Tales of the Amber Vipers Chapter 291

Kazao sighed as he stepped through the door to their barracks. Outside the hustle and bustle of the Nest continued, as thousands of chattels worked to service the needs of their guests. Kazao was glad to be away from it, for the pressure was getting to him. Ever since this Conclave had been announced the Amber Vipers had been worked to a fever pitch, held to a standard they rarely felt the need to upkeep. The constant effort was wearing; so he looked forward to a few hours of rest and a mandated sleep-period.

The squad's barracks was a square area, lined with sleeping alcoves, a training dojo and a small machine shop where their bikes rested. For years they had dwelt here and made it a reflection of their personalities. There were chairs and tables, laid high with gaming cards and tokens. Racks of disorganised books and data-slates, a stack of crates filled with beers and a weapons rack.

Joffel had acquired a holo-gaming table, in which grotesque monsters fought upon command. Tebes had taken to reading Maru's writings and Reddam had pinned a map of the galaxy to a bulkhead, across which he charted the Chapter's movements, given their wandering nature it resembled a child's scribbling. Larus had a cabinet filled with cleansed bones and skulls, a collection of trophies from notable kills. Morbid yes, but at least they'd got him to clean the rotting skin off first. Kazao had little to call his own, but he was glad to share in his Brother's interests, simply being with them was all an Aberrant could wish for.

"Thank the throne that's over," Joffel groaned as he lifted his helm off.

"I can run a hundred miles, but standing to attention for hour upon hour, that's hard," Larus muttered as he exposed his ruddy face.

"The proceedings were interminable," Tebes agreed as he placed his helm on a stand.

"Tebes agrees?" Kazao blinked as he stepped to the weapon rack and set his grenade launcher down.

"What?" Tebes sniffed as he stored his mining pick, "I'm not going to lie and say that was easy."

Reddam sounded scornful as he fixed his helm to a stand, "You Snakelets have no idea what the dignity of an Astartes requires. In my day we'd be doing fourteen-hour vigils in the Chapel, naked."

"And you'd be made the walk through fire to get to break your morning fast," Joffel teased with a grin.

"Then have to scrub the outside of a warship with a micro-lathe!" Larus snorted.

"And only ever get to sleep inside a drop-pod, while doing an orbital drop," Kazao laughed.

Reddam scowled, "I'm not that bad."

"Recently you are," Tebes stated.

"Great, you've got Tebes on your side too," Reddam growled, "I'm doomed."

"It's been a trying time," Larus said, "Perhaps a few hours rest will fortify our spirits."

"Other Chapters don't rest," Reddam muttered sullenly.

"Are you saying you don't want a beer?" Kazao asked.

Reddam finally gave up, "As you will, get your armour stripped and then you can have a couple of hours rest, before we sleep."

Kazao moved to the side and waved a Servitor forward. The Machine-slave trundled forward and mechanical callipers extended as it began removing his armour. Ceramite plates were lifted off and placed on an armour stand, then exoskeletal supports and finally the fibre-bundle underweave. Ritual phrases were issued from the lobotomised man's mouth at every stage and Kazao waited patiently as due reverences were given to his plate. All others looked away as his scaly flesh and red eyes were exposed. Kazao hurriedly grabbed a set of fatigues from a cabinet and donned a Stormtrooper helm, hiding his Aberration.

The others stepped up one by one and had their armour removed. It was a lengthy process and Kazao moved to examine the holo-game as he waited and pretended not to care. Kazao was an Aberrant, forever marked to be apart. The few such unfortunates in the Amber Vipers weren't born mutants; they had been cursed by flawed gene-seed, twisted in unnatural ways by substandard implants. Kazao knew he was lucky to be alive, most Chapters euthanized imperfections without comment, the Amber Vipers could not afford such luxuries. Still it was hard not to resent the way the others averted their eyes, sickened by his visage. It was getting harder as time went by, no matter how he reminded himself he would do the same in their place.

Finally unarmoured the rest of the squad went to their ease, short shrifts covering their torsos. Reddam grabbed a beer and sat down with a sigh, Tebes took out a book and opened a well-thumbed passage. Larus and Joffel sat down at the Holo-table and started pressing buttons seemingly at random. Neither of them seemed to understand the rules of the game, but they enjoyed watching the glowing monsters pummel each other in seemingly endless variations of bloody deaths. Kazao for his part took a small bottle from a shelf and cracked his helmet open to swallow some pills. Shrios had prescribed them to counter his Betchers gland; they had cured his thirst but left a cold feeling in his gut that he could not escape.

Kazao closed his helm sat down on a rickety chair and asked, "Do you think that Magos can awaken the Machine spirits?"

"I expect so," Tebes sniffed, "She knows mysteries of the Cult Technis our Chapter has never dreamed existed."

"I'd love to get behind the controls of those tanks," Joffel sighed.

"Forget it," Larus grunted, "Ferrac wants them for Primus cohort."

That brought groans, "Always Primus gets the best loot, Secundus is left to rot," Kazao spat.

"That is the way of the Amber Vipers," Tebes stated.

"Primus isn't everything," Joffel argued, "Secundus fights just as hard."

Kazao agreed, "Secundus is dedicated to fast-attack, imagine what we could do with that kind of firepower."

"We should raise the cohort in protest," Larus proposed, "They can't refuse all of us."

"You are welcome to try," Tebes retorted, "Ferrac will have you sent to the Cerberii."

That shut up all protests, none want to think of joining that order of disgraced souls, and Kazao hurriedly changed the subject, "So… what do you make of our guests?"

"Self-righteous blowhards," Joffel sniffed.

"Utterly sure of their own moral superiority," Larus added, "Convinced we are trash."

Tebes admitted, "I was expecting them to look down their noses at us, I wasn't expecting them to be so… smug."

"Storm Heralds, Howling Griffons, Blood Ravens, Soul Drinkers, all of them are arrogant fops," Kazao spat.

"No, they're not," Reddam groaned.

"You sound very sure of that," Kazao observed.

A strange look passed over Reddam's face, "There are distinctions between them, ones you will never grasp, but they share a legacy of triumph. All of them were raised in an environment of expectation, the weight of history pressing down upon them, challenging them to be better. The Amber Vipers are a fresh page, free to make our own history, but without that burden of expectation bearing down on us."

Kazao leaned in, "You sound like you know what that's like."

Reddam's face darkened, "There are things from the Time of Exodus that are not for you, but know we were not always this shabby. Once we were glorious."

"Do you miss it?" Tebes asked.

Reddam slugged his beer then sighed, "It was an austere existence, so bleak and colourless. Glory in battle, the striving for martial excellence, service to the Emperor and the Brotherhood of the Chapter that was all we knew. There was no time for rest, no thoughts save what the Chaplains drilled into our heads. I cannot imagine kicking back with a beer in those days. I've tried to instil some of that attitude into you, but I cannot deny I've changed too. I couldn't live such a restricted life now if I tried. I've become accustomed to having my way, letting things slide, I am not the same Space Marine I used to be, and I'm not sure I want to be."

It was a strange confession and Kazao was unsettled to hear the rank candour. All the others fell silent, for Reddam had rarely been so open. Kazao wondered if they could prise more information out of the Sergeant but right then the vox bleeped on the wall. Reddam scowled as he heaved himself upright and stomped over.

"Reddam reporting," the Sergeant called.

Ferrac's voice came through, "Sergeant, you are needed."

"I'm stood down for a sleep-cycle," Reddam protested.

"I don't care, come immediately," Ferrac snapped, "It's to do with… that Chaplain."

Reddam didn't argue. He glanced at the others then grabbed his spear and ran out the door. He didn't even wait to don his armour, hurrying away without a word. The rest of the squad watched him depart, left mystified by his hasty departure. Kazao was confused too, the Old Seventeen had been acting odd, but this was baffling.

"What is going on?" Joffel exclaimed.

"He said it was to do with the Chaplain, from the Soul Drinkers," Larus noted.

"Why is that one getting the Old Seventeen so worked up?" Tebes sniffed.

"All our guests are," Kazao argued.

"No, the rest are causing some friction, but the Soul Drinkers are truly vexing our older brothers. You can see it every time the name is mentioned, Reddam and the others flinch as if struck."

Larus leaned back and mused, "Glord used to have theories."

"Glord?" Joffel asked.

"He used to wonder where the Old Seventeen come from, what truly occurred in the Time of Exodus. We spoke of some of them, he was sure there was more to it than we were told."

"That's obvious," Kazao snorted, "But did Glord say anything specific?"

"He said a hundred different things, but all of them revolved around a disgrace in our past. He was sure the Old Seventeen were trying to bury a secret. Seeing how Reddam is acting, I think he was right."

Kazao looked at his brothers and saw their disquiet. They seemed unsure, confused even and angry at being left in the dark. Surrounded by unanswered questions, their home was filled with strangers who sneered at them, worse the younger generations were being left out important information, told to close their ears as if they were wayward children and not listen to the adult's squabbling. The Amber Vipers spirits were lower than they had ever been. Kazao wasn't going to put up with that, something had to be done, and he was going to do it.

"Enough of this," Kazao spat.

"Pardon?" Tebes asked.

"I say we do something," Kazao insisted, "I say we stop sitting about on our arses and stand up for ourselves."

Joffel looked surprised, "What are you suggesting?"

"I say we take these strangers down a notch, I say it's time the Amber Vipers prove their worth!"

Larus blinked, "That's bold of you."

"I've had enough of us being treated as miscreant youths, I want to act!"

Tebes shook his head, "This is no time for foolishness."

"I should have known you'd be a stick in the mud," Joffel scoffed.

"I didn't say I was against doing something, but the Chapter Master swore parley. Whatever you're thinking, we can't lay a finger on our guests."

But Kazao grinned under his helm, "Oh yes we can, if we catch them at the right time and place. Get your weapons, we're going to challenge these outsiders in the fighting arena."