Chapter 174

　　Atlas controlled the forces of gravity.

　　Just as the mythological Titan of ancient Terra carried the burden of lifting the sky on its shoulders, the Mobile Suit also had a weight hindering its actions. There was a limit to its abilities, one that protected its Pilot and, more importantly, the reactor within the Titan.

　　Raising the gravity of an area was a relatively simple matter. Atlas merely stimulated what was already present, increasing its effect on those who entered its sphere of influence. Kal thought of it as enhancing existing forces. Gravity could beget more gravity.

　　But removing gravity was difficult, and reversing its effects in a large area was nearly impossible. Unlike Starships whose Engines created gravity in space where it did not exist, counteracting natural gravity of the battlefield a would tax the reactor too much, rendering it useless.

　　The loss of a reactor would mean the destruction of the Titan. It was an unimaginable loss. The Titans were irreplaceable.

　　"Celestial Absolution." Kal ordered, and the limits placed on Atlas were removed. The systems protecting Kal and the Titan`s reactor were cast away, leaving him free to do what he needed.

　　The Titan`s remaining armour fell from its frame, leaving it bare as lines of green energy flowed from its chest to its remaining limbs. The Titan glowed with subtle light as it raised its hand to the air.

　　The crushing weight holding the Vore in place disappeared instantly across the battlefield. The atmosphere, dragged down by the intense gravity so much that it pooled into the low point of the ground, immediately dissipated upwards in a haze.

　　Kal started slowly by counteracting the Dyson Sphere`s natural gravity and granting weightlessness to all those within his reach. The atmosphere began to swirl strangely in the now weightless environment.

　　Within the area of the Pyramid, where the last of the stragglers were quickly boarding the shuttles, the remaining humans stared at Atlas with awe. Like a shining beacon, it hung above them, protecting them from the Vore.

　　It was stunning to see a single Titan hold back the endless tide of hungry Vore, and many of them swore to honour House Caledon for the rest of their lives.

　　"Warning: Reactor at one hundred percent capacity." The toneless voice of Atlas`s onboard computer spoke through the cockpit`s speakers, alerting him to the danger of what Kal was about to attempt. Just counteracting the Sphere`s gravity had made the reactor reach its limits.

　　Ignoring it, Kal continued.

　　"Negative ten times gravity." Kal whispered.

　　The thrumming reactor stuttered as Kal pushed Atlas to accomplish the impossible. He was aware of the Titan`s capabilities and that it should theoretically be possible to use this ability, but Kal had never used it before during his training.

　　The Vore forces, free from the heightened gravity, had started to regain their feet and move forward once again. Their intentions were clear. They were driving themselves toward the Pyramid to stop the detonation and eliminate any straggling humans still waiting for the shuttles to carry them to the waiting Starships.

　　Their movements were halted once more as gravity reversed. Their bodies lightened instantly and were dragged upwards by Atlas. Many had the instinct to grip the ground for leverage to prevent being carried away, but at ten times normal gravity, it was too much even for the unnaturally robust Vore to resist.

　　Tens of millions of Vore drones and Soldier variants began to rise into the sky, and even the atmosphere that hung for hundreds of miles above the surface was being pushed upwards. To anyone and anything caught in Celestial Absolution, it felt like they were now falling toward the red sun below them.

　　To Kal, the atmosphere bulged upwards, taking the Vore with it. There would come a point when they would speed past Atlas`s altered gravity, but at that distance, they would hang in the weightlessness of the void between the sun and the Sphere`s surface.The author`s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

　　Inside the cockpit, more warning lights began to flash, and the stuttering reactor made a whining noise, setting Kal`s teeth on edge. He could feel the Neural Link bucking; the deactivated safeguards were trying to reassert control in order to save the Titan, but Kal tightened his grip on Atlas.

　　Nothing would interfere with him now.

　　"Warning: Reactor output at one hundred thirty percent. Safeguards disabled. Core temperature outside of safe operating limits. Deactivation procedure activation imminent." The computer spoke once again, and it tried to retake control.

　　"Override deactivation. Keep going." Kal stated, shoving away the thoughtless computer from the Neural Link. Gritting his teeth, Kal concentrated on continuing the attack.

　　"Caledon!" Patrick shouted over their shared communication channel. Sovereign hovered in the reversed gravity. It seemed to be pushing its thrusters to maximum in an attempt to reach him.

　　The golden light surrounding it was long gone, and the darkness had faded away as there was nothing around it for the Titan to drain to support its shield. An ebony circle hung under its feet, propelling it forward against the rush of atmosphere that Kal was causing to rise.

　　On the opposite side, Luminous was also attempting to reach him. Unlike Sovereign, Luminous was using a bridge of black orbs to form a pathway toward Atlas. It was nimbly running across the rising globes, each step bringing it closer.

　　"How dare you interfere Caledon!" Iris shouted. Kal disregarded their words. They had been raving over the comm channels for minutes already, practically frothing at the mouth as they butchered Vore and Human alike.

　　Kal was more concerned about the fact that Celestial Absolution was not driving them back. Inconvenienced by the reversed gravity, it was clear they would not be stopped by something of this magnitude.

　　If they reached Atlas, nothing would stop the Vore. Checking his sensors, Kal saw that Argyle`s troops needed at least another minute before they could escape.

　　"Just another minute. We can grant them that time, Atlas." Kal murmured, and the eyes of Atlas flashed a brilliant green. The wind howled around the lonely figure of the Titan. It stood alone against the tens of millions of Vore, defenceless as its former comrades approached to destroy it.

　　"Twenty times reversed gravity!" Kal shouted over the keening wail of the failing reactor. The gravity doubled, and the flying Vore ascended even more rapidly. Sovereign and Luminous were taken off guard by the increase, being driven back momentarily.

　　Luminous leapt off its black orbs, spinning through the air as it formed a barrier of energy around itself to halt its movement. It was driving forward once again in moments, although it seemed like it was fighting for every inch.

　　"You won`t stop me, Caledon!" Patrick howled. Stymied by the rushing wind, he righted himself before drawing on the little power that remained in its tainted reactor. Hand outstretched, Patrick desperately tried to grasp the distant Atlas.

　　"Reactor at one hundred seventy percent. Thermal safeguards overridden." The mechanical voice spoke out again before something in the cockpit exploded in a shower of sparks. The terminal in front of Kal cracked as the heat began to rise rapidly.

　　Atlas was failing, and the Neural Link between them was rapidly deteriorating. It felt like Kal was trying to retain his hold on a greased rope, and an inch would slip out of his fingers each second. Even with all of his willpower and the complete mastery of Atlas, he could do nothing to stop the inevitable.

　　"Come on!" Kal shouted. His sensors, the few that remained operational, saw the last remaining shuttle take to the air. It rose quickly, flipping around in the reversed gravity as it ascended. In seconds, it was gone, and he let out a breath of relief.

　　Kal let Celestial Absolution fade, and the reversed gravity quickly righted itself once again. Sovereign and Luminous, taken off guard by the sudden shift, were a moment too slow to react.

　　"Open the Jump!" Kal ordered. The stuttering reactor gave a final power boost, and Atlas channelled it into making a Jump Portal. The distortion in space hovered a few miles away. But to Atlas, it was out of reach.

　　The overtaxed reactor gave a final, stuttering thrum before falling silent. The Neural Connection with Atlas ceased, and the cockpit darkened around Kal.

　　"So, this is it? So close, only to fail at the last step. I`m sorry, Mare. I won`t be coming home." Kal whispered in the darkness. He could feel the dead Titan falling, rushing toward the ground as it spiralled in the wind.

　　The cockpit jarred suddenly, and Kal was pushed into his seat. Atlas had stopped falling, and a voice intruded into his helmet`s communication channel.

　　"You`re not dead yet, Caledon." A familiar voice spoke, and Kal was shocked at the identity of its owner.

　　Praxis had seized the Atlas in the arms of his Mobile Suit, a Throne that he had liberated from one of the retreating Imperial Guard below. The A.I. Collectives medical pods had healed his burnt and battered body, although he was still scarred and barely alive. But it was enough for him to fight still.

　　He had seen the conflict between Kal and the others from the landing pad below, and he refused to allow the son of his enemy to be the one responsible for saving his life. He had grabbed the Mech and took to the air as soon as he saw Atlas falter.

　　"Praxis?" Kal asked. He was stunned that the Earl would risk his life for him.

　　Not responding, Praxis entered the Jump portal with Atlas in its arms just as it closed, leaving Sovereign and Luminous to face the Vore alone.