Probably as close as we’ll ever get to a dark eldar love story from Black Library, JC Stearns’ Void Crossed deals with the fallout from the broken relationship between two ambitious drukhari corsairs. For Archon Melandyr, the chance to claim a webway gate on the world of Dunwiddian – abandoned after the humans died and the orks got bored – is of little interest until he hears who’s leading the force sent to take control of it by the craftworld Tir-Val. Sensing an opportunity for vengeance long sought-after, he pours all his spite into hunting down the person most important to him.
It’s a delicious conceit, with the relationship between Melandyr and Ciortash, from hot-blooded beginnings to bitter conclusion, cleverly representing the state of the aeldari race in microcosm. The divided nature of the aeldari – emphasised more than ever with the presence of the Ynnari – offers a fantastic backdrop for Stearns to set his story against, and through careful structuring he slowly builds up the characters and reveals the depths of their feud even as the inevitable confrontation draws closer. It’s another example of how well Stearns writes aeldari – and in particular drukhari – stories, brilliantly capturing the essence of these characters and telling a tremendously satisfying tale at the same time.
It’s not the only Dark Eldar love story. Look up the old short story Mistress Baeda’s Gift by Braden Campbell. I believe it’s still in their 25 for 25 collection.