Chapter 7: The Devil's Lair

"Whatcha think?" Amanda questioned as Clea looked at every angle of her masterful work.

Clea was smiling ear to ear at the sight of her new ship. Using the bounty from the Archon, Clea had commissioned a ship based on her preferences and the ship in her dreams; the result was the Castillo Lancer, named after one of Jupiter's other moons.

The ship had a long pointed front end, and two slanted wings, giving the ship the trident profile that Clea wanted. It was sitting on three landing struts legs that folded under the wings and nose.

Amanda smiled at her reaction and said "I'd say this is some of my best work. Per your request, I made sure you're packing some heat"

Clea followed Amanda around the front of the ship, and hidden in a grove on the front of the nose was a cluster of six black barrels that were clearly meant to rotate. The Veist Cobra energy cannon was rare, and they were made one at a time by special request to the new weapon foundry.

"That thing almost cost as much as the rest of the ship, but it's definitely worth it if you ever need to fight a Fallen ship air to air. Most guardians don't bother giving their jumpships weapons like this, but I think you're smart to arm it more," Amanda admitted.

Clea nodded and said, "Is it ready to fly?"

Amanda nodded and said, "take it for a spin."

Clea walked up the mobile stairs and settled into the cockpit. Amanda came up beside and pointed at the flight stick and said, "This stick is how you steer, unlike the yoke on the harrier. The trigger is on the front of the stick.

Clea then noticed the large screen in her dash and tapped a blue button next to it. The screen lit up and showed various readouts, including fuel, shields, ammo and one blank square.

"The blank space is for missiles, but they're out of stock right now. Most Guardians don't add a cannon, but they like having some missiles. You can hold four when I get more." Amanda explained.

Clea nodded as Amanda headed down the stairs and pulled them away. She hit the ignition button on the panel, and the bubble cockpit slid over.

The engines roared to life, and with the nozzles pointed down, the ship hovered briefly before blasting out of the open hanger door.

Clea pulled back on the stick, accelerating to max speed in seconds. The last city shrunk below her, and within a minute, she was in orbit. Clea leveled out, and took in the sights below her.

The traveler was visible from orbit, along with the city walls, but at this altitude, the giant walls were reduced to small lines on the earth's surface.

"It really puts perspective on how big the world is…." Clea muttered.

Polari materialized and said, "And that's just one planet in the solar system"

"How many planets have you been to?" Clea questioned.

"Four, not counting Earth. I spent seven hundred years seeking my guardian on Earth, one hundred on Mars, another two hundred years on Venus, and fifty years on Mercury. Then I came back to earth and did missions for the vanguard. Europa was the first time guardians had explored past Mars in almost 800 years.

Clea paused for a moment and asked, "There are eight planets in our solar system, right, plus moons like Europa and Castillo, but why have guardians not explored the rest…or beyond the solar system?"

"Mainly resources. The Last City was only founded 444 years ago, and until Twilight Gap, many guardians lived day to day, thinking the walls wouldn't hold out. Admittedly, there was one group of lightbearers led by someone named Germaine that set out to explore beyond the solar system but they never came back. During the Golden Age, humanity supposedly had established colonies all over the galaxy. However, they went silent after the collapse." Polari finished.

Just then, Clea's screen beeped, and Rand's voice appeared over the radio saying, "Clea, we're all winging up, get back here"

Clea nodded and pressed the stick forward, diving back towards Earth.

"We need to keep the nose up, or it'll get really hot really fast, I can take over if you want, " Polari offered.

Clea nodded and allowed Polari to take over; once they were back over the last city Polari gave her control back.

Soon enough, five more jumpships formed up beside her as Rand took the lead. His ship was actually a heavily modified Pragmat Harrier, with red decals on the wings and a large cannon in the nose.

"Alright, team, here's the plan, we're gonna land a ways from their base, and then Tyzon is gonna cloak us so we can get to the entrance undetected" Rand explained.

Ash then chimed in and said, "The base is probably heavily defended already, but the second the high servitor is in danger, every single fallen in the cosmodrome is gonna come rushing to defend their food supply, so once we go loud, time is our enemy."

Clea then remembered a question she had pondered overnight and asked: "I've never fought a servitor before, anything specific I should know beforehand?"

"Not really, their outer shell is pretty tough, but their eye is an easy target. They can teleport and project durable shields around other fallen, but nothing we can't handle" Slone admitted.

"Alright, everyone, form up single file and silence all communications; as Ash said, we lose the element of surprise early, and this mission is over" Rand ordered.

All six jumpships headed up to the border of the atmosphere and left the sound barrier behind them as they climbed. Then after about three hours, they began to descend rapidly and vertically to avoid detection. As soon as they were in transmat range, the six guardians teleported to the ground, and the ships returned to orbit.

Rand led with his auto rifle drawn while Cassie brought up the rear. In the center. Tyzonn had his hands held up, creating a dome of void light around them that made them invisible. The group was slowly walking towards their target.

"Bela taught me how to do this, one of the most basic uses of void light is turning invisible, but doing it to a group takes some practice" Tyzonn explained to Clea over internal comms.

"I haven't been able to use void light yet…" Clea conceded.

"You've only been a guardian for a few months, don't feel bad. I've been a Warlock for decades and I'm still no expert on void light. I couldn't manifest any solar or void abilities for a decade, and even my affinity for arc light doesn't mean it came easy." Tyzonn reminded her.

"Maybe you can teach me how to use void and arc?" Clea questioned.

" I can help you with Arc, but you'll need Bela to help you with void, Bela is one of the strongest voidwalkers out there, she's just got an affinity for the stuff, like Titans" Tyzonn admitted.

Clea gave a confused look and replied "Ikora told me that void is the hardest to master, and that Titans really struggle to use more complicated light abilities"

Tyzonn nodded and said "yes, Warlocks and Hunters always struggle with void. Titans however seem to just pick up void easier, they use it to make a shield that can be tossed or a large dome for defense. Titan supers aside from void are essentially just charging up their fists with a bunch of Solar or Arc energy. Skilled Solar Titans can make throwing hammers. Only a very select few Titans can use arc energy for more elaborate supers, as arc is the hardest for titans"

"How many?" Clea inquired.

"To my knowledge, only four out of the hundreds of active Titans, Zavala, Shaxx, Zavala's mentor Lord Saladin, and the only titan Zavala and Shaxx consider to match Lord Saladin in terms of light, Merrick" Tyzonn explained.

"Oh…Merrick, have you ever met him?" Polari chimed in, sounding like an excited fan who had just heard of their favorite movie star.

Tyzonn chuckled before switching back to internal comms and saying "met may be the wrong way to put it, I have only seen him once, Merrick: The Thunderwolf, let's just say he's not someone to be taken lightly. I was coming to meet Zavala in his office and saw him walk past me as I arrived. I said hello and he gave a very small nod. I don't even know what he sounds like or looks like under his helmet, but his presence is quite striking. From what I know, his reputation is very well earned"

She didn't know what it was but Titans just automatically made her uneasy. Sloane was the exception, but it seemed that every Titan she'd met was always the oldest, most powerful, and the harshest. Zavala was very stern and closed off. Not to mention Shaxx, who constantly drilled guardians as they passed him in the tower on their faults and how they could improve.

Rand surprisingly joined in the conversation and said "Merrick is always on high-level Vanguard Missions. The kind that even experienced fireteams turn down. He almost exclusively works alone and does the most dangerous jobs so others don't have to, now focus up, we're here"

Rand's harsh tone shifted the group's focus to a massive group of fallen, all of which were standing outside the defunct colony ship that served as the front gate for the base of the house of devils. Tyzonn found a destroyed car to hide around as they planned their next move.

Rand took one look at the ten-foot-tall tank guarding the door and said "there's no way we're sneaking past that. Cassie, can you see where their communications array is?"

Cassie's helmet had three glowing green lenses on the front, all of which turned red as she scanned for radio signals. Eventually, she pointed at a small tower with a few antennas on it.

"Right there, that's the array….Ash, there's this really low signal coming off of it, but i can't detect any other signals…thoughts" Cassie questioned.

Ash scanned the area with his sniper for a moment before saying "the house of devils has survived for centuries, and ever since Clea bagged the Archon, all of their communications have ceased. They've probably been using short-range communications only to keep this place safe, and that tower is the amplifier for getting the word out if this place comes under attack."

Rand stared Ash down and said, "you sure…if you're wrong the entire cosmodrome is gonna come down on us in minutes…"

"Yes" Ash responded as confidently as he could muster.

"Alright, Cassie, go set some charges on the pilon over there, Ash, get ready to blow the tower on my mark, Tyzon, you are gonna cloak me and Slone to get close to the tank for a quick kill once Cassie's charges go off" Rand finished, quickly doling out tasks.

Clea noticed one absent factor, and spoke up with "What do I need to do?"

"Nothing, stay right here and be ready to pick off stragglers, I can't give you any job without interfering with the others, so stay put…three, two, one, go!" Rand barked as Cassie dissolved via her own void abilities while Ash crushed a smoke bomb in his hand.

Clea grunted as the remaining team members vanished, saying "I could help…"

"It's ok Clea, just stay here..you'll have chances to prove yourself later on" Polari explained.

"It's not about proving myself, I just hate standing by while my teammates are risking their necks" Clea explained.

Exactly one minute later, three bombs went off on the metal pilon, with each one producing a cloud of blue, orange, and purple smoke all at once. The old radio pilon fell directly on the spider tank, knocking the massive machine on it's belly. The tank was shielded, but large solid objects traveling slowly were the one thing that shields struggled to stop. Within a second of the first detonation, the comm's tower deotnated, sending the fallen sniper flying through the air.

Rand and Sloane unleashed their supers at the same time, jumping out of Tyzon's bubble with their fists covered in Arc energy. The sheer power of the combined ark attacks released a shockwave that vaporized every fallen within a 10-meter radius. The tank flashed blue as its circuits were fried, and it donated in a massive explosion.

Seven fallen ran out of the entrence, two being vandals and the other being a captain along with 4 dregs. Captains looked like Vandals, but just bulker and with a gun similar to the one the Archon had carried.

Tyzon summoned blue energy in his hands, before holding them forward and unleashing a concentrated beam of Arc energy that wiped out the response squad in an instant.

As all the guardians gathered at the entrance, Clea walked up to them. It was fortunate she was wearing a helmet since it hid the massive scowl on her face.

'Alright team, good work, let's press on" Rand announced.

Cassie chuckled and said "Did you guys see the color on that one? I've been working on those bombs for a while"

Tyzon shook his head and sighed "you and your obsession with colorful explosions….."

"Art can be found anywhere!" Cassie countered back.

After a few more scattershot encounters, the fireteam arrived at a massive hanger door. You could hear a loud hum behind it.

Rand put his hand on the lever to open the door, but then paused and said, "This is it, once this door opens, it's all gunfire and explosions. Remember the basics, find cover, clear the ads, and then focus on the big guy"

Everyone nodded, and just as the door opened, Polari chimed in with, "Ads are guardian lingo for smaller enemies,...I'm here for you..stay strong"

The area behind the door was a large industrial yard, with two small buildings and a loading dock that dropped off into a long grass strip, however the standout of the area was Sepiks Prime hovering right over the dropoff.

Sepiks prime was over 20 feet in diameter, and his massive glowing purple eye instantly locked onto the six guardians as they came into view.

The door slid open and as expected, all hell broke loose. Dozens of laser blasts from every direction rained down on the six guardians. All of the remaining fallen in the base had gathered around Sepiks for an ambush.

The fireteam scattered to the nearest cover they could find. Clea dived into a nearby building right behind Ash as Sepiks Prime fired massive blasts of purple energy, vaporizing a nearby dreg. His entire body then was covered in a purple shield as the six guardians found cover around the dock.

As Clea and Ash desperately huddled behind a wall, Rand came over coms with "I'm gonna use my super to distract them, everyone get ready to move!"

A flash of purple light created a circular shield of energy in Rand's hand, he held it in front of him creating an large flat wall of light around the shield.

The Titan charged out of cover, and sure enough his shield blocked all of the incoming fire.

Cassie and Tyzon unleashed a volley of arc energy, with the warlock blasting concentrated bolts of lighting from his hands while Cassie drew knives from her belt, covering them in arc energy and throwing them left and right. Every knife and bolt killed the foe it came into contact with as the arc energy fried their bodys from the inside out.

Clea followed suit and summoned her dawn blade while Ash put six shots in six heads with his hand cannon. The solar blades steaked toward their targets, and Clea ended the super early to conserve energy.

Soon all of the lingering fallen were gone, but Sepiks Prime was far from defenseless. Massive balls of purple plasma rained down from the machine's eye. One exploded a few feet from Clea and shattered her shield. In response, the Warlock summoned her rocket launcher.

Clea fired her rocket launcher right at Sepkis, but the rocket bounced off Sepkis's shield. Clea went wide-eyed as the projectile flew back toward her. She could only watch as she was obliterated in a single hit by her own rocket. Her form reduced to a glowing outline before fading into a small ball of light.

"My reserves are low…anyone free for a revive?" Polari requested.

Ash nodded and crushed one of his two remaining smoke bombs in his hand, disappearing from view as he held out his hand over the small orb of light that was hover where Clea had been blasted apart. Obviously, Polari could revive Clea without help, but she had just used her super less than a minute ago, using up almost all of Polari's light reserve. Normally it would have taken 30 seconds to revive without help, but a quick boost of light from Ash brought her back instantly.

Sepiks blasted at the other four guardians over and over, forcing all six guardians into a kill zone. Just before all of them were blown to smithereens. Rand channeled his void light into a bubble around them, the Ward of Dawn stopping the blast with less than a second to spare.

Rand held out his hands, clearly straining as he struggled to maintain the shield.

Cassie shook her hand and said, "What do we do?"

Clea thought for a moment and began to say "I think I…."

"We don't have time to workshop something just.." Slone was cut off by Tyzon saying "we need a plan of attack

Ash cut Tyzon off saying "make a run for more cover…"

The group argued and cut each off for another 20 seconds before Rand silenced them all with "EVERYONE SHUT UP…I can't hold this shield forever, if the new girl has an idea then let her say it!"

Everyone turned their attention to Clea saying "Ash's sniper can analyze and pierce shields if he has a sec to lock on, think you can boost to the roof and break his shield?"

Ash nodded as he said, "It'll take a few seconds lock on but yes…"

Clea nodded and said "ok, my rocket bounced off his shield, so Cassie and Tyzon, use your light attacks to get up close and bounce him back into a kill zone, then with him stagged, Ash will break his shield, opening him up for Slone, Rand and I will give him every bit of light we got left"

Everyone looked at Rand, only for the Titan to grunt and say "you heard her…three, two one, GO!"

Rand expanded his shield in a burst, dissolving it and obscuring the fireteam enough for them to spread out. Ash used his last smoke bomb to conceal himself and jumped up to the roof of the building they entered from, laying prone to avoid detection as he scoped in on the Servitor. Meanwhile, Rand and Slone dove under the loading doc and waited for the right moment.

Tyson summoned a pool of light around his feet with a look to Clea. She jumped in the empowering rift as the stormcaller unleashed another beam of energy, while Clea closed her eyes and focused on the rift of energy below her, soaking up the light like a sponge. Tyzon's super shoved Sepkis back, allowing for Cassie to throw her three remaining knives into the shield. The blades were much slower than a rocket, and thus actually managed to embed themselves in Sepiks's shield.

Just then, a sniper shot connected with the Prime Servitor's shield, and it shattered from the calibrated hit. Clea once again summoned her dawn blade and slashed, sending solar flames streaking toward her unshielded opponent.

Sepiks teleported back as a defensive tactic, but this was exactly what Clea had hoped for, and the two titans activated their supers. Rand and Slone jumped toward Sepiks, their fists glowing with solar energy as they poured all of their remaining strength into one final attack.

Sepiks's eye widened as the Servitor realized what was about to happen. The two solar-infused titans smashed straight through his eye, leaving a gaping hole in the machine before it explored, reducing the once proud Servitor to scrap metal.

A deathly silence filled the area as Clea fell to her knees, sucking wind from the sheer energy drain the 2nd super had caused. Polari quickly dissolved her helmet so she could breathe easier.

Rand and Slone were panting as well. Soon the six guardians gathered around the smoldering remains of Sepiks Prime.

Tyzon patted her on the back and said, "great job, your plan worked!"

Clea smiled as she managed to stand up, Ash then came up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder, saying "See! I knew you'd be able to handle this mission."

Cassie retrieved every knife she could find and said, "Oh really, I seem to remember you muttering about how worried you were about her this morning!"

Slone smacked Cassie on the head and scolded her with, "Don't ruin the moment!"

Everyone laughed except for Rand, who was staring at Clea. Eventually, after a solid minute of staring, he gave a small chuckle and said, "Alright, I gotta admit..that was a good plan…though you do realize this means you have to help me fill out the after-action report, right?"

Clea froze in place, only for Rand to wave his hand dismissively and say, "I'm just messing with ya; let's get out of this junkyard and get something to drink, my treat!"

Author's note- Suprise, I'm not dead!

1. Writer's block is pure evil...

2. Lightfall was meh, but nowhere near as bad as some people say. I already have some ideas for changes id make to that story...

3. Merrick will be an important character later on, so leave a footnote

Leave a review, I desperately want the feedback!