Chapter 41: What's in a Name
The Tower hangar echoed with familiar sounds - the whir of engines, clanking of tools, and increasingly heated debate between three Guardians standing around a newly repaired Arcadia-class jumpship.
"For the last time Yang, we are NOT naming my ship 'Ice Queen's Revenge'!" Weiss crossed her arms, glaring at her teammate.
Yang threw up her hands in exasperation. "Come on, it's perfect! It matches your whole..." she gestured vaguely at Weiss's pristine Warlock robes, "aesthetic."
"My 'aesthetic' does not involve juvenile naming conventions," Weiss replied primly. She ran a hand along the ship's newly repaired hull, admiring Amanda's restoration work. The armor plates gleamed under the hangar lights, all traces of orbital damage erased.
Blake watched the exchange from her perch on a nearby crate, her ears twitching with poorly concealed amusement. "What about something more classical? 'Winter's Grace' perhaps?"
"Too flowery," Yang declared before Weiss could respond. "A Guardian's ship needs something with punch! Like 'Frozen Fury' or 'Arctic Vengeance' or-"
"If you suggest one more combat-related name, I swear I will turn your entire armor collection pink," Weiss threatened.
"You keep saying that, but I've yet to see any pink armor," Yang grinned. "I'm starting to think you're all talk, Ice Queen."
Blake's golden eyes sparkled mischievously. "I might know where Amanda keeps her paint supplies..."
The debate continued, their voices joining the symphony of the busy hangar as they worked to find the perfect name for Weiss's restored vessel.
"What about 'Glacial Dawn'?" Yang offered, trying another angle. "Since you were literally floating above Earth's dawn side when we found you?"
"Still too dramatic," Weiss sighed, examining the ship's new navigation array. Amanda's repairs had restored its sleek profile, making it look less like a derelict and more like a proper Guardian vessel. "I want something with meaning, not just random cold-themed words strung together."
"'Schnee's Salvation'?" Blake suggested from her perch.
"Absolutely not," Weiss and Yang said in unison.
"What about-" Yang started with a grin.
"If the next words out of your mouth involve 'ice', 'frost', or 'frozen', I'm letting Blake get the pink paint," Weiss warned.
Yang's mouth snapped shut. After a moment she brightened again: "'Thunder's-"
"Or lightning-related puns!"
Blake's eyes suddenly perked up, her golden eyes taking on a thoughtful cast. "What about 'Stormborn'?"
The other two paused, turning to look at her.
"Think about it," Blake continued, her voice soft but certain. "You channel Arc energy like it's part of your soul. And you were literally reborn in the Light, given a second chance to protect others." She gestured at the ship. "This vessel is part of that rebirth - found drifting in space, restored to new purpose. Just like you."
Weiss was quiet for a long moment, running her hand along the ship's hull again. Finally, a small smile touched her lips. "'Stormborn'," she said, testing the name. "I... I actually like that."
"It does have a certain elegance," Yang admitted. "Though I still think 'Ice Queen's-"
A small bolt of Arc energy crackled past her head, making her yelp.
"'Stormborn' it is!" Yang amended quickly, though she was grinning. "Nice choice, Blake!"
Blake's smile carried just a hint of smugness as Weiss began the official registration process for her newly-named vessel. Sometimes the best names weren't about clever wordplay or dramatic declarations - they were about capturing the truth of who someone had become.
"Still no word from the Leviathan team?" Yang asked, sprawled across a maintenance crate as Weiss finished registering 'Stormborn' in the Tower's database.
"Nothing yet," Blake replied, her eyes fixed toward the hangar's comm arrays. "Though Penny's Ghost did send an automated status ping about an hour ago. They're still alive at least."
Weiss paused in her work, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. "You know, for all the chaos of the Red War, I realize I don't actually know much about when humanity first encountered the Cabal." She turned to where her Ghost hovered nearby. "Nix? When did we first make contact?"
Nix's shell expanded slightly as he accessed his historical archives. "Our first encounters with the Cabal were on Mars, shortly after the first Guardians began exploring the solar system. They had already established massive military bases there, mining operations that transformed entire regions."
"And Pyrrha was one of the first to fight them, right?" Yang sat up, suddenly interested. "Before the Red War?"
"Indeed," Nix confirmed. "She was part of the initial scouting missions that discovered the true extent of their presence. The Cabal had constructed massive fortifications - entire cities dedicated to war. Her first-hand reports helped the Vanguard understand what we were truly facing."
Blake's perked up. "What happened to those bases after the Red War? Are they still there?"
"Most were abandoned when Ghaul recalled his forces for the assault on Earth," Nix explained. "Though the structures themselves remain - monuments to their military might."
Yang's eyes lit up with that dangerous gleam that usually preceded something reckless. "So you're saying there's a whole planet full of abandoned Cabal bases just... sitting there? Probably full of tech and weapons and-"
"Yang, no," Weiss started, but it was too late.
"Yang YES!" The Titan was already on her feet, practically vibrating with excitement. "Think about it - while the others are playing politics with Emperor Fancy-Pants, we could be exploring actual Cabal strongholds! Learning their tactics, their technology..."
"Getting shot at by whatever security systems they left behind," Blake added dryly.
"That's half the fun!" Yang declared. "Come on, it's better than sitting here waiting for news. Besides," she grinned at Weiss, "don't you want to test out 'Stormborn's' new engines?"
"Fine," Weiss sighed, though there was a hint of excitement in her voice. "But we do this properly - full loadouts, proper briefing, and a solid plan before we-"
"Already calling Amanda for launch clearance!" Yang announced cheerfully, her Ghost already transmitting requests.
"That's not what I meant by-"
"Launch clearance granted," Blake cut in with a small smirk. "Guess we're doing this."
The void of space stretched before them as 'Stormborn' left Earth's orbit, Mars a distant red dot in their viewport. Yang had been uncharacteristically quiet since launch, fidgeting with Monte Carlo's frame as if working up to something.
"Hey," she finally said, her voice unusually serious. "Have either of you noticed something... off about Ruby and Jaune lately?"
Blake looking up from her weapon maintenance. "You mean how they barely look at us? Or how Jaune gives one-word answers to everything?"
"Exactly!" Yang sat forward in her crash seat. "I mean, I get that they've been through a lot, but..." She hesitated, then pressed on. "Ruby barely reacted when she first saw us. Her own team, people she fought beside, and she just... looked through us sometimes."
"I noticed it too," Weiss said quietly from the pilot's seat. "When she talks about the past, about our time at Beacon, it's like she's describing something she read in a book rather than lived through."
"And Jaune," Yang continued, frustrated. "The way he is around Pyrrha - shouldn't he be more...I don't know, emotional? They were partners! She died trying to protect him! But he just gives her these sad looks when he thinks no one's watching."
Blake set down her cleaning cloth, choosing her words carefully. "They've lived entire lives since then. Centuries as Guardians, fighting battles we can't imagine. Maybe... maybe those memories of us, of Beacon, they're just too distant now."
"But we remember everything!" Yang protested. "Every mission, every fight, every stupid joke in the cafeteria - it's all still real to us!"
"Because for us, it was just yesterday," Weiss pointed out gently. "We died and were reborn with those memories intact. But for them?" She shook her head. "Those memories are older than most civilizations."
"It's not fair," Yang said, slumping back in her seat. "We finally find them again, but they're... they're not really ours anymore, are they?"
Blake's brow drooped slightly. "Maybe that's why they keep us at arm's length. It hurts them too, seeing us like this - young and eager and so much like their old memories."
"And Pyrrha..." Yang trailed off, then tried again. "I see how she looks at Jaune when he turns away. She remembers everything too, but he's moved on. Had other loves, other losses."
"Iron Lord Jolder," Weiss said softly. "I heard Oscar mention her once. The way he talked about her and Jaune..."
They fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts as 'Stormborn' carried them through the void. Finally, Blake spoke:
"Maybe we need to stop trying to recreate what was," Blake said quietly. "They're different people now - shaped by centuries of Light and battle. And we... we're not the same either."
"Though it's strange," Weiss added thoughtfully. "Oscar seems more willing to connect with us. Even Adam, of all people, talks to us more openly than Ruby does sometimes."
"Right?" Yang sat up straighter. "Oscar actually explains things, shares stories about the Dark Age. And Adam..." She shook her head in disbelief. "If you'd told me he'd be the one giving us straight answers about our past..."
"Maybe because they don't carry the same weight of expectations," Blake suggested. "For Ruby and Jaune, we're echoes of people they lost centuries ago. But Oscar and Adam... they see us as we are now."
"Adam and I..." Blake hesitated, then continued softly. "We were close once, before everything went wrong. Before he became what he did on Remnant."
"Maybe for him, this is different," Weiss said thoughtfully. "It's not about reclaiming what was lost - it's about penance. A chance to be better than he was, to help instead of hurt."
"That... actually makes sense," Yang admitted. "The way he guided us to the Tower, how he's been training us - it's like he's trying to make up for what he did before."
"Ruby must have seen that in him," Blake mused. "Back in the Dark Age. She saw the potential for him to be more than his darkness."
Yang was quiet for a moment, processing this. "I just... I miss my sister. The one who used to sneak cookies into combat class and tinker in the workshop all night."
"I know," Blake reached over to squeeze her partner's hand. "But maybe we can get to know this Ruby too - the one who's led armies and shaped history. She might not be the sister you remember, but she's still Ruby."
"And hey," Weiss added with a small smile, "at least she loves weapons; have you seen her vault."
That got a weak laugh from Yang. "Yeah, I guess some things never change." She straightened in her seat, visibly pulling herself together. "Thanks guys. For listening."
"That's what teammates are for," Blake replied warmly.
They fell into companionable silence as Mars grew larger in their viewport. The past might be more complicated than they'd hoped, but they still had each other. And maybe that was enough.
'Stormborn' cut smoothly through Mars' upper atmosphere, its new engines humming with power. The red planet's surface stretched endlessly below them, ancient Cabal fortifications jutting from the rusty landscape like the bones of fallen giants.
"I have to admit," Weiss said from the pilot's seat, "she handles beautifully after Amanda's repairs."
"See?" Yang grinned from her crash seat. "This was a great idea! Nothing but wide-open Martian landscape and abandoned bases to explore-"
A sudden burst of static cut through their comms, followed by an urgent voice:
"...anyone receiving? This is Ana Bray at the Clovis Bray facility... need immediate assistance... something's awakening in the ice... Hive signatures overwhelming our position..."
"A Bray?" Weiss straightened, immediately alert. "As in Clovis Bray? The Golden Age research corporation?"
Nix pulsed with recognition. "Ana Bray - she's a legendary Hunter. The signal's coming from the old Bray facility near the Hellas Basin. But that area's been frozen for centuries..."
"Well," Yang's grin turned dangerous as she checked her weapons, "looks like we found something more interesting than old Cabal bases."
Blake was already consulting orbital maps. "The distress signal's about twenty kilometers north. But that whole region is supposed to be under kilometers of ice."
"Not anymore, apparently," Weiss replied, banking 'Stormborn' toward the coordinates. "Whatever's 'awakening' down there must have generated enough heat to melt through."
"A Hunter needs help, there's mysterious Golden Age tech involved, and something's trying to kill everyone?" Yang chambered a round in Monte Carlo. "Now THIS is my kind of mission!"
"Stay alert," Nix warned as they approached the facility. "I'm detecting massive energy signatures beneath the ice. Something down there is putting out more power than anything I've seen since the Collapse."
"Good thing we brought backup batteries then," Yang quipped, but her grip on her weapon tightened.
'Stormborn' descended toward the fractured ice plains, its sensors already picking up both Hive signatures and strange, ancient energy readings. Whatever Ana Bray had awakened in the depths of Mars, it was about to give them far more excitement than they'd bargained for.
Blake's eyes harden as she readied Nightfang. "So much for a simple scouting mission."
"Since when do our 'simple' missions ever stay that way?" Weiss asked, bringing them in for landing.
The ice below them pulsed with orange light, like a burning heart awakening after centuries of frozen sleep. Their first real mission was about to begin - and it was already promising to be far more than they'd expected.
"Let's go make some new friends," Yang declared, Solar Light already flickering around her fists.
Something ancient was stirring beneath Mars' surface. And they were about to discover exactly what Ana Bray had unleashed.
'Stormborn' touched down on the fractured ice plains of Mars, its landing struts crunching through the frozen surface. Even through the ship's hull, they could feel the deep vibrations emanating from beneath the glacier - like the planet itself was trembling.
"Energy readings are off the charts," Nix reported, his shell expanding with concern. "Whatever's down there, it's putting out more power than a Warsat's core."
Yang checked Monte Carlo one final time before moving toward the exit ramp. "Well, let's go see what all the fuss is about-"
The ice erupted.
Thrall burst from the frozen ground in waves, their claws leaving steam trails in the frigid air as they charged the ship. Behind them, Knights emerged more deliberately, their cleavers gleaming with soulfire. The sound of their emergence - ice cracking and alien screams - echoed across the barren landscape.
"So much for a quiet entrance," Blake muttered, Nightfang materializing in her hands. "Exit strategy?"
"Same as always," Yang grinned, Solar Light already wreathing her fists. "Through them."
Weiss raised Randy's Throwing Knife, her movements precise as she picked off the first wave of Thrall. "Stay in formation. We don't know what else is out there."
They burst from 'Stormborn's ramp in practiced coordination - Yang's aggressive advance creating space while Blake's shadows found the Knights' weak points. Weiss maintained overlapping fields of fire, her scout rifle dropping targets with surgical precision.
"Multiple contacts, north ridge!" Blake called out, her enhanced senses tracking movement through the storm. "Heavy units incoming!"
Before anyone could respond, a new sound cut through the chaos - the distinctive crack of a Golden Age weapon. Three Knights collapsed in rapid succession, precise shots finding the gaps in their chitin armor. A figure in a weathered Hunter's cloak emerged from the driving snow, holstering an ornate hand cannon.
"Nice timing," the Hunter called out, her voice matching the transmission they'd received. "Though I was expecting a Vanguard response team."
"Sorry to disappoint," Yang replied, her shotgun ending another Thrall. "We were in the neighborhood when we got your distress call."
Ana Bray - for it could only be her - moved to join their formation with fluid grace. Her Ghost appeared briefly, its shell marked with the Clovis Bray logo. "No disappointment here. You've got good timing - something's waking up down there, and I could use the backup."
"What exactly is 'down there'?" Weiss asked, reloading smoothly. "These energy readings are like nothing I've seen before."
Ana's expression hardened behind her hood. "That's... complicated. Short version? The Warmind Rasputin is still active, and something in the ice just got his full attention. Something old. Something that shouldn't be waking up."
The ground trembled again, more violently this time. In the distance, massive shapes began emerging from the glacier - ancient Golden Age structures previously entombed in ice, now being forcibly unearthed by whatever power pulsed beneath the surface.
"Well," Yang chambered a fresh round, "this just got interesting."
Blake's ears twitched as she tracked more movement through the storm. "We've got company - lots of it."
Ana's hand cannon seemed to materialize in her grip. "Welcome to Mars, Guardians. Hope you're ready for a fight."
The ancient Clovis Bray facility loomed before them, its massive doors half-buried in fractured ice. Ana led them through a maintenance access way, her Ghost periodically scanning security terminals to grant them passage deeper into the complex.
"Watch your step," she warned as they entered what appeared to be some kind of monitoring station. "Most of these systems have been dormant for centuries. No telling what's still active."
Screens flickered to life around them, displaying streams of data in patterns that made Weiss's eyes hurt to look at. The air hummed with building energy as more systems came online.
"So," Yang said, keeping Monte Carlo ready as they moved, "want to explain why there's a Warmind core under the ice? Because I'm pretty sure the Vanguard thinks Rasputin is on Earth."
Ana's laugh carried a bitter edge. "The Vanguard has only ever communicated with fragments - bits and pieces of the full neural network that survived the Collapse. But this?" She gestured at the awakening facility around them. "This is where Rasputin was born. His true core, his heart."
"And you didn't tell them?" Blake asked, her ears twitching at distant sounds of combat - more Hive forces trying to breach the facility.
"Would you?" Ana countered, leading them down a corridor lined with dormant servers. "The Vanguard means well, but they're soldiers, not scientists. They see Rasputin as a weapon to be controlled. But he's so much more than that."
A massive screen dominated the next chamber they entered, ancient symbols scrolling across its surface in endless patterns. Ana's Ghost interfaced with a terminal, and the data resolved into something more recognizable - a map of the solar system, crisscrossed with lines of communication and defense networks.
"This is Rasputin's full reach," Ana explained, her voice carrying genuine awe. "Every satellite, every bunker, every defense array he once controlled. The fragments on Earth are just echoes - this is the true Warmind."
"And something just woke him up," Weiss observed, studying the patterns of activity spreading across the display. "Something in the ice."
"Yeah," Ana's expression darkened. "And whatever it is, it's got him scared. I've never seen readings like this - it's like he's preparing for war."
Before anyone could respond, alarms began blaring throughout the facility. The map display shifted, focusing on their location as massive energy signatures began registering beneath the glacier.
"Multiple Hive breach points detected," Ana's Ghost reported. "They're trying to reach the core chamber!"
"Of course they are," Yang checked her ammunition. "Because this wasn't complicated enough already."
Ana's hand cannon materialized again as she moved toward one of the security doors. "Rasputin's core has to be protected. If the Hive corrupt him, or worse, destroy him..."
"Then let's make sure that doesn't happen," Blake said firmly, Nightfang humming with void energy.
"Welcome to the real Mars," Ana replied with a dangerous smile. "Hope you're ready to help make some history."
The facility trembled as another wave of Hive forces began their assault. Whatever was stirring beneath the ice, it clearly wanted Rasputin's power. And they were the only thing standing in its way.
"You know," Yang grinned as she chambered a round, "this is way better than exploring old Cabal bases."
The security door opened, revealing a tide of Hive surging toward them. Time to show Mars exactly what they could do.
The security station erupted into chaos as the first wave of Hive poured through the breach. Thrall led the charge, their claws leaving glowing trails in the darkness as they scrambled over consoles and dormant servers.
"Standard formation!" Weiss called out, Randy's Throwing Knife cracking with precision as she dropped the front runners. "Don't let them near the core access terminals!"
Yang pushed forward aggressively, Monte Carlo roaring as she carved through the Thrall. "Is that all you've got?" she taunted, Solar Light flaring around her fists. "I've had harder fights in the Crucible!"
"Second wave incoming!" Ana warned, her Golden Age hand cannon leaving trails of fire as she picked off Knights trying to flank their position. "Multiple heavy units - they're getting serious!"
Blake flowed through shadows, Nightfang finding vulnerable points as she danced between enemies. A pair of Wizards emerged from the breach, their death-songs filling the air with corrupt energy. But Blake had trained for this - her void-enhanced blade carved through their shields while precise shots from Weiss finished them.
"They're adapting to our tactics," Blake called out, noticing how the Hive forces were starting to coordinate their attacks. "This isn't random - something's directing them!"
The third wave brought Ogres, their massive forms barely fitting through the breach as they unleashed devastating eye-beams. The team scattered for cover as purple energy carved paths through the facility's infrastructure.
"Focus fire on the big ones!" Ana commanded, her Ghost frantically working to maintain the facility's structural integrity. "Don't let them reach the inner chambers!"
Yang's response was to charge straight at the nearest Ogre, her Light exploding in a Solar fury that staggered the massive creature. "Like this?" she grinned, following up with a point-blank burst from Monte Carlo that finally brought it down.
"Exactly like that," Ana confirmed, genuine approval in her voice.
The fourth wave seemed to pull back initially, making Blake's ears twitch with suspicion. "Something's wrong. They're..." Her eyes widened. "MOVE!"
The wall exploded inward as something massive forced its way through. A Knight unlike anything they'd seen before emerged from the breach - its armor crackling with stolen Light as ceremonial chains clinked around its form. The creature stood easily three times the height of a normal Knight, its cleaver leaving trails of soulfire as it advanced.
"Well," Yang said, checking her ammunition, "that's new."
"Lightstealer," Ana breathed, recognition and hatred mixing in her voice. "The Hive have been experimenting again - corrupting Light itself!"
The massive Knight roared, the sound shaking dust from the ceiling as fresh waves of lesser Hive poured in around it. Its cleaver came down in a devastating arc that would have split Yang in half if Blake hadn't pulled her into a shadow-step at the last second.
"Suggestions?" Weiss called out, her scout rifle rounds sparking harmlessly off the creature's armor.
"Hit it with everything!" Ana replied, her hand cannon unleashing a rapid series of burning shots. "Don't let it build up charge!"
They coordinated their assault like they'd trained for exactly this moment. Yang's Solar Light created openings that Blake's void attacks exploited. Weiss maintained constant pressure with precise shots while looking for weak points. Ana's Golden Age weapon seemed to hurt it more than their standard arms, each hit leaving burning wounds in its armor.
The Lightstealer showed no signs of slowing, its massive form shrugging off attacks that would have ended any normal Hive. Its cleaver carved through their cover while waves of lesser forces kept them from focusing fully on the larger threat.
"This isn't working!" Blake called out as she narrowly avoided another devastating swing. "We need something bigger!"
"Together then!" Weiss announced, Arc energy building around her form. "Yang, Blake - just like we practiced!"
They understood immediately. Yang's Solar explosion created space while Blake's void tether held the massive Knight in place. Weiss channeled all her Arc Light into a single devastating burst, the lightning seeking every gap in its armor that their combined assault had created.
The Lightstealer's roar turned from challenge to pain as their Light tore through its defenses. Its form began to crack, corrupt energy leaking from wounds that finally went deep enough to matter. With a sound like shattering glass, the massive Knight finally fell, its body dissolving into whispers of stolen Light.
"Now THAT'S how you handle an oversized problem!" Yang declared, though she was breathing heavily from the effort.
"Impressive coordination," Ana noted as she checked the facility's sensors. "You three have done this before."
"We had good teachers," Blake replied, allowing herself a small smile of satisfaction.
"And lots of practice," Weiss added, already checking for signs of more hostile forces.
But the breach had gone quiet. Whatever force had directed the assault seemed to have withdrawn - for now. The question was: what would it send next?
"Well," Ana holstered her weapon, "that was just the welcome party. Ready to see what else Mars has in store?"
Yang's grin was answer enough.
The central control room hummed with ancient power as Ana approached the main terminal. Golden Age tech pulsed with renewed energy, systems awakening after centuries of dormancy. The team stood back, watching as she interfaced with the controls.
"Just need to establish a direct connection," Ana muttered, her Ghost projecting streams of data as she worked. "If I can get the recognition protocols-"
The facility suddenly blazed to life. Every screen, every terminal, every light surged with power. A deep, resonant voice filled the chamber - masculine, aristocratic, almost paternal in its warmth:
"Welcome, Anastasia Bray. Security protocols recognize genetic marker. Would you like to continue your previous work?"
Yang shifted Monte Carlo in her hands, something about that voice setting her on edge. "Friend of yours?"
"Clovis," Ana breathed, her hands stilling on the controls. "The AI interface... it survived."
The voice continued, carrying that same unsettling warmth: "Vital signs confirmed. Though significant temporal displacement detected. Nevertheless, genetic authentication stands. Welcome home, Dr. Bray."
"Dr. Bray?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.
"Like I said," Ana's hands moved across the controls with practiced familiarity, "complicated." Her Ghost continued scanning as more systems came online. "But right now, we've got bigger problems. Something woke Rasputin for a reason, and-"
The facility trembled again, more violently this time. Deep beneath them, something ancient stirred.
"Warning," Clovis announced, his artificial warmth replaced by cold precision. "Seismic anomaly detected. Biometric signature identified. Containment protocols failing."
Ana's expression hardened as she read the data streaming across her screens. "No... it can't be. Not here. Not now."
"What is it?" Blake asked, though her instincts were already screaming danger.
"A god," Ana replied grimly. "A very old, very angry Hive god. And it's breaking free."
The ice far below them continued to crack, as something that should have stayed sleeping began to wake.
We have met one Bray sister; I wonder how the other Bray sister will react to our remnantians.