An Inquisitor Who Couldn't Afford to Cross Anyone

Iax had no interest in listening to hymns composed of basic binary code. He turned and helped the maimed Sien over to the other Black Templars Astartes.

Sien's battle-brothers carefully supported him, anger in their eyes as they looked at Iax.

But because Sien had waved them down earlier, none of them did anything rash. They struggled to keep their emotions in check.

Iax knew exactly where the Astartes' anger came from. Though he sensed their hostility and rage, he made no particular response.

After handing Sien over, he turned, his form flickered, and he vanished before everyone's eyes.

The instant Iax disappeared,

the oppressive calm broke.

The two Dark Angels exchanged a glance, then bent down to retrieve their severed arms.

Among the Black Templars nearby, a warrior whose helmet and pauldrons bore gene-helix markings, and whose armor was painted in alternating black and white, immediately stepped forward to retrieve Sien's severed leg and arm.

The Inquisitor standing nearby took it all in, watching everyone with an indifferent expression.

"Where did that Ancient Construct go?"

He had also heard their conversation. According to the intelligence, this Ancient Construct seemed to place great importance on honoring agreements. Thus, Iax's disappearance did not particularly alarm him. Based on the report, this mechanical being would certainly return.

Still, he had to keep the Ancient Construct under constant supervision.

But clearly, no one could answer his question right now.

Holding their severed arms, the two Dark Angels looked at the warrior who was likewise carrying Sien's severed limbs. They hesitated, but spoke up anyway.

"Apothecary."

They had barely begun.

The Apothecary carrying the arm and leg interrupted them.

"You should pay the price for your arrogance. Yet my brother has borne part of that price for you. I refuse to provide you with medical assistance!"

Anger rang through the Apothecary's words.

Although the Black Templars were furious that Iax had cut off one of Sien's arms and one of his legs, they also knew perfectly well that the trouble had begun with the two Dark Angels' arrogant remarks.

They were the blades of the Imperium, the Emperor's Angels of Death, weapons. Loyalty, honor, courage, and wisdom should have surrounded them.

Arrogance?

Had these Dark Angels become too involved in running the Imperium?

Why else would they have picked up the vile traits of those vermin-like Imperial nobles?

The Apothecary wanted nothing to do with the two Dark Angels responsible for this situation.

"Osen, don't act out of spite. I understand how you all feel, but we are still kin. We are brothers."

Osen, the Apothecary, turned to look at Sien, who was still trying to reason with him despite needing support to stand, and gave a noncommittal grunt.

Then he carried Sien's severed limbs toward the passage behind them.

He had to hurry them to the Medical Bay for examination and determine whether the damage could still be repaired.

Work like this was rare.

In most battles, damaged limbs were reduced to scattered scraps of flesh or severely contaminated. Iax's Molecular Oscillation Force Field Sword was clearly different from an Imperial Power Sword.

The cuts were clean and even, the biological tissue remained viable, and the limbs were largely intact. With prompt treatment, they might still be reattached.

As the Astartes departed one after another,

the Inquisitor, left standing there and ignored, struggled to maintain his composure. But even the Inquisition could do nothing about this situation.

He could hardly stop these Space Marines from treating their battle-brother.

They would probably crush him on the spot in their fury.

With the Imperial Navy and the Adeptus Mechanicus present, if everything was reported accurately, even his death would accomplish nothing.

After all, an ordinary Inquisitor was probably worth less than an Astartes with all his limbs intact.

With no other choice, the Inquisitor turned to the Captain, who was still waiting nearby.

The Astartes could ignore an Inquisitor, but the Captain would not dare.

As the Inquisitor began questioning the Captain about the specifics and details, the two Sages of the Adeptus Mechanicus finally regained their composure.

"Praise the Machine God."

The two Sages exchanged a glance, each reading an intense possessiveness in the other's eyes. It was a thirst for knowledge.

Only after the Inquisitor finished questioning the Captain did he discover that the two Adeptus Mechanicus Sages who had been behind him were gone.

This forced him to abandon his original plan and start searching for the two Sages aboard the enormous Battleship instead.

They were essential to his mission. The Adeptus Mechanicus had to conduct an on-site examination and appraisal of Iax, or the Inquisitor would be unable to complete his assignment.

Moreover, according to the intelligence, this Ancient Construct claimed to be one of the Men of Iron from before the founding of the Imperium.

Yet over tens of thousands of years, the Men of Iron discovered throughout the Imperium of Man could be counted on one hand. Those few had all been Abominable Intelligences.

Thinking about the information on the Men of Iron, the Inquisitor glanced, almost without knowing why, at the Thunderhawk Gunship parked in the hangar. The Dark Angels insignia was clearly visible on it.

No wonder Astartes from the Dark Angels Chapter were involved this time.

Before arriving aboard the Cruiser Scythe, he had also assumed that this was merely an appraisal of an Ancient Construct—at most, a somewhat complicated machine.

Only when he saw two Dark Angels Astartes aboard the ship, waiting to depart with him, had he suspected something unusual.

The term "Men of Iron" was a special one, tied to history far too distant.

He had only learned this information by using his clearance to consult archival records.

Perhaps the First Legion had far more sources of information than the Inquisition itself.

But none of this was something an ordinary Inquisitor like him could comment on.

Nor had the intelligence report mentioned the presence of Black Templars here.

Right now, he only wanted to finish this assignment quickly and return safely to the Inquisitorial office where he was stationed.

After all, anything involving Astartes was never simple, much less something involving both the Black Templars and the Dark Angels. This was trouble piled upon trouble, while the electronic thought processes of the Adeptus Mechanicus were practically the definition of difficult to communicate with.

Its Sages also served as representatives of the Adeptus Mechanicus when operating outside their own organization.

Everyone present held a position that made him want to steer clear of them. The only people he could exert pressure on were the Captain of this Battleship and the Imperial Navy.

But anyone who had become a Battleship Captain was no pushover either. There might well be a tangled web of connections behind him.

The Inquisition possessed sweeping authority, but only Inquisitors renowned within its ranks, or even legendary Inquisitors, could truly exercise those extraordinary powers.

Otherwise, an ordinary Inquisitor who offended the wrong people might well die under mysterious circumstances during some mission.