Prophet: Link, I managed to do as you said…even though the original transmission itself erased itself after broadcasting. See? Told you someone's covering up their tracks.
Me: Well? What were you able to find out?
Prophet: From what I was able to remember after the broadcast erased itself, this was all I was able to get.
*Prophet opens a hologram*
[WE ARE THE CYPHERS.
THE ABSOLUTION DIRECTIVE IS COMING.
THE TOWER, THE CONSENSUS, AND THE VANGUARD WILL PAY FOR WHAT THEY DID TO US.
15-14-5 15-6 21-19 19-20-1-14-4-19 1-13-15-14-7 20-8-1-20 '19-1-6-5 8-1-22-5-14' 25-15-21 3-1-12-12 20-8-5 3-9-20-25.
23-1-9-20-9-14-7.
23-1-20-3-8-9-14-7 1-12-12 15-6 20-8-15-19-5 23-8-15 3-1-12-12 20-8-5-13-19-5-12-22-5-19 '23-1-18-18-9-15-18-19 15-6 20-8-5 12-9-7-8-20'.
20-15 20-8-5 20-15-23-5-18, 20-8-5 3-15-14-19-5-14-19-21-19, 20-8-5 22-1-14-7-21-1-18-4, 1-14-4 20-8-5 19-16-5-1-11-5-18 23-5, 3-25-16-8-5-18-19 4-5-12-9-22-5-18 25-15-21 1 23-1-18-14-9-14-7.
23-5 23-9-12-12 18-9-19-5 1-7-1-9-14 19-20-18-15-14-7-5-18, 20-8-1-14 25-15-21 18-5-13-5-13-2-5-18 21-19.
1-14-4 23-8-5-14 25-15-21-18 3-9-20-25 1-14-4 20-18-1-22-5-12-5-18 9-19 15-14 20-8-5 22-5-18-7-5 15-6 2-5-9-14-7 20-1-11-5-14 5-24-16-5-3-20 14-15 8-5-12-16 6-18-15-13 21-19.
THIS IS THE PRICE YOU WILL ALL PAY FOR YOU DID WHAT YOU DID TO US!]
Prophet: To be truthful, I find what I've deciphered to be already disturbing. There are…things out there, whoever broadcasted this, are already spiteful of the City and the Vanguard.
Me: Agreed. Plus, 'The Absolution Directive'? That doesn't sound good… Same drill as before, Prophet: decipher what you can in time for the next one. And as for this chapter based on 'The Dreadnaught' mission, I will be splitting it into two pieces due to how exhausting it is to play the mission for details and everything. Enough talk, let's get into it.
Chapter VIII: Infiltrating the Impossible
"Okay, can somebody explain how the hell did we get here?"
"How the hell are you one of Spectre's Fireteam members if you're complaining too much?" The Sunstriker stared into the abyss underneath them, then over the chasm between them and where a Hive Wizard hovered over the other side, taunting them just by hovering over the edge.
"I think the more appropriate phrase is, 'why the hell are you complaining if you knew how to modify stealth drives?'." Silver looked around the area he and his Fireteam was located in, bright blue optics scanning over everything to find another path across the chasm. "And I quote a certain Ghost, 'we're just stuck here with no ship and no transmat zone'."
"Really feeling the attention, Silver." Primus sourly retorted.
"You live and learn with what you got, sis, because beggars can't be choosers." Spectre scanned over the area, his customized handcannon at the ready. Even if Primus could be able to sense hidden objects, something about this place became unsettling the instant they landed. Even if it was the Hive's ship they're on.
"Even if they're complete wimps?"
Spectre turned to face Lightning. "Don't underestimate someone if they're complaining too much. Rez might look the part, but he's one hell of a sharpshooter…outside the Crucible, that is."
"A fact that I will… Hey!" Rez immediately caught on the Titan's insult, pointing one of his knives at him. However, he put it down in the fear of having the two punch him in the face again.
"Admit it, you killed yourself and July with a sniper round. And not on the same day, I may add."
"Okay, I get it!" Rez screamed, throwing his hands in the air. "You don't need to add more salt to injury!"
"Yes, I do have a need to do so… If you're going to keep acting like an asshole!"
"Then stop with the punches to my pride!"
Under his helmet, Spectre rolled his eyes and gave up. He then threw a boot at Rez's gut, causing him to bend over and Spectre threw him over the chasm.
"NOT AGAAAAAAAAAIIIIINNNNN!" Rez bellowed as he plummeted into the darkness of the chasm, the Wizard watching as the Hunter helplessly get swallowed into the abyss within its ship.
"Oh, and do me a favor and tell me how deep that chasm goes!" Spectre called out into the abyss, receiving a single 'SCREW YOU!' in response. He shrugged as Church materialized next to him and faced Lightning. "Well, what are we doing here anyway?"
The Sunstriker exhaled defeatingly. "Don't tell me that you forgot why we're here."
"It was a joke. Of course I know why we're here."
"Then explain it."
Earlier…
"Spectre? Spectre!" Primus hovered over the form of the sleeping Sunbreaker, who was breathing heavily and thrashing about. Much to the Ghost's amazement, Spectre wasn't responding at all even though he was a light sleeper and didn't take loud noises lightly. He started to notice sweat begin to bead on his partner's forehead, and already Primus knew that Spectre was trapped in another nightmare.
"…No… I can't… I won't…!"
"SPECTRE!" the Ghost screamed in the Titan's ear, but still he continued to thrash about and relive the nightmares. In his nightmare fueled trance, his arm sent the Ghost away from him, sending him into the table where the dust-collecting First Curse laid. "I'm sorry Spectre, but I gotta do this…!" the Ghost opened a holographic interface and started to select random commands that would seem ridiculous, until he selected a final one.
The roar of an Ahamkara blasted out of Primus's night-colored shell, the majestic yet terrifying scream of the creature roaring in the room, and most painfully, right in Spectre's ear.
The leader of the Ancient Vanguard escaped from the prison of his nightmares and sat straight up, the sweat now pouring down on him as a last scar from the prison of his past he suffered. Primus inched away from his partner, the blue 'eye' in the center of his black shell being the light on Spectre's face. He turned to Primus and grabbed the Ghost by the shell, growling at his prey.
"Primus…"
"Please don't burn off a part of my shell! I'm too good-looking to have a part burned off!"
"…Thanks." The Sunbreaker let go of his Ghost, confusing the machine made by the Traveler's dying breath. "Thanks for using Dmitri's signature sound when he uses Dragon's Landing."
"I didn't want to do it, but you were in another nightmare." Primus informed, watching as his partner sat at the side of the bed and press his hands to his face to forget what happened. While the two were partners, Primus knew the level of PTSD Spectre was suffering from, and the trauma of the realization of what he had done. Spectre's mental stability wasn't exactly as…stable…as it should be for a leader. Even if he had put up the façade that he was fine, but the terrible truth lay beneath that veil that a lot of Guardians never broke through.
"So why'd you wake me up?"
"It's Cayde."
The mere mention of the Hunter Vanguard's name sent a wave of disgust towards the Titan, especially after the little 'errand' he ran for Cayde. Spectre pinched the bridge of his nose, waking his eyes up with that single gesture as he got out of bed. He walked over to the glass door that lead to the balcony on his part of the quarters and looked outside. Snow began to fall, and the snowflakes began to gather out on his balcony. The moon, waxy silver as ever, shone light in his room, soon illuminating his face the moment he stood before the glass door.
However, just as Spectre saw his reflection, he didn't grow remorseful of what he saw. Even so, he wasn't sure what was real and what was a product of his trauma anymore when he was alone. He simply stared at himself. Because his reflection stared back at him, but his eye that wasn't covered by his blonde locks warped into the same gold color that he saw on Vesper's face before she died.
"Spectre…" (A/N: Just to have a feeling to this following scene, play Aerith's Theme from FFVII: Advent Children. Right now, I'm comparing Spectre and Vesper to Cloud and Aerith because of the pain and suffering both Cloud and Spectre share… Screw it. Use it every time Vesper shows up!)
From his reflection, he saw a hand resting on his shoulder, which traveled down his forearm and found its place in his hand. Following the gentle hand on his shoulder was a face he knew all too well. Vesper stood at his side, resting her head on his shoulder lovingly and holding his hand in hers.
"Vesper…" the Sunbreaker put his head down and stared at the floor, his dead lover faintly smiling and holding him tighter. "Why'd you have to go? You were everything to me, but I─!"
"Enough," she shushed him, nuzzling her head into the Titan's arm. "I've heard it many times to know what conclusion you're trying to reach. I know how much you blame yourself for it all. It hurt you. Broke what leftover hope you had of trying to wish it didn't happen."
Spectre tilted his head to have their heads meet, even though he was talking to a ghost of the woman he loved. He never knew why, but every time Vesper was here with him, her ghostly presence felt real to him. Like she was still here, among the living. But in reality, the song-like voice she had, the beauty worthy of a goddess, and the melodious laugh he grew to love was all a hallucination after he killed her.
"You knew how much I would never hurt you, not even if we had known each other the moment we met as kids," he squeezed her hand, glancing up at the reflection and wore a frown on his face. "I spent four years running. Running from the memory of the day I had to kill you out of my own free will. But every time I ran away from it, it comes back stronger than before, and I guess I gave up on running away. I let the void swallow me whole, leaving me to drown in the memories of that day."
"But what about everything you've done?" asked the spirit of Spectre's love, letting go of his arm and standing in front of him. She placed her hand on his scar-torn cheek, tracing her index finger along it and frowned. "The Black Garden, Atheon, Skolas, and then Crota. Do they mean nothing to you? You're a Guardian, Spectre. A Titan. A wall in which the Darkness breaks. A lot of Guardians, both old and new, look up to you. You're a shining example of what makes a true Guardian."
"…They meant something for a while. Instead of helping me forget it all, they only held it back. I was a wall in which the Darkness breaks, but it all crumbled," he looked at Vesper and caressed her cheek, brushing strands of her hair aside with his thumb. "I don't know anymore… Some leader I turned out to be, huh? What kind of leader still mourns after all this time?"
"I know how much it hurts," Vesper places a hand over Spectre's heart, clearly frowning and closing her eyes. "Being a hero to the City, and yet, feeling like a criminal who killed one of their fellow Guardians. And it was me that's been the source of it all."
"Vesper…"
"You won't stop beating yourself up because of my death. Every day, every night, even every waking moment you remember my death by your hand. You're not the man I loved for the most part. And it's because of your guilt that you won't return to normal again."
"I just want to be myself again, but I will never get that chance. All because of me."
A tear began to fall from Vesper's face, looking down at the floor. "Spectre, I've said this before, and I will not hesitate to say it again, so promise me something."
"Promise you…?"
"Promise me that you'll move on. I don't want the man I love to suffer for the rest of his life as a miserable, emotionless killing machine." Vesper rested her head against her lover's chest, letting the tears fall without audibly crying. Spectre held her close, stroking her hair as she let them fall before looking into his eyes. "You're better than that. You gave me the gift of happiness when I was rejected by everybody else, and I don't want it all to fall apart because of my death. Please, Spectre, just let it go. It's no use being stuck in the past."
The Titan bowed his head and continued to hold the dead spirit of his lover close. But if I let it go, then what will I remember of you? You were the only one that made me happy. No one else. I don't want my memories of you to fade away to nothing. "…I can't guarantee that I'll let it go, but the least I can do is try," he lifted Vesper's chin with his finger, gazing into her eyes regretfully and lovingly. "I didn't want what happened that day to happen, but I couldn't say no to the Cyphers. You know how they are."
"You never really changed in some aspects, didn't you?" Vesper felt her lover wipe her tears off her cheeks, and she warmly smiled. "That's what I love about you. Even through times like now, you still manage to have some of the old you show." Vesper then gave the Sunbreaker a peck on the cheek, taking a step back and smiling. Just five seconds into her smile, she began to fade away, and by the time Spectre blinked, she was gone. Vanished, faded away into the night like the ghost she is.
Primus hovered at the sidelines, watching his partner continue to stand close to the glass door. He dared not to get close to him, nor get his attention during the state he's in. He felt sorry for Spectre, having to suffer and yet, talk to illusions of his dead lover conjured from his PTSD.
"Primus, what does Cayde want now?"
Spectre's Ghost hovered over to his shoulder, shell whirring and clicking. "Cayde has another unorthodox mission for you, and he wants you to meet him in the hangar. Oh, and he doesn't want you to talk to him through comms channel. Zavala and Ikora might catch on, and we might be restricted from leaving the Tower."
"Typical of him. Sending a Titan to do some Hunter's work, especially with a Titan like me…" he turned towards his desk, where his Titan armor was resting, waiting for another day of being used. "Primus, tell Cayde that I'll be there in 30 minutes."
"Got it."
-Destiny-
"Look who decided to show up!"
"Cayde, I swear if there isn't a good reason for waking me up at three in the morning, I'm not doing anymore 'errands' for you as long as you're still the Hunter Vanguard." Spectre growled, just waiting for the opportunity when he'd show Cayde some manners to a busy Guardian like him.
Normally, during the day, the hangar would be alive with a lot of machines and frames working on repairing the Guardians' ships as well as storing them. But tonight? The hangar was entirely empty, save for the ships suspended mid-air with supports that the frames would use to repair them and the Vanguards. The only light in the hangar was from the moonlight, shining down on the two while they blended in with the dark of the night.
"Hey, hey, no need to be all prickly," Cayde jested like normal, playing around with a wrench in his hand. "Besides, this'll probably be the last errand from me you'll have to worry about."
"And why's that?" the Titan crossed his arms, staring at the Exo. "Because if it means losing my spot in the Hall of Guardians, I'm putting you to blame for that. That, and make you pay me Glimmer to compensate that loss."
"Yeowch. Which is exactly why I called you out here at this time."
He paced around one of the ships suspended by the supports, pointing the wrench at it. Even if it was dark right now, Spectre could identify the ship Cayde was pointing towards. An eerie green glow, and decorated with bones… To Spectre's knowledge, there were only two ships that were rewarded to him from Eris after slaying Crota that match this one. But there was Eris's emblem imprinted on the nose of the ship. That meant two things.
And none of them were good.
"What the hell are you up to?! Eris will kill us!"
"That's why I had you get the stealth drive from my stash. Knowing the Hive, they'll pass off Eris's ship as one of their own…since it reeks like one."
"No kidding." Second the Titan, glad that his helmet had a filtration system to filter out the smell coming out of Eris's ship.
"So here's the plan: you fly to Saturn's rings, get in the Dreadnaught, take out that weapon that wiped out the Awoken, set up a transmat zone, and send in the calvary!"
"You make it sound simple, yet in reality, it becomes complicated as we progress in the mission."
Cayde handed Spectre the wrench, and as soon as the tool got in his hands, he immediately thought of swinging it and knocking out the Hunter Vanguard. Instead, he put it down and looked up at Eris's ship. I swear, Eris will kill me… As much as he's a risk taker, he was willing to take the risk this time around…even if the 'vague oracle' will kill him.
"Off you go!"
"I'm not going alone, Cayde. You're coming with me."
"Me?" the Exo pointed to himself, an innocent foolery not effective this time. "I'm not flying that thing, nor going with you."
"He's got a point, Spectre." Both vanguards turned around towards the hangar's entrance. Spectre drew out Skyfall and aimed it at the entrance, but he lowered it.
Standing there, arms crossed and prepared, was the rest of Nero Bianco. Rez, Silver, and Lightning.
"I'm not just gonna stand by and worry where the hell you've been, Spectre," Lightning approached her twin brother, resting a hand on his shoulder. "We're family. And my responsibility as your older sister. You're not going alone."
"You heard every word of this, haven't you?"
"Down to the last breath."
Damn her and her tendency for eavesdropping… Spectre groaned, looking over at Cayde. He sent off angered daggers at the Hunter Vanguard, and he shrugged. I swear, this is the last time I'm doing anything that deals with Eris. Thinks he can get away with this… Well, we'll see who has the last laugh when I force him to pay me Glimmer for both the loss of my spot in the Hall of Guardians and if Eris's ship gets destroyed.
The Exo Warlock approached the two Titans, handing the Sunbreaker a device. Just as soon as the device landed in Spectre's hand, it disappeared, adding the familiar weight of the anti-Taken armor prototype he was familiar to. He flexed his knuckles, remembering the articulation being just as good…before he busted it. "Here. It's not up to par with the anti-Taken armor everyone's using right now, but this has to do. Since your armor's already filled up with Exotic perks, I made a compact version for you."
"Wait, aren't you supposed to─"
"Stay out of action for at least another week? Like hell I'd skip out on this one!" Arc energy coursed through the Warlock's palm, turning into a ball of electricity. He brought it to eye level, illuminating the area of the hangar where they stood before crushing it like it was a ball of glass. "Firewing already started a retaliation strike without us on the Moon. Sucks to be them since we'll be launching one of the biggest retaliations in the war on the Taken's home turf."
Even though Rez didn't want to board the Dreadnaught, he gave a two-fingered salute towards his Fireteam leader. And if he thought he could just go back to the quarters and sleep, he's got another thing coming.
"Alright, here's the plan right now: Rez, Silver, swap your ships out for the ones Eris gave us when we slayed Crota. Light, you're going with me. Plain and simple."
"And why should I go with you on a ship that reeks like Hive?"
"Light, this is no time to be picky. As Cayde said, a ship with the scent of a Hive can get us past that weapon. Your Draught of Nectar won't cut it. If you went in with that ship and the three of us with Hive ships, we're going to end up like the Awoken."
Silver, with the help of his Ghost, Alpha, began to swap out his The Road Unraveled to the Bane of Dark Gods gifted to him by Eris, custom built scout rifle and fusion rifle authorized by Ikora being prepared for battle. Rez also did the same thing, swapping his Kondratyuk's Escape to a Light in the Abyss and loading his Last Word and Stillpiercer.
However, just as the rest of Spectre's Fireteam was preparing for the mission, Spectre caught a figure in the corner of his eye. Standing next to Eris's ship was Vesper, hood down and raven hair gently flying about. The apparition caught note of the Titan's sight and warmly smiled, walking towards him.
"Good luck."
He nodded in response. I will.
"Give them hell. You're not known as the Hive Conquerer for nothing. So show them that you'll be their undoing."
"Spectre?" Again, Vesper had vanished, bringing him back to reality. "How long do we have until we leave?"
The leader of Nero Bianco looked out the open hangar and towards the direction of the silvery moon, then back at the Warlock.
"Wheels up in five!"
-Destiny-
Rings of Saturn
The trio of ships reached the end of their jumpspace, the familiar blue tunnel they all traversed to go beyond Earth leaving their sight as they approached the gas giant known as Saturn. Knowing the entire Fireteam, they had to have passed by Saturn while on their travels to the Reef, so they didn't have time to see the planet in its glory.
Just as soon as the ships lurched forward and brought back to normal space, they were taken aback by the entire planet and its ring. However, there was something that changed. And it stuck out like a sore thumb. Within the inner portion of the ring was a circle large enough to have been made by a detonated space bomb.
But that was no space bomb's doing.
And Fireteam Nero Bianco knew that.
"Unbelievable…"
"Oryx did that?" the Sunbreaker gently pushed the lever for the thrusters forward, checking the instruments within Eris's ship and monitoring the stealth drive. "By the Traveler…"
"Amen to that, Spectre." With the help of Primus, he was able to have a video feed with the Warlock and Hunter that came along with him. Their looks of disbelief and bewilderment were evident, even if they had their helmets on.
"All those Awoken… Wiped out like they were baby Ahamkara…"
At a medium speed, the three ships advanced towards the epicenter of the problem, and as they got closer, they saw what was exactly in the middle of the hole in the ring. The Dreadnaught. And with it, the Taken King. The ships dove under the ring, using the debris and rocks as camouflage as they made their advance.
Primus hovered next to Spectre's shoulder, taking in the carnage and destruction that came with the annihilation of the Awoken fleet. "It only took one blast from the Dreadnaught."
"When you're through, it'll never fire again," Cayde reminded the Fireteam, looking at the video feed that Primus was feeding to him. "Just don't forget to plant the transmat link so the other Guardians can land. Not everybody's got stealth tech and a…ship that smells like Hive. Good luck, Nero Bianco."
Cayde signed off from the comms, leaving the four-man Fireteam to proceed with their unorthodox mission. Just as the ships continued their venture to the Dreadnaught, the remains of the Awoken fleet─both their ships and pilots─came into view. Spectre became sickened at the sight of many good Awoken losing their lives in a single shot. They didn't deserve this, not even Mara. He held a great respect for the Queen of the Awoken, understanding why the Reef isolated themselves before the Tower was given the opportunity to hunt down the House of Wolves. Uldren, in his book, probably deserves such a death for being a royal pain in Nero Bianco's ass.
Spectre turned to face his Ghost, nodding. "Activating stealth drive."
Within the second they cleared out of the asteroid field that made up Saturn's ring, the trio of ships vanished in thin air, made effective with the help of the stealth drive. The Hive ship that was a mere hologram when Spectre and his team recovered from the Cabal base now towered over their ships, much like a human towering over an ant. For once, Spectre felt intimidated by the appearance of the ship. And the weapon right in front of them.
"I'm picking up fluctuations in the power conduit."
"What? No way, I helped modify the tech to have the three of our ships be cloaked at the same time. Probably just Saturn's radio storms running interference." Rez noted, both Guardian at the pilot's seat and his Ghost looking at each other in some form of abstract horror. Rez…and modifying stealth tech.
However, the sound of an alarm rang out in Eris's own ship, followed by a red light coloring the area.
"What the─?!" Spectre looked over at the controls in his panel, checking to see what was going on.
"It's malfunctioning!"
"Are you serious?! Did you break the damn thing!?"
Just as quick as the stealth drive turned on, the cloaking device's effect lifted off of the three ships making their way to the Dreadnaught. Great, now all of us are sitting ducks… Spectre slowed his commandeered ship down to a somewhat crawling speed, Rez and Silver's own ships following the lead ship.
Primus leaned next to Spectre's ear, making a Ghost's version of whispering to a Guardian's ear. "You think they can see us?"
"I just hope not…"
However, their hope of not being seen was sent off to the sun to burn. Four beams of light traveled across the surface of the Dreadnaught, making their way to a circular area right before them. Once those beams reached the circle, the entire thing lit up, the familiar, yet menacing color of the Taken dominant over it. And for that, Primus's question was answered.
"I think they can see us!"
"Punch it! Now!" Lightning ordered. Not hesitating for a second, Spectre punched it, and so did Rez and Silver. The Hive ships kicked it into overdrive and started flying away from the weapon, but still in proximity to the Dreadnaught. The trio of ships veered to the right side of the weapon, where Spectre could see a form of entry point for them to land. The hand on the throttle started to tighten, Spectre hearing the faint sound of bones cracking under the pressure.
C'mon, c'mon…! Spectre kept the overdrive throttle down, praying to the Traveler that they'll make it in time. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the circle that the Dreadnaught used as a weapon start to fill and form into a ball. Dammit, no!
And it all ended with a bang.
The weapon had fired again, wiping out the entire Fireteam just as the Awoken fleet before them. The two Bane of Dark Gods and single Light in the Abyss disintegrated and exploded, joining the wreckage of the fleet in corpses or pieces. In a spectacular display of pieces and explosions, the Dreadnaught has proven its power against those weak and foolish enough to infiltrate it.
Or so they thought.
Four shapes appeared within the Trenchway of the Dreadnaught, two of them collapsing upon landing and the other two on their knees kneeling. All of them were breathing heavily, their Ghosts hovering in front of them to analyze the damage they took. Because if it weren't for Primus, Church, Artemis and Alpha, they would all be lost like the Queen and her fleet.
"Goddammit… I thought we were goners."
"Seconded, brother."
"Me three." Silver uttered, looking over at the Hunter and grinning, now that he beat the Nightstalker to the punch.
"Damn you, Silver."
"What happened? Everything all right?"
"Why wouldn't we be, Cayde? We're just stuck here with no ship and no transmat zone." The Ghost equivalent of Spectre bitterly retorted, shell angrily clicking and grinding at the near-death experience the eight had.
"Great. Told you my stealth drive would work."
"Cayde, I swear when I get back, I will kill you." Growled the Ancient Vanguard leader, his fist starting to rage a flame orange.
"Yikes. Gotta go before Spectre goes full out dark side mode." Once again, the Hunter Vanguard signed off, leaving the four-man Fireteam back to the mission.
After spending a few minutes kneeling, Spectre got back up on his feet. He could feel his energy surging back to him like a storm, and that was all he needed. Lightning already got back on her feet, readying her Empress of the Abyss and pressing two fingers to one of her audio receptors, activating a sonar function in her helmet. A high-pitched sonar wave followed the activation, spreading from their location to within a ten mile radius. Her helmet relayed the information to Spectre's HUD, revealing a rough recreation of schematics to the Hive ship according to the range of her sonar pulse.
Great. Just great. "Looks like we have our work cut out for us."
