Red Legion forces were quick to encircle guardian positions to the north and south of Fleetbase Acropolis, lining up their phalanxes to form a nearly complete wall around their foes. They were more proficient in combat than their counterparts, and immediately began focusing fire on specific groups of guardians so as to ensure their acquired targets fell before moving on.

"What's the plan, Ikora?" Cayde asked as he fired off several rounds from his Ace of Spades.

"I thought you were in charge," Ikora replied, whipping out her shotgun as a gladiator attempted to cut her down. However, with a quick pull of the trigger, the eight hundred pound creature flopped to the ground before her.

"Whatever we do, we need to do now," Lysander stated. "Otherwise we're going to die."

"You're such a joy to talk with," Cayde replied sarcastically as he slapped a fresh clip into his weapon.

As the fighting continued, Lysander began to notice a chink in the Cabal's formation. Though both lines had surrounded them, the far edges of their positions were left fairly undermanned. He then turned back to his colleagues. "Stall your criticism, Cayde. I think I may have found a way out," he said. He then pointed to the far edges of the Cabal positions to the east and west of them. "If we can push into those regions with our men, we can probably break out."

"Or get everyone killed trying," Ikora replied with a frown. She saw a look come across Lysander's face, and became concerned. The man was afraid, and now desperate.

"It's the only way!" Lysander blurted out.

"Or, we could stay and fight," Ikora protested.

"Then our defeat will be assured," Lysander stated.

Ikora looked the man dead in the eyes, her face stern. "I would rather die fighting than die attempting to run away," she proclaimed.

Lysander was still fearful, but his body calmed ever so slightly. He looked to his waist, and slowly unsheathed one of his knives. In the other hand, he wielded a sidearm. "Then I will die fighting too," he asserted.

All around, guardians were falling as the Cabal closed in around them. Their grip was tightening, and soon Lysander came to realize his former strategy would have been in vain. The Cabal's lines were bolstered by additional ripper pods, and they surged closer to the guardians with sinister intent. Still, the guardians fought on, until they heard menacing noises from above. Many turned to see several Cabal warships that had previously been docked detaching from the fleetbase. They were headed to war.

/

"What are we supposed to do?!" Arden screamed as Cabal forces closed in on all sides.

"We fight!" Rolan stated as he fired into the horde. He managed to eliminate a phalanx, but another simply stepped in to fill the former's place. Following in their fearless leader's footsteps, Arden's group of friends moved to squeeze off ammunition from their weapons, amassing nearly twelve casualties for the Cabal.

Other guardians fought all around on the corpse-covered slopes and blood-splattered ditches as monstrous, hulking aliens moved in for a massacre of humanity's defenders. Porter and Hercules fought side by side in a shallow ditch, cutting down one legionary after another. Rounds peppered Hercules's armor, but it was durable enough to resist their harm.

"Having fun yet?" Porter asked his friend sarcastically.

"I've never known war to be fun," Hercules stated. "Especially when we're on the losing end of it."

Then, the sound of rapid footsteps forced the pair to whip around. However, the only thing they saw was a hunter coated in the colors of the FWC leaping into their ditch with them. "Sup, you two," Quinary greeted.

"Quinary," Porter acknowledged. "Are you ready to die with us?"

Hercules turned to Porter. "Confidence," he growled. Then, an explosion near the group forced them to duck down in the ditch.

"Why have so few guardians actually put their Light to use?" Porter questioned, slowly lifting his head out of the ditch to get a better look at the Cabal lines.

"Our Light may help us dispatch a few of those beasts, but it won't be enough to conquer the entirety of their horde," Quinary explained. "Especially when they keep cutting us down from a distance."

"Great, then we really are going to die," Porter remarked.

"Maybe, but not just yet," Hercules stated as he rose from his position to fire on the enemy. He popped off the skull of a phalanx, and shot down a centurion who was attempting to soar above the carnage before turning back to see both Porter and Quinary remaining crouched behind cover. "Get up, men!" Hercules roared. "We have a duty to the Last City to keep fighting, and that is what we will do!"

"Why do you always have to bring up duty?" Porter conceded as he and Quinary rose with their weapons in hand. The group retaliated against the Cabal, along with all others who still remained to fight.

Then, in an instant, rockets shelled the guardian positions. The Cabal warships were moving over the southern front, and after their initial volley, they began to gain altitude. They were headed to counter Phaetin's forces in space.

/

"Fire with everything we have!" Phaetin roared from the bridge of his flagship. The enemy fighters had been dealt with, and he was out for blood. The Invincible's underside was still exposed, and Phaetin was determined to inflict as much damage on it as he could before it realigned itself.

Phaetin's fleet had made considerable progress in piercing the Cabal formation, but at a high cost. The Red legion had lost four out of its twelve ships in comparison to Phaetin losing seven of his thirty ketches. Still, the numerical advantage Phaetin possessed was enough to keep him pushing forward. Despite Variks protesting such a hasty rush of the enemy flagship, the warlock was determined.

"Full speed ahead," Phaetin bellowed. "Ur'azur shall burn."

Even as the ketches advanced, the Cabal continued to battle with unfazed nerves. From his bridge, Ur'azur watched the approaching ketch with intrigue. It was breaking formation, and its counterparts had not been able to breach the flanks of the Cabal fleet yet.

"They head to their demise, yet they do not care," Ur'azur stated. Then, a subordinate spoke up from behind the warlord.

"Primus, enemy skiffs are limiting the fleet's counterattack," the legionary informed.

"Notify the fleet that they are to focus on the ketches," Ur'azur replied.

"If they do as you ask, the skiffs will simply board their ships," the legionary respectfully countered.

"So what?!" Ur'azur questioned, his voice growing louder. "What does it matter if a few dozen Fallen board our vessels. We are the Red Legion!" He proclaimed, turning to his subordinate in irritation.

"I fully agree with you, my liege. However, it is not simply several dozen skiffs that have assaulted our vessels. It's hundreds," the legionary explained.

At this, Ur'azur turned to look out the viewport of his bridge. Sure enough, it appeared as if a sea of bees were swarming his warships. Before he could relay any orders, an explosion rocked his ship. "What was that?!" the primus questioned.

"Their flagship, my liege," the legionary informed.

Ur'azur watched as Phaetin's flagship made a b-line for him, cannons firing on all cylinders. "Turn our weapons to that vessel. I want it obliterated," he finally ordered. The legionary turned to relay orders when another volley slammed into the warship.

Phaetin was more poised than ever to strike a fatal blow to the Cabal. He looked to Variks with conviction as he moved to leave the bridge. "Variks, move the ketch into position so that we made broadside that vessel," he ordered.

"What about you, my kell?" Variks questioned.

"I will see to it that Ur'azur dies," Phaetin replied before the bridge doors shut behind him. He then dashed through the ship, running into countless Fallen as he made his way to the hangar. There, he boarded the first available skiff he could find and instructed all dropships to head for The Invincible.

Meanwhile, Ur'azur appeared pleased as flames began to emit from the oncoming ketch. "Keep firing. It will be mere minutes before the vessel falls."

"Primus, we have incoming!" a subordinate called out.

Then, the primus saw it. Dozens upon dozens of skiffs were shooting across the distance between the two flagships. "Shoot them down!" Ur'azur roared. Though several cannons redirected to the dropships, they could only shoot down so many. Ur'azur heard legionaries report to the bridge with concern for the boarding hostiles, and requested reinforcements to quell the enemy. However, as one communication after another abruptly ended, Ur'azur went from sending a few squads to nearly sending an entire battalion to stop the enemy. It was mere minutes before the primus could hear explosions from his position at the bridge. Then, he heard his men screaming from the other side of the doors to the bridge, and was forced to turn with his bronto cannon in hand. His Blood Guard centurions moved to secure the door, and his several colossi within the room turned with their slug launchers at the ready. His eight legionaries also moved away from the terminals and stepped between the entrance to the bridge and their primus. Though the group of Cabal would have been formidable to most, the enemy they were about to come face to face with was not like most.

The doors to the bridge were blown off the hinges, slamming into one of the legionaries as Fallen captains, vandals, and marauders swarmed the chamber. The Blood Guard centurions cut down ten vandals, and obliterated the several marauders who attempted to eviscerate them before finally having captains move in on them to balance out the fight. Other Fallen continued to flood the chamber, even as the colossi and legionaries shot down many of their comrades. Then, Primus Ur'azur raised his bronto cannon and fired. Bam! Six vandals were dead in an instant. Another blast rang out and a captain was shredded. The primus fired a third time, and a dozen dregs who had newly arrived with decimated.

Then, to the primus's surprise, a sword entered the room. It ignited with fire, and crashing into the chest of a colossi, killing it instantly. Then, the sword was retracted from the corpse by an unseen force. Finally, a hand caught it from under the cover of the shadows that coated the entrance to the bridge. Then, remarkably, the sword's flames were doused as ice began to coat its surface. Then, the warrior revealed a second blade; one drenched in shadow. The warrior then threw the blades out to his sides, allowing them to impale the Blood Guard centurions that had been holding back the majority of the Fallen. The warrior then called the blades back to him and stepped into the bridge so that all could bear witness to what he was: a guardian.

"Guardian," Ur'azur growled. He fired his bronto cannon, but to no avail.

Phaetin dashed away from the explosion, cutting a legionary in half as he did so. The warlock then proceeded to sidestep and twist around additional projectiles as he tore into the remaining legionaries. One by one, Ur'azur's protectors were eliminated. The last to remain standing were a pair of colossi, but even they soon fell to the overwhelming number of Fallen. Eventually, he was last remaining Cabal in the room.

"So this is it, then?" Ur'azur questioned. "The greatest military in the galaxy conquered by pirates, and a lone guardian."

"I am no ordinary guardian," Phaetin proclaimed as he climbed the few steps that separated him from Ur'azur. "I am Phaetin Moraki."

"Save me the theatrics," the primus replied. "I care not for them." In an instant, the primus raised his bronto cannon and fired, but Phaetin had already dashed out of the way. The guardian moved to strike a decisive blow to the primus, when Ur'azur activated his thrusters. He shot into the air, all the while firing with his cannon. Fallen attempted to shoot him down, but they were quickly forced to back away when he turned his cannon on them. Phaetin used the distraction to leap into the air himself, but Ur'azur turned back to him with his cannon fully charged. Phaetin lifted his swords to block the blast, and was sent crashing against the floor of the bridge. His blades had been shattered. "What shall you do now?" Ur'azur questioned as he returned to the surface of the bridge triumphantly. He stomped over to the recovering Phaetin with confidence and stepped on top of the warlock with his right foot. "Not even going to use your Light against me?" Ur'azur mocked, pointing his bronto cannon to Phaetin's face.

"Well, if you really want me to," Phaetin grinned beneath his respirator. He raised his right hand to Ur'azur's midsection, and a shadowy vortex began to materialize. He then pointed his left hand to the ceiling and formed a second shadowy object before Ur'azur could comprehend what was happening. The shadowy vortexes were, in fact, miniature black holes with directional suction. The top half of Ur'azur's body was torn from the lower half and sucked through, only for it to exit the black hole on the ceiling and crash violently against the ground. His lower half then collapsed to the ground, and Phaetin turned to see the lifeless face of a former primus lying quietly on the surface of the bridge.

Then, the barrage came. Phaetin's flagship had begun to broadside The Invincible, and without a primus, the Cabal warship was in too much disarray to effectively counterattack. Phaetin and his Fallen poured back through the corridors of the warship to their skiffs, when he was abruptly contacted by Zavala.

"What is it?" Phaetin asked as he sprinted to the hangar.

"We have breached the atmosphere, but our ground forces are getting torn apart. They're surrounded, and I fear my reserves won't be enough. You must send in the Fallen," Zavala explained.

"Very well," Phaetin replied as he reached the hangar. "They will be there soon."

/

"Keep fighting!" Cayde shouted. The battle was growing more chaotic with every passing minute. Lying beside the hunter was Lex, her body bleeding and her sword broken. Zephyr fought alone on a secluded mound of dirt, with cannon fire falling all around. Mounds of dust were sent into the air as guardians and Cabal alike crashed into one another. Their lines were so dense and close that melee combat was becoming increasingly common. Jorgan and Diana fought with their backs to one another, dropping one Cabal after another. Still, they were facing overwhelming odds. Pulsis crashed into the Cabal lines with his body alight with arc energy. However, despite initially fracturing a portion of the phalanx wall, he was forced back by a line of supporting colossi. Jax was quick to remind him to keep his head down, and the two backed away to the center of the battle where Cayde and other members of the Vanguard were making their last stand.

Ikora continued to shell the enemy with her shotgun, but it was of little use. In the chaos, she soon found that she could no longer hear the sound of Cayde's weapon firing. "Cayde?" Ikora asked as she turned, only to be met with a phalanx slamming its shield into her. Ikora was sent crashing onto the sand-covered ground. As she attempted to recover, she was quickly met with the barrel of a slug rifle to her face. She was left staring the beast in the eyes, when suddenly a knife was through its neck. The creature doubled over to the side and collapsed against the ground. Ikora then found that, to her surprise, the person standing before her with a hand extended was Lysander.

"Didn't think a prominent member of the Vanguard would fall as easily as that," Lysander mocked with a smile as he helped the woman up.

"Didn't think the leader of the Concordat would be willing to show kindness to others," Ikora replied.

"Well, I had a little inspiration," Lysander admitted as he looked Ikora in the eyes. "Now, let's get back to it."

Bang! Ikora's eyes went wide as she witnessed blood splatter against her outfit. Lysander coughed, glancing down at his chest to see that a round from a slug rifle had pierced his heart. He looked back to Ikora and opened his mouth as if to say something, only for his body to give up on him and topple over. Ikora's jaw dropped, unsure of what to do next. Slowly, however, a voice began to fill her ears.

"Ikora!" Cayde called out. "Quit standing there and shoot! Lord knows you didn't get to do enough of it in the Tower."

Ikora shook off the trauma of what she had witnessed, and returned to firing on the enemy. Guardians were dropping faster now, and it was only a matter of time before they were finished. That was, until the sound of engines caused many to look up.

"It's Zavala!" Cayde exclaimed exuberantly as the Vanguard Fleet pierced the clouds. They made short work of the warships that were attempting to assist the Red Legion, and proceeded even closer to Fleetbase Acropolis.

A new communication channel was opened for the guardians, and all were eager to listen in. "Hold fast, guardians. Hope is not lost yet," Zavala's comforting voice announced. Lights emitted from the underside of the Vanguard ships, and to everyone's excitement they saw hundreds of drop pods falling to the surface. One pod after another came crashing down on Cabal positions, with half a dozen Redjacks popping out of each. Though easy to destroy, the Redjacks had numbers on their side, and quickly began to draw the attention of the Cabal. Then, a second volley of drop pods came crashing down. Many landed on the southern front, where Rolan and the others eagerly awaited for their Redjacks to pop free of their pods. Only, to their surprise, it was not Redjacks but a new army of guardians that had been kept in reserve.

"Heck yeah, we just got backup!" Arden cheered. "I was afraid I'd have to kill all these Cabal myself."

The guardians fractured Cabal forces on all fronts, with the fleet above moving to engage the fleetbase itself. Additional warships that had recently been refueled were preparing to launch from the fleetbase when, suddenly, their docking platforms erupted. The warships were unable to activate their engines in time, and were sent crashing to the Martian surface.

From the top of the spire-like fleetbase, Brakson watched with relief. "That was close. Another dozen vessels almost launched," he remarked.

"We were not about to let that happen," Roxy affirmed.

"I still can't believe what you two did to those goliaths," Brakson admitted as he looked to Phaetin's loyalists.

"Darius crushed them with his bare hands!" a titan exclaimed.

"And Roxy froze them so they'd shatter," a warlock added.

"Spectral energy is a wonder of sorts," Darius acknowledged. Roxy simply shrugged at the guardians' comments before returning to her duties.

"Still," Brakson began to say as he looked out the control room. "I lost a fourth of my men down in those catacombs, and another fourth when we climbed this spire."

"And we had the easy job," Roxy replied. "Imagine the casualties on the frontlines."

"Well, thanks to us, the casualties are not what they could've been," Darius stated. "Otherwise, they would've been facing both overwhelming odds and tanks."

"Indeed," Brakson agreed. "We may want to leave now. I believe Commander Zavala has every intention of bringing this structure to ruin."

As Phaetin's loyalists and the Knights of Earth evacuated the fleetbase, guardians and Redjacks alike began to break the Cabal. New lines formed near the fleetbase, but by then it mattered little. With guardians closing in on two fronts, even a hundred thousand Cabal knew the situation would be difficult. As the armies collided, it was clear the Cabal understood they were crippled, as their aggressive tactics in combat began to show. They slammed into the guardians with their shields, blades, rifles, and even heavy slug launchers, but to no avail. Then, the Fallen arrived to seal their fate. Hundreds of skiffs soared over the Cabal ranks, releasing squad after squad of eliksni as they went. Fallen captains, vandals, dregs, marauders, and wretches crashed into the Cabal with a fury like that never seen before. Eventually, various forms of shanks joined their creators in the fight. Even Ruthra and Torink linked up with Zephyr on the battlefield, and together they surged forth with the sea of others. What had once been a swaying battle had turned into a massacre. Within the hour, the Cabal were wiped out, and the forces of humanity pulled away from the fleetbase as Zavala's fleet began to engage. It collapsed in minutes, with its spire sending an enormous gust of dust flying across the Martian fields that lay all around. With Phaetin's ketches destroying the last of the Red Legion's warships, the battle was over. The greatest military power in the system had been turned to ash.