Deep within the Remembrance of Ashes, the confinement cages of sectors C and D stood in silence.
The pallid emergency lights were the only illumination, outlining hundreds of silent silhouettes behind iron bars.
They had once been the blades of the Lord of the Yellow Sands. Now, stripped of their armour, they wore ragged prison clothes and were covered in wounds.
The stench of sweat, blood, and anger hung stagnant in the murky air.
"When I get out..." A burly warrior slowly hammered his fist against the floor, the dull thuds spreading through the silence.
"I'll tear Abdullah's tongue out and shove it up his own..."
The curses stopped abruptly.
Everyone tensed, their gazes snapping toward the heavy iron door at the end of the passage.
Boom!!!
An explosion shook the deck, sending dust raining down.
Then the roar of Bolters, the hum of energy weapons, tearing metal, and brief screams merged into a single cacophony—right outside the door!
The fighting erupted suddenly and ended even faster.
After a few scattered gunshots, everything fell deathly silent again. But this silence was entirely different, charged with bloody uncertainty.
Clang!!!
The iron door burst inward, smoke and dust billowing through.
A figure carrying five Bolters over his shoulder and a Chainsword in his hand stepped over the twisted door panels and into the pallid light.
Smoke residue and blood covered his face. His shoulder armour was cracked and leaking blood, but he stood as straight as a spear.
It was Biberus.
"Brothers!"
His hoarse yet resolute voice pierced the stagnant air.
The passage fell silent for an instant, then erupted:
"Sir!!"
"Commander Biberus!!"
In a cage near the entrance, Adjutant Marcus gripped the bars so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Biberus did not pause, striding toward the central control console.
Dozens of