So...this is the NeXT chapter for my little Destiny story...I'm so sorry...I had to do it...
Anyways, this chapter was...strange, but I think it got its job done.
For the most part, I don't really have much else to say for this chapter, but I do want to thank all of you who have read this story so far, I know it's a small number currently, but still, it means a lot to me to have even one reader. So thank you all.
And once again, if anyone wants to create a character to input into this story, feel free to message me with your own character, background for the character, and whatnot. I'd be glad to put them in the story, of course I'll be sure to give you a shout out, and obviously rights and ownership of the character(s).
[Disclaimer: I DO NOT Destiny; the credit goes to all of those who put in the hard work, time, and effort to create these stories. Nor do I own any other type of series that I might us in the story (ex: Halo, Red vs Blue, etc.) However, if I did own them that'd be Awesome…but I do not, sadly. All I own are my own characters, and ideas for this art of Fanfiction that you are reading.)
Okay, so now that that's over and done with...let's begin our mission Guardains! -Infinity Calix
Destiny: "The Awakening"
[Mission 01: Welcome to the Tower]/
"Wow…you're quite the pilot." GS noted as we soared through the skies through our not so new Arcadia Class Jumpship.
"Yeah, thanks. I may have broken a bunch of Ships in the past, but that was more so 'cause they were the enemy as opposed to being a bad pilot. Back in my time I was known for being the best pilot among my allies and even my enemies knew of my record." I responded keeping track of the coordinates GS had opened up on my HUD.
"Wow, you're that good?" GS said surprised. "I was honestly scared; I almost thought your piloting skills were as bad as your aim…no offense or anything."
"…" I was silent for a moment, mostly trying to hold in my own anger. "…anyways," I began, trying to change the subject. "I know you filled me with an encyclopedia on the basics on this…day and age, but something tells me that what you told me isn't everything."
"I can't argue with you there. I only filled you in on anything I know, which on its own isn't much to work off of, sorry." GS responded. "On the bright side, we'll get to figure things out together along the way."
"Yeah, looking forward to working with you too, GS." I responded.
Judging by the distance left between me and the destination, it shouldn't be long now. Or rather, we were pretty much just about there. Pulling down from the skylines and below the clouds once again, we entered what appeared to be…
"-Looks like we're here, welcome to the Last Safe City on Earth." Ghost welcomed. The sight itself was beyond beautiful.
I mean, it wasn't in the case of it being the serene valley-like beauty like a meadow or anything, 'cause that wouldn't have been a city. No, I don't think I can really put a finger on just what this place reminds me of. It definitely wasn't New Alexandria…
I dunno…maybe that was because I was always surrounded by war. I mean, I am a Spartan Super Soldier, but…I'm not unlike others. I too was raised to be the kind of War Machine people recognized, like The Master Chief and his Blue Team. I mean, I was part of Blue Team, just not the same one as him. Anyways, my point is, I am a Spartan, born for war and born to protect. But I think my later days are what really changed me. Joining Noble Team, the Fall of Reach, everything after, even now…all of it. It's so strange seeing all of this.
…But this place, it was so nice, so peaceful. Not too quiet, can't expect that from a city, but it wasn't too loud either. It was just right. But…I guess that's what put me on edge the most.
Surely enough, it wasn't too hard for me to find "The Tower" and land, though I suppose It did kind of concern me when GS and I got out of our ship only to have it be taken away to the Hanger by some unknown force…creepy…*Shudders*
But, yeah, here I stand, in front of the groups of people, sharing laughs, talking friendly. To my left there was a large Post stand, a little too large that it seemed unnecessarily lonely, or it would, had it not been ran by a robot called the Postmaster, who was by no means of the Exo race that GS had been telling me about, rather, she kind of reminded me of…well, me underneath my suit.
"What the heck?" GS exclaimed upon seeing me without my helmet. I wasn't a full blown Exo from the looks of it; rather I was a simple AI with a Robot body. Nothing fancy, and my body was built using a friggin Robot Building kit from who knows how long ago in the past. But it didn't really matter much to me. "Okay…remind me to get someone to help build you a new body."
Carrying on, to my right there were several stations, not that I really wanted to take the time to count them all, but other Guardians seemed to enjoy gathering around them to use them for whatever purpose it is they serve, a Bank maybe?
Far over behind the stations, next to the stairway to the Hanger was a…blue man? Clad in yellow robes and a brownish-tan hood, was a man who I can assume to be of the "Awoken" Race from what my database can tell me. With those glaring orange eyes and angry look on his face, I could already tell we weren't going to get along.
Further to the upper right corner of the Tower was another, similar stand, in the shade of a large tree, which seemed to be selling weapons, courtesy of who I can assume to be an Exo in blue clothes. Built in a deeper, richer blue color with yellow trims, he seemed…nicer than Mr. Angry face over there. Either way, I suppose it would be wise to speak to him later, so I made a mental note of such in my head as I continued to inspect the plaza.
Though, I say this, but there wasn't much left besides the small robot who stood by the little map frame talking to Guardians about who knows what. Though what really piqued my interests was the staircase leading into the tower.
"Where does that lead?" I asked Ghost.
"Oh! There? That'll bring you to the Hall of Guardians; you were actually going to need to go there anyways to talk to the Hunter Vanguard, Cayde-6." GS responded.
"…well now I don't want to go…" I responded turning to the hanger.
"JUST GO!" GS ordered, and of course, reluctantly turning on my heels I entered said Hall of Guardians.
Though to be honest, it wasn't as flashy as I expected it to be. The entry hall had two stands, both opposite sides of the other, and commanded by these two dudes talking about Crucible. Though one of them was a robot so I could understand it was probably his programming and all, but the other dude seemed like another guy I was going to hate, Lord Shaxx he calls himself.
Ignoring the two, I continued into the larger and much more intriguing room. Though, by intriguing I'm talking about the number of people there. It wasn't so much that it filled the room, no, but there were people fixing things, citizens just walking around inspecting what's here and there, and other guardians of course. However, what caught my eye were probably the three "special" people gathered around the large center table.
The left of the table was occupied by a blue Exo with a horn protruding from his head, and his darker colored brownish cloak and armor. Across from him was a black Human female in purple robes. Standing at the opposite end of the table across from the doorway, however, was a awoken male, obviously older than that angry man in yellow, evident by the wrinkles on his face which seemed to scream that he's seen a lot of shit gone down in the past. He wore armor similar to my own, though obviously his was more native to the one that Lord Shaxx was wearing, as well as the other "Titans" so I figured.
"The Exo is Cayde-6, your Vanguard." GS said. Taking these words, I approached the Exo male and saluted.
"Master Chief Petty Officer, Nero Exodus, reporting for duty, Sir!" I saluted, though I might've seemed a bit too…uptight judging by his reaction. Leaning over slightly back to the Titan Vanguard he said just barely audible, but enough that I could hear.
"I think this one is yours Zavala…" Cayde said.
Zavala however, gave a chuckle and addressed the situation. "Yes, how may I help you today, Titan?"
"Um…sorry to inconvenience all of you, but let me just correct you Commander I'm no Titan. I said to them straightly. "I'm a Hunter."
This caused their jaws to drop a bit.
"Um…okaayyyy then…" Cayde said taken aback. "Ghost, is this really the case?"
"Affirmative," GS responded. "He looks and fights like a Titan, but he has the personality, speed, and overall abilities of a Hunter. It kind of intrigues me."
"That is interesting…" Zavala responded. "Now, hold up a moment, first, I would like to address the formalities. As we are all allies here, there is no need to be so formal, so feel free to be…however it is your usual personality is, Guardian." This allowed me to relax a bit. "Secondly, might I just ask what class armor are you wearing?"
"Oh um, I'm wearing MJOLNIR Mark VI armor." This seemed to turn some heads.
"MJOLNIR Mark VI? I've never heard of that before…" Cayde said.
"Um…something tells me…Guardians and Spartans are not exactly synonyms…" I said.
"Okay then, everyone out, the Vanguard, Speaker, and our new…Master Chief needs to have a bit of a discussion…" Zavala ordered…great…
"So this is the Spartan?" The man clad in white asked. Honestly, I couldn't make out whether or not he was a hostile or an ally, but the others seemed to treat him as an ally of sorts. I couldn't even make out what race he was. Calling himself the Speaker, and claiming to speak for the huge floaty ball thingy in the sky they call "The Traveler" I'm not quite sure what to make of him to be honest.
"Let me be first to say, other than your Ghost of course, Welcome to the Tower, to the Last safe city on Earth." The Speaker said. "It took us centuries to build but now…we count every day it still stands."
"Um…thanks?" I responded unsure of how to respond.
"So tell us, Guardian, just who are you?" Zavala interjected.
"Um, like I said, I am Master Chief Petty Officer Nero Exodus, though my allies know me simply as NeXT, Service tag 137. I am an AI built back in the year 2547 and was active up till the year of 2552 before being reactivated in 2557 and remained active till 2560. I served in countless wars, but my most notable achievement was probably being a part of Noble Team during the Fall of Reach as Noble Six, and having served in the Human Covenant War and the battle against the Flood. Before this I was stationed at Sidewinder Blue Team Outpost Delta before being transferred to a Halo Installation in Blue Team Outpost Alpha in Blood Gulch. After the fall, when I was reactivated I was then stationed in Valhalla for a time, also part of Blue Team. After that, a majority of my memories seemed blurry, but I can make out the memories in between 2547 and 2560 pretty clearly. Though After is…I only remember waking up here on Earth when Ghost found me in the Old Russia Cosmodrome, but I have no recollection of ever coming to Earth much less Russia." I explained.
"Wow, long career." Cayde clapped. "But what's up with the 'Spartan' thing? What even is that?"
"A Spartan...we are Super Soldiers in a sense. Though…I was invented by a Spartan II back in 2547, I was built as a…sort of test in between the Spartan II and III program, and was trained as more than just a simple "Weapon" for war, rather I was the definition of "Death" itself in the battlefield. Or at least that's what I was told." I responded honestly.
"…Wow…" Cayde said.
"Well…you've had…quite the life, haven't you, friend?" Zavala said.
"Honestly, I do find it a bit concerning, how do we know you're an ally?" the Warlock Vanguard, Ikora, asked, finally deciding to speak up.
"Well," I began. "For starters, I have no reason to lie. I only live to protect those who need to be protected. To protect the weak, those who can't fight, and motivate them to become stronger so they can hold themselves up; that's what I believe in." They seemed to have bought my words, not that it was a lie or anything, but, after everything that's gone down in my lifetime…I know that I've come a long way from the "Death-machine" I was.
"Well said Guardian," The Speaker agreed. "Now, what will you do with what you've become?"
"What…I've become?" my words formed a question, but…it honestly wasn't too hard to figure out. "I-I am both Guardian and Spartan. I don't really have much a reason to do anything just yet but…I'm hoping that somewhere along the way I'll be able to figure out just what it is that I'm looking for now. Other than that, I'll pledge my allegiance to the Tower and the people of the city. Again, it's not like I have any other purpose right now."
"I see…" The Speaker said. "Well, that's fine take your time to figure out whatever it is that you want to do with your life. You're much older than anyone else in the tower; that is for sure a fact. So it may take some time getting used to…all of this." Turning to face the Vanguard, the Speaker spoke. "Anyone object to our…unique friend?"
"…" There was nothing but silence…and I was relieved in more ways than one. They had accepted me to the Tower…honestly I wasn't quite sure what I would've done had they decided to give me the boot.
"Yes," Cayde's voice rang, alarming me to turn to face him. "If we're gonna have him stay," Thank god he wasn't telling me to get out. "Let's outfit him with proper gear and…a new body. Cause I'm sure that old and rusty thing can't possibly be too comfortable. Let's get you outfitted Guardian."
Honestly…that didn't sound too bad.
I was wrong…I was so very wrong…it was soooo painful being transferred into a new body after so long...
It had been about a week that I've been forced to be around here in the tower. A full blown week. Though I suppose that it was justified do to what we were doing. It was actually quite a strange process. They wanted me to help design the body as best as I could and it resulted in my new body, which…is definitely going to take some getting used to. For starters I was an Exo now. In contrast to Cayde and the Gunsmith, whom I discovered to be named Banshee-44, I was a red exo…with "bunny-ears" as I call them. The pointed ear pieces on the side of my head, while they aren't technically "bunny-ears" I'm positive I accidentally made them a little too different than they were intended to, now having quite a resemblance to a bunny's ears.
My eyes were a bright blue and my speech was green, it was…interesting. My body was far more functional in more ways than one, and much easier to move. Even the movements were more agile and fluent than before. It was also sleeker and less bulky as opposed to my previous "robot-building-kit" body.
I actually felt…real, or at least less artificial as opposed to my previous body. However, my armor…thank god I was able to convince them not to change it too much.
You see, they were actually planning to give me the standardized Hunter Gear, which, I have to admit looked nice…but not me. So I got them to do me a favor and alter the armors and well…merge them.
My armor was still its steel with cobalt trim colors though it was inverted so that the cobalt was my main color with the steel/black trim, except now in place of the generic MJOLNIR Mark VI armor; it was altered to resemble the armor of my choosing/design…only much sleeker to fit my Hunter physique.
To begin with I wore a Scout Helmet, and kept my MJOLNIR Mark VI body. I chose to wear MJOLNIR for the gauntlets and boots too. However, to make them more Hunter-like, the upper thigh armor was now replaced and was now a more pants-like material up to my boots which were also Mark VI. My gauntlets however remained for the forearms, but my bicep armor was also replaced, with my left arm being more plated than my right. I also wore Rogue Shoulder armor. Though I say the color scheme is Cobalt and Steel, I should also note the addition of extra colors thanks to the whole Guardian thing, with the more clothing-like parts primarily being black with a royal blue trim. Thankfully it kept with the blue. My visor however, was the same old golden-orange color, Legendary as some dubbed it. I also wore a cloak that did well to match my color scheme, even had a hood. However, I preferred to keep it off in favor of my helmet. But, what made the cloak that much more unique to me, and what made me favor it so much was the electric blue symbol embroidered on it. A hawk with two knives crossing it, changing between several shades of blue, almost like a pulse...this was Blue Team's symbol.
"So, how does it feel?" I hear the Shipwright, Amanda Holliday ask me as she and Eva Levante approached me. They were both tasked to outfit me with my new body and armor, with a little help from Cayde and some of the tower bots. Though, they were all pretty much gone now, having left to tend to their own business.
"Honestly, I never have seen the Vanguard and Speaker so…ready to gear up a Guardian." Holliday added.
"Indeed," Eva agreed.
"Well, it feels great, a little…different. But, it's great nonetheless." I responded with my best robotic smile.
"Well that is to be expected," Eva said.
"I suppose so," I agreed.
"Hey, Cayde wanted me to tell you to go check up with Banshee; your "Spartan-Weapons" are ready; whatever that means." Amanda said, pushing me along.
"Here they are Guardian," Banshee said, handing me the first of my weapons, a weapon, specifically built for me and my preferences.
The M739 Light Machine Gun, also known as the "SAW" or rather this was more or less an updated "Guardian" version of it. Differentiating in more ways than one, starting with its colors. In place of the Tan and Orange it was built to match my colors, being Steel primarily and Cobalt secondly. Also it was updated quite a bit to make its accuracy precise enough to get headshots with constantly. He said the design I gave him to work off of reminded him of another weapon Guardians used, called the "ThunderLord" a heavy machine gun. However, unlike ThunderLord, the new M760 Light Machine Gun also known as the SAW-ECLPS (Eclipse) fit in my "Secondary weapon" slot, but it also did Arc damage…whatever that was.
Next was my new primary weapon, and by the lord is it a sexy beast. A Battle Rifle/classified Scout rifle. The precision is beautiful, and the three burst fires are just as nostalgic as I remember. Banshee described it as a weapon being the perfect balance between normal Guardian's Scout Rifles and Pulse Rifles. By the gods do I agree; it honestly feels perfect to me. Modeled after the BR85 Heavy Barrel Service Rifle (Battle Rifle) this sleek black and blue rifle fit my needs perfectly, and its name was the BR106 Heavy Barrel Service Rifle, AKA Lunar REA14.
Finally was my Heavy Weapon, another unique weapon built for me, the Z-771 NeXT Solaris15. This one didn't really follow much of any design that I particularly wanted…okay that was a flat out lie; it is modeled after the alien sniper rifle used by the Forerunners, the Z-750 Special Application Sniper Rifle or Binary Rifle. Sharing the same shape, formation, and overall abilities of the Binary Rifle; though, only matching the rest of my weapon's color scheme to match me. As of now, I was a fully armed Spartan/Guardian hybrid.
Oh, and it does help to say that thanks to the Speaker, Cayde, and the other Vanguard members, I was quickly re-evaluated and re-leveled to Level 25 to make things…slightly more accurate without making me having to work too much into it due to my long career and service record.
"What do you think?" Banshee asked, though I'm positive he already knew the answer.
"I…FUCKING LOVE IT!" I cheered mock-aiming my new 'Scout Rifle'
"This is all so amazing!" I lowered my weapon and turned to face Banshee. "I'm sure we're going to get along quite well, Banshee my friend…oh and is there anywhere I can get a drink? Oh and do we have any privileges to go down into the city?"
"Um…"
So…this was…a club? Not that it didn't seem like it could be. However, when I entered the small room underneath the Hanger, I didn't realize it would be quite like…it is.
It didn't seem like it was quite anything to really think of as special, but it wasn't plain either. If I had to give my honest to god opinion on it, it was quite peaceful actually. I heard that it was built by Hunters, which does explains the maps and occasional trophies like skulls and what not decorating the room…okay I realize how screwed up that may sound. Anyways, for the most part there were citizens and even other guardians just enjoying their time here, nothing too weird or fancy. The couches were nice, and there seemed to be a repair bot by the stairway for…robotic maintenance I guess?
Anyways, it was overall a nice lounge. I mean, there was even a jukebox. Though, from what I was told, the room had been recently renovated. Sure enough, there was a bar now as an extension to the room, which was definitely interesting. Being ran by a small bartender robot, right next to what appears to be the new dance floor Banshee told me about. Honestly, he doesn't seem like the type to enjoy this kind of stuff, by I think he was really just being nice to the new guy.
However, despite all of these things the room was still quite…empty. The only number of people here you could probably count up on a hand or two, and even then, it wasn't a hard number to come up to. The dance floor was empty, and no music seemed to be playing.
GS popped up above my shoulder and said, "Wow…it's like…a ghost town in here." I looked at him with a look that said "No, really?" and he of course chuckled nervously, or perhaps out of embarrassment from his words.
I made a move towards the bar, I needed a drink. "Hey Bartender," I said catching his attention as I steadily approached. "Can you pass me a drink of…your best Exo beverage?" I asked. Being new to this whole... "Exo" thing was going to take some getting used to. No matter.
I took a seat next to another Exo…that looked as though he was painfully drunk… He was primarily purple, with two horns protruding from his head, and also had glaring red eyes…kind of like a…like a demon or oni or something…
"Um…you okay?" I asked hesitantly, kindly placing a hand on the fellow Exo's shoulder, and sure enough he perked up almost immediately.
"Wha!" He screamed alarmed. "HOLD UP, WHOEVER DARES TO THINK THAT THEY CAN FIGHT ME THEY ARE SORELY MISTAKEN!" He shouted…wait…what? Immediately his attention turned to me…this can't be good…
Sure enough, he nailed me in the face almost immediately when he laid eyes on me, sending me falling right out of my seat.
"H-Hold up man, I don't want any trouble!" I exclaimed, trying to reason with the drunken Exo. Why is that even possible? Who gave Exo's the friggin ability to get drunk!?
"Hey, C.A.M.," Someone called entering the bar stopping upon seeing the sight that was…taking place. "Holy shit C.A.M., really?" The voice belonged to another Exo. He was taller than at least me from what I could tell, but was by far the tallest guy I've met. It wasn't too hard to miss either, the fact that he had countless of...old and loose parts on him. He wasn't exactly what I was when I walked in, of course he was much better off than my outdated gear, but you can still easily make out the strange mismatches in his body.
But…that's when I noticed something was off. I was the only one wearing armor. Yes, from the looks of things, C.A.M. wore a simple outfit, similar to Cayde's but minus the whole armor and cloak, also in a Red and White coloring. The other guy was wearing robes that I could assume made him a warlock, but no armor on his person or weapons, all done up in a primarily white with a bit of red and black added to it.
Coming over to C.A.M. and me, the Exo quickly grabbed C.A.M. and pulled him off of me holding him back by his arms.
"C.A.M., calm down," The Exo said. "I apologize for my friend here…he's drunk."
Soon we were joined by a Titan, the first awoken that didn't appear to be a vendor or important person of much. I say this, but I'm sure he's seen quite a bit in his lifetime. I say that because he appeared to be around the same age as Commander Zavala…maybe even older. Either way, you could tell just by looking at these three that they've all seen their own shared bits of the dark side of the world…of life.
"So," The Awoken began. "C.A.M. getting' drunk again?"
"*sigh* Yep," The Exo responded disappointedly. "I swear we need to get that feature removed from this guy."
"Tell me about it." The Titan agreed, taking C.A.M. off the Exo's hands. "So, who's the new kid?"
"Oh right," The Exo exclaimed, recalling my presence. "Um…I don't think we caught a name from you, kid."
Honestly, I wasn't quite sure whether or not to correct them on their statement. I am positive I am much older than any of these guys. However, I can't say much about that either, cause no matter what I say, I come from so far in the past that I'm too new. I don't really have any idea of what has happened up till now, so there's no reason to say "Oh, I'm actually this old," not that it'd sound plausible in the slightest. So I decided to just treat the situation…normally.
"I um…my name is Nero Exodus, you can call me NeXT. I'm a Hunter…a new Guardian." I said, though I wasn't quite sure if they would believe me; judging by the looks on their faces, they weren't too convinced. However, they seemed to play it off regardless.
"Well, we can't force you to tell us things about you that you don't want to talk about." The Exo Warlock said. "Anyways, hello NeXT, my name is , or just Wicked depending on you."
"And I am Kahaar Shaheel Rebazz," The Awoken Titan, Kahaar added. "Feel free to call me whichever you wish."
"Oh, and our drunken friend over here is C.A.M.-9…he's drunk." Wicked said, pointing to a drunken C.A.M. who seemed to have…shut off for now.
"Um…okay then?" I responded quite unsure on how to respond. "I'm guessing I shouldn't drink then, judging by how he was acting?"
"Probably," Wicked agreed. "But you're free to try." He said, suggesting the drink that I had ordered earlier now waiting for me on the bar counter.
"…" Thinking it over in my mind I finally came to a conclusion. "…Um yeah but…no thanks…"
"Hmm, okay then, more for me!" Wicked said taking the drink and chugging it down like a pro.
"*Sigh* Great, now I have two drunkards to deal with…" Kahaar sighed in despair.
"Yeah um…I'm just gonna…gonna go now!" I said retreating slowly from the group of veteran guardians before reaching the foot of the stairs…then I bolted away as fast as I could…god they were weird.
Before I knew, I had run as far away as I could…which seemed to be quite far. Stopping momentarily once I realized that I was farther away than I would have…liked, I turned and searched around me.
There weren't any cars or trucks like I would have expected, that's for sure. Maybe the occasional speeder-like vehicles running down the streets, but those seemed to be more of a luxury for the Guardians.
Here I was…standing amongst towering city skyscrapers and buildings, monuments that decorated, that defined the "Last City" on Earth. Surprisingly enough it all seemed so…normal. Just like at the tower, it was hard to believe that there was even a war going on.
All around me, citizens would walk side by side. Some were strolling along with their young'uns; others were with their lovers or friends conversing. There were even shops and stores around here and there. Signs saying things like "Get your Exo Parts here!" or "By food, animals, or even figures of the Tower's Vanguard!" or even "Turkey Store!" Okay…that last one was a bit weird…
However, no matter how I looked at it…this place was…unique. This was a place so free of war and battle, yet could still be considered a city. The only times I could even recall seeing a scene like this was…never.
I look up, gazing at the large ivory orb that stood as a reminder to the people here of what happened, where we come from, and where we stand, and I think to myself about whether or not it had intended this outcome for us…
I shake the thoughts from my head, and I turn to look at GS who was floating above my shoulder, "So buddy," I said to him, looking at him with a glint in my eyes that said 'Adventure time'.
"…Let's go have some fun in the City!"
[Mission 01: Over…]