Tales of the Amber Vipers Chapter 166
From orbit the battle seemed small and insignificant. Flashes of light blinking far below, rapid but faint. It made light of the death and destruction, distance drawing a veil over the losses suffered on the surface. From up here one could be tempted to think all was well, but Kerubim knew better, the Amber Vipers were dying in the white heat of war and he wasn't with them. He was in orbit, heading further away with every minute.
The Cerberii's dedicated transport was called Doombringer, a squat and unlovely orbital lifter fitted with weapons and armour to serve in the role of dropship. It resembled a brick in many ways, with fins and engines and cockpits strapped on to make it move. Doombringer was hardly the most elegant craft they could have taken but it had the benefit of auspex baffles and surveyor-screeds to disguise its approach, so represented their best chance to reach the Serpens Rex undetected.
Led by Brontes the Cerberii had returned to their hidden transport and left the planet, launching for orbit while all eyes were on the raging conflict in the Forge. Nobody had liked that, they had wanted to warn the Amber Vipers of what dangers awaited them but Brontes had been adamant. Silence was their best chance to sneak under Apophis' notice. So they left on a mission of their own devising, abandoning their Brothers and trusting the guidance of an Abominable Intelligence. Kerubim suspected even if they pulled this off Coluber would condemn him to join the Cerberii regardless.
Kerubim checked the Astrogation cogitator again and saw they were on course to intercept the Serpens Rex. Orbital vectors were a complex dance of speed, position and direction, arranging the meeting of any two objects was always laborious, doing so while trying to pass undetected was challenging even for a Transhuman brain. Kerubim had to compute ways to steer with only the tiniest bursts of thrust, trusting inertia to carry them instead of brute force plasma drives. Berio sat in the pilot's chair, hands brushing the controls when required and keep off when not. The Cerberii seemed dour at the best of times but now he was glowering, his face bitter and pinched.
"What's wrong?" Kerubim asked.
Berio glanced at him and said, "I don't trust it."
"Brontes?" Kerubim replied, "Neither do I but we have no other choice."
"How can you be so indifferent?" Berio hissed.
"I'm not," Kerubim growled, "Brontes is a Silica Animus, a walking Heresy. As if that's not enough he killed Bane, I won't forget that, but we have bigger problems. He's the only one who knows how to kill a Soulbound, without him we stand no chance."
"So you're content to work with a Machine Mind?" Berio probed.
"I wouldn't say that but I know we can fight only one enemy at a time. First Apophis… Brontes can wait a day."
Berio returned his eyes to the stars and remarked, "I still don't understand why we couldn't do this on the planet itself."
"It wouldn't work, Apophis is a Binaric consciousness, inhabiting every logic engine, including those on the Serpens Rex. If we tried to shut him down on the surface the Cogitators in the Nest would have time to isolate themselves and Apophis would slip away into the stars to start over somewhere else. No, for this to work we have to attack him at the source, the original Cogitator we looted from the lost starship. Take that out first, then we hit him directly."
Berio sniffed, "You're the cogboy, but it still doesn't make sense to me."
Kerubim was going to reply but then a blip caught his eye. He focused his attention on the auspex and saw a faint icon blinking in and out. The Surveyor was running in passive mode, lest emissions give away their position, so their eyes were half-blind. Yet something was out there, small and fast but definitely drawing nearer.
"I've got something," Kerubim declared.
"Fighter craft?" Berio hissed as he clutched the controls tight.
"No, too small. I think they're missiles, surface launched torpedoes."
Berio spat, "Vortex torpedoes, we saw them on the surface. We'll have to power up to evade them."
"I don't think that's necessary," Kerubim said as he twisted a dial.
"I don't follow," Berio said.
"These are anti-shipping missiles, not suitable to track a tiny dropship. Plus their vector takes them past us, heading into higher orbit."
"They're targeting the debris field?"
Kerubim leaned in to examine the screen and then uttered, "No… They're going after the Tau ship."
Both their eyes lifted to the canopy as they scoured the heavens for the Xenos' vessel. Space was vast beyond human comprehension, a ship ten kilometres long could be reduced to the size of a grain of sand by the effect of distance. Kerubim had to check the auspex to make sure he was looking in the right direction and saw a faint glimmer that could have been sunlight reflecting off a hull. He kept his eyes focused as he counted down the seconds, then there was a faint burst of light and the star blinked out of existence.
Kerubim sagged back and checked the auspex as he said, "The Xenos ship is dead: confirmed kill."
"So much for the Tau," Berio scoffed, "Impressive firepower, I wonder if we can loot some vortex torpedoes when this is done."
"That kind of thinking got us into this mess," Kerubim retorted, "Focus on the approach, we need to land stealthily."
Berio fell silent as Doombringer neared the Serpens Rex. The approach took a long time but seemed like seconds as Kerubim fretted. He knew one stray burst of energy could give them away but in this case the Nest's dilapidated condition worked in their favour. The sensors were as jury-rigged as the rest of the primary systems and tracking an object as small as a dropship would be difficult. Yet he worried anyway, this was the most perilous part of their approach and they had only one chance to infiltrate undetected.
"There she is," Berio breathed, "Damn, she's taken some hits."
Kerubim peered out the cockpit and said, "Railgun fire has punched holes straight through the widdershins pier, you could fly us through them and not touch the sides."
"Think we should try?"
"Negative, aim for the Deasil quadrant, there's an unguarded airlock we can use."
"How do you know that?" Berio asked pointedly.
Kerubim grinned coldly, "I just know."
Berio complied, using tiny bursts from the manoeuvring thrusters to adjust their course and bring them in. They drifted nearer, appearing to close at an interminably slow rate but once again distance was deceptive. Suddenly the Nest seemed to swell in size as the scale became possible to measure. The Fortress turned from a tiny figurine into a moving mountain of metal and Kerubim grabbed his chair as Doombringer closed, relatively travelling hundreds of kilometres an hour. For a moment he thought they would crash but at the last possible instant Berio flipped them about and fired braking thrusters. Speed was shed and with an almighty bang they slammed into the hull of the Serpens Rex, coming to a complete stop.
Kerubim shook his head and scoffed, "Amateurish landing."
"But did you die?" Berio snorted.
Kerubim jumped out of his seat and moved out of the cockpit into a short corridor running the spine of the dropship then he slid down a ladder and found himself in the broad hold. Inside Radfal, Kregulf and Brontes were preparing for void egress, checking vacuum seals and activating mag-boots. They carried Fission-Blasters, returned to them by the Cadmus, and Kerubim took up his Adrathic rifle and performed a blessing over its capacitors. Meanwhile Brontes ripped open the top of a barrel he had liberated from the laboritorum and passed out crystal rods, long as a Space Marines' forearm with smooth metal casings and info-port links on one end.
Kregulf took one up and eyed it saying, "Strange, this looks familiar."
Kerubim explained, "They are viral-clade injectors, they carry data-djinns inimical to Abominable Intelligence. They were made by the ancients to fight the Men of Iron."
Berio grabbed one saying, "You said a Soulbound was the apex of Silica Animus. Can these really take down Apophis?"
Brontes explained, "These are no bone rattler's code-scribblings but lethal Binaric killers. Sentient Malware as deadly to my kind as a knife in the heart is to yours."
"More Abominable Intelligence?" Radfal asked warily.
Brontes elaborated, "Designed to do one thing, kill Machine Minds. Even a Soulbound can't withstand these. And you can stop eyeing me like that, Fleshbag."
Kerubim turned one over in his hands as he eyed the Cadmus and muttered, "I was merely pondering what would happen if I stabbed you with one of these."
"Excruciating pain and a slow death," Brontes replied.
"Really," Kerubim asked with interest.
"For you…" Brontes growled.
Kregulf cut them off saying, "These can kill Apophis but if Brontes is correct we can't inject them just anywhere. If Apophis suspects what we are doing he can cut off a copy of himself and survive, so the only way to ensure we get rid of him is to go to the original source. This is the mission: reach the Gates of Perdition and inject the looted cogitator with these rods. Assume the Serpens Rex is under his control, trust no one and nothing. And maintain Vox-silence at all times."
Brontes snorted, "I have encrypted your comms-devices and sealed all logs of our activity on the surface. He will have no idea we're coming."
"No point taking chances," Kregulf warned, "Kerubim, lead the way."
Kerubim sealed his helm as the hold vented atmosphere and the ramp ground down. In total silence he stepped onto the Serpens Rex's hull and saw the stars blazing. To his left the vast panorama of the planet spun, dotted with clouds and flashes of light where the war raged on. A mortal would have been entranced but Kerubim ignored it, focusing on their location. In all directions the splendid ruin of the starfort dwelt, toppled towers and shattered bastions looming like a drowned city emerging at low tide. Yet off to his left rose the familiar sight of the Templum he had explored earlier, Berio had brought them down right on target.
Fixing his bearings Kerubim led the party off, mag-boots clomping as they walked. The sound of his breathing was his only companion as they progressed, heading across the shattered glory of the Nest. As they walked he had time to reflect on their status. Three disgraced outcasts, a half-trained adept and a Maletek sentience against the most potent Machine Mind ever made. Apophis doubtless had complete control of the Nest, his presence dominating every cogitator on board. Plus he had a couple of hundred Solar Knight armours locked in the vaults. With those under his control he must have made short work of the Chattels left behind. Assuming he had permitted any to live, to perform necessary labours, they would be prisoners to his will. Trying to fight all the way to the Gates of Perdition was a fool's errand. No, brute force would be of no help to them here, stealth was their only option.
Kerubim tried not to fret as they advanced, looking for the lonely airlock. Finally he spied its welcoming sheen and led the party to the entrance, waiting as it cycled open at his touch. They filed inside and hefted their weapons as the outer door closed and atmosphere filled the interior. Everybody removed helms, plates crackling with ice as air froze to their Ceramite. They nodded to each other in readiness and prepared to move out as the airlock cycled.
Kerubim set his weapon to his shoulder as the inner doors parted, revealing the corridor beyond and fifty Solar Knight armours waiting to greet them. They stood in silent rows, weapon arms raised to train their guns on the airlock. In shining silver rows they stood, expectant and alert, ready for the Space Marines' entrance. At their fore stood one carrying a glimmering Holo-projector, shining the image of a man with his hands folded behind him and a sneering grin on his face: Apophis the Soulbound. Kerubim's hearts fell as he saw the Cerberii had walked straight into a trap.
"You!" Brontes snarled.
Apophis snorted, "Yes me, did you truly believe I did not know you were coming?! Pathetic little Cadmus, thinking you could outwit a Soulbound. I broke your feeble encryption in Pico-seconds… oh yes, I have watched everything you have done.
Brontes took a lumbering step forward and snarled, "I am going to…"
He was cut off by a whistling screech of Binaric from Apophis, one that made Brontes grind to a halt. Kerubim's head throbbed as he heard info-clades of surpassing potency grinding over his ears. The effect was painful for organics but to a Cadmus it was paralysing. Brontes' mechanisms froze up, locking his limbs solid and trapping him in a low-power state, his coding helpless to overcome a Soulbound's mastery of the realm Binaric.
Radfal gasped, "What's he done?!"
Kerubim guessed, "He's overriding Brontes' will."
Apophis chortled, "Good isn't it, a Cadmus is superior to a footslogging Man of iron, but still inferior to my exalted order. I locked him into diagnostic mode; he can see and hear everything but can't move or speak until the cycle is complete. Sadly I neglected to set an end-time… I think a few centuries chewing on his defeat is a fitting punishment for this betrayal. Now, let's get rid of those vicious things."
Apophis waved four armours to step forward and they grabbed the viral-clade injectors from the Space Marines. With scores of guns pointed at them they could not resist and Kerubim watched glumly as the Solar Knights gripped the rods in their hands and snapped them into little pieces. Their only weapons were destroyed and the Amber Vipers had no way to fight anymore.
"So now you kill us," Kregulf growled.
"Maybe, maybe not," Apophis sniffed, "It depends on what Kerubim says next."
"Me?!" Kerubim yelped in surprise, "What do I have to do with anything?!"
Apophis smiled coldly as he expounded, "I brought you all to Gobannus in order to acquire an organic partner. Sadly Coluber has chosen to be pig-headed; he'd rather die than work with me. Annoying but not a disastrous outcome. I always had other options; a great general always has a fallback plan. You Kerubim, I see great potential in you and a hunger for knowledge, unbound by orthodox dogma. Come boy, let me show you the hordes of lost lore I have at my disposal and we shall determine if you have greater vision than your doomed master."