"You know, looking back it seems he was quite amazing. He did everything he needed to, but at what cost? When we all first met him, he appeared like a bloody god. He had it all together, knew exactly how to coerce us into doing his bidding. He got the entire city to back him, and he brought retribution to our enemies. Looking back, I find it truly ironic that in the end, he almost cost us everything" – Rolan Izin's excerpt from "Guardian's Final Speech."
/
Many Years Prior
Outsiders often wandered to, from, and around the Last City. The Vanguard's policies when it came to guardians were quite lenient, and most often found themselves spending more time in the wilds than in the city itself. Those in the Tower paid little attention to which guardians showed up and when. With millions of warriors coming to and froe, it was only logical to grow tired of memorizing names.
Despite these facts, all was quiet when a strange figure set foot in the hanger. Cayde-6 stared at the man and his horde of followers as he passed by, the exo ever-curious as to who the man was or what reason he had for coming to the Tower. Other guardians who were busy meeting with the heads of both Dead Orbit and the Future War Cult were equally stunned.
The man walked onward, his face hidden beneath the hood he wore. Energy from his very essence seemed to permeate the air, and it was easy to notice that he was a warlock. The odd thing was how much raw energy he contained. Few others had such a noticeable vibe, and it only added to his mystery. The man wore a long, red robe around his body, but no helmet. His left arm was hidden within his sleeve, like he did not want to draw attention to it. His tanned right hand hung freely out, in contrast. Those who accompanied the man were nearly as unique. A pack of hunters followed, their armor coated entirely in white. A group of warlocks followed alongside them, their armor covered with a hue of gray. The final cluster of guardians were titans, their armor covered in brilliant black.
As the group passed by, Cayde snuck over to pay the Tower's handy shipwright a visit. "Amanda, got a sec?" he asked with as charismatic a smile as he could muster.
"In case you're wondering, no, I don't have the parts for your mythoclast-based sparrow yet," Amanda groaned, tilting her head back to the typically annoying exo.
"No, no, that's not what I was going to ask; although, it's been three weeks Amanda!" Cayde replied. "What I was gonna is ask is if you've got any idea who that guy was."
"Cayde, thousands of guardians come through here every day. Do you really think I'm keeping tabs on each and every one of them?" Amanda questioned rhetorically.
"But he looks so cool," Cayde remarked, his gaze falling back to the group of guardians that were exiting the hanger, their curious leader at the forefront.
The pack of bizarre guardians entered the Tower's courtyard, their warlock leader taking them in the direction of a particular titan. Zavala stood staring out at the city, and the long-since awakened Traveler that floated above. It seemed like a typical day, and the overseer of the Vanguard was about to head to a strike briefing when he turned to see a very curious warlock approaching, followed by a pack of his supporters. The warlock stopped just short of Zavala, his head down. Nothing of his face could be seen aside from part of what appeared to Zavala like a respirator.
"Where can I find the head of the Vanguard?" the warlock asked, his voice machine-like in sound.
"You're looking at him," Zavala answered, crossing his arms as he looked to the warlock with intrigue.
The warlock lifted his head slightly in surprise. "Zavala?! It's been that long? What happened to… never mind. I am here to seek a council with the leading guardians of the Tower," the warlock said.
"For what reason?" Zavala questioned.
"I suppose it's been too long for anyone to remember me," the warlock admitted. His right hand then went to one of the pockets within the interior of his robe. His hand gently grabbed hold of three objects, which he pulled out of his robe. The warlock then outstretched his hand, and Zavala cautiously extended his left hand to receive whatever the warlock had. The warlock released his grip on the objects, allowing them to crash into Zavala's palm.
The titan observed the objects, each one drawing more concern than the last. The first was an old Vanguard token, discontinued several hundred years ago. The second object was a strange coin, but there was something unique about this particular one. There were carvings on it, with strange symbols that Zavala could only assume came from the Nine themselves. The final object made Zavala shutter. "Where did you get this?"
"Where do you think?" the warlock replied smugly. "The Nexus."
Zavala lifted his communication device to his mouth. "Cayde, escort this newly arrived warlock and his comrades to the conference room. I'll be over as soon as I've gathered the others."
"Sure thing!" Cayde replied exuberantly over comms before hanging up. The warlock could hear his violent footsteps from a mile away.
"Are you ever going to tell me who you are, exactly?" Zavala asked the warlock.
"In due time, sir," the warlock replied before turning to his guide. Cayde gave an unorthodox bow to the warlock before urging him to follow.
/
"Who is this warlock, again?" Shaxx questioned.
"He didn't say, but I am hard-pressed to believe he has some urgent business to discuss," Zavala explained. He had gathered the heads of the guardian ranks to discuss their predicament before confronting the warlock and his crew.
"For all we know, this guardian could simply be attempting to waste our time," Saladin remarked.
"As much as I want to believe the urgency of the situation, he hasn't explained much. Does he really think the heads of the Vanguard and beyond will meet with him simply because he asked us to?" Ikora pointed out.
"Ordinarily I'd agree with you all, but he handed me these," Zavala stated, revealing the objects the warlock had given him.
"I've never seen a strange coin like that," Saladin remarked as he examined the shiny form of currency.
"And that Vex artifact. Asher will want to have a look at it. I've certainly never seen anything like it," Ikora admitted as she took a closer look at the object supposedly from the Vex hivemind itself.
"Let's give this guardian the benefit of the doubt, for now," Zavala urged the others.
"Word will spread quickly about this warlock if we all show up to a private meeting," Shaxx pointed out.
"We keep the factions out of this for as long as possible!" Zavala declared. "I want to first understand the situation we've been given before anything else is done. Now, if we're done discussing this warlock, let's go see him."
/
The warlock stood with his supporters at one end of the sprawling, pearly white conference room as members of the Vanguard and Crucible entered from the other end. "Nice place you have here," the warlock admitted as his secretive eyes glanced around the room.
"Well, we try," Cayde faked an affectionate gesture as he threw his hands out to the guests as if to say, "Stop flattering us."
"We're all here," Zavala stated. "So, explain what the purpose of this meeting is."
The warlock stepped towards the titan, then took a seat at the end chair of the conference table. He then lounged back, putting his hands behind his head and kicking his legs up on the table. The warlock remained silent for another moment, carefully taking the time to analyze the others in the room. "Saladin Forge, yes?" he asked the golden-plated titan at the end of the room. The dark-skinned man cocked an eyebrow to the warlock. "One of the first guardians, right? It's truly an honor to see a relic in person." His eyes then lingered on the overseer of the Crucible. "And Shaxx. What have you been up to?"
"Guardian, quit wasting our time and get on with it!" Shaxx demanded, slamming his fists down on the table. The warlock failed to flinch as Shaxx had initially expected.
"Hmm… I suppose you're right, sir," the warlock began. "Humanity is quite a unique race, isn't it?" No one responded, so the warlock continued. "Think about it. We may be the smartest species on Earth, but compared to the enemy races we've encountered on a daily basis, we're rather simplistic, aren't we?"
"What are you getting at?" Ikora questioned, growing impatient.
"During the Golden Age we took to the stars, colonizing distant worlds and creating technologies that we never thought possible. But then they came, and we lost everything. It was only by the Traveler's graces that we survived," the warlock stated.
"All of this, we know," Zavala interrupted.
The warlock cocked his head and leaned forward, irritated by the interruption. "The Traveler blessed us with the Light so that the playing field might be leveled. I find it amazing how those such as you all have squandered its power," the warlock scoffed.
"We have kept this city safe while rogue guardians like you have abandoned your people!" Zavala snapped.
"But that's all you've done! For hundreds of years, all of you have merely defended the city, and nothing more. What few attempts you have made to spread out have failed. You may lead strike operations from here, but what have you truly gained. Ghaul already proved that simply trying to defend the city isn't enough," the warlock argued.
"And what do you suppose we do? I've never seen you before, and neither has anyone else. You're an outsider from a time long forgotten. How can you critique us for circumstances you were never present for?" Ikora stepped in.
"Oh, but I was," the warlock replied. Snickers could be heard from his followers. The warlock then removed his feet from the conference table and stood. Now, his previously hidden left arm was revealed. The hand popped out of its sleeve slowly, only to reveal that it was in fact robotic. More than that, it was the arm of a Vex goblin. The robotic arm went to the man's hood, and gently pulled it back. Spiky black hair popped up, and the warlock ripped away his respirator with his right hand. A scar was across his right eye, his left being completely replaced with that of a robotic red variant. "I was one of the first guardians, but unlike others who simply fought against our enemies, I sought to understand them. To understand your enemy is to know victory. For years, I journeyed from one world to another, my drive for knowledge urging me onward. I studied the Cabal, their command structure, their military strategies, and their technology. I found their weaknesses, and broke many strongholds by myself. I learned from Variks and the Wolves of the Reef. I learned of the Fallen and their insatiable desire for plunder. I learned of their need for ether, and broke them. I watched the Hive on Luna; observed their rituals and daily lives. I learned of their ascendant realms, and their leaders who call themselves gods. I found their Achilles heel, and shattered their holds," the warlock monologued. "But the one enemy I have been the most fascinated with is the Vex. Their warping technology, simulations, and near time travel abilities have long intrigued me." The warlock locked eyes with each of the guardians that lay before him, making sure they remained focused on his words. "Obviously, they cannot truly time travel in the sense we know of. If that were the case, they would've already won. I entered their structures, lost myself in one simulation after another, and found a pattern. Eventually, I weaved my way through their vast array of confluxes and structures to the true center of their madness, the Nexus. Each structure across our system is merely a piece of the puzzle, and I put them together." The warlock then raised his arms. "I made allies within the Reef, found friends in the Nine, and now I finally return to you all. I have seen the Last City's struggles during my time in the Vex hivemind, and I have learned of your successes as well as your failures. You have all done well, but with me, you can finally accomplish the goals our greatest ancestors once held."
"And what would that be?" Zavala questioned.
The warlock smiled. "Taking the stars." The warlock then leaned forward and placed his arms on the conference table. "Think about it, you five. You have three million guardians gifted with the Traveler's Light at your disposal. Yet, rather than using them to take back everything we've lost, you've relegated yourselves to merely coordinating random strikes across the solar system."
"Whenever we go beyond, bad things happen," Cayde remarked.
"If you never go beyond, you will never defeat your enemies," the warlock replied. "What's the point of fighting if you don't fight to win? By remaining here, you allow your enemies to constantly regroup and reform. The Vex in particular can simply pull new armies through time."
"All we can do against the Vex is stop them as they appear," Ikora argued.
"Wrong!" the warlock shouted. "If that is your logic, you will never win against an infinite enemy. To not win is to lose, and to lose in this world is to die!"
"What do you suggest, then?" Zavala asked, suddenly intrigued by the warlock's words, assuming he had a solution.
"Glad you asked," the warlock admitted. "That artifact I handed you is more than a simple piece of Vex machinery; it's one of their numerous source algorithms. That one in particular delves into time warping and duplication, but I'll explain more in depth later." The warlock then rose to his full height. "The only way to protect our species is to defeat our enemies, and to do that means we must be bold. You have the army I need, and I have the knowledge you require." The warlock then took another glance at those before him. "From everything I've seen, you all wield solar, arc, and void energy, correct?"
"Indeed," Saladin spoke up.
"Those energy types are powerful, but they are not the only ones," the warlock smirked. At those words, his supporters perked up. "My hunters have learned the ability to conjure frost energy," he stated, gesturing to the hunters coated in pure white. They immediately ignited their hands with ice and sent a chilling breeze toward the heads of the Vanguard and Crucible. "My warlocks have studied the spectral arts," the warlock continued, and his warlocks raising their hands to the numerous chairs in the room. The chairs were lifted off the ground by an unseen force, only to be twirled around and eventually set back down. "Lastly, my titans have mastered the shadows," the warlock concluded. Several of his titans conjured miniature black holes as others disappeared in black mist, only to reappear from thin air several seconds later. "I know how to defeat our enemies, and I am the only one who can lead your armies to victory across the system. I am Phaetin Moraki, Keeper of Exponential Knowledge, and I am here to offer you retribution."
(Author's Note)
Hello everyone. I have been reluctant to start this story for a while due to its scale, and the fact that I have had several other ongoing projects. However, after compiling a majority of my ideas for this story, I have finally decided to begin its telling. Phaetin Moraki is a character I am excited to explore in more depth as this story unfolds, but he is not the only one. As a Destiny story that means to span across the entirety of the solar system, there are dozens of guardian tales to be told within this singular story of retribution and eventual climax. I want to explore the lives of many guardians, but I am afraid that designing so many may prove to be quite challenging. I can do it, but I feel it would be easier for me and more enjoyable to the reader if you all sent me ideas of your own guardians to incorporate within the story. Their design, personality, origin, equipment, and even comrades are most certainly yours to decide. However, keep in mind that I must tell this story in the way that I feel it should, and once you've given me permission to use a given character, I have free reign over what happens to them. Next chapter will come out when it's ready.