Grimoire: Ghost Fragment - The Black Heart

"Just this once, I wished I hadn't been alone."

Don't know how long it's been since my jumpship crashed in the Anomalous Zone. I've destroyed so many Vex, and gone through a bunch of their gateways. Lost my chest armor a while back, which is a shame; I'd gotten attached to it.

Was actually thinking I was gonna make it. Then I got ambushed by Vex enhanced with SIVA. Just my luck, right?

I lost Trespasser; got in close to a Hobgoblin before it could draw a bead on me, before it could trigger its shield; got the barrel jammed into its torso, right as a Minotaur warped in and punched me away.

I lost my Ghost; he was trying to activate another portal, I was holding off an incoming wave of Goblins. A horde of Harpies suddenly appeared out of nowhere; they surrounded him, whisked him away. Still feel the connection, but no more Light is coming to me.

Was down to my scout rifle. One of those enhanced Harpies exploded too close; got surrounded by a bunch of SIVA, was trapped. I was at their mercy.

They've brought me to the Black Garden. There are so many flowers blooming from the bodies of Guardians and Fallen; countless Ghosts form the buds of bloody roses; I even see a few Cabal here and there; their petals are shining with flickers of orange light; are they studying their souls? Their A.T. Fields?

I can see the Light being drawn towards something in the epicenter. The stoic forms of gigantic Vex - Gaia Minotaurs, Gaia Hobgoblins - dot the horizon; there are so many of them. They're all on their knees, facing the center. The center.

They've pulled me into the core of the Black Garden; surrounded by relics of our history, I gaze upon the Black Heart.

A Hydra screams.

The Black Heart begins to unfold.

At that moment...I finally understood why this thing is drawing on so much Light, and how the Vex got here to begin with.

If only I could've warned the City.

Sorry Cayde.

xxxx

/The Anomalous Zone/

Platforms were disappearing more and more rapidly now; whole swathes of the surrounding landscape were fading in and out of reality, as though the fullness of the Vex's power could not be borne by their world. Navigation was...trickier, now.

'I'm questioning the wisdom of going further,' mentally muttered Peter. 'I don't trust my internal time clocks anymore.'

Chief merely grunted, jumping atop another ledge.

'Very well, be that way.'

Complaining won't change anything. Their progress had been slowed by the overall chaos of the terrain, these past days. The trail of broken Vex had become sparser, ever since they had found the Hobgoblin with a blue-and-white sidearm wedged into its deactivated form. That sidearm - Trespasser, per Aria Yamine - was now latched onto his thigh. He still had hope that he would be able to deliver it to Shiro-4 in person.

"...we should consider using one of the Transfer Gates," said Lilavati-12, out of the blue.

"Damn foolish idea," growled Tevis Larsen.

"It may be unavoidable if we are to continue," remarked Aria, staring at the foggy horizon; whole sections of the earth were gone, leading to a seemingly endless abyss. "Shiro-4 likely used one himself."

"Probably. Still doesn't make it any less foolish." Tevis hopped across a steep crevice, eyeing Arc storms across the floating pylons in the distance. "No guarantees as to where we'll end up."

"We can't go back without confirmation one way or another," said Chief.

"We got his armor." Lucky Raspberry had been transmatted down into its base components, and was being carried by Tevis in his pack. "We got his favorite gun." He pointed an accusatory finger at the sidearm strapped to his side. "That's confirmation enough for me."

Lilavati-12 snorted. "Going to cut and run?"

"Nah. Just saying what we're all thinkin'."

"...even so, there's more for us to know." Finding Shiro-4 was the primary objective. But learning more about the Black Garden, about the aims of the Vex on this continent...those were all secondary objectives that could still be attained. "The next gate we find...we're going to use it."

Tevis sighed. "For the record, I want to state that this is a bad idea."

"Noted," replied Chief.

Before long, they found a solitary Transfer Gate, suspended on a ledge overlooking a great chasm. The mists beyond roiled with lightning and chrono-spatial anomalies. Holding out his hand, Chief waited for Peter to manifest. "Open the way."

"Just so you know, the previous confluxes that I scanned didn't provide a whole lot in the way of truly mimicking the Vex. I may not be able to control where we end up. Or we may end up luring out a Gate Lord."

"I understand. Open it."

Peter sighed, and began scanning the inner workings of the bronze disc. Before long, a lattice of non-baryonic matter manifested, shining a bright bluish white. "There. I think this will lead us past this chasm. But don't quote me on that."

Chief gripped tightly onto his stolen shrapnel launcher. "Eyes up everyone. Follow my lead." As Peter rejoined him, the Exo Hunter stepped through-

xxxx

-and emerged into bedlam.

'...okay, I did not expect this.'

He overlooked a wide pit, fashioned into a circle; at one end sat a massive Warp Gate. On the other end lay a long and winding path that led far into the horizon; this place was the culmination of a great journey. Gathered in front of the Vex gate was a veritable legion of the alien machines - Goblins, Hobgoblins, Minotaurs, Harpies, Hydras! - gathered around a massive Minotaur formed of black metal, towering over the field at twenty meters in height. Facing them...

"...are those all Guardians?" asked Lilavati-12; his three teammates had exited the portal, and were now staring into the expanse below.

"...that appears to be the case," murmured Aria, focusing intently on the ongoing battle. "There appear to be some baseline humans and Exos as well..."

Tevis chuckled. "I'll be damned. They've all got some measure of green and black on em'." Indeed; every person down below possessed some article of clothing - pants, bracelets, cloaks, hoods, and so on - that bore those colors. Some more than others. "Anyone else recognize that scheme?"

Lilavati-12 seemed to balk. "The Concordat? But why are they here?!"

Chief didn't know the answer to that. He didn't really know who the Concordat were either, for that matter; they wete likely before his time as a Guardian. All he knew was that they were people of Earth, fighting against the Vex. "Gear up. Prepare to assist by any means necessary." Without hesitation, he jumped off of the ledge and into the mayhem. Chief landed roughly on the rock below, and took off into a run. Firing his shrapnel launcher at the nearest Goblins, he took in the entire battlefield at a glance.

(A riot had started in the main square. It was his first patrol since the crisis had begun, and things had gotten out of hand in a hurry. There were problems everywhere, that the sheer influx of information from his senses was paralyzing.)

He had learned a lot since those dark days.

Tossing an Incendiary Grenade, he opened fire with his shrapnel launcher into the ranks of Goblins. The explosive rolled through the line, catching multiple units on fire; despite the scorched metal, the Vex turned unerringly towards him, opening fire with their slap rifles. With a burst of Light, he vaulted into the air, landing in their midst as his shrapnel launcher finally ran dry of ammo.

So he smashed the end of it into the glowing torso of a Goblin before reaching for Trespasser and his knife. Chief spun through the pack of machines, his Solar knife burning out optics and Shiro-4's sidearm vaporizing with bursts of Arc energy. His movements seemed frenzied, but they were purposeful; he was making his way to the center of the mayhem, where the biggest cluster of Vex were attacking. Rolling past a trio of Harpies, he set foot atop a block of stone, leaping above-

-three Titans fought ferociously against incoming Minotaurs, firing their shotguns with abandon; one unleashed the Fist of Havoc, plowing through the nearest enemies; another had activated the Ward of Dawn, protecting their number from incoming Torch Hammers; most curious of all was the baseline human with thick black hair, wielding a Fallen shock dagger in one hand, and a strange circular shield in another, and he was fighting as furiously as the Titans-

-and manifesting an orange octagon behind him; with the press of his legs, he launched himself downwards, landing in the midst of the tumult. His Light surged, and the Golden Gun burst to life in his hands.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

Down went four Minotaurs. He briefly glanced at the Guardians and their human compatriot.

'...I see now...if these Guardians are all with the Concordat...then this must be Lysander, their exiled leader.'

The bearded man turned towards him, eyes widening with surprise. "You're not one of mine." His voice had a deep timbre, belonging to one who often spoke with authority; now that they were closer, he could see that his circular shield bore many power cells and metal plates absconded from Vex and Fallen tech.

Chief raised his sidearm, aiming beyond at an incoming Harpy.

Lysander moved as well, dashing behind him and striking at a Goblin that was approaching from behind. The shield seemed to absorb the incoming slap rifle bolts, redirecting the energy to the power cells. Sufficiently protected, the man drew in close and stabbed his shock dagger into the radiolarian core; Arc energy erupted, electrocuting the Vex unit. As it collapsed, a Minotaur moved in, bringing its arm down to crush him; Lysander barely shifted to the side to dodge the swing, and then bashed it with his shield. VOOM, sounded the energy, as it erupted from his shield in a flash of red; the Minotaur was scorched by the blast, and its energy field shorted out. Lysander immediately followed up with another stab to the torso, delivering a fatal shock to the radiolarian fluid within. As the Minotaur collapsed, he turned around to face Chief. "But I'll take whatever help you have to offer!"

"Sit-rep?" asked Chief, turning away from the Harpies he had just destroyed.

"We're trying to get into the Black Garden. And that Gate Lord is our ticket in!"

Chief didn't know why the Concordat was trying to get into the Black Garden...but right now, their goals were aligned. "We'll help."

"We?"

Suddenly, at that moment, a midair Nightstalker could be seen rearing his bow.

CHYOOM!

Six arrows of Void energy fired simultaneously, falling in a circle around the black Minotaur - the Gate Lord, apparently - and tethering it in place; dozens of Vex units that were around the machine were caught as well. "Now!" shouted Tevis.

Aria Yamine obliged by launching a large Nova Bomb at the massive Minotaur; Lilavati-12 followed suit with a dozen Hammers of Sol, which blasted the lesser units around the Gate Lord. The Solar eruptions consumed many, and that damage was transferred directly back onto the Gate Lord.

BOOM!

The Void energy discharged in a massive explosion.

The Gate Lord, despite being ravaged by so much of that violet Light, stood tall. A synthetic howl echoed through the area, and the distinctive lights of Vex teleportation emerged from clouds of chrono-spatial displacement. When the lights faded, a red glow suddenly blazed from within the fog.

"Damnation," muttered Lysander, withdrawing his shock dagger from another Goblin. He holstered the blade and withdrew an aged sidearm, resting its barrel over the rim of his shield. "More of those SIVA-enhanced Vex!"

"You've been away from the City for over a century; how do you know about SIVA?" asked Lilavati-12.

"There's a lot of things that I happen to know. Focus on those newcomers, before they surround us!"

Chief turned toward his fireteam. "Tevis, you're on overwatch; get back to the rim and harry the enemy from above. Lilavati-12, reinforce those Warlocks over on the left flank. Aria, with me."

"Ya think you can just order us around?" groused the Nightstalker.

"Very well."

"Understood."

Lilavati-12 and Aria's immediate acquiescence took the air out of Tevis's sails. "...feh."

As Chief took off running, his Ghost said, 'I'm reviewing the telemetry from all of the other Ghosts...looks like they've settled on a naming convention based on heroes of an ancient culture...Greece, perhaps? Not sure what's very heroic about Vex empowered by a powerful nanotech.'

Every side in a war has its own heroes. Almost fitting, in an odd way; these SIVA-enhanced machines were probably called upon solely to drive them back. But they would fight regardless.

Aria was close behind them as they opened fire on the enhanced Goblins - Argonauts, per the data scrolling across his HUD - with their primary weapons. They moved in closer, avoiding explosive shots from an augmented Hobgoblin - a Perseus - before engaging in close combat. The SIVA tendrils coming from the backs of the Argonauts flickered with wild energy, filling the air with a deadly charge. The two Guardians moved quickly and diligently to avoid the additional dangers of the nanomachines; their A.T. Fields came in handy as bludgeons, which they used to push away the empowered machines. Aria was reacting rather seamlessly to his movements, taking care of his blind spots without complaint.

A distant Hydra with a seemingly impervious SIVA shield - a Cadmus - howled, directing the efforts of glowing Harpies towards them; these Atalantas surged with energy, exploding into consuming clouds of nanomachines. Chief grunted, impulsively looping an arm around the petite Warlock's waist and leaping backwards with an A.T. Field-enhanced jump. Landing atop a spire of cubical rock, the Exo Hunter looked all around; one upgraded Minotaur - a Daedalus - after another was moving among the Argonauts, smashing wildly with their arms. Each arm surged with the energy of their Torch Hammers, delivering explosive blows that sent Guardians flying. The other forces of the Concordat were fighting furiously, with baseline humans and Exos sniping from afar. "We need to take down the Gate Lord."

"Agreed," murmured Aria, manifesting a sniper rifle and aiming down the sights. "The Vex will likely feel compelled to reallocate their resources beyond that large Transfer Gate."

"...that last combination attack did a lot of damage to the Gate Lord. One more might be able to do it."

"It has a higher concentration of defensive units around it; we would be shot down before got close."

"Then we just have to go higher."

Aria arched an eyebrow.

xxxx

This current chassis was a significant upgrade from the prior one inhabited by Zydron. The physical limitations of the Square-Cube Law were slowly becoming easier to work around; a consequence of the Sol Divisive's continued efforts with the Black Heart and its improbable ways. At twenty meters tall, it was a proverbial titan, towering over the interlopers.

Two motes of hostile energy were ascending; the Gate Lord's yellow eye looked upward, following their ascent. Their vertical movement was assisted by substantial metaphysical manipulations, far beyond that of the other interlopers. The degree to which they could manipulate their spiritual boundaries was...familiar.

With myriad commands, Zydron directed the varied Hobgoblin units to shoot them down.

Concentric octagons of orange manifested behind the two interlopers; their potential energy spiked by a ludicrous amount, beyond what should have been physically possible-

BOOM.

xxxx

Chief and Aria broke Mach 1, using their souls to propel them downward at an angle.

Their aim had been precise; in unison, they crashed into the shoulders of the Gate Lord.

With a loud and horrific lurch, the massive Minotaur was toppled over by sheer brute force; it crashed onto a large group of Vex, crushing them beneath its bulk.

Lysander saw this from afar, and grinned wildly. "This is our chance! Make sure it STAYS down!"

The Guardians of the Concordat, recognizing the brief opportunity for what it was, swarmed the fallen Gate Lord like frenzied ants.

xxxx

Lysander sighed with content, sitting upon the leg of the fallen Gate Lord. "Catch a breath, everyone. Once they're done analyzing this thing's head...we'll make our move."

After the massive Minotaur had fallen, the other Vex units had vanished, leaving the pit in silence. The members of the Concordat had swiftly disbursed, securing the perimeter and the massive Transfer Gate. A small group of Warlocks and Exos had removed the Gate Lord's head, to get the vital pieces they needed. The few casualties were being tended to; the fewer fatalities were being...properly disposed of. Their sacrifice had helped them get this far.

Which left the four individuals that had practically stumbled upon them. "Now...I imagine you're from the City. But why have you come this far?"

"We journeyed into the Anomalous Zone to rescue our comrade. An Exo Hunter by the name of Shiro-4," answered another Exo Hunter. His helmet was off, revealing metallic skin of a deep green color; a triangular sensor array adorned his forehead, in lieu of eyes that would be give off a more human appearance. "You can call me Chief. My teammates are Tevis Larsen, Lilavati-12, and Aria Yamine."

Lysander huffed. He definitely remembered Shiro-4; a rather valiant sort, who had always been out and about taking the fight to the Fallen...even to the point of extremes. The other Hunter and Titan were...far more familiar. "Tevis. The years have been kind to you, I take it?"

The Nightstalker shrugged. "Same old, same old. Still sore that you tried to launch a coup."

"Have you been mistreated because of your former affiliation with the Concordat?"

"Nah. Was out in the field when it all went down. All I got was a lot of guff from Cayde-6."

"Hmm." Lysander turned towards the taller Titan in blue and gold armor. The fiery Mark on her side was very familiar. "...a Sunbreaker." He gave the woman a rather scathing glare. "I still haven't forgotten what your leader did to my representative."

The large Exo grunted, seemingly unapologetic.

He finally looked at the Warlock, and noticed hints of pale blue skin around the wrists, where gloves did not meet the sleeves of her robes. "...do you hail from the Reef?"

"No," flatly replied Aria. "You are implicitly questioning my loyalty, given the Concordat's historical distrust for Awoken from the Reef. Given that the City and the Reef have established an official alliance, I do not see the relevance."

"...hmm." He loosed a brief chuckle. "Much has changed, it seems."

"You have been absent. It is understandable."

Lysander glanced back at Chief. "...how much do you know about the Black Garden?"

"Although our primary objective is the recovery of Shiro-4, the acquisition of intelligence regarding the Black Garden is a target of opportunity."

The head of the Concordat huffed, looking around at the dozens of individuals that still served him. "I started this journey with sixty Guardians, over ninety humans and Exos, and one hundred and thirty combat frames." The cost thus far had been high. "We've lost all of our frames. Down to only thirty Exos and fourteen humans, including myself. Down to only forty Guardians."

Tevis snorted. "Expecting pity? That's not like you."

"I'm painting you a picture. They all knew the risks. They came willingly, with no pretenses as to what awaited us. But if we can breach the Black Garden, and get to the source of its power...it'll all be worth it."

Aria's eyes narrowed. "And what do you intend to do with that power? Your vendetta against the Speaker and the Vanguard has become the stuff of legend."

Lysander smirked at the girl's implication, that he would use the Black Garden's power for nefarious means. If only you knew what I knew about the Speaker. The impulse to try and win them over was strong, to show them the light, as it were. But no; hard experience had tempered those impulses. The Speaker's cult of personality was too thorough to break in a matter of minutes, and trying to do so would only engender hostility; right now, they were allies of convenience. And that suited him just fine. "Trust me, little one...my aims are righteous. Within the Black Garden, lies a power that has been sapping the Light of the Traveler for centuries...a Black Heart. I intend to get in there, and tear it out."

"...how did you learn of this?" asked Aria, tilting her head out of curiosity.

"I don't think I'll tell you." Lysander slowly got to his feet, brushing at the dust on his clothing. "For one, the only one I have any actual memory of is Tevis; I've never been personally acquainted with Lilavati-12; and I know piss-all about you and your leader." He glanced at the Exo Hunter. "No offense."

"Will it prevent us from working together?" asked Chief.

"That's the thing, isn't it? Regardless of what you may believe, my loyalty to the City as an ideal...as the greatest chance for mankind to survive...has never wavered. Likewise for my belief in the Traveler and its power."

"...that might be a bit easier to swallow if you hadn't blown up the West Tower on your way out of the City," snarked Tevis.

"That structure had been rendered a proverbial derelict by the Battle of Twilight Gap. Its utility as a defensive structure was lost. And besides...I needed to send a message. To Osiris. To your Speaker." He glanced over his shoulder; one of his Warlocks was giving him a thumbs-up. "...but I suppose it's irrelevant now. I was a more impetuous man then. More prone to...panic. But not now. Not in the face of this." With a calm flourish, he jumped off of the fallen Gate Lord's leg, readjusting the grip on his ramshackle shield. "Concordat!" yelled the bearded man, getting the attention of his surviving soldiers. "You have fought valiantly thus far, because you believed in my cause. We are almost at the end; beyond that gateway is the key to the Traveler's resurrection! I require four fireteams; the rest of you will protect the portal from this end! And if we do not return within a week...you are free to do as you please, for I will no longer have any claim to your blood and toil." No explanation was needed on that matter. "But until that dark hour comes...we shall fight!"

The remnant of the Concordat loosed a loud holler of enthusiasm.

xxxx

"...well, he's still got a gift for the theatrical," said Tevis with a chuckle. "Cayde always joked that listening to an average speech by Lysander was like getting hit in the face by a fist of solid charisma."

Lilavati-12 sighed. "He is still able to rally his people, despite their losses. A shame, about his acrimony with the Consensus."

"What's past is past," said Chief, checking his weapons and reloading with some fresh ammunition courtesy of Lysander's Guardians. "For now, we have to focus. Our best chance of finding Shiro-4 lies beyond that gate...and if we can destroy this 'Black Heart', then all the better."

"Agreed," said Aria. Internally, her enthusiasm was more muted. Do we have any knowledge of why the Black Garden metaphysical anchor is here on Earth, instead of on Mars?

"We can only speculate. My time-traveling iteration was unwilling to manipulate affairs within the Garden to any meaningful degree."

That is very understandable. The Black Heart, as far as they knew, was a solid fragment of the Darkness itself; toying with it in such a state would have been unwise. A significant portion of the Vex had settled on worship of this power, to model themselves after it. Will the Vex be incensed by my presence here?

"The Vex Collective is aware of what I know about the Black Garden. They understand that I have witnessed multiple timelines in which the Black Heart was destroyed."

But never before has the Black Garden rooted itself here, in North America.

"And that is why you are here: to learn, and understand. And if you have to defend yourself...you cannot be faulted for that."

...I understand.

"If they lose the Black Garden, then the Collective will be all the more inclined to follow the lead of Ageron and the Baris Analytic. You will ensure that this happens."

Of course. The Original had spoken. "Shall we?"

Chief nodded, readying his Palindrome hand cannon. "Let's move out."

And so the fireteam of four moved to meet up with Lysander and his twelve Guardians of choice; with a thunderous boom, the giant Transfer Gate opened up. Milky wisps of light swirled from the edges, and the air within rippled wildly.

Lysander grinned darkly at the sight. "And thus we ride, into the mouth of Hell..."

An accurate sentiment, pondered Aria.

The proverbial platoon of Light-wielding warriors, with Lysander at their head, stepped forward into the breach...and then they were gone, to parts unknown.

xxxx

Grimoire: Lysander

"I will do what I must. For the people of Earth. For the Traveler."

Lysander had long criticized the Speaker for his lax handling of those who veered away from study of the Traveler. The aims of Osiris, of Toland, of various other researchers interested in unusual lore and arcana...all of it was irrelevant, in the face of the great struggle to resurrect the Lightbearer. Given the casualties inflicted upon the City by the Fallen at the Battle of Twilight Gap, it was downright asinine that they still couldn't see that.

Now, facing this orange crystal, within which lied a three-eyed girl - nay, not a girl, a mere mockery of humanity, a creature - he understood why. "No..." That ancient journal had been right about this. Did that mean it was right about other things? "That absolute madman...!"

"I've found that madness is relative."

Lysander jumped, whirling around; he stared right into the mask of the Speaker. "You...you would keep something so foul, right under our noses?!"

The Warlock calmly shifted forward, swiping the leatherbound book from his hand. Lysander could barely protest before the masked man began flipping through the pages, giving it a cursory scan. "Hmm...how interesting. Asuka-2 has occasionally spoken of an older superior named Kaji...is this him...?"

The head of the Concordant gathered his courage, and stood tall. "To have a creature of the Hive beneath the City, to keep it safe...you will answer for this, Gendo Ikari."

The Speaker paused. Then he kept reading. "Hmm. Fascinating insights...about many things. Things you wouldn't expect. There are some gaps...but a motivated individual could accomplish quite a bit, with the information in this journal. But there's not enough on its own to validate anything. Not without direct evidence. But I'm sure there are some who would leap at your word, regardless."

"...what are-?"

"Did you think I was ignorant of your budding coup attempt? That your simmering discontent would go unnoticed?"

Lysander froze. There was no way he knew this much...but then again, if the other contents of that book were true, it meant that Gendo was in league with the infamous Exo Stranger. "...how could you...for all these years, how could you mislead the people of the City-?"

"Lying is easy. Lying well...takes talent. Some might consider it an unenviable talent. But I have no issue using whatever is at my disposal to get what I want." The Speaker tilted his head, staring intently...as though taking the measure of his most vocal critic. "...hmm..."

Lysander grimaced. "Are you going to eliminate me? People will wonder."

"Of course they would. I'm not an idiot. Your growing distaste with the current state of political affairs is no secret; I imagine you have a dead man's switch of sorts; if you were to die, your Concordat would react rather...harshly."

"...then what are-?"

"Well, you said it yourself. I am an ally of convenience with a Hive deity, and with an Exo gifted by the Vex with the ability to travel through time; you are now aware of other threats that face us. And deep down, you are convinced that I'm playing with fire, and that I will only get us killed sooner...am I wrong?" Lysander didn't answer. Couldn't answer. This elicited a snort from the Speaker. "Then my question for you is simple: what are you going to do about it?" After issuing that challenge, Gendo Ikari tossed the book back, which he barely caught. "Get him out of here." Before Lysander could even respond, he turned around to look into the eye of the man's Ghost, and he felt his molecules began to shift-

"Agh!" he yelped, landing harshly on the rooftop of the Concordat's headquarters, closer to the Core district. The bearded man - wincing from the dull ache; being transmatted could hurt! - slowly rose, staring wearily at the Traveler's broken form. To think...that the Traveler's current state was that man's fault...and he had no true proof. No actual evidence. Nothing other than a journal of a crazed madman's writings that no one else would ever corroborate. The Speaker wouldn't...and neither would his precious protege, the Vanguard Commander. Oh Traveler, they knew. They knew!

Panic slowly began to grow in his mind as he stumbled into the stairwell, bounding down the stairs to the floor containing his office. He ignored the confused looks by the nighttime staff, or the concerned queries by Guardians aligned with his faction. Reaching for a handheld communicator, he sent a one-way message to his trusted subordinates, who often took command of Guardians in the field, or oversaw other operations. "This is Lysander, code Alpha-Gamma-Epsilon-Omega-Rho." They couldn't afford to wait; the Speaker had tipped his hand. The longer they waited, the more time that the Vanguard would have to prepare countermeasures against the Concordat. He had no choice but to strike! "Initiate Operation JACOBIN." This was a desperate play, but Lysander saw no other way out, not with how brazenly Gendo Ikari had taunted his knowledge of events to come. Swift, decisive action was his best ally, now.

Within twenty-four hours - less than a month after the Battle of Twilight Gap - the Concordat would initiate its doomed coup.