Deus Ex Machina

The Deus Ex Machina is the command zeppelin of The Major, and is the largest airship in the Millennium fleet. It is distinguished from the pair of Graf Zeppelins by its massive size and red-black checkerboard pattern. Like the other zeppelins, it can launch vampirised-troops from the specialised deployment rails, however it is the only aircraft capable of launching the V-1 flying bombs, of which supplies are plentiful. Despite its enormous bulk, it has no trouble keeping up with the smaller, lighter airships, which is most likely due to extra sets of engines.

Technical details


Like the other airships, the Deus Ex Machina is sheeted in a special light metal armor, allowing for the maximum protection possible while still being light enough to be carried by the hydrogen-filled body. However, this armour seems to fare poorly against any sort of ordnance attack (as demonstrated when Zorin's zeppelin, having similar protection, was brought down within moments by Seras Victorias Harkonnen II AA gun), although can hold up for a short while against missile attacks. The the transport compartment seems to be extremely spacious, having enough room to accomodate a large amount of personnel, a huge stash of weaponry, a treasury, a laboratory, and a huge war room connected to the bridge of the ship. The large, oval command centre allows a huge, computerised screen to be present, covering every inch of wall in the room, and can be alternated between a massive strategic map or an external viewport, presumably simulated or on live-feed from external cameras.

The exact size of the Deus Ex Machina is unknown, although it is almost four times the size of the Graf Zeppelins (which, in turn, are each roughly the size of the Hindenburg Zeppelin) and the armory alone is apparently large enough to accomodate an entire U-Boat, as well as an Me-262, a supposed Nazi "UFO", a multitude of Panther tanks (which were, suprisingly, unused in the conquest of London) and other salvaged Nazi surplus - and this is only a fraction of the available space in the entire underside compartment. The airship possesses the facilities to launch airborne assaults via a series of launch rails, designed to catapult the soldiers of the Last Battalion into battle, as well as a multitude of launch hangars designed to fire the V-1 Flying Bombs.

History
It is unclear as to whether the Deus Ex was constructed before the Second World War ended and brought over to the current Millennium base, or built there after the war - although the second idea is more likely, as a zeppelin of any size would be extremely difficult to stealthily convey across the Atlantic. For however long it remained in the bowels of the Millennium complex, the Deus Ex was being constructed to be extremely distinguished from other Zeppelins, turning it into more of a flying warship than its smaller cousins were designed to be. When the Major decided it was time to execute the invasion of London, he set off in his airship accompanied by a pair of Graf Zeppelins to England. Upon arriving and devastating the city with a barrage of V-1 Rockets, the battle-group split, lieutenant Zorin Blitz commandeering one of the smaller airships and bringing it to attack Hellsing Manor. The last of the V-1 rockets were fired off, in support of Zorin's advance.

After this, the Deus Ex Machina found itself in increasingly difficult situations. Having ran dry of rockets after Zorin set off for her assault, and all Last Battalion troops deployed on the ground, the Airship was left without any offensive or, indeed, defensive capabilities. When the Reconquista arrived with their missile gunships, the Zeppelin was devastated by the repeated rocket attacks, which crippled the external frame and caused widespread fires across the hull. By the time Walter met Alucard in combat, the Deus Ex was on the verge of destruction, its entire infrastructure falling apart and its internal works almost completely destroyed. In the end, after the Major was defeated, the flaming airship went down over the ruins of London, in a dramatic explosion reminiscent of the Hindenburg disaster.