Chapter Text
Prologue: Chapter Zero: The Shape of Stars
“At least the stars will remember the shape I gave them”
Kenos’s feet were numb on the furthest offshoot of the Trenchway. Despite the tint of his helmet’s visor, his eye stung. The result of being way too close to the source of a blinding light.
On the edges of the Dreadnaught the twisted creation of Light and Dark – a coalescence of incoherent form and ancient memory – unraveled before him. Thousands of untold trails of the forces dissipating into the ice and dust of Saturn’s rings and the universe before him.
It was aptly fated that the inexplicable entity would meet as fitting an end as the true Taken King. Thrown off the throne of his court, The High War to die in the indifference of the void. Only his killers and the emptied husk of the god slain by his blade – Akka, The Worm of Secrets – to remember the shape of his blade, Willbreaker.
The very same blade he held now.
Then there was the following silence of the Echo’s dying breath. An unforgettable sight. hilling and breathtaking as he looked out beyond into the silence. Specs of cold distant light, filled with untold mystery. Unrealized potential, good and bad, but for now both outcomes were still beyond Sol and out of reach.
The slight buzz by his ears informed him that there was certainly some comms chatter going on even though he wasn’t paying it any mind. The subtle variance of electrical static and radio frequency, a result of his Ghost and partner Proton, patching it through despite the background cosmic radiation, or interfering paracausal forces.
Despite his efforts no signal, Vanguard or otherwise, was going to break through his focus and distract him. He had earned this moment of reprieve. Let Eris and Deputy Commander Sloane debate the semantics of the moment, right now he was the one bearing the weight of accomplishing this.. alone.. as the exhaustion came crashing down from the fight.
The endless hordes of Taken from multiple masters in the deep, the Lucent Brood and of course Savathun’s interference – although for once she didn’t obscure those intentions and was direct – the result of “family matters”.
Xivu Arath's minions too, as the cowardly ‘God of War’ hid behind her tithes of death and the viral infection of the Wrathborn disease.
The Echo itself was of course in the fight for existence. While it was halfheartedly putting up a resistance, it was still significant enough a threat, and then finally the still in shadow fourth interference.
A Subjugator directly wielding the Taken for some newly formed master. Shifting the transformation of the deep into new twisted forms – By the Traveler's Will he hates those damn freaky eyes that try to drain his light – he’s heard the Warlocks in the Tower discussing what the heck it was, everything from the planet Mercury to something that just made itself up in the Ascendant plane.
Sol was already a torn up battleground, and still threats kept on surfacing every time the Vanguard could wrap up a front.
All loose ends to deal with, but not now. No sense in rushing the inevitable.
Kenos made to sit down slowly, letting go and placing the reformed Willbreaker on the ground to his right, the black and white flames flickering. Adjusting his spot on the edge to look out into the void as the exhaustion from channeling light and dark went through him.
He took a heavy breath, in… and out, as a different type of message broke through the exhaustion and melancholy.
A single thought, or rather a sub-vocalization over the private channel. The mental link and part of the core bond between Guardian & Ghost that made the “backpack” feasible.
……………………..
( ‘You're thinking back on that aren’t you?’ )
There's no need for him to answer Proton, or open his mind so that he can share a response directly. We know each other well enough that it doesn’t need to be said.
‘Yes I am reflecting, and I know you are too, but you’re going to try to find a way to shine a light before it starts to slow me down’
…………………………….
‘Might as well see if I get a head start on what’s next’
He sifts through a tactical pocket attached to his mark feeling for and taking out the latest piece of a new system wide mystery to be solved and resolved.
"You desire endless challenge".
‘No, no he really doesn’t.’
The latest proverbial ‘Rock at the Window’ is literally that of the simplest piece on the chess board, vertically sliced down the middle.
A pawn can take or be sacrificed to preserve a greater win condition. Sometimes that would be to defend another piece, other times to delay until the board was set.
If this was actually his pawn well… chances were it wasn’t going to last for long. The few times he’s played a proper game of chess it was usually against Antares who would force him into check before he got any rudimentary tactics or proper strategies to work, or when he had tried a match or two with Wi-Ven thinking he would have a leg up on the rookie.
Forget it. The kid was talented in everything that got thrown his way. From picking up how to flow with Strand before he and the others could wield it, to being just as much of a menace on a checkered board.
Although as usual he would be openly panicking throughout most of the process which at least kept his spirits up while being defeated.
Despite this, he wasn’t entirely hopeless. He did have a few wins against those Warlocks in a game of wits, and while that didn’t mean anything overall, it gave him the insight needed to realize why this was different.
Pawns, given the circumstances were met, could be promoted to fit a different purpose. The only piece that could have a transformation forced upon it. Its shape changed.
To force purpose from it. The very same fault of the first civilization to be visited and blessed by the Traveler's light, and the first to lose themselves in darkness in the search for meaning and their purpose in the universe.
Was that the sort of underlying intent behind the message? That we were still being played by greater powers? Or was it another ‘Change to our will or be destroyed?’
These messages were always so cryptic, if it wasn’t for the fact that he wanted to proactively protect, instead of being stuck on the walls of the City waiting for news to strike that he would just quit trying to find a solution right here.
Why did they even send chess pieces and pawns anyway? Entities from beyond our dimension seriously couldn’t write a damn letter? Regardless he was a Guardian, whatever force that would come to challenge him, he would meet and bend to his will.
Only one time had he failed, a complicated moment of relief and triumph, sorrow and rage that had clouded the knife wound that stayed with Kenos since.
“I… I don’t understand”.
It was not just the fear of death, that was what he had failed to understand that day, as he tried to live on and pick up the pieces of that day.
After all, he still had to figure out why out of all the horrors that the Witness had wrought, it was that line that haunted him since.
The Last City - Earth, A Month later.
It had been a month since he had destroyed the Echo, and Kenos was getting restless. Despite his efforts, keeping his ears open and listening in the City and the Tower while Proton surfed any and all open-access channels, they had no answers to what was coming next.
He would go and ask for a proper audience with the Vanguard but they had been tied down with a different problem entirely lately. The people of the Last City were no longer afraid of invasion. The resolve of the coalition had proven firm and no significant threats beyond the walls meant it was the dawn of a new age.
The Frontiers of Earth, and the rest of the Golden Age of the Sol System were ready to be reclaimed. While he still had doubts about how long it would take to fix some of those far off colonies even if there was no resistance – good luck to whoever wanted to fix up New Pacifica – Earth at least was ready for reclamation. The ambition was there, and he was caught up in the middle of it.
The horn of a massive truck cuts through the bustle of the crowd.
“Coming through, clear the road! Make way and get to the sides people.”
He’s a bit in the center but makes his way to the left just in time. Narrowly twisting his torso to the side, dodging the mirror of an armored transport slowly making its way down the crowded road. He backs up to the edges as the rest of the convoy starts to round the corner
“Proton, that's the fifth one today, are they serious about going out there without Vanguard approval?”
With a flash of light to my left, Proton pops out of the backpack, hovering to face in front of me.
“Yeah they are, you know about the ruling. The people are restless, it's the natural reaction that a wave of proper hope for a decent future inspires after so long”.
“Yes but you know how that goes.”
He scoffs and floats backward while facing me a bit before.. He picks up some speed, the panels of his shell made out of retrofitted Warsat panels bonk into my temple.
“Why!”
“That’s the Guardian tenets, Kenos! Just try to have some faith that the rest of humanity can survive out there with the right equipment without us Guardians stuck on overwatch duty. It's not like they are going to Fundament!”
Kenos rubs the sore spot away, ‘Why did he even let Proton get his damn shell on Warsat material anyways’
“For protection, and because I asked nicely” Proton responds proudly, a little rude and very much like him.
“Did I even send you that message or are you just guessing?”
“Well, thank you for confirming my victory as usual.”
Thankfully the Traveler ensured that Proton’s dry wit was always on his side against his foes when it mattered. Although really that was just his personality and all be all.
A sigh escapes me before I even realize it. I should have just flown the Starling over and transmitted directly there or onto a nearby roof or something. If I knew it was going to take this long due to nothing but traffic. The Traveler wasn’t even in the way anymore! Flight restrictions be damned he can get caught later.
Either way they keep moving. He has an objective to reach and unfortunately the fastest route that Proton can find is still an hour on foot, through the densely trafficked and populated Old Santiago District, and then the Peregrine District, or as it was commonly nicknamed by those who were often in the Crucible when not in active combat, Suros HQ.
After that he would reach the Edges of Old Botza, or what was now known as the Riis district. The Fallen House of Light presence having built it up from a dilapidated ruin from the Kell’s Scourge to a prosperous metropolis.
Regardless, if there was any district he didn't mind getting caught up in it's that of Old Santiago. The smells of the various open food stalls, a welcome difference from the sterile steel of the Tower, or worse the Hive corruption elsewhere.
Old Santiago wasn’t particularly Guardian dense but rather served as a local commercial hub for Golden Age relics. The infrastructure of the district itself not nearly as dense as the other districts of the city, but instead a restoration of old golden age construction.
It also has a pretty well stocked open market. He’s pretty sure if Guardians didn’t just need light to sustain themselves there would be Guardians on every corner. Hell, probably a gang of Hunters protecting it without anyone’s official knowledge.
A waft of the smell of fresh bread hits his nose, the smell of barbecue smoke also lingers throughout the road, meat fresh off the grill. If any Guardian needed a proper counter argument as to why they should take their helmet off when they can get the chance, just being able to enjoy from afar here is that reason.
“Excuse me! Pardon, coming through!”
He’s making headway against the crowd even though he’s going against the flow of traffic here. It also helps that he's still in his usual combat armor excluding the helmet.
Proton floats around the corner and takes a look before turning to face me before I can get there.
“You’re clear, but we’re going to be waiting a bit till we get to the other side.” His shell wiggles a bit as he carefully floats higher over the crowd for a better view.
“Are we still going to make it at a good time?”
“Yeah we’ll be fine” he chirps. “Besides, maybe this can convince you that they might not actually need as much direct support as a mission off-world.”
Kenos rounds the corner to one of the main boulevards.
Before him down the street past the crowd directly in front of him is what can only be described as a full on military parade from the Forces of the City (FOTC). As a continuous convoy of militarized personal carriers carrying battalions of troops, flanked by smaller regiments of guards intermixed with a few combat frames in their ranks.
Each side of the main street filled to the brim with a cheering crowd that went right up to the edges of the less dense older buildings here. Between the various street market vendors in front of the buildings and the crowds overlapping the curves it was going to be a tight fit. Still he had to go up a block or so before the crossing was ideal according to Proton’s calculations.
Well, if I can’t cut across it, I might as well enjoy the show. I shuffle to the edges of the crowd to get a better view.
I feel Proton levitate down to a few inches above my head.
“So what’s the rest of this parade got to show?" I ask over the roar of the crowd. I can feel Proton tilting down to answer me as the edges of his shell somewhat disrupt the curled blond spikes – it's like that even without a helmet messing it up – that my hair is, and at one point, was, before I was even resurrected.
“Are you asking for me to spoil it with a tactical scan?”
“If I am?”
“Then I am going to deny it! It's not like this is a big convoy anyway, it's only an offshoot of.. Hold on, let me check. I know they’ve made some adjustments recently.”
A few digital chirps escape from him as he scans through digital data in a way that no organics like me are capable of visualizing.
“Is that why you didn’t calculate that we were going to be directly cutting through a parade route?”
A click and a sigh escapes his shell. “...Yes.. I didn’t think it was going to be necessary”
A small victory in the battle of wits I try to keep up with my best friend.
“Alright it's a subsection of combat unit Gamma, last time I checked there was only 2 subsections for Gamma and they were being routed through the opposite edges of the Peregrine District, but if this is correct then the volunteer recruitment has really been catching steam. They're up to 5 and they have started work on a new unit, Helios just last week”
“Damn, I knew that this was a popular move for the Forces of the City and determined in The Consensus but I didn’t think it was going to be such a force of nature”
“Me neither”, Proton floats to my right shoulder, “I guess this really is the dawn of a new era isn’t it?”
Kenos glances over to him, meeting his blue expressive as ever eye.
“Well regardless of my skepticism… I hope you’re right. It would be nice for the Last City to no longer be the last, for us Guardians to not be constantly thrown into endless battle. For this to be known as The First City.”
A small laugh escapes Proton, “Surely by that point they will have come up with a better name for it then just switching it to First!”
I smirk at him.
“And if they don’t~?”
“Well, I plan to be there complaining about the lack of imagination all the while until they change it!”
We both laugh at that. It's nice to have the good mood of a small festival like this influence us, especially after months out in the field.
“Alright then Proton, where are they actually planning to head this expedition again?”
“Well isn’t it obvious~? The sec…”
“Not the Second to Last City!”
His shell points down at that in a faux pout, “That would be even worse wouldn’t it.. Well it's actually all things considered a very good spot they picked out for it. We’ve been there before in the past once… Although this is a long while back. “
“Before I met up with Antares then?”
"Yes, you get one more hint. That is we weren’t there for long but you picked up your first bow there on the shoreline."
That narrows it down quite a bit. If this were anything related to the usual patrol zones I would have it memorized down to the very rock, but the various ruins of old Golden Age Earth are tricky, since I’m pretty sure there were two different massive city ruins over there, and they were right across from each other.
I go with the better option. “Buenos Aires, that’s where I picked up my Arsenic Bite and got into my first firefight with the Hive and that Tomb-ship half buried in the sand."
Proton nods. “Yup, right on the coast, this time with no Tomb-ship waiting for you to pull into harbor.” He pauses and rotates his shell looking back out onto the parade, the last of the troop carriers are rounding the corner. Proton then picks up where he left off .
“Instead of being surrounded on all sides by mountains like we are, the idea is this time instead of an impenetrable fortress it's to be an open City. Easy to get to, but still a decently defensible location with easy access for both sea and space travel. If things work out well, they’ll develop over the decades and start to send out their own expeditions in turn.”
A low rumble of the engine starts to resonate throughout the air. I'm familiar with this one though, being both behind the wheel of it and manning the gun to blast through heavy armor.
The massive steel frame rounds the corner, its 120mm cannon safely lowered and powered off in civilian areas.
Kenos has to admit Proton was right, the wait was worth it. “They got Drake Tanks for this? I thought those were Vanguard exclusive?”
“They were, that changed about a year ago.” He pauses with the re-calibrating chirp that Ghosts tend to do — I’m not sure but I’ve always assumed it's the equivalent to how we organics clear our throats — also Exo’s although there some slight differences.
“Many things changed, including the limited Vanguard patent on these for defense purposes. We were still wrapping up the Echo’s then so it escaped broader notice.”
The low rumble grows increasingly louder as the weight of the vehicle and overall power of the engine behind it grows closer. Looking back to the end of the road though I can see the edges of the sloped armor of number 9E slowly coming into view.
“Just one of many.” I agree with Proton.
The first Drake Tank has made its way directly in front of me. Sure enough it’s the next model in the series. A few more missile bays were capped and hidden in the body of the main turret then what I remember.
The engine’s likely improved also, even though he can’t obviously go and open the hood. He had wrecked a few of these in a few contests with Shaxx under the First Heavy Metal Operation. Turns out he was just a Nitrous test dummy who was baited into it for a few rewards so they didn’t have to waste time programming and setting up combat frames capable of driving those things.
“Well I have to admit, this is more than I thought they would have.”
“Exactly, and considering they’re going to have a thousand of these out in the field with the proper support equipment.”
“All for live combat or just to secure the perimeter and rotate?”
Proton glances back at me after a slight pause of parsing through some files
“Rotation based, they need sleep and more maintenance then we do. I wouldn’t be surprised though if a few Guardians sneak on through as colonists, or just end up joining this expedition voluntarily.”
Kenos answers him with a question “Out of sight Miracle workers then like the Dark Age?”
“I’m sure, even though they refused direct Vanguard Support as a measure of their own independence, we’ll still be there if we need to.”
Proton starts to float away from my shoulder and up again
“Besides, not only are they still within the long range air defense of the city, they’re getting support from other members of the Coalition.”
“Wait you mea-” Before I can finish my reply a massive thud that drowns out the Engines of the Drake sounds the street. I can nearly feel the shudder of the road as I see a massive steel leg painted in a faded naval blue come into view.
“Its a familiar sight, although it's usually an enemy.”
Standing two to three stories tall, nearly eclipsing everything around it its shadow and almost level with the rooftops of the entire district around it.
A massive House of Light Brig. The emblem of Mithrax’s house is engraved onto the faceplate of the massive sentient war machine. Slowly and deliberately moving lock step by step behind the Drakes despite its mere feet likely being enough to crush it entirely in a single stomp or landing of any kind.
Sure enough it's also fully kitted with all the familiar weaponry. Massive retracted and folded void energy based fusion cannons on its arms, shield generators built into the shoulders of both of them to shield and dampen the majority of the damage before it could even reach the armor that would block the rest.
The missile arrays are attached behind the main body of the unit. Detachable through a snap-off bracket in case of risk of exploding or compromising the safety of the unit, or more specifically the shoulder cannon pointed upward and retracted back into the protective shielding of the unit.
All that as if a Giant Mech with sentience wasn’t enough of a threat already. He had more than a few deaths being crushed underfoot by the massive war machines. If it wasn’t that, it was getting hit with Area of Effect Anti-Tank weaponry while fighting off the rest of the Fallen that usually did the trick to set him back to zero.
Kenos had a smile on his face looking up at the machine, its double pairs of four blue eyes scanning out onto the horizon. While Proton drifts back down into view
“Well, worth the small wait then?” Proton asks
“Yeah I guess I’ve underestimated just how much pull the City has by itself.”
Proton’s eye meets mine “Your hesitation.. it makes sense. For so long now the City and humanity had been completely dependent on us Guardians and Ghosts. Hell, the Traveler itself too, despite being wounded multiple times, decided to make its stance right above us. Only leaving us to keep us safe from collateral in case it was destroyed as it fought against the Witness.”
Keno’s smile fades as his focus shifts to respond to Proton with the seriousness that this topic deserves.
Proton considers calling him out on the right hand that has found its way under his chin, a very Warlock move, but chooses not to ruin the moment.
“Then we’re repaying the debt we owe them.”
Proton nods “It took a long time for us to learn to listen to its silence, that Light and Dark as forces aren't morality. The Traveler's choice to stand with humanity after running for so long was just that. A choice.. Now here we are having re-payed that debt from its sacrifice and given humanity a chance.”
I remember Proton summarizing The Symmetry. 'A wager that we’re stronger together.’
Proton lightly taps into my head to shift my focus, “Speaking of stronger together I think you’ll recognize that fellow comrade.”
Keno’s focus shifts to the sides of the elite brig, sure enough on each side of it is a member of the Empire’s Honor Guard, and right on our side is a trooper in royal blue that I know well, Ulan’btor. The toughest Cabal – save the Empress herself – I’ve ever had the honor of fighting with side by side
“Time to go say hello then.” Proton floats on up above my head by a good few feet to make it easy for the fellow to spot me, after all he’s on duty right now and he’s not the best at finding a ‘Small fist’ in the crowd.
A minute later both the brig and he reached my side looking down onto me. While the Brig moves on, Ulan stops in front of me, looking down at me with an intimidating glare that gets a few citizens nearby to back away from the head and a half taller than me and an immovable beast to the core that true ‘Space Rhinos’ like him are.
Ulan though, tough as he is, has got heart and interestingly a rare trait among Cabal. A good sense of humor when not in active combat, jovial, but not insane like Calus.
“Ah Small Fist.. there you are.. It took me a second to see you. Have you come to see me off on this honorable crusade?” ”He holsters his heavy slug thrower to spread his arms in a wide grand gesture to the Brig and the rest of the parade in front of him that is passed us by.
Kenos smirks in response “Well I was in the area passing through, besides you’re not heading out till next week.”
Ulan moves a hand to his armor with exaggerated bravado “Ahh.. you wound me Small Fist. Here I was thinking you couldn’t miss a single moment of my Glory.”
Keno's confidence never faltered. “Clearly I couldn’t see it, bit too high up there for me to get a full view of down here.”
Ulan bursts into a deep laugh “Hahaha! Then I will have to find a platform for you.”
He laughs as I raise a fist to meet him. I can see the smile through the helmet, as he lowers his closed fist to meet mine.
Also despite the nickname, I’m not that much of a small fist as I am that of a normal human. While, sure 185 cm doesn’t make me the biggest Titan compared to the size and overall presence of an Elite Cabal Warrior it isn’t that short.
I’m still not sure if Proton’s telling the truth or messing with me when he says my resurrection might have 'Added a few inches' so that I could actually wield light as a Titan without issue.
“Come then” he gestures as the Brig and overall force makes its way down the roads, “Your mission can wait a few minutes for my glory.”
Behind us I can see that this Brig was the closing statement for the combat unit. For the most part they were there just to make sure nobody got close, and to try to shut it or take it down if necessary.
Proton speaks up before I can reply. “Surely they aren’t just going to let random Guardians join this? We’d be breaking the perimeter."
“It is no concern, you are not in the middle, you are just behind us in a big shadow, yes?”
He pauses. “Besides they don’t really have an answer to handle you even if they are mad.”
Kenos glances over at the other Honor Guard, who glances back clearly disinterested.
“You won’t get chewed out for disregarding protocol, it's not like we’re being subtle?”
“Well.. Um no. I am a volunteer, just like this big machine here, we aren’t in the field yet. If we were then yes.. Big trouble, but this is just an early celebration of upcoming victory.”
Proton zaps a message over our private channel to me instead of speaking. (' It's going in a mostly parallel route to our location now save the prior turn, we can afford 15 minutes, then we’ll have to bolt to make our meeting with the informant ')
I nod to him in understanding.
“Alright I got 10 before I need to make it to the other side of the city and jump into the field again. You mind telling me how you managed to just sign up for this? I thought you were supposed to be by the Empress’ side or on missions with her?”
He nods back with a mutual understanding as he moves to catch up to the convoy, waving me forward before un-holstering the weapon for the sake of proper showmanship.
Kenos takes a look back, sure enough the road behind him is returning to normal.
“Still the busy warrior Kenos, where to next on your hunt?”
“I didn’t say I was going anywhere though?”
“HA! That’s not your style. You always move with purpose, every strike properly executed to break your adversaries. Your movement is no different, you may be a Titan but there’s a lot more ‘War Beast’ in you than most.”
I sigh in resignation. I guess I am a bit easier to read than I intend to be sometimes.
“You’re right, only thing is though I have no idea where.”
He glances down to me as we loosely keep pace with the Brig, clearly surprised. “No idea?”
I glanced back up with a smirk, “Nope, all I know is that an a… lets just call it a mutual associate.. reached out to me saying that he had information that I wouldn’t refuse as long as I kept it quiet. They know I am looking for relevant leads since I haven’t found any progress. All I know I’m just jumping out to find another dead end.”
Ulan is silent for a moment as I continue to follow his escort, the metallic heavy thuds of the Brig, the low thrums of the Drakes in front and the sound of the crowd drowning out any sub-vocalizations.
“I see.. different from usual then, what do you intend to find out there?
I pause for a moment weighing my words carefully. “Resolution, if not that at least the chance to take the fight out there like we’re supposed to. Firebreak style.”
I can see he’s debating what to say. I wait respectfully.. taking note of the Brig’s movement to make sure its AI doesn’t decide to go rogue in some regard.
Hell I am still surprised that House Light was clearly ready to begin making moves to establish itself as the Premier House on Earth once and for all with Mithrax still recovering and Eido busy learning from both Him and Variks in taking over operations to prepare for her role as successor.
Even if everything went right it would take centuries to defeat Dusk, Devils, and the various remnants of Winter, Salvation, Shades and all the rest.
“I understand, but be wary my friend. There will always be another battle out there if you look hard enough. Great for glory, but through all the blood you may find that the real answers slip out of sight.”
“As was the case for Torobatl, we fought to crush the Hive for good at the border of the empire and yet they managed to hide their true blade until our underbelly was exposed so that when we took a deep breath and stepped forward before our strike they could plunge it further.”
Kenos and Proton look at him surprised about this. “I thought you were going to say something like just fight harder” Proton beats me to the punch, the plates of his shell fold outward.
“Well. you should never fight ‘Small’ Spark,” Ulan pauses to clear his throat. “Bad for keeping sharp.”
“Get out there, find your answers, the both of you. Just have some patience so that when you strike you know you will walk away with whatever lead you need. Fighting for info and to eliminate entirely are different forms of War.”
As always Ulan continues to surprise. The Cabal may have some overall similarities but like every individual there are nuances. “Strategy over might then, I’m surprised to hear that from you?”
He shrugs “If this was the old ways, yes not popular to admit might isn’t the way, but Caiatl needs a few sharp cleavers for every hammer. Ha! It's why I have my job still!”
Kenos smiles. He’s only got a few minutes left now as he rounds the bend. He’s not keeping time strictly, but internal sense tells him he doesn’t have long now before Proton tells him to keep moving and he hasn’t even asked about how the coalition got involved.
“Still have the old position, how are you able to do both?”
Ulan doesn’t even glance back at me as he continues marching forward. “Oh this is just some shore leave. “
“You get some vacation time, and the first thing you do is sign up to be a volunteer soldier elsewhere for a few months at least?”
“Well.. This is not so bad, good for morale, and keeps the coalition strong.. I take break. Enjoy some sun and water on my hide before I go back to real duty. Besides, there should be enough action on the edges of your new city to keep me interested for a little while.”
Kenos nods at that while Proton sends him a minute. “What about the Elkinsi, any of our mutual friends out there?”
He shrugs “I’m a part of the newest addition, Kethran nor Nyxva are out there, they’re busy making these war machines though.”
Kenos speaks up “Thanks Ulan, just trying to keep an eye out even though it's been a while since I’ve seen those two.”
He sub-vocalizes a grunt in reply “Think nothing of it, comrades always should.” .. “So now you owe me.”
“I owe you? Where did this come from?”
“Yes, once you know where you’re heading, you will let me know.”
“Didn’t I just tell you that whatever I receive is going to be confidential, not even The Vanguard is going to know about it.”
Ulan’Btor isn’t phased in the slightest “Yes. No need to be specific ‘Small Fist’, I have no intent to let others know. If it turns out that there is glory to be earned, mettle to be tested, then I shall be there for whatever hell you bring for me to smash.”
Stubborn as always, or maybe I am the stubborn one, thinking it would be too much of a trouble to leave at least one backup bit of knowledge.
“Alright I yield, you’ll get something later.”
He grunts in confirmation.
I look at Proton “Alright time to get on the route with a bit of backtracking right?” Proton looks back as his panels shift in the approximation of a subtle directional nod upward towards the rooftops. “Well if you want to be boring, but if you want to risk some rules I can get you there twenty minutes or so faster and out of this.”
I already know what he's thinking. I nod as I look to Proton before looking at the back of the Brig unit behind me and the folded up fusion cannon just waiting for me.
“Get going bud!” Proton transmits my helmet onto me in a flash. The blue white holographic light of the Guardian combat hud and the radar in the top left of my field of vision flashing with a new risky route.
Proton has already vanished into the ‘backpack’ and is speaking via the private channel.
( 'Alright this is going to break at least 15 different rules but by the time they get around to this even if they catch us we’re going to have another City up and running, now get to the rooftop Titan! ')
Kenos nods a farewell to Ulan who already knows that I am going to be taking a shortcut.
I embrace the flow within the darkness, feeling for the tension and the pull of the weave between the minds and the binding of reality around me.
Embracing my instinct as the flow and tugging feeling reaches out from within my mind and is felt throughout my shoulders and flows throughout the rest of my limbs. The sensation of Strand, not absolute control but proper harmony within.
I let loose a Strand grapple that wraps around the back of the fusion Cannon and leap up into the air with the natural boost of a Titan’s jump, assisted with the rocket boosting thrusters on my legs and back.
Swinging forward and upward until I am a dozen feet above the rooftops across. The Brig started to turn to face me but I don't care enough to say goodbye. As I take off into a sprint, sliding underneath a few clotheslines before leaping off and grappling to the antenna of the next building.
The establishment that Kenos and Proton have found themselves in truly feels like a slice of the Tangled Shore that has burrowed itself into the foundation of the Last City.
Still, it's what to expect from the shadiest elements of the Riis district. The parts that remind you it's built on the ruins of Botza which was crushed under The Scourge and The Endless Night. The sheer will to survive forever burnt into the grime and ash of the repurposed remnants of what once stood here before.
The bar reuses the name of an old joint of his, ‘The Ether Tank’, and is in the basement of one of the more reputable Eliksni engineered commercial enterprises in the district with none the wise.
The upper half, a shiny monument to triumph and perseverance, and lurking just below its surface is Spider’s aptly named tank, filled to the brim with those whose morals depend on the client and the price instead of a more rigid coexistence.
The types of Guardians who would stick by the more rigid rules would often call these places Ticking Time Bombs — I used to be that way too — yet Shade-31 changed my mind one day out in the drift as we fought alongside each other on Spider’s Ketch, to dismantle a pirate crew whose name I had forgotten.
“Kenos, it’s simple when you think about it. More you try to force people to adapt one way” he pauses to flip a spectral blade out of his hand and throws it in my direction. It nearly takes my head off my shoulders but finds its mark in the chest of a Captain that had tried to blink and run its shock blades through my back.
I turn to see the void energy devouring the armor around the impaled area as he rolls past me and rips it out his chest. The energy releasing and the void collapsing and consuming the rest of him till there’s nothing left.
“The worse the pressure builds, if you let it be but keep an eye on it, the pressure's got a place to go and you know when to run.”
An attempt at a visual lesson. Although the void would have devoured him anyway.
This place is one of those areas where the pressure can be released, where the Eliksni underworld slowly blends into the everyday life of the City.
Guardians are welcome here under Spider’s banner for their services but are regarded with high suspicion, which is well founded.
All the more reason to keep ever reliable Fatebringer holstered on my leg in view. I’m not here for anything but business and to get the info I need – free of charge from cashing in on a prior favor – take the job attached, and leave without any excitement.
Kenos heads straight to the bar, the first rule of business at a tavern is to order something while you wait for the main man in the back.
“What would you recommend to a newcomer who’s looking for a decent kick but still needs to maintain some wit about him?" I prod the green spiked armored bartender across me watching as the lower set of arms and his claws shake a bottle of an ice blue cold concoction in front of me.
He stays silent but raises an upper limb to indicate he’s heard me, before heading to the other side of the counter to deal with a group of Eliksni that carry themselves with the confidence of a well earned victory.
Proton is hovering right next to me mumbling a bit of disgruntled frustration.
“This is, what the fourth establishment he’s on now and every time now not only does it nearly double in size he finds a way to double the potency of everything at the bar too!”
I glance to my right to see him fuddling with his shell plates as he subtly scans the array of drinks, or more appropriately concoctions and experiments on the wall behind the bar.
A standard assortment of alcohol and ether brews of all sorts. Although a few of the colors are strange enough on the wall that I’m questioning whether they can be served or not if the client is mortal.
I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of those bottles were ripped out of Eido’s brewing machine.
“Well that’s how you know he’s running a good business, multiple operating branches that keep on expanding in offerings. Got to hand it to him, he sure knows how to adapt.”
Proton looks back to me, his protective Warsat Panels pointed downward in the approximation of an exasperated sigh “That he does, weaving a web of crime and allegiance knowing that the Vanguard doesn’t know what to do with him.”
“Still he’s a broker and a good one, we only fed him our request a few months ago, and he’s already providing us with a lead while the Vanguard and all official channels are still distracted with Earth and everything else except what matters.”
He does a re-calibrating chirp as he rotates his panels “I’m with you on that. They’re not gone and until every ship in that fleet is shattered, I am with you.”
“Besides” he does the ghost equivalent of an eye roll. “You know I’m not too much of a hard shell.”
“Who are you and what have you done with Proton?”
Proton speeds up and floats his way into my head again as I gently swat him.
“The same Proton as always, who’s learned it's better to properly direct your nonsense than stop it.”
He intends to chew me out more but pauses as the Eliksni bartender comes on over to me and I point to a bottle of liquid amber on the wall — likely some variant of hard liquor — That should have a decent kick, and more importantly Proton can potentially zap out of me with some healing light if it's too potent.
All in all, a safer bet than asking Spider’s agent to mix up something custom.
“Still don’t get too indebted to him. Sure he owes us a lot considering we’ve helped smuggle a few operations for him in the past, and kept the peace with House Light but if we’re not careful that could easily be reversed on us.”
Kenos nods in confirmation as he watches the bartender take the bottle and a few shot glasses and divvy out a portion, pouring out the amber liquid smooth as a ladle, with not even so much as a bubble of excess air.
“Don’t intend to” I keep it short as the shot glass is placed in front of me. Seemingly in agreement with me — likely approving how I’m being serious with this instead of blowing off his concern — as while we may disagree. I do care about his opinions and listen to him.
Proton vanishes in a flash of light into the backpack as I hand over a cube of glimmer for the payment, however before the bartender can move off to another customer I give a subtle wave toward me to indicate that I have something to say.
“I’m here for a meeting with the big man out back.” I unfold the ‘invitation’ that a deal like this requires.
At first glance it would appear to be a normal playing card however instead of spades, or clubs it's an eight of spider. A special no questions asked, all access with the boss. Reserved for those who have earned his favor, or in my case Guardians who’ve been through more than enough that it would be foolish to go against me. Perks of having survived through the years from the Garden to the Heart.
“He’ll recognize this, tell him that Dusk's End is here as scheduled.”
I can tell that I might have intimidated the bartender slightly but he recovers rapidly before taking the card out of my hand without so much as a whisper. As I take my first swig I watch him slip around the corner out of sight from my position up front.
‘Now we wait’ I transmit through the mental link of the private channel, no point in Proton being out for this when we are going to be receiving the same info and he’s still here with me. Spider’s history with ghosts is all the reason he needs to stay in ‘my backpack’.
( 'Agreed time to see if this was worth it and were we are jumping to tomorrow morning' )
I nod in confirmation as I take another sip, not much left and Proton’s not sending any warnings just yet about it being drugged or my tolerance failing. Small victories in learning how to be enough of a hunter while still being a Titan.
After all, the Classes were social constructs made over centuries to guide Guardians to wield light and dark in accordance to who they are. Not long ago we couldn’t wield darkness, now we’ve discovered and have accepted Prismatic and unified the two disparate forces in harmony. Eventually breaking that order would be the next step right?
(' Perhaps you should stop practicing your inner warlock. He's back. ') I look up to see the stern face of the Eliksni bartender looking at me, not with any sort of disdain but a calm focus as he comes up to me.
“Two minutes. The agent will come out the door, you’ll follow him in, after that business.” I nod in affirmation.
Before I know it I’ve passed through the airlock with two of Spider’s spike armored guards on either side of me. Good news is they both seem relaxed, holding their shock spears loosely with their upper arms, the voltage not even activated.
As usual under a banner and resting in the big hanging chair himself is the boss.
“Ahh.. there you are Kenos.. How’s one of my favorite killers, after a tour on the Dreadnaught Hahahaha.”
As usual the coughing huff of Spider’s re-breather fills the gaps in between his words. The raspy breaths the cost of survival after being left for dead in the drift.
“I’ve been better, as usual with the Hive endless fighting for little real gain”
Spider's voice drops “As always with the Hive, bad for any business establishment. Lucent, Xivu, not a single one of them make things easier in that part of the system but.. a necessary margin.”
“Well, for what’s it worth the Dreadnaught’s mostly been silenced and there’s a decent rotation of Guardians out there even if the Vanguard is keeping most of the names quiet. A few rookies sure, and a few big names to keep things locked down.”
A low grunt escapes his re-breather.
“I already know my friend, but .. I always appreciate a word from the inside to confirm that my ears on the ground are reporting right..”
He takes a long raspy breath “Always have, always will.. Loss is part of the cost of business my friend… the cost. If you wish to weave a web, a few strands will always be split.” His grip tightens on the fractured ghost shell in his offhand.
I nod, reading in between the lines that he already has a job in mind for me and is soon ready to move on from the pleasantries.
“Still, you’ve upgraded locations again, you seem to be doing quite well despite those losses if your bar up front is of any consolidation.”
“Ha!”.. You don’t know half of what’s up there and what it could do to you, still we both know why you’re here.” His voice sharpens “Your real Interest.”
“No matter what secrets I share about my lovely establishment” he throws his upper arms wide, his lower two still folded.
“We both know there’s not a single mix up front that is strong enough to stop you. Best be careful.. with your vengeance.” he snorts.
I smirk “I’m aware that I’m too straightforward. I’m no hunter, but I can still throw a few surprises at your game. I need the practice you know, surely you can see when a novice is aiming for greatness~?”
“Ha!” “One day, you will finally rival Shade with your cunning and be able to throw me off without your power, but my friend… That same power is why we’re still here. A frozen universe after all cannot be dealt a bad hand.” His eyes sharpen at that.
“You asked for a favor, and I.. as a proper businessman intend to pay you back what’s owed for a proper service.”
His voice and rasp lowers to a more serious demeanor “Lets skip to business...shall we ~”
I slightly exhale a bit of air as I hear Proton speaking into my head via the private channel of our bond. ( 'He's being surprisingly generous, you think this is also because we gave him that head start before we finally put Fikrul in the ground? ')
“Alright Guardian, you know the House rules… What I say is strictly business.. Your lips are sealed if you want any more info."
“What did you find for me out there that’s worth sending me out?”
“After you and young Eido finally put our oldest mutual bastard in the ground. You knocked every player out of the outer ring. Shame you couldn’t get Eramis too but Eido’s softhearted, and our Kell’s only weakness is what stopped your trigger.”
He’s not wrong, if there’s a next time those two aren’t stopping me.
“While you were busy dealing with the Hive, the Houses started making moves.
“Salvation is too weak to put up any fight and leaderless, and without Hive or worse Taken pressing a knife to their throat, Dusk went for revenge.”
“Out there in the darkness of the void out of sight” His lower arms and claws tighten into fist and mimic pulling a rope into a tight knot.
“They got it, and moved in to take control of the outer system that Salvation had in their hand. First Jupiter with Io, Ganymede, and scraps of Europa. Same story for Saturn on the far side out of sight of the Dreadnaught on Rhea and Titan. Uranus and Neptune however is where this gets interesting.” I can hear the grin behind the voice sharpen.
“Neptune you’re familiar with, not much out there in that gravity-well worth fighting for besides Neomuna, and no House is stupid enough to spill blood for a hunk of rock and metal to get stuck in a new quagmire with the Vex like we already are in so many places in this fixer up of a system.”
“However it works well for keeping you Guardians occupied, so with Neptune being under the Shadow Legion and Vex, and Saturn the Hive, Dusk made a move they shouldn’t have.
Kenos speaks up “Uranus then isn’t it?”
Raksis nods. “Keep Guardians and the eyes stuck on two different fronts and move into the blind spot quietly. That’s what was planned, set up a few fortresses, rip up a few loose disorganized Hive broods quietly while The Coalition and the ‘Machine Spawn’ were distracted.”
“What they didn’t realize” he leans forward, I can tell he enjoys the showmanship though he’ll never admit that. “They weren’t there first in that quiet corner.”
I’m sending a mental message to Proton via the private link of our bond because for once I feel like I’ve completely missed something despite our efforts.
‘Proton, pull up all the records we have on Uranus, see if you can verify any bits of his story, because he’s bringing up a good point here.’
( ‘Already on it bud, somethings up here every part of this system is a war zone yet, I haven’t heard anything about active operations in that part of the system catching flame for decades.’)
“You might remember a few.. ragtags on Luna right, well.” He snorts “House Exile was there first, not interested in the struggle for Kell-of-Kells nor your Traveler, and they sought claim over the entire subsystem with Salvation broken."
“When the boot of the Last City isn’t down on their necks and the other greater powers are fighting over their own goals, a few skirmishes escalate into a proper war between the two houses.”
“Wait so House Exile isn’t just out there in the Kuiper belt scraping by for a living in the dark? “They’re hiding their forces right in the gravity well of VII and the Vanguard hasn't picked up on it?”
‘Proton This.. this can’t be possible right?
“Ha!” he tosses his dead ghost shell from his one arm to the arm, and while Proton hasn’t answered me yet, I can tell he's keeping the mental link open.
It's not consistent but sometimes I can pick up an impression even without words. It's probably another mystery of the bond that Warlocks would be interested in.
I can feel his nervousness through it.
He’s.. usually not this silent when it comes to giving me a proper record. Something isn’t right, and what gets me is that if it were Spider’s info he would already be yelling at me in my head to call his ether inflated ass out.
Which is a lot worse.
“That’s the thing isn’t it? ~ Two houses, marching on each other and the Vanguard none the wiser, doesn’t matter where in the system that shouldn’t be possible unless something else is interfering isn’t it~?
I nod, my eyes narrowing as I think I see where he's going with this.
“Both Dusk and Exiles are aware that they can’t win a direct war with the City, so while they both want to break the other, it's everyone's loss if you Guardians get there while the war is still ongoing.”
“Fair, but I’m going to need real data before I jump out there for months.”
“Ha! Patience friend.. you want to know the real trick right? .. How is it that they're pulling the wool over your eyes without anyone the wiser for an entire planet, while hundreds of ketches fly, fight, and die between those frozen moons?
“It's held together by the unspoken agreement of mutual annihilation for starters. A few of my… informants as you would call them let me know that the heads you’re hunting for this on both sides have already enforced this in blood.”
“Raytheis and Kaithes on Dusk are a duo, that control the House Dusk claims from Titan to Nessus, as for Exiles, Freyvas is somewhere in that orbital subsystem and Levaszk — that crazed fanatic – is the one who set this thing up all in the name of some Creator or Blessed Bagh!”
The grip tightens on the dead shell.
“The drift has gotten to that sick bastard in the head worse than most, but it lets him see the world.. differently, setting up the ‘Cloaking Field’ around Uranus that has been distorting all signatures.
“As for how he actually does it.. The way to hide all the signals coming from your old Warsats, Vanguard probes.. He’s distorting all that incoming data of anything that could be seen as a snooping eye..
“No.. that can’t be right” I decide to speak for Proton so he doesn’t have to come out “Proton tells me that even if they settled their differences for a private war without our knowledge the amount of infrastructure it would take to set up a multi-system jammer would emit an energy signature flag as prominent as a …."
Spider grin sharpens as he lets a bold laugh out at me “HA! Looks like you figured out the half of it, just like Mercury, Titan, Mars and Io, any Pyramid of the Black Fleet has more than enough energy to make a planet disappear.
“So” I continue where he left off “Instead of making a planet disappear they just have to make anything around it vanish, at some point a house must have infiltrated and captured a Pyramid fleeing from defeat and.. well maybe not intended to but likely crashed it.”
Proton jumps in via my private connection (‘ Then they could potentially reverse the flow of the concentrated resonance and rig it up to make everything within the orbit of the system disappear instead of the original target. The greater area of space, would dilute the resonance and darkness energy enough it would make it vanish from sensors unless you were specifically looking for it and separating it from the Gravity well ’)
“So there’s a Pyramid somewhere in that sub-system acting as a relay for the biggest cloak, take it down and they flee.”
“Now you’re getting somewhere. Most of the forces of each house are clustered around the major moons, Titania and Umbriel are under Dusk, while Ariel and Oberon are under Exile. My insiders tell me that forces of both houses however avoid the orbit of the last one.
“Miranda” I finished for him.
“Bingo!” he smiles. “There’s a dying pyramid waiting there for you, right in the crater.”
“Dying?” I question him.
“Heh.. That’s what they told me. Not much just some nonsense that when they were hooking up the field they didn’t just set up a false dimensional shift, but that they ripped open something new entirely”
“WHAT!” Proton clearly can’t sit in the backpack anymore. As I watch him reappear in a flash of light over my right shoulder. Clearly he’s frustrated if he’s appearing and sick of Spider running the conversation.
“Ahh, nice for you to join us adults for business little machine. Have you finished running your calculations on my story? Surely you wouldn’t doubt me after having gone through all the trouble of extracting info from my informants on both sides. Would you~?”
Proton’s shell rotates slightly, angled towards me but he doesn’t turn around as he slowly hovers backwards towards my more defensive shoulder plates. I can tell he’s been doing science but what really brought him out was that out of nowhere comment about Oh.. Just ripping holes in reality.
“He’s right. I’ve been running through all of the Vanguard's latest scan data on the planet, if you’re not specifically looking for it’s as irrelevant as background radiation, but it's there.”
“A faint trace of resonance hidden within the gravity well and the data for an incredibly large field around the entire subsystem. Nothing that would hide or envelop a planet itself or even a small moon, but as for ships, anything there could tap into that signature, and as long as it's not as big as the Dreadnaught or the Leviathan it would be a ghost on all our systems.”
Spider simply nods as he continues to spin the dead shell in his hand.
I softly exhale, relieving some tension. “So we got a damn cloaked Fallen Empire or two right in between two of the hottest warzones, and not a Guardian is the wiser.”
“Ha! Save for you now, which is where your job comes in. That goes for the both of you~.” Here it comes, something vengeful and likely partially insane like most Guardian missions end up being.
“Those Ether high Archons and irrelevant Barons of iced up rocks and a few ketches, think they can pressure me into surrendering my ships, my business lines. Sure I’ve run weapons out there for the war, thrown canisters of ether that way for the right price. I was… “
His voice sharpens to a blade’s edge. “Lenient.”
“I’ve lost five, five Ships this month alone. Shot down and plundered, another three boarded and returned without profit, and a skeleton crew.
"Sabotage, one of those two have been scrambling my ships systems to an improper frequency, a single blip on the radar and before my crews can even attempt to figure out the error they are in a fight, dead, or seized by another ketch."
“At first I thought it was just one side that was stupid enough to try me.. That one had decided that I was too big a risk for the other, that I was now going to have to pick a side and watch that poor attempt to have Two Kells in one orbit fail.”
“My final transmission before my best informant went dark told me what I needed to know. Both houses have been compromised, and I don’t know who they answer to but they have been hunting my ships alone.”
“My Ships, My House, flies free, and is not a part of those worthless squabbles. They wanted business, they had it and then they think that because I’m here based in this City and not a typical army that there will be no consequences for breaking the only law for House Spider, MY LAW!”
“So ~ We’ve got a great situation here Guardian~. You have a lead on an interesting remnant of the Black Fleet for you to continue your search, or.. perhaps your vengeance? While I get the satisfaction of watching you rip the cloak off the vandal, and get my well earned.. Retribution.”
“Of course.. you could always try to hunt just those four, find out who’s the mole, who else now knows these guarded secrets but.. you wouldn’t want to leave something that volatile would you.”
“No.." I nod "But you wouldn’t have wanted it that way either.”
“Ha! Of course not! Cutting off a few heads for an internal power struggle is fine, but bashing down the gates with a guardian is more.. potent reminder or who’s in charge.”
“You understand I’m not going to be flying your banner behind my ship and saying you 'invited me' to shut down their tech right.”
“No.. but they’ll know. If not, learn that my protection is what keeps the city out of sight.”
He’s got a point, no matter what I do, if I’m going to be a proper guardian I have to proactively deal with an imminent threat whenever the opportunity is presented. I’m effectively cornered into getting what he wants by that alone. It's the pyramid though that holds my interest enough to know that with this deal he would be able to make me his Harbinger.
Proton’s had enough waiting “Alright then we got it, we’re taking the job. Now what the hell did they do to that Pyramid that it ripped a hole in reality!”
“Ahh Don’t get your shell in a twist little machine, I don’t know much other than the rip is some.. singularity… gives off an energy, potent and more valuable to control than the cloak itself.”
He turns his head and waves to an attendant before saying something in a rough Eliksni dialect.
“Haz Zer Hur Go Ge Dor Dre. E Han Vos Da Ki.”
The Eliksni guard to his right disappears through an airlock, clearly ready for this command.
“After this you’re on your own. Kenos, Proton, since you’re curious I will let you get a look before you part.”
'Proton, What did he say? I shoot over our line.'
( Roughly bud, ‘You’ve Proven yourself worthy, Bring the “something” or rather ‘thing of nothing’ forth? That last bit lost me, I’m still getting used to the off the cuff parts of the language that you can’t find in a database.’ )
As I nod, the Eliksni guard has already come back, and in his lower arms is an obscured, but metallic sealed vessel, reminiscent of the jars in which glacial stalwarts are preserved.
Spider waves him over, “One minute for you to get your scans little spark, then it's time for you two to go out and get to work.”
With a quiet thud the vial is set down, Spider stops messing with his dead shell as the silent guard removes the veil.
What in the?!
Inside is a black crystal, pulsing with a green light. Its steady almost like a heartbeat?
Before I realize it, Proton’s scan time is over the blue light fading away as he turns to me.
His shell panels are pointed outward, all except the bottom one, his eye flashes a subtle in and out. It's not like he needs to blink, but rather a signal that we’re going to pick this back up later.
“What is it?”
“I.. I have no idea, it doesn’t make sense.”
The Starling’s engines are in overdrive as the jump reaches the final stretch. Titan and Ghost a duo that are only a few minutes out from the next mystery of the system
Kenos shuffled his way back into the driver's seat having done a quick check on the ships built in routine systems and defense capabilities before arrival. The report had come back clean. If the worst happened they had a fighting chance.
That wasn’t the only thing he was working on though, as the back of the ship past the seats had become somewhat of a mess, the result of an attempt at the modification of a specific weapon in his arsenal.
A mix of various small circuit board components, metal frames and a few spools of wire. Not all jumps out this far were instantaneous. Faster than light travel is fast for sure, doesn’t mean it still won’t take about two hours to jump from Earth to Uranus.
Perfect time for a side project with Proton.
“Come on, we’ve made decent progress, but we have a few things to discuss first before we get there.” I hear but don’t respond. Instead picking up the inactive blade I’ve been working on modifying.
Half Truths, a sword that has served me well throughout the years, it's finally time to complete it.
I wave the blade slightly to check its weight before activating it. With the energy conduit no longer parallel to the edge it is now partly unbalanced.. The sharpened end remains intact, the arc energy coalescing into a solid electrical super-heated plasma edge.
I’ve realigned the energy conduit so that it's perpendicular to it, while implementing a few electromagnetic coils in its original place. Not nearly as energy intense as the blade, but glowing its own subtle arc energy, a binding force to finally complete the weapon and make it whole.
"Proton can you retrieve the Other Half for me?"
“Ugh” he grumbles before I feel the weight of the blade transmitted onto my back out of the built in engram data storage system that the Starling has been outfitted with for a year or two now.
Just like Half truths, I’ve modified the blade, the energy conduit perpendicular to the solidified void energy of the blade instead of across. I ignite it, the electromagnetic coils opposite the edge pulsing with the same electromagnetic result.
Now time to see if I can get the Entire Truth, or if I am just going to short circuit one or both swords again.
“Moment of truth Proton, you ready?”
He pops out next to me shoulder “Just stop with the bad puns already and go for it we’re only a few minutes out.”
I slam the two swords together, the center of the blade where the coils are interlinking starts smoking in my hands as the electromagnetism between the coils interlink and the hilts of each blade fit into each other's form.
The Arc and Void Energy on either side of the now four sided blade is fluctuating but its.. somewhat steady? The coils that make up the other two sides of it perpendicular to the edges are clearly struggling to keep the energy up, but as long as both energy sources stay isolated from each other in theory this could work.
Proton’s scanning the experiment with his sensors, blue light moving up and down the blade as I try to get a feel for it as the smoke steadies, it’s a much more imposing profile now, no longer for slashing light targets but to take down proper bosses.
“So looks like you were right that a few coils and realigning the energy systems would do the trick”
Proton’s Warsat panels are still tucked in close to his core.
“In theory, yes. But this is still too unstable for actual combat, it's no different from Willbreaker or any cursed Hive blade, you got maybe 5 minute max before this things overloads and that’s not including any of the heat buildup from usage, now take that apart and get seated”
I nod and hit the button we’ve built into the main hilt to de-power the coils. The Other Half pops free as I re-snap the power conduit to be horizontal to it once more and de-power Half Truths, and hang it on the quick access weapon rack in the back of the cockpit. Right next to a few of my reliable backups before making a move to finally sit.
Here I have a view out into the system to see the tunnel that a jump ship produces, a timeless view and perfect for a proper discussion.
For now it was time for Proton to discuss the ‘Inexistant Crystalline’ but he had been off for a while now.
At first he thought Proton was messing with him but.. This was deeper than that, he was about to break the silence that had settled in the cockpit, after all the rush of a jump drive was not enough to keep the awkwardness at bay forever.
Proton broke it first “I’ve seen something similar before. Once.”
“Just Once, where, when?” I question him.
He pauses, his Warsat paneled shell tucked inward, almost as if he’s bracing himself for impact.
“Your body, when I first found it in the Nuclear Zone.”
“Wait what do you me–” He cuts me off.
“It was a dangerous area and at the time I was just so excited I found you.. I chalked it up to some resulting radiation, or a remnant of sometime past, but.. where I resuscitated you first, there were remnants of that.. Partly on you, and a few on the ground, but once you first opened your eyes, The Light pushed it all back.
“I didn’t.. I didn’t think anything of it since you weren’t showing any issues, so I just never thought about it again. Besides it was a dangerous and contested area I found you in. I was just focused on your safety but.. What does that mean then for?"
I pluck him out of the air besides me, and bring him closer.
“Whatever it means, we’re going to find out together regardless you’re with me?”
His shell nods as I let him go, “Always, we’re partners”
I smile at him, and yes my helmet is off right now so he can actually see it. – it's going on in a few minutes anyway – might as well enjoy having a few minutes before shock blasters and wire rifles try to take it off.
“We’ve only got a few minutes once we get there to reach the pyramid and get inside, or we’re going to have an entire armada bearing on us, and I need you to handle getting the Starling clear.”
The dashboard lights in front of me:
Warning 60 Seconds till Jump Complete: High Resistance Expected.
High Resistance?
I look at Proton, “Well this is going to crap, are you ready to burn?” he vanishes into the 'backpack'.
(‘Eyes up Guardian.’)
The jump ends right above the surface of Miranda and into absolute chaos.
So much for no resistance, or a slight dead area, it's a god damn war zone! Ships everywhere, no way to make a quiet entrance, the situation had deteriorated before we even got there!
The sensors flare an emergency siren of a lock on.
“Shit, cover me!”
I throw the ship forward as fast as I can into an upward spiral, the lock on barely breaks in time as a void torpedo flies past and impacts into a Dusk Ketch.
Proton had already taken over the counter jamming systems and sensors as expected, leaving me with the helm, worse comes to worse he takes over that too and reacts as only a light based machine could if I’m not fast enough even if the forces rip me up.
Kenos finally gets a look out of the cockpit into the void in front of him. On either side of Miranda’s orbital path is an armada of ships, standard laser weaponry, and arc energy blasts flying widely from ship to ship, massive explosions all but silent flashes of light before fading into the void.
What’s worse though, is that it's not just the respective fleets of Dusk and Exiles here anymore, he catches an eye directly above the moon's surface, and sure enough whatever the Fallen had done. They were not prepared to reap the consequences of.
More than half the moon’s been consumed by an iridescent edged singularity. It's similar to a black hole yet.. there’s no gravitational force emanating from it.
My eyes however shoot to the strange hole in reality. There it is!
The sharp edge of a Pyramid sticking out of it, so much for this wild experiment and getting inside.
The Pyramid is nearly gone, yet it's trying to fight back, the surface of the moon not consumed in the singularity is glowing with the familiar orange luster of resonance energy, scorching the cratered surface of the moon below. While the singularity itself continues to consume it with energy unknown.
What’s more concerning though is that it's not the only one.
A trio of active Pyramids is floating in orbit above their dying brethren. Holding position despite both Dusk and Exile fleets barraging their shields.
Shit it’s trying to escape, called for help somehow too. Has anything even trapped a Pyramid before!?
“Proton, I know we’re in deep shit here, but why is there an active Black Fleet remnant here!? Are they trying to free their fallen comrade!?”
( ‘Kenos, I am jamming .. And disrupting a dozen missile paths and locks per second here!' ) The shields shake as the Starling takes a laser blast off the port side.
(' Traveler damned I don’t know, you’re probably right but we need to get out of here and shake this, we can’t sit in the middle or in a moment we’re going to be floating out here for eternity!’ )
The entire cockpit is blinded as an arc energy laser slices through the space in front merely a few meters from disintegrating the ship.
The discharge crackles against the shield.
(‘GO!’)
I am already ahead of him as I throttle the ship’s thrusters forward, no time for mysteries, as I try to fight my way out of this mess.
I catch sight of pursuers, a few fast flying assault fighters. The type meant for hunting, more than capable of shooting down a Guardian transport.
“How many on us?”
( ‘Five directly, two loosely tailing on the flanks, all Dusk.’ )
Time to get creative, there’s plenty of obstacles if I get closer to one of the fleets and fly in the blind spots above the singularity. I throw the ship starboard, the twin trails of the engines burning bright enough to potentially blind some of the pursuing assault craft, or the larger ketches providing fire support.
( ‘Ten seconds till you’re on top of the Exile Fleet! ’)
That’s the plan, bud, throw them into each other. I pull back just as the Starling nearly collides into an Exile cruiser.
"Proton, E.M.P. In 3!"
( 'On it!' ), Proton activates the integrated E.M.P. — reason number one of many on why the Black Armory will always have my loyalty — the arc energy eats into the overall engine power slightly.
(' Down to 80% percent throttle adjust accordingly' )
The fusion reactor and drives can recover in a minute or two, it's not like I can jump anyway, the shields need to go down to make a proper leap.
The E.M.P. hits the main Ketch’s before the shock wave reaches the pursuers. I throw the Starling into a dive under the Ketch with some distance so I can see its underside and line up the guns.
“Time for a strafing run! How many did I lose?" Sure enough a fiery explosion sounds off the port side of the Exile ketch.
( 'Two out of seven thanks to this formation, both flanks still compromised, you got a few seconds till I can’t counteract Exile systems locking onto you.' )
Most Guardian ships are light transport craft at best, but not the Starling!
The twin solar fusion cannons are hot and ready. I throw the Starling into a 180 roll so that the lower guns of the ship are now below me for an easier shot.
The laser cannons of the Starling blast and burn through the lower gun emplacements of the Exile Ketch in a focused barrage.
The lock on the alarm blares again. Incoming torpedoes!
Proton shouts out through my comms system instead of the link "Left!"
I throw the ship as far as I can to the side and down as a group of torpedoes nearly take my wings off and blow a hole straight through the underside of the Exile Ketch.
The void energy in those tears open the ship like the pressurized can that it is, dooming those inside.
I keep the momentum up and flip back to face my pursuers. Down to four.
I let loose a void torpedo and blast the wing off one of the pursuit fighters, spinning off into the distance as I burn by, the rest of the fighters are already flipping to surround me.
One of the rapid pursuers pings on my radar on the flank, they’re moving fast as while there are a few Dusk ships nearby they aren’t able to support them when surrounded.
A continuous series of pings are showing up on the ship's radar. The fleet of Exile Ketches are catching onto the idea that a Guardian has slipped into their formation.
Sure enough the radar is more red than clear as trails of kinetic rails are intermixed with various lasers and arc blasts. I can’t dodge them all, but I minimize the shield damage as best as I can.
I dive through a gap hiding in the engine trail of the next ketch in the armada, the exhaust thrust nearly blinds me, but Proton somewhat corrects my alignment to properly make the turn as sharp as possible.
“We’re switching roles? You’ve calculated a route out of here!?”
"I haven’t finished, it's halfway done and it keeps changing. I am winging it, follow my lead and don’t get us killed!"
Sure enough I see he’s implementing a rough fluctuating course to weave my way out of this.
"3 O’clock hard up pitch" Proton shouts.
The Exile ketch erupts in a shrapnel explosion in front of me, as a rail gun slug flies through the main engine. It's above us so I don’t have to dodge but the blue flames flickering on its side and the smoke are all I need to see to realize it's only a few seconds till it erupts.
I throw the Starling into a partly controlled descent, from here now I can get a better look of the singularity below and escape the cluster of ships before it ends up being my grave.
The shifting iridescence hue its giving off is pulsing with a semi erratic rhythm, while the resonance energy of the pyramid appears to be interfering with it, it's not enough to destabilize it either. A few ships from both houses are fighting right above its horizon though, it's a bit too close for my liking.
I pull up again until I see a patch of clear stars, almost time to hit the nitro out of here.
"Proton, ready the charges, I’m not leaving anything to chance here."
"Got it. Down Pitch fifteen degrees." I pull down slightly to avoid a Dusk Heavy cruiser going for a ramming maneuver right through a cluster of smaller Exile ships.
"The hell is one advanced cloak worth all this fighting for, This is fucking insane!"
"Hell If I know, but clearly this singularity is worth more than just a cloak if a functioning squad of the Black Fleet showed, REVERSE!"
I pull the wheel back just in time for the counter thrusters to kick in, as a barrage of laser fire runs right through where I was going to be.
Sure enough, while I might have lost most of the small pursuit craft, a larger Exile Ketch is above me now, and raining down suppressing fire. Three purple dots break off my radar towards their own ships, burning towards safety while the larger cruiser chases me down.
I throw the Starling into a few spins trying to avoid the lock on and the various lasers suppressing me and falling into the rupture below, but a few shots keep slipping by and peppering my shields down and down.
"53 % Shield Capacity, I can’t believe I’m saying it but bait them into the Pyramids."
"Into the Pyramids? If those fire on us right now!?"
"Then we’re good as dead, but the resonance wave would also tear them apart, we’ve got the head start, BURN!"
I burn the Starling forward, the trail of the engines a straight line of fire as I push the thrusters to the limit without a jump drive, the battle rushing by as the starling shakes from random projectile fire.
No evasion attempts a straight up race into the shadow of The Witness's corrupt legacy. Thirty seconds out now come on.
"Hard Right Now!"
I jerk the wheel as I curve away. I see the blinding light of a focused solar energy beam rip the space I just was from an ice cold void to a boiling soup on the thermal signatures, the beam impacting into and scorching the outer edge of the Pyramid.
It hit?!
"Proton they hit it!? Where the hell are those Infinite Shields!?"
He’s about to answer me, but I see the orange flash on the horizon straight from the edge, of not one, but all three pyramids only a few thousands meters or so away from my ship.
"Resonance Waves Incoming! Dive!"
We’re way too close to dodge it and we both know it, I throw the Starling into a Dive to try to get under the wave.
BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo
The Shields shatter and the Starling shakes as the waves of Resonance energy slice through the back of the Ship, explosions rocking and nearly throwing me out of the seat.
I don’t even need to hear him say the damage to realize what just happened. We narrowly slid underneath the horizon of the Resonance Waves, and lost the entire back of the ship to do so, the flames and smoke of the missing engines burning a blackened trail behind us.
But we're the lucky ones. The Exile Ketch that was chasing us, has been completely sliced into horizontal scraps, as well as a few dozen more ships in the area on either side, anything within 10 km of the Pyramid level to the weapons on either side had been destroyed.
A few dozen Ketches annihilated and utterly dead. Just like us, as we plummet straight into the event horizon of the Singularity.
"Fifteen Seconds till we breach!"
"Please tell me you can sense another side!?"
"Likely, getting something weird, but we’re still going down!"
The void of space is now vanishing as the iridescence of the rupture is the only thing I can see as the Starling falls through.
Through, we’re through!?
I’m not dead yet?
The Starling is still crashing within the storm clouds and the chaos of the strange energy in the rupture. All systems are failing, at this point the Starling has been reduced to nothing more than a Cabal Drop Pod.
The last thing I see is a black bladed claw slice through the glass as the world goes dark.
Janus Quarter, Downtown Midday – Specific Time Unknown: Wise
The hidden duo known as Phaethon was on a run back to Random Play with the latest in demand movies for the customers.
This time had ended up being a decent bargain, as both siblings had a haul of their own to carry. As usual Belle had handled the action, horror, and the flashier flicks. While Wise had handled the slower paced movies, picked out a few decent documentaries and marked a few names off the list of what the latest movie buffs on Inter-Knot had deemed popular, or as Belle would sarcastically put it Absolute Cinema.
“I’m surprised they had such a decent selection this time bro! They’ve stepped up their game since last time, we're finally getting something new and exciting on the shelves for the customers.”
“Belle, *sigh* "You say that like I am specifically choosing to put the most boring things on the shelves and not run a proper business."
“Oh, weren’t you? Let's see" she put her fingers to her face to fake deep thinking while carrying her somewhat smaller cardboard box in the crux of her Left Arm
“With what you consider interesting, we would be lucky to even have any revenue coming in, still trying to defend that documentary on the evolution of insects in Hollow environments?”
“Oh oh, better yet, the thrill of the First Piece of Soil, the anticipation of finding out what Bangboo Knows~! “
Belle lightly jabs Wise with her elbow in the side trying to get under his skin.
“No.. Ok look! I thought that the insect one was going to be better based on the description too! You can’t blame me for at least trying to get something unique for the shelves, besides its not bad to have something niche in our library.”
“A HA! I knew it!"
“That’s the reason why you always take the main box don’t you? Using it to sneak a few of your interests underneath the rest of the titles aren’t you?”
“Heh.. Relax Belle, I do it because it's the heavier one, and I want to.”
"So, what flashy flicks did you get this time to spark up some interest and conversation out there? In contrast with my picks they will seem even more exciting than usual right?”
She smirks at that, “I thought you would never ask big bro~ We’re nearly home and, I got an awesome selection here that I haven’t even filled you on yet!”
“We’ll, we’re almost home but why don't you tell me about some.” We’ve just emerged out from Sixth Street Station “No Spoilers Belle if I haven’t seen them somehow.”
“Of course, of course,” she waves my concerns away with her free hand as we pass by Box Galaxy. Turns out Suzy had the same task as us as she’s carrying her own latest shipment. Belle gives her a wave, while I nod since my hands are full. She happily responds back to us with a wave and bright smile before she ducks inside.
"First Up: Invasion: Next Gen, for some spooky Ethereal invasions of the city. No Hollows for these Ethereals but certainly no problems." A cheeky grin slides onto her first that Wise can’t help but smile back at in return “I’ve heard it's got some amazing fight scenes in the Rated R Version."
“Belle, plea–”
“Ugh Not this time unfortunately! Wasn’t anywhere in the shipment that Travis provided us. Next time though I am going to keep an eye out for that one, just like it took you what… 3 months of searching before you found the Entomology of Eridu ~ Within the Hollow: Special Edition ~.”
“Fine fine, I’m surprised you remember the name of that one, you’re never going to let that go aren’t you?”
We round the corner passing by the Bangboos of 141, Buy, Ask, and Give Change — Nicole's favorite — and Coff Cafe. No matter the time of day as long as the Sun was up, the brew of Tin Master’s specials would flood Sixth Street with a warm and inviting aroma.
“Not yet ~. You’ll find a way to top it by Gilded Carrot Day I’m sure.”
“Sure, besides with how many people get unsettled with bugs, how can you be so sure I got it as a documentary and wasn’t going to just put it as part of the horror movie catalog?”
“Hahahah!” Belle’s smiling at that one, “Nice attempt at saving face! But you’ve never let something be placed in the wrong genre. That’s not changing now even if it is the scariest thing in the store.”
"Next up: The Big Hollow for our more adventurous customers who are looking for the thrill, but still need to be a bit more grounded in reality.”
“A modern classic, still gets plenty of things wrong about the Hollows” — not that the average citizen knows that though — “but overall it's really fun and solid, and at least it's trying to be grounded and realistic for people like you to enjoy too.”
“It doesn’t have to be real and boring for me to enjoy it, you know.”
“I know, besides we balance each other out, you handle the niche genres. Now it's your turn. What modern marvels are hiding in your box?”
“The closest thing in here that you would find to match the thrills and adventure in your box belle is that of a few extra tapes of the Starlight Knight series, standard edition unfortunately I’m still looking for that Special Edition that collectors have mentioned.”
“Let me guess Billy still has the main copy out on reserve?”
Wise nods “Of course, and I’m always happy to have a repeat customer like him. Still its a popular series and I’d rather us not have to keep messaging him a few days before its due.”
“Good thinking bro! I get it, he’s always so sad when we tell him he has to return it and that it's going to be in the hands of another customer for a few days before he gets it again.”
“He’s training to be the best Starlight Knight there could ever be after all, now Random Play shall always be able to provide a tape from the very best.”
“Alright the Final one in my best of three lineup for you is.. She shifts her hold on the box and whips the tape out, “Don’t Touch” she’s grinning. “The sudden visit of alien life flipping everything we know upside down ~ A mystery beyond our little corner of the cosmos, infiltrating society when nobody is the wiser, even if they are a bit different in some ways.”
“Solid Sci-Fi Fantasy pick then Belle, the customers should enjoy that one on the re-watch a few times too if I’m remembering it correctly.”
“True, hey bro? Since we’re on the topic, what do you think about Sci-Fi Alien movies, too out there for you, or?”
“Well strictly speaking, we are still the only planet with known intelligent life, but the sheer size of the universe at least suggests that eventually, even if life like us is rare, it would repeat again."
“Excluding the Hollow and Ethereals right”
“Well yes, no evidence currently suggests that the Hollows and Ethereals are aliens from space, but I get where you’re coming from there's a lot more we don't know about the Hollows than do."
She waves to General Chop who’s got a decent afternoon lunch crowd as we pass Waterfall Soup and God Finger.
“I guess it's more not the fact that it could happen, rather the way they’re portrayed in movies and film in general is just, rather basic. Like if they went all this way they wouldn’t just be interested in water, ice is a common element in the universe. The Earth itself? potentially but they likely wouldn’t need the land either if they were advanced enough to get here."
“Not a fan of Eridupendence day then with the Boom Pow KABOOM!” She exaggerates the variety of famous explosion sounds as I look away towards Random Play’s front window and main entrance. Nobody is waiting outside all good to restock.
“Well no if they were heading to earth they would be here for a reason, perhaps chasing something else or.. Belle, are you still making the explosion noises? I get it, that's enough.”
"No bro I stopped a while ago. What do you.."
Wise motions for Belle to stop. Sure enough it's faint but both Phaethon siblings can hear a subtle but booming echo, that sounds like it's getting closer.
“I hear it Wise, sounds far off, like really far off but it's getting closer.. What do you think it is?”
We’ve both stopped in front of the Store now listening as the sound gets increasingly louder, and now.. It's no longer just us, a few other citizens have stopped what they’re doing as the sound gets increasingly louder, the subtle rumble can no longer be mistaken for a mere auditory illusion.
Then all of a sudden Belle points up, as I spot a faint orange dot on the horizon, underneath the sun.
“Is that a meteor! No way that’s a comet or anything in broad daylight! Come on, let's get a better look!”
She rushes off and slides her box of tapes right next to that one box outside the display and near a few of Enzo’s backup tires.
"Belle, Belle! Wait up!" before Wise can place down his own box she’s already scaling the stairs of Enzo’s to the second floor.
"Belle, stay safe!"
"Relax already I am not going to do anything, just getting a better view!" She climbs up onto the railing right next to the upstairs windows, right up against the brick wall of Random Play.
Wise is halfway up before warning her when she grabs the bars of the parapet for the roof.
"Belle, stop being reckless!"
She pulls herself up and reaches the rooftop edge of Random Play via the shortcut that only those breaking in would try, by the time Wise reaches the top she’s pulled herself over and is leaning down over the roof parapet.
“I know, I know bro, safest way to do is the ladder on the second floor, but by the time you get it out this is likely to have passed, here.”
She holds out a hand, as I too climb up onto the railing and grab the lower bars of Random Play’s parapet and pull myself up, taking Belle’s hand as I get halfway and vault over the last bit of the barrier.
Sure enough underneath the midday sun a burning white dot was trailing across the sky.
“Wow.. “ From up here on the rooftop, even if surrounded by the urban density of New Eridu, they were able to make it out clearly, the residual impact of a rock plummeting through the atmosphere and across the sky.
A white flashing light, pulsing with a blinding orange trail of fire roaring across the sky. A once in a lifetime sight, as a rock that had likely traveled the cosmos for far longer than humanity had been alive, before the first hollow had been materialized, before Eridu itself, came to a dramatic and beautiful end.
“Incredible” Wise whispered as the trail of the meteor continued its flight across Eridu’s sky, sure enough though any second now, it would likely burn up and vanish, he would attempt to pull his camera out and get a proper shot of it, but sometimes.. Living a bit more in the moment like Belle was his goal as he took the moment in with his sister, his family. Someone else in New Eridu can get the front page image.
He still manages to snap a quick photo with his phone.
The white light has shifted to a brighter orange now, as the flames intensify, the rumbling of the burning up more pronounced now as it passes the zenith in the sky. Now it's plummeting rapidly and heading out towards the edges of the city.
"It hasn’t burned up yet? Huh?" Sure enough Belle is expecting it to burn up in the Mesosphere too. Guess she did pay attention to a few of those more boring space documentaries.
It's also getting larger and lower in the sky, “Wise, I don’t think it's going to crash in the Outer ring if its going to keep falling like that.”
“In that case it's going to fall short and end up in- “
“Hollow Zero” she finishes for me.
“Has anything from space impacted a Hollow before, will there even be a crater to find? Ooh or will the spatial disruptions of the Hollow potential distort the impact point so that the object and the impact point are different?”
“Hard to say, there’s no record of meteors impacting Hollows, this is a first for New Erid..”
I’m interrupted as a distant explosion echo’s out across the city, far away, massive and resounding, the last time we’ve heard anything similar was when the Shiyu Towers were detonated, in our unspoken past.
But that’s not a pillar and moreover it's Impossible!
“There’s no way we should have heard an impact sound if it went into a Hollow, we shouldn’t have heard anything!" Belle’s already on the same page.
“Well there’s a chance we’re wrong and it could have fallen short into the city or The Divide, but even then… no regardless if its defying what we know about Hollow Zero, it has a chance of being related to that.”
“Wise, I think it's time we get going on finding an In, you with me?”
“Always Belle.”
On the following day the plan was immediately derailed as the news program shifted from the coverage of Meteor Zero to that of an explosion on fourteenth street.