Tales of the Amber Vipers Chapter 272
In the cold antechamber Kerubim waited, mourning the lost. Days had passed since the altercation in the hanger bay, days of furious questions and accusations. Word had quickly spread that the Nanoswarm had infiltrated Zar-quaesitor, only to be defeated in turn. Kerubim had faced endless questions as to what had occurred, and how his Battle-automata had been found burned out among a vista of macabre horror. Kerubim had little to tell the questioners, without revealing Brontes' abominable nature all he could do was refer them to Cawl for answers. Yet for himself he had no doubts, Brontes had stopped the Hungering at cost of his own life, sacrificing his artificial existence to end the threat once and for all.
Kerubim experienced depthless sorrow at the thought, knowing Brontes' heroic end would never be properly honoured. Were he an Astartes then his name would ring in the halls of glory, an Imperial Guard general would be commemorated with statues and artworks, but not for Brontes. The Cadmus had remained to the last an Abominable Intelligence, his very existence a crime in the eyes of the Imperium. To admit they had fought alongside a Silica Animus would see the Red Planet send out armies to ensure they all burned at the stake. Brontes must be forgotten, there was no other way and yet in his hearts Kerubim swore he would carry the memory of this sacrifice to the end of his days. Brontes and all the rest.
Kerubim's hand fell to his waist, where the purloined Plasma-sabre hung next to his Adrathic rifle. He had elected to keep Jordig's weapon, to honour his spirit. He had thought about Jordig's last hours, wondering if the Marine knew what vile forces arose within his bones. Jordig could have been training, or meditating, or tending to the Machine Spirits, blithely unaware he was being consumed from within. Kerubim preferred to think Jordig had been unaware, the idea that he knew an enemy was overtaking him and been helpless to resist was too awful to bear contemplating. Jordig's death had been unworthy of a Space Marine, to correct that Kerubim had sworn to slay a thousand heretics with this blade, and make the galaxy mark the passing of heroes.
His bitter musings were interrupted by a chime, summoning him into the chamber beyond. He stepped through an opening door and found himself once more in the Primaris' stasis vault. Thousands of cyro-tubes stood proud of the walls, festooning every surface. Soft blue light leaked from many of them, illuminating hyper-muscled bodies within, but many more were dark and powerless. Kerubim noted hundreds more had been emptied since he last walked here, obviously Zar-quaesitor had been busy in ways he hadn't observed during the recent troubles.
Archmagos Belisarius Cawl stood on a metal gantry, sticking out into the empty centre of the chamber. He looked as ebullient as ever, his many arms gesturing at a Hololith hanging before him. His legs were in constant motion as he skittered about, examining it from every angle. Kerubim wasted no time walking straight up to him, loudly stomping his feet to make sure Cawl knew he was here.
"Give me a moment," Cawl quipped as he made a small adjustment, "One more... there. Done. Now, where were we, ah yes, my strange companion, how fares thee?"
Kerubim glared at the Archmagos and spat, "I'm not here to mince words: where's Brontes' body?!"
"Why, I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Cawl deflected.
"Don't lie to me," Kerubim growled, "Brontes body has vanished, and nobody knows where. You took him somewhere. You will tell me, or I will tear this ship apart."
Cawl's tone lost all trace of joviality as he hissed, "A dangerous accusation to make to an Archmagos on his own Forgeship. Especially for one alone, without allies."
"Don't threaten me," Kerubim snorted, "We both know with Brontes dead I'm the only source of Nanocytes available. And you need to study them, to make your Primaris Rubicon work."
"Nobody said I needed you alive," Cawl growled menacingly, "I can extract them from your corpse."
"And risk damaging the Nanocytes?!" Kerubim snorted, "No, you won't do that."
"The Rubicon is one of my objectives, but I have others," Cawl cautioned, "Do not think you are so irreplaceable that I will tolerate risking my projects for you."
"I don't," Kerubim stated, "Not when I need you to train me to be a proper Techmarine."
"You want my knowledge," Cawl chuckled without warmth, "Ah, I see this is a forced value exchange... what the fleshy call Extortion."
"Call it what you will, but you are going to agree to my terms."
Cawl stared for a moment then reared up, his tone suddenly all merriment as he crowed, "So, you have learned something of the Cult Technis. Very good! I am pleased, you sound like a true son of Mars already. I would be pleased to sponsor your pilgrimage to Mars."
"Not Mars, here. I will remain by your side and learn everything you have to teach. We both know you can teach me more than the fossils on Mars. And you haven't answered my question."
"Indeed," Cawl allowed, "Very well, for your education, I took the liberty of dispatching the Cadmus robots to the Tezla, to rest under Explorator Wulfe's care."
"Wulfe?!" Kerubim started.
Cawl expanded, "It seemed prudent to have their remains sent far away. Brontes was careful, but not careful enough. Many eyes saw him act independently; many ears heard him speak on the bridge. My rivals in the hierarchies of Mars suspect I harbour a Silica Animus, they look for proof of Heretek activity. My position is tenuous enough as it is, the last thing I require is the condemnation of Mars. It seemed wise to ensure all evidence was sent far, far away."
"Brontes deserves better," Kerubim muttered.
But Cawl laughed coldly, "Do not pretend to be so naïve, the universe cares nothing for what any of us deserves. Next you'll be bleating on about fairness. The universe bends only to the whims of power, and there is no power greater than knowledge! Even the hidebound Synod-lords of the Red Planet appreciate this."
"And what of Cippum?" Kerubim probed, "What does Mars know of the death of a world?"
"I told them Chaos did it, a cult of the Ruinous Powers, creating Maletek Incarna."
"They bought that grox-dung?!" Kerubim scoffed disbelievingly.
"You'd be amazed how many sins that old excuse covers," Cawl chuckled.
Kerubim shook his head and asked, "I suppose that just leaves the Hungering. Cawl didn't reply, instead waving at the Hololith. Displayed was Zar-quaesitor in exacting detail, as well as hundreds of workers and Servitors. They were cutting a section of the ship away; an entire compartment being excised from the hull. He instantly saw it contained the hanger they had fought in, the one tainted by the Hungering.
"You're excising the taint?" Kerubim asked.
"It seemed prudent," Cawl sniffed, "The Nanoswarm suffered a Binaric malaise, but one of its Nanocyte surviving would be too much."
"Prudence from you," Kerubim snorted, "How rare."
"You doubt my intent?"
Kerbuim snarled, "I don't buy your false humility. Brontes, Jordig, Pycelo, Ruuka and all the rest. They died, loyally or treacherously, but it was all because of you! You set these events in motion, your reckless thirst for forbidden lore. What other nightmares might you unleash with the star charts of the Hegemony, what horrors will you disturb in your blundering. Yes, I hadn't forgotten that. All those worlds to explore, all those vaults you intend to plunder. You are an architect of doom."
Cawl snorted in derision, "Your grubbing little Chapter owns no moral high ground, to lecture me about forbidden lore. I know what you have done, I know what lurks behind your Gates of Perdition."
"That's why I shall return one day," Kerubim declared, "When I am true Techmarine, I shall return to the Serpens Rex and teach them the ways of the Cult Technis. But for now I am right where I need to be, where you need me to be."
"You think I need you?" Cawl jeered.
"I do," Kerubim replied sternly, "Jordig was more right than he ever knew: you need someone to stop you."
