Tales of the Amber Vipers Chapter 6

The sound of shots rang through the air, rolling over the hills and moors. It was an unusual retort, neither the sharp crackle of lasguns nor the flat bang-drone-bang of bolters. Instead it was a high-pitched whine, sounding like the air was being torn apart by fantastically fast energy pulses. The noise trundled over the hills, carrying for miles, a clear beacon for any with the ears to hear.

The source of this disturbance was a small town, little bigger than a village. It was a singularly unimpressive place, a collection of drab homes and assorted other buildings. A school, a pub, a forge and a temple. Places like this could be found across the wilderness, tiny outposts of civilisation for the few farmers in the area. It was the merest seed from which a city would one day grow but such an endeavour would take centuries to complete. Until then it was just one more dot on the map, an island surrounded by hundreds of miles of empty moor. Yet today someone was taking an interest. Among the narrow streets shots were fired, mixed with faint cries of anger and distress. It seemed ludicrous that any advanced army could be interested in such a place and yet the sounds of battle were unmistakable. Someone was attacking the village, while the inhabitants fought back as best they could.

Sergeant Reddam observed this from afar, taking in the situation through a pair of magnifying glasses. He was laying flat on the crest of a hill, his carapace armour slick with moisture from the vegetation. He was keeping low to not present a silhouette on the horizon but it was barely necessary. He was many miles from the battle and even to his enhanced eyes it was a strain to see what was going on. For a heartbeat he wished for his old Power Armour's autosenses, or a strike cruiser in orbit to relay surveillance picts, but he would have to make do. Alongside him lay Joffel, Tebes and Kazao, all observing the battle with keen interest. Glord and Larus were absent, standing guard over the bikes in a small valley behind them, lest they be surprised by a wandering foe.

Reddam observed the battle keenly but he was puzzled by what he beheld and silently pondered the implications. Then Joffel impatiently hissed, "What are we waiting for? Let's get over there!"

Reddam shook his head and said, "We have no idea what's going on."

"It's only a couple of squads," Joffel exclaimed, "We can take them, it will be a glorious victory!"

Tebes spoke up then, "Listen to that noise, that's Xenos weaponry at work. Only the best of the Rebels receive those."

Kazao agreed, "This is baffling, that village has no strategic or tactical importance. Why would the rebel scum send their best troops to conquer a target of no value?"

Reddam agreed, "I'm not charging in all guns blazing until I know more. Give me options."

Joffel shrugged, "We could sneak closer and find a vulnerability."

Tebes countered, "That would take too long on foot and the bikes are too conspicuous. I say we vox for a Thunderhawk and level the whole village from on high."

Reddam was hissed in surprise, "That village is loyal to the Imperium, you would simply level it?"

Tebes didn't even blink as he said, "There is no strategic value to the objective, we gain nothing from protecting that slum."

"I would prefer to do this up close and personal but his idea works," Joffel reluctantly agreed.

Reddam was disturbed by the callous suggestion but he was relieved to hear Kazao objecting, "Are none of you concerned that Imperial citizens are under attack?"

"Worthless ones," Tebes responded brutally, "Mortal lives are short anyway, come back in fifty years and all those men will be long dead. Why risk our lives when an airstrike is more efficient?"

Reddam cut over the argument saying, "It won't work, the Chapter's two Thunderhawks are both dedicated to supporting Primus Cohort, they won't divert for anything less than an emergency."

Tebes took this phlegmatically and proposed, "Then we should let the enemy attack proceed and while they're distracted we get ahead of their route and ambush them when they leave the village."

But Kazao's countered, "There are too many ways out of there, they could go in any direction. We have to intervene now."

Tebes finally sounded annoyed as he retorted, "Then what do you suggest? Ride in with no plan and no intelligence on the enemy's disposition?"

Kazao's helmet turned as he hissed, "Better that than skulk about shamelessly like craven wretches."

Tebes growled, "Do not mistake my guile for timidity; I saw my whole family slaughtered by Chaos cultists before the Chapter found me. I did not weep over their bodies; instead I took up a knife and stalked the filth through the ruins of my home city. One by one I slit their throats in the dark and left them to rot."

Kazao blinked at the harsh rebuke but still pleaded, "But is it not our duty to fight the enemies of the Emperor and defend His people?"

Joffel interjected, "Don't be foolish, that village is already lost, we all know it. Those people are beyond help. We should use their sacrifice to set up our own attack and exploit the enemy's distraction."

"Leave them to die?" Kazao snapped, "What kind of honourless cur are you?"

Joffel's hand fell to the hilt of his gaunt sword and he snarled, "Say that again."

Reddam's anger boiled over and he snapped, "Stop it both of you. You will not act like snakelets fighting over morsel under my watch."

The pair fell silent under his admonition but Tebes asked, "So what are we to do?"

Reddam breathed deeply to relieve his anger then declared, "We fall back to the bikes and withdraw from this area."

The youths started and Joffel exclaimed, "Run away from a fight?!"

Kazao added, "You would leave those people to die?"

Reddam glared at the pair, holding their gazes until they looked away in submission. Reddam's eyes narrowed as he said, "Your tactical assessments are poor, none of you has considered the terrain. There are miles of open countryside to cross and the enemy would be damned fools not to have left a rear-guard. If we close from behind we will be spotted immediately and slaughtered. If we try to skirt around they will see us coming from miles off. This battle is of no strategic significance, the Codex absolutely condemns pointless last stands and blood-soaked charges to no purpose."

"Hang the Codex," Joffel snorted, "We have a chance here for a glorious victory."

Reddam snapped at him, "That kind of thinking is short-sighted and will see you dead. I have determined that this location is not worth fighting for and you will comply."

Joffel sank back but Kazao sounded troubled as he asked, "Is this... honourable?"

Reddam comforted him, "Remember the mission, we are here to raid and harass, not engage in fixed battles. Our assigned objective is to tie up as much of the enemy force as possible, to keep them off balance and confused. Asymmetric warfare has its own unique demands, remember the Chapter's teachings: the brash army shall be defeated if it does not win, the cunning army is victorious if it does not lose."

Kazao lowered his head in acceptance and Reddam turned to slither down the hill, smearing his carapace with mud and leaves. The hill quickly dipped away, creating a green valley, it was shallow but enough to conceal their presence. He kept low as he descended, alert and watchful for foes. Thankfully nothing emerged as they left the battle behind, the sounds muffled by the crest of the hill. In his hearts Reddam was torn, he too wished to face the foe head on but his mission parameters were clear, he was a raider and could not afford to be brought to battle under any terms other than those of his own choosing.

Yet at the back of his mind he was more concerned about his young charges' attitudes. They were fractious and argumentative in a way that would never be tolerated in another Chapter's front-line units. Any hint of dissent should have been stamped out of them in the Scouts, but they still acted like individual warriors, not a cohesive unit. Individually they were little better, Tebes' disregard for life and Joffel's thirst for glory were a dangerous mix, Kazao at least showed respect for his duty but his tactical acumen was lacking.

Reddam shoved these concerns to the back of his mind as they saw Glord and Larus appear, standing guard over the squad's bikes. Glord had detached the Heavy Bolter and was pointing it down the narrow valley. The box-like drum was far more portable than a belt-fed magazine but the trade-off was ammunition capacity, yet should they ever have to fight without their bikes the heavy weapon could make all the difference. Reddam skidded to the bottom of the valley and rose up, shaking off mud and broken leaves as he said, "Report."

"Quiet as the grave," Glord replied, "Find anything good?"

Reddam shook his head and responded, "Nothing worth mentioning, mount up."

Quickly the squad climbed onto their bikes, Glord attaching the Heavy Bolter to a sturdy rail that ran around the sidecar of the attack bike. Reddam was about to ignite his own engine when he saw Larus stare at his auspex then raise a fist and cry, "Contact."

Reddam's hand froze over the starter rune and he hissed, "Where? How many?"

Larus' eyes were fixed on his auspex and he stated, "One contact, moving fast, headed this way."

Tebes spoke up, "You were right Sergeant, the enemy did leave a rear-guard."

Joffel declared, "Finally a good kill, let me at them!"

"Silence," Reddam spat as his mind calculated distances and strategies. He knew one rear-guard was no threat, they could best it then flee, but could they do so fast enough? The rear-guard would be alerted by the noise of the bikes and would doubtless get the word out before they died. If the Rebel scum had air cover then they could not miss the bikes on this open landscape, they could track every move with impunity.

"We need to take them out quickly and quietly," Reddam mused.

"Understood," said Larus dismounting his attack bike and drawing his poisoned knives.

Glord started and exclaimed, "You're going to take on whatever's coming all alone with only your knives? If you miss they will tear you to shreds!"

"Then I won't miss," Larus stated as he set off at a jog.

In a minute Larus disappeared around a bend in the valley, sinking out of sight behind low cover. Reddam waited still as a rock but could sense the others fidgeting as the minutes crawled by, concerned by whatever was coming. Yet there was nothing to done save trust that Larus could do as he had claimed, though Reddam kept his thumb near his bike's bolter trigger, just in case.

After an interminable wait, Reddam's enhanced hearing picked up a low thrumming, such as would be made by a Land Speeder, not that the Amber Vipers had any of those arcane machines in their arsenal. Suddenly a small vehicle came around the bend, a two-man skimmer of some description with a multi-barrelled canon hanging under its nose. The mortal pilots were moving at a rapid pace and were stunned to be confronted by the line of bikes spread out before them. Their mortal instincts made them freeze for a single second and in that moment two flashes of silver were flung out of cover. The pair of knives were thrown with the perfect accuracy of Transhuman aim and caught both rebels in the side of the neck, even though they were moving fast at an oblique angle.

The mortals died before they even knew they were under attack and the machine coasted to a halt, hovering forlornly on the edge of the valley. Larus rose from cover and jogged over to retrieve his knives, then ran back and jumped into his saddle. Glord glanced up and muttered, "Remind me not to make you angry."

Hastily Reddam started his engine and he cried, "Move out, it won't be long until the rebels notice their patrol is missing. Be swift Brothers, we need to be far away before they realise we were ever here!"