Tower Prime
Cayde began the briefing broadcast. "As of last week, forward scans and recon show the Devils preparing a new Prime. Based on what we've seen before, Prime's usually take quite some time to be complete. They require a lot of ether to start up, then require programming from Servitors, as you know. Your missions up until now have given us the data we need to tame a Prime, but unless we get there at the right time to intercept the target, it will either be too early or too late. Your mission is simple here. Kick in the door, find the target, and await the second fireteam that will be able to modify the data. They should be launching shortly. More when you get to ground. Good luck out there."
The radio feed cut, leaving the three ships flying in formation to the sound of a blizzard. Azariah, Blytz, and Morik were all flying low altitude toward the House of Devils' lair. By raiding Fallen ether supplies, Morik had already grown quite a bit. New armor and a ship had been commissioned for him, fitting of an Archon Guardian, but for the moment he was jammed into his original ship and stolen House of Wolves armor. The light blue armor had come from a fugitive captain, known as Skoriks, but a Titan's Mark adorned Morik's hip and separated him from other Fallen. He still lacked a cape and sigil, but rather than having ragged remnants about his shoulders, his armor was clean.
"We'll be arriving shortly," broadcasted Azariah's Ghost. "Target drop zone is the old Prime's location. From there, limited recon scans will be used to guide us to where the Devils have been constructing the new Prime."
All three ships slowed to a hover, releasing the Guardians and flying away again. Azariah had a hand cannon ready, a sniper rifle slung over her shoulder. Her Ghost Angel cloak was pinned under it, keeping it from flapping in the wind. Blytz carried a Vanguard pulse rifle, a shotgun on his back. Morik had a shrapnel launcher, and his Ghost had stored a stolen scorch cannon as well as extra ammunition.
A marker appeared from Azariah's Ghost, leading the fireteam down a nearby hallway. As they began to move, another transmission came in from Cayde.
"Guardians? The second fireteam is on the way. I've got some extra details. Apparently, the Devils have a new Archon, and their Kell should be nearby as well. That Archon is almost guaranteed to make an appearance if the Prime is threatened. Things could get bad very quickly if you don't move fast and hit hard. Morik, I know you're practically an Archon yourself, but you don't have the back up the Devil Archon will. You three are heading right into the heart of that lair. You'll be surrounded on three sides at best. The second fireteam should be about five minutes behind you. The best we can do for reinforcements would be calling Guardians to you from patrols, but that isn't reliable. Plan for the three Vanguards, but that's it."
"Let me go first," said Azariah. "I'll scout ahead and lay traps on some side paths to slow down any Fallen that try to flank us. Don't deviate from the set path."
She sprinted on ahead, leaving Blytz and Morik to continue at a jog. Inside the lair, covered from the elements, Morik's thudding footsteps made any stealth impossible for him. Even trying to step lightly, his armor clacked against concrete and metal. About his only advantage besides his size and weaponry over the average Titan was his retained ability to blink like any Fallen captain level and above. It was an ability unlike a Warlock's or Hunter's, using the power of the ether rather than the light. Morik's Ghost was still only able to estimate the time required to recover between blinks.
"I'm changing the marker! We've got trouble!" said Azariah over comms.
"Trouble?" asked Morik.
"The Archon is already here. They're starting the ether infusion! We might be too late! Follow my new paths. I found an alternate entrance to the room. Blytz and I should use that path. Morik, you just keep moving straight ahead like the scans showed. But wait to rush in until Blytz and I can flank."
"Understood," said Morik.
"Roger that. I'm already good for a Nova Bomb and some Scatters," said Blytz.
They reached the fork in the path and split, Blytz taking a side hallway.
"We're almost there, Azariah."
"Flashbang is ready, door is in sight. Say the word, and we crush Devils!"
A few seconds of delay.
"Go!"
The new Devil Archon stood before the empty Prime, hands raised. Seven Servitors surrounded the Prime, with the Archon completing the ring around it. Ether flowed from the Servitors at the direction of the Archon, preparing the new Prime for activation. A light plinking noise echoed around the room… Followed by a blinding flash of light and a deafening blast. The Servitors had their sensors overloaded, the Archon faltered, and all the other Fallen in the room were blinded. The first sound that reached their ears was the roaring of a foreign Fallen voice. The Archon turned just in time to catch Morik's lightning infused shoulder with its chest, flying back and landing under the Prime. Morik unloaded his shrapnel launcher into the closest two Servitors and heard a blast to his left. Blytz had vaporized the Fallen on the left side of the large room with a Nova Bomb. Three bursts of solar energy burned holes in three Servitors, shots from Azariah's hand cannon, charged with her light. The two Guardians ran around opposite sides of the room, front and back, to attack the Fallen on the other side. Morik remained in the center to reload his shrapnel launcher and fire at the remaining two Servitors before the Archon could stand.
"Just in time! Let's wrap this up and prepare for their counterattack!" said Blytz, throwing a Scatter blast from his open hand. The many small Void bombs caused two captains' shields to falter and vaporized a few Dregs.
"No time!" said Azariah. "One of my traps just went out. They're already on the way!"
The Archon wasn't getting up, so Morik reached for one of its legs. Through his shields and armor, he felt extremely high heat and pulled back. He looked up to see the Archon reaching out to the Prime, drawing out the ether and glowing with it.
"No!" he snarled, throwing down his shrapnel launcher and using all four arms to yank the Archon away and toss it toward the back door. Smoke trailed from Morik's hands and he hissed in pain. The Archon jumped to its feet, raising its right arms to strike the ground. A shockwave of ether flew along the ground and blasted into Morik, frying his shields and nearly knocking him over. He took a step back to keep balance, saw the Archon preparing another shockwave, and answered with his own. Morik channeled his light and slammed his fists on the concrete floor. Ether met light-infused lightning and the lightning won out, shocking and stunning the Archon. Snatching up his shrapnel launcher, Morik charged forward, shooting wildly at the Archon to keep it off balance.
"Devil Kell!" yelled Blytz from the right side of the room.
Morik saw the rear slice of his radar light up, but the reaction was distant and the Prime was empty of ether. He chose to ignore it for the moment, focusing on killing the Archon first. He pulled back his left arms, landing a double Stormfist on the Archon's chest, knocking it to the floor again. It was still charged with ether as he blew off its head with his last two shrapnel launcher shots. Ether jetted from its neck and Morik kicked it over, blowing ether through the door behind it and down the hallway. He spun around to see Azariah in the air, flipping over the Kell while shooting it in the head. Its thick armor dented from the powerful hand cannon shots, but the Kell was unphased. It swung an arm wildly over its head, batting Azariah out of the air and into the wall. Before it could turn completely, Blytz pumped three shotgun shells into its chest armor, staggering it. Morik appeared from the side, sprinting across the room and shoulder charging the Kell. It wasn't much taller than him, but it was more thickly built and had better armor, if lacking shields.
"Fallen-" coughed Azariah. "Fallen reinforcements! Left and right!"
Blytz off-handed a Scatter blast at the right-side door, stopping the approaching squad from that side. Azariah stood, her whole body in pain from slamming into the wall, and threw a tripmine grenade right at the squad coming through the door on the left. Two Vandels and two Dregs died in the blast, since they were tightly grouped from coming through the door. Their captain, since it had been behind them, still had flickering shields left, and rushed Azariah while snarling in anger. Blytz had to turn and face the squad on the right side.
At the same time, the Devil Kell and Morik began a hand to hand fight, the Kell shouting at Morik.
"You disgusting traitor, Morik! You help these inferior creatures?!" it said in its native language.
Morik answered in kind. "I am no Devil, so no traitor. These Earthlings gave me new life, and I will use it to turn as many Eliksni back to the light as I can!"
Both threw punches and shoulder strikes and the Kell even tried a headbutt during the exchange, breaking up each others' sentences with grunts in effort or pain.
"Eliksni make their own light! The Great Machine abandoned us, the greatest traitor of all, and you defend it!"
"Not just defend, I am-" Morik pulled back a Stormfist, "Its fist as well!"
He threw the punch right into the Kell's face. It roared in pain and vanished, leaving ether trails going toward the back of the room.
"Useless!" screamed Morik, still in the Fallen language, and blinked after the Kell.
They reappeared over the body of the Devil Archon. The Kell swung without focus, madly.
"Look down, Fallen Kell. This is your fate! I will bring low any who dare oppose the light, any who decide genocide is the only answer!"
The Devil Kell's mask was cracked, and it lifted an arm to hold it in place. He was the only Devil left in the room for the moment.
"You speak fallacy, Morik. You would have Eliksni abide in peace, but would teach this peace through the same violence as ever."
"Eliksni honor valor, strength, and wisdom. These you have, and are Kell. But I am stronger. And I have my own wisdom. A weakling who pleads for peace is ignored by all. One with overwhelming power who does so is seen as merciful and wise. I seek power to be listened to. To be 'important' enough to make this change. Wise and powerful rulers must create the bones of peace, appoint those wiser than he to be the brains, then must join the rest as the body. You and all Kell, you seek only power for your House, order among your House. Yet all Eliksni are the same. Any whelp can be Kell someday. But culture says only one Kell, only one ruler. Maybe once, we didn't have the ether to sustain many Kell. But times are different. Must be different. And so we must change as well."
Over the radio came another Fallen voice, one unknown to Morik.
"Well said, Light Archon. House Judgement agrees," it said in its native language.
"Variks!" snarled the Devil Kell.
In English, "I will translate their conversation from recording later, Guardians. For now, your Vanguard reinforcements are here. On behalf of House Judgement, they will aid you. Seize the Prime. Judgement will activate it ourselves, and we will return it to you. Morik, you will come to me. My… Kell wishes to meet you."
"And this Devil?" asked Morik, staring at his foe.
"Judgement will deal with him," came another voice. Enki-0 and his fireteam stood in the left door. "Well done, all of you. I'm sure the Commander will be more than happy with you. You didn't even leave any for us!"
"Don't lie," said Kaara-0. "We had our chance during recon. And a few Fallen on the way."
Their third, a Sunsinger named Soren, stepped forward and released his Ghost. The Ghost began transmatting the huge Prime.
"House Devils," said Variks, "Is broken. See what your hate has brought you. Surely your House will have much to think about… In The Prison."
The Kell lowered its head in defeat…
"Hand over your weapons, Archon," said a masked Queen's Guard.
Morik did so willingly. He strode through the large doors before him. In his new white armor and Titan's Mark, he at last looked like an Archon. Soon he'd even have his own Prime.
"Guardian," greeted an Awoken female, seated in a covered throne flanked by her brother and Variks.
"Morik, Archon of Light, my Kell, Queen Mara Sov of The Reef," said Variks, bowing his head and gesturing to her with his upper left arm.
"We hear you intend to start a new Fallen House. It wouldn't be a House without a Kell, a Prime, and an Archon. Variks can make you your Prime, and you are indeed a fitting Archon. But, as you hear, We are Kell without a House. And Variks is under our orders. You will be our Archon, Morik. Kneel, and our deal is complete."
Morik chuckled.
The Queen stared blankly, irritated.
"Do you mean to say you won't bow to us?"
"Respect, you have, Your Majesty. Kell to Variks, you may be. But you are not of Light, and to be Kell of Light would be unfitting. Ally to Light, yes. My House will treat with you, of course. Aid you, of course. But I, nor any Eliksni of my House, will not bow to you."
The Queen shifted in her chair.
"You are in no position, here in our court, to refuse."
"Begging Your Majesty's pardon, but were you not Kell to House of Wolves? I have heard much about their betrayal. Treacherous Wolves who never truly saw you as Kell, who wavered the moment a true Kell appeared. Yet you would have me bow, appear weak before my new House before it even starts. None would join me, and the House would be of one. Myself. Or I would always be a threat to you, always between you and my House, never able to advance my plans without your approval. It would be a slow, fragile, and broken House."
Silence.
"Still you wish me to bow?"
More silence.
"Variks, Uldren, a word."
Morik stood with his hands joined behind his back, akin to parade rest. He waited while they spoke quietly. The royal guards eyed him during the brief silence.
"We will grant your Prime. You will house it in your Tower, beneath the Traveler. But our Servitors, our Prime, will have its permissions. Should you turn against us… You will quickly find yourself without ether, without allies, and without recourse. There will be no second chances. You will agree this much, or we will keep this Prime and send you on your way."
Morik bowed his head. "That much, I will concede. But it will be between us."
He eyed the royal guard. "And only us."
"None in the room shall speak of it," said Variks. "I have them by name."
"You have our word, Archon," agreed the Queen.
"My deepest thanks, Your Majesty."
The Queen waved Morik away and he turned to go.
"Oh… Morik," she said, as an after-thought.
He turned back.
"Do not think I will forget this conversation. The nature of my position demands I make no provisions for dissent."
"Of course. Your allies say much of you, Your Majesty. I meant no disrespect, but as you must do what is best for your House and your people, so must I. Let there be nothing ill between our Houses."
He bowed his head again.
"Indeed… Now begone."
Morik turned and left, his heart still racing.
Days later, Tower Prime came to rest in a basement chamber cleared specifically for that purpose. Morik stood before it, its white lights flickering on for the first time. Azariah, Blytz, Enki, Kaara, and Soren stood at the entrance to the chamber. The House Judgement escorts and Awoken that had accompanied it stood behind Morik. He turned to face them.
"My House will be small. Only Eliksni forged in light may join. The Great Machine has given us a second chance, chosen me as the steward of its followers. House of Light will start weak. For now, only myself and Tower Prime. But in time, all who aid House of Light will have a powerful ally. Humans, Awoken, Exo, House Judgement; call upon Light and we will do all in our power to help… So long as you seek to end this fighting. Perhaps the Hive or Vex may kill mindlessly, but Cabal and Eliksni can think. So House of Light will spread the thought of peace. Today begins House of Light. Today I am Kell."
Down Into Heights coming soon...