A/N: Long note at the end. This arc won't be long, but I hope it's enjoyable. Let's give our Kell a proper send off this time. All chapters are complete and posting on a schedule.
Ultimatum 1: Surrender and Die
Morik kept his Archon-class auto-rifle leveled. An unearthly chill ran over him as he slowly approached his target. In the quiet of Europa's buried facilities, only the clinking of his armor and the swishing of cloth from his target could be heard.
"I recognize you," said Morik. "They call you The Stranger. I have heard you once appeared to the foremost Guardian, and as an ally. You will explain what you have done here."
The Stranger didn't turn at first. She still had a rifle in her hand, looking down at the body of her victim.
"I was human once," she said after a moment. "Ana was my sister."
Morik didn't reply, waiting to hear more.
"I doubt you'll believe me, but I'm not from this timeline. This isn't the first time I've had to watch Eris kill her, or try to kill me. I already know I've failed - again - but…"
The Exo woman turned, gun still down.
"This is the first time I've met you, Guardian," she said. "You can call me Elsie - I don't imagine 'Stranger' sits well - but my name was Elisabeth Bray. Clovis I was my grandfather."
Morik lowered his gun. "What do you mean by 'failed?'"
"This is another timeline that will fall to the Darkness. That isn't a fatalistic lament, it's simple reality. As we speak, the Guardian I once trusted to shift the timeline far enough is succumbing to the Darkness' influence. I've seen it enough times to know."
"You were quoted as saying you could not explain," said Morik. "Why explain now, to me?"
"Hmph." The Stranger turned and set her gun on a nearby desk. "Because now it's only a matter of time until I have to start over again. There's nothing left to rush off and do. With these two dead, and that Guardian lost, this cycle is doomed anyway."
"That doesn't answer the question."
"Then answer me this, Kell of Light." She crossed her arms. "Why are you here in person instead of sending others from your House? Why are you here alone, at that?"
"The Darkness," said Morik. "I cannot trust anyone else to withstand it, and Eris' presence was enough to prove I had to appear alone."
The Stranger looked him over.
"You think yourself immune?" she asked.
"I do not think," said Morik, "For it is not a matter of what I believe. I must be. To say I believe I am immune is not enough. If there were not the option to disbelieve, one does not utter the word 'believe.' I know I am immune to the Dark's temptation because I must be. If I were not, I could not be Kell of Light."
The Stranger didn't seem convinced, nor impressed.
"If this timeline is doomed," said Morik, "What do you plan to do next? Will you abandon us to the Darkness? If there is no hope, as you claim, what is there left to do?"
"For me? Very little. I have some ideas for what to try next time, but I'm out of little nudges and quiet guidances. Next time, big things will have to change, even if I risk losing this ability to loop."
"Was it not at your direction that the Black Heart on Mars was destroyed? And after, were my allies and I not responsible for the death of another?"
"The Unseen Heart," said The Stranger, "The one you destroyed was important, that's true… It just didn't make enough of a difference. Without saving the Drifter and Eris, though, we've still lost the most important piece in this long game. All you and I did, disjointed as we were, was delay the inevitable. That's not good enough."
"Is there no way I can help you in your next attempt?"
The Stranger turned her head, looking at her gun. Her gaze shifted a few times as she considered the question.
"We'll need another one of you," she said at last. "If not a Guardian, at least an Eliksni ally. I doubt your whole kind will ever ally with us, but having you around to split their forces has been very effective. The less The Tower, and our Guardian by extension, have to worry about, the better our chances get. If you were to… Convert… Someone from your race, who would it be? We can't rely on The Traveler raising you again."
"I cannot name anyone for you," said Morik. "I imagine there are some who may take my place, in spirit."
"That… Doesn't inspire confidence," said The Stranger. She sighed. "Normally, I would keep this a secret from everyone. Absolutely everyone. I still don't like it. But I'm going to trust you."
She reached out and grasped a weapon that formed in the air in response to her gesture. A sword Morik didn't recognize.
"Wait a moment."
Morik did so, but his Ghost spoke in his ear.
"I've asked the House to retreat to The Tower. I have a feeling things are about to go south now that Eris is dead. No leader means power struggles, unpredictability… What should we do?"
"Mithrax." The Stranger spoke suddenly, confidently.
Morik refocused on her, and saw that the sword was gone.
"Mithrax is what they call the Kell of Light in the next timeline. I need to find a way to have him help us. How would I do that?"
"I do not know him," said Morik. "I cannot say."
"If you were still Fallen, what would it have taken?"
Morik was the one to sigh now. "An impossible question. For me, one who still believed in The Great Machine, it would have taken hope. A sign from It that there was still a chance Eliksni could be saved. It could not be uncertain, no coincidence. Nothing less would do."
"A message from another Eliksni?"
Morik understood. "One who knew such a future? Yes."
"I can't bring you with me, but I can help you send a message through the timelines, at least. It won't be easy."
"Could we send more than one?"
"You're asking to do the impossible multiple times? I can't even promise once, let alone more. Why?"
"If he will not be reborn in the Light, it will be much harder for humanity to trust this new Kell. He must be a hero, must have a House as large as mine with no help from the Vanguard, must be as strong in his will as I, must be powerful; just one message may not be enough to give birth to such an anomaly."
"You exist."
"I?" Morik straightened. He was towering. "I was saved by The Great Machine. The Traveler. More than that, I was trained by the Vanguard… And shown friendship by Earthlings. A Hunter and Warlock who believed in me. I stood against the controlling thumb of The Reef and House Judgement, almost costing me the aid of Varkis. I became a Titan, aided The Tower, and built a House, but I did it with the help of incredible heroes… And good friends. I had help."
"So you want to help the next in line? I see."
"Can we do it? Is it possible?"
"It isn't likely."
"But it is possible."
"It is."
Morik raised a fist and charged it with Arc light.
"Then," he declared, "It shall be done."
The Stranger retrieved her gun. She looked over Morik again, and shook her head.
"I hope there's enough time left to do this. I won't be able to help you, either; once we part here, it's all up to you."
"Give me the knowledge I need. I swear to you I will accomplish this mission. If it is to be my last, let it be one to bring hope. Hope… Is all I ever wished to be."
The Stranger looked at her gun, then up at Morik.
"You already are. It's just too bad that hope wasn't enough."
Mithrax. His name shall be Mithrax. You will find him beneath the banner of Wolves, in The Reef. He must live. Must be made an ally. I will be there, a Devil Baron, against you in the war to come. If I win, Mithrax will die. If I lose, please… Find the child Gravian- Find the child in my Skiff. Mithrax will name her this time. My strategy that day will be-
Morik regarded his House in the belly of The Tower. He leaned to Ramiks, who remained by his side.
"Is this… Everyone?"
"Yes, Kell. The others have turned or been killed."
The room was threadbare. Less than twenty Eliksni remained, all Captains, outfitted as the Guardians they were. They all sheltered beneath the light of their Prime Servitor. Soren and Kaara stood by as well, having just arrived.
"Why have we gathered?" Ramiks asked, louder. "The message said it was urgent we return, but it is not safe here."
"You have a plan," said Soren, assuredly. He was using his Ghost to patch a small hole in his Heart of Praxic Fire.
"Guardians!" announced Morik. "We will all die."
The room managed to get even more quiet.
"This future is lost to us. I have heard it as if from The Traveler itself. We have failed. The Whirlwind is upon us once more, and there will be no retreat this time. These many years have been stolen time… And one does not steal from the Darkness."
His tone betrayed to them his hope. Morik wasn't finished yet.
"We have one final mission, and I will have no idle hands! In the next life, Kell of Light must live on! I wish I could say it shall be me, but…"
"Morik?" said Kaara. Everyone could hear her; no one interrupted Morik. "What do you mean the next life? If The Traveler told you this is the end, then why-"
"This is our end," said Morik. "But it is not the end. This end is… This end will be the beginning for the true Kell of Light. We must not quietly submit to the Whirlwind. We cannot let the friends - family - we have lost be for nothing. We must deliver hope to those who will come after us. If we fail… Hope dies here. With us."
Morik looked up at the Prime.
"I had hope," he continued. "It was my hope that brought us together. When I betrayed House Devils, struck out on my own, I had nothing. I died nothing. It was The Traveler that first chose to take a risk on me, and it delivered to me… Wonderful friends. A second chance."
He looked back at Soren and Kaara, then at his gathered House.
"That second chance, I have extended to all of you! Together, we have done great things! I will never forget our time as House, my time as Kell, and this life as a Guardian. But now it is time to not just do a great thing. Now is the time to give this second chance to someone else. No, not just someone else. To a new future."
"What are you saying?" said Soren.
"We will speak into the past," said Morik, "And change the future."
"What must we do?" asked one of the Captains, standing. "My Kell speaks of something only the Vex could do. We are not Vex. Yet, I hear the confidence I have always known in his voice. This is a sure thing."
"It is," said Morik. "And we will do it together. Come. Gather. We leave no ether behind. I will have as many of you be Archons as possible before we part ways. For good."
"We're delivering messages to the past?" said Soren. "How do you plan to do that? The network's in shambles, the Vanguard is practically wiped out, Zavala's dead, Ikora's dead, Cayde's off Light-knows-where. It's just us against a solar system of-"
Morik produced an Exo data core from a pocket on his chestplate.
"Our Ghosts must copy from this object everything within. It contains my messages, crafted with the help of one of the Bray family."
"The Brays helped you? How? I thought you didn't make it in time to save Ana? Did she have-"
"Soren," said Kaara. "I don't think we have time for too many questions at this point. He's not lying. I can tell."
Soren looked back at the data core, then Morik.
"I'm sorry," said Morik. "I wish I had more time to explain. But time is what we are running out of, and what we must give those who inherit our will. I must help the next Kell of Light. I will not see hope die."
He turned to the rest of his House.
"Please," he said, "One last time. You must help me."
"No Kell asks for help," said Ramiks. "And no Kell prepares the way for another. That is why you will receive it. It has been my great honor to serve you, Morikkel. We need no other words from you but your orders. Let us carry the light forth."
Morik gripped the data core tightly.
"Gather," he said. "And we shall begin."
Sjur reached up, wounded. Mithrax rushed to her side, taking cover and returning fire. He knew the wound was fatal.
"T-!"
"Speak! Siyuri!"
"T- Titan! M-Morik… Ti-... tan…"
"Siyuri!"
"He told… Me… You would… You must…"
Mithrax shrank from another barrage.
"I don't understand! What about Titan? What waits there?"
"It's not- Not time! Yet… Not time yet… I… I failed…"
"Siyuri?!"
Stillness.
"RRRAAAAGHH!"
"We are exiting NLS," announced Kaara's Ghost. "Europa's surface is enemy territory. Expect resistance immediately upon completion of transmat."
"Once we touch down," said Soren, "We head for the Braytech facilities, right? We just have to make it inside, find the terminal, and transfer the message. That's it. This couldn't be more simple. Right?"
"I will see you safely there," said Gravian. "I will give my life for this mission if I must."
There came a familiar rumble as their ships suddenly slowed and their Ghosts protected them from the fatal g-force of the change. They appeared just outside a satellite network of small pyramid ships and Hive ships.
"I will keep the enemy at bay," said Kaara. "The Platinum Starling can outmatch them all. You two don't have the speed or the armor. Keep moving at top speed and don't look back."
Soren opened his mouth to reply and saw that the channel was already cut. He pushed his throttle with the same force he used to clench his teeth. Gravian fell in behind him, her Ketch-inspired mutant of a jumpship shielding him from the rear as the enemy began to swarm around them. Gravian knew her guns would be able to shoot over the top of Soren's ship, and she had the thicker armor.
Kaara, meanwhile, was a blur that only a Guardian - an Exo - could be. Mechanical precision took over and she rolled, looped, and turned as tightly as her ship could without tearing itself apart. The Starling had low armor, but it didn't matter if the enemy couldn't land a single blow. Black Armory armor-penetrating rounds ripped from her guns and right through everything in her way, but it wasn't often she got fatal blows. Her aim was to simply deal as much damage, sew as much chaos, and draw as much attention to herself as possible.
Soren watched on one of his monitors as his Ghost kept track of her inside the chaotic swarm she'd amassed for herself. Just before he and Gravian hit atmosphere, the monitor zoomed in. Kaara had zipped straight out of the swarm and toward them, as if she were going to follow them to the surface. The entire enemy fleet went from chaos to order in shockingly swift action, their guns and missiles falling silent for the bare instant they needed to prepare their aim.
Soren saw Kaara's cockpit open and her cloak flutter out against the black of the void - and the wall of enemy ships. She raised her Arc Blade over her head, a star in space, and The Platinum Starling's engine critically detonated. The flash whited out Soren's monitor and even his view out of the cockpit. When the static wash ended, and the rumble of the atmosphere let up, the fleet that had tried to pursue was in shambles. Less than 10% had survived Kaara's attack, and those who remained had almost all been hit by armor piercing rounds that threatened the integrity of their ships. None would be following to the surface.
"Soren-" began Gravian.
"We don't have to talk about it. We just need to keep moving."
"Soren, there are still two allied signals out there."
Soren did a double-take at the fireteam readout. Kaara was still there. But so, too, was Enki.
"That's a trick," said Soren. "Enki should be on Venus right now. We lost contact with him there a month ago."
"His Tachyon is confirmed on radar, approaching from the East. Kaara's IFF is confirmed, but her position is not."
"Wha- That makes no sense. The equipment's just scrambled from the explosion, that's all."
His ship and Gravian's leveled out to sweep over the ice and snow, and he heard loud knocking on his cockpit. The two ships settled into a crack in the ice and came to a stop. When Soren opened the cockpit he looked around to find - nothing. No one in sight but Gravian.
Kaara's stealth field dropped right next to him and she straightened up, having been braced against the ship. Pieces of his ship's armor were grafted to her plates.
"Did you-?!"
"I did," said Kaara. "My Ghost locked your telemetry and followed my instruction to violate safety protocol. We had a few centimeters for error, anyway."
She reached up and picked flakes of ship armor off her helmet's faceplate that had bonded poorly.
Soren slumped a bit and put his hands on the opening of the cockpit to steady himself.
"Enki is still approaching," announced Gravian over the wind. "Shall we wait for his assistance?"
Soren pushed himself up, standing straight and drawing his gun.
"You always were a bit too optimistic," he replied. "Let's go. Even Enki-1 should be able to catch up to us, if it really is still him. If it's not… Well… He'll catch up, and we'll figure it out."
"You believe he could turn?" asked Gravian. She jumped from her ship to land on a nearby catwalk built into the side of the glacier, Queenbreaker in hand.
"Enki-0," said Kaara, "Would never turn. But I don't have the same faith in him I used to."
"Kaara, what's everyone else's status right now?"
"Morik and Ramiks have arrived in The Reef, two teams broke through to Venus, and those headed for Mercury and Earth are already underway. The team that approached the wreckage of Titan has stopped reporting in."
"So soon?" said Gravian.
"Nothing we can do about it," said Soren. "Let's move."
The three started down into the icy ravine, weapons ready, jogging together. Gravian led the way, Kaara instead staying behind and using her cloaking to keep watch for pursuers. They met with surprisingly little resistance as they continued into the depths of Europa's structures. Even before The Traveler, humanity had dreamed of supercomputers only possible in such a cold environment, but the Golden Age and Clovis I gave them more than anyone thought realistic.
It was into the belly of this supercomputer that three Guardians now descended, looking for the one correct terminal to entrust their message for the future.
"Any idea why it has to be that specific terminal?" asked Soren.
"From our Kell's explanation," said Gravian, "I believe the point was to make sure the transmission is hidden in the timeline that it is intended for. I don't think even he knows well enough to say why; this is the doing of The Stranger, after all."
"Even The Stranger has rules to follow," said Kaara. "Perhaps she needed weaknesses in security she only found in a few places in the system? Or the technology she uses for her warping of time requires resources that only these places have access to?"
"We have no time for questioning," said Gravian. "The deeper in we go, the more we need to fight through to leave. I think you two know better than I that our success will also mean sealing our own fates here."
Soren came to a locked door they needed to continue through.
"What's one last mission where failure isn't an option?" he asked. With a tightly closed fist, he pressed his knuckles to the door and left behind a Fusion grenade that ruptured the door open.
Gravian had to duck through the resulting opening, but as soon as Kaara followed, Gravian tipped a large server over in front of the opening. The loud crash gave way to a silence in which the three looked at one another, then continued without further conversation.
Almost an hour went by of simply trying to navigate their path and reach the section they had to be in. Flying in any closer over open ground, open ground held by Guardians who had turned and all manner of other foes, would have been suicide at best. When at last they reached the facility they needed, night had fallen completely on Europa.
The three piled into a cramped elevator together which traveled down the interior of a massive open cavity surrounding an old computing core. Cursory glances at the record showed it to be one of the earliest sites for Exo experimentation and simulation, before the research yielded more efficient technology to save space.
The core was still used, but as a management hub, not the more recent computing operations that would have overloaded even something of its size and complexity.
"When the elevator reaches the bottom," said Soren, "We just need to head right into the offices and find the emergency station, the one connected to the solo back-up generator and drives. The only instruction we have is to purge the drive, copy the message, and-"
The elevator reached the bottom. There was company.
The glass doors slid open to Enki standing just ahead of the elevator, his mix of smooth black armor and orange detailing a dead give-away. He even still had his new physical shield, which he supported on both hands at waist level, the bottom lip of the shield resting on the ground in front of his feet.
"You're late," he said. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't get here in time."
Soren stepped out first, gun in hand, but not at the ready.
"Us?" he asked Enki, "How did you get here so soon? There's miles of anti-air and other defenses over this place on the surface, and most of the direct paths collapsed from lack of maintenance."
Enki tilted his Midnight Exigent helmet, green light turning from a perfect line up and down to 20 degrees exactly.
"Transmat," said Enki.
"You say that like it were the obvious solution," said Gravian. "Even transmat has a maximum range before the risk of distortion is too great."
Soren chose not to look back at Kaara for a witty remark.
"Well, now that you're here," said Soren, "You can help us. Watch the elevator, will you? Kaara, Gravian, check for other entrances. I'll look for our objective while you do."
Kaara and Gravian turned in opposite directions, to enter the offices that lined the inside of the enormous spherical chamber. Just as they were both going to enter each door, Enki spoke.
"Hold it."
His tone was different. Commanding.
"I rushed over as quickly as I could."
Kaara let her Patience and Time vanish to change her weapon.
"What exactly is our objective here?"
The question hung. Kaara found herself frozen, praying Soren wouldn't take the bait.
"We-" started Soren.
Enki struck.
Kaara was faster.
We have more time here.
It is a twist of fate that you must hear this from me, but I assure you there was no other way. Know that if you receive these words, friends of mine… Family, under my colors and my protection, had to die for this moment. Now that you know, I hope you will listen. I must be brief not because you are in danger as you listen, but because in my time, The Whirlwind - The Darkness - has returned. We stood no chance.
You must be the hope I wished to be. I know you must be willing, for Sjur would not send you to find this place, and the clues I left would pass beneath your notice otherwise. Listen to my story, forget the Morik you fought, and understand who I became. I will not ask you to forgive me; I became a Guardian because I was able to reject the person I used to be. For you to live, I was not given that chance. Sjur bested me that day because I sent her a message of my plans. Because we believe you have more right to live than I - that you may be the Kell I wished to be.
My name is Morik. I was your enemy, once. It will be my fault Sjur dies. The Reef Wars might be the reason I can speak to you now. If you understand me, the other messages have reached her. I am the Kell of House of Light. Only moments ago, I was told other timelines exist, and so I have composed this desperate message to you, my chosen successor.
Mithrax. My former enemy. We cannot say you will become a Guardian as I did, not for sure. I hope you are given that recognition, but even moreso I hope you do not die to be given the chance. The Darkness will arrive, no doubt, and if The Traveler does not choose you, there will be no one to take my mantle in your time. You must live. No matter what.
First, I will tell you my story. When it is over, I will tell you where to find the next message - no more secrets - and you will have to choose to believe me or not. There is a transcript included by my Ghost, and my story is annotated with- I mean to say you should be able to revisit any section you like with ease. I will not begin with our war; by now, you have lived through it. I will begin with what I truly remember, not what others tell me I was. I will tell you the tale of an Eliksni Guardian, once Fallen Devil.
Mithrax. My successor. I hope.
A/N: 77,000 views. For my works, that's beaten only by Twin Humanities, which is much older… You all here at FFN have really treated me well in my absence. Since we last met, I published Beyond Pain under the pen name "V. Mantis," and it wouldn't have been possible without this story - it's only too bad it was rushed out, and stuck on Amazon for way too much money. I bought my favorite book for $8 when I was in high school, and I wish Amazon would let me sell Beyond Pain for that much…
I don't intend on adding much this time. Last time I tried to add to this story, it was with the intent of a whole major arc. This is just five chapters.
A friend asked that I help return to the Vault of Glass, so I've been on Destiny again after a long break, now on PS4. I'll leave my liberal critique of Sunsetting my favorite gear for somewhere else. As you've seen in this chapter, I found a good way to truly end the series rather than leave it at the strange 12-episode-half-season-anime BS where it's remained for years.
I'm sure anyone who's followed the recent developments can guess where we're going for now, but I always wanted to see a proper finish for this story, and I needed a warm up before returning to Twin Humanities. What better way than to put my recent time on Destiny to good use and bring back Morik just one last time?
After all… Bungie saw fit to adapt Morik into the lore, and hand me this opportunity on a silver platter. Why not use it? Yes, I will choose to be that self-absorbed just this once. There's too much about Mithrax that fits too well with Morik here to be coincidence. Either I work at Bungie and used this story to gauge audience reception (I don't, or I would be much less poor), or somebody at Bungie liked Morik and the other Fallen Guardian stories enough to mash 'em up and add them to the canon.
I dunno; I never read any of the other Destiny fanfics here, sorry. I hope those writers see parallels to their work too. It makes us feel seen… They gave me Heir Apparent (Siegfried Rising). They gave me Mithrax (Morik). The least I can do in return is give Morik the closest to a canon send-off possible. You all should know by now that I don't plan ahead very much; I just write and see where the story takes me aside from a few set beats.
So let's follow the story of Morik to the end. Together.