Chapter 2: Into The Deep Unknown
The Templars abode was as foreboding as ever, and blanketed Fireteam Octavia with the long forgotten scent of the the Vex's foul energies. The immense underground cavern still held a power over the lone fireteam, their scars from the battles here still hadn't fully healed, and this visit ripped them wide open. Despite the absence of the Templar the place still pulsed with alien energies, and strange lights illuminated the shells of slain Vex. Their rusting bodies still laying where they had fallen all those years ago, when the members of Striketeam Enigma Destroyed the Templar. The first of many sentinels guarding the way into the deep recesses of the Vault of Glass.
Fireteam Octavia gazed over the decaying battlefield until their gazes came to rest of the body of the Templar. Its rusted chassis still bearing scorches and scars from its final battle, and small streamers of light rose from it, the potency of both fireteams combined light leaving eternal markers on the corpse of the once thought invincible hydra. The three guardians stood stoically in remembrance as a stream of memories carried them back to that fateful day.
Two Years Previously
"I want Octavia on the left flank, hit it hard once I drop that fuckers shield, Then I want the rest of Griffon on the right flank covering Octavia" Ordered Olec, a huge titan and a veteran from the early days. Back when the tower was just a concept and the 'last city' was still a lawless wasteland. He was a Looming presence on the battlefield and one of the oldest and greatest titans still fighting on the front lines. He was a defender, and used this power to protect those under his charge with a fierce determination and unwavering strength. Without a moment's hesitation the Fireteams nodded in affirmation. They jogged to their respective positions, and brought weapons to bear, all trained on the oddly still Templar, its silent gaze following them throughout their preparations.
"I get a feeling this thing ain't gonna be happy once Olec grabs that relic" Vince whispered to Xandar, who was standing on his flank.
"I wonder what gave you that idea" He responded with his trademark sarcasm
"Get ready boys and girls, lets get this shit done" Olec shouted, his voice carrying to all the members of the Striketeam. Then without pausing for another second he strode forward, his boots ringing loudly on the cold stone of the floor, and grabbed the relic. He was immediately surrounded by a strange glow and a surge of power coursed through his body. As he stood there a loud screech echoed around the room and the entire striketeam looked on in awe as the Templar began to move, its immense size limiting its mobility.
"Man, you need to lose some weight big guy!" Atlas shouted, Unimpressed by the Vex monstrosity. As if insulted by the titans attempt at a joke it teleported behind Octavia with a burst of energy. It filled the room with its malevolent aura, as Octavia sprinted away form the horrific machine, firing in controlled bursts as they met up with Griffon.
"Goddamn, the cryptarchs didn't say shit about this thing teleporting", Xandar yelled to the others over the sound of gunfire.
"And apparently its immune to small arms as well" Vince informed them, his bullets having no effect on the massive shield surrounding it.
While the striketeam tried their best to figure out a solution, the strange energies surrounding the Templar flared and then it phased in directly behind Xandar. His perception of time slowed down as adrenaline saturated his bloodstream as he spun around to face the Vex monstrosity, and the bursts of fire from his pulse rifle lit up his obsidian helmet with orange fire. His normally controlled demeanour ripped away by the intense fear he felt as he fired his rifle till it clicked empty.
He roared at the Templar while the rest of the strike team turned and found cover. Without waiting another second he floated into the air and drew his arm back, the band around his bicep glowing as unfiltered power flowed through it. Void magic swirled around his body just begging to be unleashed onto something, anything, as long as it was living. The void did not care for allies or enemies, it only cared for destruction, and it was the Voidwalkers duty to direct this power through sheer force of will and mental fortitude. With a roar he unleashed the built-up power directly into the Templars center of mass, the resulting explosion knocked the Templar back as a cloud of dust rose from the floor to conceal it from view.
The sound of the impact echoed in the silence as the cloud of dust ballooned around the Templar, and the striketeam fell to silence as they watched in anticipation. Slowly Xandar settled back to the ground and stood alone in front of it, his shoulders heaving from his exertions, and his arms loose at his sides as he waited for the cloud to settle. From out of the dust the shadow of the Templar loomed, Unharmed and unfazed by the immense void blast. Xandar sighed and then from the templars body, several cannons along its torso unleashed massive plasma rounds, instantly vaporizing the exhausted warlock. In his place his ghost appeared, a shield of protective light surrounding it, just waiting to revive his fallen guardian
Olec strode forward, the relic on his arm brimming with energy, "Vince, get him rezzed so we can finish this bastard, the rest of you, distract that thing"
"Aye sir" Their voices rang out across the battlefield
They moved as one and poured a rain of fire onto the templar, thousands of rounds impacted on its shield to no effect, but it did get the ugly bastards attention. It began ambling towards the small team of guardians, they slowly backpedalled easily keeping pace. Meanwhile Vince ran towards the floating ghost and poured his light into it, becoming the catalyst for Xandar's return to life. With a burst of pure energy Xandar reformed, the power of the Traveller allowing him to return from death to fight against the darkness once more.
"You good" Vince asked, glancing at the Templar, and the four guardians keeping it distracted
"Yeah, thanks for the rez" Xandar replied, as he slowly got to his feet.
Vince stood up next to him and told Olec over the comm that Xandar was good to go. Following this the Striketeam split and took cover on opposing sides of the Templar. It screeched angrily as its logic software identified the highest priority target out of the six guardians present. After a moment it began lumbering towards Fireteam Griffon, identifying the relic in Olec's hands as the biggest threat.
"Get ready boy's, we're doing this thing right now" Olec's gruff voice growled over the comm.
Without waiting for a response he gripped the relic with both hands and shunted his light into it, noticing a considerable drop in his reserves as he did so. As he poured energy into it the relic grew brighter and brighter until finally a huge ball of energy shot out of the middle towards the floating Templar and its impenetrable shield. The guardians looked on in silence as it travelled across the field, and they all waited with bated breath while it crossed the intervening space. Then with an immense explosion is burst over the Templars shield with a burst of static, and promptly shut it down. They stood in stunned silence for a moment before Olec's voice reached their ears.
"Well don't just stand there, let's kill this thing!"
In but a moment the battlefield lit up with the combined fire of the Striketeam. Rockets, grenades, and supers rained down upon the templar like a torrential downpour, melting the Templars once stunning chassis into molten slag. It screamed as the Guardians unrelenting fire burned its way towards its core and the precious circuitry contained within. Slowly but surely they wore down the heavy layers of armor and shielding until a lucky round found its way to the figurative brain of the machine. With a concussive explosion it finally fell to the ground, parts of its liquified armor soldering it to the stone ground. The Vex monstrosity had finally been defeated and its once mighty abode, had become its grave.
Present day…
Fireteam Octavia gazed solemnly upon the corpse of the Templar, silent as they all remembered the battle in their own way. Atlas held his 'Found Verdict' in a white-knuckled grip, and as they gazed around it they noticed a large scorch mark on the ground.
"That was the first Novabomb you missed Xandar", Vince joked, trying to lighten the mood, "You still surprise me every time you manage to hit something".
Atlas joined in, "Yeah you remember that one time in the crucib-"
"Enough!" Xandar shouted, "We have a mission to do, let's just get it done"
Vince and Atlas were stunned into silence by his outburst, then started chuckling
"How long did ya spend practicing that one?" Atlas questioned, barely able to contain his laughter
"That was a little uncalled for I suppose" Xandar lowered his voice, his embarrassment evident in his voice
"You got the right idea though", Atlas shrugged, "Let's move it"
Then as one they started towards the gaping doorway at the rear of the room, delving deeper into a past they could never forget… no matter how hard they tried.
Whew, another chapter done and in record time too. Hope you enjoyed and leave a review if you want as it is always appreciated.
-The Beagle