Welcome one and all to the final chapter for Neo and the Wolves of Mars. As you all are aware, we have lost the originator of the Remnant of a Rose Series, Ptabs0101. Me and my fellow authors who compose FireteamNero will do our best to continue the Remnant of a Rose series, so please have Ptabs family in your prayers and be kind to our future content. Now onto the final chapter of the story...
So that's it? That's the end of the story?!
Yes, the story is over little one. But that dosen't mean her tale is at an end. For every beginning, has an end, but with every ending, comes many a new adventure waiting.
-The Speaker to a young child
Tower, Earth
"Right after Orbiks Prime exploded, I had Takei transmat us both to my ship. Twenty minutes later, Takei listened in to Cabal chatter. He stated that the Cabal have taken back their base. Any Wolves that remained are either driven out or already dead." Shiro said finishing his report to Ikora and Zavala.
It was a few hours later after his and Neo's fight with the Kell and Servitor of House Wolves. After bandaging Neo's leg and dropping her off at her room, he made his way to the meeting room to debrief with the rest of the Vanguard.
"Excellent work shiro, I'll let one of my agents message Petra and Variks so that they can be on the lookout for the Wolves. Ikora said as she placed a hand of Shiro's shoulder. Zavala however was silent as he gazed through the report himself.
"Something wrong Zavala?" Shiro said.
"Yes, something indeed." Zavala said as his Ghost projected the report that Shiro's Ghost just compiled. "I've read your report. It stated that the Servitor responsible for hacking the Grimoire system was called Orbiks-13. Then I looked back at the last Orbiks Servitor that was destroyed. One Mecher Orbiks-11, destroyed by Prometheus-23."
"That means that there's one last Servitor of the Orbiks line somewhere in the system. One that has the potential to become a new Prime for the Wolves to rally behind." Ikora finished for him.
Shiro straightened up and said, "I'll go and search for the servitor."
"No, you won't be." Zavala said, "Ikora will send out her Hidden and a few Agents of the vanguard in search for it. Lord Saladin forge has requested your assistance in the Cosmodrome."
Neo placed the rock from Mars right on the shelf that's right next to the hung cloak of the archon Priest she killed not so long ago. She decided to use the shelf as a makeshift trophy case for all the places she's been and the enemies she killed. She then limped to the window and small balcony of her room, using her umbrella as a makeshift cane.
After the battle on Mars, Shiro healed her up as best as possible.
As she gazed at the view before her, she pondered everything that has happened to her as of late.
She traveled through a robot zombie vortex and traveled to another word. Then traveled to another world that makes Vacuo look like a paradise, stopped a gang of alien pirates.
Is this what it feels like to be a good guy? Stopping the bad guys, saving the world? She wondered to herself.
Doesn't seem so bad. I've enjoyed it and can't wait to do it again.
Neo felt her scroll vibrate in her pocket and brought it out. She checked to see that she had two new messages, both from Shiro.
Hey Neo, sorry I couldn't come to you in person. The Vanguard asked me to check into something in the Cosmodrome, somethings got Lord Saladin uneasy. And when the Last Iron Lord is uneasy, it's got to be bad. Thanks to our mission on Mars and the shattering of house Wolves, you are no longer a trainee, but a fully-fledged Agent of the Vanguard. Take a few weeks off, you earned it! Also check the other message I sent, you earned it.
Shiro-6
Neo dismissed that message and opened the other one. It was a Grimoire entry with her name and picture on it!
Neapolitan. The first human from Remnant to become an Agent of the Vanguard. Her first major exploit in service to the Vanguard was to eliminate the leadership of the resurfaced House of Wolves. She is a hero and a pioneer to her people.
As she finished reading, she wiped her tears from her eyes, touched by their kindness and the hope she inspired for other. She looked at the Traveler, hanging above the city before her and wondered, what other adventures await her? She put her scroll back in her pocket and brought out the journal she got and turned the page to the supposed treasure that was hidden in this Widows Walk.
I have a few weeks to recovery, she thought to herself. I might as well use them.
00000
In orbit around Mars moon Phobos, Sol System
Phobos, one of two asteroid-like moons of Mars. Once Phobos was used as a mining and fleet operation for the Cabal in the system. If things were different, it was to be the epicenter of a full-scale invasion for the Cabal. But is now abandoned by them all thanks to the recently deceased Taken King, tainted by Taken Blights that still seethe with energy. No one in their right mind would ever go there.
Which made it the perfect hiding spot for the Wolves.
Yavek sat in his throne aboard the Ketch high above the abandoned Cabal base. He was covered in scars and his muscles ached, but he survived! He was lucky to survive the cave-in at the cabal base. After he uncovered himself from the rubble, he limped away towards one of the tunnels that had a few Skiffs docked and ready. As he approached one of them, numerous of his fellow Wolves ran out of the other tunnels, straight to the Skiffs.
When they approached and saw that he survived, they kneeled and told him what had happened. Numerous Splicers have fallen, Techis enveloped by Vex tech, and Orbiks Prime destroyed!
He gave the order to keep the Ketch as close to the blights as possible without being affected by them, but not too far away for anyone to realize that they are here. He figured that the energies from the blights would be able to mask his ship from any scanners, and the gambit paid off. He listened to the hacked channels. Guardians communications state that the Wolves have been completely decapitated of leadership and have scattered across the system. Exactly what he wanted them to think.
He gave the order for all wolves in the system to act as if they were divided and to make the Guardians think that they were on the brink of extinction, when in reality, they were not.
It's true that they were down an Archon Priest and the Splicers are decimated in numbers. But there is no shortage of volunteers to be elevated to such a position. And true, they are down a Prime Servitor, but that's about to change.
He gazed across his throne room and watched a group of wolves weld several large pieces of shell casing that belonged to the former Orbiks Prime. Thanks to Servitors ability to become a potential Prime, Orbiks-12 was now being used as the center of a new Prime, which will be named Orbiks Prime Reborn.
Before its destruction, Orbiks Prime didn't make just Orbiks-12 and 13, but also Orbiks 14 through 20, now currently safe and secure in the Ketch, feeding the crew with life-giving Ether. The wolves will rise stronger than ever!
His thoughts were interrupted by a female Dreg by the name of Wekkis. She kneeled to her Kell.
"My Kell, we have managed to salvage only three files of the Guardians Grimoire System."
Yavek nodded his head and clicked a button on his throne, the files now being holographically displayed for all the room to see.
The first file is the name of a recently discovered human world called Remnant that included its coordinates.
The second is a file detailing something called Dust and its many subtypes.
And the third one was a picture taken many years ago.
Yavek gazed at the image and seethed with hatred. His fellow wolves also voiced their displeasure. He took several long breaths to calm the rage within him as his mind went to work. Judging from the image along with what looks like a date on one of the corners, this image was taken more than a decade before Fallen records indicate that she became a Guardian. Meaning that the rumors that Guardians can't reproduce are true. But the chance that the little grub in her arms may actually grow to be a much bigger threat than the White Rose herself is extremely likely. As much as it pains him to admit it, his House alone may not be sufficient to end the potential threat.
He roared to get the attention of the Vandals and Dregs who quickly snapped to attention. "This threat cannot be ignored! Relay through old communications to all the Houses in the System." He said. Another Dreg stepped forward and kneeled, trembling for it knew what his Kell wanted but needed to hear it spoken aloud. "My Kell…?" Yavek leaned back in his throne and gazed at the image of a young Summer Rose holding her newborn daughter, Ruby Rose. "It is time to call a Conclave!"
00000
Ruins of the Island Vytal, Remnant
The island of Vytal. Once upon a time, it was the meeting place for government officials to sign the treaty to end the Great war. And previously was the home to a gigantic Vex citadel. But recent events have led to the island itself becoming a desolate wasteland with 69% of it already beneath the waves with the remainder slowly breaking apart. Scientists predict that in the next ten years, conservatively, the rest of the island will sink and Vytal will cease to exist. Just like another island so many years ago, but that is another story.
Flying above the devastation was a Grimm Sphinx, a gigantic feline-like creature with black wings and a tail that ended in a serpent's head. It circled overhead, once, twice, then a third time before settling in a spot that wasn't completely ruined. It landed gently and waited for its occupant to get off it's back.
The figure jumped off revealing the figure to be a Titan. This titan wore armor reminiscent of a Hive Knight, but with sickly green lights coming out of the joints. His helmet was the same except instead of a regular Hive Knights head, it one of the Hive Darkblade's head. He wore a regular Titan Mark, save for the fact it was stitched together from over a dozen other Titan marks, signs of his many victories and kills. He unhooked a dark sack from his side and carried it in his grip carefully.
Once this Titan was an honorary member of the Praxic Order; a Warlock only organization whose duty was to apprehend those who have broken the law and bring them to justice. He was very effective in his duty, but his methods were questionable and, in many cases, overzealous. After an incident where five civilians were killed in a pursuit of a man selling tech to the Cabal, he was banished from the order and the Last City.
But that was a long time ago, he is a different man with a different name. He is Dredgen Tyranus of the Shadows of Yor, and he's here to investigate.
Some time ago, one of the sensors that the Shadows set up indicated that one of the Vex structures on Vytal activated. While his fellow Shadows, Vena and Craneel were busy teaching their newest allies, it was up to him to find out what it is, whether or not it's useful, and keep it away from the Guardians.
He took three steps away from his mount before turning back to it. "Stay right here. Don't leave!" he said the Grimm with a warning and finality.
The Grimm hissed at him and was about to move before it remembered the beating it undertook in the Grimmlands by this individual before it arrived here. It may be younger that its extensive Grimm relatives, but even it isn't suicidal. So, it acquiesced and laid down to wait for its rider.
Satisfied that his warning was heeded, Tyranus opened the sack in his grip and brought out a glass container with the handle on the top. In the container, surrounded by an Arc field was a Ghost. Its grey and purple shell was scorched and burned in some places and its eye had a small crack in it.
"Show me where to go." He said sadistically, the Ghost blinked at him and pointed in the direction he needed to go, knowing full well what will happen if it disobeyed.
On the day he swore his allegiance to the Shadows and killed his ghost was the day he found this lonesome light nearby and captured it. But instead of killing it, he trapped it in an ARC cage and combined with its storage systems and Vanguard channels and with his network of informants, he has proven himself as the most reliable member of the shadows.
He walked a mile from where he landed, passing the rubble of a government building, a few suburban homes, and many Vex remains. His path led him to a small beach where the remains of a vex gate was in the surf a few feet from the shore. And on that shore was a Fallen laying among the flotsam and jetsam on the beach.
He approached the unconscious Fallen and knelt to examine him. He wore a cloak that showed his allegiance the House of Wolves, but in the style of a priest. His upper arms and legs were mechanical, one of the arms being beyond repair. He realized that the one unconscious before him was a Splicer Priest. He smiled under his helmet. "Don't worry my Fallen Friend," he said to his newest ally. "For the Shadows of Yor are here to save you!" He gestured to his captive Ghost and it began to heal and awaken the Splicer Priest.
00000
Seat of the Cabal Empire
In the deepest reaches of space, far from the Sol system and Remnant lies Torobatl. A dry planet littered with sand dunes and rocky terrain. To anyone who stumbles onto this planet, it wouldn't seem much, but to the residents of this world, the Cabal, it is the center of their empire.
Numerous warships containing their armies are coming and going, some returning glorious with their conquered worlds spoils while others are going to worlds that they've set their eyes on.
And on this world, lies a palace that once was the seat of power for a hedonistic leader, before he was deposed and exiled. Now it is ruled by the one who did the deposing, the one who has led the empire through countless campaigns, and made their empire the most feared throughout the known galaxy, the Ghost Primus Dominus Ghaul.
Ghaul was seated in a throne room which was in the shape of an inverse U, with him in the center surrounded by his most loyal compatriots. To his right was a wizened Cabal in rust-red armor who raised him, a female Cabal whose white and black armor showed the scars of countless battles with a large shield at her side and another female that was much younger than the other who wore identical but less scarred armor. And to his left was a Psion who wore elaborate armor signifying her status as the only Freeborn among them, a Cabal that wore chains on his wrists flanked by large reptilian hounds that kneeled before him, and an empty seat.
They are the Consul, Uman'Arath; Primus of All Legions, Former Princess Caiatl, Freeborn Otzot, and Beast Master Traask
They were currently in session regarding the newest reports from the Sol System.
"Another leader among our legions, killed." Said the Consul gesturing to the reports displayed before them. Over the last few years leaders among Cabal chain of command in this system have been killed in ever increasing frequency. The death of Val Ma'Ungh was the most recent, signifying that there were no other leaders among the Cabal in Sol. And the Cabal in the Sol system know better than to promote themselves to a leadership position.
At another time, one of their members would say that they will host a festival in honor of those lost. But recently that individual was assassinated by one of Calus's Shadows. And that assassin was in turn killed by Ghauls own hand.
Uman'Arath lifted her shield and slammed its end to the ground in anger. "This is unacceptable!" She turned to Ghaul. "Dominus, give the order and I will recall every single one of our legions and send them all against these Guardians and lay waste to them all!"
Without looking in her outburst he raised his hand and silenced her. "The Red Legion will be more than sufficient in dealing with them, my General. Once our secret weapon is fully operational." He turned his gaze to his Freeborn. "How soon will it be ready?" Otzot glanced quickly at her calculations and replied, "We are nearing completion of the machine my Dominus, we are just missing one key component." Quickly sensing his displeasure, she added, "But do not worry Dominus, for my OXA machine has revealed that the component will soon reveal itself to us very soon." Ghaul grunted, knowing full well that the Freeborn's clairvoyant machine has never failed them yet.
The holographic report quickly faded away showing a message that an incoming transmission requires his attention. He looked at the sender and with a hint of surprise and annoyance sees that it's from The Shadow Legion.
The Shadow Legion is a misnomer among the Cabal armies. While most of the legions number among the 700,000s, this particular legion numbers in the thousands, and for two reasons. The first being that unlike most of the Cabal armies that go to war, fight and die on the front lines, the Shadow Legion's MO is to remain hidden using the most advanced cloaking technology designed by the Freeborn herself, go behind enemy lines, scout the terrain and document all of their strengths and weaknesses and then return to the empire with their findings. The second reason is that this army is a glorified militaristic penal colony.
This army is composed of both Cabal and Psions that have failed the empire in some way or another, but are too useful to simply execute or exile, but not important enough that they be transferred to another Primus's command. So, these individuals are sent to this legion, serve a few tours and return back to their original commands, while hopefully learning their lesson. As of the legion's conception from so long ago, there has yet to be a repeat offender.
When Ghaul heard reports about a lost colony from one of his contacts in the system, he sent a single ship of the Shadow Legion through the Vex portal and gave them strict instructions to find and collect all the information on this world and to keep quiet and out of sight.
For their sakes, they better have a good reason why they are breaking protocol and contacting the home world. He thought to himself. He flipped a switch in his throne and before his assembled council materialized a hologram of two individuals. The first being a towering Colossus that everyone in the room recognized, the Primus of the Shadow Legion known simply as The Warden, while the other was a small humanoid cloaked in black.
The human removed his hood, revealing his youthful appearance, white hair, pale complexion and piercing blue eyes. "Great Emperor of the Cabal, my name is Whitley Schnee, and I propose an alliance that will benefit us both."
And thus ends Neo and the Wolves of Mars. But she and all the characters in the story (excluding the dead ones) will return in Remnant of an Iron Rose shorts. Special thanks to all those who sticked by me throughout this story.
The following are upcoming chapters for the latter story(in no particular order)
For what Whitley has planned with the cabal see Whitley's Deal
For Dredgen Tyranus see Salem's Lessons in Ascendance
For a continuation of Neo's adventures see Neo's Treasure Hunt
For Yavek and his wolves see Fallen Conclaive
Until then, see yo all next time in Remnant of an Iron Rose Shorts.