When Cayde and his team arrived at Batalia, he did not expect that the reports he received a week ago would be so untrue. Why? Well, the destruction, the number of victims and of enemy units were two or even three times bigger. This turned this once beautiful planet with large oceans and cities on high cliffs into one large war zone.

Currently, the leader of the Vanguard Scouts was in the command center, where he, the local general and Vincent were discussing the situation on the front against the Blargian mercenaries and the Scorn . Petra stayed with them for a while but eventually had to return to her service, but she promised to keep an eye out for any information regarding Ratchet.

"Like I said before. Fort Krontos fell into enemy hands, and with it a large part of our armory. Ammunition, new weapons and vehicles, you name it." said the general

This information did not please Exo, who sighed and ran a hand over his face. They spent three days on this planet and every day was something new. The robotic Man knew that as a representative of the Vanguard, he had to help in this war, but that didn't change the fact that his main goal was still to capture his nephew.

Fortunately, he already has a Guardian fireteam with him.

"This Fort is occupied by the Scorn Baron, right?" Vincent asked.

"Yes, kid. So what about this?"

"We can kill two birds with one stone. My team and I will get in there, take out their leader, and then we will take over the place and wait for our main target."

"It's suicide, young Guardian."

"Not my and my team's first rodeo."

Cayde smiled to himself. He had informed the General earlier that they were trying to catch a "rogue Lightberer" and that was why they had come here. This, of course, did not satisfy the man at first, but eventually he decided to wave it off if his soldiers received help in the fight.

Knowing that the enemy forces were severely depleted, Cayde agreed to this operation. So he told Vincent that they had the green light to eliminate Pirrha, The Rifleman.

And so the Guardian went to the barracks where his brothers were waiting.

When Vincent entered the barracks, the first thing he saw was Sant's angry look at Mike. The two men played cards and, as always, the youngest member of the team won.

"The end. You already owe me 5,000 credits, brother." - said the orange-haired Awoken with a smile on his face.

This upset Markazian, who in an act of anger grabbed the table and threw it... straight through the window into the ocean below.

This action caused Mike to let out a small laugh and then run away from his furious adopted brother.

Don looked at them for a moment and then went back to reading a book he found in a nearby ruined library.

Vincent watched all this and was secretly glad that his brothers were not changing at all. But unfortunately they have a job to do.

"ATTENTION!" shouted the team leader.

The other members immediately stood still and looked at him, saluting.

Seeing this, Vincent told his brothers to sit down as he had information for them about what's going on. He told them that they had permission to eliminate Baron and that they had to do it ASAP. Sant was the first to comment on this, saying that he was itching for a fight, while Don asked if Cayde and the General were 100% sure about this. When Vincent confirmed all this, the guys started to get armed.

Sant put on his red heavy armor, strengthening it with a shield of his Light, and then took up his favorite weapon. The Sweet Business. An automatic rifle resembling a Gatling gun. Not only that, but also having an armor modifier that loads 15 rounds into the magazine every second makes the Sant literally a walking tank. He remembered how he obtained this weapon by killing the leader of the Red Legion and the Cabal faction, Ghaul, who had attacked Lux City directly, in a one-on-one duel. He still has scars from that fight to this day.

Mike, after putting on his orange leather armor, created a pair of fiery knives, which he juggled for a moment and then vanish them, to then grab his submachine gun, The Huckleberry. This elegant, western-style weapon came into his hands after he helped another Guardian, Anna Brey, defeat the Hive Necromancer, Nokris, on the planet Ares. This gun has been in his inventory ever since.

Don put on his armored robes and then opened a special container in which he kept a rather controversial weapon. The so-called Whisper of the Worm. This sniper rifle, which entire casing is made of the dark, moving goo, is the result and reward of his efforts against the Xol, a chitin-covered Hive Worm God who was trying to take control of the planet Ares and make it his lair. This failed and Xol eventually took the form of this sniper rifle, and since then, he has been whispering into Don's head from time to time to fill him with someone's death. It's a good thing that Cazar only uses it on his opponents.

When Vincent saw that his brothers were ready, he took his gun out of its holster and checked it. The Traveler's Chosen. The Awoken man remembers how this weapon was with him from the very beginning of his career as a Guardian. And interestingly enough, it was his own Light that improved this gun to always support its user power. This weapon helped him defeat Panoptes, a Vex who, using its computational power, was able to simulate versions of events and use them to generate strategies for other Vex. Since then, Vincent has had a slight aversion to robots.

When everyone was ready, Vincent announced that it was time to complete the task assigned to them.

"Lock and Load, Noble Team. Roll out!"

Reaching Pirrha's location meant that the entire team would encounter a large number of enemies along the way. However, this was not an obstacle for the well-organized fireteam.

"Mike! 10 o'clock!" Vincent shouted.

The youngest member of the team looked where his brother was pointing and saw a large group of enemies. So he jumped high into the air and then summoned a lot of fiery knives, which he then threw at his opponent, making them explode. After that, Mike saw that opponents were approaching Don.

"Donnie! Behind youl!"

Cazar quickly saw his opponents approaching. So he summoned his Electric Light and then shocked them with a powerful electric discharge.

"I'll show you my unlimited power!"

Don then focused his Light around himself and released it in the form of an electrical shockwave that completely disintegrated nearby enemies.

As for Sant, he was simply wrestling with the Scorn's Abomination.

"Come on, you piece of shit! That's all you can do?!"

In response, the beast only roared. Deciding there was no point in continuing, the Markazian used his Light to enhance his strength, then picked up the Abomination and threw it off the cliff into the ocean below.

Seeing that the area was safe, the guys reloaded their weapons and then moved further. After a while, the fort they were looking for came into view.

"HQ, this is Noble One. Can you hear me?" Vincent said, using his communicator.

"Loud and clear, Noble One. What's the situation?" Cayde's voice asked on the other end of the line.

"The road to the fort is open. We see a large number of fortifications. Turrets, additional barricades and the Scorn and Blargs with weapons from the armory. I think I can even see a tank inside this base."

"Damn it, the bastards prepared well. But don't worry, we can do something about it."

"Sir?"

"Cover your ears and hide behind something. When you receive the signal, go inside and take out this Baron, okay?"

After these words, the team hid on the largest and farthest boulder possible. After a few seconds, the guys heard powerful explosions coming from the enemy fortifications. Apparently Cayde asked the General for artillery support.

When the dust settled, the Noble team emerged from behind the boulder and made their way to the fort. The Blargs and the Scorn were waiting for them there. Including Pirhha.

"Guardians! Your arrival is greatly appreciated by me! The game here was so...boring," Baron said, pointing to the scattered bodies of civilians and soldiers. Pirhha then disappeared from view, and many holograms of him appeared in the area. "It's time to start the hunt!"

The fireteam quickly moved to engage the hostile forces. Sant used his Light and created a protective bubble around his team from which they could safely fire. As a large group of opponents gathered nearby, Vincent summoned his powers and created two blades, which allowed him to quickly dash between opponents. Don summoned a rift of Light that healed his companions and gave him a small electric spirit that shot at nearby enemies. Mike, on the other hand, kept throwing explosive blades at the most armored opponents to soften them up and then finish them off.

After a few minutes, only the Guardians and Pirrha's holograms remained on the battlefield. Our heroes decided there was no point in waiting and started shooting at them, quickly destroying every single one. When the last hologram fell, the Baron came out of hiding and started shooting at his opponents. Once again, Sant created a Bubble, and then he and his team returned fire.

This exchange of fire continued for the next few minutes, but eventually ended with the Baron defeated. He tried to crawl to the exit, but a quick burst from The Huckleberry to the head ultimately ended his life.

The entire team started celebrating their victory by performing dance moves. After all this is a Guardian's custom. When the celebration was over, Vincent contacted the Command, informing them of the Baron's death. The screams of joy on the other end made the Awoken man even more pleased with this victory. But this was not the end of their mission.

Now it's time to set a trap for Ratchet.

On the planet Kerwan, Al's life continued as usual. Get out of bed, eat breakfast, play on the computer for a while, and then go to his workshop. He was very happy about today because he had a lot of customers, which means he will be able to afford to buy a new figurine of his favorite singer, Courtney Gears.

Kerwanian was about to close his shop when he suddenly heard the doorbell. He looked towards them and saw a man standing there.

"I'm sorry, but we're closing now. I will gladly accept the order, but I won't deal with it until tomorrow," said Al.

The mysterious stranger walked up to the counter and looked at the owner.

"I understand that, good citizen, but I hope you will find a moment to help the great and wonderful Jack Malphur!" said the Lightbearer, showing his heroic pose.

"Who?"

At the sound of the shopkeeper not recognizing him, Malphur looked at the man with an angry look, which was hidden under the mask, but he quickly came to his senses and got to the point.

"Nevermind. I'm looking for a Lombax with yellow fur with brown stripes and silver bot. According to the residents, they saw him enter your workshop. I would also like to know their current location," said Jack.

"Sorry, I have no idea where they are right now. I just gave them a few improvements and that's it," said Al. Whatever it was, he felt that the man in front of him was not one of the good ones. That's why he doesn't mention Eudora.

"I see…"

With these words, the Lightbearer grabbed Al by his coat and then threw him over the counter and onto the crates nearby. He then took out the Last Word and pointed it at shop owner.

"Maybe you'll start talking now, hmmm?" he asked in a cold tone.

"I do not know anything! I swear! I only gave them a few improvements, I promise! - answered Al.

Dissatisfied with this answer, Malphur then aimed and fired the bullets at Al's knees. As the man writhed in pain, the Lightbearer approached the man and knocked him out with a single punch to the face.

"Maybe a few days in a Praxic Order cell will loosen your tongue," Jack said with a devilish smirk and a cold look in his eyes.

A few days have passed since Alister last saw Rivet. During these few days, the man spent his time in his office checking reports. Everything indicated that apart from the war between the IMC and the Militia, everything was calm in the Polaris galaxy.

And he didn't like it very much.

"What are you planning, Emperor?" he asked no one.

Suddenly Alor entered the office. He held a stack of papers in his hands and his face showed worry.

"Ali, we have a problem," said the dark Lombax.

"What happened?"

"My spies have told me that IMC and Nefer Corporation have been bought out."

"And why is this bad news?"

"Because they were bought out by Czerka Corporation."

When Alister heard this name, his fur literally became white as snow. After all, Czerka is a company that belongs to the Lombax Empire and is therefore under their control. What was it that their IMC captive said?

"The bastards now have access to this mysterious weapon on Typhon," Alister realized.

"Aye. We have to act, boss. So what's the plan?"

Good question. What to do about this now? Alister thought for a moment and then looked at his friend.

"Call all the counselors and Jill. We need to discuss an action plan."

"Cool. Something else?"

"Yes, but I'll take care of it myself. Go and tell them I'll be there soon."

Alor quickly nodded at this information and ran out of the office. Alister sat in his chair for a moment and then left the room himself.

He had to talk to someone.

Considering that Rivet spent her last days in her room, the girl decided to use this time and spend it on her interests.

Which was growing flowers, singing and tinkering.

She decided to combine these three hobbies a bit and tried to build a device for watering flowers while singing.

While doing her project, the girl heard someone knocking on her door. So she went to it and opened it. She was surprised to see her biological father on the other side.

"Hello Rivet," the man said.

"Hello... um... dad?" she said unsurely. She still didn't know how to call the leader of the Alliance.

"Just call me Alister or Wrath if you don't feel comfortable."

The girl was grateful for this, because her mind was still very confused and she still didn't know what, where and how to call whom.

"Thank you. So how can I help you?" she asked.

Elder Azimuth took a deep breath. What he is about to do is against his ideologies, but he hopes to find a golden middle ground.

"We have a situation regarding Nefer Corporation and IMC. Knowing your past with these groups, I thought your knowledge of them would be helpful," he said.

To say Rivet was surprised by this would be an understatement. She knew very well that Alister didn't like to involve children in war activities and Alliance politics. Even Anna only does training, meditation and pilgrimages, but does not act as a faction operator. Despite all this, the younger girl agreed to help in this matter.

Little did she know that this would trigger a rather unpleasant encounter with a certain yellow mech.