Little was said the evening of the Vex's fall. Explosions shook the solar system, and many questions were left in the wake of their destruction.
"Why is it we still remember them though, now, they technically never existed?" was a question Ikora asked Phaetin upon their return to the Tower.
"They did not control time in the way you and I would traditionally think. Though strange, their extinction event acts more as a continuation of our timeline than anything," Phaetin tried to explain. "Planets the creatures terraformed have, as a result of our interference, been crippled. Nessus may no longer exist now due to its composition being primarily Vex designed."
Throughout the night, explosions rang out across the solar system as Vex constructs continued to fade in and out of the present timeline, destroying themselves upon failing to exist. The day of the Vex's end passed without much more said. It was what occurred the following day that sent shockwaves across the system.
/
"The cursed robots are gone!" a woman shouted as she ran through the silent streets of the city during the early morning.
The homeless were the first to hear her cries, but soon others were awakened by her words. The once quiet streets began to fill with people, and eventually rumors began to spread through the crowd of what had transpired with the Vex.
High above the city streets, Phaetin clung to the balcony railing of the Tower. His eyes were alight with intrigue as he watched the streets fill with people.
"You know you'll have to head down there at some point?" a titan remarked. Phaetin glanced back to see the heavily armored Rolan Izin standing before him, his arms crossed. "The people deserve to hear from their valiant hero."
"Right you are, titan. However, I wish the streets to flood with more bodies, first," Phaetin replied as he stared down at the city. Its design and architecture had drastically changed over the years. Where once an entire city lay, now only two thirds remained. The final third was comprised of a massive lake that had been filled once the city had been retaken from Ghaul, Dominus of the Red Legion.
"I still don't understand how you did it, but you did," Rolan said as he looked out at the city. "Despite your successes, however, the Vanguard is still going to want a chat. A lot of guardians were lost, and they'll need some reassurance that such drastic casualties will not occur in the future."
Phaetin began to laugh. "The Vex were the greatest threat we had to deal with. All others shall be a merely pests requiring extermination."
"If you say so," Rolan replied before turning to leave.
Phaetin was left by himself, and he watched with vicious enjoyment as the streets began to flood with people of all kinds. However, in the back of his mind, the man was deeply troubled. Everything had to go exactly as planned if he wished to save humanity. Inside the Vex constructs, he'd seen many things, but nothing quite as terrifying as those from beyond.
/
"Well, we're alive. That says something," Cayde remarked as he haphazardly plopped down in his chair.
"Indeed," Zavala admitted. "But, that battle has left me rather uneasy."
"Sounds like a first for you," Ikora smirked.
"Many lives were lost," Saladin pointed out.
"Not just many. Nearly 50% of the guardians who undertook the assault were lost, either from death or being trapped inside the Vex constructs," Zavala further explained.
"Not all of the blame should be attributed to Phaetin, though. We knew the risks, and once inside there was little in terms of strategy we could do to avoid such casualties," Shaxx remarked. "Battles like that are why the Crucible exists, and I feel we should ensure that those who undertake further operations have a positive track record with my tournament."
"I concur with Shaxx. We need to make sure our guardians are properly prepared for all further campaigns," Ikora agreed.
"I love all this reflection," Cayde stated as he crossed his arms. "Really, just a great way to spend our time. Now, if we're done chatting, let's go join the celebrations below!" Before another word could be said, Cayde sprung up from his chair like a bullet.
"I suppose speaking with the citizens would be a rather good idea," Zavala admitted.
"That's what I thought. Now let's go!" Cayde beamed as he darted out of the room.
"I'll never understand how he became a head of the Vanguard," Saladin commented as he shook his head.
/
Jaylen Tarix stumbled out of his home in a frenzy. He could hear people cheering from all over, and simply had to know what all the commotion was about. He stood on his terrace, looking down at the streets as people cleared a path for an army of guardians to pass through. He could see the Vanguard heads at the front of the arrangement, but one thing was peculiar. Zavala, Ikora, and Cayde walked together, but just ahead of them marched another figure. The figure wore a red robe, and his hood was pulled down. A respirator rested on his neck, and he smiled brightly as he waved his right hand at the crowd of onlookers. Jaylen found it strange that the man's left eye was covered with an eyepatch, and his left arm was hidden in his robe. Still, it was apparent the man was a guardian, and Jaylen knew he must be someone special to be leading the guardians.
"I wish I could be like them," Jaylen muttered to himself as he watched the Vanguard pass by.
By then, there wasn't a soul in the city who didn't know of the Vex's demise. What's more, they all quickly found out it was Phaetin Moraki who had vanquished the time-wielding robots. Though most who participated in the battle were present for the parade, the real star of the celebration was Phaetin.
"What a show-off," Arden remarked as he watched the parade from the roof of a twenty-story building.
"He reminds me of you, Arden," Icon admitted. "He's always ready to jump headfirst into a fight."
"Except Arden isn't nearly as intelligent," Brutus pointed out.
"Why do I hang out with you guys?" Arden whined.
/
Within the Tower, Pulsis sat watching as live footage was shot of the massive parade. "They seem to be celebrating rather vigorously," he admitted.
"Well, destroying the Vex is quite an accomplishment," Jax remarked as she approached her comrade.
"So they're really gone?" Pulsis questioned.
"Reports have been coming in all across the system. The Vex and their technologies are gone forever, though as a consequence Mercury and Nessus have been destroyed," Jax answered.
"Who is this guy?" Pulsis asked as he squinted to try and get a better look at Phaetin through the screen.
"Rather impressive, isn't he?" a voice said from behind the pair. The guardians turned to see a hunter wearing the armor of the Future War Cult sitting calmly at a nearby table. "I'm just disappointed I didn't witness the battle for myself."
"You wanted to be involved in that mess?!" Pulsis questioned.
"The Vex are, or were, rather interesting creatures. They could warp wherever they wished, bend time to their favor within their constructs, and had a near endless supply of troops. I think I would've rather enjoyed ending such a scourge to our world," the hunter of the Future War Cult explained.
"What's your name?" Jax asked.
"Quinary," the hunter answered as he stood up. "Look me up on Mars if ever you find yourself needing more insight on our enemies. With the Vex gone, a major player has been removed from that world." The hunter then vanished without another word.
"I just don't understand how he did it," Pulsis remarked, drawing Jax's attention back to the television screen. "How was he able to defeat the Vex?"
"I guess you'll just have to ask him," Jax replied.
"How do you approach someone like that?" Pulsis continued to ask as he stared at the screen. "How do you approach a king of men?"
