Author's note:
Sorry for the delay, it took me longer than expected but I think it was worth it. Just to be clear I don't hold any grudges against any Astartes chapters, if a member of them acts out of the common behaviour of their chapter is to make them more unique as characters. Without any further ado, I sincerely hope you enjoy it!
Please feel free to join my new forum: Siths of 40k: myforums/Lewis-II/11424611/
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, 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 4:
The Duel
The thunderhawk hummed as it passed over the fields of a now desolate landscape, crowded with smoke columns and the occasional erratic fire clouds created by anti-air rounds. Inside the aircraft, the pilots activated cameras and scanners, which denoted several weak artillery posts, yet scattered enough to create a defensive grid. The fire clouds became more frequent and stronger as the pilots approached the target zone.
The red lights of the reduced ceiling reflected on the black armors of the Astartes. Among them, their commanding officer stood with a lost stare, hanging to a rusty pipe and proudly sporting a scarlet and black sign on his right shoulder, depicting a raven with a drop of blood on its center. A green monitor lit up and the pilot addressed him:
"We are approaching the landing zone Lord inquisitor, but the area remains too dangerous to make a proper landing"
" Make it a rough landing then, we can take it" he responded.
"Yes my lord. 3 minutes."
The Astartes remained calm as most of his team inspected their weapons and equipment to ready themselves for the mission. One of them, sporting a symbol depicting a red fist on a blue background, reached his ammunition pack and connected his belt to a heavy bolter. Another one sharpened his knife and sword, while sporting a white cowl and a white winged sword on a green background on the same right shoulder.
A taller Astartes was polishing his toothed axe after holstering his plasma pistol, while his 4 additional mechanical arms waved and calibrated each other. As a techmarine, they were his best tools and best weapons. His right shoulder proudly sported a shooting star emblem on a blue background, while his helmet sported a black and white skull emblem, the same than his axe. Another one stayed at the back while loading and inspecting his bolter, the red light gave a deep shade to his prominent braided beard and bald head before tucking his facial hair and putting his helmet. He sported a wolf skin on his right shoulder.
The officer stood in front of his team and lectured them with a potent voice:
"My brothers, we are here for a single objective. The planetary scans detected a few hours ago a beam of light which came from the surface of Seperus Prime. Based on field reports, it might be linked to the recent seismic activity on the area. Whatever it is, the fleet believes it is of Xeno origins, as it did not present any resemblance with Warp energy. We find the object, we retrieve it, clear any obstacle and make way for the Exterminatus. Stand by for fast drop."
As the front ramp of the cargo chamber lowered, the engines turned gradually their power down and the ship started soaring at a middle speed few meters above the ground. The team then jumped by pairs, landing on their feet and swiftly rolling to absorb the impact.
The team stood ready immediately and rallied towards their commander forming a circle. In silence they checked their equipment and armor. A fellow Astartes joined them quietly since he delayed his jump. A relatively young apothecary, wielding bionic servo arms in case of medical need. The Captain remembered his name, Nikolas Talius. The white dragon figure of his black and green coated shoulder reminded him of the diversity of his team and the syncretism that separated all the chapters. He then whispered:
"Status report"
"Gunnar standing by" the heavy bolter Astartes responded.
"Zygvvard standing by" confirmed the bearded Astartes.
"Evander standing by" said the techmarine.
"Quirinus standing by" the cowled Astartes stated.
"Talius standing by" the young apothecary answered.
"All set, Captain Vendar" responded the cowled Astartes.
The Captain cocked his stalker bolter and said with steady voice:
"Team Avalon, we're on the move".
The squad advanced slowly covered by the dark night and smoke from distant fires.
War was no new thing for Captain Vendar, and yet he felt blood rushing through his veins and one of his two hearts beating stronger than usual. He was excited to serve the Ordo again. All of his team and him sported the emblem on their left shoulder, embedded in intricate patterns of silver and gold. An I and a skull with crossbones, a symbol of the Imperial Inquisition. They were Astartes. They were Space Marines. They were a Kill team of the Deathwatch.
Their advance was swift yet constant, covering each others backs and protecting both the apothecary and the techmarine at the center of their formation. The barren marsh was full of mortar holes and bullet shells. Boulders and destroyed vehicles completed the landscape. A crater allowed the team to see the immense underground tunnels, now nothing more than useless structures filled with rubble. A small patrol of orks was coming from the northwest. The team took cover behind boulders and rubble. The orks advanced directly into their ambush an were dispatched quickly with melee weapons. They continued to a rotten plant field. Gunnar stepped on the corpse of a half torn guardsman under the mud and got his foot stuck inside its open rib cage, producing both disgust and grief. He shook the dead body off his boot and softly talked, as if he was pronouncing a eulogy for the unknown fallen:
" Two hundred and forty five years of battle and I am still impressed at their bravery." Vendar approached him as the others advanced: "It is then our duty to fight and avenge them. Move on." They kept up the pace and arrived at what appeared to be a grain processing plant.
The echo of empty grain silos and beating tubes forced the Astartes to be on guard, as another Greenskin patrol might be close. The silence of the wind seemed to prove otherwise.
A friendly voice broke the muteness with a whisper:
"The radiation levels are raising. Electromagnetic scans show a trail in the air that marks a trajectory. It might be our target" The techmarine affirmed.
They encircled Evander as he walked slowly, guided by his tracking device and brain implants. They reached the edge of what appeared to be the former command post, the epicenter of the earthquake few hours ago. They stood on a chunk of dirt at the edge of the colossal crater filled with removed earth. The team stopped and created a half moon defensive perimeter for their techmarine. he took a knee as his mechanical arms collected stones and created a laser grid to make a topographic map of that small portion of ground.
" This is it, Captain. The instruments show intense spikes of the unknown energy source."Evander stated.
" But there's no impact zone. Only some burned marks" Vendar replied. Talius pointed at a trail of dragged mud and footprints. Evander's scanner confirmed they carried a significant amount of that alien energy.
In a second they all knew. Whatever their target was,it was alive and moving.
The techmarine turned around and looked to the southwest. One of his mechanical limbs pointed the same way.
"There is an airborne energy spike in that direction. It is not far from here" he stated. Captain Vendar nodded and the team returned to the initial formation while he started briefing to his team: This confirms the message of the intercepted guardsmen transmission about that unidentified subject. Whatever or whoever it is, we bring it back alive for analysis, team Avalon."
Quirinus peeked at the immense earthquake zone one last time.
"If a damned Xenos did this, this should be fun" he murmured while remaining in formation with his power sword and bolter pistol.
They followed the trail into an the entrance of an old barn at the back of a farming compound, relatively close to the grain processing plant. With a hand command, Vendar sent Zygvvard and Quirinus forward to investigate the place.
They entered the old barn, walking slowly and turning in all directions with their weapons pointing upfront. They stopped at the middle of the ancient place. Zygvvard lowered his bolter and lifted his head to inspect the ceiling. The holes created small beams of now clear moonlight. His night vision allowed to spot a dark shadow grabbing the wall of a dark corner. Some kind of humanoid creature that suddenly extended its arm towards him.
The bearded marine turned back at the rest of their team in an abrupt movement a split second before pulling his bolter trigger.
"What is it you see?" Captain Vendar asked.
The marine remained silent. His glowing eyes kept staring at his team while their commander reached for his weapon. He knew something was wrong. Zygvvard fell on the ground as a cracking was heard along with the clanking of metal. His neck had been broken.
The team readied their weapons and started walking slowly as they tried to reach their surviving teammate. An ominous sound started to echo on the brittle structure: a beast, breathing. Slowly yet full of rage and ready to attack. Gunnar saw a dark, thin shadow moving behind Quirinus. By the time he reacted and tried to warn his teammate, it was too late. A beam of red light appeared in the dark and the shadow jumped into Quirinus' back. The red beam started cutting and scratching on his back, tearing through the ceramite layers and using his victim for cover. The leftover part of the team took aim and tried to move around their teammate searching for a clear shot, but to no use. Quirinus heard every swift and bold strike of the red light blade and felt the suit being disconnected from its solar power source, its temperature regulation, its extra oxygen. In a matter of seconds, his suit had become too cumbersome for his own sake. He struggled to move but was able to get the monster off his back. Quirinus felt the temperature rising and the oxygen in his helmet being contaminated by a burnt circuit smoke, making it difficult to breathe. They stood in front of each other as the cowled Astartes took off his helmet, revealed his blond hair and scarred face. The foes examined each other under the thin moonlight with the rest of the team on Quirinus' back. The powerful super soldier stood in front of a wounded monster. He held his weapon with one hand as his other appeared to be severely damaged. "This was the Xeno the reports mentioned: Darth Vader" thought Quirinus. Vader charged forward with fury seen only in few warriors. The sword clashed and the combat began. There was no comparison regarding strength, since Quirinus dealt relentless blows. But they were still repelled, parried and redirected by Vader, who scratched part of the arm protectors as to determine the thickness of the remaining armour. He was analyzing his foe as he attempted to disarm him with several stances, thrusts, slashes and blocks. Techniques proven to be effective the hard way by Vader himself.
It took him several strikes, but he managed to create a gap of opportunity by luring his opponent to deal a massive strike. Vader lowered his guard and body while stepping back, Quirinus responded raising his sword over his shoulder to deal a massive blow. Vader pushed him using the force. As his opponent stepped back and unintentionally looked up, Vader thrusted his weapon into the Astartes' throat. The Astartes chuckled as he appeared to not feel any pain and severed his opponent's hand. Vader disappeared into the dark ceiling while the rest of the team finally joined the fight. Quirinus sat on the ground and held his wound as Talius ran towards him, watching for any activity over his head. The moment the apothecary put his hand on the cowled Astartes, he exhaled his last breath. A second marine had fallen to Vader.
The remaining members formed a circle protecting each others backs and pointing to the ceiling. Vader reappeared on the roof as a dark figure watching over his enemies. The team instinctively aimed at him and opened fire, tearing massive holes on the rooftop. From what remained of the ceiling, the red light sword appeared as a floating entity that illuminated Vader's mask.
The lightsaber flew and cut a rope dropping a saw wheel, probably extracted from the one of the harvesting vehicles. It crushed Gunnar's heavy bolter and cut his arm open. Blood started dripping from the Astartes thick armor as he walked towards the apothecary who attempted to conceal his wounds while their partners opened fire on Vader's position. Gunnar unholstered his bolter pistol to cover Talius.
"This is your last chance to come out. We know who you are. What you did to those guardsmen. Step forward or die, Darth Vader".
A ball of electricity appeared amongst the Astartes and exploded, leaving them on the ground, with the exception of Evander who was assisted by his mechanical limbs. The flying lightsaber floated and became one more a disc of death, approaching Evander. The techmarine waved his bionic arms and shot his plasma pistol in all directions, trying to hit his target in the dark. One by one they were intercepted and cut with various saber strikes. The red beam disappeared and silence reigned inside the ancient barn. The team put itself back together and stood on guard. Evander, now without any mechanical limbs, remained on guard as he panted and turned around in circles, looking for his adversary. He felt Vader's presence on his back. The techmarine aimed his plasma pistol at him. As soon as his finger felt the trigger submitting to the push of his finger, his arm was violently moved by Vader's force ability, shooting at one of the old vehicles inside and hitting its exposed gasoline tank. Vader's contraptions and failsafes had worked. The former exploded, chaining the other two vehicles outside and creating enough force to throw everyone through the walls of the now destroyed barn. The Astartes rose and regrouped. Gunnar kept pressing his wound as it appeared his nanobots and Talius were not enough to keep his wound shut due to the new shrapnel.
The team found Vader as he was about to stand up. his robotic right leg was missing its foot, leaving it as a simple stump where he could barely lay his weight on. He remained static while his saber started trembling, preparing to be launched and strike again. Captain Vendar remained calm glimpsing into his team, craving now for the Xenos' blood. He used a hand command to set the team into formation and ready their weapons.
The saber was lit and flew as a deadly projectile, but was shot and thrown away by an explosion, the explosion of a bolter round. The whole team fired to the ground at his rounds exploded, lifting Vader and throwing him back at a middle distance. He rolled on the ground to finally end with his back on it. The Astartes looked at their now neutralized hostile.
His chest pad was destroyed, with sparks and cables spilled around suit had been stabbed by shards of debris, ripped open by the explosion, revealing a scorched body, full of blisters, lacerations, open wounds. Parts of showing flesh were pierced with shards of hot iron. The helmet was cracked open, revealing a freshly burned part of Vader's scalp. He vaguely resembled a human, one which appeared to be in pain beyond any possible measure. His right leg was bent inward, exposing its metal structure. His right arm had been ripped off and his left arm was crushed into a twisted metal rod, damaged beyond any repair. It was over. The Astartes, panting and scoffing in relief, approached their target to take a better look at him. The team pointed their firearms at the disgusting creature and gripped their teeth, tempted to end its miserable existence.
Life was fading away from Vader. Perhaps this would be a good way to die, he thought. Far from his mistakes, far from his sins, by the hand of mighty warriors in the heat of war. He felt his artificial ears failing, his artificial lungs slowing down, his vocal cords losing its sound. He was now truly close to abandon the life that tortured him. He then heard it:
"Hold your fire! We must take him alive. Talius, he is all yours"