-XLVII-
A bunker exploded outwards as a missile lunged into it. Before the debris could even settle a second missile slammed into it.
"Fire those guns, destroy those bunkers!" shouted Aaron into the vox-bead.
"T-they are returning affirmatives." said Drorit clasping her helmet and ducking beside Aaron, she had the oversized vox-transmitter on her back.
Aaron paid her no attention at this moment, he instead pointed towards a heavy bolter squad and ordered them to move into a better protected position.
"You don't need to chatter every piece of info on that thing." said Mosse nodding towards her vox-transmitter.
"Okay." she said ducking instinctively as a kannon shell exploded ahead of their position.
"Keep your head down." warned Mosse rising from cover.
His grenade launcher thudded once and lobbed a grenade towards the bunker. A missed explosion blew in front of the bunker. Mosse ducked as dakka fire turned towards him.
To their right was Hilaa directing the heavy weapon squads.
One of the missile teams got it's gunner hit, the man rolled on the ground in pain as he felt the bullets lodged in his guts.
Hilaa ran over to the missile launcher and find the other heavy weapon guardsmen crying over his fallen comrade.
He looked at her with a dirty face, streaked with tears.
"Don't stay here, run!" she yelled as she grabbed the launcher herself. She fired the gun and a streaking rocket flew towards the bunker, missing it and trailing upwards.
"Mettav!" she cursed as she turned to grab another shell. She felt a slamming force on the launcher and knew that her fellow guardsmen, despite his grief and fear did not faltered in his duty to the Emperor.
"Clear!" she yelled in warning as she sent another rocket. This time it trailed at the bunker and exploded a huge chunk out of it.
She dumped the launcher and grabbed the heavy weapons trooper, they ran towards the safety of the trench.
Bunkers were infantry murderers but the Naphtali heavy weapons teams armed with missile launchers and mortars are making ruins out of them.
"They are done. Mortars, fire!" Aaron ordered but the thudding sounds of mortars were drown out by the roar of combat.
Several mortar shells hit the bunker and demolished it, burying the Orks inside metal and rock.
"This day is ours." said Aaron through gritted teeth and rose over the trench.
All Naphtali that saw the Captain rising followed in his heels.
Malik was beside him as well, his pair of stubgun drawn and loaded.
Balharethi and Naphtali charged ahead as the Ork wall fired it's kannons without any accuracy.
Archer knocked out the stationary guns one by one and turned them into blazing scrap metal.
As the infantry charged, Never Ending roared towards one of the bunkers. Sparks flew and scraped the blue paintjob as fire ricocheted off it. A rocket flew from the Ork bunker and hit the tank on the top. Explosion left a blackened and bent metal but Never Ending didn't even slowed on and kept it's charge towards the bunker.
Once in range it fired it's Eradicator Nova Cannon and blew a huge chunk out of the bunker, a dozen Ork bodies sprawled at the ruined part, mostly in pieces.
Other Ork recovered and started firing again, but the giant tank was several metres away now and came to a halt.
"Scorch the aliens, Noga!" roared Hadar.
Frontal gunner Noga leaned back as he shouted "We are out of gas, sir!" he was grinning.
"I will pump in you some 'gas' if you don't fire that damned gun." Hadar replied angrily, he knew the gas-tanks still had some.
"Bah, we don't need him, let's blow em up." said gunner Feiv slapping the tank's inner hull.
"NGAAAAAAAH!" roared Hadar and rose in his hatch, he grabbed the bolted-on heavy stubber and started firing at the Orks.
He pumped two Orks with bullets as he spent the entire magazine in one go. Orks fired their sluggas at him.
Sparks flew around the turret but Hadar was oblivious to the danger. He almost punched the spent mag off it's hinges and loaded a fresh one. He cocked the gun and aimed at the Orks.
"I will kill you even if I have to rip your flesh apart with my teeth!" shouted Hadar and pulled the trigger.
Dak dak daking heavy stubber downed three Orks.
"Now that's my chief." came a shout from inside the tank, Hadar did not recognized who was saying it, in truth he didn't cared.
A huge flame column roared up from the frontal Heavy Flamer and enveloped the Orks in one hellstorm.
Screaming and dying Orks flailed and dropped. Heavy Flamer did not stop firing until it jetted half of the tank.
Hadar was dazed by the carnage before him. His face sweated under the backwashing heat and his eyes glow bright with the light of the Emperor's weapon.
A single tear fell on his left cheek as he watched the murder before him.
"So...beaut-" he mumbled but was rocked side hard as the tank moved and turned.
All the Tanks were punishing the front gate now that the defences were down and the defenders were dead.
Hadar saw the infantry charging and his blood was up.
He started banging on the hull, again and again he banged.
"Stop this machine! Stop it! Stop!" he roared.
Never Ending came to a halt.
"Gimme my sword, where in the damned waves is my sword?" roared Hadar into the hatch.
"Where is the chief's sword?" asked one voice.
"Um-here? No. Here? Found it!" came another voice.
A dangling sound came and Feiv appeared, reaching upwards with a sword in a scabbard. The scabbard looked old, it was weathered and used. Not much care was put into it's maintenance.
Hadar grabbed the hilt and drew the sword in a shink. The blade itself was not miscared for. It shone silver in the daylight and was polished to a perfect shine with special oils.
"War Never Ending." said Hadar to himself holding the sword upwards in front of his head.
"Duty Never Ending." he said as he rose over the hatch and jumped onto the hull.
"Imperium Never Ending!" he roared rising the sword high.
He jumped onto the dirt floor, dust held onto his black boots.
"Emperor Never Ending!" roared Hadar as he charged, armed with a single vintage sword.
Inside the hull, driver Jaffe padded Noga on the shoulder.
"Good job." Jaffe congratulated.
"Ten, lives." replied Noga putting ten pieces of spent carb-paste caps into a sack.
"You still have faith then?" asked Jaffe.
"Always." replied Noga with a serious face.
"Five, dies." said Jaffe putting five caps into the sack.
They passed the sack upwards and a muscled guy grabbed it.
"Four, lives." said Galvelt the loader, putting four in.
He passed the sack to gunner Feiv.
Feiv looked uncertain.
"We don't have all day." said Galvelt.
Feiv looked at him thoughtfully then opened the sack's mouth.
"Six, lives." he said as he dropped six caps in.
"All set." said Galvelt grabbing the sack.
"There he goes." said Feiv looking into the targeting visor.
In the grey-green visual of the visor, Hadar was seen from a backwards angle. He had the sword in his hand as he ran.
"He found one." said Jaffe enthusiastically.
Hadar charged at the Ork. It was one of the survivors and was dazed. Ork rose his shoota and aimed it towards the charging tank-commander.
"Come on, come on." said Jaffe as he was hopping eagerly on his seat, making creaking noises in each hop.
Three rounds flew just beside Hadar's head but the Ork's gun spent ammo while missing horribly.
Hadar closed in and stabbed the Ork in the eye.
Ork trashed violently as Hadar pulled the sword clear and slashed opened it's throat. Ork clutched his bleeding throat and lunged at Hadar.
Hadar jumped sideways and slammed into the dirt. Ork went several metres before being able to turn.
His entire chest was drenched in his own blood but his throat had clogged and he was okay. The gash was deep and any human would die from such a wound but the Ork was okay.
"Cursed greenskin scum." said Hadar, spit flowing from his mouth as he rose.
Ork roared in return and grabbed a piece of sharp metal from his backpack.
Hadar charged first, using his speed he slashed the Ork in the chest. He managed to make chest wound deep enough to kill a human. Ork ignored the wound and swung it's sharp scrap metal towards Hadar.
Hadar ducked under the blow and fell backwards as his feet stuck on a rock.
Ork towered over him, but Hadar kept swinging his sword, keeping the beast at bay.
He rolled as the Ork tried to stomp on his head. He kept rolling, dirtying his uniform.
Ork let Hadar go and looked for his gun. He found a slugga instead. He grabbed the oversized mishaped gun.
Hadar rose and faced the barrel of the gun.
"You have no honor, alien?" he asked.
Ork lifted it's head as if he was insulted, he looked at Hadar with a downward glance showing his chin. Then the Ork lifted the slugga into the sky and fired, empting the ammo and making lots of noise.
Hadar and the Ork charged each other, Ork swung the spent slugga butt-first, directly at Hadar's head. Hadar crouched and stabbed the Ork in the gut with the tip of the sword.
Sword slipped through the organs and came out the back.
Ork turned throwing Hadar onto the ground as he held onto the hilt.
Greenskin grabbed the hilt and pulled it from his gut, discarding it on the ground like it was some worthless toy.
He grabbed Hadar's leg and dragged him several metres, banging him over the rocks as he went.
Then he stopped and stomped on Hadar's stomach. Ork raised it's sharp metal in one hand and looked down at the defeated human.
Hadar still had fight in him but the Ork was so heavy that he couldn't be able to free himself.
He resorted to grabbing a rock and slamming the Ork in the leg with it.
Ork made a rattling roaring noise which was laughter.
"Puny 'ooman, yer fightin end now." said the Ork.
Hadar first threw the rock at the Ork but it glanced off Ork's arm harmlessly. Then Hadar spit at the Ork.
Ork stabbed downwards directly at Hadar's face.
A lasround blew on the Ork's shoulder and the Ork stumbled backwards, grunting in pain.
Another lasround missed the Ork's head by an inch.
Shadow fell over Hadar as a figure charged at the Ork and burst fired at him in point blank range. Then he stabbed the Ork three times with his fixed bayonet.
Ork toppled backwards, finally giving into death.
Hadar looked upwards but the light was directly in his eye. He only saw a black shadow loom over him.
"You okay?" asked the guardsmen.
Hadar looked shocked at the figure before him, it was a saint of the old. A white robed sage with a long, perfectly white beard. He even had a blinding halo atop his head.
The image dissolved into a clean faced guardsmen wearing Naphtali blue.
"You must be Hadar." said Aaron lending a hand at him.
Hadar looked at him without replying.
"Get him up." Aaron said to his men and two strong hands lifted him to his feet.
Mosse slapped Hadar's dirty uniform trying to get the dust off.
"You are-you-" mumbled Hadar.
"I'm Captain Aaron. I'm sure you heard of me." said Aaron sarcastically.
A small framed girl with a vox-caster brought him the sword.
"This is yours?" she asked.
Hadar grabbed the hilt but didn't reply back, he was looking blank.
"You're w-welcome." she said turning sharply as if offended.
They left him standing there, leading several dozen men towards the now broken gates. In the distance remaining Naphtali tanks were battering the remnants of the Ork wall into scrap metal.
Hadar stood there for a minute, his mind still confused.
Then he broke off into a run towards the gate with his sword held high.
Armoured Fist moved towards the broken gate, remaining Ork fire was scattered and puny. They were however, defiant to the end.
"Ride onwards." said Colonel Ibrahim into the vox.
"Yes, sir." came in drivers crackling vox.
Chimera driver was wearing a face mask with a built-in vox-bead.
Chimeras with the dozer blades hammered into the broken metal pieces of the Ork gate and with an irritating scraping noise pushed them aside.
The way into the Ork base was clear.
"Charge, sons of waves. To battle!" shouted Ibrahim into the wide frequency vox.
Infantry led by Captain Aaron was beside the Chimeras as they moved forwards. The men of Naphtali swarmed around the Armoured Fist column and moved into the base.
The final reckoning for the Orks had come.
Armoured Fist had formed an assault column with two Chimeras riding side by side. The Gate only allowed to suck a formation with it's narrow pathway. Chimeras came in firing their frontal Heavy Bolters on full auto.
A dozen Ork slugga boyz charged at the invading column but has no chance against the heavy bolter fire. When the multilasers joined the fray all the slugga boyz were dead within seconds.
"Take the toll that they sow." said Ibrahim eagerly as he saw the Orks dying in one of the monitors. The hold of the Chimera was lit by a single red light and it cast a grim image of the guardsmen around him.
His men were the command squad he employed as well as five Naphtali veterans. The rest of the Chimeras carried guardsmen armed with nothing but lasguns with fixed bayonets.
A mass of men moved around the column but dared not move ahead for the gunfire was fierce.
Ork sluggas had taken position inside the poorly made buildings that were painted dark purple/blue. They were made from scrap metal welded together and mixed in with debris from various remnants of Imperial structures. In the middle of the base was what looked like a plaza. Overlooking the plaza was a giant column in the shape of an aquila which once was part of an Imperial building. The aquila itself had it's eagle visage altered horrible to look like an Ork totem of somesort. The totem had been welded and hammered with metal plating to create a visage of an Ork with lots of teeth.
Another building had caught a stray tank shell that was meant to hit one of the Kannons. It had blown outwards and sprayed the plaza with stone debris and pieces of sharp metal.
Buildings were primitive in construct but they were connected with metalic catwalks. Remaining Ork shootas had taken position at these catwalks for better vantage point and elevation. They had arrayed all the way and was able to cover the whole plaza with their dakka fire.
Luckily the Armoured Fist was impervious to the small arms fire.
Once the Chimeras reached the plaza, Ork shootas opened fire. Glancing bullets and poorly thrown stikkbombs landed around the Chimeras.
Column returned fire and several catwalks toppled over as multilaser fire ripped their supporting pillars apart.
Orks landed on their faces and broke limbs as the height did it's work.
"Into the fray." ordered Aaron as his guardsmen swarmed around him.
Lasfire filled the entire plaza, both from the powerful multilaser and the weaker lasguns of the Infantry.
Ork sluggas were pinned down inside the buildings because of the unrelenting fire of the Heavy Bolters. Wherever the bolt rounds struck they exploded outwards stone and metal shrapnel. Several Orks tried to return fire with their sluggas but got killed for their efforts.
Colonel Ibrahim ordered the column forwards and the Chimeras dispersed in two arcs. They stopped back to back, their multilasers milled around to keep the fire as their hatches landed onto the floor in loud clangs.
"Charge!" ordered Ibrahim and the guardsmen fanned out. Lasfire doubled as the Chimeras let go of their payloads. Infantry charged around the plaza and started hunting the pinned Orks in their buildings.
Hadar was too late for proper action, his legs hurt from running but he ignored the pain. He looked around him to see several hundred Naphtali charging into the once Ork held base. There were sporadic cracks of lasfire but other than that the action was pretty much over.
There was no glory in mop ups, so Hadar stood there waiting for the Tanks to arrive.
Tanks had no hurry and they moved at combat speed, making sure there was no other Ork surprises.
"We have taken the base, it is over." came in hard breathing voice of Colonel Ibrahim over the vox.
Hadar felt disappointed somewhat, it was over.
"Good work, colonel. Meet me at the base interior." came the growling voice of that Space Marine leader, whatever his name was.
Hadar didn't care about any of this.
He sat on a nearby Ork corpse and stabbed his saber into it's leg to keep it upright. He lit an Lho-stick and pulled in deep. Smoke went through his lungs and he felt the sensation of stress relieving in his brain.
A giant tank came in rumbling with Noga at the hatch, his arms dangling in a relaxed posture as the Tank moved over the debris.
"Sir! Well done, sir! You made us proud!" shouted Noga as if drunk.
Hadar realised the gunner was drinking.
"What did I tell you about breaking the rotgut?" scolded Hadar without rising.
Tank came to a lurching stop before him.
"Ssssorry, chief. I was celebrating early." replied Noga his speech slurring.
"Celebrating what?" asked Hadar.
"We won, we bet-" began Noga but Feiv appeared behind him and slapped him in the back of the head.
"Of course we celebrate the victory, chief." said Feiv with a smile.
Hadar rose to his feet and grabbed his sword, he looked at the blood slicked blade and then at Feiv.
Feiv gulped instinctively.
"Clean this with that sin in bottle you call a drink." Hadar said throwing the unscheated sword up at them.
"Watch it!" shouted Feiv as he grabbed the sword.
Hadar ignored them and walked towards the other tanks that were just arriving.
He spotted the Promised Home and arrive at it. Sergeant Liorit was descending from the hull of her tank as he arrived.
Hadar lifted his arms in a helping gesture.
"I can-" said Liorit.
Hadar beckoned her with a gesture and she let him grab her.
"Thanks." she said.
They started walking but one of Liorit's crew yelled at them.
"Sir! Sir!"
Hadar turned "Not now." he said.
"But-"
He silenced himself as he saw Hadar's gaze.
They kept walking towards the plaza.
"What's wrong? You look sour." Liorit reflected.
"We lost many today." Hadar said.
"I know. But we yet live, we move on." Liorit replied.
"May their souls go with the Lord." prayed Hadar.
Liorit nodded in agreeance.
"That's not all is it?" asked Liorit knowing her charge's mood from his face.
"I saw something." said Hadar.
"Like what?" she asked.
"An image. A saint of old." he replied.
"A saint?" she said frowning.
"Don't look at me like that." said Hadar averting his gaze.
"I believe you, it's just unusual." said Liorit.
There was a loud cheering at the plaza where the infantry were gathering and both of them saw Captain Aaron rising atop a mound as guardsmen cheered on.
"It is." Hadar said.
"Who was it then? This saint of old." asked Liorit.
Hadar looked at the gathering of guardsmen.
"Him." he nodded towards Aaron.
"Today we won a great victory!" shouted Aaron and a deafening roar of cheer struck him.
One of the guardsmen had climbed over the Orkish totem and planted the Imperial banner high at the top.
"Well done, lad. You carried the day forward." came in the old Colonel accompanied with his command squad and a group of rough looking veterans.
"Thank you sir, but it is the men and women of Naphtali that carried the day forward." Aaron replied.
Then he looked at Malik beside him and nodded "And the Balharethi as well."
Malik returned a short nod back.
"We lost many of our numbers to win this victory." said Aaron.
"They are the true heroes of it." replied Ibrahim, he unscathed his ornate saber and lifted it over their heads.
"This victory, belongs to the honoured dead!" he shouted with his coarse voice.
It was an odd sound and not so charismatic but the whole momentum of this event carried it forwards and the guardsmen around them roared in unison.
Even Balharethi troopers were shouting and cheering, but Malik was as silent and calm as ever.
Liorit and Hadar joined them. Guardsmen started to pat Hadar on the back violently as they congratulated the tank commander in their epic battle. Liorit passed unfazed as no one dared lay a hand on her.
"Sergeants." nodded Aaron to both of them.
"Where is commander Zeevka?" asked Aaron when he realised the division commander was missing.
"He is with the Emperor." replied Liorit with a solemn voice.
"Oh, my condolences."
"We lost many among our number today." she said.
"They will be remembered, I promise you." said Aaron.
"I know they will be." replied Liorit.
Aaron realised the sergeant Hadar was looking at him without saying anything and without breaking his gaze. As if he wanted to penetrate through him with mere sight.
"Uh, Sergeant Hadar. I'm glad you made it through." Aaron said grinning uncomfortably.
Hadar didn't reply and kept staring.
Aaron looked at Liorit for an answer, his face confused.
"He is grieving the fallen, captain. Excuse us." Liorit said.
Then they left, leaving the cheering crowd to themselves.
The cheers however was short lived as armoured figures entered the Plaza and fanned out around in a defensive positioning.
"Lord Ioras." said Ibrahim as he led Aaron and Malik towards the Astartes.
"Colonel." Ioras said looking around the Ork base.
"You can stand down, we have scoured the base and killed all the Ork." said Aaron.
Ioras looked at him with his expressionless helmet.
"We are in enemy territory and we shall conduct war until the enemy is completely eradicated." he said.
"I understand." replied Aaron but he was annoyed with the high-and-mighty attitude.
The crowd looked at the Space Marines in silence. The Astartes were not much help during the fighting on the left flank but the guardsmen knew that they had butchered an entire right flank during the offensive. To know that such murder machines exist were horrifying, even when they were on your side. And one wondered the question, what if they had turned on their allies?
"What now?" asked Malik voicing the thought they all had.
"Now, we move onto the objective and eliminate the Ork threat once and for all." replied Ioras.
"What objective? We defeated the Orks, their base is in ruins and their numbers decimated." pointed out Aaron.
"Yes, and you did it admirably, Captain. You and your men will leave the premises, now." said Ioras.
"We just captured this place, with our own blood. Don't we get any answers?" Aaron asked his voice rising.
Ibrahim put a hand on the young Captain's shoulder.
Ioras ignored the question and was about to move.
"Answer him, Space Marine." came a voice behind them.
There stood Captain Jeliha with his Spahkii forces fanned around them.
Jeliha had his hellgun in hand but stood in a relaxed pose.
"I don't need to answer to anything." replied Ioras turning to leave.
Jeliha snorted and spit onto the ground.
"See? This is what they are like." said Jeliha to the guardsmen commanders as he moved.
His stormtroopers moved behind him keeping a safe pace.
Aaron realised that even a full auto fire wouldn't be able to get all the stormtroopers with this dispersed position, no matter how accurate or powerful it was.
"They use us guardsmen and then throw us away like some pleasure girl." said Jeliha still walking towards them.
"I am totally content with their secret mission that we don't participate in, couldn't care less about the fate of this ahsam gbered of a world." said Malik.
"Amen brother, but don't you know what they are up to?" asked Jeliha.
"No." said Malik turning to leave.
"Your loss." said Jeliha behind him.
"So, what they are up to?" asked Aaron unable to stop himself from asking.
"Ah, we have at least one sensible guy here." said Jeliha.
Aaron looked at him blankly waiting for a reply.
"Fine, the thing is that there is a tomb here filled with riches and the Space Marines want to smuggle it outside the planet." Jeliha lied.
"Smuggle?" asked Aaron not believing a word he said.
"How did you think this planet got so rich?" said Jeliha.
"It's a pleasure world, they have ways." said Aaron.
Colonel Ibrahim was watching the discussion with a neutral expression, his years of experience taught his to let things play out. Revelations reveals more about a men's character than mere words.
"Oh sure, but the tomb itself is where the real riches is."
"So you want to bargain on it? Is that why you came all this way?" asked Aaron turning the debate on Jeliha.
"Me? I'm just duty-bound. I don't care who gets them, it could be you for all I care." said Jeliha grinning, his scar moved disturbingly as his face made the expression.
"And who protects these riches?" asked Aaron.
"No idea, but the Astartes would go, so it should be okay."
"Thanks for the tip then." said Aaron and turned to leave.
Ibrahim stayed there with a grin on his face.
"You are not interested then?" asked Jeliha behind Aaron's back.
"I never was. You want us to go in, just so that we may be the cannon fodder for whatever is inside this tomb of yours. And I would never risk my men's lives for such a fool's goal. As long as the Marines weren't forcing us into that tomb, we are going nowhere near it." Aaron said.
"Your loss." said Jeliha and left, his tough looking soldiers moving behind him with guns held threateningly.
"Dogs of war, eh?" came Malik's voice from nearby.
Aaron turned to see the Colonel sitting atop a fallen masonry and lighting himself an expensive toba-cigar.
"Is that-?" gasped Aaron as he moved towards the Colonel.
"You want?" asked Malik casually holding the fat cigar in his two fingers.
"Yeah." said Aaron sitting beside him.
Malik drew out a combat knife and slashed the cigar in two. He then lit the other half using his and handed it to Aaron.
"Thanks." Aaron said, breathing in the aroma. At first it was a burning sensation, he wasn't the toughest smoker and the toba cut his breath for a second. Then came the taste both in his mouth and through his nose as he let the smoke out.
"Good shit." said Malik.
"Where do you get these?" asked Aaron.
"Lifted it from a loser." said Malik laughing.
"Loser?"
"One of my men."
"Oh." said Aaron.
They stood there smoking for a moment in silence.
"You did well today." Aaron said finally breaking the silence.
Malik looked at him with an unimpressed expression.
"Serious." confirmed Aaron.
"We do what we must, as is written on the sands." replied Malik.
"You don't get much appreciation, do you?"
"No. We Balharethi don't congratulate on one another for mere war."
"So what do you congratulate on?"
Malik thought for a second removing the cigar from his mouth.
"I don't know. Nothing I guess." he said finally.
"Not even when someone is born?" asked Aaron quizzically.
"Born? Born into a camel dung of a life? No, we don't." replied Malik as polite as he can.
"No offence."
"Offence means nothing on Balharra." said Malik.
"Roi told you were doing well in the trenches."
"We were doing what life is given us, nothing more, nothing less."
"That's some sour philosophy you got there." said Aaron started to get annoyed.
"Sorry, it's the Harun way. We live with what is available to us. We don't dream. We don't cry. We just do. Or we die." said Malik.
"Can't change who you are." agreed Aaron thinking to his own life.
"I gather that you are from a sea world? What is it like?" asked Malik.
"Seas are the maidens of our world. They are beautifully dark blue when they're calm and equally deadly when the storm blows." Aaron said.
"I saw sea once. It was salty." said Malik casually as if a child would describe something he just experienced.
"Yes, it is." said Aaron and started laughing.
Malik let the Captain laugh for a minute.
"What's so funny?" he asked.
"This." Aaron said waving a hand around the destruction around them.
"Us, talking from waves and sands while our brothers lie dead." he said.
Malik realised that the Captain was crying.
He patted on his back awkwardly, he didn't know how to comfort someone because he never did before.
"They're with the Ilimbaratur now."
"The- what?" asked Aaron.
"Emperor."
"You're a good man, Malik." said Aaron wiping his tears.
Malik pulled in the last breath from his cigar then discarded it with the flick of his fingers.
"No." he said.
"None of us are good men."