Tales of the Amber Vipers Chapter 139

They had reached the outer stellar system and were ready to begin their voyage into the unknown. The ship was secure and the Slipstream drives were powering up. Crew hastened to make last-minute preparations as the ship prepared to enter a realm of madness, ignorant of the malevolent powers that lurked within. Deep inside the ship a Nicassar flexed his psychic mind, to him would fall the task of steering through the currents and tides of extra-dimensional space, a task few among his people had ever succeeded at. The ship was ready; all that remained was to make the jump.

Alohvar stood within in an observation blister upon the spine of the ship, looking along its length. The Merchant-class was an older design and its age showed in the outdated architecture of her bastions and the inefficiency of the power relays. Strange protrusions had been added to that bulk, anti-matter projectors and magnetic field buffers that would create a protective sheath around the ship as it travelled through the strange ocean that awaited them. Alohvar could only trust they would be enough, he knew little of the sub-realm but even an Ether Drive was perilous and that only skimmed the surface of the otherness, now they would plunge deep within.

At his side Teq'ila worried, "Are we sure this is a good idea?"

Spiy'tus concurred, "This is a risky proposition, perhaps with more study a safer way could be found."

Yet Bruch'ich scoffed, "Hah, Fire Warriors afraid of risk! You sound like a Shas'La, fretting over an assault course."

Teq'ila scowled as he barked, "This is different! On the battlefield I have my weapons and my cadre; I can determine my own fate. Here we are passengers, helpless to change anything. If something goes wrong we will be impotent in the face of calamity."

Alohvar secretly agreed but had to quash their fears and stated, "This method of starflight is experimental but it is not untried. This ship has already crossed the Empire several times and nothing went wrong. If the Ethereal council rescinds the experiment the Empire will lose a vital weapon in its arsenal, we must prove its worth to them."

But Spiy'tus countered, "That was within the bounds of known space. If there was a mishap help could be summoned. We are about to cross beyond known space into dominions unseen, to go into the dark places without aid or support. One slip and we will vanish and never be heard from again."

Alohvar sighed, "What would you have me say? I know the dangers but we have no choice but to proceed. The Tau Empire needs to advance, we expand or we die. We are hemmed in on all sides by Orks, Tyranids, Imperials and others, and the Fifth Sphere is bogged down in a war of attrition. Our Empire's expansion has stalled but the Slipstream drive could unleash our potential. We must find strange new worlds to assimilate, seek out new life and new civilisations to join the Greater Good. We must be bold and embrace the risks, as we go where no Tau has ever gone before."

The others bowed their heads in acceptance and Teq'ila asked, "Should we go below decks?"

"Why?" countered Alohvar, "I admit I am curious to see the drive in action and the other senior leaders have agreed to join us to watch the jump."

Bruch'ich paused then and enquired, "Will Aun'la Bork'an Jer'ema join us?"

Alohvar replied sternly, "The honoured Ethereal will be meditating in his chambers; he left instructions not to be disturbed unless it is vital."

Disappointment rang through their faces but Spiy'tus sighed, "We had hoped to hear his wisdom again, but we must accept his lofty concerns are above our meagre station."

There it was again, Alohvar mused, that tone of longing and eagerness to please. He couldn't understand it; the juvenile he had met in the hanger bay had been callow and inconsiderate, convinced of his own superiority. Alohvar had been left singularly unimpressed, he had seen that attitude in a thousand Shas'la and watched it drubbed out of them as they blundered into traps and snares during training. Most Fire Warrior training was intended to beat the pride of young bucks and teach them to listen to older Shas'Ui and 'Vre when they told them how not to die. This Ethereal seemed just like those youngsters; head swollen with his own magnificence as he walked blindly into a trap.

Only Alohvar seemed to think this way. The others seemed drunk on his presence, swooning over his name like he was the supreme Ethereal. When he wasn't around there was a longing in their tone, a yearning to be near him. It was like the Ethereal intoxicated all around him, leaving them befuddled and addicted to his aura. Alohvar seemed the only one immune to this, perhaps due to his injuries and he didn't like the implications.

Was the young Ethereal manipulating his comrades in some fashion, did he boast some technology that affected minds? Could it be that the young Ethereal was experimenting with a new device only Alohvar was immune to? It was a horrifying notion and cast doubt upon the entire Tau way of life. He couldn't even bring himself to consider that the Ethereal council would approve of such a thing. No, it was far more likely there was something wrong with him, he berated himself. His injuries and emotional scars leaving him paranoid and doubtful. He was imagining things, painting enemies in the shadows. Yes, that was it; he was only a wounded veteran, raving at nothing. It was a sound and logical conclusion, but in his heart he didn't really believe it.

His pondering was cut short as a crowd entered the bay. Shas'Ui team leaders and the Shas'Vre pilots of the Broadside suits and Skyray. Kor'Vre C'edra was absent, steering the ship from the bridge. Until they reached their destination the Air Caste was in command of the mission, Alohvar was merely a passenger. Finally came Ki'kiki the Vespid and Hamer the Gue'vesa leader. Alohvar eyed the human warily but forced his hands away from his ritual knife. Surely this paranoia must be another symptom of his injuries and he should discard it. Yet the memory of the wars in the Nem'Yar Atoll loomed large and warned him not to turn his back on the human, any human.

Stepping forward Alohvar called, "Welcome comrades, I wanted you all here to witness our leap into the unknown. To see the Greater Good advance with one's own eyes is a rare thing and should be celebrated."

Hamer nervously eyed the stars and said, "I'm all for that, but couldn't we do this below decks? I'm not keen on looking into the Warp."

Spiy'tus mocked, "Afraid are you?"

Alohvar noted the warrior himself had expressed similar concerns earlier but brushed it off saying, "Hiding from danger is no way to progress; peril must be stared straight in the eye if it is to be overcome."

Hamer swallowed as he replied, "I don't know, there's a lot of old tales about the Immaterium. Warnings passed down through the generations. I know Imperial ships sail with all hatches battened down and viewportals sealed. They say to look into the Warp is to invite madness."

Ki'kikik scoffed, "Superstition, fallacy, delusion. The queens say the otherness is merely raw energy, nothing more."

"But she ain't here," Hamer noted.

Ki'kiki retorted, "Cowardice, cravenness, timidity. You will not advance if you hide in the long grass."

"Cease arguing," Alohvar commanded, "It is time."

Along the length of the ship projectors were glowing blue as they powered up. Invisible streams of anti-matter were being fed into a sheath around the ship, cocooning it in a bubble of protection. That was only the first step for further back bulky drive units went into action. Alohvar barely understood the physics involved and judging from his briefings he suspected the Earth Caste's understanding was more guesswork than fact. Yet he grasped gravitic monopoles were being generated ahead of the bow, pulling the fabric of space taut, like a rubber sheet stretched until it was ready to rip. Then streams of anti-matter and matter were streamed into that weakness, and exploded, punching through the veil separating dimensions.

Alohvar was blinded as a brilliant white explosion detonated in their path, a shining star in the heavens with a mote of blackness at its heart. Purple spots flashed in his eyes and he looked away, blincking furiously as strange shapes etched themselves into his retina. Sharp angles, swirling vortexes, cascading falls and soaring vistas all at once. Optical illusions he told himself as he looked up just in time to see the whiteness sweep over the accelerating vessel, and then they were in the sub-realm.

The results were rather disappointing, for the first time Alohvar looked into the warp and saw nothing. The dimension was blank, bereft of monsters or abysses or hurricanes of force, which he had been expecting. Instead there was only a velvety blackness and the suggestion of movement, like drapes wafting in the breeze or an ocean swell. If this was what other races feared so much it only confirmed how superior the Tau race was in its rational mindset.

Spiy'tus sniffed, "That's all?"

Teq'ila added, "Looks like we were worried over nothing."

Hamer however retorted, "Are you jesting, my eyes are boiling. The colours, the… things beckoning to us. I…"

Alohvar cut him off, "We wanted to see the jump and we've seen it. Let's get back below decks, everybody return to your troops and tell them I'll be starting drills soon. Hamer, a word in private if you will."

Everybody trudged out, leaving the human behind as Ki'kiki stated, "Consume, devour, refresh. The strain must feed."

Spiy'tus followed muttering, "What do Vespid eat anyway?"

Bruch'ich whispered, "You don't want to know."

Left alone Alohvar eyed the Gue'vesa warily, noting how he kept his eyes firmly on the deck. He looked troubled but why disturbed Alohvar, he could see nothing beyond the ship, nothing at all. Carefully he probed, "You… see something out there?"

Hamer nodded, never lifting his eyes from the floor as he replied, "I see faces and animals and things that have no right existing. I see people I know out there, friends and family long dead."

Alohvar cast his eye over the featureless blankness and said, "I see nothing, it's just empty space. The sub-realm doesn't even have stars."

"There's something out there," Hamer muttered, "Trust me on this. Maybe Tau can't see it; my forefathers said only a Navigator can truly see the Warp."

Alohvar saw his distress and took pity by changing the subject, "Your colony has resided in the Empire for many generations?"

Hamer looked relieved to be talking about something else and stated, "That's right, my ancestors were left behind when the Damocles Gulf Crusade retreated. The Imperials abandoned them to die as they pulled back, expecting the men to go down all guns blazing. Well the soldiers didn't like that, the Aquila had abandoned them and they weren't going to lay down their lives for a worthless cause. First they shot the commissars, then they surrendered. I expect most of them thought it would only buy them a few more days of life but to their surprise they were taken in and treated well. Frak, the Empire treated them with more consideration as prisoners of war than the Imperium ever did as loyal soldiers."

Alohvar nodded at the tale and pressed, "And they joined the Greater Good willingly?"

Hamer sniffed, "Lives of miserable suffering or the right to breathe free and stand tall, hell yes they did. Trade Administratum for aliens, Imperium for Empire, it was the easiest choice they ever made. Never looked back and told their descendants life is better under the Tau than Terra. We'd never go back, never. If some Imperial preacher comes around harping on about Golden Thrones we'd shoot him before he could open his mouth."

"I am glad to hear it," Alohvar stated, "Your commitment to the Greater Good is commendable. I understand you have fought for the Empire previously?"

Hamer confirmed, "Twenty Tau'cyr skirmishing with Orks on the borders. Stood alongside a half-dozen commanders and was proud to be counted among the defenders of T'au."

"A worthy record," Alohvar commented, "Return to your men tell them to worry not, all is as it should be."

Hamer fled the bay in relief, not looking back. Alohvar however turned his eyes to the sub-realm and tried to reveal what the Gue'vesa had seen. There was nothing out there, nothing. He couldn't make out anything but vague motion as the currents of the warp stirred. He squinted and tried to paint pictures onto the vague firmament but gave it up as a futile notion.

He was about to turn away but then remembered a tale from the survivors of the Fourth Sphere Expansion. That doomed expedition had been trapped in the sub-realm and then beset by monsters. They had spoken of invisible horrors breaking into the ships, sweeping inside to consume the inhabitants, but not the Tau, only the aliens among them. Fanciful tales had been relayed of aliens falling down dead, or turning inside out or growing claws and tentacles and going on rampages through the bowels of the ship. The Tau had fought back but they themselves had not suffered such terrors, whatever assailed them as unable to see the Castes as they were in turn. In the end some impossible miracle had swept the survivors back into reality but they had been left utterly hostile to all non-Tau, convinced the other races were time bombs waiting to go off.

Alohvar had dismissed such talk as the gibbering of traumatised minds, but his experiences against the D'eth Gurd had taught him otherwise. On the war front it had always been the humans who were most vulnerable to the insane corruption, their flesh and minds so easily tainted by their filth. The Tau had proven almost immune, their biggest problem being their allies turning upon them without warning. Were the two events related, he pondered, could it be other races could perceive something they Tau couldn't? It was known other species possessed psionic abilities his race never dreamt of, strange abilities that defied conventional science. Could this be another manifestation of the differences between various races?

Alohvar had no answers but determined to keep an even closer eye upon the non-Tau on board, even the Vespid. He would take no chances with something inexplicable occurring. He cast one last look over the bland expanse of the warp then left, little realising Daemons were laughing back at him, invisible to the psychically-inert Tau mind. So the ship crossed into the unknown reaches of the galaxy, as flocks of Neverborn clawed at its protection and coveted the souls within.