There was a spiralling dogfight far out over the water. It looked like Thunderbolts, but it was hard to say whose side they were on. One began to dive. A thick column of black smoke billowed out behind it, silhouetted against the lightening sky.

Minka looked away. She knew enough about flames and death and pain.

The isolated towers of the bridge supports rose up before them. She remembered Dido’s words, ‘Lead from the front’, and laughed.

This mission would probably be the death of her. There was worse, she told herself, and Dido’s fate came to mind.

The Cadians were a precision weapon and Bendikt had spent hours planning how to deploy. He had given each of the ten companies of the Cadian 101st a specific mission.

Five miles from the assault pipe entrances, Seventh Company split off from the others. They dismounted for a briefing, while those that kept marching called out encouragement.

Colonel Sparker spoke to them all. ‘The Elnaur Chasseurs have moved into Tor Tartarus in strength. It’s our chance to fin­ally break the enemy’s finest divisions.’ Sparker paused before explaining the part that Seventh Company was going to play in the battle.

‘You mean we’re rappelling in along a single wire?’ Lieutenant Salon of First Platoon said. He looked about for support. No one answered. But he could see it in their eyes that they were all thinking the same.

Sparker nodded. ‘Yes. Under cover of darkness we will cross over using the suspension cables. They have been tested. The wires are still intact. We will use those to cross the water and assault the batteries in the upper terraces of Tor Tartarus. May I remind you, General Bendikt will be taking his place in the front lines. Our mission is vital. If we do not succeed then the rest of the regiment will be exposed to deadly fire. We’re going in very light. Pare equipment down to a minimum.’

Minka made sure that everyone was sorted before she started on her own belongings. She had already stripped her equipment right back to the barest essentials, then tested the weight and set to it again. Still too heavy, she thought and started over.

Minka unbuckled the top of her pack, pulled it open and went through everything. This plan was asking the impossible, but they were Cadian. Impossible was their meat and drink.

A minute later her pack was on the floor, and her belongings were spread out next to it. She stared at them, trying to work out what she needed.

Around her, she could read the silent frustration in the troopers. Everyone was tense. Throne, she was tense as well, but all she wanted was for the mission to start.

She saw Blanchez staring at her kit and said, ‘Rations.’

‘Yeah?’ said Blanchez, checking the pack. She held them up. ‘Got them.’