Chris Wraight’s short story Unification, available in the special edition hardback of The Lords of Silence or the Warriors and Warlords anthology, shows Vorx of the Death Guard – main protagonist of The Lords of Silence – in various earlier incarnations, sort of ‘Vorx through the ages’. When the Death Guard fight alongside Blood Angels in a pre-Heresy compliance, Blood Angels captain Camanio offers Vorx an insult that leaves him speechless. As Vorx recalls his youth on Barbarus fighting by his primarch’s side, the gravity of Camanio’s insult – what it means to the Death Guard – becomes clear. Much later, so too do the consequences.
Moving back and forth in time in this way is an unusual approach for a short story – especially looking back to pre-Heresy time periods – but it’s effective, making for an interesting companion piece to The Lords of Silence. With Vorx’s (largely painful) reminiscences of his youth, it also has a similar feel to James Swallow’s The Buried Dagger, cutting to the core of what life was like on Barbarus and what Mortarion meant to his followers. It definitely feels more Heresy than 40k, and could arguably have been about any Death Guard warrior rather than Vorx specifically, but it’s as well-written and smartly constructed as you’d expect from Wraight and there’s no question it’s a bleakly satisfying tale.
Check out quick reviews of other stories featured in the Warriors and Warlords anthology.
