Iax was no less surprised than Worman.
Few people meeting him for the first time failed to show excessive curiosity, yet the woman on the other end of the communication link seemed far less curious than expected. Instead, she seemed relieved.
"You do not seem surprised by my existence. Have you encountered others of my kind? Judging by your expression, you are currently experiencing a degree of relief. Please explain why."
Faced with Iax's question, Worman shrugged somewhat casually.
"You... how should I address you?"
"Iax."
"Lord Iax, I have never seen any machine like you. On the contrary, this is my first time encountering a machine capable of acting so freely."
"As pioneers of the Imperium, we often encounter strange and unusual species and trade with them. A mechanical being capable of speech is hardly something that would astonish me."
"As for feeling relieved, yes, I am glad you can communicate with me normally. The fact that you have never heard of the Roscolan Family suggests you are not from a nearby sector. Where did you come from?"
Iax was not surprised to hear that Worman had never seen a similar mechanical being. If surviving Men of Iron were so easy to encounter, he would have found them long ago.
After spending so long interacting with the Astartes and various Imperial forces, Iax had finally encountered someone who felt more like an ordinary person. He had to admit that this Rogue Trader family's matriarch possessed all the smoothness of a merchant.
At the very least, her manner of speaking was completely different from that of the somewhat unhinged Little Red-Robed Men, the terse Astartes, or Imperial military commanders. For some inexplicable reason, Iax found it refreshing.
"I was in the central region of Segmentum Pacificus just a moment ago."