The pursuit

As Iax entered a charging state, Sien stopped waiting and left Farrion to keep watch over him.

Once Iax finished charging, Farrion was to stay by his side. There had to be an Astartes beside him at all times.

Sien knew perfectly well that it did not matter who stayed beside him. The main purpose was not to intercept Iax in time, but to send word promptly.

Even an Astartes could barely follow Iax's movements. If a mortal were left to accompany him, they might not even realize something had happened.

Leaving the Maintenance Center, Sien headed to the Bridge. He needed to speak with the ship's commanding officer and complete a report for the records.

These matters had been put off for far too long.

Even the Black Templars wanted nothing to do with the Department of Internal Affairs. Given Iax's ambiguous status as an ancient Mechanical Constructs, the Inquisition would probably come calling as well.

If this matter was mishandled, being condemned himself would be the least of his worries. Implicating the entire Chapter would be far more troublesome.

After all, there had been cases in history where entire Chapters were sent on penitent crusades over incidents like this.

No one would question the loyalty of the Black Templars Chapter, but they still had to answer for their mistakes.

After finishing a series of tasks, Sien had no choice but to visit the Astropath, some of the people he despised most.

These intelligence dispatches could only be sent through those Astropaths gifted with Psychic Power.

Almost everyone in the Black Templars Chapter loathed people who wielded the power of the Warp.

These psykers were a blasphemy against the Emperor's power.

Yet in this chaotic universe, anyone who wished to travel among the stars would be forever stranded without Psychic Power.

Whether they were Astropaths sending messages through Psychic Power or Navigators using psychic sight to chart a course, they freely wielded that blasphemous energy. The Black Templars Chapter found it intolerable. Even when other Chapters had their own psykers—Librarians—the Black Templars had never established such an institution.

When Sien left the Astropathic Hall with a cold, disgusted expression and returned to the compartment temporarily assigned as their quarters, Iax was discussing mechanical technology with Farrion.

Iax had originally assumed that, after tens of thousands of years, modern mechanical design would have become sophisticated enough to astonish him.

Yet as their conversation continued, he discovered that technology seemed not to have advanced at all. Instead, it had almost regressed to an even earlier era, before the Dark Age of Technology.

"Bzzzt. Commander Sien, we've received new information. Sorry for the trouble, but please come to the Bridge. We need to confirm our next heading."

The sudden call forced Sien, who had just been about to sit down for a rest, to head through the corridors toward the Bridge once again.

In just a few hours, the traces of the earlier battle had been swiftly cleared away.

The debris and mangled flesh once piled in the hall before the Bridge had been cleaned up by the Servitors.

Although the floor still gave off a bloody reek, the blood that had covered it was completely gone.

Perhaps it was the thought of those thirty Iron Warriors corpses, each cleaved in two, that inexplicably lifted Sien's mood. As he passed through the hall, he even abruptly offered a word of thanks for the Emperor's protection.

But the craters blasted into the compartment walls by bolt rounds and the gouges left by Power Weapons still reminded everyone that a savage battle had taken place here.

As the armored bulkhead door opened, a towering figure in black ceramite armor appeared at the entrance to the Bridge.

"Commander Sien, Imperial Navy command has just sent us new intelligence. The next offensive is about to begin, and the Resolute must immediately proceed to its next assigned area to patrol. For now, we'll remain on rear-area patrol duty to keep the rear secure."

"After our next Warp transit, you and the other angels may need to board another Lunar-class Cruiser, the Scythe, and travel to a nearby Battle Barge."

The highly independent Black Templars Chapter had most of its companies scattered across the Milky Way. They often traveled aboard various Imperial Ships to take part in wars throughout the Milky Way.

Sometimes, boarding another Chapter's Battle Barge to transfer elsewhere, or even directly joining some of its missions, was common as well.

Sien knew that many Chapters were not particularly fond of the Black Templars, but that did not stop them from carrying out their missions.

All for the Emperor's glory and will. All for the Imperium of Man.

Even the Black Templars would not openly resist reassignment orders from the Departmento Munitorum.

"Understood. How soon will we enter the Warp? I'll gather my brothers and have them prepare. As for the Ancient Construct that arrived with us, he'll leave with us as well. Rest assured."

"Thank you for your kindness in allowing us aboard your ship. May the Emperor watch over you."

The Captain looked at the towering Astartes before him, a troubled expression crossing his face.

"Commander Sien, besides the Departmento Munitorum's reassignment orders, there is another order. That Ancient Machine Intelligence cannot leave with you."

Sien froze briefly, then pulled off his helmet, revealing a youthful face. Though he did not look particularly old, his expression was exceptionally stern. The silver Service Stud set into the side of his forehead proved that he was no longer a recruit.

Although the Imperium did not require its warriors to have Service Studs implanted, many regarded them as a mark of honor.

A silver Service Stud represented fifty years, while a gold Service Stud represented a hundred.

Sien had served for nearly seventy years since becoming an Astartes. He had even arranged to have his silver Service Stud replaced with a gold one when he reached his hundredth year.

Decades of service in the Black Templars had taught him that very few departments could issue orders to them.

"Where did the order come from?"

Captain looked at Sien nervously.

"The Ordo Hereticus and the Adeptus Mechanicus."

"As soon as our Warp transit ends, an Inquisitor will arrive with a team to retrieve this machine and examine him together with personnel from the Adeptus Mechanicus."

Sien narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of disdain appearing on his face.

"The Inquisition. Hmph. Another of the Imperium's vermin."

"How do the Adeptus Mechanicus have connections reaching this far?"

Sien's expression brimmed with resentment toward the Inquisition. The Black Templars were skilled not only at fighting, but also at investigating local graft and corruption. Over his decades of service, the number of Planetary Governors whose heads he had personally crushed was nearly five.

And that should have been the Inquisition's job in the first place!

Although taking over another organization's duties had made the Black Templars Chapter deeply controversial, there was nothing to be done. Neither their heritage nor their loyalty could be shaken by those Imperial vermin.

The Imperial Fists, their Parent Chapter, had nearly been destroyed outright, but had nevertheless been rebuilt. Even though the gene-seed within many of their warriors did not come from Rogal Dorn, no one could be allowed to sully the Imperial Fists' legacy and glorious history.