Warhammer: The Horus Heresy - Flash Fiction Retrospective

What's new is old and what's old is new - a Forge World mkIII armoured Astartes in the livery of the IXth Legion painted in 2010 (left) alongside an RTB01 mkVI armoured Astartes in the livery of the IXth Legion painted in 2020 (right).

I believe the right phrase for something like this is 'getting my excuses in early', so here goes! This post is going to be quite different from 'the usual' because rather than focusing upon a contemporary painting project, I'd like to take a retrospective look at a piece of flash fic that I originally wrote in 2010 when I regularly frequented the hallowed halls of the Bolter and Chainsword forums.

Before we go any further though, some context to frame the reasons for this retrospective might be useful. If I'm completely honest, while my passion for the setting and the story of the Horus Heresy has remained strong since I first read Horus Rising, False God's and Galaxy in Flames one after the other in 2007, my love for the game itself has definitely waned over the last few years and when grainy pictures purporting to herald a new version leaked in 2021 it did little to lift my spirits. Similarly, the more recent appearance of a slew of what appear to be late stage playtest rules didn't really do much for me either - I'd much rather read everything in proper context than make assumptions based on incomplete snippets and screenshots. 

However, between the previews of the new plastic Praetors, mkVI marines, Contemptors and Spartan Land Raiders over recent weeks and being lucky enough to snag a ticket to the 2022 Horus Heresy Open Day at Warhammer World, I've found that I've begun to feel a bit of a buzz about the new version of the Horus Heresy, or "Heresy 2.0" as it seems to have become known, and I've started to think about what I could, and would like to do with some of the new miniatures. I feel that while I'm quite unlikely to leap into founding a new Legion with both feet, (having tried that a few times before and never to any real degree of success) I would like to get a few bits and pieces to paint up, possibly in the colours of the IXth Legiones Astartes and perhaps even be able to get them on the table if smaller 'game modes' like Zone Mortalis and Tactical Strikes survive the transition to the new rules set.

In thinking about what the future might hold I recalled a project that I'd embarked upon in 2010 called 'Cleanse and Burn' for which I planned to build and paint a squad of Astartes veterans using the then newly released Forge World mkV armour kit. All but one of them, the squad's Sergeant, would be armed with combi-flamers, ostensibly this was so they were better equipped to flush out traitors and heretics, though in reality it was because I was only able to source four combi-flamers at the time.

Having endured the horrors of Signus Prime, the desperate defence of the Imperial Palace during the Siege of Terra, as well as the grief from the death of their Primarch and the loss of Emperor, these battered survivors would be recruited to join one of the retribution fleets as the Loyalists embarked upon The Scouring. I had intended to tell their story in serial as the project progressed but as is so often the case, circumstances conspired in such a fashion that it never came to fruition and only a couple of 'chapters' of their tale were written - although, the Rhino I had planned for the squad to use would see new life in a different guise.

Inspired by both the past and the future then, I initiated a search through the data storage stacks for 'Cleanse and Burn', cleaned up the returns and ran them through my editing buffers and present the following for your edification:

The wicked are sure of their wages, sooner or later. 

                                                The Poet Tchapyn. fl. M1

"...but with the Warmaster's death the Heresy is over is it not?" enquired Helion. "Not until every one of those he counted as his followers have breathed their last '' Solosae growled. "A prescient answer indeed" said a voice heavy with anguish. The squad of scarlet clad veteran Astartes turned to regard the speaker and as one, came smartly to attention. "Lord, we..." Adelo began to respond before thinking better of it.

"As you were" said Chapter Master Raldoron, not unkindly. Few had endured what the IXth had since The Betrayal and he was willing to make some allowances as a result. "It is a time for both joy and sadness my brothers." he continued, "Joy that we have broken the back of the Warmaster's rebellion and driven his forces from the soil of Terra and sadness for all that it has cost us." The squad of veterans cast their eyes down, their warplate growling as the autoreactive pauldrons attempted to mimic the fall of their shoulders as their master's words resonated in their very souls. "But Solosae has the truth if it I'm afraid, there is to be no respite for our work is only half done"

"An undertaking awaits us again at last, Ral?" asked Veteran Sergeant Valias, direct as ever. “We are ill-suited to such inactivity” he said, glancing sidelong at Helion and Solosae “it does not become us”. "An undertaking indeed” replied Raldoron, ignoring Valias’ informality. He had earned as much. “We shall visit retribution upon those who did this” he said, gesturing at the collapsed ruins around them. Despite the weight he now bore upon his shoulders, the Chapter Master’s eyes burned with conviction. "And I want you all at my side as I kick over the rocks those traitor bastards are cowering beneath and put them to the sword".

Valias smiled grimly and hefted his bolter, the mica edged teeth of its chainblade attachment glinting menacingly as he did so. "Perhaps we can salve our wounds and still our tongues in the task set before us?" he asked, casting his eyes over the members of his squad. The four of them inclined their heads in agreement. "When do we begin?" he asked. "Admirable enthusiasm Valias," said Raldoron, returning Valias' smile and spinning on his heel "With me if you please Sergeant…"

***

With a whisper of hydraulics the casing of the arming rack slid back to reveal five newly forged boltguns with auxiliary flame units integrated into their sable casings. Stacked beneath them were flasks of promethium that dimly reflected the weak light of Sol along with rows of freshly stamped magazines and cartons of bolt rounds marked with waxen seals in a variety of colours.. "Behold brothers” Raldoron declared, motioning to the stowed weapons. “I have charged you with an undertaking, now I offer you the tools which will aid you in its completion"

The five Astartes stepped towards the arming rack, four of them taking up a bolter each and beginning to examine them. "Is there a problem Sergeant?" he asked, genuinely concerned. "Not at all" replied Sergeant Valias turning to face the Chapter Master, "I mean no disrespect" he continued, “these are a fine gift, but this…” he glanced down and patted the Umbra pattern bolter mag-locked at his side "... this, has been with me since the muster at the Fields of Winged Victory". "It has yet to fail me in the prosecution of my enemies and so I hope you will understand my desire to finish this war with this boltgun, my boltgun in my hands".

Raldoron considered Valias’ response for a moment before replying. "Aye" he said "you are right Valias. To have come so far through all of this… it would not serve to cast aside such a useful tool while there is work for it yet" he continued, placing his hand upon the battered ceramite of Valias's pauldron "perhaps these might interest you though?" he said, extending his other hand towards the bolt rounds in the arming rack "the Armourers tell me that the Mechanicus are calling them Vengeance rounds..."

I've been thinking about how I engage with hobbying quite a lot over the last couple of years and have come to the realisation that I was missing writing stories and exploring backgrounds to flesh out and add depth to projects like I used to 'back in the old days'. I think it was getting involved in The War of the False Primarch project last year that really helped me to appreciate this and I've been enjoying writing quite regularly again since then, even if it's just a handful of lines or a quote to preface a blog post. On that basis, I think that if I do pick up some of the new kits from the Horus Heresy range, I'll probably try and write some of the story of each unit and perhaps tie them into some of the events from the Siege of Terra novels.

In the meantime though, as always thanks for reading  and I hope you enjoyed the meandering departure from the usual fayre.