Author's note: Hey guys! Happy 4th of July for all the american readers! It's been a while. I hope you're doing fine with all that quarantine thing and wish you all the best for you and your families, stay strong. Good news is that despite having a lot of work during this past weeks, I managed to write this chapter and an interlude, which I'll upload tomorrow. Be warned, I attempted to write a little bit of smut for my interlude to make things spicy, but don't worry it's mostly vanilla stuff. I hope you like it and, as always, all feedback is welcome. 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
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HEMA (user)
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 10:
The leader.
The wind blew through every level of Mediolanum, making it the windiest day ever recorded. The sun was could barely give any light between the moving shadows and the clouds merged with the dense smoke columns as they painted the streets with shades of orange and red, moving as if shapeless monsters throughout the whole hive city. So was the day when everything changed.
Deep within the city's underhive, a small ground resounded with echoes of savagery and greed. The arena was one of the places within Mediolanum that remained a secret for the great majority. A place where the proper blood meant the patronage of the elite and a steady income of electronic parts for the winners.
The highborn watched and feasted, cheering their favored fighters from their private balcony. The rest of the gangs shouted, supporting their proud warriors. Weapons of all sorts could be seen laying on the ground and on the hands of the still standing fighters.
A lonely fighter stood atop a platform holding a flag in his hand while using his other to fend away the approaching enemies with his sword. In a blink, an axe slashed sideways across his lean abdomen and dropped his intestines on the platform, while a maze smashed his forehead in, making him fall towards the sand as a bloodied and unconscious pulp as the rest of the bloodied fighters climbed the platform. They grabbed the flag and attempted to fight each other out of the platform, slashing, stabbing and punching each other.
It was amongst this mayhem where, high up in the balcony, Lord Remus could be seen at ease. He could almost forget his new and humiliating daily life. It had been barely two months and yet it felt like a lifetime for him. He knew deep within his thoughts that Palpatine, the foreigner he stood up against that day, had now most of the Consortium on his sleeve. His voice was a beating drum on the back of his head, but even that torment paled at the roaring echo of this arena. He didn't know of it, should Remus' informants were to be believed. Even if so, what could he do but to take over? He could still enjoy it and participate. It had been a hidden tradition amongst the highborn for decades, even centuries, and not even a foreigner could stop such tradition.
A good day for Remus it appeared. His favored ones have acquired a streak of victories. If he could cash the bets in, he could even recover a ten percent of his previous loss. The elder had already thought of this as his only option for recovering his fortune and avoiding the need for the Consortium's support, but it seemed as a grueling and long process, until now. His cup was full and the energy of the place made his aching back feel rejuvenated. He gripped his teeth in excitement as he saw a tall muscular dark skinned man emerge from the pile of corpses over the platform only to ram into the current flag holder. The warrior bit into the man's throat with his metal covered fangs and ripped it apart, to then use the flag pole to stab the now lifeless contender multiple times. The fighter yelled at the top of his lungs holding the flag in the air. A victor was finally proclaimed. One favored by Remus.
As the servitors recovered the bodies for processing, It was time for the final event: the ten brave over the pit. Remus had been meticulous on his fighter's training for this event, even procuring a ration of muscle developing supplement as well as a mechanical augmentation for his legs.
A group of slaves and servitors appeared at the arena and attached a structure to its walls and corners, a wide spread pattern of rails with sharp edges, where only a foot could be placed without falling. The floor then opened resembling a gate and revealed a gargantuan cauldron of molten metal, the main furnace which kept the majority of the scrap metal constantly recycled. The attendants roared in euforia. The overseer snapped his high held fingers and a gong was heard, signaling the start of the final event.
A lean warrior with braided hair and lacerated body could be seen sprinting through the structure, dodging attacks and pushing other competitors down to the burning cauldron. He sported twin blades which spun gracefully as he cut through his enemies throat and joints with ease. Remus' protégé was truly proving his worth. The warrior then glimpsed on a massive contender who, despite moving slowly, was densely muscular, heavily planted on the structure and sported a blooded axe. With a stomp, the contender moved another opponent out of balance and made him fall. He then grabbed another fighter behind him by the throat and tossed it out of the structure. The contender kept then hacking and splitting open any other fighter on his proximity. It would not be long until the two fighters realized that they were the only ones left. Remus' protégé then ran towards the hulking warrior and leaped over it, slashing his upper back. The contender then tried to swing his axe only to fail at using his strength, opening his wounds even further. The lean fighter then slashed vertically all along the contender's arm. The wounds sprayed blood and rendered the arm useless. As the hefty warrior attempted a kick, the protegé catched his foot and broke the ankle with a simple twist. The tough warrior then clinged to the structure for dear life, cutting his arms in the process and exposing his back to Remus' fighter. The crowd then yelled louder and louder while the fighter stabbed the pinned down opponent again and again. The balcony was full of applause and laughter, some highborn even standing on their feet and spraying their cups into the arena in a sign of praise. Remus' warrior then took one blade with both hands as he was preparing to strike the back of the head. Remus then stood up and remained quiet, feeling his throat run dry in anticipation while his eyes widened. He could taste victory and joy on his lips, Nothing could ruin the moment… Or so he thought.
An abrupt explosion was heard before the fighter dealt the killing blow on his opponent.
Mere seconds later, Remus felt a strong wind current pushing him out of his seat. A strong flash left him momentarily blind while feeling a swift and intense wave of heat. The old man fell on the floor shell shocked and disoriented. He then then witnessed the horror as he recovered his senses and stood up. The balcony had been riddled and was now burning, along with a few of the surrounding spectator rows. Blood and gore remained of one of the elder's once living friend, only a hand and some torn apart limbs to be recognizable. He then felt the cold and humidity of a blood covered claw grabbing the back of his head. Remus could only look for a second before he felt the grip and being dragged to the now closing arena as a convict towards his cell, but it was enough for him. The Tattoos, the weapons, the scars… the Sorvitax had arrived.
Remus was put on the railings with the surviving highborn, the man could only stare at the bottom for the molten metal pit as he heard his captor's speech:
"Dear workers of Mediolanum, you have been oppressed and exploited by the consortium and their loyal dogs. Forced into a life of crime, violence and servitude. We will not let this happen anymore! The Blood Syndicate is here to claim what rightfully belongs to the strongest. We will create together a better city! One for the strongest, for together WE ARE THE STRONGEST!"
He felt a chill down his spine and his force left him as he was released. Remus fell, followed by the remaining highborn and their servants, their screams being muffled by the roaring molten metal.
He could only close his eyes while falling into his death.
Days passed as the news spreaded through all the levels. Speakers and leaflets offered rewards for any lead on members of the Blood Syndicate. The Security corps then raided Manufactorums and dormitories, interrogating and beating any who showed the slightest sign of resistance.
The living highborn activated all the defenses on the spire levels around their homes. Hundreds of automatic turrets, metal walls and miles of spikes and barbed wire could be seen around the houses of the remaining elite. Hundreds of workers were arrested and brutally murdered both on the streets and behind the Manufactorums, some even for covering their heads. Nevertheless, the Mechanicus forced the workers out of their hideouts and claimed their due electronic parts under a death threat, for they cared not for their supervisors and bosses more than for their own ascension.
In only a few weeks, the living machine once known as the hive city of Mediolanum, had become virtually useless.
Everything changed one night when an extraordinary session of the Consortium took place at the security bunker. A third of the members had already lost their lives during the revolts and those who remained dared not to speak out loud in fear of being heard by the wrong person. After all, some of them were related to criminal gangs that were now members of the Blood Syndicate. While they whispered between each other around the table, a piece of paper and ballots were presented to each member by a servant, which they read in silence. The text was an apology letter for the absence of Lord Palpatine, which presented a new initiative regarding the recent events to be voted by the Consortium. The members looked at each other in doubt, as if to look for any that opposed it. It was then when they realized, those who could oppose the idea where gone, including Lord Remus himself, and those who remained held Lord Palpatine in high esteem. They knew not to trust each other, but they all agreed to trust the Lord from Ultramar and signed in agreement.
The meeting soon ended and the servant took the ballots and put them in a folder. He then made his way through the dark streets and into Palpatine's house and office. He made a reverence at the elder, who turned his back on the servant while gazing at the night horizon through his window:
"The ballots, mylord."
"No need for that, I already know the results. Is everything ready?"
"The shipment has already been delivered. The gangs are armed and in position."
"Excellent, you will strike at dawn. wait for Karriven's command."
The next morning was a quiet one, with an unusual event taking place: a relatively clear sky. A series of speakers could be seen rising over the streets and Manufactorums. The Consortium had called for a press conference. The highborn then entered the massive hall of the Ancient Consortium building, one which had been open only for historic events. The atmosphere was of utter silence and tension within the hall, until the Consortium members appeared and sat behind a long decorated table and a fixed presidium.
Palpatine then walked into the presidium and spoke to a solitary microphone, which would deliver the message on all the city levels. As the uneasy crowd watched, his expression changed from a calm smile to a stoic grim, one that emphasized the both the seriousness and strength of his words:
" Good people of Mediolanum... it is our pleasure to announce that we have come with an apt solution for our current security predicament. The Consortium has pondered many proposals and now agreed to bring the Populus Securitas protocol into full effect. Among the many measures within this protocol, all manufactorums will resume their work behind closed doors and double on the security and surveillance.
By unanimous decision of the council, the protocol has left yours truly as Temporary Chief Executive and Supreme Security Manager, in charge of solving this conflict as fast and efficiently as possible.
For my first act as Chief Executive then, it is my pleasure to announce that a part of my wealth has been destined to properly equip our security forces as our army to fight against these criminal heretics, who attempt to upset the order as envisioned by our mighty Emperor. We have already deployed undercover units as well, who will help us understand the Modus Operandi of this organization from within and conquering it through itself.
For the sake of our world, I now ask you to trust me. I am an honest man and humble servant of the Emperor's will. Nevertheless, it will never be my intention to suffer the rebellious heretic, but to confront it as our glorious Imperial Guard does. To obliterate it as our Space Marines do, with a strong hand and an immovable faith. We will strike them with a gigantic obliterating blow and take back what is rightfully ours.
Together, we will stand against the Sorvitax and their Blood Syndicate rebellion. Together, Emperor wills it, we will defend our present and secure a better future for Mediolanum."
The crowd then bursted into thunderous applause as soon as the speech was finished. Palpatine then waved his audience and looked around once again with a calm smile.
Some people within the crowd then looked to the east through the windows, pointing at something. A smoke column could be seen from afar, from the spire of their neighbouring city. Voracum was under attack…