Chapter eight.

Nightstalker and Omnigul.

Getting past the mines was, as the Prince had said easy, slowly moving with the many asteroids and wrecks until she was in open space had been simple, even if the mines were set at highest sensitivity.

"So, just comm you when I get the bow and you'll guild me back in?" Rose asked.

~ "That's the idea." ~ The Prince said. ~ "The Void Chamber is beyond the reaches of our weapons so if you get into any trouble out there you are on your own." ~

"Just like back home, I get it." Rose said, "At least here I know my ship isn't going to die on me."

~ "Be careful," ~ Arielle said, ~ "The ship is only as good as her pilot and you'll have to leave it to get your Bow." ~

"I know." Rose said, "I'll be back soon, hopefully with a bow." She assured.

~ "You'd better be." ~ Arielle said.

"Yes mom." Rose smiled and headed towards the coordinates of the Void Chamber.

"If Arielle's mom, does that make Orion dad?" Bing asked.

"A kill stealing dad, but a good one." Rose smiled, "Now let's get this over with and hope we don't have to play chicken with the Ravens."

"Locked on to the Void chamber, we should be there soon." Bing assured.

"Good."

"Eris?" Orion asked as the former hunter stared out into the darkness beyond the wall. "What is it?"

"Omnigul is close." She said, "I sense her, the cold, vile devotion to Crota fills her screams, she is hunting for his killers and she will not stop until they are dead at her feet." She added looking at Orion. "She is not going to be an easy victory as she was before."

"I guessed as much." Orion said. "But why would she come so close to the City? With so many Guardians here she is risking a lot."

"She is challenging us." Eris said, "Waiting to see who is foolish enough to try and face her alone."

"Have you told the Vanguard?" Orion asked.

"Cayde and Ikora are aware of her, Zavala has asked to be told only if she attacks the City." Eris nodded. "But I fear she will try something worse."

"The Patrols in the Cosmodrome?" the Titan asked and Eris nodded. "She'll pick us off in small numbers, just like the Devils tried to do."

"She is clever. But she is also weary, and as long as the Princes are with her, she is protected and hidden from sight until their deaths." Eris said.

"Is that a mission?" Orion asked.

"Only if you go with the aid of others who are ready to face such horrors. The Princes are somewhere beneath the surface of the moon and whatever they seek, I fear it will herald the arrival of something far worse and far more devastating than Crota." She said.

"I understand." Orion said.

Lindor and Terrik watched as Zaragosa and Vlad sparred, moving with speeds an untrained eye would miss, knifes and fists meeting with such force dents would no doubt need bashing out later.

Lord Shaxx and Lord Saladin walked the room with even paces, acting as referees to make sure no one sparring over stepped themselves, Titans, Warlocks and Hunters filled the rings, sparring in every known team up they could fit, the Crucible arenas were full as were the Iron Banner, and from what the Reef reported, the Prison and the Trials were also struggling to find space for everyone and so, they had set up make shift sparing rings in every available space to relieve the constant flow of Guardians, while others were sent on Strikes and Raids.

No one wanted to admit they were not ready to face this new threat, and now one wanted to admit they needed to train and reshape their skills after so long away.

"Vlad, Zaragosa, time out, you've been at it all morning." Shaxx called and the two Hunters grunted before stepping away from each other.

"Next time." Zaragosa promised.

"Next time," Vlad nodded taking a long pull of an oil drink.

"Vlad." Orion called and waved his friend over.

"What we got?"

"Young team calling for help on the Moon, with Arielle on the Reef Zavala wants us to go and help them." Orion explained.

"Sounds easy." Vlad nodded. "Let's go."

Bing scanned the area as they landed, resting for a moment to get a better idea which way to go. The chamber was cold, echoing and just standing near the doorway made him feel so much smaller than he was.

"I don't like it here." he said and floated closer to Rose.

"We aren't staying longer than we need too." She assured softly catching him in her hand. "Stay in my armour, Cayde always said Void chambers were never as empty as they feel."

Bing chimed in agreement and fizzed into her armour as Rose made her way inside, taking the safety off her weapons as she used the walls for cover, following a sudden tugging in her chest.

She remembered the first time she'd seen a Void bow.

}~ Cayde's bow, drawn and releasing an arrow with such force it took down a Devil with ease and tethered two dozen others while Cayde continued to fire arrows, tethering more enemies and taking them down while others fired shots and shells to clear the ground below them.

"What was that?" she asked after the fighting came to an end. "That Bow you used…?"

"That is what a Nightstalker can do with the Void." Cayde said, rubbing his face slightly. "That was a Void Bow."

"Void Bow? I thought the Void was that bubble thing the Titans do." She said and Cayde chuckled ruffling her hair.

"It is, but remember we all use the three elements. Sol, Arc and Void. Just we each master a different one. The Titans master Sol with their hammers, the Warlocks tame the Arc in their storms, and we Hunters, we take up the Void Bow." He smiled.

"It looks like it does more damage than my gun." she sighed. "I still can't get a head shot."

"You'll learn," Cayde smiled, "But never let the Void fool you kid, it's a deadly thing, even for us. It is neither friend nor foe, it's a consuming force, not a burning warmth like Sol or a burst of energy and adrenalin like Arc. It's like an addiction, it will change you if you treat it wrong, but it will never give you its power without a prise."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You will learn when you become a Nightstalker kid, picking up the bow is easy, putting it down again," Cayde sighed, "not so much." ~{

Steps behind her and Rose turned instantly and shoved her scout rifle into the face of-

No one.

"Rose?" Bing asked.

"Scan the area, now." Rose said.

"No need Little Light." A familiar voice said and Rose watched the same bluish light fizzle and allow the Lady Exo to step out of them.

"I am a Ghost." Bing said with an annoyed buzz.

The stranger smiled, "I am sorry I followed you here Guardian, but there is much we need to talk about before you go further."

"Good, we'll start with why you followed me and what you want. Without the riddles and 'no time to explain why I don't have time to explain' excuses." Rose said.

"I can agree to that." The Exo nodded. "Why are you here? Not at the chamber, but in this time?"

"Ikora and Eris told me the Hive messed with the Vex technology in my world and made a whole big mess of everything, somehow I got sucked here though a Vex portal and now my world is imprinting on this one, I need the Void to stop it before everything goes to hell." Rose stated, ignoring the slight tone to her own voice. "Why do you need to know that?"

"I answer to my own masters, just as you answer to the Vanguard." The Exo stated. "What do you plan to do when you have stopped the Hive?"

"Stay here and help fix the mess they made. I can't go home now. There is no home for me to go back to." Rose said. "Is that a problem?"

"I don't know the answer to that question yet." The Exo stated then paused listening to something. "Yes. Yes I understand." She said before turning to Rose again. "You came to this world weak and alone, but you have found a place here and forged a strong bond. Heed me Guardian, that bond will be tested by something so much greater than the Vex and the Hive. Even the Cabal will shudder that this threat. You will need all your courage and strength if you are to face it and win."

"You mean the Darkness Eris talks about?" Rose asked. "She said something was coming before I came here, is that what you mean?"

"I cannot say." The Exo stated. "But I can say that we will meet again and when we do, I hope it is a friends." She added, "I will keep the Ravens from attacking your ship, but beyond that, you are alone in this mission. Good luck Guardian."

"Rose." Rose said. "My name is Rose." The Stranger nodded, but said nothing as she left in the same flurry of bluish light she had arrived in.

"Are you ok?" Bing asked. "You sounded… different." He added.

Rose shook her head. "It's this place." She said shuddering, "We better hurry."

Arielle breathed deeply, letting the images flow through her mind without truly focusing on what they showed her as she followed Rose's steps, watching through the Hunter's own eyes as she searched the Chamber for any enemy as she moved deeper into it. She was somewhat aware of the Queen beside her, legs crossed as she sat in a drawn out circle surrounded by the Tech witches in their chambers, harmlessly watching the Hunter through a shared mind.

Rose was completely unaware of them within her mind to focused on getting the Bow and getting out to realize she was linked with the two older minds.

However the Queen was completely aware of the Hunter, and the Warlock that shared the link with her, watching and at the same time learning everything about the Hunter who had become so determined to stop the tragic end of her world happening again here despite the horrors she had seen in such a short time.

It amazed the Queen, but at the same time, it worried her.

If the Witches had so easily connected the three minds, no doubt the Hive Wizards would easily break the Hunter's mind as well.

She would have to do something about it.

Vlad unloaded Thorn's clip into the backs of several Acolytes as he and Orion helped the struggling team to escape the Hellmouth, covering their rear as more Hive seemed to spill from every crack and opening on the Moon.

"We need support teams at the Hellmouth! I repeat we need support teams on the Hellmouth!" Orion bellowed into the comms.

"Comms are jammed!" Vlad yelled. "Fuck! Everyone to your ships now!" he snarled out feeling Sovereign already working on trans-matting him out of the danger zone. He looked out and saw more and more Hive swarming the areas of the Moon the House of Exile had once ruled, the dull shine fading even more until it grew dark.

"We're losing the Moon." Orion hissed as Wrex dropped him into the seat of his ship. "Commander… the Moon-"

~ "Get back here and recover, we will do what we can about the Moon when we have more Guardians up to full strength." ~ Zavala said, though he sounded as if he hadn't slept and the news had just given him more reason to stay awake.

"Things are getting bad Vlad." Orion said. "What do we do?"

~ "Let's hope Rose and Arielle get back soon, or we might just have to go collect them." ~ Vlad said leading the ships away from the Moon. ~ "We will reclaim the Moon. And we will set the Darkness running. Somehow." ~

The Chamber was filled with shining Amethyst, oddly glowing stones and a strange sparking purple mist, just floating around the room without real purpose or reason, the small specks of light making the place feel almost homely and safe.

It would have been beautiful, if not for the pile of skeletons and bones that littered the floor.

Bing shuddered, uncomfortable just seeing the chamber ahead of them. "I don't like it Rose."

"I know." Rose said. "But we have to go in there."

"Still don't like it." Bing said scanning the area. "Scan says it's clear." He added.

"Scan says a lot of things," Rose reminded. "Keep scanning and tell me the moment something shows up."

"Ok." Bing said as Rose shouldered her rifle and took out her knife.

Slowly she stepped into the room watching for anything that might move as she took slow steps towards the centre of the room where the mist seemed to be thickest, noticing that as she approached the mist started to gather more at the centre of the room, uncovering more bones and rusted weapons that had been left to decay with their former owners.

"Guardians?" Rose asked.

"All of them were at one point." Bing noted, "Their lights went out a long time ago, but there is lingering traces of light here."

"Nothing comes easy." Rose said, "no matter what happens, don't come out."

"But if you die-" Bing began.

"Then I die." Rose said, putting a hand over where Bing was in her chest plate. "Promise me."

"I… I promise." Bing said.

"Thank you." Rose said before looking at the now swirling ball of Void energy at the centre of the room. "Here goes everything," She muttered careful reaching out to the ball.

"Omnigul has been found," Cayde stated. "She's in the Jovian Complex, with the Princes. It doesn't look pretty."

"Then we end her before she can spread her sickening brood further." Eris said.

"We have few to spare for such an attack." Cayde said.

"We must not allow her to live." Eris stated. "As long as she lives, Crota's Will shall be done through her. We have to end her."

"Orion and Vlad can't go in there alone." Cayde stated, "And we can't just send Lindor and her boys in with them, as good as they are… this is not like the battle of Saturn." He said then paused as Eris tilted her head to listen to something else.

Then she smiled.

Rose panted heavily, shivering as a cold grip snaked up her arm and into her chest like some kind of empty embrace, tightly clutching her body for a brief moment before it settled and she was able to regain her composure.

"Rose?" Bing asked.

"I'm… I'm ok, I think. Just. Just a little cold." She admitted still a little shaken from the sudden surge in her body.

~ "Feels odd, doesn't it?" ~

"Cayde?" Rose asked as she tapped her comm.

~ "Get a feel for it Guardian," ~ the Vanguard said, ~ "You're gonna need to get use to the Bow. Learn to let it flow inside you and respect the power it grants a Nightstalker." ~ He explained, ~ "Draw the string back and let the first arrow fly. Let the Void fully connect with you." ~

"Even if it takes something from us?" Rose asked and heard Cayde chuckle.

~ "You're wearing the gloves of your Cayde, I bet that helps with a lot of things." ~ Cayde said. ~ "Outside would be better." ~

Rose nodded and made her way back the way she had come, seeing the Ravens circling around as she draw the bow string back with her left hand aiming at the largest of the ravens, watching it as it circled around and the attempted to dive at her.

She released the arrow, feeling something cold cover her hands despite the gloves and smiled as he sky lit up with the same purple mist like form she'd seen inside, sending Ravens scattering and screeching.

Uldren looked towards the chamber as a bright purple light washed over the area, scattering the flocks of Ravens he had seen on his radar, watching them start to drop in numbers swiftly.

The Hunter, it seems had been successful in gaining her bow.

Arielle was smiling.

The Queen didn't need to see her to know that as they left the shared mind. "Seems we underestimated the Hunter." She said.

"Seems?" Arielle asked.

"I had thought she would be too scared to go in alone, too fearful of losing something about herself to the Void to use it. I was wrong." The Queen stated.

"Am I hearing things or did the Queen of the Reef just say she had been wrong?" Arielle asked.

"I will not repeat myself." The Queen said, "But now that she is a Nightstalker, Eris reports that Omnigul has been found and your Titan and Hunter have been sent to try and keep her from spreading her brood. I am sure you know what to do with that information." She added and with that, the Queen stood and headed back to her throne room.

Arielle smiled, "A Queen needs not repeat herself." She said, tapping her comm link. "Rose, Omnigul's been found. Want to test that new bow of yours on her?"

~ "For what she did to Cayde and Ikora in my world. Hell yes." ~ Rose answered and Arielle heard her ship in the back ground. ~ "Just need to get back inside the Reef and we can leave." ~

"Uldren." Arielle said.

~ "I will get her back inside." ~ Uldren said.

Vlad growled as he and Orion rested, backs against a rock as they reloaded their weapons both heavily panting while struggling to keep their guards up against the onslaught of thrall and Acolytes the Swarm Princes brought with them, blocking the way into the Hive Seeder that held Omnigul.

"This is harder than I remember." Orion huffed.

"No shit." Vlad growled. "We need to get in there before we lose this place as well as the Moon."

"I hear that." Orion said, "But how do we get in there if we can't even beat this small fry?"

"I say we do this with our own swords." Vlad said, reaching back to his sword. "Ready?"

"Meet you at the Princes." Orion nodded drawing out the Raze Lighter from his back and Vlad drew the Dark Drinker and the two charged, cutting down the Hive with new found ease.

"Hope Arielle doesn't mind this." Vlad called, spinning with his blade to cut down Thrall.

"She can shout at me later." Orion assured. "Right now, we need to clear this area." He added slicing an Acolyte in half.

Arielle was waiting when Rose got into the Reef air space, just barely getting back inside without setting a mine off even with Uldren's help, and now they were heading into jump space to get back to earth in time to help Vlad and Orion fight.

The Queen watched them go and then turned to her brother. "I trust the plan is in place?" she said.

"Yes my Queen." He said, kneeling beside her.

"Then we are ready for the worse should it come." She said.

"Yes my Queen." He said though she saw he was not happy with the plan she spoke of, she saw it behind his eyes, fear, uncertainty and worry for her.

"Speak your mind brother." She permitted, knowing he would only brood over his thoughts if he kept them bottled up.

"Must you do this? Must we give so much on a whim? We are not even sure he will continue his attack now. Must it still be as we planned? Can you not- Can we not speak to the Vanguard?" He said as if the very idea of asking for help from them left a foul taste in his mouth. "Arielle would never agree to this if she knew."

"We are the only ones who can stop this darkness before it reaches them." the Queen stated, "And I will not bow or run from this vile creature."

"We are not bowing to him if we seek aid." Uldren said though he didn't like the suggestion himself. "Losing you will destroy the Reef. And it will destroy me."

"Only you?" the Queen asked.

Uldren shook his head. "You are as the Hunter said, the Traveler to us, if we lose you…" Uldren refused to finish that sentence, he had seen the fate of the Hunter's Queen and he would not wish to see it become a reality for his own Queen. "Please, rethink this plan."

"And do what?" The Queen asked. "Send my people to fight without me? Allow you to go in my stead?"

"If the choice has to be made, my life is less than yours, Queens rule this Reef, their brothers serve them and I will gladly fall if it means you live." He said.

"And that is my weakness." It was so soft, Uldren knew no one else had heard it. "If you disappear, I have no one and nothing. All I have done, all I have worked for, is gone if I lose the one soul that is linked to my own by blood and birth."

"Then as my sister," he said and lightly took her hand in his. "Please, rethink this plan. I cannot lose you, the Reef cannot lose you." He pleaded, lightly squeezing her hand in his.

She gave the softest of sighs, "Alright. I will think on what has been shown to us and all that has happened since. But for now the plan remains." She said.

"As you wish." He said, still holding her hand.

"Incoming transmission from Orion and Wrex." Vakarian said. "They're struggling." He added as he linked the transmission to Arielle's comm-link.

"What's happening?"

~ "These fuckers don't die." ~ Orion snarled, ~ "if you are on the way, I suggest dropping in here with weapons hot babe, because these fuckers are tougher than the last ones." ~ He added.

"Understood." Arielle said, "Rose, make sure you're weapons are ready."

~ "Got it." ~ Rose assured. ~ "How bad is it down there?" ~

"The boys are struggling." Arielle said as they left the jump space. "Stay close to me and we'll drop in right on top of them."

~ "As long as the boys don't shoot us on the way down." ~ Rose said as their ships swooped down over earth.

"If they do I'll pop a grenade down their backs for you." Arielle promised as they reached old Russia. "Heads up boys here we come."

~ "Watch your backs, Fallen Devils still lingering outside the Seeder." ~ Vlad called out.

"They won't be there for long." Arielle smiled as lightning danced down her arms. "Dropping in three. Two.-"

~ "Dive Bomb!" ~ Bing cheered as they transmitted out of their ships, Rose unloading a clip from her scout rifle as they fell through the air, taking down Thrall and Acolytes as they tried to fire on them coming down.

"Orion?!"

"Here!" the Titan bellowed out as he cut down another thrall, Vlad a few feet ahead of him, struggling to hold off Banuk, the Ur Prince with his Dark Drinker, struggling against the large Hive Knight's heavier weight.

"Little help!"

"Move Vlad!" Arielle yelled as lightning sprang from her arms and carried her over the gathered swarm, cutting down their numbers with ease as she charged the Prince and focused the storm in her arms into the Prince's chest and face. The Prince staggered backwards, but did not appear to be weakening as she had hoped.

"Shit." The warlock hissed and barely managed to jump back as the prince brought down his sword where she had been. "Why aren't you dead?!"

"Hey Ugly!" Rose yelled from above and the Prince turned his gaze up only to have a rocket smashed into his face while Rose flew backwards as the prince fell to the ground, roaring in what Arielle could only guess was Hive speak for some kind of cursing.

"He's still not dead!" Orion yelled as Vlad caught Rose before she could hit the ground.

"What the fuck does it take to kill this guy!?" Arielle yelled as she unloaded another clip worth of bullets into the Prince's face and the Thrall that suddenly swarmed from further inside the complex.

"Lots of bullets. Can you get his attention for me Vlad?" Rose asked dropping to a knee and levelling her sniper rifle with the Swarm Prince's head.

"Getting attention." Vlad said and threw his knife at the Prince's head. "Hey Fuck-face! Over here!"

The prince snarled and turned, giving Rose a perfect shot at his forehead. "Smile for the birdie!" she said and squeezed the trigger twice before swiftly reloading and aiming again as the Prince dropped to one knee, stabbing the ground with his sword as he attempted to stand again only to fall as Vlad, Rose, Arielle and Orion unloaded their last few bullets into him.

The air suddenly echoed with ear splitting bellows, loud enough to make Rose cover her ears even though her helmet. "I think we pissed them off!"

"Get your sword Arielle! These three mean business!"

"Stay back Rose." Vlad said, "If Eris was right, you are the one they'll go for first."

"Because I slough Crota?" Rose asked and Vlad nodded. "I'm not running away."

"I didn't ask you to." Vlad smiled. "Just don't let them get close to you."

"That's easy," Rose smiled, "Knights can't climb." She reminded and then scrambled up the rocks and parts of the Seeder, taking a place on one of the spikes and levelled her sniper rifle again.

Dakoor the Yul Prince charged Orion, Garrok the Xol Prince charged Vlad and Merok the Eir Prince charged Arielle, all the while Rose took out Acolytes, Thrall and smaller Knights to keep her team from getting overwhelmed, each shot she fired caught the attention of others and she knew if she moved too much their shots would reach her so she was swift and never stayed out of cover longer than she needed to be.

'Aim. Fire. Duck. Aim. Fire. Duck.' That was the pattern Ace and J-Cey had taught her and she was going to make them proud by using it to help others.

Arielle swung her blade with all her might, slicing deep into Merok's chest as a bullet shot past her back, taking down what had likely been a very unlucky Thrall. "Nice shot Rose!"

'Breath deep and calm, never let yourself get caught up in shooting that you forget your own pace.' That was Cayde's advice and he'd never been wrong before.

Orion blocked Dakoor's blade with his own, growling as he forced the Prince to stagger backwards and tossed a grenade towards the entrance of the Seeder to clear a wave of Thrall that were charging out. "Fuckers!"

'If you know you aren't strong enough to face things head on, snip them to death, distance is the best shield.' That was one of Ikora's lessons. All of those little things she'd heard and been told came back, those tips and titbits of information that at the time had meant nothing now made perfect sense.

"Fuck-Arhg!"

"Vlad?!"

Rose levelled her scope at the fight between Garrok and Vlad at Arielle's shout and froze.

Garrok's huge blade had cut a jagged and ugly gash into Vlad's shoulder and chest, leaving his body sparking and twitching as oil and wires littered the ground. The Dark Drinker lay in two broken pieces a few inches away and in Garrok's hand-

Garrok had no time to respond only stagger as the shots forced his hand to release its crushing grip on the Ghost he had caught allowing it to flee upwards and to the side of the burning Light above them.

He bellowed a challenge and turned to that light, the same that had burned so bright when the King's son died and snarled at it.

"He's challenging you." Sovereign panted, his dented shell shaking as Rose caught him in her hand. "What will you do?"

"What Hunters are always told not to do." Rose said, "Get inside with Bing and stay there."

"But Rose-"

"Do it!" Rose snapped, "If I die my armour won't release you automatically unless Bing's scanner shows clear area for at least ten minutes."

"Whatever you're gonna do, do it now!" Orion yelled as Garrok took a step towards where Arielle and Merok were fighting.

Sovereign fizzed into Rose's armour and then yelped as Rose jumped from her place and drew out her knife, landing on Garrok's back and drove her knife into the back of his neck, where the hide was softest. The Prince roared in agony and tried to reach back and remove her, unable to reach as Rose planted her feet firmly against his back and one arm around his neck, forcing him to bend backwards and stagger away from Arielle's fight before Rose released him and back flipped further away, taking out her scout rifle again and unloaded the clip into his back.

"Come on!" Rose snarled.

"What's gotten into her!?" Orion yelled punching Dakoor in the jaw as the Prince charged him, twisting and trusting the Raze-Lighter into the Prince's face jumping back.

"Confidence." Arielle smiled proudly as she thrust the Bolt Caster into Merok's chest and twisted it violently as she jumped back. "Get him Rose!"

Rose jumped at Garrok again, using knife to cut into the Prince's chest and face before she stuck a Vortex grenade to his chest. "Good bye." She hissed and jumped back as the Prince staggered back and tried to remove the grenade only for it to go off and take his head off.

"Oh yuck!" Orion groaned as he and Arielle were sprayed with the now dead Prince's 'blood'. "Gross."

"Vlad!" Sovereign called fizzing from Rose's armour and hovered over the fallen body of his Guardian. "Vladimir-66! You damn fool, wake up so I can yell at you for being an idiot!" he buzzed angrily scanning and rescanning the fallen Exo's body trying to realign and reconnect the broken body.

"Can you revive him?" Arielle asked.

"Not alone, he used up so much Light fighting before you arrived he barely had enough to keep the sword as long as he did." Sovereign admitted.

"I can help." Bing said as he came out of Rose's armour, already scanning and fixing the broken wires inside Vlad with Sovereign's guidance as Vakarian and Wrex fizzled into life and began to do the same. Slowly, the Exo's body began to reform, snapping and clicking back into its natural form before Sovereign floated higher and gave a burst of bright light, forcing it down into the Exo's body with a warm surge of air.

"Argh!" Vlad gasped, lunging up from the ground with an all mighty scream before clutching his chest and panting heavily. "Ah! Ohhhh-oh-ow… ow-ow-ow-ow. Oh Fuck that hurt!" He gasped shaking and groaning as he tried to stand up.

"You were almost cut in two you Buffoon! Don't you ever do something so stupid and reckless again or so help me I will never revive you!" Sovereign yelled practically slamming his shell into Vlad's head. "Idiot! Fool! Total and Utter Stupid pile of Spare parts!"

"Ow, you're meant to be nice to me! I just died." Vlad said catching the ghost in his hands. "You ok?"

"No! He tried to crush me! He almost did! If Rose hadn't shot his hand I'd be a pile of parts with you! So don't you ever die like that again!" Sovereign buzzed.

"I'll try not to. Oh that hurts." The Exo groaned stumbling back to his feet before looking at the remains of his sword. "Shaxx is gonna kill me."

"He'll kill all of us." Arielle said showing Vlad the chipped and broken Bold Caster while Orion held out the badly bent Raze Lighter.

"Now what?" Vlad asked.

"We go in there and stop that bitch screaming." Rose said looking into the Seeder as screams echoed from within. "Then we go home, have a hot meal and go to bed."

Arielle nodded and together the four headed inside, finding the walls and ceiling covered in the same Hive Barnacles that usually populated the Moon had started to grow in the complex as well, covering most of the door and walls so thickly there would be no way to open them without fully removing the Hive infestation.

"Why do they cover things with these barnacles?" Bing asked, "And why do they breath?"

"We don't know, and the breathing thing Eris says is to spread negative feelings and feed the Darkness. Removing it is best done by those who know more about the Hive, like the Hidden or Eris herself, since not getting rid of all of it can lead to hug problems later on."

"But we will do it. It'll just take a long time." Orion said as they reached a locked door, partly covered by the Hive's mess. "Wrex."

"Opening door, got it." Wrex said as he hovered closer to the lock pad and began to hack and charge the door until it slowly rattled up half way before stopping. "Best I can do," he stated returning to Orion's armour as Orion crouched and scanned through the door.

"Clear." He said and the four crawled under the door, thankful that their helmets filtered the air for them, as the room was filled with the same thick black fog that the barnacles produced on the moon.

"Yuck." Vakarian said as the fog seemed to only get thicker as they moved further inside. "I'd taken a Fallen Lair over this mess."

"I know what you mean, even House Exile has better taste in decoration to this." Arielle said looking around.

"Maybe if ever we find one who talks as good as Variks we can ask them about Fallen décor." Orion said with a chuckle.

"We are not redecorating the apartment in Fallen Banners." Arielle said.

"Never said it was for the apartment." Orion said. "I still need to get Zaragoza back for the time he dyed my hair pink."

Vlad chuckled though it didn't last as he rubbed where he had been sliced. "Might need to go see the docs when we get back," he said.

"Dampeners not working?" Arielle asked.

"Not sure, just don't make me laugh anytime soon." He said.

"So no jokes to lighten the mood before we fight the screaming bitch and her brood of Crota loving brats." Orion stated with a small smile as Vlad playfully punched his helm.

"As much as I enjoy them, we'll have to skip them today." Vlad stated.

"So how do you want to do this? Two of us clear out the Brood while the other two go for Omnigul? Or shall we all just focus fire on her?" Orion asked looking at Arielle.

"I say we go step by step and take out time, aim for the weak spots like when we first fought the Hive. No telling how many of Crota's generals she has in there with her and its not safe to self-revive while they are around." Arielle said.

"So we play this by the Hunter book?" Vlad asked.

"No." Arielle said and looked at Rose. "We play by Rose's book."

Rose nodded. "Last reports from my world on the Hive said they only had one weak spot, aim for the third eye on the Knights and Acolytes, aim for the heads of Thrall and if you face a Wizard, get up close, and knife them in the back of the neck, fast and hard. Never let an Ogre get close to you. If you have to run, you run and you don't stop until you are either higher than it can reach or you are far enough away to turn and round and rocket the fucker in the eye."

"Good plan." Orion said. "How do we deal with the screaming bitch?"

Rose shook her head. "No one ever faced Omnigul and lived to tell it." She said.

~ "Aim for her neck and face," ~ Eris said over the comms. ~ "She cannot call her brood if she cannot scream."~

Bing shuddered a little inside Rose's chest plate. "Is it bad that I am scared of her now?" he asked.

~ "No." ~ Vakarian assured. ~ "She still scares me sometimes and I know she's got a mean streak in her." ~ He admitted.

"Ready to move?" Vlad asked.

"Stay close to each other and don't trust your scanners, use your eyes, ears heck use your noses if you have too, every Hive you see means there are at least ten you don't." Rose said.

"Got it." Orion nodded and slowly the four moved forwards watching the scans from their Ghosts and also scanning with their own eyes.

Rose led them further in, listening for everything and anything that wasn't them, the scrap of Thrall teeth on bone, the heavy stomp of Knights marching, the soft hiss of Acolytes resting a moment before continuing, the almost gentle rustle of Wizard robes as they moved. She'd learnt those sounds by heart those few terrible nights on the Moon with J-Cey and Ace when they found her. She knew what each one meant and how quickly one Knight could become ten, how fast Thrall could overwhelm the Sunbreakers and Stormcallers.

She had watched them feast on the bodies of her fellow Guardians from the recovered footage and she knew it would be no different if they died here. Rose stopped and laid down on her stomach as something moved ahead of them and heard Arielle back up into the wall as Orion knelt into his own cover and Vlad laid beside her.

Perfectly still.

Not a single sound from any of them.

Heavy, lumbering steps echoed by countless more came closer and closer until at last, two large Ogres came into view, following a trio of Wizards across the room, surrounded by Knights, Acolytes and Thrall. Rose clenched her fists when she realized each Knight and Wizard carried necklace or belt like item, holding countless Broken and dead Ghost Shells.

She would free them.

Then she saw them, green headed, glowing Thrall, trailing behind the group of Hive, their apparent leader stopped suddenly and turned, hissing and spitting as if it knew something were wrong as it stepped towards the four. An ear splitting scream stopped it and it quickly rushed off, chased by its brethren as Omnigul summoned them.

Once the patrol had moved on, Rose slowly moved to her knees and caught Arielle's gaze, picking up a hand full of Hive barnacles and placed them on her armour. Arielle nodded and did the same, helping Orion place some on himself while Rose helped Vlad.

"She knows we are coming." Arielle said, "This will at least get us closer." She explained.

"Hopefully." Rose nodded as they continued in.

"Her Uncertainty."

"What?" Zavala asked.

"The Void took Rose's uncertainty away." Cayde stated again as they watched the fight and all that had happened. "She's not scared to jump in anymore."

Eris smiled from her place, watching through the shadows as the four moved deeper into the Seeder, closer to Omnigul and clutched her orb tighter. "Go carefully into this darkness Guardians, Omnigul expects you." She warned softly. "She is wicked and desperate. Keep your Light safe."

~ "She won't live beyond today." ~ Arielle assured. ~ "We will make sure of that." ~

Eris nodded, still gently petting the orb in her hands as they watched the team continue their mission, reloading their weapons before they came upon any unwanted encounter before they found Omnigul.

Lindor paused her work and wiped her forehead on her arm before returning to the apparent mess of wires and plugs that needed to be attached so that the new torrent on the Reef worked.

"How much longer?" the Prince asked from somewhere below her.

"Five minutes at most. These connections have to be right or you might as well be firing a very expensive nerf gun." Lindor said.

"A what?" Petra asked.

"It's a toy gun children play with in Last City." Zaragosa explained. "They are made to look like the Guns we Guardians use, from the Hand Cannons to the Sniper Rifles, but instead of life ammo they fire little foam darts and disks that don't hurt unless they go in the eye."

"Why are they called Nerf Guns?" Petra asked.

"Because foam darts on a real battle field would do nothing and 'Nerf' is a term used to describe a weapon that has been altered to the point it is seen as useless or less than it once was." Lindor said, carefully attaching the last few wires and plugs. "It happens in the Crucible. Lord Shaxx had to personally place a special chip inside some weapons just to stop them becoming common place weapons in his fights so Guardians didn't let the winning streak go to their heads."

"Sounds logical." Petra said as a soft hum filled the room. "Done?"

"Done." Lindor smiled and slipped out from under the newly installed gun. "Just needs a test firing." She added and Petra's face lit up like a child at Christmas as Uldren made to speak only to be cut off as the comm link buzzed.

~ "Petra." ~

The smile faded and instantly Petra answered her comm-link. "Yes Your Grace?"

~ "Report to me at once." ~

"Yes My Queen." Petra answered and hen shut the comm off and all but raced off.

Lindor looked at Uldren and waved at the pilot seat. "It still needs testing." She said.

He watched from the darkest shadows, watching the burning light that his son's loyal had marked his killer.

Watching it move against his forces like the tip of a small spear, doing little damage to his true plan, but damage no matter how small might become a large problem if left unchecked.

Such a small light to cause such trouble, smallest he had seen in his years so far, smaller than those around it but somehow, it had burned brightest when Crota fell, bright as the Traveler itself for just a few moments according to those who had witnessed it.

He would watch and see if this Light could defeat Crota's mate. If not then revenge would be the reward of Omnigul for defeating this pest, but if somehow this light defeated Omnigul, doubtful but not impossible, he would insure that where his son and his mate failed.

He would succeed.

And the Light would suffer a long, slow path to its death.

Of that he would see to himself.

Rose stopped as they reached a large open area filled with the corpses of dead Fallen and some Hive.

"Looks like Exile isn't the only desperate House." Orion said looking at the Red banners that were littered around. "Devils."

"And Kings." Vlad said, indicating to a yellow cloth partly hidden in amongst the dead.

"Omnigul must have killed them to claim more space for her brood, Wizards are known to kill each other and take over their broods to gain more of their own space." Rose said.

"Sh." Arielle hissed sharply as the air suddenly grew cold and heavy. "She's waiting for us."

"Let's not keep her." Orion said.

"Think you can hit her with your arrows?" Vlad asked Rose.

"I can try." Rose nodded. "But if we have to shoot down her brood first they'll swarm us before we can hit Omnigul and she'll take off."

~ "Then allow me to help you." ~ Eris said over the comms, ~ "Obey my words as they come and you will defeat her." ~

Rose smiled. "Thank you Eris."

"Leave the Brood to us." Arielle smiled, her arms cackling lightly. "You two focus that bitch. Those Ogres will be the biggest issue but nothing stands against a storm." She added.

"Nothing stands against a well-aimed hammer either." Orion smiled.

"One request." Rose said, "try not to damage the Ghosts they are wearing, they have been through enough."

Arielle nodded in understanding before turning to Orion who also nodded.

"Ready?" Vlad asked, as the Void bow formed in his hand.

"Ready." Rose nodded, readying her rifle.

The chamber soon echoed with Guardian battle cries and the cut off screams of Omnigul and her brood as Orion and Arielle tag teamed the swarming Hive Orion first taking down the Knights and Ogres with his hammers before Arielle unleashed the fury of the storm on the Thrall and Acolytes while Orion unloaded countless bullets into the Wizards around them.

Omnigul attempted to scream as she saw her brood fall only to feel a painful burning in her chest as a Void arrow shattered her shield and forced her to slow as bullets ripped into her arms, shoulders and part of her head crown.

Rose reloaded her rifle and continued to fire, standing from her cover as the Ogres fell and ripped a smoke grenade from her belt. "Smoke Grenade!" she warned as Arielle jumped up to focus the last of her Storm into the Wizard while Vlad helped Orion clear out the lingering Thrall with Thorn as Orion continued to toss his Hammers towards Omnigul.

Omnigul snarled and hovered higher, beyond the reach of the attacks before screaming and unleashing a barrage of Arc orbs, at her attackers, before her eyes fell on the female Hunter and charged her with a bellowing screech.

~ "Duck left and fire on her as you move. Keep your knife to hand and do not allow her to touch you." ~

Rose braced herself and at the last second ducked out of Omnigul's reach, squeezing the trigger of her scout rifle at close range to the Wizard's chest before snatching her knife and driving it into Omnigul's face, trying to cut something from the Wizard's neck second before Omnigul tried to catch her in poison as she regained her shield.

~ "Don't allow her to bait you. Let her attack you first she is waiting for you to make an opening for her." ~

"I will not."

"Arielle switch with me! Her shield's back up and I have no more arrows." Vlad called.

Arielle saw what Rose had tried to cut free and growled in anger, quickly snatching up a few small orbs that Orion had created with his Sol Hammers to regain more of her own Super energy as she smashed two Thralls' heads together with enough force to shatter their skulls on impact.

"Feels like I'm wasting bullets here." Orion said.

"Use your fists. Save the bullets for the Bitch." Vlad said driving his foot hard into an Acolyte's stomach area before snapping its neck with a swift twist in his hands as Rose danced silently around Omnigul's grip and attacks taking the few chances she got to fire on the shield that once again protected Omnigul from real harm.

Orion smiled and cracked his knuckles as two large Knights arrived from the shadows. "Play time."

Omnigul hissed and snarled as her attempts to attack the Hunter resulted in little more than wasted energy as the wretched light ducked and weaved easily as if she had done so before, as if she had seen her attacks before, which was impossible, no one lived beyond that day.

It was as if this Hunter was somehow in her mind.

~ "She is catching on to my tricks." ~ Eris warned. ~ "End it now." ~

"Gladly." Rose said taking out her knife again.

Arielle smiled focusing her storm down her arms, "You don't live beyond today Omnigul." She stated unleashing her lightning into the Wizard's back, forcing the shield to drop as Rose took hold of her Void Bow and released two arrows into the Wizard's chest.

Omnigul screamed as she dropped from the air rapidly, clawing the air as she tried to regain height and summon her brood, only to catch sight of their fallen bodies burning away. She looked back at the Hunter appeared in her vision.

Rose levelled the last arrow with Omnigul's face. "This is for my world." She stated and released the arrow at close range, the momentum carrying Omnigul backwards into the ground with a powerful thud.

Vlad covered his ears though his helmet as Omnigul screamed through her body burning away, the hollow crown falling to the ground as the screams echoed on while Rose knelt and picked up something that had fallen at her feet.

~ "Return to the Tower Guardians. You have done us all a great service." ~ Eris said though there was something else in her tone, relief almost. ~ "For now, the shadows are silent." ~

"Yes Eris."

"You… wish me to stay here?" Petra asked in uncertainty.

"That is what the Queen desires." The Queen stated.

Petra was silent, but the Queen needed no words to know what Petra was thinking. She feared she had done something to lose what favour the Queen had granted her again since the Wolves betrayed her, feared that she had over stepped herself with something.

"You have done no wrong, Petra." She assured, "But there is simply no place for you on the ships this time, I will need you here and so here you shall stay."

Petra couldn't have looked more defeated than she had in that moment and for the second time in her life, the Queen knew she had hurt someone with her words, but she had to make sure someone was still here she could trust if the worse should happen. She had to make sure that her Reef was safe and the best way to do that was to leave those she trusted with her life here to protect it in her stead if the plan failed or did not go as she hoped.

Uldren had stood at her side, though he was stiff and tense as he stood there. Worried by her refusal to find a different plan despite her promise she would. But in truth, she'd had no time to think of a new plan, within the last hour, Uldren's Crows had returned to him in a panic, each rushing to report the same thing to the point Uldren had been forced to raise his voice to them and order silence.

Their words had put a stop to those few hopeful thoughts the Queen had hoped to use as her Plan B.

He was coming.

And he was angry.

He would bring his evil, foul shadows to the Reef and wipe it out.

The Queen would not see that happen and had ordered the Plan into action, immediately.

"You will fly separate from me. Lead the Ships in their attack while I summon the Harbingers with the Witches." She told him as they walked towards the docks.

"Yes My Queen." He said.

"Fly safe and swift. And do not fail." She stated and he nodded.

Eris knew she was coming, she always knew when someone was coming to her room.

"Enter." Eris said quietly and the door to her room opened to allow Rose to step inside.

"I don't know if it will help, but nothing I have tried calms him." The Hunter said holding something in her hands. "He didn't leave last night with the others."

The orb in Eris's hands seemed to vibrate softly and the shell in Rose's began to shake, rattling softly.

"That Shell is not the one I lost." Eris said. "And yet he recognizes me."

"Watson recognized Cayde when he woke up." Rose reminded softly. "I thought he might calm down if he was with you, but I didn't want to open old scars if I was wrong."

Eris looked at her and then at the Ghosts hovering just behind her shoulder, some would call it fear, but Bing held no fear of her, she knew that without the Ghost's affirmation, no this little one stayed behind Rose out of respect for the Ghost who once hovered by Eris's own shoulder.

"What do you know of Ghosts?" Eris asked softly as Bing entered as if he had been permitted to do so.

"Only what Ikora told me where I am from." Rose admitted as Bing balanced on her shoulder. "In its dying breath, the Traveler gave birth to the Ghosts, the Ghosts travelled the System, search for those who could use the Light to protect the last of Humanity. When a Ghost finds a Guardians they are bound to that Guardians until they both lose all their light, be it to battle or old age and if a Ghost dies before the Guardian, a Guardians will start to age and eventually die." She recalled as Bing lightly bumped against her cheek. "Some Ghosts get so attached to their Guardians that sometimes they can't leave, even when their Guardians dies, so they become Shells, lingering in places their Guardians shared memories with them until someone finds them and uses their light to coax the Ghost back to the Traveler."

Eris smiled and slowly extended a hand letting Rose place the familiar shell in her palm and gently she brought the shell closer to her orb, feeling them resonate in harmony. "I lost much faith in the Traveler when we went down into the Hive. I cursed it for not allowing me the strength to protect my Ghost when he had done so much to keep me alive." She said, "When I found my way out, when I finally found the Light again, I was cold, harsh and sharp nothing like the Guardians Soul had revived. I had lost so much of myself to the Hive I thought…"

A hand to her shoulder and Eris looked to Rose. "No Guardian loses too much of themselves to forever lose the bond with their Ghost." She said. "Ace told me that the Eris of my world would utter a prayer for the Ghosts who passed her. She knew the names of every Ghost and who they belonged too and only she could tell you how old a Ghost was compared to their Guardian."

"A Prayer?" Eris asked, though she had a funny feeling she knew what that prayer was.

"Oh Traveler who hangs above us. Hallowed be thy name; Give us this day our faith. And forgive us out trespasses lead us not into temptation; But deliver us from evil. For thine is The Father and Keeper. For ever and ever. Amen." Bing recited as if he had heard it a thousand times before. "Soul taught it to me, when I was resting between trying to find Rose."

Eris smiled looking at her orb, "You hear him. Even like this?" she asked.

Bing bounced in a nod. "He talks to all the Ghosts, but his voice is soft like a whisper so can only be heard by those who listen closely."

Rose smiled and then looked down to the shell, "He's stopped shaking."

"Then it is time for him to return to the Traveler." Eris said though she didn't rush to release the shell in her hand. "I doubt I can send him off, not like this."

"It would be wrong of me to deny you the right to see him go." Rose said, lightly placing her hands around Soul's shell and Eris felt warmth in that touch, warmth from a light that held no judgement of her or those who had been touched by the darkness.

"Thank you. For granting me this." The corrupted Hunter said as she felt the Shell slowly fade away, the light that had sustained it flickering up through Rose's hand.

"As a Warlock once told me, 'if one Awoken cannot help another, we are lost as a people.'" Rose smiled. "Until next time Eris. Vlad and I are heading to Mars for a patrol."

"Next time, Rose." Eris smiled softly as Rose left her room.

They were doing well. He would admit to that much.

The fire fight was going in their favour, Hive ships were taken down with a few shots and blast while the smaller ships were quickly dropping and struggling to fight off their sudden attack.

But still his felt uneasy and worried even as he lead another wave of attacks this time on the largest threat, passing it while peppering the surface with their shots.

~ "Prince Uldren there is no damage!" ~ One of the pilots yelled.

~ "What the fuck does it take to destroy this thing?!" ~ Another cursed.

He glanced back as he flew his ship, hoping that his worries would prove unfounded as the shots from his ship did nothing to the massive Dreadnaught that travelled towards the Reef through Saturn's Rings.

"You are sure?"

"I am." She answered him. "Fly my brother. Survive this and protect the Reef."

"Yes Sister."

~ "Watch your wings! The Queen just unleashed the Harbingers!" ~

~ "Scatter! Everyone out of the way!" ~

He watched, praying with all his heart that the seven burning Harbingers that flew from the Queen's Ketch would do the damage they were renowned for as they dragged asteroids and debris towards the Dreadnought.

He saw them hit, saw the countless explosions of impact and for a moment he dared to hope they had worked.

But they'd done nothing.

Not even a scratch against the massive ship's outer shell and Uldren felt dread fill his chest as the Dreadnaught fired on them cutting through their ships and its own with ease.

"The Awoken have played their part. This was all… part of the plan."

The Queen closed her eyes and allowed the burning to echo around her, feeling her mentors and advisors summon their strength to protect her from whatever harm they could before her world became cold and empty.

"My Queen?! Sister please answer me!" Uldren pleaded over their bond as siblings, searching and clinging to her mentally. "Mara!"

"Go. Get away from here." She ordered however weakly.

"I can't leave you here!" he stated. "I will find you, I will fix my ship and find you! I'll bring you home! I swear it!"

"You can't save me in time to stop this Uldren. Go back to the Reef and protect our home. Everything else is up to My Hidden Friend."

"Mara-"

"Go brother… I will hold out as long as I can." She promised and then something cut into the link, cold, harsh and so powerful Uldren almost lost the grip of his sister's mind as she screamed in agony.

"MARA!"

"Whoa, hold the phone!" Cayde yelled from his place, tapping his comm-link listening to the harsh, barked and frantic language on the other end.

"Cabal." Zavala said listening carefully.

"It's all over my channels." Cayde said.

"And mine." Ikora said.

"It's coming from Phobos." Zavala said, "Who is in that area?"

"Rose and Vlad are heading that way to run a patrol on Mars." Cayde said checking his rota. "They'll still be in orbit."

"Good." Zavala said and opened his comm-link. "Guardians."

"Understood commander," Vlad said as he and Rose dropped from their ships on Phobos.

"Nice views." Rose said glancing around before they headed down the windy and narrow path towards where they could see the Cabal base. "If you discount the base and all.

"Hold up." Vlad said and then aimed at a ship that flew up past them, casting them in bright light before rapidly flying off.

"They're leaving?" Rose asked.

"They're getting wiped out." Vlad corrected as a Cabal dragged itself towards them before dying. "Not good." He said.

Seconds later an explosion echoed around them and more Cabal ships took off from Phobos as if in retreat. "Zavala the Cabal are retreating from Phobos with extreme prejudice, they are getting torn up down here." Sovereign said into the comms, "I've never seen them retreat like this. Ever."

~ "What regiment?" ~

"Skyburners. And there are no other Guardians here." Vlad said. "Lots of dead and dying Cabal though."

"Wonder what's putting them down." Rose said looking around.

~ "Something has drawn us here, I can feel it." ~ Eris said over the comms.

"Let's head inside and find out what is going on." Vlad suggested as their Ghosts took refuge inside their armours.

They searched slowly, scanning everything they could and watching for any movement that wasn't a dying Cabal.

"What the fuck?" Vlad asked and Rose looked at a smattering of something on the walls and floor. "You know what this is?" he asked.

"No idea." Rose said shaking her head. "Nothing like this where I was, whoa!" she yelped as something bright and round shot past between them with enough speed to knock her over.

~ "What the hell was that?" ~

"Not a fucking clue but it was fast!" Vlad said aiming where the orb had come from and then where it had gone. "You ok?"

"Yea, just startled me." Rose said getting back to her feet. "Where'd it go?"

~ "Fingertips on the surface of my mind." ~

"Eris?" Rose asked, "What's wrong?" she added as they moved further into the base.

~ "Something is whispering in my mind. Something sharp and cold… like ice." ~ She explained as they followed the trail of strange goo-like substance that seemed to ooze around the base.

"What are they saying?" Vlad asked before stopping as a Cabal Centurion was sucked up into the orb they had been following. "What the!?"

"Did you see that?" Rose asked Zavala.

~ "I saw it, but I have no idea what it was." ~ The commander stated.

"Let me out." Bing said, "I can hack that console and find out what the Cabal know." He added as Rose released him from her armour and he set about hacking. "Let's see. Says here they send out troops to investigate anomalies across the base, one of them reported back and then within hours reports came in about loses."

~ "Losses?" ~ Zavala asked.

"Sand Eaters report losing 58% of their troops, the Blind Legion losing 35% and the Dust Giants losing 39%." Sovereign stated also hacking the Cabal systems before the base began to shake and rattle with more explosions and alarms blaring. "Wait a sec… oh my."

"What is it?" Vlad asked.

"Images of a Dreadnought." Sovereign said.

"Send everything to the Vanguard and let's keep moving." Vlad said. "This place is starting to feel creepy."

"Eris?" Cayde asked putting a hand to her shoulders.

"They're getting louder." Eris hissed through gritted teeth, trying to focus as she leant against the table. "A name…"

"What name Eris?" Cayde asked.

Rose and Vlad stood at the doors of a large rounded room, neither liking the look of it or that they were going to have to go in there.

"Trap." Rose said.

"Yep." Vlad nodded. "Scared?" he asked.

"Not sure." Rose admitted. "Never faced this kinda goo-like stuff in my world. Or orbs that sucked things up and then vanishes."

"Tell you what. If this is something we have faced before you buy drinks." Vlad said.

"And if it's something new?" Rose asked.

"I'll make you dinner." Vlad smiled. "Anything you want, I'll cook for you. Nice candles, flowers, might even get Orion to part with some of that fancy Awoken wine he has stashed somewhere."

"Sounds like a date." Rose smiled as Vlad rubbed the back of his neck. "Ready?"

Vlad nodded and together they stepped into the room.

"Light!" The air grew heavy rapidly around them, almost bindingly dark as a voice snarled from the shadows. "Give your will, to me!" it snarled as a black and blue swirling orb appeared in the centre of the room and from within, came a large black knight, covered in a powerful burning negative light.

"What the fuck is that?" Vlad demanded.

"Whatever it is, it's not a normal Hive Knight!" Rose yelled as the two opened fire on the Knight, hoping to take it down before it took them down.

"What is going on?" Zavala demanded as he watched the ghost feeds. "Eris what kind of Hive is that?"

"That isn't Hive. It is a Taken Knight." Eris said, shaking her head trying to get the fog that clouded her mind to leave it. "That is- that is Syrok. He serves-Serves the Taken King."

"You're not making sense." Cayde said, "Rest a minute and clear your head."

"I must-"

"You must rest." Ikora said gently pulling Eris away from the table to allow her some privacy recover as Vlad and Rose were able to take down the Knight.

"This mission is scrubbed," Zavala said opening his comm-link. "Guardians, get to your ships and get out of there!"

~ "Yes Sir." ~ Vlad answered as he and Rose ran from the room, ducking and jumping over more and more strange yet familiar foes as they ran.

"What's happening?" Rose asked as they ran, skidding into a wall to avoid the twitching mess that had been a Psion by the look of it before she began to run again.

"I don't know but it's bad." Vlad stated as they both opened fire on another Knight that spewed fire from somewhere on its circler white face.

~ "The base is lost. We have reports of these, 'Taken' across the system. Go, get out." ~ Zavala yelled over the comms again.

"Our Ships! We're almost there!" Bing yelled.

"Ladies first." Vlad said as he opened fire on three Phalanxes as they appeared on the opposite side of a broken bridge, Rose kept running and jumped at the last minute, unloading her rifle clip into them as she fell from her jump, waiting for Vlad to join her as she took down more Psions.

"We're almost there!" Bing said in relief as he caught sight of their ships.

"Shit." Vlad said as more of their new foes seemed to just pop into existence. "What's your count?" He asked.

"Not even half a clip." Rose admitted. "Ideas?"

"Plan R with a hint of Plan R point two." Vlad suggested.

"Good plan." Rose smiled. "Bing start trans-matting the second we start running."

"Got it." Bing affirmed.

"Ready?" Vlad asked as their foes began to fire on them.

"Set." Rose nodded.

"RUN!" Vlad yelled and tossed both his grenade and smoke bomb at their foes Rose tossing hers as well and the two ran though the openings the resulting explosions made. Seconds before reaching their ships, Vlad heard Rose yell in pain twisting back to see her fall before her own trans-mat finished.

"Rose? You ok?!" he asked as Sovereign reported into Zavala.

~ "Fuck… shit that hurt!" ~ Rose hissed in answer. ~ "Bing get us home." ~

"Where'd you get hit?" Vlad asked.

~ "Back of my leg. Damn this hurts…" ~ She said and Vlad heard Bing chiming and beeping as he tried to heal her. ~ "Are you alright?" ~

"I'll be better when we know what the hell those things were." Vlad admitted. "Guess I owe you dinner." He added with a smile.

~ "Maybe tomorrow night? I think by the time we get home and hand over our reports it'll be well past midnight." ~ She said.

"It's a date." Vlad smiled and closed the comm-link before holding a hand up to silence the question from Sovereign. "Yes I like her, no I am not going to rush this. And don't even mention that Warlock want to be. I don't want to think about her."

"I was going to say I'm glad you have moved on." Sovereign said. "And I erased her name from my memory after the harsh was she treated you. I wouldn't want to consider you ever thinking of her again."

"Good."

"Just one question." The Ghost said and Vlad looked at him. "Should we tell Orion he has to get on one knee before you or should I just tell Vakarian you're wooing Rose so Arielle doesn't zap you mid-flirt?"

"Oh Hush." Vlad said and lightly slapped his Ghost. "I haven't even thought that far ahead yet… she might not even like me the same way."

"One way to find out. No helmets to hide in when you're on a date." Sovereign reminded with a chuckle.

Arielle felt her world had been shattered and now laid broken at her feet.

Orion placed his hands on her shoulders as she watched the broken footage and read the reports over and over again, each time hurting that much more until he at last pried the control from her hands and set it aside before he embraced her tightly.

"She can't be gone." He heard her whisper. "It has to be wrong. It has to be a mistake…"

"Ari." He said softly, "Lindor is rarely mistaken, you taught her yourself."

"But she could be," Arielle said with fading hope in her voice as she searched her mind for the familiar links that had been there only hours before. "She could have- have misread or misheard something, been told bad Intel. I… I would know if the Queen was gone. I stood at her side for years. I am her Sword."

"You were her Sword." Orion reminded, "You left that life and yes you did go back to fight the new Wolves and you did swear your loyalty to her again, but you were not called to fight with her for this fight." He said.

"They are not gone Orion." Arielle said though he could see tears in her eyes as she clutched his chest armour so tightly her knuckles were white. "Tell me. Tell me they're not gone. Please. Please tell me-"

She didn't finish, the realization hit hard when she found she could no longer contact the Queen or Uldren through telepathy. The feeling of loss washing over her so harshly that she couldn't form words as she began to sob, held by Orion as the sky outside the tower darkened with storm clouds and thunder rumbled overhead.