One of three Ursarkar E. Creed short stories by Justin D. Hill, and the second to be released as a standalone e-short, Lost Hope sees Creed looking for a new way to win the war he’s embroiled in, desperate to return to Cadia. When he and Sergeant Kell head to the ice world of Lost Hope in order to conscript its population of penal workers, what appeared to be a straightforward mission quickly becomes far more dangerous as they stumble upon evidence that the enemy is already ahead of them.
Best read as a companion piece to Last Step Backwards – you can find all three Creed stories in the Legends of the Dark Millennium: Astra Militarum collection – this is a small-scale story that shows Creed and Kell away from the massed ranks of guardsmen, and forced to improvise. It’s a neat little character study that hints at events in Creed’s history while demonstrating, at least in part, what makes him so good at what he does. It’s pacy and full of action and excitement, but still vividly drawn and characterful. Try the other two for more ‘standard’ Imperial Guard tales, but enjoy this one for a more personal adventure story.
