However, had Chetta needed to pick a winner between the two groups in a fight, she might still have gone with Ngiri’s retinue. A combat-trained psyker could be worth ten men on his own, Fell practically radiated danger, and Crusaders weren’t let out into the galaxy unless they could fight. Besides, good training alone was little substitute for training combined with experience.

Beyond both groups, and huddled together in the far corner of the hold, were Sef Lentzen, Kennevario Xudine and DeShelle. Brief introductions had been made when Chetta, Ngiri, DeShelle and Davis had come aboard, and Chetta was pleased to see her aide trying to make connections. She was naturally timid, but played on it to portray herself as engagingly naive, which had been of use more than once. People saw DeShelle as unthreatening, when in fact the risk she posed them was far more subtle than a simple physical one.

‘If I can have everybody’s attention,’ Chetta said loudly, leaning on her cane, and all eyes turned towards her. ‘I need to impress upon everyone here that etiquette will be of the utmost importance when we reach Dukarr Palace. Sen Uru is angry and grieving, and he is likely to perceive any slight as an act of disrespect worthy of restarting hostilities. That would be bad for my house, and potentially disastrous for attempts to locate and neutralise Radimir Niklau.’ She looked over to the trio in the far corner. ‘Lord Xudine. Are you willing to join your voice to ours?’

‘Indeed I am,’ Kennevario Xudine confirmed, floating towards her. ‘We must stop this menace, and my house still stands in alliance with yours.’

And when this current emergency is resolved, you and I will need to have a discussion about how much of your overture was prompted by the inquisitor, Chetta thought grimly. However, she nodded respectfully, for the sake of her audience. ‘I am glad. Upon arrival, my honour guard will disembark first. I will follow, and then–’

‘Lady Brobantis, I hate to interrupt you,’ Ngiri cut in, ‘but Jekri informs me that we’ve had a message from one of Judge Arctos’ senior proctors. They’ve managed to trace Niklau to a property rented with his ident, and they have a live feed.’

Chetta’s mouth went dry. ‘Can you display it?’

For answer, Ngiri took three quick steps to a section of the wall and tapped it twice, with surprisingly delicate dexterity for someone in power armour. A hidden screen flickered into life, showing grainy footage of a row of low-grade hab buildings, each little more than a box with a door and the most basic of facilities, inside which a person might exist for a while. The picture source looked to be a servo-skull or similar remote imager, judging by the way it bobbed slightly, but smoothly, as it followed the approach of five dark-suited proctors to one of the doors.

‘In the Emperor’s name!’