Axion had no interest in listening to the canticles composed of simple binary code. He turned and helped the dismembered Thien back towards the rest of the Black Templars Astartes.
Thien's battle-brothers carefully supported the wounded Sergeant, their eyes burning with rage directed at Axion.
However, bound by the motion Thien had made earlier, none of them made any aggressive move, straining to control their emotions.
Axion was well aware of the source of the Astartes' fury; though he sensed malice and anger, he did not take any specific action.
After handing Thien over, he suddenly flickered and vanished from sight.
The instant Axion disappeared, the heavy calm of the Hangar Bay was broken.
The two Dark Angels exchanged a glance, then bent down to retrieve their severed arms.
Meanwhile, within the Black Templars ranks, a warrior whose helmet and shoulder pad bore the helix marking of the Apothecarion, and whose armour was painted in alternating black and white, immediately stepped forward to retrieve Thien's severed leg and arm.
The Inquisitor, standing nearby, had observed everything with an expression of detachment.
"Where has that ancient construct gone?"
He had overheard the conversation. According to the intelligence, the ancient construct seemed to adhere strictly to the concept of a covenant. Thus, he was not overly panicked by Axion's disappearance, believing that based on the intel, the machine would surely return.
However, he needed to monitor the ancient construct at all times.
But it was clear that no one present could answer his question.
The two Dark Angels, clutching their severed arms, hesitated before speaking to the Apothecary, who was holding Thien's severed limbs.
"Apothecary—"
The word had barely left their mouths before the Apothecary, Ousen, cut them off.
"You should be paying the price for your arrogance. My brother has borne a part of that price for you. I refuse to offer you healing aid!"
The Apothecary's voice was laced with indignation.
While the Black Templars were furious that Axion had severed Thien's arm and leg, they were fully aware that the root of the problem lay in the arrogant words of the two Dark Angels.
They were the Blades of the Imperium, the Angels of Death, weapons. Their essence should be surrounded by loyalty, honour, courage, and wisdom.
Arrogance?
Had these Dark Angels become too entangled in the Imperium's internal workings?
Why else would they display the same base traits as those vermin-like Imperial nobles?
The Apothecary had absolutely no desire to attend to the perpetrators of the current situation.
"Ousen, do not let anger guide you. While I understand your feelings, we are still kin, we are brothers."
Ousen, the Apothecary, glanced back at Thien, who was still being supported and attempting to counsel him, and snorted dismissively.
He then, clutching Thien's severed limbs, headed down the connecting passage.
He had to rush the limbs to the Apothecarion for immediate inspection, to ascertain if repair and reattachment were possible.
Such work was rare.
In typical combat, severed limbs were often reduced to gory fragments or suffered severe contamination. Axion's Particle Oscillation Field blade was clearly different from a standard Imperial Power Weapon.
The wounds were clean and precise, the biological tissue still viable, and the limbs remarkably intact. With prompt treatment, reattachment might be possible.
Seeing the Astartes contingent depart, the Inquisitor's composure finally wavered. Yet, even the Inquisition was powerless in this situation.
He could hardly stop the Space Marines from attempting to save their comrade.
To do so would invite instant annihilation at the hands of the enraged Astartes.
With Imperial Navy and Adeptus Mechanicus personnel present, if things were reported accurately, his death would be meaningless.
The life of a standard Inquisitor was simply not as valuable as that of a fully functional Astartes.
Frustrated, the Inquisitor was forced to turn to the waiting Captain.
While the Astartes could ignore an Inquisitor, the Captain dared not.
As the Inquisitor began interrogating the Captain for specific details and particulars, the two Magos finally recovered their composure.
"Praise be to the Omnissiah."
The two Magos exchanged a look, both reading a deep sense of possessiveness in the other's eyes—a fierce thirst for knowledge.
When the Inquisitor concluded his questioning of the Captain, he discovered that the two Mechanicus Magos who had been standing behind him had vanished.
This forced him to abandon his original plan and begin searching the massive Battleship for the two Magos.
They were essential to his mission structure. The Adeptus Mechanicus had to perform an on-site examination and authentication of Axion; otherwise, the Inquisitor could not complete his task.
Furthermore, according to the intelligence report, the ancient construct claimed to be an Iron Man that predated the Imperium's founding.
Yet, in tens of thousands of years, the entirety of the Imperium had discovered only a handful of Iron Men, and those few were all examples of Abominable Intelligence.
Mulling over the information about the Iron Men, the Inquisitor inexplicably glanced at the Thunderhawk Gunships parked in the Hangar Bay, the Dark Angels' emblem clearly visible.
No wonder Astartes of the Dark Angels Chapter were involved this time.
Before arriving at the Cruiser Scythe, he had assumed this would merely be a straightforward assessment of an ancient construct, a complex machine at best.
But when he saw the two Dark Angels Astartes waiting to depart, he realized something was amiss.
The term Iron Man was highly sensitive, referring to a history far too ancient.
He had only learned this information by utilizing his clearance to review certain archived records.
Perhaps the First Legion possessed far greater intelligence channels than the Inquisition itself.
However, these were matters beyond the purview of a common Inquisitor such as himself.
Moreover, the initial report had failed to mention the presence of the Black Templars.
Now, he simply wanted to complete this mission quickly and safely return to his Inquisitorial Fortress.
Anything involving the Astartes was complicated, let alone a situation simultaneously involving the Black Templars and the Dark Angels. This was a massive source of trouble, and the electronic circuits of the Adeptus Mechanicus were notoriously difficult to negotiate.
The Magos, in their official capacity, were the physical representatives of the Machine God.
Everyone present was someone he wished to avoid; the only individuals he could impose his will upon were the Battleship's Captain and the Imperial Navy personnel.
Yet, anyone who commanded a Battleship was no simple subordinate and likely enjoyed a complex web of influence.
The Inquisition's authority was vast, but only those Inquisitors who were infamous, or true legendary figures, could genuinely wield that exaggerated power.
Otherwise, an ordinary Inquisitor who made the wrong enemy could easily meet a mysterious end during an 'unforeseen' mission.
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