A stylised but brilliantly effective short story, Gav Thorpe’s By Your Command ties into his novel Imperator: Wrath of the Omnissiah (it’s included in the special edition hardback) by virtue of its setting, but works very well as a standalone. Deep within the Imperator Titan Casus Belli, a maniple of Kastelan battle robots is awakened and tasked with defending the Titan against invading Heretic Astartes. Told from the perspective of the Kastelan Alpha-6-Terror, it’s a story which delves into the inner workings and thought processes of the robot even as the bolt shells are flying.
You might not expect a lot of personality from a robot, but Gav imbues Alpha-6-Terror with a surprising sense of identity as it pulls and pushes at the limitations of its programming. It provides an unusual viewpoint, complete with occasionally amusing command strings and coolly analytical responses to everything from tactical instructions to the frequencies and effects of sonic weaponry. Casus Belli provides the setting for the story but there’s little detail provided, instead focusing on the small-scale conflict taking place within the Titan and the occasional ways in which Alpha-6-Terror taps into the tiny amount of humanity that exists within its armoured shell. It’s not your usual 40k story, but it’s great fun.
