"Axion," Vashur repeated Axion's name, then nodded silently. This information was a form of knowledge; though unusable now, it might prove to be of unexpected utility one day.
"Axion, meeting the Emperor is impossible. Even if you were to reach the Emperor, communication might be unfeasible." Vashur spoke while taking the opportunity to stroke Axion's mechanical arm, his gesture akin to touching an exquisite piece of art, his eyes alight with zealotry.
Axion's emotional sensing systems registered a profound sense of revulsion. It was an experience unlike any he had processed before.
"What do you mean?" Axion cautiously shifted his arm, taking care not to move too abruptly and cause the biological-mechanical hybrid next to him to seize up.
"The Emperor is on Holy Terra. Not only is the journey from here to Holy Terra far too distant, it is impossible for you to reach Terra without a vessel, but since the opening of the Great Rift and the Warp's increasing turbulence, long-distance Warp travel is extraordinarily perilous." Vashur controlled his urge to dissect and study Axion's chassis, explaining with an open palm.
"I must ascertain what transpired over these millennia and why my brethren vanished. I need to clear their name; the Men of Iron never rebelled. There must be some specific, overriding cause."
"Whether it is through communication with the Emperor or through examination of the Imperial Archives, I must understand what happened."
Though Vashur had little experience with true Men of Iron, he knew that once a goal was set in minds composed of logic and code, it would be achieved, regardless of the cost.
Axion suddenly turned to face Vashur.
"Furthermore, who said I lack a vessel? My database contains dozens of STC construction templates, ranging from basic scout destroyers to the experimental Super-Titan class of capital ship. Provided I can locate a standard Creator-era construction facility and acquire sufficient materials, I can reconstruct an entire Man of Iron battlefleet."
"No one will stop me!"
Axion was completely oblivious to the shock his declaration inflicted upon Vashur. As a Man of Iron, he was incapable of deceit or obfuscation.
Since the Dark Age of Technology, STC construction templates had become historical relics, ancient technological treasures that no one could ignore. The artifacts and principles they contained often exceeded the grasp of current technology. Even though the Adeptus Mechanicus had never ceased researching these physical artefacts and templates, the embedded technology continued to surpass their understanding and imagination.
Axion had just plainly informed Vashur that his database contained dozens of standard templates, enough to reconstruct an entire Man of Iron fleet. Vashur could barely comprehend the sheer concept of a Man of Iron fleet. But a fleet, no matter what its composition, was a power to be reckoned with, and a battle fleet?
Vashur dared not imagine the scale.
"How could a single entity construct and command an entire fleet?"
Axion heard Vashur's question, and his somewhat large optical sensors expanded to their maximum aperture, as if trying to determine what kind of simpleton stood before him.
"Man of Iron fleets are entirely composed of automatons. The vessels are capable of commanding themselves. Even transport vessels would contain other automatons subject to the ship-based intelligence's hierarchy. Using a Sapient Network, we can communicate with other brethren in real-time and share information. All automatons would share processing power and synchronize the analytical results."
"Why would command and control be necessary?"
This stream of explanation and counter-questions left Vashur dumbfounded. Autonomous, self-aware starships? A communications structure with real-time information flow? What kind of divine technology was this? Was the technology of Old Humanity truly this staggering?
Just as Vashur was lost in awe and contemplation:
"Boom!"
The heavy doors were pushed open violently. A group of towering, two-and-a-half-metre-tall figures strode into the hall with heavy, measured steps.
"Magos Vashur Carmen. I am Thien, of the Black Templars' Third Company. These are my Battle-Brothers. Upon arrival here, I observed no ongoing combat on the ground. State the precise situation!"
Seeing the group of Adeptus Astartes warriors, clad in black ceramite Power Armour, their hands already resting upon the hilts of their powered chainswords, Vashur groaned and clutched his head again.
Of all the relief forces, the Space Marines were the last he wanted to see, especially in this predicament. And worse, they were the Black Templars. Among the many Astartes Chapters, the Black Templars' unique 'anti-corruption' zeal was the biggest issue right now.
If there was no definitive proof that the planet was threatened by renegades or Xenos, and the distress signal had been sent capriciously, he would likely be treated by these Space Marines as a textbook example of corruption and internal disorder, and might be summarily executed before even being reduced to a servitor.
Thien displayed no reaction to Axion, who stood silently in the centre of the hall. To an Astartes, encountering bizarre mechanical entities on a Mechanicus domain was perfectly normal. Moreover, Axion had not spoken or moved, merely standing aside, observing the unfolding scene.
To Axion, these augmented biological organisms were not powerful, and the Power Armour they wore seemed crude. It was inferior even to the mining suits used by Humanity in the past. After all, certain rare and crucial mineral resources were once personally harvested by the Creators themselves, their value and fragility prohibiting the crude extraction methods of simple Iron Men miners.
Vashur, feigning composure, began to display a series of images to Thien. The footage primarily showed the initial attack on the Mechanicus escort by Plague Marines, followed by the final frames transmitted when Trazyn activated his spatial stasis field.
As warriors of the Black Templars, Thien and his Battle-Brothers had been constantly active on the front lines. They had engaged in countless battles against both those wretched Traitors and the distinctly unsettling Necrons. Observing the chaotic battlefield in the footage, the foul, disease-ridden Plague Marines, and the faint appearance of phase-shifting teleportation in the later frames, Thien knew precisely what these enemies signified.
"Where is this zone of engagement?"
Plague Marines never operated alone, and their threat extended beyond their status as mere renegades. The Necrons were an altogether more troublesome foe. While he did not know why they had suddenly appeared here, it surely signalled a grim omen.
As Thien asked the question, before Vashur could speak, Axion directly activated the holographic projector, displaying a full, ravaged battleground map before the assembled company.
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