde we usuall! face or because the! were considered more expendable than the long0ser#ing acol!tes.$ $Probabl! both $ +ulien said sourl!. &he! were ob#iousl! as deranged as the rest of them in an! case.$ $Cuite so $ I agreed. $I$ll chec" with Nel!s see if the interrogations of the sur#i#ors ha#e !ielded an!thing I useful !et.$ Not that I expected it to but e#en the slimmest piece of information might gi#e us an edge at I this stage. After ma"ing our farewells to one another +ulien went off to round up her shrie"ing charges and 2a"lin and I resumed our progress towards the main classrooms which had been re*uisitioned b! Ror"ins as a command centre much to the displeasure of the non0militar! teaching staff. $Ah commissar.$ As we s"irted the main Administratum bloc" 5ras"er popped

out of a shadowed doorwa! with an abruptness which reminded me uncomfortabl! of the genestealers we$d encountered aboard the mining station 7though of course he didn$t rip an!bod!$s head off.8 $I wonder if I might ha#e a *uic" word) 3our budget sheet for the sowingtide semester is considerabl! o#erdue and !ou$re somewhat elusi#e these da!s to sa! the least.$ &m sorr! 5ursar $ I said in.ecting what I thought was the right amount of irritation into m! #oice for 2a"lin$s benefit $but I$#e been rather bus! with defending the planet.$ &hen I hesitated apparentl! on the #erge of pushing past him. $Oh #er! well let$s sort it out now b! all means. I$m sure the enem! will dela! their assault while I fill out a few forms.$ $&hat might be the best course of action $ 5ras"er agreed apparentl! as imper#ious to sarcasm as +urgen and stood aside to admit me. $If we are to undergo a period of uphea#al in the near future it would be as well to ma"e sure the files are all in order beforehand. Perhaps we could discuss it in m! office rather than conducting our business out here% I$m sure !ou$d feel more comfortable.$ If I still harboured an! doubts that his real reason for accosting me was in connection with the delicate commission I$d entrusted him with the! e#aporated at that point. I turned to the cadet accompan!ing me. $&his ma!. ta"e a few minutes $ I said. $Could !ou go and find Col... Commander Ror"ins and let him "now I$d li"e a *uic" word whene#er it$s con#enient)$ Of course I could .ust barge in on the former stormtrooper at an! time I li"ed but I preferred to obser#e the proprieties and it got 2a"lin out of the wa!. -e went trotting off happil! enough ho doubt grateful for the chance to moon o#er 2on!"a for a few uninterrupted minutes and I followed 5ras"er into his den. >i"e his li#ing *uarters the! were surprisingl! tid! and I made m!self comfortable in the #isitor$s chair in front of his des" while I loo"ed around #aguel! surprised that in all m! !ears attached to this institution I$d ne#er set foot in here before. &he walls were lined with boo"shel#es of course and rac"s of data0slates but the personal cogitator on his des" was well0used and there was no sign of the fust! ledgers I$d expected to see scattered about. I loo"ed more closel! at his des" and found m! innate sense of paranoia nudging me again. $:omething wrong commissar)$ 5ras"er as"ed blandl!. I shoo" m! head and chec"ed the impulse to let m! hands mo#e towards m! weapons. $Not reall! $ I said as lightl! as I could. $I was .ust wondering where the in" pot was.$ $In" pot)$ 1or a moment 5ras"er loo"ed confused then smiled with the first genuine warmth I could recall ha#ing seen on his face. $Oh !ou mean these.$ -e gestured to the flec"s of in" staining his robe as alwa!s. $Purel! for effect I$m afraid. It$s what people expect.$ -e sighed. $&he Administratum is a #er! conser#ati#e bod! and in order to prosper there it$s sometimes wise to conform to other people$s expectations% or at least gi#e the impression of doing so. I$m sure !ou find the same thing in !our profession.$ $1rom time to time $ I admitted surprised to ha#e found something of a "indred spirit in a realm so #er! far remo#ed from m! own. $I ta"e it that this displa! of conformit! has borne fruit)$ $&o some extent. It certainl! helped with the commission !ou as"ed me to underta"e.$ &he bursar selected a data0slate from the pile in front of him and pushed it

across the des" towards me. $&he results are all there although what possible use this information might be to !ou is *uite fran"l! be!ond me.$ -e coughed discreetl!. $It goes without sa!ing that it$s the onl! cop!.$ $&han" !ou.$ I acti#ated the tin! screen and paged through it. As I$d feared there were a lot of files to wade through and I certainl! couldn$t palm this .ob off on an! of m! cadets. At best the!$d thin" I$d gone off the deep end and at worst the! might begin to as" aw"ward *uestions and start digging around for themsel#es. $2ight I trouble !ou for a *uic" #erbal summar!)$ $Of course.$ 5ras"er nodded leaned bac" in his chair and steepled his fingers reminding me for a moment of 2ott about to get started on some concatenation of con.ecture. $In short !ou appear to be right. All the places the enem! landed troops ha#e legends associated with them generall! concerning male#olent abnatural entities.$ $>i"e the sand de#ils $ I said and 5ras"er nodded. $>i"e the sand de#ils the woodhaunts the metal men the...$ $2etal men)$ I echoed feeling as though I$d .ust stepped into a Valhallan shower. 7,hich is not an experience I$d recommend to the unwar!.8 $It$s an old stor! dating bac" to the first colonisation $ 5ras"er said clearl! surprised b! the strength of m! reaction. &he legend goes that one of the explorator teams came across some ruins in the wilderness round about here.$ -e too" the slate for a moment and brought up a map before handing it bac" to me. :ure enough it matched one of the enem! landing sites though not either of the ones where the Chaos troopers had unaccountabl! #anished% I wasn$t entirel! sure if that was a good sign or not. $,hat happened)$ I as"ed. 5ras"er shrugged. $No one reall! "nows or e#en if there was e#er a basis of truth to the stor!. &he most common #ersion has it that the explorators found a cache of archeotech in the ruins and somehow managed to acti#ate something the! found in it. A short while later the! #oxed the landing site at what$s now -a#endown reporting that the! were under attac" b! metal men and that$s the last an!one saw or heard of them the ruins or the golems.$ $It would be $ I said without thin"ing then reflecting that 5ras"er was far from being the fool I$d ta"en him for for so long added $that$s how these campfire stories usuall! end.$ I as"ed a few more *uestions rounding out m! picture of the enem! operation and parted from the 5ursar on terms so cordial that I *uite surprised m!self. As I regained the fresh air and sunlight of the *uadrangle howe#er an! lingering pleasure I might ha#e been able to ta"e in the balm! spring weather had completel! e#aporated dri#en awa! b! a cold "not of dread in the pit of m! stomach. 5ras"er$s researches had confirmed m! worst imaginings% at the #er! least it seemed necrons had been acti#e on Perlia as recentl! as ten thousand !ears ago gi#e or ta"e a few centuries and all m! suspicions about the chamber the miners had apparentl! breached on the asteroid came flooding bac". It was also too much of a coincidence for m! li"ing that the metal marauders had apparentl! popped up at what if m! suspicions about the true ob.ecti#es of Varan$s raiders were correct had probabl! been the site of some Ancient artefacts. If the! reall! were the Ancients after all or the m!sterious Fatarns :ister Rosetta had tal"ed about a Chaos war fleet might still turn out to be the least of our worries. In the meantime though that remained the most immediate threat so I too" a

deep breath *uieted m! fears as best I could and went to see Ror"ins. $I& :EE2: /E1EN:I5>E enough $ Ror"ins conceded after glancing o#er the battle plan I$d presented him with. $And as !ou sa! !ou do "now the terrain there which will be an ad#antage.$ &o m! relief he$d accepted the Valle! of /aemons as a #iable fallbac" position without argument so readil! in fact that I found m!self wondering if he "new about the installation there alread!. After all if he$d been in the In*uisition$s pri#ate arm! as I suspected he must ha#e ser#ed at a number of such hidden facilities o#er the !ears perhaps e#en that one. $Are !ou sure !ou can get us there)$ >i"e +ulien he was under no illusions about our abilit! to hold the schola against a determined assault b! an enem! who "new what the! were doing. $Visiter$s plan seems feasible $ I told him. $&hough I wouldn$t want to be the pilot who has to carr! it out.$ $,hat about the alternati#e)$ Ror"ins as"ed. &he commodore had thoughtfull! pro#ided a bac"up plan in case the planned extraction fell through but it loo"ed a lot ris"ier to me. I$d spent a fair chun" of the morning going through the files he$d sent to m! slate and true to m! nature anticipating e#er!thing which could go wrong and m! best chances of getting out in one piece if it did. $1ine in theor! $ I said unable to "eep a faint tone of scepticism from m! #oice. $If the roads are still open and if R!tepat hasn$t been ta"en b! the enem! or flattened b! orbital bombardment.$ &he thought of getting e#er!one mounted up on #ehicles and down to the aerodrome in good order undoubtedl! fighting our wa! through an in#ading arm! to get there was a sobering one and I found m!self fer#entl! hoping that the main plan would wor". $And when we get there)$ Ror"ins as"ed. I shrugged. $,e fight. ,e$ll ha#e no choice.$ E#en less of one than Ror"ins "new% if the enem! got their hands on the :hadowlight the onl! consolation that I could see was that I$d be comfortabl! dead before the warp swallowed e#er!thing. $Cain$s >ast :tand all o#er again eh)$ Ror"ins said with a hint of smile although his #oice was de#oid of an! real humour. ,ell that was fair enough I didn$t feel much li"e laughing either. $3ou$re unusuall! pri#ileged. 2ost people onl! get one.$ $I$m not most people $ I told him accuratel! enough and stood. $If !ou$ll excuse me Commander I ha#e a few more matters to attend to before things get a little nois! around here.$ $5! all means $ Ror"ins said alread! reaching for one of the data0slates cluttering his des". I found Nel!s in the butter! apparentl! tr!ing to stuff an entire salt grox bun into his mouth in one go a cooling mug of recaff on the table next to him and his head bent o#er a data0slate. /onal was with him regarding the spectacle with his habitual expression of sardonic amusement and nursing a mug of his own. $3ou won$t get that finished an! faster if !ou cho"e $ he admonished then loo"ed up and saw me. $Commissar.$ Nel!s shot to his feet in a shower of crumbs and snapped me a salute his .aw still wor"ing franticall! while /onal slouched a little more slowl! to attention. $At ease for the lo#e of the Emperor $ I told them slipping into a #acant seat. @,e can$t afford an! casualties at this stage.$

$&hat$s what I$#e been telling him $ /onal said sipping his recaff with an air of amusement. $&went!0third principle' right)$ 34" !A trooper is a weapon in the hand of the Emperor, and should eep his edge een"! /ne of the so'called =orty )rinciples of 5el ir , a much venerated commissar of the ?Gth 5illennium, whose writings are still popular among his successors even today": $Cuite so $ I said dr!l!. $Perhaps !ou wouldn$t mind whetting m! edge with one of those buns and a recaff) It$s been a long morning.$ $Of course.$ /onal stood and glanced at Nel!s. $,ant a refill while I$m up) /on$t want to get too much blood in !our recaff stream.$ $I$m fine $ Nel!s said managing to reduce the plug of bread and meat in his mouth to a manageable si(e at last and with a faintl! dubious sha"e of the head /onal ambled off to get m! snac". $3ou don$t loo" it $ I told Nel!s. $,hen did !ou last get some sleep) Or a proper meal)$ $3esterda! I thin".$ &he cadet frowned thoughtfull!. $5ut I ha#e been eating.$ $I "now.$ I nodded. $I was the same in m! !ounger da!s. Practicall! li#ed on stuff li"e this.$ I accepted the mug and plate /onal put down in front of me with a nod. It was true too up to a point but m! attention had been rather more focussed on tarot games and feminine compan! than militar! matters and I$d ne#er been too bus! for a good meal if there was one to be had. &he salient point though was that Nel!s now felt that I identified with him and would be more inclined to listen to m! ad#ice. Of course I could simpl! ha#e ordered him to rest and he would ha#e complied without *uestion but he needed to I de#elop a bit of common sense about these things for himself. I *uir"ed .ust enough of a self0deprecating smile for the cadets to pic" up. $It$s a miracle I sur#i#ed reall!.$ $I$m sorr! sir but there$s .ust so much of this material to go through $ Nel!s said. $I "now it$s urgent but e#er! time I start to get on top of it the interrogators pass on another bundle of statements.$ $&hen get :tebbins and 6ar#ie to help $ I said. $&he!$re almost done chasing up the suppl! of weapons to the militia. And after !ou$#e dumped the files on them I suggest !ou get a proper meal and some sleep. &oo much of this stuff will "eep !ou going $ and I too" a swallow of m! recaff for emphasis $but it$ll gi#e !ou a blinding headache when it wears off.$ $It$s "eeping him going all right $ /onal said. $-e$s practicall! worn a groo#e between here and the latrines.$ $On the other hand $ I said switching m! attention to him $!ou can also place too much emphasis on grabbing some downtime. -a#en$t !ou got someone to happen to)$ $Routine bac"ground chec"s $ /onal confirmed draining his mug and standing again. One thing I can sa! for him is that he could alwa!s ta"e a hint e#en if he chose not to act on it. $I$m sure !ou$ll be relie#ed to "now that /eacon Cathcart doesn$t seem to ha#e been sacrificing an! of the progeni to the Ruinous Powers in the last semester or two. Or if he has he$s been #er! discreet about it.$ $I$m glad to hear it $ I said dr!l! waiting for him to mo#e out of earshot before returning m! attention to Nel!s. Emperor "new he needed his leg pulled as much as an!one I e#er met but right now I needed him as focussed as he could be through a fog of exhaustion and caffeine abuse. $1orget about writing up a formal report at least for

now. Is there an!thing new or unusual in the latest batch of transcripts)$ $&here$s one thing I thin" might be important.$ Nel!s suppressed a !awn. $I .ust came across it a minute ago and I was going to come and tell !ou as soon as I finished eating. 2ost of the prisoners are still blathering on about Varan and not a lot else but one of the sur#i#ors was a ci#ilian and he$s been a bit more co0operati#e.$ $-as he)$ I reached out for the slate and glanced at the screen. $One of the shuttle pilots) ,h! wasn$t he interrogated first)$ $5ecause the idiots at R!tepat thought the! ought to process the troopers $ Nel!s said $in case Varan had been "ind enough to gi#e an! of them a cop! of his battle plan.$ It was probabl! .ust the fatigue or too much recaff but the burst of sarcasm made him seem a lot more li"able than usual. Perhaps there was more to him than a cloc"wor" soldier after all. $2! fault $ I assured him. &he!$re P/1 don$t forget. I should ha#e had someone breathing down their nec"s full time.$ &hen in case he inferred an! criticism of his own performance I added $3ou$#e done remar"abl! well "eeping them as focussed as !ou ha#e.$ $&han" !ou sir.$ -e loo"ed a little nonplussed at the compliment and sought refuge in the minutiae of the report. $An!how the! got round to this fellow e#entuall!. -e claims to be a shuttle pilot aboard the merchantman 2eggie 2oon which was boarded b! hostile forces shortl! after putting in to 2adasa and re*uisitioned as a troopship. -e$s got no idea who this Varan is other than the leader of the enem! what their plans are or the composition of the raider fleet. All he claims to "now for sure is that he was forced to fl! one of the assault teams to the surface at gunpoint and seems genuinel! pleased to be bac" in Imperial hands.$ ,ell that probabl! wouldn$t last% he$d been exposed to the forces of Chaos e#en if he hadn$t .oined them so he wouldn$t exactl! be welcomed bac" with open arms. Nel!s paged down a few paragraphs. $&his is the reall! interesting bit though.$ I craned m! nec" to see and for the second time that da! felt m! blood free(e. $A ps!"er) Is he sure)$ $-e seems to be $ Nel!s said. $-e sa!s he met a sanctionite who was tra#elling as a passenger some !ears ago and recognised the signs.$ $5ut wh! would a ps!"er ha#e gi#en him the landing co0ordinates)$ I wondered aloud before recalling m! earlier speculation as to how the enem! had managed to pinpoint what were now clearl! sites associated with the Ancients. &he! must still retain some residual connection to the warp which a w!rd with the right talent would be able to recognise and which no doubt accounted for their e#il reputations e#en to this da!. &he real *uestion was whether this m!sterious ps!"er would be able to pinpoint the Valle! of /aemons and the galax!0sha"ing secret it concealed. $,hat happened to the witch)$ $/ead presumabl! $ Nel!s said. &he ships burned almost as soon as the shuttles were launched don$t forget.$ I nodded. In m! experience it was ne#er safe to presume an!thing where ps!"ers were concerned but we had no e#idence to the contrar! at least for the moment. $&han" !ou Nel!s $ I said. $3ou$#e gi#en me a great deal to thin" about.$ ,hich I continued to do while m! recaff and bun went cold beside me. In fact I was still sitting there when the in#asion began.

Editorial Note: 0espite Cain!s propensity to exaggerate on occasion for dramatic effect, this appears from his following remar to be no more than the literal truth" Eowever, the invasion of an entire star system, even a lightly defended and underprepared one, which the enemy almost certainly expected to find, is no simple matter, and the time ta en by the preliminary engagements in space gave the defenders on the ground rather more warning than Cain intimates" $he following extract sets out the %asics of this preliminary phase with reasonable succinctness" 1rom ;ust 1isitin!: $he Dife of a Naval Eero b! Nelson >awford J=A. 2DG. &-E :PIRI&E/ /E1ENCE of Perlia during the second siege was to pro#e that the redoubtable Commodore had lost none of his tactical s"ill despite his enforced retirement. As he$d expected the first wa#e of enem! #essels emerged from the warp within almost suicidal proximit! to the mass of the planet itself no doubt intending to repeat the tactic which had almost pro#en so successful during the first incursion4 and which indeed would ha#e done so had it not been for the fortuitous presence of the Ducre =oedas in orbit when the! emerged. Aware that the trading #essel had been forced to flee the in#aders could ha#e anticipated little resistance and would ha#e had no fear of sharing the fate of their compatriots. Opinion is still di#ided as to whether the! had ta"en effecti#e precautions against the ground0based fighters which had accounted for the transport #essels in the earlier attac" since if the! had the! ne#er got the chance to deplo! them. Visiter was to confess later that gi#en the si(e of the Perlia s!stem and the limited number of resources at his disposal the mining of the most li"el! emergence points had been more a matter of best guess than .udgement but luc" or the Emperor had smiled on him in that regard% the first wa#e left the warp precisel! where his decades of experience had led him to belie#e onl! to find themsel#es coasting inexorabl! into the heart of the minefields the :/1 had been franticall! la!ing since the da! he too" command. Although it would be some exaggeration to claim that the entire fleet was wiped out the number of #essels crippled or destro!ed outright was gratif!ingl! high and the few sur#i#ors eas! meat for the fighter wings launched to intercept them. Although almost a hundred assault shuttles did e#entuall! sur#i#e to desecrate the sacred soil of Perlia for the most part their landings were uncontrolled and the P/1 and their ci#ilian counterparts in the P/V were *uic" to respond # inflicting hea#! casualties on the heretics. &he second wa#e howe#er had emerged further out and despite continual harassment from the s!stem fence boats and a few hastil!0armed freighters fared rather better.

SIXTEEN &-E 1IR:& IN&I2A&ION I had of the storm about to engulf us all was a wa#e of agitation among the progeni at a few of the other tables followed shortl! thereafter b! a familiar odour which .er"ed me from m! re#erie. $+urgen $ I said turning to loo" at him alread! aware that something must ha#e gone terribl! wrong% I could thin" of no other reason wh! he$d be carr!ing the melta again instead of lea#ing it behind in his *uarters. $I ta"e it things aren$t going too well.$ $No sir the!$re not $ he confirmed. $-eretic #essels are popping out of the warp all o#er the s!stem.$ &his was something of an exaggeration as things turned out but not as much of one as I would ha#e li"ed. I stood m! cold recaff and uneaten bun forgotten 7but not wasted% as I turned I was sure I saw the sandwich #anish into one of +urgen$s tangle of pouches and made a mental note not to accept the offer of refreshment during the next few da!s unless I was desperate.8 $Come on $ I said $we need to see Ror"ins.$ Ine#itabl! the rumour was alread! sweeping the schola cadets running to man their positions and the progeni as !et too !oung to ha#e been directed into an! of the ser#ice branches milling around uncertainl! or being swept up b! their tutors to "eep them out of the wa!. I was pleased to note though that no one seemed to be panic"ing at least not !et. In fact some of them particularl! the !ounger ones seemed more excited than apprehensi#e positi#el! eager to get stuc" into the fra!. ,ell the! might as well en.o! themsel#es while the! could% the brutal realit! of combat would be impressing itself upon them before too much longer. I found Ror"ins and +ulien in the ma"eshift command centre which I must admit I found reassuringl! familiar despite the callowness of most of the staffers running errands and manning the #ox and auspex lecterns. I$d spent so much time in the impro#ised head*uarters of Imperial 6uard regiments deplo!ed on whiche#er world had most recentl! been swept up in the ceaseless current of conflict which swirled about the Imperium that the more permanent facilities I$d seen at R!tepat had seemed more li"e a recruiting tableau than a functioning installation. &he air of disorder here b! contrast seemed purposeful and directed paradoxical as that ma! seem to an!one without personal experience of militar! matters. $,hat$s going on)$ I as"ed and Ror"ins glanced up at me from the screen of an auspex his face gra#e. $Please pass m! congratulations to the !oung lad! !ou assigned to do the threat assessment $ he said. $-er worst case scenario was right on the mone!.$ $Not good then $ I said mas"ing the horror I felt as best I could. I$d seen ?a!la$s figures for m!self and the worst case she$d put forward was #er! bad indeed. Enough in#asion barges to swamp our defenders e#en if the militia reinforcements turned out to be effecti#e which after m! inspection tour I was under no illusion would turn out to be the case bac"ed up b! a s*uadron of warships man! in the cruiser class if not hea#ier. $>uc"il! the Commodore got awa! in time $ +ulien put in the ser#os of her power armour whining slightl! as she gestured me o#er to the hololith looted from the Administratum offices% e#er! time she mo#ed it sounded as though she was surrounded b! a swarm of insects. I ga(ed into it tr!ing to ma"e sense of the inchoate cloud of contact icons swirling around Perlia. $-e seems to ha#e gi#en the first wa#e a blood!

nose at an! rate.$ $,hat happened)$ I as"ed ha#ing been a bit too bus! o#er the last few da!s to ha#e ta"en much notice of whate#er else might be going on. &he Celestian chuc"led. $&he! tried the same tric" of emerging inside our defensi#e perimeter that let them get a few shuttles down before except there were do(ens of carriers this time and Visiter had mined the approaches. E#en the ones that didn$t ta"e a hit got pasted b! the debris. Our fighters are mopping up the I ones still "ic"ing.$ I began to understand wh! so man! of the contacts were mo#ing erraticall! or apparentl! drifting inert in space. $5lood! P/1 $ Ror"ins said grabbing a #ox mi"e from I an awestruc" !outh in the uniform of a stormtrooper cadet. $&he! ne#er learn. &aupe leader brea" off and I pursue the shuttlesH$ $3es sir $ an incongruousl! cheerful #oice assured him. &he pilot whoe#er he was must ha#e left his #ox channel open for a moment as he switched to his s*uadron command net as we heard him rela!ing the order with a bree(! enthusiasm that chilled m! blood. $Right !ou all heard that. &all! hoH$ $Emperor gi#e me strength $ Ror"ins said with e#er! sign of sincerit! and I loo"ed at the hololith with renewed attention. $-ow could the! fall for the same tric" twice)$ $1l!bo!s get o#er0excited in a target rich en#ironment $ I told him ha#ing once shared a glass of amasec and some cathartic grumbling about the people under our .urisdiction with one of m! counterparts from the Na#!'. 34" $he Commissariat oversees all branches of the Imperial military, with the obvious exceptions of the Astartes and the Adepta (ororitas": $Not much of an excuse if the! let those shuttles through $ Ror"ins said reining in his temper with an effort. -e turned to the auspex operators. $As soon as !ou$#e got a reasonable estimate of their landing (ones alert the nearest garrisons. ,e might not be able to stop them all from getting down but we should be able to bottle them in once the! hit.$ $Ver! good sir $ the nearest cadet responded. In truth there wouldn$t ha#e been a heretic$s chance in hell of the fighters stopping all of the shuttles from getting through e#en if the!$d set out to intercept them in the first place so the fighter .oc"s$ enthusiasm probabl! wouldn$t cost us all that dear in the long run. I tried to picture how man! more would ha#e been descending on us now if it hadn$t been for Visiter$s gambit with the mines and shuddered at the image that e#o"ed% we$d ha#e been swamped the planet ta"en within hours and% that would ha#e been the end of e#er!thing. As it was it seemed than"s to the commodore$s tactical acumen we had a fighting chance after all at least until the second wa#e arri#ed. @,e seem to ha#e accounted for most of their transports an!wa! $ I said tr!ing to ma"e sense of the bli((ard of icons. As I$#e mentioned before unra#elling the intricacies of space combat has ne#er reall! been m! forte. Ror"ins nodded. $It loo"s that wa! $ he said enlarging the corner of the displa! where the second wa#e had emerged much further out. $&hese are warships for the most part. One or two merchantmen accompan!ing them though. Emperor "nows what the!$ll be carr!ing.$

$&heir elites $ I said. $&he first wa#e will ha#e been their expendable troops li"e last time intended to soften us up and ta"e the ground where the! can. &he ones "ept bac" will be the real warriors waiting for their chance to sei(e...$ I corrected m!self .ust in time $whate#er ob.ecti#es are continuing to resist.$ $&hat$s how I read it $ Ror"ins agreed. $5! elites $ +ulien said $!ou mean the &raitor >egions)$ Onl! a man as s"illed as I am at reading the subtle cues b! which we all betra! our feelings would ha#e noticed the faint o#ertone of repugnance and unease that entered her #oice at that point. $It$s possible $ I said *uailing inwardl! at the thought m!self. I$d faced the tainted parodies of the Emperor$s own Astartes on a number of occasions emerging in one piece each time more b! luc" than .udgement. $5ut if there are an! among Varan$s retinue the!$ll be few and far between.$ I hoped. In m! experience onl! a few ad#isors would be attached to a raiding fleet li"e this the main bul" of the Chaos :pace 2arines preferring to fight their own battles under their own commands4 against one another if there were no other foes a#ailable. I smiled reassuringl!. $And the!$re tough no doubt about that but the! can be beaten% I$#e done it before.$ $An! foe can be beaten if the Emperor stands at !our bac" $ +ulien said sounding more li"e most of the other battle sisters I$d e#er met than she usuall! did but mainl! for her own benefit I suspected. $Cuite so $ Ror"ins said still staring at the blips in the hololith as if he could somehow reach into it haul Varan out of his flagship b! the scruff of the nec" and finish him off here and now. -e glanced across to me. $I thin" !ou$re right this is his personal entourage. -ousehold troops if !ou will. &hrone alone "nows what that$ll mean in practice.$ $Nothing good $ I said from long and bitter experience. 1or the next few hours the three of us watched the reports tric"ling in tr!ing to gain a picture of the o#erall disposition of the enem! now that the first few shuttles were grounding and disgorging their cargoes of fanatical heretics. As before whate#er co0 ordinated stri"es the!$d been hoping to ma"e had clearl! been massi#el! disrupted but enough sur#i#ors were getting through to ma"e a considerable nuisance of themsel#es. $&heir first assault$s been blunted $ Ror"ins said at last $but that doesn$t mean a lot b! itself. &he!$re still t!ing up far too man! of our own people in "eeping them contained.$ &hat much was ob#ious. &he P/1 were responding a lot more effecti#el! than the! had done to the first incursion but then the! had far fewer excuses for being ta"en b! surprise this time round so I$d ha#e expected nothing less and a few #ox calls to the ob#ious slac"ers were sufficient to put the fear of the Emperor into them% I$#e often found the casual mention of firing s*uads can be *uite effecti#e in focussing the attention. &he militia were getting stuc" in as well in a few places but in .ust as disorganised a fashion as I$d expected so the results of their assistance were mixed to sa! the least. 1ew if an! units were bothering to co0ordinate with the local P/1 7who in most cases had their hands rather too full to spare them much attention in an! case8 so the ones which saw combat tended to be the ones which had .ust happened to be in the #icinit! of a shuttle landing grabbed their new weapons and rushed off to defend their homes. :ome fought tenaciousl! as if nothing else the! were strongl! moti#ated but more often than not the! either fled as soon as the! too" a few casualties or were simpl!

wiped out to a man b! the superior weaponr! and tactics of the heretics. &he one thing the! did do well howe#er was bu! time li"e the! were supposed to and b! nightfall ' nearl! all the enem! beachheads were at least surrounded and being pre#ented from spreading an! further. 34" %y which he presumably means nightfall in (alubria )arva, as, of course, the fighting was going on all over the planet": &he downside though as Ror"ins had pointed out some hours before was that simpl! doing this much had left the resources at our disposal prett! much at full stretch. Emperor alone "new how we$d manage to deal with the Chaotic reinforcements when the! arri#ed. $2! guess is the!$ll tr! to bolster the largest poc"ets of resistance $ Ror"ins said accepting the mug of recaff +urgen handed to him without wincing which alone was enough to tell me how exhausted he was. +ulien had left b! this time to harr! the enginseers from the 2echanicus shrine who were doing their best to bring the power armour her no#itiates had been training in to something approaching battle readiness although from what I$d seen the! were going to ha#e to burn an awful lot of incense to do that. &han" !ou +urgen.$ I accepted m! own mug gratefull! found m!self briefl! wondering if the sandwich accompan!ing it had come from the buffet in Chilin#ale then decided I was too hungr! to care. $5etter grab something !ourself. It$s going to be a long night.$ $Ver! good sir.$ +urgen retreated to a con#enient corner from which slurping and chewing noises shortl! began to emanate and I returned m! attention to the hololith. &he surface of Perlia was scattered with contact icons li"e the rash of some #irulent disease and I studied the runes accompan!ing them for tactical data tr!ing to find the largest infestation. It didn$t ta"e long of course. $&he primar! target seems to be the capital again $ I said and Ror"ins nodded wearil! (ooming the image to enlarge the area around -a#endown. Almost a do(en indi#idual battles were continuing some in the heart of the cit! itself while a significant concentration of the enem! was clustered around the perimeter of R!tepat dearl! determined to ta"e it as *uic"l! as possible. ,ell I could hardl! fault them for that the fighters based there were the single biggest threat to the secondar! flotilla and neutralising them would be high on Varan$s to do list $2a"es sense $ he agreed. $If the! ta"e -a#endown and the 6o#ernor$s palace it$ll be a tremendous blow to ci#ilian morale. E#en the or"s couldn$t manage it during the first siege.$ $&hen we need to ma"e sure the heretics don$t either $ I said. &he P/1 were still holding the line but it was going to be a close0run thing either wa!. ,ith a growing sense of foreboding I saw Ror"ins nod thoughtfull! and braced m!self for the ine#itable. $>oo"s to me as if our people could do with a commissar breathing down their nec"s $ he said. $It probabl! couldn$t hurt $ I replied as e#enl! as I could contri#e cursing m! reputation for derring0do .ust as fer#entl! as I alwa!s did when it bac"ed me into some corner where I either had to ris" m! nec" facing the enem! or lose the trust and respect of people I needed to impress in order to stand an! chance of sur#i#ing at all. $I$ll see what +urgen can find in the wa! of transport.$

Editorial Note: As is his habit, Cain is less than forthcoming about the more general course of the siege, preferring, as usual, to concentrate on those aspects of it that inconvenienced him personally" Accordingly, I!ve appended the following brief extract, which gives a little of the wider picture" 1rom In %lac est Night: $he 5illennial *ars Appraised b! A!.aepi Clothier 'GA. 2DG. &-E >AN/IN6 O1 the first wa#e of enem! troops was accomplished in the teeth of far fiercer resistance than the heretics would ha#e expected and the losses the! sustained were considerable. &han"s to the astute placing of minefields b! the :/1 the ma.orit! of the assault ships were se#erel! damaged and were unable to get their full complement of troopers deplo!ed but enough made it down to engage the defenders in pitched battles around strategic installations and centres of population across the entire globe. &he regional command centres in 2id#ale and 1ollend!"e were both ta"en after fierce fighting the last defenders of the latter setting demolition charges as the! retreated to den! an! useful intelligence to the enem! while o#er a do(en towns defended b! no more than the citi(en$s militia which Commissar Cain had somewhat #aingloriousl! founded in imitation of his erstwhile compatriots of the 1irst :iege were ta"en with barel! a shot fired. &o the ama(ement of the sur#i#ing ci#ilians instead of embar"ing on the expected org! of looting and bloodshed the occup!ing forces remained disciplined and in good order merel! imposing a curfew and awaiting the arri#al of their leader. &he! didn$t ha#e long to wait. &he second wa#e of the flotilla arri#ed in orbit within hours ha#ing been harassed the entire wa! b! the sur#i#ing :/1 boats whose commander had adopted the unorthodox tactic of approaching at high speed unleashing a barrage of ordnance at point0blan" range and continuing past the enem! con#o! before it could bring its own weapons to bear. In the main this had little result be!ond anno!ance but onl! one gunboat fell to return fire the rest managing to retreat be!ond effecti#e range again before the! could be targeted. &hough Varan$s hea#! cruiser the Cndefeatable was naturall! the primar! target of these fora!s the lighter escorts accompan!ing it too" the brunt of the damage a couple of them apparentl! suffering minor degradation of their engines and auspex arra!s which ma! ha#e rendered them a little less capable of defending themsel#es subse*uentl!. /espite these heroic endea#ours howe#er the Cndefeatable too" up its station abo#e -a#endown with no #isible difficult! and Varan .oined the battle for the heart and soul of Perlia in person. Once again persistent local legend puts Commissar Cain at the centre of this conflict insisting that he and the warmaster fought one another hand to hand although there is no reliable e#idence to bac" up so fanciful a stor!.

SEVENTEEN A: ,E 5O9NCE/ and raided along the highwa! to -a#en0%down +urgen$s dri#ing as erratic as e#er I too" ad#antage of the relati#e solitude and the clear night air to order m! thoughts as best I could. I$d done e#er!thing possible to ensure the safet! of the :hadowlight although in all honest! that was loo"ing tenuous at best so now m! highest priorit! should be getting through the rest of the night with m! head still attached to m! shoulders. As we left the last few lights of the #illage behind us I glanced up the open top of our :alamander affording me an excellent #iew of the night s"! and felt the breath still for a moment in m! chest. &he old familiar stars were still there of course e#en a few of the constellations I$d learned to pic" out since ta"ing up residence on Perlia4 within moments I$d spotted the :lith' and the Ad(e .ust as I$d expected to. Now howe#er there was something new a faint band of luminescence that stretched across the s"! li"e a narrower dimmer echo of the mil"! wa! itself. 34" A )erlian rodent, most notable for a number of disgusting personal I habits": 1or a moment I don$t mind admitting m! heart hammered in m! chest as the panic0stric"en thought that it was some "ind of warp manifestation con.ured up b! Varan$s sorcerers 7or 1elicia$s merr! meddlers in the Valle! of /aemons po"ing awa! at things man was not meant to "now8 too" hold of me until reason reasserted itself and I recognised the phenomenon for what it was. E#en then it was a thought to chill the blood4 Perlia had a new ring s!stem made up of debris from the first wa#e of enem! ships that had blundered into Visiter$s minefield. I was loo"ing at a cloud of detritus ranging in si(e from crippled starships o#er a "ilometre in length down to chips of metal smaller than a fingernail paring and I had little doubt that there were hundreds if not thousands of corpses floating about up there too. Of course it would be a relati#el! short0 li#ed spectacle as the tenuous fringes of the atmosphere brushed at the tumbling debris slowing the pieces enough to snare and dragging them down to a final cremation% e#en now the s"! was being strea"ed with lines of light as the first brands entered the bonfire '. 34" In fact )erlia was to be treated to an almost continuous display of cosmic firewor s for the next three years, before the ma+ority of the debris was finally consumed" Dong before that, however, the largest pieces, and those constituting a danger to navigation, had been either salvaged or blown to bits by the (0F": $,e$ll be there in about an hour $ +urgen informed me his #oice unexpectedl! loud in m! earpiece and I nodded before remembering that he couldn$t see me. $Ver! good +urgen $ I responded and propped m!self up against the pintel mount of the hea#! bolter I alwa!s li"e to ha#e installed on an! #ehicle assigned to me. &he :alamander$s built0in weapons are mounted facing forwards which is seldom m! direction of choice in the presence of the enem! and the abilit! to throw some grief their wa! while retreating has sa#ed m! nec" on I more than one occasion. 5esides it lets me do something m!self when things get stic"! which is alwa!s comforting e#en when it$s not particularl! effecti#e and it loo"s appropriatel! heroic which ne#er hurts when !ou$#e got a fraudulent reputation to maintain. $5etter slow down a bit we don$t want the cadets getting lost.$ $No commissar $ m! aide replied with the faintest air of disappointment. $I

suppose not.$ -e$d opened up an impressi#e lead o#er the :alamander behind us on the twisting mountain road but then ?a!la still retained a residue of caution despite the tendenc! of the !oung to belie#e that the!$re immortal and +urgen had been honing his abilit! to push #ehicles to the limit for the best part of a centur!. I$d been a little dubious about bringing the cadets along to be honest but the!$d pro#en their mettle on the asteroid and the situation in -a#endown seemed so finel! balanced that an! extra edge we could gain seemed worth ta"ing a chance on. $Are !ou all right bac" there)$ I #oxed "eeping m! #oice casual and peering down the road for the dar" bul" of the trailing #ehicle. &here was no point in loo"ing for lights of course as we had no intention of betra!ing our position to the enem! an! more than we could help and were proceeding entirel! b! the faint blue glow of the stars abo#e our heads'. 1ortunatel! our e!es had ad.usted to the tenebrous glimmering b! now and I was able to discern the boundaries of the carriagewa! as well as a mottling of dar"er shapes which showed the presence of something in the gloom be!ond. ,hat these silhouettes might be I had no idea trees roc"s and field boundaries for the most part I suppose interspersed with the occasional building and I fought the tendenc! of m! imagination to populate them with unseen ambushers. I$d seen too man! troopers spoo" themsel#es enough to open fire on innocuous shadows onl! to be felled as soon as the mu((le flash betra!ed their position to the enem!. 34" )erlia had no moon: hence the significance of the orbital peculiarity of the mining asteroid, which I drew attention to earlier": $,e$re fine $ Nel!s assured me with rather too much confidence for m! li"ing. After a little thought I$d selected him ?a!la and /onal to accompan! me on this little expedition4 Nel!s because I "new he$d follow orders ?a!la because she$d "eep him in line if we had to split the part! and I trusted her strea" of common sense 7which is all too rare despite its name8 and /onal because he still reminded me a little too closel! of m!self at that age and Ror"ins had enough trouble to worr! about at the moment. &hat had left a fourth seat free in the sturd! little #ehicle which I$d filled with 5riel on the entirel! reasonable grounds that he$d been the first of the remaining cadets to cross m! path after selecting the other three. $,hat$s our primar! target)$ ?a!la as"ed as +urgen slowed our brea"nec" progress to something on the order of merel! alarming and I began to ma"e out the s*uared0off silhouette of the :alamander behind us. &o be honest up until that point I$d still been debating the matter with m!self wondering where we were most li"el! to ma"e a difference. &he battle for R!tepat had prett! much stalemated b! this point and I$d been tempted to stic" m! nose in there if onl! to maintain the fiction that the command bun"ers at the heart of the P/1 garrison were still the hub of the war effort. On the other hand the heretics weren$t actuall! gaining an! ground the runwa!s were still clear enough to launch fighter sorties from and I didn$t thin" I could put up with the pompous idiots from the P/1 high command for #er! long. 7I suppose I could .ust ha#e shot them all if the! got too irritating but that would ha#e upset the .unior officers who were actuall! doing some useful wor" and in an! case I thought I might need some of them around later to pin the blame on if things "ept going north the wa! the! had been.8' As so often I$#e found it$s the little things that swa! !our .udgement and although I was to ha#e no in"ling of the fact at the time m! antipath! to the P/1 grandees was shortl! to sa#e m! life. 34" A 1alhallan colloquialism,

one of the many Cain pic ed up from his years of association with the natives of that planet" (uffice it to say that the polar regions of an ice world are pretty unpleasant, even by the normal standards of such places, and people only venture north ,or south- of their nominal boundaries under the most desperate of circumstances": $&he 6o#ernor$s palace $ I said after a moment spent tr!ing to focus on the screen of m! data0slate despite +urgen$s best efforts to send both it and me bouncing into the corner of the passenger compartment. &he glow of the tin! pict was almost in#isible and would ha#e been mas"ed b! the slabs of armour plate surrounding me in an! case so I felt an! additional ris" incurred b! consulting it would be minimal. &hat was the next most ob#ious target for the enem! to ta"e and the situation there seemed balanced on a "nife edge so that$s where we$d inter#ene. I suppose I could ha#e split the cadets up and scattered them around the cit! to ma"e nuisances of themsel#es with different units but I wasn$t entirel! sure the! were read! for that !et. &he defence of the palace was crucial for morale if nothing else and if we lost it the planet could #er! well follow. After ac"nowledging m! instructions the cadets went silent again too disciplined for idle #ox chatter and I resumed brooding for a while as the road rolled b! under the treads of our #ehicles. In fact we$d almost reached our destination before I heard another #oice in m! comm0bead. $Is it sunrise alread!)$ 5riel as"ed sounding a little confused. I hauled m!self up on the pintel mount again leaning against the hea#! stoc" of the bolter as I peered o#er the rim of the armour plate. :ure enough the s"! ahead was tinted red and orange the brighter colours seeping through the pre0dawn gre! li"e in" on wet paper. :urprised I glanced at m! chronograph finding that it was at least an hour before Perlia$s primar! was due to po"e its head o#er the hori(on. A moment later we crested a ridge our trac"s seeming to part compan! with the carriagewa! for a moment before we .olted bac" onto the hardtop and m! forebodings were confirmed. $&hat$s not sunrise $ I told him $it$s -a#endown. &he whole cit!$s abla(e.$ 5! the time we got into the cit! itself howe#er it had become ob#ious that m! initial impression had been somewhat exaggerated though not nearl! as much so as I would ha#e li"ed. 1ires were indeed raging in se#eral districts replacing the sullen furnace glow which had brightened the night s"! with lowering thunderheads of dense blac" smo"e as da!light began to seep slowl! through the curdled air but most of the streets we roared along showed little or no e#idence of the fighting be!ond the usual litter left behind b! fleeing ci#ilians. Now and again we passed more ob#ious signs of conflict li"e hastil!0erected barricades subse*uentl! breached 7although which sides had ta"en which part in the brief sieges these lines commemorated was usuall! an!bod!$s guess8 or shops and hab bloc"s showing the unmista"able stigmata of hea#! ordnance. 2ore rarel! we passed the site of a pitched battle with a gutted A1V or two still burning and the occasional structure reduced to rubble% when this happened +urgen slowed allowing the cadets to catch up while we scanned the scene for sur#i#ors. All the combatants we saw were dead though some in the uniforms of the Perlian P/1 the rest in the desecrated Imperial "it of the traitors from 2adasa. $/on$t li"e the loo" of that sir $ +urgen commented sourl! as we s"irted the bla(ing wrec" of a >eman Russ. &he eight0pointed sigil of Chaos had been crudel! daubed on the turret still #isible as the paint beneath it began to blister and m! aide spat in its general direction almost managing to get the gobbet of phlegm o#er the lip of the

armour plate protecting his dri#ing compartment. $It was bad enough when the turncoats .ust had lasguns.$ $It was onl! to be expected $ I said tr!ing to sound more casual than I felt. $&he 2adasans must ha#e had an armoured regiment or two on the boo"s. 2ost P/1s do.$ Ne#ertheless I$d been hoping that the!$d been left behind to defend their homeworld against the ine#itable Imperial counterattac" or lost in the general rush to abandon the stric"en carriers'. 34" Duc ily for the defenders of )erlia, the ma+ority of the tan s in the invasion fleet do indeed seem to have been lost, either during the orbital engagement, or in the disorganised landings which followed" Enough appear to have survived to have been a considerable nuisance, however": $,e$ll see them off an!wa! $ Nel!s assured me his (eal once again appearing to o#erride his common sense. ?a!la muttered something that sounded li"e $fra"0head$ in m! earpiece but before I could sa! an!thing to forestall an incipient argument a new #oice cut in on the command fre*uenc!. $Commissar can !ou hear me)$ Ror"ins as"ed. $3es commander $ I responded obser#ing the protocols for the benefit of the listening cadets. /onal had become #isible in the :alamander behind us shortl! after we entered the cit! limits manning the hea#! flamer% now he was glancing waril! around as we proceeded up the street awa! from the remnants of the engagement. 1or a moment I found m!self thin"ing it was luc"! I$d chosen him to .oin the part! instead of :tebbins. &he thought of the ha#oc that !oung man might wrea" with an incendiar! weapon was a sobering one indeed. $,hat$s happening)$ :omething serious clearl! or he$d ne#er ha#e bothered contacting me directl!. $&he enem!$s here $ Ror"ins said his #oice tense. $&he second wa#e is mo#ing into orbit.$ $An! further casualties)$ I as"ed hopefull! not that I expected an! but after the damage he$d done to the first wa#e I was prepared to credit Visiter with the abilit! to wor" miracles. $No the! all made it $ Ror"ins said his #oice unusuall! clear for a comm0bead signal from so distant a source. It was being rela!ed through the #ox set in the :alamander of course but that alone wouldn$t account for such exceptionall! good reception. &hen I realised it must ha#e been rela!ed through the command bun"er at R!tepat as well a mere handful of "ilometres awa!. 5efore I could repl! though the s"! turned white all colour leached from it b! a flare of harsh actinic energ! of almost inconcei#able magnitude. 1ortunatel! the buildings of the cit! bloc"ed an! direct line of sight we might ha#e had or we would all ha#e been struc" blind in an instant. A moment later the ground trembled windows shattered and a rain of debris pattered down around us dislodged from the structures we dro#e between. +urgen .ammed on his bra"es but decades of familiarit! with his dri#ing had left me prepared for this and I "ept m! feet with relati#e ease. @,hat the hell was that)$ ?a!la as"ed slewing the second :alamander sidewa!s and crushing a par"ed groundcar under its trac"s before coming to a halt with its nose embedded in the plinth of a remar"abl! ugl! statue of a remar"abl! ugl! man which disfigured the middle of the s*uare we$d been passing through. $Orbital stri"e $ I said ha#ing seen something similar on a few occasions before.

$Probabl! the lance batteries of a warship.$ An uncomfortable itching sensation began to grow between m! shoulder blades as we waited for the next one. In m! experience once Chaos commanders started popping off hea#! ordnance from space the! wouldn$t be happ! until the!$d le#elled an!thing in the #icinit! taller than an anthill. I began to thin" about the fastest wa! out of the cit! concentrating so hard on the map0slate that it too" a moment for me to register that the bombardment hadn$t been repeated and that Ror"ins$s #oice in m! comm0bead was far more attenuated than before. $R!tepat$s been obliterated $ he told me soberl!. $5etter get out of the cit! while !ou can.$ &he familiar hissing of static in m! ear was supplemented for a moment b! a *uartet of indrawn breaths from the stunned cadets. @,ell we expected them to tr! and neutralise it $ I said tr!ing to sound as calm as I could despite the shoc" which still had me trembling. &hat was true enough but the number of troops the!$d committed to besieging the place had led us to expect a con#entional assault. &he onl! positi#e side to this surprising de#elopment was that the!$d undoubtedl! polished off a compan! or two of their own people along with our own. $Varan must be in a hurr!.$ ,hich was a dis*uieting thought in its own right of course although I couldn$t explain wh! to Ror"ins especiall! o#er a comnet that might be monitored. &he onl! reason I could see for the warmaster to casuall! o#er"ill a strategic installation he could probabl! ha#e ta"en intact in a few more da!s and made good use of during the subse*uent occupation was because he was impatient to pacif! the planet and start loo"ing for the :hadowlight as *uic"l! as possible. $,ell it confirms his insanit! $ Ror"ins said bluntl!. $I suggest !ou pull out the wa! !ou went in% the!$ll probabl! start hitting the cit! close to R!tepat and wor" their wa! across.$ $I don$t thin" the!$re going to $ I said ha#ing managed to orientate m!self at last. $If the! were going to fire again the! would ha#e done so b! now.$ ,e$d had plent! of time to confirm the ma"e0up of the enem! fleet as the! coasted in and Visiter had sent us what pict and auspex records he$d been able to grab on his attac" runs to supplement our existing intelligence so I was certain that the! could ha#e unleashed at least half a do(en lance blasts b! now not to mention the widespread de#astation which would ha#e been inflicted b! the less accurate primar! batteries of the warships in orbit. $If Varan wanted to le#el the cit! he$d alread! ha#e done it$ $&hen wh!$s he holding off)$ /onal as"ed reasonabl! enough under the circumstances. $5ecause he$s planning an assault $ I said $and he wanted our defences wea"ened as much as possible. -e ob#iousl! doesn$t "now we shifted our command centre after the first attac".$ I glanced at the map0slate again confirming m! impression of our whereabouts. $,e$re heading on to the 6o#ernor$s palace.$ If nothing else the wide gardens would offer our best chance of e#ading another orbital stri"e if I turned out to be wrong as the! were a long wa! from an! tempting targets. $2a"es sense $ Ror"ins said. $Extract his excellenc! and drag him bac" here before Varan gets his hands on him. $If !ou can locate the heir as well e#en better% we$ll need s!mbols of resistance once -a#endown falls.$ $If -a#endown falls $ I corrected him more to pla! the part of the dutiful commissar than because I thought there was the remotest chance of him being wrong. $If. Of course $ Ror"ins said with hea#! iron! and cut the lin".

$&he palace then $ I said while +urgen gunned our engine and ?a!la re#ersed gingerl! out from under the tottering statue. If I$d had an! lingering doubts about the right direction the! were soon dispelled as the familiar sounds of combat soon became apparent e#en o#er the roaring of our engines. &he enem! were still surrounding the palace at least according to the latest tactical information I had a#ailable but I thought I$d identified a wea" spot in their lines near one of the side gates. &he main concentration of heretics was bus! tr!ing to force an entrance at the front where the buildings of the cit! came closest to the wall affording the best co#er while onl! a relati#el! small detachment had been left to guard a remote postern generall! used onl! b! gardeners maintaining the grounds. A s*uad or two of the P/1 had been dug in on the other side to discourage an! attempt at breeching it and the two factions were amusing themsel#es b! ta"ing largel! ineffectual pot0shots at one another o#er the wall. It was hard to tell which of them was the most surprised b! our sudden appearance heretics or lo!alists although on balance it was probabl! the enem!. ,e roared into the street behind them bearing down on their position from behind opening fire as we came. +urgen triggered our hull0mounted bolter chewing the barricade the!$d erected across the end of the street facing the gatewa! to pieces along with a sandbagged autocannon and its crew while I swung the pintel mount gouging a line of holes along the row of windows o#erloo"ing the thoroughfare certain that I must ha#e bagged a sharpshooter or two hoping to get a line of sight on the defenders from an ele#ated position. &he spar" of a las0bolt impacting on the armour close to m! head informed me that though the idea was sound I might ha#e pic"ed the wrong side of the street to put it into practice but before I could swing the hea#! weapon round to retaliate a blast of heat and the stin" of burning promethium forestalled me. /onal had triggered the hea#! flamer on the second :alamander hosing down the hostelr! from which the shot had come and lea#ing it bla(ing merril!. $&han" !ou $ I #oxed and he wa#ed cheerfull!. $3ou$re welcome sir.$ -e glanced down. $Come on Nel find a traitor to shoot. 3ou$re missing all the fun.$ Nel!s was manning the forward0facing bolter but .ust about all he$d see through the sights from that angle was the bac" of our :alamander so I hoped he$d be able to resist the temptation to open up at random. No sooner had I completed the thought than he triggered the hea#! weapon and I flinched anticipating a rain of armour0piercing pro.ectiles against our rear plating but he$d .udged it to a nicet! ta"ing out another sandbagged weapon emplacement .ust barel! #isible at the corner of the street. -e whooped as the gunner$s torso erupted in a crimson mist. $3esH$ $5o!s $ ?a!la muttered a trifle en#iousl! I thought and tuc"ed in behind us as +urgen bounced our trac"s o#er the remains of the barricade he$d shredded. A few desultor! las0bolts were still spanging off the hull armour so I spra!ed a few suppressi#e rounds to "eep the sur#i#ors$ heads down and /onal swept the nearest storefronts with another burst from the flamer for good measure. >uc"il! the defenders were alert% a few heads appeared at the top of the wall popping up li"e startled snowhens and began to la! down some more suppressi#e fire while someone began to pull the gates open. I flinched anticipating a collision but +urgen cut our speed .ust enough for them to finish the .ob and we shot through the

widening gap with centimetres to spare. ?a!la followed a little more sedatel! and lea#ing a la!er of paint on the thic" stone gatepost then the slab of timber slammed bac" into place behind us. $:ir.$ &he sergeant in charge of the P/1 detachment snapped a salute tr!ing not to gawp at me while the men under his command didn$t e#en bother ma"ing the attempt. I returned the salute crispl!. $6ood morning sergeant. :orr! to barge in unannounced but we$re in a bit of a hurr!. Could !ou present Commissar Cain$s compliments to the 6o#ernor and inform him I$d li"e a word at his earliest con#enience)$ I could ha#e done it m!self of course o#er the comm0bead but I had no desire to wor" m! wa! through innumerable flun"e!s demanding proof of m! identit!. $Of course sir.$ &he sergeant bec"oned his #ox operator o#er and began to spea" urgentl! in an undertone with se#eral co#ert glances in our direction. $Ver! good $ I said and leaned o#er to tal" to +urgen. @&he palace +urgen *uic" as !ou can.$ $Right !ou are sir $ m! aide replied cheerfull! re##ing the engine to a pitch which would ha#e had a tech0priest howling almost as much in protest had there been one in the #icinit! and slipping in the dutch. &rue to form he too" m! words literall! accelerating across a wide formal lawn and crashing through a hedge lea#ing twin furrows of gouged earth in our wa"e. 5! the time we$d arri#ed at our destination a handful of minutes later he$d also accounted for se#eral flower beds a scattering of shrubs and a small statue of a !oung woman wearing rather too little for the time of !ear. ?a!la followed compounding the damage but not b! much'. 34" #elatively spea ing" 0espite the best efforts of the ground staff, the mar s of their passage are still visible if you now where to loo ": $Commissar.$ &re#ell!an himself was waiting at the bottom of the steps leading up to a wide formal terrace and greeted us affabl! as we drew up beneath the balustrade our engines idling. $,hat can I do for !ou)$ $3ou can come with us sir $ told him dismounting in order to sha"e hands. It might seem an odd time to be obser#ing the proprieties *uite so punctiliousl! but if I read the man right on our brief earlier ac*uaintance he$d find at least the appearance of adhering to protocol reassuring. $3our safet! is #ital to the securit! of Perlia.$ ,hich might ha#e been o#erstating the case a little but I$#e !et to meet an aristo without an inflated sense of their own importance and pla!ing up to it can often persuade them to co0operate. &re#ell!an loo"ed confused. $I can$t .ust lea#e $ he said. $&his building is the centre of Imperial power. ,hat sort of message does it send to the populace if I .ust cut and run)$ $&hat !ou$re still ali#e)$ I suggested tr!ing to "eep an edge of irritation from m! #oice. $&he enem! has alread! destro!ed the P/1 command centre b! orbital bombardment and the! could .ust as easil! obliterate the palace.$ $&hen wh! ha#en$t the!)$ &re#ell!an as"ed reasonabl! enough and I tried to "eep m! own #oice con#ersational as I replied. $I ha#e no idea $ I admitted. $5ut we$re dealing with Chaos worshipping loonies don$t forget. &heir strategies don$t alwa!s ma"e sense to an!one else at least to begin with.$ $&hen it seems to me that I$m as safe here as an!where else $ the 6o#ernor said. $,ith respect sir $ I began $that is no longer !our decision to ma"e.$ I became

aware that m! #oice was rising and made an effort to sound calmer% onl! then did I realise that I$d been spea"ing more loudl! because the ambient noise had risen about us. $IncomingH$ 5riel shouted glancing up from the miniature auspex in the bac" of the second :alamander' and gesturing towards the east. I raised m! hand shielding m! e!es against the glare and was .ust able to ma"e out a trio of fast0mo#ing dots closing on our position. 34" *hich must therefore have been the command variant, rather than the scout pattern favoured by Cain": $Assault shuttlesL Nel!s reported a pair of ampli#isors to his e!es. $&hree of them descending fast.$ $InsideH$ I snapped. $,e$re sitting waterfowl out hereH$ I half expected &re#ell!an to argue but he simpl! nodded bolting up the steps to the terrace and disappearing through the wide glass doors leading into the conser#ator! be!ond. I began to follow then glanced bac". &hat means e#er!oneH$ &he cadets piled out of the :alamander and pelted after us. A moment later +urgen$s distincti#e odour .oined me followed almost at once b! the man himself his precious melta cradled in his arms. $>oo"s li"e the!$re coming down in the grounds $ he said and I held out m! hand for the ampli#isor Nel!s was still carr!ing. $&he! are $ I confirmed focussing the de#ice as the *uartet of cadets scurried past me into the building drawing their weapons as the! ran. Confident that the enem! wouldn$t be down and deplo!ed for se#eral minutes !et I lingered a little longer partl! to pla! up to m! undeser#ed reputation for coolness under fire but mainl! because the more !ou "now about the enem! the better prepared !ou are to deal with them. 9nli"e the commandeered ci#ilian #essels which had deli#ered most of the first wa#e and the preliminar! raiders the three shuttles were militar! drop0ships hea#il! armoured and carr!ing enough weaponr! for close air support. &he P/1 guarding the palace opened up with commendable promptness as soon as the! came into range but the barrage of autocannon rounds and sporadic roc"ets from hand0held launchers barel! scratched the paintwor" as the menacing formation continued to descend. All the defenders reall! succeeded in doing was pinpointing their positions the ones brac"eting the shuttles$ flight path falling silent almost at once as the drop0ships$ nose0mounted lascannons retaliated to deadl! effect. I half expected the pilots to brea" off and go loo"ing for fresh targets once those were eliminated but once again the! seemed remar"abl! focussed for minions of Chaos continuing their descent as smoothl! and efficientl! as Imperial Na#! #eterans would ha#e done. $&hat$s it we$re lea#ing $ I said as the first landing s"ids san" into the lawn which browned and then blac"ened under the fierce heat of the landing thrusters. Ne#ertheless despite the urgent demands of m! sense of self0preser#ation something held me there a moment longer. I$#e ne#er li"ed facing an un"nown enem! and preferred not to ta"e to m! heels without finding out what was most li"el! to be following. &he!$d chosen their landing site well I was forced to concede% with the nearest defenders swept awa! b! the strafing run I$d witnessed the fall of the ground would enable them to disembar" without facing much in the wa! of incoming fire. Of course that would also gi#e us time to redeplo! our own people to meet them which wouldn$t do them a lot of good in the long run I hoped. I focussed the ampli#isor again grateful for the augmetic fingers on m! right hand which let me hold the de#ice perfectl! stead!

despite the distance% the onl! faint trembling of the image I could see was due to m! heartbeat which was a little faster than usual but no more than !ou$d expect under the circumstances. As I watched the boarding ramps descended and figures began to mo#e inside the shadowed bellies of the shuttles. It was hard to ma"e an!thing out !et but the bul" of them was unmista"able4 power armour. A thrill of sheer terror shot through me at the thought of facing what loo"ed suspiciousl! li"e at least three full s*uads of &raitor 2arines and I swung the ampli#isor bac" and forth hoping to find some clue as to who the! were. &hen someone else stepped out onto the ramp and if an!thing m! apprehension increased. /warfed b! the hul"ing figures that flan"ed him the unmista"able figure of Varan himself strolled down the metal incline and finall! set foot on Perlia.

EIGHTEEN $&-E :I&9A&ION$: ,OR:E than I thought $ I told &re#ell!an with what I felt to be commendable understatement. &he conser#ator! be!ond the terrace had led us into the palace itself and now we were hurr!ing along a corridor lined with wooden panels and wor"s of art which none of us had either the time or the inclination to pause and admire. &he one thing I$d been pleased to see was a burl! P/1 sergeant and a full s*uad of troopers lugging a large boo"case and a dining table from an ad.acent room to form a reassuringl! solid0loo"ing barricade in the middle of the passagewa! which ought to hold the enem! for a short time4 a #er! short time if I was right about the identities of our unwelcome #isitors but an! respite would be useful in getting the 6o#ernor and more importantl! m!self to safet!. $&he enem! ob#iousl! means to occup! the palace and no doubt assassinate !ou in the process.$ $&hus spreading alarm and despondenc! among the populace I ta"e it $ &re#ell!an said sounding remar"abl! calm about the whole thing but then I suppose he was as used to hiding his true feelings as I was. $,hereas we$d rather ha#e !ou ali#e and "ic"ing to boost morale and stiffen their resistance $ I said. $:o where$s !our escape route)$ $Escape route)$ &re#ell!an said with studied ingenuousness. I nodded tightl!. $I$#e ne#er "nown a 6o#ernor without a contingenc! plan for sa#ing his hide if the peasants re#olt $ I said $e#en on the most well0ordered worlds.$ I hardened m! #oice a little. $And belie#e me !our excellenc! we don$t ha#e time for diplomatic games.$ 1or a moment m! paranoia threw up the alarming possibilit! that this man was the uni*ue exception and that I$d run straight into a trap m! blithe assumption that there was bound to be a wa! out of here completel! wrong. 7Of course it had been this belief that had persuaded me to chance running for the palace in the first place instead of following Ror"ins$s original suggestion and heading straight bac" to the schola while we$d had the chance.8 After a moment though &re#ell!an nodded. $&here$s a passagewa! down to the undercit! $ he conceded $in m! pri#ate chambers.$ A faintl! defensi#e tone entered his #oice. $5uilt b! one of m! predecessors centuries ago. I$#e ne#er been down there m!self of course.$ $Of course $ I echoed not reall! caring much either wa!. 7Although I was to be grateful enough for the snippet of information later on.8 $,hich wa!)$ &he sound of gunfire was audible in the distance now and the cadets exchanged apprehensi#e loo"s. Another s*uad of P/1 troopers doubled past us their faces set ob#iousl! intending to reinforce their comrades at the barricade further down the corridor% an unmista"abl! expensi#e0sounding crash informed me that another solid anti*ue had .ust been thrown on to the pile and the 6o#ernor winced a little. $&hrough here $ &re#ell!an said leading us into a surprisingl! tasteful suite of rooms. 5right sunlight slanted in through windows gi#ing what under most circumstances would ha#e been a pleasant #iew of the grounds which had now been disfigured b! the scattered bodies of a do(en or so P/1 troopers. In the distance power0 armoured figures were ad#ancing inexorabl! on a detachment of dug0in defenders shrugging off most of the lasgun fire directed at them although one staggered and fell

before drifting smo"e obscured the rest of the engagement. /espite the fact that the! were too far awa! to see dearl! something about them struc" me as unner#ingl! familiar but the nagging sense of recognition wouldn$t *uite gel and I had more pressing matters to attend to at the moment in an! case. ,e hurried through a drawing room full of sofas and armchairs ranged about a fireplace which loo"ed as though it would ha#e been mortall! offended b! the merest particle of ash and a dining room which would comfortabl! ha#e seated a do(en people before duc"ing down another wide well0carpeted corridor. I pic"ed up m! pace as the crac"le of small arms fire suddenl! sounded close at hand the distincti#e crac @ of ionising air made b! lasguns o#erlaid with the ripping sound of bolters telling me that the enem! had alread! made it as far as the barricade in the hall we$d so recentl! #acated. &he palms of m! hands began to itch a sure sign that something was deepl! wrong% &raitor 2arines were formidable I "new from bitter personal experience but e#en the! should ha#e been held up a little longer b! our outer defences. &hen the firing from the corridor went silent too as completel! and suddenl! as if someone had .ust thrown a switch. $&hat$s not right $ /onal said. $I$ll go and see what$s happening.$ $3ou$ll sta! right where !ou areH$ I snapped bac". &he whole thing had the stin" of sorcer! about it if !ou as"ed me and mindful of the con#ersation I$d had with +ulien and Ror"ins I was suddenl! con#inced that the onl! logical explanation for the sudden and total collapse of resistance was the presence of a remar"abl! powerful ps!"er among Varan$s entourage. ,hich meant in turn that the onl! chance we had of getting out of here with whole s"ins was for e#er!one to stic" close enough to +urgen to gain the benefit of his remar"able gift. I turned to the 6o#ernor. $Now would be a good time to show off !our ancestor$s handiwor" $ I suggested as mildl! as I could under the circumstances. &re#ell!an nodded his face paling. $Of course $ he said. &his wa!$ As I$d expected the entrance to the bolt hole was in his bedroom% for some reason that$s where the ma.orit! of them seem to be located either in the expectation that the peasants would be inconsiderate enough to re#olt out of office hours or so that whoe#er built them could snea" off the premises on personal business without an! of their staff noticing their absence'. 34" (urprisingly, given his habitual cynicism, Cain neglects the most obvious possibility& that, as well as egress, the passageways were intended to provide discreet access for certain favoured courtesans": $5etter ma"e it fast $ I suggested following him through the door. I glanced bac" at +urgen and the cadets. $Co#er the end of the corridor. &hat$s where the!$ll come from.$ $Ver! good sir $ +urgen said alread! directing the melta down the passagewa! while the *uartet of cadets too" what co#er the! could behind con#enient doorwa!s or the occasional tables scattered along the length of the hall. $Is !our niece on the premises too)$ I as"ed &re#ell!an as he began to shoulder aside an o#er0ornamented wardrobe which loo"ed as though it had been standing there since the Emperor was in short trousers. If she was she was on her own so far as I was concerned but there was no harm in ma"ing a show of interest in our secondar! ob.ecti#e. &he huge lump of timber seemed in no hurr! to budge so I put m! shoulder to it as well and between us we managed to shift the blasted thing .ust far enough to re#eal a genecode scanner and the faint outline of a narrow doorwa! set into the wall. $Ill!ria)$ &re#ell!an shoo" his head. $No she$s gone hunting. :he$s sta!ing at the

lodge on the 2ar"sell estate.$ I hadn$t a clue where that was but no doubt Ror"ins could send someone to pic" her up or loo" after her as soon as I got the chance to tell him% I wasn$t about to trust information that sensiti#e to the #ox. $,ell that$s something an!wa! $ I said while &re#ell!an slapped his hand to the reader plate. 1or an agonising moment nothing seemed to be happening then the panel in the wall swung bac" releasing a cloud of dust and the faintl! cloacal smell which told me be!ond all reasonable doubt that somewhere the passagewa! behind it connected to the sewers. $Commissar the!$re hereH$ ?a!la called her #oice tightl! controlled and echoing a fraction of a second later in m! comm0bead. Cursing I drew m! laspistol and hurried across to the door. Running footsteps could be heard approaching along the corridor and I aimed carefull! at the intersection around which our pursuers would be coming. &o m! relief though the tread was of booted feet not the ponderous thudding of power armour and I began to relax a little. $-old !our fire until !ou$re certain of a target $ I said holding m! weapon on aim regardless. 2! caution seemed .ustified a moment later when the P/1 troopers we$d last seen manning the barricade behind us pelted into #iew. /isconcerting that the!$d apparentl! turned and fled so precipitousl! but under the circumstances I was prepared to ma"e allowances4 e#en Imperial 6uard troopers would ha#e thought twice about standing their ground in front of the &raitor >egions although I$d ha#e hoped that the!$d ha#e retreated in rather better order. :till if I could bring them to heel and ta"e them along with us that would be no bad thing4 I$#e ne#er been a#erse to a bit more cannon fodder standing between me and harm$s wa!. E#en so I "ept m! pistol up the palms of m! hands itching more strongl! than e#er although as so often I couldn$t ha#e pinpointed the exact reason for m! dis*uiet. $It$s all right the!$re oursH$ 5riel said his #oice ringing with relief and mo#ing out into the corridor .ust as the running troopers brought their lasguns up. &hat was what had been bothering me I suddenl! realised the!$d been holding them li"e men ad#ancing to contact not running from an enem! behind them. 5efore I could shout a warning howe#er the!$d opened fire. 5riel too" four or fi#e las0bolts in the chest which practicall! cut him in half and staggered bac" an almost comical expression of astonishment on his face. No point in ris"ing an!one$s nec" dragging him bac" into co#er he was *uite clearl! on his wa! to the 6olden &hrone e#en before he hit the carpet which was now considerabl! messier. $/eath to the ser#ants of the corpse godH$ the sergeant shouted and we returned fire with a will eager to a#enge our own. At least the sur#i#ing cadets were% +urgen and I were too seasoned a pair of campaigners to ta"e 5riel$s loss personall! at least while the more pressing matter of our own sur#i#al was ta"ing up most of our attention. &he front ran" of onrushing traitors faltered under the barrage of las0bolts we unleashed a couple in the front ran" falling where the! tripped the charging troopers most closel! behind and +urgen$s melta accounted for a small group at the bac". $/isengageH$ I shouted bec"oning our sur#i#ors into the 6o#ernor$s bedroom. ,e$d slowed the enem! charge but I was under no illusion that the next wa#e would be so easil! dealt with nor for that matter that our erstwhile allies were completel! out of the fight either. ,hate#er had turned their minds seemed to ha#e left them as fanatical as the 2adasans I$d encountered before and e#en as +urgen and the others began to pull

bac" to .oin me m! worst forebodings were confirmed. &he troopers who$d escaped in.ur! or had onl! suffered superficial wounds opened fire again almost without pause. Almost but not *uite. ?a!la and Nel!s had .ust had time to scurr! to safet! before the barrage resumed and m! nose told me that +urgen was all right e#en before m! e!es had registered his presence but /onal hadn$t been so luc"!. -e$d been halfwa! across the corridor from his refuge in the opposite doorwa! when the enem! had begun firing again and a couple of rounds hit him in the chest and "nee. -e fell dangerousl! exposed in the middle of the expanse of carpeting. $Co#er himH$ I snapped hoping he$d be able to crawl to safet! but the lad was twitching li"e a freshl!0landed fish unable to rise and lea"ing li"e a colander. 5right red blood was staining the front of his greatcoat turning the blac" fabric an unpleasant mush! rust colour before dripping to the floor and his face was gre!ing. Ver! good sir.$ +urgen po"ed the melta round the doorframe and sent a blast of ra#ening heat down the hallwa!. &his time his shot drifted a little high setting fire to the wood panelling but sending the turncoats attac"ing us scrambling bac" to the .unction of the corridor lea#ing their dead and wounded l!ing where the!$d fallen. I hesitated for a moment but e#en as I o#ercame m! reluctance to mo#e I "new I had no choice. If I .ust left the lad to bleed to death or worse fall into the hands of the enem! I$d lose the respect of the sur#i#ing cadets and I needed them to follow m! lead without hesitation if I was going to get out of this with a whole s"in. And then there was &re#ell!an to consider. :o far as he was concerned I was the legendar! >iberator the warrior who$d sa#ed his planet once before and e#en the merest hint that I was .ust as fallible as an!one else would probabl! end an! chance we had of using him to rall! the populace against the in#ader. &a"ing a deep breath I loosed a couple of las0bolts in the general direction of the enem! and popped out of the doorwa! as abruptl! as m! mechanical replica on that ghastl! timepiece in >iberation :*uare. &ime seemed to slow as it so often does when I$m in imminent danger of death and I had plent! of time to note m! surroundings while I hoisted /onal to his feet and sent another couple of shots down the corridor for good measure. :atisfied that the onl! enem! still mo#ing that I could see was a trooper who$d been too se#erel! singed b! +urgen to last more than a few minutes in an! case I began to bac" awa! "eeping the wounded cadet between m!self and an! more incoming fire. After all he$d alread! been shot twice so another dent or two probabl! wouldn$t ma"e that much difference to him whereas I was still up and running and had e#er! intention of "eeping it that wa!. It was onl! as I made it to the doorwa! that I realised the expiring trooper a handful of metres awa! wasn$t .ust twitching at random he was still mo#ing with e#ident and male#olent purpose% something I should ha#e expected after m! encounter with the 2adasans at R!tepat. I shot him at once but it was alread! too late the grenade he$d been priming rolling along the carpet towards us. $6renadeH$ I !elled rotating /onal and m!self around the doorframe to see" sanctuar! against the other side of the wall 7and "noc"ing a filigreed nightstand to the floor in the process but I was past worr!ing about ta"ing good care of the furniture b! that time8. +urgen reacted instantl! flattening himself against the wall on the other side of the doorwa! while ?a!la and Nel!s flung themsel#es to the floor behind the well0 upholstered bed. 7No doubt grateful for the thic" carpeting.8 Onl! &re#ell!an stood still in bemusement tr!ing to comprehend what was going

on around him. Emperor onl! "nows what he was still doing there rather than scuttling down the escape hole li"e he was supposed to4 perhaps he thought protocol demanded that he be the last to lea#e. If so it was a gesture of good manners which was to cost him dear. -e .ust had time to as" $,hat did !ou...$ before the frag charge exploded fortunatel! for the rest of us in the corridor outside rather than inside the room. :hards of shrapnel hissed through the air and the luc"less 6o#ernor who folded li"e a sac" of grain that$s been used once too often for ba!onet practice. $-e$s in a bad wa! $ Nel!s told me a moment later *uite unnecessaril!. I$d seen enough battlefield trauma in m! life to be *uite certain that the 6o#ernor was well be!ond an! help we could gi#e him in the time we had a#ailable. I turned to +urgen who was appl!ing a pressure bandage to an ugl! hole in /onal$s chest% b! the greatest piece of bad luc" it seemed one of the noncoms among the turncoats had a stubber for a sidearm and had been using that in preference to the las weapons of his compatriots las0bolts are nast! enough it$s true incapacitating often fatall! b! thermal shoc" but the upside is that if !ou sur#i#e a hit the! usuall! cauterise the wounds the! inflict. 5ullets on the other hand don$t lea#ing !ou to bleed with fatal conse*uences if someone can$t staunch it for !ou. $-ow$s /onal)$ I as"ed. $I$#e felt better $ /onal said with a touch of his old insouciance although it was ob#ious to me how hard he had to wor" at maintaining it. +urgen shoo" his head. $-e needs a chirurgeon $ he told me bluntl!. ,ell he wasn$t about to get one around here. $+ust do the best !ou can $ I said. $Patch him up enough to get mo#ing.$ +urgen nodded although his expression told me all I needed to "now about what he thought of that idea. 1ortunatel! /onal sa#ed him the bother of putting his thoughts into words. $I$m not going an!where $ he said. $I$m bleeding li"e a stuc" grox and e#en if I last long enough to get down the hole I$ll onl! hold !ou up.$ It seemed I$d mis.udged the lad after all. -e hauled himself into a sitting position a trifle woo(il! and hefted his laspistol as though it weighed twice as much as it usuall! did. $I$ll bu! !ou as much time as I can but it won$t be much. 2a"e the best of it.$ $,e will $ I promised him and turned to Nel!s. $Can his excellenc! be mo#ed !et)$ $/on$t patronise me !oung man $ &re#ell!an said loo"ing and sounding his true age at last. $I$m past help and we both "now it. &he least I can do is follow the good example of !our protege.$ -e coughed spra!ing his immediate #icinit! with a thin dusting of blood. $3ou$ll find a bolt pistol in that cabinet o#er there. If !ou$d be "ind enough to load it for me I$ll be honoured to assist him.$ $Nel!s $ I said $get the 6o#ernor his gun. I$#e something else to ta"e care of before we lea#e.$ 2o#ed b! an impulse I couldn$t *uite explain I unwound the crimson sash from around m! waist and handed it to /onal. $I thin" !ou$#e more than earned this toda! $ I told him. $,ell done commissar.$ $&han" !ou sir.$ /onal swallowed his #oice ta"ing on an unfamiliar hus"iness. $I$ll tr! to be worth! of it.$ ,e stared at one another for a further moment of inarticulate embarrassment then to our mutual relief ?a!la called out from the doorwa!. $-ere the! comeH$ :he sent a #olle! of las0bolts down the corridor and duc"ed

bac" inside the room .ust ahead of a barrage of return fire. ,ith a tingle of apprehension I felt the floor flexing gentl! beneath m! feet in the rh!thm of an unhurried stride and "new we were out of time. A few seconds later the unmista"able thudding of power0armoured feet echoed down the passagewa!. $Aim for the .oints $ I ad#ised /onal and the 6o#ernor putting a las0bolt through the genecode reader b! the hidden door as I spo"e% it was all too eas! to picture &re#ell!an or more li"el! his corpse being hoisted up b! augmented muscle to trigger it. Not that I expected so flims! a barrier to dela! a &raitor 2arine for #er! long but e#en that minor ad#antage would be worth ha#ing. $It$s the best chance of getting through their armour.$ I turned to ?a!la and Nel!s. $6o now.$ 1or a moment I thought the! might argue but the! complied straight awa! disappearing through the gap into the dar"ness be!ond. I followed not needing to loo" to be certain that +urgen was hard on m! heels and glanced bac" into the room. Enough light fell through the portal to illuminate the closing mechanism which m! aide triggered with the butt of his melta "eeping the weapon aimed through the narrowing gap as it started to swing shut behind us. &he last sight I had of the room be!ond was /onal and &re#ell!an le#elling their weapons and shadows mo#ing in the doorwa! be!ond them too bul"! to be an!thing other than what I$d feared. &hen the hidden panel thudded into place and dar"ness swallowed us completel!.

NINETEEN 1OR&9NA&E>3 A: I$/ expected +urgen had a luminator somewhere about his person and a moment later to m! pleased surprise ?a!la produced another one from the poc"et of her greatcoat enabling us to get our first clear #iew of our surroundings. &he hidden room ad.acent to the 6o#ernor$s chambers turned out to contain nothing but a spiral staircase to m! #ast relief too narrow for an!one in power armour to negotiate which descended #erticall! for a do(en metres or so before opening out into a passagewa! .ust wide enough for us to hurr! along in single file our shoulders almost brushing the walls and our footsteps echoing from the bare bric" hemming us in. +urgen led the wa! at a rapid trot the luminator he$d found among his profusion of webbing pouches attached to the ba!onet lugs of his lasgun and the butt of the hastil!0 shouldered melta thudding rh!thmicall! against the crumbling masonr!. E#er! time it struc" the wall a cloud of dust and powdered bric"wor" stung m! e!es and scratched the bac" of m! throat% clearl! the 6o#ernor hadn$t been exaggerating about the length of time that had passed since the passagewa! had last been used. I followed hard on m! aide$s heels then ?a!la with Nel!s bringing up the rear the bul" of his bod! obscuring the lights we carried from an! pursuers behind us. I strained m! ears for an! indication that the wall panel had been breached but either /onal and the 6o#ernor were managing to hold off the enem! for longer than I$d expected or the hidden portal had been strongl! reinforced against .ust such a contingenc! as this. After a few minutes we entered the undercit! proper a warren of ser#ice ducts sewage tunnels and built0o#er cellars from long0forgotten structures which felt reassuringl! li"e the lower hi#e le#els I$d pla!ed in as a child. Once or twice we e#en found oursel#es running along recognisable streets the porticos of ancient buildings now metres below the dwellings of their builders$ descendants crumbling around us. $I ne#er "new there was an!thing li"e this down here $ ?a!la said a tinge of awe entering her #oice as she swept the beam of her luminator along the entablature of a sagging chapel from which the dust0shrouded image of -im on Earth glowered down at us as though cran"! about being disturbed. Nel!s bowed his head and made the sign of the a*uila as we passed but the rest of us .ust "ept going as *uic"l! as possible. I still hadn$t heard an! signs of pursuit .ust the usual scufflings of rodents and the occasional human outcast both e*uall! startled and "een to a#oid a group of people carr!ing weapons with e#ident purpose but that didn$t mean Varan hadn$t dispatched a search part! after us% .ust that the! hadn$t caught up !et. $3ou$ll find something li"e it under most Imperial cities $ I told her more to "eep m! mind off the worr!ing possibilit! of potential pursuit than an!thing else but if it ga#e her and Nel!s something to thin" about other than the loss of /onal and 5riel that would be no bad thing. At least her curiosit! about the unfamiliar en#ironment was an encouraging sign that she was sta!ing focussed. $As the! grow and de#elop o#er the millennia the lower le#els get built on and forgotten about. :ome of the places I$#e been ha#e undercities more than a "ilometre thic".$ $It$s ama(ing to thin" no one e#er goes down there $ Nel!s said. $5ut the! do $ I told him. $3ou$ll find tech0priests and maintenance wor"ers in the upper le#els of course loo"ing after the infrastructure of the cit! and all sorts of lowlifes

too4 gangers illegal gambling dens crims on the run an!one whose business is better carried on out of sight. 5elow that !ou come to the deep le#els where things get reall! bad. &hat$s where !ou$ll find the mutants and heretic cults fugiti#e ps!"ers and worse.$ $,hat could be worse than that)$ ?a!la as"ed and I silentl! repro#ed m!self for spoo"ing her an! more than she alread! was. Pushing awa! the sudden mental image of blan"0faced metal "illers I shrugged. $Plent!. 5ut I doubt !ou$ll find an!thing li"e that below -a#endown e#en at the bottom le#els.$ I tried to ma"e m! #oice as reassuring as I could. $5esides I grew up in the deeps of m! old hi#e before the schola too" me in down near the sump and I sur#i#ed. 6ot off0world too which is more than most tunnel rats can sa!.$ I in.ected a note of slightl! forced le#it! into m! tone. $&his is all *uite homel! reall!.$ &hen I bro"e off suddenl! aware of a change in the echoes around us. $/own here and douse the lights.$ I led the wa! into a narrow deft between two slabs of fallen roc"crete which a faint draught had alread! informed me concealed a wider space behind and the others followed at once +urgen and ?a!la clic"ing off their luminators with commendable promptness. In the sudden dar"ness I heard the faint susurration of sliding fabric as +urgen unslung his melta holding it read! for use and I drew m! laspistol. $,hat is it)$ Nel!s whispered then subsided as ?a!la elbowed him in the ribs. E#en if I could ha#e answered him there was no need to% a faint glow was approaching accompanied b! a scuffling of footfalls which sounded somehow wrong as though the legs the! were attached to weren$t wor"ing properl! which in man! cases the! weren$t. As the crowd came into #iew both cadets gasped audibl! but fortunatel! not loudl! enough to gi#e awa! our positions. 2an! of the indi#iduals comprising it loo"ed li"e people more or less but others didn$t too hideousl! deformed to e#en bother tr!ing to conceal the wa! their flesh had re#olted. :ome carried weapons a few firearms #isible in the baleful glow that illuminated their progress but most carried far cruder armaments% crossbows fashioned from sca#enged fragments of metal and wood serrated blades and hea#! clubs. All told the! didn$t loo" li"e much and I had no doubt that we could ha#e slaughtered the lot of them with little difficult! if we$d been so inclined but I refrained from ordering the others to open fire. 1or one thing if Varan reall! had dispatched a "ill team after us the gunfire would draw them to our position li"e flies to +urgen on a warm summer morning and for another there was that eerie blue glow lighting their wa!. It had no #isible source ho#ering o#er their heads as the! shuffled along and the onl! explanation I could thin" of for that was the ob#ious one% somewhere among the crowd of abominations was a ps!"er with Emperor alone "new what other abilities. Of course whate#er the! were +urgen would neutralise them of that I had no doubt but it would onl! ta"e one mutant to escape and report what had happened to the enem! for Varan to "now that there was a blan" at large somewhere on Perlia and the longer I could "eep that particular Emperor up m! slee#e the better I li"ed it. If the warmaster was reall! as reliant on ps!"ers as I$d deduced +urgen$s peculiar abilit! could turn out to be crucial. 7In this I was right but in a manner I couldn$t possibl! ha#e predicted at the time.8 :o we sta!ed put hardl! daring to breathe 7which in a confined space with +urgen was an acti#it! best "ept to a minimum in an! case8 while the eldritch glow and the arrh!thmic shuffling faded awa! into the distance.

$I thought !ou said the mutants were confined to the lower le#els $ Nel!s said in a faintl! aggrie#ed tone and I nodded ha#ing determined that it was safe to "indle the luminators again. $&he! usuall! are $ I said griml!. $&he! must ha#e heard about the in#asion and come up to .oin in the fun.$ &hen we need to get that information to Commander Ror"ins as soon as possible $ Nel!s said and I nodded again. $2! thoughts exactl!. :o let$s get on with it.$ /espite m! ob#ious anxiet! about the matter we didn$t encounter an! more warbands emerging from the undercit! on the outs"irts of -a#endown towards the end of the afternoon. ,ithout the #oxes in the :alamanders to rela! a message our comm0 beads didn$t ha#e an!thing li"e enough range to get through to the schola so we ended up commandeering a truc" from an understandabl! ner#ous P/1 s*uad who$d been left to man a roadbloc" the pre#ious da! and who$d recei#ed no new orders since R!tepat was destro!ed. 9nder the circumstances I told them that the! might as well stand down and go to ground in preparation for the guerrilla stage of the war which I was certain was about to start% perhaps that sa#ed their li#es or perhaps not but as I ne#er saw an! of them again I ha#e no idea how the! fared'. 34" #easonably well, if I!ve managed to correctly identify the unit in question from the )0= roster and subsequent debriefing: as ever, Cain!s propensity to gloss over matters which don!t particularly concern him proved to be something of a handicap in this regard" $hey appear to have successfully raided an enemy supply dump, and ambushed traitor patrols on several occasions, sustaining no more than forty per cent casualties before being absorbed into a platoon again as order was eventually re'established": &he dri#e bac" was as une#entful as a trip with +urgen at the wheel was e#er li"el! to be and as we approached :alubria Par#a and I caught m! first glimpse of the schola standing proudl! on the slopes abo#e the rooftops of the #illage I found m!self beginning to hope that the worst was behind us. 5ut in that of course I was woefull! o#er0optimistic. $3ou too" !our time $ Ror"ins greeted me as I entered the command post. I$d filled him in on the results of our attempt to rescue the 6o#ernor as soon as we$d got within #ox range so there was no need to go through it all again. Instead I shrugged affecting nonchalance for the benefit of an!one who might be watching. $,e ran into a little hitch $ I said. $As I$#e alread! explained.$ $,ell !our friend the 6o#ernor$s been ma"ing a lot of trouble for a dead man while !ou$#e been out en.o!ing the scener! $ Ror"ins said shortl!. $3ou should ha#e finished him off !ourself while !ou had the chance.$ $Excuse me)$ I as"ed feeling the old unpleasant sensation of e#ents beginning to spiral out of control again. +ulien glanced up from the other side of the hololith and grinned at me s!mpatheticall!. $&hings ha#e mo#ed on a bit since !our last message $ she said. &hat had been barel! half an hour before and I$d hurried straight to the command post as soon as +urgen had par"ed the lorr! we$d ta"en from the P/1 troops. &here had hardl! been time for Varan to mount another ma.or attac" an!where but I couldn$t thin" of an!thing else that would ha#e left Ror"ins so ob#iousl! out of sorts. $&his came in about fi#e minutes ago.$ ,hile I was still on m! wa! up from the #ehicle pool in other words. &hat went some

wa! towards explaining the colonel$s mood% the shoc" of whate#er it was hadn$t had time to wear off !et. $,hat did)$ I as"ed but e#en before I$d finished spea"ing the Celestian had acti#ated the hololith. &re#ell!an$s face appeared loo"ing almost as gaunt as the last time I$d seen him and I felt as though I$d been "ic"ed hard in the stomach. Varan must ha#e got a medicae to him in the nic" of time and there was onl! one reason wh! he would ha#e bothered to do that. :ure enough when the 6o#ernor spo"e it was to confirm m! worst fears. $Citi(ens of Perlia $ he began $I spea" to all of !ou in the hope of pre#enting further unnecessar! bloodshed. &he forces of liberation recentl! arri#ed on our world are not our enemies despite the lies and propaganda !ou$#e been fed to foster that impression. &he! bring freedom to all of !ou willing to embrace it% freedom from the stifling rule of the Imperium which crushes an! flowering of indi#idual talent under the dull gre! mantle of conformit! and which ripped so man! of our lo#ed ones from our embrace to feed the insatiable maw of the t!ranid .uggernaut. >a! down !our arms and welcome our new friends so that together we can go forward into a new and more glorious age.$ $&reasonous bastard $ Ror"ins said his .aw clenching. &re#ell!an was still mouthing off and I gestured to +ulien to cut the recording% I$d seen and heard more than enough. $&hat$s on e#er! pict and #ox channel the! can reach $ she said. $Our tech0priest friends are .amming it where#er the! can of course but it$s still getting through.$ $Of course $ I echoed still tr!ing to ta"e in the magnitude of this re#ersal. $I$ll ma"e a broadcast m!self denouncing him as a traitor. I$#e still got m! reputation as the >iberator to trade on% a lot of Perlians will respect that.$ -owe#er hollow it was in actualit!. $,orth a tr! $ Ror"ins said. $Record something as soon as !ou can and we$ll get Visiter to transmit it from space. &he!$re controlling most of the ci#ilian #ox and pict nets but we should be able to b!pass them with an orbital rela!.$ $5etter find that niece of his as well $ I added as an afterthought. $6et her sworn in as the new 6o#ernor and we$ll undermine whate#er$s left of &re#ell!an$s authorit!.$ 2ost Perlians would feel a sense of allegiance to the office not the incumbent so if we could mount a swift enough counter0coup with a plausible candidate of our own we should be able to pre#ent a lot of them from going o#er to the enem!. I hoped. $I$#e alread! got a shuttleful of stormtroopers on their wa! to her hunting lodge $ Ror"ins said nodding in agreement. $:he$s at the arse end of nowhere so we might as well lea#e her there for now. At least if Varan ma"es an attempt to grab her too we$ll ha#e enough warning to do something about it.$ $,ell that$s something $ I said the palms of m! hands suddenl! beginning to itch as though I$d inad#ertentl! brushed against +urgen. 1or a moment the reason for this sudden rush of apprehension eluded me and then the coin dropped. $5ut we need to get the schola e#acuated right awa!. If &re#ell!an$s told Varan he missed the real centre of resistance when he lanced R!tepat...$ $:trangel! enough $ Ror"ins said with a slightl! strained smile $!ou$re not the onl! man around here able to draw the ob#ious conclusion. Visiter$s people are inbound alread! so !ou$d better get that pict made fast.$ $>uc"il! for us the debris belt forced the enem! flotilla into a low polar orbit

rather than a geostationar! one o#er the capital $ +ulien said. $&he warships won$t be in position for an orbital stri"e on these co0ordinates for about an hour. 2ore or less.$ $&hen let$s hope it$s more $ I said and hurried off to find +urgen and a tech0priest capable of sorting out the pict recording. &hat too" longer than I would ha#e li"ed of course but I was pleased to see that the first phase of the e#acuation was alread! going well as I emerged into the fading light of the main *uadrangle the !oungest progeni marshalling under the nominal control of their instructors. All were carr!ing bedrolls and sur#i#al pac"s which struc" me as a little odd and I was considerabl! surprised to see 5ras"er helping to round them up a similar bundle slung o#er his own shoulder. $Ah commissar $ he said glancing in m! direction. $Come to see us off)$ $Not *uite $ I said $I$m loo"ing for a cogbo! with a functioning pict recorder but I$m pleased to see !ou$re getting to safet! while there$s still time.$ &o m! #ague astonishment I found I meant it. &he bursar smiled affabl! e#er! inch the faintl! absurd bureaucrat e#er!one else 7apart presumabl! for +ulien8 still too" him for and shifted his burden in a #ain attempt to carr! it with some semblance of dignit!. $I$m afraid that$s something of a relati#e term at the moment. 5ut !ou$ll hardl! want our !ounger charges getting underfoot in a battle(one I$m sure.$ -e had no idea of m! reasons for choosing the Valle! of /aemons for another last stand of course but he was astute enough to realise that where#er the bul" of our forces went the enem! would be sure to follow. I nodded soberl!. $I$m sure the!$re in good hands $ I said and 5ras"er smiled wanl!. $Apart from mine !ou mean. I$#e alwa!s detested the outdoors !ou "now% it$s draught! damp and damnabl! untid!. 5ut needs must as the! sa!.$ &here could be no *uestion of using our meagre stoc" of shuttles to e#acuate the .u#ies b! air. 5! the time the!$d turned around and come bac" for the rest of us the schola could well be a hole in the ground so Ror"ins had fallen bac" on Visiter$s contingenc! plan. &hose of us in an! condition to fight would be airlifted to the Valle! of /aemons as soon as the shuttles arri#ed while the non0combatants hi"ed up into the mountains surrounding :alubria hoping to go to ground there until the noise stopped. Nowhere on the planet was particularl! safe of course but we were hoping the enem! would ha#e better things to do with their troopers than chase children through an inhospitable wilderness. Of course we might #er! well be wrong about that the forces of Chaos are ne#er exactl! rational e#en at the best of times but if we were at least it would di#ert some of their resources from an assault on the :hadowlight. $&he Emperor protects $ I said doing m! .ob b! reflex and hurried off to tr! and con#ince the rest of the planet not to surrender in dro#es. 5! the time I$d got that little chore out of the wa! and an earnest enginseer had bustled awa! with the pict recording to transmit it to Visiter things were getting tight for time so I made m! wa! bac" to the command centre again +urgen at m! heels. :omehow he$d managed to find me a mug of tanna so I was feeling almost m! old self again b! the time I re.oined +ulien and Ror"ins. Needless to sa! m! sense of re#i#ed wellbeing lasted .ust long enough for me to get a good loo" at the hololith which was now showing an ominousl! detailed orbital trac" counting down the time until Varan$s flotilla was in a position to open fire on us.

5! m! rec"oning there could onl! be a handful of minutes to go and I glanced ner#ousl! at the contact icons. &here was still no sign of an! incoming shuttles that I could see. $&he commodore$s cutting it a bit fine $ I said ha#ing expected the extraction to ha#e begun some time ago. Ror"ins shrugged. $&he bul" of his fleet assets are hiding out in the halo $ he pointed out. $-ardl! somewhere he can .ust dispatch a shuttle from at the drop of a hat.$ $And the!$ll still ha#e to get past the enem! $ +ulien added. $&hen perhaps it might be prudent to follow the .u#ies $ I said. &hat would lea#e the :hadowlight undefended of course but that would hardl! be m! fault and I certainl! couldn$t do an!thing to loo" after it if I$d been #aporised. 6oing to ground in the mountains particularl! with a crNche to loo" after wouldn$t be m! idea of fun but at least it would gi#e us the chance to regroup. Ror"ins shoo" his head. $Visiter sa!s he$s on top of it and I trust him. ,e sta! put.$ &echnicall! of course I could simpl! ha#e o#erruled him but if we didn$t all end up dead in the next ten minutes or so the conse*uences of that would ha#e been dire% the ine#itable resentment and recrimination would fester and our fragile resistance to the in#ader would be fatall! wea"ened. :o I .ust nodded and stared at the hololith waiting for the commodore to surprise us again. ,ell I ha#e to admit he certainl! did that. After a tense wait which probabl! lasted no more than a minute or two but which felt li"e the best part of a wee" m! e!e was caught b! a rapidl! mo#ing blip at the edge of the displa!. $:ingle contact inbound from deep space $ the auspex operator reported presumabl! in case the rest of us had suddenl! been struc" blind. I loo"ed at the icons surrounding it assimilating the information rapidl!. $&hat$s wa! too large for a shuttle $ I said. $And it doesn$t ha#e a hope of bra"ing in time to a#oid burning up at that speed.$ If an!thing it was approaching faster than the carrier ships that had been fried in the upper atmosphere during the first Chaos incursion and I couldn$t see how the pilot could possibl! hope to sur#i#e re0entr! let alone get down to the surface in time to extract us. $It$s the $respassers *illiam $ the auspex operator told me helpfull! $an ore freighter the commodore re*uisitioned.$ Remembering the bul" transport that had carried Vorlens and his men to the asteroid I found m!self briefl! wondering how the lieutenant was faring'. 34" #ather badly& he!d been illed, along with most of his command, in the defence of =ollendy e": $,ell the! can$t e#acuate us in that $ I said. If it was an!thing li"e the #essel I$d seen before it wasn$t designed to land on a planet in an! case. $I don$t thin" that$s the idea $ Ror"ins said mildl!. 1or a moment I wondered what he meant then the coin dropped at last. &he ship was a missile aimed s*uarel! at the enem! flotilla. E#en if it wasn$t armed its sheer mass and #elocit! would be enough to destro! an! #essel it collided with and Varan$s flagship was right in its path. &he crews of the Chaos flotilla must ha#e come to the same conclusion as the formation began to drift apart the ships comprising it scattering in a belated attempt at self0preser#ation. Presented with a rather more pressing target for their guns the! began to open fire but b! now the $respassers *illiam was mo#ing so fast that the! barel! had an! chance at all of hitting it.

$Emperor on Earth $ +ulien breathed $he$s going to ta"e out the CndefeatableH$ 1or a moment indeed it seemed that she was right but one of the lesser warships fired up its main dri#e in the nic" of time .ust managing to interpose itself. 5oth #essels disintegrated in a shower of debris the largest pieces of which continued to register as blips in their own right. A collecti#e sigh of disappointment swept round the command post. $,ell it was worth a tr! $ Ror"ins said. $And at least the!$#e missed their chance to ta"e a shot at us.$ ,ith a sudden surge of relief I could see that he was right the orbiting warships now being far too bus! tr!ing to a#oid colliding with one another or the spreading debris cloud to ha#e an! attention to spare for an!thing as taxing as a precision ground stri"e. &his time round an!wa!. 5! the time the!$d stabilised their orbits enough to bring their guns to bear on the site of the schola the planet$s rotation would ha#e ta"en us out of reach. Of course the! could swat us easil! on the next pass but we$d be long gone b! then. $:omething$s not *uite right about that debris $ I said staring at the hololith. &hough most of it was expanding more or less as !ou$d expect one chun" appeared to be slowing mo#ing into a parabolic cur#e around the planet. I pointed it out. $&hat$s under power.$ &he itching in m! palms which had begun to die awa! flared up anew as I extrapolated its course and found it ended almost exactl! at our position. $I11 confirmed $ the auspex operator said his #oice brea"ing for a moment in his excitement'. $It$s one of ours.$ 34" .iven the lad!s probable age, its unclear here whether Cain is being literal or figurative": $&wo or"s with one bolt $ Ror"ins said with satisfaction. -e shrugged. $,ell I suppose that$s one wa! of getting a shuttle through the bloc"ade without the enem! noticing.$ ,hich was what worried me of course. I hadn$t been expecting a fleet of the things but I$d been counting on Visiter sending enough to e#acuate us all before the enem! arri#ed or blew us to pieces from space. If this was the onl! transport a#ailable neither loo"ed li"e being a particularl! realistic hope. 2! thoughts began to ta"e a gloom! turn which was onl! intensified b! +ulien$s next words. $I$#e had a report from m! no#itiates $ she bro"e in. $I sent a few out as scouts this morning and the!$#e .ust made contact. &here$s an armoured column mo#ing along the :alubria road. E&A about twent! minutes.$ Once again I felt the peculiar sensation of being "ic"ed in the gut. $,ell $ I said putting e#er!one$s thoughts into words $it loo"s as though Varan$s decided to do this the hard wa! after all.$

TWENTY -AVIN6 NO&-IN6 2ORE constructi#e to contribute in the command centre than standing around watching the contact icons of the shuttle and the enem! closing in on our position and wondering which of them would get here first I went outside to chec" on our state of readiness to resist an attac". At least the non0combatants had been cleared out of the wa! which made things a bit easier% now we could engage the enem! freel! without worr!ing o#ermuch about collateral damage. ,e$d probabl! put a bit of a dent in the schola of course but that could be repaired once the dust had settled and e#er!one left behind was old enough and sensible enough to "eep their heads down or so I hoped. $,e$ll be read! for them commissar $ 2a"lin promised standing b! the main gates with 1rister and /allor! staring into the distance through an ampli#isor. :tebbins was a few metres awa! behind the gunner! shield of a sandbagged autocannon ma"ing sure the ammunition belt was free of potentiall! fouling "in"s and ga#e an encouraging wa#e as he glanced up and saw me loo"ing in his direction. $,e certainl! will $ he agreed his #oice *uietl! con#ersational in m! comm0bead. $An! signs of mo#ement)$ I as"ed and /allor! pointed towards the narrow access road winding down the mountainside to .oin the main highwa! to :alubria. $Nothing !et $ he said. $5ut we can hear them.$ -e was right too the growling of engines and the s*uealing of trac"s echoing through the #alle!. ,hoe#er the enem! were the! had A1Vs with them Chimeras b! the sound of it. &hat didn$t bode well. Perlian P/1 models fa#oured multi0lasers as their primar! armament and a few of those would ma"e short wor" of our fortifications. $&hen perhaps we ought to get the gates closed $ I suggested tr!ing not to sound too eager. $&hat$s what we$re here for sir $ 1rister reassured me. $+ust as soon as the scouts get bac".$ Of course. ,e could hardl! lea#e +ulien$s :ororitas no#itiates outside the walls. I .ust hoped the!$d get a mo#e on. $I can see them now $ 2a"lin said the sudden burst of enthusiasm in his #oice tipping me off as to who their leader might be e#en before the first silhouettes appeared bounding towards us through the gathering dus". 1or a moment m! blood fro(e the unmista"able bul" of the approaching power armour ma"ing me wonder if the &raitor 2arines I$d glimpsed bac" in -a#endown were spearheading the assault on the schola then reason reasserted itself. &his must be +ulien$s no#itiates ma"ing the most of the enhanced speed and agilit! their power armour bestowed to facilitate their scouting expedition'. A moment later I saw that I was right and relaxed a little barel! conscious of I the fact that m! hand was falling awa! from the butt of m! laspistol again. 34" *hereas Astartes scouts, in general, find unpowered carapace armour better suited to the role": $Commissar.$ As I$d surmised 2on!"a was leading the group which accounted for 2a"lin$s interest% he ho#ered nearb! tr!ing to loo" both in#isible and potentiall! useful while /allor! and 1rister closed the hea#! gates which thudded into place with a reassuringl! solid sound. I$d been in far too man! sieges to place much confidence in that though and listened to 2on!"a$s report with great a#idit!. $&here are six Chimeras heading this wa! with another four truc"s behind them. No sign of an! hea#! weapons

though apart from the ones on the APCs.$ $&han" !ou 2on!"a $ I said noting her pleased surprise that I$d remembered her name. $Perhaps !ou$d better report in detail to :ister +ulien. I belie#e she$s waiting for !ou in the command centre.$ $All right.$ A flic"er of disappointment seemed to cross her face for a moment. $Promise !ou$ll sa#e a few heretics for us)$ $&here$ll be more than enough to go round $ I reassured her glancing up at the bruise0blue s"! in which the first few stars and the faint band of the debris disc were beginning to become #isible. One of the pin0points of light appeared to be mo#ing and I permitted m!self a brief moment of relief. &he shuttle was on its final approach and somehow when it too" off again I was going to be aboard it. I had no idea how I was going to manage that without compromising m! die0hard reputation or how I$d be able to ta"e enough of our people with me to defend the :hadowlight but I$d ma"e the best of it .ust li"e I alwa!s did. ,hen I loo"ed bac" the no#itiate and her s*uad mates were alread! gone 2a"lin ga(ing after them with a faintl! abstracted air. $6o and help :tebbins $ I told him raising m! #oice slightl! o#er the rising scream of the shuttle$s engines. &heir note was lower than I$d expected and I loo"ed up again feeling a sudden surge of hope as I did so. Instead of the A*uila I$d anticipated the #ast bul" of a hea#! cargo lifter li"e the ones I$d seen in Orelius$s hangar ba! was descending slowl! towards the schola$s shuttle pad. It was huge comparable in si(e to the compan! drop0ships I$d ridden in so often during m! time with the Imperial 6uard and I began to breathe a little more easil!. ,e should be able to get all our effecti#es on board after all although it was hardl! going to be a comfortable ride. $I$m pulling e#er!one off the inner perimeter $ Ror"ins #oxed me a moment later. $&he sooner we can start boarding the better.$ I couldn$t fault the logic of that although b! default it seemed I was going to be left holding the outer defences with .ust +urgen and a handful of cadets. If 2on!"a$s estimate of the enem! numbers was an!where near accurate that meant we$d be facing about a hundred men ma!be two full platoons although there was no guarantee that the!$d be in an!thing li"e so cohesi#e a formation. Not to mention the A1Vs which were going to be a real problem... $I thought !ou might li"e another tanna sir $ +urgen said appearing at m! shoulder li"e a small odiferous daemon in a #illage m!ster! pla!. $3ou thought right $ I assured him ta"ing heart from his presence as I alwa!s did. $It$s getting a little chill! out here now.$ $I can$t sa! I$d noticed sir $ +urgen said producing a flas" of the fragrant li*uid though being an iceworlder that was hardl! surprising. A Valhallan$s idea of sultr! was frost on the windows. -e handed me a cup of the be#erage restowed the flas" somewhere in his collection of pouches and unslung the melta. $,ell it$ll be warm enough around here in a minute $ I said as the grinding of trac"s grew louder outside the I walls audible e#en o#er the shrie"ing of the shuttle$s engines and we too" refuge behind the nearest line of sandbags. +urgen shrugged. $As the Emperor wills $ he said phlegmatic as e#er. $&he!$re deplo!ing $ 1rister said his #oice sounding a little flat in m! earpiece as he tried to suppress the surge of adrenaline no doubt slamming through his s!stem. -e was up on the walls with /allor! peering through the ampli#isor from the relati#e safet! of the firing platform .ust below the crest and I was pleased to note that the! both "ept

their heads well down. No point in tempting a #igilant enem! to tr! for a shot. $5ailing out of the #ehicles. >oo"s as though the!$re planning to ad#ance on foot behind the armour.$ $&han" !ou 1rister $ I said tr!ing to mas" m! own apprehension. I turned to +urgen. $,e$ll need to bloc" the gate as soon as the! breach it.$ $I$ll do m! best $ he said almost casuall! and I nodded opening a channel to the command centre. $-ow$s the embar"ation coming)$ I as"ed. $About as well as !ou$d expect $ Ror"ins replied shortl!. /i#ining his meaning at once I switched fre*uencies. $?a!la Nel!s get o#er to the pad and maintain order $ I said. $People and weapons get priorit! an!thing else can wait. &ilar 6ame the command post. Assist the commander in remo#ing or erasing an! sensiti#e information.$ I waited for the chorus of assent to die awa! and as"ed $,ill that help)$ $6reatl! $ Ror"ins said a faint edge of relief in his #oice. $An!thing we can do for !ou)$ $6et some more bodies down here $ I said. $,e$re outnumbered about twent! to one not counting the hea#! "it.$ &hose were odds I didn$t li"e the sound of at all and I #oxed the *uartet of cadets with me on a secure net. $Our .ob here is .ust to dela! the enem! $ I cautioned them. $,hen I call the retreat I$ll expect !ou to mo#e as though -orus himself is after !ou not fra" around pla!ing at heroes or tr!ing to pot .ust one more heretic before !ou lea#e. &he shuttle won$t wait and neither will I. Clear)$ $Cr!stalline commissar $ :tebbins assured me and the others mumbled their assent. $6ood $ I said drawing m! weapons and feeling the tension "notting in the pit of m! stomach. ,e were out of time for discussion that much was ob#ious. A second or so later the solid ceramite of the gates began to shi#er as the multi0lasers of the enem! Chimeras opened up and the repeated thundercrac"s of their discharge echoed around the enclosed s*uare. &he acrid tang of o(one hung hea#! in the air ionised b! the repeated bursts and the armoured portal began to sag on its hinges. $&he!$#e got three Chimeras positioned where the! can target the gates $ /allor! reported his #oice in m! comm0bead ha(ed b! static from the burning air. $1iring in rotation.$ &hat wasn$t good. :olid as the gates were and the walls surrounding them for that matter the! were ne#er intended to stand up to that "ind of battering. I turned to +urgen. $An! moment now $ I said and m! aide nodded lining up his melta on the collapsing gate. It was glowing a deep ac"enberr! red b! this time the diamond hard composite softening li"e caramel and the end must surel! come soon. $1irst one$s mo#ingH$ 1rister #oxed an instant before the wea"ened gate buc"led on its hinges rammed from the other side. It still held though and an engine re##ed bac"ing up% then the pitch increased again and the portal shi#ered. Crac"s appeared in the thic" stone posts and bloc"s of masonr! tumbled from the archwa! abo#e dislodged b! the impact. $>oo" outH$ I called but 1rister and /allor! were alread! mo#ing retreating further along the wall to a safer position. &he third time was the charm4 the abused gates burst from their hinges crashing to the cobbles of the court!ard and the first Chimera nosed through the gap crushing them under its treads its turreted multi0laser turning to

loo" for a target. Its forward0mounted secondar! weapon tra#ersed too the blunt nose of an autocannon seeming to point right at me for a heart0stopping instant. $&hat$s far enough $ +urgen said and s*uee(ed the trigger of his melta. ?nowing what to expect I closed m! e!es at the critical instant seeing a bright flare be!ond the lids and blin"ed them clear again faint afterimages still dancing on m! retina. $6ood shot $ I said. -e$d ta"en the nearest trac" as neat as !ou please and the Chimera had swer#ed as it shredded .amming itself all but irremo#abl! in the gatewa!. Onl! a narrow gap remained barel! sufficient for one or two men to get through at a time and I began to hope we could hold them after all but the Chimera$s hea#! weapons were still in pla!. &he hull0mounted autocannon didn$t ha#e much to shoot at an! more praise the Emperor but the turret could still tra#erse and seemed intent on repa!ing us in "ind for the hurt we$d inflicted on it. $2o#eH$ I told +urgen and we started running for a fresh line of sandbags an instant before the emplacement we$d been sheltering in erupted in smo"e and #apour. &here was no time to pause while +urgen lined up another shot we$d ha#e been toasted for sure before he managed to get a bead on the turret and we both di#ed o#er the lip of the ma"eshift fortification an instant before another blast of coherent light sc!thed o#er our heads close enough to scorch the hessian sac"s. &he acrid odour of smouldering fabric tic"led m! nostrils as I hun"ered down waiting for the next one. $,e$re on it $ 1rister said and I ris"ed a brief glance upwards. -e and /allor! were running along the top of the wall their greatcoats billowing li"e storm clouds against the more diffuse dar"ness of the night s"!% perhaps that sa#ed their li#es as the heretics outside found them difficult to target although a few of the more #igilant ones sent a flurr! of las0bolts bursting around them. A second later the!$d .umped landing on top of the wedged Chimera with an audible clang@ of boot0heels against metal and the heretic #ehicle commander made the classic mista"e of popping the hatch to see what was going on. /allor! shot him with his laspistol the moment he emerged sending him slumping bac" inside and a split second later 1rister dropped a grenade down the open hatch. $1ire in the holeH$ he bellowed and the two cadets .umped hitting the ground almost at the same instant the frag charge went off. &he Chimera$s turret stopped mo#ing and the! trotted o#er to .oin +urgen and I grinning li"e s*uaddies on their first RIR who$#e .ust disco#ered what .o!girls are for. $&hat was rec"less irresponsible and #er! well done $ I told them as the! hopped o#er the sandbags and peered hopefull! at the gate no doubt itching for more heretics to bag. $5ut !ou got luc"!. ,hat do !ou thin" !ou$d ha#e done if that idiot hadn$t opened the hatch for !ou)$ $9sed these $ 1rister said pulling a couple of "ra" grenades from his poc"et. $+ammed them under the barrel and run for it.$ $3ou$re alwa!s telling us to ha#e a bac"up plan $ /allor! added. &hat was true and I couldn$t reall! bring m!self to chide them for sa#ing m! nec" so I simpl! nodded. $Commendabl! resourceful $ I said. $-ang on to those !ou ma! need them.$ I could see mo#ement around the bac" of the wrec"ed Chimera a trooper in the uniform of the Perlian P/1 peering cautiousl! into the court!ard no doubt ha#ing drawn the short straw or hac"ed off his sergeant in some wa! to earn the pri#ilege of going first. $-e$s Perlian $ 2a"lin reported the ampli#isor to his e!es again. $5ut I can$t ma"e

out the unit insignia. &he!$#e been scribbled o#er with some sort of cartwheel design.$ ,hich told me all I needed to "now. Clearl! the guards at the 6o#ernor$s palace hadn$t been the onl! ones to turn their coats although how widespread the mutin! had become I had no wa! of telling. If I remembered rightl! howe#er the serial numbers on the wrec"ed Chimera identified it as belonging to one of the -a#endown companies which made sense% there were no other garrisons nearb! that could ha#e dispatched them so *uic"l!. $-old !our fire $ I told e#er!one. $>et them commit. ,e$ll onl! get the ad#antage of surprise once.$ &he turncoat trooper too" another cautious step or two glancing around the court!ard as waril! as a sump0rat emerging from its burrow manifestl! astonished not to ha#e been gunned down !et. A moment later he loo"ed behind him and bec"oned relaxing a little e#identl! prepared to belie#e that an! further resistance had been effecti#el! suppressed. $,e$re almost finished boarding $ ?a!la #oxed as a few more figures began to round the end of the crippled A1V. $Can !ou gi#e us another few minutes before pulling bac")$ $,e$ll do our best $ I replied as *uietl! as I could not wanting to gi#e the enem! troopers an! warning that we were lur"ing in ambush. 2ore of them were on the mo#e now slipping past the disabled Chimera and spreading out their guns held read! for use in an instant. &he first s*uad was followed b! another their green and gre! battledress mar"ing them out as 2adasans in contrast to the Perlian "ha"i' and I frowned at the implications of that. -owe#er deranged Varan was it seemed he was able to integrate an! fresh defectors into his armies as effecti#el! as though the!$d been through basic training together. &hat was a tric" a good number of Imperial commanders I$d "nown would ha#e cheerfull! sold their souls to ac*uire although from what I$d seen of the wa! the Powers wor"ed I had no doubt that that would ha#e been the least of the price Varan had paid. 34" =rom which we can infer that there was some source of artificial light in the vicinity which Cain doesn!t bother to mention, as these colours would have been virtually indistinguishable in the dar ": After a moment I .udged that the time was right to stri"e% a few more enem! troopers in the bag would ha#e been a welcome bonus but if we waited an! longer the!$d be too spread out to be sure of so I ga#e the word of command. $1ireH$ I shouted and :tebbins opened up with the autocannon no doubt hugel! delighted to ha#e finall! found a weapon e#en he couldn$t miss the target with sc!thing down the front row of enem! troopers before the! had a chance to react. +urgen the other cadets and I opened up too m! aide eschewing the melta for the nonce in fa#our of his lasgun ta"ing full ad#antage of the wider spread it afforded. Caught between the :A, G and the bli((ard of las0bolts most of them went down #er! nicel! onl! a couple sur#i#ing to run for co#er from where the! returned fire without an! noticeable effect. $Co#er the gatewa!.$ 38" 5ore Imperial .uard +argon, which, in this instance, stands for (upport Automatic *eapon, at least according to 5ott, my savant" $he military mind is far too fond of $DAs, if you as me" ,*hich Cain once assured me, with a perfectly straight face, was the preferred .uard terminology for $hree Detter Abbreviations" I!m still not sure if he was pulling my leg or not"-: $/oing our best sir $ 2a"lin assured me. &he autocannon went *uiet for a moment while he replaced the ammunition belt then opened up again .ust in time to

force another traitor trooper to duc" bac" behind the hull of the Chimera. &wo or three other troopers ho#ered behind him and another couple a bit *uic"er off the mar" were alread! sprinting for the dubious co#er afforded b! the smo"ing ruin of the pile of sandbags +urgen and I had abandoned a few moments before. One went down felled b! our las weapons but his s*uad mate made it to safet! and began adding a little more to the hail of las0bolts aimed in our general direction. I started running the numbers in m! head not li"ing an! of the conclusions I came to. &he cho"e point we$d created was slowing them down but unli"e the usual Chaotic hordes I$d faced the enem! wasn$t about to charge obligingl! down the barrels of our guns d!ing in dro#es in the process. Instead the! continued to act li"e trained and moti#ated troopers content to wait for an opportunit! to ad#ance la!ing down suppressi#e fire as the! did so and ta"ing full ad#antage of whate#er co#er was a#ailable. On the other hand the! seemed .ust as fanatical as the acol!tes of the Ruinous Powers alwa!s did indifferent to their own losses and willing to ta"e chances with their li#es e#en Imperial :tormtroopers would probabl! baul" at. &he worst of both worlds in other words% I had no doubt that the!$d continue to slip past the wrec" in ones and twos e#er! time we paused to reload until the! had the weight of numbers on their side and that if we tried to disengage before then the!$d .ust rush us before we$d gone a do(en metres. &he thought of running for the shuttle with a horde of murderous fanatics at m! heels shooting as the! came was far from a pleasant one I can assure !ou. At that moment 2a"lin and :tebbins stopped firing and I glanced across at the autocannon emplacement. 2a"lin was wor"ing the feed mechanism franticall! tr!ing to clear a .am and a sudden hail of las0rounds against the metal shield protecting him and :tebbins told me that the enem! were about to ta"e full ad#antage of the lull. $It$s no good it$s o#erheated $ :tebbins said starting to draw his laspistol. &hen I$ll cool itH$ 2a"lin said practicall! sho#ing his fellow cadet bac" into the gunner$s seat and beginning to fumble with his trousers. $?eep firingH$ A moment later a cloud of ran"0smelling steam told me that he$d pic"ed up an old gunner$s tric" for cooling a weapon in an emergenc! from Emperor "new where and I found m!self than"ing the &hrone that all our tech0priests were currentl! filing aboard the cargo ship rather than being an!where the! could ha#e witnessed so profane a desecration of the Omnissiah$s bount!. ,e$d ne#er ha#e heard the last of it. $&r! it nowH$ :tebbins s*uee(ed the trigger again and to e#er!one$s relief except the enem!$s the autocannon burst into life once more. 5! this point the damage had been done howe#er almost a do(en of the turncoats ma"ing it through the gap despite the best efforts of the rest of us and of course the more of them who .oined the fra! the more time we spent duc"ing behind our impro#ised ramparts dodging the return fire which allowed still more of their comrades to .oin them. 2a"lin$s success in getting the autocannon wor"ing again had stemmed the tide but onl! briefl!% at the rate :tebbins was burning ammunition it could onl! be a matter of time before it sei(ed up again or the! simpl! ran dr! and then the heretics would be on us li"e +urgen$s psoriasis. 6lancing round for a line of retreat I noticed the deep crac"s in the masonr! around the gatewa! again and the germ of an idea began to ta"e root. It was a slender chance I thought but then I$d ha(arded m! life on a lot slimmer before now and I was still breathing% as I$#e remar"ed on more than one occasion e#en the narrowest of

margins is better than no chance at all. I gestured to +urgen. $&he archwa! $ I said. $Can !ou do an!thing about it from here)$ /i#ining m! meaning at once m! aide nodded. $Piece of ca"e $ he assured me abandoning the lasgun for the melta once again. -is aim was as sure as alwa!s the ra#ening burst of thermal energ! impacting on the crumbling masonr! abo#e the abandoned Chimera and a large bloc" of stone teetered before crashing to the ground crushing another of the traitors who$d duc"ed bac" behind it to wait out the storm of autocannon rounds spanging off the abused armour plate. Expelling his breath in a sigh of frustration +urgen steadied his aim again but before he could fire 1rister and /allor! had flung their remaining "ra" grenades at the gatewa!4 the anti0armour charges exploded with a satisf!ing roar which was drowned out almost at once b! the thunder of toppling stone. $&hat$s plugged the gap $ /allor! said an unmista"able note of satisfaction in his #oice .ust as ?a!la #oxed again. $Almost e#er!one$s aboard commissar $ she reported sounding a little fra((led but that was no more than I$d expected. ,hen I spo"e to her later it seemed that a few of the tech0priests had got a little difficult about ha#ing to lea#e some cherished items of .un" behind to fit e#er!bod! in which Nel!s had finall! sorted out b! as"ing which of them was offering to sta! behind to ma"e room for it. &he lad was definitel! coming on. $,e$ll be right there $ I told her pri#atel! wondering .ust how we were going to manage that without being o#errun b! the heretics alread! inside the walls not to mention the do(ens of others no doubt preparing at that moment to scramble up the pile of rubble we$d .ust thoughtfull! pro#ided for them to climb. I turned m! attention to the others. $Pull bac" b! fire and mo#ement. :tebbins and 2a"lin go first.$ No point in finding an! hidden sharpshooters for m!self. &he two cadets abandoned the autocannon and scuttled for the safet! of a buttress holding up one of the proctor$s lodges while the rest of us laid down what co#ering fire we could. 5! a miracle the! made it although the next stage would be e#en tric"ier% two laspistols could hardl! be expected to suppress o#er a do(en armed and b! now probabl! #er! hac"ed0off heretics with an! degree of success. If we "ept as low as we could ta"ing full ad#antage of the sandbags we might .ust ma"e it as far as one of the outbuildings though and hope we could find refuge there. Of course it was prett! ob#ious where we$d be heading for so all the enem! had to do was ta"e aim at the two points the sandbags ended and wait but there was nothing we could do about that except hope that :tebbins and 2a"lin could "eep their heads down long enough for +urgen to get a *uic" shot off with the melta. $I don$t suppose !ou$#e got an! of those frag grenades left)$ I as"ed hopefull! and /allor! shoo" his head. $$1raid not sir $ he said regretfull!. I po"ed m! head abo#e the sandbags as much as I dared 7which wasn$t much belie#e me8 and duc"ed bac" at once as puffs of #aporised hessian and "ic"ed up dirt erupted around m! position. &his didn$t loo" good but there seemed no alternati#e to ma"ing a dash for it putting m! trust in :tebbins$ dubious mar"smanship m! battered set of carapace and whate#er attention the Emperor could spare from "eeping the galax! turning which I didn$t expect to be much. $Need a hand there Cain)$ a familiar #oice as"ed and +ulien trotted into the court!ard her power armour gleaming li"e freshl!0shed blood her bolt pistol and

chainsword alread! in her hands. 5ehind her came the troop of no#itiates bolters cradled sinister highlights dancing along the edges of the sarissas loc"ed to their barrels '. 34" (ee my earlier comment about the ambient light levels": $I wouldn$t ob.ect to one $ I told her ne#er ha#ing been so pleased to see a gaggle of :ororitas in m! life. &he heretics opened up as soon as the! saw them of course their las0rounds expending themsel#es harmlessl! against the crimson ceramite of +ulien$s armour and the freshl!0painted white of her charges. ,ith ear0splitting shrie"s of $1or the &hroneH$ the no#itiates bounded into the attac" tearing apart troopers and the co#er the! hid behind with a hail of bolter fire slashing at the demoralised sur#i#ors with their sarissas and generall! wrea"ing a most satisf!ing amount of carnage. >ea#ing the no#itiates to en.o! themsel#es we hurried through the strangel!0 deserted schola its court!ards and *uadrangles seeming eerie and lifeless. Onl! then did it occur to me that I$d ne#er seen them an!thing other than bustling in all the time I$d spent here. /espite the sense of urgenc! and the bu((ing of adrenaline in m! #eins I found the prospect curiousl! melanchol! li"e seeing an old friend in the sanitorium for what !ou both "now is liable to be the last time and I found m!self tr!ing to ta"e in as man! little details of the closest thing I$d e#er "nown to a home as I could. &he sounds of battle had long since faded behind us as we reached the shuttle pad and I glanced up at the huge cargo hauler hardl! surprised at all to see a familiar shoc" of rudd! hair through the #isor of the coc"pit. 6lancing down :prie wa#ed a cheerful greeting and returned his attention to his instruments. $-urr! up commissarH No time for sightseeingH$ +ulien$s #oice was in m! comm0 bead again and I turned catching sight of her in the distance flan"ed b! her no#itiates whose white blood0spattered armour made them loo" li"e #engeful ghosts in the half0 light. None of them seemed to be missing I noted with relief% we$d alread! suffered more than enough casualties and when we arri#ed at our destination we$d need all the warriors we could muster. &he! were catching up fast their augmented muscles allowing them to maintain a pace which would ha#e had the cadets and I dropping with exhaustion b! now and their metal0shod feet clattered on the boarding ramp almost simultaneousl! with ours. $,e ga#e them a blood! nose bac" there but the!$ll regroup in short order and then the!$ll be all o#er us.$ $&he! won$t ha#e time $ I said with heartfelt relief as the ramp began to rise behind us. &he cargo hold was .ust as crowded as I$d feared and I resol#ed at once to go and anno! :prie on the flight dec" at the earliest opportunit!. I glanced bac" through the narrowing gap seeing a flic"er of mo#ement in the distance which could possibl! ha#e been running men but the thic" metal slab thudded into place before I could be sure. A moment later the unmista"able surge of acceleration beneath m! feet and the familiar expression of nausea on the face of m! aide informed me that we were airborne. $&han" !ou for !our assistance b! the wa!. It was most timel!$ $2! pleasure $ +ulien said with e#er! sign of sincerit!. &hen she smiled a trifle griml!. $It ga#e the no#itiates an eas! blooding which was probabl! no bad thing.$ :he glanced at 2on!"a and 2a"lin who were grinning at each other inanel! and lowered her #oice a little although between the babbling of o#erlapping con#ersations around us and the roaring of the shuttle$s engines the danger of being o#erheard was minimal. $I$#e no doubt the next battle we face won$t be an!thing li"e as eas!$ In that of course she was perfectl! correct although I couldn$t e#en begin to tell

her *uite how desperate things were about to become. ,hen Varan became aware of the location of the :hadowlight we$d no longer be fighting to sa#e a world4 the fate of the entire galax! would be hanging in the balance and I was b! no means sure we$d be able to tip it in the right direction with the limited resources at our disposal.

Editorial Note: As will no doubt be obvious to most attentive readers, by this point the situation across the face of )erlia was confused to say the least" As Cain barely bothers to ac nowledge the fact, I!ve appended another brief extract from a popular account, which, though far from comprehensive, at least touches on most of the salient points with commendable brevity" 1rom $he #eturn of the Diberator: Ciaphas Cain and the (econd (iege of )erlia b! Orten 5assit JFA. 2DG. &-O96- CO22I::AR CAIN had been far from idle rall!ing resistance to the detestable foe with single0minded diligence unrest and sedition continued to erupt sporadicall! across the face of Perlia. &he >iberator$s pictcasts rela!ed from space b! his heroic compatriots in the :/1 did much to calm the situation which would undoubtedl! ha#e been far worse after the unmas"ing of 6o#ernor &re#ell!an as a secret worshipper of the /ar" Powers stiffening the resol#e of those determined to defend the planet from the 6reat Enem! whate#er the cost. &he decisi#e actions of Ill!ria &re#ell!an the newl!0 appointed incumbent of the office who had been hastil! sworn in to replace her treacherous uncle also boosted morale among the lo!alists her own pictcasts denouncing the turncoats and fainthearts doing at least as much damage to their cause as the hunting rifle she lost no time in turning on the traitors who had dared to attac" her #acation lodge'. 34" )opular accounts of the (econd (iege generally devote at least a chapter to this incident, which has spawned a number of popular novels, holodramas, and picts, usually depicting the newly appointed governor as a cool and decisive heroine" Curiously, the squad of stormtroopers #or ins dispatched to bodyguard her, and who almost certainly saw off the insurgents without any help from enthusiastic amateurs, barely feature in these narratives": As a result although poc"ets of sub#ersion continued to flare up almost randoml! across the planet usuall! in towns alread! held b! the in#aders onl! a small proportion of the P/1 heeded the call to surrender% most instead followed the example of their predecessors during the greens"in in#asion and scattered commencing guerrilla stri"es against the occupiers without recourse to an! higher authorit!. In this the! were greatl! assisted b! the newl!0inducted members of the P/V who as ci#ilians in all but name were able to blend into the general populace far more easil! stri"ing and #anishing again almost at will creating disruption out of all proportion to their limited numbers. &he sole exception was in and around -a#endown where the taint of Chaotic corruption spread unbelie#abl! fast ensnaring most of the P/1 units within the #icinit! of the capital who to a man began to swear un!ielding fealt! to Varan. E#en the near destruction of his flagship in a stri"e of breathta"ing audacit! b! the :/1 failed to sha"e their faith in this supposedl! in#incible leader% and so the stage was set for the final confrontation between the embodiment of all that was foul in the shape of the in#ading warmaster and the incarnate compendium of the finest human #irtues represented b! Ciaphas Cain.

TWENTY-ONE &-E 1>I6-& &O the Valle! of /aemons was a remar"abl! short one or so it seemed to me although that ma! ha#e been due at least in part to m! fore"nowledge of the fate that almost certainl! awaited us there. I di#erted m!self from these morbid reflections as much as I could b! con#ersing with :prie as the laden cargo shuttle rolled bac" the night hurtling eastwards through almost half a da!$s worth of time (ones so that b! the time we$d arri#ed at our destination the sun had shuffled bac" from the dus" of earl! e#ening to a point a little past noon. &he !oung pilot had greeted me cheerfull! enough as I entered the flight dec" while the rest of his crew a couple of na#al cadets I didn$t recognise and who he didn$t bother to introduce busied themsel#es at their control lecterns. I had no idea what the! were doing but assuming that it somehow in#ol#ed getting us to our destination in one piece determined not to bother them unnecessaril!. $I wasn$t sure !ou were going to ma"e it down in one piece $ I admitted to :prie and the !oung man grinned happil!. $&o be honest it was touch and go there for a moment $ he admitted cheerfull!. $5ut I managed it.$ $Onl! .ust $ one of the other cadets muttered resentfull! and :prie$s smile spread. $,e were well within hull tolerance.$ -e shrugged. $,ell ma!be a bit o#er the safet! margins but this old tub$s as solid as a bul"head and I didn$t want to gi#e the enem! a decent crac" at us on the wa! through.$ $1rom what I saw in the tactical displa!s $ I said $the! had more than enough to thin" about at the time.$ $&hat was the commodore$s idea $ :prie told me to m! distinct lac" of surprise. $-e$d been hoping to use the freighter as a C ship' but we didn$t ha#e enough munitions to fit it out so he hit on the idea of a high0speed ram instead. ,e .ust hung on to one of the external doc"ing ports and disengaged at the last second hoping the!$d ta"e us for a bit of debris until after we hit the atmosphere.$ 34" An innocuous'loo ing merchantman which has been heavily armed, often to the standards of a warship, these vessels are sometimes used as covert escorts for vulnerable convoys, or as bait to lure pirate vessels into an ambush& by the time a marauder discovers that their apparently helpless prey actually outguns them, it!s usually too late": $,ell it wor"ed $ I said. $,ell done.$ &hen another thought struc" me. $,hat about the ship$s crew) It wasn$t a suicide run was it)$ $Almost $ :prie said as cheerful as e#er. &he three of us #olunteered to man the flight stations on the bridge and .ust ran for the shuttle as soon as we$d loc"ed off the helm.$ I loo"ed at the pair of cadets accompan!ing him with renewed respect. &he!$d put their li#es on the line more than once toda! it seemed. $&he tech0priests left us a couple of ser#itors to handle things down in the engine room so we didn$t ha#e to wait for an!one else which was .ust as well% it would ha#e been a lot further to run and I doubt the!$d ha#e made it.$ $3ou$re all a credit to the Na#! $ I said sincerel! enough and settled into a #acant seat to tr! and grab a little sleep before we arri#ed at our destination. I wo"e shortl! before we reached it which was useful% I$d ne#er seen the #alle!

from the air before and found the unaccustomed #iew extremel! helpful in settling the tactical picture more comfortabl! in m! mind. &he air was clear with a faint ha(e of cloud and the water in the la"e shimmered li"e sil#er in the afternoon sun reminding me for some reason of the scales of a recentl!0caught fish. &he deep scar in the earth below the dam was as desolate as e#er and to m! relief still de#oid of an! Chaotic forces although how long that was li"el! to last I had no idea. $Put us down near the building $ I said spotting the scorched area where our car had so recentl! burned. &o m! distinct lac" of surprise red0uniformed s"itarii were alread! fanning out across the pia((a and I reached for the handset of the #ox on the console next to the pilot$s station. &here was no telling what deadl! surprises the Adeptus 2echanicus ma! ha#e rigged to defend the shrine against an air attac" and I didn$t want to find out the hard wa!. $3ait( it$s Commissar Cain. I$#e brought a few friends as I promised.$ I glanced at :prie as I spo"e but if he was surprised at m! words he ne#er showed it simpl! guiding us to the ground with his usual precision. $Ac"nowledged commissar $ 3ait( responded after a moment but through the armourcr!s I could see that none of the troopers was standing down. Not that I would in their place either though I ha#e to admit. :prie cut the engines and I stood read! to lead the wa! down the descending cargo ramp. As m! boots hit the tiles ma"ing up the mosaic and m! face came full! into #iew from the shadows the s"itarii surrounding us finall! relaxed a little settling their hell0 guns more comfortabl! into the croo"s of their arms instead of holding them read! for use and I felt a little of the tension draining out of me in response. I$d hardl! ha#e been the first commissar to be felled b! friendl! fire but it would ha#e been an ironic wa! to finish m! career particularl! under the circumstances. After a moment 3ait( hurried forwards and I nodded a *uic" greeting before turning to indicate the motle! collection of cadets and instructors disembar"ing behind me. $Captain 3ait( commanding the s"itarii detachment here $ I said blandl! letting the others worr! about the reason for the presence of armed guards in a supposedl! harmless 2echanicus shrine if the! cared to. ,ith an! luc" the!$d .ust assume 3ait( and his men had been assigned here as a result of the in#asion and not thin" too hard about it although Ror"ins was probabl! astute enough to suspect a hidden agenda. On the other hand he had more than enough to worr! about at the moment without adding an! more problems to the list. I turned flapping m! hand between the two men in the con#entional gesture of hurried introduction. $Commander Ror"ins C in C of the planetar! defence effort.$ $:ir.$ 3ait( had the good grace to salute although as a #assal of the Adeptus 2echanicus he was no more under Ror"ins$s authorit! than I was. $It$s an honour. ,e heard !ou$d been "illed in the orbital bombardment.$ $&hen !ou heard wrong $ Ror"ins said softening the words with a smile. $5ut we seem to ha#e "ept the enem! guessing.$ $:o long as the! don$t guess !ou$#e come here $ 3ait( said. &hat would ma"e us a #er! tempting target indeed.$ Ver! neatl! done I thought m! own s"ill at misdirection enabling me to appreciate how subtl! the s"itarii captain had planted the idea that Ror"ins$s presence alone might attract enem! attention. &hat would explain the attac" we both expected before too long to most people$s satisfaction without compromising the

secret hidden beneath the shrine. -e gestured to a I nearb! s"itarii. $6o with the commander and see that he has e#er!thing he needs.$ -e turned bac" to Ror"ins. $I ta"e it !ou$ll need somewhere to set up !our head*uarters again)$ $&hat would be more than helpful $ Ror"ins said leading his gaggle of staffers awa! in the wa"e of the red uniform. 2! own cadets I noted with *uiet appro#al had ta"en it upon themsel#es to organise the disembar"ation of most of the people we$d brought marshalling them into groups and chec"ing that e#er!one was ade*uatel! armed% apart from the enginseers who$d accompanied us who were simpl! gaw"ing at the shrine and the dam be!ond li"e s"a##ies from the sump getting their first glimpse of an uphi#e trading post. 5ut then the first time I$d been here 1elicia had I been e*uall! awestruc" telling me that the shrine was considered one of the Omnissiah$s greatest mar#els on Perlia studied at 2echanicus seminaries around the globe and that precious few Perlian tech0priests e#er got the chance to see its wonders for themsel#es so I supposed I shouldn$t be too hard on them. &he unmista"able ringing of armoured feet on the metal mesh of the boarding ramp informed me without turning round that +ulien and her no#itiates were disembar"ing and the expressions on the faces of the s"itarii surrounding us hardened becoming distinctl! less welcoming. ,ell I could hardl! blame them for that4 the last time battle sisters had set foot on the premises the!$d been wor"ing for ?illian slaughtering e#er!one apart from the renegade in*uisitor$s own agents among the staff and stealing the :hadowlight on his behalf. $2a! I present :ister +ulien and her no#itiates $ I said smoothl! determined to pre#ent an! lingering aw"wardness from hampering our efforts to co0operate. If the Celestian noticed an! hesitation in 3ait($s manner she affected ignorance simpl! greeting him with the sign of the a*uila. After a moment 3ait( responded fanning his fingers in the cogwheel gesture fa#oured b! acol!tes of the Omnissiah. $I$m sure we$ll find her assistance in#aluable in "eeping this installation safe $ I added. $No doubt $ 3ait( said neutrall!. An! remaining uneasiness was swiftl! dispelled howe#er as 2a"an appeared the slee#e of his .ac"et somewhat uncon#incingl! embellished with a PV1 armband 7which I suppose was intended to account for the bolt pistol holstered at his waist if an! of our part! cared to as".8 $:ieur 2a"an here is our liaison with the Chilin#ale militia.$ +ulien nodded a cursor! greeting. $,e can ha#e them here an! time the!$re needed $ 2a"an told me his tone adding that he doubted we$d e#er be that desperate without ha#ing to put the thought into words. &hen as though belatedl! remembering the role he was supposed to be pla!ing he glanced towards the shrine. $2agos &a!ber sent me out here to as" if !ou could meet her whene#er it$s con#enient.$ 2eaning now ob#iousl!% if whate#er 1elicia wanted was too sensiti#e to ris" #oxing me about it was probabl! a matter of life and death. $I$ll be right there $ I said tr!ing to ignore the sudden flare of apprehension twisting m! gut. $Oh there !ou are $ 1elicia greeted me as I descended the hidden staircase to the warren beneath the shrine. $3ou$re .ust in time.$ Although she was tr!ing to seem calm and unemotional as befitted her status in the 2echanicus hierarch! I "new her too well to be completel! fooled% her intonation and bod! language were almost the same as the!$d been on the da! she$d disco#ered an abandoned power lifter at an ammunition

cache in the desert shortl! after our .ourne! across the continent had begun barel! able to contain her eagerness to start pla!ing with her new to!. $In time for what)$ I as"ed following her down the corridor at something approaching a trot. 2a"an was still with us and with a thrill of renewed apprehension I began to realise we were approaching the chamber that held the :hadowlight. $,e thin" we$#e made a bit of a brea"through $ 1elicia told me. $:ister Rosetta noticed that a couple of fragments of text which we thought belonged on separate slates appeared to relate to one another. If she$s right we might .ust ha#e found a configuration of the spheres we can use.$ $9se to do what)$ I as"ed fighting the impulse to turn and run for the shuttle. If the! were reall! planning to mess about with the enigmatic de#ice I wanted to be as far awa! as possible preferabl! in the next segmentum not offered a ringside seat. $&hat$s .ust it $ 1elicia said. $,e$re not entirel! sure. 5ut we$re reasonabl! certain that it #aries the amount of warp energ! the :hadowlight channels into the main de#ice.$ $2eaning what)$ I as"ed alread! regretting lea#ing +urgen behind to sort out the matter of finding us a comfortable billet. &he staff accommodation at the h!dro station wasn$t exactl! commodious to begin with not to mention ha#ing been designed with tech0priests in mind which meant distinctl! light on the essential amenities and the sudden influx of people from the schola had the meagre facilities bursting at the seams. 9nder most circumstances m! aide would still ha#e been able to procure me somewhere at least tolerable to sleep but right now that seemed far less urgent than it had done when we got off the shuttle. I acti#ated m! comm0bead. $+urgen get down here at once $ I instructed feeling a flic"er of relief as he responded. If m! fears turned out to be grounded which the! all too fre*uentl! were his peculiar talent might be the onl! thing standing between us and disaster. $2eaning we might be able to shut it down $ 1elicia said. $Or at least reduce its signature in the warp. &his installation$s well shielded but if Varan$s got enough powerful ps!"ers with him the! might still be able to detect it if the! get close enough.$ Not .ust them either I thought although I "ept m! paranoia to m!self. 1elicia had ne#er e#en heard of the necrons and I still didn$t ha#e an! real e#idence that the! were up and about hunting for the :hadowlight too so I wasn$t about to mention that terrif!ing possibilit! to an!one else. $&hat would be good $ I admitted cautiousl! still feeling that it would be e#en better to lea#e the blasted thing alone or .ust bur! it again and forget about it altogether for preference. 5ut these people had been stud!ing the strange xenos artefact for decades and presumabl! wouldn$t ta"e too man! chances with it all too aware of what the! might be meddling with. On the other hand 2a"an clearl! shared m! unease his hand ho#ering o#er the butt of his bolt pistol in the manner of a man prepared to draw and use it in a heartbeat. Onl! then did I realise that m! fingertips were resting lightl! on m! own weapons too. ,e bustled into the :hadowlight chamber which still seemed charged with abnatural energies to me as though the male#olent power it contained was somehow lea"ing out into the #er! air and the In*uisition agent and I exchanged apprehensi#e glances. &here was I no one else here which was something I supposed. At least we$d be the onl! casualties if 1elicia$s guess about what she was supposed to do turned out to be

wrong. $Now let$s see $ she said cheerfull! approaching the dais and reaching out with all three of her mechadendrites. &hat one there this one here...$ :he pluc"ed the three spheres from their resting places and repositioned them stepping bac" to admire her handiwor" with a *ui((icall! coc"ed head. &hat ought to do it.$ 2a"an and I both exhaled unaware until then that we$d been holding our breath. ,e were still here and presumabl! so was the rest of the galax!. &he ripples of light and colour chasing around the plinth stabilised into a fresh configuration then began to mo#e randoml! dar"ening as though someone had .ust poured in" into an agitated fish tan". $&hat$s not right $ 1elicia said sounding no more than mildl! curious. $6et bac"H$ I had both m! weapons drawn b! this time and onl! 2a"an$s solid bul" in the wa! pre#ented me from retreating towards the door. -e$d drawn his bolt pistol too although neither of us had an!thing to fire at !et. I had the distinct impression that if 1elicia hadn$t been standing in the wa! he$d ha#e ta"en a speculati#e pot at the :hadowlight on general principle. $In a minute $ 1elicia said her #oice still curiousl! abstracted. $I need to thin" about this...$ $+ust put the damn balls bac" the wa! the! wereH$ 2a"an said loo"ing as though he was on the #erge of stepping forward and doing the .ob himself. Remembering the effect the :hadowlight had on unprotected flesh I felt that would probabl! be a #er! bad idea and reached out the hand holding m! laspistol to forestall him. $,ait $ I said. $:omething$s happening.$ I wasn$t sure at first if I was imagining it or not but the three blue spheres seemed to be trembling in their cradles barel! perceptibl!% then as I stared at them the oscillations increased. $Emperor$s bowelsH$ Abruptl! the balls began to le#itate rising abo#e the cr!stalline surface into which the!$d been slotted and orbiting around the blan" obsidian bul" of the :hadowlight. $2ost intriguing $ 1elicia agreed. $It$s ne#er done that before.$ $OutH NowH$ I said suddenl! aware that with a gun and a chainsword in m! hands I was in no position to hustle her into motion. 1ortunatel! 2a"an was *uic" on the upta"e sei(ing her upper arm with his free hand and tugging her towards the door. $:top it !ou sill! man $ 1elicia said fending him off with the mechadendrites. $I need to obser#e this without an! distractions.$ -er #oice became a little uncertain. &hat$s the onl! wa! we$ll understand what$s going on.$ $I thin" I alread! do $ I said a thrill of sheer terror coursing through me along with the realisation. &he air was rippling seeming to curdle into something solid although I could still see the tablets on the wall be!ond the area of disturbance. Abruptl! it ripped li"e a sheet of fabric and something emerged through the gap clawed feet gouging furrows in the floor as it shrugged free of the shroud of rippling air. $,hat in the Emperor$s name is that)$ 1elicia shouted forgetting all about detached obser#ation for the time being which was probabl! .ust as well. 5aleful e!es glared at us from a face which seemed to be inside out where it wasn$t co#ered in needle0 sharp *uills and I s*uee(ed off a couple of las0bolts in the thing$s general direction which didn$t seem to bother it at all. $It$s a daemon $ I !elled bac" $what the fra" do !ou thin" it is)$ 1ortunatel! a minor one if I was an! .udge ha#ing encountered rather more deni(ens of the warp than I would ha#e li"ed o#er the !ears but I was still well aware that it was perfectl! capable

of "illing all .three of us without an! effort at all. And the tear in the fabric of realit! was still hanging in the air behind it bathing the thing in warp energ! so there was no hope of dri#ing it bac" to the immaterium simpl! b! inflicting ph!sical damage on it or waiting for it to destabilise in the usual manner of its "ind. $A dead one $ 2a"an said empt!ing his clip at it. &he explosi#e bolts detonated gouging craters of flesh or something li"e it where#er the! hit and the daemon staggered. 1or a moment I dared to hope that it had been felled after all but then it straightened and bellowed something which no human lar!nx could e#er ha#e reproduced words which echoed li"e ra(or0edged ice shards in m! mind. &hen e#en more shoc"ingl! it laughed great bar"s of malign amusement as its sundered flesh "nitted seamlessl! together. $6et her out of hereH$ I said all too aware that 2a"an was still bloc"ing m! path to the door and that if I tried to push past him the thing would be on us in a heartbeat while we were distracted. Of course he thought I was being noble and heroic m! reputation for gallantr! wor"ing to m! ad#antage as it so often did and to m! relief he complied dragging the no longer protesting tech0priest to safet!. As soon as the doorwa! was dear I started to follow but the daemon had other ideas% with a bellow of thwarted rage it leapt to forestall me swiping at m! head with taloned hands. I duc"ed b! reflex parr!ing with the chainsword and the whining teeth bit deep drawing something that loo"ed #aguel! li"e blood and smelled a great deal worse. As I$d expected the wound began to "nit together instantl! so that within a heartbeat or two there was no trace remaining of the hurt I$d inflicted. I whirled stri"ing deep into its bell! and dri#ing it bac" a pace though it rallied almost at once aiming a flurr! of blows which dro#e me bac" but cost it a tracer! of momentaril! oo(ing wounds on its forearms as I continued to parr!. ,ith a sudden thrill of horror I realised I was bac"ing straight towards the hole in realit!. I had no idea whether I could fall through it into the warp be!ond and had no intention of finding out. I di#ed to one side rolling past the abomination$s legs and ta"ing an opportunistic swipe at it in passing. Once again m! blade bit deep and the daemon stumbled turning aw"wardl! to follow me. I crac"ed off a couple of shots from the laspistol in m! other hand as I rose to m! feet and to m! immeasurable relief I noticed that the las0bolt wounds seemed to be ta"ing a little longer to heal than before. &hat could onl! mean one thing. :ure enough a familiar odour was wafting through the door followed an instant later b! an e*uall! familiar #oice. $-ang on commissar I$m comingH$ +urgen came in at a run his melta in his hands and I don$t mind admitting m! heart leapt to see him. &he daemon hesitated loo"ing apprehensi#e insofar as an!thing approximating a human expression could be said to exist on what passed for its face and then charged in again. 1ortunatel! I$d ta"en ad#antage of its momentar! distraction to open the distance and m! aide was able to get off a shot with his melta. &he ra#ening beam of thermal energ! too" the thing full in the chest blasting a hole clean through it and the abomination fell hea#il! to the floor. I wasn$t about to ta"e its demise for granted though and struc" out with m! chainsword as it writhed at m! feet gouging fresh furrows in the floor as it tried to regain its footing. Its head came free of its bod! blin"ing up at me in outraged astonishment. E#en a daemon generall! finds decapitation something of a handicap% after a

moment it stopped twitching and la! still. $&han" !ou +urgen $ I said with heartfelt relief. $3ou$re welcome sir.$ 2! aide shouldered the melta again and began to rummage through his collection of pouches. $A drop of tanna) I$#e got a flas" somewhere.$ $In a moment $ I said indicating the xenos de#ice behind us. &he warp portal was still open and I wanted it sealed at once before an!thing else came through. $Can !ou put those ball things bac" in the holes first)$ $Of course sir.$ If he was surprised he didn$t show it simpl! stepping up to the cr!stal plinth. As I$d expected the tear in the air began to seal itself as +urgen approached it and the trio of balls to mo#e less slowl!. -e reached out a grime0encrusted hand to sei(e the nearest and the others stopped mo#ing simpl! ho#ering in place where the! were. $,here would !ou li"e them)$ I indicated the holes the!$d occupied the first time I$d seen the de#ice on the assumption that it had at least been relati#el! harmless then and waited while +urgen slotted the spheres home one b! one. As the last of the trio clic"ed into place the hole in realit! sealed itself the air returning to its normal consistenc! and the corpse of the daemon flic"ered and #anished bac" to where#er it had come from with the same miniature thundercrac" I alwa!s associated with the operation of Amberle!$s displacer field'. 34" Caused by the air rushing in to fill the sudden vacuum": $,ell that ta"es care of that $ I said as a clatter of bootsoles in the corridor outside announced 2a"an$s return along with 3ait( and as man! s"itarii as the!$d been able to round up. &he! came to a sudden halt in the doorwa! registering the sudden absence of daemon with surprise and e#ident relief. $,hat happened)$ 2a"an as"ed glancing waril! around the room as though expecting the abomination to suddenl! .ump up and shout $:urpriseH$ $It destabilised $ I said "nowing from long experience that a fragment of the truth is alwa!s better than a lie. $+ust in time too.$ $And the portal)$ 2a"an as"ed. $Vanished at the same time the daemon did $ I told him truthfull! enough. I made m! wa! into the corridor eager to be out of that dreadful chamber +urgen at m! shoulder. &he s"itarii stood aside to ma"e room for us to pass although whether out of respect for men who$d .ust bested a daemon or reluctance to get too close to m! aide I couldn$t rightl! ha#e said. $,ell that didn$t go *uite as well as I$d hoped $ 1elicia said meeting us at the end of the passagewa!. $I$d rather gathered that $ I agreed gratefull! ta"ing the tanna which +urgen had succeeded in locating b! this time. $An! idea what happened)$ ,e seem to ha#e increased the output of warp energ! rather than damping it $ she told me which I$d prett! much managed to wor" out for m!self. $>uc"! !ou were there to deal with the immediate conse*uences.$ $I suppose so $ I agreed cautiousl! before the full meaning of her words penetrated. I narrowed m! e!es suspiciousl!. $,hat are the dela!ed ones li"el! to be)$ $,ell the energ! readings were far in excess of an! we$#e e#er recorded $ 1elicia admitted a trifle reluctantl! if I was an! .udge. $It$s *uite li"el! that Varan has the p!"ers or the specialised e*uipment to ha#e detected them. ,hich means he probabl! "nows where we are now.$

$I see $ I said all m! old fears suddenl! returning and hoping that he was the onl! one.

TWENTY-TWO I /I/N$& -AVE long to brood howe#er. No sooner had I emerged into the sunlight again inhaling the clean air gratefull! despite the lingering aromas of +urgen and the sun0ba"ed algae l!ing around the shore of the la"e diluting the effect somewhat than Nel!s accosted me. $Commander Ror"ins would li"e a word $ he said $about defending the place. -e thought !ou might ha#e some useful input ha#ing fought here before.$ -is e!es I drifted towards the obelis" for a moment s*uinting against the glare. It seemed none the worse for the s"irmish with the ser#itors the last time I$d been here so far as I could tell although the westering sun glancing from it replaced an! real detail with e!e0watering da((le. I nodded. After all that had been m! ostensible reason for dragging us out here in the first place so now we$d arri#ed I could hardl! .ust tell Ror"ins to get on with it I had more pressing matters to attend to. $I$ll be right there $ I said. $Can !ou show me where he$s set up)$ Our new head*uarters it turned out was #er! li"e the old one in that whate#er essential e*uipment we$d been able to .am into the shuttle with us had been ranged about a space ne#er intended to house it but with a few impro#ements. 1elicia or more probabl! 2a"an gi#en that the In*uisition apparentl! too" most of the administrati#e decisions here had turned o#er a storage ba! used to house construction materials for running repairs to the buildings and infrastructure in more peaceful times for our use as a ma"eshift command post. As I approached it a utilit! ser#itor plodded past in the opposite direction pushing a wheeled pallet of piping apparentl! the last of the displaced stores. 5eing a 2echanicus facilit! the cleared space was far cleaner and better e*uipped than most such warehouses would ha#e been howe#er and liberall! e*uipped with power outlets% our communications and detection gear was alread! up and running when I wal"ed through the door the enginseers from the schola ha#ing been supplemented b! a tranche of 1elicia$s staff. $Cain. 6ood.$ Ror"ins bec"oned me o#er to the hololith as I entered and I pic"ed m! wa! gingerl! across the inter#ening expanse of floor the tech0priests ha#ing been as ca#alier as e#er about the run of their cables. $,hat do !ou ma"e of this)$ /espite being banged about in the cargo hold along with the rest of our "it not to mention our people the de#ice was still functioning better than e#er in fart which spo"e #olumes for the calibre of the tech0priests 1elicia had assigned to assist us. I glanced at the displa! which showed a three0dimensional image of the #alle! dotted with icons recognising the basic troop deplo!ments 3ait( and I had wor"ed out between us on m! pre#ious #isit almost at once. Ror"ins had made a few minor amendments shortening lines of communication and allowing more firelanes to o#erlap and I nodded appro#ingl!. $:hould wor" $ I conceded after a long enough pause to gi#e the impression that it was the first time I$d seen it. $5ut we$d need more troops.$ 3ait( and I had wor"ed on the assumption that his s"itarii and whate#er help I could bring from the schola would be all the manpower we$d ha#e a#ailable. $&hat$s what the s"itarii captain said $ Ror"ins informed me. $5ut we should be able to get the extra bodies we need. 3oung :prie$s #olunteered to pic" up some P/1

from the Cainstead garrison'.$ 34" $he town of Cainstead, formerly )rosperity *ells, was the site of Cain!s first ma+or victory over the or invaders, and the birthplace of the ad hoc army he was to lead across the continent" $he change of name mar ed the resettlement of the community, the original town having been all but destroyed in the fighting, a gesture Cain found both hilarious and mildly embarrassing": $2ight as well $ I agreed switching the image to the spinning globe of Perlia bringing it into focus with a well0.udged thump on the housing of the pro.ection unit which earned me a repro#ing loo" from the most senior tech0priest present and ta"ing in the scattering of icons mar"ing the presence of hostile and friendl! forces. $&here$s nothing for them to guard in the middle of the desert in an! case.$ 1or a moment I remembered the raiding force that had #anished without trace in the first assault and ?a!la$s remar" about sand de#ils but forced the thought aside. Prosperit! ,ells 7I ne#er could ta"e the new name seriousl!8 was a long wa! from the landing site and if there reall! were necrons roaming the desert there the local P/1 wouldn$t be able to do an!thing about it an!wa! other than d!ing in dro#es. 1ar better for them to .oin us here and possibl! tip the balance in "eeping the :hadowlight out of Varan$s hands. $3ait( did a good .ob all things considered $ Ror"ins said loo"ing at me narrowl!. $Almost as if he was expecting to be reinforced b! a group of about our si(e.$ $I$m sure he had contingenc! plans for all "inds of conditions $ I answered blandl!. $Probabl! .ust dusted off the one that best fitted the forces we brought with us.$ $Probabl! $ Ror"ins said in the tone of a man who doesn$t belie#e a word of it but has more pressing matters to ta"e care of at the moment. $/o !ou ha#e an! thoughts about how we should proceed)$ $I thin" this is the best plan an!one$s li"el! to come up with $ I said ha#ing alread! thrashed out the alternati#es with 3ait( and 2a"an at considerable length. &he wea" point$s going to be the new road. $&he old one funnelled e#er!thing through the mouth of the #alle! and across the dam which pla!ed into our hands #er! nicel! but the new route b!passes most of the cho"e points.$ In order to compensate for that 3ait( had mined the ser#ice road and set up support weapon emplacements to brac"et it from the brow of the ridge but against a sufficientl! determined assault that might not turn out to be enough. $3es I noticed that.$ Ror"ins nodded .udiciousl!. $Not a lot we can do about it though. Except put more troopers on the ground.$ $2a!be :prie can ferr! a few more in when he gets bac" from Prosperit! ,ells $ I said glancing at the hololith again. $&here must be a few more garrisons some wa! from the fighting we can redeplo!$ On this continent an!wa!% e#er!thing we could spare on the western one was being thrown into a cordon around -a#endown tr!ing to stop the inexorable spread of the stain in the hololith mar"ing the limits of Varan$s influence. It still seemed to be growing although the fighting wasn$t an! more intense than before and I was put in mind of a tumour inexorabl! turning the cells of a health! bod! against itself. 2! palms tingled usuall! a reliable sign that m! subconscious has spotted something the forebrain hasn$t *uite brought into focus !et but the tenuous shi#er of intuition didn$t coalesce into an!thing concrete. ?nowing better than to tr! to force it I was on the #erge of turning awa! when something about the enem! icons attracted m! attention. A lot of them were mo#ing eastwards in our direction.

>uc"il! :prie returned before nightfall bringing a full platoon of P/1 regulars to .oin us which boosted morale considerabl!. E#en better from m! point of #iew were the half do(en Chimeras that came with them. I could ha#e done with a >eman Russ or two as well but in the absence of an! actual tan"s the turreted multi0lasers of the APCs would gi#e our collecti#e firepower a #er! welcome shot in the arm. Not that it loo"ed li"e ma"ing much of a difference against a force the si(e of the one I expected to be ranged against us but right now I was prepared to accept e#er! bit of help I could get. $It doesn$t loo" good $ I confided to 2a"an who in the interest of maintaining his co#er had been excluded from the tactical meetings. ,e were standing b! the obelis" in the #ague hope that an!one seeing us tal"ing would assume I was reli#ing old glories. I suppose I could ha#e briefed him properl! in the hidden facilit! beneath the shrine itself but I didn$t want an!one as"ing aw"ward *uestions about where I$d disappeared to and if I$m honest m! experiences down there earlier in the da! had left me reluctant to return. $&here$s a wa#e of shuttles inbound from -a#endown due within the hour with another a short wa! behind them. 2uch larger of course.$ $:ounds li"e the same strateg! the! used before $ 2a"an said speculati#el!. $:end in a wa#e of expendables to wear us down and follow up with the hea#! stuff.$ $Prett! much how I read it $ I agreed raising m! #oice a little o#er the snarling of the Chimera engines as the first of our reinforcements lurched down the shuttle$s boarding ramp. $&he big *uestion is what the expendables ha#e been briefed to do4 locate the :hadowlight or .ust cause as much trouble as possible. I thin" the first incursion we saw off was an attempt to find it ma!be e#en extract it but the damage Orelius did to their ships put paid to that.$ I pulled out m! data0slate and filled him in on the conclusions I$d drawn about some of the apparentl! random landings and the connections 5ras"er had made to local legends which might point to the sites being connected to the ancients in some wa!. $Interesting $ 2a"an said ha#ing heard me out without interruption. $I$ll as" :parsen to be on the alert for an! sign of a ps!"er with them. If there is the!$ll probabl! be tr!ing to locate the :hadowlight. If not it$s .ust another commando raid.$ >ea#ing him to digest the information I made m! wa! bac" to the command centre narrowing m! e!es against the glare of the setting sun which was ma"ing the wide expanse of water beside us loo" uncomfortabl! li"e a #ast pool of blood. Ror"ins and +ulien were discussing the latest tactical updates with 3ait( as I entered the warehouse an! lingering animosit! between s"itarii and :ororitas apparentl! forgotten in the common cause of sur#i#al and I lost no time in pic"ing m! wa! towards them through the tangle of cables which if an!thing appeared to ha#e thic"ened in m! absence. $Our latest information puts the first wa#e at fi#e shuttles $ Ror"ins was sa!ing as I .oined the group around the hololith. $&he auspex contacts are strong and we$#e got a good estimate of their speed and time of arri#al.$ $,hich is when)$ I as"ed as le#ell! as I could. $&hirt!0fi#e to fort! minutes if the headwinds remain constant $ +ulien told me. $+ust before sunset in other words $ 3ait( added. &hat wasn$t good% approaching from the west the!$d be coming almost directl! out of the sun lea#ing our gunners da((led b! the glare.

I glanced at m! chronograph. $&he Chimeras should be in position b! then $ I said. $At least that$ll gi#e us some air co#er.$ Not much though. In theor! the multi0lasers could inflict a lot of damage on an aircraft especiall! one that hadn$t been armoured and hardened to militar! specifications but the!$d need to be fired with considerable precision to do so. I found m!self thin"ing nostalgicall! of the auspex0guided h!dra batteries we$d relied on for air defence during m! !ears with the Imperial 6uard or e#en the hea#! bolters the Chimeras of the E<Ath had mounted which could throw enough ordnance into the air to ha#e at least a sporting chance of bringing a target down but as so often we$d .ust ha#e to ma"e do with what we could get. I tapped m! comm0bead. $?a!la how$s the deplo!ment coming)$ $,e$re on top of it $ the cadet reassured me. $+ust offloading the last of the Chimeras now and 6ar#ie$s pointing the troops in the direction the!$re supposed to go0$ $6ood. Carr! on.$ I nodded to the others. $,e$ll be read! for them when the! get here $ I said with a confidence I was far from feeling. $6lad to hear it $ Ror"ins said turning to 3ait(. $Are the demo charges along the dam primed)$ $&he! are.$ 3ait( nodded. $Although it goes without sa!ing the! should onl! be detonated as a last resort. &he blessings of the Omnissiah should be #enerated not casuall! cast aside.$ $Of course $ Ror"ins said although I "new he was practical enough to be more concerned about wasting a ma.or tactical ad#antage than the tech0priests$ sensibilities. $Chances are the!$ll ha#e more sense than to put down where we can flush them awa! an!how.$ I nodded finding it hard to disagree. $-ow$s morale holding up)$ +ulien as"ed glancing in m! direction. $Reasonabl! well $ I assured her. I had most of the cadets wandering around our deplo!ment area spouting the usual platitudes and listening out for an! signs of defeatism but so far all our people seemed focussed and disciplined. ,hich was prett! much what I$d ha#e expected gi#en that the!$d been trained for this since childhood and their instructors had alread! completed a lifetime of exemplar! ser#ice to the Imperium. 7Apart from me of course but nobod! needed to "now that.8 &he P/1 reinforcements were liable to be .ump! though and I made a mental note to #isit their command s*uad and send the cadets round to ha#e a word with the rest. &hat ought to settle them nicel!. $If an!one cares to participate I$ll be holding a brief ser#ice next to the memorial to as" the Emperor for his blessing $ +ulien said. $In about ten minutes.$ $I$ll pass the word along $ I promised her. I doubted that man! would attend most of our people and the P/1 deplo!ed too far awa! to ma"e it there and bac" to their positions before the enem! arri#ed but it would certainl! help settle the wa#erers. As alwa!s I found m!self suspecting that -im on Earth would ha#e rather more important things to do than listen to us whining for special fa#ours but it certainl! wouldn$t hurt to as" and if the fate of the galax! reall! was at sta"e -e might be a bit more inclined than usual to ta"e an interest. $Perhaps we could rela! the pra!ers b! #ox so the ones who can$t lea#e their posts can .oin in if the! wish.$ $6ood idea $ +ulien said nodding in appro#al. :he gestured to the nearest of the tech0priests one of the group who$d accompanied us from the schola and who I #aguel!

remembered seeing around the place from time to time generall! rigging wires from one room to another or rolling them up again. $6ra! can !ou set that up for me)$ $3es ma$am. Not a problem $ the enginseer assured her and trotted awa!. After a little more discussion which all boiled down to us being as read! as we were e#er going to be I turned awa! preparing to follow +ulien from the command post. Not that I intended wasting an! time at her little pra!er meeting of course I had m! cadets to chi##! up and the P/1 to moti#ate but her departure seemed to mar" a definite end to the con#ersation which was in danger of becoming somewhat circular b! that point in an! case. ,e all "new we were about to ha#e a hard fight on our hands and that the weight of numbers was all with the enem!. /espite m! usual c!nicism I began to hope that +ulien would get her little miracle after all. $:ir $ the #ox operator said turning to Ror"ins $I$m getting a message from Commodore Visiter. -e sa!s it$s urgent.$ $Of course it is $ Ror"ins said hea#il!. $,ith our luc" he$s probabl! spotted the or"s coming bac" for another go as well.$ -e sighed. $Put him through.$ After a second or two the Commodore$s head and shoulders appeared in the hololith wa#ering slightl! as such de#ices generall! did. $,e$#e .ust had an interestin$ de#elopment $ he reported without preamble. $As we can$t get to the enem! ships in dose orbit we$#e started e#acuatin$ the #oid stations in the outer s!stem.$ A wise precaution as the enem! fleet had b!passed them on the wa! in heading for the more strategicall! important target of Perlia itself but would almost certainl! turn their attention to these poc"ets of potential resistance once the! had the time and until the! did the resources the! contained would be a considerable help in maintaining Visiter$s ramshac"le fleet at battle readiness. $,hen we got to the astropathic rela! station in the halo the!$d .ust pic"ed up a message. &here$s a Na#! tas" force inbound from ?effia. No estimated time of arri#al but there$s definitel! help on the wa!.$ $Praise the EmperorH$ Ror"ins said with considerable feeling and I must admit that m! heart suddenl! felt considerabl! lighter. A spontaneous cheer erupted from se#eral of the control lecterns which Ror"ins let go despite the dear breach of discipline a #er! sensible decision in m! opinion. $Rela! the news on e#er! channel !ou can #ox pict deft stic" if !ou can manage it.$ -e turned to me the light of renewed determination in his e!es. $,e$re not alone an! more. All we need to do now is hang on until the! get here.$ $&rue $ I agreed. &he news though as welcome as it was unexpected was a double0edged sword. It would put fresh heart into the beleaguered defenders right enough and pre#ent an! more defections among the demoralised 7no one was going to switch sides with the prospect of retribution both real and immediate8 but the enem! would "now the! were running out of time to achie#e their ob.ecti#e and Varan would undoubtedl! redouble his efforts to secure the :hadowlight. $5ut the!$re not here !et.$ ?effia was close b! it was true but there were no guarantees where warp tra#el was concerned time ha#ing #er! little meaning in the con#entional sense aboard a #essel in transit and we had no idea when the relie#ing force had set out in the first place. I tried to remember how long it had ta"en m! old regiment to ma"e the same trip bac" in the relati#el! carefree da!s of m! long0forgotten !outh but the details remained fu((! o#erlaid with more pleasant memories of the shipboard romance I$d en.o!ed with ?arrie on the wa! and the considerabl! less comfortable time I$d subse*uentl! spent aboard the

lifepod which had dropped me so precipitatel! into the middle of or"0held territor!. I glanced at the hololith where a local tactical displa! had replaced the image of the commodore. &he first wa#e of enem! transports were still inbound closing fast and we$d be fighting for our li#es within moments. As I left the command post I heard +ulien commencing her pra!ers in the earpiece of m! comm0bead and for once in m! life felt the urge to .oin in.

TWENTY-THREE $-ERE &-E3 CO2E $ >ieutenant 6rouber said narrowing his e!es against the glare of the setting sun. I$d made it to the P/1 command Chimera with se#eral minutes to spare before the attac" commenced finding the !oung officer in charge both reassuringl! competent and gratif!ingl! awestruc" b! the presence of the hero he$d been brought up to #enerate as the sa#iour of his planet. -e$d had the good sense to station himself close to the ridge line where he$d get a good #iew of the course of the battle without attracting too much incoming fire which had been something of a consideration for me as well. 1rom up here I could loo" down on the main building of the 2echanicus shrine with a clear #iew of the pia((a our par"ed shuttle and the dam be!ond. &he blue0gre! mass of the la"e seemed ominous and brooding in the fading light its surface undulating gentl! under the influence of a moderate bree(e although the disc of the sun apparentl! balanced on the tops of the distant pea"s was still painting the face of the #ast roc"0crete wall holding bac" the waters a rich warm red which reminded me incongruousl! of autumnal woodlands and log fires. &he other Chimeras had been dispersed around the #alle! rather than being massed in a single eas! target and the rest of our people were dug in according to the battle plan% if I had an! doubts about our strateg! now would be a bad time for them to occur to me. 1ortunatel! I couldn$t thin" of an! last0minute re#isions so I held m! tongue and tried to focus on the distant dots s"imming the surface of the surrounding slopes. $-ere !ou are sir $ +urgen said handing me an ampli#isor and I raised it to m! e!es cautiousl! but he$d alread! set the polarisers to maximum so despite m! fears I remained unda((led b! the glare. $&he!$re coming in .ust abo#e the dec" $ I said impressed in spite of m!self. E#en a pilot of :prie$s calibre would probabl! thin" twice about attempting to fl! nap of earth at high speed in mountainous terrain let alone in tight formation and poor light conditions. &heir rec"lessness was a wea"ness I reminded m!self t!pical of the low #alue followers of Chaos placed on their own li#es as well as those of e#er!one else. $-old !our fire $ Ror"ins said on the general command channel his #oice sounding calm and professional and e#er!one complied e#en the P/1 to m! #ague surprise. $>et them get close enough to be sure of a target.$ I could hear the howl of their engines now a rising note which set the hairs on the bac" of m! nec" bristling and drew m! laspistol although I wouldn$t ha#e the slightest chance of damaging an! of the incoming shuttles with it. &he turret of the Chimera next to me shifted a little the motor of its tra#erser whining li"e the moti#ators of +ulien$s power armour and I glanced up. $:tead! there gunner $ I said. All we needed was for some trigger0happ! idiot to open up prematurel! and what little ad#antage we had would be blown. If on the other hand e#er!one "ept a cool head with an! luc" the enem! wouldn$t realise that we$d been reinforced at least not until it was far too late for them to do an!thing about it. $It isn$t him sir $ 6rouber #olunteered a little diffidentl!. $It$s that thing the tech0 priests put in.$ ,hat thing)$ I as"ed lowering the ampli#isor for a moment. &he !oung lieutenant peered down at me from the turret hatch loo"ing a little confused as his perch continued to rotate barel! perceptibl! under him. $I don$t rightl! "now sir $ he said at last. $5ut the

one with the metal face said !ou$d authorised it.$ $Oh right that thing $ I said as though the matter was of little interest and turned awa! acti#ating m! comm0bead. $1elicia. ,hat ha#e !ou done to m! Chimeras)$ $6i#en them a little edge $ the familiar #oice said cheeril!. $&ied an automatic targeter into the auspex arra! of the command one with a #ox lin" to the rest. It$s an unhol! lash0up gi#en the time we had a#ailable but it$ll .ust ha#e to do until we can burn the incense properl! and recalibrate. If it wor"s at all.$ $,ell it seems to be doing something $ I assured her feeling the first faint stirrings of optimism for what felt li"e a #er! long time. $6ood.$ 1elicia sounded as pleased with herself as e#er and I found m!self wondering if she was actuall! en.o!ing the chance to reli#e the ad#entures of her !outh. $If we managed to propitiate the machine spirits with the right pra!ers and programming the! should open fire as soon as the!$#e got a loc". If not !ou$ll ha#e to get the gunners to do it manuall!.$ $-ow will the! "now if the! ha#e to)$ I as"ed and 1elicia chuc"led the warm sound I remembered so well from so man! !ears ago. $&he pict screen will light up and displa! the message @1ire Now @$ she said. $I remember how !ou alwa!s too" the direct approach to things.$ $>ieutenant $ I said casuall! glancing up $the magos tells me her people blessed the targeting s!stems so the Omnissiah itself can manifest through them and stri"e down our enemies. /on$t be alarmed if the!...$ I ne#er got the chance to complete the sentence as the multi0laser in the turret fired the miniature thundercrac" drowning out e#er!thing e#en the rising scream of the approaching shuttle engines. 1or a moment I thought the sound was echoing from the surrounding hills then I realised that the #ox rela! had done its wor" despite the lac" of incense and the other fi#e had fired too almost simultaneousl!. Raising m! ampli#isor again I tried to focus on the approaching shuttles. $A hit b! the EmperorH$ I cried .ubilantl! then corrected m!self. $No two at leastH$ &he outermost aircraft on either side of the formation were both losing speed and altitude which made sense to me as the Chimeras were ranged along each side of the #alle! and the machine spirits logical as e#er would simpl! ha#e sought the nearest targets. &he turret rotated rapidl! 6rouber loo"ing a little seasic" as the cogitators tried for another loc" but the pilots had reacted almost at once di#ing for the floor of the #alle! lower than the barrels could depress. &he engine of the shuttle farthest from us was lea"ing smo"e and it seemed to be responding more sluggishl! but it followed its fellows ne#ertheless. $&hat one$s still coming $ 6rouber said and I focussed on the nearest ship. It seemed to be in a bad wa! sideslipping as it came with most of its control surfaces shot awa!. 1lames were flic"ering along its underside and I didn$t en#! its occupants in the slightest. $:ee if !ou can ta"e another crac" at it $ I suggested and the Chimera$s turret rotated again but too late% the crippled shuttle roared o#er our heads battering us for a moment with the downdraft of its passage to #anish o#er the other side of the ridge. A moment later the engine noise ceased with the unmista"able crump@ of impact. $-ol! Emperor $ 6rouber breathed. 1or a moment I thought he was reacting to the crash but the direction of his ga(e was in the other direction towards the dam and the

h!dro station beside the #ast reser#oir. &he attac"ing aircraft were rising now a manoeu#re I recognised from ha#ing been in shuttles doing the same thing m!self intending to pop up o#er the lip of the dam using its bul" to shield themsel#es from defensi#e fire for as long as possible. I started to #ox a warning but there was no need% from m! ele#ated perspecti#e I could see 3ait($s s"itarii fanning out to meet the threat the more ponderous figures of hea#! weapon ser#itors plodding in their wa"e and I found m!self wondering .ust how man! of the metal and flesh combat constructs the! actuall! had stowed awa! beneath the shrine. 7Not to mention how the! intended explaining their presence to Ror"ins.8 $I don$t thin" that one$s going to ma"e it sir $ +urgen remar"ed con#ersationall! as though commenting on the weather and I focussed the ampli#isor again. 2! aide was right I thought the crippled shuttle was tr!ing to maintain formation with its fellows but it was clearl! responding far too sluggishl!. As the undamaged three rose o#er the lip of the dam into a barrage of fire from the s"itarii and a couple of s*uads of our stormtrooper cadets the damaged one ploughed into the roc"crete a few metres below the rim exploding into a fireball so bright it stabbed m! retina. $&hat$s two down $ m! aide said in tones of unmista"able satisfaction. $>et$s .ust hope it doesn$t0$ I began to sa! an instant before it did and a secondar! explosion ripped a ragged hole in the face of the dam. One of the explosi#e charges we$d placed to blow the structure if we needed to had been detonated b! the impact. I held m! breath but none of the others went off than" the Emperor. E#en so the damage had been done. A section of the retaining wall fell awa! propelled b! the force of the water behind it to shatter against the turbine hall at the base of the structure and a #ast new waterfall .etted out through the gap filling the old ri#er bed be!ond as neatl! as though someone had turned on a tap. $An! casualties)$ I #oxed hoping that none of our people had been caught in the explosion or swept awa!. &he wall of water rushing along the floor of the #alle! was modest enough compared to the tidal wa#e we$d unleashed against the or"s but it wouldn$t do an!one down there an! fa#ours. $Not !et $ Ror"ins reassured me $but we$#e lost the chance of flushing them out if the! land in the #alle!$ &hat much was true4 I doubted that e#en Varan would be mad enough to put down there now the breach in the dam being ob#ious to e#en the most cursor! of glances. E#en if he wasn$t prepared for us to collapse it on purpose the danger of it gi#ing wa! of its own accord was now *uite manifest. An! further comment would ha#e been superfluous and we both had our attention on other matters b! then an!wa!. &he sur#i#ing shuttles were landing somewhat hea#il! and the first troops were disembar"ing ta"ing what co#er the! could from the withering fire the s"itarii and Ror"ins$s cadets were pouring into them. &he! seemed to be gi#ing as good as the! got though% our own people were being #er! nicel! suppressed b! the heretics$ hea#! weapon teams and the beachhead might well ha#e been consolidated in prett! short order if it hadn$t been for the combat ser#itors which continued to plod forwards soa"ing it up and repl!ing in "ind. $Cain.$ 2a"an$s #oice cut into m! comm0bead on a fre*uenc! I was sure no one else had access to. $:parsen sa!s he can sense ps!"ers with them. >oo"s li"e !our guess was right.$ $&hen we$d better hope we can hold them $ I said catching sight of some

mo#ement near the corner of the main shrine which turned out to be a couple of s*uads of 6rouber$s P/1 launching a flan"ing attac". &he lieutenant was inside the command Chimera b! now co0ordinating things with the aid of the specialised #ox and auspex "it it carried and seemed to be doing a reasonable .ob so I thought it best not to interrupt him. I was on the point of turning awa! to chec" on the progress of the battle on the other flan" when I saw a couple of blac" greatcoats mo#ing with the troopers and steadied the ampli#isor again. $Nel!s $ I #oxed $what in the name of the &hrone do !ou thin" !ou$re pla!ing at)$ $:upporting the troopers sir.$ &he distance was too great for me to ma"e out his facial expression but I could picture the dogged set of his .aw all too easil!. $>i"e !ou as"ed us to.$ $,e thought it wouldn$t be too good for morale if we refused to go in alongside them $ ?a!la cut in bac"ing him up and I had to admit the! were both thin"ing li"e commissars. $Ver! good $ I said tr!ing not to sound too concerned. $,atch !our bac"s and don$t ta"e too man! chances.$ At least ?a!la$s strea" of common sense ought to "eep them out of trouble insofar as that was possible on the battlefield. I wasn$t able to obser#e much of what happened next although I "ept catching enough chatter in m! comm0bead to "eep roughl! abreast of how the clash of arms was progressing as m! attention was suddenl! grabbed b! the unmista"able sound of lasguns firing on the other side of the ridge. $&here must ha#e been some sur#i#ors of the shuttle crash $ 6rouber said loo"ing up from his tactical displa! an expectant loo" on his face. &here were four other troopers with him li"e an! command s*uad but most of them were bus! manning the auspex and comms gear wor"ing flat out to communicate with the other elements of the platoon and for the first time I began to regret spreading them out so much. &he Chimera crew might be dragooned into carr!ing lasguns and going off to in#estigate but that would mean we wouldn$t be able to mo#e in a hurr! if we needed to alwa!s a strong possibilit! with gunfire in the immediate #icinit!. $5ut who are the! firing at)$ I as"ed the palms of m! hands beginning to pric"le. All our people had been deplo!ed inside the #alle!. I acti#ated the comm0bead. $If an!one$s out of position report now.$ No one replied although I gathered from the other #ox traffic that +ulien and her no#itiates were getting stuc" in down at the shrine their bolters and power armour pro#ing more than ade*uate against the lasguns of the heretics. $,e$ll ha#e to go and ta"e a loo" $ I concluded tr!ing to filter the reluctance out of m! #oice. &here was no one else to do it and I could hardl! compromise m! heroic reputation in front of 6rouber not if I needed him to go on trusting me which I probabl! did for m! continued wellbeing. 5esides as so often in m! life it seemed essential to "now what we were facing the ris" of remaining in ignorance far greater than ta"ing the chance of going to find out. :o +urgen and I slipped awa! into the gathering dus" the sun almost completel! set b! now the weight of the laspistol a reassuring presence in m! hand and if I$m honest the olfactor! reminder of +urgen$s proximit! an e#en greater one gi#en the melta he carried. &he s"! was still light enough to see b! although it wouldn$t be for long the colours of e#er!thing leaching awa! as the lengthening shadows faded into shades of

deep blue. ,e crested the ridge cautiousl! crouching in the lee of a clump of scrub so we wouldn$t be s"!lined and started down the other side. &he site of the crash was ob#ious #i#id orange flames leaping into the purpling firmament and I found m!self grateful that the pre#ailing wind was at our bac"s. &he brac"en co#ering these hillsides would burn readil! I was sure but an! brush0fires started b! the bla(ing wrec"age would spread in the other direction. As we got closer the crac"le of las weapons intensified and I began to ma"e out a clearer picture of the s"irmish ta"ing place in front of us. &he shuttle had hit hard disintegrating on impact but a few of the traitors within must ha#e sur#i#ed. &he! were bunched together behind a tangled lump of metal which loo"ed as if it might once ha#e been part of the engines exchanging fire with a dispersed group of shadow! figures who seemed to be using the deeper dar"ness around the circle of light cast b! the flames to pic" them off whene#er the! got a reasonable line of sight relati#el! safe from retaliation. /a((led b! the light of the conflagration around them the heretics would ha#e been unable to ma"e out their assailants while being brightl! illuminated themsel#es. As +urgen and I approached the hellish tableau another of the sur#i#ors pitched forward thrashed for a moment and la! still. $I got oneH$ a feminine #oice cried. $:hut up 1ran"aH &he! can hear !ou e#en if the! can$t seeH$ a test! #oice admonished in a hoarse whisper. A moment later as if to emphasise the point a las0bolt crac"ed through the dar"ness in the general direction the girl$s #oice had come from. A second s*ueal and a sudden thrashing of undergrowth told me that she$d belatedl! di#ed for co#er but that the shot had predictabl! missed. $:tupid girlH$ the other #oice added. $2anrin)$ I as"ed *uietl! "eeping m! bac" to the fire to allow m! e!es to ad.ust to the low light le#els confident that +urgen would pic" off an!one discourteous enough to ta"e aim in our direction. $,hat the hell are !ou doing here)$ $Commissar)$ the corporal as"ed e*uall! dumbfounded coming graduall! into focus as a bloc" of thic"er shadow a few metres awa! from me. $I thought !ou$d gone bac" to -a#endown.$ $>ong stor! $ I told him in a tone that effecti#el! precluded an! explanation at the time then softened it in.ecting .ust the right degree of friendliness. $5esides I as"ed first.$ $,e saw the shuttle come down $ 2anrin explained $and came to in#estigate. &he! opened fire as soon as we approached so we "new the! were heretics.$ A reasonable inference as an! lo!alists would "now Chilin#ale was still in Imperial hands. $,hat$s going on in the #alle!)$ It was pointless to den! that something was as the sounds of the battle were carr!ing clearl! on the wind and occasional flashes of light lit the s"! li"e Conflagration Night firewor"s. $&he enem! are tr!ing to ta"e the 2echanicus shrine $ I said stic"ing to the highlights. $It$s imperati#e that the! don$t.$ I listened to the chatter in m! comm0bead for a moment learning that two of the enem! shuttles appeared to be in our hands b! this time and that +ulien$s charge seemed to ha#e bro"en the bac" of the enem! assault. $1ortunatel! we seem to be winning.$ 9ntil the second wa#e got here an!wa!. I glanced at the burning wrec" behind us and the dwindling band of heretics within its dubious shelter% the militia detachment were ma"ing up in enthusiasm what the! lac"ed in accurac! and I didn$t imagine the beleaguered traitors would be able to hold out for

much longer. $/o !ou thin" we could ta"e an! of them ali#e)$ Not that we$d get much useful intelligence if our experience with the 2adasans was an!thing to go b! but an!thing at all we could learn about the main battle force before it got here would be a bonus. $6ood idea sir $ +a* put in materialising at m! shoulder. &here$s onl! a couple of them left. 6o in with the straight sil#er sir the! don$t li"e it heretics don$t. &he!$ll surrender before !ou can sa! @&he Emperor Protects@.$ ,ell it wasn$t much of a plan but it was the best we had and I$d match m! duelling s"ills against a heretic foot soldier an! da! so after a few moments consultation the P/V contingent started la!ing down suppressi#e fire against the sur#i#or$s fragile refuge. It wasn$t particularl! well co0ordinated but it did the .ob and as soon as I was certain that our targets$ attention was full! engaged I charged forward into the burning wrec" +urgen at m! heels. 7&o be honest I was more worried about ta"ing a stra! round from the militia b! that point than an! retaliation from the heretics.8 &he heat was greater than I expected slapping me in the face as we began dodging through pieces of debris and those passengers who hadn$t sur#i#ed the initial impact. ,e too" the traitors completel! b! surprise a trooper in the uniform of a Perlian being reduced to a greas! stain b! a blast from +urgen$s melta while I accounted for a 2adasan on the other flan" with a single las0bolt. &here was onl! one sur#i#or left after that clad in a grubb! greatcoat a scarlet sash "notted at his waist aiming a laspistol in m! direction. Astonished I faltered for a heartbeat aware that the hesitation might be the death of me but unable to o#erride the impulse despite that. $/onal)$ I as"ed still not managing to belie#e the e#idence of m! own e!es. $/eath to the ser#ants of...$ he began then a loo" of confusion drifted across his face and his aim wa#ered. A powerful burst of +urgen$s bod! odour intensified as alwa!s b! high temperatures arri#ed at m! shoulder an instant before the man himself. $Commissar) ,hat$s happening)$ -is tormented expression so different from the eas! self0confidence I was used to seeing intensified. $I$m not entirel! sure $ I said wal"ing forwards +urgen at m! side the melta read! for use again in his hands. &he closer we got the more distressed /onal seemed to become. $I thought !ou were dead.$ $I wish I wasH$ /onal said with unexpected #ehemence tearing his coat off and flinging it into the nearest concentration of flames. As it singed then combusted with an acrid tang of burning fibre I was .ust able to see that the Imperial icons on it had been desecrated with Chaotic sigils li"e the bod! armour of the defectors I$d fought before. $I can still feel the taint gnawing at m! mind...$ -e seemed on the #erge of losing it so I too" another step closer +urgen dogging m! heels as alwa!s. $Commissar /onal report $ I said in.ecting a little of the parade ground into m! #oice wondering e#en as I did so if it was the right approach to ta"e. 1ortunatel! it was old habits and learned responses "ic"ing in to o#erride whate#er it was which had wrought so bi(arre a change in him. $,hat happened after we left the palace)$ $It was Varan $ /onal said his #oice sounding as though it was forcing its wa! past a bloc"ade in his throat. $-e spo"e to us.$ -is face contorted mirroring the battle going on in his mind between two diametricall! opposed #iewpoints. $-e .ust told us the truth was lies and the lies became truth.$

$-e$s gone barm! sir $ +urgen said as constitutionall! incapable as e#er of reconciling a paradox. $Not exactl! $ I said the mental image of a spreading tumour that had occurred to me bac" at the command post returning with renewed force. 9p until now I$d been ta"ing it for granted that Varan had ps!"ers in his retinue which he #er! li"el! did but what if he was a ps!"er himself) One with a #er! specific and #er! dangerous talent... A cold thread of terror wrapped itself around m! heart and began to constrict. If I was right and he was on his wa! to the Valle! of /aemons in person then there was nothing I could do to "eep the :hadowlight out of his hands e#er! all! I$d been able to co(en and dragoon here another potential recruit to the enem! cause furthering his chance of success. $Oh fra".$ ,ith an effort I turned m! attention bac" to /onal. $-ow close did he get before he affected !our mind) 3ours and the 6o#ernor$s)$ $-e was in the room $ /onal said loo"ing and sounding more li"e a fe#er patient in the grip of delirium b! the minute. $Cuite close then $ I probed hoping for clarification. If he needed to be within a handful of metres to pull off his part! tric" that wouldn$t be too bad... $>ine of sight $ /onal gasped the residue of the war0master$s influence e#identl! waning in the face of +urgen$s abilit! to nullif! ps!chic phenomena. $And earshot. An!one who can see and hear him...$ -is face contorted again. $&he! filled the scrumball stadium with prisoners4 P/1 ci#ilians an!one the! could round up. &he minute he spo"e he had them all...$ ,onderful I thought. All he has to do is step off the shuttle grab an ampli#ox and we all go o#er to the enem!. E#en positioning sharpshooters wouldn$t help% the!$d ha#e to see him clearl! to get a shot and unless the! were deaf he$d ha#e turned them into puppets before the! could pull the trigger. E#en earplugs probabl! wouldn$t help if the effect was ps!chic rather than ph!sical. &here was onl! one thing left to do to e#aluate .ust how gra#e the threat was and I found m!self reluctant to do it% /onal had suffered more than enough alread!. 5ut he was a commissar I$d made him one m!self4 he$d understand if an!one would the stern dictates of dut!. $+urgen $ I said $ta"e three steps directl! awa! from Commissar /onal.$ 2ost men no doubt would ha#e at least expressed some measure of curiosit! but true to form m! aide simpl! complied with the instruction. /onal twitched his arm coming up and the laspistol wa#ering indecisi#el! in m! direction. $/eath to... the ser#ants...$ he gasped then .ust as I was wondering if I$d found out what I needed to "now too late and at too high a price a trace of his old character reasserted itself. $:orr! sir $ he said with a hint of the self0assurance I remembered $it$s .ust too strong to fight for long. ?ic" his arse for me.$ &hen he snuggled the mu((le of his laspistol under his chin and pulled the trigger. $,hat happened)$ 2anrin as"ed as +urgen and I re0emerged from the burning remains of the downed shuttle m! weapons once more hanging from m! belt. $/id !ou "ill them all)$ $&he!$re all dead $ I answered "eeping m! #oice as neutral as I could. &here was no point in relie#ing m! feelings b! ta"ing them out on the militia. $5ut I got the information I needed.$ I finished folding the sash I$d gi#en to /onal such a short time ago and stuffed it into a con#enient poc"et. &he sounds of firing from o#er the ridge had

stopped I noted with a detached corner of m! mind and listened to the #oices in m! earpiece for a moment. &heir general tone was self0congratulator! and after chec"ing that no more of m! cadets were among the casualties I turned bac" to 2anrin. $:end !our people home.$ $5egging !our pardon sir but we$d li"e to #olunteer to assist $ +a* said. 5efore m! con#ersation with /onal I would probabl! ha#e ta"en him up on it but now I felt that e#er! extra bod! standing between Varan and the :hadowlight was an extra opportunit! for him to get his hands on the blasted thing. Not for the first time I found m!self wishing that whoe#er had dug it up in the first place had had the common sense to .ust bur! it again. $3our (eal is both noted and appreciated $ I said $but the battle is o#er. &he war howe#er goes on and !our place is in Chilin#ale defending !our homes and lo#ed ones.$ Ver! good sir $ 2anrin said with a faint trace of relief and began rounding his people up. After a few moments the! disappeared into the dar"ness and I realised for the first time that night had now fallen in earnest. :hortl! thereafter I heard the sound of a truc" engine bursting into life then fading awa! in the general direction of the town lea#ing me alone with m! thoughts as +urgen and I began to plod up the hillside. &he night was cloudless than" the Emperor and the faint glimmer of starlight supplemented b! the spectacular displa! of the debris belt the fringes of which left strea"s of fire across the s"! e#er! few seconds was more than enough to see b!. ,e mo#ed cautiousl! ne#ertheless as I had no wish to turn an an"le on the une#en ground or catch m! boot in the fibrous undergrowth. Our slow progress seemed frustrating at the time although loo"ing bac" I ha#e no doubt that it sa#ed our li#es. As we approached the crest of the ridge a flic"er of mo#ement caught m! e!e and I gestured m! aide to stillness. :omething was reflecting the starlight a faint glimmer of blue0white against metal and suspecting that it might be the barrel of a gun perhaps being carried b! an enem! fleeing the battle or who had made their wa! to safet! from the shuttle crash I raised the ampli#isor. &he realit! was a thousand times worse. -umanoid figures sculpted in metal but which mo#ed with sinister purpose and an inhuman fluid grace that somehow made them e#en more terrif!ing. &he! wal"ed unhurried along the ridge line the leading one carr!ing a de#ice of some "ind with which it swept the #alle! below. &he others were armed the unmista"able silhouettes of gauss fla!ers held read! for use the sinister necrotic glow which would normall! ha#e re#ealed their presence mas"ed b! a shroud of some flexible metal fabric. $Necrons $ I told +urgen in a barel! audible whisper. &he fears which I$d sought to dismiss for so long were grounded in realit! after all. After an indeterminate time which was probabl! no more than a few minutes for all that it felt li"e a lifetime the leading automaton stopped mo#ing consulted the de#ice in its hand then raised its other arm pointing in the direction of the shrine. $And the! seem to ha#e found the :hadowlight.$ -ardl! surprising gi#en their master! of warp technolog! and the amount of energ! we$d released that afternoon. &hat$s not good is it sir)$ +urgen as"ed with his usual flair for understatement. $No it$s not $ I agreed. &he necron scouting part! remained as immobile as the statues the! resembled for another instant then #anished with a faint crac"le of energ! and displaced air. :o far as I could see it was now a race between Varan and the metal

horrors to reach the de#ice first4 lea#ing us s*uarel! in the middle. An! wa! I loo"ed at it our chances of sur#i#ing the next few hours had .ust dropped from slim to negligible.

TWENTY-FOUR $I& :EE2: ,E$RE out of options $ Ror"ins said with a glance at the hololith. I$d cleared the command centre of all but our most senior people and those of us left were an ill0assorted group for the most part staring at the contact runes mar"ing the progress of Varan$s airborne armada as though the! could be di#erted b! willpower alone. 9nfortunatel! the! couldn$t and b! m! estimate would be right on top of us within the hour. +ust before dawn in fact the warmaster being nothing if not predictable in his tactics. $E#acuation is clearl! impossible.$ $Ne#ertheless I want e#er!one gi#en clear instructions to fall bac" to the shuttles if the worst happens $ I said. ,e$d ne#er manage to s*uee(e 6rouber$s troopers 1elicia$s people and the In*uisition contingent into the one we$d arri#ed in along with our own schola cadets and instructors but the enem! had thoughtfull! pro#ided us with a trio of reasonabl! intact spares a couple of which :prie$s fellow na#al cadets could pilot to safet! if push came to sho#e. $5ut what about the :hadowlight)$ 1elicia demanded. $It must be protected at all costsH$ I$d thought long and hard about re#ealing the secret of its existence to Ror"ins and +ulien on the ner#e0shredding wal" bac" to 6rouber$s Chimera during which e#er! stra! sound had made me start ner#ousl! wondering if the metal "illers had returned but on balance I felt that their pre#ious connections to the In*uisition made them sufficientl! trustworth! and if the! were going to die in the next few hours at the #er! least the! deser#ed to "now wh!. 1elicia and 2a"an had been less than thrilled b! this decision as !ou can imagine but it seemed to me that if we were going to ha#e e#en a pra!er of "eeping the :hadowlight out of Varan$s hands we all needed to be singing from the same psalter. $I$#e got 3ait( rigging demo charges around the chamber it$s in $ I said. $If we ha#e to pull out we can collapse the whole shrine on top of it. /igging the thing out again after that$s going to be a ma.or operation which should bu! us enough time to organise a counterattac".$ $5low up the shrine $ 1elicia said in a dangerous monotone. $Perhaps !ou should .ust call in an orbital stri"e and ma"e reall! sure of the .ob.$ $Nothing Visiter has is accurate enough $ Ror"ins said apparentl! ta"ing the remar" at face #alue and what was left of the tech0priest$s face too" on an expression which would ha#e intimidated an or". $And e#en if it was he couldn$t get into position past the enem! warships.$ $,hich the Na#! can ta"e care of as soon as the! get here $ +ulien put in impatientl!. $>et$s .ust stic" to the point shall we)$ $It$s a last resort of course $ I reassured 1elicia. Realisticall! I didn$t thin" an! of us were li"el! to be around to press the button in an! case but that wouldn$t stop me tr!ing m! hardest to be wrong. $:o was blowing up the dam $ she said pointedl! reining in her temper with an effort onl! I "new her well enough to recognise. 1ortunatel! at that point the hololith flic"ered and Visiter$s face appeared. $:orr! to interrupt $ he said ta"ing in the arra! of faces staring at his image with some surprise $but we$#e had another interestin$ de#elopment.$

$-as the tas" force arri#ed)$ Ror"ins as"ed eagerl! and Visiter shoo" his head. $No sign of $em !et but we$re scannin$ on all fre*uencies. ,e$ll let !ou "now as soon as the! drop out of warp.$ -is image flic"ered for a moment then steadied again. $,hich is how we spotted this. &here$s a ship hidin$ in the debris belt. ,e onl! spotted $em because the! began powerin$ up a few minutes ago.$ &he picture in the hololith flic"ered then changed to a shape I recognised all too well despite the passage of more than se#ent! !ears% if it wasn$t the #essel which had obliterated the /mnissiah!s %lessing in orbit around Interitus Prime with a single energ! burst stranding me on the desolate tomb world surrounded b! necrons it was certainl! another of the same class. Visiter$s #oice continued behind the picture. $Class un"nown' but it$s onl! the si(e of an escort. ,e can ta"e it easil! enough.$ 34" =rom these recordings, almost certainly a ;ac al raider": $Absolutel! notH$ I said in horror picturing the result of such an attempt all too easil!. &he fragile :/1 boats would be reduced to their component atoms in a single #olle!. $/on$t e#en thin" about engaging it.$ $>oo"s li"e we won$t get the chance an!wa! $ Visiter said with a trace of regret. &he heretics ha#e spotted it. A couple of their destro!ers are mo#ing to intercept.$ -e "ept the pict feed running the starfield behind the necron #essel mo#ing slightl! as the long0range imagifiers panned a little to "eep it in #iew. A moment later it lashed out with the tendrils of flic"ering energ! I remembered so #i#idl!. $&arget destro!ed $ Visiter said his #oice flat with shoc". A moment later the raider fired again and dispatched the other warship with e*ual ease. $Now it$s mo#in$ towards the rest of the enem! flotilla. I don$t "now how it expects to ta"e on the cruiser though.$ $It won$t ha#e to $ I said. &he necrons I$d seen teleport awa! must ha#e gone somewhere and that #essel was the ob#ious destination. And if it had a functioning warp portal then e#er!one aboard the Cndefeatable was as good as dead. $&he!$ll teleport boarders across.$ $&he!$ll do what)$ Visiter .ust had time to sa! before his image #anished from the hololith fragmenting in a shower of static. A moment later the displa! reset itself re#erting to the tactical summar! we$d been loo"ing at before the commodore contacted us the icons of the enem! an ominous increment closer to our position. $,hat happened)$ +ulien as"ed. $Are the! still there)$ $&he transmission was disrupted $ 1elicia told us after listening to her internal #ox for a moment. $5! a massi#e burst of warp energ!.$ :he smiled thinl! in m! direction. $Not our fault this time.$ &hose ships ha#e a warp portal aboard $ I said. &he necrons must ha#e acti#ated it.$ $&he who)$ 1elicia as"ed sounding bewildered. 2a"an undoubtedl! "new what I was tal"ing about he was Ordo ;enos after all but Ror"ins and +ulien clearl! didn$t recognise the name either which was hardl! surprising. $&he!$re xenos $ I said cutting the explanation as short as I could. $I$#e had a few run0ins with them before but there are precious few who can sa! the same and still draw breath. &he! ma"e the $nids loo" almost harmless b! comparison and the!$#e been infesting the galax! for long enough to ha#e been around when the :hadowlight was made. I saw a scouting part! of them up on the ridge last night and I don$t thin" the!$re here for the fishing.$

$&hen how come I$#e ne#er heard of them)$ Ror"ins as"ed reasonabl! enough under the circumstances. $5ecause most of the people who$#e encountered them are dead $ 2a"an said. $&he! seem to exist purel! to "ill. &here ha#e been rumours about them for centuries but the first hard e#idence onl! emerged in =<A in the aftermath of an attac" on a :ororitas facilit!.$ +ulien$s face paled. $:anctuar! 'J' $ she said and 2a"an nodded. &he name meant nothing to me but the Celestian$s expression was now suffused with righteous anger. &hen let them come and meet their retribution.$ $3ou ma! or ma! not get the chance for that $ I pointed out $but Varan will most definitel! be here before dawn.$ I was far from casual about dismissing the necron threat as !ou can imagine particularl! as I was the onl! one present with the faintest idea of .ust how formidable the metal warriors were but from m! point of #iew there was no point in e#en tr!ing to ma"e plans to deal with them4 how can !ou defend against an enem! which can teleport at will into the heart of !our defences and phase casuall! through the walls when the! get there) In m! experience the onl! chance !ou had against them was to run and hide or concentrate !our fire against one unit at a time in the hope of "noc"ing enough of them down to bu! the time to mo#e on to the next one and repeat the tric" before half of the damned machine creatures got bac" up and came at !ou again. In either case !ou .ust had to wait for them to ma"e the first mo#e. Varan on the other hand was a dear and present danger I could do something about and I intended to do so. $And !ou thin" !ou "now how to see him off)$ 1elicia as"ed. $I$#e got an idea $ I admitted. $5ut I don$t thin" !ou$re going to li"e it.$ ,ell I was right about that something the storm of protest from e#er!one present as soon as I$d #oiced the thought made abundantl! dear but since the warmaster$s horde would be on us within half an hour and no one could thin" of a better alternati#e despite m! fer#ent wish that somebod! would I$d .ust ha#e to go through with it. :ighing I wal"ed to the nearest #ox unit those damned cables catching at the toe of m! boot as usual and peered at the dials. $An!one "now what fre*uenc! the enem!$s using)$ I as"ed. $-ere let me.$ 1elicia bustled o#er no doubt happ! to ha#e found some "ind of displacement acti#it! and fiddled with the dials for a moment. &r! it now.$ A #oice floated into the room sounding surprisingl! calm and businessli"e calling for an update on the state of readiness of a unit which according to the last Perlian P/1 roster I$d seen should ha#e been guarding the 6o#ernor$s palace but which was now e#identl! inbound with the rest of Varan$s bewitched arm!. I pic"ed up the microphone and hesitated a million doubts rising up to assail me then fought them down with grim resolution. 1eeling as though m! tongue was coated in ash I began to transmit. $&his is Commissar Ciaphas Cain $ I said $for ,armaster Varan re*uesting a personal meeting to discuss terms of surrender.$ $-ERE &-E3 CO2E sir $ +urgen said standing close at m! side as Varan$s personal shuttle circled the roof of the 2echanicus shrine li"e a raptor preparing to swoop. It loo"ed li"e the same one I$d seen him disembar" from on the lawns of the 6o#ernor$s palace and "nowing what I did now I breathed a silent pra!er of than"s to the Emperor for ha#ing "ept me far enough awa! to ha#e escaped the insidious influence of the warmaster$s #oice. Not that I expected -is /i#ine 2a.est! to be listening but !ou ne#er

"new and gi#en how li"el! it was that I$d be meeting -im in person before too much longer it probabl! wouldn$t hurt to suc" up a bit while I had the chance. I glanced down from our #ertiginous perch where the first few ra!s of the rising sun were beginning to lighten the leaden s"! fighting the childish impulse to wa#e to Ror"ins and the others who were still shrouded in shadow% in furtherance of the mas*uerade we were engaged in our people were all standing out on the pia((a at parade rest 6rouber$s Chimeras drawn up neatl! in front of the shuttles. 2! cadets were strutting about appearing to chi##! up the slac"ers while unobtrusi#el! pinpointing the landing sites of the enem! ships and noting the deplo!ment of the disembar"ing troops. Our pantomime of co0operation wasn$t .ust designed to feed Varan$s ego which I$d calculated from the pict recordings I$d seen would be unable to resist the "udos of appearing to best a -ero of the Imperium in person it rather neatl! pre#ented the enem! from putting down too close to the shrine itself. Of course most Chaotics wouldn$t ha#e been too bothered b! that perfectl! happ! to land on top of the mass of troops incinerating them with their landing thrusters in the process and I had felt a few anxious moments as the airborne assault began but I$d read m! man well% true to m! deductions about his methods Varan wasn$t about to den! himself another tranche of perfectl! good meat puppets to swell his growing arm!. $:huttle eighteen .ust grounded $ ?a!la murmured in m! earpiece. &wo hundred metres downslope thirt! degrees from mar"er.$ In the absence of an! other clear reference point e#er!thing was being pinpointed b! its angle and distance from the obelis" which was prett! hard to miss. -er #oice too" on a tinge of re#ulsion. $It$s carr!ing more mutants do(ens of them.$ $Ac"nowledged $ I #oxed bac". &hat was the last of the shuttles apart from the warmaster$s personal transport which circled us again la(il! clearl! intent on "eeping us waiting to emphasise who was in charge. &hat was fine b! me% let the pox0rotted son of a mutant en.o! his little gloat while he could. &he more in control of the situation he thought he was the more wrong0footed he was going to be when I pulled the rug out. $Vox silence until I gi#e the word.$ One of the little blac" dots far below us nodded its head and I turned to +urgen. $Are !ou read! for this)$ I as"ed. $Of course sir $ he replied although I$d ne#er expected a different answer. -e$d been read! and willing in his own somewhat idios!ncratic fashion since the da! I$d met him on /esolatia all those !ears before. I$d ne#er "nown his gift to fail us e#en against daemons so I wasn$t expecting too much trouble from a .umped0up little ps!"er with comed! facial hair but !ou ne#er "new4 it was alwa!s the unexpected that "illed !ou. $&hen I thin" we$re on $ I said en#!ing him his calm con#iction that e#er!thing would wor" out for the best because I had it all under control. A con#iction I wished to the &hrone I was able to share. Ne#ertheless a lifetime of expertise in the art of conni#ing and misdirection had been the perfect preparation for this moment and m! demeanour at least was calm as the warmaster$s shuttle settled to the surface of the roc"0 crete roof of the #ast structure we stood on. 7A structure I tried not to remember could be reduced to a #er! large pile of rubble in an instant if 3ait( had done his .ob properl!.8 I blin"ed m! e!es clear of the stinging dust the landing thrusters had "ic"ed up and straightened m! cap tr!ing to loo" as dignified as the ostensible occasion demanded. After a moment the engines powered down and the boarding ramp extended. :hadows mo#ed in the compartment be!ond .ust as the! had in &re#ell!an$s garden and

I found m!self tensing as the warmaster appeared at the top of it. -e$d clearl! dressed up for the occasion his sable cape ornamented with a ridiculous amount of gold braid the crimson .ac"et beneath it almost e*uall! encrusted and surmounting trousers of #ermillion piped in sil#er the whole ensemble topped off with a wide0brimmed hat from which a pure white feather protruded at what he no doubt thought of as a .aunt! angle. It was m! first sight of his companions which trul! startled me though. As the pair of bod!guards flan"ing him clanged down the ramp in perfect loc"step it was all I could do to restrain a gasp of astonishment. &he hul"ing figures I$d ta"en for &raitor 2arines when I$d seen them at a distance were clad in :ororitas pattern power armour the fleur de lys decorating them crudel! defaced with Chaotic runes the blan" #isors of their helmets staring in m! direction. Remembering m! incredulit! at Orelius$s account of the con#ent on 2adasa falling within the hour it seemed I owed the rogue trader an apolog! when next we met. If Varan$s power could o#ercome the faith of e#en the Emperor$s most dedicated warriors it seemed I was in serious danger of underestimating him. As the little group reached the bottom of the ramp Varan held up a hand and the corrupted sisters both stopped dead li"e ser#itors with their power lines cut. -e smiled affabl! at me and swept the cape from his shoulders throwing it bac" behind himself without loo"ing% one of the guards caught it her armour ser#os whining as her arm mo#ed then fro(e again into watchful immobilit! her bolter gripped easil! in her other hand. I didn$t mo#e or spea" either. &he theatrical gesture reinforced the opinion I$d formed on first seeing the pict files Nel!s had confiscated from the 2adasan prisoners and which had led me to formulate this rather desperate strateg!% that Varan was inordinatel! fond of dramatic flourishes and ne#er tired of hammering home the fact that he was in control. &he classic beha#iour pattern of someone ri#en with insecurities in other words which gi#en the fic"le nature of the boons the /ar" Powers granted their followers and the perpetual bac"0stabbing struggle for dominance among the countless factions which made up the armies of Chaos was hardl! surprising. $Commissar. ,e meet at last $ Varan said and I flinched half expecting to feel m! mind tric"ling out through m! ears but so far as I could tell I was still m! old self and m! nose told me that +urgen was most definitel! his. Certain now that m! aide$s extraordinar! talent was protecting us as I$d hoped I began to relax. &he warmaster wa#ed at a c!bers"ull which darted out from somewhere inside the shuttle and began to circle us. 1or a moment I tensed again fearing that he$d seen through our ruse and was anticipating some "ind of attac" but as it swooped closer I could see that it was carr!ing nothing more deadl! than a pictcaster. $/o !ou mind if we record these proceedings) I thin" the citi(ens of Perlia will find them most illuminating.$ $5! all means $ I agreed as affabl! as I could. &his was a real bonus although I suppose I should ha#e anticipated it. :omeone li"e Varan wouldn$t be able to reall! en.o! his triumph unless he$d spread it around enough for his s!cophants to congratulate him about it and the propaganda #alue of broadcasting pictures to the rest of the planet of the legendar! >iberator "owtowing to him would ha#e been incalculable. 2orale among the lo!alists would collapse li"e a pric"ed soap bubble. $I$m sure the!$#e had more than enough of the last pictcast I made.$ $No doubt $ Varan said apparentl! nettled at me departing from the script in his

head with a sall! of m! own. ,ell he was going to be a lot more upset than that before too long. $I$m sure !our surrender will ma"e far more congenial #iewing.$ $2! surrender)$ I as"ed then bellowed with laughter which sounded genuine enough to turn his face puce with fur!. $I$m afraid there$s been a bit of a misunderstanding. I summoned !ou here to accept !our surrender.$ $:ummoned meH$ 1or a moment his outrage and incredulit! was so o#erwhelming that it ne#er e#en occurred to him to wonder wh! his power wasn$t wor"ing. $,ho the hell do !ou thin" !ou are to be gi#ing the orders)$ $2! name is Ciaphas Cain $ I said le#ell! not abo#e hamming it up a bit for the benefit of the ho#ering pictcaster either if I$m honest $and I$m a commissar. It$s m! .ob.$ A flic"er of doubt was beginning to show in Varan$s e!es now as it slowl! dawned on him that I wasn$t under his control. $:urrender or die as !ou please it$s all one to me.$ $?ill himH$ Varan screamed gesturing to his bod!guards and I tensed as their bolters came up aiming in m! direction. I had onl! one chance of sur#i#al and I too" it brea"ing into a run towards the little tableau at the bottom of the shuttle$s boarding ramp +urgen at m! heels as alwa!s. $I$ll ta"e that as a no $ I said drawing m! weapons and hoping we could close the distance in time. 1ortunatel! we could and the bolters aiming at us began to wa#er .ust as /onal$s laspistol had done when he$d come within the influence of +urgen$s talent. $:tic" close to the sisters $ I told m! aide. $Right !ou are sir $ he agreed slipping the strap of his lasgun from his shoulder. &he melta would ha#e been a great deal more useful if the :ororitas renegades turned on us after all but its presence would ha#e undermined the pretence of surrender whereas a 6uardsman would no more be parted from his lasgun than he would from his own arm% seeing +urgen without it would ha#e seemed e*uall! incongruous and perhaps forewarned Varan that he was wal"ing into a trap. As +urgen reached them the two women began to scream the sound amplified horribl! b! the #ox units built into their helmets shuddering as though both their suits had suddenl! become electrified. /onal had found the ps!chic shoc" of being suddenl! released from Varan$s thrall traumatic enough after being under it for no more than a couple of da!s and he was !oung and flexible in his thin"ing% the sudden realisation of what had happened to them and what the!$d been doing for the last few months must ha#e dri#en the unfortunate sisters instantl! insane. &o m! astonishment Varan ran forward to meet m! charge screaming almost as loudl! as his #ictims with frustrated rage and I reminded m!self once again not to underestimate him. &alons appeared at the tips of his fingers tearing their wa! out of his #el#et glo#es and I let him ha#e a couple of las0bolts s*uare in the chest as we dosed. 1or a moment as he staggered bac" I dared to thin" that it was all o#er after all but he came on again almost at once a smile of pure malice spreading across his face. $&hat was unexpected wasn$t it)$ he gloated leaping at me li"e an attac"ing hormagaunt. I pi#oted out of the wa! .ust in time his talons ripping the slee#e of m! greatcoat stri"ing at his bac" with the edge of m! chainsword. Instead of biting flesh as I$d anticipated the teeth whined glancing off a surface harder than ceramite and beneath the ruins of his shirt I glimpsed a la!er of scales. E#en if he owed his status among Abaddon$s horde of the damned to his mind0control tric"s rather than the brute strength and ferocit! most war0masters of Chaos displa!ed he clearl! wasn$t going to be the

pusho#er his diminuti#e stature had led me to hope for either. I .ust had time to get bac" on balance before he came at me again and this time I aimed for his nec" hoping to separate his head from his shoulders but he$d anticipated that and bloc"ed with his forearm which pro#ed to be as formidabl! armoured as his torso. -e struc" at me again and I dodged .ust in time feeling his talons snag for a moment in the carapace armour concealed beneath m! greatcoat. If I hadn$t had the foresight to don it he would almost certainl! ha#e disembowelled me with a single stro"e. It began to dawn on me that I$d seldom faced so deadl! an opponent in single combat and unless I came up with something soon he might #er! well win. $I can$t get a shot sirH$ +urgen called sighting down the barrel of his lasgun. $3ou$re too doseH$ Not that it would ma"e much difference in an! case I thought Varan would probabl! .ust shrug off +urgen$s las0bolts as easil! as he had done the ones from m! pistol. &he bolters the corrupted :ororitas carried might be enough to do the .ob but e#en if the! could be wrested from the grasp of a power0armoured lunatic in the grip of a ps!chotic episode the!$d be too hea#! and unwield! for m! aide to use. Abruptl! that ceased to be an option in an! case. Appearing to regain a #estige of self0awareness at last the two women stopped ululating as suddenl! and completel! as if their #ox units had .ust burned out and started to run. 5efore +urgen or I could react although Emperor alone "nows what either of us could ha#e done to stop them the!$d reached the edge of the roof and launched themsel#es into the #oid be!ond toppling o#er the lip and disappearing. A moment later a faint clatter li"e someone dropping a handful of teaspoons echoed up from the pia((a. As I continued to gi#e ground before Varan$s fren(ied attac"s e#ading and parr!ing franticall! onl! m! duellist$s reflexes "eeping me from being e#iscerated the germ of an idea began to form. 5ac"ing as close as I dared to the #ertiginous drop I let m! guard down for a fraction of a second as though mistiming a counter0stro"e and Varan fell for it. :creaming in triumph more animal than man he bounded forward intent on la!ing me open to the bone. At the last instant I pi#oted out of the wa! letting his momentum carr! him past. :uddenl! realising the danger he was in the rabid little mutant tried to throw his weight bac"wards arresting his headlong rush and almost made it% had I not been there he undoubtedl! would ha#e succeeded. $Commissar /onal sends his regards $ I snarled and "ic"ed out ta"ing him s*uarel! in the fundament with an impact which .arred up the length of m! leg. Arms flailing the self0st!led in#incible warlord pitched o#er the edge of the roof screaming in terror all the wa! down until the noise abruptl! ceased with a loud slap. I peered out at the surrounding arm! hoping against all logic that the!$d stand down released from the madness which gripped them b! the demise of their leader but this wasn$t some comforting fair! tale where the spell gets bro"en b! the death of the e#il enchanter. Instead a howl of rage echoed from the surrounding hills and the! began to charge towards us. ,ell that was prett! much what we$d expected and we$d laid our plans accordingl!. 6rouber$s Chimeras fired as one 1elicia$s modifications continuing to wor" as though the Omnissiah itself was ta"ing a personal interest and the front ran" of the onrushing horde disintegrated the sur#i#ors scattering to ta"e what co#er the! could. Our own people scattered too ta"ing up the defensi#e positions the!$d been briefed to co#er

and prepared to meet the enem!. $Come on +urgen $ I said with a final apprehensi#e glance at Varan$s shuttle but no one emerged to challenge us' and we made for the stairs at a rapid trot. $I thin" it$s time we were somewhere else.$ 34" *hen the clean'up teams arrived at the shrine, they found the body of the pilot still sitting in the coc pit& it seems 1aran had instructed the unfortunate fellow to wait for his return, and he!d simply starved to death at the controls": ,e emerged from the tran*uillit! of the shrine into a scene of confusion and butcher! which reminded me all too strongl! of the pre#ious desperate battle I$d fought here so much so that e#ents from the past became intermingled with the deadl! realities of the present and I found m!self on the #erge of #oxing :autine to mo#e her tan"s into position before remembering that she$d died of old age !ears before. $CommissarH$ Nel!s appeared at m! shoulder supporting :tebbins who was bleeding profusel! from a scalp wound and whose left hand was a mangled ruin. $&he!$re brea"ing through in the south0west corner.$ $&hen get bac" there and stop themH$ I said. I listened for a moment to the confused #ox chatter isolated the information I wanted and cut in. $1rister get the arbites cadets o#er to the south0west and hold there as long as !ou can. Nel!s is on the wa! with whoe#er he can round up.$ $3es sir.$ Nel!s hurried off collecting a ragged comet tail of wal"ing wounded who could still heft a lasgun and I turned bac" to :tebbins. $6et those wounds dressed and report to Commander Ror"ins.$ E#en if he couldn$t fight he could operate a #ox or an auspex freeing up another able bod! for the fra!. $At once commissar.$ -e stumbled awa! and despite the urge to follow I made for the perimeter. ,e were all fighting for our li#es now and I needed to see for m!self how bad things were getting. &he Chimeras were firing continuousl! felling the enem! in dro#es but it was li"e punching holes in water% the gaps in their lines would fill again almost at once creeping forward from one scrap of co#er to the next each bod! that fell pro#iding a little more protection for their comrades who sur#i#ed. One of the APCs erupted in a fireball as I watched hit b! a roc"et from a portable launcher and 6rouber$s men retaliated at once saturating the patch of scrub the missile had come from with small arms fire. &hat threat had been neutralised but there were plent! more to come% a piercing whistle preceded a series of explosions behind me close to the shrine itself. $:omeone ta"e those mortars outH$ I called and a moment later ?a!la$s #oice cut into m! comm0bead. $&he!$re dug in behind shuttles nine and twel#e commissar. ,e$#e got nothing that can hit them.$ $1ra"H$ I said feelingl! and switched fre*uencies. $:prie if !ou and !our friends ha#e finished loo"ing o#er !our new to!s now would be a good time to see if the! fl!.$ $Alread! on it commissar $ the red0haired cadet assured me. $Our shuttle$s prepped and read! and we$ll ha#e two of the ones we captured powered up in ten minutes.$ $1aster would be better $ I said with considerable restraint. &en minutes from now the enem! could well ha#e bro"en through. 3ait( and his s"itarii somewhat diminished in number it seemed to me .ogged past a couple of ser#itors with them and #anished

again in the confusion. $Ror"ins prepare to pull out.$ 1elicia wouldn$t be an! too happ! if we blew up the building but it was beginning to loo" as though we weren$t going to get the choice. &he enem! were surging forward now suppressing our defences with withering amounts of fire and would be in a position to ma"e a final assault at an! minute. In fact if these had been run0of0the0mill Chaotics instead of using their heads li"e proper soldiers the!$d probabl! ha#e started alread! which would at least ha#e allowed us to whittle them down a bit as the! charged into our guns. $Ac"nowledged $ Ror"ins said sounding far from happ! but then he had the tactical displa! to loo" at which would be telling him precisel! how badl! we were currentl! fra""ed something I wasn$t at all sure I wanted to "now right now. $-ere the! come $ Nel!s said in m! earpiece and the firing intensified on our south0west perimeter. $On our wa! $ +ulien$s #oice responded and I became aware of the clatter of armoured heels stri"ing spar"s from the ceramic tiles of the mosaic beneath our feet. I glanced round to see her and her no#itiates double0timing it towards the thic"est fighting and she grinned at me the light of hol! fer#our in her e!es. $Coming to .oin the fun Cain)$ Cursing inwardl! as there was no wa! I could refuse so public an appeal I nodded with affected nonchalance. $>adies first $ I said wa#ing her through and inflecting it li"e a .o"e. If an!thing the situation at the perimeter was e#en worse than I$d imagined. &he enem! had alread! bro"en through .udging b! the number of corpses in desecrated P/1 uniforms scattered about onl! to be thrown bac" b! the defenders at some considerable cost% :tebbins had been one of the luc"! ones that was clear far too man! of his charges ha#ing failed to ma"e it at all. Nel!s and 1rister loo"ed up as I approached with +ulien and her no#itiates identical expressions of relief on their faces and the motle! collection of arbites cadets P/1 regulars and s"itarii with them seemed to per" up too their sudden surge of unwarranted optimism undiminished b! the continuing barrage of mortar fire erupting behind us. 6etting through it to the shuttles wasn$t going to be eas! but that was a problem for later% right now we .ust had to li#e through the next few minutes and throw bac" the next enem! assault decisi#el! enough not to get cut down as soon as we tried to ma"e a run for it. $-ere the! come $ 3ait( said his augmetic e!es gi#ing him a dearer #iew than the rest of us and gestured to the gun ser#itors. &he! opened up at once while the rest of us huddled behind the ma"eshift barricade which had e#identl! been constructed from the stores displaced to ma"e room for Ror"ins$s command post. A second or so later both constructs went silent all but torn apart b! a bli((ard of bolter fire and m! heart turned to ice. I raised m! head o#er the parapet as much as I dared which wasn$t much let me tell !ou pra!ing I wouldn$t see the sight I expected and being .ust as disappointed as I "new I was going to be. A solid wa#e of corrupted :ororitas was ad#ancing on our position at least three full s*uads emerging from the earl! morning half0light and I "new we didn$t ha#e a hope in hell of stopping them. Come to that I doubted we$d e#en be able to slow them down. $,e$re reading another flare of warp energ! $ 1elicia said in m! earpiece sounding

pu((led rather than alarmed and I loo"ed o#er the barricade again too terrified to tear m! e!es awa! despite the ob#ious ris" of ta"ing a bolt to the head. $,hat$s that)$ 3ait( as"ed as a trio of #ast tapering structures materialised out of nowhere right in the middle of the enem! host. &he Chaotic ad#ance faltered no doubt as"ing the same *uestion then splintered as arcs of ra#ening energ! lashed out from the monoliths blasting the nearest of the par"ed shuttles to smithereens. &he onrushing sisterhood halted their charge and turned to face the new threat milling around uncertainl! for a moment in a manner the! most certainl! wouldn$t ha#e done if the!$d been in their right minds then began shooting at something behind them. $:omething worse $ I said acti#ating m! comm0bead and transmitting on all fre*uencies. $Cain to all units. ,ithdraw to the shuttles now.$ 1lashes of green necrotic light were strobing in the distance sinister metal figures ad#ancing unhurriedl! towards us sc!thing down the power armoured figures which bloc"ed the wa!. $Our orders were to defend the :hadowlight $ 3ait( said. $Against Varan $ I said. @,e can$t stand against these creatures. If we tr! we$ll die and the!$ll still get their hands on it.$ &he :ororitas renegades were brea"ing tr!ing to flee and not getting #er! far% I pointed to one caught in the beam of a gauss fla!er screaming as she e#aporated li"e the smo"e from a snuffed0out candle. $Our onl! hope is to run for the shuttles and bur! it with the demo charges.$ E#er!where I loo"ed be!ond the perimeter straining m! e!es to ma"e out the horrif!ing details through the gloom the stor! was the same gleaming metal "illers stri"ing down the enem! with a casual disdain all the more chilling for being completel! without emotion. 2ost sentient races enter combat with a mixture of fear and exultation but necrons simpl! "ill because that$s what necrons do. At least the!$d ta"en the mortars out for us so we could get to the shuttles in one piece. 3ait( and +ulien loo"ed at one another an unspo"en *uestion hanging in the air between them% neither was sub.ect to m! authorit! and if one elected to sta! and ma"e a fight of it I was sure the other would too. $3ou heard the commissarH 6et mo#ingH$ Nel!s shouted and his charges complied eagerl! running for the shuttles as I$d instructed 1rister and the arbites cadets hard on their heels. &hat bro"e the mood I$m happ! to sa!% when +urgen and I followed so did +ulien and 3ait( the s"itarii and no#itiates falling in around us. 2! main fear as we lifted was that we$d left it too late and that the le#itating monoliths would stri"e us down as the! floated inexorabl! towards the shrine "eeping pace with the wal"ing abominations all about them but either we were still out of range or the! were simpl! too fixated on their goal to bother about an!one not standing between them and it'. ,e circled the #alle! a couple of times "eeping well awa! from the monoliths until the #anguard of the necron arm! had passed inside the shrine and I ga#e the signal. 34" 5ore probably the former, as, given what little we understand about necron motivation, they seem unli ely to let anyone live if they have the choice": $1elicia $ I said $I$m sorr! but we ha#e to blow it.$ $I "now.$ 1or a tech0priest she let a surprising amount of emotion lea" into her #oice. $It$s the onl! logical alternati#e.$ A long pause ensued. $1elicia $ I said as tactfull! as I could $push the fra""ing buttonH$ $I did $ she said blea"l!. $:e#eral times. &he signal$s being .ammed. ,e can$t

detonate.$ ,e orbited aimlessl! for another few minutes unable to inter#ene but reluctant to depart% then as I$d half expected the entire necron arm! wa#ered li"e lifting mist and #anished completel! the ra#aged landscape below where Varan$s in#asion force had been obliterated the onl! trace of their passing. $,hat happened)$ :prie as"ed loo"ing up from his console for a moment an expression of stunned surprise on his face. $&he! got what the! came for $ I said.

Editorial Note: $he official version of these events is well enough nown to need little in the way of elucidation: the following extract sums it up as well as any other" 1rom In %lac est Night: $he 5illennial *ars Appraised b! A!.aepi Clothier 'GA. 2DG. CO22I::AR CAIN$: /9E> with ,armaster Varan a turn of e#ents so melodramatic that it would be hard to credit were it not for the famous pict recording mar"ed the effecti#e end of the Chaos in#asion of Perlia. /emoralised the arm! Varan had built around himself disintegrated into internecine warfare as his subordinate commanders stro#e with one another to assume the o#erall leadership succeeding onl! in depri#ing themsel#es of an! force worth leading at all% the shattered remnants being easil! o#erwhelmed and obliterated b! the P/1 who lost no time in #isiting the Emperor$s #engeance on the traitors who$d sur#i#ed. &he fortuitous arri#al of a na#al tas" force dispatched in response to a distress call sent out as the in#asion commenced accounted for the enem! #essels still in orbit which were all destro!ed in a single well coordinated stri"e.

TWENTY-FIVE $AN/ &-I: I: how !ou found the chamber when !ou returned)$ Amberle! as"ed. I nodded while she wal"ed round the dais on which the cr!stal plinth and the :hadowlight had once stood narrowing her clear blue e!es as though if she loo"ed at it from a different angle the ancient de#ice might suddenl! reappear. $,e thought it best to seal the room until !our arri#al $ I said as calml! as I could. I$d certainl! done m! best to carr! out the impossible commission Orelius had dumped in m! lap but I was b! no means certain that Amberle! would see it that wa!. $Ver! prudent $ she said brushing a stra! strand of blonde hair awa! from her forehead. &hen to m! relief the familiar mischie#ous grin appeared on her face. $Although horses and stable doors spring to mind.$ $At least Varan didn$t get his hands on it $ I said. $No that$s something $ Amberle! agreed. $Although I can$t help wondering wh! the necrons wanted it too.$ A faint moue of concern drifted across her face. $All we can be certain of is that it$s nothing good.$ $I thin" the! were afraid of it $ I said. I$d had plent! of time to thin" about the matter in the wee"s following the battle at the shrine in between hunting down the last of Varan$s con#erts formall! confirming the sur#i#ing cadets as full!0fledged commissars and e#ading the Perlian media as much as I could which wasn$t nearl! enough. $&he!$re as old as the xenos who built it% ma!be the! were allies of theirs or the Fatarn the! were fighting or ma!be the! .ust got caught in the middle. In an! case the! were concerned enough to lea#e some obser#ers in stasis against the da! the ancients might return or someone else found out how to use their technolog!.$ $&he chamber in the asteroid !ou thought might be a necron tomb.$ Amberle! nodded thoughtfull!. $In the absence of a moon it$s the most li"el! place for them to obser#e the planet from.$ $It was .ust the miners$ bad luc" to brea" into the chamber $ I went on encouraged. $&he necrons re#i#ed and detected the :hadowlight but because it was shielded down here the! couldn$t pinpoint it. :o the! called in a ship for bac"up and started combing all the sites the! "new the ancients used to ha#e an interest in.$ I paused. $&he asteroid...$ $I$#e got a /eathwatch "ill team going o#er it now $ Amberle! reassured me. $5! the time the!$#e finished there won$t be an! traces of the necrons left.$ $I suppose in a wa! the! did us a fa#our $ I said. $&he! saw off Varan$s arm! for us and too" out his warships into the bargain.$ I smiled sa#ouring the iron!. $>uc"il! the general populace alread! thought there was a na#al flotilla on the wa! so it was eas! to con#ince them an Imperial battlefleet had done the .ob.$ $3ou$ll still ha#e some explaining to do when the real fleet arri#es in s!stem $ Amberle! said loo"ing uncharacteristicall! surprised when I laughed. $It$s not coming $ I said. $It ne#er was.$ I too" out m! data0slate and showed her the full text of the message which I$d pic"ed up from Visiter shortl! after he$d returned to the schola. &he communi*ue$s signed b! 1leet Captain >eerie.$ $:o)$ Amberle! was ne#er o#erl! fond of guessing games so I concluded m! explanation succinctl!. $>eerie retired in <ED $ I told her $while I was ser#ing on K!#an$s staff. Prett! good

part! as I recall.$ I restowed the slate. $&he message was .ust an echo bouncing around in the warp. It happens.$ $5ut it arri#ed when !ou needed it $ Amberle! said. $Cuite a coincidence.$ I shrugged. $I$#e alwa!s been luc"! $ I said. Amberle! grinned at me again her expression appraising. $Not alwa!s $ she said. $5ut ma!be tonight.$ 3/n which cheerfully optimistic note, this volume of the Cain archive comes to a natural conclusion":