At the end of the corridor was a T-junction. He turned left again, humming loudly to himself. To either side were posters that proclaimed Imperial doctrine.

He only needed to see the first few words to know what each of them said.

The Emperor Protects the Virtuous.

The stalwart might die, but their souls shall join the Emperor.

The Emperor is our Shield and Protector.

Blessed is the mind that knows no doubt.

Knoll kept humming to himself as he passed the last corridor. From his right he heard a grunt. It was loud enough to startle him. He spun about. The sound of the commotion was coming from a room halfway down the corridor.

Knoll paused for a moment. His tune faltered. Knoll had been trained and indoctrinated since birth to look for and punish misdemeanour. He was like a hunting feline, paused, alert, senses straining for any hint of what was going on.

There was a splatter of blood on the floor outside. Through the door he could hear muffled fighting.

He thrust the door open. Shock was not something that his face often showed, but as he took in the scene before him Commissar Knoll looked shocked.

‘Lieutenant!’ he said.

Minka’s hair was dishevelled, her face bruised, her nostrils flaring with exertion, her eyes flashing with suppressed anger. His gaze went from the knife in Minka’s hand to the five bodies that lay about her.

‘Explain yourself,’ Commissar Knoll snapped.

Eleven

ELEVEN

Minka sat in the darkness of the holding cell as footsteps echoed outside in the corridor. They paused at her doorway. There was the rattle of keys, then the lock clicked, the heavy door handle turned and the hinges squeaked as the door swung open.

A light shone into her face. She turned away to stop the sudden glare from blinding her.

‘Follow me,’ the voice said.

Minka pushed herself up and hastily pulled her hair into a ponytail. She was led out and brought along the corridor to a guard chamber. The guards showed her inside. The room appeared empty.

‘Lieutenant Lesk,’ a voice said.

She spun about. Chief Commissar Shand looked down on her. His scarred face showed no emotion, but his violet eyes glittered with a baleful light.

He stepped towards her. ‘I have now received two official complaints about your behaviour. The second is very serious. You have wounded members of the Drookian contingent.’

‘Yes, sir,’ Minka said.

‘The accusation is true?’

Minka nodded.

He stepped forward. ‘You understand the punishment.’

‘Yes, sir,’ she said.

‘And is there any explanation for this behaviour?’

Minka paused. ‘We were stationed alongside each other on Tor Kharybdis. We were ordered to withdraw together and cover each other. He abandoned his position. We were nearly overrun.’

‘You are accusing him of cowardice in the face of the enemy.’

She drew in a deep breath. ‘Yes, sir. I am.’

‘You understand the penalties for a false accusation?’

She nodded.