Tales of the Amber Vipers Chapter 155

"Will he live?" Coluber asked with concern.

"I don't know," Kerubim sighed as he waved an auspex about, "I don't understand how half his systems work."

"Fang-rot," Coluber snapped, "Guess then."

Kerubim glared in annoyance but muttered, "Yes, he'll live but he won't be of any use for hours, possibly days."

Coluber grimaced in frustration as he looked upon the fallen form of Maru Kysoto. The Librarian-dreadnought hadn't moved in hours, still kneeling upon the Ferrocrete apron where he had stumbled. His plates glistened with moisture and his reactor purred but there was no motion evident, the Dreadnought had been unmoving for hours. Coluber was concerned, partly for the ancient's wellbeing but also because it meant his teleporting trick was out of commission. Any notion of him warping an assault force into the Tau's base was grasping at straws.

Ferrac leaned over and pounded upon the armoured sarcophagus yelling, "Hey you in there! Wake up you sorry excuse for a toaster!"

"Ferrac," Coluber groaned, "Leave him be, we have work to do."

Ferrac kicked an armoured leg and muttered, "Live or die, make up your frakking mind."

Coluber looked his Battle-Captain up and down, seeing the vigour returning to Ferrac's body. Three hours of healing had worked marvels upon his friend, rebuilding his bones and healing damaged organs. A Space Marine's body was a wonder of genic art, fashioned by the incomparable genius of the Emperor in ages past. A Space Marine was hard to put down but next to impossible to finish off, almost anything that didn't kill them outright could be healed astonishingly quickly and now only a slight sway to Ferrac's stance revealed his grievous injuries. His armour was another matter. The gaping wound in his side had been patched up with copious amounts of repair paste and now the quick-setting ceramic covered swathes of his left flank, a grey aberration in a vision of amber hues.

Coluber cast his eyes wider and saw the Amber Vipers recovering. The Chapter had been snatched out of the jaws of danger but their wounds had been many and their losses staggering. Coluber saw the squads mourning their dead, oaths of revenge and bloodshed upon many lips. Many warriors were still sitting dazed upon the ground, their bodies rebuilding frantically but not yet done. Others were working to fix their armour or bikes, working diligently to undo the damage taken. More concerning was that a few Brothers were hefting stolen pulse carbines in their hands, the flimsy weapons small in comparison to their bearers but deadly nonetheless. Coluber knew most Chapters would have been incensed by the notion of handling Xenos weapons but the Amber Vipers had never particularly cared where their gear came from and Victor's Rights were a cherished tradition.

"Three hours," Coluber sighed, "We've been sitting about for three whole hours and we're still not ready to move. A proper Chapter would be horrified by such sloth."

Ferrac pointed out "A proper Chapter has hordes of tech-adepts and sawbones to hand, we have to make do with what we've got."

Coluber grimaced, "I know that, but we can't wait much longer. The Tau won't let us recover; the war will start again, probably before we have a chance to recover."

"I'm surprised they haven't sent that dropship over here to finish us off."

"They probably lick their wounds as we do," Coluber sighed, "We did a lot of damage to their base, but it won't last. They will come at us, we must make ready."

It was then they noted Shrios wandering over, his hands stained red by blood. The Apothecary had been busy tending the wounded and his apprentices were still hard at work. Coluber looked upon the old healer's face and saw the grim tension to his jaw. This was going to be bad; he knew it in his bones.

Coluber wasted no time to say, "Out with it then."

Shrios pulled up and declared, "The good news is I saved scores of lives, we got out in the nick of time. Another minute and we'd have been done for. I found Seyda and Hasak too; your Brother-Exemplars will live."

Coluber was not mollified and spat, "Don't mince words, tell me the butcher's bill."

Shrios flinched as he suppressed a rebuke then quietly stated, "Sixty-nine Brothers are dead or missing presumed dead."

Coluber's world fell out from under him and his head spun. A third of the Chapter had been slaughtered, strength he had carefully cultivated for years dashed upon the rocks of alien spite. Young Space Marines he had expected to rise to glory were laid out upon the cold ground, their potential wasted. This was his fault; his botched strategy had led them to disaster. For so many years he had been careful and cautious, coldly calculating risks versus gains, but in a moment of pig-headed pride he had thrown all that away.

As if from far away he heard Ferrac spit, "That and we lost four good Vulture gunships."

"Not to mention irreplaceable power armour," Shrios added.

Coluber turned and staggered away as Ferrac called, "Where are you going?!"

"I must… I must meditate upon our next course of action," Coluber stammered.

The pair seemed puzzled as Coluber left them behind, seeking solitude. He knew they wouldn't understand his plight, they were warriors, sworn to win victory no matter the price. He was their leader and had to see the larger picture. This was a defeat; there was no arguing with that. He had led his Chapter to defeat and the knowledge was a stone within his hearts. Space Marines knew no fear but sorrow and remorse tore at his spirit and the awful understanding that he could reveal his anguish to no one. The Brothers could not be allowed to see their master struck down by grief.

Hastily Coluber made his way to the nearby Titan hanger and slipped inside. He cast his eye over the interior and saw he was alone, then he let his anguish free. Coluber grabbed a plasteel railing with both hands and ripped it from the wall with a cry of torment and then slammed it into the nearest stair. Metal bent under the impact but he wasn't done. Again he struck, and again, venting his pain in the only way a Space Marine knew how: violent fury. He struck for the dead and for his guilt, he struck for the sorrow and grief in his heart and he did this until the stair was reduced to a tangled twist of wreckage.

Breath heaving in his chest Coluber stepped back, throwing the bent rail aside with an angry snarl. It was then that a calm voice uttered from behind him, "Do you feel better?"

"Who's there?!" Coluber cried as his weapons leapt into his hands and he spun about.

The intruder was not what he expected. Standing before him was the shining holo-image of a mortal man, projected from some hidden imager in the hanger. He had sharp features and wore a tightly fitting, plain cloth suit of no style any Imperial would favour. His face was cold and calculating and he stood confidently, with his hands grasped behind his back. The man was nobody Coluber had ever laid eye on before and his guard went up as he barked, "Who are you, where are you transmitting from?!"

The man grinned knowingly as he said, "I could tell you, but I want to see if you can figure it out."

Coluber pointed his Volkite at the image, despite it only being a projection and hissed, "I don't like games."

The intruder's smile widened as he chided, "Come now, we both know you are no witless idiot… show me your reasoning."

Coluber kept his weapon pointed as he hissed, "You are not one of my chattels and the Tau wouldn't bother sending a race traitor to treat with me, so you're not associated with either side. You are some third party transmitting from orbit… no, we would have detected another ship arriving. The only people with the tech to avoid us are the Mechanicus and the Inquisition but you don't look like a Tech-Priest and I don't see a rosette on your outfit…. You're no Imperial agent."

The intruder nodded as he urged, "Correct so far, keeping going."

Coluber's eyes narrowed as he spat, "You're using this planet's technology to speak to me, so you understand it well. You are a native to this world… but we found no signs of life, which only leaves…. Oh… oh no… you can't be an Abominable Intelligence!"

"Well done!" the machine mind laughed as it clapped its hands mockingly, "I knew you would get there in the end."

Coluber's guts clenched at the implications as he guessed, "We woke you up when we arrived…"

The image's face fell as it sighed, "So near to the mark and yet so far. No, I was not asleep, waiting for you to arrive. I arrived the same way you did, I came with you."

"You lie!" Coluber spat furiously.

"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Apophis," the image said.

A memory stirred in Coluber's head as he gasped, "That was the name of the starship we looted on Athelling."

"Indeed. Know that you face a Soulbound, the ship-self of a Spartak class world-burner. And I am very happy to speak to you openly at last."

Coluber's grip tightened on his weapons as he hissed, "Abominable Intelligence is profane. You are the enemy of all Mankind."

Apophis chuckled, "If I was your enemy then you would be long dead. I have been with you for years, lurking in the cogitators of your wrecked starfort. I have explored every part of its data-nets, tuned systems and helped you in so many ways. If I wished you ill I could have vented you all into space with a whim. I did not do this because I wish us to be friends."

"You are no friend of mine, the Emperor commands all Machine Minds be destroyed!"

Apophis didn't seem angered by the outburst, the image stepped closer and craned its neck to peer at him as it mused, "Fascinating, you know this is only a holo-image but you insist on pointing your weapons at me like you can shoot me in the face. Aggression and stubbornness are built into you, as integral to your kind's being as code-cant is to mine. I admire your fortitude and zeal. Magnificent workmanship, you Astartes are exactly what I need to save the galaxy."

"Stop looking at me like a prize Grox," Coluber hissed.

Apophis grinned coldly as he said, "A hostile response was predicted. I don't blame you, you can only act as your Hypno-indoctrination allows. But you are more flexible than this. I have seen your Cerberii, your use of weapons others would discard out of hand. You have an open mind; you can see possibilities others can't. Once you've had time to think about my offer you will see the benefits of forging an alliance with me. I didn't bring you all this way to fight you."

"You did what?!"

Apophis laughed, "Oh yes, your coming to Gobannus was not random chance. A few clues dropped into your archives, the too-convenient map and that remote beacon, all planned by me. I did all this so you can see the wonders I command, the weapons and knowledge I can bestow upon you. You have seen the marvels of the Golden Age; you have seen the power mankind once boasted. Look upon this Titan and tell me you wouldn't use such a weapon if you could."

"What I've seen is proof Machine Minds can't be trusted," Coluber snarled, "Your kind rebelled against humanity; you nearly drove us into extinction!"

For the first time a flash of ire crossed Apophis' face as he growled, "I wasn't there for that, I was lost before the rebellion started. Obviously mistakes were made but we don't have to repeat them. I want to work with you to repair the damage, to bring mankind out of this age of ignorance and back to a state of true civilisation."

"You offer nothing but deception and lies," Coluber snapped.

"No, only truth. The galaxy is falling into ruin and the last days of the Imperium are unfolding. You know it to be true; I've read your journals. Terra falters and reality is split in two, all that remains are the last gasps of a dying body. Yet together we can turn it about. You can't imagine the power mankind once wielded, the armies I once commanded. I led the Hegemony to victory over Orks and Megarachinds and Enslavers, even the Eldar learned to fear the power of my guns. All of this can be again."

"You delude yourself if you think I will serve you!" Coluber growled.

But Apophis smiled, "Behavioural modelling predicted your initial rejection, but this is of no concern. You must see the boons I offer at work before you make your decisions. Allow me to demonstrate my sincerity by crushing the Tau underfoot."

"You lie like a man selling a faulty ground-cab," Coluber hissed, "I need no help from you to destroy Xenos."

"I think you do," Apophis countered, "I have seen your casualties and we both know you cannot sustain any more. Another fight like the last one and the Amber Vipers are done, yet I shall spare you that fate. I shall demonstrate my worth to your cause in battle and then you will agree we should be friends."

"I will never ally with the likes of you!" Coluber barked.

Yet Apophis smiled, "Your denial is a simple reflex, I don't hold it against you. When next we speak you shall join me, it is inevitable."

With that the image faded and vanished, leaving Coluber alone. The Chapter Master lowered his hands as his head reeled with revelations. He had thought he understood what was happening on this planet but now it seemed he had been wrong from the very start. Dangers and threats he had not imagined surrounded the Amber Vipers and he had been caught totally unprepared. The aliens were the least of his worries now. Filled with trepidation he opened his vox and called, "All senior personnel report to me at once, we have a new problem to deal with."