‘My phalanxes, plasmancer.’ Simut settled back in the throne, his aura dimming, apparently mollified by Ah-hotep’s flattery. ‘Your efforts are unnecessary, however. Once the resonator is in place the humans will be rendered harmless. It is only a matter of time.’

‘My lord, that has served us well in the past but I do not think the strategy will work here.’ Ah-hotep was not sure where to begin describing how irresponsible it was to attempt to bring in the resonator before the enemy was fully subjugated. ‘If you would allow me–’

‘Witness our next victory in the making,’ commanded Simut, one hand gesturing towards the image wall, flecks of power crackling along the arm.

The display was an affectation, of course, emulating the physical senses Simut and Ah-hotep had once possessed. It was not needed; the data represented on the screens could be processed as pure cortical input. Wasteful. Extravagant, in fact, and that was the point. Even so, Ah-hotep had to concede there was something both majestic and comforting about seeing the fleet arrayed above the human world, the glint of ships in the local starlight, the great dark thrust of the resonator being moved into position for final descent to the surface.

A small portion of the screen showed the battle raging around the cita­del. Without the plasmancer to break the energy defences, the necron phalanxes were being whittled down by barrages of fire, unable to gain a foothold within the precinct of the defensive structure.

‘The mortals’ resistance to the overnull is irritating but a passing obstacle,’ declared Simut.

‘The organisation of this world appears to be different to the previous inhabited planets, my lord.’ Ah-hotep allowed her cortical essence to combine briefly with the tomb ship, increasing the size of the citadel image. ‘They have concentrated military, civil and astromantic power in this one place. Had the resonator site been elsewhere, the threat would be negligible. Unfortunately, they have positioned their greatest defence almost exactly atop the point we must exploit.’

‘And that shall be their undoing. Watch.’

The fleet display magnified, closing in on the resonator. The blackstone shard hung between two gantry-like suspensor vessels, its surface dull but for the reflected light of the local star. The massive obelisk’s surface was not flat but carefully faceted, cut through with a tracery of necron astromantic circuitry. More precisely, anti-astromantic circuits, which diffused the power of the neversea.

‘The human astromancers are collected in the target area,’ said Ah-hotep, watching the resonator-ships accelerate effortlessly into lower orbit. ‘We must assume that other defences…’

A brilliant flash of white brightened on the sub-display of the human fortress.

Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO