As requested in the other thread, here is the first of a selection of extracts from the upcoming TFTGC anthology. Enjoy!


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WHERE ARE WE GOING THIS TIME?

by Will Raffle (AKA Titus Pullo)



THE DULL HUM of the engines and cogitators permeated every deck and every room on the warship. It was the background noise to life for all in the Imperial Navy, for those in the Imperial Army it was a nagging companion, reminding them of the tedium and claustrophobia of barrack life which they couldn’t escape until planet-fall. There the soldier’s life was little better than living in a penal colony. Exercise shift was an hour each day and the rest of that time was confined to quarters and the mess. It was the fourth week of the 33rd Arkus Reavers’ voyage.

‘Where are we going this time?’
‘I don’t know. Some sort of mop-up operation, the Captain said.’
Lucas was preoccupied. He was sitting on his bunk, stripping and cleaning his lasgun. There seemed to be a few spots of rust inside the power-pack chamber. He tried to get his fingers inside so he could give it a harder brush with the steel wool but he was having difficulty squeezing them into the small space without skinning his knuckles on the metal. He could tell by the tone of his comrade’s voice that this would be the beginning of a rant. He kept his hands busy and his thoughts empty.
‘Why is it always us?’ Semshev didn’t wait for a reply. ‘How would this crusade get anywhere if we didn’t wade in after the glory’s been gained? The Astartes would just go round and round in circles coming back to re-pacify the worlds they had already won. And what do we get? The chance of getting shot in the back by fanatics and lobo-jobs who want to prove their god is better than the Emperor. I could bleed to death in a scummy back street and no one would remember my services to humanity but the Astartes get all the songs sung about their great heroes. They’d get plenty of women too, if they were interested...’

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good job man
i got a kick out of the last line as well :D

That did make me chuckle... the rest of the story is excellent too but you'll all have to wait for the finished anthology! :D

:lol: Thats a great line. Really good story too, as far as I can see from whats there.

Hehe, nice, I like it so far! The rant just made my day! :lol: