Uranus, sustaining an environment unsuitable for human life, proved beneficial to industrial power houses who wished to extract large amounts of natural gases such as hydrogen and helium. Large orbital stations circled the planet, operating as staging bases for surface expeditions. The was, until the triangular ships, black as night, arrived.
The figure watched from his throne as the last orbital station erupted. "It would seem humanity has proven its resilience after all," he admitted. He then rose from his throne and strolled forward several steps, watching through his arched, rectangular viewport as the last fires of humanity's presence on Uranus dissipated. "Yet, even now they put up such little resistance to their ultimate fate."
It was then that a being dropped down from the ceiling. He landed with a thud against the shadowy tiling of the floor. The warlock rose to full height, sneering beneath his respirator. "Surprise."
The dark figure turned, his body appearing to Phaetin like a dagger. He was robotic in curvature and yet, organic. A pair of vertical horns jutted up from the back of his skull, and he had a single, rectangular eye that appeared to shine with a hue of bright white. "How unexpected, guardian."
"You know what I am?" Phaetin questioned.
"Indeed. Your friend was very informative," the figure stated, gesturing to the skull that laid beside his throne.
"Eris…" Phaetin uttered. He then glared back at the figure. "What are you?"
"You, and many races like you, referred to us simply as the Darkness. You were right, to a degree," the figure replied. "But we are so much more, you see. The Darkness is not just a means of destruction; rather it is a method by which chaotic existence thrives. We are the Imperium, Phaetin. We are the rulers of the Darkness, and I am the Crowned Dominator, Kyvernitis."
Phaetin froze. "You know my name…"
"You're not the only keeper of knowledge, Phaetin," Kyvernitis chuckled. "But I am still curious as to how you arrived on my ship. Cloaking technology would have been useless against my armada, so perhaps you too wield some degree of my power."
"A magician never reveals his secrets," Phaetin remarked, a pair of hilts falling into his hands.
"Perhaps, but I can already surmise you utilized shadow energy to warp here. However, even such a mighty tool of the Light has its limits. You would've had to be in close proximity, and known my location," Kyvernitis theorized. He then turned to look out his viewport once more. "And there it is."
Soaring through the abyss of space, just outside of the Imperium Armada's ranged weapons was Commander Zavala's flagship, Tenebris Praedo.
"A clever trick, Phaetin. You are not like most I have encountered," Kyvernitis admitted. "But even still, I have conquered better."
Phaetin's vision narrowed as he gripped his hilts tighter. "Unlike me, they didn't have a Leviathan."
"A what?" Kyvernitis questioned, when his ship suddenly began to quake.
The largest vessel the system had ever known thundered onto the scene with its warp drives firing on all cylinders. With one final sputter, they erupted, ensuring it would be the last time they were used. The Leviathan immediately swallowed ten of the Imperium Armada's ships, and sent all its available fighters to the battlefield.
Kyvernitis watched with intrigue. "Again, very clever, Phaetin. This day appears full of surprises."
Once his words were uttered, the Vanguard Fleet warped in. Their fleet numbered three dozen ships, with Tenebris Praedo leading the charge. The Fallen fleet arrived as well, with the Reef rushing in on the Imperium's right flank. The region erupted in fire as bolts of energy shot across space in all directions.
"I know about you too, Kyvernitis. I know you come here with the intention of making no mistakes," Phaetin said. "You are willing to do whatever it takes to finish off the Light, once and for all." Then, his blades ignited with Light. His right blade sparked to life with solar flames, and his left shot forth serrated ice. "But you should know that likewise, we will do whatever it takes to stop you."
Kyvernitis took a step toward the warlock. Standing fifteen feet in height, he towered over the guardian. "I would expect nothing less from a race so desperate as to kill itself in the process of attempting to avert such cataclysm."
With that, Phaetin leaped for the Kyvernitis's throat. At the last moment, a straight blade extended from Kyvernitis's right arm, and he blocked his adversary with ease. He then pushed back against Phaetin, sending the warlock crashing against the ground.
"I have a feeling I will enjoy this," Kyvernitis snarled.
/
"Stay close," Diana urged the squadron as they rocketed toward the fray in their Echo-class jumpships.
"Right by your side," Jorgan called out, pulling the trigger on his jumpship as Imperium spear-shaped fighters shot toward them. He nailed two before rolling his vessel to the side so as to avoid the fire of another. Diana quickly finished off the third, and they barreled toward the Imperium Armada with the rest of their squadron.
"Nice shooting, you two," Lex complimented as she formed up behind them with her Vector-class jumpship.
The squadron closed on the Imperium Armada, and opened fire on the nearest ship once they were in range. Their shots had little effect.
"Those things have some thick hide," Jorgan pointed out as they zipped past and circled around for another run.
"Then we go inside," Arden's voice suddenly chimed in over comms. He, along with Brutus and Icon, made a b-line for the hangar of the Imperium ship, and unloaded their cannons on the Imperium fighters that were still docked.
Other squadrons soon came up with the same idea, and guardians entering Imperium ships all across the armada. Scores of Reef fighters poured onto the battlefield alongside Cabal harvesters and threshers. Fallen skiffs joined in the fray, with hawk VTOLs racing to deploy Redjacks within the Imperium's ships.
A hundred thousand cannons fired in all directions, with the Imperium Armada initially tearing through a third of the Vanguard Fleet with their more sophisticated technology. Their cannons fired bright beams of energy which easily pierced the hull of ketches and frigates alike. Still, their adversaries plunged further into their ranks, undeterred by the level of destruction. Humanity had the benefit of numbers and they, alongside their allies, used that factor to their advantage.
Aboard one of the forward Imperium ships, guardians were busy tearing through the defending crews within the hangar. They collided with shadowy, metallic organisms whose right arms converted to automatic rifles.
"Forward!" Brutus roared as he lifted his militarized, kinetic-based pulse rifle. He cleanly ignited the skull of one Imperium soldier before slammed his shoulder into the chest of another who chose to get too close.
"Keep up, buddy," Arden hollered as he leaped over his friend. He came down on an Imperium soldier with his knife outstretched, and embedded it within the soldier's skull. He then whipped out his Better Devils and blew a hole through the chest of another before plucking his blade free and cutting down a third soldier.
"The ship must have a core of sorts," Icon surmised.
"We blow the core, and this ship is done for," Lex agreed.
"I wonder how the other crews are doing," Diana remarked as she and Jorgan approached the others. Hawk VTOLs had finally arrived, and a hundred Redjacks were instantly deployed to assist the guardians.
/
Phaetin sent beams of solar energy streaking toward Kyvernitis, who promptly split them at their seams with his bladed arm. Phaetin then leaped to Kyvernitis with his swords extended. Kyvernitis readied himself for another swift deflection when, just before Phaetin reached him, the warlock disappeared inside a black hole. Kyvernitis quickly realized what had happened, and turned as Phaetin reappeared behind him. Phaetin swung, and Kyvernitis blocked. However, this time the Crowned Dominator was staggered. Phaetin then lowered himself to the ground, dropping his blades as he did so. He reeled back, only to shoot his right arm forward a second later. A torrent of arc energy shot forth from his arm and struck Kyvernitis.
The hulking ruler of Darkness blocked with his blade, but it was not enough. His blade buckled under the pressure of Light, and cracked apart. He was forced back, holding back the energy with his left hand. However, an elongated black shield eventually formed against his left arm, protecting him from Phaetin's fading arc energy. Kyvernitis lowed his shield when the arc energy stopped coming, and was about to retaliate when ice struck his feet. He found he could not move, and then Phaetin vanished again. Kyvernitis looked back to see Phaetin reappear near the ceiling of the chamber.
Fuming with void energy, Phaetin allowed the violet-hued fuel to pour into his right hand. He concocted a nova bomb in midair, and chucked it toward Kyvernitis. The ruler of Darkness, frozen in place, could do little more than put up his right arm. The nova bomb collided, and the explosion shook the room. Phaetin landed gently against the floor, and watched intently for the smoke to clear.
Kyvernitis still stood. Scorch marks lined his body, and yet there he was with no sign of major injury. "That was impressive, Phaetin. You seem to know what you're doing with that Light of yours," he admitted. He brushed off his shoulder as he stared down Phaetin. "But, surely you can understand that won't be enough."
Phaetin shot a hideous expression in Kyvernitis's direction before outstretching his right hand to the being's mighty throne. It began to rumble and quake, shaking under the weight of Phaetin's spectral energy. Finally, it came free from the ground with a thunderous yank, and was sent flying into Kyvernitis. The Crowned Dominator swiftly unveiled blades on each of his arms and chopped the throne to bits, before he noticed Phaetin leaping to him again. Phaetin ignited his radiance just before collision when, suddenly, he was plucked from the air. Kyvernitis gripped him tightly by his throat, and chucked him across the room.
"You never told them about me, did you?" Kyvernitis asked as Phaetin sprawled across the chamber floor.
Once able to finally rise to his knees, Phaetin responded. "What are you talking about?"
"You knew I'd come, didn't you? Do the others know what I'm capable of?" Kyvernitis continued to ask.
"They know all they need to about the Darkness," Phaetin replied as he attempted to stand. He stumbled, then fell to his hands and knees.
"Perhaps," Kyvernitis admitted. "However, I am aware of your adventures within the Vex constructs. You saw many timelines during your travels, and I am curious: how many do you believe you stand a chance against me in?"
"All of them," Phaetin retorted, lifting himself to his knees again.
"But how many do you actually triumph in?" Kyvernitis asked. "And in how many of them do you actually survive this encounter?"
Phaetin's eyes filled with worry as he recollected what he had witnessed during what felt like a lifetime ago.
"Ah, so now the truth. I felt fear inside you the moment you dropped down from my ceiling," Kyvernitis said. "But you are truly admirable, Phaetin Moraki; even when your race is ultimately doomed."
An explosion emitted from outside the ship, and Phaetin looked past Kyvernitis with terror in his eyes. The once mighty Leviathan was breaking apart from the inside.
"Not smart trying to consume my ships," Kyvernitis stated. "They're more durable than any you've seen before."
Phaetin watched in horror as the Leviathan continued to break apart, though its scattering hull parts did crash into several of Kyvernitis's other ships.
"You understood you needed to strike with everything at your disposal. That is admirable," Kyvernitis said. "But admirability will not win your race its survival." He then lifted his right hand, and allowed a pure black spear to fall into his grasp. He chucked it at Phaetin.
The warlock called upon the last of his frost energy and formed an ice sword. He successfully deflected the spear, though it shattered his blade in the process. Kyvernitis then summoned a second spear, and sent it in Phaetin's direction. The spear struck Phaetin in his left shoulder. He groaned as he plucked the weapon from of his body, only to noticed the region around the wound flaking up. It turned to ash, and the same effect began to spread to the rest of his body. "How did you…"
"Do you feel it?" Kyvernitis asked. "Yourself fading away? This is what the true Darkness is capable of." He then strolled confidently over to his dying victim. "If we had never encountered the Light, things would be so much simpler."
Phaetin watched as the chasm between his left arm and his chest widened. He did not feel pain, rather he felt nothing. That was what frightened him.
/
All across the battlefield, they were losing. On their way to the core, Arden and his comrades encountered resistance the likes of which had never been encountered before. Imperium shielders protected the warriors from ballistic fire while they retaliated with fire of their own. One guardian after another dropped, and eventually they were pushed back to the hangar.
"Are we seriously retreating?!" Arden called out as he fired down the corridor which led to the hangar. He shot down two warriors and grazed a shielder at its shoulder.
"We don't have a choice," Brutus replied as he fired down the corridor alongside his friend. Hundreds of Imperium soldiers were pushing up through the tight corridor. "We don't have the manpower to beat them back, especially not in such a tight space."
Then, an explosive rolled next to the pair and erupted.
"Get them out of there!" Icon instructed the others as he raced into the corridor. "I'll cover you." His body ignited with golden flames, and he wielded his sword of the Dawnblade with pride as he made swipes through the air. The Imperium soldiers closest to him were obliterated, but still others surged forward from further down the corridor.
Jorgan and Diana safely pulled Arden and Brutus to the hangar, only for the group to realize another problem. An Imperium fighter entered the hangar and opened fire. The guardians retaliated with all the firepower at their disposal and successfully crippled the fighter, but not before it destroyed half of their jumpships.
"Guess we're gonna have to double up," Lex remarked. Echoes of deathly cries from the corridor forced her to turn, and the group of guardians watched as hordes of Imperium soldiers began to file into the hangar.
"We better move fast then," Jorgan stated as he lifted his scout rifle to the enemy.
/
"This is not personal, Phaetin. The Traveler and us have been nemeses since our creation. It is the Traveler's duty to create order, and it is ours to create chaos. The Darkness does not inherently kill, rather we transform, as does the Traveler. That does not make us evil, merely different," Kyvernitis explained. "But I wonder, how many of your kind knew you'd come to battle on this day? How many placed all their hopes and dreams on you, Phaetin?"
The warlock remembered the parades held all those years ago. He remembered the first time he entered the Last City, and he reminisced on how the crowds adored him for all his conquests. He remembered all the lives he took, sacrificed to get him to where he was. Now, it all meant absolutely nothing. What would the people think when word came back about his failure?
"You see, even you have Darkness inside yourself, Phaetin. But I tell you this because I am not wholly evil: I will make humanity's death swift," Kyvernitis said.
That was when a spark ignited within Phaetin. His body began to glow, even as it faded to ash. Colors of blue, purple, white, black, gray, and golden yellow burned across his body as he lifted his head to Kyvernitis. "It'll never come to that, Kyvernitis," Phaetin bellowed as his Light surged through every cell in his body. The various forms of energy collided and mixed, briefly forming a level of power similar to that of the Traveler itself. Phaetin looked Kyvernitis dead in the eye as his limbs outstretched themselves. He let out a roar that would send most trembling, and his cells began to break down as the Light overwhelmed him. "RAAAAAAHHHHH!"
The ship began to shake, and Kyvernitis lifted his right arm as the Light flooded the room. The ship exploded.
/
All across the battlefield, warriors of all factions felt the explosion. It started as a simple tremor, and expanded to engulf the entirety of the battlefield.
"What just happened?!" Cayde panicked from the bridge of Tenebris Praedo.
"There," Ikora pointed to the largest of the Imperium ships. It was shaking, and then suddenly became engulfed in Light. White light shot out in all directions, as if the Traveler itself had reignited. The explosion began to engulf more and more of the battlefield as it went.
"That explosion…" Zavala began to say. "It might just kill us. Instruct the fleet to pull out."
All across the battlefield, guardian cruisers and frigates began to retreat. A last effort transmission was sent to the Leviathan. Emperor Calus did respond, only to say there was no hope for him.
"This is the Last Emperor of the Cabal, and I send this message to all my allies that might hear," he said, his voice weak with sadness as he accepted his fate. "Leave me, for it is already too late."
The Reef's fleet quickly withdrew, and moments later so did the Fallen. The Vanguard Fleet stalled, as its commanders initially argued whether or not to stay and help the remaining forces aboard the enemy vessels.
"We signaled for retreat," Zavala said sternly. "If we wait any longer, we risk getting caught in the blast."
Reluctantly, Cayde and Ikora agreed. They abandoned all others to their wits.
The guardians aboard one of the outermost ships desperately attempted to escape the chaos.
"I'll hold them while you all escape," Arden said to the others. Jorgan and Diana had already left, and Lex was loading up with Icon.
"This isn't a discussion, Arden," Brutus replied, firing over his friend's shoulder to tear open an Imperium soldier's chest.
"I agree," Arden admitted as he turned to his friend. Then, in a sudden motion, he shoved Brutus into the cockpit of his ship and sealed it shut. He then turned back to the enemy and fired.
The remaining guardian jumpships evacuated with haste, leaving him to face death alone. Hundreds of warriors encroached on his position, when he abruptly pointed his revolver to a terminal against the far wall. He fired, and the hangar's shielding deactivated. The vacuum of space immediately beckoned all to enter, and began sucking warriors into its abyss. Arden magnetized his boots, and fired into the horde of free-floating enemies. Bang! Bang! Bang! He fired until his clip ran dry, then pulled out his knife as an enemy drew near. He dug into the warrior's chest, only to be knocked into space by a cluster of Imperium warriors. His oxygen was running low as he attempted to reload his revolver. He gasped, and his eyes closed.
/
The Light spread across the center of the Imperium Armada before finally dissipating. The blast left behind ruins of what were once the most powerful vessels in the system.
"You truly were impressive, Phaetin," a sinister voice remarked. "But you were not immortal. You were no god, and now you have turned to ash. This is the fate your race has earned," Kyvernitis uttered as he floated vertically through space. The nearest vessel to him would soon arrive, and he would make an effort to recover all he could. Once that was done, he would move on to burn the rest of the system.