Tales of the Amber Vipers Chapter 169
Coluber went low and cut the legs off an automaton, causing it to flop helplessly upon the ground. Another came at him from the left with a crackling fist but he ducked and let it pass overhead as he bounded forward. A sweep of Venom's edge and the Solar Knight armour was bisected at the waist, left to collapse in his wake. Barely had he taken out this foe when another tried to shoot him in the back. Coluber reacted with the surety and skill of a veteran Space Marine, grabbing its wrist with his free hand and yanking it off balance. The armour fell to its knees and then was cleaved across the heart by a sweep of Venom's steel, a glowing chasm cut across its breast.
One knot of attackers had been dispatched and Coluber turned his helm to take in the battle. Everywhere he looked Amber Vipers duelled with Solar Knight armours, fending off blows and smiting them with furious might. Fast and bloody was the fighting and causalities continued to mount, but it was infinitely better than facing a Titan. The sudden departure of the Castigator had bought the Amber Vipers a brief respite, its duel with the Manta and subsequent razing of the Tau base distracting it long enough for Coluber to regroup his Marines and reform the squads. Yet Apophis hadn't been willing to leave them be and sent lesser automatons to bedevil them, keeping the pressure on.
Coluber's vox hammered in his ear, reporting another thrust to the east and he ordered, "Torvus squad move to deny eastern thrust. Ferrac, support them with Anaxar squad."
"These things don't stop coming!" the Battle-Captain voxed from afar.
"Cease moaning and fight!" Coluber snapped.
"Whose complaining?!" Ferrac laughed, "I haven't had a fight this worthy in years!"
Coluber left him to it as he looked to his own situation. Standing between a burning refectory and a vox-mast the Chapter Master fought to deny the automaton's advance. This passage led to the shuttle landing ground, where the chattels cowered in fear as they prayed for a miracle. Coluber had spread his forces thin but he wasn't fighting alone. In the narrow space the Brother-Exemplars fought, Seyda and Hasak, standing against the tide. Burst-Lances blurred as they spun and thrust, cleaving limbs, striking heads from shoulders and tearing out spines. Contact Volkite fields burned Ceramite as easily as flesh and they left trails of glowing wounds in their wake, melted armour bubbling around vicious gashes. There was beauty and grace to their style, an efficiency of motion that made every blow deadly and left them poised for the next strike without pausing to redress. They were consummate fighters, yet they were only two against scores.
Coluber spied a pair of automatons hefting some cumbersome barrel into range. He'd seen enough of those nightmare weapons being deployed against the Tau to know he needed to be wary of letting it fire. Without hesitation he threw himself at the team, Venom's edge taking the head from one with a single sweep. The damage didn't seem to bother it but the slash across its heart put it down permanently. A follow-up blow ended its partner and Coluber grabbed the tube before it could touch the ground. It was cumbersome in his grip and he hastily sheathed Venom so he could use it better.
"Let's see what this does," he snarled as he hefted the tube and fired. From the end shot forth a bolt of darkness: a Singularity Driver. It struck the oncoming mass of Solar Knights and imploded, creating a gravity sink that yanked a score off their feet and crushed them into a ball no bigger than Coluber's fist. He grinned at the sight and dropped the expended tube, drawing Venom to finish off the survivors with a series of fast slashes.
Quiet fell and he wheezed, "That will buy us a moment."
"Only a moment," Seyda growled, "More are coming."
Hasak intoned, "Titan returns."
Coluber lifted his helm and saw the silhouette of the Castigator returning. The vile creation walked slowly, yet covered significant distances with each step. In only a few minutes it would return to plague them, then it would level this base utterly. Nothing Coluber could do would stop it. He thought for a moment of ordering the shuttles to flee but knew it was pointless. With Apophis ruling the Nest they had nowhere to go and would be blown out of the stars if they tried to approach. Futile attempts to escape or collapse into surrender were the only possible outcomes but neither would befit the Emperor's Finest. There was only one acceptable outcome for a Space Marine, they would die on their feet, battling to the last drop of blood. A glorious ending, even if none were to live to tell the tale.
Coluber steeled his soul for the final assault as he saw another group of automatons advancing on his position. He gripped Venom tight as he prepared to throw himself at them but unexpectedly another force intervened. From the side a crackling red orb flew into their midst, punching through a silver armour and leaving it to collapse limply upon the ground. Coluber's charge faltered as he stared in shock, seeing the whole rhythm of the battle shifting. Where once the automatons advanced in lockstep, now they were turning upon each other. All the foes abandoned their fight against the Amber Vipers and trained their weapons upon their comrades. An instant scrum of flailing robots erupted as red blasts flew back and forth, machines fighting machines without any trace of kinship. Coluber was stunned by the sudden change and he watched in confusion as the coordinated assault shattered into a viscous free for all.
Coluber hurriedly stepped away and hissed, "What is this?!"
Seyda replied, "I haven't a clue."
"Gone mad," Hasak intoned.
Warily Coluber voxed, "Ferrac, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
Ferrac voxed, "If it's these clockwork soldiers going crazy, then yes."
Shrios cut in, "Same here, they're all going insane."
Coluber kept stepping backwards as he saw the fight raging, machines battling machines, and he called, "Maru, are you doing this?"
Maru voxed back, "Not I, this is the affair of the Mechanicus , not the Psyker."
That thought made Coluber think of the absent Cerberii and Kerubim, unheard and unseen since the battle started. Perhaps they had done something to cause this, he could think of no other explanation. They were operating under vox silence but he decided it was worth the risk. Either they had won though or they hadn't, silence was of no more use.
Coluber opened a vox-channel and signalled, "Kerubim, this is Coluber. Report status."
The vox crackled terribly for a few seconds then a faint voice replied, "Chapter Master, this is Kerubim reporting. My lord, important news: Apophis is defeated!"
"What?!" Coluber yelped, "How?!"
"Long story, and you won't like most of it. But suffice to say we snuck onto the Serpens Rex and destroyed his Binaric code."
"You're where now?!" Coluber barked in astonishment.
"Orbit and we fight to secure the Nest as we speak. Without his direction the Automatons have no impetus save to attack the first thing they see. We are picking them off one by one."
Coluber's hearts leapt with at the prospect and he yelled, "Confirm the Nest's defences are lowered!"
"Confirmed, the orbital lanes are clear and the Serpens Rex's turrets are disabled. You can leave the planet at any time."
Coluber didn't bother waiting to reply as he switched vox channels and barked, "All Amber Vipers fall back to the shuttles immediately. Effect a combat-withdrawal and embark for immediate egress!"
Ferrac voxed back, "We're leaving?!"
"About sodding time," Shrios retorted, "Let's get the Frak out of here before something else goes wrong."
All over the base Amber Vipers broke away and began running for the shuttle park. They fell back in good order, covering each other as they ran, but their withdrawal was swift regardless. The automatons seemed indifferent to their escape, uninterested in stopping the Space Marines' evacuation. They continued blowing each other to scrap as the living made their exit, continuing a pointless battle without care. Coluber hastened to follow them, grimacing as he realised they would have to abandon all the buildings and infrastructure of their base. Material he had scraped together over years left to rot, but he resolved not to waste a single life to save any of it. Too many Brothers had died on this miserable world to expend any more for some vox-sets and fuel pumps.
Coluber dashed across a Ferrocrete apron to the shuttles and as he did so he spied the bulk of the Castigor in the distance. The Titan was as confused as its lesser kin, firing randomly into the surrounding districts. Its clawed fist shot lightning into factorum's and warehouses, setting them ablaze while its primary weapon ripped reality apart wherever it rampaged. It was a way off but not far enough for Coluber's tastes and all it would take was one random shot in this direction to destroy all the shuttles. Definitely past time to get off this planet.
The area was steaming with exhaust as overloaded craft laboured to lift off, carrying chattels and Transhumans into the sky. Small Arvus lighters, sleek Aqullias and the lumbering Angantyr. In one corner Shrios was hauling wounded Astartes into the hold of Poisoned Fang, along with the plate of many dead Amber Vipers. Across from it Maru Kysoto lumbered into the hold of Viper's Bite, along with Anaxar squad and Ferrac, who was shouting an abusive tirade at the Librarian-Dreadnought to get his arse in gear.
Coluber saw the last shuttles were taking off, laden fit to bursting and he ordered, "You two get into that Arvus. I'll go in that Aquilla."
Seyda protested, "Every time we get separated something bad happens to you."
"Your bodyguards," Hasak stated firmly.
"Throne we have no time to argue," Coluber hissed, "Get in any craft that can take you or be left behind."
Coluber turned his back on them and jumped through the narrow hatch of an Aquila as he secured Venom in its sheath. It wasn't truly meant for Space Marines but as always the Amber Vipers made do with whatever they could get. He squeezed past a dual row of Snakelets, strapping themselves in and stroking their shotguns and stolen Pulse Rifles with proud grins. The pilot was a burly chattel, hurriedly blessing his engines with frantic gestures. Lacking a seat Coluber settled on sticking his head into the observation cupola on the roof, looking through armourglass panes to observe the take off.
The field was nearly empty and the sky bustling with contrails. The Aquilla was among the last of the shuttles to depart and Coluber watched his Chapter leave with heavy hearts. So many lives lost, so much careful labour undone in days, this would be a black mark in the Amber Viper's memories. Finally the rear hatch slammed shut and the noise of the engines became a roar as the Aquilla lifted vertically and coasted forward. The nose rose and then they were away, climbing steadily over the city.
Coluber swayed back as they accelerated, feeling his aching wounds pulling at his bones. The city shrank into miniature with astonishing swiftness and he had a perfect view of the Forge. The sight filled him with sorrow. So much promise, so much potential had he expected to find, only for it to be cruelly dashed. This Forge had turned out to be a cesspit of danger and corruption, a lure for a deadly trap. His Chapter had bled for these worthless streets and he knew the cost would prove high. He could not wait to be rid of this planet and so let contempt take his eyes away and turn his gaze to the stars. And that was when the right engine exploded.
Coluber's helm slammed into the armourglass canopy as the Aquilla lurched in the air, losing speed and altitude as thick smoke streamed out of the burning engine. The craft wobbled dangerously in the air, dipped hard right as the alerions froze solid and the pilot screamed, "We're hit!"
"Who by?!" Coluber roared.
"Didn't see," the Chattel wailed, "I can't right her, I'm losing altitude and fuel. Fang-rot, we're not going to recover before we..."
The Aquila screamed as no aircraft should as it rolled violently to the right and Coluber was treated to a perfect view of the city below. What he saw astounded him. Standing on a rooftop was a mechanical warrior, with a bulbous tri-barrelled rifle raised to the heavens. The shooter was angular and bulky and the front of it was scorched purest black, ochre colours seared away as if it had been held over a blowtorch. Yet despite all that it was unmistakably a Tau Crisis suit and Coluber gasped as he realised one of the perfidious Xenos had survived the annihilation of their base. Not just any Tau either, their commander himself had escaped the destruction and come to seek revenge.
"How..." Coluber breathed but the only answer was a flash of light from the Tau's gun. A moment later the left wing blew clean off, shorn in two by an Ion blast. The Aquilla went into a dead spin, tumbling through the air as it plummeted towards the ground, trailing smoke and fire in its wake and spilling fuel in all directions. Coluber was thrown hard against the canopy as sky and ground traded places in a nauseating kaleidoscope of motion.
"Subitis, subitis, subitis!" He cried into the vox, "We are hit! We are going in, I say again we are going to..." His words were cut off as the Aquilla slammed into the ground nose first, killing the pilot instantly. Coluber felt the hand of a god slam into his chest as the crash shook him to the core and shattered armourglass embedded itself in his Ceramite. Then a wave of a flame swept over him as the fuel tanks caught alight and the Aquilla exploded.