Knights Errant stories

[veterannoob]

Quick reads leading up to new stories on Friday. Already published but now in e-book. Then new stories are, well, new:) I'm wondering if these are Patience and Speak Not by James Swallow. I'm stoked for those! :)

[Carach]

bought the first one but i already have the others already via audiobook when they were first released. 

 

kind of irritating heh. First story is a nice one though (Luna Mendax)

[LupusAegis]

Indeed they are Patience and Ghosts speak not up now on the BL site

[Carach]

ghosts speak not is awesome. 

 

trying to resist powering through Patience right away otherwise im back to having nothing new to read tonight heh

[ZebraM]

http://www.blacklibrary.com/horus-heresy/hh-feat/ghosts-speak-not-patience-eshort.html?utm_source=BlackLibrary.com&utm_campaign=593eef56a8-2016-01-29+New+HH+novelette&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_781f7c7929-593eef56a8-114593453

[Tymell]

BL is having fun with their terminology again I see :p "a novelette and a short story" = "A short story and a micro-short".

 

Which is not to say they're bad. But BL needs to stop trying to make these things sound like more than they really are.

[Carach]

i think they've seen some of the other threads here debating novels/novellas etc and are taking mocking shots at us :P

 

they are short stories. though ghosts speak not is longer than the average short, but shorter than a novella. so they arent exactly lying in their descriptions heh

[ZebraM]

They should of called it a micro-anthology.

[Calas Typhon]

‘You can execute me,’ Proge smiled, ‘but do you have enough blades and bolt shells to execute an entire city?’ He rose slowly to his feet. ‘A whole planet?’

‘We’ll see,’ said Kyda, and cut the Aristarch’s throat.

 

Ghosts Speak Not was fantastic. It was a really good read and actually sort of concluded what happened with all the rest of the Death Guard that accompanied Garro.

[Nineswords]

Agree with Cthonia. I'm a fan of Swallow's Garro series but Ghosts is definitely a highlight - both fascinating and chilling in equal measure. Highly recommended.

[Calas Typhon]

So, I thought because I am such a nice guy, I would quickly write a spoiler for Ghosts Speak Not because I am horrendously bored.

 

Ghosts Speak Not:

Ghosts Speak Not starts off with the introduction of three of our "main" characters. A woman named Qelvyn from shenlong, a man named Vasado and a Pariah, whom bares visual similarities to the Silent Sisters, in fact, we find out that she is the same Amendera Kendel that was in Flight of the Eisenstein. Apparently, because Amendera has decided to turn on her oaths of a Sister of Silence the other Sisters dispiser her as she has become an agent of the sigilite, which she and the two others mentioned above are.

 

I would like to add that there is a reference that the Silent Sisters and Malcador are not exactly close. One of Amendera's friends comments on her return: "What errand has Malcador sent you on? The Sisterhood will not participate in his elaborate schemes." 

 

The group then make their way to "The Seventy" who are the Death Guard under Garro's command whom were locked away on Luna although the numbers are well diminished, It turns out that they are still not to be trusted 1-2 years after the events of their return with the Eisenstein. We are introduced to Bajun Kyda and Helig Gallor the former being named "the Bull of the Seventh" for his quite obvious size and martial prowess, as we are show a spar between him and an unnamed legionary, and the latter being a grave but strong character. Amendera shows some sympathy and regret for the position the Death Guard are in and it is made quite clear that most of the Legionaries will have trouble getting away from the lockup. However she presents a mission to the seventy that would give them an option to be free of the shackles, not out of choice of the higher powers, but because no one really knows what to do with them. (Which the Death Guard have figured out at the time) So rather than waiting for the Primarch to turn up at Terra so the Legionaries can have words, they are persuaded to join in the mission and become muscle rather than possibly killing another in inaction, or dying of boredom and uselessness, It is also of note that they are the only two that wish to join the mission, the rest shun her request.

 

There another nod to a previous member from the Eisenstein which was Voyen, whom seems to have disappeared with a group of sisters and has found death presumably. 

 

The crew, now with Kyda and Gallor, set off to Proxima Majoris, the mission is to find out the source of messages that are being sent off into the warp and being intercepted by astropaths on Terra. Amendera and co are assigned to terminate the astropath sending out the message, presumably to Horus, and whoever is controlling them, silently, as they do not wish for the government divided on accounts of treachery.

 

As the crew land on the Capital world of Proximan Majoris and arrive at the Governors palace it is made quite evident that the ruling Aristarch and his company are visibly shocked at the guests they have, not because of the arrival, but who they are or more importantly who the Legionaries are. On questioning if there was a problem, Kendel assures the Loyalty to the Emperor the Legionaries have, staying loyal over Mortarion. In a masterful and when I say masterful, I really mean, its quite clear this guy is the bad guy, the Aristarch provides help for the crew under Warden Habeth and lets them get on with what they want to do.

 

Jump 4 days, when Vasado, one of the humans is killed off screen really suspiciously. He is flattened by a truck, killing everyone who witnessed it and the driver. The helper that was assigned, Warden Habeth, dismisses it as something that happens all the time, and terrible luck and there is no chance of conspiracy. Kendel and co decide that it was in fact a conspiracy and go to check out what Vasado was looking at when he died, the Astropathic Spire. Kendel being the hard ass she is, decides to go straight in. Being a Silent Sister, this did not turn out great for the Astropaths, who are pretty much tortured by her being there and asked about the signals being sent off world and the obvious attempted cover ups of the signal. It is made out that the traitor is not at the spire by the lead Astropath, until a massive explosion is heard and one escapes from the place, the group comes under heavy fire, which the Death Guard charge straight through and slaughter the attackers. There is then a chase scene, which leads them to a refinery, which is manned quite heavily until the two Legionaries butcher them, then they reach the rogue Astropath who fled. He complains that he will not go to the black ships, and he had no choice in the matter. He is then killed by a sniper commanded by Warden Habeth.

 

Believing the Mission a success, but not satisfied that it was accomplished the crew return to space. The ships Astropath, Pau Yei, who played a minor role in the story so far explains that the man they killed she knew quite well and he would never voluntarily abandon the Emperor and his oaths, this explains the trace that Terra pick up. It seems that the dead Astropath left on purpose an Echo to be found, leaving the case still open.

 

The group is split into two teams, Kyda and Kendel, and Gallor, Pau Yei and the other human that is still alive. Kyda and Kendel will head to the Aristarch and give them a suprise, most likely to inform them that the investigation is not over (or they have figured out the real problem) and Gallor, Pau Yei and the other meat shield will head off to find the dead Astropaths body for inspection.

 

Kyda and Kendel find a massive party going on in the Aristarchs mansion, Kyda boots the doors off the hinges and the two approach the systems rulers. In a very short amount of time, to the readers surprise. SHOCK. The Aristarch is a bad guy and his allegiance is voiced to the former Sister and Kyda. Quite irritated, Kendel then orders Kyda to take the Aristarch outside for execution in front of the populace of the world to make an example. It seems however that plan does not fall, It turns out the worlds have been under the Warmaster all along, they were never under the Emperor's loyalty, It was not the rulers that had turned, but the whole planets. The crowds around them were filled with zeal and belief in Horus, The Aristarch then asks ‘You can execute me, but do you have enough blades and bolt shells to execute an entire city? or a whole planet?’ to which Kyda responds 'We'll see' and then slits the Aristarchs throat in front of the crowd. He is then swarmed by the populace to an unknown fate as Kendel escapes.

 

Kendel is then picked up by Gallor, who's team did not really have a smooth sail either, Warden Habeth ambushed and is killed by the three that went in search of the dead Astropath who they had found and it was made clear to them that he was implanted with a Mechanicum agonizer device. The group return to their ship and discuss their options. Kendel weighs what would happen with a whole populace turned to the Warmaster and orders Exterminatus on the planet. The first under the authority of the Sigilite, something that even the Primarchs are not really allowed and are un-authorized to do.
 

[DarkChaplain]

Does anybody know who Malcador's Agentia Secundus is? Garro is his Agentia Primus, and Kendell turns out to be Tertius. Who's the second? Was that mentioned anywhere before? I don't remember Nagasena or anybody else picking up the role yet.

[Calas Typhon]

Does anybody know who Malcador's Agentia Secundus is? Garro is his Agentia Primus, and Kendell turns out to be Tertius. Who's the second? Was that mentioned anywhere before? I don't remember Nagasena or anybody else picking up the role yet.

Iacton Qruze is/was Secundus