by Steve Parker
‘Her stasis pod will be transferred to your frigate as instructed. We expect to reach the transfer coordinates in three weeks.’
‘My people will be waiting. And then to Damaroth, yes?’
‘Talon Squad will be split up and assigned to one-man operations while their Alpha recovers. I shall deploy Scimitar Squad to Karkarus for Operation Deadshot. They ought to be finished with the ork incursion on Ixio by then.’
‘Let us hope Talon returns to full strength soon. There can be no rest for us, despite this success. There will be many dead-ends before our long journey is over. Keep searching. Keep exceeding my expectations.’
‘And Chiaro?’
‘I will authorise the usual action myself later today. The Watch Council at Talasa Prime will back it. The Naval defence monitors will remain to enforce quarantine for now, but a kill-ship will arrive within the week. Nothing will remain.’
‘Then, with your permission, I will take my leave. Only, before I go… My sister…’
‘She sleeps, my friend, as always. No change. Perhaps the results of Blackseed can be turned to her recovery in time. Or perhaps her cure will come via another route entirely. That is why I need you out there, continuing to do what you do best. I can trust no other to the same degree.’
‘You have my oath. I will do all that needs doing.’
‘I know you will. And together, we will cure her one day. Have faith.’
‘Vigilance. And may the Emperor watch over you.’
‘Vigilance, old friend. In nomine Imperator. We shall speak again soon.’
TALON SQUAD
Lyandro Karras, First Codicier of the Death Spectres, aka Talon Alpha, aka Scholar
Darrion Rauth, Battle-brother of the Exorcists (First Company), aka Talon Two, aka Watcher
Ignacio Solarion, Battle-brother of the Ultramarines (Fourth Company), aka Talon Three, aka Prophet
Maximmion Voss, Brother-sergeant of the Imperial Fists (Second Company), aka Talon Four, aka Omni
Siefer Zeed. Battle-brother of the Raven Guard (Third Company), aka Talon Five, aka Ghost
Chyron Amadeus, Dreadnought of the Lamenters Chyropheles (Second Company), aka Talon Six
THE INQUISITION
Sigma, Inquisitor lord, Ordo Xenos (real name unknown)
Shianna Varlan, Interrogator class 3, Ordo Xenos, aka Lady Fara Devanon
Ordimas Arujo, Intelligence agent, Ordo Xenos, aka Asset 16, aka the Puppeteer
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, Steve Parker currently lives and works in Tokyo, Japan. In 2005, his short fiction started appearing in American SF/fantasy/horror magazines. In 2006, his story ‘The Falls of Marakross’ was published in the Black Library’s Tales from the Dark Millennium anthology. His first Warhammer 40,000 novel, Rebel Winter, was published in 2007, followed by the novels Gunheads and Rynn’s World, first of the Space Marine Battles series. He introduced readers to the Deathwatch kill-team known as Talon Squad in the short stories Headhunted and Exhumed, both available as eBooks. When he’s not writing or destroying himself in the gym, he enjoys martial arts, heavy metal music, military documentaries, supporting wildlife conservation and eating good vegetarian food. One day, he would like to earn the Crux Terminatus..
To a very special bird for all her strength and courage in the face of a most murderous and deceitful foe.
A BLACK LIBRARY PUBLICATION
Published in 2013 by Black Library, Games Workshop Ltd., Willow Road, Nottingham, NG7 2WS, UK
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ISBN 978-0-85787-812-0
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FOOTNOTES
1. . RP – Rendezvous Point.
2. . GDC – Ground Defence Command.
3. . S.I. – Standard Imperial: a single year of one thousand days in the official Imperial calendar
4. . khadit – literally ‘giver of knowledge’; shares a root with ditah, meaning ‘father’ in Occludian Low Gothic.
5. . The Occludian day is 27.3 hours.
6. . The Megron – a position roughly equivalent to Master of the Flag in other Space Marine Chapters.
7. . khajar – literally receiver of wisdom; the term by which a khadit addresses his foremost student. The word shares an etymological root with jari, the Occludian Low Gothic for son.
8. . Cadash – translates approximately from Old Occludian as ‘the living chalice’.
9. . Melanchromic organ – the phase 13 implant responsible for cutaneous protection from radiation.
10. . Mucranoid – the phase 16 implant controlling sweat-gland secretions to protect against climatic extremes.
11. . Betcher’s gland – the phase 17 implant allowing internal production of a corrosive toxin projected by spitting.
12. . Cyanomorphide – a ‘nucleocode’ drug also known as Shift which, in combination with ingested samples of genetic material, allows certain mutants to mimic the physical form of others.
13. . ne-sergeants – candidates for advancement to the position of Watch sergeant. By Deathwatch conventions, the prefix ne– denotes a candidate under consideration for further honour.
14. . The Purifier – phase 14 implant known more properly as the oolitic kidney, which purges toxins from a Space Marine’s body.
15. . Progenoids – two extremely important glands – phase 18 implants – that grow inside a living Space Marine; they contain the genetic seeds of all other implant organs and are used to make more Space Marines. There is no other way.
16. . Darguu – a close-quarters martial discipline emphasising reflexive movement through nerve conditioning.
17. . HID – Human Interference: Deliberate.
18. . Psytroprene – a memory-wiping drug often employed by the Inquisition. A 1cc dose wipes approximately forty minutes of memory in average humans. The lost memories can never be recovered, even by psychic means.
19. . Menrahir – the Chapter council of the Death Spectres; from the word menris, meaning ‘sage’ in Occludian Low Gothic
20. . LAV – Light Armoured Vehicle.
21. . HE – high-explosive.
