Chapter 127

　　The Ouroboros appeared regal and majestic in the storage bay. Towering over the workers on the ground, it stood on its own two legs, the frame and body complete for the first time in ten thousand years.

　　Elric had painted it black with gold highlights on the joints and connections between its torso and limbs. Two finn` like protrusions emerged from its shoulders that curved behind it and to the side, almost like the wings of a bird.

　　A scaffold had been erected behind it, providing access to the cockpit in the back.

　　It was the Mech`s head that was its most prominent feature. Mare hadn`t noticed how draconic the Mobile Suit had been when it had been in disrepair. Its head jutted forward slightly, and two horns emerged from its skull.

　　"I don`t understand. I thought you said it wasn`t complete. It looks perfect." Mare stated with awe, craning to stare at the Mech.

　　"We`ve fitted the parts onto its frame, but their connections are severed. That`s why we need the schematics from the cockpit. It isn`t as simple as a Scout. This isn`t fitting universal parts in its slots and letting the Mobile Suit do the work. Each one of these Titans is unique. There are some similarities between this one and Atlas, but that`s like saying Caledon and Terra are the same because they`re both planets."

　　"What do I have to do?" Mare asked.

　　"Enter the Cockpit, initiate the Neural Compatibility Test and primary Pilot link. Once that`s done, you can pull up everything on its internal computer. We`ve learned from Atlas that these things don`t break the taboo, every bit of intelligence comes from the Pilot, but there should be records inside the system for rebuilding it."

　　"Got it." Mare replied, looking at Kal for a moment, who nodded encouragingly.

　　"It will be uncomfortable, but not unbearably so. You aren`t activating and Piloting it directly, the Burden will be manageable. Just remain calm and relax, don`t try to fight it." Kal advised, thinking back on his own experience with Atlas.

　　"We`ll be right behind you on the walkway, if you have any problems, we can immediately step in." Elric added.

　　The trio took the steps to the top of the metal scaffolding. The walkway stretched across the back of the Titan. Mare carefully climbed down into the gel-cushioned interior of the Titan`s cockpit, settling into the chair and pressing a few buttons on the terminal to start the Mech.

　　Taking a deep breath, she waited for the lights to dim, the console in front of her coming to life as a mechanical voice began to speak.

　　"Pilot recognized. Marella of Terra. Initiate compatibility test?" The Ouroboros spoke, its voice booming in the empty storage room. The technicians and mechanics who had come to observe all whispered excitedly.

　　Licking her dry lips, Mare nodded.

　　"Initiate." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, immense pressure bombarded her mind. It pushed on all sides of her consciousness, threatening to drown her in a sea of emotions, pain and memories.

　　Flashes of light in a kaleidoscope of colours swirled before her eyes, and she could hear a strange buzzing noise in the distance. The sound grew louder with each second, and the colours darkened, turning from light blue and green to dark red and brilliant purple.

　　"Mare." A voice whispered from behind her. Turning her head quickly, she could see nothing but the dark cockpit.

　　"Mare." It was louder this time, coming from all around her. It was her Grandfather`s voice, calling out to her. The buzzing intensified, and she felt the cockpit vibrate around her. The lights flashed a blinding white before darkness returned.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

　　The pressure grew stronger, an ocean pressing down on her. She felt like she was a ship, lost at sea like the first explorers of ancient Terra. Mare felt herself rise and fall on the tide, the waves tossing her around.

　　"Mare!" Her Grandfather`s thunderous shout echoed in the cockpit, and suddenly everything was silent. There was no pressure. The sea that had been rocking her mind vanished. The lights dimmed until she was in the dark.

　　"Mare, I do not have much time. We have been given this opportunity to speak through Ouroboros. We cannot waste it." Aurelius uttered. Tears fell from Mare`s eyes, and her cheeks were wet with them.

　　"Grandfather. This cannot be. You died." Mare whispered.

　　"Death is irrelevant, my dear girl. We all live on in the Titans we Pilot. I`m here, just as one day you will as well. You must heed my words, Marella. A storm is coming, and you will be at the center of it. I am so sorry, Mare, that this curse must fall on you. I wish the Ouroboros had never found itself in your hands." Aurelius said with sadness in his tone."

　　"I know, Grandfather. The storm is already here. The Galaxy is divided, and the Succession War is engulfing the Empire. Argyle and Augustus are fighting for the throne, and I can do nothing about it." Mare replied.

　　"You mistake my meaning, Marella. You see a few wet flecks on the window and a grey sky and mistake it for the coming tempest. The Succession War is nothing! I knew that leaving the position of my heir would be tempting fate, but I chose to keep it vacant for a reason. There will be no emperor after me! No Empire, no throne." Aurelius uttered dreadful words, and Mare was shocked by their meaning.

　　"That`s impossible. The empire has existed for ten millennia. What could possibly-" Mare was cut off.

　　"What indeed! I am forbidden to speak of it. You will discover this secret on your own, Marella. Ouroboros is a burden and one of the only hopes we have left. Heed the things it has to teach you. I have faith in you." Aurelius whispered, fading away. She called out to him, but there was no response.

　　"Neural compatibility nominal. Neural Link established." The Mobile Suit spoke, and the lights in the cockpit turned back on, driving away the darkness.

　　"How was it?" Kal called out, sticking his head into the cockpit and looking around momentarily. He was relieved to see Mare was alright, although she looked pale and sweaty from the experience.

　　"Kal! I spoke to him. He was here!" Mare shouted, standing up from her chair and moving toward him.

　　"Who, Ouroboros? I had a similar experience with Atlas." Kal said, reaching in and giving her his hand to pull her out. She resisted, turning back toward the console.

　　"No, my Grandfather. I spoke to him, and he warned me about a storm and that the Empire was in danger." Mare replied.

　　"The link can bring out genetic memories. I experienced things from my Grandfather and all the other Pilots of Atlas. It was real, but they weren`t speaking to me." Kal reassured her.

　　"This wasn`t a memory, Kal. He knew about the Succession War. He called it irrelevant. He said that he knew it was a mistake to leave the succession in doubt, but he did it anyway because it didn`t matter, not against what was going to come next." Mare stammered, trying desperately to explain to Kal.

　　"What comes next?" Kal asked.

　　"He didn`t say, just that I should listen to Ouroboros, that it had things to tell me. I`m not making this up, Kal. I`m not crazy." Mare said frantically, and Kal climbed down from the walkway to be closer to her. Hugging her tight, he rubbed her back comfortingly while he whispered.

　　"No one is saying you are. I believe that Aurelius spoke to you. Maybe he left some kind of message here. We`ll figure it out." Mare nodded, pulling back from him. She already felt calmer, knowing someone believed her.

　　"Now, let`s get those schematics for Elric. We can have him search the systems for anything the Emperor may have left behind. I wouldn`t be surprised if he suspected something would happen to Terra and left a failsafe in Ouroboros for you." Kal said.

　　They connected the Titan`s systems to the service bay`s terminal, pulling up the information within the Mobile Suit.

　　Standing together on the service bay floor, they waited while Elric sifted through the data.

　　"Well, there`s schematics here, alright. It has everything we need to get Ouroboros in fighting shape. There`s even information about equipment for it. It looks like it can have different load-outs depending on the situation." Elric mused. He was in his glee, loving the opportunity to work on a Mech that most people in the galaxy would never have a chance to see.

　　"Are there any messages, maybe a voice recording from the Emperor?" Kal asked.

　　"I`m not seeing anything like that. It could be buried deep in its systems, but this thing is archaic. Not much can be hidden. Wait, what`s this?" Elric asked, frowning. He tapped the terminal`s buttons, displaying a list of numbers. They were familiar to anyone who travelled by Starship.

　　"Coordinates? Is that the locations Ouroboros has been deployed in?" Mare asked.

　　"Not unless it`s been outside the galaxy." Elric replied, pulling up a galaxy map and superimposing the coordinates into it. The map rotated and pulled out, showing the entire Milky Way Galaxy. Terra and Caledon were marked, but further outside, there was a blinking red dot.

　　"That`s outside the Empire. Well outside." Kal observed.

　　"Not just outside the Empire. It`s beyond the Jump capacity of any Starship." Elric said.