A/N: ….
All I want to do~
Is spend the day with Jay, and….
4 o'clock can't come soon enough
4 o'clock can't come soon enough
4 o'clock can't come soon enough
I can't wait to get home to my boooooooooooooys
….
A SHOWSTOPPING NUMBER-
Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fanfiction. Destiny and all of its supplementary materials are owned by Bungie, including any liberties I take with the lore. I only own Fireteam Storm and other OCs. Please support the official release.
Saga 03: The Wolf Rebellion
Arc 01: Vestian Emissary
Chapter 02: Fallout
Earth
The Last City
Tower
(Pacman- Gorillaz)
Athena groaned in frustration when the alarm abruptly brought her out of her sleep. The Sunbreaker turned on her back, staring at the ceiling with a groggy expression. Her foot moved to the beat, making the bottom of her bed cover wriggle slightly.
With a mighty huff she got out of bed, humming along with the tune to the bathroom as she began her morning routine. A quick shower and brushing of teeth later and Athena was dressed in a sports bra and shorts, sizing up a punching bag before punching it once.
Then another, followed by one more, each quicker and more brutal than the last before she matched the beat of the song playing. Her Ghost, Owl, watched the punches from Athena's chest of drawers. He could almost predict the movements now; she'd done them that often.
Ever since Crota.
Initially, Owl had tried to get Athena to open up about what had happened but any attempt they'd made was shot down. Their eye caught a glimpse of a haphazardly covered hole in the wall from when they'd pushed her too far. All Owl could do now was watch Athena take out her anger on her punching bag, or whoever was unfortunate enough to encounter her in the Crucible.
"Knock knock!" came a voice from her door.
"YEAAAAAAAAARGH!" Athena screamed, punching with such a force the punching bag was ripped from its hook, smashing into it.
The door opened slightly, a blue hand waving between the gap. Her visitor grunted, pushing the door open just enough to stick his head through.
"Y'know, if you don't want people in all you need to do is get a lock," Jaeger said drily, slipping into her room.
Athena grunted with begrudging acknowledgement as she got a glass of water from the tap. She sipped it, watching Jaeger pull the punching bag away from the doorway. Once it was out of the way he took a deep breath.
"Right then," he said with a proud grin.
"Say what you want to say, then get out," Athena said bluntly.
Jaeger's eyes quickly narrowed. "…We're meeting for breakfast, then-"
"No. Get out."
"You've haven't even let me finish, Athena!" Jaeger groaned
"Because I know what you're going to say, Jaeger!" Athena snapped. "Same shit that you said last week, and the week before that. And the week before that."
"Yeah, ok, I get it! Just…Is it really that hard to, y'know, talk?!"
Athena glared at him, her eyes pointedly glancing at his stomach than back at him. Jaeger held his tongue, electing instead to give a disgruntled, "Okay."
Athena nodded to the door. "Go on."
"Yeah, yeah…"
Jaeger made his way out, closing the door quietly. Athena stood in silence for a few minutes, focused on her breathing. When it slowed, she glanced at Owl.
"You say nothing, ok?" Athena said sharply.
"I wasn't going to," Owl replied nonchalantly.
"Good."
"Good! Now go torment some poor saps in the Crucible. Seeing as you did that last week. And the week before that."
Athena lightly slapped Owl on their shell before donning her armour and heading down into the City.
The Reef, Vestian Web
Queen's Bay
(Groundbreaker- The Outer Worlds OST)
The creaks and groans of the Vestian Outpost, also known as Queen's Bay, echoed in the air around Kayla. The sun had risen across the Awoken's territory, filtering through the sheets of metal suspended above. Around her were hanging gardens and fountains etched and carved into the cracks of the asteroid and twisted around the scrap of starships the Queen's Bay was built around. Under the purple glow of the sun the garden glittered like gemstones, making Kayla feel content as she silently walked through the gardens.
Just outside the gardens was a café, tucked away on a path linking the gardens to the outpost proper. Despite now being a regular sight among the café's regulars, the Guardian was still treated with suspicion. Children that had been playing on the grounds quickly scattered back to their parents and, despite the polite nods from more sympathetic diners, most avoided eye contact with her. Kayla ignored them and continued to the café proper, but something caught her eye. By her foot was a small plush doll of an Awoken cartoon character.
"Someone drop this?" Kayla asked loudly, holding the doll up.
"I-Its mine!" a small Awoken girl said quietly from a nearby table.
Kayla walked up, crouching in front of the kid and holding the doll out to her. The girl looked earnestly at her parents before taking the toy. "T-Thank you," she replied.
"Thank you," one of the girl's mothers said with a small smile.
Kayla nodded in response then entered the café. After getting her regular order, a full English, Kayla sat by the window, away from everyone else. After taking a few bites she pulled a small phone from her pocket, propping it up against a saltshaker before continuing her breakfast. Before long it rang, the faces of Fireteam Storm appearing on the screen when she answered.
"Hey guys," she said with a soft smile. "Been a while."
"Yo," Delta responded with the goofiest grin. "How've you been?"
"Eh…same old, same old…" Kayla responded quietly. "You know how it is. Any word from Athena."
The spark in Storm faded a little as they all looked away from the camera. Kayla nodded in understand. "If that's what she wants."
"Oh, hey, when you get back there's neat little music shop that just opened!" Jaeger chimed in excitedly. "Reprints of a bunch of the old stuff you keep asking about on the VanNet!"
"That'd be nice. Oh! Hayley, you need to see this bookstore at Queen's Bay. There's a bunch of stuff I've never even seen!"
"Ooooooo!" Hayley squealed, almost transcending on the spot.
"They've been treating you ok, still, right?" Delta asked. "The Awoken."
"Aside from Captain Stick-Up-His-Arse, yeah," Kayla replied.
"G-Good!" Delta nodded.
"He's been worried," Shifter replied from the back. "Keeps worrying."
"Awww, that's sweet," Kayla laughed.
"Hey! If it was your friend exiled, you would be too!" Delta snapped.
"It's not exile, it's-"
"Semantics," Delta said with an eyeroll.
"C'mon, Delta," Jaeger said sternly. "Time and place."
Delta huffed, pouting as he rested his head on his hand. Kayla shook her head. "Its honestly not that bad," she said with shrug. "Though it feels like I'm a glorified assassin than a diplomat." She curled her nose up as she frowned. "Paperwork is still the worse though, so I guess somethings haven't changed."
"Well then," Shifter said, holding a mug of coffee up. "To paperwork."
"To paperwork!" the group said.
"To paperwork," Kayla said with a grin, holding her tea up. Then she spotted a lithe Awoken woman in the doorway. "Speaking of."
Kayla beckoned her over. The woman moved in silence, almost gliding across the floor of the diner. She was dressed in the purple armour of the Royal Guard, save her head, which exposed pale blue skin and a voluminous amount of purple hair that was tinged blonde at the tips. One of her arms was prosthetic from the elbow down, the only remaining injury from the Reef Wars.
"Dinna," Kayla greeted politely.
"Ms Ashcroft," Dinna replied, standing straight.
"You don't have to be formal around me," Kayla said, hiding her face in embarrassment.
"O-Oh, sorry," Dinna said sheepishly, breaking posture. "It's just…Yasmin- Paladin Eld, has requested your presence."
Dinna caught a glimpse of Kayla's phone. "Oh! A-Are these your friends?" she asked eagerly.
"Yeah. Would you like to meet them?"
Dinna's eyes lit up. "Can I? I-I mean," she coughed, taking a more serious tone. "Of course."
Dinna leaned next to Kayla. "Hiiiii~"
"Helloooo, gorgeous!" Jaeger replied eagerly, shoving everyone out of the way for a better look.
"Jaeger, stop it," Kayla groaned.
"I'm just saying hello!"
"And we all know where that ends up going."
There were murmurs of agreement from the others. Dinna laughed and looked at Kayla. "They're really funny!"
Kayla smiled and nodded. "They're great, aren't they? Listen, can you tell Paladin Eld that I'll be twenty minutes? I just wanna…"
She motioned to the phone. Dinna nodded quickly. "Of course, of course!"
"Thank you, Dinna."
Earth
European Dead Zone
London. Crucible Designation: Memento
(Galar Gym Leader- Pokemon SwSh OST)
"Gooood afternoon viewers and welcome to another stunning morning of Guardian-killing entertainment at the Crucible. I'm your host, Ricardo"
"And I'm Rochelle! And we'll be your hosts on today's warm morning at Memento for a thrilling game of Control!"
"Ohoho, Rochelle, I can't WAIT for what we are about to witness. Athena Accardo is in the ring and I can't wait for the hell she will bring!"
"I don't know, Ricardo, I'm more concerned about the ones who'll get in her way."
An incoming rocket shot kicked up, knocking Athena to the floor. A stray. Bad positioning. A Hunter rushed close but Athena grit her teeth, shoulder charging while cloaked in fire. The Hunter was knocked back, severely weakened. The Sunbreaker smiled, aiming her Retrofuturist shotgun at him and unloading a single clip. The Hunter collapsed to the ground, but before she could do anything else the sound of an opportunistic auto rifle gunned Athena down. Owl appeared, looking over their Guardian'ss body before flying to an out of the way. Athena rematerialized in front of him.
"Where is that little bastard!?" Athena snapped.
"Oh, hey, Sunbreaker!" came a chipper voice. It was a Titan, wielding a scout rifle.
Athena gave an irritated sigh. "Hello, Randy."
"Don't see many of you guys here!" he said, earning an annoyed eye roll from Athena. "Wanna go grab-"
A sniper round flew past her, piercing Randy's skull. Blood and brain matter smeared Athena's helmet. "Yes, Randy. I will go get B."
Athena took off, sliding under a leaping Warlock and striking them down with a melee to the back. A fusion rifle burst caused her to duck behind a wall. She bite her lip, peeking over with a pulse rifle and firing down at her attacker, another Titan. One that didn't see a Nova Bomb careening towards them.
Athena felt herself smile a little.
Then a tinge of regret.
She huffed, slipping through a back door into a courtyard that was dominated by a surprisingly small hut. On it roof sat a metallic flag banner currently bearing holographic blue flag. A trio of Guardians were stood defending it from a Guardian on her team.
Athena smirked, grabbing her hammer and triggering her Super with a mighty clang. One of the Guardians jumped in fright. She couldn't hear what they were saying but the frantic movement as they flailed for cover made her smile even more. She threw her Hammer, the weight of it colliding with the Guardian's spine as he fell, dead. The Titan rushed forward with Void-covered shoulder charge but Athena responded with a headbutt and a flame covered punch. The Titan stumbled, and Athena held out her palm. The Titan tilted their head in confusion, only for the Hammer to come smashing into the back of his head, crushing the back of his skull. Two Ghosts appeared, frantically looking for a spot to revive their Guardians.
"Pahahahaha! Oh, my word, that's so brutal it's funny!"
"Ricardo, show some respect. Its not every day a Guardian gets the head caved in by another Guardian."
"…Y-You do know what we're commentating on, don't you?"
Athena rounded a corner, chasing the Warlock around the hut as she dashed towards them. Athena threw her Hammer in frustration, but the flames had already burned out, forcing her back to her weapons. A Vortex Grenade landed just behind her. A poor shot. Stood on the roof of the hut was the Warlock.
"Not so tough without that Hammer, are ya?" she taunted.
Athena's frustration turned into an angry scream, the Sunbreaker pulling out her grenade launcher, Memory Interdict, and firing a full barrel at the Warlock. The shots missed, but the ferocity of the attack was enough to cause the Warlock to stumble.
Athena springboard off the roof and dropkicked the Guardian into the ground before stomping their face into the dirt with the heel of her boot, screaming at the corpse.
"Relax, I think they got the message."
Athena turned, spying Randy above her waving his scout rifle. Athena breathed a sigh of relief.
"You're in the lead!" came Shaxx's voice over her comms.
"I'm going back to A," Athena said. "Do not go to C!"
Randy nodded. "On me, team; I'm capturing C!"
The City
In a certain pub…
"Dammit Randy, what the fuck did I just say?!"
"She's a darling, isn't she?" Rochelle's voice quipped on the TV. "Nothing on my Mum."
"You know, my Mom once asked to watch a match from our crow's nest," Ricardo said solemnly. "I said 'Not with the language you use when you see Redrix!'"
The pub's patrons watching the game all chuckled. One of them gave a hearty laugh. At the back was an Awoken woman in a cold shoulder sweatshirt and a pleated tartan skirt. Her eyes were slightly covered by a red baker boy hat that was adorned with several pins and badges, but her eyes glowed slightly with Arc Light making them look like stars in the dark.
She was watching the Crucible game intently with a curious smile. Beside her floated a Ghost with a purple eye.
"I think I've seen enough," Sofia mused. "What do you think, Blake?"
"I think you're asking for trouble, if I'm honest," Blake replied, bobbing up and down awkwardly.
Sofia's smile could only widen.
The Reef, Vestian Web
Queen's Bay
Carved into a rocky crag of the asteroid Queen's Bay was built on was a military installation known as Fort Amrita. Like many other places Kayla had seen in the Reef it was constructed from a mix of scrap and fresh metal that snaked its way around the asteroid's natural formation in way that made it look like a hand grasping around a purple marble.
Kayla walked up the bridge crossing the chasm that separated the fort from the road down to Queen's Bay, her eyes focused instinctively on Ghost floating ahead of her.
"Awoken architecture really is something," he said, earnestly flitting around as though he were trying to take in everything at once.
"Hey, don't go too far!" Kayla shouted.
Ghost turned. "I-I…we're safe?" he asked, confused.
"That's…" Kayla began, before speaking quieter. "That's not the point…"
Ghost tilted his shell slightly then flew to her. "If you want me close, I'll stay close," he said softly.
"Thank you," she said.
A beep caught her attention and the Guardian rounded on her heel before dodging out of the way as a flurry of small-winged drones flew past the pair. One stopped to inspect her, giving a mocking beep, before joining the rest of its flock.
Kayla gave it a noticeable eyeroll. "And I was having such a nice day," she grumbled.
"Why do they even have feathers?" Ghost asked incredulously.
"You heard Cayde. Guy's a peacock with a stick up his ass."
Kayla wandered through the courtyard of the military base, watching Awoken soldiers and Corsairs doing various training exercises while taking in the familiar scent of discharged plasma, petrol and gunmetal. After a brief chat with a security guard Kayla headed for the main office. When she arrived, she found three people waiting for her: Petra Venj, Uldren Sov, and a taller woman in dark purple military fatigues lined with fur around the collar. The blue tint of her skin was darker than the other two while her silvery hair was tied in a low bun. The twilight sunshine shining in from the window cast an imposing shadow of her already muscular physique.
"Glad you can finally join us, Guardian," the tall Awoken woman said.
"Paladin Yasmin," Kayla greeted with a nod. "Petra. Uldren."
"Kayla," Petra said with a smile.
Uldren only huffed. Kayla ignored him, stepping forward. "So. What can I do for you today?"
"Straight to business," Yasmin said sternly. "I like it."
"Don't give it ideas," Uldren sighed.
Yasmin turned to him with a glare, Uldren backing down slightly. Yasmin gestured to the table between the four of them. "If you'd rather take this then please. Go ahead."
Uldren side-lined a scowl at Kayla, earning an embarrassed groan from Petra, then clicked his fingers. One of the feathered drones flew in, flickering like a small hummingbird as it darted around the room inspecting them all like a curious puppy. Uldern whistled once, catching the drone's attention. He whistled again, a slightly lower tone and tune. The drone responded by settling on the table, its camera-like eye facing the ceiling.
"Since when could they do that?" Yasmin asked in surprise.
"The Crows like to keep a few cards close to our chests," Uldren replied with a casual shrug. "I'm sure the rest of the Paladins have things they like to keep secret, too."
Yasmin remained stony faced, pulling up a small tablet. With the press of a button an image was projected from the drone. Wielding a large mortar cannon, a creature like an oversized cockroach with a dark-brown plated face contorted into a snarl and a prominent brow shadowing four ice-blue eyes appeared before Kayla.
"Draksis," she said. "That's Draksis."
"Oh, look. It does have a brain," Uldren mocked.
"It has a name!" Kayla snapped.
"Careful," Uldren smirked. "An alliance is on your shoulders."
"IF," Yasmin boomed. "You've both finished. Uldren's Crows have been following Draksis for weeks, trying to get a pattern of his movements. The guys clever. His jumps are random, and he likes to scramble radio signals on either side of his Ketch's jumps, then scrapping our sensors the instant he arrives in a new location."
"Except," Petra said, heaving a larger drone onto the table. "He got sloppy. See this?" Petra turned to a large crack in the drone's shell. "Carved right through that without realising. He didn't see it, so he left it."
"Using that one, we managed to find a pattern to his jumps," Uldren continued. "I had the Crows stationed at each possible location and, sure enough, one of my teams have found a window."
Uldren whistled and the picture changed to a map of the greater Ishtar region on Venus. Kayla squinted at the various marked spots across the map, one of which she recognised.
"Ember Caves," she murmured. "He's jumping between refuelling stations."
Uldren nodded in agreement. "Ketches take a while to refuel. A few hours at most. Hours we have less off cos of your dawdling. But," Uldren sighed, gritting his teeth as though the next sentence pained him. "You have your uses and Draksis has been a thorn in the side of both our peoples for far too long."
"Get in while he's refuelling, kill him, get out," Kayla nodded.
"Exactly."
"Uldren's scouts will be on hand to help you break into the Ketch," Petra said. "I'll be providing mission support from here."
"Noted," Kayla said with a nod.
"Good," Yasmin nodded. "You are dismissed."
Kayla gave a small salute, something Yasmin waved off, then left the room followed very closely by Uldren. When she'd left the base itself Uldren powered up to her until he was beside her, matching her steps. The pair walked in silence for several minute, Kayla eying the man beside her. Her heartbeat picked up a little as she waited for whatever Uldren wanted to say.
"She won't allow you to leave, you know," Uldren said with a cruel smile.
There it was. Kayla sighed. "And what's that supposed to mean."
"I mean, essentially you're our prisoner," Uldren sneered. "Are you not?"
"I've only got a few months left here," Kayla pointed out. "Then Vanguard decides that, not you."
"Perhaps, but aren't you indebted to the Queen? Technically, that decides when you can leave. Mara won't let you leave."
Kayla rounded on her heel, glaring at Uldren. The air around them sank as Void energy emanated from the Warlock. Glaring into him, Kayla thought of all the things she'd do to him if she could. Beat that smug look off his proud face if she could. Instead, she resorted an unimpressed look.
"Uldren," she said tiredly. "No. Haven't you got some other Guardian to go torment? Maybe go kick a dog? Steal candy from a baby?"
For once Uldren seemed genuinely offended. "You really think I'd stoop that low?" he asked.
"Uldren, I'd think you'd do anything if it made you feel powerful," Kayla growled. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I've got a date with a Kell."
Uldren clenched his fists while he watched Kayla leave. Arrogant little bitch he'd scream at her. If he could. Instead, he resorted to his old favourite.
"RASPUTIN SHOT THE TRAVELLER!" he yelled down the hill.
Kayla replied by sticking her middle finger into the air. The meaning was lost on him.
Next Time:- It's the battle we've all been waiting for! Kayla vs Kell Draksis in Chapter 3-02: Scourge of Winter