Admonius’ blade hissed from its sheath, but before he could strike at the swarming apparitions, they were gone. There was a few seconds of release, before the stultifying pressure started to build again.

‘Captain…’ Kosa’s voice was strained, barely audible among the cries and whimpers of the traumatised deck crew. ‘Captain, the breach is closing.’

‘Can you steer us?’ Aeschelus demanded, moving towards Fedualis.

‘Barely,’ said Kosa.

‘Push, by the Emperor’s might. Push!’ the captain exhorted the astropath, though whether his words could be heard he did not know.

Admonius stepped up beside Aeschelus, the waning light of the hourglass bathing both captain and astropath. Though it might have been the movement of shadows across his creased face, it seemed as though Fedualis twitched, as though taking in a deep breath.

‘Almost at the breach boundary.’ Each word from the Navigator was forced. ‘Almost… No! We are slipping away!’

‘Engaging warp drive now!’ Nem­etus’ cry was unexpected, followed a second later by the blare of horns as he engaged the main warp drive. The whole vessel bucked, artificial gravity plates screeching beneath the feet of the crew as they tried to compensate for the sudden shift from warp space. Terminals exploded, showering sparks across the strategium, while secondary alarms hooted and wailed their warnings from a dozen different consoles and the servitors grumbled the woes of their slaved systems. Everything juddered, throwing loose items to the deck, toppling a couple of deck officers who had been attempting to cross to their consoles. Aeschelus’ armour creaked and moaned as reality rushed in where only the warp had been.

Fedualis gave a cry and fell sideways, only the swift reaction of Aeschelus stopping him banging his head on the unforgiving deck. Crouching, he lowered the astropath, who had fallen into a coma, breathing shallow but steady.

‘We’re through!’ Qurius’ announcement was part sob and part cry of joy. ‘We’re through the breach! Praise the Lord of Light! Hail the Master of Terra!’

Aeschelus stood and surveyed the strategium. They were back in realspace but there were fires and sparking conduits to deal with, and he could feel the crushing weight of the soul dampening had returned. It took him several seconds to gather his wits.

‘Praxa­medes, damage control,’ he finally ordered, coming to his senses. ‘Nem­etus. Find out where we are.’

Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE

‘There will be no further insubordination.’ Simut glared down at the stooping plasmancer. Lacking legs, she could not kneel as was expected; instead she inclined herself almost parallel to the floor of the command chamber. ‘Be grateful that I will restore minimal protocols to your control.’

‘Barely enough to function,’ replied Ah-hotep, bitterness flooding from her cortical aura. Simut was surprised at her defiance. Did she really think her position so secure that she could openly flout his commands?

‘But enough to function, plasmancer,’ the overlord reminded her. ‘You almost destroyed one of my ships with your foolish behaviour.’