The visit from the two Ultramarines caught the Captain of the Indomitable by surprise.
But when they were finally presented to the two Angels, an unexpected incident occurred.
Upon seeing Axion, who had come along out of curiosity, the two Ultramarines immediately adopted peculiar expressions. They then activated their personal action loggers and consulted them for an extended period, constantly monitoring Axion's every movement as they repeatedly compared it against data.
"Sirs, is there some issue?" the Captain of the Indomitable inquired nervously.
Although he was aware Axion was an ancient construct, the Imperium utilizing relics of ancient technology was not unheard of. Axion had also demonstrated terrifying combat abilities, arguably surpassing those of an Astartes. Furthermore, Axion had been subject to a joint examination by the Inquisition and the Cult Mechanicus, and two Magos had vouched for him. This, coupled with the fact that the Black Templars had departed but left the Dark Angels to remain on the vessel, led everyone on the ship to treat Axion as a unique, special class of Space Marine.
Now, being stared at so intently by the two Ultramarines suggested that they might have noticed something amiss.
While Axion constantly scanned every humanoid organism he encountered to compare their genetics, he did not stare fixedly at anyone, and his scanner operations were inconspicuous. Being scrutinized so openly now made him feel somewhat unsettled.
"While I can appreciate your curiosity regarding my existence, I request an explanation for your current conduct." Axion's query broke the silence.
Hadrian, wearing a red-crested veteran helmet, tapped his wrist-mounted combat recorder and nodded to Calanthus. Calanthus, in turn, nodded back.
"Iron Man, following the mandate of the Great Primarch, I was dispatched to the vicinity of Vostroya to seek your existence."
To seek me?
Axion was even more bewildered by Calanthus's words.
Sensing Axion's confusion, Calanthus explained further: "By the will of the Emperor and the command of the Primarch, we set sail two weeks ago. However, due to complications within the Warp, we were forced to transit for a longer duration."
Hearing the reference to "two weeks ago," the Dark Angels standing nearby subtly lowered their helms.
It was clear a secret was involved, and one that seemed to incorporate some form of prescience or prophecy. According to the clandestine itinerary they had been given, the time between Axion's initial discovery on the ground and his arrival here was almost exactly two weeks.
Ultramarines were not known for their intelligence-gathering skills. The fact that the two Ultramarines were instantly drawn to Axion upon seeing him indicated they possessed prior knowledge of him, and that they clearly understood he was an Iron Man. By contrast, the Black Templars had initially assumed Axion was a new creation of the Mechanicum.
"Captain, we require a private space. We must conduct a discussion involving highly classified information."
Seeing Calanthus's request, the Captain glanced hesitantly at the Dark Angels standing by. The two Angels, however, preemptively excused themselves and withdrew. Seeing that the Dark Angels had no intention of interfering, the Captain immediately escorted the two Ultramarines and Axion to a specialized compartment.
The chamber was filled with the smoke of holy incense, with specially-modified Servo-Skulls drifting around, chanting the Litany of the Emperor. The walls were etched with the Emperor's holy icon. Such specialized rooms existed only on a few Imperial Battleships; their purpose was to facilitate the communication of highly confidential information.
Even the Machine-Spirit could not monitor the events occurring within this room. The sacred images, holy words, and various seals carved above were intended to maximally protect the chamber's contents from the corrupting influence of the Warp's daemonic energies.
After Axion followed the two Ultramarines into the room, the Captain voluntarily left the space. Once the heavy blast door sealed shut, no one knew what transpired within.
The two Dark Angels proceeded to the Astropathic Choir to send an additional message to their Chapter via the Astropath. This time, they received an unexpectedly rapid response:
"Immediately distance yourselves from that ancient construct. Disengage and return to the company. Your mission is terminated."
Though utterly confused, the two Angels instantly executed the command, hastily boarding their Thunderhawk and departing for the orbital station. They planned to wait there for a transport from the Imperial Navy to take them back to their temporary deployment.
The Captain of the Indomitable was seized by an anxious foreboding due to the Dark Angels' abrupt and frantic departure.
At the Dark Angels' temporary deployment, the Company Librarian nervously stroked his chin, muttering to himself: "The prescience-based defenses must be reinforced again. The Chapter's secrets cannot be exposed due to an irrelevant incident."
While it was said that the First Legion had no secrets, the secrets they did possess absolutely must not be revealed, lest it lead to a catastrophic upheaval, especially those pertaining to the Fallen Angels. Any possible risk of exposure had to be prevented in advance.
Prophetic abilities were the most troublesome. If the foresight related to the ancient construct could somehow implicate the Dark Angels, revealing or detecting certain unspeakable secrets, this already blood-soaked segment of the galaxy would likely become even bloodier.
So long as no outsiders know, the First Legion has no secrets. A maxim often enforced by physical elimination.
As time passed, Axion emerged from the secret communication chamber, looking curiously at Calanthus and Hadrian.
"Is the end of technology truly theology?"
Calanthus and Hadrian exchanged glances, then firmly denied the notion. "All gods are nonsense. There is only the power of the Daemons."
Axion looked relentlessly at the two Astartes. "Yet, how do you explain the accurate functioning of a strange ability like prophecy? This does not align with the philosophy of Materialism."
To avoid hearing any more potentially seditious statements, Calanthus and Hadrian chose to remain silent.
Seeing that the two were no longer engaging him, Axion abandoned the attempt to communicate further and instead focused his attention on a peculiar chip he held in his hand: a Quantum Information Storage Device.
Truthfully, Axion had not expected to encounter such an object again. Based on his recent experiences, quantum technology had most likely been lost across this galaxy. However, this particular chip was newly fabricated; the internal production date was recorded not in the Federation calendar Axion was familiar with, but in the Imperial Calendar.
The amount of data stored on the chip was minimal, suggesting a crude, perhaps hand-made, production method. Its storage capacity was surprisingly small. However, the data reading interface it used adhered to the standard port specifications for quantum information transfer. Even though some of the interface etching was erroneous, Axion successfully read the limited information contained within.
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