We're all aware of the infamous Blood Angels/Necrons team-up to stomp the Tyranids from the Blood Angels codex that provoked this image;
Well in reality, according to the recently released short story The Word of the Silent King by LJ Goulding, it was nothing like that at all. It was a much tenser alliance that both sides intended to backstab at the earliest opportunity, even the honourable Blood Angels. In fact the Necrons were the least treacherous since they at least made sure the Angels survived, albeit mauled, but the Angels would have eradicated the Necrons if they had the chance. The story reveals a lot about the events at Gehenna, here is some info and my examination of it;
First Gehenna begins with the Necron Legions attacking the planet, a planet that according to the Angels has been invaded many many times before by lots of different xenos armies, but the reason behind their attack is more altruistic than it appears. The story reveals that the Silent King Szarekh tracks Hive Fleets through space and is constantly battling against them, and pretty much only them, and he tracked a fleet to Gehenna. He invaded the world to use it as a base to end this Hive Fleet and prevent them from destroying Gehenna and using it's biomass to further invade that particular sector, but the Angels assumed the Necrons were taking the planet for themselves and responded. The Necrons were trying to save the Imperial sector.
As the two sides clash Szarekh offers an alliance to Dante through the Judicator-Prime of his court. Dante, Tycho and a young Machavi, the future Captain of the Third after Tycho falls and dies at Armageddon, go for two reasons; first to see exactly what the Necrons are offering them, and second because the Silent King, who the story reveals the Ordo Xenos doubts that he actually exists, is supposedly there and they want to see him, and kill him. They secretly brought a cyclonic warhead with them and planned to detonate it in the meeting, but the Necrons are courteous and fair. They don't flip out when the Angels refuse to bow before Szarekh, and the Silent King even honours them by wearing a Death Mask of Sanguinius that he carved himself after meeting the Primarch at an unspecified time in the past, the SK's mask is a bit more elongated and androgynous than Dante's (Which we know means that the SK's is more accurate), though the Angels are offended by it. The meeting goes as well as you could expect until the Silent King speaks to Dante in a whisper, after this Dante accepts the alliance.
However both sides screw each other. The Necrons use the Angels as cannon fodder, putting them in the heaviest fighting and just supporting them enough, and do not mention that the fleet is actually alright and leave the Angels to handle all the space fighting. By the end the Angels have been mauled, and have realized the truth, but before they can do anything the Silent King and his forces have left Gehenna in pursuit of yet another Hive Fleet. Machavi says that he will alter the records to say that Dante allowed the Necrons to leave in recognition of their unexpected aid, and leaves out any mention of the Silent King, as it's implied if he leaves it in the Inquisition will come down hard on the Blood Angels as they will hold the view that the Angels should have sacrificed themselves to kill such a notable xenos warlord, and that killing the Silent King would have been more important than destroying the Hive Fleet in their eyes. Dante says that the Silent King told him, (regarding the Tyranids) "They are the rising storm, and you must become the shield."
The Silent King knows about the Cryptus Shieldworlds and about the encroaching Tyranid attack on them.
After having read this story I am convinced that LJ Goulding is the man to take all of the lore that we have been divided over; Mortarion and Draigo, the Khornate Grey Knights, the Blood Angel and Necron team-up, etc, and turn them into stories that make for damn good reading. Not only does this story take the implausible idea of an alliance between the Blood Angels and the Necrons and make it not only an possibility, it also makes it enjoyable and offers background to the idea that begs for it's own story. In this instance it is the hints towards the Silent King having met Sanguinius and what might have been;
I greatly enjoyed this story, another piece of love/hate lore redeemed by LJ Goulding in my opinion. Hopefully next he'll tackle the Khornate Grey Knights, because I think they would make a brilliant short story or even a novella.
LotN
Well in reality, according to the recently released short story The Word of the Silent King by LJ Goulding, it was nothing like that at all. It was a much tenser alliance that both sides intended to backstab at the earliest opportunity, even the honourable Blood Angels. In fact the Necrons were the least treacherous since they at least made sure the Angels survived, albeit mauled, but the Angels would have eradicated the Necrons if they had the chance. The story reveals a lot about the events at Gehenna, here is some info and my examination of it;
First Gehenna begins with the Necron Legions attacking the planet, a planet that according to the Angels has been invaded many many times before by lots of different xenos armies, but the reason behind their attack is more altruistic than it appears. The story reveals that the Silent King Szarekh tracks Hive Fleets through space and is constantly battling against them, and pretty much only them, and he tracked a fleet to Gehenna. He invaded the world to use it as a base to end this Hive Fleet and prevent them from destroying Gehenna and using it's biomass to further invade that particular sector, but the Angels assumed the Necrons were taking the planet for themselves and responded. The Necrons were trying to save the Imperial sector.
As the two sides clash Szarekh offers an alliance to Dante through the Judicator-Prime of his court. Dante, Tycho and a young Machavi, the future Captain of the Third after Tycho falls and dies at Armageddon, go for two reasons; first to see exactly what the Necrons are offering them, and second because the Silent King, who the story reveals the Ordo Xenos doubts that he actually exists, is supposedly there and they want to see him, and kill him. They secretly brought a cyclonic warhead with them and planned to detonate it in the meeting, but the Necrons are courteous and fair. They don't flip out when the Angels refuse to bow before Szarekh, and the Silent King even honours them by wearing a Death Mask of Sanguinius that he carved himself after meeting the Primarch at an unspecified time in the past, the SK's mask is a bit more elongated and androgynous than Dante's (Which we know means that the SK's is more accurate), though the Angels are offended by it. The meeting goes as well as you could expect until the Silent King speaks to Dante in a whisper, after this Dante accepts the alliance.
However both sides screw each other. The Necrons use the Angels as cannon fodder, putting them in the heaviest fighting and just supporting them enough, and do not mention that the fleet is actually alright and leave the Angels to handle all the space fighting. By the end the Angels have been mauled, and have realized the truth, but before they can do anything the Silent King and his forces have left Gehenna in pursuit of yet another Hive Fleet. Machavi says that he will alter the records to say that Dante allowed the Necrons to leave in recognition of their unexpected aid, and leaves out any mention of the Silent King, as it's implied if he leaves it in the Inquisition will come down hard on the Blood Angels as they will hold the view that the Angels should have sacrificed themselves to kill such a notable xenos warlord, and that killing the Silent King would have been more important than destroying the Hive Fleet in their eyes. Dante says that the Silent King told him, (regarding the Tyranids) "They are the rising storm, and you must become the shield."
The Silent King knows about the Cryptus Shieldworlds and about the encroaching Tyranid attack on them.
After having read this story I am convinced that LJ Goulding is the man to take all of the lore that we have been divided over; Mortarion and Draigo, the Khornate Grey Knights, the Blood Angel and Necron team-up, etc, and turn them into stories that make for damn good reading. Not only does this story take the implausible idea of an alliance between the Blood Angels and the Necrons and make it not only an possibility, it also makes it enjoyable and offers background to the idea that begs for it's own story. In this instance it is the hints towards the Silent King having met Sanguinius and what might have been;
So at one point in the past, Szarekh the Silent King met Sanguinius and offered him an alliance, an alliance that Szarekh believes could have prevented the Tyranids from ever coming to the Milky Way in the first place. What exactly did he want Sanguinius to do?? Why didn't this alliance occur?? How long has Szarekh been preparing the galaxy for the coming of the Tyranids?? A lot of questions come from this story, and I hope that we might get to see some Heresy-era Blood Angels interacting with the Necrons, that would make for a damn good story.The Word of the Silent King said:
I greatly enjoyed this story, another piece of love/hate lore redeemed by LJ Goulding in my opinion. Hopefully next he'll tackle the Khornate Grey Knights, because I think they would make a brilliant short story or even a novella.
LotN