Author's note: I know you guys hate the Palpatine chapters and constantly remind me that it kills the pacing on Vader's adventures, but I promise this will be the last one you'll see in a while. Hope you can bare with me on this one and get a glimpse on the awesome things to come. All feedback is still welcome on the reviews section. 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/9471015/merendinoemiliano
u/8428704/You-re-Normal-Sheevite
u/1515601/Mashot-Tito
u/8116872/SuperSaiyanDiclonius
u/5519409/Imperial-Briton
u/10115278/Dragon-lord-Syed-101
u/5023815/pedrorocamora102
HEMA (user)
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 13:
Visions
It was on that sweltering morning, deep within the sober silence of his luscious wardrobe, when Palpatine selected and slipped into his best outfit for such a significant event. As he finished with the final touches, he proceeded to perfume himself and comb his hair. He then noticed something in the mirror: his face sported many more wrinkles and scars than usual, along with his dark eye contours. It seemed he had been linked to the dark side for too long and forgotten to tap back into his public appearance. With a soft smile, he filled the wrinkles and gave his skin a more vivid color within an instant. His eyes returned from the blood injected bright yellow to a softer natural blue. He let out a small giggle to himself, as he realized with the power he now possessed, he could even tap back to his younger appearance. He was never too handsome to begin with, but he could easily lure any female to his side. The thought of using his new power to rejuvenate and lure the high born women to become his personal pleasure slaves delighted him until he was interrupted by an incoming servant:
"Lord Palpatine"
"Yes?"
The servant then delivered a digital pad with what appeared to be a report.
"The information, as you requested. Our source confirmed the killteam is looking for the artifacts."
The Sith rapidly read through it.
"What date is this from?"
"Four weeks ago…"
"I see. Dispatch an emissary with this intelligence. I shall coordinate the fleet to meet them at the designated location. "
The servant nodded as another one entered the room with a reverence and spoke with a soft tone:
"It is time Mylord."
Palpatine simply left the room with the second servant while addressing the first one:
"You are dismissed. It is time for me to receive a much deserved appraisal..."
Palpatine walked through the hallways of his residence to then be picked up by a luxurious chariot at the entrance. The vehicle was then surrounded by four armored transports of the security corps on its front and back to carve a path through a cheering mob outside the Ancient Consortium building. He left the chariot and entered the corridors of the lateral entry to find a crowd of representatives from Mediolanum's administration as well as from other hive cities. He calmly greeted them one by one while they swiftly delivered the good news:
"Lord Palpatine. The status reports on the last period have arrived. We have achieved a 500% in production!"
"So is the will of The Emperor that we thrive after such tribulations. " Palpatine replied.
"It is truly a pleasure to have you here, Lord Palpatine."
"Thank you for everything, Lord Palpatine."
It was during this when a group of modestly dressed men approached Palpatine and addressed him while taking a knee:
"Lord Palpatine, it is an honor to meet you. We have come to thank you and inform you that the remains of the Blood Syndicate have been eliminated on Voracum. We could not have recovered from such a disgrace were it not for your help."
"Dear friends, I could only accomplish all this with your approval. By accepting the cooperation initiative formulated by yours truly, you gave our cities the opportunity we needed to make things right."
A messenger then interrupted the conversation to hand the Sith an envelope with documents:
"Lord Palpatine, news from the front…"
Palpatine opened the envelope and started reading the papers with a smirk on his face. They had succeeded. The Consortium was then called to the stage and the event formally started.
Palpatine stepped up to the presidium and began his conference:
"Dear citizens of Mediolanum and guests from around our world...It is my pleasure to inform you that the official report from our security corps has come through: Theron and Amalia have welcomed our forces with open arms, and despite several skirmishes, the threat has been eliminated from all of the hive cities in our world. The Blood Syndicated has been successfully defeated!"
The room erupted in thunderous applause. The Sith waited with a smile and then resumed his speech.
"The Peace and Prosperity agreement is to be ratified in a period of 3 days by the government bodies of the other hive cities. After millennia of competition and conflict, our dear Vorlanthus IV shall be governed as one entity in matters of security and trade. We shall thrive and become stronger as one world, as our God Emperor has always intended!"
Palpatine was then handed a piece of paper. With a gentle nod and a mild surprise expression, he addressed the people once more:
"It is a pleasure to inform you as well that the Head Manager from Voracum has officially ratified the Consortium's initiative on the Ferrum project. We shall then set an agenda to resume and expand the mining operation on all 18 moons and celestial bodies within the system. Our new iron ore and mineral extraction facilities shall guarantee an exponential increase in our production and will position us as one of the most vital mining and manufacturing hubs of the Segmentum. We shall build a better future, together!"
Another wave of applause and cheers filled the now ecstatic room. As the conference came to an end, Palpatine left the building through its main door surrounded by an ever pushing highborn mob, crawling to shake or kiss his hands.
Although the attention and noise of the mob was intoxicating for the elder, something else resonated within Palpatine's mind. It was a message to be delivered via The Force:
"The emissary will lure the Astartes. You shall meet them at sector 5 in 6 months according to my calculations. Retrieve the artifacts they carry. Do not underestimate them. Do not fail me."
"Yes, Lord Sidious…"
Palpatine then calmly entered an armoured vehicle. As the transport left the area, Palpatine saw the construction convoy leaving the main gate and venturing into the horizon, to the designated area for the new launching platform and spaceport. He then addressed Karriven as while receiving a cup of Amasec from him:
" I received your reports on the last raids. Minimal casualties and full use of force. Well done dear Karriven. You have truly carried out my will since the beginning."
The transport suddenly slowed down and one of the doors opened.
"Get some rest. You deserve it."
Karriven got off the transport into the street and walked his way up to his new home: a penthouse on one of the lower spires. He entered the spacious and exquisitely decorated living room. The marble floor reflected whatever few beams of light passed through the thick smog into the panoramic window. He went up the stairs and into his room where a small table with a personal banquet was waiting for him. He took a couple of fruits and jumped into his soft bed. He stared at the roof in silence, with no expression.
He then lighted up his pipe and tried to smoke his numbness away.
Palpatine was clear: although his family was safe and had a new home, they could not risk bringing in anyone from the lower levels. He had not seen or talked to anyone he knew in months. And even if he had, he doubted that he had the strength to tell them about the things he had seen, the things he did. The attack on the lower levels. The explosions on Voracum. The eyes of begging men, women, elders and children as they were executed in front of him. The disemboweled and dismembered corpses. He could see those images at night before falling asleep. Only the paperwork and the strong stuff could keep his mind away from those thoughts.
Being on the other side of the law meant nothing for him. His appointment as new director of the security corps by Palpatine's request only tightened the old man's grip. The mass murder of innocent people, the brutality of the crime gangs. Killing his own wounded men. The Mechanicus supervisors who demanded even more to the survivors. There was truly no way he could talk to anyone about this.
Part of him wanted to believe the peace and prosperity was worth all the violence. Everything seemed to be working well. Yet he knew that it was a hoax, or part of a bigger scheme. He saw the crime lieutenants in Voracum yielding to then gain badges and uniforms. He saw the fighters receiving weapons and vehicles from the security corps, shaking hands with the local deputies.
There was no mistaking: the so called respectable elements of the security corps were actually criminals in disguise. It was more of a recruiting crusade than a war. A cleansing to weed the week from the security corps and turn it into a ruthless army.
Karriven caressed his holstered laspistol. He had already thought about it: It was a matter of time. He would fail Sidious one day and be discarded. At least he could go out on his own terms this way. Being so high would take the pain away. He took a bite of one of the fruits and tasted its juice. He swallowed his food and stuck his gun to his chin. The perfect sendoff.
The laspistol jammed and could not fire…
He tossed it across the room and enraged proceeded to destroy a wooden drawer nearby by smashing it against a wall and tearing it apart with his bare hands. He then started crying in a corner with his hands bleeding and full of splinters. He would cry himself to sleep before calling his doctor.
Palpatine meanwhile went home and entered an underground passage by himself to a dark confined round hall, made with stone bricks.
In the darkness of this chamber, Palpatine sat on the floor and assumed a meditation pose. After some minutes, an ominous and dark echo addressed him:
"Almost the turn of the year and you already brought order, amassed millions under your banner, with a rapid expansion all over the system. Outstanding. Just the way I predicted…"
"Did you now?" Sidious replied.
"Yes…"
Sidious scoffed with a confident smirk on his face.
"Have you considered your movement on the Astartes? Their last target was a strong Psycher. My sources confirm they have been working with Imperial assassins."
"It was bound to happen. Such a target could not have gone unnoticed. We must kill the messenger so the message can never be delivered. At least to stall any interferences."
"So you use the Eldar fleet…"
"And chaos reinforcements, to deflect their attention. Just another encounter with Xeno scum and the regular heretics..."
"Very well, Sidious. I shall dispatch 5 of my Rubricae to assist them."
"You have my gratitude, friend."
"Soon, we will be halfway to rebuild the Magna engine. To start our glorious crusade. Your new apprentices shall be of great use."
"For the moment."
There was a moment of complete silence before a torrent of blue lightning covered the whole room. Sidious absorbed each bolt as his body slowly started levitating. The Sith became a shapeshifting mass under his robes, with even numerous appendixes poking out of his back. The Sith recovered his shape as he slowly hovered back to the floor and the lightning stopped. He had been blessed once more by the Changer of Ways.
The voice addressed him once more as a soft whisper:
"Just so you know… Skywalker is still alive. He is with the Imperium."
"I shall deal with him, when the time comes. He has no way to stop me now…"