In real space, Bastion stood reviewing the data slates for the fifth time, scrutinizing his code but finding nothing wrong.
"Or did I inpu…" Bastion began, but his words were cut short as his body suddenly lost all strength, sending him collapsing to the floor.
Just before he hit the ground, however, a massive wave of energy surged through him, restoring his strength. His reflexes kicked in, and his hands instinctively reached out to support his weight, halting his fall. But it didn't end there—Bastion found himself performing a kip-up, kicking his legs upward and pushing off the ground with his hands.
"What was that?" Bastion questioned, scanning his surroundings. Yet, everything appeared unchanged, down to the centimeter. There was no shift in air pressure or flow to suggest an intruder or sudden movement. Everything felt… off.
"Elara!" Bastion called out.
*"Yes, my lord,"* the lady replied immediately, entering the room.
"Get me that mixture. I don't think my trials have truly ended," Bastion ordered.
With no intruder detected, the next logical explanation was that his "trials" were still ongoing.
Elara left quickly, but as soon as she closed the door, Bastion noticed the cogitator booting up again. The word "Bastion" appeared on the screen, and a bright smile spread across his face.
The code he had written was for a new operating system—something normal cogitators lacked because the Mechanicus didn't know how to create one.
Their attempts, known as "machine spirits," were likely tied to the magical side of the universe, though Bastion lacked the data to confirm this. For now, it remained a suspicion.
Soon, a bright and familiar interface appeared before him. Bastion knew he had never seen such a system in this life, meaning he had created something akin to what existed in his past life. Dismissing the overwhelming nostalgia, he quickly began setting it up fully.
If done correctly, this cogitator would become the cornerstone of his rise in this world. With his new OS, he could now see the true power of the hardware.
The interface was fast, and the hardware itself was incredibly powerful—its previous sluggishness had been due to outdated software.
"Haha… The Noosphere is literally an app I can scroll through," Bastion laughed.
The Noosphere was a strange neural network connecting every member of the Mechanicus, from the highest ranks to the lowliest servitors. Every cogitator was linked to it, though with limited access.
"Let me see…" Bastion said, diving into exploration.
Cogitators housed machine spirits, so the Mechanicus placed few restrictions on them, even worshiping them.
This meant Bastion had access to a wealth of Mechanicus information without their knowledge. Quietly, he began compiling a library of data, which was vast.
"Do they really have no form of defense?" Bastion wondered skeptically.
It was strange that he could infiltrate the core network of such a critical group within the Imperium without detection. This network connected to their thoughts and could potentially be used to control their minds, yet it lacked substantial protection.
"That explains why they banned murder cogitators," Bastion thought, though he remained doubtful.
The fact that no one had stormed his palace confirmed they hadn't detected his actions. Their understanding of software was clearly rudimentary.
"That explains why they'd build such an engine and then install Vista on it," Bastion mused as he copied and pasted the final documents into his private library.