Chapter 63

　　Kal`s world became pain and darkness.

　　Cascading waves of agony crashed against his consciousness, threatening to drown him. He floundered in anguish, and it felt as if an entire ocean pressed down against his mind. His nerves were raw, his body shivered and curled in on itself, and nothing existed except misery.

　　He screamed and cried, but nothing he did brought relief until the pain suddenly disappeared as abruptly as it had begun.

　　Opening his eyes, he stared in horror at the world around him. The cockpit of the Atlas was gone. The vault that had lain hidden beneath the palace for centuries was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he floated in the Stasis chamber.

　　Time had frozen around him.

　　No! No, No, No! Not again! I was free!` Kal tried to scream, to rebel against this new reality, but his mouth wouldn`t open. He was trapped again, a prisoner within his mind.

　　This isn`t real. I`m free. I`M FREE!` He thought, desperately trying to reject what he was seeing. But a small part of him accepted it, and he couldn`t help but fear that maybe the events of the last ten months since his release were just his imagination crafting a scenario.

　　He had done it before, spending centuries in his mind, living entire lives to retain his sanity. Fear, rage, shame, regret, all the negative emotions that had been with him since his imprisonment in Stasis washed over him, and the Titan fed on it.

　　Kal felt something remove itself from his mind, taking a piece of those negative emotions away. His memory of Stasis felt blunted somehow like he was further removed from what had happened, like he was an observer rather than a participant.

　　"Neural Link established." The image of Stasis retreated suddenly, and Kal was left in darkness once more for a moment as the scene shifted.

　　He was in space, Piloting Atlas at the vanguard of a massive fleet. Arrayed against him were thousands of Mechs and Starships. He knew they were there to battle, that the enemy had been breeding insurrection against the Emperor.

　　Kal was sure of the facts, without knowing how he knew it.

　　"Duke Caledon. We`re ready." A voice spoke through his commlink.

　　Kal could feel the bloodlust build within him, resonating with Atlas, feeding on it but still bound in his iron grip of control. Fear and anger bled out of him, leaving him calm and emotionless as the link between man and machine grew stronger.

　　"This is Emeritus Caledon. Surrender now in the name of the Emperor." Kal spoke, and he knew that he was reliving a memory, a history stored within Atlas` Neural Link.

　　Kal watched, a prisoner in his grandfather`s body, as the man fought against the insurrectionists. Death and destruction followed in his wake as Atlas burned through its enemies, its weapons incinerating all resistance. The violent presence in the Titan howled with glee as it killed.

　　The scene shifted again.

　　This time Kal was on the barren wasteland of some unknown planet. The atmosphere was breathable, the sky blue, but water and life had yet to form on the surface. Desert stretched in all directions, and the first phase of terraforming began to show.The author`s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

　　A harsh yellow sun burned overhead, and a shimmering haze of heat obscured the horizon.

　　Atlas was heavily damaged, its armour burnt and broken. In the distance, another Mech stood, equally ravaged. In its hands was a Progressive Blade. The vibrating weapon made a keening wail against the desert winds.

　　 A Throne` Heavy Class Mech. On its chest, the symbol of the Imperial Guard had been crudely scratched away.

　　Arrayed behind the Throne` were a dozen heavy and Assault Class Mechs, their Imperial livery and colours removed. Traitors to the Emperor, they had declared themselves independent, burning through the galaxy in their quest for autonomy.

　　"Duchess Caledon. You have fought valiantly, but your forces have been defeated. Surrender, and you will be spared." A man spoke, his voice stern before softening.

　　"Elle, please, you know this is inevitable. The Emperor doesn`t care if you live or die." The man continued, his image appearing on Kal`s HUD.

　　To Kal`s amazement, his response was a woman`s higher-pitched voice. He could feel her disappointment at the man`s betrayal, the lingering feelings she had for him and the anger she felt for his decision that forced her to do this.

　　Wordlessly, she Piloted the Atlas, unleashing a sweeping barrage of Lasgun fire as she took to the air. Kal could feel the roar of the Titan as it fought, the thrill the machine experienced as it stuck its foes. It fed on the woman`s intense emotions, and the link between them grew stronger.

　　The scene shifted again, going further backwards in time. The lives of Kal`s ancestors appeared to him through the eyes` of Atlas. Each image was of battle, fighting and bloodshed. He watched Atlas hurl itself against its foes, ripping and tearing into them.

　　Each of his ancestors controlled it with varying degrees of success. Some let it loose while others kept Atlas altogether reigned in. But each gave a part of themselves to the machine, granting it a portion of their essence to develop the Link and reduce the burden they felt.

　　But, in doing so, they created a demon.

　　A bloodthirsty, unthinking killing machine that embodied the very worst of their subconscious. Over the millennia of use, it became something different than just a mere Mech,` not an artificial intelligence, but an amalgamation of the spirits of all Caledon`s Dukes before Kal.

　　Scene after scene of violence and overwhelming emotion crashed against Kal, the images coming faster, the feelings more intense as the foreign presence of Atlas pushed itself deeper into his mind.

　　The agony increased, and Kal screamed again, or maybe he never really stopped at all.

　　"Neural Link successful, calibration complete." The voice whispered in his mind, the toneless voice gone. In its place was Kal`s own. With that statement, the pain ended, and Kal returned to reality. Pushed out of the visions, he lurched forward in the cockpit.

　　His vision blurred, and he saw double. The lights around him flickered and warped. His body was wracked with spasms, the pain lingering in his extremities as the pressure in his head throbbed in time with his heartbeat.

　　Unable to stand it, Kal collapsed forward over the Titan`s console, spewing vomit and blood over the display.

　　It felt like the Titan had taken residence inside his skull. The added company in his mind threatened to tear his head apart.

　　With his stomach empty, Kal fell back into his seat, the gel cradling him gently. He was panting, physically and emotionally drained, as the lingering effects of the visions still flashed in his mind. The emotions that had bombarded him, the memories of lives he never lived, remained.

　　Placing a hand over his eyes to shut out the light, Kal waited for what felt like hours before his heart calmed and stomach settled. The pounding in his skull became a dull ache, and the memories subsided, although he could still see them if he closed his eyes.

　　Wearily, Kal looked at the console display. He didn`t have much hope of Piloting Atlas, not if the mere calibration of the Neural Link nearly killed him.

　　"Display results of calibration," Kal mumbled, having to clear his throat and try again before the system recognized the command.

　　A readout of the results showed a line indicating the Neural Burden and the Pilot`s tolerance before him. Ignoring most of it, Kal focused on what was important. If accurate, he could likely operate Atlas for ten seconds, maybe fifteen, before it caused irreparable damage to his mind and body.

　　At best, he would be incapacitated by the experience, likely permanently. At worst, he would die.

　　Closing the display, Kal leaned back in the cockpit, trying to ignore the smell of sick and his discomfort. Thinking about the upcoming trial, he weighed his options.

　　He had done everything he could to prepare, but if it came down to protecting Caledon and those closest to him against his death, he would make that sacrifice in a heartbeat.

　　In his mind, the presence of Atlas thrummed with satisfaction at the connection, aware that it would soon be called upon.