Chapter 29
Bruises
I landed heavily on the Martian soil, red dust billowing up in clouds and attaching themselves to my robe. Two more thumps, one quiet and one just as loud as mine, kicked up equal amounts of dust that slowly settled back down. As expected, this sector of Mars was devoid of any life, friendly or hostile. Rocks of varying sizes dotted the dune-covered landscape while tall, dilapidated skyscrapers loomed in the distance. The ship's engines whined just before it sped off into orbit, the orange flames standing out in the night.
Dea stepped forward and pointed at the buildings in the distance. "That's where we're heading. In those buildings, the Nine's scouts have detected a Vex energy source that we could use to revive the key," she said.
"I sense a 'but' coming," I commented. Arla checked her weapons and walked not too far away, mysteriously examining some rock formation. I moved to Dea's left side as I spoke.
"But...There are going to be Cabal shooting at us once we enter the city." I didn't know much about the Cabal, but I predicted they weren't much more organized than the Fallen. From what Starco's told me about them (which hasn't been much), they're brutish and violent, products of an imperialistic empire bent on making the universe theirs.
Dea stopped suddenly. "You're not wrong Maximus," she stated. I forgot that she could sense my thoughts. I honestly want to know how, but I highly doubt she would actually show or teach me given our history of butting heads, meaningful or not. "The Cabal are definitely barbaric, but they're more organized than you give them credit for. Bulky Phalanxes carry massive shields that take incoming fire while they deal from around the shield. Legionaries come in from behind them and use their weapons and jet packs to outflank and overwhelm you. Smaller and more agile Psions really don't pose much threat, but they play mind games."
I nodded. "How long will it take to get there?"
"It depends on how many times we get caught in the Exclusion Zones."
"Hopefully none," I replied. "But I'm sure we can handle them if we encounter any resistance. After all, we took care of business at the Wall when the Fallen tried to push through."
Dea placed a hand on her hips. "There were thousands of Guardians fighting that battle. Here, there is only us, no support from either of our sides and I'm not picking up any comms arrays in our area."
"Could we relay messages through the ship?" Arla suggested from a distance.
Dea thought about it for a moment. "Unless you can get that ship to hover over us invisible and silent, I don't think we can."
"Yeah, that's not quite feasible," I said.
"That's what I thought," Dea commented. She pulled out a small cylindrical device and placed it on the ground. Immediately, a map showing the terrain popped up with a small green dot showing where the device was located in relation to the map. The city Dea had pointed at earlier was marked as "Ares' Haven," definitely an interesting name for a city or perhaps it was a code name. "Let's see," Dea said to herself, flicking through the map at the same time. "It looks like we're going to pass through 3 Zones; one of which will be heavily guarded as it leads right to the subway system we need to get into."
Arla's voice crackled on the local comms. "So we're going to have to get caught either way and have an entire legion chasing after us?"
"Seems like it," Dea stated.
Arla's method struck me as odd. "Why did you use the comms when you were standing right next to us?"
"Don't worry," she assured me. "I'm still close by. Just have to get something out before we get on with our mission. Maximus, if you could take a couple steps to the left that would be great." I hesitated and looked for her to the left and right. I didn't see her. Turning around to see behind me, I saw her flying through the air with a fist pulled back. I tried to move back, but my foot had sunk into the sand and only allowed me to fall onto my butt. Dea saw me fall and looked back just as Arla's fist connected with her helmeted face.
Arla rolled away from the impact and stood back up effortlessly while Dea recovered from the blow. She shook her head and stood back up. "Well," she started calmly. "I guess I deserved that. Let's start the sparring now, but don't think you'll get another free shot like that."
Dea adjusted her helmet and unstrapped her weapon, tossing it over to where I sat. Arla did likewise but just tossed her things to the side and clenched her hands into fists. Despite Arla's aggressive stance, Dea remained largely passive yet prepared for any move Arla was going to attempt. They both stared each other down, waiting for the other to move so she could counter it, but both remained motionless. Dea's eyes glowed brightly behind the mask of her helmet while Arla's glowed dimly behind hers.
They stood at a stalemate for the longest 30 seconds until Arla took a step forward. Dea did the same but to the right. They moved toward each other again calmly and deliberately without any wasted movements or energy. A few steps later, they were barely within striking distance of each other. I glanced at the clock on the top right of my HUD; 3 minutes had passed without a single strike between the two. For such a heated relationship between the two, neither seemed to look forward to hitting one another, aside from Arla's admittedly cheap shot earlier. In spite of that, she seemed to be taking a much more cautious approach to someone expecting to get hit and have to avoid it.
Suddenly, Arla threw her arm out, intending to place a forceful jab at Dea's thinly protected neck, but Dea immediately grabbed her arm, twisted Arla around, and placed a boot in her back. Arla picked herself up from the sand and stood back up unaffected. Dea charged and lashed out with a fist; a fist the Huntress easily avoided, sticking out a leg to trip her adversary, but Dea leapt over it as if it had been part of her plan. They exchanged multiple punches that either were dodged or blocked. Arla drew back a little, her body sucking in hard breaths from the exertion. She waited for Dea to come forward before she kicked with her left foot. Dea caught it as if it were nothing, but just as she did so, Arla raised her other foot and pivoted on her captured foot. Using it as a feint and simultaneous plant, Arla spun out of Dea's grasp, kicking her across the face with the right foot before landing smartly on the ground.
Dea fell to the ground in a momentary daze but recovered almost as soon as she hit the ground. Arla launched forward with a fist raised high and fell into a slide as Dea sidestepped the blow. However, the feint wasn't going to work as second time, as the Huntress received a brutal elbow to the head, causing her to somersault onto her face. Arla slowly got off the ground whilst her adversary glowered over her. She eventually stood up and raised her fists again, preparing to strike. The right fist flew forward into the place Dea had just been, however, she was no longer there. Instead, Dea grabbed Arla's arm and heaved the Huntress over her shoulder and firmly planted her into the ground.
Arla rose to her unsteady feet and made one last press. She tottered around for a minute, breathing heavily, but ultimately steadied herself and went on the defensive. With carefully calculated steps, Dea moved toward Arla. Again, they stood in close-quarters predicting the other's next move for several long seconds. Just as Arla raised her forearms to guard a punch, Dea swept Arla off her legs, and simultaneously hammered a fist into her chest as she fell. The blow echoed through the air like a gunshot. Everything just hung in the air for several seconds; the tension, anger, and determination remained motionless.
I set the Multi-Tool and sidearm on the ground next to me and stood up ready to fight. Arla remained on the ground, sucking in air from the small crater her impact created. I stood across from Dea, fists raised. "Hey," she called out. "No palm orbs. Keep it pure hand-to-hand."
"Right," I said, a hint of disbelief in my voice. "You don't do anything sneaky either."
"What can I say? I'm good at what I do. You won't even know if I try something."
'That's what I'm afraid of,' I thought. I didn't feel like dying again; it was coming too close to being a habit. I pushed that thought out of my mind and focused on the feet suddenly flying my direction. I rolled to the right and out of the kick's trajectory. I retaliated with a kick of my own as she was turning around. "I thought you said no cheap shots!" I yelled, not caring if she got off the ground before I attacked again. She avoided a powerful punch by using a roll of her own. Both of us now standing, I refocused myself and quenched my anger. Some continued to burn within me, but I could channel it where I needed it to go now.
Dea sent a flurry of punches at my face and torso, but none of them hit me either because I blocked it or outright avoided it. Another flurry came my way; I could steadily feel myself backing up, giving into exactly what she wanted. I ducked underneath another blow and sidestepped the follow up. I returned with my own attempt at an uppercut. Instead, she countered and backhanded me with an armored hand. My HUD blurred momentarily from the hit as I hit the ground, but I got back up nonetheless. She resumed where she left off with a left hook. I moved my forearm in the way, but immediately received a boot to my chest, causing me to take a few steps backward. I looked up just in time to see that she was coming at me with another kick. This time I grabbed her leg at the calf and whirled her around, slamming her into the Martian sand without any restraint. LIke Arla, she laid there for a second before moving anything. She slowly gathered herself up but only went so far as a sitting position.
Assuming she was done, I walked over and extended a hand to help her up. She grabbed the hand with both of hers and pulled, sending me face-first on the ground. Dea kneeled on my back and wrapped an arm around my neck, pulling me up in a very unnatural position. I desperately threw one of my arms back to snag something of hers and turn the tides in my favor. I could feel my torso stretching and my back contracting in a strange and uncomfortable manner. I strained to reach her but just couldn't no matter how hard I tried. In a last chance effort, I pushed off the ground with my left hand and successfully flipped us onto the ground where I was on top. I flicked my head back and smashed the back of my helmet on the front of hers. Immediately, the hand holding my neck released, and I scrambled to my feet. Seizing my opportunity, I put a knee on the center of her chest, pinning her head and neck back with an arm. "Concede!" I demanded.
"I...I concede," she admitted quietly. "You got me." I felt like she was letting me win. I mean she was in a bad position that she probably could not have successfully gotten out of, but Dea didn't strike me as the type to surrender. Despite my suspicions, I stood up but, remembering my lesson about extending my hand to help her up, I took a few steps back to allow her ample room to recover.
"Not going to help me up?" Dea prompted from a sitting position. I didn't move until she extended her hand. "I promise I won't flip you onto your back again." I slowly grabbed the hand and helped her up, remaining suspicious the entire time. She stood up stiffly, but there was no obvious sign of injury until she started walking...or rather falling onto one knee."
"Are you alright?" I asked, grabbing a hand and helping lean her against a nearby boulder.
"Nothing a little shutdown won't help," she admitted, the response taking me aback a little bit. "By the way, your victory brought you first watch."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Why me?" I asked quickly. There was no response; just the fading of her eyes as she shut down for the night. I looked at Arla's crumpled form not too far away and decided to move her against the rock. Her breathing was much steadier now, but I had no doubt that she would be sore in many places when she woke up. Of course, Dea would likely feel a similar soreness but too a much lesser extent, likely a dull ache.
I found a high rock and sat down, carefully scanning the surroundings for any signs of the Cabal. Seeing nothing, I set the Multi-Tool next to me and relaxed a little bit, but as time passed, pain steadily grew in my face and torso. My arms ached unrelentingly. Despite its lack of comfort, the burning pain countered the frosty cold of the Martian air desperately trying to permeate my suit. Starco flashed in next to me, the most visible part of him was the glowing blue eye.
A question came to my mind that Starco could possibly answer. "You think that this war will ever end?"
Starco jumped back a little, seemingly surprised by the question. "Thinking of quitting already? You haven't even been a Guardian for a year."
I laughed. "No, no, no. I don't plan on quitting anytime before the war with this Darkness is over. I want your opinion on if it will ever end or not."
"Well if you think about it Maximus, war is one of those constants throughout Earth's history. Early humans competed with Neanderthals, Barbarians fought the Romans, Cells of extremists fought against the well-organized and militarized West just for religion. Then the Fallen and Hive tried to invade. Really it isn't a question of when this war will end; it's a question of when the next war will start."
"When do you think the next one will start?"
"Honestly, I don't know, but the Darkness is definitely deeper than the Vex. There are rumors that the Awoken have to quell some sort of uprising and that there is some sort of Hive deity in our system. To me, it sounds like the hardest battles are yet to come."
"You can say that again. You think that's why the Awoken were so on edge both times we've been to the Reef."
"From the Cryptarch's databanks, that's probably a safe assumption, but you know the saying about assuming things. I can't imagine why they would be stressed though. The Awoken have a track record of never taking on anyone they are not confident they cannot beat."
"Well, what if they're fighting someone they previously conquered, but this time they're fighting back much harder?" It was a ludicrous suggestion, given that the conqueror would be idiotic not to keep an eye on the remnants of a group they previously demolished. I shifted on the rock.
"You're not suggesting that the House of Wolves revolted are you?"
"It's possible. Many saw the evolution of the Exo as a sort of revolt in its own respects. Who's to say that the Wolves bit the hand that fed them. Enough about speculative matters though. Let's talk Cabal."
"I thought that Dea's brief description was concise and accurate. They're brutes focused on exterminating other worlds. Enough said."
"That's not what I meant."
"Well then, could you be a little more specific?"
"Dea said that we were going to purposely spring one of their traps. Are we?"
Starco tilted down for a moment but popped up shortly thereafter. "It looks like that map wasn't lying. Vanguard imagery shows three Cabal Exclusion bulkheads between here and Ares' Haven, and all of them lead the most direct routes to the city. It looks like we'll have to spring one. I honestly don't have a clue about what will happen when we alert them to our presence, but I have a feeling that it won't be good. What scares me the most is the fact that no Guardians have gone to this part of Mars in years."
"A little pioneering is fine by me."
"Last time it nearly killed us," Starco retorted.
"Killed us again," I corrected. "Besides, we're alive now, so just chill out and enjoy the moment."
"I think I already am," Starco said, starting to sound worried. "It's about -30." He suddenly disappeared. "Ah, that's much better," he said from the comm systems within the helmet.
"You're ridiculous," I said with a laugh. Something about Starco's previous information struck me as odd. "You said we only had to spring one right?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Well, why do we only have to spring one? There's three between...oh. She wants us to purposely get captured doesn't she?"
"It's the quickest way between here and Ares' Haven."
"What if they're not going to take prisoners and just execute us all on site?"
"You underestimate them. The Cabal are brutish, but they know they have a bargaining chip when they see one. And no, I'm not referring to us or Arla. Finding one of the Nine is hard enough, capturing one of them is unheard of. Once they've dealt her, or she proves no longer useful, that's when they'll kill us. "
"Delightful," I said sarcastically. I shifted my thoughts to my fireteam. "How's Arla doing? That was a pretty hard knock she took against Dea."
"Hard doesn't even begin to describe the sort of hit she took. According to my scans of her, there's deep-tissue bruising on her torso and back with lighter bruising on her arms and legs. When she wakes up, its going to hurt her to move, but we honestly can't just sit here for a day or two while everyone heals. She shouldn't have started that before the mission was over."
"I don't blame her though. Dea has been getting on her nerves as well as mine from the moment she snuck onto the ship."
"Yeah, Stargazer has been pretty against her as well. My guess is that she had something to do with Arla's decision to attack."
"No," a soft voice called from a distance. "That was all Arla." Stargazer floated our way and stopped over my shoulder. "However, I do agree that the decision was foolish, but she attacked anyway. Look at her now."
"You could have initiated an emergency shutdown and had Maximus restrain her," Starco suggested.
"Hold up," I responded. "Leave me out of this." I placed both of my arms behind me and leaned back, looking at Phobos' form covering part of the night sky. Stargazer and Starco continued talking, but I paid them no mind. As per usual, Dea intentionally didn't tell us something about springing one of these Cabal traps. The more I thought about it; the more I got the feeling that she'd tried something like this before and failed.
Suddenly, something red flickered on the circular radar, dead ahead. I held up my hand, and both Ghosts disappeared almost simultaneously. I snatched the Multi-Tool from its place on the rock and scanned the horizon. Nothing there. The red flickered again, much closer now, forming a rounded pentagonal shape in the radar. I looked around again but still saw nothing except the semi-darkness of the Martian night. I stared down the scope, trying to find some moving shape moving our way.
That's when I saw them. Four large, shadowy figures lumbering slowly towards our position. Two seemed to have some sort of lumpy shape attached to them. My immediate thought was a shield. Another looked much broader compared to the others and perhaps a bit taller. This one was definitely moving a tad slower than the other, but it likely made up for it by being the bullet sponge of the group. The last figure looked plain compared to the other silhouettes; it was still an intimidating figure, but it did not look as heavily armored and did not carry a shield.
Trying to avoid their detection, I slid down the rock and peered from its right side. Still keeping a close eye on them, I tried to radio Arla and Dea but received no response. Multiple times I tried, but neither of them responded to my calls. I was on my own. I checked my clip and prepared a Scatter Grenade.
The Cabal flicked on flashlights attached to their helmets, making the scenery behind them even darker than before. It also highlighted their large bodies, thick armor, and weaponry. I was right about the shields; they looked dense and impenetrable.
They swung their lights multiple directions, checking the area for any signs of life besides themselves. They methodically moved closer and closer to where I lay in hiding and where Arla and Dea lay dead to the world around them and the encroaching danger. The plain one, my helmet marked it as a Legionary, turned and placed his light directly on Dea's deactivated form. It raised its weapon and its guard. I could hear their quiet grunts as they communed with each other. The pair of shield-bearers, marked Phalanxes, moved forward first with the Legionary behind them. However, the last Cabal remained behind and swept around its area.
I shifted behind the rock, and the light immediately illuminated the boulder,casting a cold, bright whiteness against the red of the sand and black of night. I expected heavy footsteps, but the only noise present was a short whirring followed by multiple plunks. Yellow lights rocketed into the air, stabilized, and suddenly turned towards the rock. "Run!" Starco shouted.
I tossed my grenade in the Centurion's direction and blinked away just as the salvo of missiles pummeled the ground, leaving a black crater in the red sand. The other three turned away from Dea dnd Arla, shooting at me and charging my direction. I pulled the trigger four or five times as I strafed left, a couple slamming into the Legionary and the rest bouncing harmlessly off the Phalanxes' shields. I blinked away from a shower of plasma fire. I took cover behind another boulder closer to Dea and Arla. I leaned out and fired a few more times in the direction of the Phalanxes and the hurt Legionary. They started backing away closer to where my allies lay incapacitated. The Legionary leaned down, while the Phalanxes planted their shields. Red light suddenly erupted behind them and shot into the sky.
"They're signaling transport!" Starco cried. "We need to get over there now!"
"Easier said than done," I commented, but I had to try. No sooner had I started running when the ground exploded beneath me, launching me into the air. I gained control of my low flight and pointed my fall at one of the Phalanxes. Carbon dioxide wind whistled as I pierced it. Gunshots showered the air around me as I darted towards the leftmost Phalanx. I snagged my sidearm from its holster and landed just beyond them. Immediately upon landing, I spun on my heel and unloaded several bullets into the first Phalanx before either of them could respond. Just as it was falling limply, I punched it out of the way and slid beneath its shield, hoping to use it to my own advantage. However, upon feeling its huge amount of weight despite the lower gravity of Mars, I knew that it was slowly becoming my prison.
My feet slid back in the sand as I struggled to keep the shield from knocking me over. I felt several shots batter the front of the shield, pushing me back even further. The shield tilted back a little more. I shifted my hands higher up on the shield and pushed harder. It moved back to where it started just as more shots crashed against the front. I was slowly losing my battle with the shield and could feel my hands steadily losing their hold. Suddenly, my footing faltered.
My right foot slid in the shifting sand, collapsing the shield on top of me. It pinned me on my back with my right foot protruding from the bottom while one arm was bent a bit awkwardly, keeping the heavy shield from smashing my helmet in. I squirmed beneath it to position my hands firmly on the shield. I could hear the heavy footsteps of either the Centurion or the remaining Phalanx coming my way. Defeated by the shield, I stopped struggling to get it off me and awaited the Cabal to stop.
A bright light illuminated the ground around me as whatever was standing above me halted. Suddenly, the shield was torn away and a powerful hand snatched me forcefully from the sand. It jerked me around, trying to decide whether to shoot me to bits or throw me into one of the boulders. I seized its moment of indecision and clutched a grenade, smashing it on the hand. Sparks of purple immediately sprouted from within, and it dropped me like I was made of fire. Wasting no time, I leapt into the air and fired a massive Nova Bomb at the Centurion. It was gone one contact but the guard near Arla and Dea was just out of the vortex's range.
Back on the ground, I snatched up my sidearm and faced the remaining Phalanx. It stood just in front of where Dea and Arla lay, steadfast and uncompromising. We stared at each other for a moment, just enough time for the flare above us to stop its beacon of light. The Cabal raised its shield and banged its gun against it, taunting me to come forward. I ignored the gesture and slowly moved my aim from the barely visible head over to the arm thrusting a gun on the side of the shield. I squeezed the trigger and sent multiple arc bolts screaming towards its arm. It quickly pulled the arm back and the shots deflected off the shield. Despite that plan's lack of success, I strafed right, trying to get behind it, but it kept the angle true to my position. Every shot I fired bounced off the heavy shield.
I nearly ran into a rock but stopped myself just before crashing headlong. I mantled over it and turned back to the Cabal just in time to roll under a a shot aimed at my head. Using the roll to stop my momentum, I took aim at its legs, but it faltered just before I fired. Suddenly, the shield and the attached creature fell forward awkwardly with a silhouetted figure pulling something out of its head. I rushed over expecting Dea, but instead, it was Arla trying to pull her knife out of the Phalanx's head. She grunted in pain and exertion but failed to dislodge the knife. "Hold up, hold up," I said, intervening. "Just sit back down. I'll get it." She said nothing but relaxed her grip on the knife and sat back down, holding her chest and grunting in pain the entire time. Arla was hurting but sadly we didn't have time to just sit here. Everything was dark now, but I located the knife and easily pulled it out. I tossed it hilt-first at Arla. She quickly wiped it off and pushed it back into its sheath, continued clutching her chest, and knocked her head back against the rock.
The roar of engines disturbed the night air as three Cabal ships surrounded us from above, guns from infantry units on board pointed in our direction. Spotlights rained down on the area, blinding us with their white lights. Dea suddenly materialized in front of me, throwing an arm across my chest. "Ghosts, retract all weapons. Maximus, don't fight. This is our way in," she said quietly. I started to speak in objection, thinking we could take them, but the weight of my weapons and ammunition quickly disappeared, Starco's agreeance that we were outgunned. A loudspeaker attached to the ship shouted a bunch of instructions in their garbled language, but I didn't need a translator to know what they meant. Dea and I raised our hands with their palms open as we slowly sunk to our knees.
