S1-200
Trail of the Hunted
11:15 AM
02/11/3274
Planet Vez-2 - Suburban Cul-de-sac
Aran-Johnson residence
Music
Chibi-Robo: Plug Into Adventure - Broad Daylight
Enjoying some family time in their backyard, Michael, Samus, Jenny, and Cayde played a game of Cornhole, while the wolf puppy, Myst, playfully chased around the Ghosts.
"This is nice. Being off-duty is like a breath of fresh air." Cayde stated, managing to throw another beanbag into the hole in the board between Samus and Jenny.
Michael grabbed another beanbag. "I hope you're used to it by now. You aren't on-duty 24/7 like you were back in the Last City on Earth."
"Yeah, don't remind me." Cayde retorted, swooshing another bag in the hole.
"Nice toss, Cayde." Samus called out from the other side of the field.
Tossing another bag, Michael pushed his previous throw into the hole on the board. "That's it for us. Their turn."
With no more beanbags to throw, Michael and Cayde stood by as Samus and Jenny gathered them for the girls to toss. But just as Samus was about to take the shot, Rocco zipped in between the boards.
Music
none
"{I just got an alert from Spyglass. We're being called into action.}"
Nodding, Michael responded. "Put him through."
Spyglass's voice was heard from the Ghost. "Aran-Johnson family, there is a developing situation we require your assistance with."
Music
Titanfall - OST 01
"For the past few weeks, Osiris has been trying to assess the damage caused by the return of the Darkness. He theorizes that Xivu Arath, the Hive God of War, seeks to take advantage of the power vacuum left in its wake." At this point, everyone had headed inside to grab their gear. "Osiris was investigating physical manifestations of Hive magic near the Scarlet Keep when his Ghost, Sagira, was fatally wounded by the Hive. The Warlock has delivered a message through a secure channel with the request that you personally aid him in his... 'hunt'. Consider this a search and rescue mission."
11:29 AM
02/11/3274
Approaching Earth's moon
Music
Titanfall 2 - Blood and Rust
"We're on approach to Earth's moon, Spyglass." Michael reported. "Play Osiris's transmission."
Osiris's voice was heard over the comms. "If anyone is listening, I… Sagira is… Sagira is wounded. She tried to save me… from the Hive. But her shields… weren't strong enough. She's still alive, but she's out cold. I'm sending her back to my ship in the hands of a single Stalker. The rest are coming with me. We're tracking the creature responsible for this. We will find it. We will end it. Spyglass… I need you to send Eagle-Eye 9-1 to the following coordinates. I won't wait!"
Cayde seemed confused. "I didn't think Ghosts could be rendered unconscious. At least, I don't know if it's happened before."
"It's a standby mode." Michael explained. "A feature of the tech that's being integrated into all Ghosts. If severely damaged, a Ghost will be forced into a sort of pause state so the damage won't escalate over time. At the same time, the Ghost's shell will begin emitting a unique distress signal. And it looks like one such signal is coming from the moon."
"How do you repair a Ghost?" Cayde wondered.
Michael shrugged. "I don't know their inner workings. I think I'll let big T handle that. They're his creations."
Earth's moon - Ocean of Storms
Archer's Line
Music
Destiny - Archer's Line
Touching down, Michael and his team saw some Hive at the Temple entrance ahead of them.
"{I'm… I'm worried about Osiris. If the Hive had gotten Sagira, then…}" Rocco trailed off.
"Don't worry about me, but keep your voice down. I'm using an external comm." The old Warlock warned on the radio. "I thought I was hunting the one responsible: the High Celebrant of Xivu Arath. But now, I think it's hunting me. Meet me in the Hall of Wisdom."
"He cut the transmission." Samus noted. "We have to hurry."
Just then, the Knight and Acolytes were attacked… by a single Stalker. Its L-STAR made short work of the Hive. "Friendly unit. Stand down." Michael stowed his Spitfire.
The Stalker approached the ace Pilot, extending its left hand, which held the damaged shell of Osiris's Ghost, Sagira, with a few pieces scattered about. The light of her unmoving eye was flickering.
"Well, Sagira's definitely still alive." Cayde stepped closer to the unresponsive Ghost. "But how do we fix her up?"
"Traveler, help her…" Michael's right hand began to glow with the Traveler's Light. He gently grasped Sagira's shell, causing her core to seemingly mend itself as her optic changed to a hexagonal pattern, ripples of light blue hexagons racing from the center to the edges. Within seconds, the glow died down as the Ghost's eye returned to normal.
With an audible gasp, Sagira zipped out of the Stalker's metal grasp. "{What happened? Where's Osiris?!}"
"Easy, Sagira. We're here to help." Michael stated, drawing his Spitfire. "Follow us. Stay close."
Suddenly, a new voice joined the channel. "{Your friend is in a lot of danger.}" It sounded like another Ghost.
"Who are you?" Jenny wondered, readying her SMR.
"{A concerned Ghost. Osiris shouldn't be here, especially in his condition.}"
Cayde chuckled. "We appreciate the warning, but we know what we're doing. If you and your Guardian are here to help, then we'd greatly appreciate it."
"{My… Guardian. Right.}"
Earth's moon - Ocean of Storms
Hall of Wisdom
"Osiris, can you hear us?" Michael demanded as his team took out the initial Hive 'welcoming committee'.
"Yes, I can hear you! I'm luring the High Celebrant to the Shrine of Oryx. They're… ████! It erected a barrier. I think it knows you're here. It's trying to keep us separated!"
Michael and co. eliminated the Thralls and Acolytes that sought to block their path.
Up ahead was a Hive Knight with an unusual head and aura, standing in front of a plant-like Hive structure.
"That Knight is radiating strange energy…" Samus noted as Michael's helmet scanned it for an ID.
SCANNING…
NEW ENTRIES
1: High Celebrant of Xivu Arath
"It has to be the High Celebrant; the one that hurt Sagira." Michael sought to open fire, but the High Celebrant vanished as he put it in the middle of his weapon's Threat Scope. "Osiris, we're here! We'll get that barrier down!"
"Keep your Ghosts close, Guardians." Osiris warned them.
Michael gathered Void Light into his hands. "Samus, I think he's outside the heatwave radius."
"A Power Bomb?" Samus wondered as more Hive rushed in. "Haven't used one in a while."
Michael then formed the Ward of Dawn around Jenny and Cayde as Samus shifted into the Morph Ball, which began glowing with an energy build-up.
Samus then unleashed a single explosive before…
Music
none
BOOM.
The blast proceeded to disintegrate every Hive and Worm in the now-slightly melted room, leaving only the Aran-Johnson family. The plant-like tower was now nothing more than a smoldering stump amidst a pile of smoking ash and cinders.
The Ghost from earlier was on the radio. "{What in the Light was that?! I just got temperature readings exceeding at least 3,000° Fahrenheit from your location!}"
"That…" Michael failed to hold back a slight smirk. "...was a Power Bomb."
Cayde then stuck his Pulse Blade into the ground, sending out a few radar pings. But the High Celebrant wasn't there. "Osiris, I think it's heading your way!"
The Warlock got the message. "Good."
Music
Destiny - Archer's Line
"I've retreated deeper into the shrine. I think this may have been a trap. That tower you saw on the way in; that's a Hive Cryptolith. It's a conduit of Darkness. One of many."
Michael turned around. "There's no tower here anymore. Just a smoking stump."
"{Osiris, I'm heading back to you!}" Sagira started toward the doorway, only for Michael to call out.
"You're safer with us. We'll get you back to him."
A soft chuckle was heard on the radio. "My Little Light. Michael, I am trusting you with her safety." The Warlock's tone then took on a sad tone. "But… my connection with the Light has been… permanently severed."
Earth's moon - Ocean of Storms
Shrine of Oryx
"The High Celebrant is using the Cryptoliths to deploy soldiers across dimensions and… and tempt others to Xivu Arath's side. If I don't make it out of this, I want you to tell Saint-"
"Tell him yourself." Samus interjected, launching a Missile directly into the face of a Wizard.
As Cayde dispatched a Hive Ogre with the Golden Gun, the unknown Ghost was heard again. "{Guardians, picking up multiple Hive signatures headed Osiris's way. We're closing in, but facing heavy resistance.}"
Just then, a rift obstructed their path, taking them straight into the Ascendant Plane.
Ascendant Plane
"What in the…" Michael was confused. "What are we doing in the Ascendant Realm?"
On a floating landmass just up ahead was the High Celebrant, which vanished and reappeared on the next one, only to vanish again moments later.
"We have to get out of here!" Jenny exclaimed, unloading her SMR on a Wizard that popped out of another rift.
Just then, the Ascendant Plane shuddered. "{Whoa.}" Sagira sounded shocked. "{Sterile neutrino readings are off the charts.}"
Michael chuckled briefly. "I think we all know what that means."
As more Hive showed up, Axion Darts came out of nowhere and blew them away. The Fireteam looked up, seeing the Shadow gently float down in front of them. "I thought I felt your Light in here."
"{Considering how vast the Ascendant Realm is, that's some impressive reaction time.}" Sagira commended.
"Why, thank you." The Taken King bowed to the Ghost. "So... On another mission, are we?"
"Yeah." Michael briefed him in. "Osiris is in trouble. He's hunting down the High Celebrant of Xivu Arath, the Hive God of War. But the High Celebrant lured him into a trap, nearly costing him his Ghost. We're here to bring him to safety."
The Shadow nodded. "Got it." He then turned around, extended a hand, and willed open a rupture back out of the Ascendant Plane. But the rift destabilized and collapsed. "Hm? That's strange. Let me try that again." Another rift opened, but this one remained stable. "Some sort of interference. Are the Hive experimenting with new magics again?"
"It's a plant-like tower called a Cryptolith." Cayde stated, to which the Shadow nodded.
With that, the team went through the portal, returning to the material realm.
Earth's moon - Ocean of Storms
Shrine of Oryx
The area was littered with dead Hive and Stalker parts, with a lone Stalker crawling on the ground, missing an arm and leg. It was the only one left.
"Stalkers are anti-Pilot infantry units. They're designed to be resilient. How could Hive infantry do this?" Samus wondered.
A familiar voice drew their attention. "You're here! Finally!" They looked up, seeing Osiris. "Is it done?"
"Unfortunately, no." Cayde responded. "By the looks of it, the High Celebrant got away."
"I'll come down to y-" Osiris was interrupted by a Hive Knight with a green aura around its head backhanding him to the ground, his Garden Progeny 1 dropping to the feet of the team below.
"{OSIRIS!}" Sagira called out.
The Knight raised its cleaver, ready to deliver the final blow on Osiris. But another sword suddenly burst through its chest, causing the Hive soldier to drop its cleaver, dissolving into dust as it fell over.
Behind where the Knight once stood was a hooded figure, wearing the sigil of the Spider on his uniform.
The unknown savior approached Osiris, revealing the face of… Uldren Sov?
It was then that a Ghost appeared. "{We warned you it was going to be dangerous down here, especially for the Ghostless!}" The Ghost then took notice of Sagira. "{Or... Lightless.}"
"{IMC techs know their stuff.}" Sagira chuckled.
"{I'm… I'm glad to see we're all OK, though. I'm Glint, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you all.}" Osiris waved at the Ghost. Glint then gave the resurrected Uldren a soft nudge. "{Go on. Introduce yourself!}"
"They call me… the Crow. My boss wants to see you."
Michael couldn't wrap his mind around it. He personally killed that prince back in the Awoken Watchtower. And here he was. Alive. "Impossible…!"
11:42 AM
02/11/3274
The Tangled Shore
Spider's Safehouse
Music
Destiny 2 - Tangled Shore
Following the 'Crow', Michael and his team found themselves in the presence of the Spider. "What's this? Thought I told you to bring me the Warlock Osiris." He seemed a bit mad. "Explain yourself."
"Osiris-" Before the Crow could say another word, he was interrupted by Rocco.
"{-lost his Light. And he almost lost his Ghost. We've sent him back to the Frontier to recover.}"
The Spider chuckled. "You Lightmongers never cease to amaze me. You deal violence so easily, and suffer loss so poorly. Such fragile killers."
"We'll finish what he started." Michael proclaimed.
"And what's that? Hmm?" The Spider demanded.
"Seek and destroy. Eliminate the High Celebrant." Cayde added, readying his V-47 Flatline.
The Spider cocked his head. "Hmm. Has the Legend rubbed off on you after your return to the land of the living?"
"I had it in my sights." The resurrected Uldren insisted, turning to the Fireteam. "If your friend hadn't needed saving-"
"You forget your place, little bird." The Spider scolded.
The 'Crow' stood down. "My apologies, Baron."
"Now then. Perhaps we can help each other out, eh? I know how accomplished you are at exacting revenge." The Spider chuckled for a bit. "Xivu Arath is using her High Celebrant and those ████ed Cryptoliths to corrupt Eliksni. Cabal too. But I'm losing soldiers and Glimmer by the Skiff-load. That's right. I know what Osiris was doing on the moon. I also know you'll fare far better given the, uh… proper motivation." He turned his head away from the team. "Leave us, Crow. The Pilots, the King, and I have terms to discuss."
Michael and the others watched as the 'Crow' walked down a corridor to their left. "That's…-"
"My little bird sure is something, isn't he? I have to imagine you share in my appreciation of fate's cruel sense of humor." The Spider expected the group to not be amused. At all. And that's what he saw. "I found him wandering the Reef like a piece of wind-blown trash. Aimless. Hopeless. No memory of the prince he was. Now, I could've sent him off to the Frontier, but… we all know what's waiting for him there. I couldn't let that happen, so I took him in… as a kindness. As far as his loyalty is concerned, I took a few extra precautions and made some… modifications to his Ghost's shell. Now, if he ever flies too far from the nest?" Chuckling, the Spider leaned in, looming over the team. "Boom."
Cayde gave him an angry look. "Why you-"
"That ugly business out of the way, let's focus on what really matters: this Hive infestation. I propose a partnership. You go out there and do what it is you do best, and I'll, uh… lend you the resources you need to get it done. Maybe even a little extra something on the side. Just don't mention the name 'Uldren Sov'... for his sake."
Furrowing his brows under his helmet, Michael lightly growled at the Spider, a few cinders of Solar Light dancing around his Spectre hand. But after a moment of thought, he let the cinders fizzle out. "Deal."
Moonhawk Trooper and I have been working on this chapter. But it was finally decided that it was ready for publishing.
And the flickering light and rippling hexagon pattern of Sagira's eye? Have any of you seen the ending of the 'Free The Frontier' Titanfall video from the 2014 Gamescom? Yeah, the effects are from the Militia Pilot's helmet near the end.
Anyway, with all that said, we will see all you guys next time.