The generators were set up west of the control center, at the edge of Hive territory. According to Sloane it was going to be a relatively straightforward mission, simply getting in and flipping a switch so the Vanguard fleet can have power again. With Frea's luck however, it wasn't going to be that easy.
"Ugh." The huntress shook her hands to flick the water off her gloves. "This rain is annoying," she complained.
"Welcome to Titan, where sunshine and rainbows go to die." Maku jested over the comms. He was set up far behind in some unknown location, watching Frea and Aner's surroundings with his sniper as they made their way around the endless mazes of piping. An echoing blare could be heard from his direction whenever he picked off the occasional roaming Acolyte.
"Better than snow," Aner curtly added.
"I actually like the snow," Frea said.
"Yes, I imagine the cold makes cuddling up to lover boy more enjoyable." The Warlock snickered.
"Maku!"
He was laughing loudly now for what felt like ages, finally he caught his breath long enough to speak again. "Don't tell Lord Shaxx I called him that, he'll probably ban me from the Crucible forever."
"No promises," she replied with a smirk.
"Is Dex still pouting around?" Maku asked.
Frea stopped in her tracks, making Aner bump into her back from the sudden halt. He recovered and glanced down at her in question.
"Dex is...missing," she slowly said. "No one has been in contact with him since the attack."
Maku's tone took a serious turn as he contemplated the news. "I'm sorry, Frea. I know you two were close."
"Yeah." The huntress composed herself, forcing the dark thoughts from her mind. "Focus up. We have a mission to finish."
It didn't take them long to come across the bridge leading to the first generator. It was swarmed with Thralls and a Shrieker. The Thralls were small fry, not much of a problem even for lightless Guardians, but the other Hive was a different story. Covered by thick armor and floating high in the air, Shriekers released powerful blasts of energy when they died, capable of killing any unsuspecting person caught in the radius. Frea peeked around the corner, taking mental note of all enemy positions. There was no cover for them to sneak around, fighting through the Hive seemed to be the only option here.
"Alright." She turned to Aner, opening the comms to make sure Maku could hear as well. "I'll go in first and make the Shrieker drop its defense, Maku you can snipe it down, and Aner can take out the Thralls."
"What about the Shrieker's axion bolts?" The Warlock asked.
"I might be able to dodge them," Frea replied and glanced over the bridge again. She didn't like how narrow it was. "If not...then be prepared to revive me, Aner." When the huntress looked back to the Titan, he was gone.
"Whoops," Maku mused over the line. "There he goes."
Frea spun around to see Aner making a mad dash onto the bridge, pulling out his rocket launcher. With an exasperated sigh, she sprinted after him. So much for that plan.
"Aner!" The Titan stopped and turned at the sound of her voice, but she didn't. "Up there!" She pointed a finger to the Shrieker above them and took the shotgun off her back. Thankfully, he seemed to catch on to her reckless idea. He dropped his weapon and clasped his hands together as she leapt up into the air. Her boot landed firmly into his palms and with a grunt, he boosted her even higher. She underestimated the Titan's strength, his throw nearly sent her soaring past the Shrieker, but she managed to grab hold of its armor and stop herself from falling into the waters below. The Hive took a direct blast from her shotgun just as the thick shell protecting its energy core opened to her presence. It exploded from the buckshot, sending shards of void light in every direction. The huntress jumped from the Shrieker and hit the ground with a roll, grabbing Aner by the arm. "Time to go!" They ran as fast as they could to the other side of the bridge, the eruption from the Shrieker licking at their heels. Every Thrall they passed went down to sniper fire, at least Maku was being helpful.
They were gasping for air by the time the void energy finally dissipated. The bridge was clear now, the first generator just dead ahead, and they were alive. Though, Frea didn't feel very triumphant about it.
"What the hell was that?!" She spun toward the Titan. "We were coming up with a plan and you just run in like an idiot? Normally, I'm all for the 'shoot first and ask later' tactics, but not when there are lives on the line. You're not immortal right now." Much to Frea's dismay, he barely reacted to her tone. Aner simply stared down at her quietly, his body as still as a statue. The huntress never knew silence could be so frustrating before now.
"He's a Titan, Frea." Maku was the one to finally answer her over the comm. "As hard-headed and stubborn as they come, you don't need to baby him."
"I'm not," she snapped. "Just trying to make sure you two don't die on my watch."
A sigh from above her caught Frea's attention, and she peered back up at the Titan. "You can't protect everyone," he abruptly said, catching her by surprise. Then, he turned away and vanished into the dark building where the generator waited for them.
Frea was a patient person, always have been, but no one crawled under her skin quite as badly as Aner was. "Maku," she called.
"Yes?"
"I'm going to end up punching your brother before this is over."
He laughed. "You wouldn't be the first."
The buildings where the generators resided in were a mess. The mechanisms were caked with a hardened substance of some kind. It took the Guardians at least an hour to clear out and repair the converters. By the end of it, Frea really felt like she needed a bath.
"Looks like the generators are done." Maku ran his gloved hand over a dead console. "But we need to give the system a kick start. Aner, where's the main circuit breaker?"
"Central platform."
"Central platform...you mean the central platform that's teeming with Hive Wizards? The same central platform that's been cut off from everything else because all the pathways caved into the sea?"
Aner nodded.
"Lovely," Maku snorted, adjusting his sniper across his back. "I hate this place."
"Wizards shouldn't be an issue, getting to the platform however-" Frea thought out loud, tapping a finger against her wet visor.
"Won't be a problem...for you. You can triple jump," the Warlock said.
"Weren't you just griping on me for trying to keep you guys alive earlier? And now you're suddenly afraid of crossing some water?" She raised a brow.
"Look." Maku defensively put up his hand. "If I die to the Hive or Fallen, so be it. It'll be a warrior's death in the name of the City. But drowning? No one's gonna be telling stories about the Warlock who couldn't swim."
"This wouldn't be a problem if you had stayed behind with the Commander," Frea chided.
"I'm going," Aner quickly cut in as he stepped around them, heading for the doorway. "Stay or leave."
Frea glanced between the brothers. The Warlock's shoulders were slightly slumped, all the energy he had when he convinced her to let them tag along was now long gone. "Do you have Aquaphobia, Maku?" She asked.
He let out a long sigh. "Yes, alright. I'm afraid of drowning," he reply was short, obviously he's had to answer this same question many times before. "I know it's dumb, a Guardian scared of a little water."
"I don't think so. Everyone has fears, it's in our nature, being unable to die doesn't really change that." Frea folded her arms. "I can't believe you came to Titan."
Maku shrugged. "Had to make sure my brother was alright, even if that meant coming to a moon covered in nothing but the thing I hate most."
"That's admirable."
"Aner said it was stupid." Even masked, Frea could tell the Warlock was grinning a little.
She forced back a laugh. "How about you stay behind and snipe for us? I'll watch over Aner and make sure he doesn't get himself killed." The huntress turned to leave, but Maku caught her arm.
"No," he said when she looked back at him. "I promised to help you out on your mission, I'm going to see it through. Besides..." A chuckle ringed out from his helmet. "You're going to get hopelessly lost without someone there to decipher Aner's mime act."
Frea peered over the broken railing at the waters below. The waves were still just a rough as when she arrived, she doubted they ever calmed down. Fear of drowning or not, falling into that sea would not be a good thing. Her gaze moved up to the walkways twisted by the storms. Much of the path to the central platform had given away at some point, leaving only small sections of metal lattice barely dangling to its anchor cords. The distance between each wasn't too far for her comrades to jump across, but the entire structure looked unstable.
The huntress turned back to her team. "I'll go first and test the walkways, then you two follow okay?"
They nodded their reply.
She took a running start and leapt to the first section of the path. The walkway swayed so violently under her feet that she fell, her boots unable to find traction on the wet metal. Desperately, Frea dug her fingers into the lattice to catch herself. Her legs dangled dangerously over the edge.
"Frea!" Maku hollered behind her.
"I'm fine!" With a groan, she pulled herself back up. The metal creaked from her weight but held this time. She let out a relieved sigh once she found her footing again. "Let's move quickly, who knows how long this walkway will last."
They crossed as fast as they could, but it was still slower than Frea would have liked. More than once she had to snatch Aner by his armor and yank him out of danger. Finally, they reached the end and the huntress was the first to touch solid concrete, thankful to be back on safer ground. Her fireteam had just one more big hurdle. The Titan was the first to go, he vaulted himself over the gap and landed right next to her with a huff. She turned back to the Warlock, the last one left.
"Come on, Maku. You got this," she said.
"The confidence is appreciated," he chuckled.
Taking a step back for extra running distance, Maku went to jump over the divide...and came up short. Panic sprung into her throat and Frea stretched out to catch him, her fingertips just brushing against his armor. He was too far for her to reach. Instead it was Aner who grabbed the Warlock, he took a fistful of his brother's coat and threw him back to the stone floor, the momentum dragging him down as he did so.
"Aner!" Maku cried out as the Titan disappeared over the edge. He crawled to his feet and ran to the gap, nearly falling in himself if Frea hadn't grasped his forearm.
"Stay here," she commanded, her voice shaking. "I'll get him."
Without another thought, the huntress threw herself over the side and dived into the sea below, the shockingly cold water knocking the air out of her lungs. The strong current pulled her under immediately, threatening to drown her as well. Guardians' armor was sealed to be airtight, able to survive almost any planet condition, but it wasn't meant for underwater excursions. She had maybe a few seconds to find the Titan and get out before the water pressure cracked her visor. Twisting, Frea spotted Aner just to her right, he wasn't struggling, his armor too heavy for him to fight against the waves. She kicked her feet to reach him and tightly gripped his shoulder plating. The tingling sensation of arc energy crept into her legs and she bounced off the water, using her triple jump in the same manner as if she was in the sky. The huntress saved her final jump for once they broke the surface. Heaving, she leapt up one last time and grabbed the edge of the stone with her free hand, her muscles screamed from the exertion.
"By the Traveler, Frea!" Maku quickly helped her up, the Titan still slung over her shoulder.
Quickly, she placed Aner down on the ground, the alarm bells in her head blaring. "I don't think he's breathing!" Frea gasped when she pulled at the Titan's armor. His visor had been breached, water poured out when she unbuckled the seals. With the helmet off, she bent down to listen for the distinct sound of air creeping past his lips. Nothing.
"Oh no. Oh no, no, no..." Maku whispered above her.
Frea worked feverishly to undo the straps to Aner's chestplate. His armor gave away to her fingers and she planted her palms to the middle of his chest, pumping hard to get his pulse moving again. She yanked off her own helmet, and tilted the Titan's head up to press her lips against his, blowing oxygen into his lungs.
"Come on. Come on," she begged. One breath, nothing happened. The second breath, still nothing. Finally on the third breath, Aner suddenly wheezed into her mouth. She backed away as his entire body shuddered from his first inhale, coughing sea water out of his lungs. His glowing eyes shot open to meet hers, they were unfocused and weary, but shimmered bright with life. He made it.
Shaxx sat outside his office tinkering with one of the damaged Red Jack frames that just returned from securing a new arena for the Crucible. It was a quiet day in the Tower, tensions high from the recent attacks on the Moon bases, most Guardians were out on patrols attempting to null the threat or participating in the first Iron Banner of the year. Casualties were low so far but each day the Hive were getting bolder, something big was just on the horizon. The Titan could feel it.
"Zavala won't stop going on and on about Saint-14 lately, it's driving me crazy." Cayde-6 continued, snapping Shaxx out of his thoughts. He had zoned out on the Exo again, apparently no one else was around to listen to his bored ramblings.
"You know what they say about Titans."
"They're loud and abrasive?" The Hunter Vanguard asked, expecting some sort of reaction from Shaxx.
The Titan barely flinched at the comment. "The good ones are all dead," he said.
"You don't know that Saint is dead." Cayde crossed his arms, a curious look inched over his features.
"The greatest Titan who ever lived just disappeared." Shaxx shrugged as he pulled at some loose wiring on the frame. "Call it a hunch."
Indeed, when Guardians went missing it usually meant they died off in some corner of the system somewhere. It was a sad fate, but that's what happens when you're unable to die from old age. The wires Shaxx cross suddenly sparked and blasted a smoking hole into the frame. He pushed the scrap off his desk with a sigh.
"No one ever put down a Kell faster than he could. But man, he was a real weirdo." Cayde chuckled.
"Eccentricity was his strength."
The Hunter threw up his hands. "Talking about the Speaker like you're related is eccentric. Claiming to have seen the future, that he fought Six Fronts fueled on the idea that some Guardian savior is coming? That's insane," he huffed.
Saint-14 was a strange Titan, Shaxx agreed. He was borderline religious when it came his passions, and his connections to Osiris didn't earn him any favors during the falling out. Saint however, made for a truly compelling leader in his time.
"Belief is a hell of a thing," Shaxx added.
"Oh sure, yeah." Cayde paced across the floor. "One Guardian is going to fix everything. Kick Crota off the Moon. Make it look like us Vanguard know our head from our hindquarters-"
The comm in Shaxx's helmet suddenly fizzled to life with Arcite's robotic voice. "Sir, that Guardian you wanted to keep tabs on just entered the Crucible." Not wasting time, the Titan stood and started for the exit.
"Hey, where are you going?" Cayde asked as he quickly followed.
"One of the recruits from Old Russia I've had my eye on entered the Iron Banner for the first time," he said.
"Maybe they're the one." The Exo playfully poked at Shaxx's shoulder armor with a loud laugh. "We'll call them Crota's End."
Shouting in the distance snapped Shaxx awake. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and peered around, half expecting to be back at the Tower again. But no, he was at the Farm, falling asleep at his work like some old man. His vivid dream was about a memory from three years ago, before Frea and her fireteam ventured into the Hellmouth. It wasn't strange for Guardians to dream, though this one came from seemingly nowhere. Shaxx couldn't remember the last time he had given the original Vanguards much thought, at least not since Osiris was banished and Saint-14 disappeared. How odd that he would suddenly think about them now.
"Lord Shaxx." Arcite appeared in his doorway. "A vessel from Titan has just arrived with the Commander inside."
The Titan smiled slightly. "I'm coming." He grabbed his helmet off the desk and stared down at the visor, the polished white and orange visage gleamed back up at him. Frea retrieved the first Vanguard already, he wasn't surprised. "Savior huh," he whispered to the air.