Chapter 4: The New Kell
Accessing File: The Exo Program
Created by Clovis Bray I in the 1980s and first became available in 1999 the Exos are self-aware humanoid machines to be a fighting force to go beyond the normal capabilities of humans, Faunus, and Mobians. Unlike the Bray Corporation's mass-produced robotic frames, Exos are human, Faunus, and Mobian minds uploaded in artificial bodies. Their design was agreed to be humanoid in shape as trying to make them look like a Mobian or a Faunus with animal traits like a tail or wings would be too much work and a large consumption of resources.
Exos appear unyielding and tireless, to the point that appearing exhausted is often considered impressive for an Exo. Mechanically, they are so advanced that only a Ghost can comprehend their inner workings. In many ways, Exos like to think of themselves as human, or having human minds in machine bodies. Exos can also confuse armor they wear for part of their own body, which leads to a feeling of being naked.
Exos are subject to a number of unique medical conditions, being Dissociative Exomind Rejection (DER) and spontaneous Exo reset syndrome. The former is a serious and ultimately fatal cognitive disorder caused by the human mind rejecting its new body, and the latter is an involuntary self-reset that can occur without any immediately apparent cause or warning.
Before undergoing the procedure, it is recommended for the subject to choose between the one size fits all body or one whose appearance is what they want, as the one size fits all does not have the same proportions as their old bodies. If they do choose the one size fits all version, they can make modifications to it over time.
Mia-9 Audio Log
'No. I've run every diagnostic you can possibly check. This body's not broken; it's wrong. I can tell you by the way I walk. I can't get into a rhythm! My shoulders and hips move in one block. And my… center of balance is too high; it's unstable! That's not true! Not everyone is walking around in the same design. Elsie Bray got hers custom. So, what if I am jealous? It probably fits her a lot better. It's at least the same shape as what she had before!'
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Accessing File: Servitor
Servitors are large, spherical floating machines used by the Eliksni as support units in combat. Servitors were originally created to supply the Eliksni with Ether in places that could not produce it naturally, it is both a gas and a liquid. The Eliksni have seen their Servitors as machine gods for this fact and have worshipped them.
Servitors process energy and matter and convert those acquired materials into Ether for sustenance. They can also anchor comms cutting off communication for enemy forces and provide technological acuity. They also serve as navigation aids for Eliksni Ketches. Some Servitors also serve as personal support and ship pilots for High-ranking Eliksni.
Servitors' primary usage in combat is to support accompanying Eliksni units by emitting a purple glow, giving them a nourishing boost. They are shown to be a resilient threat and are capable of firing powerful blasts of Void energy from their eye, which is also a weak spot. They frequently try to protect this weak spot when in combat, making them difficult targets. To evade incoming attacks and flank their targets, Servitors will occasionally teleport short distances. Servitors are able to fully shield nearby Eliksni units, granting them complete immunity to incoming damage. Prime Servitors have two abilities, called Servitor's Grasp, which allows them to teleport enemies to nearby locations, and Servitor's Fall, which they use to teleport their enemies into the air and let them fall to their own deaths.
There are more powerful Servitors known as High Servitors. Above High Servitors are Prime Servitors, the highest form of Servitor known. Prime Servitors take the place of a god among the Eliksni, as they also produce multiple Servitors and major tons of Ether. With this, each Fallen House having their own Prime Servitor. Certain Servitors function as pilots and are called Pilot Servitors.
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Accessing File: The Wolf
The neighboring cell holds a Wolf.
She ignores him at first. He's too greedy for her acknowledgement. Sometimes, he reminds her of the needy Dregs that followed her old Kell like carrion birds, squawking for attention and squabbling over his kills.
What the Eliksni have lost, more than anything else, is dignity.
Eventually, the Wolf learns to intrigue her. He calls himself Praksis, and he has ideas. But he's young. He thinks every idea he conceives of is the first and best of its kind. She suspects he's never had to report directly to a Kell.
He likes to talk about machines—building them and bending them to his will. He has a mad idea about capturing the Diamonds, binding them in Arc wire, and making them serve the Eliksni.
She lets him talk, and she asks him questions. Every question is a whetstone. Every conversation is a test, and it will only take one failure to lose her interest.
"Contact with the Gems forced the Eliksni to become warriors," she says. "We defeated their fleets but what we did to win corrupted the Kells of the ruling Houses. Though we are stronger in strength we became weaker in mind. Why do you seek to make the Gems serve us?"
"To make them fuel the Servitors and provide a more potent Ether," he says. His voice is muffled through the wall between them, but the arrogance comes through clear.
"How can you build strength on a foundation of weakness?" she asks. Each word is a needle. Each word should sting him with revelation.
He remains silent.
"Did the Servitors make the Eliksni strong, or did they draw out the strength within us?" she asks.
Again, silence.
She tilts her head back, looking at the dark ceiling of her cell. "Reliance is the greatest weakness. Remember that. You are playing with a child's stacking spheres."
He's silent so long that she begins to wonder if he was worth her time. Then, he says, "I will create new spheres."
She closes her eyes and smiles.
Close File
Xxx
Charon's Crossing, Comms Station
Cayde-6, Banshee-44, Ana, and Variks stood outside the comms station. The Hunters had finished checking their weapons and Variks was supplying them with directions.
"That path will lead you to the ruins of Eventide." Variks said as he pointed straight ahead. "Move along the ridge until you reach Cadmus Ridge. From there you will find a large cave with the debris of a ruined structure. Enter the cave and from there you will find the remains of the city your Kell had made."
"Kell?" Banshee asked.
"He probably means Clovis Bray I." Cayde explained. "When dealing with other races the Eliksni tend to call the leaders of anything a Kell."
"Thank you for your help Variks." Ana said as she bowed her helmeted head.
"There maybe things of value to you along the way [insect-like chattering]." Variks says.
"I'll keep a sharp eye out." Ana says as she walks to Cayde and Banshee. She brings out her gauntlet and types in a few commands and summons their Sparrow bikes. They mount them and drive off.
"You got to admit it's actually quite nice to see all of this." Cayde says as he looks to his left and sees the gorge. "I mean I've been to other worlds before but for you guys it must be incredible. I mean Terrans don't have the capabilities of leaving Earth for places beyond their own moon, but your company has that capability, so this has to be exciting for you."
"Well, this isn't my first time off planet Cayde I've actually went to Epsilon Eridani III." Ana explained. "We called it Reach and it's a lot greener than Europa."
"I bet."
"Hey, we're coming up on the turn." Banshee says as cutting into the conversation. "Remember to turn right."
"You got it." Cayde said in response.
The group turns right and reaches Cadmus Ridge, when they got to it, they saw something unbelievable.
"What is that?" Cayde asked.
A yard in front of them popping out of a hill made of snow was a structure made of stone and interwoven with technology. The pattern of the structure was odd as it looked like it was made to be cubed but it branched off into different directions and looked like it was being layered on top of each other.
"Jinju." Ana says to her gauntlet.
"I'm accessing the Bray systems of Eventide." Jinju says. "This whole system is a mess and most of the files have been corrupted. Okay I got something. The files make mention of something called the Vex."
"What like VEX Robotics?" Cayde asked.
"No, a race of machines from a parallel universe." Jinju answered. "I think they came from the same universe as the Pyramid Ana."
"How so?" Ana asks.
"The files state that the Pyramid sent your grandfather visions of how to construct a Gateway linked to another portal in its home universe." Jinju answered. "From here he would lead exploration teams through the Gateway to a Vex controlled world to acquire something called Radioleria."
"What's Radioleria?" Ana asked.
"File corruption is preventing me from learning what it is." Jinju answered. "According to the files the Vex eventually invaded Europa and that structure there was a sign of them trying to terraform the moon. The invasion was stopped, and the Gateway was destroyed to sever the link between the two universes. The remaining Vex were hunted down and destroyed. According to the files Clovis Bray I was tortured by the Vex and vivisected. I'm sorry to say this Ana but the files state that he's dead."
Ana remained silent as the group drove further into Cadmus Ridge and made it to the cave that Variks had mentioned. Sure, enough there was debris around it, but the group chose to drive through the cave. After driving through the path, they came upon a cavern with structures that reached up to the ceiling.
"Over there!" Cayde said as he pointed to some structures whose architecture was unfamiliar to Ana and Banshee. "That's Eliksni architecture we're on the right path."
The group approaches the buildings and dismount from their sparrows. As the vehicles disappear, they took notice of one building that was built into the remains of one of the Eventide structures. It had two doorways, one that had a purple energy barrier blocking one doorway and one that did not. Banshee investigated the open doorway and saw a chute with energy streams going up.
"Huh." Banshee says as he activates his Semblance. "Some sort of gravity lift."
"Yeah, the Eliksni and a few other races like to use these." Cayde said as he approaches the weaponsmith. "Just step in and gravity will lift you up."
"Then let's go." Ana said as she ran into the gravity lift.
"Hey! Wait up!" Cayde said as he quickly got in with Banshee.
As the two Exos got up to the floor the lift lead to they found Ana destroying several drones like the ones when they first encountered House Salvation Eliksni.
"What even are these things?" Ana said as she destroyed the last one.
"There called Shanks." Cayde answered as he looked at the wrecked remains of one. "The Eliksni made them to serve as scouts, fire support, or even as a distraction."
The Shanks are small floating drones propelled by a pair of vertical jet engines which allow them to both fly and hover in the air, equipped with a weak, rapid-fire, Arc-based weapon, and are rather fragile, in that they can be destroyed in only a few shots.
"These are just the standard variants. There's Repeater Shanks, which act as fire support, Exploder Shanks, which act as a kamikaze unit, and Tracer Shanks, which act as snipers." Cayde explained. "There's even Heavy Shanks, which are larger, heavily armored, and equipped with dual Void machine guns."
"Why did they have these out here as guards?" Banshee wondered.
"Probably to let the others know if there's intruders." Ana said as she approached a door. "We have to assume that they might be expecting us now."
The group makes their way through a cave and eventually reaches an area made of metal modeled to be Eliksni architecture. They see that they are on a metal balcony outside and before them was the city of Eventide and the dome structure they saw when they first came to Europa.
"That dome, is that where you live?" Ana asked.
"A pinnacle of hope for the Eliksni outcasts and the ones who wished to stay out of the civil war, but a standing reminder of Eramis' betrayal of Variks. [insect-like chattering]. We call our city Riis-Reborn in honor of our home world for we cannot return to it. But if Eramis were to have her way House Salvation will return to it in conquest."
"We won't let that happen." Cayde said as he readied his hand cannon.
"You should be at Riis-Reborn Approach. You should see some buildings to your left."
The group looks to their left and sure enough they saw some Eliksni buildings.
"We're making our way to them Variks, wish us luck." Ana said to the scribe.
The group approaches the buildings with caution. They enter one and climb up a flight of stairs in it that leads them back outside to a bridge that connects to a much larger building. As they crossed the bridge, they felt that something was off from their approach to the building.
"Wait." Banshee said to the group. "Something about this isn't right."
"Yeah." Cayde said in agreement. "Where are the guards? Taking out those Shanks should've at least triggered some alarms."
"This is too easy; we could be walking into a trap." Ana suggested to the two Exos.
"Keep your guard up guys." Cayde said to his friends as they enter the building.
Xxx
Meanwhile, security room, Riis-Reborn
What the fireteam did not know was that the message sent by the Shanks was not answered. The Eliksni manning the room had been killed by another human. He sat in one of their chairs and looked at the videos of the security cameras all the while he has flipping a green coin. The man himself wore a grayish-blue trench coat with red trims, a hood over his head, a black rebreather covering his mouth, fur shoulders, vambraces on his arm tied on by ropes over them, a green shirt under the coat, brown pants, brown boots, and around his neck was necklace with a green snake symbol.
"Drifter." Said someone on his radio.
"Drifter here." The man called the Drifter said.
"Our mission's done here. Has Ana and her fireteam made it?"
"Yeah, they're getting near Eramis' little rally show." The Drifter responded.
"Then let's leave rat." Said another voice on the radio.
"No need to get snippy with me moondust." The Drifter calmly said as he walked out of the room. "I know when it's time to leave."
Xxx
Riis-Reborn Approach
The fireteam enters a room and notices two doors at the far side of the room. The one to their left was on a platform that would have them walk up two small flights of stairs and the other door was straight ahead.
"Any idea on which way to go?" Banshee asked.
"50-50 chance of us going the wrong way." Cayde said.
"Wait do you guys feel that?" Ana said to them. "Like something cold gnawing at you that isn't the weather?"
"Yeah, I feel it too Ana." Cayde said as he paced around the room. "And I think I felt it back at…"
"The comms relay." Banshee said finishing Cayde's sentence.
"I felt it there too." Ana said to them. "It must have been Eramis' using Stasis."
"So, I bet if we follow the trail that's the strongest with Stasis then we'll find Eramis." Cayde said as he concluded what to do.
"That's probably the safest bet you've ever made Cayde." Banshee said with a smirk.
"Oh, ha ha." Cayde said sarcastically at Banshee's jab of Cayde historically making bad bets.
"And I can feel it coming this way." Ana said as she pointed to the door on the left. As the group entered the doorway, they heard a voice in the distance.
"…you're all here for the same reason. Because you desire freedom for our people. And I can give you just that."
"It's Eramis, she's close. She's ours now." Cayde said as he had his hand cannon ready.
The group made their way through the hallway and came to a glass window that overlooked a room. In the room they saw a large tetrahedral shaped object in the center hanging from the ceiling and a large crowd of Eliksni consisting of Vandals and Dregs. And before the Eliksni crowd was a platform that had Eramis, her lieutenants Praksis, Kridis, Atraks, a large spherical shaped robot with a purple glowing eye, and a few guards.
"Looks like a rally." Banshee said.
"Hey, what's that?" Ana asked as she pointed to the spherical shaped robot.
"That's a Servitor." Cayde answered. "Their machines that the Eliksni use to generate Ether, a substance they need to live, when entering places that can naturally produce it for them. The Eliksni have come to see them as gods."
"One's that they built themselves?" Banshee asked in confusion.
"Well considering that they make the one thing that they need above all else you can kind of see why they worship something that they make." Cayde said as him, Ana, and Banshee focus their attention on Eramis.
"Chains!" Eramis says to the crowd. "For centuries we have been bound by them. Servants to our unworthy Kells and the idols they have us worship." Eramis said as she gestures to the Servitor behind her and Kridis motions it to come closer.
"We have become pawns of our own devices." Eramis says as she charges her arm up with Stasis.
"No. Longer." She shouts as she casts her hand at the Servitor and completely encapsulates it. The Eliksni present are in visible shock.
"Today…we begin breaking free from our chains." Eramis says before she turns around and grunts when she throws her fist at the frozen Servitor, shattering it. The Eliskni are now in more shock.
"Okay that is definitely not a good sign." Cayde says after witnessing what Eramis just did.
"So much for worshipping them like gods." Banshee dryly says.
"This power is a gift." Eramis says to the crowd. "One I shall share with all of you, in time. Phylaks!"
The fireteam sees another Eliksni in white armor on the ground floor walk from a door and goes under the tetrahedral shaped object. The object begins to glow orange and opens releasing a Splinter of darkness glowing blue.
"One by one, we will rise again." Eramis says to the gathered Eliksni.
Phylaks grabs the Splinter of Darkness and puts it in a gauntlet on her upper left arm. Her arms begin to hum with Stasis. She slams her fists onto the ground and walls of Stasis form in front of her.
"This is our future!" Eramis says to the crowd as they cheer for her. One of Dregs guarding Eramis spots something and walks over to Eramis. "Our enemies stand no chance against this power. The universe will finally know our pain!"
The Eliksni cheer louder. The Dreg that walked over to Eramis motions to something for her to look above them. The fireteam realizes that they have been spotted.
"It would appear our enemies have arrived, eager to test us. Let's not keep them waiting." Eramis says.
"Oh no, this - I can feel it. It's too powerful!" Ana said as she began to panic.
"Eramis has begun spreading Stasis to her army. You must get out now!" Says over the radio.
"You heard him let's go!" Cayde says as he leads the group back the way they came.
"I'm calling our ship. We'll use it to escape!" Ana said as she imputed a few commands into her gauntlet.
The group returns to the lobby room and as they reach for the door, they came in Cayde notices something.
"Look out!" Cayde says as he shoots at something behind Ana. It reveals itself to have been an invisible Vandal wearing a cloak, a helmet, and wielding two Shock Cutlasses.
"What the hell! They can turn invisible!?" Ana said in shock.
"The Eliksni created cloaking technology as toys for their kids." Cayde says as he reloads his gun. "After encountering hostile aliens, they had them repurposed for military usage."
"Cloaking tech as a children's toy?" Banshee said in disbelief.
"The Galaxy's weird like that but be on the lookout for more of those Marauders you never know when they'll pop u-UGH!" Cayde's words were cut off as he was hit by something that froze him in Stasis ice. Ana and Banshee-44 look to see that on the other side of the room was Phylaks. Her upper right arm was stretched out indicating that it had fired a Stasis blast at Cayde.
"Your deaths shall be quick Terrans." Phylaks says as she channels more Stasis energy in her upper arms.
Ana and Banshee raise their rifles and fire at her. Their rounds impact on her shields but she throws a ball of Stasis energy at Banshee and throws a Stasis crystal on the ground in front of her and creates a wall of Stasis crystals that blocks her from the Terrans line of fire. The Stasis ball hits Banshee's rifle shattering it into pieces and semi-freezes his right arm.
"Banshee!" Ana says in shock.
Banshee-44 remains calm and focus his Aura on his arm and a light emits from it and shatters the crystals.
"That works. Now what about Cayde?" Banshee says as him and Ana look to the other frozen Exo and see a bright light emitting from him and shatters the ice.
"Man, that sucked!" Cayde says.
"Guys my Aura monitor is showing that you both lost a good chunk of your own Auras breaking the ice." Ana said. "Banshee you lost 15% and Cayde…you lost 50%."
SHATTER!
The group turns around to see that Phylaks has shattered the Stasis crystal wall. And is approaching them.
"Don't stop. Keep moving!" Banshee said as the group continued running.
The group makes it back to the bridge outside and above them the Jumpship was ready for them. Ana types in a command into her gauntlet and the three of them are transmatted onto it and it flies off. Phylaks and a group of Eliksni saw the ship leave as they made it outside.
"The Terrans have escaped Eramiskel." Phylaks says to her radio. "How they managed to enter the city without us knowing is unknown."
"Bakris has reported that the ELiksni in the security room are dead and that the alarms were disabled." Eramis said to her. "She's also reporting that someone sabotaged our Walkers, Brigs, and foundry. Someone else was in the city."
"Shall I ready a team to pursue the fleeing Terrans?" Phylaks asked.
"No. We need to check for any other signs of sabotage in the city. We have demonstrated that we are a force not to take lightly. When the time comes, we will crush them. But for now, I want you to continue the search for the Creation artifact."
"It shall be done Eramiskel." Phylaks says as she walks back inside of the city to ready a search party.