The Necron Lord Trazyn's face was contorted with anger. He couldn't fathom how, in the end, his greatest enemy turned out to be himself!
It was just his data backup, merely a program—how could it betray its true master? He had a soul; he was the original!
"Are you really Trazyn? No, no! The real Trazyn is dead, all of the Necrons died sixty million years ago! We're just resurrected undead, the ghosts of the Necron race, their lingering wraiths." The bound Necron Overlord Trazyn seemed to hear the deepest sarcasm of his foe and retorted mockingly.
After careful calculation, he concluded: the moment the Necrons were transformed sixty million years ago, their souls perished.
They were already dead. This so-called Trazyn was merely a new soul inheriting Trazyn's memories.
"That was before, but now I've come back to life! And there's the female Necron, and that human, Rhodes, whose technology can revive our race. We will rise again in the galaxy, greater than ever," declared the Necron Trazyn.
"I bet every Necron just wants to kill you and dissect your body," the Necron Overlord sneered.
Surely you understand something so simple! All the Necrons, even the great Silent King, are just a bunch of cold, ruthless metal skeletons now—madmen!
Besides, not every Necron wants their old bodies back; some see the metallic form as the perfect evolution.
"We'll see!" snorted Trazyn, wiping all data from the Overlord's chassis and implanting a new program, making it his bodyguard.
Every Necron Overlord's body is incredibly valuable, a potent force—perfect as a bodyguard after a data wipe.
But the conversation left Trazyn deep in thought. Was he really just a new life with Trazyn's memories? No! Absolutely not!
He refused to believe he was just a puppet. He was Trazyn, Trazyn the Infinite, the true original! The rest were traitorous programs he would erase and reclaim control from.
The current problem was dire: he had gained full control of this planetary fortress, but to do the same for the others he'd have to enter the tomb's core and rewrite the programs. That traitorous program would never let him succeed.
If his virtual image spread to other Necron dynasties, he'd become their target.
This traitor would stop at nothing to destroy him—even hiding in a pocket universe wouldn't help. He needed new allies!
Could that guy Rhodes have foreseen all this? Was his resurrection arranged this way on purpose, knowing the program would betray him, so he'd have to fight himself?
No, that made no sense. Rhodes's real aim must be some kind of alliance—both would benefit most from cooperation, since both would become targets of the Necrons.
No one knew himself better than he did; the Necron Overlord Trazyn would certainly upload every detail about Rhodes to the other dynasties, that was obvious. The conclusion was clear: he had no choice.
With a helpless sigh, Trazyn piloted his fortress out of the pocket universe and set a course for Rhodes's fleet.
…
Meanwhile, all the Apothecaries aboard Rhodes's ship were extremely busy. The Imperial troops confined in the stasis cubes were being released one by one.
The loyalist Space Marines were easy—Rhodes unsealed them, explained the current situation, and arranged for them to return to their legions after reaching Holy Terra.
The challenge was the traitor Space Marines.
Even though their Primarchs had betrayed the Emperor, it didn't mean all Space Marines did—hence the tragedy of Isstvan V.
Under Rhodes's orders, the Chaplains and Apothecaries, though reluctant, unsealed the traitor Marines and gathered them together.
Among them were former Luna Wolves, Emperor's Children, Iron Warriors, Death Guard, World Eaters, and Word Bearers—all from the traitor legions.
But these Marines had no idea their Primarchs and legions had turned traitor. Their memories were frozen in the Great Crusade era; some didn't even know the Emperor had recovered all the Primarchs.
Rhodes appeared before them, shifting his form to resemble a four-meter-tall Primarch.
The newly awakened Astartes bowed to Rhodes, unsure of the situation but assuming this unfamiliar Primarch had saved them.
"Greetings, unknown Primarch," a Luna Wolf said.
His memory was still in the Great Crusade. He didn't know Horus was later named Warmaster, or that the legion had become Sons of Horus, then the Black Legion, and now Sons of Horus again.
"Welcome to the world ten thousand years later. You may call me Rhodes, the new Primarch—Primarch of this era," Rhodes said.
"Praise the Emperor, Lord Rhodes!" Even the traitor Astartes saluted.
"I have good news and bad news. First: you've been asleep for ten thousand years," Rhodes said.
"Ten thousand years? So we were imprisoned by that damned Xenos for ten millennia?" an Emperor's Children Marine asked.
"Correct. It's been exactly ten thousand years since your capture," Rhodes nodded.
"Lord Rhodes, that's bad news. What's the good news? Are we rescued, able to fight for the Emperor again?" a Death Guard Marine asked.
"You guessed the good news. But the bad news is different—do you know why you were specially selected?" Rhodes looked at the 2,000+ original Astartes.
"Lord Rhodes, has something happened to the Imperium? Is the Great Crusade over?" a Word Bearer asked.
"Yes. Prepare yourselves: your Primarchs have all betrayed the Imperium, embraced Chaos. Your legions have turned traitor," Rhodes said.
The hall fell silent. Every Marine stared in disbelief at Rhodes.
What had they just heard? It couldn't be!
Their gene-fathers—their Primarchs—betrayed the Emperor, fell to Chaos, and took their legions with them!
"Please, my lord, don't joke! Lord Horus was the first recovered Primarch, the Son of Return, the Emperor's most loyal warrior. He could never betray us," a Luna Wolf protested.
What was going on?
He'd just been fighting in the Crusade, captured, then rescued and told his Primarch had turned traitor.
"Well, Horus did betray us, but he's returned to the Imperium and serves the Emperor again. He was once controlled by the four Chaos Gods, who destroyed half his soul and forced him to rebel," Rhodes explained.
According to the Emperor, Horus basically died the moment he was corrupted.
"So… Lord Horus is loyal again?" the Luna Wolf sighed in relief.
"Yes. Your Primarch betrayed the Emperor but has reformed. He's back, though it's a tightly kept secret. Once you reach Terra and learn everything, I'll send you back to Horus," Rhodes said.
The Luna Wolves were easy—since their Primarch was back, they'd just return to him. Over 300 Luna Wolves nodded in agreement.
"My lord, what about our Primarch?" asked an Emperor's Children Marine.
"Your Primarch also betrayed the Emperor, killed Ferrus Manus, sided with Slaanesh, and became a Daemon Prince—a villain. But I have a loyalist clone," Rhodes said.
"No! Lord Fulgrim was the Emperor's most loyal son. We're the Emperor's Children. We could never betray…" The Emperor's Children Marines were in denial.
Their Primarch had once given a passionate speech upon meeting the Emperor, moving him to name the legion "Emperor's Children" and granting them that honor. None could accept this reality.
"Lord Rhodes, did Lord Mortarion betray, too?" a Death Guard Marine asked.
Rhodes nodded.
"What about Lord Lorgar? He worshipped the Emperor as a god and built the Monarchia," a Word Bearer asked.
"His case is complicated—he was the first to betray. The Monarchia was destroyed by the Emperor himself," Rhodes replied.
"This can't be! The Emperor is our faith. Why destroy his own city and faithful?" More Marines fell into despair, not knowing the city was long gone.
"Lord Rhodes, what about our legion? Did Magnus betray too?" a Thousand Sons Marine asked.
"No—Magnus took the Emperor's secret mission to infiltrate Chaos. He only betrayed on the Emperor's orders, and now he's back. Your legion is now the Grey Knights," Rhodes said.
The Thousand Sons relaxed.
The Luna Wolves patted their shoulders in sympathy—betrayed, but returned, so it's almost like it never happened.
"Lord Rhodes, did our Primarch betray?" an Iron Warrior asked.
Rhodes nodded.
"Lord Rhodes, what about Lord Angron?" a World Eater asked.
Rhodes nodded again. Angron's rebellion was long expected.
Now all the traitor legionaries learned their Primarchs' fates. The Luna Wolves and Thousand Sons were happiest—their Primarchs were back and loyal, all was as it used to be.
Others couldn't accept it, some lashing out at Rhodes, even raising weapons at him.
This angered Rhodes's loyal Astartes—no one could insult their gene-father.