‘Thank you. I will be there shortly,’ I replied, closing the vox-channel and rising to my feet. I should have felt elated, for finally my work would begin. But I found myself dwelling on that primitive ork aircraft. It was disconcerting seeing such a savage creature achieving powered flight. Humanity mastered the skies millennia ago, and our fighters and bombers have changed little since then, for the same sacred designs are portrayed in picts and murals stretching back centuries.

The orks on Bacchus began cobbling aircraft from scrap a few score years ago. Yet recent reports suggested they now possessed something akin to an actual air force.

As I departed, I found myself wondering if the greenskins’ aspirations ended there.

The flight sergeant stood at the corridor’s end, rigid as a sabre, his hair seemingly welded in place, his uniform unmarked by stain or crease. He was the model of an Imperial soldier, except for his face. Somehow, even when attempting to appear stern and sombre, he looked poised to break into a smile. As I hurried closer, he threw a salute so earnest it risked a head injury.

‘Propagandist Simlex?’ he asked.

I nodded.

‘Flight Sergeant Plient, sir!’ he said. ‘Well, Acting Flight Sergeant Plient. Field promotion, sir, though I’m not sure the paperwork has been filed.’

He already sounded apologetic.

‘My pleasure to make your acquaintance, acting flight sergeant,’ I said, bowing my head. ‘I take it we are ready to depart?’

‘Yes, sir. I have your cases secured and stowed aboard the Arvus lighter. Just awaiting some last-minute clearance.’

I nodded, my gaze already drawn to the viewport behind him. From it, I could see a tapestry of glittering stars, each a priceless gem in the God-Emperor’s Imperium. The scale was terrifying, but also strangely comforting. Suns blazed and planets progressed along predestined paths, ambivalent to the follies of man. It all seemed so ordered from such a vantage point, as though the galaxy were on the cusp of peace. The rim of the planet Bacchus was barely visible beneath, framed by a halo of violet light.

‘Sir?’

I glanced round, having almost forgotten Flight Sergeant Plient.

‘I’ve just been informed we have an opening, sir. Need to depart.’ He gestured to the launch bay.

I nodded, following him through to the vessel. I had never ridden an Arvus lighter, nor even seen one before. It was a stub-nosed cargo shuttle, unarmed and seemingly unremarkable. Plient opened the rear doors, revealing an interior hastily refitted to transport human cargo. A trio of flight seats were bolted to the floor. My cases lay beside them, secured in place by mag-clamps.

‘Please take a seat, sir. We will be departing soon,’ Plient said, smiling as he slid the door shut behind me.