Chapter 27

Earth

The Mulligan

Diana awoke with a fright, her breathing unsteady while her hair hung down in front her face. Her sweat was cold as she looked around the room, realizing that she was still in her room within the Mulligan.

"Diana, what's the matter?" Her Ghost asked, taking shape beside her. Diana glanced at her small companion, recognizing the look of concern within its small optics.

She had just gotten through one of the most vivid dreams she had-had in a long time. During the campaign she didn't get to sleep much, and it was nothing more than rest when she had the opportunity. Dreaming was something she hadn't experienced in quite a bit of time, but this dream was more than just…a dream. She was sure of it.

She had seen images of a Guardian in restraints, hanging in the air with the planet Saturn behind him. Something that she had seen in a vision before. But she could also see the Dreadnaught, leaving her to assume that this man must have been on board the ship. But she didn't understand why she would dream of the Dreadnaught of all things.

"I'm fine." She said after a few moments, allowing her breathing to become steady. Diana then glanced at the clock on the wall. It was three in the morning, which translated to the late evening the in Reef. "Can you open a channel to Petra for me?"

"You got it." It replied, opening up its shell to become the communication relay that Diana had requested. There was a few moments before a connection was established.

"Well Diana, I didn't expect a call from you anytime soon." Petra commented, getting a snort from Diana. "I heard the campaign ended. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah." Diana said with a nod. "Everything's great on our end. But I had a dream tonight."

"And by dream you mean…" Petra trailed off as Diana gave her another nod.

"Yeah... I think it was a vision."

"Of what?"

"It was of a Guardian on the Dreadnaught of all places. The strange thing is that I had a vision like this a couple months ago, and there are some similarities between them." Diana explained.

"Let's consider the similarities then."

"The first vision was hazy, but I could definitely see Tobias all shackled up. Unfortunately, that was all I could make out of the first one." Diana explained for her. It wasn't much to work with, but at least it was something.

"Mhmm, and what about the one you saw tonight?" Petra said.

"In the dream I had tonight, I saw a Guardian in the exact same position as Tobias. But like I said, they were on the Dreadnaught." Diana continued.

"This might be simpler than you think Diana. Could Tobias be on the Dreadnaught?" Petra suggested.

"No, Tobias wouldn't even think of doing, something…" Diana's speech slowed down as she took a second to consider this thought. The Tobias she knew before the campaign wouldn't even think of doing something like this. But since the campaign, Tobias wasn't the same. "Petra, I have to go."

Diana threw off her covers and jumped off her small bed, dashing over the exit of her room.

"Ghost, get into contact with Tobias right now." Diana said as she opened the door of her room so that she could break out into a sprint in the corridor. Tobias' room was on the other wing, across the base from her own. But Diana felt too uneasy to wait until the morning. Could Tobias have seriously gone onto the Dreadnaught on his own? No Guardian in their right mind would do such a reckless thing, and yet she couldn't put this possibility to rest. She would have to check on Tobias herself. "Any luck?"

"No." Her Ghost responded as kept pace with her now. "Neither him or his Ghost are responding."

The uneasy feeling within Diana grew stronger as she rounded a corner, entering the hallway where Tobias' room was located. She came skidding to a halt in front of his door and began pounding on it, screaming his name in hope that he would answer. Her Ghost quickly accessed the control panel and opened up the door to his room as other Guardians began to come out of their rooms from the sudden disturbance. Entering his room, Diana felt a numbness spread throughout her body as she stared at the empty room.

"Tobias?"

Hall of Guardians

"Bring up all the logs from the past two days. I want to see all of our departures!" Zavala hollered to the frames as they retrieved the information from the data Zavala was heatedly searching for. They then transferred it to the central hub Zavala was waiting by, allowing him to quickly scan the list in search of anything out of the ordinary.

The Ghosts of all Guardians recorded where they were going if they were leaving Neo Chicago for any sort of assignment. Some of the information was classified, but Zavala could override any of the details in order to see everything that he wanted.

"Is it true?" Ikora exclaimed as she entered the Hall of Guardians, slightly winded since she had run from her room to the headquarters of the Vanguard.

"It seems so. All of them have already tried contacting him, but he isn't responding." Zavala replied.

"Are you sure he's not working under radio silence?" Ikora suggested as she joined Zavala at the central hub, sorting through the records that were displayed in front of him.

"His Ghost would have given us some sort of signal if that was the case." Zavala said before glancing at her. "Diana Amano has a theory. She said saw Tobias in a vision, on board the Dreadnaught."

It wasn't often that Ikora was left speechless, but this was one of those few cases.

"What?" She exclaimed, giving Zavala a hard stare. "How could this happen?"

"Cayde was informed that Tobias has been developing vendetta. It seems as though he's taken the matter about Oryx into his own hands." Zavala said before his gaze became locked onto one of the entries in the record book. It was recent. Not even a full day ago.

Eris Morn's ship had left the airfield. But all of the information surrounding the mission it had left on was classified. And not even Zavala's override could bring the information to light.

"Eris." Zavala said in low whisper. Could she had kidnapped Tobias and taken him to Oryx? Was she in league with the Hive? Zavala had always felt that he couldn't trust her.

"What about her?" Ikora asked as she eyed the logs, quickly spotting why Zavala had mentioned her name.

"She has something to do with Tobias' disappearance." Zavala said as he began to work on another override, hoping to crack the code that was withholding this information from him.

Ikora remained silent at this though. There was no way Eris could be involved. She was among Ikora's Hidden. Something didn't make any sense. What reason could Eris have to betray the Vanguard?

"Easy Zavala, no need to start pointing fingers just yet." Cayde said as he entered the room, gaining the attention of the two other Vanguard Mentors.

"Timely arrival as always Cayde." Zavala commented, not even turning to look at his Hunter counterpart.

"Would you expect anything less?" Cayde said as he neared the console Zavala was using, brushing Zavala's hands away from the controls that he could input the override. Zavala's gaze became sharp as the record log surrounding the departure of Eris' ship became open. It's destination…the Dreadnaught.

"Cayde, why did you know the override for the details of this mission?" Zavala asked him, hoping to receive an answer that didn't match the assumptions in his head.

"I was the one who assigned it." Cayde revealed, although this wasn't news at this point.

"Are you out of your damn mind?" Zavala snapped at him as Cayde took some distance Zavala.

"Now Zavala, before you do anything you'll regret, take a moment to consider what happened." Cayde said as the Titan took some threatening and heavy steps toward him.

"All I know is that one of our most valuable assets is now sitting in Oryx's clutches." Zavala stated as he came to a halt after feeling Ikora place a hand on his shoulder.

"Care to explain Cayde." Ikora stated, folding her arms in front of her chest. Cayde only chuckled nervously as the other two Mentors were clearly displeased with his efforts to eliminate Oryx.

"If you two recall, the libraries of the Awoken said that Tobias fought Oryx to a standstill in the past." Cayde began. "Then we saw him tap into the Radiant Light beneath the Hive fortress. I was pretty sure that Tobias would be able to take Oryx on mano y mano."

"So what in your right mind made you think it was a good idea to send him into the Dreadnaught by himself." Zavala demanded.

"Tobias was the big hero of the raid teams when we attacked the Hive fortress. This time though, he's paving the way for everyone else." Cayde explained as his Ghost formed beside him, beginning to project some visuals of the Dreadnaught for them. "From the moment he landed on the Dreadnaught, his Ghost was preparing the way for other Guardians."

"So without any of our authorization, you launched an operation against the Dreadnaught." Zavala clarified.

"You can call it what you want, but this operation is a success. There's a transmat zone in the Dreadnaught for us. Its weapons have been disabled. Now all we have to do, is send in the cavalry." Cayde declared with a smirk.

"You failed to mention the sacrifice involved in making all of this possible." Ikora noted, but Cayde waved this off.

"Tobias' Ghost had been mapping the Dreadnaught as they traveled through it. It shouldn't be too hard to have a team track him down in there. And I'm pretty sure there's going to be a fireteam that's more than willing to go after him." Cayde said as the members of Undaunted came to mind.

The news that Tobias had boarded the Dreadnaught by himself had spread like wildfire among the Guardians. And when it was revealed that he had been tasked with killing Oryx, many of them thought that he had lost his mind for undertaking this mission by himself. But this was short lived since the Vanguard quickly announced that they were going on the offensive once again. The Guardians would be boarding the Dreadnaught not only to pursue Tobias, but to put the Taken King to rest.

A great gathering had occurred once again within the Hall the Guardians as the strongest Guardians had come together to discuss an action plan. They had already witnessed the ways the Hive are capable of transforming other worlds. But this time they were going into a world that had been built from the ground up by the Hive. They could only imagine what they were going to encounter here.

"I can't wait to find Tobias so that I can kick his ass." Niko said as he cracked his knuckles, clearly irritated with Tobias' recklessness. The least he could have done was bring along some back up. Hogging all of the action for himself was certainly a way to get on Niko's bad side.

"What was he thinking though?" Carmen asked as she glanced up at Diana who stood beside her.

"I wish I knew." She replied softly, still in shock that Tobias would go as far as to challenge Oryx by himself.

"Attention!" Zavala bellowed, silencing the crowd so that he had their full attention. "As I'm sure most of you have heard already, Cayde managed to get a Guardian on board the Dreadnaught to begin mapping the ship for us to launch an attack on Oryx."

As Zavala spoke, the projector at the center of the table lit up, showing everyone a large visual of the Dreadnaught. It then began to simulate Tobias approaching the Hive flagship, showing them where he landed, and how far in he had journeyed into the depths of the ship.

"As you can see, he didn't get very far, but his Ghost reported that they engaged Oryx before we lost contact with him." Cayde explained, causing the Guardians to look around at one another. The projector than showed them all an image of the area where Tobias had fought Oryx.

"That." Eris said sharply, gaining everyone's attention as she recognized portal toward the back of the arena.

"What?" Cayde asked her.

"That is a Rupture." Eris stated.

"What is that?"

"A portal, used to cross between our realm and the Ascendant Realm. It's a means to get to Oryx's Throne World." Eris explained for them. "It's likely that Tobias entered the Rupture, and that is why you can't contact him."

"Throne World?" Zavala repeated, recalling that this had been mentioned before by Eris.

"It's the only place where you can actually kill these Hive gods. Killing them in our realm only sends them back to their own world to rest and recover so that they can then return once again." Eris explained.

"So like when we jumped into the Hellmouth to kill Crota." Niko pointed out, getting a nod from Eris.

"But the gateway isn't open for us this time. Only one of the Ascendant can will open a Rupture to enter Oryx's Throne World." Eris continued.

"So how are we going to get in there then?" Zavala asked her.

"Usually I'd recommend blowing our way in, but it looks like that won't work this time." Cayde commented, getting a chuckle from a few of the other Guardians, but Eris only sighed at him.

"We already have an Ascendant among us. She will be the one to guide you into Oryx's Throne World." Eris replied, leaving everyone a bit confused.

"Are you talking about yourself?" Ikora inquired, but Eris shook her head before setting her gaze on a silver haired Guardian. Everyone followed Eris' line of sight until the entire room was staring at Diana Amano.

"Huh?" Diana exclaimed, clearly dumbfounded as she pointed at herself. "How am I an Ascendant?"

"You wielded the Ascendant Sword to face Crota, did you not?" Eris asked, causing Diana to drop her hand. She had been one to the wield sword when she and Undaunted faced off with Crota. Briggs had entrusted her with the responsibility while he and Niko did everything in their power to bring Crota to his knees for her. "The power of the sword is of the Darkness. It's clear to me that some of that power is still within you, and I'm certain you can use it to command a Rupture."

This was an unsettling thought for those present as they looked at Diana. Most of them had known of her heroics killing Crota with the rest of Undaunted, but they had never thought of the Darkness lingering within her. Was it safe to be around her?

"So then Undaunted will be the team to pursue Tobias into the Ascendant Realm." Ikora stated, getting a nod of confidence from Niko and Carmen.

"There's still the matter of what's taking place on the rest of the Dreadnaught." Gale pointed out, making his presence known to everyone. He had been among a few of the high ranking members of the Vanguard who had a chance to study all of the information Tobias' Ghost had sent them regarding the Dreadnaught. "The Dreadnaught is a war zone right now. The last of a Cabal Legion is still on board the Dreadnaught, and it's very likely that they've stirred up the Hive across the ship. It's going to be very dangerous to go into it now."

"Good observation." Zavala noted as they projector expanded the portion of the ship that Tobias had mapped.

"Tobias' Ghost also said that the Cabal were present in the area where he fought Oryx. If we're going to rescue Tobias , we'll need a sizable force to hold down the area." Gale added, getting a nod of agreement from all of the commanding officers.

"Fireteam leaders, you'll be responsible for holding down this area while the raid team enters the Ascendant Realm." Zavala declared to those present. "We will be departing in two days, so prepare yourselves for the battle that approaches!"

Old Russia

Cosmodrome

Seraphim Vault

Carmen looked around in amazement at the intricate design of Rasputin's Bunker beneath the Cosmodrome. She was delighted to get to see it for herself after hearing Tobias' story about coming down into here to reactivate Rasputin. Fortunately, the Taken goo that had been all over the place during their initial visit was gone, much to Gale's delight.

"So Gale, are you finally going to tell me why we came here?" Carmen asked curiously as she trailed behind the small Exo who was leading the way into the Vault.

"Not yet Carmen. If I tell you now you'll only laugh at me." Gale responded cheekily as they ascended a short staircase before arriving at the central hub that led into a large circular room. Gale guided her through a doorway, taking them into this room which Carmen could assume was the heart of Rasputin's system based on the constructs at the center of the room. Gale however took them to the back of the room where a small console was waiting for them.

"You're being so lame keeping secrets Gale." Carmen commented, teasing her small teammate who looked back at her to make a face before focusing on the console he now stood in front of.

"My creator designed me to act as an alarm clock for Rasputin. That sounds pretty lame doesn't it?" Gale asked her as he locked the tip of his fingers into a small port on the console.

"It sure does." Carmen commented as she stepped up beside him, taking a moment to glance into his eyes. She could see the binary flying across his optics as he sorted through a vast amount of information.

"Well he did give me something cool too." Gale began once he detached his fingers from the console, causing one the diamond shaped tunnels to their side to open up. "One of the protocols he designed was for Rasputin to weaponize me. So I have a few treasures locked away in here."

Gale led her over to the tunnel, waiting a few moments for the smoke that was within it to fade away so that they could see what was within. The tunnel was short, quickly leading to a wall that was well lit by some small spotlights, all of which were directed at a weapon that was mounted on the wall.

"What the heck is that?" Carmen blurted out, getting a laugh from Gale as they approached the weapon.

"It's from the Golden Age. My creator sealed this into the bunker with me during the Collapse. He said that when I was given the opportunity, to use this weapon to help protect people." Gale explained to her as he lifted up the weapon to remove it from the wall, allowing Carmen to get a closer look at the angular weapon. "It's called the Sleeper Simulant."

"So this is what we came for?" Carmen asked, getting a nod from Gale.

"Although, I'm not finished just yet." He added as he set the weapon down and placed his hands on the wall of the room that the weapon had been mounted on. The wall lit up in response to this, quickly spreading throughout the entire tunnel. Carmen leapt back with a yelp as Gale was suddenly consumed within the light. She could hear all sorts of sounds, the buzz of a saw, hammers banging away, and metal being locked into place.

Soon enough the light faded, revealing Gale to Carmen. And her jaw dropped in response. The small Exo that she had grown accustomed to was now suited up in armor resembling a Titan. He was still just as short as Carmen, but the small frame he had previously possessed was a thing of the past. Gale looked like a small tank as he stepped toward her with the Sleeper Simulant in hand.

"I want go with you guys, to rescue Tobias." Gale admitted to her, causing Carmen to raise her eyebrows. "I wasn't designed to be on the front lines of the battlefield, but this was the sole purpose I was built for. To help Tobias in his battle against our enemies. He needs help this time, and I don't want to regret knowing that I could've helped and didn't."

Carmen couldn't help but smile warmly at Gale, impressed that he was willing to go to such an extreme for Tobias. He looked just like a Guardian now, although he still lacked the combat experience. But there was still time for her to hammer something into him before they set out for the Dreadnaught.

"I don't get the final say in this, but I know for a fact that we're going to need all the help we can get to beat Oryx. So I'm sure you'll be able to join us." Carmen said before eyeing the weapon once again. "But first I want to see that thing in action."

Carmen's jaw dropped as the two of them stood outside her ship, watching as the winds took away the ashes of her Sparrow.

"Holy crap!" She screamed as she turned toward Gale who had pumped his fist in the air. A shot from his Sleeper Simulant had vaporized her Sparrow completely. Vaporizing a Sparrow was not to be taken lightly since the land craft was built strong enough to take some hard hits from enemy fire. This weapon that Gale was carrying was no joke. "There's no way Diana will turn you down now!"

Neo Chicago

The Mulligan

Courtyard

Diana and Niko stood on one of the upper levels that overlooked the courtyard of the Mulligan. Niko was seated on the banister while Diana was leaning on it, patiently waiting for the person who had called them together.

"Do you have any idea who it is?" Niko asked curiously as he watched a pair of Guardians down below as they stopped by the Vault to retrieve some of their weapons.

"Not in the slightest. He just said to meet him here." Diana responded.

"So this could be some kind of terrorist that's trying to assassinate us." Niko pointed out, getting a sigh from Diana.

"Or it could be some sweet old lady who's going to give us cookies for our efforts." Diana retorted.

"Yeah, cookies laced with poison." Niko added as he pointed at her, causing Diana to roll her eyes.

"Niko, we're immortal. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't matter if they were poisoned." Diana said before frowning, wondering why she was even having such a discussion in the first place.

"Such a killjoy. Couldn't we just sit here and think of the possibilities?" Niko asked her.

"The possibilities of what? The person we're meeting being some kind of assassin?" Diana asked him in return.

"You never know. You have to think of all of the possibilities to be ready for anything don't you?"

"But considering all of these stupid and impossible situations is just a waste of time."

"Exactly!" Niko exclaimed before a new voice cleared their throat, getting the attention of the duo.

"I'm glad to see the both of you are still so free spirited." He said to them as they turned to face him. The pair quickly identified him as Zeke, someone they hadn't seen much of during the campaign.

"I would've never guessed that it was the leader of fireteam chameleon that called us." Niko said with a small smirk, but Zeke remained completely stoic, ignoring Niko's usual jab at his fireteam's name. Niko was a bit surprised at Zeke's new composure, but he didn't show this on his face. "So what did you call us for?"

"Word spreads quickly. I heard you guys are going after Oryx. I want in." Zeke stated as looked Niko, and then shifted his gaze to Diana.

"Done, you're in." Niko said suddenly.

"Hold on." Diana interjected, cutting off Niko before he could go any further. "I want to a reason first."

Zeke though had already had an answer. He had made up his mind right after their assault on the Hive fortress.

"I want my teammates to rest in peace. They can't do that as long as Oryx and the Taken are out there." Zeke replied sternly, not a hint of hesitation or doubt in his voice. He was ready to enter Oryx's realm, and die there if it meant avenging his lost teammates. Diana gulped softly while Niko gave Zeke a slow nod as he hopped off the banister to approach him.

"Welcome aboard then. And don't worry...we'll get his head." Niko stated as he raised arm. Zeke did the same and the two of them bumped their forearms together as Niko passed by him.

Airfield

"Guardians, you are clear to depart!" Zavala declared through the communication line, and with that, dozens of spacecrafts rose up from the landing strip, carrying teams of Guardians within as they began their trip to the Dreadnaught.

Within Diana's ship was the five man raid team that would be entering Oryx's Ascendant Realm not only to rescue Tobias, but to finish off Oryx as well. Diana was seated in the cockpit, but in the main chamber of the ship was Zeke seated by himself, with Niko, Gale and Carmen seated across from him. Unlike the two younger Guardians seated beside him, Niko could sense the distaste within Zeke that seemed to be directed at Gale.

Niko glanced at Gale and Carmen as they spoke animatedly together, before looking back at Zeke who spared them a glance every once in a while.

"Is something the matter?" Niko asked him, getting everyone's attention.

"Huh?" Carmen said to him.

"Not you. Him." Niko stated as he motioned to Zeke.

"Are you all even taking this mission seriously?" Zeke asked sharply as he gave Niko a sharp stare.

"Of course we are." The Hunter replied.

"So then why are you bringing him? He's not even a Guardian, and I doubt he's capable of the type of combat we're going to experience fighting Oryx." Zeke proclaimed as he pointed at Gale. He couldn't understand how Undaunted, a first class fireteam, was bringing along an Exo with no abilities or combat experience. Was he supposed to be some kind of mascot for them on the battlefield?

"Hey, lay off of him!" Carmen snapped at Zeke.

"Don't you value his life though? Bringing him onto the Dreadnaught will get him killed!" Zeke continued.

"Are you doubting our ability to protect him?" Niko asked sharply.

"I'm just saying that you have to be realistic. You don't know what could happen." Zeke replied, but didn't deter any of them.

"Gale is confident that he can contribute during this mission. And with the odds we're faced with, any contribution is welcome." Niko said strongly.

"Yeah. We put our trust and faith in one another." Carmen said to him pointedly, irritated with Zeke's attitude which had clearly changed dramatically since their last mission together. Niko raised a hand to silence Carmen before she could go any further.

"I understand that you've been through a lot recently." Niko began, trying to sympathize with him. "But you have to understand. The faith that we put into one another is why this fireteam succeeds. If you don't believe in it, then you don't have a place on this team."

Zeke gave a heavy sigh before he went silent, looking away from the group of three. In the cockpit though, Diana had heard everything that Niko had said, and she failed to hide the irritation from her expression.

"Is something the matter Diana?" Her Ghost asked her curiously as it looked away from the controls of the ship.

"Close the cockpit." She said, motioning to the door behind them. The chamber she was in was sealed off by her Ghost, allowing them to speak privately.

"What's bothering you?" Her Ghost asked once again, hovering beside her now.

"Niko's just been getting under my skin lately." Diana said, refusing to make eye contact with her companion. For someone that didn't seem to have any faith in her as their leader, he didn't even have the right to say something like that to Zeke.

"Is it what he just said?"

"Yeah."

"You know that young woman you spoke to after the campaign recommended talking to Niko. When are you going to consider that?"

"Believe me, I want to. But I have no idea what he's going to say. And I don't want to throw off the team's chemistry since we're going into the Dreadnaught." Diana explained. If she was going to address an issue, it had to be timely to ensure that it didn't affect the team's performance. And now was clearly a bad time since they were going after the head of the Taken King.

"You can't let feelings like this fester though Diana. You should address this problem with Niko as soon as possible." Her Ghost warned her. Diana gave a heavy sigh in response as she leaned back into her seat.

"...Yeah, you're right."

"I know."

Diana gave her companion a sharp glance, but her Ghost was unfazed by this as it blinked at her…or was it a wink?

Saturn

Dreadnaught

Dozens of the small vessels containing teams of Guardians came out of hyperspace, allowing the passengers to marvel at the size of Saturn and its sparkling rings. But before they could become wrapped up in admiring Saturn, they spotted their destination.

"There it is."

"The Dreadnaught."

"That's a big ass ship."

"The whole thing is going to be up in flames when we're done with it."

The location where they would be landing had already been given to the Ghosts who guided their pilots along the side of the ship to the area where Tobias' had entered the Dreadnaught. It was like a small crevice in the side of the ship's massive hull, but it was large and spacious for the Guardians as they landed, ready to embark on their journey into this Hive world.

The five members of Undaunted were among the last to leave the landing zone. Diana kneeled down beside the small flashing beacon that had been left behind by Tobias, envisioning him as he placed this device for other fireteams to join him on the Dreadnaught.

"Don't worry, we're going to get him back." Niko said to her as he motioned for her to join the rest of the team. Carmen and Gale stood near the edge of the landing zone, staring out at the cosmos around them. Zeke on the other hand was well ahead of them, waiting by the entryway that would take them into the belly of the ship.

"Come on guys, let's get moving." Diana said as she clapped her hands, calling for Carmen and Gale over as they headed over to Zeke. They all gathered around the entrance where they could see some of the fireteams that were still crossing the pit that they had seen in the map provided by Tobias' Ghost. "Well this is it."

There was brief moment of silence.

"That's it?" Carmen asked her. "Nothing to motivate us or anything?"

"Well sheesh, what do you want?"

"I want you say that we're going on an ass kicking parade or something!" Carmen exclaimed at her, surprising Diana a bit before looked around at her teammates who were looking at her expectantly. She was the leader of this operation. Diana's gaze settled onto Niko, and she decided that she would take a page of his book.

"Alright then, let's go kick some ass."

Hall of Souls

"We're reporting in from the upper level. The Cabal presence is heaviest up here. I don't think we'll be advancing any further any time soon."

"Report from the lower level. It's all Hive and Taken down here. We've already arrived at the entryway to another area. We're going to begin mapping this area right now."

BOOOOOOM

Explosions and gunfire echoed throughout the Dreadnaught as heavy gunfights raged on.

The Guardians had met little to no opposition until they arrived at the last known location of Tobias, the Hall of Souls. This area was large and filled with conflict. On the upper levels, the Cabal had been locked in combat with the Hive who had been trying to eliminate the invaders from their ship. But the Cabal was prevailing as they continued to advance from the area of the Dreadnaught that they had crashed into. The center level, or middle ground was what the Guardians were most interested in though. The arena where the Rupture was located.

"Eris, is this it?" Diana asked as her Ghost scanned the structure for the Vanguard to get a visual back on Earth.

"Yes. This is the Rupture." Eris stated, causing all of the fireteams present to focus on the portal between dimensions.

"So tell me what I have to do." Diana said as she positioned herself at the center of it, taking a moment to look around at her surroundings.

"Command it. It will open at your order." Eris proclaimed before a radio silence set in. Diana took a moment to think about what Eris had just shared with her. All eyes were on her now as Diana stood directly at the center of the structure, ready to open the portal to Oryx's realm.

She had to command it. It was waiting for her order…

Diana clapped her hands together and looked up at the Rupture expectantly. Nothing. Chewing on her lower lip for a moment, Diana looked at the two jagged pillars before comparing them to lightning rods. Channeling Arc Light into her hands, she then slapped the ground, sending the electrical current through the floor and into the pillar. Everyone watched as bolts of electricity climbed up to the top of the pillars, but still nothing happened in response to Diana's efforts.

With a sigh Diana straightened up, unsure of what she should do. The Rupture would respond to her command, but how would she input her command?

"Eris, I have no clue what I'm doing. Do you have any tips?" Diana asked, looking up as she waited for a response from the woman who was light years away from her.

"The Rupture is a pathway between worlds. Treat it as a doorway." Eris said to her.

"A doorway." Diana repeated, nodding to herself as she recalled some of the training she had done as Voidwalker. Her training to use Blink, creating an opening into the Void, and then another to reenter reality. This could be what she needed to do.

Diana shut her eyes, taking a moment to visual the area in her head. But as the image took shape in her mind, Diana began to sense the Darkness flowing forth from the Rupture. It was swirling, spiraling out between the two pillars, waiting for someone to calm the flow and open the doorway. Diana took a deep breath as she reached out with one hand, her hand gaining a purple glow as she slowly moved it to the side. The corresponding pillar began to glow as well as a small seam opened up at the very center of the area between the pillars. It rose in height until it was the same height as the pillars, slowly beginning to widen out.

Diana then raised her remaining hand stretched out to her side as well, causing the other pillar to glow as well. The seam then expanded suddenly with a deafening gong, sending chills down the spines of the Guardians as the Rupture opened up in front of them. Diana exhaled deeply as she lowered hands, opening her eyes to see that eerie green portal that loomed over her.

"You did it!" Carmen said as her team gathered around her, staring at the entrance to their mission.

"The portal is open Eris, we're going in." Niko declared.

"Enter Guardians, and send Oryx's soul screaming into the pit between the stars." Eris commanded.

"I think that's her way of saying go get his head Guardians." Cayde added, getting a chuckle from Undaunted as Eris gave an exasperated sigh in response.

"Are you guys ready?" Diana asked the team as she glanced around at them.

"Yes." They all said together before approaching the portal.

"Then let's go get Tobias." She said, stepping through. One by one, each of them disappeared into the portal, leaving the Guardians behind to say in prayer for their success.

The High War

Portico

"I can't believe we stinkin' made it." Niko exclaimed with a sigh of relief as he and the team glanced back at the dead space they had successfully crossed. It was a confusing puzzle of Hive Tombships that spawned and flew on various courses that eventually took them to the other side. It was nerve racking, and all five of them were positive that they wouldn't have made it if not for a small spark of light that showed them where they had to jump to.

All of them had made it across, even Gale who was still learning how to properly use the jet pack that had been added to the armor he received from the Seraphim Vault. Now as they stood on the other side, they all looked toward the small corridor in front of them that would take them further into this world. They had yet to encounter an enemy, not that they wanted to fight anything while they were ship jumping.

"Ghost, can you map out this location?" Carmen asked, calling upon her companion, but there was no response. "Ghost?"

"Don't bother Carmen." Niko said to her.

"What do you mean? Is something wrong?"

"This is like when we went into the Hellmouth. The Darkness is too strong here. You're Ghost can't help you here." Niko explained to her.

"Wait, so if we die here…it's over?" Carmen asked, getting a slow nod from Niko and Diana. They had learned that the hard way when they had gone in to slay Crota. They had gone down as a team of six, but only three of them returned.

"Why is that a shock to you? Any mission you accept, death is a possibility. But you should have resolved in your heart to complete the mission, regardless of what happens to you." Zeke said to her as he proceeded into the corridor to examine it.

"You know, you used to be really cool. Now you're such a downer!" Carmen hollered at him, blowing a raspberry.

"Chill Carmen." Niko said to her before she could add anything else. As bothersome as Zeke's current demeanor may have been, it was clear that he wanted them to see that missions don't always end in success. He knew that first hand, and he was trying to make sure nothing similar happened to them.

"Come on, let's keep moving." Diana said as she followed Zeke. The corridor was short, leading up to a large shaft that had a strong suction that would take them up it.

"Nowhere else to go but up." Niko commented as he stepped in and was snatched from his feet. All of them watched as he was taken up into the shaft, leaving them behind. Together the rest of them jumped in as well, pursuing Niko who was now waiting for them up top.

It was a long climb, longer than any of them were expecting, although there was nothing to complain about since they were being carried by the winds. As they looked up to the top of the tunnel, they could see a light now as they approached the exit.

"Oh my god!" Niko screamed as he was spat of the tunnel, putting the others on edge since they were still a fair distance behind him.

"Niko, what happened?" Diana asked anxiously, but there was no response from her companion.

"Niko!" Carmen hollered, becoming impatient as they finally arrived at the exit. Each of them was thrown out the tunnel, giving them just enough time to adjust themselves in the air to land on their feet. As they landed they quickly looked around, searching for the cause of Niko's distress, but they couldn't find anything. There were no enemies, but Niko was missing as well.

"Niko, where are you?" Diana asked once again in search of her teammate.

A scream came from behind the group, causing their blood to turn cold. The instincts of Carmen, Diana and Zeke took over as they all dove away in some fashion, hitting the ground rolling while they took a hold of their weapons. Coming to a stop, each of them was now facing the opposite direction; their weapons raised and aimed at…Niko.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Zeke snapped at him, getting a chuckle from Niko.

"That was a just a quick check to see who's ready for this mission." Niko explained as his gaze was set firmly on Gale, the only person who hadn't responded to the surprise accordingly. "Gale, if we go any further I'm pretty sure that one way transmat I gave you will become useless. Are you sure that you want to come with us?"

"I may not have combat experience, but you're forgetting that I am a strategist for the Vanguard. I anticipated that you'd do something like this, and I didn't feel the need to react like the others." Gale explained as he addressed Niko who smiled behind his helmet. "I'm going to rescue Tobias, even if it costs me my life."

"Alright then, I hope you're ready then." Niko said as he motioned to the corridor ahead of them. And it was then that the remaining Guardians sensed the intense Darkness that was lying in wait. Once they entered that area, there was no turning back.

"Let's do this." Carmen said, punching her palm audibly.

Together they pressed forward, soon arriving at a large doorway that was sealed off, just like the Hive chambers within the Moon. But the door reacted to their presence, splitting in four directions at the center before they receded into the wall, revealing the next room to them. But the first thing to catch their eye was the same spark of light that was waiting for them at the entrance.

"Oh, you're back." Niko noted as he approached it, eager to see what it would do for them this time. But instead of jumping away like it had done when they were ship jumping, the spark light began to grow, taking on the form of a human although it lacked any kind of features.

"Whoa." Carmen and Gale said together as the light now stepped toward them.

"Hello Guardians, I've been waiting a long time for you all to come here." It said to them. "I, am Toland."

A/N

Here we go! All-out war on the Dreadnaught while the raid team goes in to take out the Taken King. Let King's Fall begin!

In bigger news though, reports are out that Destiny 2 is on schedule for release near the end of this year! There was no sort of news about content or anything but for whatever reason that got me hyped and I've been playing Destiny a bit more again. Man, when that first trailer drops it's going to be FIRE! So pumped!

Let's see, if I'm at chapter 27 right now, and I release a chapter or two a month until September ( if the launch of D2 is that early ), then that could be anywhere between eight and sixteen chapters so I could be at chapter 35 or higher. Hmm, okay, I'll try to make this happen then.

As always guys, thanks for the clicks and support! Hopefully I'll see you again later this month!