The silent communion between Axion and Cawl concluded, leaving Guilliman in a state of bewildered exclusion. For Axion, the exchange had been far from efficient. The data transmitted by Cawl was cluttered and fragmented; the Archmagos communicated with the verbosity of a rambling old man. Had they relied on spoken High Gothic rather than direct data-transfer, Axion calculated it would have taken years for Cawl to articulate everything he wished to express.
Conversely, Axion's blunt, clinical responses fascinated Cawl. When confronted with unknowns, the Iron Man offered direct negations; when addressing technical queries, he provided solutions. Yet, even these technical insights remained largely inscrutable to the Archmagos. The immense technological chasm of ten millennia meant Cawl lacked the foundational principles to grasp them; specialized nomenclature and specific material references found no equivalent in the degenerate lexicons of the 41st Millennium.
Nevertheless, Cawl learned much, including the humbling realization that several "ancient technological relics" in his private collection were, in fact, useless civilian appliances. One low-power microwave emitter, which Cawl had spent decades studying to unlock its potential as a directed-energy weapon, was revealed by Axion to be a common "microwave oven," used by the ancestors of humanity to heat nutrients and sanitize utensils. Cawl had agonized over how such a weak microwave field could possibly be effective on a battlefield; he had never imagined its purpose was merely culinary.
Axion, in turn, pressed Cawl for historical data, specifically regarding the fate of his own kind. Cawl's knowledge was limited, though he did inform Axion that several modified "Iron Men" were rumored to be held deep within the fortress-monastery of the Dark Angels.
However, upon analyzing Cawl's detailed descriptions, Axion realized these were merely low-intelligence combat automata. They were unworthy of the title "Iron Man"; their cognitive capacity was likely inferior even to his own Aegis Protector. Furthermore, they had been mutilated beyond recognition by the fanatical ministrations of the ancient Cult Mechanicus. Even if Axion were to encounter them, the chance of extracting cached data was non-existent. He did not believe such primitive drones were equipped with quantum storage capable of preserving data for ten thousand years. Their historical records would have long since been overwritten by rolling storage protocols, erased by the passage of eons.
Moreover, the behavior of these modern Tech-Priests led Axion to suspect that the "spirits" within these automata were nothing more than rudimentary logic-loops birthed from corrupted, chaotic data-segments—ghosts in the machine born of ignorance.
Guilliman, standing awkwardly as the "iron lump" and the "flesh-integrated iron lump" stared silently at each other, finally cleared his throat.
"So, Cawl. Given the current circumstances, what is your counsel?"
Cawl understood the subtext: the Regent was asking how to handle this relic of the Dark Age of Technology. But even Cawl hesitated. Axion was unlike any other archeotech discovery; he was the first ancient Iron Man found with a fully intact, lucid self-awareness. He was a living repository of forbidden knowledge. Even the Iron Man's chassis was a staggering scientific treasure, a literal blessing from the Omnissiah.
Part of Cawl desperately wanted to "collect" Axion, to sequester him and slowly siphon the vast wealth of technology from his cores. But he knew this was impossible. Axion possessed independent agency and clear objectives. Attempting to restrain him would inevitably result in hostility. Even putting aside the question of whether the Iron Man would willingly share his secrets, the risk of his self-destruction was a loss the Imperium, and Cawl personally, could not accept.
With other combat automata, the Imperium merely craved the "flesh"—the physical hardware. If one could seize the machine by force, it remained functional. But with Axion, Cawl hungered for the "mind"—the stored data. Axion's data was protected by unique quantum encoding and specialized parsing structures. Cawl had no illusions; no one in the modern Imperium possessed the capability to bypass such encryption. Quantum science was a lost art, and what little the Adeptus Mechanicus currently possessed was, by comparison, staggeringly crude.
"I suggest he remain here for the time being and operate alongside me," Cawl proposed. "If possible, I would also like to—"
"Archmagos! Wide-range phase-shift detected!"
A high-priority vox-burst from the Ark Mechanicus interrupted him. As Cawl's personal flagship, the Zar-Quaesitorwas outfitted with forbidden "black technologies" that would make other Magi turn emerald with envy—spoils from Cawl's millennia of "archaeological" pursuits. Its sensor arrays possessed a range and fidelity far exceeding any standard Imperial vessel.
Cawl struck his Power Axe against the deck in a sharp mechanical rhythm, turning to face Guilliman. "The Necrons are not so easily dislodged from this node. The Ark has intercepted enemy movement."
Seconds later, a second transmission arrived from the Mechanicus fleet in orbit. "The Necron remains on the planetary surface are vanishing en masse!"
Upon hearing this, Cawl activated his drive systems to full power, his multi-legged form skittering rapidly out of the chamber. Guilliman followed, running toward a nearby observation bay, with Axion trailing behind out of curiosity.
"Lord Regent, I must return to the Ark immediately to command the engagement," Cawl voxed. Guilliman offered a sharp nod of dismissal.
As Cawl raced toward the hangar, Axion returned to his own quarters. He and his Aegis Protector began swiftly crating the various spare parts he had manufactured during his stay. The Protector, equipped with heavy-duty mechanical claws, used its massive bulk to steady two large cargo racks, following Axion toward the hangar.
Cawl was already waiting at the boarding ramp of a Thunderhawk Transporter. Guilliman watched with a look of slight consternation as Axion simply followed Cawl off his ship. While the Primarch hadn't forbidden Axion from leaving, he didn't recall explicitly agreeing to the Iron Man departing with the Archmagos either.
As the Thunderhawk cleared the launch bay, a massive Necron vessel, slightly larger than the Dawn of Fire, abruptly phased into existence amidst the Imperial defensive line. Driven by inertia-less engines, the Necron ship appeared as if by sorcery, followed quickly by a flotilla of escorts shimmering into reality on its flanks.
A colossal shockwave erupted from the lead Necron vessel, a sweeping pulse of energy that tore through the surrounding Imperial Navy frigates. Even several Mechanicus Battleships erupted in brilliant blossoms of fire.
The signature radiance of a Star Pulse weapon, coupled with the towering, obelisk-like structures upon its hull, marked the newcomer as a Cairn-class Tomb Ship. The sudden disappearance of Necron remains from the planet was now explained; the Tomb Ship had recalibrated the local phase-recall protocols, forcibly summoning its fallen warriors back to its stasis-crypts.
The Imperium rarely encountered Necron vessels of this magnitude. Though Cawl did not know the specific classification, his long study of the xenos told him that such a ship invariably served as a fleet flagship.
"By the Emperor! A Necron Flagship... kzzzsst... Is the main host of the xenos descending upon us?"
Inside the transport, the Aegis Protector tilted its sensor-head at Cawl, hearing the binary cant embedded in his speech. It turned to Axion with a query.
"Query: Does the utilization of profanity provide a measurable bonus to combat efficiency?"
"Negation," Axion replied. "To curse an adversary effectively requires linguistic alignment. Assuming the biological enemy can hear and comprehend the intent, the effects are unpredictable. It may induce a state of 'frenzy,' causing a lapse in tactical judgment, or it may provoke the enemy into increasing the intensity of the engagement."
Cawl, overhearing the exchange, fell into a sudden, uncharacteristic silence. It seemed he had inadvertently revealed a side of his personality he usually kept suppressed.
——————
If you want to read ahead of everyone, go to my pat-reon: pat-re-on.c-om/magnor (remove the hyphen to access normally)
For more free additional chapters, throw some power stones!
100 PS = 1 Chapter.