Tales of the Amber Vipers Chapter 205

Angel's Revenge prowled the edge of the ion storm, her auspex arrays straining to find any hint of her prey. The Battlebarge showed marks of recent battle but her strength had not been diminished. Her drives throbbed at full power, her launch bays were filled with strike craft and her guns lacked only a target. She had returned to her patrolling of the perimeter after the battle, unable to follow the Imperials deeper, lest they slip away into the hash and be lost for good. So she waited for her quarry to emerge, infinitely patient, though her commander was not.

Verina stood upon the bridge in her full armour and grimaced in frustration. The ship was ready and willing but they had no one to fight. Verina was troubled by that, her need for action was growing greater by the hour. Her talks with the other had showed her that time was not on her side, her weaknesses making it easy for that hated persona to arise. She had to act soon, before the other could make more trouble. As for Dylun, plans were in motion to deal with him. All Verina needed was the right opportunity to act.

She clenched her fists in frustration and the act made Moryna remark, "Something ails thee?"

The haggard witch was at Verina's side, watching with annoying patience and Verina could not help but snap, "I want something to happen!"

"This is not like you, what is the problem?" Moryna enquired.

Verina could hardly tell her the truth, damning as it was, so deflected, "I am concerned with our situation."

"I don't follow," Moryna puzzled.

Verina waved vaguely at the Hololith and explained, "The storm is too big and we too few. We have only two ships left, not enough to cover every angle. If the Imperials try to break out and run we may not be in a position to stop them."

Moryna frowned as she mused, "You do not expect them to seek battle again?"

Verina sighed, "I wish they would, I pray they are stupid enough to seek us out but I doubt it. We have beaten them twice, surely they must see they are defeated. Running is their best option, the only chance they have to take the Emperess out of our reach."

Moryna lamented, "I feel her still but the connection grows weaker. Even the daily sacrifices do not reveal her will. Fear and doubt grow in the ranks and the dissidents lurk, ever watchful for an opportunity to strike. They hide in every shadow; I feel their eyes upon my back even now."

Verina paused at that as she sensed an opening. Moryna was wary and paranoid, a weakness she could use. If Dylun was to be removed then Moryna would prove the perfect foil, a tool she could wield as her sword. Plus she would delight in eliminating Dylun, despite their common cause the witch and the witch-seeker had never been a natural fit. Their old enmity would serve Verina well.

Verina considered what to say but suddenly there was a cry from among the stacked pews of the bridge crew, "Detecting a stray vox-signal!"

Verina's heart leapt into her mouth as she cried, "From where?!"

"From the storm," came the reply, "Its tightly-focussed and choppy as hell. They must be putting a lot of power into the projectors to punch through this interference. There's a visual feed tied in; someone is attempting a face-to-face transmission."

Moryna sounded suspicious as she muttered, "No one out here but us, who could the Imperials be trying to contact?"

"Perhaps they want to talk to us," Verina mused, "To discuss terms of surrender."

"Imperials surrender?!" Moryna scoffed, "You dream child."

There was a frantic minute of activity and then a Hololithic image began to form. The features were an indistinct blur, hashed by distortion from the storm and the audio feed was a hiss of static. Despite this Verina made out the image of a man, in tight uniform who appeared to be saying something. Beyond that she could make out no further details.

"This is useless, clear it up!" Verina snapped.

"Logic engines are tasking their full attention to the matter," a call came back.

A few seconds later the image settled, still blurry and jumping but enough to make out who was speaking. It was a naval officer in a dark tunic. He seemed young for the role allotted to him and his face was pale. He was favouring his left leg and Verina's combat training told her he was nursing a painful wound to his right side. Words were coming out of his mouth but they did not match the motions of his lips, a few second's lag making it seem he was a badly recorded vid-log. Words formed out of the static and he spoke, "I repeat this is Captain Hornan of the Carmilla, can anyone hear me?"

"Can we respond?" Verina asked.

"If we focus a tight vox-beam into the source of the signal and push to the limit we should breakthrough," came the response.

"Do so," she commanded.

The image flickered as the cogitators whirred, punching a vox-message back along the path of the incoming signal. The Hololith jumped badly but then settled again and the man's face began to shift, saying, "I hear you, can you hear me? Hail, hail this is Captain Hornan of the Carmilla, can you hear me?"

Verina lifted her chin and declared, "I am Lord Militant Verina, war-chief of the Emperess and commander of the Angel's Revenge. Have you come to barter terms for surrender?"

Verina didn't expect he would but wanted to judge his reaction. The image jumped again and his lips moved, making her eyes water slightly as the words didn't match, "No, I seek to bargain for safe passage of my ship and my ship alone."

Verina's suspicions flared as she hissed, "One ship, why only one. What of the rest of your fleet?"

Hornan replied grimly, "The Carmilla no longer holds allegiance to the corpse-god. This fleet means nothing to me, let them rot."

Behind her Moryna hissed, "A sudden Traitor in the ranks, pah, they take us for fools to lay so simple a trick at our feet. This is a ploy to ensnare us."

Hornan must have heard that for he spat, "This is no lie, I have already purged my ship of any who refused to see the truth. The Emperor never did anything for me and I will not die in his name."

There was a fierce growl from above as Lanfast jerked in chains, angered at the self-proclaimed treason. Verina's eyes narrowed as she spat, "Why, tell me why you turn on your own. Why now?"

Hornan sighed, "I see now Terra is not worthy of the devotions laid at its door. The Imperium is utterly corrupt, a ghoul state leeching off the blood of its own citizens. I cannot abide the rank hypocrisy, I refuse to bow to corruption ever again. As for why now... there's a bloody-minded space marine trying to get us all killed and don't intend to let him succeed."

"You speak dangerous words on an open channel," Moryna snapped, "Surely your fellows can hear every word, this is a trick!"

"No trick," Hornan retorted, "I've strung three fury interceptors in a chain to relay these signals through the storm, no way can the others pick up this signal."

Verina tapped her chin thoughtfully and said, "Let us pretend I believe you, why should I agree? What do you have to bargain for your lives?"

Hornan's eye glinted as he said, "I offer you this fleet. I can lead you right to us. You'll never find us in this hash but if I direct a beacon along our relays, they can lead you straight to us. Take the cargo ships, destroy the warships, only let me leave in peace."

"Hah!" Verina snapped, "Now I have you. We follow a wayward signal into the storm, blundering around blindly in the muck while your fleet slips out the back and away to the stars. An obvious ploy."

"This is no trick!" Hornan retorted, "You don't understand. If the Carmilla is seen to run the Imperium will know we have betrayed them. Fleets will scour the void looking for us, every ship will fire upon us on sight. I need no witnesses left to tell the tale, all must be silenced."

"I believe you," Verina uttered.

"You do?!" Moryna yelped.

Verina ignored that and continued, "Yet I need more. I will bring the Revenge into the storm but when we reach your location you must join forces with us. The Carmilla must help us destroy the Imperial warships once and for all."

Hornan hesitated to say, "I'm not sure I can..."

"If you want your freedom then you must fight for it," Verina growled.

Hornan squared his jaw and said, "So be it. Jormungandr and Wyvern are no match for our combined forces. We will end them together, then I will depart."

"Tis agreed, send your beacon and we will follow," Verina confirmed and the image cut off.

Verina faced the bridge and ordered, "Summon Echidna and prepare the ship for battle. We will follow the beacon in six hours and reclaim our Emperess!"

The crew rushed to obey, elated at the prospect of their sovereign returning, but Moryna hissed, "You place a great deal of faith in the words of an Imperial."

"Not really," Verina replied, "The man was desperate, I could see it in his eyes. Plus there was no reason for this deception, they could slip away without it. War teaches that plain but effective plans are better than complicated and difficult ones, the graveyards of the galaxy are filled with the bodies of men who tried to be overly clever. The Imperials know this, they wouldn't need to deceive us if running is their objective. The plea is just desperate enough to be true."

"I will have to trust you know what you are doing, believing this man and then letting the traitor slip away," Moryna muttered.

"I never intended that," Verina scoffed, "Once we have our Emperess back we will drag him in chains before her and let him taste the glory. He will beg to serve us after one glimpse of her majesty."

"Very cunning," Moryna snorted, "I will make double scarifies today to feed her power."

"You do that but first we must deal with the dissidents in our ranks, a troublesome matter that strikes close to our hearts."

"Oh?" Moryna pressed suspiciously.

"Alas I have discovered they have a leader," Verina elaborated, "One in the highest ranks commands them. Dylun has betrayed us and for this crime he must die."