Siege of Vraks by Steve Lyons

Author:Steve Lyons
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: FLS
Publisher: Black Library
Published: 2024-05-08T00:00:00+00:00

‘Rarely in my life have I done anything else.’

‘With one notable exception,’ she reminded him.

‘Apart from that one day,’ he agreed. ‘One moment. The one time I made a decision for myself, and I… I don’t regret it, even though…’

Tenaxus raised an eyebrow.

‘Most of the days since, I have spent digging. We’ve been trying to reach the curtain wall around the citadel, and sometimes the enemy lays mines in our path or they break into our tunnels or they shell our positions, and I live every day in terror, knowing that I could be killed in the blink of an eye, knowing I can’t escape because I’ve nowhere left to run to.’

For the first time, he looked Tenaxus in the eyes. ‘Confessor, you accused me of defecting for some personal advantage, but believe me, little in my life has changed. Only one thing. No longer do I doubt that I am fighting for the Emperor, and maybe it’s too late to save my soul, but at least I know that every shot I fire, every thrust of my spade into this world’s earth, is an action taken in His service.’

The prisoner slumped back in his seat again, as if unburdening himself had physically exhausted him. Tenaxus considered his case for a long moment. Thought to be the sole survivor of a Death Korps engineer platoon, he had been reassigned to one whose members had no reason to know him. His new watchmaster reported that, for months, no fault had been found with his demeanour. Suspicions had only been aroused when his squad had crewed a Hades breaching drill, and his lack of training with such had been exposed.

‘What is your name?’ she asked the prisoner again.

‘I have no name, confessor.’ She was about to remonstrate with him when he elucidated. ‘I gave up my name, because I had brought shame upon it. I have only a number now, and even that is not my own.’

‘You took up arms against the Emperor.’

‘Yes, ma’am,’ he confessed freely.

‘This cannot go unpunished.’

‘No, ma’am.’

Unexpectedly, the confessor smiled. ‘However…’

He stepped blinking out into Vraks’ grey daylight, a prisoner no longer – at least in no formal sense. His equipment – his stolen equipment – had been returned to him, including his weapons. A Krieg rebreather mask concealed his face.

Dog tags were slung about his neck, bearing a number he had stolen too, but still he knew he could bring honour to it, as had those who had borne it before him and the many who would bear it long after.

He straightened his back and marched towards the locomotive depot. He was ready to die for the Emperor, and thereafter rot in anonymity. He only prayed his worthless life could make a difference, that he could atone for a fraction of his sins against the Master of Mankind.

As Confessor Tenaxus had said when she had pronounced this death sentence upon him, ‘I believe you will make an exemplary Death Korpsman.’

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.