Chapter 35
Earth's Moon
Ocean of Storms
Hellmouth
Staring up at the remains of Earth, Carmen and Niko couldn't find their voices. They were absolutely astonished at what they were looking at.
The Earth…had been destroyed. It had been cut in half cleanly, and they could say the layers beneath the surface of the planet.
Niko had found himself in all sorts of situations since he had become a Guardian. But not once did he ever think that he would find the home of humanity in such a state. The Earth was all they had left, and now…
"What…happened?" Niko managed to ask after pinching himself. He wasn't dreaming, this was real. "Ghost, what's going on?"
"I-I don't know." His Ghost stammered as it appeared. Their Ghosts had been the first to notice that something had changed since they had exited the Ascendant Realm, but their search for answers had been futile.
"What do you mean 'you don't know'?!" Niko exclaimed as he threw up his arms before pointing at the Earth. "The Earth is in pieces damn it! Check out the Vanguard database to see what happened!"
"I can't access the database…which means…" His Ghost trailed off, causing Niko to drop his arms as this thought settled in.
"They're gone?" Niko whispered, causing Carmen's Ghost to form as well.
"I haven't been able to establish contact with the Vanguard either. All the active channels I've ever used have been disabled." Her Ghost explained to them. "It seems as though…the Vanguard has fallen."
"But to what?" Niko demanded to know. Who could've destroyed the Earth in such a fashion?! Certainly not the Hive, they had just finished crippling the Hive Pantheon. The Cabal? But where could that race of conquerors have been hiding something that could blow up the Earth? It couldn't have been the Fallen…
"Holy freakin' crap! What are we going to do?!" Carmen shrieked as she finally began to speak. She was looking at Niko now, hoping for some answers from the senior Hunter of their team.
Niko spared a glance at Diana's unconscious form, and exhaled loudly at this. He needed to calm himself down if he was going to be able to think about all of this rationally. Diana was in no condition to function as the leader of their fireteam, so he would do so for the time being.
The Earth, and everything on it had clearly been destroyed. As far as they could tell, all of their contacts were gone. The only thing he had to be thankful for was the fact that they weren't under attack to top off this situation.
But this thought caused Niko to snap his fingers, gaining everyone's attention. Opening the hand he had just used, a purple aura began to swirl around his hand which he smirked at, identifying it as Void Light.
"We still have the Light." Niko declared as he closed his open hand into a fist. "The Traveler is still out there, somewhere."
This seemed to release some of the tension as they all relaxed, just a little bit.
"Let's expand our search perimeters then. Maybe the Vanguard or whatever is left of them has been relocated to another part of the system." Niko's Ghost reasoned with them, getting a nod from Carmen's Ghost.
"Now we're talking." Niko said as he glanced back at their unconscious teammates. Tobias and Diana were still out cold, and they still had no idea what happened to leave them in such a state. But at least they would recover sooner rather than later now that they were outside of the Ascendant Realm.
"Unfortunately, it looks like we've lost access to our transports." Carmen's Ghost pointed out. "Whatever happened on Earth, our attackers were thorough. We have nothing besides the weapons you've brought."
"That'll have to do. We've been through worse after all." Niko stated. "Ghost, bring up a map of this area. I think I remember there being an old outpost we could use as a shelter for the time being until Diana and Tobias wake up."
Projecting a map of the area surrounding the Hellmouth, Niko immediately spotted the area he was thinking about. It was a few miles away though, something that would take them hours to get to on foot, not to mention they would be carrying their teammates for this journey.
"Surprisingly, the Fallen are still present in this area." Carmen's Ghost said as it looked in the direction where their enemies were located in. "Perhaps we could, borrow, some transportation from them."
"Oh please, you can just say steal." Carmen sneered at her Ghost.
"You…barbarian." Her Ghost muttered. Carmen blew a raspberry at her Ghost in response.
"That's a good idea. Their Pikes will help us cover ground faster." Niko said before his gaze was drawn to Tobias and Diana. Tobias had begun to stir, groaning a bit as he sat up, struggling to get an understanding of his surroundings.
"Tobias!" Niko and Carmen exclaimed, glad to see that their situation was improving somewhat.
"Ugh, what the heck happened?" Tobias asked as he tried to figure out where he was. Their current location didn't match the last place he could remember. He remembered fighting… his teammates. Tobias had jumped to his feet as he looked at Carmen and Niko, but both of them raised their hands, motioning for him to settle down.
"Tobias, you're okay. I mean, we're okay." Niko assured him, causing Tobias to drop down onto his bottom with a sigh of relief. But as he leaned back to take a few breaths, he found himself staring at the shattered remains of the Earth.
Tobias remained still for a moment, wondering if he was hallucinating. He then looked around at their current location, recognizing it as Earth's Moon from the time he had been on its surface. So then that meant…
"Guys, is that…?" Tobias didn't bother to complete his question as the two Hunters gave him a nod.
"Yeah. It is." Carmen stated.
"But…how?"
"We're still working on that." Carmen replied.
"Honestly Tobias, save your breath." Niko interjected before Tobias could ask any more questions. "We know next to nothing at the moment. The most we can do right now is try to find someone, anyone who can tell us what happened."
"Ghost, have you found anything yet?" Carmen asked as she glanced at her Ghost.
"Nothing so far. But that's largely due to the fact that we have no network to operate through." Carmen's Ghost replied. "Beyond the Moon, we have no idea what's happening."
"However, there is an uplink station in the outpost we're going to. We can use that to hopefully get a bigger picture of the system using the satellites." Niko's Ghost explained.
"Alright then, so where are we going to go from here?" Tobias inquired.
"Actually, Carmen and I are heading for a Fallen settlement not too far from here. We're going to steal some Pikes from them to get to the outpost my Ghost was talking about." Niko explained to him.
"Wait, so what am I doing?"
"You are going to be watching Diana." Carmen said to him. Tobias deadpanned at this.
Niko and Carmen had ventured about a mile north of the Hellmouth before they arrived at a small moon base that had been tucked away into the volatile landscape of the Moon. The two of them were positioned on a hill that overlooked the base, trying to determine how they would handle this situation.
The Fallen only had a few numbers present in this small base, quietly moving in and out of the three buildings here. Cleaning them out wouldn't be a problem for the two of them, in fact, that was the only plan they had.
"I see the Pikes." Niko said as the interface within his helmet highlighted the vehicles they were looking for.
"We're going to take them all out though, right?" Carmen asked him.
"Pfft, what else would you expect?" Niko asked her in return. Carmen grinned at this, taking a hold of her Ace of Spades. "Let's get to work."
Sliding down the hill now, the two of them took off a dead sprint for the nearest building once they hit the flat surface. Arriving at the open entryway, the two of them rushed through the small facility until they found a pair of Vandals seated in a small room. Raising their weapons, the two Hunters gunned them down without a wasted moment before darting out of this building and into the next.
The gunfire surely must have tipped off the other Fallen that occupied the area, so they were certain that the fighting would escalate from here. But…it didn't.
"Hey… they're not... shooting back?" Carmen asked as she lowered her Ace of Spades.
They were just outside of the last building now where the remaining Fallen inside had come out to see what all the commotion was about. But they were unarmed, and they appeared to be uninterested in the fact that they were being attacked.
"What the hell?" Niko said softly as he also lowered his hand cannon. They waited for a few moments, staring at the small group one Vandal and two Dregs that they had been shooting at just a few moments ago. They were whispering something to each other before the Vandal motioned for them all to return into the small building they had been resting within.
"Okay, this has to be one of the weirdest things I've ever seen." Carmen commented. The Fallen weren't even attempting to fight back, or do anything for that matter. All of the Fallen foot soldiers they had killed earlier hadn't done anything to defend themselves either.
Carmen had always known the Fallen for their tenacity. The Guardians always kicked around this race, massacring their infantry, destroying their transports and assassinating their nobility. But despite all this the Fallen had spent centuries after the Collapse fighting the Guardians in an effort to claim the Traveler from them. But for their spirit to be broken like this…what could have done something like this?
"Come on, let's go." Niko said as he motioned for Carmen to follow him. He was heading for the Pikes now, clearly having lost interest in fighting the Fallen now.
"But what about-" Carmen began.
"It's no fun when they don't shoot back." He replied pointedly. "Let's go pick up Tobias and Diana and get moving. Clearly a lot has happened, and we need to start getting some answers."
Tobias was seated in a small cave, with Diana's unconscious body resting beside him. He had been tasked with protecting her while Niko and Carmen had gone off to get transportation. There wasn't exactly anything to protect her from since his Ghost had confirmed that the nearest enemies were well over a mile away from them. But they also couldn't just leave Diana alone while she was knocked out.
It had been almost an hour since Niko and Carmen had left them, and Tobias had been lost in his thoughts since then. He was still trying to wrap his head around everything that had happened on the High Coven. It had all started as a pursuit of Ir Anuk, but before any of them had any idea of what had taken place, they had been captured within Savathun's illusions.
Tobias still couldn't believe that Oryx actually had siblings. All the work they had done to kill the Taken King, and it was very possible that they would have similar fights if the Guardians would have to defeat his siblings as well.
But what shocked him most of all, was the fact that he had to fight his own teammates. Not in the friendly spars they had-had during the past year. This time, they were trying to kill him, and on more than one occasion during that battle he had thought about harming them seriously. Looking at Diana who rested beside him, Tobias sighed deeply. It wasn't his intention to hurt any of them, but his frustrations had gotten the better of him during that battle, and he ended up hurting both himself, and Diana.
"Tobias?" His Ghost asked, receiving his attention.
"What's up?" Tobias asked in return.
"Niko and Carmen are returning. They want you ready and waiting because we can't afford to lose any more daylight." His Ghost explained to him.
"Right." He said as turned, scooping Diana off the ground in his arms. Rising to his feet, he ventured out of the cave he had been hidden in. Just as soon as he stepped out of the entrance, he heard the sound of their Pikes approaching. Looking up, both Niko and Carmen came rocketing overhead, landing right in front of him on their Pikes.
"Come on Tobias, let's get a move on!" Carmen hollered at him.
"Hop on with me. You'll be holding on to Diana for now." Niko said to him, getting a nod from Tobias as he climbed onto the back of the Pike. It was much more spacious than their Sparrows, allowing them to seat three with ease.
"Movin' out!" Carmen declared as she hit the throttle, racing off ahead of them.
"Carmen, do you even know where you're going?!" Niko shouted as he raced off as well to make sure she didn't get too far ahead.
Anchor of Light
"We're about a mile from the outpost now, shouldn't be much longer." Niko said to Tobias who gave him a nod.
They had been riding across the surface of the Moon for nearly three hours now, and most of this time had passed in silence between them. Surprisingly the duo of Niko and Carmen who were always talking couldn't find something to discuss in their current situation.
The canyon they had been passing through opened up as they entered a large clearing. There were a few structures set up around this area, but Niko led them past all of these as they eventually turned off to the right through a small passage, taking them to a small abandoned facility that was built on the edge of a cliff.
"This is it." Niko's Ghost pointed out as they came to a stop by the entrance of the building. The area was devoid of any activity, Fallen and all. There wasn't a soul here besides them. "This was an old outpost used during the Golden Age actually. There's an old accelerator a few miles from here that became the starting ground of the moon colony here."
"So there should be an uplink station somewhere in here." Niko noted as he jumped off the Pike along with Carmen, heading for the open entrance of the building. Tobias climbed off the Pike as well, carrying Diana bridal style as he followed them in as well. There were three levels within this building, the ground floor acting as the work area where the uplink station was located. The upper levels were clearly for personnel quarters for the people that had previously been stationed here.
Finding a small room for Diana, Tobias laid her down on the small cot that extended from the wall. And then with a sigh, he left her small room and returned to the ground floor. He found Niko and Carmen anxiously waiting for their Ghosts to bring the uplink station back to life.
"Hah, we're in." Niko's Ghost declared, getting a nod of approval from the two Hunters.
"So what's the deal, what's going on right now?" Carmen inquired as she leaned forward; staring at the console their Ghosts had just reactivated.
"Oh, this is…interesting." Niko's Ghost noted after a few moments.
"What, what's the matter?" Carmen asked once again.
"Everything has gone dark. Not just Vanguard communications. There's nothing out there."
All of them felt a chill run down their spines at this statement. Nothing?! How could this happen?
"So…everyone is gone?" Tobias asked softly. Niko's Ghost was very slow to give him a nod.
The three of them could only stand there, unable to accept what was taking place.
"But how did this happen? Is there anything we can use for reference? There has to be something." Tobias said as he looked at their Ghosts.
"The Earth is devoid of any satellites. All of them have been destroyed. The planetary scan of Mars I just completed shows that it's devoid of any life forms as well. Not even the Cabal are present there." Niko's Ghost stated.
"What about the Awoken?" Niko asked. They had to check all of their options. Unfortunately, his Ghost only looked up, projecting an image of the Reef for them. The asteroids that had housed the Awoken civilizations were in a similar state to that of the Earth. Whatever had taken place, they had gone out of their way to wipe out all life in this system.
"The Reef has been destroyed. I'm not detecting any survivors either." Niko's Ghost stated quietly.
"Gale?!" Carmen exclaimed suddenly, recalling their teammate who hadn't joined them for their last mission. "What about Gale? And Rasputin?"
"Ah, Rasputin's defense network stretches across the system. There must be something of his that we can tap into." Niko's Ghost reasoned as it returned its gaze to console. But even this small sliver of hope was squashed. "I don't believe it. Rasputin's entire network…is gone."
Each of the Guardians present took a moment to glance at each other as they realized what this meant. Every available resource that the Guardians had was gone. Someone or something had completely eradicated anything tied to the Guardians throughout the entire system. They were completely alone out here.
"Hold on, I'm picking up a very, very small signal on Venus." Carmen's Ghost stated, speaking for the first time in this discussion.
"What kind of signal?" Niko asked, perking up a bit.
"I'm zeroing in on it now. It's a beacon, coming from an area in the Ishtar Region. I'm detecting life forms surrounding it." Her Ghost explained to them.
"Vex?" Niko suggested, but her Ghost shook side to side.
"No. It's human."
Carmen clapped her hands together audibly with a cheer while Tobias and Niko gave a sigh of relief.
"Crap man, I was starting to get scared." Niko breathed out as he leaned back against the wall.
"Phew, you and me both." Tobias said as he took a few deep breaths. Hopefully this would be the lead they need to start figuring out what happened.
"So it looks like our next stop is Venus huh?" Niko's Ghost asked, getting a nod from the trio. "But uh, how do you guys plan to get there. We don't have any ships."
"There's still Fallen on the Moon. We could always borrow one of their ships." Carmen pointed out as she eyed her Ghost. It rolled its optic at her in response.
"That's the plan alright." Niko stated, getting a nod of agreement from Tobias.
"The accelerator I was talking about earlier. According to my scans, there are Fallen encamped around it. You should be able to collect a Skiff from them there."
Diana rose up from her cot with a groan, wrinkling her nose as her head throbbed. What happened?
The last thing she could remember clearly, was that she had somehow gone back to the Reef Wars. Back to the day when the Amethyst Reef Station had been attacked. She had safely delivered her family to one of the transports for them to escape this attack, only for them to get massacred upon leaving the station.
Then she had gone out into space with the intention of fighting off the House of Wolves on her own.
And then, it was like she had woken up from a dream. Looking around the small room she had been placed in, Diana frowned at the sight of it. She had no idea where she was.
Attempting to sit upright though, Diana had to remain still as her headache intensified. After a minute or so, Diana raised he head to look around once again, as if to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Nothing had changed though.
"Ghost?" She called out as she straightened up.
"Great, you finally woke up." Her Ghost exclaimed as it took shape in front of her.
"What's going on? Where am I?" She asked.
"Currently, you're located on the Earth's Moon in a small abandoned outpost." Her Ghost explained.
"And what about everyone else? Where are they?" She asked as he rose to her feet, testing her balance a bit as she swayed more than she was comfortable with.
"They are a few miles to the west of our location. They're on a mission to hijack a Fallen Skiff." Her Ghost said, causing Diana to blink several times after hearing this.
"What for?"
"To get off world. Since returning from the Ascendant Realm, we've lost access to our vehicles, so we've turned to the Fallen for transportation."
"Wait, what happened that we don't have our ships?"
"The Vanguard…has been decimated." Her Ghost began as it hovered over to the entrance of her small room. Diana followed her small companion, heading out into the doorway so that she could go down to the lower level.
"Decimated? By what?"
"We still haven't been able to determine the cause, or what's happened. However, we've detected a small human settlement on Venus that we're hoping can give us some answers about what happened." Her Ghost explained to her as they came down to the entrance of the outpost. Diana raised her hand, motioning for her Ghost to stop as they stepped out into the sunlight.
This was way too much for her to take in-in one shot. Her Ghost tinted the visor on her helmet, darkening her surroundings a bit as Diana looked around. She was definitely on the Moon.
"Are you feeling alright Diana?" Her Ghost asked curiously as the two of them moved around the base of the outpost, coming to stop at the edge of the cliff it rested on.
"I have this headache, but it's lightening up." She replied.
"Oh, okay. There was something I wanted to talk to you about, but it can wait."
Diana smiled a bit at her Ghost's concern for her. It was one of the luxuries that she would often forget about. Her small companion had always been at her side since she had become a Guardian, and it had always been looking out for her no matter the situation.
"No, you don't have to wait. What's on your mind?" Diana asked in return.
"Diana, I'm not in the least bit suspicious of you, but there is something about you that has given me a cause for concern." Her Ghost stated as it looked directly at her. The tone it was using was serious, something that her Ghost didn't use often.
"What are you talking about?"
"While you were in the Ascendant Realm, there was a point where you had been trapped in an illusion created by your opponent." Her Ghost explained, surprising Diana.
"So is that why I don't remember anything?" She asked, receiving a nod from her Ghost.
"Ye-up. But while you were trapped in those illusions, there was a point where I began to detect the Darkness within you." Her Ghost stated. "Now I know that Eris already told you that because you used the Ascendant Sword to fight Crota, you possess some of the Darkness. But this time, it began to manifest itself."
"Wait, what did you just say?" Diana said, unsure of if she had heard that correctly.
"The Darkness within you…you were actually using it." Her Ghost confirmed for her. Diana felt a sudden chill run down her spine at this piece of information. The Darkness was manifesting itself in her? How was this possible?
"Wha-What was I doing with it?" Diana asked softly.
"You weren't using it intentionally per say, but it empowered you to break a stasis field Tobias had placed on you for a few moments." Her Ghost went on. "So this is why I'm asking you, how are you feeling right now."
"I feel…fine." Diana responded after a few moments. There was nothing that felt out of the ordinary outside of the light headache she had right now. Looking down at her hands, Diana began to summon a small amount of Void Light, deciding that she would check again just to be safe.
Feeling the energy gather into her palms, it took shape into a swirling vortex around her hands as it always did. Nothing she hadn't seen or felt before. Relaxing the flow of Void Light, the power dissipated and Diana turned to her Ghost.
"I'm fine." Diana stated, this time with certainty. And her Ghost was happy to see this.
Once her Ghost looked away though, Diana returned her gaze to her hands, noticing the slight tremble of her fingers. There was a raspy voice calling out to her as she began to summon the Void Light. It was calling for her to…delve into the Void. To learn its secrets.
Shaking her head a bit, Diana decided to push this into the back of her mind for now. There were more important issues at hand, such as their current situation.
"Here they come Diana." Her Ghost stated as it looked up at the Fallen Skiff that was approaching the landing pad beside the outpost.
As the spacecraft came around the outpost and came to a stop, one of the small entry points on the back of the ship opened up, lowering a short handle bar which Tobias was hanging from. Releasing his hold on the bar, Tobias dropped down to the pad where he began to wave to Diana, calling for her to come over.
"You guys really went and stole a Fallen ship?!" Diana exclaimed as she dashed over to him as the ship settled down, allowing Carmen to climb out as well to stretch a bit.
"Yeah, and I have no clue how so many of them fit inside of this stupid thing." Carmen muttered as she gave the side of their ship a kick. The only space with some room for them was in the cockpit. There were only seats for the pilot and co-pilot, so two of them would have to remain standing. The remainder of the ship was a tight corridor that led to the back of the craft where infantry could be deployed.
"So who's going to tell me what happened?" Diana asked as she looked at Tobias and Carmen.
"We'll fill you in on the way." Niko called out as he peered out from the entrance to the ship. "My Ghost has already mapped a course for Venus, so let's get moving."
Venus
Ishtar Region
Niko leaned back in the pilot's seat of the Skiff, admiring his Ghost as they looked out the lush landscape of Venus. He was shocked that they had actually made to Venus from Earth's Moon using a transport from an enemy of the Vanguard. But his Ghost had no trouble learning how to pilot a Fallen Skiff, and their journey had gone smoothly. The troubling part was the story their Ghosts had shared with them concerning the events within the Ascendant Realm.
How Savathun had trapped them in her illusions. How Titus had come to their rescue and freed them.
"Geez, this…Titus guy is so confusing." Diana mumbled as she shook her head. This was the third time Titus had made an appearance during their battles, and each of their prior engagements Tobias had assured them that he had managed to kill him. But Titus was still out there. "What do you have to do to kill this guy?"
Titus felt his chest become tight as he recalled his dishonesty with the team after they had killed Oryx. He had actually let Titus go that time, believing that Titus was something more than Oryx's puppet. And Tobias was glad to see that his decision had paid off. Without Titus, they all would have fallen before Savathun. Tobias though could only wonder what Titus was doing right now.
"So what's the deal with him? When we fought Oryx he was trying to kill us. Now he's helping us? What is he, friend or foe?" Carmen asked as she glanced at Tobias. "What do you think Tobias?"
"Why are you asking me?" Tobias asked curiously.
"Every time we fight him, you two get to go one on one." Carmen pointed out, getting a nod of agreement from Niko. "Did he ever say anything to you?"
Tobias remained silent for a few moments, wondering if this was his opportunity to come clean about what Titus had told him.
"I believe…that he's our ally." Tobias stated, causing all three of his teammates to look at him, each with their own expression of confusion. "We just didn't know it at first."
"And how did you come to that conclusion?" Diana asked him. She could still vividly remember when the first time they had met Titus beneath the surface of the Earth. There was nothing about Titus that would make her think he was an ally.
"Call it a hunch." Tobias replied, with a small smirk. Niko eyed him for a moment and raised his brow.
"Are you forgetting that he tried to kill us all, twice!" Carmen hollered.
"Hey, when a man has a feeling in his gut, he goes with it." Niko said, silencing Carmen. "If Tobias wants to trust his gut, I say we go with it."
"Thanks Niko." Tobias said with a nod.
"Trust his gut?" Diana repeated, stifling a laugh.
"Well I mean, you ladies like to act like a 'woman's intuition' is a real thing." Niko pointed out, receiving a scoff from Diana.
"Because your belly is so reliable?" Diana exclaimed, getting a grin from Niko.
"Hasn't failed me once." He shot back at her, patting his abdomen.
"As always, I hate to break up your, wonderful, conversation but, we're approaching the settlement that we detected." Niko's Ghost interjected, gaining everyone's attention. Everyone looked out of the front of the cockpit as the ship landed beside a large river.
Carmen was first to dart out of the cockpit, eager to get another look at Venus since she had only spent a few minutes here on her last and only visit. Climbing out of the Skiff, the group of Guardians found that there was a welcoming party for them. Six men, all of which were armed with weapons and wearing oxygen masks had come out of the settlement after seeing a Fallen Skiff land just outside of their home.
But each of them lowered their weapon upon spotting the Guardians, perplexed by their sudden appearance.
The Guardians however, were more concerned with where this settlement was located. Their small little area of solitude was built right just below the entrance to the Vault of Glass.
"I'm not the only one seeing that, right?" Diana asked as she pointed to the circular entrance to the Vex world that the Vanguard had deemed off limits.
"I see it. I just can't believe they were stupid enough to think this was a good idea." Niko said softly as the men approached them.
"Who are you?" One of them barked at the group.
"I'm Captain Diana Amano of the Vanguard. We mean you no harm." Diana stated, taking the lead as she motioned for her team to fall in line behind her.
"A Vanguard Captain?" One of them exclaimed.
"All of them were lost."
"Who did you serve under?"
"Vanguard Commander Zavala." Diana stated. "Is he…alive?"
"No, Commander Zavala was lost with the rest of the Vanguard." One of the men replied as they all approached them now, taking a moment to study each of them.
"What division are you from?" Another inquired.
"Oh, we're not soldiers. We're Guardians." Niko stated, surprising all of them.
"That's…impossible. All of the Guardians died when the Traveler was destroyed three years ago."
The members of Undaunted froze at this statement, taking a moment to glance at once another.
"The Traveler…was…destroyed?" Tobias said slowly, unable to believe he was saying that himself. "But how? Who did all of this?"
The men narrowed their eyes now as they stared at the Guardians. Something didn't sound right.
"Are you really who you say you are?" One of them asked, raising their weapon once again. "All of the Guardians died simultaneously with the Traveler. There hasn't been another Guardian seen since that day. It's impossible for you to be Guardians."
The other men raised their weapons now, uncertain of these people standing before them were threats or not.
"At ease. We're not threat to you." Diana stated, giving them a warning.
"But we are Guardians." Carmen insisted. "And we can prove it to you too."
"There is no need." A new voice interjected from behind the group of men. Everyone looked to see an elderly woman approaching them, walking with the aid of a staff.
"Eva!" The men exclaimed as two of them rushed over to her. "You shouldn't be exerting yourself like this!"
Tobias had thought this woman looked familiar at first glance, but the mention of the name Eva helped him place her face. He was looking at Eva Levante! But she had definitely seen better days.
The last time he had seen her, she had been full of life despite her age and appearance. But now she looked like a shell of her former self.
"I'm fine." Eva muttered as she pushed away their arms, preferring to walk on her own. "But can't you all feel it?"
"Feel what?"
"The Light. The Traveler's Light." She stated as he gaze became fixated on Tobias. "I thought I would never feel it again."
Undaunted was led into the settlement by Eva and a pair of the soldiers, escorting them to Eva's small home. As they walked through, the people that lived here had flocked to see what all the commotion was about. And the Guardians couldn't help but notice how all of these people had aged visibly.
Arriving at Eva's residence, she invited them inside while and sealed off the doors, motioning for them to remove their helmets. As they revealed her faces to her one by one, Eva smiled warmly at the sight of Tobias.
"I had a feeling it was you." She said before calling for them to follow here into main room of her home. There wasn't much to it. A pair of seats, and a cot for Eva to lay down. She took a seat on a cot and motioned for them to get comfortable. "I'm sorry though, I don't have anything to offer you this time dear."
Tobias realized she was talking about the treats she had shared with him the last few times they had met.
"That's not a problem." Tobias replied, surprised that-that was the first thing she mentioned.
"But can you answer a few questions for us?" Niko asked her as he began to lean against the wall while his teammates took a seat on the floor. If anyone could shed some light on their situation, it was Eva.
"Like what darling?" She asked him sweetly.
"How did all of this happen?" Niko asked as he motioned to their current surroundings. "What happened to the Vanguard? Who attacked us?"
Eva looked down, exhaling softly as she recalled the tragedy as it unfolded.
"It happened, right after the four of you left actually. I remember the day of the earthquake, and how a team of Guardians went to the Earth's core to investigate. They found the Daughters of Oryx there and chased them out. Your fireteam, was tasked with hunting them down on the Dreadnaught. But when you went into the ship, you never returned." Eva revealed, causing each of them to glance at each other sharply.
"What do you mean? We only left a few days ago maybe." Carmen pointed out, but Eva shook her head.
"That was three years ago. You four went in, and disappeared. But someone else left the Dreadnaught after a few days." Eva said as she looked toward Tobias. "Your doppelganger."
"Titus?" Tobias said, causing Eva to raise her brow.
"Is that what he's called?" She asked before shrugging her shoulders. "That doesn't matter. When he came out, it was like, nothing any of us had ever felt."
Eva could still remember that day. Some of the Guardians stationed on the Dreadnaught sent out a priority alert that a Rupture had opened. Initially they thought it marked the return of fireteam Undaunted, but Titus was the one who exited this Rupture.
"I still remember the chills." Eva said as she rubbed her shoulders. "He was so far away from us, but everyone could feel him coming for us."
"Are you saying that…Titus is responsible for all of this?" Tobias exclaimed as a feeling of uncertainty washed over him. Eva looked at him grimly and gave him a slow nod.
"He came out of the Dreadnaught, and he, just slaughtered everyone. He went to Mars, and killed everything there, the Cabal, the Guardians. Then he went to the Reef. Whatever stood n his path towards Earth, he destroyed." Eva revealed. "The Vanguard evacuated Neo Chicago, but he arrived as we started to leave. Only a few ships made it off Earth."
As much as Diana wanted to believe in Tobias' hunch concerning Titus, she knew that there couldn't be any good in that man. Not after he butchered a team of Guardians and attacked them on the High War. This only solidified her belief that he was their enemy, and not even Tobias could deny that now.
"Those of us that made it to Venus, gathered here. This is what remains of mankind." Eva stated before placing a hand over her mouth. She had been through the dark times, seen the horrors of the Collapse. Been through the battles it took to establish the Last City. Watched as the Guardians became their powerful protectors that could overcome any obstacle.
But she would never forget the moment when she witnessed the death of all Guardians.
Eva was seated in the cockpit of the large cruiser that she had boarded under the order of the Vanguard. This was the second time they were attempting to relocate mankind to protect them from certain destruction. But everything happened too quickly this time. Titus was there by the time the evacuation began. Under the leadership of Commander Zavala, the Guardians gathered to make a last ditch effort to protect the Traveler from Titus, and hopefully create a little more time for the evacuation to continue.
The younger Guardians though, were tasked with aiding the evacuation, and leading mankind to their new refuge. The trio of Guardians that had been assigned to her cruiser, were all determined to succeed in their assignment. They had gone around the ship, assuring the passengers that everything would be okay. That the Vanguard would succeed, and that they would return home once again. And that they would lay down their lives to keep everyone safe.
But as they broke out of the Earth's atmosphere, two of the Guardians were in the cockpit discussing their destination with the pilots when their Ghosts suddenly came out of their chests. Their Ghosts were sparkling though, which immediately gained Eva's attention as the Guardians separated themselves from everyone else to speak with their Ghosts.
There was a solemn exchange of words between them before one of the Guardians fell to their knees, tears rolling down his face. The Guardian that stood upright though went to the center of the cockpit where he called for everyone's attention. He too was beginning to sparkle like his Ghost, glowing faintly.
"I'm sorry everyone, but…we have to go now." He declared, his voice soft.
"What, what do you mean?" One of the pilots exclaimed.
"We failed. The Traveler…was destroyed." He revealed to them after a pause.
"So, what's happening to you?" They asked him as the sparkling around him began to intensify.
"From dust I came, and to dust I shall return."
Eva exhaled deeply once again as she returned her gaze to the four Guardians in front of her.
"We've been here for almost three years now. But our days here our numbered." She stated. "We're all, dying."
Niko and Diana glanced at each other quickly. They had seen it while they were passing through the settlement. How the people here looked older.
The Traveler's Light slowed the human aging process considerably since it had arrived before the Golden Age. Their lifespan had grown longer and longer. People still died, but it had become something that happened infrequently. But now, it was clear that without the Traveler's Light, everyone was racing towards their natural death.
"What about Titus? Where did he go?" Tobias asked her, causing Evan to shake her head.
"We don't know. He disappeared after he had destroyed the Earth." She replied, causing a silence to set in as the members of Undaunted put the pieces together.
"So, we're three years in the future." Niko stated as his Ghost took shape, giving him a nod. "How did that happen?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." Carmen said as she shrugged her shoulders.
"It could very well have to do with the time you spent in the Ascendant Realm. Toland did say that time flows differently there." Diana's Ghost pointed out.
"We traveled to the future, and missed an epic fight." Niko concluded, crossing his arms with a sigh.
"That, was not an 'epic fight', it was a massacre!'" Eva snapped at him uncharacteristically, tightly grasping the edge of her cot. Her hands were shaking.
"I'm sorry." Niko apologized as he approached her, placing a hand on her small shoulder. "Is there a way that we can fix this?"
"Beating Titus now won't do anything." Diana declared. "We'd have to go back in time."
"She's right." Her Ghost added as it took shape beside her.
"But, how are we going to go back in time?" Carmen asked them.
"We've done before, haven't we?" Diana asked as she looked at Niko.
"The Vex." He stated with a grin. They had used the Vex time portals to go back in time once and return. Perhaps they could do it again.
"I wouldn't get your hopes up. The Vex no longer inhabit Venus." Eva stated, putting a small damper on their hopes. "However, their constructs still stand. We have a scientist who has been studying them since we arrived. Speaking to him might help you all develop a plan. His name is Bryce Emerton and you'll find him in the campus about a mile to the east."
"Thanks Eva." Niko said as he nodded to his teammates. He, Carmen and Diana quickly reactivated their helmets as they rose up, heading toward the exit of Eva's home.
"Tobias, are you coming?" Diana asked him, noticing that he was still seated.
"I'll catch up." He said, motioning for her to keep up with the two Hunters that had already gone outside.
"Okay, don't take too long though." She said before heading off as well.
Tobias remained seated on the floor, returning to his thoughts. How could Titus had done all of this? He had trusted him. Allowed him to live after their duel on the High War. Titus had even promised him that he wouldn't regret that decision. There was still something that didn't make sense to him though. To his understanding, Titus had saved them from Savathun on the High Coven. What was he really doing there then? Was he trying to save them, or was he there for another reason?
Tobias inhaled sharply, chewing on his lower lip. What was going on right now?
"Tobias…" Eva said softly, getting his attention. "I remember the few occasions we spoke before all of this happened?"
"You do?" Tobias asked her, and she gave him a nod and a small smile.
"Of course dear. But I see that you're still tormenting yourself." She stated.
"I don't see why I shouldn't. All of this, shouldn't have happened." Tobias exclaimed in response as he motioned to their surroundings. "If I had just finished everything on the Dreadnaught like I should have, no one would've died. The Earth would be fine. Everything, would be okay."
"Tobias, we all have our regrets. But not everyone is fortunate enough to have the ability to go back and change them." Eva pointed out to him. "So for your sake, follow your teammates, find you way back, and set everything in its place. And at the end of the day, there will be no need for an explanation and excuse, because there will be no regrets."
Tobias stared at her for a moment, and then he gave her a nod. Rising to his feet, he quickly donned his helmet and tapped his chest. He would reclaim everything that was lost to Titus.
Campus 9
"This should be it." Carmen's Ghost said as the fireteam of four reached the exit of a stone corridor that led out into the area Eva had instructed them to visit. It was funny location that was diverse in elevation, with small buildings scattered around. It was devoid of any activity however, with the roar of the nearby waterfall drowning out their voices.
"Switching to a private comms channel." Diana's Ghost declared as it set up a channel for them to speak as their helmets shut out noise from the waterfall.
"I've already got a reading on Bryce's location." Niko's Ghost declared as it marked to location on everyone's helmet interface. He was in the small building farthest from them, darting around the consoles set up in there.
Bryce Emerton was a bright young man who prided himself on his work ethic when he worked for the Vanguard. If there was anything he wanted people to say about him, it was that he was hardest worker they knew. And his supervisors in the Vanguard couldn't say that enough. But with how recent events unfolded, Bryce found himself in a small settlement on Venus with the last of mankind.
He didn't really know what to do with himself at first. No else did either. And almost everyone had lost hope. Bryce however, couldn't accept that this would be the end. Recalling what he had read in the Vanguard archives concerning the Vex, he knew of their ability to travel through time, so he began to study and research the Vex constructs of Venus now that he was so close to them. He was searching for something, for anything that would help them fight against their inevitable extinction.
"Drat." Bryce muttered as he stared at the notes that had been projected as a hologram from the console in front of him. "If only I had a live specimen to see how it would interact with the Conflux…"
"Umm, hello~?" A voice called out, causing Bryce to whirl around in surprise. He never had company when he visited Campus 9, and no one has ever come looking for him either.
Seeing a group of four Guardians standing at the entrance to this small lab, he furrowed his brow.
"Who are you guys?" Bryce asked them as he drew the small sidearm he had with him, pointing it at them.
"You can put that away, we're not here to hurt you." Niko said, an eyebrow raised that Bryce was carrying a weapon.
"Not that a little thing like that would've done much to us." Carmen noted, shooting Bryce a grin as her helmet was deactivated. Bryce raised his eyebrows at the sight of each of their faces, coming to a stop at Carmen. Running a hand through his hair, he returned Carmen's smile with a cheeky one of his own.
"Well, hello beautiful." He said as he approached Carmen, causing her cheeks to redden in response. "There's not too many pretty faces around these parts. What are you doing way out here?"
Niko gave Bryce a narrow glance as he positioned himself in between them.
"How old are you buddy?" Niko asked him, a smirk forming as Bryce was forced to acknowledge his tall stature.
"I'm twenty four." He replied as he tucked his sidearm back into the holster on his belt.
"So then, what are you doing way out here?" Diana asked him.
"You guys still haven't answered my question. Obviously you came from the settlement, but I've never seen any of you there." Bryce pointed out them.
"We're Guardians." Carmen stated as she stepped around Niko, nudging him slightly as a hint for him to stay out of the way.
"Guardians?" He repeated as he glanced at each of them. "For real?"
Carmen shot him a smirk and nodded. Bryce raised his eyebrows at her and returned the smile. Niko however began to snap his fingers in front of Bryce's face to get his attention.
"Hey man, we need you to focus for a little bit." Niko stated, causing Bryce to exhale as he took a step back now.
"As far as I know, all of the Guardians died with the Traveler. How do I know you guys are the real deal?" Bryce stated as he gave them all a narrow glance. Despite his interest in Carmen, he was still uncertain about their identity.
"Does this look fake?" Niko asked him as he pointed his tanto at him, the weapon becoming enveloped in Arc Light. Bryce's eyes came crossed as he stared at the tip of the blade that was in front of him, leaning back a bit at the sight of it. He recognized this ability, signature to Bladedancers.
"Yeesh, okay, you guys aren't all talk." Bryce said as he motioned for Niko to lower his weapon. "But that doesn't explain what you're doing out here. Like I said, every Guardian died three years ago. So how are you guys, you know, here?"
"We don't really know ourselves." Diana began as she placed her hand on Niko's shoulder, pulling him back a bit. "We were sent on a mission in the Ascendant Realm, and when we got back, we found everything like this."
"The Ascendant Realm…" Bryce mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. According to his memory, there was a four man fireteam that ventured into the Ascendant Realm. But he didn't get to learn anything significant about this mission since he was only grunt in the Vanguard at the time.
Looking up at Diana once again, it was then that Bryce finally placed her face. After the defeat of the Taken King, she had given a speech and been given a medal of honor by the Vanguard. Her whole team had! This was fireteam Undaunted.
"I remember you guys!" He exclaimed. "You took out Oryx!"
"Yup, that was me alright." Carmen stated with a cheeky grin.
"Us." Tobias interjected, shooting her a glance. Carmen only snickered in response.
"Yeah, I remember that you guys got the mission to hunt down the Daughters of Oryx on the Dreadnaught." Bryce said, recalling what details he could about this event.
"We ended up in the Ascendant Realm actually chasing down Ir Anuk." Tobias pointed out.
"Right, and we just finished that mission." Diana confirmed, with a nod of agreement from the rest of her team.
"But it was three years ago that you guys left on it." Bryce stated.
"So we spent three years in the Ascendant Realm." Tobias concluded.
"How did something like that happen though?" Diana asked as they tried to find an answer for this. "It only felt like we were in there for a few hours."
"Toland did say that time flows differently there." Diana Ghost stated as it took shape beside her. "Not to mention you all did spend an extended period of time there."
"No we didn't." Diana replied, recalling the time they had spent pursuing Ir Anuk.
"Actually, we did." Niko admitted. "It was while you were unconscious. Carmen and I really had no idea where to go. We were lost on those ships for a while until Toland showed up." Niko explained, which confirmed the thought Diana's Ghost had.
"Then that explains it. The time you spent wandering the Crossroads may have resulted in you all missing a significant amount of time in our realm." Her Ghost said to them.
"So that's what happens without Toland's guidance." Diana mumbled.
"I guess." Niko said as he shrugged his shoulders. "Once he started leading the way, we were out of there in no time."
"Geez, so that's what happened." Diana said, but Tobias punched his palm to get everyone's attention.
"Forget all of that. Right now, we're working on a way to go back. We can undo all of this." Tobias said he looked around, trying to rally his teammates.
"So you guys are…trying to go back in time?" Bryce asked them. "Is something like that even possible?"
"We know a way. The Vex." Niko stated. "We heard you're the guy to talk to about them."
"Ah…well I am your guy." Bryce said slowly. "But…there's no Vex here if you're trying to capture them. They left Venus when we arrived."
"They left?" Niko said, furrowing his brow. He didn't know much about the Vex, but he was certain that they were nothing to take lightly. Did the Vex flee Venus because of Titus, or did something else happen?
"So now what?" Carmen asked as she looked at her teammates. They were at a loss as well.
"I don't know. Skolas used a Vex Mind Core to access their network." Diana's Ghost reminded them. "If we can't obtain one of those, I honestly don't know what to tell you guys."
"I mean…I don't really know what to tell you guys. I've been studying the Vex constructs since I landed on Venus, and it's like they're dead now that the Vex are gone." Bryce explained to them. "I've been all over the place, and I've only seen one place that looked like it might still be in use."
"What place?" Diana asked as she perked up at this bit of information.
"In the Maat Mons, there was Vex Conflux there that was still active. But without a live specimen I couldn't get it to respond to anything." Bryce continued. "I don't know if that'll be of any use to you, but if you want to try something."
"No…that might actually help." Diana's Ghost said.
"But he said without an actual Vex specimen we can't do anything." Carmen pointed out.
"That may be true. But we are still in possession of the Eye of Zydron. This was previously attached to a Vex Gate Lord, so it may serve as an equivalent to one of their Mind Cores." Diana Ghost explained, and everyone seemed to agree on this.
"We're back in business baby!" Niko exclaimed as he and Diana gave each other a high five.
"Can you give the coordinates of that Conflux?" Diana's Ghost asked Bryce as it flew over to him.
"Yeah, no problem." Bryce said before he turned to Carmen. "And if you guys do fix everything, make sure you pay me a visit beautiful."
Tobias and Niko stifled a laugh as the formerly 'rough and tough' Carmen giggled at Bryce's comment, beginning to twirl some of the loose strands of her curly locks.
"Come on people, we're burning daylight!" Diana called out to her team as she donned her helmet again, beginning to clap her hands to get everyone moving.
Maat Mons
Shores of Time
"Dude, I have so much respect for that kid if he got all the way out here on foot." Niko stated as the four of them jumped from the Skiff, landing on the flat extension that protruded from a small forested area. The whole area seemed to have a white line that passed down the middle of it, showing the great contrast between the two sides.
One side possessed the natural forests and plant life of Venus, while the other had clearly been altered by the Vex, featuring their constructs. And what the team was searching for rested on the uninhabited Vex side of this area. Venturing through a small cave, the four them stepped back out into daylight where they found what they were searching for resting in a small clearing with a creek passing through it. At the very center of this spot was the Vex conflux Bryce had told them about, glowing softly as they approached it.
"Ghost, if you would do us the honors." Diana said as she invited her Ghost to take shape and investigate the conflux.
"With pleasure." It replied, beginning to perform a scan of the object. "Yup, Bryce was right, this one is still active. But it's locked."
"Locked?" Diana repeated.
"I don't know if you remember me saying this, but the Vex are capable of locking things out of time. This conflux is keeping something out of time." Her Ghost explained to them.
"Keeping something out of time?" Tobias exclaimed. "Like what?"
"Obviously I don't know, but if the Vex have it locked away, I'd assume it's dangerous." Diana's Ghost replied.
"Thanks captain obvious." Carmen mumbled as she rolled her eyes.
"So what do you guys want to do?" Diana asked them. "We have no idea what's on the other side. What if they've got some kind of monster locked in there?"
"We'll just do everyone a favor and kill it." Niko replied as he called for his Stillpiercer. "What I want to know though, is how is this going to let us go back in time?"
"By using this conflux, we'll be stepping beyond the parameters of time. We'll no longer be attached to the timeline we're currently in, but I'm not certain how we'll find a way to go back." Diana's Ghost explained.
"Okay, so if we're outside of time, then it's just a matter of find a way to go back then." Niko stated.
"If we have a Gate Lord's head, couldn't we just do the same thing Skolas did and find a portal to use?" Tobias asked them.
"Exactly. Bryce said everything else has been inactive since the Vex are gone. But, it seems more than likely that the Vex must still be present in this area that they have locked out of time, so we should be able to find an active portal there that we can use to enter their network." Diana's Ghost said, getting nods all around from everyone. Things were falling into place. They had found their way back home.
"Well then, take us inside." Diana said as she motioned for her Ghost to go to work.
"Stand back then."
The Eye of Zydron appeared in front of the conflux, and was placed into a small gap at the center of the small structure, causing it to shine brightly. There was a sudden roar as the area quaked for a moment, then a pillar of light rose from the conflux, head straight up into the sky. Soon enough though the pillar made contact with a transparent dome that had covering the entire area. As the four Guardians looked around, their surroundings began to change. The mountains that were around them disappeared, being replaced by towering stone buildings, that were decorated with lush plants.
Soon enough the ground beneath them changed, placing them had what seemed like the heart of a marketplace. The conflux still remained, but the Guardians were in shock as they now stood at the heart of a stone city.
"What, what just happened?" Tobias whispered out.
"This is what was hidden away by the conflux." Diana's Ghost replied.
"But, this doesn't make any sense. What's a city like this doing on Venus?" Niko asked as he looked around. It kind of reminded him of his life in Athens.
"Let's get a move on. We can do some sightseeing while we move." Diana said to them as she began to walk ahead of them. The city was completely empty, their footsteps echoing as they moved.
"This is, amazing!" Carmen exclaimed as she looked around. She had never seen anything like it. This city couldn't even compare to Neo Chicago, or the Last City, but it was certainly a sight to behold.
"According to human history, this city mirrors the civilization that had been built by the Aztecs on Earth." Carmen's Ghost stated after intensely studying some of the buildings.
"The Aztecs? I've never heard of them." Carmen replied.
"Well of course you haven't, I could never get you to read a book." Her Ghost said to her.
"Why should I read a book when I've got you to tell me everything?" Carmen retorted.
"As if you'd listen." Her Ghost muttered.
"Incoming!" Diana's Ghost barked suddenly, putting everyone on high alert. "We've got multiple Vex signature approaching…but, something odd about them."
Grasping their weapons now, the four Guardians turned their backs to one another, looking out in each direction as their enemies approached. Just as Diana's Ghost had said, the Vex arrived, some of them landing in the streets, while others hung from the sides of the buildings, staring at them.
"What…the hell?" Tobias said softly, his hands trembling softly as he held his Tlaloc. What was he looking at?
These Vex…they weren't at all like what they had seen before.
"I thought those readings were weird." Diana's Ghost said to them. "These Vex, have human readings as well."
Staring down the sights of his Tlaloc, Tobias inhaled sharply as he looked at one of these 'Vex'. It was as if a skinny man had the armor of a Vex Goblin infused to his skin in various places. Some of them had mechanical limbs, while others only had chest armor. But the one thing they had in common was that they possessed the head a Vex unit, with the single red optic that glowed eerily, sending shivers down their spines.
In the palace that rested on the north end of the city, a man was seated on his stone throne, with the symbol of an open eye acting as the sun etched into the wall above him. A woman entered the throne room, running up to the base of the throne where she kneeled down before this man.
"Master, the Guardians have arrived." She stated, causing the man to crack a smile as he rose from his seat.
"Excellent, bring them to me."
A/N
I think this was biggest chapter I've posted to date, and I really enjoyed writing this one to after the cliffhanger I left off on from the last chapter. The story arc has a lot of twists and turns, from the whole business with the Daughters of Oryx, to chasing them onto the High Coven, to fighting Savathun, now Titus and the 'different' Vex. And guess what…it's only going to get crazier from here. See you all at the next chapter, and thanks for all the reviews!
Destiny 2 is amazing! So far I'm loving almost every minute of it. I'm still in the honey moon stage with it, even though it's been almost a month, so my opinion of it still has a ton a bias. But I'm really enjoying it at the moment.
There was an announcement on my profile that I was going on hiatus with this story. Originally I was supposed to be starting college this month, but my plans fell through so I'll still be writing. I intend to reapply and start in January, so for right now I might have just delayed the hiatus. Just a heads up for you all.
As always though, thanks for reading!