'If we split, we shall be out of this war,' said Hvarl.

'If we consolidate, they will catch us in force, and we are in no fit state to resist,' said Oki. 'We will be destroyed for good.'

'We are on the knife edge of death as it is,' said Hvarl. 'Russ made a bad choice.'

No one disagreed.

'I say we go out fighting,' Hvarl said, 'like wolves. I do not want to die like a cornered forra!

'Nor do I,' said Oki. 'Do any of us?'

Ogvai spoke. 'We shall gather together,' he said. 'We present a greater threat to the Warmaster as a Legion. If he pursues us, he will have to divert a larger force to kill us. If he fails, we will have the strength to threaten his rear. I do not care for petty raiding.' He looked to the others. 'Are we agreed?'

'Aye,' said Lufven. 'Agreed.'

Hvarl nodded. The others gave their assent.

As Bjorn watched the jarls a warrior joined him, and he was surprised to see that it was Grimnr. His eyes were bloodshot and his face blistered from void exposure, but he was alive, and he was ready to fight.

'I told you we would meet one more time, Bjorn,' Grimnr said. The huscarl's tone had moved from provocative to neutral, but Bjorn was too cynical to assume Russ' chief bodyguard was warming to him. 'How did you get out?' Bjorn asked.

'Only by wyrd's decree,' said Grimnr. He scratched his cheek where a tracery of broken veins inflamed his skin. 'It was a hard fight. Too many of the Wolf Guard sleep on the red snow. I should have died with them. I do not know why I did not. What are the jarls doing?'

'They are choosing where we are going to die,' said Bjorn.

By then, the jarls had a cartolith up, and were panning it rapidly from star system to star system, briefly debating and dismissing each. They all had their drawbacks, most of them fatal for a weakened Legion.

'What about this place?' said Helmschrot. He pointed his battle-stained gauntlet at the cartolith. 'Looks defensible, out of the way, but not too distant. It's a safe harbour. We can gather the fleet, and make a stand if we have to. We are well placed to threaten Beta-Garmon if we survive, and it is positioned close to the warp routes back to Terra.'

'Looks as good as any to me,' said Hvarl.

Scarred Oki nodded.

'Yarant it is then,' said Helmschrot.

* * *