There was no Cadia, so there could not be any more Whiteshields. To suggest there were was a transgression against the memory of their planet. It was an affront.

Minka dragged the boy into the canteen. The sight of the Whiteshield uniform struck the Cadians dumb. Minka barely needed to speak.

The cadet was bombarded with the same questions from the rest of the platoon. The sight of him was like a whizz of frenzon. In an instant they were all furious.

Dido pushed them back, but she was as angry as the others. ‘What the hell do you mean that you’re a Whiteshield?’

Yedrin held up both hands. He stammered as he tried to explain. But there was no reason he could give.

‘I’m not alone,’ he said.

‘There are more of you?’

‘A whole company.’

Sure enough, in the drill ground behind the palace a whole company of Whiteshield cadets was lined up in the courtyard. Hundreds of them, all with the white stripe over their heads.

Minka took the steps slowly. An order was barked out and the Whiteshields snapped to attention and saluted with the shout, ‘Cadia stands!’

‘Throne,’ Minka cursed. Her last statement was a cry of hurt and confusion. ‘Why has no one told us?’

The drive back to camp was quiet.

Baine scratched a basic grid into the panel at his feet, and he and Karni played three man standing. They used credits as the counters, trying to outmanoeuvre each other in an attempt to get a straight line. It was a simple game, which Minka found both irritating and strangely compulsive. Karni kept beating Baine, but he didn’t seem to lose any of his enthusiasm.

At last Minka couldn’t stand it any more. She fell asleep, and dreamt of Kasr Myrak, Rath Sturm always with her – cocky, calm, defiant. When she woke they were still playing and Baine was still losing.

She watched for a while, then remembered the Whiteshields and that soured her mood. She clambered up to the top of The Saint. They were riding in file. Dido’s Chimera led, followed by Elhrot, Barnabas, and then Minka’s squad. They were about ten minutes from the camp. Minka could see the watchtowers.

She leant back against the turret. Breve had his head out of the driver’s hatch. He seemed happy.

Minka’s gaze turned towards Crannog Mons. It was blue in the distance, under the pall of black smoke that hung over it. Her mind wandered. She was trying to visualise forcing a landing there. It was coming, she knew, and all she could do was put her faith in her commanders.

A flash and boom blew from beneath Dido’s Chimera.