S1-76
The Coming War
It was supposed to be just another day for the Guardians, but something was up. The Awoken suddenly disappeared, and there's been silence on the comms, no response from the Reef.
One day, City Hawk 723 was sent to Mars's second moon of Phobos to investigate a Cabal distress signal.
9:32 AM
05/03/3241
Approaching Mars's moon, Phobos
Music
none
"This is starting to get pretty strange." Michael muttered, still receiving no response from any Reef channels.
"Guardians, Pilots, this is Commander Zavala. The Cabal base on Phobos is blasting a signal across all channels. If they're willing to break transmission silence, this could be a prelude to a full-scale assault."
"{We're setting down on Phobos now.}" Michael's Ghost reported.
"I'll be monitoring your feed, Ghosts. Good luck to you all."
Mars's moon, Phobos - Fleetbase Korus
Cliffside
Music
Destiny - The Coming War
They arrived, encountering no Cabal resistance so far. "I can tell this place has seen better days." Samus surmised.
On the way to the base, they spotted a dead Cabal soldier. "Seems like whatever is doing this is pretty powerful." Jack stated.
"Yeah, looks like it." Sarah added, readying her R-101 Carbine.
A Cabal ship flew up into view, but it didn't fire upon the Fireteam. The ship blasted off away from the planet, leaving the team confused.
"They had a direct shot at us! Why didn't they fire?" Samus asked.
"They were most likely trying to escape from something here on Phobos." Spyglass calculated.
They advanced further, with a dying Legionary crawling out of a spot in the rock walls before falling dead. The Cabal base was visible, and it was under attack. "{Zavala, the Cabal are evacuating with extreme prejudice. They're getting torn up down here.}"
As they entered the base, someone came on the comms. "Something has drawn us here. I can feel it."
"Guardians, Pilots, I have asked Eris Morn to monitor the channel."
"Oh, great... It's Mrs. Creepy..." Michael groaned.
"I hear... whispers in the dark."
"See what I mean?"
"I see the reasoning in that nickname, Michael."
"Let's just figure out what's going on here and get back to the City, OK?" Mark-18 added, weapons hot.
Mars's moon, Phobos - Fleetbase Korus
Skyburner Keep
(!) Darkness Zone (!)
The Cabal base was massive, but there were dead Cabal everywhere.
Suddenly, a ball of strange energy appeared near a hallway, then zipped through it. "What the hell was that?" Zavala demanded.
"Fingertips on the surface of my mind!"
"Yes... uh... Thank you for your input, Eris."
"Eris, do us all a favor, and just stop." Michael was annoyed... and disturbed.
There were strange rifts of energy clawing through the fabric of reality itself, and Spyglass sent his Ghost to scan one. "{This membrane is attempting to form a bridge between dimensions, but I think it requires a living host.}"
In the next room, a large elevator fell down and got stuck between two support beams. A single Centurion is inside, frantically trying to get out through a large hole in the top, only for falling debris to crush it and send the elevator crashing down. "Oof. I felt that one." Mark-18 shuddered.
Up the staircase was another of those balls of energy, and it looked like it was snatching another Cabal Centurion, which tried to get away. Suddenly, the Centurion was sucked up into the rift, vanishing without a trace. "The whispers are louder. I will endure."
"I seriously don't know how much longer I can put up with that freakish babbling." Michael was not enjoying Eris being on the comms.
Another Centurion was pulled out of reality through another rift, and more rifts were littering the place. "They speak a word. A name." There was another room up ahead, and the Fireteam pressed onward. "HE IS HERE!"
A transparent image of a demonic creature with three glowing eyes appeared in the middle of the room! "Light! Give your will to ME!"
Music
Destiny - Visage of Oryx
A spherical rift of dark energy started forming in the center of the room, releasing strange entities. Michael's helmet then managed to acquire a few IDs.
SCANNING...
NEW ENTRIES
1: Taken
2: Taken Psion
3: Syrok
Word of Oryx
The Taken Psions attacked, managing to split themselves into two entire beings. They were multiplying.
After taking out the Taken Psions, the large entity of dark energy was defeated with concentrated fire.
Spyglass [Hemlok BF-R] Syrok, Word of Oryx (Taken)
Mars's moon, Phobos - Fleetbase Korus
Skyburner Keep
Music
Destiny - Exfiltrate
"You have seen his face. It was his hand that transformed the Cabal."
"This mission is scrubbed! Guardians, Pilots, get to your ships and get out of there!" Another door is blown open, and there are more Cabal fighting more of those strange creatures.
As they ran through the base, Michael had his Ghost scan a nearby hologram projector. "{This matches an image I collected from the World's Grave. A Dreadnaught. They don't exist in our system. I'll mark it for transmat to the Counsel and hope we get a signal.}"
SCANNING...
NEW ENTRIES
1: Taken Phalanx
2: Taken Knight
There was a screen with energy readings, and Michael had his Ghost scan that. "{They sent teams to investigate anomalous energy fluctuations across the base. None of the units reported back.}" There was another machine, and the Ghost scanned that as they left. "{Cabal mining sites across Mars and Phobos have been hit. Losses to Blind Legion: 35%. Losses to Sand Eaters: 58%. Dust Giants: 39%. What is this?}"
"The base is a loss! We have reports of these 'Taken' across the system! Go! Get out!"
Mars's moon, Phobos - Fleetbase Korus
Aerodrome
(!) Darkness Zone (!)
The Cabal and the 'Taken' were brawling it out, but the Cabal were seriously losing, and there were explosions everywhere!
A few ships zoomed by. "{Our ships are landing across the airfield! Hurry!}" With a few Taken Phalanxes out of the way, the Fireteam continued to their ships.
As the Taken were killed, they seemingly imploded into nothingness. After jumping down to a landing deck, then hopping across a gap, City Hawk 723 encountered more Taken, killed them, and pressed forward.
"{We're almost there!}" Pushing through more Taken, they managed to get to their ships and escape. "{Zavala, we made it to our ships. We're heading home.}"
10:03 AM
05/03/3241
Planet Earth - The last City
Tower Plaza
Music
none
City Hawk 723 had returned to the Tower, and accompanied the Counsel to figure out what to do about this new threat. On the table in the middle of the room was the projector from the Cabal base, displaying a hologram of a large vessel within Saturn's rings.
"My contacts near Saturn say the weapon fired only once." Ikora began.
Zavala didn't understand something. "It's not like the Queen to attack a superior force."
"How could she have known? How could anyone? We need a Warlock inside the Dreadnaught."
"Here we go..." Cayde-6 sighed.
"Our first priority must be to protect the City." Zavala added.
"We got a good look at what happened on Phobos. Whatever it was, it turned the Cabal against each other, wiping out their base in minutes. How long do you think we would last against something like that?" Michael questioned.
"Until we understand what we're dealing with-"
Suddenly, a strange orb zipped through and stopped on top of the projector, stopping its hologram. "They... are Taken."
"Oh joy... The broken-minded crazy old hag..." Mark-18 groaned.
"Eris, get your rock... off my map."
"It hasn't spoken since Crota fell. It speaks now, because Oryx has arrived, come to fill the final covenant of his son."
"But... why fight the Cabal?" Ikora asked.
"Not fighting. Taking. Controlling their will."
Cayde-6 reached over and took Eris's rock off the hologram projector, earning an angry glare from Eris. "So we focus on his army, kill these Taken until he's all that's left." Zavala stated.
"Whatever you kill, Oryx will replace."
"That's unsettling." Jack shivered.
"The Dreadnaught then..." Ikora started. "How do we get past that weapon?"
"Without ending up like the Awoken..." Zavala added.
"I'm not sure. Got anything, Mark?" Hayden-10 asked his present brother.
"No. I normally have an idea as to what to do in all situations, but... not this time. For the first time in my life, I'm at a loss."
"I gotta go, uh... see about a ship." Cayde-6 tossed the orb back to Eris, who caught it just above the palm of her hand, before walking off.
"Cayde, our discussion is not yet concluded!" Zavala barked.
"Oh, I know. That's why I'm leaving."
"I have a bad feeling about what's going to happen here."
"I'm getting the same feeling, Samus." Michael said.
The Taken King...
See you next time.