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There is no peace amongst the stars, for in the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.
‘What is your name?’ The Krieg colonel cocked his head a little. He looked as if he didn’t understand the question.
‘The commander of the 83rd Krieg Regiment,’ said Ferran, betraying a rare hint of admiration, ‘even then renowned as one of our most disciplined, effective fighting forces. A man who refused to bow down when his whole world turned against him. A man who made the greatest sacrifice imaginable, in the name of his unbending faith. ‘His name was Jurten.’
‘The ones you see coming aren’t the ones you need to worry about…’
Before she could fire, a Krieg Korpsman leapt towards her target. The makeshift gun made a terrible rattle, and bullets ripped through the Korpsman’s body. He was dead before he landed, with a wet smack, atop his foe. The weight of his mutilated corpse pinned the ork’s gun to its chest for vital seconds.
‘My point is that the Krieg place little value upon their own lives. They see them as a resource, no different to an artillery shell, to be expended for the slightest advantage against a foe. That is more than simply confidence or courage.’
‘In life, war. In death, peace. In life, shame. In death, atonement.’
The Death Korps of Krieg had walked through nuclear fire and had emerged from it unbowed.
They consider their unworthy souls a fair exchange for the salvation of so many others. The Krieg, one might say, take our sins upon themselves…’
‘Some will never set eyes upon the enemy. This is not a matter for regret. None of you – none of us – will live to see our final victory, but every life expended makes us stronger. Each sacrifice counts. Our lives are worth no more than the Emperor chooses to make of them. ‘In life, we all have much to be ashamed of. Atonement is achievable through death.’
