David Annandale’s short story The Vorago Fastness, available either in the Deathwatch: Xenos Hunters anthology or as a standalone ebook, brings together Space Marines of some of the most unusual Chapters, including the Black Dragons and the Sons of Antaeus. Tasked with recovering an ancient relic from within the Vorago Fastness, a city-sized prison-turned-mining facility, the Deathwatch kill team must battle against the (at that point) still mysterious Necrons to reach their prize. Along the way they see up close what happens when a world offers up its services as a prison for hire…
The Vorago Fastness is almost literally a secure hole in which to drop anyone unwelcome, and provides a bleak demonstration of how unpleasant life in the Imperium can be as the backdrop to the mission. On the one hand this story is a classic kill team tale, albeit with some unusual protagonists, but on the other hand it’s almost a political statement in itself. It certainly provides an interesting insight into a less well seen side of the Inquisition, by way of a range of characters who stand a little off centre compared to what we’re used to seeing. As a linear action story it’s well paced and structured, but the unusual characters add an enjoyable extra level of complexity and detail. It also ties in loosely with Annandale’s novel The Death of Antagonis, should you fancy any further reading.
One comment