++Priority Transmission: Coding/Delta/Rouge++ ++Recipient: Loyal Imperial Commanders as designated by Commissariat, The Librarius ta!!

!, In"uisitor #aptiste $ Canoness %rrea&++ ++ ub'ect: Traitors and ()ecutions++ ++%uthor: Phyr*+egator cri,enor-in-attendance to In"uisitor +i.olay /inogrado,++ ++Thought !or the Day: To cheat is both co0ardly and dishonourable++

%ttention all loyal citi1ens o! the Imperium222 canning o! sacred boo.s is a mortal sin2 333333333 4hispered by T1eentch, Lord o! 5idden 6no0ledge& Inspired by laanesh, 7aster o! 8orbidden Pleasures& Resist !oul machinations o! the Dar. 9ods and buy boo.s !rom the #lac. Library& 33333333333 Thought o! the Day: %ll traitors 0ill be e)ecuted 0ithout mercy and compassion2 In"uisition is 0atching :;<2

A WARHAMMER 40,000 NOVEL

Ciaphas Cain

CAVES OF ICE
Sandy Mitchell

For Oliver and Michael. Happy gaming!

A BLACK LIBRARY PUBLICATION 8irst published in 9reat #ritain in =>>? by #L Publishing, 9ames 4or.shop Ltd&, 4illo0 Road, +ottingham, +9@ =4 , <6& A> B C @ D E ? F = A Co,er illustration by Clint Langley& 9ames 4or.shop Limited =>>?& %ll rights reser,ed& #lac. Library, the #lac. Library logo, #lac. 8lame, #L Publishing, 9ames 4or.shop, the 9ames 4or.shop logo and all associated mar.s, names, characters, illustrations and images !rom the 4arhammer ?>,>>> uni,erse are either G, T7 and,Hor I 9ames 4or.shop Ltd =>>>-=>>?, ,ariably registered in the <6 and other countries around the 0orld& %ll rights reser,ed& % CIP record !or this boo. is a,ailable !rom the #ritish Library& I #+ A C??AD >@> J Distributed in the < by imon $ chuster A=F> %,enue o! the %mericas, +e0 :or., +: A>>=>, < & Printed and bound in 9reat #ritain by Co) $ 4yman Ltd, Reading, #er.shire, <6& +o part o! this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrie,al system, or transmitted in any !orm or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or other0ise, 0ithout the prior permission o! the publishers& This is a 0or. o! !iction& %ll the characters and e,ents portrayed in this boo. are !ictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental& ee the #lac. Library on the Internet at

000&blacKdibrary&com
8ind out more about 9ames 4or.shop and the 0orld o! 4arhammer ?>,>>> at

000&games-0or.shop&com

IT IS THE 41st millennium. For more t !n ! un"re" #enturies t e Em$eror !s s!t immo%ile on t e &ol"en T rone o' E!rt . He is t e m!ster o' m!n(in" %) t e *ill o' t e +o"s, !n" m!ster o' ! million *orl"s %) t e mi+ t o' is ine- !usti%le !rmies. He is ! rottin+ #!r#!ss *rit in+ in.isi%l) *it $o*er 'rom t e /!r( A+e o' Te# nolo+). He is t e C!rrion Lor" o' t e Im$erium 'or * om ! t ous!n" souls !r# s!#ri'i#e" e.er) "!), so t !t e m!) ne.er trul) "ie. YET E0EN IN is "e!t less st!te, t e Em$eror #ontinues is etern!l .i+il!n#e. 1i+ t) %!ttle'l#ets #ross t e "!emon2in'este" mi!sm! o' t e *!r$, t e onl) route %et*een "ist!nt st!rs, t eir *!) lit %) t e Astronomi#!n, t e $s)# i# m!ni'est!tion o' t e Em$erors *ill. 0!st !rmies +i.e %!ttle in is n!me on un#ounte" *orl"s. &re!test !mon+st is sol"iers !re t e A"e$tus Ast!rtes, t e S$!#e 1!rines, %io2en+ineere" su$er2*!rriors. T eir #omr!"es in !rms !re le+ion3 t e Im$eri!l &u!r" !n" #ountless $l!net!r) "e'en#e 'or#es, t e e.er2.i+il!nt In4uisition !n" t e te# 2$riests o' t e A"e$tus 1e# !ni#us to n!me onl) ! 'e*. But 'or !ll t eir multitu"es, t e) !r# %!rel) enou+ to ol" o'' t e e.er2$resent t re!t 'rom !liens, ereti#s, mut!nts 2 !n" *orse. To BE 5 m!n in su# times is to %e one !mon+st untol" %illions. It is to li.e in t e #ruellest !n" most %loo") re+ime im!+in!%le. T ese !re t e t!les o' t ose times. For+et t e $o*er o' te# nolo+) !n" s#ien#e, 'or so mu# !s %een 'or+otten, ne.er to %e 672l#!rn#". For+et t e $romise o' $ro+ress !n" un"erst!n"in+, 'or in t e +rim "!r( 'uture t ere is onl) *!r. T ere is no $e!#e !mon+st t e st!rs, onl) !n eternit) o' #!rn!+e !n" sl!u+ ter, !n" t e l!u+ ter o' t irstin+ +o"s.

Editorial Note: This, the second extract ront the !ain archive "hich # have prepared and annotated or those o my ello" in$%isitors "ho may care to per%se it, is in m%ch the same ormat as the irst. The ast%te among yo% "ill realise that it ollo"s my previo%s selection, !ain&s acco%nt o the 'ravalax incident, $%ite closely chronologically altho%gh "ith his %s%al disregard or s%ch niceties it "as act%ally recorded at an earlier point in the archive itsel . ( have chosen this section o his memoirs not only )eca%se it is relatively sel *contained, re$%iring little )ac+gro%nd +no"ledge o his earlier exploits to appreciate, )%t also )eca%se the records o the Ordo ,enos contain $%ite a )it o detail a)o%t events on -imia Orichalcae that year and anyone "ith ca%se to cons%lt them is certain to ind the only complete eye* "itness acco%nt o considera)le interest. .Not least )eca%se it con irms the s%spicions many o %s have long har)o%red a)o%t the part played )y certain mem)ers o the /dept%s Mechanic%s in the a air, "hich may )e %se %l in %t%re dealings "ith them.0 (t may )e arg%ed that !ain is not the, most relia)le chronicler o events, )%t ( am inclined to accept his version o events as a)sol%tely tr%e. Here, as thro%gho%t the "hole archive, he rarely gives himsel credit or "hat, to any %n)iased o)server, appear to )e acts o gen%ine co%rage and reso%rce %lness .ho"ever e" and ar )et"een0. /s )e ore # have )een largely content to let !ain tell his story in his o"n "ords, con ining mysel to annotating the original text to clari y occasional points and expand %pon the "ider )ac+gro%nd to the events he descri)es since typically he tends to concentrate almost excl%sively on things that a ected him personally "itho%t m%ch regard or the )igger pict%re. # have also, as )e ore, ta+en the li)erty o )rea+ing his acco%nt do"n into chapters to acilitate reading, altho%gh !ain himsel didn&t seem partic%larly )othered )y s%ch stylistic niceties. &1here (&ve dra"n on other so%rces they are credited appropriately2 all other ootnotes and interpolations are mine alone.

/m)erley 3ail, Ordo ,enos

ONE

4%RP 6+;4 IL/( seen more than my !air share o! (mperor-!orsa.en hell-holes in more than a century o! occasionally !aith!ul and dedicated ser,ice to the Imperium, but the ice-0orld o! imia ;richalcae A stands out in my memory as one o! e)ceptional unpleasantness& %nd 0hen you bear in mind that o,er the years IL,e seen the inside o! an eldar rea,er citadel and a necron tomb 0orld, 'ust to pic. out a couple o! the highlights Mso to spea.N, you can be sure that my e)periences there ran. among the most terri!ying and li!e-threatening in a career positi,ely littered 0ith hairsL-breadth escapes !rom almost certain death& +ot that it seemed that 0ay 0hen our regiment got its orders to deploy& ILd been ser,ing 0ith the /alhallan EB@ th

#. 4espite my )est e orts to trac+ it do"n, the origin o this name remains o)sc%re. (t seems airly sa e to con5ect%re that the "orld in $%estion "as amed or the presence o some stat%e or e igy in a past epoch, )%t "hy any one sho%ld have chosen to commemorate this partic%lar animal in s%ch a "ay remains a mystery.

!or a little o,er a year by that point, and had managed to settle into a !airly com!ortable routine& I got on 0ell 0ith both Colonel 6asteen and her second-in-command 7a'or #ro.la0O they appeared to consider me as much o! a !riend as it 0as possible to be 0ith the regimental commissar, and the .udos ILd earned as a result o! our ad,entures on 9ra,ala) stood me in good stead 0ith the men and 0omen o! the lo0er ran.s as 0ell& Indeed most o! them seemed to credit me, not entirely 0rongly, 0ith ha,ing pro,ided the inspirational leadership 0hich had allo0ed them to pre,ail against the ,ile conspiracy that had unleashed so much bloodshed on that unhappy 0orld and pro,ided them 0ith an initial battle honour to 0hich they could all point 0ith pride& %t the ris. o! seeming a little !ull o! mysel!, I did ha,e some cause !or satis!action on that score at leastO ILd inherited responsibility !or a di,ided, not to say mutually hostile, regiment, cobbled together !rom the combat-depleted remnants o! t0o pre,iously single-se) units 0ho had disli.ed and distrusted one another !rom the beginning& +o0, i! anything, I 0as !aced 0ith the opposite problem: I 0as charged 0ith maintaining discipline as they became com!ortable 0or.ing together and the ne0 personnel assignments started bedding in& MPuite literally in some cases, 0hich only made matters 0orse o! course, particularly 0hen acceptable !raternisation spilled o,er into lo,ersL ti!!s, acrimonious partings, or the 'ealousy o! others& I 0as beginning to see 0hy the ,ast ma'ority o! regiments in the Imperial 9uard 0ere segregated by gender&N 8ortunately, there 0ere ,ery !e0 occasions 0hen anything harsher than a sti!! tal.ing-to, a "uic. rotation o! the protagonists to di!!erent s"uads, and a rapid palming o!! o! the problem to the chaplain 0ere called !or, so I 0as able to maintain my care!ully-constructed !acade o! concern !or the troopers 0ithout undue di!!iculty& #eing ice0orlders themsel,es, o! course, the /alhal-lans 0ere o,er'oyed to hear 0e 0ere being sent to imia ;richalcae& (,en be!ore 0e made orbit the ,ie0ing ports 0ere cro0ded 0ith o!!-duty troopers eager !or a !irst sight o! our ne0 home !or the ne)t !e0 months and a chatter o! e)cited ,oices had !ollo0ed 6asteen, #ro.la0 and mysel! through the corridors to0ards the bridge& 7y enthusiasm, needless to say, 0as rather more muted& L#eauti!ul, isnLt itQL #ro.la0 said, his grey eyes !i)ed on the main hololith display& The !lic.ering image o! the planet appeared to be suspended in the middle o! the ca,ernous chamber !ull o! shado0s and arcane mechanisms, surrounded by o!!icers, dec.hands and ser,itors doing the incomprehensible things starship cre0men usually did& There must ha,e been a do1en at least o! them bu11ing about, 0a,ing data-slates at one another, or manipulating the s0itches inlaid into the age-dar.ened 0ood o! the control lecterns 0hich littered the main dec. belo0 us& Captain Durant, the o!!icer in charge o! the old !reighter that had been hastily pressed into ser,ice to transport us !rom our staging area on Coronus

Prime,A shoo. his head& LI! you li.e planets I suppose itLs allright,H he said dis-missi,ely, his optical implants not e,en !lic.ering in that direction& ;! indeterminate age, he 0as so patched 0ith augmetics that i! it hadnLt been !or his uni!orm and the de!erence 0ith 0hich his cre0 treated him I might ha,e mista.en him !or a ser,itor& It had been courteous o! him to in,ite the three o! us to the
#. !oron%s 6rime "as a ma5or (mperial )ase on the ringes o the 4amocles '%l "here the (mperial orces "ithdra"n rom 'ravalax "ere sent or reas * signment. 6res%ma)ly the M%nitori%m decided it "asn&t "orth diverting a %lly* itted troopship to deploy 5%st a single regiment, and commandeered a s%ita)le civilian vessel or the 5o).

bridge though, so I 0as prepared to o,erloo. his lac. o! social graces& It 0asnLt until some time later that I realised that doing so 0as probably the only 0ay he 0ould e,er meet his passengers, as he sho0ed e,ery sign o! being as much a part o! the shipLs internal systems as the helm controls or the +a,igator M0hose "uarters 0ere presumably behind the hea,ily shielded bul.head 0hich loomed ominously o,er 0here 0e stood&N Cynical as I 0as about such things, I had to concede that #ro.la0 had a point& 8rom this altitude, as 0e slipped into orbit, the 0orld belo0 us shone li.e an e)otic pearl, rippled 0ith a thousand subtle shades o! grey, blue and 0hite& Thin ,eils o! cloud dri!ted across it, obscuring the oudines o! mountain ranges and deep shado0ed ,alleys 0hich could ha,e s0allo0ed a !air si1ed city& Despite the poor resolution, I couldnLt help searching !or some sign o! the impact crater 0here a crudely hollo0ed-out !ragment o! asteroid had ploughed into the sur!ace o! this pristine 0orld, ,omiting its cargo o! or.s out to sully it& L#reathta.ing,L 6asteen murmured, obli,ious to the e)change& 5er eyes 0ere 0ide li.e a childLs, the blue o! the iris re!lecting the pro'ected sno0scape in !ront o! us& The clear light struc. ,i,id highlights in her red hair, and li.e her subordinate she seemed lost in a ha1e o! nostalgia& I could readily understand 0hy: the 9uard sent its regiments 0here,er they 0ere needed, and the /alhallans rarely got the chance to !ight in an en,ironment 0here they !elt completely at home& imia ;richalcae 0as probably the closest thing to their home0orld either o!!icer had seen since they 'oined up, and I could sense their impatience to get do0n there and !eel the perma!rost beneath their boot soles& R 0as rather less eager, as you can imagine& IL,e ne,er been agoraphobic li.e some hi,ers, and "uite en'oy being outdoors in a com!ortable climate, but 0here ice0orlds are concerned IL,e ne,er seen the point o! ha,ing 0eather, as 0e used to say bac. home&A L4eLll get you do0n as soon as possible,H Durant said, barely able to hide his enthusiasm !or getting nearly a thousand 9uardsmen and 0omen o!! his ship& I canLt say I altogether blame himO the 6%re o Heart 0asnLt e)acdy a lu)ury liner, and the opportunities !or recreational acti,ities had been !e0 and !ar bet0een& The cre0 clearly resented their !acilities being s0amped by bored and boisterous soldiers, and the training drills 0eLd de,ised to .eep our people busy in the !e0 cargo holds that 0erenLt stu!!ed 0ith ,ehicles, stores, and hastily-installed bun.s hadnLt been enough to let them blo0 o!! steam completely and there had been some !riction& Luc.ily the !e0 bra0ls 0hich had bro.en out had been s0i!tly dealt 0ith, 6asteen being in no mood !or a repeat o! our e)periences aboard the 7ighteo%s 1rath,8 so ILd had relati,ely little to do beyond telling the !reshly-separated

combatants that they 0ere a disgrace to the (mperorLs uni!orm and dish out the appropriate penalties& %nd o! course 0hen you ha,e se,eral hundred healthy young men and 0omen cooped up in a con!ined space !or 0ee.s on end many o! them 0ill !ind their o0n 0ays o! amusing themsel,es 0hich raised the 0hole range o! other problems IL,e already alluded to&
#.4espite his re$%ent re erences thro%gho%t the archive to his )eing native to a hive "orld, !ain never speci ies "hich one2 and most o the . e"0 details he gives a)o%t his origins are inconsistent. The ol+ saying he $%otes here isn&t recorded in any o the anthropological data)ases, )%t that doesn&t necessarily mean m%ch2 it co%ld easily have )een common in one small section o his home hive, s%ch as a partic%lar ha) level or %nderhive settlement. 8./ serio%s dist%r)ance )ro+e o%t on )oard this troopship shortly a ter !ain 5oined the regiment, and several troopers and Naval provosts died. For %r ther details see his acco%nt o the 'ravalax incident.

Despite the constant irritation o! dealing 0ith a host o! minor in!ractions, I 0asnLt particularly eager !or our ,oy age to end& ILd !ought or.s be!ore - many times - and despite their brutishness and stupidity I .ne0 they 0erenLt to be underestimated& 4ith numbers on their side, and the or.s al0ays had superior numbers in my e)perience, they could be !ormidably di!!icult to dislodge once theyLd gained a !oothold any0here& %nd by luc. or base cunning they had !ound a pri1e on imia ;richalcae 0orth !ighting !or& LCan 0e see the re!inery !rom hereQL 6asteen as.ed, reluctandy tearing her eyes !rom the hololi!h& #ro.la0 !ollo0ed her lead, his dar. hair !lic.ing against the collar o! his greatcoat as he turned& Durant nodded, and apparently obedient to his 0ill a section o! the gendy-!lic.ering planet in !ront o! us e)panded ,ertiginously as though 0e 0ere plummeting do0n to0ards it in a ballistic re-entry& Despite .no0ing that it 0as only a pro'ection my stomach lurched instincti,ely !or a second be!ore habit and discipline reasserted themsel,es and I !ound mysel! assessing the tactical situation be!ore us& The slightly narro0ed eyes o! my companions told me that they 0ere doing the same, no doubt bringing their intimate .no0ledge o! the en,ironment belo0 us into play in a !ashion that I ne,er could& 4ithin seconds 0e 0ere presented 0ith an aerial ,ie0 o! the installation 0eLd been sent to protect& LThat ,alley loo.s reasonably de!ensible,H #ro.la0 mused aloud, nodding in satis!action& The spra0ling collection o! buildings and storage tan.s 0as nestled at one end o! a narro0 de!ile, 0hich 0ould be a natural cho.e point to an enemy ad,ance& 6asteen e,idently concurred& LPlace a !e0 dugouts along the ridgeline there and 0e can hold it until hell tha0s out,H she agreed& I 0as a little less sanguine, but !elt it best to appear supporti,e& ?/hat about the mountain approachesQL I as.ed, nodding in apparent agreement& The t0o o!!icers loo.ed mildly incredulous& The terrainLs !ar too bro.en,H #ro.la0 said& L:ouLd ha,e to be insane to try coming o,er the pea.s,H L;r ,ery tough and determined,H I pointed out& ;r.s 0erenLt the most subtle tacticians the !orces o! the (mperor e,er !aced, but their straight!or0ard approach to problem sol,ing 0as o!ten surprisingly e!!ecti,e& 6asteen nodded& L9ood point,H she said& L4eLll set up a !e0 surprises !or them 'ust in case,H L% mine!ield or t0o ought to do it,H #ro.la0 nodded thought!ully& LCo,er the ob,ious approaches, and lay one here, on the most di!!icult route& I! they meet that theyLll assume 0eL,e !orti!ied e,ery0here,H

They might not care, o! course& ;r.s are li.e that& Casualties simply donLt matter to them& TheyLll 'ust press on regardless, especially i! there are enough o! them sur,i,ing to boost each otherLs con!idence& #ut it 0as a good point, and 0orth trying& L5o0 !ar ha,e they gotQL I as.ed& Durant s0ept the hololith display round to the 0est, s.imming us across the sur!ace o! the barren 0orld 0ith breathta.ing speed& The bro.en landscape o! the mountain range s0ept past, the higher pea.s dotted 0ith scrub, lichen, and a !e0 insanely tenacious trees - apparently the only ,egetation 0hich could sur,i,e here& Kust as 0ell too, or there 0ouldnLt be an atmosphere you could breathe& #eyond the !oothills 0as a broad plain, crisp 0ith sno0, and !or a moment I could understand the a!!ection my colleagues had !or this desolate but ma'estic landscape& %bruptly the purity o! the scene changed, re,ealing a 0ide s0athe o! churned-up, blac.ened sno0, be!ouled 0ith the detritus and lea,ings o! the sa,age horde 0hich had surged across it& % couple o! .loms A 0ide at least, it resembled a !ilthy dagger-thrust into the heart o! this
F& 9ilometres: a 3alhallan collo$%ialism !ain ac$%ired rom his long association "ith the natives o that "orld.

strangely peace!ul 0orld& The resolution o! the hololith 0asnLt good enough to ma.e out the indi,idual mem bers o! this barbaric 0arband, but 0e could see clumps o! mo,ement 0ithin the main mass, li.e bacteria under a microscope& The analogy 0as an apt one, I thought& imia ;richalcae 0as in!ected by a disease, and 0e 0ere the cure& L eems li.e 0e got here 'ust in time,H 6asteen said, putting all our thoughts into 0ords& I e)trapolated the speed o! the or. ad,ance, and nodded thought!ullyO 0e should ha,e the regiment do0n and deployed roughly a day be!ore they reached the ,alley 0here the precious promethium plant lay open and de!enceless& It 0as cutting it !ine, but I 0as 'ust than.!ul 0eLd get there ahead o! them at all& 8ortunately theyLd crashed in the opposite hemisphere, and that had gi,en us 'ust enough time to ma.e the 'ourney through the 0arp to oppose them& LILll get e,eryone mo,ing,L #ro.la0 o!!ered& LI! 0e get the !irst 0a,e embar.ed no0 0e can launch the shuttles as soon as 0e ma.e orbit,H LPlease yoursel,es,H Durant someho0 managed to ma.e his immobile shoulders con,ey the impression o! a shrug& L4eLll be at station-.eeping in about an hour,H L%re the data!eeds set upQL I as.ed, 0hile I still had some measure o! his attention& 5e repeated the gesture& L+ot my department,H 5e in!lated his lungs, or 0hate,er he used instead o! them& L7a1arin2 9et up here2L The top hal! o! a 0oman almost as encrusted 0ith aug-metics as the captain rose on a humming suspensor !ield to 'oin us on the command dias& The cog0heel icon o! a tech-priest hung !rom a chain around her nec.& %s 0e spo.e she ho,ering roughly at my head height, the tunic she 0ore stirring unner,ingly in the !aint current !rom the air recirculators at 0hat 0ould ha,e been le,el 0ith her .nees i! sheLd had any& The one in the !ancy hat 0ants to .no0 i! youL,e 0ired up his gadgets,H The ;mnissiah has blessed their acti,ation,H she con!irmed, in a melli!luous ,oice& 5er hard stare at the captain told me his irre,erence 0as an old and minor annoyance& They are all !unctioning 0ithin acceptable parameters,H L9ood,H 6asteen, to my mild surprise, 0as loo.ing distinctly uneasy, her eyes !lic.ering a0ay !rom the tech-priest 0hene,er she thought she could politely do so& L4eLll ha,e !ull sensor co,erage o! the planetLs sur!ace then,H L%s long as this old blasphemer remembers ho0 to .eep his collection o! scrap in orbit,H she agreed& ;nce again the t0o o! them e)changed a loo. that con!irmed my initial suspicion that their bic.ering 0as a sign o! an easy !amiliarity rather than any genuine !riction& % 0a,ing mechadendrite reached !or0ard across 7a1arinLs shoulder, clutching a dataslate, 0hich she thrust to0ards the colonel& 6asteen too. it 0ith e,ery sign o! reluctance, all but shying a0ay !rom the

mechanical limb& The appropriate rituals o! data retrie,al are on this,H Than. you,H he handed the slate to #ro.la0 as though it 0ere contaminated& The ma'or too. it 0ithout com ment, and began scanning the !iles& 4aste o! a per!ectly good starship i! you as. me,H Durant grumbled& L#ut the moneyLs good,H 4eLre most grate!ul !or your co-operation,H I assured him& % troopship 0ould ha,e been e"uipped to deploy a proper orbital sensor net, 0hich 0ould ha,e been in!initely pre!erable, but the battered old !reighterLs na,igational array 0ould 'ust ha,e to do& ;ur deployment 0as a hurried one, made in response to a !rantic astropathic message !rom the sta!! o! the installation belo0 us, so 0e had to ma.e do 0ith 0hat 0e could grab instead o! 0aiting around !or the right e"uipment& :ouL,e got the easy 'ob,H #ro.la0 assured him& This much 0as true: the 6%re o Heart only had to stay in orbit

o,er the re!inery, !eeding her sensor data into our tactical net, so 0e could .eep an eye on our enemies !rom abo,e& 9i,en the si1e o! the horde 0eLd seen, that 0as a com!ort& It loo.ed e,en larger and more !ormidable than my most pessimistic imaginings, outnumbering us by at least three to one& ;n the other hand 0eLd be on the de!ensi,e, 0hich 0ould be to our ad,antage& %nd theyLd 0ant to ta.e the place intact, so 0e 0ouldnLt ha,e to 0orry too much about incoming artillery !ire& The e)tra intelligence our orbital eye 0ould gi,e us 0ould help immeasurably in deploying our de!ences to !rustrate their attac.s& L:ou call this easyQL Durant as.ed rhetorically& % s0eep o! his arm too. in the humming acti,ity o! the bridge& L5a,ing hal! my systems re0ired, trying to hold it all together&&&L 5is ,oice trailed o!! as 7a1arin !loated a0ay 0ith a !aint tchah! o! disappro,al, and something a little so!ter entered his body language& L:our tech-priest seems e!!icient enough,H I said, trying to sound encouraging& 5e nodded& L;h, she is& 8ar too good to 0aste her time on a tub li.e this really, but you .no0& 8amily ties&L 5e sighed, some old regrets sur!acing in spite o! himsel!, and shoo. his head& L4ould ha,e made a good dec. o!!icer i! she hadnLt got religion& Too much o! her mother in her, I suppose&L tartled, I tried to ma.e out traces o! a !amily resemblance, but the main !eature they had in common seemed to be an abundance o! augmetics rather than anything genetic& I T;;6 T5( !irst shuttle do0n, o! course, as be!itted my entirely un0arranted reputation !or pre!erring to lead !rom the !ront& ILd be 0ell under co,er be!ore the or.s arri,ed and should ha,e my pic. o! the "uarters planet-sideO I 0asnLt e)pecting much in the 0ay o! com!ort in an industrial !acility, but 0hate,er there 0as I meant to !ind it& In this I had a ,aluable ally, my aide Kurgen 0ho had an almost preternatural talent !or scrounging, 0hich had made my li!e Mand no doubt his o0n, although I 0as care!ul not to en"uire about thatN considerably more com!ortable than it might other0ise ha,e been in our decade and a hal! together& 5e dropped into the seat ne)t to me, preceded as al0ays by his spectacular body odour, and !astened his restraint harness& L(,erythingLs in order, sir,H he assured me, raising his ,oice a little so that it carried o,er the chatter o! the troopers surrounding us, meaning that our personal e!!ects had been sto0ed in the cargo bay to the rear 0ith his usual e!!iciency& Despite his unprepossessing e)terior, and his apparent con,iction that personal hygiene 0as something that only happened to other people, he possessed a number o! positi,e "ualities 0hich !e0 people apart !rom me 0ere e,er able

to appreciate& 8rom my point o! ,ie0, the most important 0as his complete lac. o! imagination, 0hich he more than made up !or 0ith his dogged de!erence to authority and an un"uestioning acceptance o! 0hate,er orders he 0as gi,en& %s you can imagine, ha,ing someone li.e this as a bu!!er bet0een me and some o! the more onerous aspects o! my 'ob pretty much amounted to a gi!t !rom the (mperor& %dd to that the innumerable perils 0eLd !aced and bested together, and I can honestly say that he 0as the only person I e,er !ully trusted - apart !rom mysel!& The !amiliar .ic. o! the shuttle engine igniting cut our con,ersation short& It 0ent 0ithout saying that rather than military dropships, the 6%re o Heart 0as e"uipped 0ith hea,y-duty cargo haulers 0hich had been hurriedly con,erted to meet our needs as !ar as possible& The end result 0as better than I could ha,e reasonably e)pected, but 0as !ar !rom ideal& The !ront third o! the cargo space had been partitioned o!! 0ith a hastily 0elded bul.head, and then subdi,ided into hal! a do1en dec.s 0ith metal mesh !looring& omeho0 7a1arin and her acolytes had

managed to cram some !i,e score seats 0ith their associated crash 0ebbing into this space so that 0e 0ere able to disembar. a couple o! platoons at a time& The rest o! the hold had been le!t open, to ta.e our Chimeras, en tinels, and other ,ehicles, along 0ith a small mountain o! ammo pac.s, rations, medicae supplies, and all the other stu!! necessary to .eep an Imperial 9uard regiment running at pea. e!!iciency& Loo.ing around I could see men and 0omen hugging their .itbags, holding lasri!les across their .nees, their !aces hal! hidden by the thic. !ur caps 0orn in anticipation o! the bone-biting cold on the planetLs sur!ace& 7ost had !astened their uni!orm greatcoats too& These 0ere mottled 0ith the blues and 0hites o! ice0orld camou!lage, and I 0as suddenly acutely a0are o! 0hat an ob,ious target my dar. uni!orm and scarlet sash 0ould ma.e me out in that icy 0aste& +o point 0orrying about it no0 though, so I gritted my teeth and !orced a rela)ed smile as the !irst !aint tremors o! the hull announced that 0eLd started to enter the upper atmosphere& LPilotLs ma.ing the most o! it,H I said, hal! 'o.ing and raising a !e0 grins !rom the troopers around me& L7ust ha,e been 0atching /ttac+ 7%n# in the mess hall&L Kurgen granted something& 5e too 0as s0athed in a greatcoat, but, li.e e,erything else he e,er 0ore, it contri,ed to loo. as though it 0ere intended !or someone o! a slightly di! !erent shape& 5e su!!ered !rom motion sic.ness on almost e,ery combat drop, but that ne,er seemed to a!!ect his !ighting ability once he 0as bac. on terra !irma& I suspected he 0as so relie,ed to be bac. on solid ground heLd ta.e on the enemy 0ith a sharpened stic. rather
#. / pop%lar holodrama o the time, a)o%t a s$%adron o :ightning pilots "ho shoot do"n an %n easi)le n%m)er o enemy ighters d%ring the 'othic 1ar. ( $%ite en5oyed it, altho%gh ;<, => savant, claims to have co%nted o%r h%ndred and thirty*seven historical and technical inacc%racies in the irst episode alone.

than ha,e to !ace the possibility o! retreat and being airborne again& This time though, he 0asnLt the only one& The o,erloaded shuttle 0as being bu!!eted by the thic.ening atmosphere, bouncing around li.e a stone on a la.e, and pale, s0eating !aces 0ere e,ery0here I loo.ed& (,en my o0n stomach re,olted on a couple o! occasions, threatening to spray the narro0 compartment 0ith the remains o! my lunch& I s0allo0ed con,ulsi,elyO I 0asnLt going to compromise the dignity o! my o!!ice, not to mention become a laughing stoc. among the troopers, by thro0ing up& +ot 0here anyone could see, at any rate& L4hat the hell does he thin. heLs playing atQL Lieutenant ulla, commander o! third platoon, and a sight too o,er-eager

!or my li.ing, sco0led, 0hich made her loo. e,en more li.e a petulant pony than usual& A +e,ertheless the distraction !rom my somersaulting stomach 0as a 0elcome one, so I in,o.ed my commis-sarial pri,ileges and retuned the commbead in my ear to the !re"uency o! the coc.pit communicator to !ind out& L ay again, shuttle one,H The ,oice 0as calm and methodical, undoubtedly the ground controller at the re!inery landing !ield& The ans0ering ,oice 0as anything but: a ci,ilian suddenly in the middle o! a 0ar 1one 0ithout a clue as to ho0 to sur,i,e, and clearly not e)pecting to& ;ur pilot, 0ithout a doubt&
#. This is the cele)rated 'eneral ?enit -%lla, at a very early stage in her career. 4espite the ill%strio%s rep%tation she "as later to achieve, !ain tends to regard her "ith, at )est, mild antipathy thro%gho%t the archive2 "e can only spec%late as to "hy. My o"n eeling is that he considered her tendency to decisive action %nnecessarily rec+less, since it p%t the lives o the troopers %nder her command .and )y extension !ain&s0 at ris+. (ronically it&s clear rom her o"n .almost %nreada)le0 memoirs that she regarded !ain very highly, and as something o a mentor.

L4eLre ta.ing ground !ire2L The edge o! hysteria in his ,oice 0as unmista.able& %ny moment no0 he 0as going to panic, and i! he did 0e 0ere all li.ely to die& I doubted that our o,erloaded engines had any tolerance le!t !or e,asi,e manoeu,res, and i! he tried, the chances 0ere that heLd lose control completely& %s i! to emphasise the point 0e hit another air poc.et, and dropped ,ertiginously !or a hand!ul o! metres& There 0as nothing else !or it: I unbuc.led my seat restraints and lurched to my !eet, conscious o! ullaLs eyes on me& I grabbed the nearest stanchion !or support& It 0as embossed 0ith an Imperial a"uila, 0hich I !ound reassuring and 0ith its support I 0as able to ta.e a couple o! halting steps to0ards the coc.pit& LIs that 0ise, commissarQL she as.ed, a !aint pu11led !ro0n appearing on her !ace& L+o,H I snapped, not ha,ing time to 0aste on courtesy& L#ut itLs necessary,H #e!ore I could say any more another lurch slammed my body 0eight into the narro0 door to the !light dec., propelling it open, and I staggered inside& 7y o,erriding impression 0as one o! !lashing lights and control lecterns, uncannily li.e miniature ,ersions o! the ones on the starship bridge, and the blea. 0hite sno0scape passing belo0 us at an alarming speed& The pilot stared up at me, his .nuc.les 0hite on the control yo.e, 0hile his na,igational ser,itor continued regulating the routine !unctions o! the ship 0ith single-minded !i)ity o! purpose& L4hatLs the problemQL I as.ed, trying to pro'ect an air o! calm& L4eLre under attac.2L the man shouted, ra0 panic edging into his ,oice& ?/e ha,e to pull bac. to orbit2L LThat 0ouldnLt be 0ise,H I said, .eeping my ,oice le,el, and grabbing the ser,itorLs shoulder to steady mysel! as the shuttle lurched again& It 'ust .ept on ad'usting controls 0ith a complete lac. o! concern& #eyond the thic. ,ision port the blea. and !ro1en landscape hurtled past as serenely as be!ore& I could see no sign o! enemy acti,ity any0here& L4eLd ta.e hours to rende1,ous 0ith the ship i! 0e abort on this tra'ectory, and 0e only ha,e limited li!e support& :ouLd probably su!!ocate along 0ith e,eryone else,H %/e ha,e a sa!ety margin,H the pilot urged& I shoo. my head& The rest o! us do& :ou donLt,H I let my right hand brash the butt o! my laspistol, and he turned e,en paler& L%nd I donLt see any immediate danger, do youQL S4hat do you call thatQL 5e pointed o!! to starboard, 0here a single pu!! o! smo.e burst brie!ly& % moment later a small constellation o! bright !lashes spar.led !or an instant some distance belo0 and to the le!t& #olter shells detonating against the ground, a!ter some trigger-happy greens.in too. a hopeless potshot in our direction& L+othing to 0orry about,H I said, almost amused& ThatLs small arms !ire,H The analytical part o! my mind noted that the

main bul. o! the or. ad,ance 0as still some distance a0ay, 0hich meant 0e ought to be on alert !or a small scout !orce attempting to in!iltrate the re!inery M0hich 0as no0 looming reassuringly in the ,ie0portN, or reconnoitre our lines& The chances o! anything actually hitting us at this range are astronomical,H ;ne day ILm going to learn to stop saying things li.e that& +o sooner had the 0ords le!t my mouth than the shutde shuddered e,en more ,iolently than be!ore, and pitched sharply to port& Red icons began to appear on the data-slates, and the ser,itor began punching controls 0ith greater speed and abhuman de)terity& LPressure loss in number t0o engine,H it chanted& LCombustion e!!iciency dropping by si)teen per cent,H L%stronomical, ehQL trangely the pilot seemed calmer no0 his !ears had been realised& L#etter strap in, commissar& ItLs going to be a rough landing,H LCan you ma.e it to the padQL I as.ed& 5e loo.ed tense, his lips tight&

LILm going to try& +o0 get the hell o!! my !light dec. and let me do my 'ob&L LIL,e no doubt you 0ill,H I said, boosting his con!idence as best I could, and staggered bac. to my seat& 4hatLs going onQL ulla as.ed as I buc.led in and tensed !or the impact& LThe greens.ins put a dent in us& ThereLs going to be a bump,H I said& I !elt strangely calmO there 0as nothing I could do no0 e)cept trust in the (mperor and hope the pilot 0as as competent as he sounded& I considered saying something to reassure the troopers, but ILd ne,er be heard o,er the noise o! the crash alarms any0ay, so I decided to sa,e my breath& The 0aiting seemed to ta.e !ore,er, but could only ha,e lasted a minute or t0o& I listened to the chatter in my commbead 0hile the pilot read o!! a number o! datum points 0hich meant nothing to me but sounded pretty ominous, !ighting do0n the gro0ing con,iction that 0e 0erenLt going to ma.e it as !ar as the pad& In !act, the tra!!ic controller seemed pretty insistent that 0e a,oid the installation altogether, 0hich I could 0ell understand, as dropping an unguided shuttle into the middle o! the promethium tan.s 0ould end our mission pretty e!!ec ti,ely be!ore it had e,en begun& The pilot responded 0ith a couple o! terse phrases 0hich managed to impress me e,en a!ter !i!teen years o! e)posure to the most imaginati,e pro!anity o! the barrac. room, and I began to thin. 0e 0ere in sa!e hands a!ter all, and might 'ust ma.e it& This impression lasted all o! a do1en seconds& Then a ,iolent impact 'arred my spine up into the roo! o! my s.ull, dri,ing the breath !rom my lungs& % sound uncannily reminiscent o! an ammunition dump e)ploding echoed through the hull& I gasped some air bac. into my aching lungs, and tried to clear my blurring ,ision as the screech o! tortured metal set my rattling teeth on edge& I became gradually a0are, through the ringing in my ears, that Kurgen 0as trying to say something& L4ell, that 0asnLt so&&&L he began, be!ore the 0hole ghastly cycle repeated itsel! another couple o! times& %t last the noise and ,ibration ceased, and I gradually became a0are o! the !act that 0eLd stopped mo,ing and I 0as still ali,e& I struggled !ree o! the seat restraints, and 0obbled to my !eet& L(,erybody out2L I ba0led& L#y s"uads& Carry the 0ounded 0ith you2L In the bac. o! my mind a lurid picture o! o,erheated engines e)ploding into !lame tried to ignite a little beacon o! panic, but I !ought it do0n& I turned to ulla, 0ho 0as trying to stem a nosebleed& 8or that matter I suppose 0e all loo.ed a bit the 0orse !or 0ear, e)cept possibly Kurgen, as 0ith him it 0as hard to tell& LI 0ant casualty !igures % %P,H :es, sir,H he turned to the nearest +C;, ergeant Lustig, a solid and competent soldier I had a lot o! time !or, and

started snapping out orders in her usual bris. !ashion& The door to the coc.pit burst open, and the pilot staggered out, loo.ing as bad as I !elt& Told you 0eLd ma.e it,H he said, and thre0 up on my boots&

TWO

T5( 8R((TI+9 %IR outside 0as 0orse than e,en my most pessimistic anticipation, and ILd been on enough ice-0orlds be!ore to ha,e had a pretty good idea o! 0hat to e)pect& In truth, I suppose, it 0as no colder than /alhalla or +us"uam 8undumentibus, but it had been some time since ILd trodden the sno0s o! either, and my memory had ob,iously s.ipped o,er the 0orst o! those e)periences& The bone-numbing 0ind seemed to !lay me ali,e the moment I set !oot on the ramp, despite the e)tra layers o! insulation ILd put on be!ore lea,ing my "uarters aboard the 6%re o Heart. %s I staggered do0n the metal incline, already treacherously slippery !rom the thin coating o! sno0 0hich had settled on it, needles o! ice seemed to penetrate my temples, replacing the residual headache !rom the crash 0ith one a thousand times 0orse& I buried my !ace in the mu!!ler at my throat, being care!ul to breathe through it in case my lungs !ro1e, but e,en so the air rasped in my chest li.e acid !umes&

% broad plain o! ice spread out be!ore me, ha1ed 0ith 0ind-dri,en sno0!la.es 0hich reduced ,isibility to a !e0 tens o! metres, although the !lurries cleared occasionally to re,eal the lo0, grey ramparts o! the encircling mountains& They stood out dearly against the lighter grey o! the s.y, and a moment later I realised that 0hat ILd at !irst ta.en !or some unusually regular outcrops 0ere the to0ers and storage tan.s o! the re!inery, still too distant to ma.e out any detail& L e,enteen in'ured, !ourteen o! them 0al.ing&L ulla bounced up to me, the tric.le o! blood !rom her nose no0 !ro1en to her !ace, and saluted eagerly& L(ight o! those are ours,H The others 0ould be !rom !irst platoon then& I nodded, not trusting mysel! to tal. yet& It 0ould ha,e been a 0asted e!!ort any0ay, as behind us an engine roared into li!e and the !irst o! our Chimeras rumbled do0n the e)it ramp, !illing the air 0ith the noise o! its passage and the ran. smell o! burned promethium& Than. the (mperor !or that, I thought, at least I 0ouldnLt ha,e to slog all the 0ay to the re!inery on !oot& ulla noticed the direction o! my ga1e& LLieutenant /oss is assessing the condition o! the ,ehicles no0&L 5er opposite number glanced up !rom a huddle o! troopers near the ramp, a data-slate in his hand, and 0a,ed a cheery ac.no0ledgement& That came as little surprise, as /oss tended to be cheer!ul about e,erything& 5e 0as clearly in his element no0, grinning 0idely as the churning trac.s bit into the sno0, and, dear (mperor, his greatcoat 0as still un!astened& I immediately !elt another ten degrees colder 'ust loo.ing at him& L4e got o!! lightly,L he told us, his ,oice crac.ling o,er the comm-beads& L7inor damage only& +othing 0e canLt get !i)ed&L L hould be easy enough,H ulla agreed& L% place li.e this must be cra0ling 0ith tech-priests,H L7aybe they can do something 0ith this heap o! 'un. too,HA said sourly, .ic.ing a lump o! sno0 at our do0ned transportation and deciding to ris. tal.ing despite the rush o! ra1or blade air to my lungs& I! they couldnLt, the loss o! one o! our shuttles 0ould be a ma'or blo0, se,erely delaying the deployment o! our !orces, perhaps to the point 0here 0e 0ouldnLt be !ully prepared by the time the or.s arri,ed& 4eLre in the right place at least,H Kurgen had materialised at my elbo0& I 0as mildly disconcerted not to ha,e noticed his approach, !eeling that something 0as ine)plicably 0rong, be!ore I realised the cold had e!!ecti,ely neutralised his body odour& (ither that, or my nose had !ro1en o!!& 5e 0as right about that at any rate& The pilot, 0ho I 0as beginning to !orgi,e !or ha,ing soiled my !oot0ear, had been as good as his 0ord, bringing us do0n on the main landing pad a!ter all& +ot being entirely rec.less heLd aimed !or the outer edge though, lea,ing us 0ith a .ilometre or so o! pac.ed sno0 and ice to trudge across be!ore reaching the

shelter o! the storage tan.s ILd noticed be!ore& The !aint scar o! melted and re!ro1en ice that mar.ed 0here 0e had bounced and s.idded our 0ay to a stop 0as already beginning to disappear under the dri!ting sno0& LIt loo.s more li.e a starport than a landing pad,H ulla obser,ed& I nodded, "uite impressed by the scale o! things mysel!, but determined not to sho0 it& The shuttles !rom the tan.ers are o,er !i,e hundred metres long,L I said, dredging up a hal!-digested !act !rom the largely ignored brie!ing slate&A %nd they land up to
#. / $%ir+ o )ehavio%r !ain repeatedly all%des to in the archive. His ha)it o neglecting to read the )ac+gro%nd in ormation provided to senior o icers prior to deployment on a ne" planet is rather odd, given his ca%tion in most other respects. ./ltho%gh given the density and dryness o most m%nitori%m doc%mentation, it&s pro)a)le that he&d developed the a)ility to extricate anything relevant "ith a $%ic+ s+im o the contents, and elt little "o%ld )e served )y "ading thro%gh it page )y page.0

t0el,e at a time,H ulla loo.ed suitably impressed& Certainly the thought o! a s0arm o! shutdes almost hal! the si1e o! the starship 0eLd arri,ed in !illing the air abo,e 0here 0e stood 0as an a0e-inspiring one - or it 0ould ha,e been i! I hadnLt been !ree1ing my gonads o!! at the time& %ny !urther thoughts I might ha,e had on the sub'ect 0ere "uic.ly dri,en !rom my head at that point, ho0e,er, by the rather more urgent matter o! a bolter shell e)ploding against the ceramite hull less than a metre !rom 0here 0e 0ere standing& L;r.s2L ulla shouted, rather unnecessarily under the circumstances I thought& I 0hirled around to loo. in the direction she 0as pointing& %t least she had the common sense to do it 0ith her lasgun, though, and opened !ire on a small .not o! greens.ins that 0as closing !ast, slogging through the sno0 0ith implacable !erocity& L%re they madQL /ossLs ,oice crac.led in my ear& %/e must ha,e them outnumbered about ten to one2L That did stri.e me as pretty stupid beha,iour, e,en !or or.s, and I 0as 'ust casting about desperately !or the main !orce 0hich must surely be !lan.ing us 0hen the e)planation suddenly hit me& I 0as the only human they could seeO the /alhallansL camou!lage uni!orms 0ere blending them into the sno0scape, as they 0ere supposed to, and 0ith my commissarLs blac. and scarlet ma.ing me stand out li.e an ogryn in a beauty pageant, they hadnLt bothered loo.ing !or anyone else& I breathed silent than.s to the (mperor !or the !la.es o! dri!ting sno0 0hich obscured the others !rom their sight& LCease !ire2L I snapped, seeing the opportunity !or the per!ect ambush& % "uic. glance around me made out at least three s"uads !ully disembar.ed& They 0ere lying !lat in the sno0 0hich theyLd scraped out into small hollo0s& % tactic, I ,aguely recalled, 0hich had 0or.ed 0ell !or their !ore!athers 0hen an or. horde had had the temerity to attac. their home0orld& LLetLs dra0 them in&L 8ar better to cut them do0n at short range than engage at a distance, 0here 0e 0ould run the ris. o! a sur,i,or or t0o escaping to report our arri,al bac. to the 0ar-boss& L9ood plan,H ulla said, as though it 0ere up !or debate, and I suddenly realised that it le!t me the only one in immediate danger& ;r. mar.smanship 0asnLt much to 0orry about most o! the time but e,en greens.ins got luc.y occasionally, as the do0ning o! our shuttle had pro,ed, so I dropped suddenly 0ith a dramatically out !lung arm and a theatrical scream& It 0as a per!ormance 0hich 0ouldnLt ha,e !ooled a !i,e-year-old, but I heard a 0hoop o! triumph !rom the leading or., 0ho 0as carrying 0hat loo.ed li.e a crudely-!ashioned bolter& The others began remonstrating in

harsh gutturals, and I 0as able to hear enough to gather that they 0ere arguing about 0ho should get the credit !or .illing me&A #ut then i! I had a coin !or e,ery time thatLs happened&&& L5old your !ire,H I broadcast o,er the comm-net& 5ardly necessary o! course, these troopers .ne0 0hat to do, but I didnLt 0ant any mista.es& The or.s came on regardless, running apparently tirelessly despite the treacherous !ooting and the biting 0ind 0hich 0ould ha,e sapped the strength !rom an unprotected man in seconds& I began mentally counting o!! the distance& T0o hundred metres, one hundred and !i!ty&&& The closer they got, the more detail I could ma.e out, and the less I 0ished I could see& There 0ere ten o! them in all, about hal! carrying the bolters ILd noticed be!ore& The others held hea,y close combat blades and pistols 0hich loo.ed as decepti,ely ramshac.le as the bolters& ILd seen enough e)amples in pre,ious encounters not to be !ooled, though& Crude as they appeared,
#. !ain "asn&t exactly l%ent in or+ish, )%t had managed to pic+ %p a e" phrases in the co%rse o his advent%res. Mostly ins%lts and o)scenities, o co%rse, )%t it co%ld )e arg%ed that they ma+e %p the "hole lang%age.

the !irearms 0ere per!ectly !unctional, and "uite lethal i! they should happen to hit anything& The same 0ent !or the a)es, 0hich, 0ith the po0er o! an or.Ls muscles behind them, 0ere capable o! shearing through e,en %startes armour& ;n they came, snarling and bic.ering, crude icons decorating their slee,eless ,ests, 0hich alone spo.e ,olumes !or their inhuman robustness in this .illing climate& ;ddly, I noticed, they 0ere all dressed ali.e, in dar. grey, 0hich blended better into the 0inter landscape than the more ,i,id hues I generally associated 0ith greens.ins& Then I realised the last or. in the group 0asnLt armed li.e the others& % huge calibre barrel 0as slung across his shoulder, the bul. o! the 0eapon hidden behind his body& 4hat it 0as I had no idea, but I 0as pretty sure I 0ouldnLt li.e the ans0er& The mystery 0as sol,ed a !e0 seconds later as they caught sight o! the idling Chimera, 0hich had been hidden !rom them by the bul. o! the do0ned shuttle& (,idendy intent on looting it, and arrogandy sure they could slaughter any sur,i,ing de!enders, the sudden appearance o! a military ,ehicle thre0 them into momentary disarray& %!ter a "uic. e)change o! snarls, during 0hich the leader, 0ho I 0as able to identi!y 0ith a !air degree o! certainty man.s to his habit o! emphasising instructions 0ith blo0s to the head Mnot unli.e one o! the less popular tutors during my time at the schola progeniumN pointed to the Chimera& The or. 0ith the bul.y 0eapon s0ung it round to re,eal a crude roc.et launcher& This at least e)plained ho0 theyLd managed to damage the shuttie, albeit 0ith an incredibly luc.y shot& #e!ore I could ,o) a 0arning the or. !ired, a strea. o! smo.e mar.ing the ,ector o! the 0arhead, 0hich detonated a !e0 metres to the le!t o! the Chimera& +o point e)pecting the cre0 to delay their retaliation, I realised, as the ne)t shot might get them& %nd sure enough the hea,y bolter in the turret s0ung round to brac.et the or.s& Pu!!s o! sno0 and ice 0ere thro0n up around them as the e)plosi,e pro'ectiles detonated thunderously, tearing a couple o! them apart& ;ne o! them, to my intense relie!, 0as the roc.eteer& It 0as then that 0e sa0 0hat ma.es these creatures so dangerous on the battle!ield& 4here other, more sensible !oes 0ould ha,e ta.en co,er or retreated to regroup, these sa,ages !elt no urge stronger than to close "uic.ly and neutralise the threat& 4ith a bone-sha.ing cry o! &1aaaaarghhhh!& they ran !or0ard as one, charging headlong into a hail o! 0ithering !ire& 4ell, there 0as no point hesitating a!ter that, particularly as one !oul-smelling !oot missed my head by centimetres as it passed, so I rolled to my !eet and issued a general order to !ire at 0ill& I donLt suppose they e,en .ne0 0hat hit them: suddenly struc. by the concentrated !ire o! a couple o! score lasguns,

not to mention the unrelenting hail o! hea,y bolter !ire, there 0as nothing much le!t o! them apart !rom some unpleasant stains on the sno0 0ithin seconds& ulla ambled o,er to inspect the mess, and spat a small gobbet o! ice into it& L o those 0ere or.s,H she said& They donLt loo. so tough,HA bit do0n on the sharp re'oinder that rose to my lips, suppressing it& he might as 0ell !eel con!ident !or as long as possible& I .ne0 !rom bitter e)perience that 0hen the main !orce got here the ne)t day it 0ould be a di!!erent story& L8IR T #L;;D T; you, then, commissar,H 6asteen grinned at me, her red curls !alling !ree as she too. o!! her hea,y !ur cap, and glanced around the con!erence room in the heart o! the re!inery& The smile !altered a bit as her eyes !lic.ered past the litde group o! tech-priests at one end o! the hea,y 0ooden table, but re-established itsel! as she too. in the other people present: a mi)ed bunch o! %dministratum !unctionaries seated in strict order o!

precedence, and a group o! men and 0omen 0hose hard hands and lined !aces indicated mat they did most o! the actual 0or. around here& LLuc. rather than 'udgement, I can assure you,H I said& 6asteen had come do0n on the second shuttle, about t0enty minutes a!ter our ad,ance party had made it to the shelter o! the re!inery hab units, and I 0as still !eeling li.e a !ree1y stic.&A I tightened my !ingers around the mug o! reca! Kurgen had !ound !or me, !eeling the 0armth spread through the real ones Mthe augmetics !elt the same as they al0ays did, o! course&N I could ha,e done 0ithout the transparent 0all at the end o! the con!erence suite, beyond 0hich the sno0 0as !alling steadily - a ,isual reminder o! the chill 0hich still had me in its grip& +e,ertheless the ,ie0 o! the processing plant 0ith its huge structures and belching !lames 0as undeniably spectacular& The sheer si1e o! it struc. me !or the !irst time, and I began to understand 0hy it too. hundreds o! people to e)tract the ra0 materials !rom the ice beneath our !eet and process it into the precious !uel& L:ou call that luc.QL 7a1arin hummed into the room behind us, ma.ing 6asteen start& L#ending a per!ecdy good shuttleQL Perhaps there 0as a !amily resemblance to her !ather a!ter all, I thought& heLd come do0n on the same drop as 6asteen to assess the damage, and had 'ust returned !rom the landing !ield, thic. !la.es o! sno0 beginning to melt across her head and shoulders& L+othing I canLt !i) though, praise the ;mnissiah,H That 0as a relie!, at least our deployment 0ouldnLt be as delayed as ILd !eared& he le,itated across to the little

#. / pop%lar snac+ on many "orlds "ith a temperate or tropical climate, partic%larly among 5%ves2 r%it 5%ices are ro@en solid, "ith a stic+ em)edded in it to acilitate eating. (t so%nds )i@arre, ( +no", )%t is really very re reshing.

group o! tech-priests 0eLd noticed be!ore, and began to con,erse 0ith them in a 0eird t0ittering language that set my teeth on edge& L heLs as.ing !or the use o! their !acilities to repair the shuttle,H one o! the %dministratum adepts said, e,idendy noticing our con!usion& 5e 0as a youngish man, 0ith thinning blond hair and the pasty comple)ion o! some one 0ho spends too much time 0ith a data-slate&

L:ou understand that gibberishQL I as.ed, impressed in spite o! mysel!& 5e grinned& LDear (mperor, no& I! I did theyLd ha,e to .ill me,H 5e smiled as he said it, although !or all I .ne0 he 0asnLt 'o.ing& A L heLs 'ust !iled a re"uest 0ith the main depository !or the spare parts,H 5e stuc. out a hand, and 6asteen shoo. it !ormally& ILm cri,ener Puintus, by the 0ay& I! you need anything, come to me& I! I canLt get my hands on it, ILll .no0 0ho can,H Than. you,H 6asteen smiled 0armly& LColonel 6asteen, /alhallan EB@th& This is our regimental commissar, Ciaphas Cain,H L%n honour,H 5is handsha.e 0as !irm and direct& IL,e seen your statue in Liberation "uare on Talethorn& I must say it doesnLt really do you 'ustice,H ThatLll be the pigeon droppings,H I said dryly& Tends to erode my natural dignity,H 5e laughed, 0ith e,ery sign o! good humour, and I decided I li.ed him& LLet me introduce you to a !e0 people,H he said& 5e 0a,ed at the group o! tech-priests, singling out a man o! about his o0n age 0ho 0as tal.ing to 7a1arin 0ith e,ery sign o! rapt attention& ThatLs Cogitator Logash& 7y opposite number, so to spea.,H 5is ,oice dropped slightly& L:ouLll get more done i! you go to him !irst

#. /lmost certainly not. &Ainary,& as the tech*priests re er to their secret lang%age, is one o their most sacred mysteries. !rac+ing it has long )een a priority o the (n$%isition, )%t so ar even the most r%dimentary syntax has yet to )e esta)lished.

instead o! 0asting your time 0ith anyone higher up in the 7echanicus, i! you get my dri!t,H L+ot unli.e you and die %dministratum,H I suggested, and he smiled& LI didnLt say mat,H he pointed out& L#ut Logash and I arenLt "uite so rigid in our dun.ing as some o! the higher ran.s in our respecti,e orders,H :ou can say that again,H The man I too. to be the leader o! the 0or.ers 'oined our con,ersation& L5o0 many more o! us are going to ha,e to die do0n there be!ore they sit up and ta.e noticeQL 5e had the hard eyes o! a man used to physical toil, and his hair 0as greyO nonetheless he burned 0ith a passion 0hich seemed at odds 0ith the coldness that permeated e,erything else around here& Technically, no one has died,H Puintus said& The man snorted& LDisappeared, then& 8i,e people in as many 0ee.s,H Puintus shrugged& LIL,e done my best to get them to in,estigate, you .no0 that,H The man nodded reluctandy L#ut they 'ust argue that accidents happen& Ice!alls, gas poc.ets&&,H LIL,e been 0or.ing here !or o,er t0enty years,H the man said& LI .no0 all about ice!alls, and a do1en other ha1ards you "uill-pushers ha,enLt e,en heard o!& %nd they all lea,e bodies,H L#ut o!!icially, 0ithout a body thereLs nothing to in,estigate,H ThatLs insane,H 6asteen said& The man smiled !or the !irst time& ThatLs 0hat I .eep telling them& #ut the lad hereLs the only one 0ith a !unctioning brain, apparently,H 5e stuc. out a hand& LILm %rtur 7orel, by the 0ay& 9uild o! miners,H 5is grip 0as !irm& I ha,e to admit, all this tal. o! death and mysterious disappearances had me spoo.ed& I! 0e 0ere going to !ight a batde I didnLt 0ant to be loo.ing o,er my shoulder the 0hole time, and I resol,ed to ha,e a longer tal. 0ith him at the earliest opportunity& 4eLd already encountered one or. scouting party a!ter all, and i! there 0as another one already lur.ing in the mine 0eLd ha,e to clear them out as a matter o! priority& #ut !irst things !irst: 0e had a 0ar to plan& 7a1arin le!t the room 0ith Logash trotting along behind her, e,i-dendy detailed to sort out her re"uirements, and the highest ran.ing %dministratum adept, a 0hite-haired 0oman called Pry.e, called the meeting to order 0ith e,ery sign o! enthusiasm&

+eedless to say, it turned out to be interminable& The !acility seemed to be e"ually dependent on the three !actions present to .eep !unctioning, or at least thatLs 0hat Pry.e !ondly imagined, although ILd ha,e laid a small 0ager that putting the %dministratum drones out in the sno0 to .eep the or.s amused 0hile 0e prepared our de!ences 0ould ha,e had a negligible e!!ect on the promethium output& (,ery point she raised 0as politely challenged by 7agos (rnulph, the senior tech-priest, 0ho 0ould remind e,eryone that 0ithout his people to per!orm the appropriate rituals the plant 0ould simply grind to a halt& ;! course 0ithout 7orelLs miners to pro,ide the ra0 materials it 0ould do so any0ay, but the guildsman 0as tact!ul enough not to drag things out e,en !urther by pointing this out, !or 0hich I 0as e)tremely grate!ul, especially since my stomach had started to realise ho0 empty it 0as& 8ortunately 6asteen had a much lo0er le,el o! tolerance !or idiots than I did, so it 0as 0ith some relie! that I sa0 her stand to interrupt the ageing bureaucrat in mid !lo0& Than. you all !or your input,H she said crisply& LItLs clear that you all ha,e particular insights to o!!er, 0hich 0e 0ill be calling upon as and 0hen 0e see the need,H LI thin. my colleagues 0ill re"uire a littie more than that,H Pry.e re'oined& L7ay I suggest you pro,ide us 0ith

daily progress reportsQL (rnulph nodded in agreement, his blan. metal eyes turning on the colonel& he ignored him, 0ith an e!!ort only I .ne0 0ell enough to discern& :ou may not& 4eLre here to !ight a 0ar, not push !iles around,H There 0as an edge to 6asteenLs ,oice no0 0hich e,ery o!!icer in the regiment had learned to be 0ary o!& Pry.e bristled& ThatLs 'ust not good enough& There are procedures to be !ollo0ed&&&L Then let me relie,e you o! them,H 6asteen snapped& This !acility is no0 under martial la0,H The result 0as hugely en'oyable, I ha,e to admit& Pry.e 0ent scarlet, then 0hite, then scarlet again& (rnulph probably 0ould ha,e done too, i! heLd had enough organic bits le!t to manage it& #oth stood at once, shouting e)citably& L:ou canLt do that2L (rnulph boomed, his ,oice apparently magni!ied by some implanted ampli,o) unit& It 0as a cheap tric., and one 0hich remained resolutely un-terri!ying to anyone 0hoLd been shouted at by a daemon as I had& :es she can,H I con!irmed "uietly, my ,oice carrying all the more e!!ecti,ely !or not being raised li.e all the others& L% !ield commander has the right to declare martial la0 at any time 0ith the appro,al o! the highest ran.ing member o! the Commissariat present& 4hich is me& %nd I do,H I stood, and gestured to the plant outside, and the barren sno0scape beyond& L#y this time tomorro0 all youLll see out there is or.s& 4eLre your only hope o! not ending up dead or 0orse& o shut up, .eep out o! our 0ay, and let us do our 'ob,H 7orel and Puintus, I noticed, 0ere openly en'oying their colleaguesL discom!iture& This is unacceptable,H Pry.e said, her ,oice tight 0ith outrage& LLi,e 0ith it,H 6asteen said& L<nless you pre!er the alternati,e,H LI most certainly do,H Pry.e glared at both o! us& L8ine,HA dre0 my laspistol, and dropped it on the table !rom 'ust the right height to produce a nicely resonant thud& L<nder the po0ers besto0ed upon me by the commissariat in the name o! 5is Di,ine 7a'esty, I ser,e notice that any ci,ilian obstructing 5is !orces in the de!ence o! 5is realm 0ill be sub'ect to summary e)ecution under article se,enteen o! the rules o! military 'ustice,HA raised an interrogati,e eyebro0 at Pry.e and the tech-priest& :ou 0ere sayingQL LI 0ithdra0 my ob'ections,H she said tighdy& (rnulph nodded too& L;n re!lection, the colonelLs assumption o! authority seems entirely the best course o! action,H he conceded& L9ood,HA said, lea,ing the gun 0here it 0as - no harm in concentrating their minds a little !urther& LColonel& :ou ha,e the !loor,H

Editorial Note: There can )e very e" readers "ho "ill )e %na"are o the enormo%s importance o the promethi%m prod%ction acility "hich !ain descri)es, )oth strategically and economically. -ince its retention or sei@%re "as so vital an o)5ective or the contending armies, ( elt a little extra in ormation on this ama@ing s%)stance "o%ldn&t come amiss. Bn ort%nately # haven&t )een a)le to lay my hands on very m%ch, as s%ch things remain the 5ealo%sly*g%arded province o the /dept%s Mechanic%s, so this is the )est # co%ld do. 8rom O%r Friend 6romethi%m, Imperial (ducational Press, =FCth edition, CB@ 7?A& 8R;7 T5( (7P(R;R-#L( (D !ighting machines o! the %startes to the most humble spaceport cargo-hauler, it can truly be said that the Imperium runs on promethium& This might seem ama1ing enough on its o0n, but this

miraculous substance gi,es us so much more than 'ust the po0er to !eed the animating spirits o! our ,ehicles& The alchemical by-products o! its production pro,ide the ra0 materials to create a ,ast array o! e,eryday necessities, !rom dyes, plastics and pharmacopoeia to the synthetic protein bars 0hich ma.e up the bul. o! the proletarian diet on some o! the drearier !orge 0orlds& #ut itLs the combustibility o! promethium 0hich allo0s its most holy use& 8rom the !lamers 0hich scourge the unholy 0ith the puri!ying !ire o! the righteous to the alchemical constituents o! the e)plosi,es 0hich blast them into obli,ion, itLs this most blessed o! substances 0hich .eeps us sa!e and preser,es our homes !rom the depredations o! the alien, the mutant, and the heretic& Promethium itsel! can be produced in a ,ariety o! 0ays, and !rom an astonishing number o! sources& %mong the most common are the atmospheres o! gas giant planets, subterranean deposits o! ancient organic materials, and certain .inds o! rare ices !ound only on the coldest o! 0orlds&&&
CO co%rse it&s the ill%strations "hich are. the real charm o this it*tie )oo+ partic%larly those o its narrator, 6yr%s the ame. &Even no" # can&t help smiling at the expressions on the aces o the heretics he&s )%rning on page t"enty*eight, 5%st as # did as a child all those years ago.D

THREE

L I(<R 7;R(L& ILD li.e a "uic. 0ord 0ith you i! you can spare the time&L I 'udged my mo,ement precisely, so that to the casual obser,er it 0ould loo. as though 0eLd reached the door o! the con!erence room together purely by chance& The gri11led miner turned in my direction, assessed the situation 0ith .een intelligence, and nodded, dismissing his sta!! 0ith a casual 0a,e& They !iled out along 0ith the tech-priests and the "uill-pushers, (rnulph and Pry.e, still simmering nicely lea,ing us alone 0ith 6asteen and #ro.la0& The ma'or had 'oined the con!erence shortly a!ter 6asteen dropped her little bombshell, ta.ing o,er the tactical debrie!ing o! the re!inery sta!!& +o0 the t0o o! them 0ere huddled o,er data-slates re!ining their strategy !or the

de!ence o! the plant& (rnulph, Pry.e, and their respecti,e hangers-on had turned out to be "uite help!ul a!ter the sight o! my sidearm had cleared the air, no doubt re!lecting that the or.s might ,ery 0ell get

them i! they didnLt do all they could to help, and i! the greenies didnLt I most certainly 0ould& % hand!ul o! troopers 0ere bustling in and out o! the con!erence suite, setting up map boards and a large urn o! tanna lea! tea& It loo.ed as though this 0as going to be our command post, at least !or the time being& M6as-teen claimed it 0as an e)cellent ,antage point !rom 0hich to direct the troops, but I suspected she 'ust li.ed the ,ie0 !rom the 0indo0&N I !ound the gradual trans!ormation !rom ci,ilian decadence to the purpose!ul military atmosphere "uietly reassuringO ho0 the miner ,ie0ed it I had no idea, or interest, come to that& L;! course& 5o0 can I helpQL 7orel as.ed& I poured mysel! a bo0l o! tanna tea, and o!!ered him one& %!ter a moment he too. it, sipped cautiously, and appeared to appro,e, although the /alhallan bre0 isnLt to e,eryoneLs taste& L(arlier you mentioned some o! your miners had disappeared in mysterious circumstances& 4ould you care to elaborateQL %n e)pression o! mild surprise crossed his gri11led !eatures& I suppose a!ter being stone0alled by the other !actions here !or so long our interest 0as une)pected& L8i,e people, in 'ust o,er a month& It might not sound much out o! a 0or.!orce o! si) hundred, but belie,e me it matters to us,H 5e shrugged& L;! course the %dministra-tum and the 7echanicus donLt gi,e a damn& Kust trot out the same old line about the losses being 0ithin acceptable statistical parameters,H L4hatLs your opinionQL I as.ed& 7orel sipped his tea, !ormulating a response, and I !orestalled him& LI 0ant your gut reaction& DonLt !eel you ha,e to be polite,H 5e laughed, and loo.ed at me 0ith rene0ed respect& LKust as 0ell& Diplomacy isnLt e)acdy my strong point,H 5e sipped again& L omethingLs de!initely 0rong do0n there& DonLt as. me 0hat, though,H Then 0e need to !ind out,H I said& 6asteen bro.e o!! !rom her con,ersation 0ith #ro.la0 long enough to nod& LPuite,H she said& #ro.la0 nodded too& %bsolutely& +o point in !orti!ying the place i! the troubleLs already inside 0ith us,H L:ou thin. 0eL,e got or.s in the tunnelsQL 7orel paled at the thought& 4hate,er heLd thought the problem might be, this clearly 0asnLt it& I shoo. my head doubt!ully LItLs possible& %lthough snea.ing around pic.ing people o!! one at a time isnLt e)actly their style,H L%nd I donLt see ho0 they could ha,e got here that soon,H 6asteen added, 0ith a glance at the hemisphere map pinned to the 0all close to her seat& LItLs ta.en them o,er si) 0ee.s to get here !rom the crash site& I! an ad,ance party 0as ta.ing your miners theyLd ha,e had to ha,e got hal!0ay round the planet 0ithin a !e0 days o! their arri,al, and 0eL,e

seen no sign o! any rapid deployment capability,H L<nless they teleported,H I suggested& LIt has been .no0n,HA 4eLre not 'umping to conclusions are 0eQL #ro.la0 mused& LCould it 'ust be an un!ortunate series o! accidents a!ter allQL That hardly seems li.ely,H 7orel stared at the plan on the opposite 0all& The straggling and meandering lines loo.ed li.e nothing so much as a detailed diagram o! a plate !ull o! noodles& % map o! the tunnels beneath us, I realised, 0here the precious ,eins o! ice 0hich could be transmuted into promethium had been hauled out !or coundess generations& =
#.Or+ %nits "ere deployed )y teleporter on several occasions d%ring the /rmageddon campaign, or instance. 8.Only a)o%t hal a do@en, in act%al act. The processing plant on -imia Orichalcae "as relatively ne".

LCan you sho0 us 0here the missing miners ,anished !romQL I as.ed& That might gi,e us some .ind o! due& 7orel nodded, pic.ing up a stylus !rom the des., and mar.ed the points in rapidlyO I realised he must ha,e done this be!ore, no doubt hoping to !ind some connection himsel!& I stared at the rumpled sheet o! paper, translating the lines in my mind into a three dimensional image, and trying to get a !eel !or the space& A I! there 0as a pattern to be discerned, ho0e,er, it eluded me& L5a,e you spotted somethingQL 6asteen as.ed hope!ully, a0are o! my tunnel ratLs instincts !rom my reports on the 9ra,ala) incident& I shoo. my head& ThereLs no ob,ious connection bet0een these points,H I said& I tapped one 0ith a !ingernail& This galleryLs a dead end, !or instance& %n assailant 0ould ha,e to get past an entire shi!t o! 0or.ers unobser,ed,H L%nd thatLs 'ust not possible,H 7orel con!irmed& 4hich begged another "uestion that #ro.la0 0as obliging enough to as.& L<nless one o! the re!inery sta!! is responsible&&,H he began, but trailed o!! as 7orelLs !ace dar.ened& LI! youLre planning to accuse any o! my people o! murder, youLd better ha,e some damn good e,idence,H L+o oneLs accusing anyone o! anything,L I soothed, biting bac. the unspo.en yet. L:ouL,e brought a potentially serious security breach to our attention, and 0eLre trying to get to the bottom o! it, thatLs all,H LI! it sa,es any more o! my people ILm glad to help,H the miner said, some0hat molli!ied& LILm glad to hear it,H I ga1ed at the map o! the mine 0or.ings again, as though deep in thought& L#ut I donLt thin. 0eLll sol,e the problem tal.ing about it o,er a bo0l o! tea,H
#. /s (&ve noted else"here, !ain had an %ncanny a inity or the layo%t o %ndergro%nd passage"ays, pro)a)ly as a res%lt o his early %p)ringing on a hive "orld.

Then 0hat do you suggestQ 6asteen as.ed& I sighed 0ith e,ery appearance o! reluctance and shoo. my head& LILll 'ust ha,e to go do0n there and ta.e a loo. around,H I said& +o0 i! youL,e been reading my memoirs 0ith any degree o! attention itLs probably struc. you that this apparent 0illingness to put mysel! in harmLs 0ay is some0hat uncharacteristic, to say the least& #ut try to see things !rom my point o! ,ie0& 8or one thing, i! I hung around here 0hile the de!ences 0ere being prepared there 0as a pretty good chance ILd end up in that bone-chilling cold again, and I 0as most reluctant to do so& +ot to mention the !act that there

0as a horde o! green-s.ins on the 0ay& True, they 0erenLt e)pected to arri,e in !orce !or another t0enty-!our hours or so, but that hadnLt held bac. the ad,ance party 0eLd encountered already, and 0ho .ne0 ho0 many more o! them might be lur.ing out there 0aiting !or an un0ary target to sho0 itsel!Q Tunnels, on the other hand, 0ere an en,ironment I !elt right at home in, and I could match my !ighting s.ills in a dar. con!ined space 0ith anything 0e might !ind do0n there& %nd it 0asnLt as i! I 0as going in alone eitherO any thing used to ta.ing on solitary unarmed ci,ilians 0as in !or a big surprise i! it tried 'umping a s"uad o! troopers 0ith lasguns& o all in all I 0as pretty con!ident that 0hate,er might be lur.ing in the dar. lo0er le,els, it 0ouldnLt pose nearly as much o! a threat to my continued 0ell-being as hanging around outside li.e a chun. o! deep-!ro1en or. bait& MIn this assumption I 0as, as it turned out, both "uite correct and catastrophically 0rong& ;! course I had no reason to suspect at that point 0hat our in,estigation 0ould ultimately lead to&N IL/( ((+ ;7( sights in my time, and it ta.es a lot to impress me, but I ha,e to admit that e,en today, a!ter more than a century, the ice ca,es o! imia ;richalcae stand out in my memory as a sight to behold& I donLt

.no0 0hat the troopers made o! them, but to a born and bred tunnel rat li.e me they 0ere "uite spectacular& Though broad mining galleries ran o!! into the distance beyond the reach o! our luminators, it 0as ne,er "uite dar., as the ice surrounding us re!lected the light bac. so that it rippled a0ay in a !aint blue sheen as !ar as the eye could see& %nd the 0alls glittered, e,ery single irregularity in the sur!ace re!lecting and re!racting the beams, so 0e mo,ed through an e,er-scintillating constellation o! ephemeral stars& ;ur boots crunched gently on !rost-pac.ed !loor, and our breath pu!!ed ,isibly 0ith e,ery e)halation, but do0n here, a0ay !rom the !lensing 0ind, I !ound the temperatures tolerable enough& They 0ere certainly no 0orse than those in the a,erage /alhallan billet 0hen they could get the air conditioning to 0or., and I 0as used to that& It 0as e,en 0arm enough !or KurgenLs characteristic odour to ha,e returned, albeit in a slightly muted !ashion, !or 0hich 0e 0ere all grate!ul& ILd re"uested LustigLs s"uad !or bac.up, as a!ter our ad,entures on 9ra,ala) I 0as con!ident in their abilities, and I !ound the !amiliar !aces and the sergeantLs taciturn presence a 0elcome boost to my spirits& ILd declined the o!!er o! a guide !rom among the miners as I 0as con!ident in my o0n tunnel sense, and i! there really 0ere or.s do0n here the last thing I 0anted 0as some hysterical ci,ilian getting in the 0ay in the middle o! a !ire !ight& The early stages o! our descent had been through the bustle o! the upper 0or.ings, 0here miners and ser,itors hurried through broad, 0ell-lit thorough!ares reminiscent o! the streets o! a /alhallan ca,ern city, and mobile ore bins !ull o! shimmering ice sho,ed e,erything else unceremoniously out o! the 0ay& #ut as 0e penetrated !urther into the comple), into the lesser-used passages, they gre0 narro0er and less 0ell lit, until the only illumination 0as 0hat 0e carried 0ith us& 8rom time to time 0e heard sounds o! acti,ity !rom the main galleries, 0here 7orelLs colleagues 0ere still hac.ing the precious ice a0ay 0ith the aid o! tools 0hich loo.ed alarmingly li.e the meltas 0e used as 0eapons, but a!ter an hour or so o! steady descent e,en this had !aded a0ay& L4hat are 0e loo.ing !or, e)actly, sirQL ergeant Lustig as.ed& I shrugged& L(mperor .no0s,H I said& LKust something unusual,H 5is s"uad 0as spread out in a standard search pattern, 0ith e,eryone in ,isual range o! at least t0o other troopers& I 0asnLt going to ha,e any more mysterious disappearances i! I could help it, particularly i! one o! them 0as li.ely to be me& The sergeantLs broad !ace creased in a grin& L4ell that narro0s it do0n,H he said, glancing round at our surroundings& Coming !rom an ice0orld as he did, I suppose he !ound them bordering on the mundane& In a 0ay, thatLs 0hat I 0as counting onO bet0een the /alhal-lansL !eeling !or ice and my hi,e boyLs a!!inity !or enclosed spaces, 0hate,er 0as do0n here 0as bound to ha,e le!t some

traces 0hich 0ould stri.e one or another o! us as odd& LPenlan here,H The ,oice o! one o! the troopers hissed in my comm-bead, !ollo0ed a moment later by the attenuated sound o! her actual speech o,erlapping the transmission li.e a distorted echo& he could only be a hundred metres or so a0ay& LIL,e got something& Loo.s li.e trac.s,H L5old your position,H I ordered, and 0or.ed my 0ay to0ards her silhouette& he 0as bac.lit by the luminator sheLd taped to the barrel o! her lasgun& Kurgen trotted at my heels, his o0n 0eapon le,elled and ready !or use& ()perience had taught both o! us you could ne,er be too cautious in circumstances li.e this& L4hat do you ma.e o! it, sirQL Penlan as.ed, turning to0ards us& %s she did so, she brought the patch o! discoloured s.in on her le!t chee. 0here sheLd ta.en a glancing las hit on 9ra,ala) into the beam o! KurgenLs

luminator& 5er e)pression 0as as pu11led as her ,oice, bro0n hair !alling into her grey eyes !rom around the rim o! her hat& LDamned i! I .no0,H I said, not relishing the doubt& he shone her light directly on the mar.s sheLd !ound, deep gouges in the !ro1en !loor, 0hich indeed loo.ed uncom!ortably li.e cla0 mar.s& %!ter more than a decade and a hal! in Imperial ser,ice, during 0hich time I thought ILd encountered pretty much e,ery male,olent li!e !orm in the gala)y, I should ha,e been able to recognise them& The !act that I couldnLt 0as deeply disconcerting& (,en the mar. o! or. boots, 0hich ILd been hal! e)pecting, 0ould ha,e been pre!erable& They loo. a bit li.e genestealer trac.s,H Kurgen said uncertainly& 5e 0as partially right: theyLd been gouged out by 0hat loo.ed li.e po0er!ul talons, but the spacing 0as all 0rong to be the 0or. o! a Lstealer& L;r Lnids, maybeQL LI donLt thin. so,H I said& The 0eight distributionLs all 0rong,H 4hich gi,en the hi,e !leetsL ability to con'ure ne0 and unpleasant creatures out o! thin air 0asnLt e)actly a certainty, but i! there 0as a bio-ship or t0o in the sector the chances o! them getting this !ar into Imperial space undetected 0ere negligible& I pointed that out too, and pretended I hadnLt seen the momentary !lic.er o! ,isible relie! on PenlanLs !ace& The t0o original regiments 0hich no0 made up the EB@th had !ought the tyranids shortly be!ore I 'oined them, and both had been all but annihilated& Come to that, ILd seen more than enough o! the Lnids to last me more than a li!etime by this point too& S4eLd best press on,H I decided a!ter a !e0 momentsL re!lection& omeho0 the con!irmation that there 0as something do0n there made it easier to do that than go bac., ho0e,er strong the impulse to retreat I no0 !elt& I .ne0 !rom e)perience that an un.no0n enemy is al0ays a bigger threat than one youL,e identi!ied, and, in truth, nothing much had changed& I still had a crac. s"uad o! ,eteran troopers bet0een me and anything male,olent lur.ing up ahead& +ot to mention Kurgen, 0hose peculiar gi!ts had sa,ed my hide on more than one occasion, e,en though neither o! us had been a0are o! their e)istence until our encounter 0ith %mberley and her entourage on 9ra,ala)& A Lustig nodded, and ga,e the order to mo,e on& The mood 0as, i! anything, e,en more sombre a!ter that& The occasional outbrea.s o! 'o.ing and banter bet0een the troopers sounded hollo0 no0, uncom!ortable, and soon petered out into silence punctuated only by the terse monosyllables o! report and response& The trooper on point, Penlan still I thin., began communicating by hand signals 0here,er possible, and resorted to the comm-net only 0hen absolutely necessary& %lmost 0ithout thought 0eLd slipped into the assumption that 0e 0ere no0 in hostile territory&

I !ound that com!orting& % healthy dose o! paranoia goes 0ith my 'ob, o! course, but it 0as nice to .no0 that e,eryone else 0as as 'umpy as me !or once, 0ith the possible e)ception o! Kurgen, 0ho ne,er seemed particularly put out by anything 0hich didnLt in,ol,e aerodynamics& %lmost 0ithout thought my hands 0ent to my 0eapons, loosening the chains0ord in its scabbard and dra0ing the laspistol& +o point in not being prepared, I thought& LI! thereLs anything do0n here 0e must be right on top o! it,H Lustig muttered& I nodded& 4e 0ere only a !e0 do1en metres !rom the end o! the gallery by no0, and the dead end ILd spotted on the map& The chances o! 0hate,er had le!t those trac.s staying behind to be bottled up by our ad,ance 0ere remote in the e)treme, I .ne0, but still my mouth 0ent dry, my stomach cramping 0ith the
#. 3ery early on in my association "ith !ain and his aide, it )ecame o)vio%s that ?%rgen "as a )lan+: a staggeringly rare attri)%te "hich made him imm%ne to daemonic possession or psychic attac+.

anticipation o! combat, my imagination running 0ild 0ith images o! rampant Chaos spa0n& SThatLs it& Dead end,H PenlanLs ,oice had an unmista.able edge o! relie!, 0hich rippled around the rest o! the s"uad li.e a bree1e through summer grass& I e)haled, !eeling my muscles rela), una0are until then o! ho0 tense ILd become& Ta.e a loo. round,H I said, starting !or0ard to 'oin her& Kurgen stayed at my shoulder as al0ays, and behind me I heard Lustig issuing orders 0ith his usual calm e!!iciency& 5e 0as deploying the rest o! the s"uad to secure our perimeter& 9ood& That meant no unpleasant surprises 0hile 0e 0ere po.ing around& L8ra. all that I can see,H Penlan mo,ed care!ully, s0eeping her luminator ahead o! her& The beam pic.ed out a blan. 0all, 0here the tunnel had simply been abandoned 0hen the seam o! re!inable material had ran out& Then it s0ept on to pic. out a 'umble o! ice boulders o,er to the right& The palms o! my hands started to tingle as they al0ays did 0hen my subconscious alerted me to something unto0ard& Penlan started to0ards the heap o! rabble& L#e care!ul,H I started to say, as the realisation began to seep through to my !orebrain& The tumbled pattern o! ice bloc.s loo.ed !amiliar, scattered li.e the debris !rom an underhi,e roo! !all& I s0ept my o0n luminator beam to0ards the ceiling, 0here a crac. began, no thic.er than a hair, be!ore 0idening to the 0idth o! my !ist as it reached the 0all& 8rom there the !issure gre0 e)ponentially, terminating in the pile o! !ro1en rubble& It still didnLt !eel right to me& 8or the debris to ha,e !allen in that pattern, the 0all itsel! must ha,e been undermined& % !aint, but ominous crac.ing sound echoed through the chamber& LPenlan2L I shouted& L9et bac.2L #ut I 0as too late& he 0as hal!-turning to0ards me, an e)pression o! pu11lement on her !ace, 0hen the !loor ga,e 0ay beneath her and she ,anished !rom sight 0ith a single startled shrie.& LPenlan2L Lustig started !or0ard, until I restrained him 0ith an arm across the chestO there 0as no .no0ing ho0 !ar the treacherous dead!all e)tended& LPenlan, report2L tatic hissed in our comm-beads& L4atch that !irst step, sarge,H 5er ,oice sounded 0inded, but i! she could crac. 'o.es she couldnLt be that badly hurt& LItLs steeper than it loo.s,H L#etter mo,e care!ully,H I counselled the sergeant& L+o telling ho0 unstable the rest o! the !loor is,HA inched !or 0ard cautiously, Kurgen at my side, 'ust enough to shine the beam !rom our luminators do0n into the hole& It seemed su!!iciently solid& 8rom here I could see that a thin crust o! ice had !ormed across the gap 0here the roo! !all had breached the ceiling o! a chamber belo0 us& % chamber, I suddenly realised, 0hich didnLt appear any0here on the map& That !ro1e o,er recendy,H Kurgen said, 0ith the certainty o! an ice0orlder& I edged a little closer to the hole, !rom

0here I could see Penlan& heLd !allen about !i,e or si) metres, but most o! that, than. the (mperor, had been do0n a steep slope rather than a sheer drop& % !riction-gouged channel in the ice sho0ed 0here sheLd slid most o! the 0ay& eeing my !ace appear in the gap, she 0a,ed& L orry about that, sir,H she said& L7y !oot slipped,H L o I see,H I got Kurgen to direct his luminator around the chamber she 0as in& It 0as roughly circular, no more than a !e0 metres 0ide, and I began to suspect that it might ha,e been a natural ice poc.et& It 0as easy to imag ine a solitary miner !alling the 0ay Penlan had, and being less luc.y about landing& The gap theyLd le!t behind them could ha,e !ro1en o,er be!ore the search party arri,ed& Perhaps 7orelLs mysterious disappearances had been accidents a!ter all& LDoes that hollo0 loo. natural to youQL L7aybe,H Penlan shone her o0n beam around, then sti!!ened, aiming the lasgun& ThereLs another tunnel here& I canLt tell ho0 !ar it goes,H

L it tight,H Lustig appeared at my elbo0, a coil o! climbing rope in his hands& 5e began looping it round himsel!, and thre0 the end do0n to Penlan& he grabbed it, slung her lasgun, and began to s0arm up the rope& %!ter a second she hesitated& L arge& ThereLs something do0n here& I can hear mo,ement,H %!ter a second or so I heard it too& The scrape o! cla0 against ice, mo,ing !ast, and the loud panting o! a predator 0hich has caught a !resh scent& I 'oined Lustig, grabbing the rope, and hauled until the muscles in my bac. crac.ed& L9et her up2L I shouted& Kurgen ran to help too, and bet0een us 0e dragged Penlan a good three metres up the ice !ace& 8rom there her boot soles caught some purchase, and she 0as able to scramble her 0ay up the 0all& I dropped to my .nees, !eeling the cold bite through the !abric o! my trousers, and e)tended a hand do0n into the dar.ness& L9rab it2L Penlan did so, a !irm grip clamping round my 0rist, and I tightened my grip on hers& 4eLd nearly made it, 0hen something sei1ed the dangling rope belo0 her and 'er.ed it hard& L8ra.! Lustig and Kurgen dropped suddenly, pulled o!! balance, and PenlanLs 0eight dragged me do0n& 8or a moment I thought 0eLd ma.e it, but the ice beneath me had too litde traction, and !or a long, agonised moment I !elt mysel! slipping& 7y hand tightened re!le)i,ely around her 0rist, instead o! letting go 0hich 0ould ha,e been !ar more sensible, and be!ore I .ne0 it I 0as plunging !or0ards into the shado0y pit& I landed hard, the breath dri,en !rom my lungs, a do1en small pains !laring across my body 0here ILd bounced on the 0ay do0n& Penlan groaned beside me, !ace do0n and 0inded& Kust as 0ell, a small analytical part o! my mind told me, or the slung lasgun might ha,e bro.en her bac.& LCommissar2L #right light shone do0n on us, the lumi-nator taped to KurgenLs lasgun, and I heard the distant echo o! running !eet as the rest o! the s"uad responded to our plight& They 0ouldnLt be "uic. enough, I thought, as the creature - 0hate,er it 0as - rushed out o! the dar.ness& I had a brie!, panic-stric.en image o! cla0s and 'a0s too large and terri!ying to be real, and as I scrabbled !rantically bac.0ards& 7y hand !ell against the lasgun on PenlanLs bac.& 4ithout thin.ing I t0isted it round, !inding 'ust enough play in the sling, and !ired 0ithout e,en aiming properly& (ither luc. or the (mperor 0as 0ith me, because sheLd le!t it on !ull auto& %s my panic-spasmed hand loc.ed on the trigger a hail o! las bolts sprayed the chamber, blo0ing chun.s o! ice !rom the 0alls and dea!ening us 0ith the roar o! ionising air and ice !lashing into steam& The creature screamed and !led, e,en more terri!ied than I 0as, and as the po0er cell died and relati,e silence descended on our ringing ears, Penlan stirred&

LIL,e got to stop doing that&&,H LILd appreciate it,H I agreed& % degree o! understanding returned to her eyes& L4hat happenedQL The commissar sa,ed your hide,H Lustig said& I 0as suddenly a0are o! the ring o! !aces around the hole o,er our heads& +o point mentioning that it 0as purely by accident, o! course, so I made a sho0 o! mild embarrassment, and patted the !rost !rom my greatcoat& L#etter get the medic to chec. you o,er,H I said, 'ust to rein!orce my caring image& I too. a glance around the chamber& It loo.ed bigger !rom do0n here, and the hail o! las bolts had melted a number o! small pits into the 0alls& omething seemed to be embedded in one, and I tried to !ocus on it, to stop my head spinning& Then my brain !inally interpreted 0hat I 0as seeing, and I regretted my curiosity at once& LLoo.s li.e 0e !ound our missing miner,H Penlan said, 0ith 0hat I !elt 0as rather unseemly relish&

L%lmost,H I agreed& It 0as a human hand, se,ered at the 0rist, the stump scored 0ith ,icious bite mar.s& 4hat 0as that thingQL Kurgen as.ed, his habitual phlegmatic tone a 0elcome calming in!luence& LI ha,enLt a clue,H I admitted, scooping my laspistol up !rom the !loor 0here it had !allen& %s I did so I noticed a thic. smear o! ichor on the ice& The sight cheered me remar.ably, not least because i! ILd managed to 0ound the creature it 0as unli.ely to come bac. !or a 0hile& L#ut it bleeds,H I thrust the sidearm bac. into the holster on my belt 0ith a sense o! grim satis!action& L%nd i! it bleeds, 0e can .ill it,H

FO R

L%+D :;< D;+LT ha,e a clue 0hat it 0asQL #ro.la0 as.ed& I shoo. my head& In the three or !our hours since 0eLd returned !rom the depths o! the mine ILd been as.ed that "uestion o!ten& L+one& #ut you 0ouldnLt 0ant one as a house pet, belie,e me,H % !e0 o! those present in the command centre chuc.led duti!ully& #esides mysel! and the ma'or, 6asteen 0as the only other person seated on 0hat I couldnLt help thin.ing o! as the military side o! the con!erence table& 8acing us 0as 7orel, 0hose interest in the situation 0as undeniable and 0hose reaction had !allen some0here bet0een shoc. at the ne0s that his 0orst !ears 0ere !ounded and grim satis!action that his !orebodings had been ,indicated& %longside him sat representati,es !rom the %dministratum and the %deptus 7echanicus& %round us the rest o! our senior o!!icers continued to monitor troop positions and intelligence reports, ignoring the little .not o! ci,ilians in our midst as

best they could as they bustled in and out 0ith data-slates and mugs o! tanna& Remembering PuintusLs ad,ice ILd re"uested mat he and Logash be our liaisons 0ith their respecti,e orders, and 0as pleased that this decision had pro,en to be 0ise& The young scri,ener 0as as a!!able as I remembered, and Logash had turned out to ha,e a "uic. 0it and a courteous manner at mar.ed odds 0ith the de!ensi,eness o! his superior& To 6asteenLs e,ident relie! he had !e0 ,isible mar.s o! augmentation as 0ell, beyond a pair o! !aceted metal eyes, 0hich caught the light as his head mo,ed, and although the (mperor alone .ne0 0hat his robes concealed, she 0as able to .eep her re,ulsion in chec.& M4hen I as.ed her 0hy she !ound the tech-priests so disturbing she 'ust shrugged, and said, TheyLre 0eird, thatLs all,H he ne,er reacted that 0ay to0ards me, or anyone else in the regiment 0ith augmetic replacements, so I guess it 0as 'ust the sense she got !rom them o! ha,ing ,oluntar ily, i! not eagerly, surrended part o! their humanity&NA LIL,e ta.en a loo. through the Code) 8erae,H Logash ,olunteered, Lbased on the commissarLs description o! the beast& ILm pretty sure 0hate,er it is, it isnLt nati,e to imia ;richalcae,H LThen ho0 the hell did it get hereQL 7orel as.ed& Logash shrugged& L7aybe the or.s brought it 0ith them,H ThatLs highly unli.ely,H 6asteen said, ta.ing a litde too much satis!action in contradicting the tech-priest& #ut he too. it in his stride and ga,e 0ay to her greater e)pertise& L:ouLd be a better 'udge o! that than me,H 5e shrugged again& L7aybe it sto0ed a0ay on one o! the tan.er shut-des then,H Puintus nodded in agreement&
#. / common reaction to mem)ers o the /dept%s Mechanic%s. 6ersonally it&s their air o sm%gness ( ind most o *p%tting. /nd isn&t it a)o%t time the Ordo Heretic%s started as+ing some pointed $%estions a)o%t this Omnissiah c%lt o theirsE

TheyLre certainly big enough !or something to hide in undetected& I remember a couple o! years bac. a !e0 o! the miners thought it 0ould be !unny to smuggle in some&&,H L4ho cares ho0 it got hereQL 7orel bro.e in& The "uestion is, 0hat are 0e going to do about itQL L9o bac. do0n there and .ill it,H I said& 7orel nodded 0ith grim satis!action, but PuintusLs eyes narro0ed a little& LI donLt 0ant to sound as though ILm doubting your sense o! priorities, but surely the or.s are the real threat& CanLt this thing 0ait until youL,e seen them o!!QL

LItLs not the creature 0eLre 0orried about,H 6asteen said& LItLs the unmar.ed tunnels the commissar !ound do0n there,H LProbably burro0ed by the beast,H Logash said& 5e pulled a data-slate !rom the recesses o! his robes, and started scribbling notes 0ith a lu)pen embedded in the tip o! a !inger& That might account !or the si1e o! the cla0s the commissar sa0&&,H LIt doesnLt matter 0ho dug them,HA pointed out& L4hat matters is that theyLre a potential hole in our de!ences,H %s i! to underline my 0ords a bright !lash cut through the !lurrying sno0 outside the 0indo0, !ollo0ed almost at once by the concussi,e thud o! e)plosi,e detonation& The or.s had obligingly arri,ed on schedule and 0ere busily thro0ing themsel,es Mor more probably their gretchin cannon !odderN against our outer de!ensi,e line 0ith a grati!ying lac. o! success so !ar& Luc.ily, 7a1arin and her acolytes had managed to get the damaged shut-de !lying again in a matter o! hours, and the rest o! our deployment had gone 0ithout a hitch, so 0eLd been more than ready to meet them despite my !ears& LI ta.e your point,H Puintus said& i/hat do you suggestQL LILm going bac. do0n there,H I said& L4ith a s"uad o! troopers& 4eLll map the tunnels as 0e go, and .ill the creature 0hen 0e !ind it,H

L:ouLre leading the group personallyQL Logash as.ed& I nodded& LCommissar Cain is by !ar the best man !or the 'ob,H 6asteen e)plained& L5e has more e)perience o! tunnel !ighting than anyone else in the regiment&L +ot !rom choice, I might add, but i! it .ept me out o! the cold and a0ay !rom the or.s, I 0asnLt about to ob'ect& LILd li.e to come too, i! I may,H Logash said& I thin. ILm hardly e)aggerating 0hen I say the rest o! us simply stared at him in blan. astonishment& LJenologyLs a bit o! a hobby o! mine& I might be able to identi!y 0hat 0eLre loo.ing !or,H This is a search and destroy mission, not a stroll around the 1oo,H 6asteen said irritably& Logash loo.ed a little crest!allen, I thought she 0as being unnecessarily hard on the boy %t least he 0as trying to help, 0hich 0as more than his superiors 0ere 0illing to do, and it didnLt seem too good an idea to s"uash that enthusiasm& #esides, I had no ob'ection to presenting the beast 0ith another potential mealto stand bet0een me and it& M;! course i! ILd .no0n 'ust ho0 much trouble he 0as going to turn out to be ILd ha,e le!t him behind, or e,en shot him on the spot, but regrets are a 0aste o! good drin.ing time, as my old !riend Di,as used to say&N LIt 0ould be at your o0n ris.,HA told him& L%nd youLd be under military authority& That means you do 0hat youLre told at all times& %ll rightQL L8ine,H 5e nodded eagerly& LDo I get a gunQL %bsolutely not,H 6asteen and I said simultaneously& %8T(R ((I+9 T5( ci,ilians out, 6asteen, #ro.la0 and I returned to the business o! !ighting the 0ar& ;ur strategy seemed to be 0or.ing at least !or no0, .eeping the main line o! the or. ad,ance bottled up in the nec. o! the ,alley "uite nicely& The peculiar nature o! an ice0orld, and the /alhallansL understanding o! ho0 to e)ploit it, 0ere paying handsome di,idends, as the latest sensor do0nloads !rom the 6%re o Heart 0ere ma.ing abundantly clear& I ga1ed at the blurry image in the tactical hololith& It loo.ed li.e someone had dropped it on the 'ourney up here !rom the landing pad, as the three-dimensional representation o! the battle!ield 0ould occasionally 'ump a !e0 centimetres to the le!t, blan. out, and reset itsel!& I re!lected rue!ully that perhaps 0e shouldnLt ha,e been "uite so eager to get rid o! Logash& M4ho had practically s.ipped out o! there, eager to be o!!, and prattling about ,arious unpleasant li!e !orms our intruder probably 0asnLt&N L+e,er a tech-priest around 0hen you need one,H #ro.la0 murmured, ob,iously thin.ing the same thing& 5e cast a

sidelong glance at the colonel 0ho pretended not to ha,e heard& Than.s to the !ro1en landscape 0eLd been able to !orti!y in depth 0ith an ease 0hich 0ould ha,e been impossible practically any0here else& I 0as loo.ing M0hen the blasted hololith 0ould let meN at an e)tensi,e net0or. o! trenches and !iring pits 0hich 0ould ha,e ta.en 0ee.s to dig in more normal terrain, but 0hich had been hollo0ed out in mere hours by adroit use o! our hea,y !lamers and multilasers& ;! course hal! the troops manning them 0ould ha,e !ro1en to death by no0 i! theyLd been anyone else, but these 0ere /alhallans, and the bone-chilling temperatures outside 0ere 'ust li.e a holiday resort so !ar as they 0ere concerned& ILd e,en had to brea. up a couple o! sno0ball !ights be!ore the or.s turned up to spoil the party& A L o !ar so good,H I said, "uiedy satis!ied 0ith the conduct o! our troopers& The line 0as holding nicely, and the ,ie0 !rom orbit sho0ed that the or. ad,ance had pretty much ground to a halt in the !ace o! this une)pected resistance& o !ar as I could tell, the topography o! the
#. From "hich "e can in er that, despite his rel%ctance to step o%tside, !ain had visited the ront line at least once )y this point, pro)a)ly a ter his ret%rn to the s%r ace.

,alley 0as 0or.ing to our ad,antage as 0ell as 0eLd hoped, 0ith the broad !ront o! the or. ad,ance !un nelling into the mouth o! it and running right into our .illing 1one& ;! course being or.s this didnLt diminish their enthusiasm, "uite the re,erse& ome !lashes o! gun!ire on the outer !ringes o! the mob indicated that !ratricidal !ire!ights had bro.en out as the groups !arthest !rom the !ighting had run out o! patience and had started blasting their 0ay through their o0n comrades to get to us& 4ell that 0as !ine 0ith me, the more o! them 0ho .illed each other the better I li.ed it, but there 0ere still plenty le!t 0here theyLd come !rom& L4hatLs thatQL #ro.la0 as.ed, pointing at a blip some 0ay behind the bul. o! the or. army& 4hate,er it 0as it 0as massi,e, and mo,ing slo0ly but ine)orably to0ards us& % hea,y sense o! !oreboding san. into my stomach as I stared at it& I had a horrible suspicion as to 0hat it might be, but prayed !er,ently to the (mperor that I 0as 0rong& M+ot that I thought !or a moment that 5e might actually be listening, but you ne,er .no0, and it relie,ed the stress&N L%ccording to this, itLs huge,H 6asteen said, a hint o! con!usion in her ,oice& Rather than ,erbalise my !ears, 0hich 0ould someho0 ma.e them more concrete, I ,o)ed 7a1arin aboard the orbiting starship to re"uest a more detailed analysis& That 0ay I could continue to cling to the hope that I might be 0rong !or a !e0 more precious minutes& L ingle contact, about t0o hundred .loms&&& .ilometres to the 0est,H I said& LCan you gi,e us a little more detailQL LI! the ;mnissiah 0ills it,H the tech-priest said cheer!ully, and busied hersel! !or a !e0 moments 0ith the appropriate rituals& %!ter a short pause her ,oice returned, 0ith a slightly harder edge to it& LItLs a single arte!act, appro)imately eighty metres in height& el!-propelled, 0ith a high thermal signature 0hich indicates combustion processes o! some .ind& 7etallic shell, mainly !erric in composition,H 5er ,oice !altered& LILm sorry, commissar, I donLt ha,e a clue 0hat it is& I can meditate on it, but&&&L ThereLs no need, than. you,H I said& L:ouL,e 'ust con!irmed 0hat I suspected& ItLs a gargant,H 6asteen and #ro.la0 stared at one another in horror& The or.ish e"ui,alent o! a battle titan, the approaching construct might be crude but it 0ould certainly ha,e enough !irepo0er aboard to punch through our de!ensi,e lines 0ithout e,en so much as slo0ing do0n& L%ny suggestions you might ha,e about ,ulnerabilities 0e can e)ploit 0ould be grate!ully recei,ed,H LILll analyse the data and see 0hat I can !ind,H she promised& 4e canLt as. !or more,H I said, and turned bac. to the other o!!icers& 4e studied the hololith together, bro0s !urro0ed& LI rec.on 0eL,e got less than a day be!ore it gets here&&,H I began, then 7a1arinLs ,oice interrupted me again&

L orry to brea. in, commissar, but the captain 0ould li.e a 0ord,H This isnLt e)actly a good time,HA said, then changed my mind& I! things 0ent horribly 0rong, 0hich they loo.ed ,ery li.e doing at the moment, the 6%re o Heart 0as my best chance o! getting out o! the system 0ith my hide intact& %nd annoying Durant 0ould be a seriously bad idea& L+o, put him on,H 4hyLs my ship cra0ling 0ith groundlingsQL the captain as.ed, his ,oice tinged 0ith an asperity 0hich didnLt seem entirely a!!ected& LIL,e 'ust got rid o! your troopers and no0 youLre shuttling up hal! the population o! this miserable iceball,H 4eLre sending up rather more than hal!,H I said, trying to sound reasonable& LI thought the %dministratum here had cleared it 0ith you,H :ou mean Pry.eQL % phlegmy sound o! disgust rattled the spea.ers o! the ,o) unit& LImpossible 0oman, doesnLt

listen to a 0ord you say& 5o0 in the (mperorLs name did you manage to get her to co-operate 0ith youQL LIt 0as surprisingly easy a!ter the commissar threatened to shoot her,H 6asteen said, 0ith a hint o! a smile& Durant seemed speechless !or a moment& L5arrumph& 4orth a try I suppose&L % !aint tinge o! amusement entered his tone& L#ut that still doesnLt ans0er my "uestion&L L4eLre e,acuating as many o! the ci,ilians as 0e can,H #ro.la0 e)plained& L(specially the 0or.ersL !amilies& TheyLll be a lot sa!er 0ith you than they are do0n here,H L%nd 0e can !ight more e!!ecti,ely i! 0eLre sure they 0onLt be getting under!oot,H 6asteen added, a little more candidly& L<nder your !eet, you mean,H The captain sounded molli!ied& LI suppose 0e can stic. them in a couple o! the cargo holds no0 theyLre not cluttered up 0ith your military 'un.,H LThat 0ould be appreciated,H I said& L+o problem& ILm sure the %dministratum can a!!ord their !ares,H 5e bro.e the connection abruptly& ;! course there 0as another, unspo.en reason !or e,acuating the 0or.ers !rom the plant, although none o! us 0anted to thin. about it& I! 0e 0ere unable to hold the place, and I 0as a lot less sanguine about that no0 than I had been t0enty minutes ago, the or.s 0ould 0ant to ma.e use o! it& +o point in lea,ing them a pool o! highly s.illed sla,e labour 0hich 0ould maintain promethium output at the current high le,els& Their o0n me.s 0ould !igure out the process e,entually, o! course, but they 0ouldnLt be nearly so e!!icient& %nd 0ith any luc. 0eLd ha,e had time to launch a counter attac. or call the %startes in to sterilise the place be!ore they got the plant up and running again& I stared at the hololith, and the almost imperceptibly mo,ing blip o! the gargant& 4e had nothing in our in,entory capable o! !ighting something li.e that: no tan.s, no artillery, and most especially no titans o! our o0n& #ro.la0 noticed the direction o! my ga1e& LCheer up,H he said& 4eLll thin. o! something,H L#etter ma.e it "uic.,H 6asteen said&

Editorial Note: (t is "ith pro o%nd apologies that # append the ollo"ing excerpt, )%t eel that some "ider perspective on the tactical sit%ation than !ain&s typically sel *centred one may prove o interest. ( 5%st "ish (&d )een a)le to ind something a little more reada)le. ( yo% ind the prose style .or more acc%rately, lac+ o one0 as pain %l as # do, eel ree to s tip it.

()tracted !rom :i+e a 6hoenix From the Flames: The Fo%nding o the FGHth, by 9eneral Kenit ulla MretiredN, >B@&7?=& T5( 9R((+ TID( bro.e against the bul0ar. o! our de!ences as surely as an ocean 0a,e against a harbour 0all& 8or such 0e 0ere, protecting the little islet o! ci,ilisation at our bac.s !rom the monstrous sea o! barbarity 0hich threatened to 0ash it clean& To the pride o! all, it 0as us,

Third Platoon, econd Company, 0hich had been gi,en the all-important tas. o! holding a hastily-constructed redoubt at the ,ery centre o! our !or0ard line, and not a 0oman or man o! us shir.ed that responsibility& Crouched belo0 the parapet o! a rampart o! ice I scanned my tactical data-slate, heedless o! the bolter shells bursting against it to sho0er me 0ith a re!reshing po0dering o! !ro1en dust, noting 0ith satis!action the disposition o! the s"uads under my command& %s ILd come to e)pect, all 0ere positioned 0ith per!ect precision, and I permitted mysel! a moment o! pride in the le,el o! battle-readiness they sho0ed& L5ere they come2L someone shouted, a ,oice shaded, to my great satis!action, by e)ultation rather than !ear, and a "uic. glance o,er the !ro1en rampart con!irmed it& % horde o! or.s 0as running to0ards us, yelling in their barbarous tongue, and I ga,e the order to hold !ire& ;n they came, trampling the corpses o! the dead 0eLd already le!t stre0n across the ,irginal ice!ields, .ic.ing up po0dered sno0 as they came, so that it seemed as i! the !ront ran.s 0ere 0ading 0aist-deep in mist& Li.e the 0a,e that had assaulted us be!ore they seemed scra0ny specimens, "uite unli.e the hea,ily-muscled monstrosities 0hich Commissar Cain had so resource!ully de!eated a!ter our shuttle 0as grounded, A but they died no less easily as I di,ined 0hen they came 0ithin close range o! our lasguns& L8ire2L I ordered, and a de,astating 0a,e o! las-bolts tore into the !ront ran.s& Do1ens !ell, and more behind them as the casualties tripped those 0ho !ollo0ed a!ter: !orth0ith the emplaced lascannons and multi-lasers 0eLd care!ully sited !inished the 'ob, putting out a 0ithering cross!ire 0hich ripped them to pieces& %!ter a moment o! indecision the sur,i,ors bro.e and !led in all directions, lea,ing a !e0 more normal-si1ed specimens 0ho seemed to ha,e been directing them cruelly e)posed to our sight and !irepo0erO and this 0as to pro,e their death 0arrant, as they 0ere summarily cut do0n by a second barrage& LLi.e shooting rats in a bo),L the young corporal ne)t to me remar.ed& I repro,ed her, but could scarce .eep the satis!action !rom my o0n ,oice& LI doubt theyLll gi,e up that easily,L I said, and o! course I 0as right& The !rontal attac., as I had hal! suspected, 0as a di,ersion, and the roar o! engines heralded a !lan. attac. by a s"uadron o! curious ,ehicles 0hich resembled motorcycles 0ith trac.s replacing the rear 0heels& 5ea,y 0eapons, bolters I assumed, 0ere slung !rom them on outriggers, and opened up 0ith a roar 0hich almost dro0ned the noise o! their engines& L8ire at 0ill,L I ordered, and the sno0 around them erupted 0ith the concentrated !irepo0er o! our doughty host&

LDeath to the enemies o! the (mperor2L I must con!ess my heart s0elled at the ans0ering cheers o! the heroes under my command, and the con,iction o! our ine,itable ,ictory buoyed my spirits to such an e)tent that, despite our peril, a smile !orced its 0ay onto my !ace&

#. /lmost certainly the "ea+er s%)species +no"n as &gretchin,& a distinction !ain "as "ell a"are o , as his earlier remar+ ma+es clear.

FIVE

;8 %LL T5( e)periences 0hich ha,e be!allen me in a century or more o! ser,ice to the 9olden Throne, creeping through a net0or. o! dar.ened tunnels in search o! a !oe 0hich could be lur.ing almost any0here is one I could ,ery 0ell ha,e done 0ithout becoming so !amiliar 0ith& I donLt .no0 0hy, but sho0 me an enemy o! the (mperor and chances are I can point to the nearest hole in the ground 0ith the near certainty o! !inding their lair !estering a0ay do0n there& Chaos cults, genestealer s0arms, mutants, you name it, they all seem to scurry !or the dar.est corners they can !indO and then, o! course, someone has to go in a!ter them and 0in.le them out&A
K& !ain is exaggerating a little here, )%t it&s certainly the case that a signi icant proportion o the heretical and %nclean gravitate nat%rally to %ndercities and similar ha)itats. Then again, given the hostile nat%re o many "orlds, )oth (mperial and xeno,. the pop%lation may have had little option )%t to )%rro" %ndergro%nd to s%rvive, "hich at least partially explains the prevalence o s%ch la)yrinths thro%gho%t inha)ited space.

%nd, !ar more !re"uently than ILd li.e, that someone turns out to be me& Partly, I suppose, thatLs due to my in!lated reputation M0hen something dangerous needs doing 0ho better than a hero o! the Imperium to get stuc. 0ith itQN, but in truth I suspect that, as 6asteen told Logash, in most cases I really am the best man !or the 'ob& MIn theory at any rate, my old hi,erLs tunnel sense brings a de!inite ad,antage, but in practice enthusiasm !or the 'ob is most de!initely absent, you may ta.e my 0ord !or that&N In this case, though, 0hile not e)actly pleased to be bac. in the net0or. o! tunnels, it 0as rather more attrac ti,e than the alternati,e& True, there 0as our mysterious beast to 0orry about, but ILd already 0ounded it once and didnLt anticipate it putting up much o! a !ight, not 0ith a !ull s"uad o! troopers to bac. me up, and the indispensable Kurgen, 0hoLd managed to scrounge a melta !rom some0here& 5eLd done the same on 9ra,ala), and 0eLd both !ound cause to be than.!ul !or his !oresight& Indeed, a!ter that little incident heLd become "uite partial to that particular item o! e"uipment, and tended to bring it along 0hene,er 0e might meet hea,ier resistance than 0e anticipated& %s it turned out I 0as to ha,e occasion to be e,en more grate!ul than usual !or this little habit o! his& #ut in all honesty i! ILd .no0n 0hat 0e 0ere going to !ind do0n there I 0ould ha,e charged the or.s, e,en the gargant, 0ith a bro.en chair leg rather than set !oot in those ca,erns again& %s it 0as though, I remained in bliss!ul ignorance, and e,en !elt rela)ed enough to 'o.e 0ith my aide as he !ell in at my shoulder, preceded as al0ays by his distincti,e bou"uet& LDid you remember the marshmallo0s this timeQL I as.ed, echoing %mberleyLs 'est 0hen she caught sight o! the melta he 0as carrying on 9ra,ala)& 5e smiled sheepishly& L7ust ha,e slipped my mind, sir&L L+o problem& 4eLll 'ust ha,e to !ind something else !or you to toast,HA said& LILm not sure that 0ould be 0ise,H Logash said, hurrying to 'oin us, and loo.ing some0hat as.ance at the hea,y thermal 0eapon& That 0ould pretty much ,aporise the creature,H L%long 0ith a !air si1ed chun. o! the 0all behind it,H I agreed& 7eltas are designed to punch through tan. armour, and using one to eradicate a single creature might seem li.e o,er.ill to most people, but so !ar as I 0as concerned there 0as no such thing& (specially 0hen you 0ere dealing 0ith something the si1e o! the beast ILd glimpsed be!ore& Then 0e might ne,er .no0 0hat it 0as,H Logash ob'ected& I shrugged& ThatLs a disappointment I could learn to li,e 0ith,H I said, then too. pity on his crest!allen e)pression& L#ut ILm sure it

0onLt come to that& KurgenLs choice o! 0eapon is purely !or 0orst-case contingencies,H LI see,H he said, nodding, and clearly trying to imagine 0hat those contingencies might be& 4ell, he 0as going to !ind out soon enough& 4eLre here,H the pointman said, his ,oice tinny in my comm-bead& The s"uad sergeant, a stoc.y young 0oman called 9ri!en, called a halt, and Logash shut up, eager !or a sight o! our "uarry& I 0ould ha,e pre!erred to be accompanied by Lustig and his team, as theyLd been do0n here be!ore, but Penlan 0as too sti!! !rom her healing in'uries to tac.le any more ice !aces and I didnLt 0ant to be bac.ed up by an under-strength s"uad& #esides 0hich, as ,eterans, they 0ere needed at the !ront line, especially 0ith the approaching menace o! the gargant& 9ri!enLs s"uad had seen little combat so !ar, and the sergeant hersel! 0as ne0ly promoted, so this little errand had seemed li.e an ideal chance to brea. her into command 0ithout too much pressure Mironic, as things turned out&N 5er troopers seemed competent enough,

and had got o,er dieir impulse to ga0p at the ice !ormations and the spar.ling re!lections in the !irst !e0 minutes, settling into the routine o! a )eno hunt 0ith reassuring e!!iciency& I loo.ed do0n the tunnel to 0here the beams o! our luminators re!lected bac. !rom the tumbled heap o! ice shards 0hich mar.ed the boundary o! the hole ILd !allen into be!ore& It 0as as eerily beauti!ul as e,er, and despite the grimness o! our errand I !ound mysel! sa,ouring the sight as I turned to spea. to 9ri!en& This is it,H I said& The end o! the map& ;nce 0e pass this point 0eLre in un.no0n territory,H L<nderstood, sir,H he saluted crisply, 0ithout betraying her ner,ousness to anyone less s.illed than I 0as at reading body language& he began to issue orders to her s"uad& L/orhees, on point& Drere and 6arta, co,er him& 5ail, imla, 0atch our bac.s& 4eLre mo,ing as soon as the commissar gi,es the 0ord, so loo. ali,e, people,H Despite her ine)perience she 0as a good moti,ator, and I began to !eel a little easier about our tra,elling companions - most o! them, any0ay&&& L%re there any trac.sQL Logash as.ed eagerly& 9ri!en loo.ed at him 0ith an air o! ,ague surprise, as though it had slipped her mind !or a moment that 0e 0ere being accompanied by a ci,ilian& he shrugged& :ouLre the e)pert& :ou tell us,H %nyone else, I suppose, 0ould ha,e had the sense to realise he 0as being snubbed, but Logash, li.e most o! the tech-priests IL,e come across, had the social s.ills o! a bath mat& A Instead o! subsiding li.e any normal person he nodded eagerly, and started 0a,ing an auspe) around as though it 0ere an incense burner&
#. 6ro)a)ly something to do "ith all those a%gmetics. (t m%st )e di ic%lt to interact "ith mere h%mans "hen yo% eel yo%&ve got more in common "ith a )everage dispenser.

There are some interesting striations in the ice layer,H he said, L0hich could be !ro1en-o,er cla0 mar.s& till too ,ague to ma.e a clear determination, though&&&L I caught the sergeantLs eye, and raised my o0n bro0s in a pantomime o! tolerant e)asperation& he smiled bac. a little ner,ously, not "uite sure ho0 to respond to a commissar 0ith a sense o! humour, and no doubt in a0e o! my reputation& LI thin. i! your people are ready 0e might as 0ell mo,e on,HA said, already sure they 0ould be, and she ga,e the order 0ith alacrity& /orhees, !ront and centre& LetLs get oursel,es a ne0 trophy !or the mess room 0all,H Logash shot me an unhappy

loo., 0hich I ignored, and the pointman dropped nimbly through the hole in the !loor& LILm do0n,H he said, his ,oice still attenuated in the comm-bead& L+o sign o! li!e&L The rest o! his !ireteam A !ollo0ed him, rappelling into the dar.ness belo0& The glo0 o! their luminators 0as ,isible no0, di!!using through the ice !loor li.e the !irst !aint echo o! the da0n brea.ing some0here a .lom or t0o o,er our heads, = rippling li.e an aurora borealis& L;ur turn,H I said, 0ith a cheer!ulness I hoped no one 0ould realise 0as !orced, and stepped con!idently up to the gap, trying to suppress the memory o! my ,ertiginous plunge into the un.no0n the pre,ious day& I bounced do0n the slope, the support o! the rope more o! a com!ort than ILd realised, and !ound my boot heels crunching against the hardpac.ed scattering o! ice crystals on the !loor be!ore I e,en .ne0 it& The chamber 0as 'ust as ILd remembered it: !eatureless sa,e !or the tunnel
#.The 3alhallan FGHth divided its s$%ads into t"o ireteams o ive troopers each, a common, tho%gh %no icial, practice in regiments experienced in %r)an "ar are. 8.(n act, according to the schematics, the lo"est level o the mines "as almost three +ilometres )elo" the s%r ace at this point.

mouth 0eLd come to in,estigate& #ut it 0as cro0ded 0ith troopers this time& % moment later Kurgen slithered do0n ne)t to me& The hea,y melta slung across his shoulders pulled him o,er to one side, but he regained his balance and he!ted it properly bac. into position& The small .not o! troopers around us too. a step or t0o a0ay& Logash came ne)t, clinging too tightly to the rope so that he descended in a series o! 'er.s and 0ild parabolas& The 9uardsmen and 0omen 0atched his progress 0ith unconcealed amusement and the e)pectation o! an ignominious tumble to come& To his credit he made it though, letting out his breath in a 0ild rush as he reached the !loor o! the ca,ern& L%re you all rightQL I as.ed, reaching out a hand to steady him& 5e nodded& :es& 8ine& ILm 'ust not ,ery good 0ith heights, to be honest&L 5e caught sight o! the splash o! ichor !rom 0here ILd shot our "uarry and 0ent scuttling o!! to e)amine it 0ithout another 0ord& oon I heard him muttering in disappointment at the 0ay our boot prints had disturbed any trac.s the thing might ha,e le!t& I loo.ed up to chec. the progress o! 9ri!en and the remaining !our troopers, 0ho 0ere all descending 0ith out any problems& 4hen I loo.ed bac. the little tech-priest 0as arguing !uriously 0ith pri,ate /orhees& I strode o,er to in,estigate, 0ondering once more 0hether bringing him 0as turning out to be more trouble than it 0as 0orth& L4hatLs going onQL I as.ed, trying to sound reasonable& /orhees had the young tech-priest held !irmly by the upper arm, e,idendy restraining him& The trooper 'er.ed an irritable head at the mouth o! the tunnel do0n 0hich the creature had disappeared& L5e tried to get past me,H he said& I shone my luminator into the dar.ness, the beam catching a thousand glittering highlights !rom the irregular 0alls& Then I turned to glare at Logash& LI thought I made it clear you 0ere to stay close to Kurgen,H I said& 7y aide had accepted the ad hoc bodyguarding assignment as phlegmatically as he did e,ery other order, and I suppose Logash could be !orgi,en !or being less than enthusiastic about it& That 0asnLt his main concern at the moment though& 5e 'er.ed his arm !ree o! /orheesLs restraining grasp 0ith a degree o! petulance 0hich reminded me o! a sul.y 'u,e, and pointed at the tunnel !loor in the pool o! light !rom my luminator& LI 0as loo.ing !or trac.s,H he said, clearly 0anting to say a great deal more& The ground in hereLs too trampled to tell anything !rom&L LRight& 8ine,HA said& I turned bac. to /orhees& L6eep him in sight& 5e goes no !urther than !i,e metres,HA returned my

ga1e to Logash& That should be enough !or you, rightQL L;h yes, indeed,H 5e trotted a couple o! paces into the tunnel, spot lit by the beam o! the luminator /orhees had taped to the barrel o! his lasgun, and s"uatted do0n to 0a,e the bloody auspe) around& ure he could still hear me, I turned to grin at /orhees& L7aybe 0eLll catch it "uic.er i! 0e lea,e some bait out,H L4orth a try,H he agreed, 0ith a smile o! his o0n& Logash ignored us, already 0rapped up in his data-di,ining ritu als& %!ter a !e0 moments he 0al.ed bac. to 'oin us, still muttering under his breath as he studied the display o! the little machine& L4ellQL 9ri!en demanded& LCan you tell 0hat it is yetQL Logash loo.ed con!used& L4ell, there are indications& I! 0e 0ere any0here else I might ta.e a guess& #ut the habitatLs all 0rong&&,H Then 'ust gi,e us 0hat you can,H I encouraged gendy& 9ri!en nodded, !lic.ing her blac. hair out o! her eyes as she tried to ma.e out the runes on the screen, but they 0ere all tech-priest gibberish and none o! the rest o! us could ma.e head or tail o! it& Logash shrugged&

LIt de!initely burro0ed these tunnels,H he said& There are cla0 mar.s on the 0alls and ceiling as 0ell as the !loor,H % !lic.er o! apprehension rippled around most o! the troopers& The narro0 passage 0as high enough to stand up in 0ithout stooping, e,en !or me,A and i! not "uite 0ide enough !or t0o abreast had at least enough room !or us to be able to see past the man in !ront Mand shoot, too, 0hich 0as more to the point&N The creature must ha,e a considerable reach - that much 0as ob,ious& L4ell, 0eLre not going to !ind it by standing here,H I pointed out, more to steady the troops than anything else& L%nd 0e still ha,e to map these tunnels,H o 0e set o!! into the dar., our ner,es taut 0ith !ear!ul anticipation& I 4% 7;R( at ease do0n here than any o! my companions 0ith the possible e)ception o! Kurgen, 0ho simply accepted the situation as he did e,erything else, 0ith taciturn stoicism& These tunnels 0ere di!!erent !rom the ones I 0as used to, ho0e,er& They turned and meandered apparently at random, 0ith innumerable branching corridors 0hich came to a dead end or turned bac. on themsel,es to re'oin the one 0eLd 'ust le!t, or split into !urther radial passage0ays& I had se,eral occasions to than. the (mperor !or my sense o! direction, 0ithout it ILd ha,e been disorientated 0ithin moments, but the subconscious instinct 0hich lets me .no0 roughly 0here I am and ho0 !ar IL,e come in an underground en,ironment pro,ed as reliable as e,er& LItLs a !ra..ing ma1e do0n here,H one o! the troopers, Drere I thin., muttered under her breath& 9ri!en silenced her 0ith a !e0 0ell-chosen 0ords, in the manner o! sergeants the length and breadth o! the gala)y& Logash
#. !ain "as 5%st %nder t"o metres in height, and "as generally among the tallest in any given gro%p.

0as tra,elling in the middle o! the group ne)t to me, as I hoped to .eep a respectable number o! hea,ily-armed troopers bet0een me and the creature 0hiche,er direction it approached !rom& Logash agreed, heedless o! the sergeantLs admonishment& L urprisingly e)tensi,e !or so recent an e)ca,ation,H he added& Kust then the palms o! my hands started tingling, in the 0ay they do 0hen my subconscious 0arns me o! something my !orebrain has yet to grasp& L5o0 recentQL I as.ed& Logash pointed out something on the screen o! the auspe), 0hich I couldnLt see clearly& % !e0 0ee.s,H he said& % couple o! months at the most,H In other 0ords, about the same time the or.s turned up, and that 0as 'ust too much o! a coincidence& +ot that I belie,ed !or a moment it 0as some .ind o! s"uig A 0e 0ere a!ter& The

chances o! that 0ere e)tremely remote, as anything the greens.ins had brought 0ith them 0ould ha,e arri,ed at the same co-ordinates& #ut the space hul. 0hich had brought them to the system Mand, to my intense relie!, dropped bac. into the 0arp again 0ithin hoursN could ha,e carried any number o! other horrors in its bo0els, and i! that 0ere so it 0asnLt unli.ely that something else had sei1ed the opportunity to ma.e plan-et!all at the same time& I made a mental note to as. Puintus to loo. through the sensor logs o! the re!ineryLs orbital tra!!ic control system 0hen 0e got bac.& The chances 0ere the bla1e o! 0arp energy emitted by the hul.Ls emergence, a
#. / generic term or a )e"ildering variety o organisms apparently associated "ith or+s. Opinion in the Ordo ,enos remains divided as to "hether they represent tr%e sym)iosis, or are simply an entire gen%s o %npleasant creat%res s% iciently close to the greens+ins& pec%liar meta)olic processes to lo%rish in close proximity to them. (t is %ndenia)le that they do seem to accompany most or+ish in estations, ho"ever. 1here !ain pic+ed %p the "ord is con5ect%ral, pres%ma)ly rom the same so%rce as the rest o his smattering o or+ish.

thousand times stronger than that o! a starship, 0ould ha,e s0amped them, but there might be a clue there 0e could disentangle gi,en time& %ny !urther opportunity I might ha,e had to muse on the matter 0as abruptly curtailed as I !elt a !aint tremor through the soles o! my boots& 7y palms tingled again, !oreboding !looding through me& The narro0 passage0ay seemed e,en more claustrophobic than be!ore, although thatLs not a sensation ILm normally !amiliar 0ith either& The !aint tremor intensi!ied, and I stopped trying to identi!y it& I !elt a yielding impact against my shoulder blades as 9ri!en 0al.ed into me, and halted in her turn& LCommissarQ 4hat is itQL she as.ed& LPuiet2L I loo.ed bac. and !orth do0n the tunnel, craning my nec. to see as best I could past the troopers on either side o! me& The light !rom our luminators receded in both directions, still stri.ing da11ling highlights !rom the deep blue sur!ace o! the ice around us& L omethingLs coming2L L+othing here,H /orhees said, his ,oice crac.ling o,er the comm-net !rom a hundred metres or so up the tunnel& L+othing bac. here either,H Pri,ate 5ail chipped in, her ,oice tense& I canLt say I blame her !or that, the rearguard is the second most ,ulnerable position in the column& (,eryone stared at me, probably 0ondering 0hether the commissar had gone bon.ers& ()cept !or Kurgen o! course, 0ho had doubtlessly made up his mind on that score years be!ore& #ut all my hi,erLs instincts insisted I 0as right, something 0as coming, e,en i! 0e hadnLt seen it yet&&& udden understanding punched me in the gut& The creature 0e 0ere hunting 0as a burro0er2 It didnLt need to come at us along an e)isting passage0ay& +o doubt it had detected our presence in some 0ay, probably pic.ing up the ,ibrations o! our !oot!alls, and 0as heading straight to0ards us by the most direct route& Llurgen,HA shouted& L9i,e us some elbo0 room2L Di,ining my intentions the troopers nearest to us scattered bac. along the passage0ay& Logash 0as hauled a0ay protesting by 9ri!en, 0ho couldnLt be bothered trying to e)plain& 5is ,oice 0as dro0ned out abruptly by the hiss o! the melta as Kurgen !ired at the 0all, instantly !lashing a do1en cubic metres o! ice into steam, 0hich condensed almost instandy in the sub1ero temperatures, !illing the narro0 passage0ay 0ith mist& 5e 0as 'ust in time, too& %n instant later the ne0ly !ro1en 0all burst in on us in a hail o! glittering ice shards, and the li,ing nightmare ILd encountered be!ore 0as among us& #y sheer !oul luc. I 0as the closest to it, and I barely had time to dra0 a 0eapon be!ore it 0as upon me& This close

up a gun 0ould ha,e been all but useless, so I dre0 my chains0ord almost 0ithout thin.ing and made a bloc. 0ith the instincti,e lac. o! thought that comes !rom assiduous practice& It 0as luc.y I had& %n impossi bly long arm, tipped 0ith the talons ILd glimpsed be!ore, s0ung at me as I thumbed the selector to ma)imum speed& It 0ould probably ha,e disembo0elled me i! I hadnLt de!lected the blo0& The blade 0hined, cutting deep through plates o! chitin 0hich 0ouldnLt ha,e seemed out o! place on a tyranid, and the thing ho0led 0ith rage and pain& I 0as ,aguely a0are o! Kurgen standing aside to ma.e room !or some o! the other troopers, 0hose barrel-mounted luminators spot-lit the con!rontation& They 0ere hoping they could get in a shot 0hich 0ouldnLt ,aporise me along 0ith the monster I !ought, but the hope 0as a ,ain one& 4e 0ere loc.ed in too close, and circling too !ast, !or anyone to ha,e a hope o! getting a clear line o! !ire& MItLs moments li.e this, incidentally, 0hich point up the 0isdom o! !ostering the illusion that I cared about the common troopers& I ha,e no doubt at all that, 0ere I

the type o! commissar 0ho relies on intimidation rather than respect to get the 'ob done, and there are all too many o! those around, most o! the grunts 0ould ha,e ta.en the shot any0ay and cheer!ully reported that the creature got me !irst& ItLs a lesson I try to pass on to my cadets, in the hope that the less bone-headed among them might actually get to en'oy a reasonably lengthy career, but itLs probably a 0asted e!!ort&N I dro,e in under the thingLs barrel chest, 0hich barely came up to my chin, and tried to a,oid the huge mandibles 0hich snapped at my !ace as I duc.ed& #i1arrely the thingLs unnaturally long arms 0ere 'ointed about t0o-thirds o! the 0ay up its length, so the closer in to it I remained the harder it 0ould be !or it to reach me& 4ell that suited me !ine& I s0ung the humming blade at its thora), !eeling the teeth bite home, and 0as re0arded 0ith a spray o! ichor and !oulsmelling ,iscera& It screamed again, opening the mandibles impossibly 0idely, and bringing its head do0n to snap at me& That 0as precisely 0hat ILd been hoping !or& The tactic 0or.ed 0ell on some o! the larger tyranid bio-!orms, so I 0as ready and 0aiting, thrusting the tip o! my trusty chains0ord up through the open ma0 to che0 its 0ay contentedly through 0hat passed !or the creatureLs brain& I snatched my hand a0ay "uic.ly, !earing the re!le) clos ing o! those terrible 'a0s, and opening up a 0ide gash 0hich split the side o! its head open !rom the inside& % 'et o! blood and cerebral !luid sprayed the 0all, 0hich hardened to ice 0ithin seconds& That 0as enoughO the creature !ell, ma.ing me scramble bac.0ards in an undigni!ied !ashion to get out o! the 0ay, crashing into the ice at my !eet& Thin !la.es o! po0dered ice, condensed !rom the steam, rose into the air, and !luoresced li.e miniature gala)ies in the light !rom our luminators& That 0as ama1ingL 9ri!en said, clearly torn bet0een protocol and the urge to pat me on the bac.& The murmur o! ,oices among the troopers told me that she 0asnLt the only one to be impressed& ;nly Logash 0as loo.ing at the creature rather than me, his !ace an almost comical mas. o! con!usion& ThereLs your specimen,H I told him, returning my trusty chains0ord to its scabbard& LDo you thin. you can iden ti!y itQL LItLs an ambullL he said, sha.ing his head in ba!!lement& L#ut it canLt be& TheyLre nati,e to Luther 7acintyre IJ&&&L L+e,er heard o! it,H I said& L#ut it 0ouldnLt be the !irst time a species 'umped planets&L ThatLs not the point& %mbull colonies are already .no0n on do1ens o! 0orlds,H The young tech-priest loo.ed completely be0ildered& L#ut theyLre all desert-d0ellers, li.e their nati,e stoc.& This creature shouldnLt be on an

ice0orld at all,H L7aybe it got lost,H one o! the troopers suggested& 5is comment 0as accompanied by derisi,e laughter !rom his s"uad mates& I didnLt 'oin in& omething 0as badly 0rong here, that much 0as e,ident, e,en 0ithout my tingling palms to underline the !act& %nd as I loo.ed at the creature ILd slain, I noticed something else that 0asnLt "uite right& L4here are the lasgun 0oundsQL Kurgen as.ed, putting my thought into 0ords an instant be!ore I could& LI de!i nitely sa0 you hit it the last time&&,H LItLs a di!!erent one,HA said, loo.ing to Logash !or con!irmation& That means there must be another one o! these things do0n here 0ith us,H L7ore li.ely se,eral,H he con!irmed eagerly& L%mbulls tend to !orm e)tended social groups,H #etter and better, I thought sourly& #ut i! only ILd .no0n, there 0as !ar 0orse still to come&

Editorial Note: Than+s to the o)sessive record*+eeping o the /dmmistrat%m it&s possi)le to extricate practically any piece o in ormation, yo%. may desire, ho"ever trivial, rom the depths o the (mperial archives. That is, i yo% can act%ally ind"hat yo%&re loo+ing or among the impenetra)le thic+ets o "orthless ver)iage s%rro%nding it. -% ice it to say that locating the min%tes o the meeting )et"een 9asteen and the o icials in charge o the re inery complex "as r%strating, to say the .east, )%t on )alance it "as pro)a)ly "orth the e ort, especially as the transcript provides some vital )ac+gro%nd in ormation "itho%t "hich !ain&s acco%nt o later events can seem a little con %sing. The min%tes "ere ta+en )y -crivener I%int%s, "hose some"hat idiosyncratic recording style leads me to s%spect that he never expected anyone to act%ally read them.

7inutes o! the meeting o! the Committee !or the De!ence and Preser,ation o! imia ;richalcae 8rom the ;r.ish

Incursion Mby the 9race o! 5is 7a'estyN, con,ened this day D?C&BF= 7?A M'ust too early !or a decent brea.!ast&N Those Present: Colonel Regina 6asteen o! the EB@th /alhallan, a !air and gallant 0arrior, acting military go,ernor o! the imia ;richalcae system& 7a'or Ruput #ro.la0, her second in command, e"ually gallant but not remotely as !air& %rtur 7orel, pro!essional hole-grubber& 7agos /in.el (rnulph, senior tech-priest, 0ith too much metal 0here his brain should be& Codicier 7arum Pry.e, the (mperorLs gi!t to the %dministratum, at least in her o0n mind& 7e& %ssorted sycophants and hangers-on& ;rder o! #usiness: De!ence o! the re!inery Mactually the only thing 0e discussed&N Proceedings: Colonel 6asteen called the meeting to order& Then she called it to order again& 7a'or #ro.la0 !ired his bolt pis tol into the ceiling, and the meeting came to order& Colonel 6asteen put !or0ard a plan !or disabling the gargant, and hope!ully eliminating a signi!icant number o! the besieging or.s into the bargain& This relied on the !act that the mining tunnels e)tended some 0ay beyond the perimeter o! the re!inery properO gi,en the immense 0eight o! the thing it should be possible to collapse the galleries underneath it 0ith su!!icient "uantities o! e)plosi,e& 7agos (rnulph 0anted to .no0 'ust ho0 close to the re!inery the e)plosion 0ould be, pointing out that the promethium tan.s 0ere almost !ull, and that i! things 0ent 0rong the entire re!inery could be reduced to a smo.ing crater& 7a'or #ro.la0 pointed out help!ully that in that case none o! us 0ould be around to complain about it&

Codicier Pry.e raised the point that a signi!icant credit ,alue 0as attached to this installation, and that its destruction 0ould result in a >&>A@ per cent !luctuation in the mean commerce a,erages o! the sector& he 0ent on to suggest that an alternati,e strategy should be !ound& Colonel 6asteen said she 0as 0elcome to go outside and as. the or.s to go a0ay i! she thought that 0ould help& 7orel o!!ered the assistance o! his miners in determining the optimum placement o! the e)plosi,e charges, citing their e)pertise 0ith the local geology, 0hich the colonel appreciated Mshe has a ,ery nice smile&N %s no one had any other suggestions !or disabling the gargant, (rnulph conceded that 0e might as 0ell blo0 the place up oursel,es be!ore the or.s do it& I raised the matter o! Commissar Cain and his scouting party, as.ing ho0 they 0ere li.ely to !are i! they 0ere still underground 0hen the mine 0as blo0n up& 6asteen and #ro.la0 e,inced a degree o! concern on this point, admit ting that their chances o! sur,i,al under those circumstances 0ould be slim& #ro.la0 added that he 0as sure theyLd be bac. by then, as the commissar had something o! a .nac. !or a,oiding such di!!iculties& I suggested ,o)ing them 0ith a 0arning, but apparently they 0ere too deep underground no0 to get a message through& +o doubt 0here,er he 0as, though, heLd be ha,ing a better time o! it than 0e are&

SI!

IL7 <R( I 0asnLt alone in brooding o,er LogashLs o!!-hand announcement as 0e penetrated deeper into the ma1e o! passages that made up the ambull den& The thought that 0e shared these tunnels 0ith an indeterminate number o! hea,ily-armoured predators 0asnLt e)actly com!orting, and 0e pressed on 0ith rene0ed caution& The labyrinth 0as remar.ably e)tensi,e, as the tech-priest had notedO i! 0eLd had to 0al. e,ery metre o! it 0eLd still ha,e been do0n there 0hen the (mperor stepped o!! the throne, A but !ortunately that 0asnLt going to be necessary& #et0een my hi,erLs instincts, LogashLs .no0ledge o! )enology, and the readings o! his auspe) 0e 0ere beginning to get a pretty good idea o! the layout o! the place&
#. -%ch )elie s )ecame remar+a)ly "idespread as the t%rn o the millenni%m approached. !ain "asn&t s%perstitio%s eno%gh to place any credence in s%ch ol+ tales, o co%rse, )%t li+e many others %sed the phrase metaphorically to mean the start o MJ8, "hich o co%rse at that point "as still sixty*eight standard years in the %t%re.

L%ny idea ho0 many more o! those things there are do0n hereQL I as.ed him, once I 0as sure 0e 0ere out o! earshot o! any o! the troopers Me)cept Kurgen, o! course, 0hose discretion I .ne0 I could rely on absolutelyN& +o point in spoo.ing them any !urther i! the ans0er 0as as bad as I !eared& Logash loo.ed pensi,e !or a moment, as though communing 0ith some inner ,oice& M4hich he may 0ell ha,e been, IL,e .no0n plenty o! tech-priests 0ith augmetic data stores plugged into 0hatLs le!t o! their brains& #ut he may 'ust ha,e had indigestion&N LKudging by the e)tent o! the tunnel system, and assuming that your guess they arri,ed on the same space hul. as the or.s is correct&&&L he began& M4hich it 0asnLt, as 0e 0ere shortly to !ind out, but the timing 0as the same so it didnLt ma.e any practical di!!erence in the end&N 5e 0as interrupted by a !usillade o! lasgun !ire !urther do0n the tunnel, and a babble o! shouting ,oices that o,erlapped into nothing but multitudinous echoes in the con!ined and t0isting tunnels& I acti,ated my comm-bead& L9ri!en& 4hatLs going onQL I as.ed& LContact& %nother creature,H 5er ,oice 0as crisp and steady, so the situation seemed under control& I hurried !or0ard, not 0anting to be too !ar !rom the bul. o! our !irepo0er i! any more o! the beasts 0ere attracted to the sounds o! combat& L+o more than hal! a do1en,H Logash !inished, panting in my 0a.e& +o doubt he !elt the same urge, only stronger than I did, as he 0as the only member o! our party 0ho 0as completely unarmed& 4hether he still had enough meat on him to actually interest an ambull 0as a moot point, o! course, but I declined to consider it at the time& LProbably !e0er by no0,H he added, as the !iring stopped& 4ell, that 0as a relie!& These creatures 0erenLt all that tough, compared to some o! the things ILd !aced, and the ne0s that 0e 0erenLt li.ely to ran into too many more o! them 0as undeniably 0elcome& The carcass o! our latest ,ictim 0as lying a !e0 metres !urther on in a 0ider tunnel that opened out !rom the one 0e !ollo0ed& It 0as surrounded by chattering troopers and riddled 0ith the cauterised craters o! las-bolt impacts& /orhees 0as breathing hea,ily, trembling !rom the reaction, and shrugging o!! the attentions o! the s"uad medic& The !ront o! his !la. armour 0as deeply scored, ,isible through the rents in his greatcoat& I gath ered !rom the con,ersations around me that the ambull had 'ust managed to get 0ithin armsL reach o! him be!ore he !inally succeeded in dropping it& L4ell done,H I said, clapping him on the bac.O it ne,er hurt to sho0 the troopers I cared - e,en i! I didnLt& 5e grinned 0ea.ly at me&

LPersistent little !ra..ers, arenLt they sirQL I nodded& Ta.e a bit o! putting do0n,H I agreed& 4hich o! course indirectly reminded e,eryone ILd ta.en mine do0n hand-tohand& I glanced at the carcass, 0ondering i! it 0as the one ILd shot be!ore, but /orhees had made such a mess o! it bla1ing a0ay on !ull auto that there 0asnLt really enough le!t intact to tell& L8ast, too,H /orhees agreed& It seemed that the thing had come at him along the main tunnel almost as soon as heLd entered it& 5eLd 'ust been able to bring his 0eapon up be!ore it 0as on him& LInteresting,H Logash said& 5e 0as loo.ing at the 0alls o! the tunnel, and messing around 0ith his aus-pe) again& %!ter a moment he turned bac. to me& LI thin. 0eL,e !ound one o! the main runs,H 4ell it certainly seemed a lot 0ider than the tunnels 0eLd been !ollo0ing be!ore& L4hich meansQL I as.ed& The tech-priest shrugged, his 0hite robe beginning to loo. distinctly grubby no0, I noticed& 5ardly the most practical garment !or tunnel !ighting, but e,idently it hadnLt occurred to him to get changed be!ore setting out& (ither that or he didnLt ha,e anything else to 0ear in any case&

The main chamber should be at one end o! this passage0ay,H 5e glanced uncertainly up and do0n it& I considered his 0ords care!ully& L7ain chamber meaning&&&QL I as.ed& Logash responded 0ith the eagerness o! the enthusiast& The central nesting site, or den& %mbulls are social creatures, 0ith strong !amilial instincts, and tend to con gregate 0hen not out hunting or&&&L /orhees,H I said& L4hich direction did the creature come !romQL Logash loo.ed a little hurt at being abruptly cut o!! M'ust as he !elt he 0as getting to the interesting bit no doubtN& The trooper 'er.ed a thumb past the rapidly cooling chun. o! meat, 0hich 0as no0 surrounded by a garnet-coloured nimbus o! !ro1en blood& That 0ay,H he indicated& 7y sense o! direction .ic.ed in, and I absently noted that it 0as almost directly to0ards the or. siege lines& % sense o! grim !oreboding settled across my shoulders& LI! it 0as returning to the lair it 0ould ha,e been carrying prey o! some .ind to share 0ith the others,H Logash chipped in help!ully& The pool o! light !rom our luminators re,ealed nothing apart !rom the dismembered ambull& There 0as the ans0er& 4e 0erenLt going to be able to complete our reconnaissance mission 0ithout passing through a ca,ern !ull o! these monstrosities& 4onder!ul& #ut bo0el-clenching as the prospect appeared, I li.ed the idea o! a horde o! or.s pouring through these tunnels to slaughter the lot o! us e,en less& LClose up,H I ordered& L#e ready to concentrate your !irepo0er,H 9ri!en nodded, and 0ent to shout at 5ail and imla, 0ho 0ere blunting their combat .ni,es by trying to hac. the ambullLs head o!!& <p to that point I thought sheLd been .idding about ta.ing a trophy bac. 0ith us, but it seemed at least t0o o! her troopers had ta.en her literally& L7o,e out,H she ordered& L#y teams, co,ering the commissar and the cogboyA,H Logash sho0ed considerably more common sense than hitherto by pretending he hadnLt heard her& I must con!ess to !eeling a little better, though, .no0ing e,eryone else 0ould be 0atching my bac.& MIn case you 0ere 0ondering 0hy 9ri!en should care about my 0el!are, and LogashLs - I 0as deemed to be the best 'udge o! the ,alue o! any intelligence 0e might gather, and Logash&&& 0ell, letLs 'ust say 6asteen didnLt 0ant to ha,e any more dealings 0ith the %deptus 7echanicus than she already did&N o 0e mo,ed out cautiously, heading to0ards the centre o! the ma1e, our senses alert !or any sign o! mo,ement in the dar.ness& 4eLd debated dousing a !e0 o! our luminators in the hope that 0eLd ma.e oursel,es less ob,ious, but according to Logash it 0ouldnLt ma.e any di!!erence as the creatures could see in the dar. any0ay& 5e started to

e)plain ho0,= but it made no sense to me and I soon stopped listening& econd team still had the lead position& 9ri!en 0as already sho0ing a ,eteran commanderLs common sense 0hen it came to hanging bac. enough to .eep an ob'ecti,e eye on the 0hole s"uad, although 6arta Mthe % LF
#./ less than complimentary slang term or tech*priests, apparently derived rom their sym)ol o o ice. (t is common among '%ard troopers, along "ith several others, most o "hich are considera)ly more o ensive. =&/ccording to the Magos Aiologos they can see heat rather than light. 7ather an odd concept, ( have to say, )%t having loo+ed thro%gh a ta% )lac+light system recently ( can attest rom personal experience that s%ch a phenomenon can )e achieved )y technosorcery, so ( s%ppose it&s not )eyond the )o%nds o possi)ility that it might also occ%r in nat%re. K./ssistant s$%ad leader, a lo"er*ran+ing N!O trained to ta+e command i the sergeant )ecomes a cas%alty. 1here a s$%ad has )een divided into ireteams ."hich, as has already )een noted, "as standard practice in the FGHth0 the /-: "ill normally ta+e command o the second team "hen it )ecomes detached rom the irst, and the direct control o the sergeant.

and corporal in charge o! the !ireteamN had rotated /orhees bac. to 0here the medic could .eep an eye on him, and had put Drere on point& It made a .ind o! sense, I suppose, as /orhees 0as still pretty t0itchy a!ter his close encounter 0ith the ambull, but ILd ha,e been inclined to lea,e him 0here he 0asO i! he 0as going to be trigger happy ILd rather ha,e him 0here there 0as nothing but targets in !ront& I 0as behind him in any case though, so it 0as all one to me& Kurgen, Logash and I trotted along in the middle, .eeping a cautious distance bet0een the leading team and the one co,ering our bac.s, because i! either made contact I 0anted to be 0ell out o! harmLs 0ay& ;! course I 0as still uneasily a0are o! the ambullsL ability to car,e their 0ay straight through the ice to get at us, but I .ept my ears open and my paranoia cran.ed up to ma)imum, and so !ar I hadnLt noticed any o! the telltale ,ibrations 0hich might betray the approach o! another o! the beasts& L o 0hat do they taste li.eQL Kurgen as.ed& I stopped tuning out LogashLs prattling to gather that his mono logue on the sub'ect o! the ambullsL li!e cycle, social structure, and habitat had !inally yielded some use!ul in!ormation& %pparently there had been a number o! attempts to domesticate the things as a handy source o! meat on desert 0orlds& A LRather li.e gro), ILm told&L Logash loo.ed a little uncom!ortable, and I clapped him on the shoulder& L()cellent,HA said& L4eLll send a sca,enging party bac. to reco,er the carcasses once 0eL,e cleaned out the nest,H %ll the re!inery had to o!!er in the 0ay o! cuisine 0as a do1en di!!erent ,arieties o! soylens ,iridians, 0hich had already begun to pall, despite being !resh !rom their o0n
#. 1ith a conspic%o%s lac+ o s%ccess, i tr%th )e told. Their )%rro"ing a)ilities ma+e them almost impossi)le to con ine, "ith the inevita)le res%lt that the colonies "hich tried soon o%nd themselves overr%n "ith dangero%s predators.

,ats& ;! course, 0eLd brought our o0n supplies along but a nice !resh stea. 0ould li!t my spirits nicely, I thought& #esides, the creatures had been eating the miners, so it seemed !air enough to return the compliment& L9ood idea, sir,H Kurgen said 0ith relish& Logash loo.ed a little green !or someone so hea,ily augmented& 7aybe he 0as a ,egetarian, i! he still bothered eating at all& A can hear mo,ement,H Drere said, her ,oice slightly !lattened by the comm-bead in my ear& LClose up& Prepare !or contact,H 9ri!en issued the order 0ith calm authority, and I !ound mysel! at the centre o! a small .not o! troopers as !irst team caught up 0ith us& 4e pic.ed up our pace, !ell in 0ith them, and began clos ing on the lights !rom the luminators o! second team&

ThereLs a ca,ern here,H DrereLs ,oice tightened a little, the tension she must ha,e !elt transmitting itsel! through the gently hissing comm-bead in my ear& L5old position,H 6arta said, his o0n ,oice calm, but 0ith audible e!!ort& L4ait !or the rest o! us,H LCon!irm that,H Drere said, a !aint edge o! relie! entering her ,oice& The dancing lights ahead o! us 0ere closer together no0, I thought, re!racting more brightly through the crystal shards 0hich rimed the irregular 0alls o! the tunnel& LILm not about to stic. my&&& (mperorLs guts2L % lasgun opened up, bright mu11le !lashes strobing do0n the re!lecti,e tunnel, and the luminators ahead o! us bobbed more 0ildly than be!ore as their bearers bro.e into a run& 4e !ollo0ed suit, our boot soles crunching on the ice crystals under!oot& Logash slipped !rom time to time as he lost traction& The /alhallans, o! course, had no such di!!iculties, and ILd pic.ed up enough e)pertise in running on ice !rom them o,er the years to a,oid my o0n !eet slithering out !rom under me& I dre0 my laspistol& LKanny2L /orhees shouted, and a second 0eapon opened up in support& % moment later there 0as a shrie.

0hich echoed through the tunnels, raising the hairs on my arms, and a ho0l o! !eedbac. through the comm-bead 0hich made my teeth ache& L7edic2 Trooper do0n2L 6arta yelled, and by that time the rest o! us had reached the scene o! the carnage& The tunnel had indeed opened out into a large central chamber, about thirty metres across, and 0ith a hand!ul o! other passage0ays ,isibly piercing the 0alls at irregular inter,als& Drere 0as do0n, steaming blood starting to !ree1e in a slic. hard plate o,er a gaping 0ound in her torso& 5er !ace 0as pinched and 0hite !rom the shoc.& /orhees stood o,er her, pouring las!ire into the monstrosity 0hich had e,idently in!licted the damage, dri,ing it bac., screaming in rage and !rustration&A The ca,ern 0as a positi,e maelstrom o! 0hirling bodies and 0ild !iring& Luminator beams and las-bolts strobed as the troopers s0ung the mu11les o! their 0eapons to meet the nearest percei,ed threat& It 0as no place !or me, I decided, standing aside to let 9ri!enLs team 'oin the melee& I held an arm across LogashLs chest as though I intended to .eep him !rom harm& MIn actual !act, o! course, i! one o! the beasts had come any0here near us it could ha,e had him and been 0elcomeO and i! ILd .no0n 'ust ho0 much trouble he 0as shortly to cause us ILd probably ha,e thro0n him to the closest and bidden it )on appetit.0 The rein!orcements pitched in 0ith a 0ill, targeting the seething mass o! enraged monstrosities 0hich 0ere boiling out o! the shado0s at us& There 0ere too many to count, or at least thatLs ho0 it seemed at the time& 4hen the ice chips !inally settled it transpired that LogashLs estimate hadnLt been all that !ar out, 0ith a mere !i,e o!
#. (t&s not entirely clear rom this inal s%)ordinate cla%se "hether !ain is re erring to the am)%ll or the trooper2 sometimes he lets his immersion in his memories r%n ahead o comprehensi)ility. / ter some re lection (&ve elected to let his "ording stand, as %nder the circ%mstances either or )oth seem e$%ally li+ely.

the creatures stretched out on the !loor& #ut i! you had as.ed me to ta.e a stab at the numbers amid all that con !usion ILd probably ha,e said do1ens& LPic. your targets2 8ire !or e!!ect2L 9ri!en yelled, her actions matching her 0ords& he s"uee1ed the trigger methodically, placing single shots on the head o! the nearest ambull 0ith commendable accuracy, aiming !or the eyes and ma0& % las bolt burst against the roo! o! the thingLs mouth, blo0ing a large chun. o! brain matter bac.0ards 0hich clung to the !ro1en 0all, solidi!ying li.e an obscene outgro0th as the creature toppled bac.0ards& It hit the !loor 0ith a

concussion 0hich I 0as certain I could hear e,en o,er the cacophony o! combat& L;mnissiah protect us2L Logash 0as shi,ering in shoc., 0hich surprised me 0ith all that metal in him& (,idently loo.ing at holos o! e)otic species in the com!ort o! his chambers 0as rather more !un than ha,ing the blood-soa.ed reality trying to tear his !ace o!!& L;,er there& (ight oLcloc.&L Kurgen s0ung his hand in a !amiliar gesture, lobbing a !rag grenade o,er the heads o! the nearest monsters to burst among the ones clustered at the bac.& MKu,eniles 'ust out o! the nest, according to Logash 0hen he had a chance to e)amine them, but they loo.ed dangerous enough to me, pushing !or0ard as maddened by bloodlust as any o! the others 0eLd encountered&N % scream to my right snapped my head round 'ust in time to see a pair o! hideous mandibles close around the arm o! the medic 0ith a loud crunching sound 0hich spo.e o! bro.en bones or 0orse& %s the creature li!ted him o!! the ground I turned, chains0ord shrie.ing and leapt !or0ard to lop through the distended 'a0& 5e !ell hea,ily, clutching his 0ounded arm, and scrabbled !or a sel!-in'ector !rom his pouch 0ith his unin'ured hand& That should ha,e been enough to establish my participation in the battle and allo0 me to go bac. to babysitting Logash, but o! course the thing came at me& I s0ung the

0eapon again, cursing mysel! !or my stupidity& Kurgen he!ted the melta uncertainly unable to get a shot 0ithout .illing as many o! us as the creatures, and I had a moment to 0onder i! ILd e,er get the chance to suggest he settle !or something a little more manageable li.e a hell-gun or a !lamer ne)t time& Then a line o! bloody craters stitched themsel,es across the ambullLs chest& LThan.s2L I called to 6arta, and administered the co%p de grace to my staggering !oe, lopping the head !rom its shoulders as it !ell to its .nees& MProbably unnecessarily, but it 0as a suitably theatrical gesture !or a hero o! the Imperium to ma.e, and the surrounding troopers seemed to appreciate it&N %bruptly I became a0are o! the sudden silence around us, 0as bro.en only by the tic.ing o! the re-!ree1ing ice and the groans o! the 0ounded& LCasualtiesQL I as.ed, playing up to my caring image& 9ri!en made a rapid assessment& T0o serious& % !e0 cuts and bruises among the rest, but theyLll li,e,H he turned her attention to the medic, 0ho 0as treating Drere as best he could 0ith his one good hand& 5e 0as assisted by a grim-!aced /orhees& L5o0 is sheQL I as.ed, 0al.ing o,er to them& L heLll be !ine,H /orhees said !latly, clearly in no mood to accept any other outcomeO the memory o! him calling her gi,en name as the !ight started came bac. to me, and I smelled trouble& The nature o! their relationship, clearly more than purely pro!essional, 0as pretty ob,ious& %nd i! she died heLd no doubt blame himsel! !or not ha,ing been on point instead o! her& ;r 6arta !or s0itching their positions& (ither 0ay, it 0as clear his mind 0as no longer on the mission ob'ecti,es& L4onLt she, docQLA
#. / traditional nic+name or the s$%ad medic in most g%ard %nits. Most aren&t $%ali ied doctors, o co%rse, )eing trained simply in primary aid techni$%es designed to sta)ilise cas%alties long eno%gh to get them )ac+ to a properly e$%ipped aid station or chir%gical acility.

L ure she 0ill,H the medic said, the doubt in his ,oice ob,ious to e,eryone but /orhees& L tic. in an augmetic lung and a ne0 li,er, sheLll be good as ne0,H Pro,ided 0e got her bac. in time& I hesitated& ;ur mission 0as !ar !rom o,er, but 0eLd seen no sign o! any or. presence in these tunnels, and the greens.ins 0erenLt e)actly subtle& Come to that, they 0ouldnLt ha,e le!t any ambulls ali,e do0n here either& Chances 0ere the tunnel system 0as !ully secure, and there 0as nothing more to be gained by completing the s0eep&

;n the other hand, I ha,enLt made it through to my second century by being complacent& 4e needed to be certain the or.s didnLt .no0 the tunnels 0ere here, and e,en the slightest doubt could !atally undermine our plans !or the de!ence o! the re!inery& #ut that certainty could only be bought 0ith timeO time Drere clearly didnLt ha,e i! 0e 0ere going to get her bac. in time to sa,e her li!e& I hate choices li.e that& There are no good outcomes, all you can do is pic. 0hat seems to be the least bad, and so I dithered& The certainty o! sa!ety, or the potential loss o! my care!ully nurtured image as a leader 0ho cared about the troopers he ser,es 0ithQ The illusion that I 0as one o! them had sa,ed my li!e many times as they repaid the loyalty they belie,ed I held !or them& It 0as Kurgen 0ho bro.e the deadloc. in my ,acillating mind& %s instructed, heLd stuc. close to Logash, 0ho, predictably, 0as ignoring the carnage around him& 5e 0as no0 pottering around the chamber 0a,ing his aus-pe) about and digging chun.s o! ice out o! the 0alls 0ith his augmetic !ingers !or reasons entirely beyond me& LCommissar& :ouLd better ta.e a loo. at this,H %s usual my aideLs ,oice betrayed no e)citement, but I .ne0 him 0ell enough to recognise the undercurrent o! urgency in his tone& I 0al.ed o,er to the corner 0here the tech-priest 0as crouched, grubbing in the ice li.e a holidaying in!ant in the coastal sand&

4hat ha,e you !oundQL I as.ed, then got a good loo. o,er LogashLs shoulder and 0ished I hadnLt& LIt appears to be a midden,H he said, his ,oice curiously li.e a 'u,e comparing scrumball statistics& 5e pic.ed up a !ragment o! bone, 0hich loo.ed uncom!ortably human in origin& L% 0hatQL Kurgen as.ed, his bro0 !urro0ing& L% spoil heap,H Logash e)plained& L%mbulls are "uite organised, disposing o! their 0aste in a speci!ic part o! the den&&,H I too. a step bac.0ards as it occurred to me 'ust 0hat the discolorations in the ice that he 0as so blithely digging through consisted o!& The tech-priest prattled on& UVWX& proper analysis 0e should be able to determine 0hat they 0ere eating&&,H 4e .no0 0hat they 0ere eating& The miners,H 9ri!en came o,er to 'oin us, and lo0ered her ,oice& LDrereLs in a bad 0ay, commissar& Do 0e go on, or go bac.QL It 0as clear 0hich alternati,e she pre!erred& LI doubt that 0ould ha,e represented a su!!icient !ood source,H Logash said, still digging absently responding to the only part o! her remar. 0hich interested him& 5e began to 0or. something large out o! the ice& S4hat ha,e 0e hereQL LItLs a s.ull,H Kurgen responded help!ully, unable to identi!y a rhetorical "uestion i! one sat up and bit him& I glanced at it, idly 0ondering 0hich o! the luc.less miners this 0as, then !ro1e as something about the shape triggered 0arning bells in my mind& The cranium 0as lo0 bro0ed and hea,y, the 'a0 prothogonous, and as Logash brushed the obscuring ice a0ay 'utting tus.s became ,isible protruding !rom the lo0er mandible& L8rom an or.,HA added unnecessarily& o I had my ans0er& 4hether or not the greens.ins 0ere a0are o! it, there 0as a 0ay do0n into this labyrinth some0here beyond their lines, and any other choice I might ha,e made 0as no0 moot& I turned bac. to 9ri!en& L4e go on,H I said&

SEVEN

T5( +(JT D(CI I;+ I had to ma.e 0as the all-important one o! ho0 best to maintain morale& I didnLt thin. any o! the troopers 0ould acti,ely de!y a commissar, e,en /orhees, 0hose concern !or Drere loo.ed li.e out0eighing pretty much e,ery other consideration, but simply abandoning our 0ounded 0asnLt going to be an option& It 0ould lea,e e,eryone

demoralised, 0ondering i! theyLd be the ne)t to be le!t to die& ThatLs not a thought you 0ant your troopers to start brooding on& It ma.es them 'umpy and sloppy, and the ne)t thing you .no0 theyLre so concerned 0ith preser,ing their o0n s.ins theyLre losing !ocus on the important stu!!: !ul!illing the mission ob'ecti,es, and preser,ing mine& I made a big sho0 o! consulting Logash 0here e,eryone could hear me& L%re 0e li.ely to run into any more o! these creaturesQL I as.ed& 5e !ro0ned uncertainly&

LPossibly,H he said at last& L#ut I doubt it& 4e seem to ha,e a breeding pair and their o!!spring here, and gi,en the a,erage si1e o! a !amily group&&&L LILll ta.e that as a no,H I said !irmly, cutting him o!! be!ore he could bog us all do0n in e)traneous detail& L4hich means 0e can sa!ely di,ide our !orces,H %s ILd e)pected, a !lic.er o! interest passed around the !aces surrounding me, e)cept o! course !or Drere and the medic, 0ho 0ere too busy bleeding to ta.e much notice& %nd Kurgen, 0ho rarely sho0ed much sign o! interest in anything apart !rom porno slates& LDi,ide ho0QL 9ri!en as.ed& I indicated the 0ounded, and /orhees ho,ering an)iously o,er his recumbent girl!riend& L econd teamLs do0n to three e!!ecti,es, and itLll ta.e t0o o! those to carry Drere,H I said& /orheesLs head came up li.e a hound hearing a ration pac. being opened, a spar. o! hope .indling in his eyes& ThatLll lea,e one to ta.e point, and pic. o!! any o! the creatures 0e might ha,e missed,H 9ri!en nodded, understanding and relie! mingled in the gesture& L:ouLre sending them bac.,H she said, a statement rather than a "uestion& I nodded& The sooner the better,H I added, be!ore turning to 6arta& L#etter get mo,ing corporal& 4eLre counting on you,H +ot that I ga,e a !ra., you understand, but it sounded good, and it passed the buc. nicelyO i! anyone died be!ore ma. ing it to the medicae at least it 0as out o! my hands no0& 6arta saluted& L4eLll ma.e it,H he asserted, and peeled o!! to organise his people& L%m I to understand 0eLre mo,ing on at hal! strengthQL Logash as.ed, clearly 0ondering 0hat in the 0arp I thought I 0as playing at& I indicated the s.ull heLd dug up& L8irst team, Kurgen and I are,HA said& LThereLs ob,iously a 0ay do0n here !rom behind the or. lines, e,en i! the greens.ins ha,enLt noticed it yet, and 0eLre not going bac. until 0eL,e !ound it and plugged the hole in our de!ences,H +eedless to say I 0asnLt e)pecting to actually encounter any o! the brutes, or run into anything else do0n here capable o! harming us no0 that 0eLd slaughtered the ambulls, or ILd ne,er ha,e dreamed o! doing such a thing& %t the time, though, I 0as 'ust trying to !ind a reasonable e)cuse to linger do0n here !or a 0hile and a,oid the gargant& LI see,H Logash considered it care!ully, ta.ing on that hal!-lost loo. again& Then I assume I should continue to accompany you,H I hadnLt actually considered it, to be honest& ILd ha,e 0elcomed the chance to get rid o! him i! the thought had occurred to me, but on re!lection he 0ould only slo0 the 0ounded do0n i! he tagged along 0ith them, and I sup posed

his auspe) might come in handy& %ll in all it 0as marginally pre!erable to .eep him 0ith us, I decided& LI suppose so,H I said, lea,ing Kurgen to .eep an eye on him, and turning bac. to 0atch the 0ounded depart& I had a !inal 0ord 0ith 6arta, ma.ing sure 6asteen 0ould hear about the or. s.ull 0eLd !ound and rein!orce the mine entrance until 0e got bac.& Then 0e 0ished them the (mperorLs speed and 0atched the bobbing lights !rom their luminators recede up the tunnel& L4ell,H 9ri!en said a!ter a 0hile, summing up 0hat 0e all !elt& L#est get to it then& +o point 0aiting around, is thereQL Despite my con!idence that 0e 0ere alone do0n here, 0e mo,ed out in !ull combat order& 5ail 0as on point, her lasgun held 0ith the casual readiness o! the ,eteran, and I !ound the sight reassuring& imla !ol lo0ed her& The t0o o! them 0or.ed 0ell together, sharing an intuiti,e understanding 0hich probably meant they had a personal association going as 0ellO only to be e)pected in a mi)ed unit, o! course& #ehind him 0as Lunt, the s"uad hea,y 0eapon specialist, 0ho

carried a !lamer& That 0as something else I 0as pleased to !ind ahead o! me rather than behind, although he had sho0n enough restraint to re!rain !rom using it during the !ight in the ambull den, relying instead on the laspistol he 0ore bolstered at his belt&A MKust as 0ell, really, as heLd probably ha,e barbecued his s"uad mates as easily as the animals&N Tall and hea,y-set, he carried the 0eight o! his t0in promethium tan.s 0ith ease, the li"uid 0ithin them sloshing "uietly as he 0al.ed& I came ne)t, along 0ith Logash, Kurgen and 9ri!en, 0ho .ept a little behind us and as !ar !rom my aide as possible, 0hile Trooper 7agot, a small redheaded 0oman 0ith disturbingly hard eyes, too. up the rear& ;ut o! the entire s"uad she 0as the only one to address 9ri!en as LsargeL instead o!Lsergeant,H and mo,ed 0ith the easy grace o! an e)perienced soldier& MI learned later that theyLd ser,ed together !or some time, and sheLd re"uested a trans!er to 9ri!enLs s"uad 0hen her !riend 0as promotedO beyond that I !elt it prudent not to en"uire&N Despite e,eryoneLs unspo.en apprehension 0e encountered no more o! the ambulls, 0hich came as an immense relie! belie,e you me, and the only !oot!alls 0e heard 0ere our o0n& Li.e e,eryone else, I .ept my ears open !or the harsh guttural sounds o! or. ,oices and the crunch o! iron-shod boots in the rime ahead o! us, but the only noises to be heard 0ere the almost subliminal crea.s and pops o! the slo0ly-shi!ting ice& 4e must ha,e been mo,ing !or some time, I recall, as the ,o) messages !rom second team had !aded to inaudibility by this
#. /ltho%gh not prescri)ed )y reg%lations, many s%pport "eapon troopers and vehicle cre"s carry a )ac+ %p sidearm in case they have to a)andon their heavy e$%ipment or it mal %nctions in the heat o the )attle. .O co%rse i a lamer mal %nctions there isn&t li+ely to )e all that m%ch le t o the trooper carrying it, )%t :%nt "as evidently an optimist.0

point, 0hen Logash stopped to e)amine the 0alls o! the tunnel& L5o0 ,ery curious,H he said& L4hat isQL I as.ed, caution ta.ing precedence o,er the surge o! irritation I !elt 0hen his metallic elbo0 'abbed into my ribs as I stumbled into him& #y 0ay o! reply he scraped a hand!ul o! ice !rom the 0all& It crumbled, to re,eal the dar. grey sur!ace o! some .ind o! roc. behind it, still groo,ed 0ith the mar.s o! the ambullLs cla0s& L4eLre belo0 the ice layer& %ctually do0n into the bedroc. o! the planet& Puite !ascinating,H LILm glad youLre !inding the trip so entertaining,L I said, but the tech-priest 0as almost as imper,ious to sarcasm as Kurgen, and nodded in response&

L+ot "uite the 0ord ILd choose, but it certainly beats recalibrating the interociters,H he said cheer!ully& I had no idea 0hat he meant, o! course, so I smiled and suggested 0e get mo,ing again& <n!ortunately getting his legs going didnLt slo0 do0n his mouth, and he prattled on about the underlying geology o! the mountain range at inordinate length& L7ountains are 'ust there, arenLt theyQL Kurgen as.ed a!ter some time had passed, blin.ing in be!uddlement& Logash shoo. his head& To our limited perception o! time, yes& #ut on a geological timescale, 0hich is to say on the order o! millions o! years, a planetLs crust is as !luid as a pan !ull o! ste0 on the sto,e,H 4ell he understood 0hich metaphors 0ould appeal to Kurgen, I had to gi,e him that& LThe lo0er strata rise to the sur!ace, and are gradually 0orn do0n again by the processes o! erosion,H L o 0hat youLre saying,H Kurgen said slo0ly, Lis that these mountains are li.e a ,ery large carrotQL I .ept my !ace straight 0ith an e!!ort, although a strangulated snort escaped !rom 7agot 0ho 0as behind me& LIn a manner o! spea.ing,H Logash 0as clearly unsure 0hether Kurgen 0as ta.ing the !ra. or not& L8loating on

the sur!ace o! the pot& % !e0 million years ago this 0hole area 0ould ha,e been an open plain, or the bottom o! an ocean,H L5o0 can you ha,e an ocean 0hen e,erythingLs !ro1enQL Kurgen as.ed, all innocence& #ut Logash nodded as though pleased 0ith a promising student& L% good "uestion&L 5e 0ent on a!ter a momentLs thought, ignoring my aideLs e)pression o! pleased surprise& LIn its early history this 0ould ha,e been a !ar more hospitable 0orld& #ut itLs 'ust too !ar !rom the sun, and it cooled do0n gradually& 4here 0e are no0 is on a continental shel!, 0hich is 0hy 0eL,e penetrated as !ar as the bedroc.& The ice goes do0n !or tens o! .ilometres 'ust out !rom the mountain range, 0hich 0ould ha,e been an island chain in those days& ;r perhaps this 0as a coastal plain 0hich !looded as the oceans !ro1e and increased in ,olume&LA ThereLs something up ahead,H 5ail reported a moment later, and I hurried !or0ard to 'oin her, grate!ul !or the e)cuse to get a0ay !rom the endless babbling& That may sound harsh, but belie,e me, a!ter se,eral hours o! nonstop logorrhoea youLd ha,e !elt the same& %s I did so I !elt the palms o! my hands begin to tingle& L4hat is itQL I as.ed, 'oining her& he 0as halted ne)t to the entrance to a side tunnel and peering round it& The luminator taped to the barrel o! her lasgun s.ipped its cone o! light around the 0alls and !loor& That 0as 0hen it hit me& <nli.e the irregular ambull tunnels 0eLd been !ollo0ing this corridor 0as s"uared o!!, composed o! regular lines and angles beneath its coating o! ice& There 0as no telling 0ho might ha,e built it, o! course, or anything else !or that matter, as the !ro1en epidermis e!!ecti,ely obscured e,ery detail& LLunt,H I ordered a!ter a momentLs thought& L9et up here,H The hul.ing trooper ambled across to us, and
#. /lmost certainly the latter, given !ain&s s%)se$%ent discovery.

aimed his !lamer do0n the mysterious passage0ay, see.ing a target& It stretched into the distance, s0allo0ing our luminator beams as though they 0ere the most tenuous o! candle !lames& %!ter a moment he triggered the 0eapon, sending a gout o! burning promethium do0n the corridor ahead o! us, blasting the shado0s !rom the corners and replacing them 0ith !lic.ering orange spectres& team hissed and 0ater dripped !rom the 0alls as the pool o! burning accelerant roared a0ay on the !loor, melting the ice around it& The hairs on the bac. o! my nec. rose& ItLs an odd sensation, and one IL,e seldom !elt& 9rim memories !rom years be!ore came !looding bac. as I recognised the obsidian architecture surrounding us, !inely polished stone o! absolute

blac.ness seeming someho0 to suc. the light into itsel!, all the dar.er and more !orbidding !or the !aint re!lecti,e sheen 0hich coated it& L;mnissiah preser,e us,H Logash breathed at my elbo0, and !or a moment I thought heLd recognised it too& #ut the 0ords that !ollo0ed betrayed an ignorance that 0as almost bliss!ul& 4e must ma.e a !ull record o! this at once& 4e had no idea that the planet 0as once inhabited&&,H L(,eryone out,H I commanded& L#rea. out the demo charges and prepare to seal this no0,H LCommissarQL 9ri!en loo.ed a little con!used& I suppose she might ha,e been !orgi,en !or 0ondering i! ILd gone a bit siggyA, but by that point the last thing on my mind 0as ho0 I appeared to the other ran.s& Those are
#. / collo$%ial re erence to the '%ard medicae sanitari%m in the -igma 6avo*nis system "here troopers s% ering rom mental illness and com)at atig%e are sent or assessment and reha)ilitation. The less chronic cases are ret%rned to d%ty a ter treatment, "hile the more severe ones can receive long*term care, sometimes or years. !o*incidentally, the system&s other claim to ame is as a man% actoria o com)at servitors, many o "hich ind their "ay into (n$%isitorial service.

supposed to be used to seal die tunnels o!! !rom the or.s&L There are 0orse things than greens.ins,H I said& 9ri!en loo.ed a litde sceptical at this, 0hat 0ith the or.s being the /alhallansL ancient blood enemy and all that MdonLt get me 0rong, theyLd happily pile into any o! the (mperorLs enemies 0ho happened along, but gi,e them a choice and theyLd .ill greenies e,ery timeN, but too. my 0ord !or it& L%re you madQL Logash raised his ,oice, clearly determined to challenge me& The .no0ledge contained in there could be priceless& 4e donLt .no0 0hy this structure 0as built, or by 0hom&&&L LI do,H I said and pointed to one o! the 0alls, 0here a curious arrangement o! lines and circles 0as partially ,isible through a curtain o! hal!-melted ice& It 0as illuminated by the dying !lames o! the promethium pool& The necrons built it,H The name didnLt mean anything to most o! them, o! course& ;nly Kurgen had encountered them be!ore aside !rom mysel!, and that !ar less up close and personal than the terrors ILd escaped !rom on Interitus Prime& #ut the troopers seemed 0illing to ta.e my 0ord !or it, at least& I! only I could say the same !or the tech-priest& L#ut you canLt 'ust blo0 up a disco,ery o! this magnitude2L Logash 0as practically beside himsel!& Thin. o! the archeotech that must be do0n there2 Destroying it 0ould be a crime against the ;mnissiah2L L8ra. the ;mnissiah,HA said, !inally shutting him up& LI s0ore an oath to ser,e the (mperor, not a buc.et o! bolts, and thatLs e)acdy 0hat I intend to do& 5a,e you any idea 0hat 0ould happen i! there are dormant necrons do0n there and 0e did something to disturb themQL LILm sure your soldiers could deal 0ith them 0hate,er they are,H Logash replied sti!!ly& L4ell ILm not,H I said 0ithout thin.ing& Then I remembered 0ho else 0as there and carried on as though ILd meant to say more all along& LILd bac. this regiment against e,erything !rom eldar to daemons, but e,en the best soldiers in the 9uard couldnLt stand long against a !ull-scale necron incursion& These things arenLt e,en ali,e as 0e understand the term& They canLt be reasoned 0ith, they canLt be intimidated, and i! they ha,e the numbers on their side they simply canLt be stopped& TheyLll 'ust .eep coming until e,ery li,ing thing on this planet is dead2L I 0as uncom!ortably a0are as I !inished that my ,oice had risen in pitch& I !ought it bac. to a semblance o! calm& L:ouLre not being rational about this,H Logash said& LI! there 0ere acti,e necrons do0n here they 0ould ha,e .illed the ambulls, surelyQL LKust !or starters,H I said& 7y old nightmare o! or.s pouring through these narro0 passage0ays bent on plunder and

destruction seemed positi,ely com!orting no0& I !ought do0n memories o! those blan. metallic !aces, !ashioned in the semblance o! s.ulls, ad,ancing through a hail o! hellgun !ire as though it 0ere a re!reshing spring rain, and shuddered in horror& Logash might ha,e a point, I supposed, the temple or 0hate,er it 0as might 0ell be abandoned, but then 0eLd thought that on Interitus Prime as 0ell& %nd loo. ho0 that had turned out& (ntering so unhallo0ed a place 0as simply too dangerous to contemplate, and i! Logash and his pals 0ere that .een to ta.e such an insane ris. they could damn 0ell do it once the or.s 0ere ta.en care o! and 0e 0ere long gone& +ot that I intended 0aiting around on this iceball until 0eLd got rid o! the greens.ins& 8inding a necron arti!act changed e,erything, and our best course o! action 0as simply to e,acuate our !orces bac. to the 6%re o Heart, turn the 0hole matter o,er to the In"uisition, and ha,e done 0ith it& I might e,en get to rene0 my ac"uain tance 0ith %mberley, 0hich 0ould at least be one blessing in the a!!air - assuming she didnLt drag me o!! on another suicidal escapade in the name o! the ;rdo Jenos o! course&

9ri!en didnLt need telling t0ice, and 0as already brea.ing out the demo charges& ;nce again my undeser,ed reputation 0as 0or.ing to my ad,antage, and she no doubt thought that anything bad enough to lea,e a hero o! the Imperium in need o! clean undergarments 0as something she didnLt 0ant to meet& YZ[ canLt do this2 I simply 0onLt let you2L Logash practically screamed li.e a petulant child as imla and 5ail placed the charges& 5e stepped !or0ard as i! to inter!ere& Kurgen barred his 0ay 0ith the melta, and shoo. his head& L#est to .eep out o! the 0ay, sir,H he said& Logash raised a hand to the barrel, as though about to slap it out o! the 0ay& I 0as suddenly uneasily a0are o! ho0 much strength he might ha,e in his augmetic limbs, and (mperor alone .ne0 0hat other little alterations the baggy robe might conceal& I stepped !or0ard, ostentatiously loosening the laspistol in the holster at my belt& L7ight I remind you,H I said le,elly, Lthat this 0orld is currently under martial la0& That means youLre as sub'ect to my authority as any member o! the 9uard, and ILm !ully 0ithin my rights to deal summarily 0ith any attempt to inter!ere 0ith the protection o! this installation,H 5e too. my meaning at once, but 0ith ill grace, and subsided& 5e glared at me 0ith an e)pression o! male,olent disgust completely at odds 0ith the demeanor o! cheer!ul idiocy ILd come to e)pect& I suppose I might ha,e !ound it intimidating i! I hadnLt been glared at by e)perts in my time Mand trust me, until youL,e hac.ed o!! a daemon youL,e got no idea o! 0hat a real glare isN, so I returned his ga1e le,elly until he bro.e eye contact& Typical meatbagA beha,iour,H he sneered, !ailing miserably to regain any dignity& LKust trample on anything
#. / derisive /dept%s Mechanic%s slang term or the %na%gmented, "ho they hold in noticea)le contempt. 1hich, to )e air, is generally reciprocated.

you donLt understand& :ouLre no better than the or.s,H Considering he 0as surrounded by hea,ily armed /al-hallans it 0asnLt e)actly the most tact!ul thing he might ha,e said, but to their credit the troopers continued 0or.ing 0ith undiminished e!!iciency, merely brea.ing o!! !or a second to stare sullenly at him& 5e must ha,e realised heLd o,erstepped the mar., though, because he 0as "uiet a!ter that, apart !rom occasional barely audible mutterings about meatbag barbarians& LI! itLs any consolation,H I reassured him, L0eLre not destroying anything,H +ot !rom choice, mind, but i! the necron architecture ILd come across be!ore 0as anything to go by the strange blac. stone 0ould simply be too resilient to be seriously damaged by the meagre "uantities o! e)plosi,e 0e had at our disposal& L4eLre merely sealing it o!! as a precaution& ;nce the re!ineryLs sa!e you can grub around do0n here to your heartLs content,H Kust so long as I 0as at

least a sector a0ay by that point& Logash still loo.ed sul.y, but slightly molli!ied& L8ire in the hole2L 7agot bello0ed, 0ith rather too much relish !or my li.ing, and 0e retreated to 0hat I hoped 0ould be a sa!e distance be!ore she hit the detonator& The e)plosion 0as satis!actorily loud, bringing do0n a chun. o! the corridor ceiling, 0hich pro,ed to be composed o! cubical bloc.s o! the strange blac. stone roughly the length o! my !orearm& They tumbled do0n in disarray, !ollo0ed by chun.s o! ice and bedroc. that !ormed a solid-loo.ing seal o,er the mouth o! the corridor, reducing the ambull run 0eLd been !ollo0ing, to hal! its original 0idth !or a do1en paces or so& L hady2L 7agot said, 0ith e,ident satis!action& LILd li.e to see anything get past that,H L+o you 0ouldnLt,H I said& olid as the bloc.age seemed, i! there really 0ere necrons beyond it tiiey 0ouldnLt ta.e long to dig their 0ay out& Those metal bodies 0ere tireless and implacable, their 0eapons and

e"uipment so po0er!ul they made the most sophisticated toys o! the %deptus 7echanicus loo. li.e sharpened stic.s& I !orced the image o! ancient horrors out o! my mind again& L4ell i! that 0as the 0ay the ambulls got an or. do0n here itLs pretty 0ell sealed,H 9ri!en said& I nodded& It seemed li.ely, but I supposed 0e had to be sure& 4ith an e!!ort I dragged my mind bac. to the mission at hand& 4eLll ma.e a !inal s0eep and head bac.,H I decided, to e,eryoneLs relie!& 34e ha,e to report this& It ta.es priority o,er e,erything,H LCommissar2L imla called, !rom the other side o! the spoil heap& Ta.e a loo. at this2L Cursing, I rounded the pile o! rubble, homing in on the light !rom his luminator to !ind the sharp-!eatured trooper crouching o,er something metallic 0hich had e,idently been !ro1en into the !loor o! the tunnel and dislodged by the e)plosion& % crudely made bolter o! some .ind, the barrel sheared o!! by 0hat loo.ed li.e cla0 mar.s& %n or. shoota,HA said unnecessarily& LIt must ha,e been dropped by the one the ambulls .illed 0hile they 0ere dragging it bac. to the den,H imla nodded& L o it must ha,e come !rom !urther up the tunnel,H 9reat& The hole in our de!enses 0as still 0ide open& I dithered !or a moment, but in the end there 0as really no other choice& The necron threat, though terrible, 0as only a potential one, and had been contained !or the time being& #ut the or.s remained a clear and present danger, and 0ould do so until 0eLd completed our mission& lo0ly and reluctantly I stood& L ergeant2L I called& L7o,e them out& 4eLre going on,H
Editorial Note: /gain # m%st apologise or in licting another example o -%lla&s overly p%rple prose on my patient readers .except or those o yo% "ho, $%ite %nderstanda)ly, may choose to s+ip it.0 # do so )eca%se events "ere still moving along on the s%r ace o the planet even as !ain made his dist%r)ing discovery in the depths o the mine. /nd, as )e ore ( eel it important to present a little more )ac+gro%nd detail than !ain&s typically sel *centred narrative provides. &1e pic c%p her acco%nt o events at a point "here her platoon had )een rotated )ac+ rom the ront lines or rest and rec%peration, a ter ta+ing a n%m)er o cas%alties "hile repelling a series o increasingly determined or cassa%lts.

()tracted !rom :i+e a 6hoenix From the Flames: The Fo%nding o the FGHth, by 9eneral Kenit ulla MretiredN, >B@&7?=&

IL7 PR;<D T; say that despite the loss o! so many gallant comrades in arms, 0hose sacri!ice 0ill e,er be remem bered,A our morale remained high and our determination resolute& Though the greens.ins 0ere undeniably a nuisance, 0e had sent them pac.ing on e,ery occasion they troubled us, and it 0as almost 0ith a sense o! reluctance that 0e pulled bac. !rom our beleaguered redoubt and ga,e it into the care o! Lieutenant 8aril and the eager 0arriors under his command& 4iser heads than ours had made the decision to relie,e us, ho0e,er, so there 0as no point in appealing it, and so 0e pic.ed up our 0ounded and 'oined the tric.le o! tired but still resolute soldiery and headed bac. to the main re!inery comple) !or a hot meal and a !e0 hours o! sleep& 4e 0ere secure in the .no0ledge that the !ray 0as !ar !rom o,er and that 0e 0ould shortly once again ha,e our chance to 0rea. the (mperorLs ,engeance on the green-s.in barbarians 0ho had had the e!!rontery to encroach on 5is sacred dominions& %s 0e trudged through the sno0 the s.y abo,e us 0as bright 0ith the trails o! the shuttles !rom our sturdy transport ship, and I re!lected ho0 bene!icent !ate, or the guidance o! 5is 9lorious 7a'esty, had so arranged matters that e,en no0, as 0e !aced and bested 5is bestial !oes, 5is loyal sub'ects 0ere being ta.en to the sa!ety 0hich our doughty ,essel a!!orded& Indeed, the truth o! the soldierLs ma)im, LThe (mperor Protects,L had seldom been made mani!est to me 0ith such crystal clarity& It 0as 0hile I 0as re!lecting thus, and en'oying an une)pectedly la,ish meal o! the soylens ,iridians 0hich the tech-priests 0ho ran this palace o! 0onders had so generously pro,ided !rom their o0n resources, that Colonel 6asteen summoned me to the command centre&

#. Tho%gh not, apparently, their names, as she doesn&t )other to record them.

<pon my arri,al my attention 0as immediately sei1ed by the hololithic display, 0hich the colonel 0as consulting along 0ith 7a'or #ro.la0, Captain 8ederer o! the engineering contingent, and a ci,ilian I 0as gi,en to understand had something to do 0ith the mining operation here&A %s I listened to the plan 0hich the colonel began to un!old, I 0as stunned by its boldness and elegance& 8or it 0as nothing less than to lure the loathsome greens.ins into a trap 0hich 0ould surely annihilate both them and their a0esome engine o! 0ar 0hich, e,en as 0e spo.e, 0as edging e,er nearer& 5o0 !itting it seemed to use the crea turesL impetuosity and o,ercon!idence to lure them to their

o0n destruction2 %s I considered the plan in detail the .een intelligence behind the order to pull my platoon bac. became instantly apparent to me& #y replacing the 0eary units at the !ront 0ith !e0er numbers o! !resh soldiers our !orces could maintain the illusion o! remaining at !ull strength, at least !or the !e0 hours necessary to prepare our trap, 0hile 0e could continue to gradually reduce the number o! de!enders& 4hen the time came 0e could easily pull the remainder bac. to lure our enemies in, co,ering our o0n !orcesL retreat !rom our positions on either side, and catching the or.s in a 0ithering cross!ire 0hich ought to distract them !or long enough to detonate the mine& 8rom the sombreness o! Colonel 6asteenLs demeanour I had e)pected to be gi,en the honour o! acting as the lure in this most cunning o! stratagems, but it seemed e,en greater glory 0as to be ours& The colonel e)plained that 0ithin the hour she had recei,ed a message !rom the gallant Commissar Cain, 0ho e,en as she spo.e 0as continuing his heroic reconnaissance o! the lo0est le,els o!

#. Bndo%)tedly Morel

the mine, to the disturbing e!!ect that it 0as possible the greens.ins had !ound a 0ay into the tunnels& Though all 0ere con!ident that a hero o! his stature 0ould easily repel any o! the bestial !oe incautious enough to ,enture there, it 0as !elt necessary to pro,ide an armed escort !or the sappers and miners 0ho 0ere to prepare our trapO and since econd "uad o! my o0n platoon had ,entured into those ,ery tunnels no more than a day be!ore, 0ith the commissar himsel!, 0e 0ere the ob,ious choice !or this ,ital assignment& I must o0n up to it, my breast s0elled 0ith pride as I contemplated the honour o! the tas. 0ith 0hich 0e had been entrusted, and assured the colonel that 0e 0ould indeed pro,e 0orthy o! her con!idence&

EI"HT
+((DL( T; %: the decision to continue our assignment 0as !ar !rom uni,ersally popular, although no one apart !rom Logash ,oiced any dissent& 9ri!en and her team 0ere pro!essional enough to understand the necessity o! ensuring the sa!ety o! our comrades, not to mention oursel,es, and so 0e pushed on in uneasy silence& The only sounds 0ere the crunching o! our boot soles in the thic. !rost that still coated the tunnel !loor and the tech-priestLs sotto voce imprecations& #esides 0hich, no one in our party could ha,e been more reluctant to proceed than me, you can depend on it& (,ery instinct o! sel!-preser,ation I possessed urged me to !lee the ca,erns at once, and !ind some e)cuse to board the !irst shuttle bac. to the relati,e sa!ety o! the 6%re o Heart. LCommissarQL Kurgen as.ed, and I suddenly became a0are that I 0as murmuring one o! the Catechisms o! Command under my breath, something I s0ear ILd ne,er

done consciously since lea,ing the schola& Kust goes to sho0 ho0 spoo.ed I 0as& L+othing,L I said hastily, ha0.ing a gob o! rapidly cooling phlegm into the encircling dar.ness& LKust clearing my throat&L L;h& Right&L 5e nodded, in his usual imperturbable !ashion, and 0al.ed on, melta held ready across his body& Logash ga,e me a nasty loo.& LS8ear is the mind .iller,S ehQL he as.ed, 0hich at least told me his hearing 0as preternaturally augmented& LI thin. youL,e already pro,ed that today,H I could hardly belie,e it: here 0e 0ere, caught bet0een t0o o! the nas tiest !oes you could e,er hope not to meet, and he 0as still sul.ing about not being allo0ed to loot the bloody tomb& L%t least IL,e still got enough o! a mind to .no0 I ought to be scared,H I snapped bac.& 4e glared at each other li.e pre-schola 'u,es 0hose ,ocabulary is too limited to prolong an e)change o! ,erbal abuse, and !or all I .ne0 0eLd ha,e descended to sho,ing and !inger-po.ing i! 5ail hadnLt cut in on my comm-bead& LI can see light up ahead,H % shi,er o! apprehension shot through me& 4e 0ere still deeply underground, and although the tunnel !loor had been rising gently !or the last couple o! .ilometres my natural a!!inity !or these conditions told me 0e should be no0here near the sur!ace& L5old position,H I ordered, my irritation 0ith the truculent tech-priest already !orgotten, and hurried !or0ard to 'oin her& KurgenLs !amiliar odour !ollo0ed, and 0e o,ertoo. Lunt and imla& The big hea,y 0eapons specialist 0atched as 0e passed, and began to ready his !lamer, 0hich no0 0e 0ere in !ront it 0as rather less com!orting than his sho0 o! initiati,e might other0ise ha,e been& %s 0e approached 5ailLs position I clic.ed o!! my luminator, and a moment later Kurgen did the same& %s
\ui,HtOi %5 ice AA\

0as my habit I closed my eyes as 0e did so, .no0ing my dar. ,ision 0ould ad'ust a little !aster, !or such things can mean li!e or death in these situations and all too o!ten do& To my relie! 5ail had doused her o0n light, either !rom training or common sense, so there 0as nothing to impede my perceptions as I mo,ed up to 'oin her& L;,er here, sir,H The 0hisper came !rom one o! the deeper shado0s, into 0hich the 0oman had blended almost in,isibly& 5er s.in 0as ,ery dar., almost the colour o! reca!, and she used this natural ad,antage to the !ullest& A %s she

mo,ed her silhouette came into !ocus, bac.lit by a so!t, greyish radiance !rom some0here !urther do0n the tunnel& I sighed 0ith relie!& ILd been dreading the sight o! the sic., greenish glo0 0hich had permeated the necron tomb ILd penetrated be!ore, and the realisation that 0hate,er 0e 0ere coming to had nothing to do 0ith them hit me 0ith an intensity a.in to euphoria& %ny sign o! mo,ementQL I as.ed, and 5ail shoo. her head, a barely-,isible motion in the dar.ness 0hich I sensed as much as sa0& L+othing yet,H she said& L9ood,H I stood still !or a moment, letting my tunnel ratLs senses attune to this change in our en,ironment& %s my eyes ad'usted !ully the pale glo0 seemed to strengthen, a !aint, irregular disc about the si1e o! my thumbnail thro0ing the dar.er stone around it into star. relie!& %nd there 0as a !aint current o! air on my !ace too, sharp 0ith the smell o! cold and hea,y 0ith damp& Impossible as it seemed, it loo.ed ,ery much
#. This "as extremely %n%s%al or a 3alhallan2 perhaps as a res%lt o living %ndergro%nd they generally tend to the lightest o complexions. Hail&s colo%ration is the norm on many other "orlds in the sector, ho"ever, "here the "hite s+in typical o her home"orld "o%ld seem e$%ally %n%s%al, so it&s pro)a)le that an ancestor or t"o o hers settled there a ter relocating or some reason.

li.e a !issure to the sur!ace& LI thin. this is it,H I concluded& L urely 0eLre !ar too !ar undergroundQL Logash "ueried at my elbo0& Lost in my re,erie I hadnLt noticed him tag ging along, and I started momentarily, to his unconcealed amusement& LCould be the bottom o! a cre,asse,H Kurgen ,olunteered& It sounded plausible to me, and he had gro0n up on a 0orld li.e this, so I nodded& That 0ould e)plain our dead or.,H I said& LIt 'ust !ell do0n into the tunnels here,H 7aybe the !all had .illed it and the ambull 0ho brought it home 'ust got luc.y, although in my e)perience it 0ould ta.e more than dropping a !e0 hundred metres do0n a hole to !inish o!! a greens.in !or sure, especially i! it landed on its head& L o this 0hole e)pedition has been a colossal 0aste o! time,H Logash concluded& I shoo. my head& L8ar !rom it& I! one or. !ound the hole, others could, and they can climb do0n a rope 'ust as easily as any other species,H ThatLs not entirely true, o! course, theyLre clumsy brutes at the best o! times, but theyLre deter mined and resilient, and sometimes thatLs enough& L#est go on and chec. it out then,H 5ail said, more !or the pleasure o! contradicting the tech-priest than supporting me I suspected, but the display o! solidarity 0as 0elcome ne,ertheless& LI thin. so,H I said, and mo,ed on, the others ta.ing up their positions around me as 0e continued on to0ards the gradually intensi!ying glo0& %s 0e got closer the !aint current o! air gre0 stronger, and the almost tolerable lo0 temperatures o! the tunnels began to drop rapidly, so that I !ound mysel! shi,ering again e,en through the thic. 0ea,e o! my greatcoat& L mells li.e sno0,H 9ri!en said cautiously& L4e must be getting close&L I 0as prepared to ta.e her 0ord !or it, a!ter all she .ne0 sno0 and ice the 0ay I did tunnels& I 0as mildly surprised to see e,en the stoic /alhallan pulling her greatcoat 'ust a little tighter& I! I could trust her instincts as strongly as I belie,ed, that didnLt augar 0ell& In the e,ent 0e 0ere e,en closer than 0e realised& 4e turned a corner, s.irting an outcrop o! some deeply-,eined roc. I didnLt bother listening to Logash identi!y, and the !ull !orce o! the blood-chilling cold ILd e)peri enced a!ter the shuttle crash hit me in the !ace along 0ith a 0ea. sha!t o! sunlight 0hich seemed almost da11ling a!ter the gloom o! the tunnels& L(mperorLs bo0els2L I said, pulling my scar! up o,er my mouth and nose, !eeling sharp shards o! pain s.itter through my abused lungs& omeho0, incredibly, the ambull tunnel had bro.en the sur!ace, hundreds o! metres deeper than

should ha,e been possible& #ut 0e 0ere undeniably outside again& LInteresting,L Logash said, not e,en shi,ering, (mperor rot his augmented hide& no0 0hirled in around us, stinging our eyes, and obscuring e,erything in !ront o! us !rom sight& 5e pondered !or a moment& LPerhaps a small ,alley, cutting into the mountains&&&L I considered it, o,erlaying a rough estimate o! our position on the orbital images ILd seen in the 6%re o Heart&s hololithic bridge display& It 0as per!ecdy possible that 0eLd come right through the heart o! the ridge !orming one o! the sides o! the ,alley protecting the re!inery comple), and !ound oursel,es at the bottom o! a de!ile o! some .ind that cut into it !rom the other side& I! so, that 0as both good and bad ne0s& #ad in that there 0as indeed a 0ay through the tunnels 0hich breached our de!ences, but on the plus side 0e 0ould be a long 0ay !rom the main body o! the besieging or.s& The only ones this !ar do0n the other side o! the ridge 0ould be s<agglers or scouting parties li.e the one 0eLd encountered be!ore& (,en shi,ering as I already 0as, the thought 0as enough to send an additional chill through me& There 0as no telling ho0 many such groups had struc. out

ahead o! the main ad,ance,L and i! one had already disco,ered the tunnel entrance and reported bac. the entire army could be on its 0ay to ta.e ad,antage o! it& 4ell, perhaps not that many, but a large enough !orce to cause us some real problems i! they got loose behind our de!ensi,e line& M+ot that it 0as going to hold !or a sec ond once the gargant arri,ed, o! course, so I 0as 'ust ha,ing to thumb my palm = that 6asteen had come up 0ith some strategy to deal 0ith it 0hile 0e 0ere running around in the tunnels&N LTrac.s&L 7agot 0as .neeling on the ice a !e0 metres bac. !rom the curtain o! 0hirling sno0, staring at it intensely& I couldnLt see a thing mysel!, but once again I !ound mysel! putting my !ull con!idence in the /alhal-lansL natural a!!inity !or these dread!ul conditions& 9ri!en mo,ed to 'oin her, s"uatting beside her !riend& LLoo.s li.e,H she agreed& L;r. boots, ILd sayL L5o0 manyQL I managed to as., through the mu!!ling scar! and my rapidly numbing !acial muscles& 7agot shrugged& L;ne pairQL he didnLt sound terribly sure& The !loorLs che0ed up around here something a0!ul&L L;ne or.,H Logash con!irmed, scanning the !loor 0ith his metal eyes, a hint o! impatience entering his ,oice& L%nd ambull trac.s& The greens.in must ha,e 0andered in, disturbed it, and ended up as lunch&L L;nly one or.QL I as.ed& L:ouLre absolutely sureQL
#.Not that many, in all li+elihood. &9ommandos& as they&re +noivn .a loan "ord rom some h%man c%lt%re according to the Ordo 4iolog%s, as or+s aren&t a)le to concept%alise anything to do "ith s%)tlety or themselves0 are $%ite rare among the greens+in orces. Most lac+ the patience or, to )e )l%nt, intelligence or anything other than a )r%te orce rontal attac+. 1hich ma+es these occasional exceptions a danger o%t o all proportion to their limited n%m)ers, as they generally s%cceed in ta+ing their targets completely )y s%rprise. 8./ good l%c+ gest%re !ain appeared to have retained rom his early childhood, "herever that "as act%ally spent.

;! course, Logash said& LItLs completely clear to anyone 0ith the right eyes to see these things,H +ormally ILd ha,e !ound the hint o! the typical tech-priest arrogance returning to his ,oice irritating, I admit, but at the time it almost came as a relie!& I assumed it meant he 0as getting o,er his sul.iness& #ut I had more pressing concerns to consider& Then 0hat happened to the othersQL I 0ondered aloud& ;r.s 0ere obno)ious and "uarrelsome, but they 0ere curiously sociable in their o0n brutal !ashion, and our solitary ambull ,ictim 0ouldnLt ha,e been out here alone& True, his !riends 0ouldnLt 0aste all that much time loo.ing !or him once they noticed he 0as missing, but they might still be in the ,icinity& %nd that meant they could stumble in here 'ust as easily as their erst0hile companion&

L% good "uestion,H Logash conceded& LI suppose youLll 0ant to scout around and ma.e sure there are no more o! them outsideQL 4ell actually that 0as the last thing I 0anted to do, but it 0as necessary, and I couldnLt bac. do0n in !ront o! the troopers no0 that someone had ,erbalised the thought, so I nodded& LItLs the only 0ay to be sure,HA agreed, managing to conceal my reluctance tolerably 0ell I belie,ed& I 0as not "uite sure 0hether I detected the ghost o! a ,indicti,e smile on the tech-priestLs !ace& Conditions outside 0ere e,en 0orse than I could possibly ha,e imagined& The sno0 continued to !lurry all around us, dri,en by a 0ind .eener than an eldar 0ychLs !lensing .ni!e, and I !ound my eyes shutting re!le)i,ely be!ore I 0as a hand!ul o! paces !rom the ca,e mouth& 4ith a thrill o! panic I realised I couldnLt open them again: the 0ind-dri,en tears had !ro1en on my !ace and sealed them closed& I 0as 'ust about to gi,e 0ay to the impulse to retrace my steps Ma sure 0ay o! stumbling to my death do0n a cre,asse or terminal hypothermia a0ay

!rom the ,igilance o! my companionsN, 0hen a reassuring arm settled across my shoulders& I inhaled KurgenLs acrid odour grate!ully, as though it 0ere the bou"uet o! a !ine ,intage, mildly surprised to !ind that my nose 0as still 0or.ing& L5old on, commissar,H omething settled across my !ace, and the stinging in my eyes abated a little& I blin.ed them clear, !orcing them stic.ily apart, !eeling the partially-melted ice crystals slither round the corners o! my eye soc.ets& KurgenLs !ace came blearily into !ocus, the portion o! it bet0een his scar! and thic. !ur hat obscured by a pair o! sno0 goggles identical to the ones I no0 realised 0ere protecting my o0n sight& That should do it,H Than. you Kurgen,H I managed to !orce out through practically immobilised !ace muscles& 5is scar! t0itched as though concealing a smile& LLuc.y I usually carry a spare,H That 0as the closest he 0ould e,er come to uttering a reproo!, but he had e,ery right to do so o! course& The goggles 0ere standard .it in a /alhallan regiment, and I had a pair o! my o0n pac.ed a0ay some0here in my "uarters, but it had ne,er occurred to me I might need them in the depths o! the mine 0here 0hiteout conditions 0erenLt e)actly common& o once again I had cause to than. the (mperor !or my aideLs strea. o! thoroughness& To my complete lac. o! surprise e,ery trooper in !irst team had donned a pair as 0ell, but, li.e Kurgen, these conditions 0ere common to them& 4arp it, 'udging by their body language, most o! them 0ere actually en'oying these hellish temperatures& LChill enough !or you, sirQL 7agot as.ed cheer!ully, seemingly genuinely una0are o! 'ust ho0 intolerable I 0as !inding it& L4ouldnLt mind a pot o! tanna about no0,H I conceded, deciding the best approach 0as game but su!!ering a lit tle more than A 0as 0illing to admit Mrather than a hell o! a lot more&N That 0ay theyLd .eep a closer eye on me 0ithout resenting it& 4ouldnLt mind a bre0 mysel!,H she admitted, be!ore trotting a0ay to ta.e her turn on point& This is all a complete 0aste o! time you .no0,H Logash grumbled& I s0ear I 0ould ha,e missed him entirely i! he hadnLt spo.en: his 0hite robe 0as almost in,isible in the s0irling sno0, and only his pale !ace and metallic eyes appeared 0holly in !ocus& 5e appeared to hang in the air in !ront o! me li.e an e)treme ,ersion o! 7a1arinLs le,i-tation act& LI! there 0ere any more or.s around theyLll be .ilometres a0ay by no0& ;r !ro1en to death,H

5e 0as a !ine one to tal., I thought, barely e,en seeming to notice the sub-1ero temperatures& ;nce again I !ound mysel! 0ondering precisely 0hat that robe concealed& TheyLre a lot more resilient than you might thin.,H I pointed out, and Lunt nodded in passing& L7y grand!ather !ound one !ro1en in a glacier once, bac. home, le!t o,er !rom the in,asions& 4hen they got it bac. to their camp and tha0ed it out it came bac. to li!e and tried to .ill them& ItLs true, thatLs 0hat he said,H 5im and e,ery other /alhallanLs grand!ather, o! course, The or. in the iceL is one o! the most popular !ol.tales on the planet, but I doubted that Logash 0ould .no0 that, so I nodded con!irmation& A L o ILd .eep loo.ing o,er my shoulder i! I 0ere you,H I added& I canLt be sure, but I thin. Lunt 0in.ed at me, en'oying 0inding up the outsider and treating me as i! I 0as /alhallan mysel!& ;! course IL,e spent so much o! my career
#. /nd li+e many ol+ tales, there may )e an element o tr%th to it. /ltho%gh there&s no "ay to )e s%re, there are still occasional reports o solitary or+s )eing sighted in the 3alhallan "ilderness, sometimes even )ac+ed %p )y )odies. !hances are these are 5%st corpses le t over rom the invasion preserved )y the cold, )%t yo% can never ta+e anything or granted "here these creat%res are concerned.

ser,ing 0ith them I o!ten !ind that IL,e pic.ed up something o! their speech patterns, dietary pre!erences, and so on& I suppose itLs not all that surprising that they seem to ha,e adopted me as one o! their o0n in many 0ays A& 4eLre in a de!ile, all right,H 9ri!en told me, glancing around at the barely ,isible topography& L:ou can tell by the pattern o! the sno0!la.es&L They 'ust loo.ed li.e a s0irling 0all o! 0hite to me, but I nodded as though I understood& I didnLt actually need to .no0, o! course: one o! the most important principles o! leadership is .no0ing 0hen to rely on the 'udgement o! your subordinates& #ut itLs al0ays a good idea to loo. interested& LCan you tell 0hich 0ay the or.s 0ould ha,e goneQL I as.ed& he nodded& LThey 0onLt ha,e le!t any trac.s 0e can !ollo0 in this bli11ard, but that 0ay,H she gestured in 0hat loo.ed to me li.e a random direction, Lis closed o!! by the head o! the ,alley& 7y best guess 0ould be do0nslope,H L8air enough,H I decided& L4eLll chec. as !ar as the mouth o! the de!ile& I! there are any greens.ins out here 0eLll !ind them& I! not 0e can pull bac. and collapse the ca,e behind us,H That might be di!!icult,H she pointed out& L4e used most o! our demo charges to seal the&&& 0hate,er it 0as bac. do0n the passage,H L4eLll thin. o! something,H I said, 0ith more con!idence than I !elt& The constant s0irling o! the sno0 0as ma.ing me !eel ,aguely nauseous, the cold 0as cramping my stomach muscles pain!ully, and my head !elt as though someone 0as s"uee1ing it in a ,ice& The sooner 0e got this o,er 0ith the better& LKurgenLs still got the melta, and ILm sure our cogboy !riend 0ill be able to point out a !e0 0ea. spots in the ceiling,H LI suppose youLre right,H the sergeant said, and I glanced around, e)pecting some response !rom Logash, but the surly young tech-priest had ,anished into the storm as thoroughly as though heLd ne,er e,en e)isted&

#. /ct%ally, given the relationship )et"een most commissars and the troops they serve "ith, this is pretty remar+a)le. /s so o ten in his memoirs, !ain gives himsel ar too little credit or his o"n achievements.

NINE
L4(LR( 9;I+9 T; ha,e to search !or him,H I said, resenting e,ery e)tra second that 0as going to mean staying out in the bitter cold& 8or good measure I !illed my lungs 0ith the burning air, and called the tech-priestLs name as loudly as I could& To no a,ail, o! course, as the screaming 0ind and the mu!!ling sno0 combined to sti!le all but the loudest noise& 8ortunately, I had more than my o0n lungpo0er to call on, as the comm-bead in my ear 0as still tuned to the general s"uad !re"uency, and I lost no !urther time in appraising e,eryone else o! the problem& L4eL,e lost the tech-priest,H I broadcast, suppressing the impulse to add a number o! "uali!ying ad'ecti,es& L%nyone seen himQL To my complete lac. o! surprise a chorus o! negati,es 0as the only response& L%t least itLll be "uieter on the 0ay bac.,H 7agot added, 0ith rather more candour than tact& That 0as hardly the

point, though, ho0e,er much I might ha,e agreed 0ith her& LComplete the s0eep,H 9ri!en ordered, 0ith 'ust enough emphasis to discourage any more !lippancy, and the troopers responded, sounding o!! in turn 0ith a noticeable lac. o! enthusiasm& he turned bac. to me& LI! heLs ahead o! us 0eLll run into him& %nd i! heLs behind 0e should pic. him up on the 0ay bac.&L I ha,e to admit to !eeling rather less sanguine on that point than she seemed to be& 5e 0as, a!ter all, e!!ecti,ely in,isible to us in the s0irling sno0, and I didnLt thin. 0e stood a chance o! !inding him under these conditions in any 0ay other than stumbling o,er him by accident& #ut i! anyone could pic. up his trail I supposed it 0ould be the /alhallans, so I nodded in return& L#etter get mo,ing then,H I said, echoing her 0ords o! a couple o! hours be!ore& It 0asnLt that simple, o! course& %s IL,e already mentioned, the 0ind 0as s0eeping up the de!ile, 0hich 0as liberally stre0n 0ith grey, 'agged roc.s& These loomed up suddenly out o! the s0irling blan.et o! sno0, promising a moment o! respite !rom the ra1or-edged 0ind 0hich, time and again, pro,ed to be merely a delusion& The irregular topography simply bro.e the onrush o! air into !lurries and eddies 0hich dashed hand!uls o! sno0 into these poc.ets o! illusory shelter, adding a sudden une)pected lash o! stinging ice crystals to an already miserable e)perience& The only consolation, i! that 0as the right 0ord, 0as that 0hat little e)posed s.in I still had 0as completely numb by this time& I slipped and slithered do0n the slope behind 9ri!en, grate!ul !or the stolid presence o! !urgen behind meO se,eral times he reached out a supporting hand 'ust in time to pre,ent me !rom spra0ling !ace do0n in the .nee-deep sno0& The /alhallans remained completely sure-!ooted, but any amusement they may ha,e !elt at my !loundering progress 0as 0ell concealed& 9lancing bac. I could see that the !urro0s 0eLd le!t behind us 0ere already beginning to !ill 0ith the e,er-shi!ting dri!ts, and that 0ithout my companionsL sure instinct !or these ghastly conditions 0e 0ould almost certainly ne,er !ind the ca,e mouth again& That, at least, 0as something o! a relie!, as the chances o! any greens.ins stumbling across it 0ere beginning to loo. reassuringly remote& ;n the do0nside though, any trac.s Logash had le!t 0ould be obscured as completely as our o0n, so once again it seemed 0e 0erenLt li.ely to stumble across him by any means other than sheer blind luc.& %t least 0ith all those augmetics I supposed he 0asnLt li.ely to !ree1e to death, in the short term at any rate, but right no0 I 0as beginning to thin. that 0as a ,ery mi)ed blessing&

I had, by this time, lost sight o! all my companions sa,e !or the reassuring presence o! lurgen, their camou !lage greatcoats blending so per!ectly into the sno0storm that they 0ere e!!ecti,ely in,isible& 8or that matter so 0as IO my dar. commissarLs uni!orm being so coated 0ith the 0ind-dri,en !la.es that I resembled one o! those mis shapen e!!igies children throughout the gala)y sculpt 0ith the onset o! 0inter& M;n /alhalla, building sno0men is something o! a cross bet0een a serious art !orm and a competiti,e sport, 0ith some "uite astounding creations to mar,el at, but thatLs beside the point&N I 0as 'ust on the ,erge o! deciding that this 0as !utile and ordering e,eryone to turn bac., letting Logash ta.e his chances 0ith the elements as best he could, 0hen 7agotLs ,oice crac.led o,er my comm-bead& LContact, ninety metres do0n slope&L I could hardly see an armLs length in !ront o! my o0n eyes, but she sounded con!ident enough& I 0as still trying to !orce my numb lips to !orm a reply 0hen 9ri!enLs ,oice cut into the net& LIs it the cogboyQL

L+egati,e,H 7agotLs ,oice 0as tense& LI can see a lot o! mo,ement do0n there&L That could mean only one thing, o! course, and I 0as already scrabbling !or my laspistol 0ith numb and ner,eless !ingers 0hen she spo.e again, con!irming it& L9reenies& Lots o! them&L L5o0 manyQL I as.ed, .eeping hold o! my 0eapon (mperor .no0s ho0, my ringers !eeling thic. and s0ollen in the cold& Luc.ily the augmetic ones 0ere 0or.ing as 0ell as e,er, at least enabling me to maintain my grip on the stoc., but 0hether ILd be able to s"uee1e the trigger 0ith my ,ery real and probably !rostbitten inde) !inger 0ould be problematic at best&A L5ard to tell,H 7agot replied& LTheyLre 0ell spread out,H That 0as hardly surprising under the circumstances, the terrain being less than conduci,e to their normal habit o! charging !or0ard in a disorgani1ed mob& L#ut a do1en at least,H LContact,H imla cut in too, and 0ith a sudden thrill o! horror I realised he 0as o,er to the le!t side o! the de!ile, three hundred metres at least !rom 7agotLs position& +o 0ay he 0as seeing the same group& LIL,e got se,en& +o, eight& 7aybe more,H L7e too,H 5ail added, !rom our right !lan.& LLoo.s li.e a !ull s"uad !rom here,H = LPull bac.,H I ordered& That made at least thirty, probably more, too many !or us to ta.e out here e,en 0ith the /alhallansL ability to ma.e use o! the terrain and 0eather conditions to mount an e!!ecti,e ambush& It also con !irmed my 0orst !ear Mapart !rom the thought that the
#.-ince !ain ma+es no s%)se$%ent mention o any medical treatment, "e can in er that this is either exaggeration or e ect or hypochondria rather than an acc%rate diagnosis. 8.6res%ma)ly meaning a gro%p the si@e o an (mperial '%ard s$%ad, as orli mo)s can vary greatly in si@e, and "o%ldn&t recognise the concept o any or* mation as organised as this in any case.

necrons 0ere stirring do0n in the dar.ness beneath our !eet&N The comrades o! the dead or. 0eLd !ound had indeed made contact 0ith the bul. o! their army, and 0ere on their 0ay bac. 0ith a !ull-scale raiding !orce intent on e)ploiting the gap theyLd disco,ered in our de!ences& S4e ha,e to secure the ca,e 0hate,er happens,H LCon!irm that,H 9ri!en said, o,erriding 0hate,er ob'ections her subordinates might be on the ,erge o! e)pressing& +ot

that I really e)pected any, but /alhallan antipathy to the greens.ins ran deep, and the temptation to ta.e a pot-shot at them be!ore 0ithdra0ing must ha,e been acute& To their credit no one ga,e 0ay to it though, so I began to breathe a little more easily as 0e made our 0ay bac. up the slope to0ards the 0elcome re!uge o! the ca,e& 4ith any luc. 0eLd be able to slip a0ay be!ore they e,en .ne0 0e 0ere here& I must con!ess that the thought o! getting out o! the bone-numbing 0ind 0as so strong, and so all-per,ading, that I "uite lost trac. o! my surroundings& I stumbled through the sno0 li.e an automaton, !ollo0ing in the trac.s ploughed by Kurgen, intent only on putting one leg in !ront o! the other& The image o! the tunnel mouth and the respite !rom the cold it represented loomed e,er larger in my thoughts, dri,ing out e,erything but the determination to .eep my numbed and !ro1en limbs mo,ing& o it 0as 0ith a shoc. o! genuine surprise that I heard the unmista.able report o! a bolter round detonating against an outcrop o! roc. a !e0 metres a0ay& purred by a sense o! imminent danger I dropped out o! my !ugue state at once, bringing the laspistol in my hand around, see.ing a target& % hul.ing shape loomed out o! the sno0, bounding !or0ard 0ith incredible speed, s0inging a crudely-!ashioned a)e& o eager 0as it to spill my blood it seemed to ha,e !orgotten the primiti,e bolt pistol clutched in its other hand& I !ired by re!le), !inding that my panic-spurred !inger 0as able to tighten on the trigger 'ust !ine no0 that the "uestion 0as

a practical one, blo0ing a hole through its torso& The creature staggered and came on, then dropped to the ground, already cooling, as a second las bolt too. it !rom the side& L ergeant,H I ac.no0ledged 9ri!enLs assistance 0ith a nod, and she gestured 0ith her le!t hand, the right still holding her lasgun ready to !ire& This 0ay,H she said& I stumbled in her direction, sure that Kurgen 0ould be 0ith me as al0ays, and in this I 0as soon pro,ed correct& The unmista.able hiss o! the melta opening up behind me made me turn, 'ust in time to see my aide cut do0n a small group o! the creatures that had e,idently been !ollo0ing the !irst 0ith a single ra,ening blast o! thermal energy& %!ter a moment spent scanning our surroundings he lo0ered the 0eapon and began slogging through the .neehigh dri!ts to0ards us as implacably unconcerned as though he 0ere out !or an a!ternoon stroll& 7aybe by the standards o! his home-0orld he 0as& L<p here, commissar,H Lunt reached do0n !rom atop a tangle o! roc.s, grasping my outstretched hand, and li!ting me bodily to the top 0ithout any apparent e!!ort& 9ri!en scrambled up a!ter us, barely slo0ing do0n, and a moment later Kurgen hea,ed himsel! o,er the rim, the bul.y 0eapon no0 slung to !acilitate climbing, and preceded as al0ays by his unmista.able odour& LI thought this 0ould be a good spot to regroup,H 9ri!en said& I glanced around, !eeling almost 0arm no0 that 0e 0ere partially sheltered !rom the relentless 0ind, and nodded appro,ingly& heLd chosen an ele,ated position surrounded by tumbled boulders, !rom 0hich 0e could loo. do0n on the tunnel entrance !rom an ele,ation o! a couple o! metres or so& That 0as good thin.ing: i! the or.s had made it there ahead o! us a!ter all there 0as no sense in 0al.ing up to the ca,e mouth 0earing a big sign saying Lshoot me ILm here,H %s I strained my eyes through the 0hirling sno0 I 0asnLt able to discern much, but as IL,e said be!ore ILd trust her instincts 0here the green-s.ins 0ere concerned& 5ail and imla had made it to our re!uge too, I 0as pleased to see, each raising a hand in greeting as Kurgen and I appeared be!ore going bac. to scanning the hori1on o,er the sights o! their lasguns& I 0as 'ust about to try contacting 7agot and as.ing her position 0hen a !lurry o! las-bolt detonations and a bello0 o! or.ish pain some0here o!! to our le!t ans0ered that "uestion "uite satis!actorily& The diminuti,e redhead appeared in person a !e0 moments later, grinning 0ith male,olent amusement& There 0as this greenie o,er that 0ay ma.ing a latrine stop,H she reported glee!ully, Lso I shot him right up the&&,H

LIs it deadQL I interrupted& he nodded, still en'oying the approbation o! her comrades, 0ho seemed to thin. this 0as as hilarious as she did& LDeader than 5orus,H she con!irmed& 9ood& 5er trac.s 0ould ha,e been all but obliterated by no0, and 0ith any luc. the or.s 0ouldnLt ha,e a clue 0here 0e 0ere or ho0 many o! us they !aced& <nless they !ound and interrogated Logash, o! course, in 0hich case it 0as credits to carrots theyLd learn e,erything they needed to .no0 in pretty short order& That le!t me 0ith only one choice& L4eLre pulling bac. to the ca,e as soon as 0e .no0 itLs clear,H I said& L%nd prepare to collapse it behind us,H L4hat about the tech-priestQL 9ri!en as.ed, clearly not terribly concerned, but stic.ing to the letter o! her mission brie! 0ith admirable tenacity& L5eLll 'ust ha,e to !end !or himsel!,HA said& Catching her loo., I added Til ta.e the responsibility,H It 0ent 0ithout saying, o! course, that 0ent 0ith the scarlet sash& LItLs your call, commissar,H 4ell, she 0as right about that, but I could see abandoning a human to the mercy o! the or.s 0asnLt going to go do0n too 0ell 0ith the ran. and !ile, e,en i! he 0as an annoying little

gro)-!ondler 0hoLd brought it on himsel!, so I 0ent all solemn& LIt goes against the grain I .no0,H I said& L#ut our !irst duty is to the (mperor, the regiment, and our mission& The colonel has to .no0 about the necron presence here& It changes e,erything, and until then the li,es o! all our comrades are at ris.,H (,eryone nodded solemnly at that, apparently per!ectly happy to hang the little tech-priest out to dry no0 ILd been able to ma.e it seem li.e a noble sacri!ice, and 0e prepared to mo,e out& %s I glanced bac. do0n slope, straining my eyes through the s0irling blan.et o! sno0 !or some sign o! another party o! or.s, I thought I caught a glimpse o! something mo,ing smoothly and silently through the !ro1en landscape& I inhaled, intending to call out, then dismissed the impulse as the blur o! apparent motion ,anished in the .aleidoscope o! 0hite& Chances 0ere it 0as only 0ish!ul thin.ing on my part, I thought, and e,en i! it 0as Logash heLd ne,er hear me o,er the ho0ling o! the 0ind& Later, 0hen I had the leisure to re!lect on that moment, I 0as to shudder at ho0 close I had probably come to dooming us all& LIt seems clear enough,H 9ri!en said, a!ter a !e0 more moments spent obser,ing the ca,e entrance& o 0e mo,ed cautiously to0ards it, putting our trust in the obscuring sno0 and 0hat little concealment the roc.s a!!orded& The troopers 0ere 0ell disciplined, I !ound, mo,ing by stages as though 0e 0ere already in combat, 0aiting until one o! their comrades 0as in position to pro,ide co,ering !ire be!ore mo,ing to the ne)t place o! re!uge& I did the same, !alling into the rhythm 0ith the instinct born o! long practice& %t length 0e 0ere ranged around the mouth o! the ca,e& I stepped into it grate!ully !eeling the barbed 0ind let go o! my !lesh, and gasping 0ith the agony o! returning circulation& 8or a moment or t0o my entire body !elt as though ILd been hit by a !lamer, then the pain subsided !rom unbearable to merely e)cruciating& (,en so my sur,i,al instinct remained strong, and I 0as able to o,erride the discom!ort !or long enough to s0eep the tunnel be!ore me 0ith the beam o! my luminator, .eeping the barrel o! my laspistol in line 0ith it& M<nder most circumstances, o! course, thereLs no better 0ay to ma.e a target o! yoursel! than that, but I 0as bac.lit by the tun nel mouth in any case so it 0ouldnLt ma.e any di!!erence to an assailant lur.ing in the dar.& I! anything I might da11le them !or long enough to get a shot o!!&N %s it happened there 0as nothing 0aiting to shoot me, and a!ter a second or t0o I rela)ed& L%ll clear,H I called, and lurgen 'oined me at once, his melta pointing a0ay do0n the tunnel be!ore us& #earing in mind 0hat 0eLd ha,e to pass to get bac. to our comrades that eased my mind as much as 0as possible under the

circumstances& I turned bac. to chec. on the rest o! the troopers, 0ho had all ta.en up positions behind 0hat co,er they could !ind in the immediate ,icinity o! the ca,e mouth& 9ri!en turned to 0a,e at me, !rom behind a small boulder, and then !ro1e at the unmista.able sound o! bolter !ire crac.ling to0ards us on the 0ind& L4hat the hellQL she as.ed, seemingly !orgetting !or a moment that she 0as still broadcasting on the 0hole s"uad net rather than the command channel& Lunt grinned, readying his !lamer& L ounds li.e a di!!erence o! opinion to me,H 5e could ha,e been right, o! course, greens.ins ha,e a de!inite propensity to settle disputes in the most basic o! 0ays, but the sheer ,olume o! !ire I could hear argued against it& It sounded li.e a !ull-scale !ire!ight to me& 4ell, good i! it 0as, the more o! each other they slaughtered the better& ;n the other hand&&& I strained my ears !or the sound I most dreaded, the unmista.able ripping noise o! a necron gauss 0eapon, but i! it 0as there to be heard it 0as s0allo0ed by the 0ind&

L7aybe theyL,e !ound the cogboy,H 5ail said slo0ly, dearly not relishing the idea& I nodded, sharing the same mental picture o! the tech-priest !leeing blindly through the sno0, ho0ling greens.ins in pursuit, !iring their ramshac.le 0eapons e)citedly as they ran& That seemed unpleasantly plausible& L houldnLt 0e try to help himQL imla as.ed& I shoo. my head, 0ith as much reluctance as I could !eign& LI 0ish 0e could,L I lied& L#ut 0eLll ne,er get to him be!ore they do& %nd unless 0e 0ant his sacri!ice to be in ,ain 0e ha,e to report bac. 0hat 0eL,e !ound&L The commissarLs right,H 9ri!en said& LPull bac., and prepare to blo0 the entrance&L #e!ore anyone could mo,e, though, hul.ing silhouettes could be discerned through the s0irling sno0, charging to0ards us 0ith the berser. !ury o! their .ind& #y some !rea. o! the 0eather conditions the eddies o! sno0 0ere lighter here, a!!ording us an uncom!ortably clear ,ie0 o! them as the ,isibility increased& Crude bolters bar.ed, and chips o! stone !le0 !rom the outcrops o! stone surrounding the ca,e mouth& 9ri!en le,elled her lasgun& L8ire at 0ill,H she said& L4ait2L I ordered, an instant later, and than. the (mperor e,eryone had the presence o! mind to obey, Llust stay do0n and donLt mo,e2L It had suddenly struc. me they 0erenLt !iring at usO the bul. o! the bolter impacts 0ere o!! to our le!t, and it seemed to me that they 0erenLt charging the ca,e so much as !leeing to0ards it& %nd that, my tingling palms and a sudden spasm o! the bo0els told me, probably meant only one thing& The /alhallans !ro1e, melting into the icy land scape in the 0ay only they could, and e,en .no0ing 0here they 0ere I !ound them hard to pic. out& % second later my 0orst suspicions 0ere con!irmed, as a ,i,id green beam, the colour o! a !estering 0ound, ripped through the air 0ith the all too ,i,idly remembered sound o! tearing cloth, stri.ing one o! the or.s !ull on& In less than a second he seemed to dissol,eO s.in, muscle, and s.eleton 0hipping a0ay to ,apour, lea,ing only the echo o! a ho0l o! inhuman agony to mar. his passing& L(mperor on (arth2L 9ri!en breathed, horror su!!using her ,oice, and I ha,e to admit to trembling 0ith terror mysel!& The beam s0ept on, trans!i)ing another ,ictim, and 0as 'oined by another, then another& The or.s scattered, and began to !ire bac., a little more accurately no0 that their assailants had so considerately re,ealed their positions& The s0irling sno0 parted, re,ealing the sight I had so dreaded, and yet had dared to hope I might be spared a!ter collapsing the entrance to the tomb: eerie metallic 0arriors, striding silently !or 0ard, their carapace sculpted to resemble s.eletons& These 0ere surely death incarnate come to claim us all&

L o thatLs 0hat they loo. li.e up dose&L lurgen, imperturbable as e,er, his !aith in the (mperorLs protection still absolute despite ta.ing a bolt to the head on 9ra,ala), raised the melta, sounding no more than mildly curious& Then again, gi,en some o! the horrors 0eLd !aced together o,er the years, I suppose he 'ust thought it 0as business as usual& ;ne thing I can say !or Kurgen, despite his unprepossessing appearance, he had reser,es o! courage greater than any man IL,e e,er met& (ither,that, or he 0as 'ust too stupid to understand the magnitude o! the dangers threatening us& A I raised a hand to !orestall him& S4ait,H I breathed& L;ur only chance is to a,oid being seen,H That I could attest to !rom personal e)perience, my natural propensity !or running and hiding being the only thing that had sa,ed me on Interims Prime 0hen e,eryone else had been slaughtered& To my relie! Kurgen
#. ( m%st con ess to remaining %ndecided a)o%t that mysel , despite having o%ght alongside him on a n%m)er o occasions.

nodded, but .ept die hea,y 0eapon aimed, ready !or use i! it should pro,e necessary& The or.s had gone to ground by no0, ta.ing co,er behind the nearest roc.s, shooting bac. at the necron 0arriors 0ith their usual lac. o! accuracy& Ine,itably the sheer 0eight o! !irepo0er began to tell, ho0e,er, a number o! shells !inding their targets regardless& %s ILd seen be!ore, the implacable metal 0arriors simply shrugged o!! the impacts, the detonations against their metal hides seeming to do no more than discolour 0hate,er unholy alloy they 0ere made o!& % !e0 o! the shots 0ere more e!!ecti,e than the rest, though, more by luc. than 'udgement& %s 0e 0atched, one o! the or. bolts detonated against the po0er pac. attached to the 0eapon o! the leading automaton, and an instant later an e)plosion ripped apart both the 0eapon and the necron carrying it& %t this the or.s set up a great roar o! triumph, and a !e0 o! the more incautious bro.e !rom co,er to race !or0ards, apparently intent on tac.ling their gleaming metal assailants in hand to hand combat& Ine,itably most died, ripped apart by the gauss !layers, but incredibly a couple closed the distance, s0inging their crude, hea,y a)es as they did so& ;ne 0as unluc.y, or too slo0, his target turning 0ith eerie precision to spit him on the combat blade mounted on the end o! its 0eapon& Thic. brac.ish blood poured !rom a gash 0hich opened the creature !rom groin to shoulder blade, and the necron shoo. the e,iscerated body !rom the end o! its 0eapon 0ith an air o! 0eary disdain& The gutted or. !ell hea,ily to the sno0, 0here a slo0ly-spreading pool o! blood began !ree1ing into a thic., icy scab& The other greens.in parried the blo0 aimed at it, and 0hirled around to stri.e at the necronLs nec.& Crudely-!orged metal met aeon-old sorcery in a blinding !lash o! discharged energy, and the unli,ing 0arriorLs head !ell hea,ily to the sno0& The or.Ls triumph 0as short-li,ed, ho0e,er, as the concerted beams o! the t0o sur,i,ing necrons ripped it to ,apour in a heartbeat& L+e,er thought ILd be rooting !or the greenies,H 7agot said "uietly, sentiments I imagined 0e all shared& The sur,i,ing or.s stood their ground 0ith the brutish de!iance o! their .ind, pouring inaccurate small arms !ire into the area around the s.eletal metallic !igures, blo0ing gouts o! sno0 and ice up around them !or the most part, but still in!licting a number o! hits 0hich, !or the !irst time, appeared to gi,e the 0al.ing nightmares some pause !or thought& 7ore distant 0eapons !ire could be heard o,er the 0ind no0, spea.ing o! other, e"ually desperate battles, and I allo0ed mysel! to !eel a surge o! hope& L(,eryone pull bac.,H I ordered "uietly& L tay under co,er& 4ith any luc. 0e can disengage 0hile theyLre too busy to notice us,H

LCon!irm that,H 9ri!en said, 0ith heart!elt relie! e,ident in her ,oice& The other troopers began to retreat deeper into the sa!ety o! the ca,e, cra0ling bac.0ards !or the most part, .eeping their 0eapons trained on the une"ual battle in !ront o! us& 4hile the t0o necrons had concentrated their !ire on the or.s behind the boulders theyLd maintained their position, a big mista.e, as I 0ould ha,e been happy to point out i! anyone had as.ed me& ;r.s are remar.ably resilient creatures, dri,en purely by rage and aggression, so I 0as scarcely surprised 0hen the one le!t spra0ling in a sorbet o! its o0n blood suddenly grabbed the an.le o! its erst0hile assailant and yan.ed hard on it 0ith all its !eral strength& 7ortally 0ounded as it 0as it clearly had no intention o! dying 0ith un!inished business le!t behind, &and the necron !ell hea,ily, its right shin no0 detached !rom its .nee 'oint& #ello0ing in triumph the or. began belabouring the !allen 0arrior 0ith the stump o! its o0n leg, raising a

clangour li.e a peal o! cathedral bells Mi! they 0ere horribly out o! tuneN and in!licting a remar.able array o! dents on its torso and s.ull& I 0as under no illusion that this 0ould be enough to incapacitate the hideous thing, though, so I 0as unsurprised 0hen it s0ung its combat blade around 0ith the same unhurried precision ILd seen be!ore and sheared through the greens.inLs nec.& % brie! !lic.er o! be0ilderment seemed to enter the creatureLs eyes as its head detached !rom its shoulders, 0ith the concomitant geyser o! gore, and it slumped across the battered metal torso o! its murderer& %bruptly the distant !iring 0eLd heard since 'ust be!ore 0e !irst sa0 the or.s ceased, to be !ollo0ed at once by a ho0l o! barbaric euphoria& It seemed that the main body o! the greens.in !orce had 0on their battle, though no doubt at a terrible cost& M+ot that it 0ould bother them in the slightest, o! course, theyLre not a particularly sentimental species by any stretch o! the imagination&N The t0o necrons be!ore us stopped mo,ing abrupdy, as though listening to something, and then simply ,anished, along 0ith the remains o! their !allen comrades& +o doubt their departure 0as mar.ed by the same crac. o! air rushing in to !ill the sudden ,acuum ILd noticed 0hen %mberley 0as teleported to sa!ety by her displacer !ield, but i! so I 0as unable to hear it o,er the ho0ling o! the 0ind& L(mperorLs bo0els2L 9ri!en shoo. her head, clearly trying to comprehend 0hat 0eLd 'ust seen& L4here did they goQL L traight bac. to hell, I hope,H 7agot said& LClose enough,H I con!irmed& (,en no0 theyLd be reporting 0hat theyLd seen, and dra0ing up their plans !or a ma'or incursion, I .ne0 that !or a stone cold certainty& The remaining or.s 0ere emerging !rom co,er no0, stamping about 0here the necrons had ,anished, and looting the bodies o! their !allen companions& 9uttural e)pressions o! surprise and con!usion dri!ted to0ards us on the 0ind& L4hat about the greeniesQL imla as.ed& I hesitated& They 0erenLt our most urgent priority no0, and 0ith any luc. 0ould di,ert any necron attention !rom us as 0e scuttled bac. through the tunnels to 0arn 6asteen and the others& #ut then again theyLd already !ound the mouth o! the ca,e, and 0ould be too close behind us !or com!ort i! they !elt the urge to do any e)ploring& %bruptly the decision 0as ta.en out o! my hands& The biggest or. in the group, 0ho I too. to be the leader, A pointed straight at the mouth o! the tunnel and bello0ed an order o! some .ind& 4ith a last loo. bac. at the bodies o! the !allen, hal! a do1en greens.ins started mo,ing to0ards us& I had no choiceO the security o! the mission, and more importantly mysel!, demanded it&

L6ill them all,H I ordered&

#. 'enerally a sa e ass%mption.

TEN
T5%T 4% %+ order the /alhallans 0ere eager to respond to, and they did so 0ith alacrity, opening !ire on the greens.ins 0hile they 0ere still caught in the open& 4e too. them by complete surprise, the !irst couple !alling under a hail o! las!ire be!ore they e,en had a chance to react& The others 0ere "uic., though, assessing the situation 0ith remar.able acuity !or such imbecilic creatures, A and scattering again to ma.e themsel,es more di!!icult targets& % couple o! them 0ent to ground behind a tangle o! roc.s, and began to shoot bac. at us& 8ortunately their mar.smanship 0as no better than usual so they in!licted no casualties, but they managed to come close enough to ma.e us ta.e !ull ad,antage o! our o0n co,er, their bolts bursting uncom!ortably close to our position& ome#. Tho%gh )r%tal and primitive )y the standards o other races, or+s have an instinctive %nderstanding o com)at second to none.

thing stung my chee., and I 0iped a0ay a smear o! blood 0here a chip o! stone had caught me& That 0as too near !or com!ort and I retreated !urther into the dar.ness o! the ca,e, bracing my laspistol against a con,enient outcrop o! roc. to impro,e the accuracy o! my retaliation& eeing that 0e 0ere e!!ecti,ely suppressed the !our remaining in the open ran !or0ards brandishing their blades and screaming at the top o! their ,oices in the 0ay that they do& %s they closed 0ith us they !ired their hand 0eapons sporadically, 0ithout e,en bothering to aim, 0hich made a lot o! noise but had little practical e!!ect other than ma.ing e,en more sure that 0e .ept our heads do0n& LLunt2L I yelled& Ta.e the ones in the roc.s2L LCommissar,H 5is ac.no0ledgement 0as crisp as he raised the barrel o! his !lamer cautiously o,er the outcrop he 0as sheltering behind& I directed a !lurry o! lasbolts at the snipers, i! the perpetrators o! such inaccurate shooting could be digni!ied 0ith such a term, and to my relie! 5ail and imla !ollo0ed my lead& 9ri!en and 7agot concentrated their !ire on the charging or.s in !ront o! us, slo0ing them momentarily as the big or. in !ront 0ith the horns on his helmet A too. a las-bolt to the .nee& 5e stumbled, !alling !ace do0n in the sno0, and a couple o! his subordinates tripped o,er him& 8or a moment the hail o! incoming !ire d0indled as the !allen greens.ins !lailed at one another, e)changing guttural pro!anities and blo0s 0hich 0ould ha,e stunned a gro), be!ore !loundering to their !eet again& The delay 0as enough !or Lunt, ho0e,erO he rose to his !ull height, and directed a searing 'et o! burning prome-thium at the tangle o! roc.s 0hich concealed the shooters& 4ith a roar 0hich sounded more li.e rage than
=& / common sym)ol o a%thority among the greens+ins, apparently meant to prove that they&ve overcome something even )igger and nastier than they are.

pain the t0o or.s burst out into the open, li.e li,ing torches, charging to0ards our position& 8our lasguns spat as one, targeting them as they mo,ed and the trailing one !ell, but the one in !ront 'ust .ept coming, 0reathed in steam !rom the sno0 0hich e,aporated about him, charred bone becoming&,isible through the si11ling !lesh& L(mperorLs guts2L Lunt s0ung the barrel, trying to line up another shot, then !ell bac., an e)pression o! pained surprise on his !ace as a bloody crater e)ploded in his chest& I s0ung my ga1e bac. to the main group o! or.s, 0ho 0ere no0 on their !eet again, their crude 0eapons .ic.ing up a !lurry o! sno0 and debris around the !allen hea,y 0eapons trooper& Typically !or their .ind they concentrated only on the most ,isible threat, ignoring the rest o! us !or the momentO a !atal mista.e&

LKurgen2L I ordered, gesturing to the group 0hich 0as no0 close enough to be a target !or the melta& miling grimly, my aide too. care!ul aim, sighting directly at the limping leader, 0ho 0as still snarling in triumph at the death o! our !ello0 trooper& MILd seen enough bolter 0ounds in my time to .no0 that such a hit 0ould ha,e been instantly !atal, smashing through the !la. armour beneath his greatcoat to detonate inside his ribcage& There 0as nothing to be done !or Lunt no0 other than a,enge his demise&N The hea,y 0eapon hissed once more, !lashing the inter,ening curtain o! sno0 into ,apour, and reducing the or. leader and the t0o standing ne)t to him to a ran. pile o! gently steaming o!!al& The sole sur,i,or turned, blin.ing in 0hat loo.ed li.e stunned stupe!action, its le!t arm hanging limp and charred !rom !lash burns, then turned and bolted M0hich 'ust goes to sho0 that at least a !e0 o! them arenLt as stupid as they loo.&N I rose !ully to my !eet and too. care!ul aim, bracing the laspistol in my hand across my le!t !orearm as though I 0ere on the !iring range, and trying to still the trembling

0hich seemed to ha,e ta.en control o! my body& 4hether it 0as a delayed reaction to the terror the sight o! the necrons had inspired in me, anger at LuntLs sudden and brutal death, or simply my abused body starting to respond to the relati,e rise in temperature I couldnLt say, but I 0as grimly determined to slay the !oul creature mysel! in spite o! it& I s"uee1ed the trigger, than.!ul !or the steadiness my augmetic !ingers imparted to my aim, and 0as re0arded 0ith a gout o! ichor !rom bet0een the greens.inLs shoulder blades& 9ri!en and 7agot 'oined in as it stumbled, bello0ing in pain, and bet0een us 0e dispatched it li.e the beast it 0as& It 0as only as I stood there, e)haling slo0ly as the tension eased !rom my aching body and the trembling gradually came under control, that I noticed the burning or. 0as still stumbling to0ards us, its steps !altering no0 as it staggered drun.enly to the le!t and the right, but still !orging !or0ard, !i)ated on reaching its tormentors& It 0as a ghastly sight to behold, I must admit, and I 0as on the ,erge o! ordering the troopers to !inish it o!! 0hen it dropped abruptly to the ground in a gout o! steam !rom the melting sno0 around it and at last lay still& ilence descended, sa,e !or the relendess .eening o! the 0ind, and the rasping o! my breath in my throat& LLuntQL 9ri!en as.ed, the !latness o! her tone already ans0ering her o0n "uestion& LDead,H 5ail con!irmed, standing o,er his bro.en body, the spilled blood and ,iscera already gla1ed 0ith ice& I !orced mysel! to 'oin her, loo.ing do0n at the dead trooper, !eeling I .ne0 not 0hat& M;ther than my usual sense o! pro!ound relie! that it 0asnLt me lying there, as it so easily could ha,e been, o! course&N L5e did his duty,H I said, the highest praise I could thin. o!, and e,eryone nodded soberly& 9ri!en gestured to 5ail and imla& L#ring him,H she said& L4eLll ta.e turns& I shoo. my head, conscious o! ho0 she must !eel losing a trooper under her command !or the !irst time& It ne,er gets easy, I can tell you that, but a!ter a 0hile you learn to accept it& Despite 0hat they say, the (mperor canLt protect e,eryone, 0hich is 0hy I ta.e such good care to do the 'ob mysel!& LI 0ish 0e could,H I said, as gently as I could manage& L#ut 0e donLt ha,e the time& 4e ha,e to get bac. as !ast as possible,HA hal! e)pected her to argue, but she nodded, reluctantly& L4eLll come bac. !or him later then,H she said& I shoo. my head again& LILm a!raid 0e canLt,H I said, e)plaining as tact!ully as I could& I 0as suddenly a0are o! !our pairs o! eyes boring into me& MKurgen, o! course, 0ould simply go along 0ith 0hate,er I said 0ithout argument, his dogged and unimaginati,e de!erence to authority being !oremost among his 0ell-hidden ,irtues&N

4hy notQL he 0asnLt challenging my decision, I 0as pleased to note, 'ust as.ing !or an e)planation, 0hich I supposed they 0ere all entitled to& L4e canLt lea,e any trace o! our presence here,H I pointed out& LRight no0, the necrons are only a0are o! the greens.ins,H %t least I hoped they 0ere& L;ur best hope o! ma.ing it bac. to 0arn the others is by snea.ing past 0hile they concentrate on the threat they .no0 about,H The or.s,H 9ri!en nodded in reluctant understanding& L#ut i! they !ind LuntLs body theyLll come a!ter us too& I see,H LILm sorry,H I said again& L#ut itLs the only 0ay,H I motioned lurgen !or0ards, and he readied the melta& I brie!ly considered trying to sal,age the !lamer, but it 0ould be more trouble than it 0as 0orthO the tan.s 0ere too bul.y !or anyone to add to their .it, and the !iring mechanism loo.ed damaged by bolter !ire any0ay& I chec.ed LuntLs poc.ets !or any personal e!!ects 0hich his !amily bac. on /alhalla might 0ant Mi! he

actually had any, I had no idea really, 'ust ta.ing com!ort in the !amiliar routineN, and collected his laspistol as an a!terthought, gi,ing it to Kurgen to carry& 5e might as 0ell get the bene!it o! something less dangerous to the rest o! us in case 0e !ound oursel,es in close "uarter combat again& Then I nodded to my aide, stepped bac., and he pulled the trigger& LuntLs body boiled into ,apour in a matter o! seconds, helped by the ,olatile promethium le!t in the !lamer tan.s, and I led the others in a !e0 ritual 0ords commending his soul to the (mperor& 4e 0ere a sombre group as 0e turned a0ay, you can be sure o! that, the dri!ting sno0 already beginning to obscure the scar in the roc. 0here the heat o! the melta had sent our comrade to 'oin 5is 7a'esty& ometimes, 0hen I sit in my study here at the schola and 0atch the !lames in the grate through a glass o! amasec, I canLt help thin.ing o! all the bra,e men and 0omen IL,e seen !all on a battle!ield some0here 0ithout e,en a gra,e mar.er le!t behind to sho0 they 0ere e,er there, and re!lect that ILm probably the last man ali,e 0ho e,en remembers they e)isted, and that 0hen ILm gone the last trace o! them 0ill !ade 0ith me& Then I than. the (mperor that IL,e lasted as long as I ha,e, and that IL,e seen my last 0ar, and I might 'ust de!y the odds long enough to die in bed a!ter all Msomeone elseLs, 0ith any luc.&N A 4e paused in the mouth o! the ca,e, and 9ri!en started to ta.e a "uic. in,entory o! our remaining stoc. o! e)plosi,es& ThereLs no time !or that no0,H I said, urging our party on 0ithout, I hoped, too ob,ious a sho0 o! impatience& L(,ery minute counts&L
#. (ronically this part o the archive appears to have )een composed only a matter o months )e ore the thirteenth Alac+ !r%sade eng%l ed most o the segment%m, and !ain o%nd himsel dragged o%t o retirement despite his advancing years.

LRight,H he !ell into step beside me& L%nd thereLs no point in tipping o!! the tinheads, is thereQL L()actly,H I said& +ot only 0ould collapsing the passage alert the ne)t necron patrol to our presence, it 0ould close them o!! !rom the or.s, and the last thing I 0anted to do 0as redirect their attention to the rest o! the tunnel comple)& ;! course they could ha,e !ound their 0ay into the mines by no0 in any case, but I 0as betting that once theyLd disco,ered an e)it, and an enemy 0aiting beyond it, theyLd ignore e,erything else until theyLd e)terminated the greeniesO or at least as many o! them as they could !ind in the ,icinity& I e)plained this to 9ri!en, and she nodded& L7a.es sense to me,H she said& 4hat I donLt understand,H Kurgen said slo0ly, Lis ho0 they got out o! the tomb in the !irst place,H That had been

0orrying me too& I thought 0eLd brought do0n enough o! the roo! to .eep them penned in !or a great deal longer than this, but they had access to technosorceries 0hich made the tau loo. li.e stone-age barbarians, so it ne,er paid to underestimate them& L4eLll !ind out soon enough,HA said, apprehension settling across me li.e a shroud& +ormally I 0ould ha,e been pro!oundly relie,ed to ha,e returned to the tunnels 0here I !elt reasonably at home, but the .no0ledge that there 0ere necrons abroad, possibly e,en s0eeping the same narro0 passage0ays 0e 0ere so cautiously na,igating, .notted my stomach 0ith !ear& I 0ould ha,e pre!erred to mo,e on in the dar., relying on the eerie green glo0 gi,en o!! by their gauss 0eapons to 0arn us o! their presence, but none o! the others had the ad,antage o! my hi,erLs tunnel senseO theyLd ha,e been stumbling blindly in the dar.ness, and ma.ing more noise than a gro) in a ceramics emporium to boot& o 0e mo,ed at the double, the easy loping stride o! the ,eteran trooper 0hich eats up the .ilometres 0ithout dragging you do0n

0ith e)haustion, our luminator beams re!lecting 'ust as brightly !rom the !ro1en 0alls as be!ore& ThereLs something up ahead,H imla said, a couple o! .ilometres later, ta.ing his turn on point& 7y palms tingled 0ith dread anticipation as the !ormation slo0ed, 0eapons coming to bear do0n the tunnel& L4hat is itQL I as.ed& LI donLt .no0,H 5is ,oice on the comm-bead sounded pu11led rather than alarmed& ThereLs a lot o! blood,H 4ell that 0as something at least: i! it bled it 0asnLt a necron& 4e closed up into a tighter !ormation, mo,ing ahead a couple o! hundred metres to 'oin him as he 0al.ed cautiously !or0ard, his luminator playing on 0hat loo.ed li.e a large pile o! butchered meat& The ice around it 0as crimson, slic. 0ith !ro1en blood as heLd said& %bsently, I realised there 0as too much there !or the body to be human, then as 0e got closer the !ull si1e o! it became apparent& LItLs an ambull,H 5ail said, surprise su!!using her ,oice& L+ot any more,H 7agot added help!ully& ?/here did it come !romQL Kurgen as.ed, as e,er displaying his talent !or the ob,ious "uestion& 9ri!en shrugged& LCogboy must ha,e got his head count 0rong,H That much 0as clear, o! course& I 0as more concerned 0ith ho0 it had died& I mo,ed closer to e)amine the cada,er, and almost immediately 0ished I hadnLt& #eneath its gla1e o! ice, ra0, bloody 0ounds slashed across its body& 4hate,er .illed it had done so in close combat, 0ielding ra1or-sharp blades 0ith surgical precision& L4hereLs its hideQL imla 0ondered aloud& 9ri!en shrugged& LDo necrons use hearth rugsQL L+ot that I e,er noticed,H I said, getting e,eryone mo,ing again& omething about the dead animal spoo.ed me, I donLt mind admitting it& The necrons ILd seen be!ore had .illed e!!iciently and dispassionately, but this mutilated carcase spo.e o! a re!ined and glee!ul sadism o! the .ind I associated 0ith the eldar renegades 0ho prey on their o0n .ind 0ith as much abandon as they do upon humanity& A %s 0e le!t the grisly trophy behind us, all trace o! it soon s0allo0ed by the su!!ocating dar.ness 0hich closed in around the tiny re!uge o! light cast by our luminators, my apprehension gre0 e,en greater& (,ery step 0e too. 0as ta.ing us closer to that hidden tomb, and 0hate,er horrors it might conceal& MI had a better idea than most, a!ter my e)periences in the depths o! their catacombs, so youLll ha,e to !orgi,e me i! I con !ess that ta.ing those steps became progressi,ely harder as I had to e)ert e,ery iota o! 0illpo0er I possessed not to turn and !lee, screaming, to0ards the

daylight&N %t length a !atalistic numbness settled o,er me& Retreat 0as clearly impossible in any case, as the or.ish armies 0ould .ill us 'ust as surely as the necrons i! 0e tried to go bac. the 0ay 0eLd come, and our only hope o! sa!ety lay in returning to the re!inery comple) and the protection it a!!orded& M7eagre as that loo.ed right no0, caught bet0een a gargant and 0ho .ne0 0hat terrors !rom the da0n o! time&N 7y sense o! direction, reliable as al0ays, 0as telling me 0e should be almost on top o! the entrance 0eLd !ound by no0, and I urged my companions to e,en greater caution& To my relie! they needed little urging, the oppressi,eness o! the tunnels and the .no0ledge o! 0hat a0aited us no doubt 0eighing on their minds as hea,ily as it did upon my o0n& ILd .ept my laspistol in my right hand e,er since the !ire!ight 0ith the or.s, and I reached
A& ( not more so. The eldar corsairs appear to )e to%ched )y the 4ar+ 6o"ers in some "ay2 and the enmity )et"een them and their %ntainted +in seems to r%n as deep as that )et"een the loyal s%)5ects o His 4ivine Ma5esty and the traitors "ho see+ to s%)5%gate h%manitL& in the name o their )lasphemo%s gods.

across 0ith my le!t to loosen my trusty chains0ord in its scabbard& Li.e the pistol ILd carried it !or more years than I cared to remember, so long that it had ceased to e)ist in my mind as a 0eapon, or e,en an ob'ect in its o0n rightO no0 0hen I dre0 it the humming blade 0as simply an e)tension o! my o0n body& A 6no0ing it 0as there 0as curiously reassuring, and I breathed a little easier as 0e rounded the last bend in the tunnel be!ore the roo! !all 0eLd caused& 4eLd doused all the lights e)cept imlaLs, allo0ing our eyes to get a little more used to the gloom and co,ering him !rom the concealing dar.ness as he ad,anced, and at !irst all seemed 0ell: the tumbled heap o! roc., stone and ice lay across the tunnel, narro0ing it to hal! its 0idth as I remembered& The palms o! my hands 0ere tingling though, usually a reliable indicator that something my conscious mind hasnLt pic.ed up on yet isnLt "uite right, so I slo0ed my pace, scanning the pile o! debris in the light !rom imlaLs luminator, and 0aited !or my tunnel ratLs instincts to pro,ide the missing clue& The rubble seemed undisturbed, ho0e,er hard I stared at it, so it couldnLt be that& 7y ga1e !lic.ered across a deep patch o! shado0 a !e0 metres !rom it, and then on to the dimly-seen te)ture o! the tunnel 0all, 0here the light o! our luminators bounced bac. in the spar.ling re!lections 0eLd gro0n so used to by no0 they scarcely registered&&&
#.# can attest rom my personal association "ith him that !ain "as one o the most accomplished s"ordsmen in the sector, i not the entire segmenl%m. Even "ell into his retirement, and his second cent%ry, none o the com)at instr%ctors at the schola "ere a)le to match his s+ill, honed as it "as )y inn%mera)le victories in the ield. .M%ch to their chagrin, ( might add.0 Oddly, his memoirs give little detail a)o%t the act%al techni$%es he employed in the melees he descri)es2 pro)a)ly )eca%se his ighting style "as so instinctive he never )othered to analyse it.

L imla& Tunnel 0all, about !i,e metres !rom the ca,e-in,H I directed, and 0aited !or our point man to s0ing his luminator round& L(mperorLs bo0els2L 9ri!en brought up her lasgun, her shoc.ed e)clamation putting all our reactions into 0ords& The shado0 0as no such thing, o! course, the te)ture o! the tunnel 0all should ha,e been ,isible there too, as my subconscious had been trying to tell me& % !resh passage0ay 0as no0 gouged out o! the roc., leading o!! (mperor .ne0 0here& The 0or., presumably, o! our butchered ambull& LCla0 mar.s,L imla con!irmed, shining the beam o! his luminator around the mouth, and then into the depths o! the ne0 tunnel& 5is posture altered suddenly, the las-gun the luminator 0as taped to coming up into the !iring position& L9olden Throne2L

4e ran !or0ard to 'oin him, anticipating (mperor .ne0 0hat, and clustered at the tunnel mouth& %t !irst it seemed no di!!erent !rom the other ambull runs 0eLd been tra,elling through& Then I !ollo0ed the beam o! light, sa0 0hat 0as illuminated by it, and s0allo0ed hard& L;r.s,H Kurgen said, as phlegmatically as i! he 0ere handing me a !resh bo0l o! tanna lea! tea& :ou thin.QL 7agot chipped in, 0ith grisly relish& L6ind o! hard to tell 0ithout their s.ins,H There 0ere si) o! them in total, all dead, all !layed the 0ay the ambull had been& #eneath their thin gla1ing o! ice they loo.ed !or all the 0orld li.e anatomical models, laid out !or the instruction o! apprentice medicae Mi! the greens.ins e,er bothered 0ith such niceties as chirurgery, o! courseN&A L4hat .illed themQL 5ail as.ed, paling as much as she 0as able to& %t that point I 0as past caring, to be honest& Their presence here 0as a strong indication that at least
#. /ct%ally they do, altho%gh not in any ashion "e "o%ld recognise as good medical practice.

one group had made it into the tunnels ahead o! us, and that an indeterminate number o! the brutes might e,en no0 be 0rea.ing ha,oc behind our de!ensi,e lines& +ot to mention standing bet0een us and sa!ety& %ll I .ne0 0as that the necrons must someho0 be responsible, and that 0hate,er tomb-spa0ned horror had .illed them li.e this 0as something I didnLt 0ant to meet& 4ith a premonitory tingle I realised that the ne0 tunnel 0as running almost parallel to the necron one 0eLd bloc.ed, and suddenly !elt a ,iolent urge to be some0here else as "uic.ly as possible& LLoo. at this, sir,H Kurgen held up one o! the crude bolters the or.s had carried, an e)pression o! mild curiosity on his !ace& It had been sheared clean through, the metal bright 0here a blade o! unimaginable sharp ness had sliced it in t0o, along 0ith the hand that had held it i! the amount o! blood !ro1en to the stoc. 0as anything to go by& %utomatically I scanned the scattered e"uipment around the bodies, loo.ing !or some .ind o! clue as to 0hat their purpose had been& It 0as hard to be sure, but something about the 0eapons they carried and the !e0 pieces o! rag 0hich hadnLt been stained 0ith blood reminded me o! the scouts 0hoLd shot do0n our shuttle& That 0as a logical in!erence, o! course, but "uite disturbing in its 0ay& It meant 0e could be up against or.s 0ho, untypically !or their .ind, 0ere s.illed at mo,ing "uietly and 0aiting in ambush rather than announcing their presence 0ith loud ,oices and indiscriminate 0eapons !ire& L houldnLt 0e see 0hatLs at the end o! the tunnelQL 9ri!en as.ed, reluctance audible in her ,oice& I shoo. my head& L+o,H It too. all the sel!-control I could muster to sound calm and collected, instead o! screaming the 0ord& L+othingLs more important than reporting bac. 0hat 0eL,e !ound,H L#esides,H 7agot chipped in, indicating the mutilated or.s 0ith a casual 0a,e, Lthat loo.s li.e a pretty de!inite 6eep ;ut sign to me,H Then letLs ta.e the hint,H I said& 9ri!en nodded& L:ouLll get no argument !rom me,H L5old it,H 5ail had mo,ed bac. to the main tunnel, and 0as no0 guarding our rear, standing ne)t to the roc.!all 0hich had buried the entrance to the tomb& M%nd 0hich, than.s to our stray ambull, had turned out to be a complete 0aste o! time&N LI thin. I can hear something,H LCan you be a little more speci!icQL I as.ed, lo0ering my ,oice instincti,ely, e,en though no one else 0ould hear it through the comm-bead in her ear& L7o,ement& #eyond the roc.slide,H 5er ,oice 0as e"ually hushed& imla scuttled !or0ard to support her, dousing our

last remaining luminator, and plunging us into dar.ness& IL,e ne,er been prone to claustrophobia, a conse"uence o! my upbringing I suppose, but at that moment the 0eight o! the gloom around us seemed crashing& I !ound mysel! obscurely grate!ul !or KurgenLs !amiliar odour, 0hich reassured me that I had at least one ally do0n here I could trust, and dre0 my chains0ord !rom its scabbard& I strained my ears, listening !or any change in the ambient noise around me, tuning out the sounds o! my o0n breathing and my hammering heart& %t !irst I heard nothing e)cept the susurration o! the lungs o! my companions, and the !aint rustling o! their clothes as they mo,ed into positions o! readiness& Then it came to me, rising up out o! the echoes: the sound o! boots crunching on hoar!rost, and guttural ,oices 0hispering in or.ish& LLet them get close,H I sub-,ocalised, hearing the reassuring murmur o! response !rom the rest o! the team, and hun.ering do0n to present the smallest possible target& LTa.e them 0hen they come round the roc.slide,H It 0as a good strategy, and probably 0ould ha,e 0or.ed, e)cept !or my companionsL ine)perience o!

tunnel !ighting and mo,ing- stealthily in the dar.& I ne,er .ne0 i! 5ail or imla 0as to blame, but as they settled into the shelter o! the tumbled heap o! rubble one o! them dislodged a small piece o! debris& I held my breath as it s.ittered a0ay across the ice, and the ad,ancing !ootsteps halted& % loud sni!!ing sound echoed through the dar., !ollo0ed by a muttered con,ersation in 0hat, !or greens.ins, 0ere hushed tones& I pic.ed out the 0ord, &h%mie@,&# 0hich ILd heard o!ten enough be!ore to be sure o!, and .ne0 that our ambush had been disco,ered& % glimmer o! orange light 0as no0 ,isible behind the roc.slide, !lic.ering li.e !ire, and a sic. presentiment gripped me& ;ne o! the approaching greens.ins apparently had a !lamer, the pilot light pro,iding illumination !or the group as 0ell as hea,y support, and a ,i,id mental image o! the immolated or.s Lunt had .illed rose up unbidden in my mind& I determined to ma.e the bearer my highest priority targetO o! all the 0ays to die ILd seen on the battle!ields o! the gala)y, burning to death loo.ed among the least pleasant& L tay bac.,H I sub-,ocalised, probably unnecessarily, as ILm sure the others 0ere all thin.ing the same& Then I le, elled my laspistol at the constriction in the passage0ay 0here the greens.ins must surely appear, and 0aited& To my surprise, ho0e,er, they didnLt charge blindly !or0ard into combat as ILd e)pected& % couple o! small ob'ects !le0 through the gap, bouncing on the !rost-co,ered !loor, and s.ittering 0ildly in random directions& L9renade2L imla yelled, 'ust be!ore they detonated, and a storm o! shrapnel ripped through the air& 5e !ell bac.0ards, ugly 0ounds peppering his body& (,en the !la. armour beneath his greatcoat couldnLt stop all o! the shards, and crimson stains began seeping across it as he
#. The closest the or+ish larynx can come to the gothic "ord &h%mans!

tried to get to his !eet& 5ail 0as luc.ier, her partner ta.ing most o! the blast, but I could see her le!t arm 0as bleeding hea,ily and hung limply at her side& he leapt !or0ard into the gap, screaming in anger, and !ired her lasgun onehanded on !ull auto at the no doubt surprised greens.ins beyond& he must ha,e hit at least one, too, 'udging by the ho0ls o! rage and pain 0hich echoed round the con!ined space& L5ail2 9et bac.2L 9ri!en shouted, but she 0as too lateO a ,olley o! bolts tore 5ail apart in a rain o! blood and ,iscera, and then the or.s 0ere among us& imla tried to raise his lasgun as the !irst bounded through the narro0 opening, but be!ore he could pull the trigger a massi,e clea,er s0ung do0n to bisect his s.ull& The greens.in bello0ed in triumph, but it 0as short-li,ed as 7agot and I shot it almost simultaneously, and it dropped, most o! its head blo0n a0ay& 9ri!en

.ept up a steady suppressi,e !ire against the opening through 0hich they had to come, attempting to dissuade any more !rom !ollo0ing, but it 0as a !utile hope& 4hen the blood o! an or. is up they ha,e almost no sense o! sel!-preser,ation, seeming happy to die i! they can ta.e a !e0 o! their enemies 0ith them& %nother greens.in di,ed through the cho.e point, spitting bolts !rom the crude pistol in its hand, and to my horror the !lic.ering glo0 o! the incendiary 0eapon 0as gro0ing brighter, indicating that its operator 0ould be the ne)t to emerge& LKurgen2L I shouted, pointing, Lta.e out the !lamer2L 5e nodded, and sighted the melta care!ully& I had no more time to consider his actions a!ter that, or anyone elseLs !or that matter, because the greens.in 0as upon me, s0inging its hea,y blade at my head& I duc.ed, bringing up the screaming chains0ord to bloc. it instincti,ely, and !elt the sturdy mechanism shudder as adamantium teeth met crudely !orged metal& par.s !le0, miniature orange suns melting tiny craters in the ice 0hich coated the !loor, be!ore I turned my body,

de!lecting the bruteLs headlong charge into the 0all& It roared as its head impacted 0ith the unyielding ice-coated stone, and turned bac. to0ards me, thic. ropes o! drool hanging !rom its tus.s& +o0 it 0as really hac.ed o!!& 9ood& I cut at its leg slashing a 0ound that 0ould ha,e disabled a human, but 0hich seemed to a!!ect it litde more than a scratch& It brought its cumbersome blade do0n to bloc. the stri.e, as ILd anticipated, and I slashed up0ards, ta.ing the loathsome creature in the nec.& It loo.ed startled !or a moment, as i! 0ondering 0here all the blood 0as suddenly coming !rom, and dropped hea,ily to its .nees& 4ith any other species this 0ould ha,e been a mortal blo0, but ILd !aced greenies too o!ten be!ore to underestimate their resilience& I s0ung the blade again, laterally this time, and too. its head !rom its shoulders& The 0hole !ight could only ha,e lasted a second or t0o& %s I turned a0ay my eyes 0ere stabbed by the searing !lash o! the melta& L9ot him,H lurgen con!irmed, as I tried to blin. my retina clear o! the dancing a!ter-images, and cursed mysel! !or my carelessness& That degree o! disorientation could cost me my li!e do0n here& LLoo. out2L The breath 0as suddenly dri,en !rom my lungs as 7agot di,ed !or0ards, catching me around the 0aist, and barging me out o! the 0ay o! a large and un!riendly roc. 0hich had become detached !rom the ceiling& It crashed to the ground 0here ILd been standing less than a second be!ore& Than.s,H I said, still trying to pic. out the image o! the redheaded trooper !rom the bright green ha1e 0hich seemed to !loat bet0een me and the rest o! the 0orld& I thought I could ma.e out a grin, and realised sheLd s0itched her luminator on again& L%ny time,H she said& The 0hole roo!s coming do0n2L 9ri!en yelled, and I became a0are o! the crea.s and rumblings 0hich told me she 0as right& %pparently the e)plosion 0eLd touched o!! here earlier had le!t things e,en more unstable than 0eLd realised, something I suppose an old tunnel rat li.e me should ha,e spotted i! I hadnLt been too busy being terri!ied o! the necrons& L#ac.2L I shouted, my childhood instincts .ic.ing in at lastO the 0orst o! it sounded as i! it 0as ahead o! us& o 0e ran bac. to the shelter o! the !resh ambull tunnel, and 0aited !or the noise to stop& L(mperor on (arth2L 9ri!en said, 0hen the dust had !inally settled& I canLt say I blamed her& ;! the nine troopers sheLd set out 0ith only 7agot 0as no0 le!t, and she must ha,e !elt the loss o! so many o! her subordinates .eenly&

cintillating ice motes danced in our luminator beams as 0e too. in the !ull import o! the sight ahead o! us& 4here hal! the passage0ay had once been bloc.ed, an impenetrable 0all o! debris no0 barred our 0ay& ;! the or.s, and our !allen comrades, there 0as no sign at all& 4eLre !ra..ed, arenLt 0eQL 7agot as.ed& I shoo. my head, a!raid to spea.& It loo.ed to me as i! she 0as right& LI can try another shot,H Kurgen suggested& L ee i! that might clear it,H 7ore li.ely it 0ould bring do0n e,en more rubble, and !inish us o!! into the bargain& I shoo. my head again& LProbably a bad idea,H I said, surprised at my restraint under the circumstances& 4e could go bac.,H 9ri!en suggested& Try to get to the re!inery o,erland,H ;,er a mountain range, s0arming 0ith or.s& In a bli11ard& That 0ould be suicide, and the dubious tone o! her ,oice told me she realised that e,en as she spo.e& 4eL,e got one chance,H I said, my mind s.ittering reluctantly a0ay !rom the thought e,en as I ,oiced it& I tried to picture the map o! the ambull tunnels Logash had been compiling on his auspe), and o,erlaid the mental image 0ith the !resh one 0eLd 'ust disco,ered& 4ith a lot

o! luc. it might intersect one o! the others be!ore too long, and allo0 us to bypass the bloc.age ahead o! us& ;n the other hand, it 0as also running more or less parallel 0ith the passage0ay 0eLd been trying to bloc. o!! in the !irst place, and it seemed pretty ob,ious that the necrons 0ere already using it& I! 0e 0ent ahead 0eLd almost certainly die& 4ell, almost certainly o!!ers a bit more hope than de!initely, 0hich 0as 0hat our other options amounted to, so in the end it 0as the only choice to ma.e& It 0as a grim and silent group 0hich started out, already hal! the si1e 0e had been 0hen 0e passed this 0ay be!ore, and 0ith the gra,est peril 0e had to !ace still in !ront o! us& I a,erted my eyes !rom the mutilated or.s as 0e !iled past their silent and !ro1en bodies, and 0ondered i! ILd doomed us all&

ELEVEN
#: T5%T P;I+T 0eLd gi,en up any attempt at maintaining a proper s.irmish !ormation, ad,ancing instead as a single group, huddled together !or protection li.e the nati,es o! some !eral 0orld scared o! the daemons beyond the circle o! !irelight& The di!!erence, o! course, 0as that 0e .ne0 the daemons 0ere real, and that 0e 0ere 0al.ing straight into their in!ernal realm& M%nd spea.ing as someone 0hoLs met a daemon or t0o in his time, I can assure you that the sensation 0as not at all dissimilar&N 4e had by some unspo.en agreement le!t all the lumi-nators apart !rom 7agotLs s0itched o!!, so that only a single beam o! light preceded us do0n that narro0 and !orbidding passage0ay& %s a result, the shado0s closed in around us e,en more su!!ocatingly than be!ore, despite the re!lecti,e "ualities o! the ice 0hich still coated the 0alls, intensi!ying the sense o! brooding menace surrounding us& 7oreo,er, my tunnel ratLs instincts told me

0e 0ere descending slo0ly once again, e,er deeper into die bo0els o! die planet, and the deeper 0e 0ent, the closer the enshrouding gloom seemed to 0rap itsel! around us, until the air against my !ace seemed thic. and 0arm, almost cho.ing in its closeness& %bruptly I became a0are that the t0o phenomena 0ere real, not psychological& The ambient temperature 0as gradually rising, and our single beam 0as re!lecting less and less !rom the 0alls around us as dar. roc. began to emerge !rom behind its coating o! translucent ice& The resultant humidity 0as ma.ing the air seem damp and thic., a !aint mist rising !rom the !loor ahead o! us& It 0as still pretty chilly by any normal measure, you understand, but compared to the temperatures 0eLd been e)posed to on the sur!ace it began to !eel almost tropical& The /alhallans certainly seemed to notice it, both 0omen loosening their greatcoats and Kurgen remo,ing his thic. !ur hat, 0hich he stu!!ed into one o! the e"uipment pouches he 0as habitually !estooned 0ith& L4here,er 0eLre going, I thin. 0eLre here,H 7agot ,olunteered, a!ter an indeterminate period o! silence during 0hich 0e heard nothing apart !rom our cautious !ootsteps 0hich seemed to ring li.e thunder 0ith e,ery pace, echoing all the louder in our ears !or e,ery pain 0e too. to mu!!le them& I nodded, my mouth dry& % !aint humming 0as discernable in the air no0, ho,ering 'ust on the edge o! audibility, and a !aint acrid tang tic.led the membranes o! my nose& %ll things I remembered only too 0ell, and had hoped ne,er to e)perience again& L7o,e care!ully,H I 0arned e,eryone, completely super!luously no doubt& I gestured to 7agot& L6ill the light,H he complied, and 0ith a sense o! mounting horror I realised that the dar.ness around us 0as no longer absolute& % !aint luminescence 0as ,isible !rom up ahead, percolating into the tunnelO a sic., gangrenous hue 0hich turned my stomach& LDo0n that 0ay,H There could be no doubt at all no0: 0hate,er secrets the necrons had buried do0n here 0ere 0aiting !or us, and there seemed no 0ay to a,oid con!ronting them& LILll go !irst,H Kurgen o!!ered, s0inging the bul. o! the melta up into a !iring position& LThis ought to clear a 0ay !or us i! 0e need it,H 8ran.ly I doubted it, 0here 0e 0ere going no amount o! !irepo0er 0ould ma.e a di!!erence, but the thought that he might at least buy us a little time 0as a com!orting one, so I nodded& L9ood man,HA said, someho0 !inding the time to en'oy the e)pression o! perple)ity on 9ri!en and 7agotLs !aces& Kurgen 0as an easy man to underestimate until you got to .no0 him, and !e0 people e,er bothered& I tried to loo. calm, but ILd be surprised i! I !ooled them !or a secondO both 0omen loo.ed almost sic. 0ith apprehension, and .no0ing 0hat

a0aited us I ha,e no doubt my appearance 0as e,en 0orse& LReadyQL I as.ed& LReady,H 9ri!en ga,e 7agotLs upper arm an encouraging s"uee1e, and the redheaded trooper nodded& L%s ILll e,er be,H she con!irmed, and snapped a !resh po0er cell into her lasgun, more !or the com!ort the !amiliar action a!!orded than because she needed to reload, I suspected& 4e emerged into a ,ast shado0y ca,ern, !ull o! machinery o! strange design and incomprehensible !unction& /ast geometric slabs rose into the gloom about us, lea.ing that rancid illumination !rom ,ents and thic. pipes o! stu!! 0hich loo.ed li.e glass but undoubtedly 0asnLt, su!!using the 0hole space 0ith shado0s and !lat, directionless light& In the pale green glo0 0e loo.ed li.e corpses, long dead and rotting, and I !ound mysel! 0ondering ho0 I had e,er hoped to come through this unscathed& 4e probed !or0ard cautiously, scuttling !rom one deep shado0 to the ne)t li.e mice on a cathedral !loor, our minds assailed almost to the point o! physical nausea by

the sense o! 0rongness e,erything e)uded& This 0as no place !or the li,ing, that much 0as plain& L(mperor protect us,H 9ri!en breathed& 4e had come through a door0ay high enough to admit a titan, hugging the 0alls o! that ,ast chamber 0hose roo! rose up beyond sight, and stopped short, our breath stilled by the prospect 0hich a0aited us& 8or those 0alls 0ere composed o! niches, each the height and 0idth o! a man, and in each stood a necron 0arrior, the sic.ly light gleaming !rom its metal sur!ace& %s 0e mo,ed the shado0s seemed to ripple across those blan., inhuman !eatures, imparting e)pressions o! utter male,olence& 8or a moment 0e stood, trans!i)ed by horror, until I realised 0ith a surge o! relie! that this apparent motion 0as an illusion, and that each 0arrior stood utterly immobile& TheyLre in stasis,H I breathed, as though saying the 0ords aloud might alone be enough to 0a.e them& Then theyLre harmlessQL 7agot as.ed, clearly not e)pecting the ans0er she 0anted to hear& L+o,H I con!irmed& LKust dormant& I! they 0ere to 0a.e&&&L I s0ept my eyes up and along that di11ying ,ista, seeing nothing but metal bodies receding to in!inity, and ga,e up trying to calculate ho0 many there 0ere& 5undreds o! thousands, at the ,ery least, in this one chamber alone& I tried to en,isage the ha,oc 0hich such an army 0ould 0rea. i! it 0ere e,er unleashed upon the gala)y, and cringed in0ardly at the scale o! the carnage that 0ould ensue& They ha,e to be destroyed,H LI thin. 0eLll need bigger guns,H 9ri!en said dryly, 0renching her eyes a0ay !rom that all but in!inite legion, and he!ting her lasgun as though ready to !ire& +er,es taut, 0e !lic.ed our ga1es le!t and right, alert !or any sign o! mo,ement 0hich might betray a threat, but the ,ast tomb seemed utterly empty apart !rom us& Then 0eLll get bigger guns,H I reassured her& +othing in our in,entory 0ould e,en come close to doing the 'ob, but an astropathic message to the nearest na,al unit 0ould bring a tas. !orce here 0ithin 0ee.s, and a !lotilla o! battleships ought to be enough to le,el the continent& % couple o! barrages !rom their lance batteries 0ould be enough to e)cise this cancer, ho0e,er deeply it 0as buried& ;! course the planet 0ould be rendered uninhabitable !or generations, but no one in their right mind 0ould be 0illing to set !oot here once the necron presence 0as .no0n in any case, so the "uestion 0as pretty moot& %nd i! anyone 0ere !oolish enough to demur, I had no doubt that %mberley 0ould bring the !ull !orce o! the In"uisition to bear on the ob'ectors the moment I appraised her o! the situation&A 4e pushed on cautiously, trying to .eep the outer 0alls o! the ca,ern in sight as much as 0e couldO i! there 0as

indeed a 0ay out o! here I intended to !ind it& I simply re!used to consider the alternati,e, that the ambull tunnel 0eLd come in by had been the only entrance le!t, as that 0ay lay nothing but madness and despair& L7o,ement2L Kurgen 0arned, melting into the shado0s at the base o! some ,ast mechanism 0hich hummed a0ay to itsel! obli,ious o! our presence& The rest o! us 0ent to ground too, !inding 0hat concealment 0e could& I crouched behind some metallic outgro0th 0hich loo.ed both regular and organic, and 0hich !elt 0arm to the touch& % moment later I sa0 it too, harsh angular shado0s at !irst, presaging our initial sight o! the necrons themsel,es as they rounded the corner o! the metal canyon in the depths o! 0hich 0e lur.ed& %s the monsters themsel,es came into sight I could scarcely suppress a gasp o! pure horror& ILd seen terrors enough on Interims Prime, but these monstrous creations e)ceeded e,en those& %t !irst I too. them !or ordinary necron 0arriors, !earsome enough in themsel,es as I
#. He "as not "rong in this ass%mption.

.ne0 only too 0ell, but these 0ere something !ar 0orse& Their !ingers ended in long, gleaming blades, smeared 0ith a substance 0hich loo.ed blac. in this pestilential light but 0hich I had no doubt 0as truly red& 7ost terri!ying o! all, their metal torsos 0ere hidden !rom ,ie0& 8or a second, as my appalled mind re!used to ac.no0ledge the sight be!ore it, I !ound mysel! 0ondering 0hy in the name o! the (mperor these un!eeling automata 0ould ha,e donned clothing against the coldO then the realisation hit me, along 0ith a spasm o! nausea& They 0ere draped in the !layed hides o! the dead or.s 0eLd !ound& MI! one o! them 0as 0earing the ambull I !ailed to notice it, 0hich belie,e me 0as "uite easy to ha,e done under the circumstances& I! the (mperor 5imsel! had tapped me on the shoulder at that moment it probably 0ouldnLt ha,e registered&N L9olden Throne2L 9ri!en breathed, unable to contain her re,ulsion, and I !ro1e, terri!ied that she might ha,e been heard, but to my unutterable relie! the hideous apparitions strode on obli,ious, A 0ith the inhumanly !luid motion ILd come to associate 0ith all their !orms, and a!ter a moment they slipped a0ay do0n a 0ide boule,ard bet0een arcane de,ices the si1e o! a 0arehouse,H L hould 0e !ollo0 themQL Kurgen as.ed, phlegmatic as al0ays, as though heLd seen nothing more disturbing than my morningLs messages, and I 0as instantly grate!ul !or the sound o! his ,oice in my comm-bead& It 0as a 0el come touch o! the ordinary 0hich I sei1ed on grate!ully, and I !elt my shattered sensibilities begin to stabilise& I
#. 4espite decades o intensive st%dy )y )oth the Ordo ,enos and the /dept%s Mechanic%s the sensory mechanisms o the necrons remain a mystery. -ometimes they seem almost pretemat%rally a)le to detect an enemy, "hile at others, as in this instance, they overloo+ targets almost literally %nder their noses. /t this time the (n$%isition has no explanation to o er or this paradox2 and i the /dept%s Mechanic%s has one they&re not sharing it.

glanced across at 9ri!en, 0ho 0as breathing shallo0ly, her !ace pale in the ghasdy light, and 7agot, 0ho 0as muttering prayers to the (mperor under her breath, all trace o! her usual coc.iness gone& I! I didnLt do something to snap them out o! it !ast they 0ere li.ely to lose it completely, or go catatonic on me, and neither 0as an appealing prospect at the moment& %nd KurgenLs suggestion at least had the merit o! .eeping the monstrosities in !ront o! us, so I nodded& L9ood a plan as any,L I conceded, then turned to 9ri!en& L ergeant& 4eLre mo,ing out,H To her credit she responded almost at once, turning slo0ly to !ace me 0ith 0ide eyes into 0hich I could see a measure o! hard-!ought sel! con trol begin to return&

LRight,H she con!irmed, and reached across to ta.e 7agot by the arm again& The trooper !ailed to respond& 9ri!en increased the pressure a little, !orcing her to ta.e a single step to retain her balance, and a!ter a moment she bro.e o!! her muttering to loo. at the sergeant& L7ari& 7ari, 0eLre going no0,H L4e shouldnLt be here,H 7agot said, an undercurrent o! hysteria too close to the sur!ace !or my li.ing& L4e ha,e to get out,H ThatLs 'ust 0hat 0eLre going to do,HA assured her, 0ith more con!idence than I !elt& L#ut 0e need your help to do it& 4e need you alert, all rightQL LRight& :es,H he s0allo0ed, incipient panic still bubbling under the sur!ace, but !ighting it no0& he too. a couple o! deep breaths& LILm on it,H L9ood& #ecause 0eLre relying on you,H I said, in my most sincere ,oice& LI! 0e stic. together 0eLll ma.e it, you ha,e my 0ord,H LI 0onLt let you do0n,H she said, a hairLs breadth !rom hyper,entilation, and 9ri!en patted her on the shoulder, a brie!, supporti,e sho0 o! human contact& LI .no0 you 0onLt,H she said .indly& L o get your arse in gear and letLs try to ma.e it bac. be!ore hell tha0s out, ;6QL

L;6, sarge,H 4hate,er the bond bet0een them it seemed to out0eigh the terror o! the necrons, at least !or the time being so I signalled to Kurgen& L7o,e out,H I said& 5o0 long 0e !ollo0ed those ghasdy apparitions !or I had no idea, but it seemed li.e an eternity, time shi!ting and blurring until it had no meaning, a phenomenon ILd also noticed in the catacombs o! Interims Prime& %t times 0e passed through !orests o! glo0ing tubes, uncannily reminiscent o! plague-ridden trees, and at others 0e scuttled along in the shado0s o! blan.-sided metal slabs the si1e o! a starship& %t least t0ice 0e passed through more stasis chambers, as !ull o! dormant horrors as the one 0eLd !irst encountered, but loo.ing bac. I !ind my recollections ha1y, as though my mind 0as simply re!using to accept 0hat it 0as seeing Mprobably 'ust as 0ell !or my sanityN& %bruptly I became a0are o! a !luttering o! motion in my peripheral ,ision, and di,ed !or co,er again, 0ith a sibilant 0arning to my companions& %nd 'ust in time, too& % group o! ordinary necron 0arriors appeared !rom a side passage, 0hich, li.e the one 0e tra,elled, seemed more li.e a street than a gap bet0een 0arehouse-si1ed machines, and, turning as one 0ith a precision 0hich 0ould ha,e le!t any Imperial 9uard drill instructor 0orthy o! the name seething 0ith en,y had they been there to 0itness it, !ollo0ed their charnel brethren to0ards 0hate,er destination a0aited them& %s I loo.ed closer I could see !aint traces o! combat damage on their shiny metal torsos, the dents and craters le!t by the 0eapons o! the or.s already !ading as the metal seemed to !lo0 together, healing their 0ounds by some sorcerous process I 0as at a loss to understand&A
#. /n %nderstanding "hich the Ordo ,enos "o%ld give a great deal to achieve, incidentally. (t goes "itho%t saying that "hatever inroads the /dept%s Mechan* ic%s may have made into the pro)lem, they&re +eeping to themselves.

8rom some0here up ahead, at the end o! that Cyclopean thorough!are, 0e could no0 discern a glo0 brighter than the rest but no less repellent in its hue, and something about the shape o! the mechanisms surrounding us seemed ,aguely !amiliar& I began to !eel a !ormless sense o! recognition, 0hich hardened into certainty as 0e approached that ,i,id corpse-light, and the source came into ,ie0 in the centre o! a broad open space the si1e o! a starport landing pad& LItLs an acti,e 0arp portal,HA breathed, ma.ing the sign o! the a"uila by re!le)& +ot that I e)pected to in,o.e any additional protection by doing that, o! course, but belie,e me, under those circumstances e,ery little helps& L%re you sureQL 9ri!en as.ed, clearly a0estruc. at the prospect& 8eeling this 0asnLt the time !or lengthy e)pla nations I

simply nodded& L%bsolutely,H I said&A %head o! us the !layed ones, as I later learned the In"uisition classi!ied the trophy-ta.ers, stepped into that eldritch glo0 and ,anished, no doubt to some hell hole else0here in the gala)y& I must admit to 0ondering, !or a panic-stric.en instant, i! they 0ere merely teleporting to some starship in orbit, but a momentLs re!lection 0as enough to reassure me that no ,essel could ha,e emerged !rom the 0arp early enough to be here already 0ithout registering on the 6%re o Heart&s sensor array long be!ore 0e set out on our ambull hunt, 0hat seemed li.e a li!etime ago no0& M#ut 0hich my chronometer stubbornly insisted had been less than a dayN = % moment later the 0arriors !ollo0ed
#.!ain is almost certainly the only h%man in the galaxy to have s%rvived a transit thro%gh a necron "arp portal, d%ring the advent%res on ?nterit%s 6rime to "hich he has previo%sly re erred. His acco%nt o the incident is else"here in the archive, and need not detain %s %rther at this time. 8.!ain is generally imprecise a)o%t the passage o time in his memoirs2 it&s %s%ally possi)le to in er ro%ghly ho" m%ch time has passed )et"een the incidents he descri)es, )%t this is a)o%t as speci ic as he ever gets.

suit, e,aporating !rom our sight li.e the ,estiges o! a nightmare on 0a.ing, and the 0arp portal dimmed bac. to the le,el o! the ambient illumination& L(mperor on (arth2L 7agot said, a !aint trace o! her old bra,ado beginning to return& L5o0Ls that !or an e)itQL LItLll do me,H 9ri!en said grimly& L(specially i! itLs permanent&L L7aybe the greens.ins 0ere too much !or them,L the redhead said hope!ully& LI 0ouldnLt count on it,H I said& This 0as 'ust a scouting party& TheyLll be bac.,H L5o0 soonQL Kurgen as.ed, his tone, as usual, no more than mildly curious& I shrugged& L(mperor alone .no0s,H I said& LLong enough !or us to get the !ra. out o! here I hope,H L%men to that,H 7agot muttered& I stole a glance at the portal, 0hich, though dormant no0, seemed to pulsate 0ith male,olence, as though ready to ,omit a tidal 0a,e o! metal 0arriors across the planet at any moment& I thought brie!ly o! trying to rig up something to destroy it !rom our remaining stoc. o! e)plosi,es, but dismissed the idea at once& 8or one thing, i! it 0as as robust as the e"uipment ILd seen on Interims Prime 0eLd barely be able to scratch it 0ith 0hat little 0e still carried, and !or another, the time it 0ould ta.e us to try 0ould be !ar better spent loo.ing !or an e)it& MI! ILm honest, the thought o! lingering !or e,en a moment longer, certainly !or the amount o! time it 0ould ta.e to set the charges, 0as almost enough to start me running in panicO only the realisation that such a course 0ould probably doom us pre,ented it&N %nd any attempt to inter!ere 0ith the mechanisms here 0ould most li.ely dra0 attention to us, 0hich 0ould be best a,oided to say the least& Though many o! the machines around us appeared to be po0ering do0n 0ith the departure o! the scouting party 0hich suggested 0e 0ere alone do0n here no0, there could be any number o! alarms or sensors an e)plosion might trigger, and necron guards or their mechanical lac.eys lur.ing in a corner some0here prepared to deal 0ith us i! alerted to our presence& L4hich 0ay, sirQL Kurgen as.ed, as though 0e 0ere simply in the middle o! a par. some0here loo.ing !or the "uic.est 0ay bac. to the barrac.s& I hesitated& 7y instincts hadnLt entirely deserted me, ho0e,er arcane our surroundings, and a!ter a momentLs thought I pointed o!! to our le!t& The mines should be o,er that 0ay, i! I donLt miss my guess,H Kurgen had been do0n enough holes 0ith me to trust my sense o! direction underground, and e,en i! he didnLt it 0as close enough to an instruction !or him to !ollo0 0ithout thin.ing about it, so he nodded, and began to mo,e o!! in that direction& 9ri!en and 7agot began to dri!t a!ter him so I

pic.ed up my pace and !ell in bet0een my aide and the t0o 0omen, !eeling a little more secure Mi! that 0ere e,en remotely possible considering 0here 0e 0ereN no0 that I had armed troopers on either side o! me& Despite my gro0ing con,iction that 0e 0ere unli.ely to meet any more o! the metallic monstrosities unless 0e did something to attract their attention I 0asnLt about to let my guard do0n, you can depend on that& In !act the closer 0e came to sa!ety, or at least the promise o! it, the more paranoid I became, starting at e,ery minute sound, real or imagined& I scanned e,ery shado0 0e passed, increasingly certain that e,ery cre,ice concealed a s0arm o! scuttling metal insects or that a ,ast arachnoid construct lur.ed abo,e our heads, but e,ery time my apprehensions pro,ed to be groundless& LI can see the ca,ern 0all,H Kurgen ,o)ed, and 0e pic.ed up the pace a little, an unspo.en agreement spar.ing among us to "uit this hellish place as "uic.ly as 0e could& I began to see patches o! smooth !inished stone0or. ahead o! us through the tangle o! incomprehensible mechanisms and tried to estimate ho0 !ar a0ay

0e 0ere, but my sense o! perspecti,e 0as con!used by the strange geometries around us and I 0as still ta.en by surprise 0hen 0e slipped through a gro,e o! pipe-0or. the breadth o! trees and !ound oursel,es up against na.ed bedroc.& LItLs completely smooth,H 7agot said, running her hand along it, a tint o! 0onder entering her ,oice& he 0as right, the sur!ace 0as sheer as glass, and I !ound mysel! trying to picture ho0 the 0or. had been done 0ith such precision& The only e)planation I could come up 0ith 0as sorcery o! some .ind, 0hich !itted right in 0ith e,erything else ILd seen here since 0e arri,ed& I glanced to the le!t and right, hoping to !ind some sign o! a tunnel, but in this I 0as predictably disappointed& L4hich 0ay no0QL 9ri!en as.ed& I didnLt ha,e a clue, to be honest, but I had a ,ague memory o! the pro'ected run o! the ambull tunnels on LogashLs auspe) being more numerous o!! to0ards the right o! 0here I esti mated us to be, so I gestured in that direction 0ith all the authority I could muster& That 0ay,H I said& L%nd pray to the (mperor !or a miracle,H This 0hole place is a miracle, is it notQL a ne0 ,oice as.ed& I 0hirled, bringing up my laspistol, and !ro1e an instant a0ay !rom pulling the trigger& The spea.er sounded ,aguely !amiliar, and a moment later I caught sight o! a human !igure in an emerald robe M0hich 0as actually 0hite, o! course, out o! that ghastly illuminationN, 0hose eyes !lashed da11lingly green as they caught the light& L%ll praise the ;mnissiah, 0hose bounty has been re,ealed to the 0orthy despite the 0orst e!!orts o! the unbelie,er,H LLogash,H I said, not "uite sure i! heLd gone barmy or not& L4e thought you 0ere dead,H #ut he 0asnLt, 0orse luc.O the treacherous little 0easel had gi,en us the slip in the sno0storm and come scutding bac. here as !ast as he could& (mperor alone .no0s 0hat he 0as hoping to achie,e 0ith a couple o! tonnes o! rabble sealing the entrance to the tomb, but !anatics are li.e that, no common sense at all, and our stray ambull had sol,ed the problem !or him any0ay& ;! course he too. that as a sign !rom 5is Di,ine 7a'esty, or the cloc.0or. parody they 0orship, that he 0as intended to get in here all along, and didnLt he 'ust cro0 about that& The ;mnissiah guided my steps,H he said, Land the barriers 0ere thro0n do0n ahead o! me& %ll praise the ;mnissiah2L 5is ,oice rose, and I cringed in0ardly, certain that heLd attract unholy attention& I hushed him 0ith a gesture, and turned to !ind 7agotLs lasgun pointed straight at him& L5o0 come the tinheads didnLt get youQL she as.ed, her !inger a little too tight on the trigger !or my peace o! mind&

8ran.ly, the 0ay I !elt no0 she could ha,e shot him and 0elcome, but the sound o! gun!ire 0ould echo around here li.e an (arthsha.er barrage and I 0asnLt prepared to ris. it& I de!lected her aim gently 0ith a hand on the 0eaponLs barrel& Logash didnLt seem to ta.e o!!ence, though, beaming broadly at the "uestion& The holy guardians !ailed to notice me, as I 0ould e)pect gi,en my un0orthiness& There are mysteries here !ar beyond my abilities to !athom, but no doubt those o! greater 0isdom can commune 0ith the machine spirits o! this 0ondrous place,H L%ssuming 0e e,er manage to get out o! here to tell them,H 9ri!en chipped in sourly& The ;mnissiah 0ill pro,ide, you can depend on it,H Logash said, completely siggy beyond a doubt& M(,en though 0ith tech-priests itLs o!ten hard to tell&N I !ound it hard to credit that the necrons had simply ignored him, but I suppose it 0as a ,ast comple) and it 0asnLt entirely un!easible that they had simply !ailed to notice him as they had the rest o! us, e,en though I had no doubt that heLd been 0andering around in the open ga0ping li.e some hic. up !rom the sump on his !irst trip to a guilder

trade station instead o! hiding li.e anyone 0ith a micron o! sense 0ould ha,e done& They certainly noticed the or.s,H 7agot pointed out& Logash nodded eagerly& /ile desecrators o! these holy precincts& The guardians cut them do0n as they deser,ed,H There he 0ent again, I thought, 0ith a tingle o! unease& %nyone 0ho could use the 0ord LholyL to re!er to this chamber o! horrors had clearly become unhinged& I suppose the sight o! all that technology lying around had o,erloaded his brain or something& L4ell thatLs good,HA said, a little too heartily, and prodded him e)perimentally in the bac.& To my relie! he !ell into step beside me& LItLll still be sa!e 0hen 0e tell the others all about it,H L;h yes, 0e must do that,H Logash nodded eagerly, and pulled out his auspe)& ItLs probably a measure o! ho0 !ar gone I 0as that I 0as actually glad to see it& The rest o! us clustered around an)iously as he called up the image o! the ambull tunnels 0eLd mapped be!ore, the ones in red e)trapolated !rom the ones 0eLd actually 0al.ed& LIs there another tunnel near hereQL 7agot as.ed, raising hersel! onto her toes to peer o,er the tech-priestLs arm& 5e nodded, pointing o!! to the le!t& LThere should be another ambull run about t0o hundred metres in that direction,H Luc.ily no one said anything to me, although to be !air there did seem to be some other tunnels a bit !urther a0ay in the direction ILd originally chosen& This 0asnLt the time to stand on my pride, ho0e,er, so I nodded and patted the tech-priest on his shoulders M0hich 0ere hard under the robe, and thudded dully under the blo0sN& L9ood,H I said& Then letLs !ind it,H
Editorial Note: 4espite my %nderstanda)le rel%ctance to resort to this secondary so%rce again (&m a raid it&s necessary to ill a gap in !ain&s narrative, "hich )rea+s o at this point only to res%me a ter some time has passed. No do%)t he ed nothing o signi icance had occ%rred in the interim, despite the passage o several ho%rs. /s ever, my apologies or the style .or lac+ o it0, and my ass%rance that readers "ith a re ined appreciation or the 'othic lang%age are per ectly at li)erty to s+ip it. (t is, ho"ever, merci %lly short. ()tracted !rom :i+e a 6hoenix From the Flames: The Fo%nding o the FGHth, by 9eneral Kenit ulla MretiredN, >B@&7?=&

/IT%L %

T5(

tas. 0ith 0hich 0e had been entrusted undeniably 0as, it could hardly be described as challenging&

;nce the miners had directed Captain 8edererLs sappers to the part o! the 0or.ings 0here the !la0s and stresses in the ice ensured our planned booby trap 0ould 0or. to best e!!ect, there 0as little !or us more practical soldiers to do other than !an out through the galleries to secure our perimeter against the remote possibility o! in!iltration by the or.s& This 0e did, and although I ha,e to admit that the tas. 0as a tedious one, to the credit o! the 0omen and men under my command they remained as alert a!ter hal! the day had cra0led by as they had at the commencement o! our ,igil& This 0as disturbed at length by a ,o) message !rom deep in the lo0er galleries, so attenuated by the layers o! inter,ening ice that I could scarcely discern itO and a momentLs perusal o! the tactical slate 0as enough to con!irm 0hat ILd already deduced& The source o! the message 0as !ar deeper than the most !ar-!lung o! our patrols& There could be only one e)planation, and ta.ing my command s"uad 0ith me I made haste to respond, !inding as 0e descended and the ,o) signal became clearer that my suspicions 0ere correctO this 0as indeed a message !rom none other than Commissar Cain himsel!, returning 0ith ne0s o! dire import, and demanding, as soon as com munications became reliable enough, to be put through to Colonel 6asteen at once& 4hile my ,o) operator made haste to comply, his po0er!ul bac.pac. transmitter easily able to boost the tenuous signals o! the commissarLs comm-bead, I directed my troopers to his aid as rapidly as I could& Though the con,ersation had mo,ed to a command !re"uency o! a !ar higher le,el than those to 0hich I, as a lo0ly lieutenant, had access, it 0as clear !rom the urgent tone o! his ,oice that the tidings he brought 0ere o! such importance they must be disseminated as rapidly as possible& The carrier 0a,e 0as enough to lead us to the commissarLs party, ho0e,er, and I must con!ess to a moment o! shoc. as I beheld the bedraggled sur,i,ors o! 0hat must surely ha,e been a 'ourney o! epic endurance& Commissar Cain 0as, o! course, the ,ery picture o! martial heroism he al0ays presented, his bearing erect and eye steady, undaunted by 0hate,er horrors he had !aced, although his companions all too clearly sho0ed the terrible ra,ages o! the perils theyLd !ought their 0ay through& The commissarLs aide, in particular, loo.ed as though he had come through hell, dishe,elled in a 0ay I had seldom seen in a trooper still li,ing& A The other soldiers 0ith him stumbled 0ith e)haustion, horror 0ritten across their !aces, and only the tech-priest at the rear o! the party appeared to be in good spirits, doubtless because his augmentations had protected him !rom 0hate,er had so a!!licted the others& L5elp them,L I ordered, and my troopers made haste to obey, pro,iding much-needed support !or all&

It 0as only a!ter ILd spo.en that the commissar appeared to recognise me, loo.ing in my direction !or the !irst time, and I must con!ess to an o,er0helming sensation o! pride as he spo.e my name, "uite o,ercome at the con!idence he so e,idently had in my "ualities as an o!!icer& L ulla,L he said, in a ,oice clearly meant !or no ears other than his o0n& L;! course& 4ho else 0ould it beQL

#. -%lla had clearly had little prior contact "ith ?%rgen.

TWELVE

%s :;<LLL R(%DIL: appreciate, all I 0anted to do 0hen 0e !inally made it bac. to the re!inery 0as eat, sleep, and grab a hot sho0er Mpre!erably aboard the 6%re o Heart 0hile it 0as heading !or deep space as !ast as its engines 0ould ta.e itN, but e,ents 0ere mo,ing too !ast to allo0 any such lu)ury& I managed to get rid o! ulla, 0hoLd pic.ed up my increasingly !rantic attempts to contact the sur!ace and been predictably unable to resist stic.ing her nose in, by as.ing her to ma.e sure 9ri!en and 7agot got to the medicae as !ast as possible M0hich didnLt hurt my reputation !or ta.ing care o! the troops either, ne,er a bad thingN, and staggered o!! to meet 6asteen and #ro.la0& %t least ILd been able to get a tactical update !rom ulla be!ore she 0ent, so I could concentrate on the immediate problem secure in the .no0ledge that the or.s 0ere still being held at our outer de!ensi,e line and the gargant 0as still too !ar a0ay to open !ire on us& 8or the time being at any rate&

L:ou loo. li.e hell,H the ma'or said cheer!ully as I entered the command post, but he held out a mug o! tanna lea! tea as he said it, so I let him li,e&A :ou should see me !rom this side,H I told him, and dropped into a seat at the con!erence table& +o0 I 0as bac. in the 0armth and relati,e sa!ety o! the re!inery all the !ear and accumulated !atigue o! the last day or so bludgeoned me bet0een the shoulder blades, and it 0as all I could do to .eep my head !rom dropping onto the glossy 0ooden sur!ace& %s I tilted my head bac. to try and ease the tension in my nec. something struc. me as odd about the ceiling& L7erci!ul (mperor2 Did the green-s.ins get in hereQL #ro.la0 !ollo0ed the line o! my ga1e to the bolter holes !iligreeing the plaster0or. abo,e his head& LKust a small cro0d control problem,H he said, smiling at some pri,ate 'o.e& 4ell i! he 0asnLt too bothered about it neither 0as I, and as.ing any more "uestions might complicate my li!e e,en !urther, so I returned my attention to the matter at hand& L:ou should get some rest,H 6asteen said, loo.ing at me 0ith e,ident concern& I nodded& LI should& Kust as soon as 0eL,e dealt 0ith the current situation&L I dran. deeply, !eeling the cob0ebs li!t a little !rom my mind as the tanna started to .ic. in& LDid you get the old sur,ey reports I as.ed !orQL LRight here,H he s.immed a data-slate across the sur!ace o! the table& I glanced at it, but the charts and technical data meant nothing to me& L cri,ener Puintus has been remar.ably help!ul,H #ro.la0 grinned and 0in.ed at me, but in my da1ed state I hadnLt a clue 0hat he 0as getting at& L4hat does it all mean in plain 9othicQL I as.ed& 6asteen shrugged& LI ran it by a couple o! the engineseers in the transport pool,H That had been a calculated ris.O they 0ere cogboys, o! course, so their !irst duty 0ould be to the %deptus 7echanicus, but they 0ere our cogboys, and had !ought alongside the rest o! us !or long enough to !eel at least as loyal to the regiment as to their tech-priest colleagues& o long as 0e didnLt !orce them to pic. sides theyLd tell us 0hat 0e needed to .no0, or so I hoped& LItLs not really their !ield, but they seem to thin. youLre right& There are other deposits o! re!inable ice on imia ;richalcae much richer than this one,H Then 0hy build the re!inery hereQL #ro.la0 as.ed& I shrugged& The magos 0ould undoubtedly reel o!! a do1en di!!erent reasons 0hy this particular deposit 0as easiest to process, or
#. !ain is, o co%rse, 5o+ing here. 6ro)a)ly.

the topography o! the ,alley made construction simpler, or 0hy it 0as the 0ill o! this cloc.0or. (mperor o! theirs& 5e might e,en belie,e it himsel!& #ut i! it smells li.e a sump rat and it s"uea.s li.e a sump rat&&,H L omeone in the %deptus 7echanicus .ne0 that tomb 0as there,H #ro.la0 said& L omeone placed highly enough to ma.e sure the mine 0as put on top o! it,HA L#ut 0hyQL 6asteen 0as aghast& L urely they 0ouldnLt be mad enough to thin. they could ta.e on a planet !ull o! necronsQL I thought o! Logash, 0hoLd been dri,en all but insane by the desire to e)amine such a rich cache o! archeotech, and tried to picture a cabal o! high-ran.ing tech-priests pulling strings to set up the mine o,er so tempting a pri1e& It 0asnLt hard to do at all& I! they e,en suspected
#. The identi ication o those responsi)le or the decision "asn&t di ic%lt, )%t, as !ain s%rmised, hard evidence o conspiracy rather than an %n ort%nate coinci * dence contin%es to )e el%sive. /nyone "ith in ormation "hich may prove help %l in resolving this matter "ill ind an interested listener in (n$%isitor 9%rya+in o the Ordo Heretic%s.

such a thing e)isted theyLd ta.e any ris., ho0e,er great, to get their stic.y little mechadendrites on it& ILd learned that much at least !rom the Interims Prime debacle& LThey probably assumed the tomb 0as abandoned,H I said& It 0ouldnLt be the !irst time theyLd made that mis ta.e either, as I .ne0 to my cost& LThe real point,H #ro.la0 said, Lis ho0 many o! the tech-priests here 0e can trust& 4hether or not there 0as a conspiracy to start 0ith, they all .no0 0hatLs do0n the bloody hole no0,H That much 0as true& I! ILd had my 0its about me ILd ha,e got ulla to detain Logash as soon as she brought us bac. up to the sur!ace, but o! course she ignored him Monly a ci,ilian, and a tech-priest to bootN, so by the time I realised 0hat 0as going on heLd already disappeared& +o doubt !illing (rnulphLs head 0ith ,isions o! sorcerous bounty unseen in millennia e,en as 0e spo.e& L+one o! them,H I said& 7y head 0as hurting, the grim, relentless migraine that goes 0ith utter !atigue, and I 0asnLt loo.ing !or0ard to the ne)t !e0 hours at all& I 9;T T5R;<95 them, o! course, due in no small part to KurgenLs s.ill at !ending o!! un0anted interruptions& #y the time 6asteen called a !ull meeting to discuss the situation ILd managed to grab a little sleep, a lot o! reca!, and a hot meal M'ust soylens ,iridians again, but !or some reason ILd gone o!! the idea o! retrie,ing an ambull stea.N, and 0as beginning to !eel tolerably human once more& % bath 0ould ha,e topped things o!! nicely but sleep 0as e,en more urgent, and I 'ust had to resign mysel! to the !act that I 0as probably beginning to smell as bad as my aide& Kurgen, naturally, loo.ed no 0orse than usual, probably as a result o! a catnap some0here& 5e accompanied me, partly to underline my status, and partly to ta.e the blame i! my suspicions about my personal !reshness 0ere correct& ;! course ILd done a lot more than ta.e care o! my personal needs& (,en be!ore I staggered o!! to the mess hall and bed, in that order, ILd roused the re!ineryLs resident astropath and sent the most urgently-0orded communi"ue I could to both the lord generalLs o!!ice and the rather more guarded channels %mberley had suggested I use i! I e,er came across something 0hich merited In"uisitorial attention& 4ell, a tomb !ull o! necrons de!initely "uali!ied i! anything did, but to my ,ague disappointment Mthough complete lac. o! surprise gi,en the time lag inherent in e,en the most urgent interstellar communicationsN neither had responded by the time the brie!ing 0as scheduled to start& The con!erence room 0as the most cro0ded ILd e,er seen it as I entered the command post, the babble o! con!licting

,oices almost loud enough to dro0n out the mu!!led e)plosions !rom the battle!ield beyond the large picture 0indo0& 7y eye 0as dra0n to it at once, searching !or some sign o! the gargant, and despite the e,er-present sno0 0hirling against the glass li.e a disconnected pict screen I 0as sure I could ma.e out a dar., hul.ing shape against the mountains in the distance 0hich hadnLt been there be!ore& 7erci!ul (mperor, it 0as almost close enough to open !ire on us, a hand!ul o! .ilometres distant no0& I thought o! the ha,oc the massi,e belly gun 0ould surely 0rea., blo0ing apart buildings and storage tan.s ali.e, and shuddered& ;! course the greens.ins 0ould be trying to ta.e the installation relati,ely intact, or at least the ,ast reser,es o! re!ined promethium it contained, so it couldnLt really do its 0orst, but no one e,er said or.s 0ere rational&A I! the or. princeps, or 0hate,er he called himsel!,= got
#./ct%ally there have )een a e" xenologists "ho arg%ed precisely this, claiming their actions ma+e per ect sense in the context o their o"n )ar)aro%s society, )%t s%ch vie"s are generally considered eccentric at )est. 8.6ro)a)ly some variation o &No)& or &Aoss,& "hich appear )o )e the only ma5or signi iers o ran+ and stat%s their lang%age possesses.

o,er-e)cited this 0hole a!!air could end ,ery loudly and suddenly& LCommissar&L Colonel 6asteen loo.ed up !rom her place at the head o! the table, and indicated a ,acant seat ne)t to her& I dropped into it grate!ully, 0hile Kurgen 0ent to !ind me some more tanna tea, and e)changed a nod o! greeting 0ith #ro.la0 0ho 0as seated on the other side o! her& LILm pleased to see you loo.ing so much better&L LThan. you,H I said, as Kurgen materialised behind me 0ith a large steaming bo0l o! the !ragrant li"uid& I glanced up and do0n the table, seeing all the !aces I remembered !rom the pre,ious meeting, and a lot more besides& L hall 0e get startedQL L#y all means&L he nodded to #ro.la0, 0ho cleared his throat loudly, and to my astonishment e,eryone shut up and loo.ed at him e)pectandy& Than. you !or coming at such short notice,H he began, 0ith barely a trace o! sarcasm& L%s most o! you are no doubt a0are, the commissarLs scouting trip has unco,ered a much greater problem than the or.s,H %t this point he glanced meaning!ully at the little .not o! tech-priests clustered around (rnulph& Logash 0as sitting ne)t to him, still 0earing the imbecilic grin heLd been sporting e,er since 0e !ound him in the tomb belo0 our !eet& ILd in,o.ed my commissarial pri,ileges to unloc. some highly classi!ied !iles, so that e,eryone 0ho needed to 0ould .no0 precisely 0hat 0e 0ere up against, but no0 the seed o! suspicion had been planted it 0as hard not to 0onder i! the magos had .no0n most o! it already& L5o0 sure are 0e that itLs a problemQL (rnulph as.ed, an edge o! eager ac"uisiti,eness in his ,oice& LI! the necrons are in stasis 0e can surely concentrate our e!!orts on repelling the immediate threat,H 7eaning let the poor bloody 9uardsmen .eep the or.s o!! their bac.s 0hile he and his cronies pillaged the tomb, o! course& They are the immediate threat,H I said, as mildly as I could& I sipped my bo0l o! tea 0hile the sudden !lare o! apprehension in my gut at the ,ery thought o! those mechanical .illers subsided& LI! 0e 0ere up to our armpits in or.s, 0ith a side order o! .root and eldar bac.ing them up, ILd turn my bac. on the lot o! them to ta.e out a single necron& IL,e !ought them be!ore, and theyLre the biggest single menace in the entire gala)y,H L urely you e)aggerate,H Pry.e said, loo.ing at me sternly, as though I 0as ma.ing the 0hole thing up& LIL,e accessed the records o! pre,ious encounters 0ith these&&& 0hate,er they are, and reports o! them are practically non-e)istent,H ThatLs because they hardly e,er lea,e any sur,i,ors to report anythingL I re'oined, !eeling my hand begin to tremble as old memories came rushing bac.& % small gobbet o! tea escaped the bo0l to pool on the polished 0ooden tabletop, and

Kurgen leant !or0ard to mop up the spillage 0ith a hand.erchie! that le!t the sur!ace e,en grubbier than be!ore& L(,erything else in the gala)y !ights !or a reason, 0hether itLs !or territory, honour, or souls !or the dar. gods,HA heard a satis!ying inta.e o! breath at that, ha,ing deliberately in,o.ed the most shoc.ing image I could thin. o! to 0rong-!oot any ob'ectors& L+ecrons donLt& They e)ist purely to .ill, and they .no0 0eLre here no0,H L%re you sure about thatQL (rnulph persisted& They certainly .no0 about the greens.ins& #ut you escaped unscathed, I gather,H 5e glanced at Logash !or con!irmation& The ;mnissiah guided our steps,H the young tech-priest declared, Lso that 0e might claim the bounty prepared !or us,H The only preparation youLll get !rom the necrons is i! one o! them !ancies your s.in as a 0aistcoat,H I said, ha, ing the slight satis!action o! seeing him blench !or a moment be!ore his !anaticism .ic.ed in again& The commissar is con,inced that the party he encountered 0ere simply scouts,H 6asteen said, determined to

.eep the business o! the meeting mo,ing& L%nd 0hile the 0arp portal remains acti,e do0n there 0e can e)pert a !ullscale incursion at any time&L L4hat I donLt understand,H 7orel declared, cutting through the subse"uent babble o! consternation, Lis 0hy no0Q TheyL,e been do0n there !or (mperor .no0s ho0 long& 4hat got them so stirred up all o! a suddenQL LI thin. I can ans0er that,H %s e,eryone turned to loo. at him, Puintus cleared his throat a little ner,ously& LI! you can ma.e any sense o! this mess ILd li.e to hear it,H 6asteen prompted a!ter a moment& Puintus !lushed e,en more, and stood, grinning ner,ously at the colonel& 5e produced a data-slate !rom the recesses o! his robes, and pro'ected a page onto the main hololith, 0hich still 'umped annoyingly as I tried to ma.e sense o! 0hat I 0as loo.ing at& LThese are the sensor logs !rom the tra!!ic control system,H he began, be!ore (rnulph interrupted& SThose are technical documents 0hich !all under the pur,ie0 o! the %deptus 7echanicus& :ou ha,e no busi ness dabbling in theological matters2L LI thin. youLll !ind,H Pry.e re'oined, e"ually !orce!ully, Lthat they are archi,e material, and there!ore clearly the responsibility o! the %dministratum,H STheir care and maintenance, possibly,H (rnulph persisted& L#ut interpretation and consultation are the business o! those appointed to commune 0ith the numinous, not some 'umped-up in.y-!ingered "uill-pusher2L Pry.e seemed on the ,erge o! responding in e"ually trenchant tones, 0hen #ro.la0 cleared his throat again& The room 0ent suddenly "uiet& L7ight I remind e,eryone,H 6asteen said mildly, Lthat ILm in charge here and I decide 0ho does 0hat& %nd I 0ant to hear 0hat the scri,ener has to say& %re there any ob'ectionsQL urprisingly there 0erenLt, 0hich might ha,e had something to do 0ith the 0ay both o!!icers had a hand resting casually on the butts o! their bolt pistolsO I began to suspect theyLd been hanging around me a bit too much lately& he smiled at Puintus, 0ho loo.ed "uite !lustered !or a moment, and nodded 'udiciously& LPlease continue&L L%h& Right& :es,H Puintus cleared his throat again, and pointed to something in the middle o! the display 0hich loo.ed li.e a stain o! ac.enberry 'uice& This is the !lare o! 0arp energy released 0hen the greens.insL space hul. emerged into the materium,H (rnulph harrumphed disappro,ingly at the young scri,enerLs use o! the technical term, and a !aint, !leeting grin appeared on PuintusL !ace 'ust long enough !or me to realise heLd done it on purpose to irritate the magos& L%nd there 0as another one almost as strong 0hen it dropped bac. into the 0arp,H

34e already .ne0 this,H (rnulph said dismissi,ely& L;ur instrumentation 0as practically o,erloaded& ItLs ho0 0e .ne0 they 0ere coming in the !irst place,H LPrecisely,H Puintus said& L%nd because o! the strength o! the !lare 0e missed that,H 5e pointed to something else 0ith an air o! triumph, undermined a little by the almost total inability o! anyone else at the table to see 0hat 0as hidden by his !inger& LCould you magni!y it a littleQL 6asteen as.ed& Puintus !lushed, and complied, re,ealing another, almost imperceptible ac.enberry stain& % murmur o! ,oices rippled around the table, and (rnulph at least had the grace to loo. surprised& M1e missed that,H he admitted grudgingly& LPuite understandably,H 6asteen assured him diplomatically& L#ut can you tell us 0hat it isQL LI can guess,H the magos admitted reluctandy& Then he grimaced, as though biting into a bitterroot pasty some one had assured him 0as !illed 0ith s0eetbriar,A and gestured to Puintus to continue& L#ut ILm sure the young
#. !ain "as evidently still h%ngry at this point, 5%dging )y the s%dden l%rry o c%linary metaphors2 hardly s%rprising given the amo%nt o energy he had expended over the last co%ple o days.

man has 0or.ed it out already& 5e seems "uite bright !or a bureaucrat, and 0eLd ne,er ha,e noticed this anomaly at all i! it 0asnLt !or his diligence,HA suppose !or all his bluster he 0as a !air-minded man, but it must ha,e pained him to s0allo0 his pride li.e that& 5is colleagues loo.ed positi,ely dyspeptic, and Pry.e 0as ga1ing at him in open-mouthed astonishment& 6asteen 'ust nodded coolly& Than. you magos& ILm glad to see 0e all seem to be on the same side at last& PuintusQL 8or some reason the young scri,ener became !lustered all o,er again as she loo.ed in his direction, and stuttered !or a moment be!ore resuming& L4ell itLs outside my realm o! e)pertise, as the magos pointed out, but it seems logical to assume that the !lare o! 0arp energy someho0 acti,ated the dormant portal in the tomb,H (rnulph 0as nodding in agreement& That 0ould be my interpretation,H he conceded& L;! course2L Logash butted in 0ith the single-minded enthusiasm o! the obsessi,e& ThatLs ho0 the ambulls got do0n there2 They came through the portal, and dug their 0ay out o! the tomb2 That e)plains the anomalous habitat&&,H 5e trailed o!!, suddenly conscious o! ho0 ,ery much nobody else in the meeting cared& L%nd someho0 the necrons noticed that it had reacti,ated,H #ro.la0 nodded& L o they sent a scouting party through& That ma.es sense,H L#ut 0here !rom, thoughQL Pry.e as.ed, an)ious to establish that her department 0as !ully in,ol,ed in things& LCould be any0here in the gala)y,H I said& L ome0here 0ith ambulls, by the loo. o! it, but that doesnLt narro0 it do0n much,HA ThatLs not really the "uestion at the moment,H 6asteen said, dragging e,eryone bac. to the point& S4hat 0e need to decide no0 is 0hat 0e do about them,H
#. (ndeed not. /s yet the "orld or "orlds at the other end o the necron portal remain %nidenti ied, despite the )est e orts o the Ordo ,enos.

ThereLs only one thing 0e can do,HA said, as calmly and decisi,ely as I could& L(,acuate the planet, 0hile 0e still ha,e enough time to get clear,H L(,acuateQL 6asteen echoed, clearly stunned& I nodded, conscious that I 0as ris.ing my 0hole !raudulent repu tation, but that it 0as precisely that reputation !or heroism 0hich might 'ust do the tric. no0& I adopted an e)pression o! barely-contained !rustration& LI .no0 ho0 you !eel& IL,e ne,er run !rom a !ight yet,H M0hich 0as not entirely true, o! course, but no one needed to

.no0 thatN, Land it goes against the grain to start no0& #ut there are 0ider issues at sta.e here& The necrons in that tomb outnumber us by hundreds to one, and thatLs assuming 0e could disengage !rom the or.s cleanly enough to ta.e them on in a stand-up !ight,H TheyLd still .no0 theyLd been in a scrap,H 6asteen said grimly& I nodded again& LI donLt doubt the !ighting spirit o! anyone in the regiment& #ut i! 0e stand and !ight no0 0e 0ill all die& ThatLs a plain, simple !act& TheyLll o,errun us in a matter o! hours,H 7ore li.e minutes, i! the ones ILd seen be!ore 0ere anything to go by, but i! I told her that sheLd ne,er belie,e me& L%nd thatLs 'ust the start,H The portal,H 6asteen said, the coin dropping& I nodded again& L5undreds o! thousands o! them 0ould be let loose on the gala)y& 4e simply canLt allo0 that to happen,H I paused !or a moment, letting the implications sin. in& L4e ha,e to call in the +a,y to sterilise the 0hole site !rom orbit& ItLs the only 0ay to be sure,H L:ou canLt do that2L Pry.e and (rnulph both shouted at the same time, then bro.e o!! to boggle at one another, completely ta.en abac. to !ind themsel,es in agreement !or once& LI can, and 0ill,H I contradicted them& This !acility is under martial la0, 0hich means the commissariat is the !inal arbiter o! 0hat can or cannot be done,H

L5a,e you any idea o! the economic ,alue o! this installationQL Pry.e as.ed, reco,ering !irst& L+one at all, and I care e,en less,H I said& L o !ar as ILm concerned itLs not 0orth the li!e o! one soldier,H The sol dier I had in mind being me, o! course& L#ut the archeotech2L (rnulph spluttered& Thin. o! the .no0ledge, the spiritual ad,ancement o! man.ind that youLd be sacri!icing&&,H L%ll 0eLd be sacri!icing i! 0e le!t that tomb intact is our li,es,H I re'oined& L+ot to mention the millions o! others 0hoLd be slaughtered i! the necrons do0n there re,i,e and escape through the portal,H L#ut theyLre in stasis,H the magos persisted& L4hile theyLre dormant 0e can sa!ely e)amine&&,H L4e donLt .no0 that,H 6asteen cut in& L8or all 0e .no0 theyLre up and about by no0& %nd e,en i! they arenLt, their !riends could be !loc.ing through the portal !rom some0here else& 4e simply canLt ris. sending anyone bac. do0n there, and thatLs !inal,H L;n the contrary,H (rnulph replied& LI donLt thin. you can ris. not sending anyone bac.,H L()plain,H 6asteen said, although in a sudden agony o! panic I realised 0hat the magos 0as dri,ing at& The 0orst o! it 0as that he 0as right, damn it, and the spasming o! my bo0els told me 0ho 0as by !ar the most li.ely candidate to get stuc. 0ith the 'ob& :ou said it yoursel!,H he said triumphantly& The portalLs still acti,e& (,en i! you called in your na,al stri.e it 0ould be le!t intact and !unctioning !or months be!ore a !lotilla could get here, possibly e,en years& The necrons 0ould be long gone,H L(mperorLs bo0els, heLs right,H #ro.la0 loo.ed more sha.en than ILd e,er seen him& 34e ha,e to blo0 the portal be!ore 0e pull out,H I !elt e,ery pair o! eyes at the table loc. on to me li.e the targeting auspe) o! a hydra battery& The air gre0 tense 0ith e)pectation, 0hile my mind 0hirled !rantically, trying to !ind some plausible reason 0hy this 0as a truly terrible idea& #ut inspiration had, !or once, deserted me& %t length I nodded, my mouth dry& LI canLt see any alternati,e,H L+either can I,H 6asteen turned to me, solemnly pronouncing 0hat I truly belie,ed to be my death sentence& LCan you lead a team bac. do0n to the tomb, commissarQL

THIRTEEN

;8 C;<R ( I couldnLt re!use, could IQ +ot in !ront o! all those people& ILd been neatly impaled on my o0n rhetoric, and pulling out at this stage 0ould ha,e ruined the reputation I didnLt deser,e& 7ore to the point it 0ould ha,e lost me the respect o! the troops, 0hich 0as probably the only thing I had le!t capable o! preser,ing my miserable hide& o I made a !e0 appropriately modest comments about appreciating e,erybodyLs con!idence and hoping I 0ouldnLt let them do0n be!ore sin.ing into a torpor o! absolute terror 0hich, as luc. 0ould ha,e it, 0as generally mista.en !or !atigue& %s a result the rest o! the meeting 0ent by in a blur so !ar as I 0as concerned, and i! anything else o! conse "uence 0as discussed I must ha,e missed it&A I did rouse
#. I%int%s&s min%tes o the meeting are sing%larly %nhelp %l in illing in this gap, concerned as they are chie ly "ith the "ay the overhead lighting str%c+ highlights rom 9asteen&s hair.

mysel! !or long enough to listen to a progress report into some suicidal scheme !or disabling the gargant, 0hich #ro.la0 assured e,eryone 0ould be e!!ecti,e i! the or.s in command o! it 0ere spectacularly stupid enough to blunder into an ob,ious trap, but gi,en the intelligence o! the ones ILd encountered be!ore in my che"uered career this seemed li.e a sa!e enough bet& ;ther than that I too. no interest in anything apart !rom my bo0l o! tea, 0hich Kurgen, attenti,e as e,er, re!illed at inter,als& o it came as something o! a surprise 0hen all the ci,ilians stood up and !iled out, the "uill-pushers and cogboys predictably butting heads at the door o,er 0hich o! them had precedence 0hile 7orel and the miners guild delegation sailed serenely past them, and !inally the room !ell "uiet& That 0ent 0ell,H #ro.la0 said, clearly not meaning it& 6asteen nodded& TheyL,e agreed to the e,acuation, any0ay& +ot that they had a choice, but at least 0e 0onLt ha,e to 0aste any manpo0er herding them onto the shuttles at gunpoint&L LDonLt count on it,H I said& L;nce theyL,e had time to thin. it o,er the tech-priests probably 0onLt go 0ithout a !ight,H %t least most o! the miners and %dministratum sta!! had already gone, 0hich only le!t a couple o! hundred ci,ilians still planetside& % couple o! shuttle !lights, no more than that, although li!ting the regiment 0ould be a lot more time consuming 0hen the time came !or us to pull out& Then they can stay and !ight the necrons,H 6asteen said& LILm not putting any o! our people at ris. i! they start playing silly !ra..ers,H L9lad to hear it,H I said& +ot that it 0ould ma.e any di!!erence to me, 0ith my molecules scrambled by a necron gauss gun& %nd that 0ould be i! I 0as luc.yO I thought o! the other monstrosities in their coats o! or. hide, and hoped !er,ently ne,er to meet them again& I turned my thoughts in more producti,e directions 0ith an e!!ort& I 0asnLt dead yet, and by the (mperor I didnLt intend to be i! I could !ind the slightest chance o! 0easelling out o! the suicidal assignment ILd bac.ed mysel! into& L4hatLs the tactical situationQL 4e hadnLt discussed that in !ront o! the ci,,ies, o! course, they 0ere best being 'ollied along 0ith ,ague generalities, and a resolute a,oidance o! phrases li.e L0eLre !ra..edL 0hich 0ould only upset them& #y 0ay o! an ans0er 6asteen acti,ated the hololith again and 7a1arin appeared at her station on the bridge o! the 6%re o Heart, bobbing slightly in the current !rom a nearby air ,ent& L+one o! this ma.es a lot o! sense to me,H she admitted cheer!ully& L#ut youLre the soldiers& 4hat do you thin.QL

6asteen, #ro.la0 and I stared at the latest sensor do0nloads !rom the orbiting starship& The or. ad,ance had unmista.ably !altered, brea.ing against our battle line, and pulling bac. in places to cluster on their le!t !lan.& #ro.la0 !ro0ned& The gargantLs ,eered o!!,H he said& 4ell, than. the (mperor !or that, I thought, at least I 0ouldnLt ha,e to 0orry about the booby trap theyLd laid !or it bringing the 0hole mine in on top o! me 0hile I 0as do0n there in the dar. !acing the necrons again&&& 7y hands began to tremble slightly as I thought about that, so I stu!!ed them into the poc.ets o! my greatcoat and studied the hololith grimly& omething about the redistribution o! the or. !orces 0as nagging at my subconscious, and I !elt my scalp pric.ling as I !inally realised 0hat it 0as& The tunnel entrance 0e !ound 0as about here,H I said, indicating a point on the opposite !lan. o! the mountain !rom the ,alley 0e 0ere so success!ully de!ending& The bul. o! the greens.in !orces 0ere mo,ing in that direction, the gargantLs une)pected di,ersion merely a part o! the general dri!t& %nd there 0as only one ob,ious reason 0hy the or.sL attention 0ould ha,e been distracted !rom the ongoing battle 0ith us&

L8ra..ing 0arp2L 6asteen breathed, coming to the same conclusion& The tinheads are attac.ing the greenies2L LIn some !orce, too, 'udging by the number o! rein!orcements mo,ing up,H #ro.la0 said, studying the display in more detail& That 0asnLt necessarily the case, o! course, or.s 0ill gra,itate naturally to 0here,er they e)pect the !ighting to be !iercest, but it 0as certainly suggesti,e& LPer!ect2L 6asteen said, to my absolute astonishment& S:ou .no0 0hat this meansQL L+ope&L 7a1arin shrugged in the corner o! the hololi!h, her image shrun. to the si1e o! my hand& L+ot my department,H #ut o! course 6asteen hadnLt been tal.ing to her in any case& LIt means the bloody necrons are a0a.e2L I said, a s<ange mi)ture o! terror and relie! dancing do0n my spine& L4e ha,enLt a hope in hell o! getting to the portal no0,HA tried to !eign disappointment, 0hile 0ondering ho0 best to ensure I 0as on the !irst shutde up to the !reighter& L+ot necessarily,H 7a1arin chipped in, and the !lare o! hope in my chest 0ithered and died& Luc.ily it 0as only her image in the room 0ith us, or ILd probably ha,e throttled her 0ith my bare hands& M+ot that it 0ould ha,e done me much good, I suppose, gi,en the amount o! metal she seemed to ha,e in 0hat 0as le!t o! her body&N LI! ILm reading these energy spi.es right the portalLs being acti,ated roughly e,ery se,enteen minutes,H L4hich means 0hat, e)actlyQL 6asteen as.ed, ta.ing !ar too much interest in 0hat the bisected 0oman had to say !or my li.ing& 7a1arin shrugged, unless it 0as the air conditioning behind her .ic.ing up another notch and bouncing her around& The necrons here are probably still in stasis& The ones !ighting the or.s are being shipped in !rom some0here else,H L ecuring the tomb be!ore they 0a.e the others,H #ro.la0 said& 6asteen nodded& L ounds plausible,H he loo.ed across at me& L%nd they still ha,e no idea 0eLre behind them& :ou can be in and out be!ore they e,en .no0 youLre there,H LLuc.y me,H I said, clenching my !ists in my poc.ets until the nails dre0 blood& LIL7 +;T 9;I+9 to lie to you,HA said& I !elt a ,ague sense o! disconnectedness a!ter that, the reason !or 0hich contin ued to elude me !or a 0hile, until I realised that contrary to the habit o! a li!etime the subse"uent statement 0as actually true& The harsh arc luminators o! the main staging area 'ust inside the mouth o! the mine !lattened the colours o! the scattered e"uipment around us, including the po0er li!ter against 0hich I leaned in 0hat I hoped 0as a casual manner rather than

re,ealing the 0ea.ness o! my .nees& L;ur chances o! coming bac. !rom this assignment are practically non-e)istent& #ut itLs also no e)aggeration to say that the li,es o! e,eryone else on the planet, not to mention uncountable others, hang on 0hether 0e succeed or not,HA !lic.ed my eyes along the impassi,e !aces in !ront o! me& +ot one o! them blin.ed& I ploughed on, !eeling ,aguely 0rong-!ooted& LI thin. youLre the best team !or the 'ob, 0hich is 0hy I as.ed !or you& #ut ILll only ta.e 0illing ,olunteers& I! anyone 0ants to pull out you ha,e my 0ord there 0onLt be any disciplinary action ta.en or a 0ord about it on any o! your records,H #ecause ILd be too busy being dead to 0orry about it&&& I !orced the thought a0ay& L4eLre up to it,H the storm trooper sergeant said, the unlit cheroot in the corner o! his mouth 0aggling disconcertingly as he spo.e& I gathered that it 0as some .ind o! tradition in his s"uad that he 0ouldnLt light it until the mission 0as completed& The litde .not o! men behind him nodded in silent agreement& +ot one o! them bro.e ran.s, 0hich I 0ould ha,e !ound astonishing had I not spent a couple o! hours combing the records !or the most aggressi,e and disciplined s"uad in the entire regiment&

%nd ergeant 4elard and his s"uad 0ere it: old school storm troopers M"uite literally, theyLd been together since the schola progenium assessors bac. on /alhalla had decided they 0ere natural born cannon !odderN& They 0ere, accordingly, one o! the !e0 teams to ha,e remained single-se) !ollo0ing the amalgamation o! the t0o !ormer regiments 0hich no0 made up the EB@th, since there 0as no point rotating in replacements !or the casualties theyLd ta.en on CoraniaA and 0here,er else theyLd !ought be!ore& chola-raised storm trooper s"uads generally !ight better than most because theyL,e been together so long and .no0 each other so 0ell that they share an instincti,e rapport no outsider can e,er !ully share, but the do0nside o! that is that once their numbers drop belo0 a hand!ul they become pretty much useless, and IL,e ne,er understood 0hy the 9uard persists 0ith the tradition& = Right no0 though, men 0hoLd !ollo0 orders 0ithout thin.ing 0ere precisely 0hat I needed, and 4elard and his team !it the bill nicely& LILm pleased to see my con!idence 0asnLt misplaced,H I said& %part !rom 4elard there 0ere !i,e regular troopers le!t out o! the original ten, so they 0ere on the ,erge o! !alling belo0 the critical threshold at 0hich they 0ould cease to be an e!!ecti,e !ighting unit& +e,ertheless, they 0ould do& +umbers 0ouldnLt help us on this mission, our only hope 0as to mo,e !ast and stealthily, and that, I .ne0, 0as something they 0ere bound to be good at& MIn the constant round o! ri,alries and practical 'o.e playing bet0een the di!!erent
#.The system "here a tyranid attac+ had decimated the imperial de enders, necessitating the amalgamation o the 8GNth and KO#st to create the FGHth in the irst place. 8.Aeca%se the real reason or the practice is to provide properly indoctrinated oot soldiers or the (n$%isition. O co%rse e"er than ive per cent reach the exacting standards re$%ired, leaving the ones "ho don&t ma+e the grade to )e palmed o on the '%ard.

!actions in my days at the schola the storm trooper cadets 0ere by !ar the most adept at snea.ing into the other dorms and common rooms to ma.e mischie!, and al0ays set the most in,enti,e booby traps, although I still maintain 0e had the edge o,er them on the scrumball pitch& In !act the only team that e,er regularly beat the commissar cadets 0ere the no,itiates o! the %depta ororitas, 0ho seemed to thin. the point o! the game 0as sending the greatest number o! oppo nents they could to the sanitorium rather than scoring goals&N 4eLll get the 'ob done,H 4elard said, mo,ing the cheroot to the opposite corner o! his mouth, and the "uintet behind him nodded in unison& Their silence 0as unner,ing, but I suppose it 0as a natural conse"uence o! the rapport they shared& +ot a 0ord or a gesture 0as 0asted, to the point 0here, s0athed in their greatcoats and hats, their !aces partly

obscured, they seemed almost as emotionless as ser,itors& ;r the necrons themsel,es& %n aura o! almost palpable lethality played about them, 0hich I began to !eel almost com!orted by, until I remembered the odds stac.ed against us& L%ny "uestionsQL I as.ed& %ns0er came there none, so I dre0 mysel! up, straightened my cap, and tried to sound con!ident& L9ood& Then letLs go,H T5( (/%C<%TI;+ 4% 0ell under 0ay as 0e set out !or the lo0er le,els, a steady !lo0 o! miners, %dministratum drones and tech-priests 0al.ing to0ards the landing pads 0ith the tense not-"uite trot o! barely-contained panic, lasgun0ielding troopers guarding the tunnels they thronged through& 4e strode against the tide, 0hich parted almost miraculously in !ront o! us, each step !urther !rom sa!ety seeming li.e 0al.ing on .ni,es to me& % babble o! ,oices surrounded us li.e syrup, battering the eardrums but o,erlapping so much that indi,idual 0ords and phrases 0ere indistinguishable&

LComms chec.,H I said, more to distract mysel! man anything, and 4elard and the other storm troopers sounded o!! one by one, although truth to tell, and I ought to be ashamed o! it, I 0as so busy battling my o0n apprehension that none o! their names registered 0ith me& (,eryoneLs comm-bead seemed to be 0or.ing, though, so I nodded bris.ly& L/ery good,H L9eneral order,H 6asteenLs ,oice cut in& L%nyone in sight o! 7agos (rnulph report no0,H There 0as an irritable pause, bro.en only by a !aint hiss o! static& L%nyone 0ith an idea o! his 0hereaboutsQL %nother pause& L%nyone see ing him, report at once,H 9reat& It seemed the tech-priests 0erenLt about to lea,e their pri1e behind a!ter all, and 0ere going into hiding until 0eLd le!t& Kust so long as they stayed out o! our 0ay, though, it 0asnLt my problem& The passage0ays 0e strode through 0ere getting narro0er no0, the air cooler as 0e entered the mine 0or.ings themsel,es, and I told mysel! the shi,ering 0hich seemed to be gripping my body 0as simply a result o! the !alling temperatures& #e!ore long the 0alls around us 0ere !ilmed 0ith ice, and shortly a!ter that there 0as nothing !or the ice to coatO 0e 0ere in the mine itsel! again& %head o! us a ca,ern opened out, harsh 0ith the glare o! luminators mounted on poles around its perimeter, the dar. mouths o! the main tunnels puncturing the 0alls at inter,als& ("uipment and storage crates littered the !loor, and I recognised it as one o! the main utility areas 0eLd passed through on our ambull hunt, little guessing the horrors 0eLd !ind in the depths belo0& #eyond this point our 'ourney 0ould truly begin& L7o,ement,H ;ne o! the troopers raised his hellgun, and the others melted into the industrial detritus around us 0ith breathta.ing speed, lea,ing me !eeling uncom!ortably e)posed& % lone !igure 0as lur.ing at the mouth o! the tunnel ahead o! us, hal! hidden in the gloom beyond& %!ter a moment to reco,er my composure, as the rational part o! my mind .ic.ed in to remind me that or.s or necrons 0ouldnLt be bothering 0ith concealment, I strode !or0ard unconcerned e)pecting to !ind some stray miner or tech-priest !inishing o!! a last-minute 'ob prior to 'oining the e,acuation& %s I got closer to the solitary !igure I !elt my spirits ine)plicably li!ting as I caught the !aint 0hi!! o! a !amiliar odour& LKurgen,H I called out& L4hat the !ra. are you doing hereQL 7y aide stepped !ully into ,ie0, and the storm troopers emerged !rom the co,er theyLd ta.en, loo.ing mildly sheepish& LI thought you 0ere sto0ing our .it on the shuttle,H L%ll ta.en care o!, sir,H 5e produced a thermal !las.& LI thought you might li.e a bit o! tea !or later& %nd a sand 0ich,H

5e burro0ed in one o! his poc.ets !or a moment& LItLs in here some0here&&,H LI see,H I said, silencing the barely audible snic.ering !rom a couple o! the storm troopers behind me 0ith a "uic. glance be!ore turning bac. to Kurgen again& L%nd the meltaQL 5e shrugged, the hea,y 0eapon slung across his bac. shi!ting as his shoulders mo,ed& LI couldnLt let you carry your o0n pro,isions, sir& 4ouldnLt be !itting,H LPuite,H I said, astonished yet again at the depth o! his loyalty& 8or the !irst time I began to !eel that I might actually get out o! this ludicrous e)pedition in one piece a!ter all& LI suppose youLd better come 0ith us, then,H /ery good, sir,H 5e saluted as smartly as he e,er did, 0hich 0asnLt ,ery to be honest, but more than made up !or that in enthusiasm, and !ell into step beside me& I motioned 4elard and his men to the !ront and 0e set o!! into the dar.ness, to0ards the terrors 0hich lay in 0ait !or us in the !ro1en depths belo0&

Editorial Note: /s the attentive reader "ill readily appreciate, the overall tactical sit%ation "as no" )ecoming increasingly complex. The %nexpected necron attac+ on the or+ish lan+ had thro"n the greens+ins into disarray, )%t, typically, they responded "ith the single*minded aggression o their 9ind, linging themselves against this ne" and deadly oe "ith "hat can only Ae descri)ed as enth%siasm. The res%lting carnage can )arely )e imagined. Ho"ever, the lessening o the press%re on the )eleag%ered 3alhallans "as %ndo%)tedly o great )ene it, ena)ling the evac%ation o the (mpe* rial orces to ta+e place relatively %nhindered, especially as most o the ront*line %nits had already )een given their orders to disengage in preparation or hiring thegargant into the no" a)andoned )oo)y trap. /s to the ate o this ormida)le "ar machine, the ollo"ing extract rom -%lla&s memoirs may prove ill%minating despite her )est e orts to render it %nreada)le.

###

()tracted !rom :i+e a 6hoenix From the Flames: The Fo%nding o the FGHth, by 9eneral Kenit ulla MretiredN, >B@&7?=& +;T4IT5 T%+DI+9 T5( 8L;;D o! rumours 0hich had s0ept the regiment, most o! them contradictory, but 0hich all agreed in the main particular that Commissar Cain had disco,ered some ne0 and potent threat in the bo0els o! the mine, I held !ast to my duty and resumed my post at the !ront line& 4hate,er the truth o! the matter I had my orders, and as a loyal o!!icer that 0as enough !or me& +o doubt those better placed to e,aluate the intelligence the commissar had so heroically gathered 0ould in!orm us o! 0hate,er 0e needed to .no0 to meet and o,ercome this latest ,ile stain on 5is 9lorious 7a'estyLs blessed dominions in the !ullness o! time, or so I told my subordinates, and until such in!ormation 0as !urnished 0ild speculation about daemons, tyranids, or 0al.ing metal statues 0as merely a 0aste o! time& This last !light o! !antasy 0ould, o! course, turn out to ha,e more than a grain o! truth in it, but in the closing years o! the !orty!irst millennium, 0ith the true horror o! the necron menace still un.no0n to all but a !e0, such tal. seemed naught but the most !ebrile o! !antasies& 7y platoon had resumed its position in the !or0ard line, 0ith strict instructions to !all bac. at the speci!ied time to dra0 the gargant into our care!ully laid trap, and 0e had been engaging the main bul. o! the greens.in army 0ith a grati!ying amount o! success& o much so, in !act, that I began to !ear that 0e 0ere thinning them out too "uic.ly, and that 0e 0ould be !orced to engage the to0ering 0ar machine oursel,es be!ore the time came to disengage& The shado0 o! that grim colossus 0as !alling across us as 0e ga1ed in a0e at it, the shrie.s o! thousands o! tonnes o! unlubricated metal sliding across one another as it tottered !or0ard on un!easibly stubby-loo.ing legs setting the teeth o! e,ery 0oman and man among us on edge, and I !ound mysel! comparing it most un!a,ourably to the s0i!t darting elegance o! the eldar 0al.ers and the ma'estic nobility o! our o0n blessed titans&A I 0as on the ,erge o! ordering those !ortunate enough to be manning the !or0ard trenches to engage those members o! its cre0 0ho could "uite clearly be discerned scurrying about on the main hull 0hen the ,ast cannon nestled in the constructs belly spo.e, the concussion su!!icient to dri,e the breath !rom our lungs and cause crac.s to appear in our stout !orti!ications e,en at this distance& I turned my head, e)pecting to see the most grie,ous ha,oc 0rea.ed among the precious buildings o! the re!inery, only to see instead the distant gout o! a ,ast e)plosion some0here among the slopes

o! the mountains surrounding this ,ital outpost o! the Imperium& LItLs ,eering o!!2L my communications specialist yelled, angling his head so I could read his lips, !or the a0esome sound o! that titanic e)plosion had le!t my ears still ringing, and to my astonishment I beheld the truth o! his 0ords& It had clearly !altered, almost on the point o! engaging our !or0ard line, and 0as no0 turning ponder ously to0ards the looming pea.s it had so ine)plicably attac.ed& %t that moment 0e recei,ed our orders to 0ithdra0, so I cannot be sure o! 0hat I 0itnessed ne)t, seeing it as I did at an e,er-increasing distance in short, snatched glances o,er my shoulder as 0e ran, and through a curtain o! !alling sno0& 5o0e,er, it seemed to me that the terri!ying construct 0as surrounded by small structures, no higher than its .nee, 0hich had appeared by sorceries so arcane I
#. Most %nli+ely, as at this point in her career she had yet to see either. Bnless yo% co%nt holopicts, o co%rse.

0as at a loss to e)plain them& #lan. metal pyramids they 0ere, dully re!lecti,e, and surrounded by a crac.le o! lightning 0hich blurred their outline still !urtherO sorcer-ous <ghtning 0ithout a doubt, !or it lashed !orth to scourge the hull o! that mountain o! metal, stri.ing spar.s so bright they hurt to loo. upon& Chun.s o! metal larger than Chimeras !ell la1ily to the sno0, and the burning bodies o! its luc.less cre0 pattered do0n around them, so that I cannot !or the li!e o! me concei,e ho0 it could e,er ha,e pre,ailed& #ut 0hether it did or not I cannot truly ans0er, !or the sno0 0hirled in around that epic con!rontation, and I sa0 no more&

FO RTEEN

;+( T5I+9 I ha,e to say !or 4elard and his storm troopers, they 0ere as !ast and stealthy as I could ha,e 0ished !or& Kurgen and I had to 0or. hard at .eeping up 0ith them e,en though they ad,anced as cautiously as though the enemy 0ere already in plain sight& T0o or three o! them co,ered the tunnel ahead 0hile the others darted !or0ard to conceal themsel,es in cre,ices or patches o! shado0 be!ore ta.ing up the duties o! guardians themsel,es to allo0 their comrades to mo,e !or0ard in their turn& They did all o! this 0ith an eerie precision appar ently unhindered by the bul. o! the melta bombs they carried, communicating only by hand signals and esche0ing the use o! the comm-beads, !or 0hich I 0as grate!ul, starting in dread at e,ery super!luous sound 0hich might call attention to us& #ut as 0e hurried on, !ollo0ing the route 0hich had etched itsel! indelibly on the synapses responsible !or my ability to na,igate underground, 0e sa0 none o! the signs I so dreaded& +o

gleam o! metal in the dar.ness ahead, no green charnel glo0 !ore0arning us o! the presence o! death incarnate& 4e ad,anced in semi-dar.ness, our luminators shrouded, so that the da11ling highlights 0hich had been struc. !rom the ice surrounding us on my pre,ious trip into the depths 0ere almost entirely absent& +o0, instead o! the re!ulgent bac.ground glo0 ILd gro0n used to, the 0alls thre0 bac. no more than a slic., almost organic-loo.ing sheen, as though 0e 0ere passing do0n the gullet o! some 0arp-spa0ned le,iathan& The thought 0as hardly a com!orting one, and I shuddered !rom more than the cold& %t length 0e reached the dead-end passage 0here Pen-Ian had !allen, re,ealing the e)istence o! the ambull tunnels belo0 the mine, and 0e paused to regroup& This is it,H I 0arned e,eryone& L8rom no0 on our chances o! meeting a necron are gready increased,H 4hat I meant 0as Lpractically ine,itable,H but I shied a0ay !rom pronouncing those 0ords& +ot out o! de!erence to the !eelings o! 4elard and his men, 0ho I had no doubt 0ould ha,e responded 0ith the same lac. o! emotion that they had displayed thus !ar, but because I didnLt 0ant to !ace that thought mysel!& 4elard 0aggled his cheroot, 0hich had by no0 ac"uired a thin scum o! !rost o,er the tighdy-pac.ed tabac lea,es it 0as composed o!, and 0hich crunched irritatingly bet0een his teeth as he spo.e& 4eLll be ready !or them,H 5e gestured 0ith his le!t hand& L5astur,H ;ne o! the troopers stepped !or0ard to co,er the hole 0ith his hellgun 0hile the rest rappelled do0n into the dar.ness 0ith display team precision& I heard a couple o! clic.s in my comm-bead, almost as i! it 0ere pic.ing up some stray inter!erence !rom some0here but 0hich I .ne0 0as the signal !rom the ad,ance party con!irming that it 0as all clear do0n there, and the sergeant grinned at me& 8or the !irst time it struc. me that he 0as actually en'oying this& LComingQL he as.ed, and disappeared do0n the hole a!ter his men& 4hy I simply didnLt sha.e my head and run !or the sur!ace, intent only on ma.ing it to the ne)t shuttle out, ILll ne,er .no0& There 0as still my !raudulent reputation to consider, o! course, double-edged 0eapon though that had become in the last !e0 years, dragging me into these ghastly situations almost as readily as I 0as able to turn it to my ad,antage, but e,en no0 I !ound mysel! reluctant to surrender it& %nd it couldnLt be denied that my chances o! sur,i,al 0ould be marginally better 0ith a screen o! storm troopers bet0een me and the necrons instead o! 0andering around these catacombs alone& I glanced round the narro0 chamber, steeling mysel!, and met KurgenLs eyes& The sight o! him 0as instandy reassuring despite his usual unprepossessing appearance, a ,isible Mand ol!actoryN reminder o! all the perils 0eLd !aced and bested together& 5e grinned at me, and he!ted the bul. o! his melta&

L%!ter you, sir,H he said& LILll 0atch your bac.,H % tas., I ha,e to say, 0hich he per!ormed admirably throughout our years o! ser,ice together& I !orced a smile to my !ace& LI donLt doubt it,H I said, then be!ore I could change my mind I sei1ed the line and slithered do0n into the bo0 els o! hell& I landed hea,ily, but retained my !ooting, and 0as able to step aside as Kurgen lurched do0n the rope behind me& The storm troopers loo.ed mildly disdain!ul at our per!ormance, the a0.0ardness o! 0hich 0as underlined a moment later by 5asturLs descent, 0hich he managed 0ith the de)terity o! an acrobat& L4here toQL 4elard as.ed& LThis 0ay,H I indicated the right direction and 0aited 0hile the storm troopers 0ent through the gap !irst, !alling into place behind them& 4ith e,ery step 0e too. the .not in my stomach 0ound itsel! tighter, the memory o! 0here 0e 0ere going insinuating itsel! into my !orebrain, ine)tricably intert0ined 0ith images o! the massacre ILd 0itnessed on Interims Prime& This 0ould be

di!!erent, I .ept telling mysel!& I 0asnLt !leeing in panic through an un.no0n labyrinth this time, I 0as heading !or a .no0n location, 0hich, by the (mperorLs grace, I had already entered be!ore and escaped to tell the tale& 6asteen 0as right, the necrons 0ould be concerned entirely 0ith the greens.ins, they didnLt e,en .no0 0e 0ere here&&& L8ound something,L the pointman said, snapping me out o! my re,erie and bac. to the claustrophobic con!ines o! the ambull run& 4e closed up, the !aint light !rom our shrouded luminators glinting !rom some detritus on the tunnel !loor& L4hat do you ma.e o! that, sirQL Kurgen as.ed, his !eeble beam pic.ing out something only he had noticed& %part !rom mysel!, he 0as the only one o! our party 0ho had 0al.ed these narro0 tunnels be!ore, and 0ould be able to notice any changes& The hairs on the bac. o! my nec. rose, something that happens in popular !iction !ar more o!ten than it does in real li!e, and 0hich I can assure you is a remar.ably uncom!ortable sensation& 7y aide 0as shining his luminator do0n a narro0 cylinder punched into the ice lining the tunnel, about the 0idth o! my !orearm and deep beyond the strength o! the lamp he carried to pic. out the end& TheyL,e been here,H I murmured& The only possible e)planation 0as a stray gauss !layer shot stri.ing the tunnel 0all& I loo.ed about us, !inding se,eral more o! the sinister indentations& Then 0ho 0ere they shooting atQL Kurgen as.ed& That 0as a good "uestion& I! the or.s had made it this !ar into the tunnels our 'ob 0as about to get a great deal more complicated& I mo,ed up to 'oin 4elard and the point man, 0ho 0ere staring in perple)ity at a small mound o! metal ob'ects embedded in ice, ominously strea.ed 0ith red& S4hat do you thin. these are, sirQL he as.ed, the air o! unassailable con!idence ta.ing a dent !or the !irst time since ILd met him& I loo.ed at the assemblage o! tubes and 0ires !or a moment, then the bile rose into my throat as I realised 0hat I 0as loo.ing at& TheyLre augmetics,H I said, s0allo0ing hea,ily& TheyL,e been ripped out o! someone,H o that 0as 0here (rnulph had disappeared to& These might not be his remains, o! course, but it 0as carrots to credits heLd led 0hate,er !oolhardy e)pedition this pathetic re,enant had been a part o!& I 0ondered ,aguely i! 0eLd !ind traces o! any other ,ictims, or i! theyLd all simply been ,aporised& ;ne thing 0as certain, though& Than.s to these idiots the necrons 0ould .no0 there 0ere humans on imia ;richalcae no0, and 0ere most li.ely 0aiting in ambush ahead o! us& This 0as 'ust getting better and better& 4ell, there 0as no point in standing around 0orrying about it, time 0as most de!initely o! the essence here, so I got e,eryone mo,ing again and dropped bac. to 0al. beside Kurgen&

L#e ready,HA 0arned him, Lthings could be about to get-L I 0as interrupted by the dying shrie. o! our point man as he !lared and d0indled to nothing in the necrotic glo0 o! one o! those hellish gauss 0eapons, and then the metallic 0arriors 0hose appearance ILd so dreaded 0ere upon us& LPlace your shots,H 4elard said calmly, and the sur,i,ing storm troopers unleashed a hail o! hellgun !ire against our attac.ers& The glare o! the lasbolts impacting on the leading necron da11led my eyes, then its chest ga,e 0ay, seared and blasted by the precision ,olley, and it tumbled to the ice-slic. !loor re,ealing a !resh target behind it, already le,elling another gauss !layer& Credit 0here itLs due, 4elard and his men certainly .ne0 their stu!!& %s IL,e mentioned be!ore, the ambull tunnels 0ere narro0, !orcing the hideous automata to come at us almost in single !ile& #ut the storm troopersL discipline 0as e)cellent, and 0ith the death o! our !irst casualty theyLd dropped into a practiced routine, the

men at the !ront !alling prone, those behind .neeling, and the ones at the rear standing up so that the 0hole s"uad 0as able to concentrate their !ire as one& The second necron lost its head, "uite literally, and !ell hea,ily across the !irst 0ith a sound not unli.e someone .ic.ing a bin !ull o! scrap metal& %s I 0atched it !all I realised, 0ith a thrill o! horror, that the !irst metallic 0arrior 0eLd all thought destroyed 0as rising slo0ly to its !eet again& LKurgen,HA called, and my aide stepped !or0ard le,elling the melta& The storm troopers slipped easily out o! his 0ay, .eeping up a barrage o! hellgun !ire to co,er him 0hile he aimed, and shielding their eyes as he s"uee1ed the trigger& The !lare o! actinic energy stabbed my retina, e,en through my closed eyelids, and the roar o! ice !lashing instantly into steam echoed all around us& The air against my !ace 0as suddenly 0arm and 0et, as though ILd been teleported into a rain-!orest some0here& %s I blin.ed my ,ision clear I could see nothing but puddles o! molten metal surrounded by grotes"ue lumps o! statuary, some o! 0hich still t0itched, !ree1ing almost at once into the rapidly-re!orming ice& Then, in an instant, they !aded a0ay as though theyLd ne,er been, lea,ing behind nothing but dri!ting ,apour and some oddlyshaped indentations in the tunnel !loor& LClear,H 5astur called, ta.ing the place o! the disintegrated point man, and leading us on into the dar.ness& 4elard nodded at Kurgen, an almost imperceptible tilt o! the head as he passed my aide, the closest I suppose he could come to e)pressing than.s to an outsider, and 'ogged along in the 0a.e o! his men& I couldnLt help con trasting the reaction o! 9ri!enLs team to the loss o! Lunt 0ith the storm troopersL matter-o!-!act dismissal o! the loss o! one o! their o0n, and mentioned as much to the sergeant& The mission comes !irst,H he said, his !ace hard, and thatLs all he 0ould say on the sub'ect& I 0asnLt e)actly in the mood !or idle con,ersation either, so I let it drop, and resumed straining my ears !or the slightest sound 0hich might indicate the approach o! more o! those monstrous guardians& Luc. or the (mperor must ha,e been 0ith us, though, as all too soon I beheld the bale!ul glo0 0hich !ore0arned us that 0e 0ere about to reach our goal& 4e !lattened oursel,es against the ice-co,ered bedroc. o! the tunnel 0all as 0e approached the entrance to that mighty ca,ern, through 0hich ILd escaped only a !e0 hours be!ore, and strained our senses !or any sign that 0e had been disco,ered& %ll seemed "uiet, e)cept !or that damnable humming and the artillery barrage pounding o! my heart, so 0e crept out into the chamber I had so !er,endy hoped ne,er to see again& 7y scalp cra0led 0ith apprehension, and I had to e)ert e,ery micron o! sel!-control I possessed to appear calm in !ront o! 4elard and his men& They .ept their 0eapons

trained on e,ery patch o! co,er, e,ery green-tinged shado0 in the lee o! those to0ering and incomprehensible mechanisms& I! they 0ere at all disconcerted by the sheer sense o! 0rongness surrounding them they ga,e no sign o! it& L4hich 0ayQL the sergeant as.ed, and I indicated the direction o! the portal& 5e nodded& L7o,e out,H 4e scurried through that ,ast space as Kurgen and I had mere hours be!ore, still stic.ing to the shado0s o! the to0ering machines, that ghastly charnel light bathing e,erything in a sheen o! putrescence& ome o! them 0ere mar.ed 0ith the peculiar stic. and circle hieroglyphics ILd seen on Interims Prime, and you can be sure the memories the sight o! them stirred up did little to calm my !ears& #y this time my ner,es 0ere stretched tighter than harp strings, and it 0as probably this sense o! heightened paranoia 0hich let me hear an almost inaudible sound, a !aint scraping 0hich reminded me o! scuttling ,ermin& I signalled the sergeant&

L8i,e metres, t0o oLcloc.& #ehind that&&& 4hate,er the hell it is,H 4elard nodded, and gestured a couple o! troopers to !lan. the gleaming tangle o! green-glo0ing pipes& The rest o! us closed up, ready to !ace 0hate,er the threat 0as, and I dre0 my laspistol and chains0ord& +ot that I e)pected the latter to be much good against metal rather than !lesh, but it had ser,ed me 0ell on many occasions be!ore no0, and the 0eight o! it !elt com!orting in my hand& LContact& +o threat,H said one o! the storm troopers, his ,oice slighdy attenuated in my comm-bead, and !ell silent again& I hurried !or0ard to 'oin them, cursing their taciturnity& L()plain,H I said, e"ually terse, and a!raid o! transmitting !or long enough to be triangulated on& I! the trooper 0as surprised he ga,e no sign o! it& LItLs a cogboy,H he e)plained !latly& +ot 'ust any cogboy, o! course, the (mperor has more o! a sense o! humour than that& (,en be!ore I 'oined them I had a sense o! !oreboding 0hich 0as amply 'usti!ied as I loo.ed do0n at the "ui,ering bundle trying to 0edge itsel! under the largest pipe& LLogash,H I said& The young tech-priest must ha,e recognised my ,oice, because he turned and loo.ed up at me& Though his metal eyes made any e)pression hard to read, a sense o! recognition began to sur!ace through the e)pression o! star. terror su!!using his !ace& LCommissar CainQL 5is ,oice trembled, 0a,ering in pitch li.e a boy in early adolescence& I! he 0asnLt bon.ers be!ore, I thought, he certainly 0as no0& S:ou 0ere right, you 0ere right& 4e 0ere un0orthy to trespass on the sacred mysteries o! the ;mnissiah-L ?/here are the othersQL I interrupted, s"uatting do0n to his le,el, and .eeping my ,oice calm& I ha,enLt had that much e)perience 0ith madmen, gi,e or ta.e the odd Chaos cultist, but IL,e seen enough cases o! combat !atigue and his symptoms seemed similarO o,er0helmed by the horrors heLd 0itnessed heLd simply retreated inside himsel!& L4hereLs 7agos (rnulphQL LDead,H he moaned, his blan. eyes ro,ing aimlessly, Lstruc. do0n by the guardians !or our hubris& 4e should ha,e listened to you, 0e should ha,e listened&&&L Resisting the temptation to say Ltold you so,H albeit 0ith some di!!iculty, I raised him to his !eet as gently as I could manage& M4hich 0asnLt ,ery, to be honest, he 0as all but catatonic, but I succeeded in the end&N L:ouLre bringing him 0ith usQL 4elard as.ed, in tones 0hich le!t me in no doubt 0hat he thought o! that idea& I

nodded& L4e canLt 'ust lea,e him here,H I said& The sergeant loo.ed dubious, and !or a moment I 0a,ered, thin.ing our mission here 0as hanging by a thread as it 0as, and adding a babbling lunatic to our number 0asnLt li.ely to help any& Then again, Logash had been do0n here longer than any o! us, and might ha,e in!ormation 0hich could sa,e our li,es, or at least help us blo0 up the portal& %s so o!ten in my li!e it 0as an almost impossible decision to ma.e, and one 0hich no one else could, but thatLs 0hy I get to 0ear the !ancy cap& I pulled on the tech-priestLs arm, reminded o! 9ri!enLs attempt to snap 7agot out o! her stupor not !ar !rom this ,ery spot& L4e ha,e to go,HA said& To my relie! Logash nodded, and !ell into step beside Kurgen and mysel!& LI ta.e it (rnulph as.ed you to guide him do0n hereQL I as.ed, and the tech-priest nodded& LI remembered the 0ay& The ;mnissiah guided-L :es, "uite,H I interrupted& Then 0hat happenedQL 5is !ace t0isted& &1e entered the temple, and the guardians !ell upon us& ome 0ere cut do0n 0here they stood, in the ,ery act o! ma.ing obeisance to the machine god, 0hile others !led& #ut the guardians pursued them 0ithout mercy,H That e)plained the remains 0eLd !ound in the tunnel any0ay, a !e0 o! them must ha,e made it that !ar out o! here

be!ore they 0ere cornered& Logash turned a pinched, anguished !ace to me& They 0ere s0i!t and terrible,H he 0hispered, Land shrouded in horror,H 4ell that sounded pretty much li.e e,ery !orm o! necron ILd e,er encountered, and I dismissed his 0ords as a !igure o! speech at the time, although I 0as soon to disco,er ho0 right he 0as& LContact,H 5astur said, and opened !ire& The other storm troopers !ollo0ed suit, and I di,ed !or co,er, drag ging Logash into the shado0s 0ith me& % moment later an acrid odour o! un0ashed soc.s indicated that Kurgen had 'oined us& I le,elled my laspistol, see.ing a target, and 0as grati!ied to see that the storm troopers 0ere doing sterling 0or. in engaging the ad,ancing party o! metallic 0arriors& They 0ere the s.in-hunters 0eLd seen be!ore, or identical copies o! them, ad,ancing 0ith terri!ying speed, their long blades 0hispering through the air as they s0ept bac. and !orth& Instead o! or. hides, though, the leading ran.s 0ere s0athed in human s.ins, still 0et and lea.ing, thin runnels o! blood turned blac. by the corpse-light, 0hich illuminated e,erything here, ,eining the metal torsos beneath& %s I trac.ed the leading one, placing a las bolt s"uarely in the centre o! its !orehead, I realised 0ith a shudder that the obscene co,ering it 0ore still had the ,estige o! a !aceO a !ace, moreo,er, 0hich I recognised& L(rnulph2L I 0hispered, re,ulsion t0isting my stomach, as the creature inside his s.in staggered bac.0ards& I made sure o! it 0ith a !lurry o! !ollo0-up shots, then turned my attention to the monstrosity behind it& The magos had been a pompous !ool, it 0as true, but no one deser,ed a !ate li.e that& TheyLre behind us2L 5astur 0arned, be!ore his ,oice rose in a throat-rending scream& I turned 'ust in time to see him borne do0n by one o! the ra1or-0ielding automata, e,iscerated in seconds, his blood le!t streaming do0n the sides o! the bul.y metal cabinet !rom behind 0hich, a heartbeat be!ore, he had been pouring hellgun !ire into the main body o! our ,ile assailants& % moment later the !layed one rose !rom a crouch, the still 0et s.in o! the deceased storm trooper clinging to its metal torso by the stic.iness o! its o0n blood& L8ra. this2L I shouted& LKurgen2L ;n cue my aide unleashed another blast !rom his melta into the centre o! the group, cutting a s0athe through them as e!!iciently as be!ore& ;nce again the necrons caught by the !ull !orce o! the blast 0ere simply annihilated, !lashing into ,apour as thoroughly as the ,ictims o! their o0n terrible 0eapons, 0hile the ones at the !ringe o! that ra,ening burst o! energy staggered, limbs and torsos seared and so!tened li.e candle 0a)& 8or a moment I e)pected them to rally, restoring themsel,es in that unner,ing !ashion ILd seen be!ore, but the sur,i,ors simply ,anished

into thin air& 8or some reason 5asturLs body 0ent 0ith them, but 0hy they 0ould 0ant it 0as a mystery I 0as sure I 0ould ne,er 0ant to .no0 the ans0er to&A L5o0 !ar to the ob'ecti,eQL 4elard as.ed, as the sur,i,ing storm troopers regrouped& #eyond a single glance at the coating o! blood on the metal sur!aces mar.ing the spot 0here 5astur had died he seemed utterly unperturbed by the terrible !ate 0hich had be!allen his comrade, and the rest seemed e"ually !ocussed on the outcome o! our mission, scanning the halls around us !or any sign o! rene0ed necron acti,ity& I 0as grate!ul !or their ,igilance, but I 0as beginning to !ind their complete lac. o! emotion some0hat unner,ing& %bout three hundred metres,H I said, !orcing my mind bac. to the issue at hand& 4elard nodded, and 0a,ed to his remaining s"uad mates to mo,e out& Kurgen and I !ell in behind them as be!ore, although I 0as no0 acutely
#. 6res%ma)ly or the same reason their harvester leets a)d%ct the pop%lations o isolated colony "orlds. 1hatever that is.

a0are that an attac. could come !rom any direction, and you can be sure that I scanned our surroundings 0ith e,en more diligence than be!ore& I got Logash mo,ing again 0ith a relati,ely light tug on the arm, and he trot ted along 0ith us, apparently per!ecdy happy to !ollo0 0hate,er orders I ga,e no0 ILd been pro,en to be right about the inad,isability o! being here in the !irst place& %!ter a !e0 moments I caught sight o! a bright glo0 !rom beyond the concealing bul. o! one o! those ,ast machines, and indicated it to the sergeant& ThatLs it,H I said, 0atching it pulse li.e the beating o! a diseased heart, and !ighting do0n the surge o! dread 0hich suddenly su!!used me& The portal&L The glo0 intensi!ied !or a moment, 0ith an accompanying thunder crac. o! displaced air 0hich rumbled and echoed through that city-si1ed ca,ern as though presaging a tropical do0npour& L%nd itLs acti,e&L I tried not to thin. about ho0 many rein!orcements had suddenly arri,edO rather too many, 'udging by the amount o! air that had been elbo0ed out o! their 0ay as they materialised& L+ot !or long,L 4elard said, his con!idence apparently undiminished by the loss o! a third o! his s"uad already& L7o,ement,H one o! the troopers cut in, as blandly unemotional as be!ore& L(le,en oLcloc., thirty metres&L 4e turned to !ace this ne0 threat, the "uartet o! storm troopers raising their hellguns, 0hile Kurgen li!ted the melta into a !iring position& Logash 0as trembling ,iolently& L;mnissiah protect thy circuits,H he mumbled, Llet this un0orthy relay speed the electrons o! thy great compu tation, preser,ing us !rom burnout&&&L and other tech-priest gibberish& I glanced bac. at the storm troopers, and 0as astonished to see them "ui,ering almost as badly& L(mperor be 0ith us,H the closest 0as muttering under his breath, Lprotect us 0ith the shield o! thy 0ill&&&L omething 0as seriously 0rong I thought& %!ter e,erything theyLd already shrugged o!! it 0as hard to credit that they 0ould be spoo.ed so badly by a single group o! 0arriors 0ho barely outnumbered us& #ut 4illardLs 'a0 0as clenched, bisecting the cheroot, most o! 0hich had !allen unnoticed to the !loor& The hellgun 'ittered in his hands, 0a,ering almost too 0ildly to aim, and he 0as muttering too, one o! the catechisms o! command 0hich had e,idently been drammed into him by the schola tutors, and rather more e!!ecti,ely than it had been 0ith me 'udging by his demeanour up to this point& 5e began !iring 0ildly at the approaching 0arriors, and as i! that 0ere a signal the others opened up too, badly-aimed las-bolts detonating all round the necrons 0ith barely a single hit scored, almost as inaccurate as or.s& There 0as

something about these 0arriors 0hich 0as di!!erent !rom the others 0eLd seen, a more resolute, sel!-a0are "uality, 0hich sent shudders do0n my spine as I too. in more o! the details o! their appearance& Less s.eletal than the others they seemed composed o! ceramics as much as metal, and 0ith 0rithing pipes and cables corded around their metallic bones 0hich !le)ed li.e li,ing muscles as they mo,ed& Thin tendrils o! despair seemed to 0rap themsel,es around my ,ery soul as they approached us, bringing not mere death but annihilation in their 0a.e& 8ear I 0as used to, could master and control at least to some e)tent, but this 0as di!!erent, a primal terror 0hich rose up !rom some0here deep 0ithin me, and threatened to s0amp my ,ery sense o! sel!& Le,elling the laspistol in my hand, and ironically grate!ul !or the augmetics 0hich steadied my grip in spite o! the treachery o! my o0n body, I !ired at the leading one, gouging a neat crater in the centre o! its !orehead& The horror2 The horror2L Logash 0as going !oetal on me again, clinging to my an.les, and the storm troopers 0ere brea.ing, !leeing in all directions 0ith cries o! terror& The horror returns2L LKurgen, get him o!! me2L I yelled, restrained !rom !ollo0ing only by the dead 0eight o! the gibbering

tech-priest& I !ought against that rush o! primal emotion, !eeling my ,ery sense o! sel! under threat in a 0ay I hadnLt e)perienced since the laaneshi 0itch tried to sacri!ice my soul to her per,erted deity on la0.enberg o,er a decade be!ore, and shooting entirely by instinct no0& The green lance o! a gauss !layer beam missed me by a couple o! centimetres, and punched a neat hole through the smoodi-sided cabinet beside me& I shot bac., ta.ing my assailant in the chest, and ma.ing it stagger !or a moment be!ore resuming its unhurried ad,ance& LCome along, sir,H 7y aide 0as at my side no0, prising LogashLs !ingers a0ay !rom my boot, 0hich 0asnLt easy gi,en that they 0ere closed by a rictus o! terror and aug-metic into the bargain& The pressure against my soul eased abruptly, as though cut o!! by the slamming o! a door& I hustled Logash to his !eet, and mo,ed behind Kur-gen as he aimed and !ired the melta& ;nce again the po0er!ul 0eapon did its 0or., ta.ing do0n our most immediate assailants, but this time there 0as to be no reprie,e !rom them teleporting out to lic. their 0ounds& The group had scattered to hunt do0n the !leeing storm troopers, and 0e only got a couple o! them& %s I loo.ed around !or some sign o! our erst0hile companions I sa0 t0o o! them ta.en do0n 0ith gauss !layer shots, screaming into ,apour e,en as I 0atched& 4elard 0as bac.ed into a corner bet0een t0o bloc.y structures the si1e o! Chimeras, eyes un!ocussed, his mind clearly gone, hellgun hanging !orgotten !rom his hand, babbling incoherently& 5e 0as still crying out to the (mperor !or help 0hich ne,er came 0hen the leading automaton s0ung the hea,y blade o! its polearm-li.e 0eapon and too. his head o!! cleanly 0ith a single s0eep, spraying itsel! 0ith a thic. coating o! his blood& LCome on,H I said urgently& L4e ha,e to get out o! here2L Logash 0as beginning to reco,er 0hate,er 0as le!t o! his 0its, and shoo. his head slo0ly& L4hat happenedQL he as.ed& I 0as beginning to understand, but there 0as no time no0 !or lengthy e)planations, and at our last meeting %mberley had impressed on both lurgen and mysel! the paramount importance o! not re,ealing his gi!t to anyone, so I 'ust grabbed him by the arm to get him mo,ing& L tay close to Kurgen,H I instructed, and 0e 0ent to ground bet0een a blan.-!aced metal cabinet about three storeys high and a loop o! conduit 0hich resembled a glo0ing green intestine& % !aint shrie., abruptly cut o!!, con!irmed the loss o! the last storm trooper& 4ith pounding pulses 0e stayed put !or some time, as Logash had undoubtedly done be!ore, 0hile those ghastly apparitions began 0hat had e,ery appearance o! a methodical search !or us& To my relie!, ho0e,er, they seemed to

become mildly disorientated e,ery time they approached our hiding place, ,eering o!! be!ore they had come 0ithin a hand!ul o! metres o! us, a deli,erance I could only attribute to KurgenLs peculiar "ualities& A %t length, 0hen e,erything seemed "uiet again, I decided it 0as time to mo,e& The e,acuation must be 0ell under 0ay by no0, and I meant to be on a shuttle and sa!e aboard the 6%re o Heart be!ore anything else had a chance to go 0rong& L4hat about the portal, sirQL Kurgen 0ondered aloud& I shrugged& L+othing 0e can do about it no0,H 4hich 0as actually true, as the storm troopers had been carrying the melta charges 0hich 0ere the only things 0hich might ha,e stood some chance o! destroying it, and theyLd been
#. 6erhaps correctly. The a%ra o terror pro5ected )y necron pariahs appears to )e at least partly a psychic phenomenon, so it&s $%ite reasona)le to ass%me that a )lan+ "o%ld repel them and mas+ the e ect. Ho"ever, since no other record exists o a )lan+ coming into s%ch close proximity to a gro%p o pariahs, and they&re ar too rare and val%a)le to ris+ in deli)erately testing this hypothesis, it m%st remain con5ect%ral.

,aporised along 0ith the soldiers& L4eLll 'ust ha,e to call in the +a,y a!ter all,H Tough luc. on the gala)y, o! course, but itLs a big place, and e,en a necron army couldnLt put that big a dent in it& I hoped& o 0e made our cautious 0ay bac. to the tunnel 0eLd come in by, scurrying !rom co,er to co,er as 0e had done be!ore, and !ree1ing into immobility at e,ery sign o! mo,ement& To my immense relie! 0e encountered no more o! those terrible apparitions, catching sight o! the more common 0arriors only at a distance& The aperture le!t by the ambulls 0as unguarded, to my delighted surprise, and I regained the sanctuary o! the ice tunnels 0ith a lightness o! spirit 0hich 0as almost into)icating& It 0as too good to last, o! course, and ine,itably it didnLt&
Editorial Note: /s !ain )egan to ma+e his "ay )ac+ to the s%r ace, things "ere )eginning to ta+e an %n ort%nate t%rn there too. The tech*priests& inc%rsion into the necron tom) had indeed, as he eared, dra"n their attention to the existence o the h%man colony a)ove their heads, "hile the or+s, o%tmatchedas they "ere, had )eg%n to )rea+ only to ind the 3alhal*lan de ences "ea+ened or a)andoned altogether as they ell )ac+. Not %nnat%rally many o the ro%ting greens+ins too+ advantage o the ne" ine o retreat th%s opened%p, and )egan to threaten the re inery itsel . Bnder this rene"ed press%re the evac%ation )egan to alter. &Even tho%gh almost t"o %ll companies had th%s ar )een erried %p to the or)iting starship the converted civilian sh%ttles a)oard the 6%re o Heart simply "eren&t %p to the challenge o em)ar+ing an entire reg* iment in a matter o ho%rs. /s the ollo"ing extract rom !aptain 4%rant&s log ma+es clear, the loss o "ell over hal the men and "omen deployed 5%st a e" days )e ore seemed almost inevita)le.

###

+++3ox*log record o !aptain 4%rant, Merchant leet reighter Pure o! 5eart, NF#.GK8 MJ#.PPP
TILL T<C6 I+ orbit around this miserable iceball& %t the last count 0e had most o! the ci,ilian sta!! and their !am ilies sto0ed a0ay some0here, only a couple o! hundred still cluttering up the corridors 0ith their carcasses and personal e!!ects, but #osun 6leg has promised to sort that out so ILm lea,ing him to it& The 9uardsmen ha,e started arri,ing bac. up here too, although at least theyL,e got some0here to bun.& The o!!icers are ha,ing a hard time .eeping order, as most o! them seem concerned about the ma'ority still stranded planetside& CanLt say I blame them, as 7a1arin says thereLs no 0ay our shuttles can get many more runs in be!ore the re!ineryLs o,errun by the greens.ins or these metal creatures, or possibly both& he .eeps chec.ing the sensor net and calling the sur!ace 0ith updates, but so !ar she says the groposA .eep losing ground, and I canLt see any 0ay o! stopping that& #ut then ILm only a starship captain, than. the (mperor, so 0hat I .no0 about soldiering you could 0rite on the bac. o! a holocard& I told 7a1arin not to 0orry, that colonel loo.s as though she .no0s 0hat sheLs doing and their commissarLs supposed to be some .ind o! hero, but I can tell she 0asnLt con,inced&&&

A& / contraction o &gro%nd po%nders,& a Navy term or the (mperial '%ard %nits sometimes )illeted a)oard their "arships. :ess common among merchant cre"s, 4%rant&s %se o it here implies that this "asn&t the irst time the Pure o! 5eart had )een pressed into service as a leet a%xiliary.

FIFTEEN

%8T(R 7%6I+9 ;<R 0ay through the ambull tunnels 0ithout so much as a sni!! o! the necrons I began to thin. 0e might 'ust be luc.y enough to re'oin our comrades 0ithout !urther incident, and I must con!ess to a sensation a.in to euphoria as 0e scrambled up the rope to emerge into the lo0er galleries o! the mine itsel!& %!ter the cramped ambull runs the high ceiling and the 0ide tunnels o! the man-made 0or.ings seemed as broad and open as a city boule,ard& 4e made good time bac. to0ards the sur!ace, proceeding in line abreast at a rapid trot& Logash seemed to be a little more rational no0 0eLd le!t that hi,e o! the damned behind us at last, although being a tech-priest that 0as only relati,ely spea.ing o! course, and he .ept up 0ith Kurgen and mysel! 0ithout any ob,ious di!!iculty& Kurgen and I had set our luminators to !ull re!ulgence no0 0e 0ere bac. on 0hat I !ondly imagined 0as sa!er ground, and the beams 0ere lighting our 0ay some

considerable distance in !ront o! us& The surrounding ice 0as bouncing the light as it had be!ore, thro0ing bac. the photons in the shimmering blues and star cluster spar.les I remembered so 0ell, so it 0as a second or t0o be!ore I realised that the gleam up ahead had come not !rom the 0alls but !rom a re!lecti,e metal sur!ace& L6ill the lights2L I shouted as the coin !inally dropped, and t0isted to the side as I did so, a re!le) 0hich undoubtedly sa,ed my li!e& % bilious green beam cut through the space in 0hich ILd been standing an instant be!ore, illuminating !or an instant the dar.ness 0hich no0 enshrouded us, Kurgen ha,ing !ollo0ed my lead, and thro0ing the three o! us into sharp relie! be!ore it ,anished again, e,anescent as lightning& The situation 0as as grim as any ILd !acedO to remain 0here 0e 0ere 0ould ma.e us sitting targets as the necrons ad,anced, 0hereas the slightest glimmer o! light 0ould betray our position& % couple more da11ling green !lares !lic.ered past us to emphasi1e the point& 8leeing blindly do0n the tunnel 0ould merely ensure 0e 0ere shot in the bac., i! 0e didnLt simply slip and !all on the icy sur!ace& ;ur only option seemed to be to stand and !ight, although 'udging by the positions o! their 0eapon !lashes the metal 0arriors 0ere too spread out to ma.e an ob,ious target !or KurgenLs melta, negating the only ad,antage 0e had& I had 'ust dra0n my laspistol, preparing !or a bit o! speculati,e !ire mysel! in the no doubt ,ain hope that the necrons 0ould thin. t0ice about rushing us M!rom 0hat ILd seen o! them be!ore they didnLt stri.e me as being eas ily intimidatedN, 0hen I !elt a light tap on my arm& This 0ay,H Logash 0hispered, and I heard the !aint scurrying sound o! rapid cra0ling mo,ement to my le!t& % moment later I heard the same murmur !rom some0here in KurgenLs immediate ,icinity M0hich 0asnLt hard to pinpoint, as my sense o! smell 0as still unimpededN, and I realised 0ith a thrill o! hope that the young techpriestLs augmetic eyes 0ere someho0 able to !unction in the dar.ness 0hich en,eloped us& 5a,ing nothing to lose I cra0led rapidly in the direction o! his ,oice, guided by occasional murmurs o! Lstraight ahead,H and Lle!t a bit&&& +o, the other le!t, I meant mine&&&L until I !ound mysel! against the !ro1en sur!ace o! the 0all& I 0as 'ust about to as. 0hat no0 0hen a glo,ed hand accompanied by KurgenLs unmista.able odour reached out to sei1e my arm& LIn here, commissar,H he 0hispered, gi,ing me the !ull bene!it o! his halitosis, and I !ound mysel! s"uee1ing through a narro0 cre,ice in the ice& %!ter a !e0 metres it angled sharply, concealing us completely !rom the main sha!t, and 0e held our collecti,e breath as a clatter o! metal !eet echoed past our hiding place& L4ell spotted,H I said, 0hen I 0as sure it 0as "uiet out there, and ad'usted my luminator to minimum re!ul gence& 7y

companionsL !aces emerged out o! the gloom, LogashLs pale, and KurgenLs as impassi,e as e,er& The tech-priest nodded& LPraise the ;mnissiah !or our deli,erance&&&L he began, and I hushed him "uic.ly& S:es, good, than.s ,ery much,H I said& L%ny idea 0here this goesQL It 0asnLt on the chart ILd seen be!ore, but that 0as hardly surprising, sho0ing as it did e,ery sign o! being a natural !ault rather than ha,ing been dug& A Logash pondered a moment& LIt seems to be bearing to0ards the main processing area,H he said at last& L%ssuming it doesnLt 'ust peter out&L 4ell that 0as a ris. I 0as 0illing to ta.e, since the alternati,e 0as be !acing (mperor .ne0 ho0 many necron patrols& I hoped they 0ere simply scouting the mine rather than in,ading it in !orce, but I 0asnLt .een to hang
#. Ho" !ain came to this concl%sion he doesn&t )other to explain2 it "as pro)a)ly something to do "ith his a inity or %ndergro%nd environments.

around and !ind out one 0ay or die other& %t least this 0ay 0e stood a better chance o! a,oiding them& %n hour or so later I 0as beginning to thin. 0eLd ha,e done better ta.ing our chances playing tag 0ith the necrons& The !ault 0as narro0 and 'agged, so 0e 0ere climbing up slopes or slithering do0n them more o!ten than 0e 0ere 0al.ing and chun.s o! ice .ept catching at our !eet or pro'ecting !rom the 0alls at heights and angles calculated to bruise or 0orse& ;n se,eral occasions 0e had to cra0l, as the ceiling descended too lo0 !or us to 0al., and once 0e 0ere !orced to 0orm our 0ay !or0ards on our stomachs as the passage became too constricted e,en !or that& KurgenLs bul.y melta became 0edged 0ith monotonous regularity, re"uiring some laborious chipping a0ay o! the ice 0ith our combat blades be!ore 0e could !ree it& M7y chains0ord 0ould ha,e done the 'ob in a tenth o! the time, o! course, but in that con!ined space one o! us could all too readily ha,e lost a limb by accident, so it remained in its scabbard&N (ach time it happened I considered simply abandoning the cumbersome 0eapon, but it had pro,en its use too o!ten to be lighdy discarded, so I simply gritted my teeth at the delay and carried on& 7y sense o! direction 0as no less sure do0n here than in any other underground passage0ay, so at least I had the consolation o! .no0ing that 0eLd come almost a .ilometre !rom our encounter in the main gallery and 0ere mo,ing in the general direction o! the centre o! the comple), 0hen Logash paused& 5e 0as continuing to lead us simply because the passage0ay 0as too narro0 !or any o! us to change position, 0hich had le!t me trailing in KurgenLs 0a.e, uncom!ortably a0are that i! the metal 0arriors !ound the entrance to the cle!t and came a!ter us ILd be the !irst one to .no0 about it& The thought 0as an unpleasant one, producing an itching sensation bet0een my shoulder blades, so I tried not to d0ell on it& L4hatLs the matterQL I as.ed& The tech-priest shrugged& LDead end,H he said& I could ha,e throtded him, but !ortunately Kurgen 0as in the 0ay& I shoo. my head, un0illing to belie,e it& LIt canLt be,H The 0ords 0ere a re!le) denial, but as I said them I 0as sure that I 0as right, all o! my tunnel ratLs instincts told me so& I 0ondered !or a moment 0hy I 0as so sure, then realised I could !eel a !aint current o! air on my !ace& ThereLs a dra!t in here,H The passage seems to continue,H Logash agreed& L#ut it 0onLt do us any good unless you can get through a !i,e centimetre gap,H That really 0as hard to belie,e& The passage had constricted be!ore, o! course, but that it could narro0 so much, so !ast, 0ent against all my e)perience in such an en,ironment& I said so, possibly a litde more !orce !ully than

necessary, and Logash s"uee1ed against the ice 0all to let me see !or mysel!& ;ur 0ay 0as indeed bloc.ed, by a regular con,e) sur!ace 0hich cur,ed do0n to 'ust abo,e the !loor& omething about the shape struc. me as !amiliar, and then I realised that it 0as the lo0er part o! a ,ast cylinder some three or !our metres in diameter& L4hat the hellLs thatQL I as.ed& Logash thumped it 0ith his hand, producing the unmista.able dull thud o! thic. metal& L;ne o! the main e)traction pipes,H he said& LRuns up to the processing plant on the sur!ace,H L%nd 0hatLs in it at the momentQL I as.ed, an idea so audacious I could barely ac.no0ledge it beginning to !orm e,en as I spo.e& Logash shrugged& L+othing no0 the plantLs shutting do0n&&,H 5is ,oice trailed o!! as he e,idendy came to the same conclusion as I had& I reached an arm out to0ards him, past my aide& LCan you get behind KurgenQL I as.ed& LI can try,H It 0asnLt easy, I can tell you that, but a!ter 0hat seemed to be an eternity o! 0riggling and s0earing he and I 0ere crouched behind 0hat litde co,er 0e could !ind, and Kurgen 0as aiming the hea,y 0eapon at the pipe& %s be!ore 0e 0ere engul!ed in a roar o! steam as he !ired, so it 0as a moment or t0o be!ore our ,ision

cleared enough to sho0 us the metre-diameter hole he had success!ully blasted in the 0all o! the conduit& LThatLll ha,e to be logged !or the repair cre0s,H Logash remar.ed con,ersationally, as i! the place 0ould e,er be bac. in operation no0 the necrons 0ere here, and a!ter a moment to let the metal cool Kurgen hoisted himsel! through the hole and into the pipe& I !ollo0ed suit, the tech-priest bounding up ahead o! me, to !ind mysel! in an echoing metal tube at least t0ice my o0n height !loored 0ith rapidly-re!ree1ing slush 0here the metal had conducted the heat o! the melta blast a0ay& talactites o! ice descended !rom the cur,ed ceiling, 0here the uni!orm coating o! rime had been dis turbed by our bla1ing entry& This 0ay,H I said, ta.ing the lead again, and mo,ing as rapidly up the gentle slope as I could manage on the treacherous sur!ace& Kurgen had no trouble matching my pace, o! course, ha,ing been born to conditions li.e these, and Logash apparendy had some sort o! augmetic balance enhancer, as he seemed as sure-!ooted as the /alhallan& Despite my tendency to slip unner,ingly !rom time to time, and the !aint cur,ature under!oot doing nothing to ma.e the 'ob any easier, I !ound the 0ide, unhindered passage0ay almost e)hilarating a!ter the cramped con!ines o! the de!ile and set a good pace i! I do say so mysel!& %!ter a 0hile I became a0are o! a !aint susurration in my ear, and realised that my comm-bead had come 0ithin range o! the regimental ,o) net& 4e 0ere closer to the sur!ace than ILd realised, and a !lood o! relie! almost .noc.ed the breath !rom my lungs& I! someone 0as still here I 0asnLt too late to get a shuttle out& +ot that theyLd 0ait i! they all thought I 0as dead, o! course, so I lost no time in contacting 6asteen and pass ing on the status o! our mission& LCommissar2L he sounded surprised and pleased in almost e"ual measure& L4e 0ere beginning to thin. you hadnLt made it,H LI nearly didnLt,H I admitted& They 0ere 0aiting !or us& 4e ne,er got close to the damn portal,H LI see,H Resignation tinged her ,oice& L5o0 many sur,i,orsQL LKust me and Kurgen,H +o point in going into lengthy e)planations no0, so I glossed o,er LogashLs presence& LThe necrons are mo,ing through the mine& 5a,e they bro.en out onto the sur!ace yetQL L+o,H 5er ,oice !aded !or a moment, as she presumably turned her head a0ay !rom the ,o)caster to tal. to someone else, then returned 0ith an edge o! urgency& L4ait one&&,H The lin. 0ent dead& %bsorbed in my con,ersation 0ith the colonel ILd hardly noticed that the pipe had come to an apparent dead end& %s I

craned my nec. and shone my luminator up0ards, I could see that it had made an abrupt turn to the ,ertical, soaring a0ay out o! sight& L4hat no0QL I as.ed& Logash grinned, and indicated a set o! metal rungs protruding !rom the !rost, slic. 0ith a coating o! ice& L:ou ha,e got to be .idding,H 5e 0asnLt, o! course& 5e 'ust grabbed a bar and started climbing sure-!ooted as a Catachan up a tree, and a!ter a moment I shrugged and 0ent a!ter him& Kurgen !ollo0ed, as al0ays& 4hy are these hereQL he as.ed& The maintenance ser,itors use them 0hen the pipes shut do0n,H Logash e)plained& There should be an access panel up here some0here&&,H Concentrating only on maintaining my grip on the treacherous, ice-slic. rungs I 0as startled by the sound o! 6asteenLs ,oice suddenly in my ear again& I almost slipped, hanging on purely by the (mperorLs grace and the strength o! my augmetic !ingers& 4eL,e lost contact 0ith t0o o! the pic.ets in the middle le,els,H she said& 4eLre rein!orcing&&,H L+o2L I cut in, a little too loudly& LPull e,eryone bac. out o! the tunnels2 ItLs the only chance they ha,e2L

#ottled up in a con!ined space, unable to concentrate their !ire, theyLd be pic.ed o!! easily& ILd seen that all too clearly be!ore& LCo,er the entrances 0ith e,erything youL,e got, and engage them as they emerge,H It probably 0ouldnLt do us any good in the long run, but at least that 0ay theyLd be the ones held up by the bot tlenec.& I tried not to thin. about their ability to teleport, or mo,e through 0alls&&& L%c.no0ledged,H 6asteen said, clearly 0illing to de!er to my greater e)perience 0ith these hideous !oes, and cut the lin.& I considered 0hat sheLd 'ust told me, not li.ing the conclusions I 0as dra0ing& It 0as ob,ious the necrons 0ere mo,ing through the mines in considerable !orce i! theyLd been able to ta.e out t0o o! our s"uads be!ore they e,en managed to get a ,o) message o!!& 7aybe the ones in stasis 0ere beginning to re,i,e, and 'oin the ne0 arri,als&&& L8ound it,H Logash said abo,e me, unnaturally cheer!ul under the circumstances, and began scraping the co,ering o! !rost !rom the 0all, sprin.ling me 0ith a light dusting o! po0dered ice as he did so& 5e e,idendy .ne0 0hat he 0as doing though, e)tending a thin metal probe !rom one o! his !ingers, and prodding hope!ully at an indentation in the side o! the pipe& L%h& That should do it&&&L % section o! the 0all ne)t to his hand 0ithdre0 suddenly, 0ith a loud hum that set my teeth on edge, letting a blast o! light and 0arm air into our !rigid enclosure& The tech-priest ,anished !rom sight, and a!ter a moment o! scrambling up0ards I !ollo0ed grate!ully, hea,ing mysel! out onto a metal mesh !loor illuminated by a dim electrosconce in the nearest 0all& Despite its !eebleness the yello0 glo0 seemed incredibly 0elcoming as I turned to reach do0n and haul Kurgen up a!ter me& The chamber 0e stood in 0as small, barely large enough !or the three o! us, and glancing around I realised that it 0as merely a landing on a ,ast metal staircase 0hich rose di11yingly abo,e us as 0ell as descending to a ,ertiginous depth belo0& Logash glanced at some runes stencilled on the outside o! the access panel 0eLd e)ited the pipe by, and nodded in satis!action& L9ood,H he said& L4hat isQL I as.ed suspiciously& 9i,en his le,el o! mental stability that could ha,e meant 'ust about anything by this stage& The young tech-priest indicated our surroundings 0ith a casual 0a,e& L4eLre in one o! the primary maintenance sha!ts& 4e should be able to get into the main control shrine a !e0 le,els up,H L#est ne0s IL,e had all day,H I said& LLead on,H

IT 4% 7;R( than a !e0 le,els, o! course, 0e must ha,e been climbing !or almost hal! an hour be!ore Logash stopped at another access panel in the plain metal 0all, and ILd lost count o! ho0 many !lights o! stairs 0eLd climbed& 7y .nees hadnLt though, and ached abominably, but itLs surprising ho0 moti,ated you can be 0ith an army o! murderous automata at your heels and I .ept going& Kurgen, o! course, sho0ed no sign o! strain or discom!ort, e,en lugging the hea,y 0eapon& This should be it,H Logash hesitated, and I noticed the door 0as larger and more elaborate than any o! the ones 0eLd passed on the 0ay up, decorated 0ith the cog0heel symbol o! the priesthood& L9ood,HA said& Then letLs get out o! here,H ILm not sure I should open it,H the tech-priest said slo0ly, eyeing Kurgen and mysel! 0ith a speculati,e e)pression on his !ace& This is a holy place& ;nly ordained and sancti!ied personnel are permitted beyond this point&&,H L8ine,HA said& 34eLre on a mission !or the (mperor& CanLt get much holier than that, rightQL Logash loo.ed con!used&

LThat 0ould be an ecumenical matter,H he said& LILm not sure ILm "uali!ied to 'udge&&&L LDonLt 0orry,H I said& LI am& +o0 are you going to open the !ra..ing door or 0ill #rother Kurgen do itQL 7y aide stepped !or0ard, raising the melta, and Logash hit the acti,ation rune 0ith almost indecent haste& ILm not sure 0hat I e)pected to !ind inside, but my !irst impression 0as one o! o,er0helming technological sophistication& <nli.e the necron tomb belo0 us, though, 0hose incomprehensible sorceries pulsed 0ith palpable male,olence, this 0as a shrine su!!used 0ith the bene,olence o! the machine spirit, harnessed !or the good o! humanity and blessed by the tech-priests 0ho normally 0or.ed here& I made an automatic gesture o! obeisance to the large stained glass 0indo0 depicting the (mperor Min 5is aspect o! the ;mnissiah, o! course, but the (mperor still !or all thatN 0hich spilled patches o! colour across the serried ran.s o! dar. 0ood and polished brass lecterns, each one inlaid 0ith a pict screen displaying some aspect o! the plantLs !unction& Try not to touch anything,L Logash 0arned, brushing past Kurgen, 0ho 0as ma.ing the sign o! the a"uila, his 'a0 e,en slac.er than usual& +o !ear o! that, I thought, shying a0ay !rom the nearest lectern, 0hen my eye 0as caught by the image on the pict screen& It sho0ed a blurry, !lic.ering image o! 0hat loo.ed li.e one o! the mine galleries, and to my horror the unmista.able shado0 o! a necron 0arrior passing s0i!tly out o! sight& % moment later another o! the metal monstrosities appeared, then a third& LLogash,HA called& The tech-priest le!t o!! genu!lecting to the alter in the corner 0ith e,ery sign o! annoyance and ambled o,er to 'oin me& I indicated the pict& L4hereLs thisQL L ector !i,e, le,el !ourteen,H he said a!ter a moment spent consulting some runes on the lectern& 5e ad'usted the controls, and the picture changed, sho0ing another gallery& %!ter a moment the leading necron appeared there& L7o,ing to0ards sector three,H LCan you see the 0hole mine !rom hereQL I as.ed& 5e nodded& The rituals o! !ocusing are ,ery similar to those o! your hololith& :ou may use this lectern i! it 0ill help,H %!ter a !e0 moments o! instruction, the lighting o! an incense stic., and muttering a !e0 prayers o,er me he le!t me to it 0ith an air o! e,ident relie!& The picture I started to build up 0as grim, to say the least& It didnLt ta.e me long to establish that the lo0er le,els 0ere cra0ling 0ith necrons, hundreds at least, and that they 0ere systematically combing the tunnels, mo, ing e,er higher as they 0ent& I ,o)ed 6asteen&

L#y my estimate 0eL,e got about hal! an hour be!ore they reach the sur!ace,HA said& LI! 0eLre luc.y,H %t least the !e0 troopers ILd !ound 0ere already in the upper le,els and pulling bac., so sheLd heeded my earlier ad,ice& %n e)ternal pictcaster had sho0n me the landing pad, already cro0ded 0ith hundreds o! our men and 0omen, not to mention ,ehicles, 0aiting patiently !or their turn to board one o! the shutdes& 4ith a sudden sin.ing !eel ing in my stomach I began to realise that the ,ast ma'ority o! them 0ould still be there 0hen the necrons emerged& L4eLll be ready,H 6asteen promised, but I already .ne0 ho0 hollo0 that promise 0as& TheyLd be massacred, no doubt about it, and more to the point ILd ne,er ma.e it to the sa!ety o! the starship either& There had to be some thing 0e could do to hold them o!!, i! only I could thin. o! it&&& LLogash,H I called, but this time he ignored me, intent on some tas. at one o! the other lecterns& I 0al.ed o,er and sei1ed his arm& LLogash, this is important,H L o is this,H he said, a trace o! irritation in his ,oice& The stabilisation rituals !or the storage tan.s ha,e to be per !ormed e,ery si) hours, and are already o,erdue& :ou must realise ho0 ,olatile re!ined promethium is&&,H

L;h yes,H I said, an idea so audacious I could hardly credit it mysel! beginning to !orm& I glanced past the glo0ing glass (mperor to the comple) outside, 0here the huge storage tan.s s"uatted, bul.y as hab bloc.s& L5o0 much is in the tan.s at the momentQL LRoughly eight million litres,H he said& L ince the tan.ers canLt land 0ith the or.s about itLs built up rather& #ut still 0ithin acceptable sa!ety parameters, I can assure you,H LI 0as rather hoping it 0as unsa!e,H I said, and i! he had any eyebro0s ILm sure he 0ould ha,e raised them at that point& I pointed to the tangle o! pipe 0or. around the storage tan.s& LDo any o! those pipes connect directly to the mineQL L+ot directly, no,H 5e loo.ed at me "ui11ically& L4hy do you as.QL L#ecause i! 0e could dump all that li"uid do0n the sha!t it should really gi,e the necrons something to 0orry about,HA said& % slo0 smile began to spread across the tech-priestLs !ace& LIt 0ould mean o,erriding a number o! sa!ety rituals,H he said, considering the idea& L#ut it can be done,H L()cellent,H I said, !eeling a !lare o! optimism returning at last& Then youLd better get to it,H LIndeed,H 5e huddled o,er the lectern, muttering gibberish, and 0hat sounded suspiciously li.e an occasional highpitched giggle, as he manipulated the controls& The chance to stri.e bac. at the creatures 0ho had massacred his !riends 0as ob,iously stirring up a lot o! emotion, and I began to 0onder i! his !ragile sanity 0ould hold !or long enough to implement our plan& till, there 0as nothing to do but 0atch in silence 0hile the minutes dragged by, and the automata in the pict screen mo,ed ominously closer to the sur!ace& Tanna tea, sirQL Kurgen materialised at my shoulder, pro!!ering the !las. heLd brought as a transparent e)cuse to 'oin the e)pedition, and I too. the !ragrant li"uid grate!ully, suddenly a0are o! ho0 tired and hungry I 0as& 5e still couldnLt !ind the sand0ich heLd sto0ed some0here, to my barely-concealed relie!, so 0e contented oursel,es 0ith the standard ration bars 0hich tasted reassuringly o! nothing particularly identi!iable& LReady2L Logash said at last, another giggle rising to the sur!ace& 5is !ace 0as preternaturally !lushed, and his !ingers trembled o,er the controls o! the lectern, the !irst time I had e,er seen augmetics do so& I nodded& LIn the name o! the (mperor,HA said solemnly& LIn nominae (rnulph2L The tech-priest s"uea.ed ,indicti,ely, and !lic.ed a s0itch& 8or a moment nothing seemed to happen, then I became a0are o! a lo0 rumbling sound 0hich seemed to su!!use the comple)& Runes on se,eral o! the lecterns began to glo0 red, and a po0dering o! sno0 dislodged itsel! !rom the rim o!

the 0indo0 outside& Then, !or interminable moments, nothing seemed to happen at all& LLoo., sir2L Kurgen pointed to the pict screen, 0hich ILd le!t tuned to one o! the upper le,els& % torrent o! li"uid became momentarily ,isible, !illing the 0idth o! the gallery, s0eeping all be!ore it, tearing chun.s o! ice the si1e o! #aneblades !rom the 0alls as it came and tumbling them casually ahead o! itsel!& Then the pictcaster 0as ripped !rom its mounting, and the screen 0ent dar.& I s0itched to another 'ust in time to see a party o! necron 0arriors, !ar closer to the sur!ace than I 0ould ha,e thought possible, trapped by the onrushing tsunami, pic.ed up and thro0n around li.e so many rag dolls& I! I belie,ed them capable o! emotion I might ha,e thought they stood dumbstruc. be!ore it be!ore turning to !lee, but it engul!ed them all the same& I 0ondered i! theyLd !ade a0ay, smashed to pieces by that irresistible tide o! pure promethium& 7uch good 0ould it do them i! they didO their tomb 0as at the lo0est point o! the tunnel comple) and 0ould surely !lood in time, e,en though Logash had calculated that it 0ould ta.e the torrent

around t0enty minutes to seep do0n that !ar& +ot that they needed to breathe, o! course, but at the ,ery least it should stop them using the portal until they !ound some 0ay to pump the chamber out, by 0hich time 0ith any luc. the +a,y 0ould be here to sterilise the planet& %ll in all, I !elt, a rather satis!ying result& I 4% TILL !eeling pretty pleased 0ith mysel! as I 'oined 6asteen and #ro.la0 on the landing pad a short 0hile later, so buoyed 0ith euphoria that !or once I didnLt e,en mind the bone-biting cold& The plain o! ice 0as s0arm ing 0ith acti,ity, Chimera engines rumbling as the engineseers marshalled them !or embar.ation and commenced the ser,ices o! mothballing, and platoons marshalled by s"uads ready to ta.e their place on the outgoing shuttles& % blur o! motion in the corner o! my eye resol,ed itsel! into a entinel, trotting eagerly round our !lan., .eeping an eye out !or hostiles& L4ell done, commissar,H #ro.la0 shoo. me !irmly by the hand& LI donLt thin. anyone else could ha,e come close to achie,ing 0hat you did today&L L4ell the ne)t time 0e run across a necron tomb youLre 0elcome to try,H I told him& 5e grinned, ta.ing the remar. !or a 'o.e, but any reply he made 0as dro0ned by the scream o! a shuttle engine as one o! the utility ,essels !rom the 6%re o Heart rose into the sullen air& 6asteen gestured at it as it ho0led o,er our heads and began to diminish into the leaden s.y abo,e& That 0as the !i!th one,H she told me, raising her ,oice slighdy o,er the ringing in our ears& T0o !ull companies embar.ed already,H 4hich still le!t 0ell o,er hal! our number, around si) hundred troopers, stranded on the ground& %nother hal! do1en !lights still needed& I estimated the time that 0ould ta.e, and didnLt li.e the ans0er& (,en i! the necrons had been dealt 0ith, there 0ere still plenty o! or.s around&&& L4hatLs the situation 0ith the or.sQL I as.ed #ro.la0, but be!ore he could respond a titanic e)plosion deto nated among the re!inery buildings, reducing the main %dministratum bloc. to rubble in an instant& Debris pattered do0n around us, mi)ed 0ith chun.s o! ice and 0hat loo.ed uncom!ortably li.e !ragments o! human tissue& 8or a moment I 0as at a loss, my ears still ringing, and cast around !or some sign o! damage to the storage tan.s, con,inced that something must ha,e touched o!! the lea.ing promethium& Then I sa0 it, tall as the building it had 'ust destroyed, lurching !or0ard through the rabble& Its hull 0as seared and breached in a do1en places, its main gun gone, but at least one o! the secondaries 0as e,idently still capable o! 0rea.ing ha,oc& Despite being delayed by the necrons, the gargant had arri,ed at last&

SI!TEEN

o 5;RRI8:I+9 4% the sight o! that gigantic 0ar machine, battered, scarred, but still lurching !or0ard almost unstoppably, that !or a moment none o! us noticed the ant-li.e scurryings around its !eet& ;nly as the ear-splitting cry o! L4%%%%%%RRRRR99955552L !orced itsel! through the echoes o! the e)plosion still !u11ing up the inside o! my s.ull did I become a0are o! the horde o! greens.ins racing across the !ro1en ground ahead o! it& They 0ere a!oot mostly, 0ith 'ust a hand!ul o! bi.es and truc.s bouncing !or0ards to pull clear o! the main pac., and I 0as pleased to see our entinels peeling o!! to engage the light ,ehicles& Their lascannons crac.ed repeatedly, punching holes in the crudely 0elded armour, and a grati!ying number o! the ramshac.le ,ehicles sle0ed to a halt lea.ing smo.e& #ut my attention remained !i)ed on the gargant, 0hich loomed o,er e,erything li.e a shado0 o! doom& Despite the great rents in its metre-thic. armour plate and the

!used 0rec.age o! its primary armament it still loo.ed unstoppable, lurching !or0ard uncertainly 0ith a shrie. o! tortured metal, the le!t leg dragging slighdy as though limping !rom its 0ounds& L8ire at 0ill2L 6asteen roared, suiting the action to the 0ord, and hundreds o! lasguns crac.led repeatedly, sending echoes booming li.e sur! !rom the structures still standing& The or.s replied enthusiastically, but, praise the (mperor, no more accurately than usual, so our casualties remained light in comparison to the scores 0ho 0ere !alling and being trampled under!oot by their comrades& Target the gargant2L #ro.la0 ordered the Chimera cre0s, and do1ens o! hea,y bolters began to hose do0n the looming to0er o! metal 0hich continued to plod to0ards us, crac.ing the ice o! the landing !ield under its 0eight 0ith e,ery tottering step& They didnLt seem to be bothering it much, but at least they 0ere .eeping the cre0Ls heads do0n, and the open galleries on its shoulders clear o! the hea,y 0eapon cre0s 0ho 0ould other0ise ha,e been adding a hail o! supporting !ire to its o0n !ormidable armament& TheyLre consistent at least,H 6asteen muttered at my elbo0& True to their nature the or.s 0ere attac.ing us directly across the landing !ield, s0eeping do0n the length o! it parallel to the line o! storage tan.s, no0 shimmering behind a ha1e o! promethium ,apour !rom their rapidly-draining contents& %t the sight o! that 0a,ering shroud my blood ran e,en colder than it already 0as& It 0ould only ta.e one stray round landing ne)t to them !or the entire comple) to be engul!ed in an e)plosion almost impossible to imagine& %nd us along 0ith it, o! course& L6eep our !ire directed a0ay !rom the storage tan.s,H I cautioned, and she nodded grimly, percei,ing the danger too& +ot that it 0ould ma.e a lot o! di!!erence in the long ran, I thought& The gargant 0as s0inging its remaining gun around to target the centre o! our !ormation, 0hich o! course meant me along 0ith the senior o!!icers, and I began to thin. 0e only had moments le!t i! that& The or. ad,ance seemed almost unstoppable, !or e,ery greens.in that !ell another do1en continuing to charge !or0ard sla,ering 0ith bloodlust& L hutde three re"uesting landing co-ordinates&L % ne0 ,oice cut into the comm-net, and I became a0are o! the roar o! a po0er!ul engine becoming audible e,en o,er the din o! the ongoing battle& % !lare o! hope rose 0ithin me&&& L hutde three, abort your approach,H 7a1arinLs ,oice cut in abruptly, shattering it, her tone calm and authoritati,e& The greens.ins are all o,er the pad,H LI can still ma.e it,H the unseen pilot argued, and the bloc.y shape o! the shutde suddenly appeared o,er the re!inery, ban.ing sharply round to run in o,er the main bul. o! the or. army& omething about his ,oice sounded !amiliar, and I 0ondered i! it 0as the same one 0hoLd got us do0n here in the !irst place& poradic small arms !ire bounced o!! his

hull, and I stilled my breath remembering our abrupt arri,al here, but the or.s didnLt get luc.y this time and he came in lo0 o,er our heads, his landing thrusters screaming& % !e0 o! the troopers 0a,ed and yelled, but most .ept !iring grimly into the onrashing horde o! blade-0a,ing barbarity& %nother couple o! moments and theyLd be on us& I dre0 my chains0ord, preparing !or the shoc. o! impact, and continued spitting las-bolts into the 0all o! screaming or. !lesh bearing do0n on us almost as !ast as the tidal 0a,e o! promethium still scouring the mine beneath our !eet& The gargant lurched !or0ard again, and impelled by panic or instinct I !inally noticed the deep gash in its leg& It 0as a slim chance, but&&& Target its le!t leg2L I yelled, and the Chimera cre0s s0itched their aim, pouring a concentrated barrage o! hea,y bolter rounds against that single, ,ulnerable spot&

8or a moment I thought the desperate gamble 0ould !ail, but as the torrent o! e)plosi,e !ire che0ed a0ay at the torn and o,erstressed metal the to0ering le,iathan began to s0ay alarmingly The damaged limb seemed to sei1e up entirely, then !ailed altogether 0ith a crac. o! rending metal 0hich echoed li.e thunder bet0een the encircling hills, audible e,en o,er the din o! battle surrounding us& %bruptly it lost its e"uilibrium entirely, toppling absurdly slo0ly at !irst, then !aster and !aster as more o! that titanic bul. neared the ground& The or.s around it scattered in panic, li.e ants beneath a descending boot, and a grati!ying number o! them !ailed to ma.e it& The impact shoo. the ground beneath us, crac.ing the ice !or hundreds o! metres around the huge 0rec., s0al lo0ing almost a third o! that ,ast bul. and opening chasms 0hich engul!ed the ,ast ma'ority o! the !leeing greens.ins& 8rom deep 0ithin that mountain o! metal the dull thud o! secondary e)plosions going o!! echoed li.e bronchitic coughs, and the lurid red glo0 o! spreading !lames began to 'oin the smo.e ILd seen earlier& L8inish them o!!2L 6asteen ordered, and the /alhallans responded 0ith a 0ill, surging !or0ard to engage the stunned sur,i,ors& %!ter a short e)change o! 0eapons !ire it 0as all o,er, the !e0 remaining or.s !leeing beyond the e!!ecti,e range o! our lasguns and 6asteen reining in the more enthusiastic platoon commanders 0ho seemed on the ,erge o! going a!ter them 0ith a display o! pro!anity ,erging on the pyrotechnic& ILd e)pected ulla to be leading the charge, but it turned out her company 0as the !irst to ha,e been shuttled bac. up to the ship, so !or once she didnLt ha,e the chance to do something stupid, 0hich made a re!reshing change& LI thin. 0e should board as soon as 0e can,L I said, !eeling our luc. had already been stretched !ar thinner than 0e had any right to e)pect, and 6asteen nodded& LI thin. youLre right,H she said& L imia ;richalcaeLs rather lost its charm !or me,H :ou and me both,H #ro.la0 agreed, and hurried o!! to organise the ne)t stage o! the embar.ation as the incoming shuttle grounded at last& I ha,e to admit that the surge o! relie! I !elt as I hurried up the cargo ramp and heard the com!orting clang o! metal beneath my boot soles once more le!t me almost giddy& +e,ertheless I couldnLt sha.e a strong sense o! !oreboding 0hich intensi!ied 0ith e,ery e)tra minute 0e remained on the pad, and continued to ho,er by the open hatch as a steady stream o! 9uardsmen and 0omen made their 0ay on board& 6asteen 'oined me there a!ter a 0hile, her !ace pensi,e&

LLoo.ing !or somethingQL she as.ed& L5oping I donLt see it,H I admitted& LItLll ta.e more than a bath to see o!! the necrons i! ILm any 'udge,H %ll the time 0e spo.e I .ept an ampli,isor trained on the edge o! the comple), dreading the sight o! a !lash o! mo,ing metal& 6asteen nodded rue!ully& L hame you couldnLt blo0 up the portal,H she said& I echoed the gesture& L hame you ne,er got the chance to blo0 up the gar-gant,H I echoed& 4e loo.ed at one another, the same thought occurring to us both simultaneously, and 0ent to !ind Captain 8ederer& L4( 4(R( 9;I+9 to detonate it by ,o) pulse,H 8ederer con!irmed& 5e 0as a thin-!aced, dar.-haired man, 0hose enthusiasm !or problem-sol,ing 0as matched only by his lac. o! social s.ills& Rumour among the regiment had it that heLd once aspired to become a tech-priest but been e)pelled !rom the seminary !or his morbid !ascination 0ith pyrotechnics, and he certainly seemed to ha,e an almost instincti,e understanding o! the arcane technolo gies o! the combat engineer& I! the rumours 0ere true, the %deptusLs loss 0as ,ery de!initely our gain& ###

4( 8;<+D 5I7 in the shuttleLs main cargo bay !ussing o,er the sto0age o! the small amount o! e"uipment heLd been able to sal,ageO under the circumstances 6asteen had decided to abandon our ,ehicles and stores and use the space 0e sa,ed to bring up another couple o! platoons at a time& Riding bac. here 0ould be hideously uncom!ortable, but !ar better than still being around i! the necrons stirred again& L o you could still set the charges o!! !rom hereQL I as.ed, raising my ,oice slightly to cany o,er the babble o! ,oices !rom the troopers beginning to !ile in to the echoing hold& % !e0 o! them had e,idently been in a similar situation be!ore, un!urling their bedrolls into impro,ised acceleration couches as they settled& 8ederer nodded& L;h yes& :ouLd 'ust need a su!!iciently po0er!ul transmitter& :ou could e,en do it !rom orbit i! you 0ished&L LThat might be sa!er,H 6asteen suggested& L%!ter all, itLs going to be a pretty big bang&L L;h yes,H 8edererLs !ace lit up 0ith 0hat I can only describe as unhealthy enthusiasm& L5uge& 7assi,e in !act& ;n the order o! gigatonnes,H 5is eyes too. on something o! a dreamy "uality& L4e didnLt place anything remotely that po0er!ul,H 6asteen said, loo.ing ,aguely stunned& L4eLd ha,e blo0n oursel,es to pieces along 0ith the gargant,H 8ederer nodded, his ,oice ta.ing on something o! the "uality o! Logash discussing ambulls&A LThat 0as be!ore the commissar !looded the mine 0ith promethium,H he e)plained& LThe li"uid 0ill ha,e settled to the bottom le,els by no0& That means the
#. This is the last time !ain mentions the tech*priest in his acco%nt o these events. His s%)se$%ent career in the /dept%s Mechanic%s can )est )e descri)ed as %nspectac%lar, rising to the ran+ o Magos "itho%t doing anything %rther to dra" attention to himsel . His last +no"n assignment "as at the Noctis :a)yrinth%s mine complex on Mars.

upper galleries 0ould be !ull o! ,apour& In e!!ect youL,e created an 8%( bomb se,eral .ilometres 0ide,H A %ssuming the e)plosi,es you placed 0erenLt 0ashed a0ay by the !lood,H I said& 8ederer shoo. his head& 4e anchored them pretty !irmly& 4e 0ere e)pecting a gargant to tread on them, donLt !orget& 4e allo0ed !or stresses in the region o!&&,H L+e,er mind,HA said, cutting him o!! be!ore he could get properly started& ;nce enthused, as I .ne0 !rom e)perience, he 0as hard to bring bac. to the point& LI! you say itLll 0or. ILm sure it 0ill,H L;h yes,H he said, nodding eagerly&

I 7< T C;+8( that, despite the une,ent!ul 'ourney bac. to the orbiting starship, I didnLt !eel entirely sa!e until I heard the doc.ing clamps engage at last and !elt the reassuring solidity o! the 6%re o Heart&s dec. plating beneath my !eet& :ouLre bac., then,H Durant greeted us as 0e arri,ed on the bridge& It 0as much as I remembered it !rom our last ,isit, e)cept that the hololith 0as no0 sho0ing a panoramic ,ie0 o! the sno0scape outside the re!inery& 8rom the height and angle I 'udged that the pictcaster 0as mounted some0here abo,e the main hull o! the last shuttle to lea,e that benighted place, the !inal !e0 pic.ets 0ithdra0ing to the sa!ety o! its cargo hold e,en as I 0atched& The re!inery comple) still seemed as deserted as e,er, but I .ept an apprehensi,e eye on the distant line o! structures ne,ertheless& :ou seem pleasantly surprised,H I said& Durant made the almost-shrug ILd noticed be!ore& S:es, 0ell& The 7unitorium might ha,e argued about our charter !ee i! 0eLd le!t you behind,H he said, a little too gru!!ly to ha,e meant it&
#. F%el,Q/ir Explosive, a type o )om) "hich releases a volatile gas )e ore detonation to magni y its po"er and area o e ect.

L huttle one preparing to li!t, captain,H a 'unior o!!icer called !rom a lectern some0here to our le!t, and a pal pable air o! relie! s0ept the 0hole chamber& L9ood,H the captain said& S4eL,e been sitting ne)t to this damned planet so long ILm beginning to put do0n roots,H 5e gestured to 7a1arin, 0ho 0as huddled o,er her 0or.station 0ith 8ederer, deep in discussion about something& LTa.e us out o! orbit as soon as they doc.,H L%ye aye, captain,H she responded, and hummed across to another console, 0here she busied hersel! 0ith the rituals o! engine acti,ation& L#etter ma.e it !ast,HA said& %s ILd !eared, a glint o! mo,ing metal had appeared among the re!inery buildings, mo,ing rapidly to0ards the pictcaster& %s it got closer I 0as able to discern a s"uadron o! speeders, each one 0ith 0hat loo.ed li.e the top hal! o! a necron 0elded to it& %ll o! them had a hea,y 0eapon apparently incorporated into their right arm, and as I 0atched, da11ling green beams o! male,olent energy lanced out to stri.e the hull o! the slo0ly-rising shuttle& TheyLre scratching the paint0or.2L Durant roared, outraged& Truth to tell they 0ere doing rather more than that, scoring ,isible channels in the metal& They 0ere a long 0ay !rom actually breaching it, shuttle hulls are sturdy to say the least, but the !act that they 0ere able to in!lict any damage at all spo.e ,olumes !or the po0er o! the 0eapons they carried& LTheyLre going a!ter the shuttle,H 6asteen said, her eyes on the s.immers 0hich began to rise a!ter it, 0heeling about the slo0ly-climbing slab o! metal li.e !lies round a gro)& They 0ere gro0ing in number too, I noticed 0ith a "ui,er o! unease, more and more o! them rising to the 'oin the s0arm& STheyLre not going to ma.e it,H I said, alarmed& The pilot 0as ma.ing 0hat e,asi,e manoeu,res he could, but the cra!t 0as built !or durability rather than agility, and se,eral more o! the deadly beams struc. home& It could only be a matter o! moments be!ore something ,ital 0as hit&&& LDonLt be too sure,H Durant said& % moment later the main engines !lared into li!e, ,aporising any o! the s.immers un!ortunate enough to be behind the cra!t in a burst o! superheated plasma, and li!ting it cleanly a0ay on an escape tra'ectory& LTheyLre !alling behind,H 7a1arin con!irmed, and the pro'ection obligingly rotated to sho0 the remaining s.immers tumbling aimlessly in the 0a.e o! the shuttleLs passage& % !e0 moments later the image sho0ed the reassuring re!uge o! our doc.ing bay, and e,eryone breathed an audible sigh o! relie!& M()cept !or 7a1arin, possibly, 0ho may ha,e had her

lungs augmetically replaced&N 4ith our shuttle out o! danger Durant had retuned the hololith to the aerial ,ie0 o! the re!inery comple) 0hich heLd treated us to 0hen 0e !irst made orbit& %s he magni!ied the tangle o! buildings and storage tan.s, no0 reassuringly !ar belo0 us, my breath caught in my throat& % glittering tide o! mo,ing metal 0as emerging !rom the mouth o! the mine, more 0arriors than I could count, blurring into a single amorphous entity 0hich !lo0ed bet0een the buildings li.e !lood 0ater& LTheyL,e 0o.en2L I gasped, a spasm o! !ear gripping my bo0els& TheyLd pre,ented the tide o! promethium !rom !looding their temple, (mperor .ne0 ho0, 0hich meant their portal 0as probably still acti,e&&& L#ro.la02L I yelled, blessing the hurry that had le!t the comm-bead still in my ear& L tand to2 Prepare to recei,e boarders2L (,eryone loo.ed at me as though ILd gone mad& They can teleport, rememberQL I snapped, and 6as teen nodded grimly& They can s0im, too, by the loo. o! it,HA
#. More li+ely they simply "aded thro%gh the looded levels %ntil they )ro+e the s%r ace.

L8ederer2L I called& L+o0 0ould be a good time2L The sapper grinned happily, e)changed a !e0 more 0ords 0ith the ho,ering tech-priest, and prodded a rune 0ith his !inger& %ll eyes remained !i)ed on the cluster o! buildings in the hololith& +othing seemed to be happening& LIt didnLt go o!!&&&L I began to say, then a gout o! ice erupted !rom the plain at the mouth o! the ,alley& 7a1arin did something to enhance the clarity o! the image, and in !ront o! our eyes a ,ast, gro0ing crater spread to engul! the nearby metal 0arriors& They tumbled into it li.e bro.en toys, more and more o! them as the ground crumbled a0ay !aster than they could !lee, and 8ederer punched the air as though heLd 'ust scored the 0inning goal o! a scrumball match& That 0ould ha,e seen o!! the gargant,H he said cheer!ully& That it 0ould,H I agreed, a0estruc. at the amount o! de,astation heLd 0rought& #ut that had only been the prelude& Deep in the bo0els o! the pit a sudden !lare o! light erupted as the promethium ,apour trapped in the ca,erns belo0 ignited& % gout o! !lame !ully a .ilometre in height burst !rom the rupturing ground and raced across the sno0scape at the speed o! thought, melting the !leeing 0arriors in an instant, thro0ing bla1ing !issures ahead o! itsel! as it 0ent& There 0ere other e)plosions no0 too, the entire sur!ace o! the ,alley erupting li.e pyroclasts, ,aporised roc., ice, and necrons !orming a lo0, looming cloud ri,en 0ith thunderbolts as electrostatic discharges o! incredi ble po0er 'umped bet0een the particles& The re!inery disappeared, sliding into the hellish in!erno belo0, and ,anishing as though it had ne,er been&&& L#race !or impact2L Durant called out, as though this 0ere 'ust a minor incon,enience, and the 6%re o Heart 0as suddenly pic.ed up and sha.en li.e a childLs toy by the titanic hoc.0a,e as the ,ery atmosphere o! the planet bulged under the !orce o! the energies released& (,en the cre0 grabbed !or handholds, and I !ound mysel! bracing 6asteen, 0ho had !allen bac. against me Msomething I had no complaints about at allN& LKust a minute,H 7a1arin called, playing the controls in !ront o! her li.e the .eyboard o! a !orte, and the shud dering gradually ceased& he grinned again, and I began to suspect she en'oyed the chance to push the limits o! her engines& LLuc.y 0e 0ere so high& I! 0eLd been do0n 0here the atmosphereLs thic.er it 0ould ha,e been a bit tric.ier&L LIs that it, thenQL 6asteen as.ed, her eyes ri,eted on the scene o! destruction belo0& (,en !rom orbit the dust cloud could still be seen staining hal! the planet, and in spite o! all the horrors ILd endured do0n there I couldnLt help !eeling a spar. o! regret at the scar across the !ace o! the pristine 0orld ILd !irst loo.ed upon !rom this ,ery spot a !e0 short days

be!ore& LI hope so,H I said, although the t0ist o! apprehension in my gut didnLt !ade entirely until 0eLd dropped bac. into the 0arp and 0ere 0ell on our 0ay bac. to the sa!ety o! the Imperium& %lthough, o! course, 0here the necrons are concerned no0here is e,er remotely sa!e, as 0e no0 .no0 to our cost& %t least that particular nest appears to ha,e been dealt 0ith, e,en i! no one can e,er go bac. to chec.O the !irst thing %mberley did 0hen my message !inally caught up 0ith her 0as to place the 0hole system under In"uisitorial "uarantine&A I! there 0as one bright spot in the 0hole a!!air it 0as that I got to spend a little !ree time 0ith her, a!ter the interminable debrie!ing sessions 0ere !inally o,er and
#. -%)se$%ent examination o the site sho"ed no signs o an active necron presence, altho%gh i anything "as le t o their installation it "o%ld have )een )%ried ar too deeply to have le t m%ch trace o anything ( or one "o%ld not )e at all +een to start digging holes to ind o%t or s%re.

sheLd !inished going round e,ery trooper in the regiment 0hoLd seen or heard anything o! 0hat 0eLd !ound on that miserable iceball and threatened them 0ith the 0rath o! the (mperor i! they e,er breathed a 0ord o! it again& ;r the 0rath o! the In"uisition, 0hich, trust me, is e,en scarier& %7#(RL(: 4% I+ an uncharacteristically sombre mood on the last night 0e spent together, the occasional table in her hotel suite co,ered in data-slates as she collated all the 0itness reports, and loo.ed up 0ith a 0an smile as I entered& L:ou 0ere damn luc.y,H she said, the blue o! her eyes clouded 0ith !atigue& I nodded, and stood aside to let the room ser,itor trundle in 0ith a tray o! !ood& he sa0 it and raised an eyebro0& LI too. the liberty o! ordering,L I said& L:ou seemed busy,H Than. you,H she said, stretching, so I 0andered across and massaged some o! the tension !rom her shoulders as the ser,itor set out dishes and cutlery on the dining table& he smiled as the co,ers came o!!& L%c.enberry sorbet& ;ne o! my !a,ourites,H That hadnLt been hard to remember, so I smiled in return& L:ou did say youLd li,e on the stu!! i! you could the last time you ordered it,H L o I did,H The smile 0idened as the main course came into ,ie0& L4hatLs thatQL L%mbull stea.,HA said& LI thin. they o0e me that much,H
C!ain&s narrative contin%es or several more paragraphs, )%t since it only covers personal matters o no interest to anyone else (&ve chosen to end this extract rom the archive right hereD

A$O T THE A THOR -andy Mitchell is a pseudonym o! %le) te0art, 0ho has been 0or.ing as a !reelance 0riter !or the last couple o! decades& 5e has 0ritten science !iction and !antasy in both personae, as 0ell as tele,ision scripts, maga1ine articles, comics, and gaming material& 5is tele,ision credits include the high tech espionage series A%gs, !or 0hich, as andy, he also 0rote one o! the no,elisations&

%part !rom both miniatures and roleplaying gaming his hobbies include the martial arts o! %i.ido and Iaido, ri!le shooting, and playing the guitar badly& 5e li,es in a "uiet ,illage in +orth (sse) 0ith a ,ery tolerant 0i!e, their !irst child, and a small mountain o! unpainted !igures&