Thomas Parrott’s Warhammer 40,000 short story Loyal to the End is a tale of Imperial Knights told from the viewpoint of a Knight Armiger pilot, elevated to her position from peasant stock rather than through noble birth. Utterly loyal to House Viti and her liege lord Sir Valeon, Bondswoman Constance battles the forces of Chaos on the beleaguered Forge World of Agripinaa, fighting alongside her fellow Knights until disaster befalls them. Forced to flee and strike out on her own, Constance must find a way back to Imperial forces in time to warn her House of a terrible danger.
It’s instantly interesting to explore this perspective on a 40k faction which is still relatively under-explored, and while not an in-depth examination of either technology or faction hierarchy it nonetheless does a great job of demonstrating the Armiger’s role within a Knight Household. Parrott’s concise prose allows him to cram a lot of narrative action into a short space, and to show Constance and her Armiger Swift Justice in various tricky situations, largely fighting for her life and relying on her wits to see her through as much as her weapons. Set to the backdrop of a Forge World devastated by war, it’s a grim story with little scope for glory, but enough humanity to prove bleakly powerful.
Click this link to buy Loyal to the End as a digital e-short.