Tales of the Amber Vipers Chapter 174

Coluber's quarters resided in the singular tower at the heart of the Nest, several levels below the control centre. It was an ancient meditation garden, repurposed to serve as the Chapter Master's residence. The wide area contained all the usual accruements of an Astartes warlord, armour stand, weapons rack, workbenches and a desk piled high with reports and a humming Logic Engine. In addition to this was an ornate sandpit, where carefully racked lines swept around harmoniously placed stones, to create patterns of order and discord. Not Coluber's work by any means but he had left it undisturbed when he claimed this abode. There was also a viewing window, which provided a sweeping view of the Serpens Rex, one which Coluber rested his bare arm against as he stared into the void.

Coluber was dressed only in a short shrift, coarse and unlovely in make. His armour had been restored over the previous days but he elected to not wear it yet. His bare arms were daubed with ashes of contrition, settling into his numerous scars to create black lines across his skin. His wounds had healed but they still ached, lingering pain reminding him how close he had come to death. Worse than this was the ache in his hearts, the harrowing sting of loss and the burden of shame. His choices had almost led the Amber Vipers to destruction and he could not blame anyone else. Too many had died under his command and he mourned their needless deaths.

Coluber's eyes travelled the length of his derelict starfort and saw the stars spinning as the Nest made a course correction. The Serpens Rex was leaving this stellar system, cruising serenely to the Warp-translation point in deep space. Behind her keel Gobannus was breaking up, the planet's molten core erupting uncontrollably as the vast chasm in its crust exposed the mantle. Should any future explorers come looking they would find only a drifting asteroid field and no hint of what had been lurking here.

The ending of a threat to the Imperium was good but the price required to achieve it was high. Scores of Amber Vipers lost, holes punched through their base and the harrowing of their spirit. Better they had never come here, better they had unleashed Exterminatus as soon as they laid eyes upon the benighted planet. Coluber should have known better, he berated himself, he should have been wary of a prize that came too easily and not blinded by glittering treasure.

A chime at his door alerted him his advisors were arriving. He turned from the window with a sigh and rolled his neck to ease cramps. A brief summons brought forth his comrades, marching into his domain in full plate. Ferrac, Maru Kysoto, Shrios and the mortal Nathanal, each battered but unbroken by the tides of war. At the back Hasak and Seyda took up positions by the door, Burst-Lances held ready. The Brother-Exemplars had been sticking to him like glue since they left Gobannus, given how things played out he hardly blamed them.

Coluber waited until they stood before him and said, "Are they gone?"

Nathanal answered, "Navigators report sensing an Empyreal bow-wave surging three hours ago. Kerubim and Brontes have made Translation to the warp."

Shrios sniffed, "I'm surprised you let them go."

"I had little choice," Coluber sighed, "Brontes had us over a barrel. Still Kerubim has his standing orders; I doubt we will ever see the Cadmus again."

Ferrac eyed him through his iron-facemask and asked, "Speak truly; you weren't tempted to keep him around?"

"And have every Tech-Priest in the galaxy gunning for us?!" Coluber scoffed, "I have no wish to find an Explorator fleet bearing down on us with their gunports open."

Shrios looked at Nathanal and asked, "How will we fare with our only Techmarine gone?"

Nathanal shrugged, "Kerubim was only half-trained, I have several other apprentices. But I admit Kerubim was the greatest of them, I thought one day he would replace me as your advisor."

Ferrac jested, "Looks like we're stuck with you."

Nathanal looked down as he said, "I'm not a Space Marine, my days are finite. It's getting hard to crawl through maintenance tubes and read blurring digits on a screen. You need to start thinking about what happens when I'm too old to serve. It's not like you have access to Juvenat treatments."

"Speaking of losses," Shrios prompted, "What of the Cerberii, there's only two of them left."

Ferrac quipped, "I'm sure some more idiots will screw up badly enough to be inducted. Berio and Radfal won't be lonely for long. Besides our new Claviger is already merrily ripping tongues out of the next batch of chattels we sent his way."

Coluber brushed it off as he said, "Let us draw a line under that. Shrios…"

The Apothecary looked glum as he reported, "Casualties were heavy, between the Tau and the Automatons we lost a lot of good Brothers."

"How many?" Coluber asked.

Shrios prevaricated, "Everyone who will recover has recovered, I've harvested the gene-seed of the rest."

"Stop dodging and give me a number."

Shrios sighed, "Better to tell you what's left: we have one hundred and forty-three Amber Vipers still breathing."

Coluber's knees sagged at the report, so many dead, more than he had feared and he breathed, "Half the Chapter, gone."

Shrios elaborated, "Tertius took the worst, Primus was hit hard too. Secundus came off least hurt but they had losses too."

"We lost several Vultures and precious power armour," Nathanal added, "We will be hard-pressed to keep Primus at six squads. Spare parts will be impossible to scrounge."

Coluber closed his eyes and lamented, "This is my fault."

Ferrac stepped forward and urged, "We battled terrible foes and emerged bloodied but alive, there is no shame in that."

Coluber groaned, "I led two hundred and fifty Space Marines to Gobannus, I came out with a hundred and forty-three. In a real Chapter I would sentence myself to a Penitent Crusade for such poor leadership."

Ferrac protested, "You can't blame yourself, we are Space Marines, fighting and dying is what we do."

Coluber shook his head and said, "Your role is to win wars. My role is to ensure the Chapter survives. I failed in my duty, I saw Gobannus as a treasure to be plucked; I did not see the trap laid out for us. Blinded by greed I wandered in without care and caused the greatest defeat in our short history."

Maru spoke up then, "I find myself in the odd position of agreeing with the attack-dog. Apophis tried to corrupt you with promises of glory and power, but you proved stalwart and true. You were tested and not found wanting."

"Tell that to the squads mourning dead Brothers," Coluber sighed.

Maru countered, "You see only physical losses but fail to consider the spiritual gains. Your mongrels have seen first-hand that some lines must not be crossed and some weapons are too dangerous to grasp. A lesson the Amber Vipers sorely needed to learn. What you began with the Cerberii has now been impressed on the hearts and minds of every survivor: prudence, purity and self-control."

Ferrac nodded, "Aye, we may play fast and loose with the rules on occasions but we are loyal to the core. If we embraced Apophis we would have become no better than Traitor Marines."

Coluber sighed, "You try to console me but it isn't working. I dreamt of making us a worthy Chapter and in my haste I thought to take short-cuts. I thought the power of the Dark Age of Technology would elevate us to greatness, but we almost fell to the same snare that destroyed the Hegemony. I erred and cannot see Gobannus as anything but a defeat."

Nathanal piped up then, "Hold on, we didn't exactly come away empty-handed. I got enough loot off the planet to fix a lance array on the Nest, doubled shield capacity on the Wyvern and then there's the big prize."

"The power armour Manufactorum," Coluber ventured.

"I've got labour teams working on it round the clock," Nathanal grinned, "Adapting it to suit Astartes plate will take years, it was originally designed for Solar Knights, but in time we can start making our own plate, right here in the Nest."

Coluber conceded, "Then we can start to make good our losses. A fresh recruiting cycle will begin, new Amber Vipers will ascend and in time we will grow again."

"You don't look very happy," Ferrac retorted.

"It is what it is," Coluber stated grimly.

"Maybe this will cheer you up," Ferrac stated as he lifted a bulky pistol from his belt.

"The Phosphor-Fusil?" Coluber asked as he took it back.

Nathanal explained, "I checked it over as you asked and its exactly what it appears, no traps and no sabotage. It's potent though, do not stand too close to your target, if you like having eyeballs. Brontes wasn't tricking us, this weapon works as advertised. I can even rig up larger versions if you want."

"The best part is the Cerberii haven't condemned it as tainted," Ferrac crowed, "I want every squad in Primus to have access to a heavy-weapon version."

Coluber turned the gun over in his hands and admitted, "This is a small consolation, I will keep it as my own." He turned from them and strode over to his plate upon its stand. The armour of the Chapter Master had been lovingly restored to perfection by his own hand. Every component consecrated and every inch of the heraldry restored to glory, the Machine Spirit deserved no less for its Leal service, yet there was one discrepancy. His right shoulder pad remained blackened and scorched, paint seared from its surface and leaving it ashen in hue. Coluber eyed the patch as he slid the Phosphor –fusil into a holster and then stepped back.

"You missed a bit," Ferrac pointed out.

Coluber explained, "On purpose, this pauldron will remain forever so, as an emblem of lament."

"You intend to memorialise Gobannus?" Shrios queried.

"The dead must be honoured and the lessons learned kept fresh in our minds. Hubris nearly ended us and I must be wary of repeating these mistakes. So I shall mourn this defeat, until the end of my days."

Maru sounded wary as he inquired, "You aren't planning to do anything imprudent?"

Coluber smiled without humour, "Worry not, I am not planning to throw us into the fire seeking to expunge our shame. We will rebuild slowly, add to our strength and fight the Emperor's wars as we should. No more will we seek tainted relics of the Hegemony, they were only a short-cut to power. Let them that failed empire be forgotten. We shall wage war as the Emperor intended and earn our place in the Imperium with our blood and sweat and tears. One day my friends we will be counted among the greatest of Chapters, in strength and honour… one day."

"And until then?" Ferrac pressed.

"We survive," Coluber sighed, "That's all we can do: survive."