The banquet hall of the Transcendence, flagship of Lord Commander Eidolon.
The Emperor's Children possessed absolute confidence in the perfection of their martial skills, and celebrating victory before battle had long been a tradition.
But the banquet had dragged on longer and longer, nearly as long as the battle itself.
Tarvitz looked around. The other captains were immersed in the wine within their golden goblets, their cheers echoing through the alabaster walls.
Other than him and Lucius, no one else had been selected to take part in the ground battle.
He recalled the words of his oath-brother Nathaniel Garro, as well as the highly unusual battle arrangements involving the four Legions:
Rather than following the traditional deployment method of assigning whole companies, the Warmaster had drawn individual squads from many different companies and formed them into a single army.
Even stranger, not a single one came from the ranks of Eidolon's trusted followers.
An orbital assault with all of his trusted warriors absent was an unprecedented insult, yet Eidolon showed no displeasure whatsoever.
He had even willingly given up the chance to lead the spearhead force and display his perfect command artistry. Appointing someone else as commander was even more unheard of.
With a smile on his face, he accepted toast after toast from the captains and drank deeply of the crimson wine.
The liquid swayed before Tarvitz's eyes, stinging them slightly.
Tarvitz could not help looking toward Lucius, recalling what he had said not long ago: the Warmaster and their father were going to conduct a great purge on Isstvan III.
A squad fought side by side, shared life and death, and maintained the same stance.
The Warrior Lodge promoted by the Warmaster also used squads as its most basic unit.
But within a company, there could be dissenting