Hey, sorry this took so long to get out. I won't dwell on excuses but I will let you know that I have started college and I've been pretty busy so that's one reason it took so long to get this out to you. Anyway, as always enjoy the next segment of this adventure and please rate, review, and enjoy.
Chapter 11: Best laid plans
The members of Fireteam Nemesis sat together in silence. Jewel layed in another room on Lances bed, her cries only recently ceasing. The others waited for Lance in the living room.
"Maybe it's not that bad." Kore finally spoke up.
"Lance has been meeting with the Vanguard for over 30 minutes. I highly doubt it's not bad." Max replied.
"Well excuse me for trying to be positive." Kore muttered.
"Shouldn't you be a joke cracking idiot right about now?"
"Not when something serious is happening Max! I'm sorry I'm not an emotionless brick like you."
"I'll show you emotionless!" Max said as Syd and Val held them away from each other.
"Both of you stop this!" Valkyrie yelled. "You're acting like children! How are we to resolve this development if we're at war with each other? Now both you sit down, shut up and wait for Lance to get back." Kore took a seat on the couch while Max leaned against the wall.
"Don't worry guys, we're Fireteam Nemesis for pete's sake." Syd said cheerfully. "I'm sure that any minute now Lance is gonna walk in that door with a full proof plan to rescue Aaron plus a bunch of guardians to help us." Shortly after the door to the apartment opened.
"DAMN IT!" Lance yelled from the hall as he stomped into the room and smacked a glass vase off it's shelf shattering it.
"Those bastards! Cowards, all of them! Damn them to all to hell!" Lanced finished yelling before before dropping onto the couch next to Kore.
"Alright guys, prepare yourselves for bad news." Kore said, dropping his optimism.
"Quiet Kore." Val said. "What happened Lance?"
"What happened? I'll tell you what happened. They aren't going to help Aaron."
"What?" Val exclaimed.
"They say they don't have enough intel on the situation to know what we're up against. A rescue mission would put to many guardians at risk for the chance of saving one that's probably dead already."
"So what do we do?" Syd asked her eyes brimming with tears of her own. Lance sighed.
"I don't know."
The room fell silent for a few minutes. The five guardians staring at the floor.
"What would Aaron do?" Syd asked. At that moment the door to Lances bedroom opened and Jewel walked out.
"He would go get us." Jewel said through the tears in her eyes. "Aaron wouldn't care what the Vanguard said. He would do anything to help us, so we owe him the same."
The five others looked at each other. Kore stood up first.
"I'm in." He said.
"Me too." Syd said.
"I'll go." Val said.
"We owe it to him." Lance said.
"How do we do it?" Max asked. "The Vanguard monitors every inbound and outbound ship. We would be in violation of numerous regulations. We would be court martialed."
"I don't care." Jewel said. "He would do the same for us." Max looked at the five guardians standing before him and he sighed in defeat.
"Alright then. So what's the plan?" Max asked.
"That's what we have to figure out." Jewel said. "Lance what do you know about Aaron's mission?"
"I know that he was investigating a big building outside of Chicago in the American Ruins. The building had an over abundance of Fallen activity."
"Alright it's a start. Val, Max, Can you two see if you can get your hands on the Vaguard's files for his mission?" Val nodded.
"Kore, Lance, I need you two to go to the hanger and make sure no one will be able to track our ships."
"Alright." Lance said.
"Sydney I need you to try and get your hands on some supplies for us. Guns, ammo, anything we may need."
"I know some people who can help us out."
"As far as me I'll talk around the tower. I'll try and see if we can get anymore help and I'll make sure Amanda doesn't tell Zavala where we're going."
"You think she'll do that for us?" Lance asked.
"She did for Cayde when he sent the first guardian to the Dreadnaught during the Oryx crisis. Besides we're good friends and she still owes me for finding her some ship parts a while back."
"Alright team. Operation save our valiant leader's hairy ass is a go! Ready, Break!" Everyone glared at Kore for a while.
"Sorry guys."
"Alright, everyone go and do your jobs and we'll meet up in the hanger before we leave."
Everyone took off to do their part of the plan. Jewel herself started by paying a visit to Shaxx. As she descended the steps to the main hall she noticed that the Vanguard weren't paying her any mind. She breathed a soft sigh of relief as she walked up to the Crucible Master.
"Ah Jewel it's good to see you. I saw you awhile ago but you ran off and you looked upset. Is everything alright?"
"I'll be fine. Just dealing with some things right now."
"Want to talk it over?"
"I'd rather not actually. Besides I'm not really here to chat either. I had some questions to ask you."
"Fire away."
"So since you fought the Fallen at the Battle of Twilight Gap, I was wondering if you could give me some advice on fighting them."
"Do you know what house you'll be fighting?" Shaxx askeed.
"Does it matter?"
"It does." He began. "The different houses tend to behave differently. The House of Devils is very single minded. They may be predictable but they're far from stupid. They will fight and die to the bitter end for something they want. The House of Exiles is very reckless. They take dangerous chances but that makes them spontaneous and unpredictable. The House of Winter…"
"Is there a house in the American Ruins?" Jewel interrupted.
"Probably the House of Kings if anything. And I wouldn't take unnecessary chances with the Kings. They're tactical and intelligent. They're the house that is most like a real military."
"If you had to face them how would you go about it?"
"Why are you asking?" Shaxx said sternly. "Are you plotting something Jewel?"
"I just wanted to do some exploring in the American Ruins and I wanted to know what I may be up against." Shaxx folded his arms and stared at Jewel silently.
"Don't give me that look Shaxx." Jewel said despite the fact Shaxx's helmet covered his face. "Just answer the question." Shaxx sighed.
"I would be careful and tactical. Don't take any chances. The kings usually don't operate in small squads, they'll have full divisions deployed. My best advice, use everything that could give you an advantage."
"Well gee that's some ground breaking advice there Shaxx." Jewel said which earned a slight chuckle from the Titan.
"It's the best I got for ya."
"Thanks Shaxx. I appreciate it." Jewel said as she turned to leave.
"Jewel." Shaxx called out before she left. "Be careful." Jewel nodded then ascended the stairs back to the courtyard.
Jewel then made her way toward the hanger. As she entered the hanger she saw Lance and Kore down on the deck working on their ships like she had asked. Jewel walked up to where the shipwright spend most of her time. Jewel found her giving instructions to someone who was working on a sparrow.
"No no no, the red wire goes here, and the blue wire goes here. Also don't mess with the green wire or you could blow up the sparrow so do be careful."
"Another broken sparrow." Jewel asked getting the Shipwright's attention.
"Nah, just teachin some of these boys how to work on em. So what brings you here this time round?"
"A favor actually. A big favor."
"Alright shoot."
"I need you to clear a launch for me and five other guardians and lie about where we're going."
"Hell no."
"Come on Amanda you owe me for those parts I got you."
"Look I helped Cayde that one time cuz he's a Vanguard and we were in a crisis. I mean Zavala probably would have torn me to ribbons if the mission hadn't been successful."
"Come on Amanda I can't do this, we can't do this without your help."
"And just what are you planning to do?" Someone else said.
Jewel froze when she heard the third voice behind her. She knew exactly who it was but she silently prayed that she happened to be wrong. Jewel turned around and her fears were realized when she saw Cayde standing behind her with his arms folded and Val and Max standing in front of him with defeated looks on their faces.
"You mind filling me in on this little escapade?" Cayde asked. Jewel started to sweat bullets.
"Oh well we were just going to patrol around the Cosmodrome for a bit. We just didn't want anyone bothering us you know." Cayde was silent for a little bit as he looked at Jewel.
"Wow. That is the biggest load of pure, unfiltered thrall shit I've ever heard in my entire life. I expected better lies from you Jewel honestly I did."
"Damn it Cayde." Jewel said.
"Hey hey I'm sensing some hostility here and I don't really appreciate it."
"What do you expect Cayde? What do you want from me?"
"I want to know why the hell your trying to weasel your way to casanova's rescue"
"Why? You know damn well why, you want to leave Aaron to die!"
"No, Ikora and Zavala want to leave Aaron to die." Jewel dropped some of her anger.
"What are you talking about?" Cayde stepped a little closer and his voice lowered a bit.
"Listen Zavala to stubborn and to the book and Ikora just doesn't care but I know that we need to get Aaron back. He's one hell of a fighter and he's one of the best Titans we have. When I picked up on Val and Max trying get a hold of Aaron's mission files I knew you were planning something."
"So you're not going to stop us?"
"Stop you? Hell no. I fact I'll sign you off on a mission so you're cleared to fly, I'll give you all we've got on his mission and the progress he made, and I'll give you a little gift." Cayde handed Jewel a small black box.
"What is this?" Jewel asked.
"That there is a handy little signal jammer. It'll interrupt any sensor waves that get near it. If you fly in a tight formation it'll keep you off the Fallen radar so you can fly in a little closer." Jewel smiled and she looked back at Cayde who stood up a little taller and placed one hand on his hip and pointing the other finger Jewel jokingly.
"Now as your commanding officer I have to warn you of all the rules you're about to break." Jewel jumped forward and gave Cayde a huge hug.
"When did breaking a few rules ever stop you?" Cayde chuckled and returned the hug.
"Never. I prefer to break them actually." Jewel released the exo and wiped a tear of joy from her eye.
"Thanks Cayde."
"Go on. Get your man back." Jewel gave Cayde a mock salute before she left with Max and Val to help Lance and Kore with the ships. Cayde watched them as they made their final preparations and as he did he let out a sigh.
"I just pray you're not too late."