Nikolai Dante - Plot

Plot

Set in the twenty-seventh century after a resurgent Imperial Russia has seized absolute control of both the entire Earth and an interstellar domain, the series follows Dante, a swashbuckling young thief and ladies man, as he discovers he is an illegitimate scion of the Romanov Dynasty, aristocratic rivals to the Tsar, Vladimir the Conqueror of the House of Makarov. Dante's Romanov genes enable him to bond with a sentient "Weapons Crest", a biological weapon which gives members of the dynasty superhuman abilities: in Dante's case, the ability to extend bio-blades from his hands and hack into computer systems at will. He outrages aristocratic society and enjoys a turbulent relationship with Tsarina Jena. Early plotlines also dealt with attempts by Dmitri, the Romanov patriarch and bitter enemy of the Tsar, to mould Dante into an aristocrat and killer worthy of the Romanov name.

Eventually Dmitri's underhand political manoeuvering prompts his war between the Makarov and Romanov dynasties, despite Jena and Dante's attempts to prevent it, and the lovers break off their burgeoning romance to side with their families. The Civil War rips the Empire apart, and Dante is forced to commit many atrocities in the Romanov name. Eventually Vladimir triumphs; Dmitri dies by his own hand and the power of the Romanovs is broken.

Dante returns to thieving, joining his estranged mother, Katarina Dante, and her notorious pirate crew. After a time spent in the pacific, he is forcibly recruited by the Tsar to investigate the proliferation of cyborganic weaponry similar to the Romanov Weapons Crest. In his new role as Sword of the Tsar, Dante secretly abuses his position to plot against his employer. His underworld connections come into their own as he begins to build himself a secret army.

A brutal massacre in the oppressed state of Amerika proves to be the final straw that prompts Dante to lose his cool and try to kill the Tsar. Imprisoned and tortured, Dante escapes from jail with the help of Jena. The two renew their relationship and raise an army of thieves and whores to fight (and win) a revolutionary war against the Tsar. Tsar Vladimir is put on trial for his crimes and a victorious Dante proposes to Jena, vowing to end his womanising ways once and for all. At this eleventh hour, their new-found happiness is cut short by the surprising return of Dmitri Romanov, who had been long thought dead.

Dmitri embarks on a psychopathic rampage, murdering several of Dante's close allies, capturing Jena and destroying Dante's weapons crest. As he sets about tightening his grip on the empire, planning to marry Jena and execute Vladimir on their wedding day, Dante finds himself fighting the same war against a different enemy. On the day of Jena's forced wedding to Dmitri, Dante leads his army to a second, final triumph that leaves Dmitri dead. A new era of peace and prosperity can begin. However it is discovered that Konstanitine escaped and so has Vladimir, Konstantine later sends a message challenging Dante to a duel saying the winner shall rule the empire, the duel ends it Dante killing Konstantine, and now Dante and Jena are planning to wed but on the day of there wedding Sargent Elena Kurakin tells Dante that they have found Vladimir, Dante leads a Raid on the remainders of Vladimirs loyalists, when he enters the room he sees Vladimir sitting there calmly with an antique pistol and puts a single bullet in it saying they should play for the empire. Dante points the gun at Vladimir and it clicks. Vladimir laughs saying the target is yourself, Dante asks since whenever did he play fair, Vladimir then tells Dante that he killed his mother, Dante says killing him will make it more fun, Vladimir says they both know revenge is a pointless exercise and will not make them better but it will make them feel more empty, he then talks about the pistol saying it used to belong to his grandfather Kirill Markov who made the Markoves the most powerful Mafia clan in the empire and was rumored to be the then tsarina's lover and assassin, he then talks about his farther who made the Markovs the legitimate and noble house he also says that he can't let him marry his daughter. Dante says he's getting boring and although Jena may be unlucky enough to be his daughter she isn't anything like him, Vladimir says he's trying to sure himself and he then tells Dante that they used to call him a Hero and all he's doing is showing him how the empire works and then says the next shot will kill him, if anyone deserves to die the gun clicks and Vladimir tells Dante that he is what happens to heroes.

Vladimir tells Dante that he has to be crueler than all the other tsars before him like he was after Tsar Ivan The Oppressor, Dante says he has to be better than them, Vladimrir tells him his enemies will see that as weakness and they will take advantage of that, he tells him that he once executed three of his closest friends because one of them was a spy, he asks Dante could he do that to Sargent Elena Kurakin, and then says that Jena and him won't last and they will come crule and inbitters and when he takes the pistol choose your target wisely, Dante puts the pistol to his head and it clicks, Vladimir takes the pistol and declares Dante the tsar of all the Russians and kills himself. Dante leaves to an unknown future.