Chapter 1: A new dawn
The last City – Earth
A while ago City when the Age of Triumph would reach its peak, a new Guardian arrived in the city.
He was a Titan, a Striker. He was an Exo, too. His Metal plates were black with no further extensions on his face like a horn. His Eyes glowed orange. Therefore, it seemed like a beacon tried to burst through the darkness to warm everyone he looked at. He was altogether a shy but nice person.
On his chest armour were two lions on a red background. The same lion was on his mark. The rest of his armour was white.
Slowly he got the hang of that being-a-Titan thing. When he came back from the crucible or patrols, he'd spend most of his time in the city trying to get to know the people.
Today he helped Eva Levante and Tess Everis with the preparation for the commemoration of the SIVA incident. They were in a little shed near the Tower. There was a storm outside and the sky was very dark but still, when he made a break, the Titan would go outside to enjoy the fresh breath of the wind. And he always liked being outside when there was a storm. He thought it was magnificent. Was it because he himself used Arc-abilities?
He and his Ghost called Observe discussed if they should watch the play from the Ghost Community Theatre: "Oryx the Nightmare Daddy" by Marcus Ren and his Ghost, Didi. The Titan had a playbill and looked at the reviews.
"See. Lord Shaxx says that the actors are very enthusiastic." The Titan said to his Ghost.
"That may be, however, he also says that the dialog seems very sexually charged. Also, Zavala states that it is an insult to the art of papier-mâché."
The Titan laughed at that: "You are always on Zavala's side, aren't you?"
His Ghost responded with judgemental silence, when of the sudden there was a loud bang behind them and the trembled heavily. "That was loud." The striker said to his Ghost. The Ghost couldn't respond before another strong quake came, followed by a roaring noise neither of them had heard before. Then, both of them turned and saw the tower in flames. From the speakers on the street blared:
"Evacuation order 77 is in effect. This is not a drill. All civilians report to designated evacuation areas immediately."
Without hesitation, the Titan ran into the utility room where Eva and Tess were staying.
"With me, NOW!"
They were near some hangars, therefore it was the Strikers plan the reach one of those hangars and find a ship in which Eva and Tess can flee in. On their way there they came across scared civilians who joined the group. As their group grew they heard more and more explosions from the distance. Above them, they saw a sea of red Warships of the aggressors and sometimes spotted jumpships from Guardians, trying to fight the enemy off. It was a terrifying battle to watch because it seemed that the Guardians would have no chance against the aggressor's fleet. It that did not already freaked the civilians out, that it were those black objects that were bombarded on the city. Once the Titan used his Tundercrash to destroy one of those things, before it came near the civilians. In the end, their little group of three became a group with more than 20 civilians. Finally, they met Arcite 99-40 accompanied by a small group of Redjacks. The Exo left the group of people with Arcite and was about to join the battlefield when Eva grabbed his arm and stopped him. He turned to her and she whispered in a weak voice: "Tess… she's disappeared."
"I will find her. Don't worry." He answered without hesitation.
"Thank you, Telle."
He nodded goodbye and left midtown to search Tess. On his way through the streets he encountered more civilians and showed them the way to the evacuation areas. All around were also Guardians trying to help and defend the civilians. Telle sometimes looked to the sky. The air battle was far from over but down in the city the enemies had no chance. At least, that's what Telle thought.
"They cannot win." Observe said "How could they when we have the Light."
Suddenly a strong tremble went through the ground. Telle checked the area and saw that one of those black objects crashed into a house. The house immediately fell into part and dust laid around the house. Two Cabal Legionaries and a Centurion emerged from the dust and opened fire the second they saw Telle. Telle ran toward one of the Legionaries jumped in the air and killed him with his ballistic slam. The remaining Legionary that avoided being killed by the slam by the skin of his teeth appeared behind Telle and slammed him. Telle armour luckily resisted the punch and with a quick turn Telle shot him. The Centurion was the last enemy standing. This one used his jump jets to the roof of the nearest building and tried to shoot Telle with his projection rifle. Telle created a rally barricade, took his auto rifle and started shooting at the Centurion as well. His auto rifle was a primary weapon so it took his whole ammunition to take the Centurion's solar shield down. Telle knew he wouldn't have time to reload his gun so he jumped up to where the Centurion was and rammed his knee into the Centurions face and killed him.
Telle stood on the roof to gather his strength when Observe materialised herself next to him.
"You really have to work on your aim" she critiqued as she always did after a fight. Telle nodded and was grateful for the advice. Observe went on to scan the dead Centurion.
"Weird. These are another kind of cabal then those we encountered on mars after I brought you back. They are somehow – more modern." She scanned the symbol on the Centurion's chest. "I see. These were members of the red legion, some sort of elite army of the cabal empire."
Telle did not answer nor did he do anything that would show any kind of acknowledgement. "Are you even listening to me?"
"Where are we Observe?"
Observe answered after a short break "Near the Peregrine District. Why?"
Observe look around and it seemed as the Peregrine District has never existed. Some parts were just… gone.
Telle put his weapon on the ground and said "May they all rest in peace."
After a moment of silence Observe said "Look –"
"I know – if she is still alive we have to find Tess."
Telle saw a group of Cabal beneath him. He took his flashbang grenade in one hand and his pistol in the other while Observe dematerialised. She knew what he was about to do. It was one of the first moves he'd learn. He was about to jump over them and throw his grenade. Then, he'd fall down and try to kill as many enemies as possible. And if everything goes to plan the effect of the grenade would pass and every enemy would be dead… but when does anything ever go according to plan?
Telle jumped in the air und threw his grenade on the ground. However, nothing happened. The grenade somehow did not work. Observe materialised and together with Telle fell to the ground. Telle felt weird. He felt like something was trying to tear the Light out of his body.
"Telle, something's wrong." Observes said with a weak voice. Then, her Light faded.
"OBSERVE!" Telle shouted and grabbed her Ghost shell and slowly dragged the shell towards him. He couldn't stand up no matter how hard he tried. When he noted that the Cabal around him noted him he tried to charge Thundercrash to get out of this situation yet without success. The Cabal got to him and punched him again and again. Though all the pain he could see one Guardian being shot and another one's head being squished by a Cabal.
"This can't be real. Why don't they stand up?" Telle thought "STAND UP, PLEASE!" His grip tightened around Observe's Ghost shell.
The Civilians ran away but they couldn't escape the Cabal. Everything seemed lost. And then from out of nowhere several knives flew through the street. Every Cabal was hit. For one Cabal one knife. The Cabal that punched Telle fell and behind him a Hunter whose armor was covered by a large brown cloak. One could barely hear him falling elegantly.
"Help me collect these knives." The Hunter ordered without even looking at Telle.
Telle stood up as best as he could and asked the Hunter while collecting knives "What happened? Why isn't my Light working?"
"Do I look like one of those book munchers?" The Hunter replied annoyed and walk toward a Cabal to tear a knife out of his skull. After a while however he added with a rough voice "My suspicion…" he looked up at the Traveller "… our Light's gone."
Telle now looked up at the Traveller as well. He saw a machine clung onto it. "Oi! Collect them knifes, understood!" the Hunter shouted and Telle continued collecting knives. The knives stuck deep in the Cabals and because of Telle injuries it was a struggle for him to get them out.
They ended up walking together even though it was obvious that the Hunter would have liked it more if he'd been alone. They could not walk the streets, too dangerous. Cabals were lingering there and if they were caught, they might as well kill themselves. They weren't equipped for a fight against a whole patrol of Cabal. Therefore, they walked on small paths away from the streets and hid between ruins of what once were parts of the town. Sometimes they encountered a group of two or three Cabal but thanks to the Hunters experience they could easily defeat them from the shadows or simply avoid them. They also had to reroute quite often because of the enemies ahead. Telle always listened to what the Hunter said because he knew his stuff. Telle lost his sense of time. It felt like they were doing this for day while actually about two hours have passed. At last they came to a house that was very much still standing. This once was a house were many families lives together but now it was abandoned or the people who lived there were killed. This night came so the Hunter decided to make camp in one of the upper floors. They didn't go too high. It was the second floor. So if they had to flee they could simply jump out of the window without taking too much damage and the Cabal who rarely searched the building properly would not find them.
Telle of course did not realise that so he asked "What happens if they find us, or if they start bombarding the city again?"
The Hunter chuckled and said "Don't worry Blueberry, I'll watch out for you."
Annoyed like a little kid, Telle sat himself down in a corner and thought of what happened. He thought of the moment he lost his light and was happy that his armor protected him quite well from the Cabals punches. He left with a few minor injuries. He needed some rest so he tried to sleep. He wasn't successful. How could he sleep? He promised Eva to find Tess and now he didn't even know whether Tess or Eva or anyone he knew and could have saved is alive. And in addition to that his Light is gone. He has failed as a Guardian.
"Don't you dare start crying, Blueberry." The Hunter said emotionless from across the room. "You're a KinderGuardian, aren't ya?" He looked out of the window and watched the burning city of humanity.
"I know you think you could've saved them and that you're a failure as a Guardian. But you can't save everyone, ya know. Only on rare cases everybody lives."
The Hunter stared through the window in the cold night. A fresh breeze blew through the cracks in the wall.
"And it is not your fault. Except if you let one little defeat ruin you. Learn from it, fight on and be brave! Just because the Light is gone does not mean that you're not a Titan. Use what you know and make it better!"
The Hunter opened a little bag on his belt and took out a medal.
"As a friend of mine once said… Nothing born is born strong. I know I began weak, the same as you."
The City still burned and one could hear shots fired and Cabals shout as celebration of their victory.
"I don't care if you're an Exo, staring at that number and wondering where you've come from. Together, we're the pointed end of a long stick of happenstance. Change one ripple in an ancient ocean and we would never have been granted the Light within us, or the good Ghosts that want to help us."
Telle looked down at Observe's Ghost shell. He starred at its minds where the blue light used to shine.
"Every world begins as a big pebble lost among trillions of pebbles. Every worthy sun was once cold hydrogen spread thin across the vacuum. Even the universe, this cosmic garden that surrounds us and awes us...this monument to Creation was once the size of an apple seed. And everything that's splendid and great stands at the end of incalculable chance and mayhem."
The Hunter put away the medal and looked out of the window again.
"Yes, you have talents. Enormous, wondrous powers. But you should put the smirk away. Do you know what a Guardian is? Not yet. Your name is another pebble. You are a cold apple seed."
Telle looked at Observe's Ghost shell. The starred at its midst where a blue light used to shine bright.
The Hunter looked at Telle "But you will grow."
They sat and silence and the Hunter started to mind his own business and proceeded to look out of the window again. It took a lot of strength but Telle didn't cry. Instead, he held on to the Ghost shell and rethought the Hunter's words. He raised his head and looked at the Hunter.
"Thank you."
"Shush!" said the Hunter and quickly stood up grabbed a knife and hand cannon.
Telle was shocked at first. He couldn't believe what he just saw. He has been a Guardian for a small period of time but even he knew the stories of the legendary gunslingers; Shiro-4, Cayde-6 and Andal Brask. Some claim that there even is another fourth member. But one could always recognise them on one thing: They all had the Spade as a symbol on their hand cannons. And now a mysterious Hunter stood in front of him, holding a hand cannon with a spade on it.
"Is that … Are you…."
The Hunter glanced at Telle "No time. With me, NOW!"
The Hunter rushed down the stairs and at the blink of an eye he was on the street. He observed the area until Telle arrived.
The Hunter whispered "You wait here. When I give you the signal, you'll run through this wall. You think you can do that?"
He pointed at a fragile wall in front of him. Telle hesitated but at last agreed to the plan by nodding and asking "What signal?"
The Hunter signed "KinderGuardians…"
Quickly, the Hunter rushed into the house. He was very agile and very quiet. In the house were two Legionaries and one Colossus. They were looking for something. The Hunter had a suspicion of what their pray was. He briefly checked his situation. Only parts of the roof were left and the walls were very fragile. Not many places to hide. He had the disadvantage. Should he kill one of the Legionaries, the other would instantly take note of that and open fire. He could manage the other Legionary but the Colossus… no chance! However …
Sudden and quick, the Hunter snuck up to one of the Legionaries and slid his throat with his knife. The other Legionary saw that and opened fire. The Colossus also made his gun ready to shoot. The Hunter threw his knife in the Legionary's skull and killed him immediately. The Colossus aimed but the Hunter was quick and could delay him getting shot at but that only worked for so long yet and his little jumping around came to an end. The Colossus however moved as well. He stood underneath the bits of the roof that were still there. The Hunter threw a knife towards the Colossus but it flew right pass him and got stuck in a crack in the wall. The Colossus laughed at the failure and aimed his gun at the Hunters head. And the, Telle pushed through the wall from behind the Colossus and made the whole building crash on him. It knocked the Colossus out and damaged Telle's armor a little bit. It was quite resistant. The Hunter made a dodge and escaped the crashing bricks.
The crash was very loud and immediately Telle heard Cabal noises from far away that sounded like they were on edge. He also couldn't spot the Hunter and, while he was glad the Hunter's plan worked, he wasn't very comfortable being in the same room with a sleeping killer machine giant.
"Uh… Hunter… Where are you?"
No answer
"Are you still alive?"
"What the hell do you think?!"
Telle was relived "We should g-"
"One sec."
From a small hole the Hunter emerged with a child in his arms.
"Whacha looking at? Go!" The Hunter and Telle left the building, or what was left of it and proceeded to travel further towards the wall. They decided to abandon their camp because of Cabal patrols that were surely already on their way and the sleeping beauty of Colossus beneath the rocks.
The night was quite uneventful. They could travel easily because on could easily spot the Cabal from far away. Beyond the walls they didn't search long before they found a group organised by the Dead Orbit. They left the child with them and stayed with them for a while.
"Well done today, KinderGuardian." The Hunter said to Telle.
"Thanks, it means a lot." Telle answered. "Are you going somewhere else?"
The Hunter nodded "The people are … kinda … save here. Others are still in danger, somewhere out there. They'll need me."
They shook hand and said "I'll see you, starside."
The Hunter made his way away from the people into the wild. But something was off. He didn't walk straight, Telle noticed that.
"Are you okay?" he shouted to the Hunter.
No answer.
"HEY!" Now Telle noticed the blood stains the Hunter left behind. He ran up to him. And the closer he got to the Hunter the better he saw the wound on the Hunter's foot. Telle though of how it could have got there. He thought it might have happened when the roof crashed. Maybe he was hit by some bricks.
Telle reached the Hunter and stood in front of him. "Hey, that looks pretty bad. I think you should stay."
"Listen here, KinderGuardian. I've seen and survived worse, 'kay. Now get lost!"
"NO! You don't have Light and are seriously injured! You are staying!"
The Hunter said nothing. He thought about it. At last he stayed with them. He thought the KinderGuardian can't protect them anyway and when he stayed he can teach him one or the other thing about being a Guardian.
They found a physician amongst the people who took care of the wound.
"So my name is Telle. Telle-5, but everyone just calls me Telle."
"I'm Alistor. Call me Al, if you have to."
The Titan was very happy and asked Al to reveal his face. No matter what Telle tried, the helmet stayed on.
-meanwhile-
The Prison of Elders – The Riff
The Warlock sat alone at the table in the control room. Variks who asked him here stood behind him.
The Awoken granted him protection. Let him life in the Dreaming City and even shared some secrets, once in a while. He was close to the Awoken Queen like Uldren or Sjur Eido. Once they called him "Forinn-who-was-Tabolt-Inar" now they just called him "Cousin" as if he was one of them. And in a way he became one of them. He liked to think that his Queen didn't like that.
He sat in his chair, weak. His Ghost was lightly floating above his right hand.
Variks knew much. Variks saw everything. Variks heard even more.
"Forinn …" Variks said in sympathy, as someone who also whiteness his people fall, with his crackly robot voice.
Forinn didn't answer. He knew Variks knew from the attack but didn't want to tell him before it happened, before the Last City was lost.
"Petra knows it." Forinn thought "But would she like it, if I knew?"
His Ghost slowly turned from the monitor to Forinn and looked him in his white eyes.
"Little Light." Forinn said with a light voice while watching the footage of the burned city on the monitors. He stoked the Ghost shell. He liked dong that. It gave him security.
Finally, he stood up. He brushed his robes. The Techeuns gave it to him, but why…? He couldn't remember. Strange, he used to remember. The Light had disturbed his mind, disturbed his thoughts.
The Awoken left the room. He gave Variks a friendly nod, which he did too. He didn't want to think it but he couldn't help himself. What if the humans end up like the Eliksni and spend the rest of their existence chancing after a god, a blessing that was pass, a promise that was never given?
He came to a conclusion.
"Tell Petra to bring me charges of light, Little Light."
The last of the Techuens went on his star ship, which he promised never to use again.
"It's time to pay or respects."