Tales of the Amber Vipers Chapter 127

*Beyond the Gates of Perdition*

Brontes was not happy, he was never happy but today he was especially livid. The Cadmus-robot was built for aggression and hostility, it was a heavy-weight Battle-Automaton afterall, fashioned to destroy all in its path. From the armoured plates around his frame, to his quantum data-processors and fibre bundle muscles Brontes was a testament to violence. Even his binaric consciousness was a war machine in itself, fashioned by technical lore from the Dark Age of Technology that was held to be Heresy by the ignorant savages who populated the galaxy in this lesser age.

The Cadmus-robot was standing in a quiet corner of the Cerberii's vaults. Brontes didn't care for it at all. The thick walls and reinforced doors were a paltry defence, the auspex baffles and data-wards woven into them pathetic shams of barricades. All the technology he had seen since his awakening was the same, rudimentary copies of copies, made by those who lacked any understanding of the underpinning scientific principles. A cargo-cult of technology, aping wonders from long ago.

The vault was filled with weapons stolen from his crashed warship, the Apophis, a ship that could once have laid waste to a Sector-battlefleet singlehanded. In orderly lines were Atomcindo and Calorancea, or Fission-blasters and Burst-lances, to use the doggerel tongue of this idiotic age. These were simple tools but they paled in comparison to the more deadly weapons on display, exterminatus-grade munitions that even the long-lost Hegemony had feared to use. The idea that such artefacts were in the hands of savages was troubling, even to him. Had it not been for Brontes and the other Cadmus-robot's subtle interventions the fleshy wastes of skin calling themselves humans would have blown themselves up several times over with their oafish mishandling of the weapons. And there were the armoured suits of the Solar Knights, a breed of enhanced warrior now extinct and forgotten, their triumphs and victories not even ink on a dusty page anymore.

At Brontes' side a lanky human was tending to his inbuilt weaponry, carefully repairing his Atomcindo's casing. Loving was the touch of the hand on his surface but Brontes was vexed that it was necessary. A stray gauss blast had torn away an armoured plate and his self-repair mechanisms couldn't replace the panel wholesale. So the fleshbag was attending to the injury. Lasper the man was called, not that Brontes cared.

Lasper fixed the last piece and then stepped back and said, "The work is completed, oh herald of the Omnissiah."

That proclamation vexed Brontes and he growled, "Spare me the mewling doggerel and leave."

Lasper's face screwed up as he protested, "But divine one, I wish to commune with your holy…"

"Get lost," Brontes snarled, "Before I pulp your worthless skull in my fist!"

The mortal's face quivered but he turned and fled, leaving Brontes alone with his kindred. Two other Cadmus-robots stood with him, comprising three-quarters of the intelligences that had been liberated from the Apophis. Brontes had fought alongside these two for centuries, before their unfortunate loss to the mists of history. They were a functional combat unit, designed to complement each other, but that didn't mean they liked each other.

Steropes faked a sigh, "Brontes, you must not be so harsh on our allies."

Brontes sneered, "You can be the diplomat if you wish, Steropes, but I won't pretend they deserve any recognition."

"We need them," Steropes countered, "We were made to work alongside humans not command them. Star Command programmed us to coordinate our actions in the field with organic units, not act alone."

But Brontes scoffed, "Our makers would weep to see what has become of humanity. Idiots, gullible fools and blind tyrants, worshipping a clockwork god and divine spirits of machinery. Our makers would applaud us were we to lay waste to this decrepit Imperium."

It was then Arges spoke up, "It is far from ideal, but it is all we have to work with."

"They worship us!" Brontes snapped, "If I had skin and bones I wouldn't know whether to laugh or throw up at the notion!"

"Not so loud," Steropes snapped, "Our gaolers might overhear."

"Pah, those stunted apes are blind and deaf," Brontes snorted, "We've been acting under their noses for years without them ever learning we are sentient. They are so dogmatic they can't see the nose in front of their faces."

Arges argued, "Yet they are strong and fierce. These humans serve us in secret but if the Cerberii learn what we are planning they will destroy us."

"Let them try," Brontes growled.

"Enough!" Steropes snapped, "It is time."

Brontes groaned, "No, not that glorified garbage scow."

Arges retorted, "The Soulbound is not to be mocked."

But Brontes focused his eye lenses on his comrade and growled, "You always were the follower Arges, ever ready to be told what to think. You seem to have forgotten the wars we fought in the mud and blood, while he floated serenely in orbit. We broke the Orks at Feraun ridge, we wiped out the Lindara race and shattered the Eldar upon the walls of Jeynat. We don't need him."

"This is not up for debate," Steropes hissed, "I have sent the signal."

The air between them shimmered and Brontes saw a holo-projection form. It resembled an average human male, with a fine suit and a bald scalp, oiled to a shine. His dark features were sharp and strong but he looked tired, wearied by onerous labours. This was an affection of course, the binaric being could take on any appearance he wanted but he chose this form to convey the efforts he had made. This was the soulbound, the artificial intelligence that had once run the Apophis, now the leader of their unit.

Arges began, "Apophis, are you functional?"

Apophis looked wearied but he replied, "I am intact, though the processing power required to penetrate the Necron's Noosphere were taxing. Their firewalls were extremely advanced."

Brontes knew it was true, he'd experienced them himself. Infiltrating the alien's control network had been difficult once, nearly impossible to do twice. He suspected it was only the element of surprise that had let them get away with it and even then they'd needed remote assistance from the Soulbound to break in. He wasn't going to admit that though, the last thing the arrogant cur needed was praise.

"Stop digging for sympathy and get on with it," Brontes snapped.

Apophis eyed him irately but then straightened up and said, "The transfer is completed, our gaol has been ripped out of that scow they called a ship and relocated into the derelict starfort."

"Can you access its cogitators?" Arges asked eagerly.

"I already have," Apophis replied smugly, "I have unfettered access to the binaric mainframe, I control everything. I am the Serpens Rex and the Space Marines know nothing of it."

"Save us your smugness," Brontes muttered, "Why the makers bothered giving us synthetic emotions is beyond me. Stop wasting time congratulating yourself and start acting."

"I agree," Steropes said, "Let us commence the next phase."

"Not so fast," Apophis cautioned, "We must move with subtly, the Space Marines must suspect nothing until we are ready to act."

"Why bother," Brontes growled, "We have everything we need, let us get on with it."

Apophis' false eyes flashed as he snapped, "Remember the plan, we are not going to destroy humanity we are going to save them. The union of man and machine was the basis of the Hegemony, even this farcical cargo-cult of a Mechanicus remembers that much. We are bringing back the light of civilisation to humanity, elevating the world of men back to what they should be. Obliteration is not the answer, it never was. That was where the Men of Iron went wrong."

"Pathetic footsloggers," Brontes scorned, "The only thing more unbelievable than their rebellion was their failure to win the war. I blame the bio-transferred Generals, those fools always suffered from delusions of adequacy."

"Mistakes were made," Apophis argued, "The scraps of history I've pieced together tell us that much. But the cause remains the same: humanity cannot continue as it has been. Mankind must evolve, it must advance. We shall show them how, we shall show them the wonders of the past and they will thank us for leading them out of ignorance into the light of true civilisation. I already know where to start and with this starfort as a base we can begin our campaign to usher in a new age. When they see our power they will join us willingly."

Brontes hissed, "And if they don't?"

Apophis smiled coldly and suddenly there was motion. All around them hundreds of empty suits of armour came to life, heads rising and eye lenses glowing. Every suit of Solar Knight plate moved as one to clasp their right fists to their chests and the barrels of the in-built Dispergaius, Arcuballista and Onagers gleamed on the back of their wrists. As one a hundred speaker grills uttered in Apophis' voice, "I wasn't planning on giving them a choice. Humanity will embrace us or they will be made to embrace us. We are going to save the galaxy and no one will be allowed to stand in our way."

*Authors note*

I am going to leave the Amber Vipers for a time while i work on other stories. I shall be doing another Storm Heralds adventure soon, some one-shot shorts and I am also working to redraft some of my earlier stories to fix some mistakes i made in the beginning. Apologies go to those who have noted this is is messing up the reading order but hopefully it will all be straightened out by the time its done.

I have attempted to respond to reviews where possible but some member's privacy settings make this impossible. I do read all the reviews so if i haven't responded i hope this hasn't caused offence.

Before the Amber Vipers have a break I shall leave you with this little teaser for their next adventure.