The void was endless. No stars, no warmth, no sound—only silence stretching across the stasis chamber.
Then, a heartbeat—human, yet transformed—stirred within the darkness.
Yash Gounden's eyes opened. Memories of Earth—rain-soaked streets, sunlight on his face, the distant hum of life—flickered and vanished. In their place, a body forged for war: muscle reinforced with synthetic fibers, bone hardened to the density of ceramite, nerves alive with lightning-fast reflexes.
And then came the system—a presence within his mind, calm, precise, and infinitely patient.
[SYSTEM ONLINE]
User: Yash Gounden
Role: Primarch of the Bridgemen
Batchinus Control: Active
Imperial Status: Contingency Unit
Objective: Protect the Imperium and awaken the Rim Reapers at critical necessity
A voice resonated everywhere and nowhere at once: calm, commanding, eternal.
"You awaken, Yash Gounden. One of the first. One of the Batchinus. One of the Rim Reapers."
At the edges of perception, a presence shimmered, more force than figure, radiating power and purpose—the Emperor Himself.
"You are reborn into the galaxy's crucible. Not as a man, but as one of its oldest defenders. You are the Primarch of the Bridgemen. The Imperium has yet to understand the threat it faces… but you will."
The stasis field dissolved. Around him, a million sarcophagi held his brethren—the Batchinus. Warriors forged long before the creation of the Legions, dormant for centuries, awaiting the Imperium's darkest hour.
The system pinged softly: [Batchinus Awakening Probability: 12% → 100%]
"The Great Crusade advances," the Emperor continued. "But the galaxy teeters on the brink of annihilation. The Rim Reapers were designed to withstand subspace's corruption. When the Imperium falters, you will awaken the Bridgemen. You will lead them. You will shape the fate of countless worlds."
Yash flexed his armored hands. Power surged through him—beyond anything mortal. One million minds, each sharpened for war, lay dormant, waiting for his command.
A deep, gravelly voice echoed through the chamber: "Primarch… the others stir. Stasis fields are failing."
The system chimed: [Decision Required: Deploy Batchinus? Yes/No]
Responsibility pressed upon him. Every thought, every decision, could tip the balance between survival and destruction.
He clenched his fist. "Then we awaken. Not merely to serve… but to protect. The galaxy will remember the Rim Reapers. The Emperor's contingency will not fail."
Crystalline sarcophagi shattered. One by one, ancient warriors rose, eyes alight with purpose and loyalty. The system displayed new updates:
[Batchinus Deployed: 1,000,000]
[Command Interface: Primarch Active]
At the center, Yash stood reborn from another world, now the leader of a million ancient Astartes, guided by a system that would aid him in the coming war.
The galaxy would tremble. The war—the real war—had only just begun.