13. An Offer Of Glory

===Maximus===

Maximus' heavy footsteps rang out across the red and orange marble floor as he strode into the penthouse where Queen Amidala was staying on Coruscant. His purity seals fluttered slightly with each step, a testament to his devotion to the Emperor, but his progress was quickly halted by a group of guards blocking the doorway.

His red optics scanned each of their faces, the silence stretching on uncomfortably. Finally, he spoke, his voice low but commanding.

"Get out of my way."

One of the guards stepped forward, voice calm yet firm. "You cannot go in armed, sir. Please, leave your weapons out here with us."

Maximus' gaze never wavered. "No."

"Then I'm afraid you cannot enter," the guard replied, his tone still polite but unwavering.

Maximus' voice hardened, his patience wearing thin. "What you should be afraid of is me, if you don't move."

The guard, now feeling the weight of the situation, responded, "I'm sorry, sir. Rules are rules."

For a long moment, the two stood in tense silence, but the guards refused to budge. Maximus' optics flared with anger, and before any of them could react, he raised his hand, seizing one the man by the collar and lifting him effortlessly off the ground. The others scrambled back, some shouting for help as he tossed the man through the doors, breaking them off their hinges. The guard crumpled to the floor unconscious.

"Your guards are incompetent fools," Maximus growled, stepping over the fallen body as he entered the room where Queen Amidala, Padmé, Palpatine, and the rest of the group were sitting.

Inside, Queen Amidala was sitting in a chair, her face a picture of shock and surprise at the unexpected intrusion. The sound of a few guards shouting in protest echoed from the hallway.

"Maximus!" the Queen exclaimed, standing quickly. "You can't just—"

"I can do as I please," the towering Astartes interrupted, his voice full of barely contained anger. "I am an Ultramarine—one of the Emperor's finest—and I will not be disrespected by mere mortal men!"

The Queen was momentarily taken aback, her mouth opening and closing, as if struggling to process the force of his words before she sat back down. The air in the room seemed to grow heavier with the tension.

Maximus walked to stand off to the side, folding his arms across his chest. His red optics scanned the room, a look of quiet contempt in his gaze. His eyes lingered on Jar Jar for a moment, the sight of the Gungan's oversized ears making him imagine—just for a moment—what it would be like to rip them off with his bare hands.

Palpatine, on the other hand, recovered more quickly. He glanced at the fallen guard, his expression one of mild irritation, and activated a commlink.

"Please have this mess cleaned up," he muttered, speaking into the device. He then turned back to Maximus. "You must be Lieutenant Maximus," Palpatine said with a polite nod. "Queen Amidala speaks very highly of you. I look forward to speaking with you after this."

Maximus merely nodded in response, his attention still fixed on the room's occupants.

Palpatine cleared his throat before continuing. "Your Majesty, I must be frank with you. The Senate is filled with political corruption. The Trade Federation's actions are but one example of the rot that has taken hold. But resolving this in the current climate will be difficult."

"It's clear the Republic has failed us. The Senate has not acted. The Trade Federation's blockade of Naboo has continued unchecked."

Palpatine's eyes narrowed at her words before he began pacing slowly. "The Senate is a bureaucratic nightmare. Too many interests pulling in different directions, too many divisions, too much diplomacy. It's far too slow to respond to a threat as immediate as this one. I fear that no resolution can come swiftly through normal channels."

The Queen, still processing the situation, turned back to Palpatine. "Then what do you recommend?"

Palpatine looked at her for a long moment, his expression thoughtful. He then nodded slightly, as if making a decision. "We could pursue legal action through the courts, but that would take far too long. The courts are notoriously slow. The Senate is... compromised. The only real option left is to take the fight to the Trade Federation directly, but that would require a level of commitment most Senators aren't willing to make." He paused, allowing the gravity of his words to sink in.

"Our best choice would be to push for the election of a stronger Supreme Chancellor. You could push for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum your Majesty." Palpatine said.

Queen Amidala looked down, her eyes narrowing slightly in thought. She had been hearing this for days now—words of empty promises and bureaucratic wrangling. But Palpatine's voice carried a different weight, and part of her couldn't ignore the quiet truth in his words. Even Maximus, standing like a stone sentinel in the corner, seemed to sense the gravity of the situation.

Maximus, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke, his deep voice resonating like a thunderclap in the chamber. "Your Republic is already torn apart. Look at this farce of a Senate—too weak, too divided to take decisive action. If you want to free your people, you must be prepared to make a difficult choice."

Palpatine glanced at Maximus with a knowing smile, his eyes gleaming with quiet approval. "Indeed, Lieutenant. Sometimes, true leadership requires... sacrifice." His gaze shifted back to the Queen, his expression softening slightly. "I understand your concerns, Your Highness. But we are at war, in all but name. And I believe the time for diplomacy has passed unless another Supreme Chancellor is elected."

The Queen's gaze flickered between the two men, weighing their words. For a long moment, she said nothing. The silence was thick with the weight of decisions yet to be made.

Then, her voice, though steady, carried a quiet resolve. "I will not be the one to start a war, Senator. But I will not stand idly by while my people suffer. If the Senate will not act, I will find another way."

Palpatine nodded slowly, his lips curling into a subtle smile. "I believe that, Your Majesty. And I will support you—however you choose to proceed."

The Queen took a deep breath, her mind made up. "Very well. I will proceed with your plan, Senator. I will call for the vote of no confidence."

Palpatine inclined his head in acknowledgment.

The Queen stood, her decision made, but her resolve steeled by the weight of the unknown. She was no longer just a Queen fighting for her people; she was about to become a key player in a much larger game.

With those words, Palpatine turned and walked from the room, leaving Queen Amidala and her closest confidants behind.

Maximus, having witnessed the entire conversation, scoffed quietly to himself. His heavy footsteps reverberated across the room as he walked forward from his corner, each step shaking the floor beneath him. His towering form cast a shadow over the Queen and her aides.

Padmé turned to him, brow furrowed, her eyes questioning as he drew near.

"You are a foolish woman for putting your faith in this Senate," Maximus said, his voice cold and unyielding.

Padmé's expression tightened with scorn. "And what exactly would you have me do, Maximus? What other options do I have?"

Maximus took a step closer, his imposing figure looming over her. "You can wait for the Senate to decide your planet's fate," he said, his voice steady and harsh, "or you can take control and decide it on your own."

She hesitated, looking down at her hands as if the answer could somehow be found there. The weight of her responsibility was suffocating, and for a moment, the enormity of her position seemed to close in around her.

"It's… so much," she whispered, her voice small.

Maximus moved closer still, his massive form now kneeling before her. He removed his helmet with a swift motion, revealing his piercing gaze, focused entirely on her.

"Let me offer you a second option," he said, his voice low but commanding. "I have burned hundreds of worlds to ash. I have fought countless wars. I have slain thousands with my bare hands. One army of automata is nothing to my brothers and I. We have a weapon. A weapon I will personally use to cleanse your world of the filth that dares to desecrate it. But I ask for one thing in return."

Padmé looked at him, breathless, uncertainty flickering across her face. "Ask—"

"When the time comes, and the Imperium of Man brings the Emperor's light to this galaxy, you will leave this corrupt Republic behind. You will have the honor of becoming the first Imperial world."

The silence that followed was thick and suffocating. Padmé's face went pale as the weight of his words settled in her mind.

"Leave the Republic?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, her gaze distant as she tried to process the enormity of the choice.

"Look at me," Maximus commanded, his tone unwavering.

Padmé met his gaze, and for a long moment, she couldn't look away. His eyes were intense, filled with the cold certainty of a warrior who had seen the depths of war and come back unscathed. His presence was overwhelming, almost suffocating.

"Look into my eyes," he repeated.

She complied, her breath shallow as she took in the sight of the Astartes before her—his sheer size, his strength, and the unmistakable aura of death that clung to him. His gaze never wavered.

"What do you see?" he asked, his voice quieter now, but no less forceful.

"A monster," she said, almost breathlessly. The word seemed to hang in the air, filled with a mixture of fear and awe. She had never seen anything like him—he was a force of nature, a being beyond the scope of what she had ever imagined.

She had watched him rip through her enemies without a second thought. Seen him rip a man in half to protect her and the other.

"A monster," Maximus repeated, his voice now cold but unyielding. "A monster who would defend your planet. And once you join the Imperium, there will be hundreds more like me to guard you."

Padmé's heart pounded as the weight of his words sank in. Her resolve, once firm in her dedication to the Republic, now wavered under the threat of total destruction and the promise of a new, dark future. Could she really leave the Republic behind? Could she abandon everything she had fought for?

Maximus stood up slowly, his towering form filling the room. He placed his helmet back on, the familiar, cold expression of his power returned. He didn't need to say anything more. His presence, the promise of his strength, was enough.

The choice was now hers.

===

Elsewhere in the galaxy, on the world of Naboo, space shifted suddenly—much like the first time Maximus had arrived, as if something, or someone, had been forcefully expelled.

A creature emerged, its horns rising toward the sky as it clacked in excitement. Its skin was a pale purple, and it wore tattered gold and blue armor. In its taloned fingers, it gripped a long sword, while its left hand held a round shield.

With a triumphant screech, it spread its arms wide before pulling a crystal from the folds of its ragged armor. Dropping its sword and shield, it raised the crystal above its head and, in one swift motion, drove it deep into its chest.

The crystal pierced its flesh, causing the creature to convulse as it was lifted off the ground by an unseen force. It screamed in agony before being sucked into the crystal, its bones breaking and flesh tearing as though drawn through a tiny opening.

The crystal exploded into a swirling portal, a black void stretching beyond it.

The figure that emerged from the portal was a towering presence—over eight feet tall, with a commanding stature that seemed to dwarf everything around him. His armor was a fusion of regal white, deep green, and shining gold. It was a seamless blend of practicality and arcane elegance: plated with ornate engravings, runes pulsed faintly along the edges, hinting at powerful enchantments woven into the metal. Long flowing pauldrons curved dramatically over his broad shoulders, along with a chestplate that shimmered with mystical energy.

In his hand, he gripped a sword unlike any ordinary blade. The weapon was massive, forged from a dark, almost black metal that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. The hilt was jagged, and the blade itself looked almost corrupted—its edges serrated, with an ominous, gnarly curvature. It gave off an unsettling aura, as though the sword was forged in some forsaken forge, imbued with dark magic that whispered of destruction.

Every movement of the towering figure exuded a sense of immense power and silent authority, his mere presence sending a chill through the air.

The man hummed to himself as he looked across the disgusting world he had arrived on.

"Finally. My ascension begins." He stated coldly.

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