Tales of the Amber Vipers Chapter 79

Ferrac watched as Vardat and Seyda knelt before their Chapter Master and swore vows of service. The pair made quite a sight for their armour had been completely replaced. Instead of their ramshackle Mark V gear they now wore the finest Mark VIII plate, the best armours recovered from the Howling Griffon's lost wargear. The plates had been painted in the colours of the Amber Vipers and bore the black snake and goblet icon on their left pauldron. They were lacking jump packs but they bore engraved serpents coiled around their graves and forearms and their chests boasted images of the Emperor upon the Golden Throne, the hollows of his deathly skull watching eternally and judging. The Brother's heads were bowed low and at their belts were helms which were crested with red hairbrush crests that rose from the back and ended before the forehead. They bore their Burst-lances with pride, held up to laterally as they vowed to forfeit their lives.

Coluber accepted the oaths of fealty with a look of solemn dignity and bid them, "Stand Brothers and be welcomed to my service. Henceforth you shall not fight as line Astartes but as my honour guard, standing at my side in battle and sharing every danger with me."

Vardat stood up and declared, "We shall not flag nor fail, no threat shall pass us by."

Seyda joined him proclaiming, "If we must lay down our lives to vouchsafe yours, then it shall be so."

The oaths were sealed and Ferrac stepped forward to declare, "Thus you are of Primus Cohort no more, now you are Exemplars of our Chapter."

"Well said," Coluber concurred, "This duty is more than a reward for your skills in battle. You stood true to our order when others fell into sedition and heresy. You must present that example to the ranks, where all can see you. You must embody all that is best in the Amber Vipers and set an example for your Brothers to follow. You must be Exemplars in thought and word and deed, so all may aspire to join your number. Now go forth and let the Chapter see you."

The pair bowed deeply then grasped their Burst-lances and departed. Ferrac watched them go and was proud of them but also saddened. Changes were coming to the Amber Vipers and the creation of an Honour Guard was the least of them. The Masters were deep within the Wyvern, in an empty storeroom, the Chapter had no fine Chapels or Reliquaries where such solemn oaths could be made, so any empty space would do. Ferrac secretly approved, the truth of the Chapter was in the hearts of its Brothers, not in gaudy decorations or gold draping.

Shrios stepped out of the shadows and said, "Finally, that took long enough."

"Show respect," Coluber rebuked him, "This is a hallowed moment."

"Pah," Shrios spat, "Sacraments and ceremonies, the Amber Vipers need not such trifles."

Coluber's face fell and Ferrac saw his sorrow as the Chapter Master said, "So I once thought. I believed we were building something better, a new Chapter free of Heresy and taint, I was wrong. Excelsium's betrayal cuts deep,"

Shrios glanced at Ferrac and asked, "Tell me truly, weren't you tempted by his offer."

Ferrac was offended by the question and growled, "Not for one second, he deserved to die."

Shrios sighed, "I still say we are overreacting to one over-ambitious Brother."

Ferrac hissed, "It's worse than overreaching ambition, he turned against his sworn Lord once and would do so again. He may have idolised me today, but when I did not live up to his standards he would have turned on me too."

Coluber agreed, "Excelsium's blunder was to try turn so loyal a soul as Ferrac, but had he picked another idol would we have ever known? How many more would he have swayed to his cause before they rose in armed rebellion against us? A new Sarpedeon was festering under my nose and I did not see."

Ferrac protested, "You cannot blame yourself, you did not lead him to sedition."

"I am Chapter Master," Coluber lamented woefully, "The responsibility falls to me, no other. I cannot assign blame to another for our Chapter's training and Hypno-indoctrination proving inadequate. Our Brotherhood is lacking in discipline and the fault is mine, I must correct that."

Shrios groaned aloud, "Chaplains, we're talking about making Chaplains."

Ferrac shared his dismay, those stern and disapproving figures were fierce taskmasters, ever judging the Initiates and drilling words of obedience, self-denial and penury into the heads of their Brothers. He had grown accustomed to life with the freedom to think and act and enjoy his day. To have that replaced by lives of self-flagellation and privation would be harsh to bear. Yet Coluber said, "Not Chaplains as such, there are none in the first or second generation who have the right character."

Ferrac was confused and said, "Then what?"

Coluber replied, "I shall hope for the best and prepare for the worst. The Exemplars shall embody our hope, as for the other… follow me and see."

Ferrac and Shrios looked at each other in confusion as Coluber stepped outside the room but they followed without question. They emerged into a long corridor, along which lines of Chattels were pushing trollies bearing various items. Ferrac's eye widened as he recognised Fission-blasters, rad-grenades, Bileflamers and Adrathic rifles. There were canisters of toxins and Phospex bombs, along with arcane devices of unknown providence. Among the procession were viler weapons: Virus-bombs and warp-flasks, spheres containing rapacious nanobot swarms and Psyonic warheads. The chattels moved with fearful steadiness, terrified of the slightest mishap that could crack the wards. At the very back Servitors dragged a bulky cogitator core and three Cadmus-robots, their forms almost disappointing among this carnival of death of destruction.

The procession headed with steady dignity towards a heavily reinforced doorway, constructed in the heart of the Wyvern. It was girded with mighty braces and heavy locks while in-built gun servitors sat on high, looking down the passageway with their Heavy Bolters and Missile launchers armed and ready. The walls nearby were etched with marks of aversion and anti-auspex jammers, ensuring Archeotech and psychic barricades covered the interior. Over the doorway someone had inscribed, 'Gates of Perdition' and the chattels trudged inside with grim looks of resignation and fear.

Shrios took in the scene and remarked, "Your new containment facility I presume."

"Indeed," Coluber replied, "Here shall be stored the most dangerous items taken from Athelling, those weapons even a Space Marine would hesitate to use."

Ferrac gestured at the mortals and inquired, "And these chattels?"

Coluber explained, "Their lives are forfeit, they shall be tasked with the protection and preservation of these items. No other order can override this duty; it shall be the sole endeavour of their worthless lives."

"No wonder they look so glum," Shrios muttered, "But isn't this a bit overblown, why not simply use these weapons?"

Ferrac's lip curled in disgust as he spat, "You would wield such dishonourable filth?"

Shrios frowned as he said, "Weapons are weapons, and these could mean the difference between victory and defeat."

Ferrac snarled, "These are not mere bolters or swords. To use these will sully our spirits evermore."

Yet Shrios argued, "There are plenty of threats that warrant eradication in the galaxy. Chaos incursions, Tyranid Hive Fleets, Ork Waaaghs. If you don't want to keep these relics then throw the bombs at the vilest enemies we can find, rather than let them gather dust in a vault."

The lines of chattels continued moving through the gates and Ferrac spied the three robots being dragged inside, their damaged forms reminding him of the automaton they had fought in the lost starship. As the last mortals disappeared inside he drew in a breath and said, "These weapons are tainted. We should have left them where they lay. Get rid of them before they corrupt us."

Shrios snorted, "I can't believe my ears, you would discard this might?"

Ferrac snarled, "You haven't seen them in action, the small arms were bad enough but these are too much. The Eye of Discord, Omniphages, the Nail, Continental-scaled Phospex bombs and the Soul-Eater, names best left in the dust of history."

Shrios shook his head and argued, "No different from Cyclonic torpedoes or the Life-Eater. The Imperium routinely deploys Exterminatus class weapons."

"No," Ferrac countered, "Those weapons are designed to kill, to end life quickly. These are weapons of terror and torment; they were intended to inflict suffering. The ancient ones who wielded these were no warriors but sadists; they took pleasure from the agony of their victims."

Coluber cut them off saying, "These weapons are powerful but inherently dishonourable. To use them sullies us, we would turn the Amber Vipers into gluttons of suffering and pain. We would be worse than the Marines Malevolent, worse than the Relictors or even the Traitorous Night Lords. We would become a byword for atrocity and terror, creatures who revelled in torment. No, I won't allow this to pass."

Shrios gasped, "You can't mean to get rid of them, what if we find ourselves confronting a foe who cannot be defeated? The galaxy is falling into an age of darkness, horrors beyond description flood out of the Cicatrix Maledictum. Chaos is on the rise, aliens swarm freely and Heretics abound everywhere. Without these weapons we may not have the means to survive!"

Coluber lowered his head sadly and said, "You also are correct. The scale of the threat is too vast to ignore. I cannot destroy these weapons, yet I cannot keep them either. The temptation to use them would linger over me, the thought that with a wave of my hand I could destroy any foe. How can I judge when we face a threat deserving utter destruction? How can I trust myself with such dread power? Greater men than I have faced similar challenges and failed the test."

Ferrac heard his Lord's distress and urged, "I trust your judgement."

Yet Coluber snarled, "But I don't. I erred when I thought we could manage without discipline masters in our ranks and I erred when I thought I could trust the hearts of our recruits. I am not beyond making mistakes and with such power I could make myself the next Huron Blackheart… or Abaddon. Even if I could walk that moral tightrope could the next Chapter Master after me do the same, or the one after him? It is inevitable; a day will come when a Chapter Master seeks to use these weapons to advance his own grandeur above the Emperor's.

Shrios rubbed his jaw and said, "So these weapons are too perilous to use, but too valuable to destroy. You do have a problem."

Coluber replied sternly, "But I have a solution: behold."

Coluber turned and walked down the aisle and Ferrac saw a line of Brothers standing in the shadows. They nearly disappeared into the gloom for their armour was jet black, bereft of colour, save for their left pauldrons which bore the icon of the snake and goblet in red and the helms at their belts were adorned with bloody handprints. He recognised them, how could he not, they were the disgraced Brothers of Excelsium squad. Kregulf, Berio, Radfal and Paneyr, those who had followed the Sergeant into sedition. They bore Fission-blasters, rad-grenades and a Bileflamer while Kregulf bore a crystal knife at his belt, the same one he had taken from the armoury of the Apophis.

The four fell to one knee as Coluber approached and bowed their heads in shame. Ferrac looked over the four, noting their black armour and said, "What is this?"

Coluber explained, "We have two problems: the lack of discipline in our ranks and a cache of profane weapons. Thus I have decided to kill two grots with one bolt round."

Shrios sneered, "By making these mutineers into Chaplains?"

"Quite the opposite," Coluber replied, "These four are not be honoured but punished. When I was a neophyte my training Sergeant told me a tale of the Great Crusade. The Legions were no stranger to such profane weapons and among their ranks was a select order of Brothers, tasked with their confinement and usage: the Destroyer Marines. I proclaim that a new order shall rise among us, one formed not of our best but our worst. They shall serve a living example of what happens when one strays too far, thus the Chapter shall see the fate of those who place their own glorification before their duty."

"I don't understand," Ferrac murmured.

Coluber faced the kneeling foursome and said, "Tell me truly, what do you think of these weapons?"

Kregulf lifted his head and sorrow warred with resentment as he answered, "They are loathsome unto my eye, they stink of dishonour. No one should wield this filth, better we cast them into a star than let them sully our souls."

Coluber declared, "There can be no better watchman than one who truly believes his charges must remain imprisoned. I require a guard against temptation, a sentinel against corruption: a Cerberus to stand before the Gates of Perdition."

Ferrac was stunned by the declaration and said, "You intend to make them guard this vault?"

Coluber told the four, "This shall be your punishment and your duty. Your new order shall have sole responsibility for the weapons. Only you shall have the right to judge if an enemy warrants the opening of this gate, only you can choose when to unleash the contents of these vaults. All those weapons, and any future ones you decree profane, shall be yours to guard. No man, not even I or a future Chapter Master, has the right to open that gate. Only your order and your chattels may pass through that door. Kregulf, I name you head of this new order. You shall be the Claviger: He who Holds the Keys."

Ferrac's head spun at the proclamation yet the four accepted their punishment and Kregulf said, "We accept your judgement my lord."

Coluber ordered, "Then speak the oath, as I have laid it out for you."

The four soberly intoned, "We are the custodians of desolation and destruction. There is no glory or valour in the path we tread, only death and ruin. No songs of victory echo in our wake, no glory follows our steps, only screams then silence. We are the left hand of ruin and the venom in the viper's bite. The bloody hand is our mark and our shadow casts only sorrow. With our blood is the Gate of Perdition sealed and none shall pass. We are the Cerberii."

Afterword

What began as a little idea for a small warband has grown in ways i never expected. The Amber Vipers have developed into a fully fledged Chapter in their own right and have taken the first steps on an epic adventure. You have seen the seeds of many future stories laid here and if you care to follow these will be developed in the future.

The lost starship are an homage to the writings of Dmitry Freyger and if you care to read of the Spartak and the Solar Knights then please do join us on the Inquisitors Archives on Facebook.

The Amber Vipers will be back.