S1-192
Nightmare Hunt - Isolation
3:41 PM
11/23/3273
Earth's moon - Ocean of Storms
Anchor of Light
Music
Destiny 2 - Necropolis
After regrouping, Spyglass had assigned Hayden-10 and Ada-1 to assist Michael in hunting down another Fallen Nightmare.
Eris was on the comms. "Years ago, Taniks tore the Council apart over a mere bounty. Andal Brask was murdered in cold blood, and the Council was left without a Hunter leader. Taniks would ultimately die for this on Cayde's orders. But the scars he left among all Guardians would never fully heal. Once again, the Pyramid takes advantage of our collective pain. We will not succumb."
"The Nightmare of Taniks, the Scarred. That's our target." Hayden-10 stated, readying his Blast Furnace.
Ada-1 nodded, R-201 Carbine locked and loaded. "Things are getting hectic. We need to put a stop to this."
"Couldn't agree more." Michael replied, his weapons ready.
Earth's moon - Ocean of Storms
Temple of Crota
Just outside the fortress were more Hive and Nightmares. "We'll use a tactic Spyglass had me and Cayde perform the last time we came through here." He pointed to the upper platform. "All three of us will head up there. Ada, you and I will throw out our Satchels, then detonate them as Hayden unleashes two Shadowshots."
The two Exos looked at each other, then nodded in understanding.
As Hayden-10 gathered Void Light to fire two Shadowshot tethers, Michael and Ada-1 tossed out their Satchels, then detonated them in unison, purging the outside of the entrance. The Hunter whistled in amusement. "Nice. If Spyglass came up with that plan... well... color me impressed."
"Now, at this point, Spyglass rushed in with an Arc Staff to clear out the Hive just beyond the entrance. I'm going to take a different approach." Michael jumped down, erupting with Arc Light as he used the Stormtrance to clear the path further ahead.
Music
Titanfall - OST 03
Hayden-10 and Ada-1 followed him, their weapons ready. "I'll admit, it's very impressive. Being a Pilot in the IMC's ranks certainly has its benefits."
"Yeah. Shaxx's 'rigorous' training exercises pale in comparison to the IMC's training regiments. Can't afford to get sloppy or not take a mission seriously. I mean... look at Michael." Hayden-10 gestured to the ace Pilot leading them. "He's the picture of IMC perfection. He gets the job done right the first time... every time. And his unparalleled level of loyalty and devotion to the IMC led to him putting himself through additional training, until his senses were refined to a point and he undertook his own psychological conditioning."
Ada-1 understood. "Turning him into a literally fearless soldier with a virtually unbreakable emotional composure... apart from that one day."
"Hayden, Ada, no time for chit-chat! We got hostiles!"
Music
Titanfall - OST 77
Around the Hive structure just below the entrance to the fortress were Hive, and Michael was peaking his Spitfire around a Towering Barricade. Ada-1 activated her Cloak and repositioned herself to lay down some covering fire with her R-201. Out of nowhere, she was ambushed by an Acolyte, and had suffered a direct impact from its Boomer directly to her chest. With the R-201 knocked out of her hands, Ada-1 quickly pulled out her RE-45 Auto, letting loose a good portion of the emergency handgun's 25-round magazine.
With the Acolyte KIA, Ada-1 picked herself back up, tactically reloading her RE-45 Auto and stowing it as she recovered her rifle. She then looked at herself. The impact from that Acolyte's Boomer had been absorbed by the Pilot armor she wore, which held up a lot better than any Guardian armor, even surpassing Black Armory standards. But she would need to report back to HQ for repairs after this, no matter how minor.
Ada-1 watched as Hayden-10 used his Stryker's Sure-Hand in response to a Hive Knight attacking him with a Cleaver. He sliced through its arm, then decapitated the Knight, before returning the Black Armory sword to its scabbard on his hip and resuming fire with his Blast Furnace, radiant energy flashing from the barrel with each 4-round burst.
From the other side of the chamber, Fallen entered the fray, accompanied by Nightmares of their comrades. With the combined efforts of Michael, Hayden-10, and Ada-1, the chamber was cleared, enabling further passage.
In the next chamber, on the other side of the old Hive Seeder, was their target.
SCANNING...
NEW ENTRIES
1: Nightmare of Taniks
the Scarred
Music
Titanfall - OST 75
"{There's the Nightmare of Taniks. Let's take it down.}"
"Couldn't agree more." Michael opened fire with the Spitfire, keeping the Nightmare of Taniks in the center of the Threat Scope's AR display, his Spectre arm effectively nullifying the LMG's recoil.
Nightmare Fallen appeared, only for Hayden-10 and Ada-1 to retaliate, keeping them off Michael's back as the ace Pilot maintained an unrelenting hail of lead, sidestepping out of the way of each shot from the Nightmare's Scorch Cannon.
As Michael expended his second magazine, the Nightmare of Taniks retreated and vanished into another passageway.
Music
Titanfall - OST 70
"It's getting away! After it!"
Clearing out the lingering threats, Michael and co. pursued the Nightmare, only to be confronted by a group of Exploder Shanks rounding a corner. Thinking quick, Hayden-10 dispatched the flying bombs with a single throwing knife.
Music
Titanfall - OST 52
The trio made their way to another chamber, which held an old Fallen teleporter... that was no longer operational, and standing upon the machine's platform was the Taniks Nightmare. Michael resumed fire, aided by Hayden-10's Blast Furnace and Ada-1's Mag Launcher, discovering that Taniks... was a cyborg.
Fallen reinforcements had arrived, this time drawing the attention of all three of them.
Failing to finish off a Nightmare Vandal with the dozen rounds left in his Spitfire's magazine, Michael pulled out his Hammond P2016 backup handgun, letting his robotic rapid-fire trigger finger do the rest. As he slotted in a new pistol magazine, the ace Pilot came under attack, only for a Pilot Sentry protected by an A-Wall to appear between him and his attackers, granting Michael the chance to affix a new 80-round mag to his Spitfire and pull back the pin, followed by Rocco transmatting a fresh new magazine onto his belt.
A Dreg slashed at Hayden-10 with a Shock Dagger, provoking the immediate use of the Stryker's Sure-Hand before the Eye of Niobe returned to the Blast Furnace to finish off a couple of Shanks.
Downing two Vandals, Ada-1 activated her suit's Cloak, giving her the opportunity to reload her R-201 Carbine and MGL Mag Launcher, deploy a couple of Ticks, and sneak her two armed Satchels onto the back of the Nightmare of Taniks. As the Ticks approached the Fireteam's target, Ada-1 triggered her detonator, causing a chain reaction of four explosions to hit the Nightmare. It went red and became impervious to damage as more Nightmare Fallen entered the fray.
Tossing out his own Satchels, Michael laid waste to the Fallen, giving Rocco the time to transmat in a Titan Sentry on the metal platform. "{Ada, on your flank!}"
Ada-1 sent a roundhouse kick straight to the face of the Nightmare Dreg behind her, knocking it down. "Thanks, Rocco." Putting a few bullets in the Nightmare's head, Ada-1 resumed fire on their main target as it became vulnerable to damage. But she was unprepared for the Taniks Nightmare to use its short range teleportation to get up close to her and backhand her into a wall, followed by firing a single shot of the Scorch Cannon at her.
Music
Titanfall - OST 51
Seeing the Black Armory curator get sent flying into a wall, Michael pulled out his Charge Rifle. But Hayden-10 unleashed an explosive, bladed hell upon the Nightmare of Taniks.
Hayden-10 [Blade Barrage] Nightmare of Taniks, the Scarred (House of Dusk)
Music
none
"{Taniks put up a fight. But we got him in the end, Eris.}" Rocco reported.
Eris replied over the comms. "Good. We draw closer to the Pyramid with every victory."
Rocco sent a message to the Shadow, shortly followed by a Taken rift opening and a skeletal hand coming through it to procure the black and white Essence of Isolation left behind by the slain Nightmare.
"Michael, we need to get Ada out of here!" Hayden-10 sounded frantic.
The Pilot looked over, seeing that Ada-1 was badly damaged. "Rocco, transmat beacon!" A blue IMC transmat beacon appeared in his hands. "Spyglass, this is Michael! Ada-1 is down! I repeat, Ada-1 is down! We need a Spectre rack down here to secure her evacuation!"
"Acknowledged. Spectre rack is standing by."
With the transmat beacon activated, a Spectre rack appeared, deploying four Spectres to help Michael and Hayden-10 get a damaged Ada-1 back outside.
3:53 PM
11/23/3273
Earth's moon - Ocean of Storms
Anchor of Light
While the extraction had gone well, Ada-1's condition was still deteriorating, despite the best efforts of the Marvins that had been sent in to try and repair her. "Hey..." Her voice laced with static, much like Cayde's as he died in the Prison of Elders, Ada-1 weakly extended a hand to Hayden-10.
"Stay with me, Ada...!"
The curator's hand intertwined with the Hunter's own. "Hayden Estrada... Your allegiance to the Black Armory... and your... unnecessary loyalty to me... will not be in vain... I would be honored... to appoint you as... my successor..."
Watching the heartbreaking scene unfold before him, Michael pleaded for the Traveler to help her. He felt its guiding will flow through him, asking to speak to the dying Exo through him. "Adelaide Meyrin of the Black Armory." Everyone turned to look at the Pilot. "I have been watching you. I have seen your devotion. Your bravery. Your sacrifice. And I have a question for you. If you had the option to live again, would you take it?"
"I..." Ada-1 thought hard about this. While it may have been true that the Black Armory did not believe in the Traveler or it's 'shambling dead', her views had changed. And a god was asking for her answer. "I would."
"Very well." The Traveler outstretched Michael's right hand, its Light gathering in the palm of the Pilot's prosthetic. Hesitantly, Ada-1 grasped the glowing hand.
Music
Infinity - Paradigm
The Marvins backed away as the Traveler's Light flowed through the Black Armory curator. For mere moments, she erupted with raging Arc Light, burning Solar Light, and unknowable Void Light.
At that moment, a new Ghost was born. It looked down, sensed the spark of its Guardian, and released a beam of pure Light. The severe damage done to Ada-1 seemingly mended itself.
Now fully restored, Ada-1 bolted into an upright position. "What... What just... Am I... dead?"
The Traveler chuckled through Michael. "No, but you gave it your best shot." There was a calmness between everyone. "After all, you weren't dead yet. And now, you won't be dead at all."
"You... saved my life."
"When fire blooms from long-dormant steel, it heralds the rise of the Black Armory. Neither you nor I would allow those fires to die out."
The new Ghost spoke up. "{Glad I was here.}"
With the Traveler's will now leaving him, Michael stumbled, falling to one knee to steady himself. He shook his head, sorting out his senses. "Couldn't let you die, Ada. You have a bright future ahead of you." He then eyed the Ghost. "And you might want to give your new companion a chance. After all, Rocco and I became the best of friends because I gave him a chance."
"{And look where that got us. The IMC is back, humanity is safe, the Frontier is secure, and new Guardians get brought in by Pilots and Spectres to choose their new lives.}"
Hayden-10 let out a chuckle. "Yeah. One such Guardian actually chose to be an artist. And instead of trying to stop him, his Ghost actually supported it, and with an unexpected enthusiasm."
Nodding in acknowledgement, Ada-1 looked back at her new Ghost. "So... you're my Ghost."
"{That's right.}"
She chuckled. "I suppose I could... share the Black Armory's traditions... with another." She'd already trusted Hayden-10, but perhaps Ada-1 would come to trust this new Ghost of hers.
Ada... as a Guardian. And her Ghost... will have the Armory Forged Shell: 'For Ghosts who honor the tradition of the Black Armory.'.
To become a Guardian without dying first... Would that mean you keep your memories?
Anyway, I'll see you next time.