Tales of the Amber Vipers Chapter 151
The Xeno's basecamp was a hive of activity, filled with frantic preparations for a coming offensive. Everywhere Earth Caste workers hastened to drag supplies and munitions into hastily erected buildings while more senior personnel worked over fighting vehicles. Tau typically favoured mobile wars but some logistics were essential, so the base went up fast, in another hour it would be completed and the Tau could launch their attack.
Still while preparations were made the base was vulnerable, so teams of Gue'vesa stood guard around the perimeter, nervously looking to the nearby buildings for any sign of movement. They huddled behind the shimmering force fields of Tidewall defence barriers, clutching long pulse rifles in their hands. They were ready for anything but they knew the Gue'ron'sha were at large on this world. Those humans who had embraced the Greater Good knew to fear Imperial Space Marines and none were foolish enough to expect any mercy. Yet little did they know battle was already upon them.
The first sign of the assault came when a dozen Gue'vesa's heads exploded. Picked off by deadly accurate sniper fire from afar. The men had only been exposing a millimetre or two of their helmets above their defences but that was more than enough for the Transhuman eyesight of the Snakelets. Around the base men fell and alarms began to shriek, calling Fire Warriors and auxiliaries to stand by to repulse an attack, but they were too slow.
From the north came the rumble of engines and suddenly the nearest warehouses exploded as teams of bikers burst from cover. Riding heavy bikes and attack bikes Secundus Cohort rode into the fray, hurtling across the intervening distance at full throttle. That they could have closed so near without being detected would have seemed impossible, save that they had actually done it. Hastily pulse rifles were levelled at the closing ranks of bikers and shots were let off, searing the air with micro-plasma but the riders jinked to and fro at fantastic velocity and no shots landed. In return bolters thundered but the mass-reactive shells impacted on shimmering force fields and detonated harmlessly, killing no more souls.
Furious barrages of firepower were exchanged and a lucky shot took a biker in the heart, blowing through his scout-plate and leaving a gaping hole in his chest. More firepower clipped the bikers as the range closed but not enough, not nearly enough. As they reached the line Secundus peeled off, riding left and right and as they did so arms jerked, throwing frag grenades high. The explosives soared perfectly over the line of force fields and detonated in mid-air, scything red-hot shards of metal into soft flesh.
The bikers veered off and withdrew, falling back in good order. In their wake alarms shrieked, calling more forces to the north, where the line had been weakened. Yet this was all as Coluber had planned, for the true thrust came not from the north but the south. On the far side of the base there arose a great cry and from nowhere poured scores of sprinting Space Marines. Sixty warriors of Primus, power armour shining regally as they raced to grapple with the foe. In their hands were bolters, pneumatic drills, flamers, meltaguns, hook-glaives and mining picks, the assorted spoils of war the Chapter had scrounged. In their wake came teams of Snakelets armed with shotguns and knives, their potency was lesser but they brought desperately needed numbers to the fray. Save for the snipers deployed around the perimeter this represented the bulk of the Chapter's fighting strength, all deployed into one glorious charge.
At the front Coluber pushed his legs to the limit, sprinting for all he was worth. His leg pulled with every step, the old wound reminding him of previous wars, but he refused to let pain slow him down. A Space Marine could run as fast as a racing ground-cab and the Amber Vipers swept over the killing ground, covering a third of the distance before the enemy even saw them coming. At his side Brother-Exemplars Seyda and Hasak matched him pace for pace, their glorious raiment shining despite the dull light. To the right Ferrac charged with Anaxar squad, jump packs steaming in readiness to leap into the sky. To the left Shrios accompanied Torvus squad, the Apothecary gripping a Chainsword in his hands. Everyone was present, all the best and the worst, right down to the Aberrants and youngest initiates. Even Kerubim was here, followed always by that Vorax hunter-killer and Maru Kysoto, the Dreadnought keeping pace with ease.
The sound of Coluber's breath filled his helm as he closed, his body flushing him with chemical stimulants as the orange horde closed. Before him the quisling race traitors awaited and his hearts burned with hate at their despicable depravity. The Space Marines were moving at fantastic speed but the enemy had finally seen them and he saw many pulse rifles being levelled, squared-off barrels promising instant death. The range was still too far to grapple with the enemy and their first volley would reap a terrible toll. Yet Coluber had accounted for that.
Just as the first finger tightened on a trigger there was an earth-shatter roar as a squadron of Vulture gunships shot overhead. Unable to close earlier without being picked on Auspex the gunships had been held back, until now. Timing their approach perfectly the gull-winged craft blazed past, buffeting Coluber with downdraft, so low were they. They swooped over the line and missile pods rippled, slamming explosives into the foe before they veered away.
Men pressed themselves into the base of their fortifications and dropped their rifles as fire and death rolled over them. The force fields held back the worst but concussive overpressure destroyed the lungs of those too close to the detonations, leaving them gushing blood from gasping mouths and those further away were left deafened as eardrums ruptured.
"Die Xeno lovers!" Ferrac howled over the din of battle.
Coluber shared his elation and roared, "Witness the rewards of treachery Brothers, the Emperor once more exacts His vengeance. Ave Imperator!"
The Amber Vipers roared furiously as they closed, letting loose cries of condemnation and retribution. The sight of men standing shoulder to shoulder with Xenos had incensed their righteous fury and they yearned to spill turncoat blood. Coluber gripped Venom's hilt tightly as he saw the foe reeling before the onslaught, staggering about as they tried to recover yet he knew it was too late, the Amber Vipers were about to blow through them and sweep into the base beyond. Victory was in sight but then something unexpected occurred.
As the Chapter closed there was a ripple of distortion and suddenly the defence lines were moving. The Tidewall defences lifted off the ground upon shimmering waves of anti-grav force and rose high. They drifted away from the Amber Vipers, opening the range and reforming into a staggered V-formation. In moments the solid line of walls had reshaped itself to become a complex, interlocking- zone, creating an intricate crossfire that would cull the Space Marines with flanking fire. Coluber was amazed by the move yet he did not pause, his will was set and he yet had cards to play.
"Neat trick but not good enough," Coluber growled, "Ferrac, strike from above!"
"Don't let the bastards get away!" Ferrac bellowed as he lit his jump pack.
Soaring high on wings of fire assault marines flew over the lines and fell upon the foe. They spilt into combat squads as they did so. Half the squad went right, the other left and a great slaughter was made among the enemy. Chainswords cleaved limbs and necks, bolt pistols blew chests wide open and hook-glaives eviscerated reeling men. Even their boots and fists were lethal weapons, shattering bone and crushing heads with Transhuman force. Ferrac was in his element, painting his armour with blood as his axe-rake smote all within reach, the whirring teeth chewing through flesh and the reverse-spike ruptured vital organs. A man tried to shoot him from afar but a shot from Ferrac's sledgehammer gun caught him in the chest, causing him to fold in half and snap his spine as he was hurled backwards from sheer kinetic force.
Coluber saw the slaughter reach a crescendo and pushed himself even harder, then he was in among the enemy. He vaulted a force field with a single bound and Venom neatly bisected the first man he encountered. Coluber's hearts swelled with vindication as he killed the race traitor, the first coin in the currency of Imperial retribution, but far from the last. More men came at him with furious cries on their lips but Coluber met them blade to blade as his blood flooded with hyper-adrenaline, slowing time in his eyes.
Venom's curved edge swept laterally, separating a head from the neck and carrying on to carve through the heart of the next man. Another came him with a knife in hand and in the strange time dilation of battle Coluber noted it was a ceramic blade, formed of alien craftsmanship. His hatred surged to new heights as he cut the arm holding it off at the shoulder, leaving the quisling gushing blood as the man went into hypovolemic shock. Another man tried to sink a knife into his lower spine but Coluber smashed his skull in with a back-handed blow, spraying chunks of skull everywhere. An enemy levelled his rifle at Coluber, thinking to shoot him but the Chapter Master's hand flashed out, grabbing the barrel as the wretch pulled the trigger. His strength was superior and the rifle jerked as it discharged, shooting another turncoat instead. Red heat scorched Coluber's palm and he saw the man's eyes widen as he saw he had just killed one of his comrades. The cur's shock was short-lived as Venom removed the top of his skull and half his brain with it.
In a few seconds Coluber had cleared his section of the line and he turned to take in the battle. Everywhere Amber Vipers fell upon the enemy with full fury, bringing their wroth to bear. Shotguns fired at point-blank range as bolters thundered and flamers doused foes in burning Promethium, turning them into screaming candles. Fang-knives stabbed and chainswords howled, ripping and tearing with relentless fury and one Amber Viper shot a man with a meltagun, turning him into a steaming pile of pink gore. Overhead the Vultures made another pass, multi-lasers and heavy bolters thundering as they corralled the foe and kept them from fleeing. It was a glorious sight to behold, the Amber Vipers let slip their ire in the pure heart of combat and the miserable quislings could not stand before them.
In the heart of the melee Seyda and Hasak advanced, burst-lances spinning. Their hands were blurs as they swept their weapons about, graceful arcs smiting everyone in reach. Contact Volkite fields flared with every touch, leaving ashes hanging in the air as they hewed the foe like wheat before a scythe. There was beauty in their style, elegance and conservation of momentum that did not diminish their lethality but made it more focussed and effective. In their wake their teacher strode, Maru Kysoto eschewing his psychic might to grapple with the foe. A Dreadnought could hardly be called elegant but his raw might more than made up for it. His katana blade sundered men three at a time as he swept it low and his power fist obliterated anything he desired. Together they walked through the fight like men strolling through the rain and in their footsteps was only death.
Further along Shrios held a quisling up by the neck as his chainsword disembowelled the man. The Apothecary seemed fascinated by the hanging entrails for a moment but then the man expired and Shrios casually tossed the body into the fray, bowling two more turncoats over. Behind him Kerubim vaporised a quisling with a golden ray of light while Bane's rotor cannons chugged, hammering fleshy bodies with streams of stubber rounds.
Coluber saw the Amber Vipers had decimated the turncoats and in moments they were all but dead, their breakthrough was seconds away. The attack was going supremely well but in his hearts a mote of doubt crept in. They were only facing race traitors, where were the Xeno themselves, where were the Tau?
Coluber saw Ferrac culling the last turncoats and strode over to him. The Battle-Captain's front was painted red by blood and he roared "Face His justice filth!"
Coluber saw a man trying to sneak up on the Astartes from behind but removed the turncoat's spine with an upwards strike as he called, "What did I tell you about watching your back?!"
"I had him," Ferrac laughed, "This is glorious slaughter!"
"Glorious yes, but too easy. Where are the Xenos?!" Coluber barked as he waved his Brothers to advance into the base.
"Maybe they ran away when they saw us coming!" Ferrac chortled.
Coluber was not so sure but at that moment a new player entered the field. From among the buildings of the base arose a quartet of missiles, shooting high at fantastic speed. They curved in mid-air, seeking targets and they found them among the Vulture gunships. The pilots saw them coming and jinked to evade but the missiles contorted to match, seeking their targets with chilling intelligence. One gunship took a clipped hit to a wing and staggered, veering away with smoke trailing from the impact site. Three more were not so blessed, struck directly and exploding in the air, showering flaming metal fragments onto the Space Marines below.
"Emperor Wept" Ferrac cursed, "Where did that come from?!"
"There!" Coluber yelled, "I found the Xenos!"
From among the packed buildings came the second wave of enemies. Shorter and slighter than any human and with blue skins. Teams of Tau bearing long rifles spread out, levelling their guns ready to fire. Behind them came a floating anti-grav tank, its roof dominated by a complicated missile turret. At the left flank stomped a pair of battle-suits with immense guns slung over their shoulders and missile pods for hands. Yet Coluber's eyes were fixed upon a formation of familiar suits, the angular hulls and mechanical legs of Crisis Suits. At the fore was a machine with green flashes upon its chassis and Coluber's fists tingled as he recognised this foe. The very same one who had contested the landing ground, the one Coluber had sworn to kill.
Ferrac snarled, "Cowardly Xenos, they used these turncoats as a roadblock to buy them time to get into position!"
"A trap well sprung," Coluber hissed, "But it shall avail them not. Forward Brothers, get up close and take them apart. Cold hearts and fast blades: charge!"