A necron-tinged Deathwatch short story from Anthony Reynolds, available as a standalone e-short or within the Deathwatch: Xenos Hunters anthology (or indeed Deathwatch: The Omnibus), The Infinite Tableau sees a small Deathwatch squad investigating the disappearance of an Adeptus Mechanicus mission on a remote, ice-locked moon. Cassiel of the Blood Angels leads brothers from the White Scars and Mortifactors chapters, first exploring their frozen surroundings before finding themselves fighting for their lives as the fate of the Adeptus Mechanicus explorers becomes unpleasantly clear.
On the face of things it’s a standard Deathwatch story, albeit one that reduces the normal mixture of chapters down to three from the usual five. There’s certainly plenty of the usual Deathwatch elements, but straight away the reduced cast gives the main characters room to breathe, helped by a careful pace that gradually builds as the story progresses. There’s plenty of action once it all kicks off, but that’s the least interesting element of the story, with the character work what sets it apart from the usual fare. The reason for having Cassiel as the main protagonist becomes apparent as the denouement approaches, playing upon the Blood Angel’s nature to create a powerful impact as the story concludes. Cleverly plotted and nicely written, this is a great little story.
