Darkness. Light. Gasping. Sucking in air—sweet air!—like a woman near drowned, breathing again. Kate Dubois’s head spun. Her vision swam. Talking. She heard talking. “Where am I?” a voice—her voice—said. “She’s gonna be sick.” “No? You think… oh gods. Me boots!” “Now she’s gonna pass out. Catch her!” A thud. Kate Dubois tried opening her eyes, but didn’t like what she saw.

On the seventh ring, Stigfield answered. They knew he was home. He knew, they knew he was home. He just didn’t care. A face appeared on the vid screen, gaunt, with high cheekbones, slicked back hair, and a face so symmetrical, skin so clear, as to look fake. And, of course, it was. “The avatar isn’t necessary,” Stigfield said by way of greeting.

Dear readers, forgive this humble journalist’s language, but… well I am just going to say it: I was miffed. I had entered the wastelands hoping to turn my pen towards the starlet of the era, Dakota Christmas. Yet, since I’d passed through the security cordon separating irradiated hellscape that was once Los Angeles, and the civilized parts of California the starlet—beloved by billions—has shown me nothing but rudeness.

They say the Emperor has a plan for everyone. Lynetta didn’t know if that was true. There were a lot of things Lynetta didn’t know. What she knew was this: The Emperor had a plan for her, and it was a good plan. She hefted the heavy bolter, squeezed the firing stud. A steady stream of thuds. Concussive knocks pushing into her body as she rained gyro-jet retribution upon the enemies of the Mankind.

Jill had never seen Lucy’s apartment before, and didn’t bother to hide it. “Your place is, ah, swell. Has a lot of…” “Boxes?” Lucy asked. “I was gonna to say charm.” Lucy snorted. “Stop Jill. You’ve known me too long. It’s a mess. I just haven’t had time to unpack.” “How long have you lived here?” “Oh, no more than three years.

“Where?” Marius looked out, blinking the fog from his mind. He was in his EVA suit? Right, they’d put them on. A precaution Capitan said. Marius remembered that. Right before the gravity assist. But what he saw now: “Jupiter…” The planet. Enormous. Filling his entire field of view. It was right “below” him. And not out of the window of his craft.

It wasn’t thunder. She was a daughter of Thor. She knew the sound of thunder. Sudrstjarna’s axe was in her hand before she’d exited the bed. My empty bed. A bitter thought. She’d known the cut-throats would come. Assassins in the night. She just expected she had a little longer. That the loyalty of her Jarls would insulate her. But two years was a long time for a raiding party to be gone with less than a whisper.

The pistol remained warm long after its owner’s body cooled. Well… previous owner. Haddie Cartina was the weapon’s master now. And what a fine weapon it was. Deathscream. That was the plasma pistol’s name. When the previous leader of the Bone Snakes possessed it, Haddie thought the name a bit… much. Ridiculous even. But now that Deathscream was hers? Well, she wouldn’t change a thing.