WARHAMMER 40,000:

LEFT FOR DEAD

An Astra Militarum story

Bred for war, a Death Korps trooper takes the unthinkable step of embracing peace. But in the 41st Millennium, war follows…

After the horrors of war and the devastation of a world, one unnamed trooper from the Death Korps of Krieg – vat-born, grown to be a soldier – has had enough. Removing his uniform, he takes the identity of a fallen civilian and joins the workforce on the world he fought to liberate. But can this soldier overcome his conditioning and training and serve the Imperium in a new way, or will he forever be a warrior of the Astra Militarum?

 

 

 

DOWNLOAD WRITING SAMPLE

Just the opening scenes of a short story set in the military science-fiction world of Warhammer 40,000. This was made available as a download from the Black Library website. My protagonist is a soldier from the Death Korps of Krieg, a famously faceless and emotionless regiment from the Warhammer game. As well as portraying the action and the horrors of war - as always - I wanted to get under the skin of such a character and really see what makes him function.

 

 

 

 

Having been called in to rid an Imperial world of the corruption of Chaos, the Death Korps have now left to continue their endless war elsewhere, leaving the survivors to rebuild and carry on. Left behind is a single Korpsman who makes the unthinkable choice to abandon his regiment and his duty, and attempt to forge a new life, free of war and death.

The Death Korps are a fascinating regiment, and this takes an unusual but compelling look at the potential that lies behind their faceless masks. It’s very, very 40k, a story that uses a familiar but effective technique to portray the cold, almost inhuman Korpsman in contrast with a much more human and relatable character, and cuts to the heart of what life is really like in this dark setting. It offers an intriguing look at a world after the war has concluded and the soldiers moved on, and resolves in a suitably grim but oh-so-appropriate way. Let’s hope there’s more to come along these lines from Lyons.

- Track of Words.com