Of Gods and Men

Of Gods and Men by Andy Smillie is a nice short story about a dying princeps. Niall Cathalan, who commands the Imperator Titan Validus, lies dying within its cockpit after the mighty god-machine is brought down by two giant Ork super-heavies. I bet they're Gargants, they're the only ones able to take down an Imperator Titan. Anyway, I like the opening. It starts off with gods and then men, and how Cathalan feels so helpless, so human when disconnected from the Validus. He senses the Orks coming, coming to dismantle the Titan to desecrate it and use it for their Gargants, so he is determined to blow up the Validus before they succeed, and kill a lot of Orks in the process. He succeeds, but when the tech priest adepts of Mars receive the signal that the Validus is doomed, and Cathalan's nice little message about how princeps should not believe in the infallibility of their titans and god-machines, they dismiss it as human error, as weakness of the flesh, and maintain the misplaced arrogance that their god-machines cannot die, cannot fall and are infallible.

It's a nice touch, and a short, entertaining yet insightful addition to the stories of Titans. It takes place in Armageddon, by the way. No Yarrick, no Armageddon Steel Legion, so that sucks, but Titans are always welcome. For the Emperor! It's a very cheap short story, so I think it's worth buying and reading. It doesn't take too long to read, and it's a very touching read that makes you think about gods - and by that I'm referring to god-machines, the Titans - and just how vulnerable they are despite their raw, apocalyptic power. Come on, it's just US$1.99. It's worth it. In my opinion, anyway.