‘Pathetic,’ sneered Simut, approaching with his blade levelled towards her chest. ‘I do not know which is more insulting – your treachery or your underestimation of my power. You have failed. Your attempt to hurl us into the world has been thwarted by my will.’

Ah-hotep said nothing, locked within binding coils of manifested cortical energy. An energy she could not absorb.

‘I will not have you atomised yet. I will have your datacore disassembled and your cortical field stripped to find out who is trying to kill me.’

‘I am trying to kill you, you preening mollusc!’ Though Ah-hotep’s will was great, the bonds of paralysis laid on her by the loyalty protocols stopped even the smallest spark escaping from her trembling, outstretched fingertips.

‘You?’ Simut shook his head and turned away with a dismissive wave. ‘You are not important enough.’

‘Look at me!’ screeched the plasmancer. ‘Look into the face of the person that will encompass your doom. Look into my eyes and I will look into yours as the long aeons come to an end and your miserable existence is obliterated. Know that it is I, Pharozin-Consort Aat Muphekta Ah-hotep Khia! I am your executioner.’

‘Muphekta?’ Simut turned back, eyes blazing with shock. ‘The Muphekta dynasty were eradicated after the long sleep. By my word they were wiped out.’

‘Not all of them,’ laughed Ah-hotep.

Aboard the human starbase, the delayed data-packet unfurled into the control systems, locking its weapon systems to the tomb ship, now within range. An instant later came the order to open fire.

Praxa­medes watched on the main viewer as the orbital palaces and their accompanying weapons platforms unleashed their full fury on the necron ship in one blaze of coordinated destruction. Laser lances sprang out, slicing at the sweep of the outer wings, while rapid-firing plasma batteries pumped volatile blasts across the void. The volley of blue stars slammed into the damaged structure, punching deep into its silvery hull. Torpedoes sped across the vacuum, splintering into hundreds of smaller warheads while mass drivers super-accelerated solid rounds that pierced through the breaking ship, moments before the torpedo missiles detonated, engulfing the capital ship with swirling atomic clouds and wreathing electromagnetic storms that tore its skin away in scattering spirals.

From the firestorm, the remains of the ship emerged, breaking into thousands of shards, its superstructure burning with ghostly jade energy, forks of lightning churning from its shattered body.

‘Necron escorts are still in pursuit, lieutenant commander,’ Lerok told him.

‘What are your orders, lieutenant commander?’ asked Shipmaster Oloris.