Author's note: I'M BACK BITCHES! I'm still working on so many things but I never forget the joy this fic brings me, expect at least two more chapters coming up next week. Enjoy.
Disclaimer:
This story is a fan fiction of my own creation inspired by various sources. Both Darth Vader and Darth Sidious along with any Star Wars franchise reference belong to Lucasfilm, while all secondary characters, environment and locations belong to Games Workshop. I do not claim any ownership of the source material. This story was created for entertainment purposes and not intended to be linked directly to either the Star Wars universe or the Warhammer 40,000 universe official canons. All rights reserved to the respective owners.
My sincere thanks to George Lucas, Rick Priestly, Andy Chambers and all the people in charge of creating and expanding both of these fantastic universes.I hope you can keep fascinating and inspiring many generations to come.
I also appreciate all who collaborated in the editing of this fanfic with their reviews, shout-out to:
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and above all my readers. Love you guys.
41st Millennium: A Star Wars StoryBy: Lewis II
Original Idea by:
YouTube (2018). " Could Darth Vader survive in Warhammer 40k?" Commissar Gamza: YouTube. From: /p0czd32HPQw
YouTube (2018). " Could Darth Sidious survive in Warhammer 40k?" Commissar Gamza: YouTube. From: /p0czd32HPQw
Logo by Lewis II, both emblems are property of Games Workshop and Lucasfilm
Chapter 15: Reasons
The immense dark cave was dimly illuminated by the trooper's flashlight attached to his rifle. Although the air inside remained as hot as the weather outside, the cool and humid walls made it bearable. Trooper Howder cautiously stepped around the puddles on the ground to avoid slipping with the smooth surface. He was trying his best to not look weak or nervous in front of Vader. The Sith meanwhile struggled to not make any assumptions and focus on his mission, yet many questions kept appearing in his mind: Was this galaxy that close to his own? Did time move differently in this galaxy? Has any other threat made its way to this galaxy as well? Were the Jedi here?
The cave suddenly narrowed down into a natural tunnel.
They quietly ventured further into the darkness, following the fading echoes of chatter and steps. The sounds became clearer as different figures started to appear in the dark. A man shaped shadow addressed them while standing from afar covered by the darkness:
"Shell!"
"Cannon!" Howder answered.
"Are you alright, Yik? What happened? Who's with you?"
"You won't believe me, Dax. See for yourself."
A small reflector suddenly pointed at Howder and Vader from behind the Trooper, revealing their full shape to the observing forms. The Trooper's knees started shaking as he struggled to walk towards the light, revealing his worn and filthy armor. He saluted Vader while sporting his rifle in a ceremonial fashion.
"Private Dax Almers, Mylord. It is an honor to have you here."
Vader quietly walked forward towards the darkness, followed by the two troopers. Some other lights were then turned on, revealing the improvised base, full of deteriorated crates and equipment. Some troopers stood up and saluted while others simply remained seated eating roots, vegetables or pieces of unknown meat. They looked unkempt and sported rickety and incomplete armors, some of them with scraggly beards and scarred faces. Vader could only murmur a single phrase while facing such a depressing sight:
"So here they are. The rest of the soldiers missing from the Marca incident…"
"Was it truly an incident?" a Mudtrooper spoke out loud as he stood up and approached Vader with his head tilted. His attenuated face accentuated his poignant eyes staring at Vader, as if he tried to intimidate the Sith. Some other troopers stood up behind him and blocked Vader's path.
"The official records state it was the consequence of a mechanical malfunction. The case has been closed and filed for almost 8 years. "
"Mylord?" Howder asked while stepping back in disbelief.
"How long have you been adrift, private?"
"260 days by our account, mylord. We managed to pressurize the ship's remains and stayed adrift. The wreckage crashed here 3 days ago."
Vader's breathing suddenly became more agitated.
"Were you carrying any classified objects in the cargo area?"
"You mean the Emperor's package, Mylord?"
"Yes. Do you still have it ?"
The troopers who blocked the path then readied their weapons and pointed them at Vader. Howder and Dax pointed their weapons at the other troopers in response.
"What are you doing, you Son of a Mudscuffer?!" Dax menacingly yelled.
"We will give you what you want, only if you answer two questions: A new model of light cruiser had a hyperdrive malfunction on its first tour while transporting imperial troopers from Marca, splitting it in half and sending the Imperial troopers within the transport bay on a lightspeed frenzy, far away from the fields of Mimban and into the unknown space..."
Ten more troopers then stood up and readied their weapons, backing up the interrogating trooper.
"Was that truly an accident or were we simply considered expendable forces? Huh? Were we not expected to survive from the beginning?"
More troopers joined both sides, while the interrogation evolved into a standoff involving the whole battalion, ready to start a shootout given the slightest excuse. The troopers became an arguing mob while pointing their rifles, full of rage and distrust. Their voices became louder by the second:
"Was it not part of your plan that we survived the void of space, even being forced to drink our own piss and eat the flesh of our dead brothers only to land on a planet infested by explosive and poisonous aliens and hiding inside caves like vermin, while being exposed to mortal molds, viruses and diseases everyday?Whas it truly an accident…? WAS IT?!"
Vader unsheathed his powersword, silencing the whole room and drawing their attention with its crimson glow. He spoke with a steady voice:
"You are imperial troopers… conscripts of the Empire. Called from the most isolated corners of the galaxy. Barely equipped and poorly trained. Considered as a lesser breed even by the Stormtroopers. I am sure you can figure that answer for yourselves. We are cogs within the Emperor's machine. All works according to his plan. Or so he assumes."
The interrogating trooper approached Vader and put the barrel of his blaster against Vader's chin.
"So now, the emperor, in all his wisdom and mercy, sends his mightiest paladin to rescue us… the lower tier of his vast army. How thoughtful of him…Is that why you're here? Or is it to tie up any loose ends and retrieve whatever that thing is?"
Vader remained completely immobile.
"The emperor is gone.."
The entire battalion turned to Vader, most of them with either a face of terror or confusion.
A total silence followed. One that only the air drifts passing through the cave dared to break.
"Is it true?" Dax whispered.
Vader calmly moved the trooper's blaster away from his face.
"He used the ways of The Force to open an interdimensional portal. We were both devoured by it and I suddenly appeared in this galaxy."
A random trooper spoke up:
"The Force. You mean the thing the Jedi used for their powers ?"
"Yes."
"The emperor was a Jedi all this time?"
"No. He was a Sith… his whereabouts are unknown and I am not sure if he is still alive. Nevertheless, it is my mission to find him."
"You didn't come for us then." Howder replied.
"No. I must find the emperor and end his life if necessary."
"Then you serve those soldiers out there. You betrayed the empire."
Vader clenched his fist and sheathed his weapon. He crossed his arms and addressed the whole room:
"All of you have 3 options: You can try to fight me and be brutally massacred so I can then find my target between whatever remains of you.
You can give me what I need and I leave you to die on this filthy planet. One wrong movement among the Barking Toads or one encounter against the genestealers, not a trace of you to be remembered, just as it was the emperor's intention.
Or we can join forces and fight our way out of this hellish galaxy back to our own, our home. Given the time, we may claim our vengeance on the emperor for using us as pawns on his schemes. But you shall respond to me and my superiors and not question your orders…"
"Who will come with me then?"
The room remained silent and the troopers stared at each other. A lonely trooper with a long beard appeared from behind a pile of crates and walked slowly towards Vader carrying the Emperor's package. A pyramid shaped object over a couple of stacked books all covered with a torn flag of the Galactic Empire. The Sith received it with both hands.
The silence provided all the answers he needed. Vader left the cave with a hasty pace. The troopers looked at each other in total silence, some in disbelief and fear, some others with indifference and resignation. Howder and Dax murmured to each other:
"Emperor's gone… we lost."
"You still care about the war? Didn't you hear the Empire declared us dead?"
" I know… I just…"
"It's over… all this time, trying to survive, clinging on to hope. For nothing"
"But we're still alive."
"Our families think we died a long time ago. Dank Farrick, even if we come back, nothing will be the same, we would have no family, no money…only the unwanted scum of an Empire that is probably gone."
"But we still have a chance to survive… I need to know what happened with my family, with my home."
"So what? you'll keep fighting for Vader?"
"As long as I can survive, as long as it means that I get to fight another day, yes…I will go home. "
They nodded while looking each other in the eye with everyone around observing them, they all made their choice. The troopers shook hands and started collecting their gear. Dax simply grabbed a detonator.
Vader walked past the Catachan patrol and gestured to them to follow him.
"Lord Vader, we should be ahead. You need us to find your way out of this part of the jungle at night..."
Vader extended his hand. The ground started to shake abruptly: water from the surrounding lakes and puddles started to splash, the trees bent and were ripped out of their very roots, leaving a clear and dry path for Vader. The Catachan soldiers could only observe how the thick flora remained suspended in the air while walking up to him, even some animals, especially the barking toads, remained motionless in some kind of hypnotic trance. The vegetation fell behind them with a loud sound.
As the squad abandoned the Creek and walked back into the jungle, a subtle commotion could be heard behind them. The rest of the jungle fighters could hear it as well, to which they readied their flashlights and aimed their weapons at the nocturnal darkness at their rear while walking. The sound of a strong explosion finally called for the group's attention, with the jungle fighters taking point and charging towards the creek, fearing another genestealer wave.
Vader simply walked and readied his powersword for yet another threat. He caught up to the Catachan fighters pointing their guns at the Mud Troopers:
"Who are you? Identify yourselves, men!"
Vader instinctively put himself between the two groups. Everyone went silent as the Sith sheathed his sword:
"Stand down… they are with up, men! And carry this for me!"
"Yes Lord Vader." Howder replied while rushing to carry the package.
It was early in the morning when Alexyos received a transmission at the improvised base: Vader requested a transport ship to board the Poenitens, a big one.
Alexyos and Woodthorne waited at the landing pad. The two Inquisitors stared at the small marching mob while it started to get close and fall into a cohesive military formation: two columns of men divided by groups of ten. A Servoskull was summoned from within the transport and approached Vader as he walked to the formation's front. He handed it one of the books he carried while reading the other thick covered book, which sported a title written in bright red: Alienus Stellaris Archivum. IV
The Sith walked up front towards his team, he calmly saluted his captain and handed her the book.
" It is a book written in ancient Sith language, an investigation log of sorts. It mentions some experiments."
"What is the meaning of this Vader?" Woodthorne asked with a loud voice.
"As Inquisitors, we can dispose of any resources necessary to accomplish our tasks, can we not? They are strong and loyal soldiers from my former army, with the will to survive and obey. They have basic training on battle tactics and artillery as well."
"Why are they to be trusted?"
"They have no other place to go. Nothing to lose. They have endured the worst conditions and should they disobey or defect, I will mow them down myself…"
Alexyos went down and stared at the ranks of filthy men with torn gear. He walked around and inspected them for a while to then return with a hasty pace addressing his Captain:
" There is no physical sign of Chaos corruption, captain. They are all clean. I do hope they like Corpsestarch."
"We shall report it back to Galathar and comply to their orders, until then they will be under heavy surveillance, understood?"
"Yes Captain…" Vader calmly answered with a reverence. He then adressed the troopers with a loud voice:
"Attention men! Commanding officer on deck! You now respond to Captain Woodthorne!"
The troopers then saluted while clapping their boots and carrying their blasters over their right shoulder.
"At ease men, get on board and hand over your weapons to the Servitors for maintenance. Double Time!"
"YES, CAPTAIN!"
As they entered their ship, Alexyos stared for a few moments at Vader's suit, filthy and worn up as never before.
" I don't know what perplexes me more about you, your childish temper, or your odd sense of mercy. You look awful by the way, Vader."
"The jungle cares little for appearances…"
"Unfortunately, it is not the case for our next destination.."
"How so?"
"The Captain managed to contact our next target since the Catachan fighters are successfully repelling the genestealers. Astratelepathica and the navy confirms that the object was located on Sovereign and retrieved by the local Governor's forces. He's willing to give it during a public event for the highborn… get ready to meet the elite of the Imperium!"
As the gates closed, Vader could see the 80 out of 100 troopers surrendering their weapons and gear to the servitors with suspicion and horror on their faces while facing such abominations. Howder then delivered the covered package to the Battle Sister with a hasty pace.
Woodthorne removed the cloth cover and saw the small holocron, feeling the intense aura protecting it. Through its transparent case she could see a small ripped piece of paper with heavily adorned text on it. She could only distinguish a single word:
"MAGNUS".