- Nico -

  Arms bred at max volume throughout the byrinthine corridors of Half Wall. Nico sprihrough the passageways, his Ranger armor already activated and gleaming uhe strobing emergency lights. The noise of sirens was almost deafening, but he pushed onward, weaviween frantic personnel as ships roared overhead, arriving aing in a frenzied dance.

  "Immediate evacuation!" Nico shouted to every civilian he passed in the lower corridors. "If you're not part of the defeeam, you must leave Half Wall now!"

  Sihe st attaico had risen through the ranks within the Dardanus fa. His exceptional performance earned him a promotion to Squad Leader, making him responsible not only for his own team but also for coordinating with other leaders.

  But with the ret notification of a Titan assault, he'd been reassigo the southeror of the wall. Alongside his soldiers and several other Dardanus squads, they were dispatched to hold the line for as long as possible.

  Nico tapped his unicator to rey new instrus. "Logistics Officers are to tinue managing the evacuation. All Soldiers and Defense Officers, report to your defense posts immediately."

  "Yes, sir!" came the unified response from his troops.

  "Where are the NEA officers?" Niquired urgently into his unicator, referring to the h Alliance leadership.

  "They're in the trol room," one of his officers replied. "They're in unication with the Great Houses and the Armada."

  "Uood." Nico quied his pace, his boots pounding against the metal fl as he made his way toward the tral tower. He o reach the top levels to assess the situation fully.

  Without having time to wait for some of the elevators, Nico ran up the stairs as fast as possible until he reached the higher levels. As he approached the aer, he swiftly passed through the double detting a clear view of the chaos ihe room.

  Dozens of officers buzzed around, eagaged in discussions over various unicators. Walls lined with ss dispyed live feeds from battlefronts across the sector. Holographic maps hovered in mid-air, detailing the movements of hundreds of squadrons spread throughout the empire.

  Momentarily overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information and the cmor of voices, Nico paused, sing the room for someone who could brief him. An officer who had just stepped away from a sole spotted the Yeller standing at the entrance.

  "Nico, correct?" the officer called out as he approached.

  "Yes," Nico affirmed, grateful to be aowledged. "I'm responsible for the Dardanus teams. I need a briefing on the current situation."

  The officer gnced around at the chaotiviro. "It's better if we talk in the corridor," he suggested. "It's too noisy in here."

  Niodded. They stepped bato the hallway, the heavy doors closing behind them to muffle the noise.

  "What's our status?" Nico asked his tone all business.

  "We have visual firmation of Titan movement, along with dozens of hordes. All of them are heading toward the southern base. However, all our defenses i weeks have been trated on the north," the officer expined, his voice strained with urgency. "We still don't have enough personnel here for the base to operate at its maximum capacity. Moreover, an Ork armada is hindering the arrival of our deployed mechs."

  "Which Great Houses have respoo the call for support?" Nico asked, leaning against the wall of the aer.

  The officer's face betrayed his . He seemed unfortable with the question. "Charon and Echo have deployed their tis to the wall. However, they 't bring the mechs that are currently deployed on other ps."

  Niodded thoughtfully. Charon and Echo were always the quickest to respond, especially if they had any mechs stationed on Olympus. Their support would be crucial.

  "Any other replies?" Nico pressed.

  "York, Selene, and Meridius are sending their mechs, but it'll take at least an hour for them to arrive—and they'll have to break through the Ork armada first. The Emperor has also dispatched the Dogs of War, but the enemy fleet currently blocks them," the officer expined, his frustration evident.

  "And the other Houses?" Nico asked, fusion creasing his brow. It was unusual not to have heard from them.

  "No respohe officer said tersely.

  "What do you mean by no response? Didn't the Emperor and support for Olympus?" Nico's voice rose, incredulous.

  "You might not have heard yet, but the Great House Lot has taken this moment to decre independence—calling themselves the Republic of Encedus or something along those lines," the officer revealed.

  "Damn it," Niuttered, the weight of the crisis sinking in. He uood what the officer implied. The reat Houses were waiting to see how the battle unfolded before choosing a side. Political maneuvering at a time like this—when the very fate hung in the bance.

  "Sir, we've got visuals on the Orks," one of his Rangers reported through the unicator.

  "One moment, I'm heading up," Nico replied. He turned back to the officer. "Thank you. Please keep me updated on any new developments."

  "Of course," the offiodded, a hint of sympathy in his eyes before returning to the chaos of the and room.

  Nico strode purposefully toward one of the hundreds of elevators lining the fortress's interior. He ehe one and rapidly asded to the highest level of the wall. As the doors slid open, he was greeted by the crisp air and the distant rumble of the approag enemy.

  Atop the colossal structure known as the Half Wall, he was close to the enormous ons and the front line of defense. From this vantage point, he could see the battlefield, a grim spectacle stretg out to the horizon.

  He positioned himself among the officers statio their defense posts, their faces etched with determination and underlying dread as they awaited the Titans' advance.

  It wasn't hard to spot them. Their immense size and grotesque forms made them unmistakable even at a dista monstrosities, the Titans trudged forward, their metal exoskeletons glinting ominously uhe brooding sky. Each step they took shook the earth, leaving a trail of destru in their wake.

  "By the stars," one of the younger officers whispered, his eyes wide with disbelief.

  From one end of the horizon to the other, more than fifty Titans marched inexorably toward them, apanied by swarms of other war maes the Ork were piloting.

  "Don't wait for them to get too close! We won't have air support. As soon as they're within range, unleash steel and psma on those Orks' heads!" Nico shouted to the officers around him. His and was swiftly reyed down the lines, eg through the ranks of defenders atop Half Wall.

  The thunderous crack of the first arked the start of the battle. Despite the relentless barrage that transformed the terrain before the wall into a pockmarked wastend of craters, the Tita advang. The Orks' war maes were destroyed as colteral damage, but they weren't the primary target—the Titans were.

  "Titans at two thousaers! Rangers, prepare to jump!" Nico's voice resonated over the s.

  Not all Rangers could engage from atop the massive wall. Many were gearing up to leap onto the backs of the Titans as they approached. The Half Wall was so tall that only a few Titans matched its height, giving the Rangers a ce to drop onto the monstrosities from above.

  The defensive ons roared without pause. Along the lines, officers rushed to reload the colossal ons while others readied for the volley. The tinuous exge turhe battlefield into a cmor of destru.

  Yet, all they could manage was to slow the grotesque behemoths. Ten minutes into the battle, the Titans were already at the foot of the wall.

  "Prepare to jump!" Nico repeated the and. As the first Titan—a skeletal behemoth made of bone—smmed its fist into the wall, the first wave ers uhemselves at the enemy. Like tiny ants, they desded onto the monster's back, aiming to inflict as much damage as possible.

  But this was only the first of over fifty such creatures.

  "The mechs have broken through the Ork armada! They'll arrive in five minutes!" The annou reverberated among the officers and reached Nico's ears.

  "Don't stop! Keep firing!" Nico bellowed, striving to bolster the defenders' morale. As he shouted, he caught sight of a massive fist—or what resembled a fist—of a metallic Titan pung through a lower level of the wall, causing a tremor to ripple through its structure.

  "Nico, something's nht. The mechs haven't arrived yet, but a strong energy signature is approag," one of the trol ter officers reported over the el. "It's ing from the dire of the Orks."

  "Damn it. Is it a itan?" Nico asked, his mounting at the thought of the Orks deploying an even more formidable on.

  "It doesn't seem to be. The signal is too small," the officer replied.

  A soni tore through the air as soon as the officer finished speaking. Something small and incredibly fast had accelerated toward the wall, colliding with one of the flesh-made Titans. The impact resulted in a gruesome explosion—a geyser of blood arails raining down in all dires.

  Nico eled his Energy into his eyes, enhang his vision to pierce through the chaos.

  Amidst the remains of the fallen Titan stood a ler. emerald armor and wielding two daggers, he unched himself toward aitan, geing another soni as he moved. The sheer speed and power of his assault were astonishing.

  GCLopes