The explosion knocks the ship off course and Rezic has to lean hard to avoid the ship scraping across one of the thousands of asteroids surrounding him. This place may end up being our grave, he thinks. He rights the ship and pushes the throttle to the max in order to slip between two asteroids ahead of him. Craning his neck, he searches for visual confirmation of at least one of the ships on his tail. However, the dense asteroid field prevents it.
“Gus, status report.”
“One sec….YES! Down to one. What about you?”
“Still have two on my tail. There might be an opening here,” he says as he marks their map. “Let’s set them up for some crossfire.”
“Beautiful. You hit the gap first, I’ll do what I can.”
“Roger that.”
The two guardians push their ships to the limit, straining against the G-forces as they navigate the dense asteroid field. It didn’t take long for the Vanguard to scramble almost a fleet of ships to close in on Mars. As Rezic and Gus broke free of the atmosphere and readied their ships for a jump, they had quite the audience bearing down on them. The bigger problem was that the Vanguard fleet forced their evacuation right into the hands of the Fallen. More specifically, a small fleet of ships arriving to scavenge Mars. The Martian airspace got very congested, and Rezic knew they needed to make themselves scarce. It was his idea to lose them in the Reef. Gus followed without a word, as always.
The Fallen Vandal starfighters deftly avoid the asteroids, and are giving the guardians everything they can handle. Rezic swings the ship back and forth, dodging asteroids with relative ease, making his way towards the kill zone. He taps his mic once to signal to Gus. As soon as his ship breaks free, he sees Gus in the starboard view of his cockpit as he opens fire on the ships behind him. The maneuver is executed perfectly, and the two ships trailing Rezic are destroyed in an instant, leaving the last ship trailing Gus.
In all the mayhem, they lose track of the Fallen enemy. Rezic opens the scanner on his ship and searches the area. An enemy blip registers, but in the opposite direction. Presumably, back towards Mars and the rest of the Fallen fleet.
“Well that was more exciting than I expected,” Gus says over their private channel. “Any idea what a Fallen fleet is doing heading towards Mars?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Tyr replies. “The system is in turmoil with the arrival of the Witness. The Vanguard have an uneasy alliance with Caiatl, the Fallen are split between House of Light and House Salvation, and the Hive are leaderless despite their newfound power in the Light. This might be the most fractured the system has been in a long time. Perfect time for scavengers to scavenge.”
The comm channel stays quiet as they digest the information. Tyr’s explanation perfectly depicts the state of things, and it doesn’t look good. Each victory for the guardians, and the Light, feels minor compared to the overwhelming darkness descending on the system. Rezic hopes whatever Tissea is doing isn’t as terrible as it seems. The last thing the Vanguard needs is a guardian going rogue. The acquisition of Stasis created a rift that only just seems to be healing. Tissea could crack that rift wide open again. Whatever it takes, Rezic and Gus need to be the ones to find her first. Her trail is cold, but Rezic has an idea.
“Once we clear the asteroid belt, plot a jump to these coordinates. We need to lay low, plus there’s a lead for us there.” As the information flashes across his screen, Gus’ eyes open wide. He’s not sure if Rezic hit his head during the turbulence or is experiencing oxygen deprivation.
“Rez, you can’t be serious. There isn’t anything there; it’s abandoned.”
“I wish it was abandoned. Sadly, I think we’ll find some resistance.”
“What could possibly be there for us?” There’s a sternness to Gus’ voice this time. He’s protective of his friend, and he knows this could be the beginning of a string of decisions made out of desperation. Desperation to find their lost friend. If Rezic plans to ignore reason, Gus might be forced to speak up. “Why don’t we go straight to Europa?”
“I told you, we need to lose some of this heat. And if my hunch is correct, what we’ll find will help us find Tissea that much faster. Every minute we save now could mean life or death for her later.”
Gus opens his mouth to continue arguing, but Rez hits a soft spot with that one. Gus will do anything to protect Tissea, just the same as Rezic. Weighing the pros and cons, the scales tip heavily towards risking his well-being in order to find an advantage to saving Tissea. He refuses to think of it any other way. She needs saving. Gus and Rezic will be the ones to do so.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
———————————————————————————————-
“I still can’t believe we’re here,” Gus says.
As the ships circle the planet, they fly safely above the rings, careful not to disturb anything, and create a cosmic trail in their wake. Rezic feels confident that they weren’t followed, but you can never be too safe. Distractions float past him on either side. Scraps of ships, remnants of a battle his brothers and sisters fought in years ago. A battle that led to catastrophic loss. Although he didn’t know them personally, a connection between Awoken is something that persists time and space. He can’t help the thought as it creeps into his mind: Will we find Tissea’s ship like this? Will she be lost, light-less, drifting in space?
“No!” He can’t let himself get distracted with negative thoughts like that. Not here, and not now. Not with Tissea, and Gus, counting on him.
“Sorry, Rez, I missed that. What happened?” Gus’ voice breaks through his veil.
“I…Sorry, Gus, I thought I saw something on my sensors,” he replies. I can’t afford to show weakness now. Not after asking him to follow me here. The emotional outburst is un-like Rezic. The stress of his fractured fireteam, and now the Vanguard aggressively hunting him, is starting to weigh heavy on him.
“Huh, whatever you say, boss. This place gives me the creeps. It’s a floating graveyard.”
His exo friend is right. The ships that were destroyed here have been caught in the gravitational pull of the planet and are now mixed in with the rest of the debris that make up the rings. Reefborn symbols painted across the metal pieces still shine defiantly among wreckage. And as they continue to circle the planet, the reason for all this destruction sits silently within a gaping hole. No other ship or piece of celestial debris comes near it.
The Vanguard deemed Oryx’s Dreadnaught a no-fly zone. When the darkness started taking planets and moons, that order was reinforced emphatically. The protection of the remaining planets became an all-hands-on-deck situation. Absolutely no guardian is to set foot on the derelict ship. Rezic hopes that’s enough to deter the hunting party on their trail.
“I’m not thrilled about this either, Gus, but we need to find Tissea. If my hunch is correct, there’s a relic here that will help us track her down…” and then under his breath, “wherever she is.”
“Copy that. Let’s land in the old transmat zone. Hopefully there isn’t resistance in the breach.”
The two guardians approach the ship with no issue. Nothing is detected on radar and nothing is fired at them from the massive structure. Gus debates making the joke about it being too quiet, but an eerie feeling sends nervous energy throughout his body. He’s not sure if the intense memories of the many battles fought here is the source of his discomfort, or if there is some omniscient presence pressing against him. Regardless, this doesn’t feel right, and the feeling is getting worse.
It’s second nature flying the ship across the gaping hole caused by the Cabal warship. Gus’ boots land with a thud on the dusty surface of the Dreadnought. After all the times they came here to push back the Taken King’s forces, it’s strange to not immediately hear gunfire spraying against their ships. The grit on the stone floor crunches under his boot as he steps into the openness of the breach. His auto rifle is held firmly in rest position as he scans the nearby doorways for any movement, but the only sound is the footsteps of Rezic approaching him.
“Don’t be fooled. There are still Hive here. Stay alert,” Rezic says over comms. Gus simply nods while his eyes move back and forth, unsure of what hellspawn will crawl out of its hole to greet them. The warlock heads towards the hallway to their right. He still hasn’t told Gus his plan. “We’re heading towards the Court.”
Gus grips his rifle a little tighter. The Court of Oryx is a vile place, known to draw the worst of the Hive out from their hiding places. Knights, Wizards, and Ogres have all sharpened their teeth within the Court against guardians, protecting the holy place with their lives. If Rezic is right about Hive still inhabiting the Dreadnought, that’s where they’ll be.
As the guardians enter the first hallway, a Thrall scream bounces off the walls toward them. Neither Guardian stops as they enter the expansive chamber that contains the Court and its surrounding antechambers. Gus searches the openness for any threats, but still their presence seems unnoticed.
“I don’t want to press our luck, but…this seems too easy,” Gus says. Rezic doesn’t respond as they ascend the staircase leading to the final antechamber. Memories of battles fought here flash across his mind, and the lack of gunfire disturbs him. A strange sensation for any warrior used to battle.
Suddenly there’s movement on another platform. A thrall scurries its way across, crawling on all four limbs, chattering as it goes, but it’s alone. “Maybe the Hive aren’t as interested in this place as you thought.”
“You might be right. Regardless, let’s get what we need and get out,” Rezic replies.
“And what exactly is that?”
The two guardians approach the hallway leading to the Court. Dark, obsidian-like statues of various Hive tower over the guardians. Despite the dark stone’s black-as-night appearance, a haunting green effect dances across the surface at various intervals, giving the statues a life-like appearance as they shimmer in response to the Guardians’ flashlights. The eerie, green glow isn’t new to them, but nevertheless, the effect feels just as strong as the first time they stepped foot in the Court. Gus stares uneasily at the statues.
Thick webs of silk stretch between the statues, bouncing ever so slightly in response to the gusts of air that emanate from some unknown source in the depths of the ship. They aren’t new, but for some reason, possibly due to the lack of fighting, Gus finds himself focusing on the webs in a way he never has before. What the hell kind of Hive makes a web? he thinks. There have never been reports within the Vanguard of spider-like creatures in the Hive, yet webs of silk coat the walls of the Dreadnought. If he remembers correctly, even the structures deep in the Moon have similar webs.
Gus steps to the edge of the Court and kicks a rock onto the floor below. The same green effect from the statues dances across and reacts to the bouncing stone. Rezic comes to rest next to him, letting out a sigh. He’s scanning the other platforms in the expansive chamber where the Court resides. Still no sign of any Hive, but he’s sure that won’t last.
“So what are we here for, Rez?”
“A legend that I never thought held any water. That is until Savathun revealed to us the Witness and his Disciple. One of the earliest reports of the Court mentioned a dark stone buried beneath the altar. No one thought much of it at the time, but now that we know the Hive and the Witness have history, I wonder if there’s more to this legend. We’re here to find out.”
Gus doesn’t say anything as he digests the information. He’s sure that Rezic is keeping more from him. This whole situation with the Darkness, and Tissea, is starting to create a rift between them. Now isn’t the time to press him, but Gus knows at some point they will need to address these secrets.
“You didn’t bring a rune by chance, did you? ” Gus says with a hint of mockery in his voice. Without a rune, the poison of the Court will slowly eat away their shields and armor. They’ll have seconds to get in and out. Seconds that they don’t have.
Rezic summons Tyr, who blinks into existence next to him. The ghost nods to Rezic, then floats over to one of the statues nearest the guardians. Hovering over the extended hands of the Hive, he shines his light and begins transmatting a small object. Gus lets out a hearty laugh.
“Where the hell did you get one of those?!”
Rezic holds his breath as Tyr completes the transmat. The rune isn’t a real Reciprocal Rune, but it should be close enough to buy them some time. The runes the Vanguard used before have been lost since the defeat of Oryx and their power died with him. However, Ikora’s Hidden continued studying the Court and the Hive’s obsession with it. Research that included crafting their own runes to trigger a response by the Court. Rezic commanded Tyr to “borrow” the Hidden’s schematics. Time to find out how successful their research was.
Rezic stares through his visor, praying the rune activates something. After holding his breath for a few long moments, the green hue to the statue brightens. He lets out a sigh of relief.
“If we make it out of here, I’ll explain where I got the rune, but for now, we need to act quickly. As you know, when the Court opens for us, it will for the Hive as well. I need you to buy me time, Gus. As much as you can.”
“What Hive are even left to come?”
“I’m not sure, but nothing more than you can handle.” Gus laughs but then stops.
“Wait – why did you say ‘you’ and not ‘we’?”
His partner doesn’t say anything as he checks the ammunition in his hand cannon. So many secrets with him lately, Gus thinks to himself. He shakes his head and draws his shotgun, checking his own ammo. This is what he lives for. He can think of nothing better than decimating the Hive ranks, one dead thrall at a time. The vibrating and glowing of the statue increases to a crescendo until a beam of green light explodes into the ceiling. Cries from the surrounding antechambers streak across the expanse surrounding them. The guardians nod at each other before they jump into the Court. At the same time, a number of Thrall from the cavernous walls nearby descend on either side.
Writing by Adam 