The huntress studied over the blueprint depicting a Cabal ship of enormous size. It was an unusual shape, not meant for fast space travel, and closely resembled the same technology used on the cage smothering the Traveler's light. The scout reports along with it were torn and bloodied, whoever had secured these had went through a great pain to do so.
"They call it 'The Almighty'. Crown jewel of the Red Legion and the life's work of of their leader, Dominus Ghaul." Sloane stepped up behind Frea, hands tightly folded at her back. "Ghaul has subjugated hundred of worlds, those that resisted...fall to this."
Frea swallowed hard. "What does it do?"
The titaness locked eyes with her. "It annihilates stars. Nothing-and no one-has survived Ghaul's ambitions."
"And now it's pointed at our Sun," Zavala said as he strode into the command center.
"In short, sir..." Sloane straightened, turning her attention to the Commander. "The war's over, we've lost."
Lost. Frea's hands balled into fists at her side. But they haven't even started fighting back yet.
Zavala took his place at the head of the table. "We built our home under the protection of the Traveler..." The Titan's entire body slumped down, his palms coming to rest on top of the blueprint. "When our enemies attacked, we built a wall that stood for centuries. But now, that means nothing." His eyes flashed with a fierce determination, his tone steadily growing louder. "The Legion has taken our home, our light, and threaten our very existence! We're going all in on this...Almighty. How long until the fleet is combat ready?"
Sloane jumped. "Zavala, wait-"
A deafening slam echoed across the room as the Commander slammed his fist against the table, cutting off the Deputy Commander completely. "If we wait we die!" He hollered. "But if we attack together, we can take everything back, our light...our hope. Or we die trying." His gaze moved to the huntress, who couldn't help but fidget under his scrutiny. "Frea," he said, nearly in a whisper. "I need my fireteam. I need Ikora and Cayde."
"Guess it's time to go, not that I'm complaining about getting off this rock." Maku gave his signature grin.
The generators for the station on Titan were up and running, the Vanguard fleet now settled in for the war. Zavala had already left for the Farm some time ago, Maku and Aner were preparing to board the next shuttle for the EDZ.
"Hey, at least you didn't have to swim this time," Frea said.
The Warlock laughed. "Yes, instead it was you and my brother who had to take the plunge." His face dropped, taking a more serious tone as he firmly clasped the huntress by the shoulders. "But really, thank you...for everything."
"Of course, Maku. I'm always happy to look out for my clanmates."
"Of course," he repeated. His eyes flitted past her for just a moment before he returned to his usual permanent smile. "So, you're off to find the rest of the Vanguard then?"
"Looks like it. I'm not even sure where to start. Ikora and Cayde could be anywhere in the system," she sighed.
Maku tapped a finger to his chin in thought. "A united Vanguard would be the best way to get the rest of the Guardians off their asses. Lead by example and all that jazz. Luckily for you, Aner and I were scanning for off-planet anomalies before you arrived here. We picked up a strange signal on Nessus, I think it's Cayde's Ghost."
"How would his Ghost reach all the way out here from Nessus?" Frea frowned.
"No idea." The Warlock shrugged. "It's probably being boosted, so go in armed and ready for a trap. I hear the Vex control that space."
"Thanks for the tip."
"No problem. I'll update lover boy on your status when we reach Earth, no doubt he wants to know how you're doing. Though..." He winked. "I'll be sure to leave out the part about you making out with my brother."
"That was an emergency situation Maku, and if I didn't give him CPR then your brother would be dead," she grumbled.
"I know, I know." He dismissively waved his hand with a smirk. "Just yanking your chain. You're too easy to tease, Frea."
She playfully shoved the Warlock toward the shuttle. "Go on, get out of here before I strangle you with that chain."
"Oh, I like it rough." Snickering, Maku disappeared into the shadow of the cargo hold.
Frea ignored his comment as she watched him go, her mind drifted into deep thought. Nessus was a centaur out in the Kuiper belt near the edge of the solar system. It should be nothing but rock and ice, so how did Cayde end up there?
"Easy target, aren't you?" A voice behind the huntress snapped her back to reality.
"Aner," she greeted. The Titan had just returned from the hurriedly set up medical tent by the command center. Besides from a few scratches and a raw throat, he was perfectly fine, the near death experience seemed to have barely fazed him at all. "I think everyone is an easy target for Maku." She crossed her arms. "How are you feeling?"
She thought the corners of Aner's mouth twitched into what was going to be a smile, but the look quickly vanished back behind his stoney expression. "Fine," he replied.
"Ah." Frea turned away, making conversation with this man was still just as hard as ever. "That's good." A long silence ebbed between them again.
"Thank you as well," he finally said, a bit mumbled and clumsy. The huntress glanced up to find him watching her intently. "You didn't need to risk yourself like that. If you are ever in need of anything, then don't hesitate to contact me."
It took every ounce of her willpower to not stare at him with a dumbfounded expression, he just spoke in an actual sentence. She was pretty sure he just said more words to her in that second, than he had for the entire mission. "Uh...thanks, I'll keep that in mind," she said.
Aner nodded and offered his armored hand to her, she grasped it with a small smile. "Take care, Frea."
It didn't take long for Frea to reach Nessus, her boots crunched on red dyed plumes of foliage as she landed on top of a perfectly cut stone structure. When she straightened and peered around her perch, she almost questioned if she arrived at the right location. The entire surface of the centaur was covered by blood red trees and lush wildlife, vines clung to every sharp cliffside like drapery, and she could just make out the outline of a sparkling waterfall in the distance. If it wasn't for the foreboding Vex constructs peeking out amongst the grass, she would've called this place a paradise.
"Well." Her Ghost materialized over her shoulder, its shell rotating with slight annoyance. "So much for nothing here," it groaned.
"Maku warned us about possible Vex."
"Yes, but I was hoping we'd get a least one easy mission. You know...a simple pick up and leave forever?"
Frea chuckled. "This is Cayde we're talking about, nothing is ever simple with him." She turned a bit, feeling the soft breeze pull at her cape. "Got that signal yet?"
"Yes, I think I'm picking up something."
The Ghost expanded as it honed in on the weak signal and suddenly a voice cut through their comms. "In over my head...Vex trap...Failsafe?" Even with the static and distant sound of gunfire in the background, Frea could tell it belonged to her Vanguard.
"Vex trap, why am I not surprised..." she sighed, pulling her hand cannon off her hip. "Any idea where, or what, is blasting that signal into space?"
"Plugging coordinates now. Thankfully it's close by," her Ghost replied.
They arrived at the ruins of an old transport ship, Golden Age era Frea guessed. Running her fingers over the logo printed on one of the broken wings, she immediately recognized the faded symbols, it was the same language she often saw around the colony ships in the Cosmodrome. This must have come from there, or perhaps built by the same people.
"Guardian," her Ghost called. "Up here."
She followed the little bot to the exposed machinery near the cockpit. Despite much of the ship having rusted over centuries ago, there was a brightly shining piece of new tech sitting out in the open. Someone had ripped up the top exterior panels and installed a fresh console recently, much of the wiring was tangled, whoever had done it was clearly in a hurry. The huntress bent down for a closer look and carefully touched the faintly pinging radar.
"Hello! Are you here to rescue the Cayde-6?" A distinctly cheery voice entered her comms, making Frea jump back in surprise.
"Uh?"
"Whoa! You're not Cayde," Ghost said.
"The Cayde-6 is currently caught in a teleportation loop. He's over there. Now he's over there! Oop!" The voice continued.
Frea twisted to look around but saw nothing out of the ordinary besides a few curious birds. "He's...moving?" She asked.
"Don't worry, I can help you!" The voice paused for a moment. "But I'm going to be super unpleasant about it." She took a drastic change in tone on the second sentence, almost as if there were two very different people talking.
The huntress shared a glance with her Ghost. "Wait...what?"
"Uploading new coordinates now. Against my better judgment. May I help you with anything else?"
"Yeah, I'm confused." Frea leapt off the ship and started to make her way toward the new location. "Who are you and are you ok? You sound a little...off."
"I am the Exodus Black failsafe. Call me Failsafe! I boosted the Cayde-6's signal in hopes he would be rescued and here you are!"
"Ah," Ghost said. "She's just an AI."
"A malfunctioning AI," Frea added.
"I heard that."
Shaxx crossed the open field toward the newly arrived shuttles coming in from Titan. The improvised hanger in the large barn wasn't quite big enough to hold all the aircraft the Guardians managed to salvage from the Tower, so they had to spread out into the surrounding forest and farmland. He kept a constant guard of Red Jacks around the gear, in case Fallen discovered them or the deserters got any bright ideas. Thankfully, the massively tall treeline kept everything concealed for now.
A group had already amassed at the ramp of the jumpship when the Titan got there, chattering about the Vanguard and what the Commander's appearance meant for the Guardians now. He carefully pushed his way through the crowd with ease and stopped at the front.
"Zavala," Shaxx called. The Commander turned around at the sound of his name. His features were sullen, it looked like he hadn't slept for days, but something bright sparkled in his eyes. Hope. "Glad to see you safe."
A gentle smile danced across Zavala's face as he clasped Shaxx's arm. "Same to you, my friend."
"Titan is secured, I assume?"
"Indeed. Thanks to a certain Hunter...the Hive took a huge hit there. I'd be surprised if they manage to give us trouble any time soon," the Commander replied.
"Is she with you?" Shaxx asked.
Zavala's hand dropped. "No. She went deeper into the system to find Ikora and Cayde. I'm not sure where exactly."
"I do!" A familiar Warlock popped up comically from behind the Commander.
"Maku," Shaxx sighed. "I was wondering where you had disappeared off to."
"Oh? Did you miss your favorite Guardian?" He chuckled.
The Titan tightly crossed his arms instead of replying.
"Alright, fine." The Warlock mocked a pout. "We directed her toward Nessus, it's possible the signal to Cayde's Ghost is being boosted from there."
"Nessus? Interesting," Zavala remarked, placing an armored knuckle to his lip. "We have some planning to do then."
"My Red Jacks will direct you to the main house, I'll meet you there shortly." Shaxx motioned toward the center of the Farm, when the Commander left, he spun back to Maku. "How is she?" He asked.
"What? You doubt her?"
"Never. But it's been a few days since anyone at the Farm has heard back from her, even your clan. I just wanted..."
"To make sure she's okay?" Maku interrupted the thought, cupping his hands to his blue tinted cheeks. "Aw, that's so cute."
Shaxx slowly shook his head, trying to keep his rising irritation from getting the better of him. Normally, he didn't mind Maku's antics, but he didn't have the patience for it today. Something caught his eye when he took his gaze away from the Warlock. A Titan was leaning against the shuttle in the far back, larger than most run of the mill Guardians, he had a rocket launcher strapped to his back and a harsh stare directed at the Crucible handler.
He didn't have the chance to ponder the strange look before Maku grabbed his attention again. "So...Lord Shaxx." The Warlock's grin widened. "I've got quite a story for you."