Helsreach

he gives to his brothers that he will stand with honour until he can no longer stand at all.'

She said nothing, but she smiled.

'Yes, I called you back to this war.' He nodded, his gentle eyes fixed upon her bionic replacements. 'Because you made a similar oath to me. Promises like that - they matter more than anything else in life. I could not let you die in shame.'

'Until the end, then.'

'Until the end, Zarha.'

PART TWO Knightfall

CHAPTER XIII The Thirty-Sixth Day

DARGRAVIAN.

The 5th day. Meritorious defence of the Torshav refuelling complex.

Gene-seed: Recovered.

FARUS.

The 7th day. Discovered in the Kurule Junction surrounded by no fewer than twelve of the slain enemy.

Gene-seed: Recovered.

THALIAR.

The 10th day. Lost in the petrochemical explosions at White Star Point.

Gene-seed: Unfound / Unrecovered.

KORITH.

The 10th day. Lost in the petrochemical explosions at White Star Point.

Gene-seed: Unfound / Unrecovered.

TORAVAN.

The 10th day. Lost in the petrochemical explosions at White Star Point.

Gene-seed: Unfound / Unrecovered.

AMARDES.

The 11th day. Unable to survive 83% body tissue immolation suffered at White Star Point. Granted the Emperor's Peace.

Gene-seed: Ruined / Unrecovered.

HALRIK.

The 13th day. Eyewitness reports from Armageddon 101st Steel Legion relate intense personal courage and heroism in the face of overwhelming odds. Awarded posthumous Crusade Mark of Valiant Conduct for rallying Guard forces at the fall of Cargo Bridge Thirty.

Gene-seed: Recovered.

ANGRAD.

The 18th day. Single-handedly destroyed five enemy tanks at the Breach of the Amalas Concourse. Brought down by alien treachery and lost beneath enemy tank treads.

Gene-seed: Ruined / Unrecovered.

VORENTHAR.

The 18th day. Fought at the Breach of the Amalas Concourse.

Gene-seed: Recovered.

ERIAS.

The 18th day. Fought at the Breach of the Amalas Concourse.

Gene-seed: Recovered.

MARKOSIAN.

The 18th day. Fought at the Breach of the Amalas Concourse. Notably slew an enemy warlord in single combat, atop the alien's command tank. Awarded posthumous Crusade Mark of Unbroken Courage. Body was incinerated by the enemy in wrathful response.

Gene-seed: Ruined / Unrecovered.

It was always

going to happen.

That did not make the reality any easier to bear, or the defeat any less bitter. But preparations were in place. When it happened, the Imperials were ready.

It happened first on the eighteenth day, at the Amalas Concourse, Junction Omega-9b-34. That was its assigned identifier according to the Imperial hololithic displays.

Colonel Sarren was watching through heavy fatigue-dulled eyes as the flickering holo-images moved silently back from the location of their barricade. It was such a small thing - no more than a few marking runes blinking back a few centimetres, moving away from the point of the map marked

Amalas Concourse, Junction Omega-9b- 34.

Behind the flickering holo-runes was an illusory ramp, which in turn threaded into a much, much, much wider road. Sarren watched the runes falling back along this ramp, and tried to breathe in. In took four attempts, his breath catching in his throat on the first three.

'This is Colonel Sarren,' he spoke into his hand-vox. 'All units in Omega Sector, Subsector Nine. All units, prepare to retreat. Cancel assigned fallback locations, repeat: cancel withdrawal to assigned fallback locations. When the order comes, you will retreat, retreat, retreat to contingency positions.'

He ignored the storm of demands for confirmation, letting his vox-officers respond on his behalf.

'We did well,' he said to himself. 'We did damn well to keep the bastards away for this long.' Eighteen days - over half a month of siege warfare. He had every reason to colour his bitterness with that fierce core of pride.

The minutes passed in unblinking slowness. An aide came to his side, and