Titan
IV – Chapter Two
Hekate
touched Dictatio's machine spirit,
bracing for combat.
"Dorn, bring the reactor up to full power and set the servos for striding
speed. Voss, power up all weapons, activate autoloaders and prepare to raise
shields. Zygo, give me target locks now."
The command crew raced to follow Hekate's orders as Dictatio advanced, each step carrying it dozens of meters as power
and hydraulic fluid flowed through its artificial veins.
***********************************************************
- NERV headquarters
"Ma'am, Geofront armour levels 1 through 18 breached!" Shigeru Aoba shouted,
bypassing damaged systems relays and powering up defences that had never been
meant for use within the Geofront itself.
"Damn. Unit Two's status?" Misato snapped.
"ETD sixty seconds," Hyuga, the most junior of the ops staffers, called back.
Misato swore inventively in several different languages.
NERV needed a miracle.
And then a miracle happened.
Four blinding streaks of energy slammed into the Angel, searing great wounds in
its flesh.
On the main screen, a gigantic shape, resembling only vaguely an Eva, or the
failed Jet Alone – and then only because its shape was roughly humanoid –
strode towards Toyko-3.
It stood over sixty meters tall, as tall as an EVA and much bulkier. Both arms
were weapons, one a giant gatling gun and the other some unknown cannon. The
legs were vast flared towers, built to support the huge torso, upon which
rested twin gun batteries.
The head resembled a stylised human skull, supported by a 'neck' consisting of
powerful hydraulic cables.
The screen flickered, and then resolved into an image of a man in his
mid-fifties, with a thin moustache and strikingly close-cut black hair.
"Voss, have you got the damn hololith-caster working yet?" he snapped at
someone off-screen.
"Yes sir," the unseen technician – or whatever this 'Voss' was – replied.
"Well good," the man said. "My apologies for my moderati's tardiness in
establishing a communications link. I am Ervin Hekate, princeps of Imperius Dictatio and a warrior of the
Legionnes Titanicus. It would seem I and my crew chose a fortuitous moment to
arrive."
"Um, what exactly is that thing you pilot?" Misato said, before she though
otherwise.
"It is a Warlord-class Battle Titan, and I honestly don't have time for this.
Do you want my help or don't you?" Hekate snapped.
"Well, if you're offering it," Misato replied.
"I am. I'd appreciate any tactical data you have on this thing, as well as weak
spots, known or theory," Hekate said. "My tactician has more exact details –
Wait. Zygo, confirm those readings; they looked like a weapon charging."
The camera zoomed out, revealing a command centre not unlike the Over the
Rainbow's, except smaller and with only three command stations.
"Readings confirmed sir," a dark-skinned – not to mention obviously younger –
man said, fingers dancing over a control board. "Seems like something of equal
power to our turbo laser batteries."
"Ah. Voss, bring power up to full combat levels. Dorn, I want striding speed
and our shields up at maximum. Zygo, I need firing solutions, now." Hekate commanded, then turned
back to Misato. "I wish to know the name of my hunting partner, Ma'am."
"Major Misato Katsuragi, princeps."
"In that case, Major Katsuragi, good hunting. Dictatio out," Hekate said,
turning off the holoprojector.
***********************************************************
Within the city of Toyko-3, living Gods clashed, one forged of sacred metal,
the other of living flesh.
"Dorn, get those damn shields back up!" Hekate yelled, parrying another blow on
the volcano cannon arm and pistoning the gatling blaster into the enemy's
'face'.
The Angel, as the tactical data Zygo had received identified it, clawed at the
reactivated void shields, sending arcs of lightning flaring all around the
Titan – harmless, but spectacular.
Of more worry to Hekate was the information gleaned from this engagement. The
enemy's photon burst cannon, as Zygo had dubbed it, was far more potent than
its power output suggested, and had nearly stripped them of their void shields'
protective bubble in one strike.
A mad charge had brought them into close quarters range, which was proving
somewhat more suicidal than Hekate had hoped. He was sure a god-engine such as
an Emperor-class Titan could prevail, but his already damaged Warlord…
"Have faith!" he chided himself.
"Of course sir," Voss replied, thinking a reply was need, "'For a warrior's
faith in his commander is his best armour and his strongest weapon,'" the
moderati quoted.
Hekate smiled. His crew were the finest, and that quote awoke the warrior's
fury within.
"Truth, moderati. Now let's kill this monster."
***********************************************************
Far, far away, a lone figure stared at the stars, looking into the Empyrean
beyond.
His name was Aurielius, and he was a Lexicanium Librarian of the Raven Guard.
He was also extremely troubled by what he saw.
Nonetheless, he noticed when another warrior, clad in the black and white of a
captain strode into the meditation chamber.
"Brother-Captain Heras. I've been expecting you. There are ripples in the Warp.
I sense the fleet, and we, are needed somewhere," Aurielius said,
concentrating, trying to follow the thread of his destiny.
"Where?" Heras asked.
"You know the answer to that," Aurielius replied. "The city we both have seen,
in our dreams. There is where we must go, and it must be done quickly. I have
never been surer of anything than I am of this; if we do not go now, then
billions of the Emperor's citizens will die, and the enemies who killed them
will go free."
"Very well." Heras nodded, then activated his vox-link. "Heras to the bridge,
change heading to the course Aurielius will give you when he arrives. Inform
the fleet to do the same."
The strike cruiser Kiavahr's Pride
altered course, sliding into another warp 'current', followed momentarily by
the fleet of warships and transports it was accompanying.
None of the captains dared refuse a request for aid from the Space Marines; to
them, such was a dire heresy.