‘New orders!’ barked Dor. ‘The reactor has been set with charges. We’re leaving now. Thunderhawks for extraction at grids seven-sixty and seven-ninety. We have sixty seconds. Move!’
‘That’s it?’ said Alpharius, before he could stop himself. ‘We’re done?’
‘Strike and withdraw, you know the procedure,’ the sergeant replied. ‘Mission was to destroy the station. In fifty seconds, we will have been successful.’
The Raptors needed no repeat of the orders. Squad by squad they fell back from the galley and across the mess hall. Alpharius retreated, still keeping a wary eye for any counter-attack.
‘Are the enemy eliminated?’ he asked.
‘They will be when that reactor explodes,’ Dor said with a laugh. ‘No time to hang around.’
They withdrew to the corridor along which they had advanced and clambered out of the shattered windows. A stream of black-armoured legionaries was pouring back into the sandstorm, disappearing from sight. Alpharius felt grudging respect for the Raven Guard as they melted away as quickly as they had appeared. Forging through the sand drifts, he glanced back but the facility was now enveloped in the dust storm and obscured from sight. Ahead, his locator locked on to the signal of a descending Thunderhawk. Ramp open, the drop-ship plunged down into a dune, adding to the swirl of sand.
The ground shook underfoot just as Alpharius reached the ramp. Stepping aboard the drop-ship, he turned to see a dark red ball of flame expanding in the hazy distance. Moments later, a violent wind swept the dunes, sending a wall of sand hurtling into the open compartment of the Thunderhawk.
‘We’re full,’ the pilot announced over the internal announce system. ‘Clear the ramp.’
Dor dashed out of the cloud and leapt onto the ramp as it started to close, grabbing Alpharius’s arm to haul himself into the main chamber.
‘Mission complete,’ Corax announced over the main vox channel. ‘We are victorious. The Raven Guard have shown that they cannot yet be ignored in the battle-plans of our foes. The Raptors have proven their worth and earned their first battle honour. The fight against Horus has begun.’
Alpharius lowered himself into his seat and pulled on the harness as the Thunderhawk banked sharply. The entire engagement had lasted less than ten minutes: ten minutes that might have changed the course of the whole war.
THERE WAS A jubilant mood at Ravendelve as the last of the shuttles from the Avengerdisgorged its cargo of warriors. Even the loss of fourteen of their number had not dampened the spirits of the latest Raven Guard recruits, though it was cause for some sombre reflection for Branne. The casualty ratio was a little high for his liking, considering the Word Bearers could not have numbered more than fifty legionaries against four hundred in the main assault, but his concern came from another source. Corax had said little about the operation except for his short victory speech, and had cloistered himself in Branne’s command chamber for the trip through the warp, giving the commander no opportunity to voice his doubts.
While the Raptors were being returned to their dormitories, Branne and Corax travelled back to Ravenspire, to report on the mission to the other members of Legion command. They were waiting in the briefing room when the primarch and Branne arrived. There was still a large amount of activity going on, as Legion attendants gathered as much intelligence as they could regarding Narsis and the Perfect Fortress. Solaro, Agapito and Aloni sat at the table like giant statues amidst the bustle of the command functionaries.
‘The outpost at Cruciax is destroyed,’ Corax announced as he entered the chamber. ‘The Raptors, whilst a little tactically naive, performed beyond expectation and the victory signals to me a new beginning for the Raven Guard.’
‘A one hundred per cent success?’ asked Solaro.
Corax did not answer, but instead looked at Branne.
‘I wouldn’t say that,’ replied the commander of the Raptors, staring right back at his primarch. ‘We sustained avoidable casualties.’
‘They will improve, given experience,’ said Corax. ‘Their exuberance will be tempered.’
‘They were foolhardy, lord, not exuberant,’ Branne said, sitting at the table. ‘While all combat is a risk, there were many that took unnecessary gambles and that not only cost valuable lives, it potentially threatened the success of the mission.’
‘If we take them to the Perfect Fortress in that state of mind, they will be slaughtered,’ said Agapito. ‘We’ve been studying what information we have in the archives, and it is a formidable obstacle. I expect the Emperor’s Children have been further fortifying Narsis since their alliance with Horus. It is no place for rash action.’
‘The Raptors will only be part of the force,’ said Corax, frowning with irritation. ‘You judge them harshly for a little poor discipline during their first engagement. They knew they were being tested, and overcompensated in their enthusiasm. I remember you and Branne trying to impress me with your heroics when you were young.’
‘A good point, lord,’ said Agapito. He looked contrite for a moment, then shook his head. ‘But there is a difference between two adolescent prison boys and several companies of transhumans armed and armoured with the best weapons we currently have available. As legionaries, they should impress you with dedication and discipline, not raw zeal. Attention to dut–’
‘You do not think they are ready?’ snapped Corax. ‘You sound like one of those Word Bearers Chaplains, speaking of empty duty and discipline. We are involved in a war that will decide the fate of the Imperium! I expect every warrior to carry himself with pride and to do his utmost to ensure victory.’
There followed an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds as Corax turned away, jaw churning with anger. When he looked at his commanders again, he had calmed himself.
‘The Raptors will learn discipline,’ he said. ‘In time, when there are more of them, we will be able to spread them through the Legion as we would any other recruits and the presence of the veterans will mollify their young spirits. Remember that most of them were little more than children only a hundred days ago. Your transformations took years, during which you learned patience and discipline. Branne, if you are so concerned, you must take extra effort to instil such qualities into your warriors, because we don’t have the luxury of several years to test their mettle and forge their battle-spirit.’
‘Aye, as you wish, lord,’ said Branne. ‘A few more turns through the rad-wastes will calm their humours.’
‘How soon will we move on Narsis, lord?’ asked Solaro. ‘Even with the Raptors, we cannot muster more than five thousand legionaries and other ranks.’
‘I aim to tackle the Perfect Fortress with twice that number,’ said Corax. ‘Sixx and Orlandriaz have received instruction to move to the next scale of implantation.’
‘Five thousand more Raptors?’ said Agapito, almost horrified by the suggestion. ‘We have no more than five hundred novitiates left to implant. Where will you get new recruits?’
‘From Deliverance and Kiavahr,’ said Corax. ‘As I told you before, the new gene-seed allows us to take younger and less fitting candidates with equal results.’
‘Forgive any disrespect, lord, but that does not make sense,’ said Agapito. ‘Just a moment ago, we were discussing the immaturity of the Raptors, who have each been subjected to Legion tradition and teaching for several years already. To take untested boys and turn them into super-soldiers seems rash.’
‘There is no alternative,’ said Corax, showing no signs of anger at Agapito’s criticism. ‘I understand your concerns, and considered them on the way back from Cruciax, but Horus’s treachery has backed us into a corridor with only one way out. Either we turn over Raptor production to its full potential, including casting our recruitment wider, or we must give up any desire to strike at Horus’s forces. As we are at the moment, it is a simple case of numbers: we don’t have them in our favour.’