Available either as a standalone e-short or within the Dan Abnett-edited Sabbat Crusade anthology, Rob Sanders’ The Blood Bound is an Iron Snakes short story which follows on from an early Gaunt’s Ghosts tale. Sergeant Porphyrian and Squad Orpheon have been tasked by the Ordo Hereticus to investigate the disappearance of a Commissariat ship carrying the notorious heretic Sholen Skara. Finding the defiled corpse of the vessel in orbit above an eerily silent Imperial world, it soon becomes clear that while their orders are to retrieve Skara alive, that might just be easier said than done.
It’s strangely satisfying to see the Iron Snakes and the Ghosts intersect like this, and while the Ghosts don’t appear in person, Gaunt’s choices hang over the story – and Porphyrian doesn’t think much of the distant Colonel-Commissar. To begin with it’s a pretty standard Space Marine story, and it takes a while to really get going, but as the Iron Snakes increasingly get stuck in and the scale of Skara’s exploits is revealed, it turns into something unexpectedly dark and disgusting. It’s a little tough to properly warm to Porphyrian, but there’s a certain grim satisfaction to be had in watching him stolidly complete his mission. Overall it’s enjoyable, if not exceptional.
