Tales of the Amber Vipers Chapter 21

Viper's Bite shuddered as it hit the ferrocrete, the shock of landing transmitted through its hull to the passengers within. The restraint cages shook and weapon lockers rattled as the gunship set down. Turbines throttled down and the noise settled down to the routine sounds of the gunship securing itself after a long flight.

Reddam wasted no time pushing his restraint cage up and stepping out. The squad followed him without a word, headed towards the opening ramp. In the front hold they passed a large lump of metal, secured down with cable ties. It was the Vorax cyborg; they had dragged it out of the villa and brought it with them. Only a few hours before it had been trying to kill them but the Amber Vipers were pragmatic about battlefield salvage, it was a valuable haul and the Chapter was not in a position to pass up anything of value.

Reddam led his squad out onto the landing pad where brilliant dawn rays lanced into their eyes. The sun was just peeking over the snow-capped mountains, cold and bright but with the promise of a hot day to come. Reddam cast his eyes over the base and saw fresh activity everywhere. Buildings were being packed up and supplies stacked high, ready to be shipped out. Behind him Glord muttered, "Looks like we're off somewhere."

Larus stated flatly, "The rebel army must be close, these mortals cannot risk being caught in the battle. Better that they withdraw before the Heretics get here."

"Aye," said Kazao, "Let us do the fighting, the Amber Vipers will teach these scum a thing or two."

Reddam wasn't so sure of that, their Chapter had never favoured defensive warfare or battles of attrition. Even in the life before the Time of Exodus, when he had marched in other colours, they had been a dedicated assault force. Coluber's strategy of trench warfare seemed to be a serious mistake in his opinion, not that he would ever say that out loud. He cast his eyes out over the city, its industrial hubs and commercial districts still in the shadow of the great dam. Beyond those the rings of trenches were obscured by clinging fog, but it would soon burn off, leaving the field exposed. Soon those defensive lines would be soaked in blood and fire but for now it was eerily peaceful.

A noise distracted him and he saw gaggles of chattels closing, eager to refuel the Thunderhawk and prepare it for the next mission. This constant activity would strain the Machine's Spirit and would require lengthy refit and blessing after the war was over but that was a problem for later. First, they had to win the war.

"Come, we will find our Lord and Master," Reddam announced and led the squad on. They marched through the base, passing busy chattels about their tasks. Many looked harried and worn but that was their base state of being, the Amber Vipers had no more concern for the comfort of mortals than they did for their own. Nearby a squadron of Lightning fighters took off, seized from the Imperial reprisal army but operated by warriors of Secundus, they would perform far better with Transhuman pilots than they ever could in mortal hands.

Swiftly Reddam led his squad on and soon spotted Coluber and Ferrac standing outside hanger seven, exactly where they had left them. With them were Shrios and Nathanal, all in earnest conversation. For a mad moment Reddam though the officers hadn't moved since he had last laid eyes upon them but then he saw the new scars on their armour and the blood on their greaves and knew that they had been far from idle.

Reddam led the squad up to them and bowed saying, "Hail Master, we return."

Coluber nodded briskly and said, "Reddam, I hear congratulations are in order. I haven't had time to review your debriefing yet, so tell me how it went."

Reddam glanced at his squad but said confidently, "Complications arose but we adapted and overcame. The target is dead."

Joffel piped up, "And we acquired a Vorax robot!"

"A Vorax!" Nathanal exclaimed, "Is it repairable?"

Reddam shrugged to indicate such mysteries were beyond his ken but Shrios said, "Even if it's not we can always use the spare parts."

"I'll put my apprentices on it," Nathanal proclaimed, "They are reaching the limits of what I can teach them; a challenge will be a good opportunity to learn. They will never make Techmarines unless they push themselves."

Reddam interrupted to inquire, "May I ask as to the state of our bikes?"

Coluber took no offence and answered, "Fully repaired and awaiting you. You youngsters should go tend to them; I need a word with your Sergeant."

The squad bowed and left, leaving Reddam with his master. He stood proudly but Coluber eyed him and sighed, "Come on then, out with it."

"Master?" Reddam said hesitantly.

"I've known you long enough to see when you're holding back," Coluber stated, "Tell me what's bothering you."

Reddam sighed and looked at the ground as he said, "The combat zone was not clean, there were servants and retainers in the field."

"Civilians?" Ferrac hissed with narrow eyes, "Non-combatants?"

"Unfortunately," Reddam said, "I was obliged to kill them."

Sternly Shrios declared, "Nobody can be allowed to witness such deeds, we can't allow tales like this to get out. Besides they were only mortals, who cares what happens to them?"

The mortal artisan Nathanal glared at the Apothecary but Coluber stepped in to say, "You did the right thing."

"Did I?" Reddam asked pointedly.

Ferrac nodded and said consolingly, "It was a necessary duty, clear and unequivocal. I know what it is to yearn for glory and an honourable fight, but we all must bear such duties when they fall upon us."

Coluber agreed, "This does not make me happy, believe me I wish there was another way, but this had to be. There was no other choice."

Reddam grimaced and said, "It's the younger Brothers who concern me, they didn't seem bothered at all. Well, Kazao voiced a token protest but he was just as quick to follow through once I gave the order."

"Good," Shrios said, "Orders are to be obeyed, not questioned."

Ferrac's eyes snapped around and he spat, "Show some respect, the Sergeant was given a hard choice and did the only thing he could. Such deeds should be mourned, not celebrated."

Coluber cut off the argument with a raised hand and said, "Enough! We are not Marines Malevolent to revel in slaughtering innocents but neither are we Salamanders, to shed salt tears over every life lost. We chart our own path between honour and survival, such is our fate until the day we are a whole Chapter once more. Now let us not dwell on the past, let us speak of the future and the war to come."

Reddam nodded and said, "The rebels?"

Ferrac explained, "They mass beyond the range of our guns. I have been raiding their lines, disrupting their preparations, but it's only a delaying action. Orbital scans estimate they number over a million strong, they have pulled every rebel from across the planet in for this one strike. Feeding them must be a logistical nightmare but two more days and they will launch their assault."

"A million strong," Reddam sighed, "I've seen the defences and they are insufficient, we can't hold against such numbers."

"No we can't," Coluber concurred, "But that was never my intent."

Reddam's eyes narrowed and he guessed, "An orbital barrage?"

Coluber shook his head saying, "Not with that accursed Tau ship contesting the orbital vectors."

Reddam sighed loudly, "Then I can't see any way to defeat such numbers."

"Oh, put him out of his misery," Ferrac chortled, "Show him what we've got up our sleeve."

Reddam looked up in surprise as Coluber clapped his hands. The doors of the hanger began to rumble back, revealing what lay beyond. Reddam peered within and saw the hanger was almost empty, save for a single item. He followed the others inside as saw it was a vehicle, a low flatbed chassis, like a Chimera without its turret. Upon that hull saw a long cylinder with a tapered point at one end and clusters of nozzles at the other end. Strange runes covered the cylinder, unlike any Reddam had seen before but he recognised it as a missile, one that protruded well over the length of the flatbed it sat upon.

Reddam paused and looked in confusion at the weapon and asked, "What is it?"

Nathanal stuck his hands into his overall's pockets and beamed, "Good isn't it? I believe the official designation is Ordnance Extremis but we call it the Deathstrike."

"A Deathstrike!" Reddam exclaimed in equal parts wonder and horror. Such devices were weapons of mass destruction, intercontinental ballistic missiles fitted with the most devastating warheads. Such power surpassed the might of a Titan, only a starship boasted more potent weapons, but this was far more precise in the diffracting soup of an atmosphere. Such weapons were tightly controlled by the Departmento Munitorum, each one meticulously tracked from commissioning to manufacture to deployment and Astartes Chapters were categorically not gifted such weapons.

Reddam began to circle the missile, assessing it from end to end and he asked, "Emperor Wept, where did we get such a mighty relic?"

Ferrac grinned and said, "Remember that Munitorum convoy we found adrift in the void a couple of years ago? There was more than just las-packs and CATs in those holds."

Reddam raised an eyebrow and said, "The Munitorum is missing a Deathstrike? Some clerk somewhere will have been turned into a servitor for losing such a precious artefact."

"Frak 'em," Shrios snorted, "We found it, it's ours now."

Reddam returned his gaze to the missile and asked, "What kind of warhead am I looking at?"

Nathanal said proudly, "The rarest, a warp rift device: a Vortex missile."

A thought occurred to Reddam and he paused to glare at Coluber and said accusingly, "This was your plan all along!"

Coluber nodded, "Indeed, we were nothing but a mere nuisance to the rebels so I made them see us as a threat, to draw them out en-masse. Even the defences around the capital are but a lure, a target too tempting to pass up. Everything I've done since setting foot on this planet has been to provoke the rebels into amassing their forces, bringing them all together into one place where they can be annihilated."

Reddam blew out a breath in admiration but pondered, "A Deathstrike against mortals… isn't that overkill?"

"Total overkill," Ferrac agreed, "But the trouble with people who hold onto advantages too long is they are still holding them when they die."

Nathanal elaborated, "I'm no Mechanicus Archmagos and this holy relic is totally beyond my skill set. It has components I can't even name, let alone bless. I can just about bless it with fuel and point it in the right direction, another year or two and it may well break in a way I can't fix."

"So use it or lose it," Reddam mused, "Where do I come in?"

Coluber explained, "Ferrac and I shall hold the defences and draw the rebels into the killzone. Your squad will escort Nathanal and his artisans into the mountains, from where they shall fire the missile."

Reddam was honoured with such an important assignment but he dared to say, "Wait, it's an intercontinental missile, why bother? You could fire it from here and destroy a city."

"What part of 'I'm not an Archmagos' did you not understand?" Nathanal snapped, "The rituals for self-guidance are intricate and mysterious, I would have no idea where to start. Maybe if we had a real Techmarine they could do it, but the best I can give you is line of sight. I need to be somewhere I can see the target for this to work."

"I understand," Reddam declared, "So we are to escort this somewhere high, where we can see the rebels."

Coluber and Ferrac shared a glance and then the Chapter Master said, "Don't think this will be so easy, the route up the mountains is convoluted and this conveyance is hardly fast. Your bike squad will be hard pressed to reach the launch site before the city falls. Ferrac and I will hold as long as we can but time is against you, your squad must leave within the hour."

Reddam placed a fist over his hearts and declared, "You can count on us."

"I know I can," Coluber said, "Now here is what I want you to do when you get there."