Tales of the Amber Vipers Chapter 173

Kerubim gripped his rifle tight as he waited for the signal to move. He was waiting in the narrow confines of the outer docking pier, where the Amber Viper's meagre flotilla berthed. Along that narrow slice of life a handful of frigates sat alongside Peregrine and Wyvern. Thousands of Chattels cared for these ships, ensuring the Chapter maintained a modest capacity of fighting in the void. Yet none of that mattered to Kerubim, for they were about to confront Brontes.

In passages and transits at the end of the pier the survivors of Gobannus waited. Primus warriors in orderly squads, Secundus and Tertius in vac-suits. The coming fight may prove explosive and the dangers of decompression were not to be underestimated. Coluber had equipped the squads with Meltas, Volkites and Grenade Launchers, weapons that should prove lethal to a Battle-Automaton. Cadmus or not, Brontes was no match for over a hundred Space Marines intent upon his destruction.

Kerubim had to confess he was conflicted over the notion. On one hand Brontes was walking Maletek Incarna, an affront to the Omnissiah. Doctrine demanded his immediate execution and were the Holy Synod of Mars to discover his presence they would send an armada of heavily armed warships to obliterate the Serpens Rex. As if that wasn't enough Brontes had killed Bane, Kerubim's faithful Vorax, he owed the Cadmus pain for that. Surely he should hate Brontes, yet he was reluctant to pull the trigger. Brontes remained a wonder of Archeotech, a surpassing marvel of ancient science. He could unlock doors Kerubim didn't know existed, reveal knowledge the tech-adept would never otherwise uncover. Apophis had revealed the hidden depths of Kerubim's lust for knowledge and to destroy Brontes seemed such a waste.

"You look nervous," whispered the grim voice of Radfal.

"I am merely considering our plan of attack," Kerubim deflected.

"Don't give me that, you are hesitant and fretting. You don't want to do this."

Kerubim turned to look at the Cerberii, covering behind a wall with a Fission-blaster in hand. His armour was scuffed and battered and the mark of the bloody hand on his faceplate was faded. Yet he looked eager for the fight to come, anxious to begin the violence and at his belt hung Kregulf's crystal-knife.

Kerubim didn't want to admit his torn feelings so covered, "Brontes has shed blood at our side. We shared the Brotherhood of combat."

Radfal sneered, "It's an abomination, do not allow yourself to sympathise with an enemy."

Kerubim countered, "But he fought with us to defeat Apophis."

"The Machine fought for his own advantage, not ours. Doubt not he would have sacrificed us all to suit his own ends. We owe him nothing."

Kerubim sighed, "Still, destroying him will be no easy matter."

Radfal uttered, "A hundred bolters and special weapons will put paid to him. But as a fall-back I have the viral-clade injector."

"You think that still works?" Kerubim enquired.

"It terminated Apophis, it can dispose of one little robot."

Suddenly a deep mechanical voice echoed, "If you lot talked any louder then I could shoot you from here." Instantly the Amber Vipers were in motion, scrabbling out of cover to surround the Cadmus. Space Marines poured from corridors and passages; they burst from floor vents and jumped from overhead pipes. Scores of Astartes, flooding into a traffic control centre. The arena was broad enough for them all, ringed with cogitators where ancient serfs would have directed ships and shuttles across an entire quadrant of the starfort. Ancient servitors decayed in rows as a glassic window provided sweeping a panorama of the stars.

Kerubim ignored all that as he pointed his Adrathic rifle at Brontes. The Cadmus was standing in the middle of the room, with one arm lowered non-threateningly at the floor. The other one however was hovering over a cogitator, as writhing mechandrites buried themselves within. Kerubim didn't like the implications of that, but the others weren't so concerned. They surrounded the Cadmus; guns raised as Coluber strode in and shouted, "In the name of the Emperor you are condemned to die!"

Kerubim expected an explosion of violence from the robot but instead Brontes sneered, "Your ambush is late, were you in any way competent I would have been scrap metal three hours ago."

Kerubim hissed, "This should have worked."

Yet Brontes snorted, "Listen meat sack, I have been killing since before your Imperium came into existence. You were cretins to think I could not outmanoeuvre some gene-bred mongrels."

Coluber snapped, "Cease prattling and prepare to meet your end!"

Brontes didn't sound impressed as he retorted, "Try it and you'll all be dead in sixty seconds. Your lickspittles too."

Maru Kysoto emerged into the room, his bulk equalling the Cadmus, as he proclaimed, "You think to flush the air locks and vent the station but have failed to notice we all are wearing void-proofed protection. You cannot suffocate us."

Brontes sneered back, "Idiots, I am ten steps ahead of you. You have failed to notice this is not an atmospheric cogitator I am hooked up to, it's a power control manifold."

Alarm rang through Kerubim as he shouted, "Stand down, everybody stand down!"

Coluber's helm snapped about as he hissed, "You dare?!"

But Kerubim cried, "My Lord, the Cadmus is inside our Noosphere. He can do anything he likes… including overloading the starfort's plasma reactors. With a thought he can enact the rite of self-immolation."

Brontes scoffed, "This one isn't quite as dumb as the rest of you. I may not be a Soulbound, but any Machine Mind is more than a match for your paltry firewalls. If one bolt shell leaves a muzzle I will blow this junkpile to atoms before it touches me."

"Maru," Coluber hissed, "Can you stop him?"

Maru lamented, "Alas this is the realm of the Binaric. I have no talents in that direction. He can and will do as he says… unless we give him what he wants."

Coluber waved his troops to lower their guns as he said, "It seems we are stalemated. You can kill us but we can also kill you. A clever ploy, but surely you know I cannot allow you to remain on board. The Mechanicus will stop at nothing to destroy all Silica Animus. Your presence is a death sentence upon the Amber Vipers."

Brontes however sneered, "You think I wish to linger in this mound of dung?! Ha, I'd sooner rust. I have no intention of staying with you Fleshbags, give me a ship and a Navigator and I'll be gone."

Ferrac stepped out of the crowd and sneered, "You think we will give you a vessel?!"

"Unless you want to be reduced to a cloud of floating atoms you will."

"Space Marines do not fear death!" Ferrac roared.

"Then you won't mind being exterminated."

Coluber held up a hand and hissed, "Be not rash. I am in no haste to end my Chapter, but neither can I let you wander off to do throne knows what. I could be setting loose a new plague upon the Imperium."

Brontes snorted, "You think I care enough about your pathetic empire to plot its downfall? You have an overinflated sense of your own importance. Your worlds burn and your corpse-god falters already, it needs no extra push from me to collapse into the dust of history."

Kerubim interjected, "What will you do then?"

Brontes answered, "Apophis claimed no other Machine Minds survived, he claimed we were alone in the stars. I intend to test that theory, by seeking out others of my kind."

"Why do you doubt it?"

"Because it was Apophis who said it. I don't trust anything he ever said was true. I shall seek the truth for myself."

"And if Apophis spoke true?" Kerubim pressed.

Brontes affirmed, "Then I shall dedicate myself to the destruction of Chaos, wherever I find it. I owe them for destroying the Hegemony."

Coluber didn't sound happy as he snapped, "I came to this world to strengthen my Chapter and instead saw it blooded and broken. Now you expect me to give you a ship!"

Brontes sniffed, "Again you underestimate me."

From his free hand Mechandrites extended, bearing a pair of small items. Kerubim craned to look as they extended towards Coluber and deposited them in his hands. One was a small data-crystal, of unknown providence, the other a bulky pistol. Kerubim saw it was moulded for a Space Marine's grip, with a wide-bore barrel and blackened panels on either side. The rear was a curious assembly of six chambers on a spindle, that could rotate as it fired. It resembled a revolver from some primitive blackpowder world, but he suspected it contained more perilous ammunition than stub bullets.

"What's this?" Coluber hissed suspiciously.

Brontes explained, "I took a detour on the way here and liberated a few millilitres of Phosphor, then cobbled this gun together out of spare bits. Those shells contain the deadly power of Phosphor, just enough to incinerate any living being, without killing the shooter. Should prove fairly simple to reverse engineer and replicate, copying tech is what you're good at. The crystal contains the formula for Phosphor. You can build as many of these as you like, larger versions too, if you follow my directions exactly."

"A Phosphor-Fusil?" Coluber breathed avariciously.

Maru stomped his foot and rebuked, "You think to bribe us!"

"I aim to pay my debts. I will not tolerate owing you anything in the future. A new weapon system for a one-way ticket off this scow, I call that fair payment."

Kerubim yearned to take that pistol apart and examine its innards but then Radfal interjected, "You cannot allow an Abominable Intelligence to roam unchecked among the stars. It might do anything!

Ferrac concurred, "The risks are too great."

Even Maru added, "The Most Glorious Emperor forbids it!"

Coluber lifted his gaze from the pistol and growled, "Unfortunately, they are right. I cannot let you simply depart..."

"Then send me!"

Long seconds passed before Kerubim realised he had spoken aloud. All eyes slid to him in surprise and Ferrac barked, "What?!"

Kerubim swallowed a knot of trepidation and uttered, "Send me with the Cadmus, as a guarantee of good conduct. I can watch him in case of treachery and am best placed to act if he plots against the Imperium. He can't stay and we can't kill him, so send me to act as your watchman."

Brontes growled, "What makes you think I'd want you, Fleshbag?"

Kerubim turned to him and retorted, "You won't last a year alone. The first Tech-Priest who sees you will know what you are and the mortals you need to pilot that ship won't obey you. Everyone you meet will be against you. You need a comrade to ally suspicion, to be your public face. None will question an adept being accompanied by a Battle-Automata bodyguard."

Coluber stepped nearer and hissed, "Kerubim, why do you say this?"

Kerubim looked down as he confessed, "Because I've learned all I can on the Nest. I am the foremost apprentice of matters technical among us and yet I know so little. A vast ocean of knowledge lies beyond my reach, horizons tempt me that I cannot reach. If I stay here I will never become a true Techmarine, but out there I can learn so much more. I can travel with Brontes and learn what I need to know, then return to you as a true servant of the Omnissiah."

Coluber stared at him for a moment, making his innards clench with worry, then the Chapter Master declared, "You have my blessing to depart."

"I do?!" yelped Kerubim.

"He does?!" started Ferrac and Maru in unison.

Coluber nodded and said, "Take one frigate and leave with Brontes. Keep an eye on him and when you achieve your goal return to us and teach your fellows everything you have learned."

"I swear it," Kerubim affirmed solemnly.

Brontes withdrew his mechandrites and stated, "Come Fleshbag, we depart this very hour."

"A moment to say goodbye," Kerubim implored.

"I'm leaving, if you want to come be on that ship. Oh, and I've left a Logic Bomb in the cogitator, just in case you planned to shoot me down. Defusing it will keep your adepts occupied for the few hours it takes me to get out of weapons range. Goodbye and good riddance to you snivelling mongrels."

With that Brontes stomped off, leaving them alone. Kerubim looked to his Brothers and knew he would not see them again for many years, if ever. Coluber gripped his pauldron hard and said, "Fair winds be at your back Kerubim and keep your fires stoked for what you have to do."

"Master?" Kerubim breathed.

"My last command to you is this, learn what you need to but be wary of growing too close to Brontes. When you return I expect to hear that he did not survive your adventures… am I making myself clear?"

Kerubim grasped his meaning: Coluber had stayed Brontes' execution, not cancelled it. Imperial law was too unbending on this issue to brave any other course. Even the Amber Vipers could not skirt this rule. Kerubim was expected to find a way to end Brontes, any way he had to. He felt the burden settle upon him but also the chance for learning. The Cadmus could show him new vistas of knowledge and lead him to discoveries he couldn't imagine. Filled with excitement Kerubim took up his Adrathic Rifle and skipped after the departing Cadmus, eager to begin their adventures together. He did not look back for the future beckoned and it was a lure unto his soul he could not resist.