S1-186
A Mysterious Disturbance
1:19 PM
11/23/3273
Planet Vez-2 - Suburban Cul-de-sac
Aran-Johnson residence
Music
Chibi-Robo: Plug Into Adventure - Broad Daylight
It's the day after Michael's return, and today, he's decided to check yesterday's news.
Angel City Dreaming District completion imminent
Awoken Queen Mara Sov spotted in Angel City
Kuben Blisk introduces pre-Golden Age bloodsport to Crucible
"What's the game plan this time, Rocco?" Michael asked his Ghost. "Should we read them at random? Or should we read them in order like we usually do?"
"{Hmmm... Let's read them in order.}"
{+} Angel City Dreaming District completion imminent {+}
With the Awoken Dreaming City now empty of all valuables, it bring us great pride that the Dreaming District is nearing total completion. Many Awoken have been assisting us, including various Corsairs and Techeun Sedia. We can confirm that the Dreaming District will be complete by this Saturday.
"That's in two days." Michael remarked. He was right, as the date on his PDA indicated that it was currently Thursday.
"{Next.}"
{+} Awoken Queen Mara Sov spotted in Angel City {+}
As if by some chance miracle, Mara Sov, the Queen of the Reefborn Awoken, was reportedly seen in Angel City, making her way to the Dreaming District. Very little is known about how she has returned or how she will react to the new home of the Awoken. Further details will be posted as we get them.
"{She might not take to kindly to what's happened to the Awoken and the Dreaming City.}"
Michael shrugged, opening the third and final weekly news article. "Maybe the Shadow can talk it over with her. I don't know."
{+} Kuben Blisk introduces pre-Golden Age bloodsport to Crucible {+}
IMC Commander Kuben Blisk and Crucible Handler Lord Shaxx are proud to present to all you competitive Guardians... the Apex Games. Join together in squads of three and fight for glory like never before in various arenas located on a select few planets.
"Apex Games, huh?" Michael mused, impressed. "Haven't heard about those since before you showed up, big guy."
"Should be interesting."
Just then, Rocco hovered up off the pillow. "{What say we try out the Apex G-}" The Ghost was suddenly cut off by an urgent transmission... on Michael's IMC PDA.
Music
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - Samus Mission Briefing with Aurora 242
"We got a mission!" Michael exclaimed, opening the file.
IMC
ALERT
Operation
Shadowkeep
Attention, all Guardians, Pilots, and Guardian-Pilots. Heavy seismic activity has been detected on Earth's moon. The Hive are most likely involved. Rendezvous with the IMS Colossus at Demeter for deployment.
"Time to lock and load."
1:31 PM
11/23/3273
Earth's moon - IMS Colossus
Drop Pod launch bay
Music
Titanfall - OST 29
After Michael joined up with the others on the IMS Colossus, it jumped to Earth's moon, and Spyglass was on the PA. "All IMC personnel. This is your Vice Admiral, designation: Spyglass. A seismic disturbance has been detected on Earth's moon. Within hours, it was swarming with Hive. They must not be allowed to spread. Strap in."
The Drop Pods opened up, ready for yet another use.
"This is Nolan January. Anvil 1 is a go."
"Tanner-21 here. Anvil 2 standing by."
"Ada-1 reporting in. Anvil 3 is good to go."
"Natasha Rivera here. Anvil 4 is a go."
"I hate this part!" Falco complained.
Blisk barked over the comms. "Cut the chatter! Initiating drop sequence!"
The Drop Pods were harshly jettisoned straight down to the moon. "Separation confirmed." Michael caught a glimpse of a dead Earth through the window. "Stand by. Approaching shock layer."
Earth's moon - Ocean of Storms
Lunar Battlegrounds
"Impact in 3... 2... 1... mark." The Drop Pod dug partially into the ground, opening up to allow its four occupants to disembark.
Spyglass was on the comms. "The Hive are pouring into the surface of the moon from a structure known as the 'Scarlet Keep'. That is the origin of the disturbance. You must secure a foothold before you can investigate. For a great many of you, this is routine. However, for those of you with a... personal history on the moon, you must not let the traumatic experiences of Crota disrupt you. Do not allow those past tragedies to be repeated."
Music
Titanfall - OST 49
As everyone headed into the fight, they fell in with the Spectres, Stalkers, Reapers, and Frames battling it out against the Hive. A single fireball dropped from the sky, releasing a Titan into the area.
The Titan, FS-1041, approached the group, cockpit wide open. At the helm was his Pilot. "Jack, Sarah, take your squad up that road!" Daniel ordered, his Titan pointing to the side of the sector. "The rest of you, move through this passage behind me and secure the area!" The Pilot then turned to the Hive, eradicating the lot of them with the Predator Cannon.
The surviving Hive began to fall back. "{The Hive appear to be retreating.}" Rocco reported. "{Vice Admiral, these Hive are erratic. Scattered.}"
"They have no remaining leadership. They have yet to fill in the place left empty by Crota's death. However, the disturbance appears to have emboldened them. Put an end to this."
"We're on it." Michael replied, bashing an Acolyte's head in with his mechanical elbow.
Up ahead was what looked like another Hive fortress, with a Shrieker floating above a portal that seemed to envelope the way inside. "{Hive are coming from that portal up ahead. Let's shut it down.}"
"Don't have to tell me twice, Rocco."
Strange Hive obelisks dotted the area, which appeared to keep the portal stable. "[Auto-Titan engaging enemy infantry. Attention, hostile units! Surrender immediately, or face termination!]" XO-16 Chaingun rounds were demolishing the Hive. Sid had dropped in.
With Sid's help, Michael and co took down the Hive obelisks, causing the Shrieker to open its shell and attack.
SCANNING...
NEW ENTRIES
1: Eye of the Swarm
"{The Shrieker's vulnerable. Now's our chance.}"
As everyone opened fire, another shot took the kill.
CZ-9247 [Plasma Railgun] Eye of the Swarm (The Hidden Swarm)
Music
None
"[For a massive eyeball, I'm surprised it didn't see that coming.]" Jeeves joked.
With the Shrieker's destruction, the portal collapsed. "{The portal is down, Vice Admiral.}"
"Well done. Continue toward the Keep." Spyglass ordered over the comms.
Suddenly, a familiar voice was on the channel. "There's no time to lose."
"{Ikora?}"
"This 'disturbance'? I know what triggered it. Who triggered it. Eris Morn." Ikora said.
Michael stopped in his tracks. "Eris is back on the moon?"
"Last I heard from her, she was headed into the Keep. I don't even know if she's still..."
"{We'll find her. Alive.}" Rocco declared.
Earth's moon - Ocean of Storms
Sorrow's Harbor
Music
Destiny 2 - Storm the Keep
Spyglass was once again on the communication channel. "The area around the Keep must be cleared before additional troops may move in. Stand by for Titanfall." Several fireballs dropped from the sky, releasing more Titans.
Up ahead, a heavily damaged Vanguard-class Titan struggled to get up to its feet as the Shrieker above diverted its attention to the Titans that just dropped in. BT-7274 was in Doomed-State.
The Shrieker... was another Eye of the Swarm.
"Another one?" Michael groaned. "We just took it down back there!"
"{Vice Admiral, was the IMC aware of the Hive's activity on the moon before the disturbance?}" Rocco wondered as Michael hopped into Vanessa's cockpit.
"[Transferring control to you now.]"
Spyglass responded. "Close monitoring of their progress has not yet revealed the purpose of this 'Scarlet Keep'."
A few ships flew in, one dropping off a Drake tank, with the Vice Admiral at the controls.
With the Eye of the Swarm warping to various locations and summoning Hive for protection, Eagle-Eye 9-1 was getting a bit more legwork. In the end, it couldn't withstand the Drake.
Spyglass [Drake Tank] Eye of the Swarm (The Hidden Swarm)
"{The path is clear. Ready to head into the Scarlet Keep.}"
Spyglass and the Titans stayed behind to secure the area, while Michael went inside with Samus, Cayde, and Mark-18.
Ikora Rey was back on the comms. "Eris came to me. She'd found evidence of something very old on the moon. A potential threat to humanity. Eris insisted on going alone. 'Just a scouting mission.' she said. And I let her. Eris is resilient. She's proven that again and again, often to her own detriment."
"{If anybody can take care of themselves, it's Eris Morn.}"
Earth's moon - Ocean of Storms
Enduring Abyss
Music
None
Just then, there was static. "{Ikora? We've lost her signal.}"
"And something's blocking my neural link with my Titans." Michael said, pressing a hand to his head.
"{That's strange.}"
Down in a cave, the Guardian-Pilots turned on the new night vision mode on their helmets. There was some red silhouette shaped like a person, and it phased right into the rocks without a trace. "What... was that?" Mark-18 wondered.
After following a Thrall that didn't seem to notice them, Michael's group stumbled into an ambush.
Michael formed a Ward of Dawn, allowing Samus to shift into the Morph Ball and deploy a Power Bomb, wiping out everything in the cave.
"{These Hive... They're not actually Hive. Their energy signature is entirely unfamiliar.}" Exiting the cave, the team saw more floating silhouettes up above. "{The source of our... disturbance... should be right around here.}"
"Let's check it out." Michael said, reloading his Spitfire.
Coming out from around the corner, the group of four saw a massive pyramid in an expansive chamber. "{What... is that? I've never seen anything like it. This must be what Eris was after.}"
"Let's keep moving." Michael ordered, pressing onward.
"{Something's wrong. I feel strange. Like someone or... something is invading my Light.}" Heading into an open area, the group came across a glowing red orb, and more silhouettes. "{That... thing... across the way. What is that?}"
Michael shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me."
Cayde approached the large orb, getting pushed back by some sort of energy. "{There's some sort of... massive energy spike here. It's too heavy for us to pass through.}" Sundance reported.
Music
Destiny 2 - Apparitions
Out of nowhere, the orb exploded, leaving a Hive entity in its place.
SCANNING...
NEW ENTRIES
1: Nightmare of Crota
Son of Oryx
"{Crota? But... he's dead!}"
As the Nightmare of Crota advanced on them with a giant sword, Hive reinforcements appeared.
Mark-18 rushed in, readying his Seventh Seraph SAW. As the Exo pumped machine gun rounds into his target, the Nightmare of Crota swung its sword down on him.
Music
None
"MARK!" Michael exclaimed, seeing what appeared to be a one-hit kill.
Without warning, a burst of Warmind energy blasted the apparition's sword away.
Music
Destiny 2 - Valkyrie
Mark-18 stood tall, an energized Valkyrie in his hand. "They don't call me the 'Hand of Rasputin' for nothing."
After blowing apart the Hive and almost decimating the Nightmare of Crota, Mark-18 was stopped by the arrival of two more apparitions.
SCANNING...
NEW ENTRIES
1: Nightmare of Dominus Ghaul
2: Nightmare of the Fanatic
Music
Metroid: Other M - A Daring Tactic
"{He's regenerating?!}" Mindsight questioned, seeing that the Nightmare of Crota was healing rapidly.
"{We can't win. We have to go. Now.}" Rocco demanded.
Samus and Cayde fired off multiple Shadowshot bolts, creating Void tethers around them while Michael tried to think of a way out, seeing as the way they came was out of the question.
On the comms was a voice that hasn't been heard in a long time. "Guardians! Come... with... meee!" The voice then chanted out incantations, causing the group to get pulled out.
Music
None
Somewhere else in the same sector, Michael and his Fireteam fell out of a decrepit rift. Ahead of them stood an old ally, overlooking the pyramid... and there was one of those silhouettes behind her. "Eris Morn." Michael put plainly, approaching her.
The three met up with her as the silhouette creepily glanced at them before turning back to Eris. "What is that pyramid?" Cayde wondered.
"You've heard the stories... of the Traveler's sacrifice... of Darkness descending upon humanity. Before us lies a dark remnant of their existence. Was it struck down by the Traveler? Left here on purpose? The truth is ours to discover."
Samus cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Discover how?"
Eris turned to the trio, a mildly disturbing grin forming on her face. "We find a way inside."
Well, that's as far as I could go myself. I don't have the Season Pass... yet.
Things are getting a bit spooky. (Spooky scary skeletons)
See you all next time, guys.