Disclaimer: I do not own Warhammer. I wish I did but I don't. I am but a humble fan with an active imagination.

Author's Note: Before we jump into this, I will let you know that I DO NOT know every victory/battle or have every fact memorized. I have not gotten to read any of the codex made by game-workshop. I have however read much of the Warhammer 40k wiki and the lexicanum. So, I'm far from ignorant but not an expert by any means. Therefore, if I make a mistake, feel free to point it out and correct me.

Finally, if you can, no flames. I will take constructive critiques. Even if you don't like the story but have something you believe would improve it, tell me. Also, if you like the story, tell me why. Saying "Good job. Keep it up." is encouraging but not exactly helpful. I need t know what I did to make you like the story.

The Divergent Empire: Prologue

There are an uncountable amount of futures, stretching out into infinity. This is one.

The change started long ago. During what was the Fall of the Eldar, in the weeks before the birth of Slaanesh, as the sane members of the once proud race sought refuge and escape in their Craftworlds, one faction or another decided that these "foolish" Eldar—the crews of Craftworlds, led by their Farseers—were a threat to "proper behavior". So a plan was hatched, and few doubt that the whispers in those dark, deranged minds came from the blackest depths of the Warp.

The conspirators blinded the Farseers of these ships by causing massive explosions on a number of the Eldar's own homeworlds, lighting entire continents ablaze. While the wizened leaders reeled from so many deaths, their insane brethren struck. In the end, most of the Farseers were killed and the Craftworlds fled in outrage and horror, with the rest of Eldar laughing at the clever and "justified" punishment given on their "stuffy" kin.

The Fall of the Eldar ended with the death of worlds. The birth of Slaanesh created the Eye of Terror and consumed the souls of majority of their numbers, even those who had wisely fled. Reeling at the vicious blows that had been delivered to them, the Craftworlds hid, and the remnants of Eldar seemed to vanish for thousands of years. In their self-opposed isolation, the Craftworlds rebuilt their civilization and amassed military forces. As they adjusted and planned ahead, alliances were made, disagreements broke out and while some banded together other left. However, each faction prepared all the same.

It was only later, in the wake of Slaanesh's birth and the warpstorms cleared, when an upstart race lead by the greatest psyker ever seen, did the Craftworlds find a reason to observe the rest of the galaxy. For ten thousand years, they watched as the Emperor of Mankind and his Great Crusade spread out into the galaxy, determined but ignorant of the True Enemy. As they watched, Farsser Eldrad Ulthran of Craftworld Ulthwe, felt the need to intervene. Perhaps, with the right guidance the humans could be prepared for the inevitable outbreak of Chaos. However, the Farseer's prodigious abilities sent to him a vision. He saw for only an instant, a future of where he intervened. Approaching a large silver-haired warrior in purple and gold armor, he was greeted with only arrogance and one who'd already become an unknowing pawn of enemy. Eldrad realized that he must go further. His intervention must be wisely timed and told to one who would listen.

That time would not come until the Horus Heresy. A saddened and repentant Emperor sits atop the Golden Throne. Even from Terra, he can feel the battles being waged. He can hear the laughter of Chaos as they undo all that he has wrought. He can feel the pain of his people as they wage against the forces of the Ruinous powers. Then, something different strays into his psychic senses. A message from one, Eldrad Ulthran. None know exactly what was said between the greatest of representations of Man and Eldar. What is known, however, was the coming result.

Several days later, the Master of Mankind would engage his fallen son, Hours. The battle was immense. Despite his greater experience and overall power, the Emperor holds back. Half of this action lies with the fact that he faces his closest son but the other half is far more pragmatic. The Emperor waits for the right moment. In the face of the onslaught Horus unleashes, the Emperor allows one blow to connect. Horus' blade forces itself deeply into the Emperor's stomach and the patron of order allows for his sword to fall from his hand. Horus gives a savage roar of triumph and his patrons howl with glee.

However, the Master of Mankind is not finished. With both arms free, he grasps Horus' arm in an iron grip. Golden light encompasses the two as the Emperor reaches into the warp through his son. Bring his full might of his immense psychic prowess to bear, the Emperor unleashed a psychic blast at the warp gods. The insidious entities cry out in agony and billions of their daemonic servants do the same as their presence in the materium and immaterium is utterly shattered. As the gods of Chaos pull away from their champion to safety, the Emperor reaches out and with his power grabs one: Slaanesh. With only power, will and judgment that he could hope to summon, the Emperor tears into the Prince of Pleasure. His attack is merciless, and cries the Emperor rapidly claws his into his hated foe's essence.

Then the Emperor pulls his power back into himself and with it, the very ethereal stomach of Slaanesh. Finally, the Chaos god breaks away cursing the Emperor as s/he retreats. The Emperor lets got of Horus' arm, the body of the Arch-Heretic crumbles, destroyed by the sheer presence of his father's power. The Emperor falls back, his body and soul slowly shattering from the sheer exertion of his feat. For all the mistakes, he has made at this point, he accomplished his pact with Eldrad. Upon this, space rippled as five Craftworlds and their fleets entered realspace. The sudden appearance of the largest alien fleet mankind had ever seen threw the traitors into disarray. In a display of glorious firepower, the traitor chapters are decimated and forced to flee.

Dying, the founder of the Imperium and Savior of Humanity is brought to the Golden Throne, so that he might yet be saved. Despite his crippled state, the Emperor is able to relay a last message. He speaks of his pact with the Eldar. After assimilating the stomach of Slaanesh, he now inherits all the souls of the Eldar who die from this point onwards. Their souls shall join with his for all eternity, safe and able to help him project his will. With such an influx of powerful souls, only select few will be needed to maintain the Astronomicon without him.

With the pact complete and their souls safe from She-Who-Thirsts, the Eldar pledge themselves to the preservation of humanity. The Imperium's goals are their goals, until Chaos itself is exterminated, as so that another such Slaanesh, can never arise again.

At first, the Eldar were treated little better than slaves, but with the Imperium in such a fractured state, the need of their power, knowledge, and technology quickly became apparent. As the centuries passed and the Imperium was brought back together, the Eldar were integrated into the Imperium, becoming a powerful faction. The alien race's status moved from hated/tolerated, to useful, to trusted ally. It was not too dissimilar to how the Imperium abhorred the mutant but valued the navigator. Even the Eldar's religion and various gods are accepted, not unlike the Adeptus Mechanicus' Cult of the Machine.

The Imperium has recovered and brought a sense of order back to the shifting galaxy. Though without nine Space Marine legions, they have gained much. Grav-vehicles are common now on many a world. Basic knowledge of Chaos is in the open, with average imperial citizen well versed in the signs of possible Chaos incursion. The Inquisition moves through the stars, using Eldar magic and human grit to fight the forces of Chaos and root out heretics. Psykers are found more quickly and trained to harness their powers with a higher degree of safety. Arbites fanatically hunt down and punish crimes of perversion, greed, sloth and hedonism. Farseers use the powers of divination to foresee attacks and assaults. The use of navigators have all but been phased out in the human fleets are practically unheard of due to the widespread use of Spider drives, allowing use of the Webway. However, warp-drive are still used in the instance of a location not being near a Webway gate.

The Imperium has also made it a goal to recover any Craftworld that will join them. In addition, many of the Maiden Worlds have been turned over to the Eldar, so that they may slowly raise their numbers. This also frees the Craftworlds, which have become either mobile factory worlds or moving fortresses for Aspect Shrines. Finally, the Imperium makes dangerous runs to Eldar Croneworlds, searching for lost secrets. Their ultimate goal is to rediscover the ability to create a Webway Nexus.

Despite all these advantages that have culminated on top of each other, it is not a golden age and the Imperium is still besieged.

Chaos attempts to wreak from within the Imperium and tries to batter downs her gates. The warp still festers with Slaanesh's rage over being humiliated by the Emperor and being denied the Craftworld Eldar's souls.

The Dark Eldar have fully committed themselves to destroying the Imperium. They look down on their former brethren for allying with a primitive species, which they perceive as a betrayal. This is compounded by the fact that the Craftworld Eldar are freed from the clutches of Slaanesh, but the Prince of Pleasure still continues to feast upon the Dark Eldar. In return, the Imperium regards them with hatred second only to Chaos, as the Dark Eldar continue the very actions that created a Chaos God and attempt use them forestall their judgment for such actions.

Orks continue to plague various worlds of the Imperium. The Orks are looked down upon as a crude plague with little right to the success they have achieved.

The Necron have started to awaken to reestablish the supremacy of their dynasties. They are motivated even further by the fear of the Eldar's power in the hands of Man.

The Tau are but a thorn in the Imperium's side. They push for alliance but seek to dominate the Imperium only to be rebuffed.

Tyranids are drawn by so much psychic activity in great numbers, consuming all in their path…

In the grimdarkness of the 41st Millennium there is only war…and a single sliver of hope.

AN: Well that's the setup. Tell me what you think and how you feel.

Important fact: Eldrad never met Fulgrim = Fulgrim never virus bombed quite a few Maiden Worlds.