A/N: I know what you're all thinking. After putting out not one, but TWO other RWBY based crossovers, why the hell would I stretch my time and effort throwing in a new one? The answer is simple...I like variety when I write, and after going through my 'trash-doc' file of various stories that never really got off the ground, I decided to recycle one of them and turn it into something different.
And with the recent release of The Taken King DLC for Destiny, I thought I'd try my hand at making a crossover for it. Like I said, I like having variety when I write, and having several stories out there that I can pick up and write into when I hit a block with the others always keeps my mind sharp for when I start in on them again at a later date. (Fast updates come with a price, I'm afraid. And I end up burning myself out and hitting writer's blocks faster that way.)
Either way, I hope you guys out there give this fic a chance like the others. If anything, I do my best not to half-ass something that could be awesome. (I own nothing)
He felt weightless, floating through an endless void that surrounding him in pitch blackness. Somewhere deep within his being he knew that this must have been the place where some higher power decided where he would go to spend eternity after death.
The last thing he had been expecting was to die, it was quick, that much he knew for sure, but the memory of how and why it had happened had become foggy to him after such a short time.
So he continued to wait, hours, days, weeks, he couldn't tell how much had passed. Here, time meant nothing. After floating through the darkness for another spell of time he felt himself slip into a kind of meditative trans, bluring the line between awake and asleep even though he couldn't achieve either one in his current state of existence.
Then he felt it.
It was subtle at first, a pulse of warmth that echoed through his being. Giving him the feeling of being in a body again. But it slowly faded away as quickly as it came.
A few moments passed then he felt another pulse, this one stronger, filling him much more quickly than the last and lasted longer before it faded away.
Before he could think on the anomaly any more a third pulse hit him, so strong that he felt as though the wind was knocked out of him. A bright, white light pierced the darkness, blinding him as he was pulled harshly from it-
A loud gasp of air escaped him as he jolted awake, taking in huge gulps of air as his vision was blocked by the bright light. His heart beating like a jackhammer in his chest while his mind went into panic mode as he tried desperately to get his barings.
When everything started settling, his vision slowly swimming back into focus, he took notice of the fact he couldn't feel anything. Looking at his hands, Mason found them encased in what appeared to be white and tan colored gloves and sleeves.
"What...what is this?" he asked running his hands along the sleeves. The fabric that made it up felt comfortable, and had panels on the elbows of hardened armor that felt as flexable as the rest.
"Guardian...Wake up Guardian." he snapped his head toward the cool, metallic voice that spoke to him. Eyes widening when he found...some thing floating close to his head.
It was metal, that much was for certain. White in color shaped like a three dimensional star with yellow tipped points. It's front and back halves rotating with its movements while a single, glowing blue optic shuttered and moved as it looked at his form.
"Do not be alarmed. But you have been dead for some time." said the thing. "I am a Ghost. More specifically, I'm your Ghost. Any questions you probably have will be answered at another time." the Ghost snapped up when a bellowing howl was heard off from somewhere neither of them could see.
"We must get moving, this is Fallen territory."
"Fallen? What the hell's going on?" the 'Guaridan' demanded as another howl echoed out making him sit up. Getting a better view of his surroundings, he found himself in a field of dying grass surrounded by the rusted shells of old cars that stretched out everywhere. It took him a second to realize that the field was in fact coming up from the many cracks of what used to be a road that was beneath him.
He also noticed that his whole body was encased within a suit made up of the same materials as what was on his hands and arms. Plates of armor on his chest, knees and shins that flexed with his movements. Reaching up, he felt around his head and found a helmet with a wide visor instead.
A type of HUD came online when he made contact with it that showed some kind of tracker in the bottom left corner and a meter at the top. Before he could inspect anything any further, the tracker suddenly flashed with a red mark on the right side that slowly started to get brighter.
"Hurry. We must leave before they find us." said the Ghost as it vanished in a small flare of blue light. Mason looked around for it when he heard it again, this time much, much closer. "I am still with you. I just put myself inside your head to aid you."
"How did you-" he was cut off when there was another howl, getting closer as the tracker on his HUD glowed a brighter red.
"Move Guardian! Stay low and follow the waypoint!"the Ghost ordered as a white diamond appeared close to a tall, metal wall in the distance at the end of the damaged roads.
Deciding to heed the voice in his head, which alone sounded insane, and avoid whatever was out there, the teen crouched low and started moving among the derelict cars. Doing his best to stay out of sight as he made his way toward the spot the Ghost had marked for him.
The farther along he went, he noticed that everything looked to be in ruin, and very old. "Where are we?" he whispered as he continued moving.
"Old Earth Russia. Several centuries past the Golden Age." replied the Ghost making its host stumble a few steps. "Are you alright? Your heartrate has jumped exponentially."
"Russia? Centuries? asked the young Guardian as his mind went blank for a moment before he started moving again. "How did I end up here? Last thing I remember was...dying." he said hesitantly.
The Ghost hummed softly. "You were indeed. I resurrected you. It was difficult given the amount of time you have been dead, but I have been searching for you for too long to simply give up."
He didn't know how any of this was possible. He remembered dying in the ocean off the coast of Rhoad Island, there was no way his body wound up in Russia and somehow 'came back to life' because of some floating alien eyeball.
"I can understand that you are skeptical. But there will be a time and place for questions and answers when I help you get to the City." said the Ghost as they drew closer to the wall, entering through a closed off tunnel and following along the stairs and walkways that made up the interior.
When they stepped into a darkened corridor, the Ghost materialized outside of his head and shined a bright light from its optic that pierced the darkness. "Careful. The Fallen thrive in darkness, we do not." it said as it scanned the area, leading him farther in. "We must find you a weapon. Your chances of survival will greatly increase."
"Yeah, that would be nice." the teen commented as he kept his eyes open for any movement. They entered a large chamber and stood on a type of balcony, pitch blackness surrounding them that not even the light from the small device could cut through it.
"Wait here, I won't be long." said the Ghost as it floated away. Leaving newly risen Guardian in the silence beside some working chemical flares that offered just enough light to see two feet in every direction.
A loud bang made him crouch, fists in a defense position as he tried to see through the shadows. A loud hum soon followed as bright lights suddenly started kicking on all throughout the chamber. The teen catching sight of several things moving quickly out of sight when they were revealed.
Like cockroaches when a kitchen light was turned on.
The Ghost hovered back toward him and hovered before him, "We must hurry, it won't take long before the Fallen find us." it vanished in a flash of light and went back inside the teen's head. "I have also found you a weapon. It's an old rifle, but it seems to be in working order."
Another waypoint appeared on the HUD guiding the Guardian to an overturned crate that had what looked to be an assault rifle laying on the floor beside it.
Picking it up, he inspected it closely as he tested the weight in his hands. It was old, dents, scratches covered it and a spot of rust could be seen on the stock. The holographic sight was cracked but still functioning. All and all, it could have been worse.
"Better than my fists." he muttered checking the clip and finding it full before slamming it back in place. Finding several more clips scattered around and slipping them in the various pockets of his suit before standing ready.
"I hope you know how to use that." said the Ghost. He chambered the first round in the clip and pressed the weapon to his shoulder.
"One way to find out."
X
Another Fallen Dreg fell in a hail of gunfire, the new Guardian slid back into cover, dumping the spent clip and slamming a fresh one home before leaning out and shooting the floating drones, that his HUD had designated 'Shanks'.
The machines exploded in a shower of sparks and salvage that crashed to the floor of the small hanger the firefight was taking place in. So far the teen had been relying on his quick reflexes and what skills he'd learned from playing video games and shooting actual guns to get him through all of this.
Ghost had been giving him what help that it could, but the hard work was all up to him as they searched for a way out of this alien infested chunk of history.
Swapping his assault rifle for the futuristic revolver one of the Fallen had dropped, he took aim and put a round through the head of one that ran in his direction. Electrified blades in hands intending on slicing him up before the body hit the dirt face-first.
Silence rang through the hanger as he assessed the situation. Reloading his weapons and checking his left shoulder where a round and skimmed him minutes prior. Thankfully, the shoulder armor was strong enough to stop the graze from hitting skin. He had been distracted when the suit's shields had been taken out and he didn't see one of the enemy aliens until it fired.
It was a good thing he'd been moving toward cover at the time, or he would have been shot in the back.
Once he made sure that everything was clear, he made his way toward the small space ship that was suspended in the air at the end of the hanger. Ghost materializing beside him as it overlooked the vessel.
"It's been here a while..." said the construct as it floated closer to it and began to scan it. "Hasn't made a jump in centuries. Luckily the Fallen haven't picked it clean."
"Will it get us out of here?" asked the Guardian as he looked at the old ship skeptically.
Ghost turned to him and shuttered its optic, "I can make it work." with that it vanished into the ship. Sparks and lights flared up all around it, the engines kicked on and started to burn as the ship started moving, the wires holding it disconnecting as it now hovered in the air.
"Okay, it's not going to break orbit. But it just may get us to the City." Ghost's voice came from within the ship itself. "Now, about that transmat."
Several loud roars could be heard back within the complex they had just come through. Mason spun around, rifle at the ready as a group of Fallen came in through one of the large holes in the wall. Behind them, came a much larger being with stronger armor and weapons , four arms supporting it as it moved out of the opening like a spider.
"Time to go." the teen barely had a moment to register when he suddenly found himself teleported to the cockpit of the ship as it rose out of the opening in the ceiling. "You'll be back to face them, when you're ready." said Ghost as the thrusters kicked on and they shot off into the sky.
Overcoming his shock from the sudden jolts, he leaned back in the seat he was in and breathed deeply. "That...was bizzare."
"We should be arriving at the City in about three hours." said Ghost appearing in the air before him as the ship piloted itself ot he plotted coordinates. "The engines are old, and the fuel cells are low, but it should make it that far with little trouble."
"Great, then we got plenty of time to talk." said the teen looking at the construct through his helmet's visor pointedly.
Ghost rotated it's parts and swiveled its optic, "Ask any questions you wish, Guardian. I'll answer them."
He got himself comfortable, "How about we start with what happened to the world. What those things were. Why you call me 'Guardian'. And above all, where the hell we're going."
The construct was silent before it started explaining things to him. Things he never thought possible about how humanity had changed so much thanks to the arrival of something called The Traveler, and how its ancient enemy, the Darkness, had followed it and brought destruction that plagued humanity for centuries. Destorying the Golden Age of man and plunging them into a never ending war for survival against those that sought out the destruction of everything light in the galaxy.
The tale lasted the entire trip, and the young Guardian was completely shocked by it all to the point where he didn't know they were docked until Ghost said something. As he stood to exit the ship, he couldn't help but think one thing.
"Just what the hell did I become a part of?"
X
You'd be surprised at what can happen in just two short years. Ever since I was resurrected in this universe I found myself in the middle of a war that would decide the outcome of what was left of the human race and the other species that stood with them.
According to Ghost, humanity discovered a massive, sphere-like construct called The Traveler centuries ago. This discovery had catapulted humans lightyears in terms of technology and knowledge as it shared its knowledge with our species.
Because of this, we stretched out from Earth. Terraforming Venus and making colony outposts on both Mars and the Moon. We florished, and because of these developments this moment in time was called the Golden Age.
Then there was a cataclysmic incident known as The Collapse. The colonies we had created were wiped out by hostile alien forces that were on the beck and call for something called, the Darkness. What was left of humanity was driven back to Earth and on the brink of extinction, the only thing protecting them in the last city still standing was the Traveler itself.
And through this strange celestial body, came the Guardians
They are the defenders of the city, and the protectors that struck back against the aliens that sought to destroy what was left of the human race. Gifted with a power from the Traveler called 'The Light', they fought for decades against the Darkness with never ending bravery and honor.
I couldn't believe any of it at first, but when I laid eyes on the Traveler from the tower Ghost had taken me to that was within the last human city I quickly became a believer. But when Ghost told me that I had been chosen to become a Guardian I had no words.
Why me? What was so special that would cause me to be brought back to life in a universe that wasn't my own? It just didn't make sense. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that compared to my other options it could have been a lot worse.
I had died. There was no going back to where I had come from. And here, I could make a difference. Become something that would defend the lives of humanity against something that was hoping to wipe us out. To become a Guardian.
After giving it some time to think, I decided to just roll with it. After meeting with the Guardian Vanguards and selecting the mentor and classifications that best fit me, I got ahold of better gear and started training harder than I did back home.
Starting off slow, I went on patroling missions around Old Russia and steadily worked my way through harder operations. All the while collecting better weapons, armor and repairing the ship Ghost and I managed to salvage, allowing it to break Earth's orbit and travel the solar system.
That alone had been something to behold. Having my feet touch down on worlds that only a handful of people in history back home had ever done. But...the moments were always trashed thanks to the alien bastards that shot at anything that moved.
In no time, the years just flew by. I had been a apart of multiple conflicts on different worlds. Either on my own or aiding my fellow Guardians as we drove hostile forces back bit by bit. It was a difficult journey. I had been wounded numerous times. Forced to retreated more than once. And watched new friends and allies fall dead around me.
But no matter the odds, I never backed down and never surrendered. I had a new purpose to fight for, and I'd fight to the bitter end for the sake of the innocent living in fear back on the war torn Earth.
And through all of this, I had earned my own reputation as a Guardian. One that fought with ferocity on the battlefield and possessed a strong loyalty to those around him. That against overwhelming odds had managed to turn the tides of several battles using both stealth and tactics as well as strength and firepower.
The Guardian known as Wolf had been born.
X
The view from the tower was beautiful this time of day. The large building that was the closest to the Traveler as it hovered in the air above the City, the sun slowly dipping in the distance below the horizon painting the sky an array of pink and orange hues. The light shining across the ground below as the many people living within the safe walls around the settlement went about their daily lives.
Sitting on the edge of a platform that overlooked the City, back leaning against a pillar with his left leg bent and an arm drapped across the knee was a lone Guardian. Specifically a Hunter-class Guardian dressed in black and grey armor with red trim that had a few small scratches and dents in a few places. The right shoulder plate revealing an insignia of the Hunters with a red wolf's paw overlapping it.
The helmet was also black with a black tinted visor, a small magnifying scope located over where the right eye would be. A black cloak completed the look, the edges were tattered and worn due to the countless battles he had seen while the hood was pulled up over his head.
He sat in silence as he watched the sun slowly start to set in the distance, taking in the peace and silence of the scene as he sat in a state of calm relaxation.
A flicker out of the corner of his eye signaled the appearence of his Ghost as it materialized out of thin air. "Taking in the scenery?" it inquired as it hovered silently beside his head. The Guardian didn't say a word and kept a vision forward, the only sign of having heard the construct being a slight twitch of his left index finger.
Ghost turned to its Guardian and flickered its optic. "The Speaker wishes to meet with you. He sent me a message to relay to you about it."
The Guardian nodded and slowly stood up, his cloak flapping around his frame as he stared out over the City a few moments longer. The light from the setting sun reflecting off of the custom made assault rifle and sniper rifle strapped side by side to his back, the cloak moving just enough to reveal a large revolver holstered on his right thigh.
His form looking both intimidating and inspiring at the same time.
"I know you're thinking about them." said Ghost as its shell rotated. "It's been a year, Wolf. I understand that things have been different since then-"
"Ghost." said Wolf cutting the construct off. "I know it's been a year, a year ago today to be exact." he turned to his partner while he spoke. "I'll be fine. I just wanted to take a moment to remember the good times."
He turned and began heading off toward the North side of the tower to meet with the Speaker of the Traveler. Ghost trailing along beside him easily as they started moving through the small shopping district located at the top of the impressive building. Moving around the many partons and shop owners, both human and non, as they went about their business.
Wolf nodded to a few of his fellow Guardians when he passed by them, each nodding back in return as they went their separate ways. "Did he say what he wanted to talk about?" he asked as they entered the North sector.
"He only said that he needed to see you, nothing else." said Ghost as it vanished in a flash of light back to its place within the Guardian's head. Wolf continued on his way, getting acknowledgements from the various vendors and civilians that he met along the way that he knew before entering the large chamber that had terminals around the walls and a large three dimensional galaxy map dominating the middle.
Facing the large window that showed the Traveler in full view above the last human city was a tall being in white, regal robes with a black hood and a white mask that covered his face. Standing with his hands behind his back as Wolf approached from behind.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" he asked respectively as he stopped a few feet away.
The Speaker turned and faced him, "Indeed I did." he spoke in a deep, calm tone that carried both authority and peace. He tilted his head a bit before motioning to the Guardian. "Please, remove your helmet. I wish to speak to you face to face."
Wolf tensed, very rarely did he take his helmet off unless it was to eat, bathe or do physical training. He even slept in it. His suit and armor spelled safety for him on and off the battlefield, it was like a part of himself he didn't feel right without.
However, the Speaker was a being to be respected. Everyone looked to him for guidence since he communicated with the Traveler. And he had become someone Wolf trusted ever since he became a Guardian.
Taking a deep breath, he removed his hood before his helmet disappeared in a small flash of light. The object digitizing into the inventory supplied by Ghost as his face was revealed to the world.
The young Guardian had really changed greatly since first waking up in this new world. He had become stronger, faster and more alert than he ever had before. But his physical appearence had changed the least even after all of this time.
His sported black spiked hair with dark-blue streaks running through it atop his head, his skin was almost as pale as the moon given all of the time he spends wearing his suit and armor. But the most prominent trait had been his eyes, both of them a bright, glowing neon-blue.
A trait normally found with the alien race known as the Awoken, though when his memory slowly returned after he was brought back, he remembered that he was half-Awoken, half-Human.
Now able to look upon the Guardian, The Speaker started speaking again. "You have changed so much since you first came to see me all those cycles ago. I can honestly admit that I had my doubts with your Ghost's choice in you. Yet you wasted no time in proving that not only were you worthy of the title of Guardian, but you also became a major component in our never ending war against the Darkness." he said with a bit of pride in his tone.
Wolf nodded, "I do the best that I can, sir. But with all due respect, I think this meeting has nothing to do with my growth as a Guardian."
The Speaker turned and gazed out the window. "You were always very perceptive as well. In truth, something troubles me deeply. Something that you are very familiar with." he paused as if to gather his thoughts for a moment, "There have been rumors of Hive activity coming from below the surface of Mars."
At the mention of the alien race, along with the Fallen and the other races targeting humanity, that were at war with the Guardians, Wolf's posture straightened even more and his eyes hardened into ice. "What has been heard." he said in full business mode.
"Mostly echos from Guardians who have been in the area. Nothing concrete as of yet, but it is the reason I have called you here." said The Speaker turning back to him, "I wish to task you with seeing if these rumors are true and if the Hive has indeed set up a new stronghold on Mars. I was originally intending on sending a team, but all avaliable groups are engaged in other operations at this time."
"Your reputation has become something that is spoken highly of among the newest Guardians to be recruited. I believe you are more than capable of the task, however, I am worried about you personal involvement."
The Hunter-Guardian kept his face passive, "I won't let it get to me. And I'll be sure to succeed no matter what." he turned to leave when the Speaker called out to him
"Wolf." He froze, the man rarely ever used his real name, only his alias. Which meant whatever he had to say was serious. "I can still feel the rage in you after what happened a year ago." said the Speaker. "Your team gave their lives to stop the rise of Crota and the Hive within the Moon. Their sacrifice was honorable, along with the other Guardians that lost their lives in the conflict."
The Guardian clenched his fists a few seconds before releasing them as unwanted memories came to the surface;
Guns firing. The sounds of creatures dying echoing the walls of the many tunnels around them. A set of three glowing green eyes burning through the shadows as dark energy permeated the air.
Wolf blinked the memories away. "They weren't just my team." he said keeping his voice calm. "They were family. My sister and my brother, something I cherished above anything else."
The Speaker remained still as he watched Wolf closely. "Don't let their deaths destroy you, young Guadian. That wouldn't be how they would want you to live."
"It won't destroy me." said Wolf keeping his back to him. "But it will destroy what took them from me." he finally turned around and looked at the man. "I'll find out what the Hive could be doing out there. And bury them if I have to."
Pulling up his hood, he resummoned his helmet back in place before heading for the exit.
Watching him leave, the Speaker turned back to gaze at the Traveler. The sun finally set revealing the sea of stars in the sky above that shined down on the Earth. "May the Light watch over that one." he said solumnly.
X
"What's the plan of action?" asked Ghost as they entered the hanger of the tower.
"Simple. We head out to Mars, find the Hive, and make sure they're no longer a problem." said Wolf casually.
The construct turned to him as it floated at his side. "So business as usual then?"
"Yeah, pretty much." replied the Guardian as they approached the port where their ship was waiting for them. It was the same one that had been salvaged all those years ago. Wolf and Ghost together had been able to make upgrades to it so that it was worthy of spaceflight and then some.
The duo had also given it a better paint job, gone was the original rust-orange and in its place was solid black with red trim along the frame. On the right wing was the same insignia that was on Wolf's armor, marking the vessel as his to those that saw it.
He had named it the Phoenix. Because like him, it had risen from the dead stronger than before. A name that suited it well.
Jumping into the cockpit while Ghost zoomed into the ship itself, the Guardian flipped the proper switches causing the thrusters to kick on. The docking clamps were released and the vessel drifted slowly out the opening into open air before zooming off toward the sky. The ocean of stars above getting larger and larger until they were clear of Earth's atmosphere.
Wolf checked the controls before him a moment as he set the coordinates for Mars. The warp-drive of the ship warming up steadily until it was ready as he threw the switch. Light distorting around the Phoenix as it shot forward, disappearing into the warp tunnel that had space bending around them as they crossed light years in mere minutes.
"I just received information regarding our mission." said Ghost from the audio speakers in the cockpit. "The Hive sightings have been reported in and around an old construction site just outside the Exclusion Zone. We should start our search there."
The ship came out of the warp tunnel to reveal the red planet. Mars had been where humanity first found the Traveler and started the Golden Age. The planet once housed a vast and thriving metropolis called Freehold before the Collapse. Now it was a desert world once more with two alien forces fighting one another and anything else that crossed their paths on the surface.
Both the Vex and the Cabal were formidable enemies, but they spent most of their time fighting each other than anything else. And over the last few years the amount of conflict between them and the Guardians has deminished a good deal thanks to the fall of the Dark Heart within the Black Garden, the Vex's central hub.
Over two dozen Guardians stormed the pocket dimension armed to the teeth as they turned the many ruins housing the machine race, turning it into a massive battlefield as they tore through their opposition and destroyed the source of their dark power.
He remembered that battle well, he and his team were a part of the strike force that went in and damaged the Vex's control over the system severly. All of them heralded as heros when they returned to the tower when the mission was done.
Wolf brought the ship down into the planet's atmosphere and navigated toward where Ghost's coordinates stated. Slowing down when he reached the destination before he was teleported to the ground from the ship.
The vast piles of rock and dunes of red sand that covered the surface stretched on forever, the hot sun beating down from above creating a slight haze in the air. The Phoenix's thusters powered up and it shot back toward the sky to wait to be summoned while the Guardian drew his assault rifle and scanned the area.
"Ghost? Anything?" he asked while looking down the sights and doing a complete 360 degree turn, checking every rock, shadow and dust cloud around him.
Materializing beside him, Ghost did its own scan before turning to its partner. "No enemies detected. Perhaps good fortune shines on us today."
Wolf lowered his weapon but kept his eyes peeled, "Maybe..." he said feeling unsure. Slipping the AR on his back, he swung his leg in a wide arc in a movement that looked like he was straddling something. In the next moment, a red S-31V Sparrow appeared beneath him.
The futuristic speeder bike had become a quick favorite of his when he got his first. It was the best way to travel on land in his opinion and the speed was a hell of a thrill. He could still remember the races he had been in with a few others, and the Glimmer(1) he had earned in winning those races as well.
Settling in the seat, Wolf twisted the throttle and the Sparrow shot off like a bullet. The ground becoming a blur and the wind whipping his cloak as he reached speeds no four wheeled car could ever achieve. Behind his mask, a wide grin was in place as the adrenaline from going so fast coursed through his system.
"This never gets old." he thought while kicking it up another notch and going a bit faster. Weaving around and over large boulders and sand dunes while keeping an eye on his HUD as the waypoint set up by Ghost drew closer and closer.
Over the radio channels, he could hear other Guardians operating in the other sectors around Mars. Either on patrol, doing odd jobs for the higher ups back at the tower, or handling any of the hostile forces that had kept themselves dug in after all this time. Wolf made a note to keep the closest channels marked incase he needed to call for backup.
His skills may be sharp, but even he knew never to throw himself into a situation where he would be outgunned. There was never shame in calling for help out here, that was something he learned quickly after all this time.
A few minutes had passed and he managed to locate the construction site Ghost told him about. Pulling the Sparrow to a stop beside a pile of rusted metal gurters that were stacked high and digitizing the vehicle back into his inventory. Drawing his sniper rifle, he began making his way to the top of building supports until he was perched at the top.
"This place was to be a new expansion for Freehold back before the Collapse." said Ghost from inside his head as the Guardian looked through the scope of his rifle. Several half constructed buildings could be seen scattered about, some of them having been abandoned during construction because of whatever attacked the people living out here. A few were just walls set up with open doorways, others were nothing more than frames with no visible source of cover.
Everything was silent. No movement save for the occasional dust-devil that was kicked up along the sand from the wind.
"I don't like this." he said lowering his weapon. "There has never been a time where we went somewhere and didn't encounter hostility."
Ghost appeared beside him and flickered its optic, "Perhaps they moved on. The Speaker said that there was just rumors coming from out here. The reports of Hive activity since the fall of their stronghold on Earth's Moon has been scarce over the last year."
Wolf thought on it, while it was true that the ancient race had been rather silent after all this time, he knew better than to believe that they would just disappear. If the Hive were anything, they were as adaptable as they were old. Like cockroaches.
"Even so, if they are out here they got some serious sacks encroaching on Vex and Cabal territory. Those factions would tear them apart, even their Wizards and Orges wouldn't stand a chance against all that firepower." he stated before leaping down from his perch and landing on soft sand.
"Perhaps it has nothing to do with courage." replied his partner keeping up with him. "The destruction of both their main stronghold and the defeat of their supposed god could have driven them to desperation. Seeking out possible refuges in order to regroup and expand once more."
The Guardian nodded in agreement with the logic. He remembered when they hit the stronghold on the Moon and the number of bodies they piled up. They may have lost friends and allies that day, but the Hive lost many times that number in comparison plus Crota himself. "Let's do a quick scan of the area just to be sure. I don't wanna take any chances." he said as they started moving steadily through the site, going past incomplete structures and checking their contents before moving on to the next.
Keeping a close eye on both his motion tracker and his environment, Wolf had checked roughly 30% of the site and still came up with nothing. "Maybe this is a wild goose chase." he thought as he searched another half finished building and coming up empty.
"Wolf, I'm picking up something." Ghost said suddenly making his head snap up. The construct was looking to the North-East and shifting itself. "It's faint, but I believe that it's another Ghost's signal."
"How far?" asked the Guardian. A moment later a new nav-point appeared on his HUD that he immediately double-timed it toward. Thankfully it hadn't been far and was originating from a different building that looked to have collapsed in on itself more recently compared to the other structures.
Sliding his sniper rifle on to his back, Wolf squeezed his way through the damaged doorway and looked around. There wasn't much among the collapsed walls and bent supports from what he could see. His partner materialized beside him and started floating around, beams of light coming from its optic as it began scanning around.
"The signal is here." said Ghost hovering above a small pile of debris. The Hunter approached and knelt down beside the pile, moving some of the pieces around until he found where the anomaly was coming from.
Laying half-buried in the sand, was another Ghost. Its optic dark meaning that it was either deactivated or dead.
It wasn't a good sign. A Guardian is never without a Ghost and vice-versa, if this were ever to occur, then that meant that either one, the other, or both are dead. But on the other side, it meant that someone had been here before.
"Looks mostly intact." said Wolf as he inspected the Ghost, finding a few dents and seeing a small crack in the optic. His own coming over and scanning its fellow construct a moment later.
"It's still alive, but its currently in a dormant state to preserve what power is left. It can be repaired, but we lack the materials to do so at this time." it reported.
"It can probably tell us what happened here." said the Guardian, digitizing the deactivated construct to his inventory as he stood back up. "We'll repair it back at the tower and have the Speaker's people look over the files it gathered. But what I'm worried about is what happened to its Guardian."
Before Ghost could say anything, there was a loud bang somewhere outside putting both of them on high alert. The construct vanished and Wolf drew his assault rifle and crouched beside the small opening in the doorway, his motion tracker picking up something moving just outside its field of detection.
Leaning out and looking down sights, he didn't see anything at first. But as he moved to the left, he caught the tail end of something darting among the buildings several meters away. "Got you." he muttered as he moved out of the building and sprinted in the direction of his target. Gaining fast on it as he crossed the ground like an olympic runner, vaulting over fallen beams and supports from collapsing buildings as he closed in on it.
Rounding another structure, he saw the form disappear into the darkened doorway of a building that looked to be better put together compared to the others. It was about average in size, and looked to be a storage building used to house the construction equipment and vehicles if the sealed garage-like doors were any indication.
Approaching the doorway, weapon raised and pressed tight to his shoulder, Wolf peered through the shadows within looking for any sign of movement. His motion tracker had gone quiet meaning that whatever he had been chasing was either immobile, or managed to get out of its range.
"Ghost, light." he said as he entered the building. Ghost appearing above his head and activating a bright flashlight that cut through the darkness, illuminating the unused equipment and shelves of supplies that was left to gather dust over the years. The wind howling softly outside filling the silence with ominous noise.
Wolf moved slowly into the building, sweeping his AR from side to side while making sure that nothing could get behind him. So far everything was clear, but he wasn't taking any chances. After doing one more sweep, he reached over to a nearby shelf and picked up a wrench, testing its weight before throwing it to the side.
The loud bang of metal on metal rang out, and he wasn't disappointed with the outcome as something darted out from behind one of the stored vehicles. The sound of his rifle firing soon followed as he attempted to hit the moving target, rounds bouncing off of shelves and walls sending out sparks as the being slammed through a door at the back and down the hallway beyond.
The Guardian gave chase, reloading his weapon as he tried to keep after his target. Ghost keeping up easily while lighting the way for him as they rounded several corners. Skidding to a stop when they found another doorway at the end that looked as though it had been ripped off its hinges.
AR still ready, he treaded slowly inside to find another garage area like the first. But unlike the first, this one had a gaping hole in the center of the room.
Checking the room twice, Wolf approached the opening and crouched down beside it. Trying to see through the dark abyss below but couldn't make out anything. "Well, this seems disconcerning." said Ghost aiming its light down into the pit.
"Any idea what could be down there waiting for us?" asked Wolf as he stood back up.
"Given our track record, possible death and other horrible things." replied his partner casually.
Gripping the weapon in his hands tighter, the Guardian rolled his shoulders and looked to Ghost. "Guess there's only one way to find out then." without warning he lept up and fell into the opening, the blackness swallowing him whole as he vanished from sight.
Ghost sighed to itself, "I hate it when he does this." it spun its back end before zooming down after the Hunter.
X
Freefalling wasn't anything new to Wolf, he'd done it so many times that he might as well have jumped off a step later with how use to it he was. And even though he couldn't see anything, he was able to hear the sounds bouncing off the stone walls the farther down he went. The ground was coming up fast, maybe 30 seconds at best.
Bracing himself until the last possible moment, he kicked on the small thrusters located at the back of his armored boots. The sudden boost immediately slowing both his descent and momentum enough for him to land with only a small fraction of the force.
Legs bending to cushion the impact, hand on the floor to steady himself, the Guardian looked up and was surprised to see green light shining from the end of a tunnel that was ahead of him.
Ghost came down a moment later and hovered beside him, its light turning off as it to looked at the ominous glow. Neither of them said a word as Wolf started making his way down the tunnel, his partner vanishing back inside his head as he remained as quiet as possible while moving.
Through the silence, Wolf could make out something that sounded like chanting, getting steadily louder the closer he got to the end as the light grew in intensity. When he finally reached the end, the sight before him made his mind freeze.
The tunnel opened up to a massive, circular chamber. The walls smoothed out with pillars of stone supporting both the ceiling and the levels that led down to the bottom floor which was over 300 feet down. At the bottom, there looked to be some kind of altar set up in theh middle of the chamber with a black crystal sitting in the center of it.
The object was half the size of the chamber itself and was covered in glowing green cracks which was the cause of the illumination. But it wasn't so much as the strange set up that shocked him, it was the dozens of aliens that surrounded it. Each and every one of them a species from the Hive.
Thralls, Acolytes, Knights and an Ogre or two surrounded the object and were kneeling on the ground as though they were in prayer. The chanting the Guardian had been hearing was coming from the six Wizards that surrounded the crystal, three on each side floating two feet off the ground their arms outstretched with waves of dark energy flowing from their hands and into two smaller crystals half the size of the bigger one on either side of it.
"So they are here." Wolf thought as he crouched behind a pillar and observed the scene. "But what the hell are they doing?"
"Wolf, I recommend we pull back and inform the Vanguard of what we have discovered. We won't be able to handle such a large force on our own." advised Ghost.
He couldn't help but agree, taking on this many hostiles at once was pretty much signing a death sentence in blood. Getting ahold of the tower and coming back with backup would be the smartest choice.
Unknown to the Guardian, a figure was moving in the shadows of the tunnel he had come out of. Sharp claws revealing themselves as they extended from the owner's fingertips as it closed in on its target.
Wolf was about to move when his motion tracker flaired to life. He spun around just in time to see a Hive Thrall come out of the tunnel exit, its sightless face locked on him before letting loose a loud screech that reverberated around the chamber. The zombie-like alien charging at the human with its claws poised to tear him apart before a short burst from his AR silenced it.
The chanting came to an abrupt halt, and a chorus of bellowing screeches and roars could be heard down on the bottom level followed by running feet on stone.
"Shit!" the Guardian cursed as three Acolytes came out of another tunnel on the other side of the level he was on and began firing on him. Wolf returned fire, managing to take down two of the aliens before a group of six Thralls came running out of another tunnel and made a b-line for his position.
Reaching back, he grabbed one of his grenades and primed it before tossing it in the path of the coming horde. The device burst open sending out a volley of smaller devices that each shot toward a separate target before detonating, reducing the Thralls to pieces that flew in all directions.
"Wolf! Behind us!" Ghost warned making Wolf spin around to see a Hive Knight baring down on them. It's large cleaver raised in the air ready to slice the Guardian in two.
Acting on instinct, Wolf blinked(2) out of the way just as the blade came down with a deafening crash. The dust cleared a moment later and the Knight discovered its target missing as he reappeared behind it, emptying the ARs clip into a weak point in its armor dropping it to its knees before kicking it over the edge.
More hostiles were pouring into the chamber, rounds spraying in all directions forcing the Guardian into cover. Slamming a fresh clip into his rifle before activating his radio, "This is Wolf, I need immediate backup at my location at the old construction site three clicks outside the Exclusion Zone! The Hive are on Mars! I repeat the Hive are on Mars!" he exclaimed before leaning out and shooting down a couple of Acolytes.
'Wolf, this is Guardian Team Zeta-3. We got your beacon and are on our way to your location, what's your status?' came the reply.
Wolf threw a grenade over his cover before answering, "Extremely hostile, Zeta-3! The Hive have set up a large chamber below the site and are here in force! Recommend coming in hot, I'll pick off as many as I can!"
'Roger that, ETA 15 minutes!' Right as the response ended, a loud hum began to reverberate through the chamber. The cracks in large crystal in the center began glowing even brighter than before. The Wizards stopped feeding the smaller crystals dark energy as the humming grew louder to the point the whole room was vibrating.
The cracks split even more, the energy contained within the thing growing stronger with each passing moment.
Killing a handful of Thralls that came in close, Wolf pulled out his revolver as he noticed the change in the large crystal. "Ghost, what the hell's going on with that thing?"
"I'm not sure, but the energy readings coming from it are growing at an alarming rate." replied the construct. One of the Wizards that had been charging the object hovered up to the top level and settled on the ground in between a pair of Knights. Hurling bolts of dark energy at the Guardian forcing him to duck down again.
Gripping the handle of his gun, gold energy began gathering along the barrel as he fired three shots into the Hive ranks. The Solar-Light(3) enhanced rounds hitting their targets dead on and causing them to burst into glowing fragements that dissolved into the air.
Dumping the spent cylinder from the hand cannon, Wolf slipped in a fresh one and snapped it closed as the energy infused with the gun vanished. A blast of dark energy slammed into his back before he had a chance to defend, sending him skidding back close to the edge. Shields having taken the brunt of the attack and dropping by half as he stood facing two Wizards that joined their horde.
More Hive began to converge on the location, leaving the Guardian trapped with no way to escape.
"Okay...ideas?" he asked Ghost as he kept his revolver aimed at the wall of enemies, his AR coming off his shoulder and held in his other hand aiming in another direction.
"We could always go down." his partner suggested as the Wizards began gathering energy while the rest prepared weapons. "There's a slghtly smaller chance of immediate death."
"I'll take it!" he exclaimed before leaping backwards, firing both weapons into the Hive ranks and scoring several hits as they returned fire. A few rounds and blasts skimming against his shields, dropping the meter on his HUD even more as he began free-falling.
Using his blink ability while in the air to avoid the shots fired at him from the other levels in the chamber, Wolf kicked on his boot thrusters like before to slow his descent. Allowing him to land on the ground floor with little trouble as he holstered his revolver and reloaded his AR.
A Thrall leapt at him that he managed to duck under, pulling out one of his throwing knives and stabbing it through the neck as it passed over him. Flipping the weapon around so that he was holding it by the blade, he threw it to the side and pierced an Acolyte in-between its three eyes dropping it to the floor before opening fire on the other hostiles present.
Behind him, the crystal gave a loud pulse. The cracks along its frame splintering more to the point that they were now all connected together in some fashion. Another pulse followed and pieces began to split off from it.
Feeling the change in the air and the pulses coming from the object, Wolf turned around just as another pulse shook the crystal before it exploded in a blast of green and black energy. The Guardian bracing himself as the sudden blast shook the whole chamber on its foundation, his clock snapping back and flailing around like a whip as he ducked his head down and raised his arm to block any debris that pelted him.
When everything settled, the human glanced up and finding the strange obalisk the Hive have been worshiping gone. In its place, was a massive portal that resembled the wormholes generated by the Tombships used by the hostile aliens.
Volts of dark energy arked from the portal, burning the walls and floor where they made contact as the opening pulsed with the same power.
"A Hive wormhole." said Ghost sounding hesitant. "They're intending on summoning something to this realm from wherever they originiated from within the Darkness. Probably reinforcements, or something more powerful."
An image of the Hive Ultra-Warrior Crota appeared in Wolf's mind, a being of such power that could and would cause ruin to anything in its path had it not been stopped. "We can't let something like that into this world." he said strongly before killing another Acolyte with a burst from his AR. "How do we shut it down?"
"The portal is pure dark energy. The only way to stop it is to destroy the source of its power." replied the construct. The Guardian's eyes went toward the smaller crystals, which now looked similar to what the bigger one had looked like before, as they pulsed with dark energy that was steadily feeding the wormhole.
"Of course...destroying the power sources could also have devistating effects on anything, and any one still close to it." advised Ghost. Wolf knew what his partner was implying. But deep in his being he knew what had to be done.
The Hive needed to be stopped before whatever they were hoping to bring to this world came through. He was the only one in the position to do anything, and if he was going to end up dying here he'd die while pulling these monsters down with him.
Blinking around a Ogre that tried to strike him down, the Guardian ran toward the portal. Dodging and blinking around the volts of energy that hit the ground as he charged toward the closest crystal. Raising his AR and emptying the entire clip into the surface of it causing pieces to break off.
Taking out two of his grenades, he primmed them both before hurling them at the power source. The blast that followed was the cause of not only the explosives, but the crystal itself as it blew apart in a flash of black/green. The wormhole fluxuated from the loss of one of its power sources and began to grow unstable.
Reloading quickly, Wolf looked to the other crystal and found a dozen Hive Acolytes standing in the path between him and it. The chamber around them shaking while causing chunks of rock to fall from the ceiling from the output of uncontrolled energy as the portal grew more unstable by the second.
"Ghost," he said to his partner as he put his rifle away and drew the short sword he kept sheathed on his lower back beneath his cloak. Arc-Light(4) dancing along the razor-sharp blade as it charged in his grasp.
The construct appeared next to its Guardian's head, "It's been an honor serving beside you too, Wolf." it said understanding their situation in full before returning to its place within Wolf's mind.
The aliens all roared before charging him in force, the human let loose a battle cry of his own as he met them head on. The light-enhanced blade in his hand hacking through armor and flesh alike as he carved a path to his intended target. Stabbing his weapon into the ground, he let loose a wave of power that sent enemies hurling back and giving him he opening he needed as he ran full sprint.
A Knight stepped out to intercept him, raising its cleaver in the air only to miss as Wolf dropped to the ground and slid between its legs. Slashing both its knees as he went passed them causing the armored being to collapse to the ground without support as he stood up infront of the remaining power crystal.
His shields taking a hit from a random arc of fluxuating energy, the Guardian pulled his blade back. Pushing as much of the power of Light gifted to him from the Traveler as he drove it into the object. Pulling it free a moment later and leaping back as the crystal exploded like the first.
The wormhole pulsed more violently as its last power source was destroyed. Dark energy launching out of control and causing the chamber to shake and collapse in large pieces, one last pulse echoed out before the portal before everything started to get dragged into it like a blackhole.
Wolf grabbed on to a support pillar, stabbing two of his throwing knives into the stone for better handling as everything around him was consumed into the rift. The creatures of the Hive loosing their footing instantly and disappearing within the mass of unstable energy along with anything else that wasn't held down.
Even the pillar the human had been holding on to began to crack and split, one of his knives giving way as it shot into the portal as he dangled there with one hand. He looked up to see the stone cracking more and more, his remaining knife becoming loose in the process.
"So this is it." he thought as time slowed down around him. "This is how I die...again." despite everything, he smiled behind his helmet. He had no regrets after everything he had managed to do in his short, second life. Dying for humanity and his fellow Guardians was something he was more than proud of, and he knew that those watching him on the other side would be proud of him too.
"Guess I'll see you all soon." he said to himself as the pillar gave way and he was launched toward the wormhole. Disappearing within it just as it exploded in a blast big enough to cave in the entire chamber.
X
Outside, the construction site rose up into the air only to collapse in on itself like a sinkhole. Taking everything within several meters in every direction with it causing a massive cloud of dust to shoot up into the air.
This is the scene Zeta-3 witnessed as they slowed their Sparrows to a stop. None of them able to speak as they observed all of the destruction that had been unleashed. "Contact the tower. The Speaker needs to be told what happened here." said the team's leader after a few moments.
His voice solumn as he thought about the brave Guardian that was lost amongst the red sands.
X
...You know the messed up thing about dying a second time? It's almost nothing like the first. There was no pain, nothing. It happened so fast that I never really had the chance to feel much of anything other than acceptance of my fate.
I did a lot of good in the world I have been resurrected in, and I had a good feeling that there was a good place waiting for me on the other side.
But as fate would have it, my journey was far from over. That what I had managed to accomplish was a stepping stone for something bigger. And the fate of another world would hang in the balance depending on my actions...
A/N: Many of you who have read my work before probably recognize this from my attempt to make an Insert/Destiny/Mass Effect story. Given that the chapters that I had pieced together into one didn't need much altering I used them for the opening, and similar might be seen along the way. But if there's something I've developed a knack for, it's pulling out surprising feats when my readers least expect it.
As usual guys, let me know what you think and I'll get back to you.