Inquisitor Kaustus had tusks.

'Orkish,’ he said, without prompt.

Mita realised she'd been staring and lowered her eyes, brows furrowing in uncertainty. He hadn't even looked up.

'For three days I stalked the bastard through the tar pits on Phyrra. We'd freed his slaves, wiped out his war-band, crippled his fleet and filled his green flesh with more lead than a target range, but the brute wouldn't give in. Warlords are like that. Proud. Stubborn.'

Mita fidgeted, wondering if this was some perverse treat the inquisitor reserved for the condemned: a story from his own lips, a glimpse of his secret features, then a bullet between the eyes. If Kaustus noted her tension, he gave little sign.

We caught up with him on the edge of a volcano,' he continued, turning a page of parchment before him,

'and after he'd hacked his way through my men I fought that piece of xeno filth for two hours. The way I saw it, if he'd killed me he would have taken my head as a trophy,’ He twanged a tusk with a gloved finger, finally looking up with a smirk. This seemed an appropriate measure,’

Mita wondered if she should comment. As ever, the inquisitor sent her confidence crashing around her, robbing her of any certainty. A wrong word, a misplaced facial expression: in a man as unreadable as this, such things could be disastrous.

On the other hand, if she was here to die anyway...

'I imagine, my lord,’ she said carefully, 'they come in useful,’

He nodded, smiling at her boldness.

'Indeed they do. To the ork, symbols of status are vital. I've seen the vermin retreat rather than face a human with tusks greater than their own. I've seen them turn on their own lords when their enemy's fangs are taller or sharper than his. A simple thing, but so very effective,’

Mita's resignation to her fate lent her a dangerous bravery. Go outfighting, she thought.

Though I imagine they make eating difficult,’

There was a cold, uncomfortable silence. Kaustus's eyes burnt a hole through her.

And then he began to laugh.

'It depends,’ he said, when the chuckles subsided, 'what it is you're trying to eat,’

'Am I to be discharged?' Mita said, tiring of the niceties. If she was here to die she'd rather skip the preamble.

For the first time she felt as though she had Kaustus's full attention, and she met his gaze openly. He steepled his fingers.

'No,’ he said, finally, 'though the idea was... considered,’

Something like relief, mixed with a perverse portion of disappointment, filtered through Mita's mind.

'You gave us the name of the vessel, interrogator,’ Kaustus said, 'which is in itself a revealing detail. That you were so... affected... speaks volumes,’

'B-but I could not answer your question, my lord. I could not tell if there were survivors...'

He waved a vague hand. 'Oh, the retinue handled that. There were none,’ He fiddled with the pendant around his neck. 'Such remains as they found were ancient things, long since passed beyond the Emperor's light,’