Let there be no mistake, the message went out, the Cadians were in charge now. Bendikt had no truck for argument and debate.

General von Horne’s plan had been a little unimaginative. It involved the surrounding of the whole island with siege causeways before launching all-out assaults. It was a sound plan, but Bendikt did not have time for niceties.

He had studied Holzhauer’s record. It was true, the traitor had never been defeated.

Until now.

Bendikt pulled in a deep breath. He outlined his plan to von Horne. The Mordian greeted it with silence, focusing instead on smoothing out the front of his tunic. When he finally finished, he said, ‘I have seen the amount of penal troops you have gathered. I ask that my troops are not sent into battle alongside such rabble.’

Bendikt refused to be boxed in. ‘I cannot guarantee that.’

Von Horne’s face darkened. Bendikt patted the other man’s arm. ‘Do not worry. I have great faith in your troops. I see them marching alongside the Cadians for the final assault.’

Von Horne nodded. His pride had been mollified.

Bendikt spent the rest of that week negotiating with the ambassadors of the Adeptus Mechanicus – a succession of increasingly augmented humans until there was no flesh to be seen, just the sibilant hiss of well-oiled joints, the hum of internal batteries, and the monotonous drone of vox-grille voices.

The list of excuses was almost interminable. Bendikt batted them all away with increasing irritation. He set Mere on them full-time, and his adjutant slowly wore them down in a manner they found hard to counter: methodical and logical arguments.

It took an enormous effort of persistent and respectful cajoling for Archmagos Scarlex to give the Leviathans up. The Cadians’ relation­ship with her forge world was critical.

‘The archmagos is unwilling to let her children go,’ her ambassador hissed. ‘They are beasts of war. Their purpose and destiny is war. Each of them is condemned to die in fire and explosion. It is hard for her to let her creations go.’

‘“Children”,’ Mere noted. ‘It is strange that you should use this word. It is an oddly human emotion for a member of the Mechanicus to feel, though I understand it. But think on this. It is the duty of us all to die in battle. The legacy of her “children” will be measured not in lifespan, but in dead heretics. And I have no doubt, they will take an immense toll upon our foes.’

At last, the archmagos conceded.

In the end, Mere was forced to take a lighter to the orbital forges that hung in low orbit. He went with an honour guard of Cadians. His mission was to finalise the transfer of the Leviathans planetside.