Praxa­medes stifled a chastising retort, partly because he did not want to risk drawing the attention of the captain and partly because he had known Lerok for several years and her opinion was to be respected, even if given without invitation.

‘Please don’t interrupt.’

‘My apologies, lieutenant.’

‘Apology accepted.’ Praxa­medes examined the ship schematic again. ‘Assumption – the enemy accepted that a boarding action was inevitable. Conclusion – at some point during the void battle the enemy captain conceded defeat and set about minimising the threat of boarding.’

He noticed that Lerok was struggling not to speak, actually holding her breath to prevent herself intervening.

‘Is that wrong?’ Praxa­medes asked.

‘Why would their captain believe that we would board rather than simply bombard them until destroyed? A very unlikely gamble.’

‘Except that the early damage to their reactor put them swiftly at a disadvantage.’ Praxa­medes moved back through the sensor readings of the other ship as though rewinding time itself. About four minutes into the engagement there was a flare from the reactor decks and an almost instantaneous power loss across many of the ship’s systems. ‘Widespread power failure left them unable to manoeuvre or fire effectively. No longer a threat, at that moment the odds in favour of a boarding attack increased significantly. Conclusion – the captain would prefer to defend against boarding than bombardment.’

Lerok thought for a few seconds, hands on hips, and shrugged. ‘That would seem logical.’

‘I sense hesitancy in your manner.’

‘Logical but not sensible, lieutenant. I don’t know all the forces in motion during a boarding action, but there must have been several different ways to ready for the boarding assault. To set up a lure to channel the attackers into a pre-determined point of assault seems overly complex. Why indulge in a very specific subterfuge?’

Praxa­medes considered this as the dominant servitor groaned that the retrospective analysis was ready for inspection.

Why indeed?

The boarding attack was an uncompromising machine of war, cutting through all opposition without pause. At the forefront went the Incursors, their enhanced suit sensors gifting them awareness like mythic seers of old. Walls were no barrier to their auspex-lenses, so that waiting foes could be circumnavigated or caught unawares, and enemy flanking forces found themselves cut off by pinpoint counter-attacks directed by the Incursor sergeants.

In their wake, the Intercessors advanced in tandem, assault squads moving forwards under the cover fire of their companions, before holding newly won ground against counter-attacks while their bolt rifle-wielding battle-brothers closed up. Nem­etus joined Temerity while Audacity was bolstered by the presence of Judiciar Admonius.