Tales of the Amber Vipers 179

"You're leaving!" Inquisitor Markof spat in disbelief.

"This war is over and the Amber Vipers are required elsewhere," Coluber stated aloofly.

"You can't run off, "Markof hissed.

"I can and I will," Coluber rebuked, "This war was not of my choosing, I have no wish to spend more blood than necessary. The Amber Vipers are currently rebuilding our numbers; I will not risk sacrificing our existence for your pride."

The inquisitor looked likely to explode, in Ferrac's opinion, his face going red with fury. Once more they were meeting in the observation blister, looking upon Lutum as they discussed their plans. Coluber had summoned the Inquisitor to tell him the Amber Vipers were departing, taking off for the Serpens Rex, which they had left hidden in deep space.

Markof looked furious but there was little he could do, save protest, "The Imperial Regent will hear of this."

Coluber however replied, "He wants his prize and it shall be delivered to him. I leave you our Chief Librarian, to contain the witch. His power can block her indefinitely. Ferrac and two squads will remain on the Wyvern to escort you to your destination; the Battle-Captain has my full trust."

"Him?!" Markof sneered.

Ferrac grinned, "I can handle anything that comes our way."

Markof hissed, "This was not the mission given to you."

"The objective was given to me," Coluber corrected, "The method of its execution is mine, that was the whole point after all."

"You twist his words," Markof growled.

"Then file a formal complaint with the Ordo Hereticus," Coluber retorted with a grin.

Ferrac knew that was impossible, the whole point of the Amber Vipers being here was to snatch the rogue psyker from the clutch of the Black Ships. A violation of Imperial Doctrines that would prove contentious. Roboute Guilliman intended something for her other than being sacrificed to fuel the Emperor's lifeforce, though nobody knew what it was. Ferrac was wondering if the Regent planned to dissect her brain, a thought that brought him some small amusement, but really it could be anything. Ferrac couldn't guess at Guilliman's plans, as they had proven already. His mind drifted back as the argument continued, remembering the first meeting of the Amber Vipers with a Primarch.

…

Ferrac fumed as the Amber Vipers waited on the Lord Regent's pleasure. They had been divided into small groups, disarmed and held at gunpoint. Naturally they had tried to fight back but resistance had been brief and pointless. Terminators had beaten down any who defied them, barely bothering to activate their weapons, they hadn't needed to, surprise had been total and the invaders coordinated to a degree that made even a Transhuman mind swim. The only consolation was it had been a bloodless coup; the Primarch seemed to want the Amber Viper's alive, for some elusive reason.

Ferrac eyed his captors, the bulky heft of Terminator plate making it clear any move on his part would be as effective as rain on a Land Raider. Robann, their Captain had been called, watched them suspiciously with Storm Bolter and Power fist armed, ten of his Brothers ringing the bare room alongside him. With him was a breed of warrior Ferrac had never seen before, Space Marines taller and leaner than any type he knew. They were clad in light-plate and bore grinning skull-masks, frosted with void-chill. Doubtless these were the infiltrators who had sabotaged the Serpens Rex, lowering their defences and leaving them exposed to the Regent's assault. Ferrac was begrudgingly impressed, the intruders had slipped a vessel past the Nests' surveyors, creeping over the derelict sections and through vacuum exposed compartments to reach shields and generators and they had done it all without revealing their presence. A testament to what a true Astartes force could do, never had it been plainer how threadbare and half-assed the Amber Vipers were as Space Marines.

"Primaris," Shrios muttered as he eyed the skull-faced warriors.

"What?" Ferrac snapped.

"These must be the new Primaris we've been hearing about," Shrios mused, "I wonder what makes them so special, I'd love to get a couple on the dissection slab, to see what makes them so different."

"And I'd love to watch you do it," Ferrac growled, "But I suspect neither of us is getting what we want."

Ferrac stomped about and looked at the rest. Trapped in the room were Coluber, Nathanal and Maru Kysoto, who had been marched in here and left to rot. The Chapter Master and Chief Librarian were in intense conversation, exchanging heated words. Ferrac was surprised their gaolers let them talk but he suspected they believed there was nothing the prisoners could do. They were probably right.

Coluber was saying, "Surely you can do something."

"My powers are blocked," Maru stated, "They brought Sisters of Silence into the dock."

"So?"

"So they stop my hears and blind my eyes," Maru lamented, "Cutting my soul off from its essence. You cannot imagine the horror a Psyker feels to be near a Null-maiden. Even now it haunts me."

"Can't you overcome them?" Coluber pressed.

"Perhaps," Maru allowed, "But to overcome psychic blocks requires a prodigiously powerful and skilled psyker and much time to adjust. Time we don't have."

He was proved right as the Terminator Captain broke his silence to declare, "You are summoned to the Regent's presence. Do yourselves a favour and agree to whatever he demands."

Ferrac growled, "You counsel surrender?!"

Robann sniffed dismissively, "You're going to do whatever he wants either way, might as well pretend it's your own idea."

At gunpoint the leaders of the Amber Vipers were marched from their bare gaol into the heart of the Serpens Rex. Ferrac saw teams of Space Marines in varied heraldry guarding the Nest, watching the chattels at work. That Guilliman commanded the allegiance of many Chapters was obvious and boded ill. Anyone who could unite scores of fractious and feuding Chapters under one banner was a dangerous foe indeed.

It seemed Guilliman had taken over Coluber's personal quarters as his office, a grand room with a sweeping view of the Serpens Rex's derelict quadrants. It boasted all the usual adornments of an Astartes officer along with an ornate sand garden, made of sweeping lines and artfully placed rocks. Nearby the Imperial Regent stood, sorting through a pile of data-slates upon a desk. Power and authority radiated off him, the sheer presence of a Primarch bending perception like a black hole does gravity. His strength was obvious and his weapons magnificent, making the Terminator guards redundant, Roboute Guilliman could kill the prisoners without breaking a sweat. It made Ferrac's fists itch and he longed for his axe-rake, though he knew it would be pointless.

There was a soft thud and Ferrac saw Nathanal had fallen to his knees, mouth gaping in awe. Ferrac gritted his teeth and hissed at the mortal, "Get up you idiot."

"I…. I…" Nathanal wheezed in dumbstruck awe, "I can't feel my legs…"

"Ignore him," Coluber whispered then barked, "You are in my office!"

Roboute Guilliman finally deigned to turn around and the weight of his gaze swept over them all. Ferrac felt his ire like a blowtorch to the face, the heat of his wroth burning fiercely. Still he refused to be cowed as the Imperial Regent uttered, "Trying to put me off balance will not work, you are under my authority and should choose your words with care."

"You invade my home and take my Brothers prisoner," Coluber retorted, "I see no reason to be polite."

Guilliman lifted an eyebrow as he mused, "You are lacking in intelligence Coluber and resort to your pride, for lack of any rational argument. You fall short of my expectations and they were low to begin with, if you insist on being obdurate I will dispose of you and find someone else."

Ferrac spoke then, "Nobody threatens Coluber in front of me."

Guilliman gave him a moment of consideration as he said, "Idle threats are pointless. I have completed my assessment of your assets and combat record and judge you disappointing."

Coluber argued, "Our resources are limited and our path has been rocky, but you will find our loyalty to the Golden Throne is unimpeachable."

Guilliman stated, "I have heard such protests before, from better men than you. Blackshields, renegades and brigands, the shattered legions said much the same. Most of them submitted to my reformations, the rest died quickly or turned on us."

"The Amber Vipers fight for the Imperium!" Coluber retorted.

Guilliman picked up a data-slate and said, "And that is the only reason I have not blown you out of the stars. Yet that is mere abeyance of your sentence, not a pardon. I have uncovered eight-hundred and forty-three technological offences in your base that merit your extermination. The Mechanicus would obliterate you for that alone, but the list goes on. Destroying civilian populations, utilising Xenos technology, extorting planetary governors for supplies. Many protests have been lodged with Imperial authorities; you have gained a reputation as 'miserable thieving bastards' in many quarters."

"I fight as I must," Coluber argued, "Without support or resupply the Amber Vipers must find succour where we can."

"Even your name is stolen," Guilliman snarled, "None of you deserve that proud title."

"I do," Maru spoke then, "I am of the Amber Vipers of old."

Guilliman eyed the Dreadnought and mused, "Yes you are, I find it odd you chose to throw in with these bandits."

"I serve as I must," Maru stated, "And I formally protest your treatment of my home."

Guilliman's head tilited fractionally as he said, "The Serpens Rex is older than most know. I have seen it before… would you care for me to tell your friends when and where?"

"I withdraw my protest," Maru hurriedly stated, making Ferrac wonder what the Regent was implying that made the Librarian retreat so.

Guilliman turned his attention back to Coluber and growled, "Now we come to the most dire charge: dereliction of duty."

"You dare!" Ferrac shouted, "We have won many victories for the Imperium!"

"Worthless victories," Guilliman snarled, "Rebels, pirates, warbands and trivial Xeno races, these are the enemies you choose. Pathetic dregs and tiny threats."

"We took on an Ork Waagh once," Ferrac argued.

"One triumph does not excuse a litany of disappointment," Guilliman scoffed.

"Our victories are small, but they are yet victories," Coluber protested, "A score of worlds fly the Imperial flag only thanks to us."

"Irrelevant worlds," Guilliman stated, "Useless to the cause. You have wasted precious time and blood fighting for meaningless objectives. You even once expended a Deathstrike missile on a localised rebellion, a shocking waste of valuable resources that could have been profitably used elsewhere!"

Ferrac breathed, "Wait… you're angry with us because we aren't fighting strategically enough?"

Guilliman stated, "Even small victories can be significant, if they support a grander strategy. You could have lent your efforts to my crusade, lending your strength in a support role. Instead you wandered off on your own, without regard to any wider context, wasting time and blood inefficiently. You chose pride over duty!"

Maru spoke then, "It is written: Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy are the noises before defeat."

"At least someone here understands," Guilliman snorted, "From now on you will follow my directives and commit your forces to missions of my choosing."

"You aren't our master!" Ferrac cried.

Guilliman growled, "You will speak to me with respect."

"I spit upon your arrogance!" Ferrac snarled, "Damn your smug manner and shiny amour. What sort of name is 'Girlyman' anyway?!"

"You court death," Guilliman stated with a dangerous edge to his voice.

"I do not fear to die," Ferrac retorted.

"No, you don't," Guilliman stated icily, "Very well, Captain Robann, the next time this one opens his mouth you will shoot Coluber in the head."

Ferrac promptly clamped his mouth shut as storm bolters were pointed at his master. Guilliman had found Ferrac's critical weakspot and exploited it to the fullest, proving his ruthlessness was surpassed only by his keen intellect. Coluber however ignored the guns directed at his skull and asked, "What do you intend with us?"

Guilliman looked down and said, "I have certain missions that require a nonconventional force to complete, with unorthodox objectives."

"I see Raven Guard and Smoke Jaguars wandering my base, why not task them?"

"Because even they can only operate officially," Guilliman elaborated.

Ferrac dared not speak but was deeply confused, yet it was Shrios who guessed, "You seek plausible deniability."

"Indeed," Gulliman confirmed, "Certain missions demand not mere secrecy but to be outright denied. Things that require doing that break Imperial doctrine, yet they still must be done. Alas I have learned the best way to ensure the Inquisition looks into something is to label the matter classified, thus I require a force not beholden to them."

Coluber nodded, "All eyes are on you, watching for any excuse to refute your authority. You can't be seen to be breaking doctrine, but nobody cares if we do."

"Finally," Guilliman breathed, "Your reasoning took two minutes longer than I expected."

Coluber drew in a breath and said, "I can see an accord forming here. We could do as you ask… but I require Primaris Marines in exchange."

"Your request is denied," Guilliman stated flatly.

"Why?!"

"Because it will defeat the whole purpose of conscripting you, if I give you Primaris Marines all will know you serve with my tacit approval. You will have to make do with what you have. You will operate as I direct and if your name arises I will deny any knowledge of your actions. The only token I am willing to bestow is to have your name added to the roster of active Chapters, so you may join expeditions as required, but expect nothing more from me."

Coluber spat, "You demand much and offer nothing in return!"

Guilliman leaned in and hissed, "You seem to be under the delusion that this is a negotiation, it is not. Defy me and I will blow this scrapheap to atoms and go find someone else. Serve me and you will know that your actions are invested with galactic significance. Choose quickly, I have far more important matters to attend to than you."

…

Ferrac's mind snapped back to the present as Coluber and Markof concluded their talk. The Inquisitor didn't seem happy but Ferrac didn't care. He was Guilliman's watchdog and agent, left to judge their worth. He would have tossed the man out of an airlock, were it not a death sentence on the Amber Vipers. Markof left and Coluber gave Ferrac a solemn nod as he departed too. Ferrac knew it fell to him to complete the assignment, secretly returning the witch to the Imperial Regent for purposes none knew. The Ordo Hereticus would scream and the Amber Viper's poor reputation would be soiled even further, but then it was hard to imagine it getting worse. Ferrac had once dreamt of glory and pride for his Chapter, but that fantasy was more unlikely than ever now. Filled with regret the Battle-Captain looked to the stars and sighed, this was going to be a long mission.