'Bring the Vengeful Spirit to prominence in the tacticaria,' said Russ.

Auspex feeds were adjusted, and within the hololith's ball of light the Vengeful Spirit grew from an anonymous sliver of metal to a vast, space-borne fortress.

'There he is,' growled Russ. 'Make all speed towards the Warmaster, my sons.'

'Yes, my lord!' his servants responded.

'Such a small distance,' said Russ. 'Close for the murder-make!' he commanded. Today, we shall see a reckoning.'

Twenty

Twenty

Fury Of Fenris

Friedisch was on shift when Cawl marched in and hauled him out from his work station by the elbow.

'Domina Magos Hester Aspertia Sigma-Sigma wishes to see him,' he said to the supervising tech-priest. The man waved them out with a complete lack of interest. No one liked to go against the domina, especially now.

Unlike Friedisch's place of toil, the corridor Cawl hustled him along was brightly lit, and Friedisch's human eye screwed up against the change in illumination.

'What are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be seeing to your troops?' he said mockingly.

'What's that attitude for?'

'I never saw you as a warrior, Belisarius,' said Friedisch.

'Are you jealous, Friedisch?' asked Cawl.

'No!' said Friedisch, too fervently to be believable.

'You're the one who was always pressing me to take up a specialisation,' said Cawl. 'I've had one chosen for me.' 'Then why aren't you with the thallaxii?'

Cawl glanced about to make sure they were alone I've taken an unauthorised leave of absence. 'A permanent one.'

'You're not!'

'I am,' said Cawl. 'I am leaving. I'm going to give you a choice Friedisch. I am leaving this system today.'

'How?'

Cawl bundled Friedisch into a servitor recharging bay. Six energy stands stood against the walls. Only one was occupied, the cyborg slumped in inactivity while its batteries drew power.

'Aspertia has a needle ship. Small and fast, warp capable,' Cawl said.

'I know she's got a ship!' said Friedisch snappishly. 'You can't take it.'

'I can. It's called stealing.'

'I know what it's called! You can't do it!'

'Our kind steal knowledge all the time How is a ship any different?'

'I'm going to get killed listening to this.' Friedisch made to move. Cawl shoved him into the wall.

'You'll get killed anyway,' he said harshly. 'The Space Wolves are coming here. Now.'

'The Space Wolves? The executioners?' said Friedisch quietly. 'Long-range scans picked them up twenty minutes ago. They'll be here within three hours, and they will kill us all. If they don't, being in the service of the Warmaster will. And I will not serve that traitor. Did you see him?'