S1-62
The Garden's Spire
11:29 AM
02/17/3201
Planet Mars - Meridian Bay
The Barrens
Music
Destiny - Exclusion Zone
Back at the Guardian landing site, Michael and his Fireteam were having their mission briefing. "{I have a plan to charge the Gate Lord's eye. Deep in their war base, the Cabal are sitting on a Vex Spire that connects to the Black Garden Gate. We free that Spire, we can charge the eye. We'll be hitting the Cabal where they're the strongest, so I hope you're ready for war.}"
"In case you were unaware, Ghost, we have quite the experience with war. Just check the records our Titans hold." Michael stated.
"{I'll do that when we're done with the Black Garden.}"
City Hawk 723 then left Mark-18's ship, the Order Theory, and readied up. The Pilots got in their Titans as Mark-18 summoned his Sparrow and headed off. "{Here we go. Let's fight our way into their war base.}" The Fireteam eventually entered the Scablands in a matter of seconds.
Planet Mars - Meridian Bay
Scablands
"[Looks like the path leads into the Cabal base.]"
"As my Ghost said, DL. Let's fight our way in." The Cabal that were in the way were eradicated, with the Fireteam proceeding further.
"{I need to locate the Spire. Let's keep moving. I'll scan for a good vantage point.}"
Planet Mars - Meridian Bay
Firebase Rubicon
"Looks like we're getting close, but not all of us can get there."
"[We'll stand guard here and secure the area. You go and find the Spire.]" The Pilots disembarked as their Titans were let in Guard-Mode.
The Fireteam then proceeded into the tunnel, fighting more Cabal on the way.
Planet Mars - Meridian Bay
Rubicon Wastes
"{That observation tower overhead... There's bound to be a way to locate the Spire there.}"
Mark-18's Ghost appeared, looking elsewhere. "{Hold up. I'm picking up another vehicle signal. Over there!}" Mark-18 followed his Ghost to a Cabal garage, which housed three new vehicles.
Interceptors!
As more Cabal came in to take down the Fireteam, they were blown to bits. "Looks like I came back just in time. Michael, get to the top of that tower and find the Spire!"
Climbing the observation tower, Michael killed the Cabal, and got supporting fire from his team. "{Let's try that terminal!}"
"Looks promising. Get to it!"
Michael's Ghost started analyzing the observation data within the terminal. "{Come on, where is it...? I got it! It's on the other side of another defense line.}" Just then, an alarm started blaring. "{Well, if they didn't already know we're coming, they do now.}"
"Not that it would matter though." Michael remarked.
"We've got company!" Mark-18 said through the comms. Michael came out of the observation tower and cleared out the incoming Cabal with relentless ballistic fire.
Suddenly, as more Cabal were coming in, rockets and large bullets shredded them. "[You do realize that you don't have to do this alone, right?]" DL-2671 transmitted.
"There's another tunnel up ahead." Michael stated.
"[We can always climb over the hill.]"
"That's a good point, DL."
With the Pilots getting their Sparrows, Mark-18 getting his Pike, and his Ghost putting the Interceptor back in his ship, City Hawk 723 advanced toward their objective.
There was a large rotating door in the tunnel, which opened up for them. "{Uh... I think they just invited us in.}"
"I don't think they sent an invite." Michael replied, readying his Spitfire LMG.
Planet Mars - Meridian Bay
Iron Line
(!) Darkness Zone (!)
Music
Destiny - Cabal Stomp
"{Feels like a trap.}"
"That's no surprise here. We've got Cabal!" Michael exclaimed, avoiding a solar slug.
Multiple Cabal units came in. Legionaries, Phalanxes, Centurions, and Psions. In seconds, the first wave was wiped out, and an alarm sounded, with a large door opening. On the other side was more Cabal. Second wave dead, and Mark-18 had run out of machine gun ammo to 'krusch' his enemies with. Another door opened, releasing even more Cabal, and a new soldier wielding a rotary cannon.
SCANNING...
NEW ENTRIES
1: Colossus
"EMBRACE THE VOID! WELCOME TO OBLIVION!" They were disintegrated by a Nova Bomb, clearing the path onward.
Planet Mars - Meridian Bay
Iron Line
Music
Destiny - Exclusion Zone
With a bit of curiosity, Michael went over and picked up a Phalanx's large shield. It was HEAVY! He lost balance, and ended up dead when the heavy shield crushed his head.
[Misadventure] Michael
"Don't worry. I got this." The Exo revived Michael, who stepped away from the shield that killed him. "Well, that should be reason enough not to try that again."
"Point taken."
"{Get ready. You know what happens when I open doors.}"
"Yes, I know, Ghost. Trouble."
The door opened, and there were a few Legionaries and Psions on the other side, ready to kill the Fireteam, but ended up dead themselves. Michael took them out with a Satchel Charge, clearing the path for the Fireteam to proceed. "{We're getting close.}"
Planet Mars - Meridian Bay
The Legion's Keep
(!) Darkness Zone (!)
They entered a new sector, and a Darkness Zone, with no sign of any Cabal. "{We have to cross that bridge.}"
"[City Hawk 723, we have arrived at your location.]" BT-7274 reported.
The Fireteam turned around, seeing the Titans climb into the area.
"[Let's charge the Gate Lord's eye and be done with the Black Garden.]" DL-2671 transmitted.
"{There's the Spire! Straight ahead!}"
SCANNING...
NEW ENTRIES
1: Blind Legion
The Fireteam was ambushed by the Cabal, but they were destroyed by the Titans.
After a long battle, and the death of many Cabal, City Hawk 723 made it to where they were supposed to be. More Cabal were coming in.
"{You handle the Cabal. I'll wake the eye.}"
"Gotta find a place to do it though!"
"{There! A conduit to the Spire! Get me close!}" Michael's Ghost was escorted to a sort of ancient Vex terminal, and the Gate Lord's eye appeared within it.
Music
Destiny - Excerpt 2 from The Rose
"{I have no idea what's about to happen.}"
"[We'll have to wait and see.]"
The Spire began to disassemble itself into various fragments, and all of them began to slowly vanish as they orbited the single piece that remained.
As Michael's Ghost acquired that piece that was still there, a door opened.
"[There's more Cabal incoming!]" Arc-Rod was right. A significant amount of Cabal came in, led by another of their highly ranked commanders.
SCANNING...
NEW ENTRIES
1: Primus Sha'aull
The battle was surprisingly short as the Vanguard-class Titans used their Multi-Target Missile Systems to clear out the Cabal soldiers while Michael used a Super. This one's last kill was a Hive Wizard named Gotra.
Michael [Golden Gun] Primus Sha'aull (Blind Legion)
Planet Mars - Meridian Bay
The Legion's Keep
Music
Destiny - Exclusion Zone
The Cabal strike team was quickly dispatched, giving Michael's Ghost enough time to retrieve the Gate Lord's eye from the Vex terminal. "{The eye is charged! It's time to enter the Black Garden and finish this.}"
"[Protocol 2 mission update: Enter the Black Garden. We have charged the Gate Lord's eye, and we can now enter one of the realms kept locked out of time by the Vex in order to destroy the Darkness at its heart.]"
"BT seems to speak in a more... robotic tone of voice than the other Titans." Mark-18 noted curiously. "Why is that?"
"BT didn't accept the copy of program Omni-10." Jack said.
"{Program Omni-10?}" Asked the Exo's Ghost.
"My mentor, captain Dane Smithsonian of Eagle-Eye 9-1, my team in the IMC, created program Omni-10. At the time, Jeeves was the only Titan who had it. After Dane... died, Jeeves activated the program and spread blank copies of it to all IMC Titans."
"Isn't BT an IMC Titan?"
Jack began his explanation. "Not originally. You see, that was back when only Stryder, Atlas, and Ogre-class Titans were being manufactured. A long time has passed, and more Titans were designed and built. Vanguard-class Titans were the first Titans built by the Militia without the need to steal blueprints from the IMC. The Militia eventually realized that the IMC was changing, and the purposes of the Militia were rendered no longer necessary. We also had a common foe; the Remnant Fleet, a rogue section of the IMC that tried to turn them back by force. But they, like a few Fallen Houses, were killed off."
"A few Fallen Houses were killed off?" Michael was confused.
"{Yes, they were. The House of Rain, the House of Scar, and the House of Stone. We can read about all that after we finish this. Which Titan are you going to bring into the Black Garden?}"
Michael thought it over for a bit before coming to a conclusion. "All of them."
ALL THE TITANS!
The heart of the Black Garden will be SO VERY DEAD!
See you next time, guys.