‘What if I do?’ She shrugged. ‘The result is the same. I would be the hero who quashed the Green Storm, saving countless lives in the process and avenging my fallen comrades. And you could be the one who captures the climactic battle. Surely that would be a better conclusion for your little vid? The valiant Flight Commander Lucille von Shard, triumphing over the ork pilot responsible for so much death? Seems a little pithier than shots of rotten fruit and pampered aristocrats.’

‘So now you fight for the benefit of my pict?’

‘It’s possible to have more than one reason for doing something.’

I was loath to admit it, but she had a point. Such a battle would be a more cinematic ending for the pict, and present a more positive conclusion. It would please all my masters, or at least offend none of them. Even Commissar Tobia von Shard would have to be satisfied with his sister’s victory.

Still, I did not trust her.

‘So, you wish me to accompany you? To capture your daring triumph?’

‘That is up to you,’ she said. ‘Either be there when history is made, or stay here and pout. Whatever you choose, I am leaving now. Decide quickly.’

She spun on her heel, marching towards the hangars.

I hesitated, plagued by doubt. Where was Kikazar? Had she disabled the seer-skull? I could not find it. Maybe it had misinterpreted my orders, and was even now hovering outside some window, monitoring a scandalous tête-
à-tête and ignoring its assigned target. It would not be the first time; it had a nasty habit of taking initiative in the field, as well as powering down and running silent when it detected a possible threat. Sometimes it took hours before I could sense it.

More pressingly, was Iwazar up to the task? It had pict recorders, but its primary function was holo-projection. It lacked Mizar’s sophisticated sensors, but Mizar was still attached to the panel cut from Hephaestus.

Shard was still walking away but had slowed, her gaze creeping over her shoulder.

‘You are coming, aren’t you?’ she asked. ‘Otherwise it really undercuts my dramatic exit.’

‘I… I don’t–’

She sighed, meeting my gaze.

‘Sometimes, Propagandist Simlex, one must take risks. You do not trust me, and I do not blame you for that. But you have seen my skills. Trust them, and trust my need to succeed against the odds. Isn’t that something we share? Don’t you also aspire to excel in your duties?’

‘Yes.’

‘Then let us bring an end to this war.’

Chapter twenty-one

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

I knew something was wrong. Why did we slink towards the hangar, scuttling from shadow to shadow? As we entered, I caught sight of Shard’s Lightning suspended on chains, though at least its engine was no longer strewn across the floor.