His decision reached, Lucian addressed his offspring.

'Korvane, Brielle, as much as I'd savour the opportunity to smear these motherless bastards across space, we have more important matters to attend to. You both set course for the Mundus Chasmata primary at best speed. I'll lead them on to the outer platform. Do you understand?

Korvane was first to answer. 'Aye, Father, I agree. We are best served reaching Chasmata intact.

'Brielle?

'Father, we can take them here. I'll hold back and draw them onto your guns. It should only take a single-

'You will not! shouted Lucian, surging to his feet at his daughter's defiance. 'You will set course for Mundus Chasmata Primary as ordered! Do I make myself clear?

His daughter did not reply, but Lucian had his answer as he saw the Fairlight move to come around as per his instructions. Grunting, he sat once more.

Lucian waited until he was satisfied that both Korvane and Brielle were following his orders, before addressing his bridge.

'On my signal, power down to ten per cent, and burn port retros at full for fifteen' Raldi turned his head and opened his mouth as if to speak, but decided against protesting upon meeting Lucian's glare.

The Oceanid shuddered violently as the portside retro thrusters ignited, forestalling the vessel's forward motion and slowly bringing her to starboard. The first of the raiders passed, overtaking Lucian's cruiser before its own captain had time to react. Lucian knew that it would have to enter a long, wide arc in order to circle back: it was out of the fight for some time at least.

The second raider did react to the Oceanid's ungainly manoeuvre, but its captain had evidently misread Lucian's intentions. Rather than compensating for the course change with a similar move, this raider veered to port, the master fearing perhaps that the heavy cruiser sought to entrap him as she had his erstwhile compatriot. The ill-judged reaction cost the raider vessel dear, for she too would be out of the fight while she came about to intersect the Oceanid's course.

The last raider altered her course, finding herself bearing down on the wallowing Oceanid. Its forward weapons batteries opened fire, catching the Oceanid a glancing blow across the dorsal shields.

'Station six! How are we holding? Station six was manned not by a servitor, but by a man, though the rating sported so many cybernetic implants that the external difference was minimal. Lucian reasoned that the shields were generally only needed in an emergency, and had learned through bitter experience that an Emperor-fearing man reacted to orders far better than a servitor under such circumstances, benefiting as he did from a sense of self-preservation that the servitor lacked.

'Nothing she can't handle sir, though the feedback caused some casualties in coil chamber beta.

Lucian wasted no time in mourning the press-ganged scum that toiled in the depths of his vessel. Most would have been executed long ago had not their sentences been commuted to his service.

'Well enough six. Helm, come about to three nine three and all ahead full! Go!

The Oceanid shook as the full power of her plasma reactor was fed to her drive systems. She soon outdistanced the first two raiders to pass her, and only the third remained, though closing, astern.

Lucian activated the holograph, focusing on an area of space only a few thousand kilometres ahead. He saw what he was looking for.

'Helm, we're coming up on Chasmata's outer defence platform. At five hundred, yaw thirty so she passes us to port at around fifty.

A shudder travelled up the length of the vessel, as the raider dogging her stern unleashed a second volley. Lucian looked up, meeting the eye of the man at station six.

'Holding, sir, for now.

'Good. Comms, signal the platform. Let them know who we are. Now would be a bad time for a misunderstanding'

As the Oceanid ploughed on, the defence platform came into view off the port bow. Though not much larger than the rogue trader vessel, the platform bristled with weaponry, from lance batteries to torpedo tubes. The comms servitor had evidently succeeded in transmitting the correct signal. Had it not, those batteries of fearsome destruction would have been opening fire on the Oceanid.

Instead, they opened fire on the raider. The captain of the raiding frigate was so intent upon his prey that he could not have seen his death approaching. It came quickly, in the form of a mighty broadside, macro cannon shells obliterating the smaller vessel in the blink of an eye.

Lucian glanced down at the surveyor to see the rapidly fading debris field spread across the screen. The last two raiders, visible as indistinct returns at the screen's edge, turned tail and bolted. 'Get me a drink', he ordered no one in particular.

Mundus Chasmata's primary orbital dock filled the bridge viewing port. The three vessels had formed up as they closed on the planet, presenting a stately procession worthy of the Arcadius Dynasty. Lucian had awaited the customary picket escort any rogue trader would expect from the port authorities of such a world, but had been mildly surprised and not a little put out when none had appeared.

As the ships closed on the vast, slab-sided orbital dock, its aged condition became apparent. Lucian had visited many such installations, often in a similar state of disrepair, but he thought this one appeared somehow more dilapidated than normal. The armoured skin of the multiple, interconnected domes was pockmarked by centuries of micrometeorite impacts, and entire sections had evidently fallen into disuse. One docking limb appeared entirely open to space, its hatches hanging as if creaking in a nonexistent wind.

Not only was the absence of an escort notable, but Lucian's practiced eye took in every detail of the dock and its environs. All six docking limbs were devoid of craft. No freighters, no system defence boats, no tankers, troop transports or ships of any type were tethered to the station's multiple docking points. No service craft or tugs went about the endless maintenance tasks any other station would demand. No shuttles transported goods and passengers back and forth between the dock and the surface.

This far out on the borders of the Imperium's space, Lucian would have expected some degree of neglect, but not so much, he reflected with growing unease, that the locals would not be sent into a frenzy of activity at a pirate attack so close to their capital.

As the Oceanid came alongside the station, Raldi expertly guiding the heavy cruiser to within a mere twenty metres of the allotted docking arm, mighty docking clamps reached out to grasp her. The metallic clang echoed through the vessel as cursing crew chiefs harangued press-ganged crews to make her fast. The Oceanid became a hive of activity as Lucian prepared to go ashore. The talks would have to wait, his flotilla had been attacked. A fine welcome to the Eastern Rim, he thought.