Tales of the Amber Vipers Chapter 32

Venom's edge was slick with blood, a testimony to the lives it had claimed. Many foes had fallen to Venom's kiss in the fury of battle but this blood was not so gloriously won. This blood was insipid and weak, taken in the most workmanlike way, a chore rather than a contest of skill. It was shallow and lacked honour but it was necessary and Chapter Master Coluber would not flinch from the task at hand.

Coluber was moving through the ruins of the capital, seeking out surviving rebels. It was surprising that any could have withstood the calamity but humans were tenacious indeed and found ways to survive. Somehow a small percentage of his victims had endured the disaster, clinging to floating debris or simply lucky enough to be in a sheltered place. It mattered not, the Amber Vipers did not intend to let any Heretic escape their due punishment and they had returned to the ruins to make a clean sweep of the field.

Coluber spied a woman crawling away from him, dragging a broken leg and smearing her brown uniform with grime. Coluber strode nearer, his heavy footfalls squelching in the quagmire that had once been streets and boulevards. The woman heard him approaching and rolled over, her eyes went wide at the sight of him closing and she pleaded, "No, please mercy… I surrender, I surrender!" Coluber ignored her entreaties, his only response to chop off her head with a perfunctory swipe. The rebel fell into the slime and was instantly forgotten as Coluber strode on, seeking more survivors.

He fluttered Venom's power field to cleanse the unworthy blood from the noble blade and took in the scene. Around him lay the ruins of the capital, all broken spars and hollowed out ruins. The floodwaters had torn out the heart of the city and brought ruination on an epic scale but then they had receded, leaving the metropolis covered in slime and ooze. The smell of muck, decaying bodies and dank smoke was overwhelming, forcing its way into the nostrils but Coluber declined the impulse to don his helm, he would not turn his eyes from the consequences of his deeds. Coluber spied Excelsium squad moving through a building that had half-collapsed. They were brisk and eager and brief screams announced that their searches were most fruitful. Amongst them was Battle-Captain Ferrac, his axe-rake stained black with dried blood and the chained edge spraying gore from the spinning teeth. As he watched Ferrac pulled a twitching man from a pile of bricks, he suspended the man off the ground by one arm and then sawed the Heretic in half with one sweep of his weapon.

Coluber was satisfied with the progress of the cleanup and walked off, looking for more enemies. Further down the street he found Apothecary Shrios, whose white armour was smeared with filth up to the knees, he was stood still staring at a building in abstract contemplation. The structure was surprisingly intact, save for a riverboat that had been embedded into the second floor. It stuck out of the wall like a dart from a board, its prow buried deep within and the stern hanging in mid-air.

Coluber strode up to him and sheathed Venom as he called, "What are you doing?"

Shrios' face was thoughtful as he replied, "Trying to calculate the force required to do something like that. How did it get there?"

"The flood swept things all over the place," Coluber replied, "We're finding Heretics in every nook and cranny. Anyway, shouldn't you be working?"

Shrios replied dismissively, "Not much to do right now, the squads are all accounted for. Casualties have been sent to orbit and the gene-seed of the fallen has been harvested. The Rites of the Dead are private affairs, so here I am."

Coluber sighed as he inquired, "The final butcher's bill?"

Shrios replied, "Two snakelets from Teritius, five Brothers from Secundus and six from Primus. Three of them from Torvus squad alone."

Coluber nodded solemnly and remarked, "Thirteen Brothers slain, a high price, one we can ill-afford."

Shiros shook his head and explained, "I harvested the gene-seed of nine of them. A net gain overall, the Chapter will be stronger in the long run."

"If we can find recruits," Coluber stated, "What of the civilian casualties?"

"What of them?" Shrios asked blankly.

Coluber gestured around at the ruins and said, "We are not just finding Heretics here, there were civilians too. I am sending them to a refugee camp outside the city."

"Those weaklings are unworthy to join our ranks," Shrios muttered, "Leave them to rot."

"Careful," Coluber growled with narrowed eyes, "We should not be cruel or malicious, we do not revel in the suffering of the Emperor's subjects. Send them whatever aid we can, they will need food and blankets and medical aid to survive the coming days."

Shrios snorted, "We just destroyed their homes and livelihoods, I doubt they will welcome our aid."

"I don't care if they like it," Coluber commented, "See it is done."

Shrios obeyed by fiddle with his vox but Coluber was distracted by the sight of Governor Nugga approaching. The fat fool was waddling down the street, trying to keep the hem of his rich robes out of the filth. He looked pale in complexion and his face betrayed a nauseous urge to vomit but he was alive, Coluber had made sure of it. As soon as he had determined his strategy he had checked the Governor's private bunker to ensure it would be safe from the floods. He wasn't about to let Nugga die after all the work he had put into this world.

Coluber faced the man and called, "Governor Nugga, I see you came out of your bunker."

"You've got some nerve!" Nugga spat as he came to a halt, "Look at what you've done!"

Shrios glanced around and remarked, "Not visited a battlefield before? Trust me, victory is never pretty."

Nugga's jaw dropped and he cried, "Victory, is that what you call this disaster?! You've destroyed Maraha!"

"Not so," Coluber stated firmly, "The Heretics are destroyed and the rebellion is over. There are other cities in this world, order can be restored. I made sure half the Imperial reprisal army was safe on high ground, I have found a Major to lead them, a bit junior for my tastes but he has a lot to prove. Twenty-five thousand Guardsmen are moving out as we speak, to secure a new base of operations."

Yet Nugga wasn't placated and spat, "My fortune was stored here, a lifetime I spent accumulating treasure and it's all gone, all of it. I'm penniless, you've ruined me!"

Coluber's eyes narrowed and he said, "Are you more concerned about the damage to your world or your own loss of wealth?"

Nugga went red in the face and he lifted a finger as he shouted, "We had an agreement and you broke it!"

Suddenly there was a heavy thud as something weighty landed behind Nugga and the Governor spun about to see the towering figure of Battle-Captain Ferrac looming over him. His axe-rake was held over one shoulder, dripping with blood and his expression was most irate. Ferrac had dropped from a high window and now glared furiously at Nugga, his anger written all over his face.

Nugga hurriedly backed away but slammed into Coluber's breastplate and was brought to a halt. Ferrac stared at the man and hissed, "What does this worm say?"

"Nothing of import," Coluber answered as he took Nugga by the shoulder and turned him about, "Nugga, heed my words. I vowed to re-establish the Emperor's sovereignty over Maraha and to guarantee your rule and so I have, this world is yours to rule over. True, it will take some hard work on your part but I am sure you're ready for that. You will have to draw heavily upon your cronies own purses but in a few decades this world will be a shining beacon of Imperial Compliance."

Nugga shook his head and gasped, "You've turned me into a peasant, I will spend the rest of my life grubbing for scraps."

Coluber glared at him and said, "Cease your whining, you have a world to rebuild and I expect you to succeed. Make no mistake I shall be watching you from afar and when I return I expect to see a Governor labouring to rebuild his world, not a whelp crying over lost coinage. And just in case you're thinking of grabbing some loot and fleeing, I have spoken to the local merchant ships and told them any man who offers you passage will taste my wrath, there isn't a bribe large enough in the galaxy to make them cross me."

Nugga's swallowed nervously and then he spluttered, "I… I have got to go, there so much to be done!" With that he turned and waddled away, leaving the trio to shake their heads.

Shrios muttered, "You realise he will paint us as the foulest villains."

"Let him," Coluber stated, "I plan to be long gone by the time the Inquisition arrives."

Ferrac lifted a brow and said, "We're not coming back then?"

"Throne no," Coluber snorted, "This world has nothing more for us, we shall move on."

Shrios looked thoughtful and mused, "Maybe we shouldn't go… this world is open for the taking. Think about it, we could easily overthrow Nugga and claim this planet as our new homeworld. After all, these weak mortals should be bowing before us in gratitude."

Coluber saw the expression on the Apothecary's face and knew he was completely earnest, then before he knew it his fist had closed into a ball and was hurtling into Shrios' face. The blow caught him on the chin and sent the Apothecary staggering back, one hand held to his face.

Shrios blinked and spat, "What was that for?!"

Coluber was quivering with fury and he growled, "Never speak such iniquity in front of me."

Anger bubbled in Shrios' eyes as he spat, "That's nothing compared to what you've done!"

Coluber hissed back, "Do you think I take pleasure in this? Three million lives died at my order, it is a tragedy, a discredit upon our record. If there had been any other way, any other option, I would have taken it. War is harsh and unforgiving but I do not revel in slaughter, nor do I set myself up as king over the masses."

"You hypocritical…" Shrios began to say.

Then Ferrac stepped in to say, "We are Brothers and have been to hell and back together but tempers are fraying and rash words lead to regrettable deeds. Go tend to your duty, come back when you can speak civilly."

Shrios glared at them but then bowed perfunctorily and strode off, resentment shimmering off him. Coluber watched him go with a stern expression but as soon as Shrios was out of sight his visage cracked and he sighed, "Emperor Wept, what are we becoming?"

Ferrac stepped closer and implored, "My friend, you cannot allow doubt to taint your thoughts."

Coluber touched a crumbling wall gently and muttered, "Many will agree with Shrios but how could I ever bear to gaze upon this world after what I have done?"

Ferrac placed a hand on his shoulder pad and said, "You did what was necessary, what had to be done. This planet was lost before we even arrived; no other strategy could have succeeded."

"I seem to recall you saying differently," Coluber muttered.

Ferrac shook his head and said, "I was wrong, there I said it. I wanted triumph and laurels, blood and glory. It might have worked, but it would have been the end of the Amber Vipers, we would have been left exhausted and broken. Truthfully, I can seek glory only because you are there to make the hard choices, to weigh factors I could never understand. You saved a world today and you shall do so again and again in the future."

Coluber looked up and said, "What truly worries me is the recruits, what are we teaching our younger Brethren? Honour and integrity, if we tell them these things can be compromised then who will they become when the last of the Old Seventeen die?"

"Well there's a simple answer to that," Ferrac said with a smile, "Don't die."

Coluber let out a chuckle and said, "Aye, you always have the good advice. One day we shall be a whole Chapter and can know honour, until then we must stay the course and do what is necessary."

"Come on then," Ferrac said, "Let us finish here and get back to the stars."

Yet Coluber lingered a moment longer and whispered, "One day, one day we shall be who we were meant to be. This I swear."

*Follow story for future Amber Vipers tales*