Moments ter, the Sky Eye unched smoothly, its augur arrays linking seamlessly into the p’s orbit. The ship’s systems dimmed as the psma furnace powered down. The crew activated the light-baffles, ting down three minutes until the Ebony Shadows entered full silent mode.Three minutes passed. The Ebony Shadows became a ghost in the void, hidden by shadow and teology. The enemy would need blind luck to detect it uhey stumbled directly across its path.

  The captain reviewed the data on his panel before addressing Kayvaan. "Sir, we’ve reached equatorial orbit. However, I must inform you we ot provide immediate fire support from this position. I suggest shifting to geostationary orbit above the Faln. From there, we deliver firepower on your and."

  Kayvaan waved him off. "We won’t . What’s the situation down there? Have we tacted Faln?""We’ve established tact. Would you like to speak with them?"

  "No need. Just tell them to have coffee ready. We’re ing down." Kayvaan gave the captain a sidering look. "By the way, what’s your name?"

  "Grant, sir."

  Kayvaan nodded approvingly. "Good wrant. You keep the ship secure. I’m heading down." Leaving the bridge, Kayvaan desded to the unch bay on the lower deck. There, a Thunderhawk transpunship stood ready. Us gunship terparts, this one carried no ons, stripped down to serve purely as a nding craft. Upgrades were an out-of-pocket luxury—either through thro or earned merits. Gelt, unfortunately, was often the more reliable option.

  Kayvaan’s squad was already inside, geared up and waiting. Elizabeth, sitting closest to the ramp, looked over calmly. "Are we starting?"

  "Everyorap in. We’re going down." Kayvaan tapped his earpiece. "Iron Hawk, this is King of Knights. Squad aboard. Take us down."

  The s crackled as the pilot replied, "Iron Hawk here. Wele, everyohis is Peter and Edmund at the helm. Belts tight and brace for turbulence."

  With a hiss, the Thunderhawk’s hatch sealed. Massive meical arms desded from above, log onto the craft with heavy thuds. Red warning lights fred, and the unch bay’s floor split open, revealing the p below. The arms extended, l the Thunderhawk before releasing it into open space. Ihe , Kayvaan g the young recruit beside him. "Nervous?"

  Darius stiffened in his seat, his hands gripping the straps across his chest. "No, Captain," he replied quickly, though the slight quaver in his voice betrayed him.

  Kayvaan’s sharp gaze didn’t miss a thing. He tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "Then why are your hands ched so tightly? You’ll snap those straps if you’re not careful."

  Darius stammered. "It’s not fear! I’m just…"

  Kayvaan chuckled. "Rex. It’s your first mission, but don’t worry—I’m here. You’ve got it easy, you know. Ba my day, we didn’t have this luxury."

  Darius looked up. "Sir, do you mean the airborne capsules?""Exactly. Those coffins aren’t a secret. You’ll learn about them soon enough."

  "What were they like?" Darius asked, his curiosity betraying his nerves.

  "Exg," Kayvaan said with a grin. "You’ll see for yourself someday. Until then, here’s a tip—if you’re jittery, focus on cheg year."

  The temperature in the began to rise noticeably. Darius gnced around nervously, but to his surprise, everyone else seemed unfazed, as if they hadn’t noticed the increasing warmth. He wiped his damp palms on his trousers and looked at Kayvaan suspiciously. “We’re entering the atmosphere,” Kayvaan expined, his tone casual. “It’ll feel warm for a bit, but there’s nothing to worry about.”

  The Iron Hawk plunged into the p’s atmosphere like a bzieor, streaking diagonally across the sky with trails of molten fire. This wasn’t an act—it was deliberate. The dest was a basic evasion tactic, meant to triy observers into dismissing them as debris from orbit. As the gunship hurtled downward, the portholes revealed fleeting glimpses of nd and jagged mountains growing steadily rger beh the ing white clouds. The view was breathtaking, though the sensation of plummeting headfirst toward the surface made Darius’s stomach lurch. It felt as though the very ground of Holy Terra was rushing up to punish him for his sins.

  Darius’s face turned pale, and his knuckles turned white on the armrests. Opposite him, Inquisitor Elizabeth frowned, her usual poise faltering just slightly. Even she looked displeased—this was not how a Thunderhawk was supposed to fly.

  The craft tore through the lower atmosphere, gaining speed with every moment, until it seemed iable they would crash. At the very st moment—barely a hundred meters above the ground—the Iron Hawk suddenly pulled up hard. The engines howled as the tail belched streams of ceruleahe craft still dropped us immense weight, skimming so close to the surface that Darius swore he could see individual leaves oreetops. Then, in one final defiance of physics, the ship’s ched upward, its dest arrested at the final moment.

  Ihe , the tension shattered. Every man and woman exhaled together, even Kayvaan and the hardened Sisters of Battle. The near-disaster had rattled even the most stoic among them. Elizabeth, however, was far from impressed. Her frown deepened as she muttered a short litah her breath before her expression shifted entirely. Her eyes widened with sudden realization.“It’s a miracle,” she said softly, her voice trembling with reverence. “If we had dropped just five meters lower, we would have perished. The God-Emperor Himself is watg over us. His divine hand guides our path.”

  The Sisters of Battle, visibly moved, shouted in unison, “The Emperor protects!”

  The filled with fervor as the Sisters’ faith ignited like an unquenchable fme. The squad of nuns looked ready to marto the eye of the itself, their zeal unshakable. Elizabeth, sensing their energy, gave a small nod of approval but tempered it with a stern warning. “We must remain vigint,” she said firmly. “Faith does not excuse recklessness. The pilots must be reminded of their duty to those aboard.”

  Kayvaan sighed and rubbed his temple. “Leave that to me.” He tapped his earpied growled, “What in the name of Dorn do you think you’re doing up there? Have you lost your mind?”

  A calm, unnervingly monotone voice replied, “Captain, please remain calm.”

  “Calm? Calm?! My squad nearly died because my pilot thinks he’s perf for a hive ival. Where did the Meicus find you lunatics? I swear, when we nd—”The voice cut him off, still maddeningly level. “Captain, the ship is under trol.”

  “You’re threatening me now?” Kayvaan’s voice dropped into a dangerous growl. “Are you threatening your anding officer?”

  Another voioticeably more nervous, chimed in. “Captain, it’s Edmund—the co-pilot. This is all Peter’s fault! I swear! Don’t shoot me—I didn’t touything! He’s the one flying!”

  “Coward,” Peter muttered. “Captain, this isn’t my fault. The Iron Hawk has a spirit, and I respect it. The mae spirit likes flying this way—it demands it. I’m merely cooperating. And we did arrive in one piece, didn’t we?”

  Kayvaan’s voice dropped to a whisper of barely tained fury. “There are important people on this ship, Peter. They don’t appreciate your... teique. And they’re all women.”