A/N: First of all, I would like to thank you all for the interest and for taking the time to read this! I know it has been quite some time and that the last time I posted a story here was nearly two years before with the Lieutenant story.
In light to that, I would like to make a few things clear: this story takes place in an alternate universe and the events of The Eternal Storm, The Red Capital and Lieutenant are not involved here. While elements of these stories may remain, their role in the narrative here will be limited.
This story has been the creation of two years of planning, and while I am still in the writing phase, I am pleased to present you with the prologue to Unshattered Resolve.
Good reading!
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Rooms of Inquisition, the Capital
The Last Safe City, Earth
21st of November, 3217
The hallway was long.
There were only six lights along this course: a sharp and penetrating as they scattered the dark that otherwise would have left those who tread the path blind. The dark however was still there. It pulled at the corners where they light was not, as if it were a lurking beast that was waiting for but just one unaware moment to strike and steal its place.
It was an odd place to consider the position that existence itself was place. Existence itself always seemed to battle with legend.
And existence was always true.
But legend was always promising.
Three figures walked across the long hall as it were side-by-side as they made their way to the end of the hall. A chorus of steps echoed across the dark concrete walls and ceiling as it created an effect that made it seem an entire battalion was on a parade.
It was understandable. At least Commander Zavala believed so. He himself recognised the power and responsibility he carried was more than enough to stand against even a few hundred men. The same applied to the Warlock who paced at his right, and the Hunter that skulked to his left. Individuals of incredible power.
Guardians. The protectors of the last remnants of Humanity. The vigils of the denizens of the Last Safe City on Earth. Individuals who have been gifted with the Light of the Traveler and brought back from the dark void to stand and bring Light to a world—a system—that had far too long remained in the black.
Titans were the first guardians, the constructors of the Wall and the City's instruments of war.
Warlocks were scholars and philosophers, the tenders of the City's growing libraries.
Hunters were the trailblazers and explores, sent forth to reclaim the land that Humanity lost in the Collapse.
Commander Zavala turned his head to his right. His gaze first fell upon the Warlock: Ikora Rey, as she turned back to look at him. Commander Zavala saw the arc that swirled in her eyes, and it seemed to him that she needed to communicate her concern to him. The Titan sighed, as he shook his head as he immediately captured the glance of the Hunter to his left: Cayde-6.
"I know." Commander Zavala wearily replied to a statement Ikora had not said.
"Uh, know what?" Cayde asked curiously, as his blue glowing eyes scanned over the silver armour of the Titan: "Was I just hearing something?"
"Perhaps." Ikora stated flatly, "Though I thought you only talked."
"I have pretty good 'ears,' too." Cayde sighed.
"Then you just do not know how to listen."
"Please." Commander Zavala interrupted Cayde before he could even speak.
The three figures stopped just short of the end of the hallway, where the frame of a thick silver metal door stood idle. Cayde looked away from the two other Vanguard as he focused solely on the metal door that divided them from some other passage. It was evident that even Cayde could feel the oppressive shackles of mystery and fear that secured themselves around his ankles.
They were not here because they wanted to be.
It was merely due to that responsibility they all shared.
"We..." Commander Zavala paused, recognising he was not even sure what to say: "must be united for this. Speak brief but speak sure."
"So, I don't talk then?" Cayde asked.
"We all speak." Ikora responded, "He will know if we are being... 'truthful."
"Lying? I thought you both don't—"
"Cayde." Zavala interrupted once more, "Do you understand what we need to do?"
"Yeah, yeah..." Cayde muttered, "I got it."
Cayde hardly ever surrendered so easily. He always found a way to break free from many of the duties and responsibilities that he was obliged to keep. He was expert at handing the paperwork to unaware servicemen that had their own duties to attend to in the Tower. He always found a way to sneak out his caches to Guardians he favoured with his trust, rather than devoting his knowledge to the Forces of the City without any favour to ask in return. Commander Zavala always prayed that Cayde would have changed through his duty as a Vanguard Mentor and act as Zavala supposed he should have.
But even with all that, Zavala was hoping now and just this once that Cayde would have not given in as easily.
"We step in, then." Zavala stated with as flat a tone he could manage.
The metal door immediately activated, as a sole green light shone as the doors slid apart and granted the three Vanguard entry into the room. Zavala took in a deep breath, before he entered first into the singular room with a head held high and a triumphant step. He was followed by Ikora and then Cayde, as they organised themselves around Zavala as they did before.
The room had a single table set upon into a room whose very character seemed to be an endless black aside from the one light that rose above the table. The light only conformed to the shape of the long rectangular table, and nowhere else. No corner could be made out from the black, no wall nor the ceiling and floor. It was a psychologist tactic that Zavala understood all too well.
Two arms reached out from the opposing side of the table, from a figure that the three Vanguard did not see before. Zavala was shook he could not detect this being beforehand, but a quick glance between his two companions made it clear he was not alone in that thought.
The arms came together, as hands and fingers locked together. They were human in appearance, as fingerless gloves revealed pale fleshed fingers that escaped from grey and blue coat arms that covered the rest of his skin. The knuckles flexed, showing the metal armour that sat upon the top of the hands.
Zavala could not say he recognised the figure even now. But his vision turned up to eyes that suddenly appeared from out of the black: white lights that contested with the intensity of the ceiling light above.
No, Zavala thought quietly, this is no Guardian I know.
"Commander Zavala, Ikora Rey and Cayde-6." The figure spoke, in a cool and an uncaring voice that feigned some sort of courtesy it knew it was betraying: "Please, take a seat."
Cayde immediately complied, as he kicked his legs compulsively onto the table before the gaze he received from the being on the other end of the table chastised him to lower them back onto the floor. Zavala sat in the middle seat, as he he kept his gaze solely on the parts of the being that he could see.
Ikora however still stood. She closed her eyes momentarily, "What happened to you?"
Zavala eyed Ikora cautiously. He knew as well as she did what Ikora meant, though it was evident from the sideways glance Cayde shot them that he did not.
The being remained silent for a while, as the anxiety-creating silence was eventually broken by the being: "I have been chosen to speak with you today."
"We understood." Zavala spoke immediately, with as equally a cold tone: "Please, what do you wish to speak about?"
"My Benefactors wish to extend their sympathy for your losses." The being continued, somehow managing to respond to some degree Zavala's question: "And Our mutual joy in the awakening of the Traveler."
The three Vanguards remained silent for a while, surprised by what the being said. They almost wanted to speak, as eventually Cayde broke the rank and 'responded' to the statement: "That's all? Well, thank you then—"
"Cayde." Zavala reminded the Hunter, as he stared at Cayde with warning eyes that had only been levelled but a few times before on the Hunter Vanguard.
The being spoke with unmatched sharpness, "You have been engaged in new fields, raising war against threats you feigned to imagine from before the City fell. My Benefactors watched with unmatched interest, and with mutual interests We approach you now to speak in detail about what you understand and know."
"Your questions will be answered by any local networks." Zavala responded, "It has been recorded in the detail you have requested."
"No." The being corrected Zavala, as the Vanguard Commander was immediately taken aback. He stifled his protest as he simply stared at the being he could not quite see from across the table. The being reached one hand back into the dark, before he lifted it back into the light along with a single black cube that he immediately slid it across the table to the three Vanguards.
Zavala glanced down to the letters carved carefully into the cube. Letters that shaped a name. Immediately, Zavala lost his breath as he swung his head back up to the figure in shadows with a furrowed and angered brow. Cayde only looked at the box for a second, before glancing back again as his eyes widened in surprise and exhaled sharply in surprise. Only Ikora stared at the box, unwilling to remove her look from the box as she closed her eyes after a while and shook her head.
"How did you—" Zavala attempted to demand, before being interrupted.
"That matter of detail is irrelevant, Commander." The being said, speaking about the cube before returning to the topic: "My Benefactors already understand the battles you all fought, the detail the Vanguard has released to the public have been thoroughly analysed and accepted by Us."
Lifting up a datapad, he placed it on the table as the screen displayed several logos: Owl Sector, the Hidden and several classified and redacted information images followed by a flurry of text. Zavala immediately made out what he saw: this figure somehow managed to breach the City's network and stole information past the sectors that lay in wait for any attempt to swoop and execute any attempt to siphon off classified information.
This being was simply waving the fact he had committed a crime and was in complete indifference of the fact. Zavala quietly gridded his teeth, as he then cooly muttered: "And what is not public."
Cayde just looked up in surprise at both Zavala and the figure he could not see. He cleared his 'throat,' before he spoke: "Aha, well... we knew that you took that information, too... yes, we did. So, what more do you want?"
"These records are incomplete." The being responded with an unmatchable level of indifference, "We know that there is more. That is why We summoned you here this day."
"Why do you not ask him, then?" Ikora offered.
"You do not ask Us questions." The being corrected too quickly. The air seemed to heat, as Zavala placed his hands on the desk as the being returned his gaze to the Titan. Ikora now stared daggers into the black, almost as if her vision was refined and bearing a sword itself.
"As much as We respect the integrity of the City and her security interests, unfortunately those who head the defence appear from time to time to make trivial decisions that have costed them dearly." The being mused aloud, "And they seek to place senseless hold on valuable and essential information. Unfortunately, that means We need to betray our interests to maintain that integrity if my Benefactors are ever to truly assist you."
"If your 'benefactors' ever truly did care to share our interests," Zavala responded, "then they would not trample upon what is still sensitive."
Zavala's eyes lowered down on the black cube in front of him: "Neither would they be insensitive to our pains."
"Sometimes people senselessly pick off the scabs of their wounds and create scars." The being spoke, "And when a scar remains, they complain at the horrible injustice that they did to themselves. Choose now: whether you learn nothing, and We merely continue to spectate your useless wailing... or choose to learn and accept the scar and accept Our respect."
"Then what do you want?" Cayde asked, as he leaned his arm on the table and stared into the dark with a nearly new forged laser-like precision. Zavala glanced over to his companion, as he was taken aback by the fire that the Hunter Vanguard managed to surprisingly kindle in a defence of issues Zavala knew he generally did not care about.
"Please," the being responded, "tell Us about Avgust."