Mercury, Sol System

After giving their goodbyes to Failsafe, the three members of Team JNPR, Lux Syphoid and Saint-14 flew back to Mercury. As they were landing, they were contacted by Brother Vance in the Lighthouse who notified them that the local Red Legion had marched towards the Infinite Forest. Deciding to head straight there, the group was transmatted near the entryway and began to scout ahead.

With weapons on hand, they saw a small group stationed right at the front, numerous Scorpion Turrets prepped and ready.

"Time to show them what you can do." Saint-14 said nodding to Nora. Nora nodded in turn and shifted Magnhild into a hammer. Charging right ahead Nora jumped into the air and brought the hammer down. The front impacted the ground and a wave of solar flames erupted from the impact, heading straight to the Cabal in front. Those that it bathed were burned and turned to ashes. Seeing their comrades burned, the rest opened fire. This gave Saint-14 the chance to jump in front of Nora, creating a Ward of Dawn enclosing them in a shield. Pyrrha shifted her weapon into its gun form and opened fire on them. Jaune got out the sidearm gifted to him from Saint-14 and joined her. While Jaune wasn't a marksman compared to Ruby or his redheaded partner, he was adequate, making some of them stumble to the ground so Pyrrha could finish them off. Lux Syphoid brought up her newest creation from the Lighthouse's forge; Infinite Paths 8. Pulling the trigger and unleashing three-bullet bursts, she finished off the rest. Letting her ghost Lucious scan the bodies. She asked whether there was any information on them.

"So far, what I've got is that these are part of a group under the command of one Valus Thuun. There are also messages sent between other members of the legion. Suffice to say, he is not a well thought one."

"Dissidence in the Legion then?" Lux asked.

"More like one leader amongst many trying to rebuild the Red Legion in their own image."

Lucious turned to the open doorway. "Think we'll find out more about the Cabal and why they went in?"

Lux Syphoid reloaded her weapon. "Absolutely."

00000

Deep inside of the Infinite Forest, in a simulation of Mercury in the present, overlooking a Vex central information hub, the leader of this band of Red Legion stood basking in his victory.

Just like Dominus Ghaul would do. Valus Thuun thought to himself. He saw himself as a mere acolyte carrying on the will of the Dominus. He ignored the whispers of those below him. Them saying that he was an obsessed fan trying to reforge himself as the next Dominus Ghaul. He was not an obsessed fan! Would an obsessed fan memorize every single one of the late Dominus victories, speeches, even go as far as to spray paint his skin and armor pure white to match?

No, he wasn't.

After stepping foot into the infinite Forest, leaving a small group of his soldiers behind to guard the way, they were immediately assaulted by Vex of numerous types. Leading by example, like Ghaul, he charged into battle, using blade and blaster to destroy anything in his path. Most of them being Vex, while others were simulations of others like the Hive or Fallen. Soon they reached the central tower in the Infinite Forest. Within the tower represented simulations of Mercury's present. And according to his Psions, where the Vex Mind in charge of this structure is to reside in. And he was going to take it for his Red Legion.

00000

The two Guardians and the three members of Team JNPR entered the Infinite Forest. By sheer luck, they have not encountered a single Vex unit. They instead encountered parts of Vex units.

Littering the path before them, there were many disassembled Vex units before them. Some crushed beneath large feet belonging to Cabal. Others sliced or blasted. Deciding not to look a gift star horse in the mouth, they followed the path of destruction before them. After winding though pathways that vanished before and in their wake, going though a Traveler-damned jumping platforms, they found the end of the pathway. The end being the tower representing the Simulated present.

Stepping though the doorway, they found themselves on Mercury in the present in a region they were not familiar with. Pure flat sand, arches and a large dome-like structure in the distance.

"This Simulation is of present-day Mercury. The structure ahead is a central information hub and storage facility. The Vex send information from wherever they are, its stored there, then sent into the Infinite Forest for Panoptes to sort and construct into a Simulation within the Forest." Sagira explained.

"So, a sorting facility." Jaune said trying to wrap his head around it.

"Yep."

"You know, you are starting to sound a bit like Nora." Saint-14 said. "I remember you being more rational and heavier in explaining things like Osiris. But since you've been bonded to Nora, albeit temporarily, you sound a bit bubbly."

"Really?!" Nora and Sagira said at the same time, before looking to one another.

"Yep. Oh, I can hear it now." Both Jaune, Pyrrha and Lux said at the same time before getting back on track. Manifesting their sparrows, they hopped on to travel down below. Pyrrha still sitting behind Jaune on his. "Didn't Pyrrha get her Sparrow fixed?" Nora asked Lux. "Oh yeah."

"It is still amazing that our Ghosts can now manifest Sparrows. Back long ago, it was mere theory. We relied on all terrain vehicles, prototype jumpships and the occasional horse to get to our destinations." Saint-14 said before getting on top of a Sparrow that he designed. A large silver Sparrow with the roman numerals of 14 alongside the emblem of Saint-14 in gold. He named it the Ram.

Hitting the accelerator, the group flew through the air, with Nora being Nora, doing some tricks on her Sparrow, they landed down below and continued on their journey. Passing more destroyed Vex units and the occasional Red Legion body, they made towards the end of their path down below where a Red Legion Colossus along with some Psions were waiting. Aiming its large gatling gun, the Colossus fired. Beams of energy sailed from the weapon, aiming at the group of Sparrows. Saint-14 seeing them pressed further on the accelerator to the front of the pack, taking the blunt of the damage before his sparrow blew up. Luckily, he jumped off at the last second and activated his Arc Super where he slammed down on the ground, bathing the surrounding area in Arc Light, shocking the Red Legion. Some of the Psions died on the spot, while others shook in place feeling the electrical charge. The Colossus was the one to recover quickly and tried to stomp on the Titan's head. Saint-14 grabbed the descending leg with his arms to hold it in place before doing the unexpected.

He headbutted the Colossus in its nether regions.

Both them three members of Team JNPR, Lux, the surrounding Red Legion members and the Colossus had their jaws drop seeing Saint-14 do something so…awesome, in Nora's opinion at least, as the Colossus fell to the ground gripping said regions before saint-14 headbutted him again in the skull killing it. Seeing that the Psions were still coming to grips with what they saw, Lux used her Pulse Rifle and finished them off. Getting off their Sparrows, Lux had her Ghost Luscious to scan their bodies.

"Found out why our Valus Thuun isn't well liked." He said bringing up a hologram of said Valus. Suffice to say, even they weren't impressed.

"Is that spray paint on his armor? And body?!"

"Seems a bit pudgy for a Cabal?"

"Is he trying to mimic Ghaul?"

"Yep. Looks like he's a fan." Luscious said after the others gave their impressions of him. Pyrrha quite agreed with that assessment. In her days of going through tournaments, she met a few fans that cosplayed as her. Both male and female, and one extremely overweight man in his 50s. No wonder the Cabal under him didn't take him seriously.

"Any idea what he's doing here?" Lux asked.

"I do. Scanning some data packets, looks like he plans on capturing the Infinite Mind and use the infinite Forest to find the means of defeating us Guardians."

"So typical Cabal plans?"

"He also sent 300 of those under his command to Nessus to apprehend a Vex Mind by the name of Protheon Modular Mind."

Lux sighed at the amount of stuff on their plate. "Lets deal with recuing Ren on top of dealing with Panoptes and reuniting Sagira with Osiris before dealing with that." She said before reloading her weapons.

00000

After going through numerous resistances and losing more of his troops, Valus Thuun and those under his command finally reached their destination. This information hub and storage area that the Vex of the system send all pertinent information for the Infinite Mind to create its simulations. Every so often, the Valus would see flashes of data here and there sent from some distant location and stored in numerous Vex structures. According to his Psions, these particular structures are containers. He idly wondered what information they had, but kept his eyes on the prize. Checking the time until its arrival, he saw he and his forces had a good twenty minutes before its arrival. Ordering his troops into position, and the Psions on overwatch to check for booby-traps. He surveyed his battle field. One of the many things the Dominus would do is use the terrain to his advantage, one that he followed with gusto. Sucking in his gut that was barely contained by his paint-peeled armor, he surveyed his battlefield.

Large platforms to the side that drop down to a pit below a good six feet down. Small pillars popped up from the ground before sinking back down. As he observed the process, he noticed several notches around the rim of the pit and the pillars themselves. Calling upon a lowly Legionnaire, he ordered him to get down below and investigate. Reluctantly, the Legionnaire obeyed. Jumping down, he approached one of the notches. It was then revealed that it was a booby trap. Lasers came out of the notches all around the rim of the pit and the pillars. The Legionnaire didn't even have a second to register his death as his body was sliced to ribbons.

The others within his group watched their comrade get killed and took a small step back. Seeing the slight hesitation in his troops, Valus Thuun decided to use his extensive memory of Dominus Ghaul's numerous speeches to rally his troops.

"Are you afraid of a bunch of lasers made by some mechanical puppets? Is this the Red Legion that has brought low hundreds of worlds? Are you not Cabal?! I know I am. I am Cabal! We eat the mountains and drink the seas! We are on the verge of controlling a great asset to bring low the Guardians and their Traveler! And you cower just on the verge of victory!" He knew he had them. His speech cut through them like a blade through flesh. Even if they didn't care for him as a leader, calling a Cabal a coward is the worst thing to say. He can see them enraged to prove him wrong.

A small explosion sounded towards the back before the doorway they came through exploded outwards and a silver and purple Guardian of the Titan type charged right through and punched two of his Centurions. Seeing the threat, the others opened fire.

Unfortunately, another Guardian, this one a Warlock, brought down a blade of flames right down on the ground. Any shots that landed on the Titan and the Warlock instantly healed. The two Guardians opened fire in turn.

"Keep firing!" He shouted above the blasts to his troopers. From the reports, this was the warlocks Radiance ability that allows them to heal nearby allies and enhances their weaponry. But said ability was only temporary. All he had to do was wait them out.

That was when his army started to turn their weapons upon their allies. He saw one centurion aim his blaster at a Psion, killing it instantly. A Gladiator brought his blade down on a Legionary. And a Colossus gun down a squad of Legionaries. Valus Thuun was speechless that his own men were traitors. That was when he saw a group of three hidden in the darkness of the doorway. Three humans. Two with red hair and another with blonde. Two of them wore armor while the other wore no armor, but a skirt and top. The redhead had her arm out which glowed black.

His eyes widened in shock. He heard reports from those sent to Remnant that a selection of the inhabitants had abilities called Aura and Semblances. Two of the many reasons why the Cabal invaded both Remnant and Earth at the same time. He knew that only a select few of cabal in the legions had their own Auras and semblances. Unfortunately, he didn't have any of those. Nor those under his command. Pointing his weapon at them, he opened fire. The blonde one brought upa shield of all things and blocked the shots. The other redhead brought up a grenade launcher and sent five shots at him. He dodged the first one, but his large chest caught the other four. They impacted his body, sending him backwards. His foot tried to find the floor, but fell over the edge of the pit below. He fell face first and landed. He brought his head up just as the lasers activated again and he knew no more.

00000

As the fighting finally died down and the last of the Red Legion present died, Nora looked down at the remains of Valus Thuun. "Barely enough to put in a bucket." She said a bit sickly. Jaune got a brief look before throwing up in the corner with Pyrrha patting his back.

"That's the last of the Cabal. According to their reports, Panoptes will arrive in a few minutes. Plenty of time for us to prepare." Lux said cleaning up scorch marks from her armor.

"You really think were ready for this?" Nora asked. While she and her team faced against the Cabal and Vex on Remnant, this was the latters home turf and advantage.

"You and I have trained against Vex, and you have done things with your temporary Light that took me weeks to master. Your team has learned from your inexperience when the Vex first invaded your world. You three are ready to face the worst they have. We will defeat this Vex Mind, and we will rescue your friend!" Saint-14 said placing his hand on Nora's shoulder.

"That's actually good." Lux said.

"I'm not that good with the motivational speeches."

"I actually quite liked it."

That came from a voice none of them recognized. Turning behind them they saw a woman in her late 30s, dark pink hair wearing Mistralian clothing. Nora recognized her from long ago, from a picture that Ren kept on hand. A picture of his parents. Of his dead parents!

"You are not real!" Nora shouted as she readied Magnhild.

"Nora?" Jaune asked confused. "You know her?"

"She's An Ren, Ren's mother. His dead mother!"

The others readied their weapons to face whatever this thing was that wore the face of their friends deceased parent.

"You stink of vex. What are you!" Saint-14 said, his fist clenched.

"Perceptive." The Vex in the body of a human said before snapping her/its fingers. A dome surrounded each of them made of energy. One surrounding Nora, another around Saint-14, around lux Syphoid, and one around Jaune and Pyrrha.

"As the Saint-14 deduced, I am indeed a Vex. Cassandra Oracle Mind. I'll be with you in a moment." Stepping towards them. It passed the enraged Guardians, the bound teammates, and past Nora giving her a look of fascination before walking past to survey the dead Cabal.

"Initiating loop." She said before snapping her fingers. One by one, the dead Cabal and Psion bodies flashed. One after another the damage to them was reversed. Limbs reattached to bodies, bullet wounds and energy scars healed. The light in their eyes returned before they took a breath of air. The second that happened, another flash and they vanished. Nora, being closest to the pit below could hear flesh reassemble itself. The sound making her queasy. She didn't dare turn, but she could tell that whatever was happening, Valus Thuun below was reassembled before vanishing just like his troops.

"What…was that?! What did you do?"

"When the Valus and his forces stepped into the Infinite Forest, I've decided to put them under an Infinity Loop subroutine. Once they died, they are sent back to the beginning when they stepped in, memories wiped and they repeat their deaths all over again for all eternity. A fitting punishment for them, don't you think?" The thing that wore Ren's face said to all of them.

They took in its words, horrified at what the Vex are about to put the Cabal through. Sagira was going to say that they didn't deserve this, but after reading about the Red War and the destruction they caused, they got off lightly.

"I'm afraid this is goodbye for now, but don't worry. We'll put you all in Simulations for study." Cassandra said as it waved its hand. Vex portals opened under them and they fell to whatever destination. Save for Saint-14.

"You bastards! I'll rip you all to pieces!" He shouted as he slammed into the barrier, but it held under his barrage.

"You know, I was going to take his Ghost to lure him out of hiding, but you are much bigger prize." Cassandra said as she knelt down to look at the trapped Saint-14. "Besides his Ghost, you are the one thing that he cares about. Seeing you bound and tortured by the very Vex Mind he seeks to end will bring him out of hiding. Then we can delete all of you at once."

High above her, Panoptes arrived. The gigantic Vex Mind reached a hand down to enclose the dome containing the legendary Titan.

00000

Nora and Sagira flew through the air as they landed from the portal into another Simulation. Nora looked around herself seeking her friends, but couldn't see any of them.

"Damn it! The Vex knew that we would be coming and planned for it!" Sagira muttered to herself. Seeking some words of reassurance, Sagira waited for Nora to share. Seeing none, the Ghost turned to her temporary Guardian and saw he starring out into the distance. She floated around and saw a look of shock along with apprehensiveness.

"Nora? Something wrong? I'm getting a bunch of feeling from you?" She asked the redhead.

"This Simulation. Of all the Simulations, they would send me here."

"Where is here?"

"Kuro Yuri, a small village in Mistral…was in mistral. It was the place where me and Ren were orphaned."

A/N: When I first encountered Valus thuun, I thought to myself, this guy's a fan of Ghaul. With his armor white like Ghaul. So I made him a "fan".

See ya next time!