Among the Last City's numerous enemies, the Hive were the most hated.
Traveller had seen fit to bestow magnificent gifts upon humanity in the form of Light and marvellous technologies. The list of otherwise seemingly impossible scientific barriers were broken down by the Traveller's grace. The Hive, however, had taken that sacred gift, corrupting and twisting it, turning it to their own perverse sorceries through a shard of the Traveller.
And so it was that on this day that Jennifer found herself leading a small team of novice Guardians into Cosmodrome – with fire and lightning they burned the Hive minions from the darkened halls and rooms. The vile creatures fought back ferociously, but could not stand against the Guardians' combined might. Fallen forces, drawn to them by the conflict, sought to prevail, but soon found out that they'd bitten off more than they could chew.
Hunters harried them from the shadows, striking unseen before vanishing, leaving both Fallen and Hive firing blindly.
Warlocks burned them with Void and Sun energies, rending reality apart with the slightest of gestures.
Titans controlled the ebb and flow of the protracted melee a trois, laying waste to their enemies.
Yet, for all its ferocity, the battle was already decided. Neither the Fallen or the Hive could stand against the superior weapons, armour and training of the City's Guardians.
"And that was the day when the universe ran out of ammunition." One of the Hunters quipped, reloading his hand cannon as others picked over the corpses for whatever universal ammo packs there were to be found. Waste not, want not, as the old saying went.
"You've done well – the enemy is on the run, and we've had to do only three revives so far." Jennifer commended her comrades. Her trusty auto rifle, Up For Anything, resting snugly on her back. The weapon was a gift from the Vanguard, and it had faithfully seen her through a lot of fights – its aim never faltered, and always struck true, leaving innumerable enemies dead in her wake.
"Kayl, are the demolition charges still safe?" She queried, turning to face a young Titan, who immediately checked the heavy-duty backpack she carried on her back, and then gave Jennifer a thumbs-up. Among their chief objectives here was the destruction of a Hive Seeder that had crashed in the Cosmodrome. It had been decided that it would be the Last City's first outpost outside its walls. Both the Fallen and Hive were on the back foot now, with the Fallen Kells jockeying for a position of power, now that Draksis was dead. Fallen power struggles were few and far inbetween, but were exceptionally bloody and violent. Meanwhile, the Hive struggled to recover from the loss of one of the Shrines of Oryx, and the Siphon Witches, who no longer could guide and nourish their infernal minions. It was a mixed blessing, however. – Guardians who went to Moon reported that the Hive who they had to contend with there were hungry and ravenous, moreso than usual, attacking them with frightening frequency and viciousness.
Her musings were interrupted by a sudden, stabbing pain in her abdomen.
Period cramps, Ghost called it.
Worst thing since Darkness, she called it.
It was not a sensation she enjoyed. Waiting for her Light to soothe the pain, she contacted the other Guardians.
"You go on ahead, guys. We'll catch up to you – me and Ghost got a bit of a detour to make."
What do you mean with th-oh. Right. That.
"Will it fly?"
"I can make it work."
Jennifer smiled wanly to herself as she looked at the empty hangar – it seemed like an eternity had passed since she'd first beheld the old, battered jumpship hanging from the cables. Here she'd fought the Fallen Devil Captain, Rahn, her first challenge on the path of becoming a Guardian. The Arcadia-class vessel had been long since replaced with a more modern jumpship, but without it, her legend would have been a very short one, indeed.
Back when you brought me back, did you ever think that we'd ever accomplish what we did, Ghost?
Nnope, can't say I did. The Traveller works in mysterious ways. Perhaps it was pure luck. Perhaps it was destiny.
Heh... That's one way to put it, I guess.
Giving the room one last wistful look, she departed – the old headquarters of the Cosmodrome had yet to be secured in preparation for the engineers and soldiers of the Last City, who were due to arrive in a couple of hours. After that, they'd set out towards the recently-discovered settlement, and, with a bit of luck, safely deliver its people to the Last City. Far as plans went, this one was fairly simple, and hopefully, nothing would go wrong in the meanwhile.
The irony was not lost on Jennifer – she'd seen the distant corners of Earth's former colonies, even Mercury in its post-Collapse state, disfigured by Vex machinery, yet she'd seen so little of Earth itself. In the years following the disastrous cataclysm brought about by the Darkness, as humankind had withdrawn to the Last City, nature had reclaimed much of the grand metropolises humanity had built. Humming to herself, she gazed at the lush forests far below as the small flotilla of aircraft soared through air, a group of City-built troop carriers, re-purposed for this mission, and escorted by eight Guardian jumpships.
The scenery was beautiful, in its own way – it instilled in her a sort of muted awe to see humanity's creations in such a state of neglect. So much of it all would have to be demolished for them to start anew.
There's the settlement. Can't land in the middle of it, though – there's not enough space, but there is a spacious enough clearing about two hundred metres south of it. Let's set down there.
Good thinking, Ghost.
Well, someone has to do that around here, after all.
Har, har, har, Dinklebot.
I'll shut up now.
Good thinking.
It was the first time in centuries since the small, tranquil glade had been in such a frenzy – wildlife of all kinds ran away as the carriers and jumpships gently set down, the landing skids sinking into the lush grass, creaking as the vessels came to a rest. Even as the whine of powerful engines died down, City Militia personnel disembarked, setting up a perimeter – there were always the errant Fallen scavenger parties to watch out for.
The heavy boots of Titans thumped, leaving deep imprints in the ground, the stalwart Guardians ready to face anything that might mean to harm them.
The measured, rhythmical footsteps of Warlocks followed, static energy leaping off their robes as they kept their powers alive – this far from the City, anything was possible.
Hunters were a leaf on the wind, leaving no footprints to trace them by as they shadowed the other Guardians, keeping an eye out for anything that might be troublesome.
The path had turned out to be a bit longer than what Ghost had predicted, since going as the crow flies would've attracted undue attention. So to the beaten path they stayed, keeping their pace brisk. It didn't take long before they entered another clearing, one which was surrounded by a number of watchtowers – Jennifer's HUD lit up, outlining people in them, holding rifles of some sort. They appeared alert, but relaxed.
I guess they're expecting us. Let's get a move on.
A chorus of replies reached her across the comms as the other Guardians followed her into the settlement. People came out from the concealed shacks and tents to meet them, awe clear in their eyes, but soon they parted, letting a grizzled, broad-shouldered man through.
I guess that's the man in charge around here. Coming to a halt in front of him, she reached up to her head, removing her helmet and attaching it to her belt as they sized each other up silently – but she was the first to break the silence.
"I am Jennifer Irons of the Last City." She spoke, keeping her voice even and respectful, extending a hand towards the tall man. He blinked once, his unreadable expression changing into a more friendly one as they shook hands.
"I am Hector. Welcome to our humble settlement, Guardian. It is heartening to see your kind here." Whatever tension there had been beforehand was gone now. "Let me get right to it. Our scouts have noticed far more Fallen patrols in the recent past than before. It is not safe here anymore. Will you help us?"
"We're Guardians – it's what we do. I'm sure you noticed our ships set down nearby earlier? We can fly your people back to the City. How many do you have?"
"There's forty-five of us, myself included. Most of our belongings can be packed up and carried by hand."
Good to know – those dropships of ours only have so much lift capacity.
"How soon can you have everyone ready to go? No doubt our arrival drew unnecessary attention, and I'd like to ensure we leave before the bullets start flying."
"An hour - two at most. I'll spread the news." She nodded at that, watching the settlement surge into activity moments later.
A penny for your thoughts?
We'll need to move – fast. Call some of the LZ guards over. We'll move the people in groups of ten. Easier that way.
I hear that. Let's see what we can do to help these people pack up.
With the Guardians' aid, everyone had finished packing up their belongings in just over an hour – everyone had a backpack, stuffed full; whatever could not be carried by hand was lashed down onto sturdy carts and pulled along. The people had separated into groups, chattering excitedly among themselves, curious to see what lay outside of their small sanctuary.
The first three trips went flawlessly.
But it was on the return from the fourth that Jennifer noted something was amiss – her senses were literally screaming 'a predator's going to eat you, run', even though she could not detect the source of her unease.
I've got a bad feeling about this.
Well, now that you've jinxed us, there's definitely something bad that's going to happen. I can't pick up anything on short-range or long-range scans, for now, at least.
Let's just hurry up and get this over with. The sooner we're back in the City, the better.
I hear that.
The nagging feeling of imminent danger only got worse as they escorted the fifth group, and she found herself unconsciously toying with Invective's trigger.
Uh, okay... What's got you so riled up?
In lieu of an answer, she stepped to the right, punching a Hive Thrall that had just silently risen from a nearby bush – her heavy-duty gauntlet connected with the monster's face, effectively ending its existence as it dissipated into ash. Instantly, dozens more sprung from the surrounding foliage, Thralls and Acolytes, all of them baying for their blood. Gunfire erupted instantly, almost twenty guns blazing as they cut down the charging, shrieking monsters.
Jennifer acted in concert with her fellow Titans, all of them throwing up Wards of Dawn to protect others, gathering everyone inside the protective domes of energy, and stepped forth to meet their foes head-on.
The confrontation was vicious, but brief – numerous as the Hive were, no Thrall or Acolyte had the constitution of a Guardian, moreso with the City soldiers backing them up, trained warriors all.
As the din of battle ceased, Jennifer knelt down to inspect one of the more intact Hive.
Take a look, Ghost. What can you find out about it? How did these things sneak up on us? We should've been able to see them coming a mile away.
Her companion was silent for several long moments before responding.
They've been modified – extensively. That's as much as I can tell without feeling sick, and we have no... Ghost trailed off there before speaking again. Is it just my imagination or is the grass dying where this Hive monster fell?
Indeed, as they watched, the foliage surrounding the creature withered and fell to dust before their very eyes.
That is not a good sign.
We agree on that. I wish we had some seasoned Warlocks with us to study this. Well, at least these Hive die all the same. We've already got enough on our plates.
I hear that. Let's get back to the City and report to the Speaker.
It was almost twelve hours later that Jennifer was finally able to return to her home – the bed beckoned to her as she removed her armour-
We've got a message from the Speaker, Guardian.
A noise akin to a constipated moose escaped the woman as she resignedly replied to her erstwhile companion.
What's it say?
There's, ah, some sort of communications beacon on a loop, back at Mars that a Hunter picked up two days ago. There's not much in it, just a set of coordinates and an invitation to the one who killed Valus Ta'aurc. That means you.
Could be trouble. Then again, what isn't in these days?
Any idea who might've sent this message?
Could be the Exo Stranger. She is a weird sort.
'I don't even have time to explain why I don't have time to explain.' Ghost mocked in a falsetto voice, making Jennifer snicker with amusement. Seriously, how do you even need to think to come up with something like that? Anyways, we've got a set of coordinates – do we check them out or not?
Let's do it. But only once I've slept through the entirety of next day.
Exit light, enter night, take my hand, we're off to never-never land...
If that's a reference to something, it's lost on me.
Feh.