The Astral Knights can trace their genetic heritage back to the Imperial Fists. They are stubborn and tenacious, but their highly developed sense of honour can lead to friction between battle-brothers. When a mission goes wrong, two Astral Knights decide the only way to settle the matter is to fight a duel – even though Chapter law frowns on this course of action. Can a fight to the death really resolve the question of who was right, as the victor will be exiled from the Chapter in disgrace? It's two Space Marines coming to blows – and that's not something you see every day. The story contrasts the ebb and flow of their duel with the twists and turns that led to it in a tale that tells you a whole lot about the Astral Knights and their code of honour.
Author
Sandy Mitchell is a pseudonym of Alex Stewart, who has been a full-time writer since the mid nineteen eighties. The majority of his work as Sandy has been tie-in fiction for Games Workshop's Warhammer fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 science fiction lines. The exceptions have been a novelisation of episodes from the high tech thriller series Bugs, for which he also worked as a scriptwriter under his own name, some Warhammer roleplaying game material, and a scattering of short stories and magazine articles. His hobbies include the martial arts of Aikido and Iaido, miniature wargaming, role-playing games, and pottering about on the family allotment. He lives in the North Essex village of Earls Colne, with his wife Judith and daughter Hester.
