S1-64
The Black Garden

1:29 PM
02/17/3201

Planet Mars - Meridian Bay
The Barrens

Music
Destiny - Exclusion Zone

Back at the Guardian landing site on Mars, City Hawk 723 was having their mission briefing from Michael's Ghost. "{I don't think we'll get a second chance at this. We pull this off, we can save the Traveler. If not, the Vex will seize our worlds.}"

"We have to make sure that doesn't happen!" Mark-18 replied, loading his weapons.

The Fireteam then left Samus's ship, heading out into the area to get to the Black Garden. "{The Gate Lord's eye is still charged. Let's head for the Gate.}" The Fireteam and their Titans headed off to the next sector, encountering a few Cabal on the way.

Planet Mars - Meridian Bay
Scablands

"Looks like the Cabal are too distracted by the Vex to attack us." Samus reported.

"We can use that to our advantage and slip past them, getting to the Black Garden quicker." Michael was right. And they did just that.

Planet Mars - Meridian Bay
Giants' Pass

"Now that we know we can bring the IMC back, we should." Sarah said.

Michael nodded in agreement. "I'm sure new Guardians will get proper training with the IMC back in action."

As the Fireteam went through the sector, more Cabal were encountered, then killed.

"We're getting close."

"{The Vex are going to do everything they can to keep us out of the Black Garden.}"

"Then we'll have to extend the same courtesy to get into the Black Garden."

Planet Mars - Meridian Bay
Valley of the Kings

Once the Fireteam arrived, there were multiple Vex guarding the portal to the Black Garden. "Let's clear them out." A full payload of homing rockets was sent out, killing off the defending Vex, except for the Minotaurs and Hydra.

Michael let loose with the Quad Rocket, blowing the remaining Vex to smithereens. "[The Transfer Gate! It's opening!]"

"{I hope this works!}" A searing light blinded the Fireteam, until they ended up in a new area.

UNKNOWN

Music
none

"Ugh... What just... What happened?"

"{Where are we? If this is the Black Garden, it's not on any map of known space and time. I guess we just keep going.}"

The corridors were pretty low, but the Titans could still move around. They just had to stay low.

"VEX!" There were definitely Vex in there, but they were inactive, with moss and plant life covering them.

"{They're in some kind of stasis.}"

"Huh. Vex stasis. That's... unexpected. Then again, the Vex themselves are always unexpected."

Up ahead, a few of the Vex Goblins came to life and attacked, but were easily cleared out.

SCANNING...
NEW ENTRIES

1: Sol Progeny

Then, more Vex appeared, and were destroyed. Further along the path was a large room with enough space for the Titans to stand up and unfold their Acolyte Pods. The Vex in that room were killed off, just like the rest.

Up ahead, a slim passage; a bit of trouble for the Titans to get through, especially for Sid, PYR-8638, and TE-5138.

Another larger room with more Vex was just ahead, giving the Titans more elbow room for a while as they shot down all hostiles. Through another corridor they went, and they entered a Darkness Zone.

The Black Garden
(!) Darkness Zone (!)

They exited the tunnel, coming across a cliff overlooking a massive area resembling a strange garden. "{There's something extremely dark down below. I think we found the Black Garden's heart.}"

"Great. So we just jump down and-"

Michael was interrupted by his Ghost. "{No, not that way.}"

They made their way into a larger section of the cliff room, encountering more Vex, which TE-5138 destroyed with ease. A Cyclops was there as well, getting destroyed by a charged Plasma Railgun blast from ZJ-7349.

More Vex up ahead, more to kill. "{The Vex here are powering that barrier! Take them out!}"

"TE, you're up!"

TE-5138 opened his hatch, allowing Michael to disembark from Vanessa and enter the Legion-class Titan's cockpit. "[Welcome back. Report: All critical systems functioning at normal.]" There was another Hydra up ahead.

SCANNING...
NEW ENTRIES

1: Divisive Mind

Michael opened fire with the Predator Cannon, using two Power Shots to destroy the Hydra.

Michael [Predator Cannon] Divisive Mind (Sol Divisive)

"[Rounds on target. Hostile destroyed.]"

The Black Garden

"Darkness Zone's lifted!" City Hawk 723 eventually made their way out, going on a path that lead into the strange garden itself. More Vex tried to stop them, but were completely annihilated. They reached another room, and another Darkness Zone.

The Black Garden
(!) Darkness Zone (!)

"{Dead end. The heart is just beyond here. This place is just one big machine. Get me close to the clusters.}"

Michael blasted through the Vex, reaching one of the clusters. The cockpit lid opened, letting out his Ghost. "{I can manipulate them. Just need to break their manifold encryption. That did it! Let's hit the other one!}" As Michael headed to the other cluster, something was happening. "{It's working. A Spire is forming!}"

"Whoa! Hey, you're right! How 'bout that?"

The Ghost was let out at the second cluster. "{It's all starting to make sense. Let's see if it worked!}" The Fireteam reached a large Vex door, with a conflux in front of it. "{All we need is permission to enter... as a Gate Lord.}"

The strange panel from the Vex Spire in Cabal territory appeared where the conflux vanished, then it went up into the air and split into multiple pieces. The fragments took various positions as the perfect circle piece was hit by a steady beam from the newly formed Spire.

The beam then spread from the circle to the other fragments, reflecting off of them to the center of the Vex door. "{The heart of the Black Garden. Well, here goes nothing. Or everything.}"

In the next area was a giant gelatinous entity, with a lot of Vex Goblins on the ground below in a sort of worshipping position. "So... this is the heart of the Black Garden."

The Vex below then started to show activity, their arms rearranging themselves back into place as the Goblins slowly turned to look at the Fireteam.

"OK, that is so creepy on so many levels."

"{So... think you can kill a God?}" Michael's Ghost asked.

"Don't think we have a choice."

Music
Metroid: Other M - Queen Metroid Battle

TE-5138 picked up Michael and placed him inside the cockpit, engaging Pilot-Mode. "[Predator Cannon at your disposal.]" Before Michael could activate the Smart Core, a full payload of rockets was released from DL-2671.

"{The heart is bringing that statue to life!}" One statue started to crack as the upper half of it rotated before the stone-like exterior of it shattered, revealing a large Vex unit.

SCANNING...
NEW ENTRIES

1: Eschaton Mind

Michael engaged the Predator Cannon's long-range firing mode and aimed at the white membrane in the Eschaton Mind's chest, completely obliterating it.

Michael [Predator Cannon] Eschaton Mind (Sol Progeny)

"{The heart is dying! Keep fighting them!}" Michael watched as another statue crumbled, which revealed another target.

SCANNING...
NEW ENTRIES

1: Imminent Mind

Two Plasma Railgun blasts hit the Imminent Mind in the white membrane, almost crippling it.

Music
Titanfall 2 - Colony Reborn

"[Even here, I can be the hero of the skies.]" Two Cluster Missiles hit the Imminent Mind in the face before ZJ-7349 started bombarding it with rockets.

"What... What's going on with your Northstar?"

"Flight Core."

"'Flight Core'? What?"

ZJ-7349 [Flight Core Salvo] Imminent Mind (Sol Progeny)

"HOW POWERFUL ARE THESE THINGS?!"

"Powerful enough. ZJ, the last one is all yours." Sarah stated. The last of the Black Garden's heart's protectors revealed itself and attacked.

SCANNING...
NEW ENTRIES

1: Primeval Mind

ZJ-7349 deployed two Tether Traps, then flew into the air to avoid the Torch Hammer while blasting away with the Plasma Railgun.

"ZJ, looks like you can move in and finish it off." Samus said, blasting the Mind with a Super Missile.

"[You got it. Primeval Mind, your arms are mine!]" ZJ-7349 slapped the Torch Hammer out of the Primeval Mind's hand, then pounced on the Vex unit, grabbed its wrists, blasted into the air, thus ripping out the arms, then unleashed a barrage of missiles before crushing the white membrane, destroying the Primeval Mind.

ZJ-7349 [Termination] Primeval Mind (Sol Progeny)

"Oh jeez... That looked intense." The heart of the Black Garden then began to destabilize, the unstable energy within it tearing it apart. A bright light suddenly blinded the Fireteam.

Planet Mars - Meridian Bay
The Black Garden

Music
none

"{We're back on Mars! The shroud of Darkness is lifting, and Light returns to the Traveler! The Speaker is calling us home.}"

"Heh... All in a good day's work." Michael breathed a sigh of relief.

1:07 PM
02/17/3201

Planet Earth - The last City
Tower Plaza

Music
Destiny - Guardian

The destruction of the heart of the Black Garden was announced to the Speaker, who gathered all Guardians for a momentous occasion. "For centuries, we feared the forces of Darkness massing against us. We sought to hide and cower beneath a broken god. No more. These Guardians show us what we are, what we have always been, and what we will be again. We are what remains of the Light, and we will not be stamped out."

Planet Earth - The last City
Tower Hangar

Music
Destiny - All Ends Are Beginnings

City Hawk 723 was still in the hangar, with the Titans repaired for any mission that would come next.

"Is that...?" Michael spotted the Exo Stranger.

They went over to greet the Exo. "It's a day for pretty speeches and medals. But we know the real fight takes place out there."

"Yeah. You're right. Our work is nowhere near done yet."

The Stranger picked up her weapon and handed it to Michael, who looked at her in confusion. "Take this." Michael took the weapon, examining it thoroughly. "There is so much more, Guardians. I've seen terrible things born out in the Darkness. Every moment brings them closer." The Stranger turned to look at the Traveler. "All ends are beginnings. Our fight is far from over."

As the Stranger walked away, she vanished again, leaving Michael with her weapon.

"The Exo Stranger may be an unorthodox companion in this journey, but she's fine with us."

"C'mon, we've got a ship to find!" Jack reminded them.

They all gathered into Samus's ship, except for Mark-18, he went to his Order Theory. One Titan carrier was loaded, carrying ZJ-7349. City Hawk 723 departed into space to find the lost IMC supercarrier.

The heart of the Black Garden is dead, and the Traveler is beginning to recover. I'd say that's pretty good.

Now then, the Stranger's Rifle... I don't know what to do with it right now, and Michael certainly isn't going to just discard his old Pilot weaponry.

See you next time, and the IMC too.