Tales of the Amber Vipers Chapter 353
The work began in earnest soon after, teams of Tech-priests crawling over Lamentantor assessing the damage. Unaugmented workers would have despaired at the state of the ship, but the savants of Mars saw only problems to be fixed. Under their direction thousands of servitors went to work removing damaged armour and reverently excising broken components. In many places it was easier to cut out sweeps of hull, exposing the shattered decks within. Components were taken away to workshops to receive ministrations and repairs. Those that could be made good would be reinstalled, those that could not were replaced, though supplies were limited and every cog prised from the miserly hands of warehouse factors.
Inside the ship teams of Chattels worked in breathing gear, pulling saturated atmo-scrubbers and installing fresh ones. Clean air filtered through the ship for the first time in generations, causing the destitute refugees to look up in awe. Many of them begged to be taken away, offering their services to the Amber Vipers rather than the Blood Talons. These entreaties were ignored, the two Chapters had not discussed any transfer of property, so the helpless were left to rot.
None of this concerned Kazao as he looked upon the vast ship. In a viewing gallery his squad lingered, taking in the state of the newcomer's vessel. His squad had seen fighting in the ship's bowels, arriving in the second wave to crush the resistance. Kazao had fought the mutated fiends, but he really didn't understand what they were. He was having difficulty thinking again, the pulse of hunger clawing at his neck.
"These strangers are trouble," Joffel commented.
"The Chapter Master says we must trust them," Tebes rebuked.
"He said we must work with them, he said nothing of trust," Larus countered.
"We shall stand together for now, but keep your eyes and ears open," Reddam stated as he leaned on his spear.
Kazao eyed the Strike-Captain through his helm's lenses. Reddam had been present for the meetings and ritual ceremonies, he knew these outsiders better than they. Kazao was intrigued; there was much to learn here. No, that was a lie, he didn't care much but the questions would distract him from the ache in his throat.
"What are they like?" Kazao asked.
"Different," Reddam sighed, "I have met several other Chapters and none of them was like this. They are beyond proud, they cling to their arrogance like a dowager does her pearls. Looking at their ship I understand why, when you have nothing, pride becomes all important. And their rituals are odd, blood-drinking and consummation of vital fluids."
That caught Kazao's attention and he asked, "They drink blood?"
Reddam pursed his lips, "Many Chapters have rituals involving blood drinking, it's hardly uncommon, but this isn't a mere ceremony. They treat blood as a holy measure, practically praying to it. They say: blood will lead."
Joffel frowned, "They say they will follow themselves?"
"What?" Larus exclaimed.
"Blood, that's what they call themselves, right?"
Tebes shook himself, "No, they call themselves, 'The Blood'. I think it's a contextual language shift, they've been alone a long time."
"That just downright confusing," Joffel snorted.
Kazao leaned against the glassic wall, trying to take in the ship end to end. She was bigger than the Revenge, and far more ornate. Her bastions were crowned with golden statues and soaring effigies of winged heroes. In her heyday she must have been resplendent, a vision of Imperial splendour, but now she was a ruin. Broken in places, oozing air and fuel from broken pipes, it was a miracle she had survived alone in Imperium Nihilus.
"I never thought I'd meet someone who makes us look well-provisioned," Joffel sniffed.
"We should be grateful we roam Imperium Sanctus," Tebes remarked, "Were we confined to Nihilus we should be much the same."
"I don't know," Larus smirked, "Nihilus has its advantages. No Regent to give us dirty jobs, no Inquisition breathing down our necks. The Amber Vipers could travel wherever we wanted, fight as we will and take spoils without a quiver of guilt. We could thrive here!"
Tebes' eyes narrowed, "You describe a pirate existence."
"We're already mercenaries for hire, I don't see how that's any worse," Joffel sniffed.
"We serve Terra, in our own way. Unorthodox we may be, but we advance Terra's cause. Do not mistake necessity for righteousness."
Larus rolled his eyes, "Quit harping on, you sound Ultramarian. The Amber Vipers have always fought for reward, all that's changed is the might of our paymasters. Cawl gives us arms and supplies to rebuild, the Regent permits us to move among Imperial institutions, while we undertake jobs for them both. I'm telling you the Amber Vipers should stay in Nihilus, here we are the mighty ones."
Kazao had to admit he had a point but Reddam growled, "We have a mission, find the Dimmamar vaults and return to Sanctus. I do not approve of this talk of abandoning a mission, nor the suggestion we are mercenaries foe hire. The Amber Vipers do not do 'jobs', we form cooperative pacts and mutually beneficial alliances. We take only what we need to fight a war, and the next one. You youngsters have grown too familiar with grubbing for scraps, you forget we strive for a higher purpose."
Larus didn't seem impressed, "You can say that, but we all know the Amber Vipers are more like the Marines Malevolent than Salamanders."
"Then it's a good thing you aren't Captains," Reddam hissed in annoyance, "Get lost the lot of you, go tend your armour and practice your drills. I have a meeting with Coluber."
The squadmates looked at each other, but then departed, leaving the Strike-Captain alone. Joffel and Tebes headed for the firing ranges, to hone their aim, one boasting about his skill, the other casting doubt upon his prowess. Kazao and Larus took off in a different direction, heading for the less travelled parts of the Serpens Rex. They had a meeting of their own to attend, one that could mean triumph or doom.
Under a Promethium storage tank they found Shrios, the Apothecary lurking impatiently in the dark. The trio had not forgotten their pledge to end Coluber's life, though Kazao wished it could be otherwise. Shrios had not spoken to them alone since crossing the Cicatrix Maledictum, but his summons had come while the Blood Talons docked.
"You kept me waiting!" Shrios snapped as they entered the dark underbelly of the tank.
"Had to wait till Reddam dismissed us," Larus sniffed, "Would look suspicious if we up and left without a word."
"When I give an order I expect to be obeyed!"
"You aren't our Captain, so don't go thinking to give us orders."
Kazao broke in, "Don't fight, we have to work together! I need… Throne… did you bring it?!"
Shrios took a small vial from his belt, filled with his own blood and rolled it in his hand, "You want this?"
"Yes!" Kazao hissed as his throat closed.
"And what will do you for me in return?" Shrios smirked.
Larus laid his hand on Chrysoar's barrel as he barked, "Quit toying with him, just give him what he needs."
"As you will," Shrios grunted as he tossed the vial over.
Kazao snatched the tiny vial from the air and ripped his helm off. He didn't care that he exposed his aberration, only that he taste the vitae within. He guzzled it eagerly, downing the small measure and wishing for more. His black tongue licked the insides, trying to lap up every drop.
"It's getting worse," Larus commented sadly.
"Yes but it's an interesting parallel to our new guests," Shrios mused, "I watched the Blood Talons undertake similar rites. The universe has an odd sense of symmetry, how strange this is."
"Do they…" Kazao gulped as he jammed his helm back on, "Do you think they have a cure for me?"
"Doubtful," Shrios mused, "Their gene-seed was flawed from the outset, beyond curing."
Kazao remembered that the Apothecary had found a stockpile of Blood Talon gene-seed on the Revenge. It had been corrupted by warp exposure, changed in horrific ways, but the experiments Shrios ran had been informative, till they ran out of control. Twisted revenants had broken free and gone on a killing spree, feasting on living flesh. It had been then Kazao's own curse had awoken. The Aberrant could not help but wonder if the corruption had infested him in that moment, a disease passed from carrier to victim. He preferred that explanation to the assertion it had always been in him.
"Didn't your experiments tell you anything useful?" Kazao moaned.
"Nothing that helps us," Shiros grunted, "Coluber made me flush the samples, another reason he deserves to die. So short-sighted and blind to possibility."
Larus glared, "You say you want him to die, but fought to defend him in battle against the Chaos Wolves."
Shrios muttered, "I fought to defend myself, trust me I didn't move to help Coluber, and I could have. But he won through. Those disgusting Traitors failed to take him down, but they may get another chance, if we create an opening."
Larus' eyes narrowed, "I sense a plan forming."
Shrios nodded, "Coluber has struck a bargain with these Blood Talons, he thinks they could be leal allies, but he underestimates their selfish nature. I saw the state of their ship, the downtrodden masses lurking in the bilges. Aronyx and his kin care nothing for the fate of others; they are obsessed with their own honour and glory. A 'beautiful death', they call it, a cause entirely self-centred. These newcomers will turn on Coluber in a heartbeat, with a little push from us."
"What are you suggesting?" Larus probed.
"They have a relic, the Black Chalice, you two are going to steal it."
"Us?!" Kazao yelped.
"Yes, the loss of their most holy relic will enrage the Blood Talons. Take it and Coluber will find his allies turning into most deadly enemies."
Larus glared, "Hold on, why don't you do it?"
Shiros snapped back, "Because I need to run interference with Coluber, it won't do any good if he knows we've taken it. He needs to protest innocence, lest admit our guilt. I need to be seen, you two do not."
"What's so special about this relic anyway?" Kazao demanded to know.
Shrios tilted his head slightly to muse, "All Apothecaries know the legends of Baal and the Sanguinary Priesthood. The blood of their Primarch lives in their veins, drawn and reinjected in a holy cycle of replenishment. It is said their sacred chalice holds a sample of Sanguinius' vitae, the essence of a Primarch's genic code. This Black Chalice is a lesser iteration, but surely must hold an echo of that potency."
Kazao's head swam at the thought, a Primarch's lifeblood, waiting to be supped. The very thought made his hearts beat faster and the tantalising thought of a cure loomed. Sanguinius was said to be the purest of all his elevated Brotherhood, a saint in his own lifetime. Pure in thought and deed, trillions across the galaxy knelt in shrines and prayed for him to intercede with the Emperor on their behalf. Rumours of miracles persisted, that the blessing of Sanguinius could cure any aliment, from scrofula to leprosy. If Kazao tasted that blessing, would he be cured?
"You want to study it?" Larus asked.
Shrios sniffed, "Studying a Primarch's genic code would be interesting, but mostly I want to stir trouble for Coluber. He has taken us for granted all too long, time he was punished for his hubris."
"We'll do it," Kazao stated boldly.
"We will?!" Larus yelped.
"Yes," Kazao affirmed, "We can manage."
Larus didn't look convinced, "We'll need time, to scout the interior of the ship and sniff out any security defences. We don't even know where they store this Black Chalice."
"Details, details," Shrios dismissed, "Coluber will take us back into the Ghostwind soon, and your journey will continue. We have time to finesse the plan, better even if Coluber lowers his guard before the trouble erupts. He will learn to regret his actions, and shall taste the bitterness of betrayal before his throat is slit."