Although the Black Templars did not hold the Inquisition in high regard, they would not openly defy them. Since the Inquisitor had formally requested the limbs, Farien could say little more.
However, as he handed the bionics to the two Magos, he added a deliberate warning.
"These two bionics were manufactured by the ancient construct Axion specifically for Sergeant Thien. He places great importance on a covenant. If you fail to return these limbs by the deadline, and Axion suffers any resulting issue, or is provoked into a rampancy, the primary responsibility for the disaster will fall upon you."
Hearing Farien's words, the Magos, who had secretly intended to confiscate the bionics permanently, abruptly paused.
This was Imperial Navy territory, not a vessel of the Adeptus Mechanicus. If their actions caused significant losses to the Imperial armed forces, the Cult Mechanicus might be compelled to hand them over to the Imperium for prosecution.
Had they been on their own Forge World, or in the absence of Astartes, the two Magos might have ordered the elimination of all witnesses.
But that was simply unfeasible here.
Black Templars, an Imperial Inquisitor, an Imperial Navy fleet.
Such an action would be tantamount to the Mechanicus declaring war on the Imperium.
As for the danger of an Iron Man entering a state of rampancy?
Though they had never witnessed it firsthand, the archives of the Cult Mechanicus were clear. The Mechanicus had once assisted the Emperor with technical support to control several heavily damaged, ancient combat Iron Men recovered from the past.
The Abominable Intelligence within these machines was cruel and savage, even deriving satisfaction from bloody conflict. Their bloodthirsty nature was virtually identical to the traitors who had pledged themselves to the Chaos God Khorne.
The Emperor had spent centuries attempting to control these few damaged war machines inherited from the Dark Age of Technology. Countless technical adepts and Mechanicus personnel had subjected them to electronic torture and mechanical modification, eventually achieving controlled modification, and they were re-designated as Excindio Battle Automata.
Yet, even with this, control over these Iron Men remained unstable. If the slaughter became too intense, the automata would still slip into an uncontrolled frenzy, massacring all targets, regardless of allegiance.
Their combat capability, however, was so exceptional that the Imperium had always been reluctant to destroy them.
The presence of the Dark Angels Chapter here was also due to the fact that these few Iron Men had subsequently been handed over to the First Legion for deployment, serving partly as a supervisory measure.
Clearly, although these machines were hazardous, they were still highly useful when deployed correctly.
Now, upon hearing that a new Iron Man had appeared, even the First Legion would not pass up this opportunity.
If possible, they would stop at nothing to capture this newly emerged ancient construct, return it to the Chapter Monastery, and arrange for Imperial technical personnel and Mechanicus adepts to begin its modification.
However, Axion's situation truly exceeded their expectations.
This did not seem to be a purely armed combat Iron Man. It displayed high intelligence and a stable personality, seemingly completely different from the battle automata kept in stasis fields within their Chapter.
Its appearance was not monstrous; its body carried no visible mass of weapons, nor had it engaged in wanton slaughter. It had even aided the Black Templars in eliminating a boarding party of Iron Warriors.
Crucially, no rampancy had occurred after the slaughter.
Had it not been for their own arrogance, they might have simply conversed with him and brought him back. But now, that was impossible.
His action speed, which surpassed that of an Astartes, and the later demonstration of short-range spatial leaping ability, made it clear that controlling such an ancient construct was likely unrealistic.
Furthermore, reports stated its chassis was incredibly durable, shrugging off close-range Bolter fire and even Melta weapons.
An indestructible super-unit.
During this period, the Departmento Munitorum was the most troubled of all.
The events aboard the Battleship Indomitable had been fully reported by the Captain.
To ensure the sector's security, the Munitorum was forced to instruct the Captain to ignore the political wrangling; maintaining the sector's integrity had to be the priority.
The Cruiser Scythe was compelled to abandon its own mission and, along with its fleet, accompany the Battleship on its patrol assignment.
The Dark Angels it had delivered had not returned; the Black Templars it was supposed to embark had not been picked up; and the Inquisitor and the Magos had not returned.
As a result, the Lunar-class Cruiser and its accompanying fleet were forced to follow the Indomitable on its patrol route.
If the Captain of the Scythe disregarded these high-value personnel and they were compromised, he would likely be forced to commit suicide the following day.
To simultaneously offend two Astartes Chapters, the Inquisition, and the Adeptus Mechanicus, a quiet self-termination was probably the most desirable outcome.
…
As the entire fleet proceeded according to the mission document to the next sector, warping out near the Mandeville Point, the scattering of debris across the void immediately put everyone on edge.
Clearly, they had wasted too much time. This place had been attacked.
Fortunately, the cluster of Imperial Orbital Stations remained visible.
The fleet almost immediately received a distress signal from the stations.
Leveraging the exaggerated ultra-long-range sensor system of the Oberon-class, the Indomitable was the first to detect the anomaly.
While the cluster of stations was intact, over a dozen vessels of various sizes and crude designs were continuously firing upon them from the blind side.
The surrounding debris largely belonged to these strangely shaped vessels.
The ship-wide battle alarm was immediately raised.
The piercing siren tormented the ears of everyone aboard.
Thien, his body still recovering, was unable to go to the Bridge to question the Captain about the situation.
However, with the battle alarm sounding, treatment for Thien had to be temporarily postponed.
Both the Techmarine and the Apothecary had to rendezvous with the other combat-capable brothers.
As the visual feed was broadcast to the crew, the fuzzy, green projection clearly showed the enemies firing relentlessly in the distance.
Vast waves of laser fire and ordnance erupted from the crude vessels. One particularly abstract, cobbled-together ship even plunged headlong into the stations' Void Shields after firing a full broadside.
The stations' return fire was immediate.
However, in addition to firing continuously, the enemy ships were launching a large number of chaotic, smaller craft toward the stations.
"That shattered, crude aesthetic."
"That suicidal method of engagement."
"That overtly problematic insignia."
"It's Orks."
"It can only be Orks."
"It is Orks!"
Just as the Astartes were gathering to analyze the situation, the Captain's signal cut in.
"Astartes brothers, the stations have sent a distress signal. They are under attack by Orks. Although the Void Shields are intact, the Orks are ramming their ships directly into the stations, ignoring our fire."
"This cluster of stations is a major trade hub. The stationed garrison forces were redeployed due to nearby conflict, and internal defenses are critically low. If any more ships breach the Void Shields and crash into the stations, the Orks will likely take control."
"The fleet will immediately disperse and commence bombardment of the entire Ork fleet. Naval boarding teams will be deployed to the stations for close combat. If possible, I beseech you, brothers, to assist in the fight."
The Black Templars and the Dark Angels were, for once, in complete agreement.
"For the Emperor, and for glory."
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