A Lesson in Iron (Short Story)
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| Author | David Guymer[1] |
| Publisher | Black Library |
| Series | Horus Heresy: The Primarchs |
| Released | December 2018[1] |
| Collected in | Black Library Events Anthology (2017/18) Heirs of The Emperor Loyal Sons |
A Lesson in Iron is a short story by David Guymer in the Horus Heresy: The Primarchs series focusing on Ferrus Manus and the Iron Hands.[1]
Cover Description
At the height of the Great Crusade, the Fist of Iron, the mighty flagship of the Iron Hands Space Marine Legion, pursues an ork cruiser into the pull of a dangerous warp rift. A rare phenomenon, little is known about the rift, but Ferrus Manus, who commands the powerful warship, is about to learn more than he wishes as something emerges from the rift. Something impossible. An Iron Hands warship that seems to be from the future...[1]
Synopsis
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The following paragraphs contain spoilers for: | A Lesson in Iron (Short Story) |
Escorted by the Venom Class Destroyer Strontium Wave, the Fist of Iron engages a trio of Ork Kill Kroozers near a Warp anomaly about a dozen light years from the Krooked Klaw Empire. A fourth ship unexpectedly appears on sensors, though Sergeant Gabriel Santar determined it to be an Iron Hands Strike Cruiser. In response, Primarch Ferrus Manus led a boarding party composed of himself, Sergeants Santar and Harik Morn, Mechanicum representative Xanthus, and some Scouts.[Needs Citation]
Scouts Arkal Metrician, Sharik Borrgan, Ruugal, Jerek, Lagethar, Zaegerr, and Scout Sergeants Salem Hektur and Boros explore the bowels of the ship and encounter hostile ethereal xenoforms that cannot be harmed by normal weapons. They suffer heavy casualties in attempting to retaliate. Meanwhile as Ferrus and the others approach the bridge, Morn and Xanthus find no living crew but discover evidence that the ship came from the future, namely the exaggerated occultism in the servitors and control interfaces and slight deviations in access protocols. Upon the command platform of the bridge they discover an Iron Hands corpse, full of bionics that Ferrus deems reminiscent of orkish crudeness. Ferrus resolves not to let this happen to his children while he lived, but then his party comes under attack from the ethereal xenos.[Needs Citation]
As with the scouts, the Sergeants' weapons fail to harm the entities, but Ferrus obliterated one with Forgebreaker. Santar draws his gladius and begins stabbing at the xenos, which surprisingly injures them, causing Ferrus to think it might be the Warp conditions and maybe Santar's fury actually damaging the creatures and not his blade.[Needs Citation]
Ferrus then issues a fighting withdrawal order from the derelict. Morn was hesitant to leave a Legion ship in the hands of xenos while Xanthus thought of the technological advancements that might be discovered, but Ferrus wanted no part in the future this ship represented. For some time he had been looking for a First Captain, with Morn and Santar being frontliners, and Santar's impressive performance made Ferrus settle on who gets to be promoted.[Needs Citation]
See also
Sources
- 1: Black Library: A Lesson in Iron (saved archive page, dated 24 December 2024, last accessed 20 February 2025, original link: https://www.blacklibrary.com/the-horus-heresy/quick-reads/advent-2018-9-a-lesson-in-iron-eshort.html)
