Rusty glared at Cax, and Cax glared right back.
'Because he asked me to,' Rusty replied, grunting with the effort of pushing the heavy metal box. 'Anyway, he's over 200 years my superior, i wasn't exactly going to say no.'
'Well all it means is I have to rush now so he dosen't get pissed off.'
Cax turned back to his work, 'stick him in the corner, and plug him in, i can at least have an intelligent conversation.'
Rusty looked up as though to say something, but thought better of it. He strafed to his right to heave the box round.
They were in the ship's workshop, a large, rectangular room, large enough to house four thunderhawks at least. At the moment it was empty aside for wrecks of vehicles, servitors, and scars of bolt and plasma rounds. Four servitors meandered through the wreackages occasionally stopping to examine or collect materials. At one end, near the entrance, a techmarine stood in front of the gray machine he was working on, fitting an armoured panel that he knew wasn't supposed to fit. He recited litanys of the Machina Opus in an attempt to appease the machine spirit he knew he was angering. He hoped that it understood the nessesity of his actions. Behind him, and to his right, a marine, clad in reddish black armour, with a flamer connected to his belt, was connecting a large inscribed box to several ports at a workbench. The "box" was a life support system, high gothic litanys of survival and continued service adorned it's guilded surface. In it lay roughly half of a chapter apothecary.
'How much longer must i endure this?' The voice came across as calm and monotonous.
'Chronos!' Cax looked up, 'should only be half an hour now brother, i've just got to paint the thing and preform a few rites for calming for the spirit, then we can stick you in.'
'Brilliant,' came the metalic drone of a response.
Both Cax and Rusty stopped for a moment then looked towards Chronos, 'Sarcasm?' Rusty ventured before moving from the workbench and leaning against the wall.
'It was not brother, i grow weary of this tedium,' there was an odd noise emmited, causing several small tools to reverbriate. Cax guessed it was a sigh, 'Though i should be careful of what i wish for.'
Cax sensed that if he could he would have said that under his breath.
'What colour do you want your armour? I was thinking standard skull white with the prime helix, though i don't think i've ever seen an apothecary dreadnaught before.'
'I don't see why, i can't see myself being to uesful as an apothecary any more'
'Yeah,' Rusty chimed in, 'Giant crushy hands of death can really slow the healing process.'
'Ah ha, that's where you're wrong,' Cax smiled, 'when i'm finished, Chronos will be better than he was before.'
'And How's that?' Chronos asked with an impressive measure of disbelief for a vox cast-voice.
'well, i'll leave you with all the normal weapons available to a dreadnaught but i plan on also custom building an arm with basically whatever you want, i was thinking definately medical mechandrites with a chem-bank and maby an external life support interface...' Cax realised he was rambling and let his words fade.
'Sound good?' he asked hopefully.
There was another odd noise and more reverbriations.
'Paint me white,' came the stoic response.
Cax looked pleased with himself and gestured for Rusty to join him, he threw a spray paint gun in his direction.
What happened next however, was not expected.
With a loud and penetrating screech of metal on metal, a red blade punctured the door at a lower corner. A sudden reek of gore flooded the room. Cax began to draw his bolt pistol.
The spiked sword pushed upwards quickly, forming a deep gash through the hatch.
The door burst open, one half bending outwards, the other skittering across the workshop floor. Stood in the wake was a hunched red creature. It's skin was leathery and bulging over dense muscles, it's rear-facing legs ended in hooves. It's arms ended in sinuous fingers with razor sharp talons. Vicious horns rose from it's elongated head and a blistered tounge protruded from it's gaping maw. It held the hellblade in one hand by his side.
It let out an almighty roar and looked towards it's closest victim, rusty.
As the creature began to run towards him, Rusty raised his weapon and pulled the trigger. White paint sprayed out of the nozzle and coated the front half of the beast. Rusty turned his 'gun' to one side looking at it in confusion. He just had time to duck under the swing of the blade, but did not manage to miss the mighty kick that came after. He was sent sprawling across the room.
Cax squeezed off two shots from his bolt pistol as soon as his friend was clear, one struk the deamon in the chest, exploding at the surface and scratching it's tough skin and removing some paint, the other hit it in the free hand, blowing it's thumb off and impaling it into it's lower abdomen. The thing howled in pain and charged towards the source of the bolts. Cax squeezed off another two shots that managed only to anger the thing before it reached him.
Cax activated his poweraxe. Gripped with one hand, the hellblade swung up towards the techmarine from beneath, at the last possible moment he stepped to his right and swung his axe in a horizontal arc towards it's torso. The daemon Grabbed Cax's pauldron with it's mutilated hand and pulled itself in, the axe wrapped harmlessly around it's back. The daemon dropped it's sword and clawed for his bare face, a servo arm barely saved him from a nasty scar, though it was now rent and deformed itself. Cax felt the machine spirit howl in protest.
He suddenly remembered the weight in his right hand, he pressed it into the knee of the beast and squeezed the trigger. The pistol Barked and dark red viscera sprayed the floor. The beast's grip loosened, Cax rocked back onto his rear leg and bedded his right boot in it's abdomen. He sprang his leg out and pushed into it, lifting the creature off the floor and sending him slamming into the wall by the door six meters away. It slid down and caught itself with it's three remaining limbs. It had left the majority of it's right leg behind.
As the creature began to crawl towards him once more, he aimed his bolt pistol but stopped before taking the shot. Cax saw Rusty back on his feet and leveling his flamethrower.
A gout of burning promethium hit it from the side, adding burning flesh to the stench. The deamon was blown to the ground by the impact of the viscous liquid, it began another blood-curdeling scream as it thrashed on the floor infront of Cax. He felt the intense heat despite the distance.
Cax strode towards the writhing and screaming figure, raising his axe.
The scream ended abruptly, and deep red blood splattered Cax's legs. Pulling his weapon out of the beast's head, he allowed the blood and brains to vaporize around the power field before turning it off.
Cax had his boltgun trained on the door and moved up to check for more. He called the all clear.
'What about that thing?' Rusty asked.
Cax looked where he was pointing. The hellblade was twitching and vibrating on the floor.
'You could try painting it, that might work this time.' Cax grinned.
'very funny' Rusty replied, 'but what do i do with the sword?' Rusty repeated.
'Break it.' voxed an answer, 'but do it outside.'
'Sounds easy enough.' Rusty tentatively picked up the sword, pinching it between two armoured fingers.
'Oh, and i got that on tape.' Rusty stopped dead in his tracks, Cax burst out laughing and, though noticed only by himself, Chronos was smiling.
