Cepheus by Braden Campbell, the eleventh and final short story in Black Library’s Deathwatch mini-series (now also available in a single volume entitled Deathwatch : Ignition), sees the return of Chaplain Cassius and serves to loosely tie the whole series together. Petitioning a council of Watch Captains for approval of a rescue mission, Cassius finds himself retelling the events on Port Cepheus that led to him being there and the necessity of going in search of his absent brothers. Under the scrutiny of three Watch Captains however he finds his decisions being questioned, and starts to see the undercurrent of politics that runs through even the Deathwatch.
It’s a clever story this, serving as it does multiple purposes. Primarily it tells the story of Cassius’ previous mission and the events that led up to his petition, but it also (eventually) gives a little context to the rest of this series, and roots all of these stories in a particularly interesting period of 40k history as the Imperium is just about to get its first real taste of the Tyranid menace. There are a couple of questions left unanswered that perhaps leave a bit of a strange taste after reading, but overall it’s a cleverly plotted, well thought out and nicely executed story that achieves all of its objectives.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the review.
– Braden
I’ve just finished reading this at the end of deathwatch ignition and really want to know if there is a sequel (or future sequel) to Cepheus about
Cassius going to Ghosar Quintus.