Author's note:
This is it guys, I'm back. Sorry for being absent this long. I recently moved to a new city and it has been a pain in the ass to get used to everything. Hope you keep enjoying this fanfic and thanks to all who still follow it and keep suggesting stuff via PM, all feedback is always appreciated. 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:
u/8428704/You-re-Normal-Sheevite
u/1515601/Mashot-Tito
u/8116872/SuperSaiyanDiclonius
u/5519409/Imperial-Briton
HEMA (user)
Special thanks to internet sources related to Imperial faith:
wiki/Ecclesiarchy_Quotes
.
and above all my readers. Love you guys.
41st Millennium: A Star Wars Story
By: 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 7:
Formalities
In the void darkness of space, at a classified location, a small natural satellite sat covered by a a grandiose structure, surrounded by a defensive grid of turrets and a constant traffic of smaller ships. It was the Galathar Station.
At its very center, a massive half illuminated hall with tall windows resounded as the mumbles of people sitting around the grandiose center table became stronger. The meeting between inquisitors had just ended. A grim figure entered, barely fitting through the door and drawing all the attention from the room. It was Vendar.
"Lord Inquisitor, a word if I may." he murmured. A man approached him.
"Go on, Cornelius" The Inquisitor responded as the rest of the room returned to their conversations.
"What shall be our next assignment?" Vendar spoke with a severe tone.
The Inquisitor called upon a Servo-skull, which projected a map on a wall nearby.
"Epistolary Galius sent these files from the Astra Telepathica. They detected several energy singularities with similar properties to the one on Seperus Prime on different Segmentums over the last months. With the information provided by Vader we now know these might be potential threats, coming from other galaxies. The council has classified them as Xenos Horrificus.
They are then to be found and eliminated in a time of 3 standard earth years, the latest deadline for most prophecies according to the Omega Vault emissaries. The prophecy must not come to fruition."
The Astartes analyzed the map and read the names of the mentioned systems.
"Some of these locations will require up to two years only to reach from our current point. How are we to cover them all?" Vendar asked.
"You will split the team, report regularly. You must ready for this as best as possible. Eat, rest, plan, resupply your ammunition and equipment. You have four days maximum." he replied.
"Yes Lord Inquisitor." the Astartes answered with a reverence.
Across the room a monitor lit facing the end of the table, emitting subtle light and sounds. It depicted an old Guardsman dressing the Inquisition's attire. The Inquisitor answered the incoming call it while Vendar walked out the room.
"Lord Inquisitor, please come in." The man said.
"Is something the matter, leftenant?"
"Advice needed, my lord. The Xeno refuses to cooperate with the standard interrogation process and has dispatched 3 of my guards. He responds all questions but refuses to fall under the influence of our Psykers"
" I will see to it. Get the Mechanicus party to the cell levels."
The monitor was turned off. As the assistants left the room it became darker, being Vendar and his superior the last to exit. They quickly descended through the elevator towards the prison levels.
It was a unique sight to behold. The cell was full of notes and books, resembling some of the ancient libraries of the Ministorum. Amidst was Vader, pointing the lines and turning the pages with his new hands while The Force was his scribe. The respirator was not far from him, connected through a long tube. An odd spectacle within the prison levels, only observed by the bizarre committee through the small window.
His eyes rolled and zigzagged impatiently through the pages. The pencils wrote with a hasty pace every meaningful quote he could find. The Lectitio Divinitatus was a puzzling reading for Vader: full of hyperboles and contradictions, torrential hatred towards other lifeforms. Yet, he could see there was something beyond these heavily adorned pages and started speculating that this entity, The Emperor, was perhaps an upper being, someone who could understand the true nature of The Force.
Once his mind had settled, his visions had returned, showing him events and phrases from a distant past. His mind had barely grasped something he read from the ancient scrolls and the epistle.
" You say he built those arms by himself?" A voice murmured on the outside, confirming Vader's suspicions about being watched.
"Yes my lord, out of scrap metal and servitor parts." the Tech Priest answered.
"He seems in relative good health."
"The small dose of nanobots seem to have stopped the Necrosis and reconstructed part of his internal organs. His scars from the operation have blended in with his others as well." Another Tech Priest affirmed.
"All due respect Inquisitor, would it be wise to do this?" Vendar whispered through his clenched teeth.
The Inquisitor entered without answering or hesitating. The unusually calm Sith remained seated and closed his study material as the new visitor started to address him:
"In all my years of loyal service, you are the first Xeno that seems this profoundly interested in the word of our Emperor, even in the unknowing of their own fate."
"It is a pleasure to have such a distinguished guest, Lord Inquisitor." The Sith mumbled.
" My name is Maximus Mordrek, Inquisitor Lord of the Ordo Xenos. I am the one in charge of this station, and I hold power over the lives of all resident prisoners, including yours. You will obey and submit to the Psyker procedure. Only then you shall be set free."
"Have I not cooperated enough with you? " Vader whispered. Mordrek scoffed playfully.
"I acknowledge you struggle deeply for survival. Nevertheless, there is not much reason you would want to flee this station, unless you intend to return home and claim that supposed empire for yourself.
The way I see it there is three options for you:
Number one, you can escape and fend for yourself in this galaxy, while trying to return home or find a new one. You may thrive and find new allies. But we WILL find you again, and kill you.
Number two, we can put you out of your misery. You might fight back but in the end you will die. It would be a quick death with no shame. You slayed two Astartes and a good part of a Cadian regiment anyway, which is an immediate death sentence by all Imperial law standards.
Three:You become a useful Imperial informant. We keep you alive out of the public eye, tell us the rest of your story, all inside your head. We find and end that emperor of yours and you become an inoffensive servant, living well inside these walls.
So? What shall be your choice, Darth Vader?"
"I prefer option number four…" Vader uneasily murmured.
He stood up looking the Inquisitor defiantly in the eye, almost at the same level.
"I work for you." he followed.
Inquisitor Mordrek frowned as to depict intrigue.
"Locate my former master. Become an Inquisitor. Complete other tasks against possible Xeno threats. I am already a seasoned warrior, a pilot, a Psyker and even a Mechanicus apprentice, all great aptitudes fit for an Inquisitor. I am human after all. As far as I know all that is needed is to accept the true faith and instruct myself in the inquisitorial ways."
"You do know that if you are to pay for your sins and become a penitent soldier you must die in defense of the Imperium, do you not?" Mordrek rose his voice.
"It seems that this figure,The Emperor, is well versed in many forms of power and science. Until I understand his nature and find if he truly is a superior entity of The Force, I will not abandon my studies and stay loyal to him wherever I might be. I shall follow your direct command and die on the battlefield if my decisions lead me to it. "
The Inquisitor punched the Sith lord and pointed his laspitol at Vader's forehead while on his knees. There was no sign of hesitation or surprise from the Xeno, which only stared at the Inquisitor until seeing what appeared to be a soft nod from him.
Mordrek left the cell and gazed upon his cohort.
"He is ready then. Bring the Psyker in"
Inquisitor Mordrek walked down the corridor followed by Vendar , The Genetor, The Magus and a young handcuffed Psyker. A thin and elongated man with his scalp covered by prominent vein marks. His green robes were torn and covered by dust and filth. He was pushed into the cell followed by two weaponized servitors.
"Do as you are told, Alexyos." The Inquisitor yelled from afar.
He stumbled in front of Vader, which put all his study materials away. Alexyos grabbed a chair and sat without breaking eye contact with the puzzling man.
"I see you are the new one here. Where did you serve?"
"I'm afraid I do not understand your question" Vader responded.
His voice was a coarse whisper.
"They say you built those arms yourself" He babbled
"I consider myself pretty skilled with technology" Vader replied. He waved his fingers while caressing his forearms.
"I see. Let us make this quick, then."
The Psyker extended his arms and took a deep breath. His eyes glowed as he exhaled and liberated a discharge of energy over Vader and entered his mind.
" Stand by for any signs of fight. Lethal force is authorized."ordered Mordrek to Vendar as he left with the Mechanicus team.
The Space Marine and the servitor squad remained at the door, while the Astartes was trying to process what he had the disgrace of hearing due to his amplified senses. Three hours later, a knocking was heard on the door. The Psyker walked weakly, almost stumbling out of the cell. The Astartes helped him to stand best he could.
"What did you see?" Vendar asked.
"Same things you mentioned: The Jedi Temple, his Padawan, his three masters. The Clone Wars." he stated while collecting his thoughts.
"Did you see anything else?"
"Only an image. His mind was stronger than I thought. No matter how hard I thrusted, his barrier would not break. He was choking a pregnant woman. There was anger in his mind, but now I sense only pain."
The Astartes and the Psyker locked the cell and left the servitors to guard the Sith.
Three days later, as Team Avalon was about to part, the team boarded and readied the Solitudinem. Vendar consulted Chiron's database which affirmed his orders had been modified by Inquisitor Mordrek and the Epistolary himself. Vendar heard a command through his earpiece and entered the cell. Vader was sitting on the ground, staring at a corner. His breathing was agitated, his hands covered his eyes and sweat covered all his naked upper body. The Astartes pushed him, then dragged him to a stand with his respirator and both walked towards a dark room followed by the servitors.
Mordrek commanded the servitors to stand down and Vader entered the room by himself. He sat in front of Mordrek's shadow while under a light. Vendar left, hitting another wall in anger nearby after closing the door to a completely silent room.
"Are Jedi allowed to have a family?" Mordrek broke the silence.
Vader denied it with his head.
"Who was she, then?"
"My wife."
"Why would you do that?"
"I was afraid to lose her…"
The Sith clenched his metal fists.
"Like my mother."
"You looked for answers on the Dark Side… and it corrupted you." Mordrek inferred.
"One life taken for another to be given. So is the path to transcend death."
"Is that a Sith teaching?"
"Perhaps." Vader babbled.
The conversation reached silence once more. Mordrek coughed softly and kept looking at such a pitiful being before chatting once more:
"You win. We shall have a team to join you and keep you in check. So hold on to your life while you are still useful, and die a meaningful death or I will claim your life with my bear hands."
"It is a moment of victory, then. For both of us."
Inquisitor Mordrek gave Vader a half smile and stood up.
" Not yet. You better get started, the Cardinal will arrive in 2 months."
Days went by as a flash. He devoured page after page, chapter after chapter. He devoured the thoughts of the Primarchs and tomes of the Ministorum epistles. When the big day came, he was confused.
He was not quite sure what delighted him the most.
Perhaps it was the half light of the immense cathedral's nave, maybe the alluring smell of incense or the magnificence of the chorus. One way or the other, he felt a peace as none he had felt before, mesmerized by the dark beauty of his surroundings. his black tunic accentuated the leanness of his figure while concealing his robotic legs.
He walked between the lines of standing priests, confessors and deacons, all present for a more grandiose celebration compared to their daily service. At the front row, the inquisitors and guardsmen watched his very moves, expecting any sign of hostility or repentance. He sat on the first left row by himself. The Cardinal rose as the congregation sat, starting the mass:
"My faithful, we have gathered today to celebrate the triumph of the God Emperor, and to witness one of his mighty miracles first hand. For today, a heathen soul from afar comes back to the light of the true faith, giving his life in sacrifice for his sins."
"Step up, repentant one."
Vader walked in front of the altar and kneeled on an old dark Prie-Dieu, lowering his head.
"Speak your name, remorseful one."
It was in that moment, the Sith Lord knew his past was behind him and remembered what his master said not so long ago: "Embrace your pain and sorrow. Embrace the decisions that have led you here, or forever live under the shadow of what you are no more, the shadow of Anakin Skywalker."
"My name is Darth Vader, your eminence." He stated.
"Have you come by your own volition?"
"Yes, your eminence."
"Have you accepted your true fate as a servant for the Imperium ?"
"Yes, your grace."
"Do you surrender your life and promise to lose it in battle as a penitent warrior of the God-Emperor and His Most Holy armies?"
"Yes, your grace."
"Then let us all rise and speak the Imperial Catechism. For the rejoice of a new saved soul, and the affirmation of our devotion to the God Emperor himself."
The congregation stood up along with Vader and rose their right hand, as to signify the solemnity of their oath. Vader joined them and they proclaimed as one:
"I Deny The Ruinous Powers; I will not suffer the Witch, the Mutant or the Heretic to live. May the Repentant be wrought in Saving Flames.
I Believe in the God-Emperor, Him on Terra, who United Mankind under his auguring quest, and Ventured on the Great Crusade."
Vader drifted into his own words. All the hours he had spent on learning their ways. All the stories about this omnipotent Emperor, and yet he felt far from understanding. Still, for the first time in his new life, he had the choice to do so...
"I Believe in the God-Emperor, Who was Betrayed by Horus, the Favoured Son and afterwards the Thousandfold Cursed.
I Believe in the God-Emperor, who Ascended the Golden Throne, to Guide and Protect Humanity, and gave His Divine Mandate to the High Lords of Holy Terra, so that they may rule until His return and in His Name, of which the sweetest of hymns are made.
"Gloria Imperatoris." The cardinal potently exclaimed.
"Gloria Imperatoris." The congregation replied in unison.
The cardinal approached Vader and was then handed an iron rod by a confessor, with the repentant mark glowing ablaze at its end. With a steady hand he marked Vader in his chest, who flinched but did not screamed as his flesh burned and chest forevered branded him as a new instrument to the Imperium.
The congregation prayed in unison as he was marked:
"Love the Emperor,
for He is the salvation of mankind.
Obey His words,
for He will lead you into the light of the future.
Heed His wisdom,
for He will protect you from evil.
Whisper His prayers with devotion,
for they will save your soul.
Honour His servants,
for they speak in His voice.
Tremble before His majesty,
for we all walk in His immortal shadow."
The cardinal moved in front of the altar and with the help of his acolytes, revealed a reliquary with a holy relic under his custody: a golden shard from a single golden leaf of one The Emperor's battle crowns .Despite it's brittle nature, its gold plate remained bright, as a symbol of the Emperor's might and his inheritance to mankind. the congregation aligned to adore the relic, kneeling before it and touching it with one hand while the other layed on their hearts. Vader adored from a distance, kneeling and praying to it in silence.
After the mass, Vader was escorted back to his cell.
The room was now accommodated with modest yet comfortable furniture. a bottle of amesec and a full glass sat on Vader's new desk.
Inquisitor Mordrek appeared from behind Vader cup in hand.
"Here is to a new brother in the true faith." He toasted and drank
The Inquisitor dropped a small book on the table, covered in green leather. Vader took it.
"There are more downstairs. The Mechanicus will help you repair and upgrade your battle armor and weapons. you have three days. You better be worth the trouble, Vader."
"I am, my lord." He murmured as the Inquisitor left.
Vader gazed at the pages and analyzed the last one in silence. The imperial symbol and the Inquisition sigil appeared over two words, which now Vader recognized as High Gothic, but did not know yet their true meaning:
Schola Progenium.