Chapter 19

The Dreadnaught

Alter of Oryx

Oryx hovered along on the large balcony the protruded from the side of his ship, quietly the cosmos that surrounded him. A tall white Knight stepped out onto the balcony carrying a weighty sword, approaching Oryx.

"Master, the fortress has been completed." Ecthar said as he kneeled down behind Oryx. "It now stands where their leaders once did."

"Everything is going according to plan." Oryx said with a small nod as he spread his wings.

"Why did you allow them to escape Master?" Ecthar asked curiously as he looked up at Oryx who looked up, taking a deep breath as he recalled his last meeting with Tobias.

"You've taken everything from me!" Tobias roared as he and Oryx exchanged blows. "I will make you pay for everything you've done to me, and all the people I love!"

"The one who holds the Radiant Light, he is not to be underestimated. He almost bested me once before. He still draws power from the Traveler, so I set out to create the Dreadnaught, to cut off his strength." Oryx explained. "When he sees what we have done to his home, I'm certain he will come after us, just like the first time. And once he boards the Dreadnaught, he will realize that his precious Light can't reach him here."

Reef

4 Vesta

"I'm sure you all know why I called this meeting." Uldren said as he glanced at Ikora and Zavala, two out the three Vanguard Mentors that he had invited to his private chamber.

"Our contacts on Earth informed us that the Dreadnaught has left Earth's Moon about a week ago." Zavala replied, earning a nod from Uldren.

"My spies have confirmed that the Dreadnaught was attacked as it was passing Mars." Uldren explained.

"The Cabal?" Zavala suggested, receiving a nod from Uldren.

"Indeed. A new Cabal Legion had just arrived actually as the Dreadnaught was passing, although it seems that they didn't pose much of a threat to Oryx." Uldren revealed as he brought up a small recording of the Hive ships tearing through the Cabal with ease. "In a last ditch effort the flagship of this new fleet was crashed into the Dreadnaught. The condition of the Cabal on the Dreadnaught are unknown at this point, from we've been able to confirm that the Dreadnaught is on a course for Saturn right now."

"But why would he do that?" Ikora asked as she looked toward Zavala.

"I can't think of a reason for him to abandon the Earth, but we can't pass on this opportunity." Zavala said. "We should execute our plan to venture into the Moon for the shard of the Traveler."

"I agree. In the meantime, I will keep in contact with my spies near Saturn to see what actions Oryx takes from there." Uldren said as Zavala left the room, calling for his Ghost to get into contact with Undaunted.

Ikora remained behind, in deep thought about why Oryx would leave the Earth for them to return to. Was there something he needed from Earth? What could possibly be on Earth that would be of use to a Hive God?

"Are you planning on leaving any time soon?" Uldren asked her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"I just have a quick question for you if you don't mind." Ikora said, receiving a narrow stare from Uldren.

"What could you possibly want to know from me?"

"What do you know about the Speaker?" Ikora asked, clearly catching Uldren off guard with such a question.

The Speaker…

"I know you have a network of spies, some of which were in the Last City before it fell." Ikora continued, but Uldren became casual now. It didn't seem to bother him that his spies had been exposed.

"How very observant of you. I will confirm that my spies once lived among you, but the Speaker was a subject they could never explore. The man is more elusive than you'd think for someone dressed in all white." Uldren commented. "But my spies have all used the same term to describe him. He's a snake."

"We're getting deployed already?" Carmen explained as she and the rest of Undaunted had gathered together in Diana's ship, preparing for takeoff.

"Zavala gave our Ghosts the briefing." Niko replied he and Tobais brought up the rear of the team as they traveled up the ramp into the main cabin to the ship.

"He also gave me a briefing!" A new voice called out to them, causing them all to stop and turn in search of this person.

To their surprise, it was Petra.

"What are you doing here?" Niko asked as he took a few steps aside to approach her, but he was quickly pushed aside by Diana.

"You're joining us?" She asked, receiving a nod from Petra. "What made you want to do that?"

"We're going to war with Oryx and his armies. There's no telling what could happen to us, I thought I would seize the opportunity to spend a little time with my family." Petra explained, earning some confused glances from the other members of Undaunted.

"Family?" Tobias repeated.

"Yeah, Diana and I are related." Petra replied. "We're cousins."

"Really, that's so cool." Carmen exclaimed as she and Tobias approached Petra to introduce them properly.

"You guys can talk on the ship, there's no time to waste." Diana said as she motioned for everyone follow her into the ship.

"Damn Diana, why didn't you tell me you were related to someone so fine?" Niko asked her softly as the two of them were ahead of the rest of the group.

"Because I knew you'd try to hit on her. But believe me, she's not the type of girl you want Niko." Diana said to him, causing Niko to glance back at her.

"I don't see what's wrong with her." Niko replied, ignoring Diana's warning.

"Alright, suit yourself." She said as she went into the cockpit and took her seat behind the controls.

"I'll take this seat." Niko said as she dropped down beside Petra in the cabin, strapping himself to the seat. Petra eyed him for a moment, and Niko gave her a wink in reply. Petra smirked at this before glancing around at the rest of the team.

"So do you all know the details behind this mission?" Petra asked them.

"No, we haven't given them a briefing yet." Tobias's Ghost said as it formed beside of him. "We're heading for Earth's Moon, the Ocean of Storms."

The Warlock gave him a nod in return before the ship began to rise, allowing the landing gear to retract into the base of the craft before it took off, exiting the hanger.

"That's where we went last time with Vance." Carmen noted thoughtfully, getting a nod from Tobias' Ghost.

"We're good Diana." Niko called out to the pilot who then began to the process of departing from the hanger. The ship rose up into the air, allowing the landing gear to retract into its base as they began their journey out into space.

"So what are we going into the Moon for?" Tobias asked.

"This time we're going in even deeper. Eris informed the Vanguard that there's a shard of the Traveler deep within the Moon that the Hive are using to siphon power from…Tobias." Tobias's Ghost stated, surprising the Guardians present.

"Why would the Hive be siphoning power from Tobias?" Niko asked as he looked toward Tobias who only shrugged his shoulders. He had no idea either.

"Actually, it seems as though the original intent of this was to drain the Traveler of its Light. But with Tobias acting as its vessel, they're draining him." His Ghost explained.

"Really?" Niko exclaimed.

"Do you feel weak Tobias? How many fingers am I holding up?" Carmen asked with a grin.

"Oh can it guys, I'm completely fine." Tobias stated with a huff, earning a snicker from the two Hunters.

"The chamber this shard is in is deeper than anything the Awoken have mapped, so I imagine we'll find some dangerous foes down there." Petra pointed out.

"Do you think we'll run into the Taken?" Carmen inquired curiously, looking around.

"Expect it. The Moon is the Hive's turf. I'm sure Oryx must have some of his personal army running around inside of the Moon." Petra replied.

"Are you sure you can handle all of this?" Niko asked her, earning a sharp glance from Petra that sent a chill down Niko's spine.

"Don't underestimate me. I may not be blessed by the Light, but I can hold my own." Petra stated firmly as she looked away from Niko who bit on his lower lip knowing that he had already spoken out of line with her.

'Good luck Niko.' Diana said with a small smile as their ship entered hyperspace, beginning their journey to the Moon.

Earth's Moon

Ocean of Storms

"Isn't it nice to be back?" Diana's Ghost asked the team of five as they trekked down the dark tunnel, their footsteps echoing with every step.

"Whatever you call it." Carmen muttered in response as she tried to shake off the chills she kept getting. She really didn't like it down here.

They had already ventured past the entrance to the shrines that Vance had led them to, through several large rooms and down various tunnels until arrived at an area that Petra recognized as the Circle of Bones. It was an open and spacious area where they could peer down into the Hellmouth, and up to see just how far they had gone down beneath the surface.

"Well this brings back memories." Niko noted as he looked down, recalling when he was part of the raid team that jumped down into this pit to kill Crota.

"How much deeper do we have to go?" Carmen asked, causing Petra to pull out a small data pad that held the map of the tunnels beneath the Moons. Petra spent a few moments studying it quietly as everyone waited for an answer from her.

Tobias felt a sudden chill, causing him to glance around. In the distance, he was certain he saw a shadow quickly vanish into hiding.

'Hmm?' He said to himself as he ventured over the small area that the shadow and disappeared into. It was small room that was barred off, but this didn't deter Tobias. Entering, he scanned it with both his helmet and his own eyes, but there was nothing to be found.

"Tobias, what are doing?" Diana asked him as she stood by the entrance.

"Uhh, I thought I saw something. But it was nothing." He replied quickly as he joined the rest of team since Petra had finished double checking her map.

"So right now we're in the Circle of Bones, the deepest point that we have mapped, but there is a tunnel over there that should take us down to another level." Petra explained as she led the group to the entrance of this tunnel.

"So you don't know what's down there?" Diana asked, earning a nod from Petra.

"But this is our best bet to get down to the chamber we're looking for." She pointed out.

"Fair enough." Tobias said as he took the lead, tightening his grip on his pulse rifle. Everyone else quickly followed, falling into a single file formation as they checked their radars for any sudden movements. Niko was behind Tobias, with Petra trailing him. Carmen was next and Diana brought up the rear.

"Undaunted, what's the situation?" A stern voice asked over the comms. It was Zavala.

"Boy, I'm surprised there's no interference even though we're so far beneath the surface." Diana noted. "But everything is going fine so far Commander. We're entering uncharted areas now, so wish us luck."

"I see, stay focused then. You never know what type of enemies will be waiting for you." Zavala stated, getting a nod of agreement from the fireteam.

"We'll keep you posted Zavala." Carmen stated, earning a sigh from Zavala. Carmen still wouldn't address him by the rank he had earned. Zavala then closed off his line, leaving them to focus on their task as they continued down the tunnel, rounding a corner.

'Tobias…' There was chilling whisper that caused Tobias to freeze as he looked around in search of the voice.

"What's the matter?" Niko asked him after bumping into him from his sudden halt.

"Didn't you guys hear that?" Tobias asked as he looked back at the rest of them.

"Hear what?" Diana asked in return.

"That voice." He said, motioning to the ceiling.

"I didn't hear anything." Niko replied.

"If you're trying to mess with Tobias just quit it!" Carmen hollered as she peeked out from behind Niko.

"Hmm, never mind then." Tobias said as he shook his head. Maybe this was all in his head. "Let's keep moving."

But as the group refocused themselves, the tunnel quaked, catching everyone by surprise.

"What's going on?!" Carmen screamed.

"Look out!" Petra said after glancing up at the ceiling of the tunnel. Just this small tremor had done a number on the tunnel as the ceiling began to collapse directly above Tobias.

In an instant Petra spun around Niko and landed a swift kick to Tobias' back, throwing him forward before she turned and jumped headfirst into Niko's chest, throwing both of them back at Diana and Carmen as the tunnel came crashing down. Niko landed on his back with a thud, Petra resting on top of him. Fortunately, it had been just enough space for both of them to avoid being hit, but now the tunnel was flooded with large stones that blocked it off completely.

"Is everyone alright?" Niko asked as Petra rose up and then offered him a hand to help him up.

"I think so." Carmen responded as she dusted off her cloak.

"What about Tobias?" Diana asked as looked back down at tunnel.

"I'm fine, just a little shaken." Tobias replied through the comms, allowing the rest of the team to breathe a sigh of relief.

Tobias didn't even have a chance to react as the tunnel had collapsed on top of him. If he hadn't suddenly been thrown forward, he definitely would've been crushed.

"So what now? Are we going to try and clear the tunnel?" Carmen asked as she looked toward she studied the current state of the tunnel.

"I wouldn't advise that. That tremor has made this entire area unstable. Shifting anything could only lead to more trouble." Tobias' Ghost said after briefly scanning the ceiling.

"Shoot man, what should we do from here?" Tobias asked.

"Tobias, proceed with the mission." Petra stated as she pulled out her map of the tunnels once again. "I believe there's another way to get to the area you're heading for right now, so we'll come around and meet you there."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I don't see why not. It shouldn't take us long to make the trip around, just keep us updated on what's taking place." Petra replied.

"O-kay." Tobias said as he took one last look at the rocks that separated him from the rest of the team. He was on his own again. Just like when he was in the Cosmodrome Wall. Shaking his head a bit to dispel any doubts, Tobias then pressed forward down the tunnel. He was much stronger now.

Tobias was amazed as he progressed further now into areas that had been developed by the Hive. For a race that appeared to be so volatile, they were capable of some incredible feats. Burrowing beneath the surface of the Moon and building numerous structures was beyond anything he could imagine.

Slowly climbing a tall staircase, his pulse rifle in hand, Tobias glanced up at the large doorway that awaited him on the platform above.

"That's it, the darkest of all the chambers down here." His stated as it hovered in front of him. And Tobias could feel it as well.

It was like there was a heavy weight on his shoulders. But despite how dense the Darkness was, he could also sense the Light. But it was faint.

"We've found the chamber where the shard is located." Ghost said over the comms, relaying the information to the rest of the team.

"Excellent work. We just made it to entrance by the Hellmouth, so it'll be a while before we get down there." Petra replied. "Hold you position there."

"Yes ma'am." His Ghost said before the line was closed, causing Tobias to sigh as they looked down the doorway at the entrance to the chamber.

"So what should we do now?" Tobias asked.

"…Blackjack?" His Ghost offered.

"What do you know about blackjack?" Tobias asked with a snort, shocked that his Ghost made such a proposal.

'Tobias…' There was that whisper again, but this time it echoed, causing Tobias to glanced around in search of the source. 'Tobias…!'

Looking at the closed doors that locked off the chamber, Tobias could tell that it was coming from within the chamber.

"Did you hear that?" Tobias asked his Ghost.

"Hear what?"

"Never mind." Tobias said as he waved off his Ghost. This caused the small drone to narrow its optics as it observed Tobias. This was the second time Tobias asked that someone since they had come down here. Perhaps he was hearing things on a frequency that Ghost didn't know of.

Caught up in its own thoughts, Tobias' Ghost failed to notice him approach the doors, inspecting it for a way to open it. But upon placing his hand on the door, it reacted to him. The doors creaked as they separated, revealing exactly what they were looking for. At the heart of the chamber was a large crescent shaped objected that was tainted green, hovering above a pedestal. The shard.

"Tobias?" His Ghost said as it flew over to him. "What are you doing?"

"Change of plans." Tobias said as he readied his weapon. "We're going in."

Tobias stepped into the chamber, immediately gaining the attention of the three Wizards that had been hovering around the shard. They screeched, raising their hands which gained a blue aura before they began to fire several blue orbs at him. Diving to his left to get behind the cover, Tobias called for his fusion rifle which was quickly placed into his hands, curtsey of his Ghost, and just in time since one of the Wizards had decide to come straight at him.

Hovering over him, it screeched once again as it prepared its attack, but the time it took for it to charge up its own attack was more than enough time for Tobias to charge his fusion rifle. Seeing the one of their own get vaporized by Tobias' fusion rifle, the remaining two Wizards rushed at him together, igniting their hands with a blue aura once again.

Seeing that he was going to be tag teamed this time, Tobias decided to move since he would be caught against the wall if he engaged both Wizards here. Dashing from one column to the next, Tobias did his best to remain hidden, hoping that the two Wizards would split up to search for him. And it worked to perfection.

After losing track of him, both of them went separate ways in search of where he had gone. Waiting behind one column as one of the Wizards drew closer, Tobias recalled what Carmen had shared with him about using fusion rifles.

"Once you understand what it sounds like before it fires, you can pre-charge it behind cover and peek out at the last second to fire. It catches everyone off guard."

Tobias licked his lips as he peaked out to see how close the Wizard was. It was well within range of his fusion rifle, so now was the time to strike. Holding down the trigger, the weapon began to charge. Recognizing the cue of when to fire, Tobias jumped out an unloaded into the Wizard, searing it to bits with the energy bolts that were fired from his weapon.

The remaining Wizard spotted him immediately from across the room and it prepared to fire at him. Using this time, Tobias first his fusion rifle at it once again, but being so far from this Wizard, it was only capable of knocked down the shield that it had. Tobias clicked his tongue as he quickly took cover behind the pillar to avoid being pelted by the energy blasts the Wizard was spamming.

Switching back to his pulse rifle now, Tobias popped out on the other side of the pillar now and took aim at the Wizard. It took two bursts to put the Wizard down, but Tobias was pleased that he had made such easy work of them.

"Gook work Tobias." His Ghost commented as it reappeared beside him now, joining him as they approached the shard of the Traveler.

"Thanks." Tobias replied as Ghost quickly rose up, beginning to scan various parts of it to gain an understanding of how it was being used by the Hive. Although after completing its examination, Tobias' Ghost feared the Hive even more than it had before.

"To think that the Hive are capable of draining the Traveler of its Light." It shuddered.

"Is there a way to stop it?" Tobias asked.

"Not from here. The shard is located here, but the Hive are draining it from a different location." His Ghost explained.

"Can you pinpoint it?"

"Unfortunately I can't. They're not on the Moon."

"Well shoot, what are we going to do? The whole mission is a bust now." Tobias noted as he looked up at the shard. The shard was supposed to be their key to defeating Oryx, but it looked like that plan was already heading down the drain.

"Hello? Hello?" Tobias' Ghost repeated through the comms, trying to get into contact with the rest of the team.

"Is something wrong?"

"There's some heavy interference here all of sudden." His Ghost replied.

"Oh, that's probably me. Sorry about that." A new voice said, causing the duo to whirl around in search of the voice.

Stepping out from behind one of the stone columns on the upper level of the room was what appeared to be a man. But a chill went up Tobias' spine as he looked at the man. Starting at his feet, Tobias slowly looked up, examining the person that stood before him.

His entire body was black with no features on it whatsoever, except for a face. A face that Tobias recognized. It was his own.

"What the?" Tobias said softly as he stared at the man standing before him. It was as if he was looking in mirror. Everything about this man's face matched his own, but his body…

It was black and jagged. Human in shape but clearly deformed. Almost like he was one of the Taken.

"Who are you?" Tobias exclaimed, completely bewildered.

"Who am I?" He asked in return, looking up in thought.

"You, are my wrath. The culmination of everything the Light has robbed me of. You will stomp out the Light, and make the Guardians tremble before you. You are the key to my vengeance! You shall be known as Titus, Wrath of Oryx!"

"I'm you." He stated, focusing on Tobias who shook his head in response.

"No, no. That's impossible. You can't be me." Tobias replied as he pointed at the man. "You're one of the Taken."

"That's true. But I was you before I was Taken." He stated as he jumped down to center platform of the room, looking up at the shard of the Traveler.

"What?" Tobias' Ghost exclaimed.

"No." Tobias continued. "You're some kind of copy or something. There can't be two of me in existence."

The man only shrugged in response as he raised a hand toward the shard. The green taint that permeated the shard was stripped off of it, and pulled into his hand, cleansing the shard in just a few moments. Tobias only tilted his head in confusion now.

"There, that should do it." He said as the shard began to glow again, its Light beginning to shine through now that there was nothing holding it back. Tobias could feel the warmth from the shard, the same warmth he feels when he's close to the Traveler. This man really did cleanse it…

"Why are you helping us?" Tobias asked as he gave this person a narrow stare now, unsure of his motives.

"Like I said, I'm you." He replied. "I have the same desires, goals…dreams. I know you enjoy fighting strong opponents. So do I. And I also know that if this shard is returned to the Traveler, you'll gain an unimaginable power. I want to see it, and fight it."

Tobias glanced at his Ghost. This man was only getting weirder and weirder.

"You probably don't know what to think of all of this, so I'll give you a word of advice, don't stress over it. We're going to meet again in the future, and when we do…it's going to be a battle for the ages." He said as he turned to face Tobias.

His body began to change again, taking on the shape of the clothing that Tobias was wearing. A perfect copy. The man gave him one last look before a helmet formed around his head, completing his effort to copy Tobias' armor. He didn't say another word as he jumped back up to the upper level.

"Titus versus Tobias. I can't wait." He said as stepped farther back onto the platform, vanishing into the shadows there.

"Titus?" Tobias repeated after hearing him mention the name. "Boy, this is getting weirder and weirder."

"Yeah, the Vanguard won't like the sound of this one." His Ghost commented as it turned toward the shard.

"No they're not." Tobias replied.

"Why wouldn't they? We're talking about a Taken variant of you!" Ghost exclaimed. "This could be our worst nightmare."

"Or our greatest ally." Tobias injected, silencing his Ghost. "He just cleansed the shard for us. Imagine what we could accomplish if he really is helping us."

"If? What if he isn't though? Then what? He could feed us false information and lead us to our doom." Ghost proclaimed. "You have no reason to trust him."

Tobias remained quiet now. He could understand his Ghost's point of view, but there was something about this, Titus, that he just couldn't shake. Was this man a friend? Or foe? Was he even a man? There were so many questions building up in his head already, but he was certain that labeling Titus as an enemy wouldn't answer any of these.

"Don't mention him in our report of this mission. He's a secret between just you, and me." Tobias stated, looking directly at his Ghost who glanced at him.

"I hope you understand that I'm loyal to the Light before you Tobias." His Ghost responded. "But I'll overlook this for now because he did help us. But the moment he establishes himself as an enemy, the Vanguard will know everything."

"That's fine with me." Tobias said, putting his Ghost's threat aside. It was all water under the bridge now, and they had more pressing matters to attend to. "We've got the shard, let's get moving."

"Right." Ghost said with a small nod as it rose to the top of the shard before casting a light down onto it. Slowly but steadily, the shard was broken down as the Ghost transferred it into the unique storage space that was used to hold their Guardian's weapons. "Transfer complete."

"Great, let's get out of here." Tobias said as he looked toward the exit to the room. The pair began their journey back, traveling up the staircase that led down into the chamber that held the shard, but as they arrived at the top of the staircase, they discovered that a number of enemies had been waiting for them. Thrall, Knights, Acolytes all began to screech and roar at the sight of Tobias, readying their weapons and flexing their claws.

Back inside of the chamber, Titus was stood on the platform looking down at the doorway Tobias had just left through, a small smirk on his face. He was certain that Tobias must have seen the army that was waiting for him by now. This would be his test. If Tobias couldn't escape the Moon, it would be clear to him that Tobias wasn't ready to wield the Radiant Light at its strongest.

"Let's see how you fair against these odds Tobias." He said before vanishing into the shadows.

A/N

And now we're starting to touch of something I've been absolutely dying to get to. A Taken Guardian. I don't know if its fair to call him that, but you're going to be seeing a lot more of this...Titus. So look forward to that.

The next chapter is my favorite thus far, so I really can't wait to get it up after I finish it up. Once again thanks for the support everyone, and I'll see you next week!