Rebirth: A 40k fanfic

He lives...

The smell of broken flesh and burning metal burns Jacob's nose as his hands trembled. His training prepared him for this moment, tempered him what to do in this exact scenario. Yet the bloodcurdling scream of his commissar could never prepare him for what lies before him.

7 full regiments strong, complemented with an array of orbital ships from the Orion fleet, had been decimated within the span of an hour. Iron warriors and night lords, betrayers of the throne. Despite ten millennia had passed, the iron warrior's skills remained unrivaled to any but the imperial fist whilst the cruelty of the night lords puts any torture the inquisition could give to shame.

Their defenses that had been prepared and fortified for the past decade had been systemically dismantled. It was as if they were there from the very beginning.  To add insult to their injury, one of their orbital bastions had been boarded and taken down without firing a single shot.

The century's worth of experience from their high admiral might as well be but a drop in the ocean before these monstrous behemoths. Every maneuver, every order, every action, and even hesitation had been seen and predicted in a fraction of a second.

Jacob and several hundred of his fellow guardsmen were left stranded on the planet without orbital or air support. The last few remaining bastions of resistance on the planet are being destroyed, piece by piece. It was no exaggeration, to say the least, that this was the last bastion. 

Jacob saw no hope in surviving this futile war. The monsters he had faced were nigh indestructible as they dismembered their commissar piece by piece in front of them in the middle of the battle. They did not even consider them a threat as they lowered their guards down and tortured their commissar.

  "Kill me! Please kill me!" Jacob flinched as the commissar, who had always been calm and stoic in front of them, broke down and plead for mercy. Jacob fumbles over his lasgun, his trembling hands injects a fresh clip as he aimed directly towards the man.

His hands were trembling and rightfully so for if he failed to end himself thereafter, he would be next. The thought of suffering the same fate as the commissar was enough for Jacob to consider ending himself rather than saving the man. "PLEASE KILL ME!" But a part of his humanity could not ignore the man's plea, could not abandon a fellow man.

And so, Jacob aimed his lasgun as precisely as he can before squeezing the trig- A giant shadow suddenly crushed the gun. Jacob stared in horror as one of those monsters, the night lords, manages to found him. The twisted man smiled maniacally as he hoisted Jacob high.

"T-that was c-close! O-oh s-so close!" The man giggled insanely as Jacob screamed. "Shh, s-shh d-don't worry. I-I won't h-hurt you! I-I just want to be y-your friend! Yes yes yes, a friend. And what would friends do but play a game! Oh, you would play the game wouldn't you?" 

The man suddenly glared at Jacob waiting for an answer as he could feel warm on his crotch section. The man smiled again, disturbingly so as he shout in elation. "Good good! Let us play for a long, long time." The man smiled as he pinned Jacob to the ground.

The monster grabbed a rusted knife as it inches closer to his stomach. Jacob screamed and flailed desperately but to no avail as the man giggled maniacally. "T-there there, it won't hurt. I promise." The man smiled as the blade inches closer.

Emperor please... save us Jacob begins to pray as he closed his eyes. I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Please emperor, save- "Foul fiends." A thundering voice boomed across the world as everything stood still. The guardsman, the iron warriors, the night lords, everyone stops as they heard that voice. The voice of a man... no, from a God from a long forgotten era.

"Release them." Jacob felt his body dropped to the ground, but it did not matter to him. Everything else did not matter to them as an enraged but controlled voice echoes throughout the world. Jacob opened his eyes in absolute astonishment as billions, no trillions of man and woman alike standing in a white space just like him.

Jacob moved his gaze from side to side, his shock is mirrored all across their faces as if they could not understand what was happening. Jacob even saw the commissar, but he was not in pain now. In fact, he even grew back his severed arms.

In that instant, all of humanity contained within a single space. "My children..." All eyes turned towards a bright light. It's voice was full of warmth and love, but they could not see his face. ".....E-emperor?" Jacob whispered in awe as everyone realized in an instant.

"...Once, I was." The emperor of mankind answered as all of humanity broke down and cry. The fear and uncertainty from all of humanity that had struggled and endured for so long, could finally lay down its burden as their lord and master had finally awaken. 

The emperor of mankind collectively felt the rage, the sorrow, and the terror of his kin. Like a father who had seen their child crying in pain from strangers, a primordial rage burned inside. And it was a rage, born from the suffering of his people, the fear of his kin that he had almost lost it.

Thankfully however, their wary and awe gazes pulled him back from his rage as he smiled before them. "I am sorry I have left you for so long." The emperor of mankind speaks as a new wave of joy and relief wash his kin and people.

"And I am sorry to leave you once more in this dire times." Despair erupted from all of humanity as they did not want to accept what he said. "Peace my children, it won't be long now." Humanity blinked in confusion as the emperor whispered.

"The time of my rebirth is nigh. It is only a few years away. Stand firm my children, for our retribution shall come." Humanity blinked as courage fills their hearts. The emperor of mankind smiled as he shouted.

"Rise, children of humanity! Rise and reclaim your birthright once more! To the skies of Terra to the outer rim! Rise and fight once more! Our time of reckoning had come!" In that moment, humanity, for the first time in untold eons, were united as one.

As Jacob blinked, he was returned once more to the world. He saw the near night lords walking back in utter disbelief and fear. It was as if they saw the emperor in him... no in all of them as the commissar was no longer screaming in pain, but in rage instead.

"For the emperor!" Humanity screamed as one as they fight on once more. From the broken world of Cadia to the warring space of Ultramar, all of humanity collectively share the fire, the will to fight on once more and wait for their liege... and so they did.