They were the best of the best. Now they are all that is left.

When Cadia fell, a handful of traumatised survivors found themselves stranded on a ruined redoubt world carved apart by rival cults. Since then, the Kasrkin veterans known as the Tattershields have anchored the crumbling Imperial defence, holding back the overwhelming might of the Archenemy with sabotage, assassinations and unbreakable discipline. Their commander, Sergeant Kostantin Taikon, is an inspiration to the beleaguered defenders. But he is haunted by guilt and consumed by fatalism, numbly fighting on with no hope of victory or atonement.

The Imperials’ grip on the planet is slipping. Infiltrators sow discord in their ranks, and a sadistic new enemy is bearing down upon them. But when all hope is dead, only defiance remains, and Taikon will lead his indomitable Kasrkin to the bitter end.