S1-95
Looped

6:39 PM
03/18/3251

Approaching unknown destination

Music
none

Every single member of City Hawk 723 had boarded Samus's ship, and they were on their way to a new destination. "{Commander Zavala needs the Counsel united again. While he prepares for the assault on the Almighty, we're going to find Cayde and Ikora. Luckily we picked up an odd signal from Cayde's Ghost. It's being boosted somehow from a centaur called Nessus, which is strange. Centaurs are really just big rocks in the outer reaches of the solar system. There should be nothing there.}"

6:43 PM
03/18/3251

Nessus, Unstable Centaur - Arcadian Valley
Artifact's Edge

Music
Destiny 2 - Nessus

Michael's Ghost was wrong. The place was not even CLOSE to being empty. "You were saying?"

"{So much for nothing being here. Let's get to high ground so I can pin down Cayde's location.}" The gunship flew to the top of a tall structure, which appeared to be made of... Vex tech?!"{Here we go. Tracking Cayde's signal now. I think I'm getting something!}"

"~static~ -in over my head- ~static~ -Vex trap- ~static~ -Failsafe? ~static~"

"{A signal, a Vex trap, and a failsafe. Sounds like the beginning of a typical Cayde joke. Something around here is blasting that signal into space. We find that something, we'll find Cayde.}" City Hawk 723 jumped off the towering obelisk, landing on the fertile ground below. There was a crashed ship in the distance."{There! The signal's coming from that wrecked ship!}" They headed over to the crashed ship and began examining it.

Suddenly, an AI spoke over the radio. "Hello! Are you here to rescue the Cayde-6?"

"What the heck?!" Samus exclaimed.

"{Whoa! You're not Cayde!}"

"The Cayde-6 is currently caught in a teleportation loop. He's over there. Oop! Now he's over THERE. Oop!"

"{He's moving? Well, that's... complicated.}"

"I can help you!-(▀▖┗▛▄)-But I'm gonna be super unpleasant about it."

"I'm sorry. What?" The sudden change in the AI's voice and tone left Tanner-21 confused.

"I have uploaded his new coordinates to you!-(▀▖┗▛▄)-Against my better judgment."

"{Uh... OK...?}"

Following the coordinates, City Hawk 723 headed elsewhere. "May I help you with anything else?"

"{Yeah. Are you OK? You sound a little... off.}" Jack's Ghost wondered.

"I am the Exodus Black's failsafe. Call me Failsafe! I boosted the Cayde-6's signal in hopes he would be rescued, and look, here you are!"

"{Oh, I see! She's just an AI! A malfunctioning AI.}"

"(▀▖┗▛▄)-I heard that.-(▀▖┗▛▄)-At your service!"

"{Centaurs are supposed to be just giant icy rocks. How did all this happen?}" Spyglass's Ghost asked.

"A robotic alien entity called the Vex have achieved 92.014% conversion of the Centaur Nessus."

"Fascinating."

Nessus, Unstable Centaur - Arcadian Valley
Hallows

There was a massive hole in the ground, and the coordinates were at the bottom. "Well, nowhere to go but down. Aleoop!" Hayden-10 jumped into the hole, landing with a light thud. The rest of the Fireteam hopped down after him.

Up ahead was a small mass of Vex teleportation particles, and Cayde-6 was trapped within them!

"{Cayde!}"

"Someone there? Listen, don't ask me how this happened! I don't have time to explain what I don't have time to understand!" Just then, he vanished within the particles.
"Warning: the Vex will vaporize you!

As multiple Vex appeared, Michael took the black half off the Yin Yang Switch, allowing the Shadow to join the fight. Multiple waves of Vex appeared, opened fire, and were destroyed in a matter of seconds. There was a strange new Vex unit that resembled a severely damaged and incomplete Goblin.

SCANNING...
NEW ENTRIES

1: Sol Collective
2: Fanatic

The Fanatics were basically the Vex version of the Hive's Cursed Thralls, which themselves were like Ticks.

Eventually, the Vex were defeated, and the Shadow's Taken army had grown considerably. "⍜K, ⋔⊬ ⊑⟒⏃⎅ ⊑⎍⍀⏁⌇ ⋏⍜⍙."

"You just absorbed knowledge from the Vex. It's bound to be achingly confusing." Michael stated.

"⟟⎎ ⟟ ⏁⏃k⟒ ⋔⍜⍀⟒ ⎐⟒⌖, ⟟ ⏁⊑⟟⋏k ⟟'⌰⌰ ⎍⋏⎅⟒⍀⌇⏁⏃⋏⎅ ⏁⊑⟒⟟⍀ k⋏⍜⍙⌰⟒⎅g⟒. ⏃⋏⎅ ⟟ ⍙⍜⋏'⏁ ⊑⏃⎐⟒ ⏃ ⊑⟒⏃⎅⏃c⊑⟒ ⏃⋏⊬⋔⍜⍀⟒." The Shadow placed a bony head on his skull, grumbling in discomfort.

"{So, Failsafe, what exactly happened here?}"

"The Cayde-6 attempted to manipulate the Vex portal system. He is now trapped in a nonlinear loop. In my defense, I tried to warn him.-(▀▖┗▛▄)-He's, like, not that smart."

"I don't know what goes through that Exo's head either." Michael stated.

"{This is NOT going well.}"

Nessus, Unstable Centaur - Arcadian Valley
Sunken Cavern

With no Vex to worry about for the time being, the Ghosts came out. "{How long have you been here exactly?}"

"Long enough to see the Vex convert this entire planetoid, kill all living organisms, reformat molecules, and digitize brain waves for further study. It's a fascinating process!"

"{She sounds way too excited about that.}"

"Agreed, but we must keep moving." Spyglass replied.

"Hold up. I see some Vex." There were inactive Vex Hobgoblins on the other side of the bottomless chasm, and Hayden-10 decided to use the Queenbreakers' Bow to clear them out. A well-placed shot straight to the membrane within the chest of each Hobgoblin, and they were destroyed. The path was clear... but not for long.

Vex Goblins appeared on the other side, eventually joined by Minotaurs. More sniping work for Hayden-10.

"You are good at destroying the Vex. Much better than my crew was!"

"{I'm almost afraid to ask, but... Failsafe, what happened to the Exodus Black crew?}"

"Only my captain can access those memories!-(▀▖┗▛▄)-And he's super dead."

"That is NOT something you would want to hear." Samus said.

After making their way to the other side of the chamber, City Hawk 723 managed to get to a new room.

"The Cayde-6 is just beyond that Vex gate. Please proceed."

"{Won't we get stuck like Cayde?}"

"Oh, no. My judgment module is much more reliable than the Cayde unit's."

Up ahead was a Vex Transfer Gate, and the Fireteam stepped through it. "{We're through! We're OK!}"

"Of course. The Cayde-6 is not far now."

Nessus, Unstable Centaur - Arcadian Valley
Well of Giants

"This place is starting to look like the Vault of Glass on Venus." Jack noted.

"Yeah, you're right." Sarah replied, getting the same vibes.

After going down a particle well, City Hawk 723 found Cayde-6, still stuck in Vex teleportation particles. "Hey! Over here! Get me out of here!"

Something large started to appear. The Vex were coming!

SCANNING...
NEW ENTRIES

1: Hapax
the Convergent Mind

"What's that? That a Hydra? OK, yeah, yeah, no, handle that first, then me!"

Too bad for the Hydra, since it was outmatched.

Dane [Golden Gun] Hapax, the Convergent Mind (Sol Collective)

Music
none

"Nice one, Dane."

"Thanks, Michael. MAN this thing is powerful!"

"That's the Golden Gun." Hayden-10 said.

"The 'Golden Gun', huh? Impressive."

"Quick! Hurry, come on! I don't know how long this portal is gonna stick!"

"{Cayde, what have you-}" The Exo interrupted Michael's Ghost.

"Stop! Stop-stop-stop-stop. Look-look. Long story, and it may look like I don't know what I'm doing, but I do! M-maybe not. Doesn't matter! Killing the power source at the origin point should break the loop and get me out of the portal system. Have you got that? Say you've got it. Say something!"

"We-" Michael was interrupted by Jack's Ghost.

"{Fine, I'll say it! We got it, Cayde. Now how did you-}"

"OH MY COTTON SOCKS! DID YOU NOT HEAR WHAT I JUST SAID?!" Aaand Cayde-6 vanished.

"Oh great! He's gone again."

"{I'm guessing THIS is why they don't like him leaving the Tower.}"

"That seems understandable, considering the situation he's gotten himself into. Also... Jack, I am going to slap your Ghost for interrupting me... if it does that again."

Jack turned to his Ghost. "Ghost, that was rude."

"{Sorry about that.}"

OH MY COTTON SOCKS! That was a good one!

See you next time on Nessus.