Destiny, Episode XXI: Winter's Run

Previous Episode: Side Episode VIII, Hunter Vick and the Heart of a Kell
Next Episode: Episode XXII, The Gate Lord's Eye

The Tower, the Last City, Earth

Day 051

Lisset sighed as she went down the steps to the Underwatch, her armor on but her hair a tousled mess. She had gotten the Strike warning midway through her morning run, Dal floating up to her just as she rounded the last corner to let her know. Cayde was running the mission, because of course her luck was that poor. It wasn’t that she disliked the man near as much as she did when she first came to the Tower, but he still wasn’t exactly a paragon in her eyes.

Frowning, she approached the veteran Hunter, her comrades already crowding around the Vanguard member. Cayde peered over the rest of the Paladins to look at her, cocking his head. “Having a good mornin’, Lisset?”

“I’ve had worse.” She grumbled, coming to a stop next to Koga. “So, what’s going on?”

Cayde pointed a finger at her, grinning as best as the old Exo could. “I think you’ll like this one - we’ve got a bounty from the Reef that needs fulfilling.”

“The Reef?” Koga repeated, surprised. “I did not think we were communicating with the Awoken.”

“You’re not the only one who’s surprised.” Cayde replied, crossing his arms as he leaned back on the long wooden table. “I guess you must have made a bit of an impression on them, because this one came straight from the top.”

Lisset’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean-”

“Her Majesty, Queen Mara Sov herself.” Cayde interrupted.

“What’s the op?” Basilisk asked. “Search and destroy?”

“Close. Assassination.” Cayde nodded to his Ghost hanging silently behind him. The Ghost bobbed before projecting a holographic map of the Ishtar Sink in the air between the Guardians. “So, the House of Winter is getting desperate, right? You’ve managed to kill Draksis-” Cayde paused to point a finger at the trio, his voice becoming suddenly sharper- “and for that, I owe you all.” He pantomimed spitting before continuing, his countenance lightening like nothing had happened. “But with Draksis dead, the House of Winter has been reeling.”

“Now, Basilisk’s friend Vick managed to ace one of their biggest players in the middle of some misadventure, the kind that’d make me proud and Zavala frown, and with that guy gone they’ve started looking for outside help.”

“What kind of help?” Koga asked. “Mercenaries? Some kind of merger with another House?”

“No, the Houses are too proud to bend their knee to another banner.” Lisset answered, shaking her head. “And I doubt they have the resources to hire any mercenaries worth mentioning.”

Cayde snapped his fingers. “Give the lady Hunter a prize.” He said, pushing off the table. “I dunno if this was a thing when you were around the first time, Lisset, but there’s a place that the Queen has stuffed away all of her old enemies called the ‘Prison of Elders.’ The House of Winter somehow found a way to break in and nab someone. An Archon named Aksor.”

On the map, a red dot appeared. Lisset recognized it vaguely as a location beyond where the Ketch had been parked, even deeper into Winter’s territory. She tapped the bottom of her lip with her finger. “That name sounds familiar.” She muttered, frowning. “Terribly familiar.”

“It should.” Cayde replied. “Aksor was a member of the House of Wolves.”

There was a pause, the air stilling. To the others, the House of Wolves was just another pack of Fallen, pirates and brigands like the Devils and Kings and Winter. She had no such delusions. A chill ran down her spine at the very mention of the word, her fists clenching. She could feel her Light twist and spark as adrenaline flowed through her system.

“Uh, can you refrain from Bladedancing in the Tower?” Cayde suddenly said, snapping Lisset from the trance. “Zavala’d be pissed if he saw scorch-marks on the floor.” The Huntress blinked, regaining her senses. Sure enough, a thin sheath of blue lightning had formed against her armor, though it dissipated a moment after she noticed it.

“I’m sorry, that’s never happened before.” She mumbled, embarrassed. She could feel her ears burning, but tried to ignore it and straighten her back as if nothing had happened. She doubted it was working, because Cayde kept looking at her funny.

“Anyways, the Reef wants us to take Aksor down, and quickly.” Cayde continued. “The longer he’s out in the wild, the stronger he’ll get, and no one wants another Draksis.”

“We’ll take care of it, Cayde.” Basilisk said, nodding.

“That’s why I asked for you three.” The elder Hunter replied, leaning back against the table as the map faded. “Get out there, Guardians.”

“We’ll be back soon.” Lisset bowed. Without another word, she turned and headed for the stairs, moving quickly towards the hangar. The others hastily said their goodbyes and hurried to catch up with her.

“Are you going to be alright?” Koga asked, looking at her in concern.

“I’ll be fine.” She replied, more than a little brusquely. “I was trained to hunt Wolves.”

<><><><><><><>

Before long, they were on Venus, their weapons at the ready. It was quiet as usual, the small landing zone as peaceful as ever. There was something different though, Koga realized, an electricity in the air that he could feel through the thin skin of his robes. “There is power being put to work here.” He thought aloud, gripping his hand cannon a little tighter.

"How do you mean?” Basilisk asked, looking over at the Warlock. Koga shrugged.

“I do not know.” He admitted. “But I have a bad feeling about all of this.”

“Bad feelings or no, we need to get moving.” Lisset cut in, her Sparrow appearing at her side. “The longer we wait, the harder this is going to get.” The others glanced at her before calling their own Sparrows, the three mounting and speeding off along the rough trail towards the Cinders.

Together they moved, Lisset being the tip of the spear. Her eyes watched the blurred scenery for any sign of a Fallen ambush, but nothing hid in the shadows. That didn’t last as the Guardians came to a halt at the foot of the catwalk system leading to the caves where Winter made its home. A wall of arc bolts lanced out to meet them, waiting Vandals opening fire as a pack of Dregs lobbed grenades at the trio.

The Guardians jumped clear of their Sparrows, their vehicles transmatting away instantly, as they went for their guns. A pitched firefight broke out as the two parties opened fire, unleashing their full arsenal on each other. Basilisk could feel his Light flinch and burn under the weight of the barrage, but for every bolt that hit him three more hit his enemies. As quickly as it had started, the skirmish ended, the last Vandal hitting the floor in a heap.

The Guardians reloaded and hurried forward, pacing carefully as they retraced their footsteps back to where they had found Draksis. The same cramped tunnels met them, though they were unoccupied. From ahead, the sound of explosions echoed. Lisset stopped in her tracks and took a knee, straining her ears to listen.

“What’s going on?” Basilisk hissed, taking a knee himself behind the scout.

“There’s fighting up ahead.” She replied. “I can’t make out what’s going on yet.”

“Infighting?” Koga posed. Lisset shrugged before getting back up to her feet. The others followed behind her as she moved, carefully slipping between the wet cavern rock, her scout rifle gone in favor for her shotgun.

The tunnel system ended suddenly to reveal the same cavernous chamber that the Kell’s Guard had made their first real appearance in. Now, however, there was no organized force of Fallen waiting for them - instead, a war in miniature was being waged in the ancient cave.

Vex units appeared from lightning clouds at a constant rhythm, opening fire as soon as they apparated at the defenders. From behind cover, the Fallen attempted to meet the Vex’s firepower, but few could think they had a chance, especially not after a Hydra materialized in the center of the space. The massive war machine appeared out of thin air, and immediately began a relentless barrage of void firepower.

The Fallen knew when they were outmatched, but they fought on all the same. This cave on Venus was their home, and they’d die before seeing it be lost to the Vex. Lisset had little sympathy for their plight - they were pirates and butchers, after all, not something deserving of pity - but she had as much wish to see the machines claim another part of the galaxy as any other. Swapping to her scout rifle, she waited for the shield around the Hydra to finish rotating, then she opened fire.

The others joined her for their opening salvo, and suddenly the exposed rear of the machine was hit by a rain of lead. The Hydra was in mid-turn, attempting to face the new enemy, when the deluge of automatic and semiautomatic fire finally put it down. The massive Vex collapsed to the ground before exploding as some internal component suffered a wildcat destabilization. Its comrades immediately turned about to face the Guardians, the Collective Mind deciding that the Fallen could wait until after the Light-bearers were destroyed.

“We have to push through.” Basilisk announced over comms. He spoke in a flat, emotionless tone, as he always did when the Exo fought the Vex. It was a coping mechanism on his part, but to the others it sounded unnaturally calm in the midst of the firefight.

"Working on it!” Koga shouted in reply, his hand cannon gone in favor of his fusion rifle. The Warlock dropped down from where the Paladins had entered the chamber, falling onto the cool stone that made up the floor of the cave. A Vex Goblin raised its palm, attempting to fire energy out from it in a maneuver strangely similar to a Warlock’s strike, but Koga ducked underneath the arm and placed his own hand against the Goblin’s fluid container. A sharp crack announced it shattering, the machine falling to the floor lifelessly.

Another Goblin attempted to gun the Warlock down as he disengaged himself from the collapsing machine, but its shots dissipated uselessly against his Light. Koga could feel the fusion rifle shake with power as he charged it up, then released the trigger, bolts of pure energy colliding with and disintegrating his target.

The others jumped down to join them, and the fight truly began in earnest. The Guardians fought at knife-fight ranges with the Vex, and the Vex swarmed in in the hopes of drowning the three in a endless tide of bronze. From their perches, the Fallen began to withdraw, with a few staying behind to fire down into the melee in order to cover their retreat. Their strategy was sound - no matter who lost the battle, the winners would be weakened enough to where it’d be simple to secure the cave. They sought higher ground, their objective being to prevent either side from leaving through the top of the cave. The Archon Priest had to be defended, they knew, and defended to the death.

As the Vex kept coming, a pool of brass began to form at the Guardians’ feet as they fought on, destroying machine after machine after machine. The Goblins marched in legions, and in massed ranks they died to grenades. Hobgoblins attempted to snipe at them from afar, but they were easily countered with Lisset’s trusty rifle. Only the Minotaurs proved to be truly dangerous, ignoring shot after shot as they phased from one location to another, but even they fell beneath Basilisk’s fist, the Titan silently seething in a battle fury.

As quickly as the battle began, it suddenly ended, the remaining Vex blinking out of reality with a flash of blue. Somewhere very far away, the Vex Collective Mind had decided that the small Venusian cavern wasn’t worth the cost. The cavern was empty, the remaining Fallen having completed their withdrawal. The Guardians were alone now, granted a reprieve in the fight.

There was little time for chatter. They had a schedule to keep, and a good deal of ground to go between them and their target. Slowly, the Paladins moved through the rubble and stone, climbing up the paths worn into the volcanic rock as they carried on.

<><><><><><><>

As the Guardians made their way out onto the sunbaked plateau where the dead Kell’s ship still lay, the sound of war once again reached their ears. The Vex were not the kind to abandon a plan despite their failure, and losing one arm of the offensive must have meant very little to whatever Mind that was in charge of their assault. The Fallen who had survived the initial firefight in the caves were now being besieged once again by yet another wave of Vex machines, being granted no rest by the machines.

Lisset ran ahead of the others, hurrying to the edge of the cliff near where the Guardians had entered the scene. She brought her scout rifle to her eye, peering through the sights at the battle raging below. “I’m surprised that the Ketch is still here.” She muttered.

"A prize for Aksor?” Dal queried. Lisset shrugged.

“What’s the situation looking like?” Basilisk asked, staying a healthy distance from where she had set up. No need to draw too much attention to themselves by skylining along the lip of the cliff.

“Busy.” The Hunter replied. “Looks like the Vex are throwing the book at them.” Her eyes squinted narrower as she tried to pick out what she could. “Looks like a Hydra, a good few Minotaurs, and plenty of Goblins and Hobgoblins.”

“And the Fallen?” Koga asked, the Warlock readying his machine gun. Now was the time for heavy weaponry.

“A Captain or two, but it’s mainly Dregs and the occasional Vandal. They’re being overrun.”

“This whole area will be in Vex hands in a matter of hours.” Kita stated. The Ghost knew better than to float outside of Koga’s robes, though the Warlock could feel his companion’s nervous energy. This was a bad situation, and slowly getting worse. “I’d need to access their network to even have a chance of understanding why.”

“We don’t have time for that.” Basilisk brusquely stated. The Titan readied his weapon, and waved for the others to follow. “We’ll need to breach through quickly if we’re to hit the HVT.”

“There’s a security door between us and the objective, just below.” Boudica reported. “If you can get me near it, I can get us in.”

With their obstacles clearly in mind, the Paladins got to work. The Hobgoblins that had secured the high ground were the first to recognize the Guardians’ presence on the plateau, though they had scant seconds to make any report before they were systematically destroyed. Between accurate fire from Lisset’s rifle and Koga’s machine gun, the Hobgoblins were scrapped before they could even lock their armor. This suited Basilisk just fine - less time wasted on the machine finishing its repairing subroutine.

The other Vex were more than aware of the arrival of the Paladins, but unlike they had in the Cinders, the machines continued their assault on the Fallen. It was a gamble, but one that was inevitably in their favor. By the time the Guardians made their way down to the base of the cliff-face, the remaining defenders of the landing site were gone, slaughtered with the relentless fury of the Collective Mind.

For a moment, there was a pause, as the Guardians and the Vex simply looked at each other. The machines seemed to be studying the three, hordes of red eyes twitching slightly as they took in all the data they could. Then, suddenly, as one, the machines shuddered, and the battle began anew. A massive volley of solar bolts streaked towards the Paladins as they sought cover. Basilisk managed to slide behind a rock near the massive grey door blocking his team’s progress forward. A small console sat next to it, humming obliviously to the carnage ensuing around it.

With a flash, Boudica appeared, and quickly floated towards it, hanging low to the ground to avoid being shot at. “I’m cracking in now!” She shouted over the roar of battle.

“Got it!” Basilisk yelled back. He peeked his helmet over the edge of the rock, a quick glance at the field of Vex slowly approaching the three. Something inside him was screaming faintly in rage at the sight of them, but it was too far away for it to matter. The Titan slinked back down into cover, and braced himself for the fight to come.

The machines in lockstep with each other, the sound of their footsteps echoing as if there had only been one massive footfall rather than fifty small ones. It made them terrifying to behold, but it also made them predictable. The Vex didn’t even seem to regard the grenades being lobbed at them until they detonated. The massed Goblin ranks suffered as they always did when the explosives went off, the ground shaking in sympathy. The Minotaurs were relatively untouched, but their safety had come at the cost of dozens of their support units. Perhaps that was why they suddenly began to blink forward, phasing in and out of reality as they rushed the Paladins.

The Minotaurs suddenly reappeared next to Koga, who had been the closest to the Vex line. They swung their heavy limbs at him, hoping to club him into the ground and kill him in one fell swoop, but the Warlock rolled out of the way at the last minute. The bludgeoning arms smashed into the hard rock, sending both stone and bronzed metal into the air as the two immutable forces met. Koga opened fire with his MG, letting the heavy caliber rounds smash into the Vex’s shields.

“Koga!” Lisset shouted an instant before she dove into the melee. Her shotgun roared twice, punching gaping holes in one of the massive combat frames. The others noticed her arrival and quickly spun about their hips to face her, granting the Warlock the opening he needed. Koga tackled the one closest to him, and concentrated Light into his palm. The resulting blast gutted another Minotaur, sending shards of metal and machinery flying.

Basilisk ended the fight, diving in from above wreathed in lightning and Light. The Fist of Havoc’s volatile energies washed harmlessly over the Guardians in the midst of the blast radius, but the same couldn’t be said for the Vex. The remaining Minotaurs disintegrated, vanishing into thin air in an instant, leaving only the Paladins behind on the now-quiet Venusian plateau.

“Everyone alright?” Basilisk asked, getting back up to his feet.

“Slightly singed, but okay here.” Koga replied, smiling thinly. “Excellent strike.”

"I aim to please.” The Titan said flatly. He looked over his shoulder at his Ghost, still floating by the Fallen terminal. “Boudica, how are we looking?”

“Just cracked their systems.” The Ghost answered. She flashed out of existance, transmatting back inside the safety of her Guardian’s armor, as the massive door opened with a mechanical groan. “It’s a good ride between here and where Aksor was spotted. We’ll want to use our Sparrows.”

“I’ve got one better.” Lisset interrupted. The others turned to look at where the Hunter had stood, only to find that she had ran off. The sound of a tarp rustling in the wind pointed them in her direction, the blue canvas floating away in a soft breeze. Lisset stood proudly next to three Pikes, a grin on her face underneath her helmet.

<><><><><><><>

In an ideal world, Lisset’s helmet would have been off and her hair would have been blowing in the breeze as she raced through the worn sweeping paths. However, this wasn’t an ideal world, and she was rather fond of her head not being split open like a melon from sniper fire, so it stayed on to her eternal dismay. The Pike underneath her hummed like a dream, riding rough and powerful unlike the Sparrows she had been riding ever since that one day in the Cosmodrome. It wasn’t near as fast as the Tower-made machines, which was disappointing, but the Fallen bike was just bristling with firepower, and that more than made up for it in her mind.

The others trailed behind her at a reasonable safe distance. It wasn’t so much that they had little faith in her driving, but rather they preferred that the speedstress would be the first to attract hostile attention. Their loss, Lisset figured - how could anyone enjoy the ride when all they can see is her dust?

Of course, it couldn’t stay quiet for long. The snap of a Fallen sniper rifle’s shot passing just over the Hunter’s shoulder was enough to snap her back into a combat stance. She didn’t stop her Pike, knowing that slowing would only make her an easier target. Going in a straight line would be just as bad, so she slammed hard on the brakes and nosed the vehicle hard to the right. The sniper’s follow-up shot was far from the mark as Lisset jetted off to find cover to fight behind. The others arrived behind her, and immediately opened fire with their Pikes’ arc repeaters, a steady stream of blue bolts hurtling towards where they had spotted the marksman.

Lisset dove off of her Pike as she pulled behind a suitably large enough rock formation, rolling as she hit the ground before coming to a stop behind a pillar-like hunk of stone. Her scout rifle in hand, she peeked out from her newfound cover to hunt for the offending Vandal. Through the scope, she could see the sniper, but he wasn’t alone. Streaming onto the ridgeline was a horde of Dregs, a Captain shepherding their advance. Lisset grit her teeth and got to work.

As Lisset’s rifle started to crack in a steady, lethal rhythm, the other Guardians found their own cover and dismounted. Basilisk’s pulse rifle joined the violent symphony, suppressing the ridge with a stream of lead. Koga’s hand cannon was out and at the ready, but at this range it’d be of little use. He would need to get closer in order for it to be of any value.

"Cover me!” The Warlock shouted. The others picked up the pace of their fire as he sprinted across the open ground. The Fallen were unwilling to risk their necks to take accurate fire at the Guardian, so they opted instead to fire blindly in his general direction. He could feel his Light take a few glancing blows, but there simply wasn’t enough aimed directly at him to break through. Koga returned the favor as he ran, firing his revolver back at the bluff as he crossed the kill zone. By the time he reached the other side, the cylinder was empty. He doubted any of his shots had hit home, but that hadn’t been the point.

Koga was quick to recognize the strength of his position. It had been a blind dash, but through a stroke of luck he had ended up right underneath a section of the cliff that was undefended. At least, that’s what it seemed to be seconds before he made his sprint, but now wasn’t the time to second-guess. “Stand by for resurrection.” His voice was sharp, a clear warning to his Ghost - if there was an ambush waiting for him up above, then it would pay to be prepared. If Kita replied, the Warlock couldn’t hear it over the sound of his pulse thundering in his ears.

From afar, Basilisk watched as his teammate suddenly lifted himself off the ground and floated to the bluff. The Titan could see the situation where Koga could not, and he knew that the Fallen were rushing to reinforce the position. Basilisk clenched his fists, his options narrowed down to one, and without a word he rushed out from cover, lightning coating his armor like a sheath.

As Koga touched down onto the cliff, the Fallen immediately opened fire on the exposed Guardian. Koga rolled out of the way of the heaviest section of the frantic barrage, firing what he could, but his Light was taking a pounding. As his shield began to fail, the sun was blotted out for a moment as Basilisk brought the Fist of Havoc down. The front of the Winter troops was shattered in a violent instant, but the survivors immediately switched targets.

The Warlock let out as fierce a battle-cry as he could muster, turning heads across the battlefield as his voice echoed against ancient rock. What was left of the defense had scant seconds to realize that their end had come before his Nova Bomb impacted in their midst, disintegrating what had survived the Titan’s assault. To both of the Guardians’ sides rushed Lisset, moving swiftly to get her friends back on their feet and back into the battle. As the dust settled, and the rolling thunder of gunfire faded, the Paladins slowly realized that they were, for the moment, alone once more.

“Damn fine work, Koga.” Basilisk managed, getting to his feet. The ground beneath him had fractured and split, and his armor was covered in a thin layer of Venusian dust which he vainly attempted to remove with a few quick brushes of his hand.

“And you.” Koga replied. “I could not have lasted much longer.”

"You’re both going to be the death of me at this rate.” Lisset grumbled, slapping a new magazine into her scout rifle. “Can you save the heroics?”

“And what, leave you to take all the glory?” Basilisk prodded, smiling as best as the Exo could. “Come on, I’ve got a reputation to defend.”

“Can’t defend anything when you’re dead, Titan.” Lisset retorted, punching him playfully in the shoulder. “Dal, how close are we to the objective?”

"Does ‘right on top of it’ count?” The Ghost snarked. “It’s just ahead, through that pass.” Sure enough, a few paces before all of them was a winding path surrounded by high rocks on both sides. It was impossible to tell where it led from where they stood, but it was certainly a way forward. The Fallen had died defending the route, which was a strong testimony in of itself.

“I would imagine there will be more Fallen.” Koga noted, readying his fusion rifle. The weapon hummed softly, a noise that the Warlock wasn’t accustomed to due to the din of warfare. He tried to not let it get under his skin.

“And Vex.” Kita replied. “I’m not detecting much of either left, however - I think we’re almost done here.”

“Hopefully for good.” Basilisk grimaced. “I’ll go first.” His pulse rifle was gone in favor of his shotgun, though even that was just a touch too long for the close quarters they were about to move in. He would have sawn the barrel off a while ago if it wasn’t that Banshee nearly threw him off the Tower at the suggestion.

"On you.” Lisset said, her own shotgun in hand. Koga wordlessly took the rear, and together the three began to slowly pace into the crevasse, the sound of distant battle once again growing louder with every step. There was something else in the air, Koga realized quietly - a very sharp, and bitter, cold.

<><><><><><><>

By the time the Guardians arrived on the scene, the skirmish had nearly ended. The Vex had swept the field almost entirely of the Fallen, who were making their final desperate defense at the foot of a massive object. The thing was bulbous, like all Fallen designs, but larger than anything any of the Guardians had seen before. It seemed to be cold, covered in a thin layer of frost, and internal lights gave it a strange glow. It was an effect magnified by the ice, making the entire thing look like some frozen egg just waiting to hatch.

“That’s it!” Dal whispered in the fireteam’s ears. “A cell from the Prison of Elders!”

“Why are you whispering?” Lisset asked, befuddled.

“Would you really prefer I yell?”

“I would rather that you did not.” Koga muttered. “I only have one set of ears.”

“Shut up, all of you!” Basilisk hissed, taking a knee. The others begrudgingly crouched down with him, complaining under their breath. “I think the Priest is still inside.”

“I wonder if this is why the Vex attacked the Cinders.” Koga noted. “Perhaps they want to eliminate the Archon like we do, cut off the head of the House of Winter before it becomes a threat to them.”

“Maybe,” Basilisk replied, “but I think this is coincidence. It doesn’t matter at this point anyways.” The Titan swapped back to his rifle, and he brought its sights to his eye. “We’re going to need to cut through.”

“Figures.” Lisset sighed, her scout rifle out and ready. “How do you want to play this?”

“Same as we always do.” Basilisk answered, his voice sliding back into that passionless monotone as he readied himself to battle the Vex once more. “Let’s go, Paladins.” Lisset shuddered despite herself as the Titan stood back up and rushed down into the fight, his motions cold and robotic.

"I hate when he does that.” She said, glancing over at Koga.

“Rushes ahead?” Koga replied, confused. Lisset shook her head.

“You know what I mean.” The Warlock slowly nodded, but didn’t say a further word. It was a discussion for another time, a conversation best held in the Tower, after the battle had been won. Wordlessly, the other two Guardians dove into the fight themselves, announcing their presence with a hail of ballistic fire.

The arena, for that was what it had become, wasn’t an ideal one. Fallen equipment was strewn across the ground like discarded playthings, as were Vex and Fallen corpses alike. The Fallen were staging supplies here, though none could tell if everything here was in the process of being loaded from ships high in orbit down to the ground, or if it was mid-way through being evacuated from Venus. Either way, it only served to congest the battlefield, limiting movement and providing fragile cover.

The Vex had closed the remaining Fallen into a circle next to the pod containing the Archon by the time the Guardians had arrived on the scene. They didn’t seem to notice the arrival of the Paladins, the Collective Mind’s focus set on destroying the remaining members of the House of Winter.

At least, that’s what the Paladins thought at first. The truth was revealed awfully quickly when a streak of red punched through Basilisk’s plate. The Titan stumbled and fell to the ground, lifeless.

“Guardian down!” Boudica shouted as she flashed into existence over her care’s body. Quickly, before the hidden Hobgoblin could fire again, the Ghost ducked into a low crack in the ground. From around the Fallen, the Vex turned to face the approaching Guardians, unleashing their full might as Koga and Lisset hurried down to where their friend fell.

   The last defenders of the Archon Priest weren't fool enough to miss the opportunity that they had been given. The Captain leading the last stand turned to face the pod and quickly punched in a series of commands into a panel on its side. By the time the Vex snipers realized what the alien was doing and put a bolt through its brain, it was too late.

   The pod began to glow brighter, and a hiss filled the air. The entire ebb of battle stopped as all eyes turned to face the cell. Lisset never glanced away from the machine as she stooped down to gift a portion of her Light to Boudica. The Titan’s body flashed nearly as luminously as the cell as he was resuscitated. Painfully, he got back to his feet as the isolation chamber began to open.

   Laughter, deep and guttural, echoed from inside the pod. A thick hand stretched out from the cold white maw and clasped onto the outer surface of the pod. Muscles clenched along the arm, and in a second the entire body of the thing propelled itself out of its prison and onto the Venusian soil.

  Aksor was massive, larger than even the Devil Archon that the Paladins had defeated during their first foray into the Cosmodrome. Scars, both from battle and from ritual, snaked across every inch of the creature’s exposed flesh, and the eyes on the helmet it wore burned an angry red. Wrapped around its waist was a tattered blue cloth with a white symbol dyed into the fabric, one that Lisset recognized immediately with mounting horror - the lupine emblem of the House of Winter.

   Aksor’s laughter shook the Guardians like a drum, their hearts trembling in sympathy with the bass roll. The Archon Priest glanced first at the Guardians, then the Vex, then finally to the Fallen at his feet. The monstrous alien grasped an appropriately sized shrapnel launcher laid in reverence at the foot of his prison, and raised it high. In his guttural language, Aksor let out a proud warcry, his voice a low rumble.

  The Vex turned about to face the restored Priest, closing in on him in their usual inexorable fashion. Shot after shot of their fire splashed against Aksor’s skin, burning and searing, but the towering creature didn't flinch. Instead, he swept his weapon towards the offending machines, and pulled the trigger. The shotgun-esque launcher he carried barked, spitting burning death at the Minotaurs taking the Vex battle-line.

  The combat frames, so hulking and intimidating, were decimated in seconds. Almost as quickly, the Vex vanished.

  The Fallen whooped and shouted in triumph, their new leader joining the throaty chorus. Then, all eyes turned to look at the Paladins still watching, aghast, where they had took the field. Aksor paced towards them, his neck craning down as he approached. The shrapnel launcher he carried burned with an inner fire, hungry for more prey to hunt.

  “Now would be a very good time to run.” Lisset slowly said. The others didn't need much more encouragement.

<><><><><><><>

Aksor’s shrapnel cannon barked as the towering alien marched towards the scattering Guardians, sending chunks of ancient stone into the air as the ground exploded where they stood. Aksor laughed as he marched forward, his footfalls shaking the earth.

"Dal, remind me to strangle Cayde when we get back.” Lisset muttered angrily.

“I'm not sure how you're going to choke an Exo to death.” Her Ghost replied in infuriatingly perfect deadpan.

“It's the thought that counts.”

“You're getting ahead of yourself.” Basilisk interrupted. “Anyone have any ideas?” He looked around at the little nook the three had taken cover in. “I doubt we have long until Aksor finds us.”

“He shrugged off Minotaur fire.” Koga noted grimly. “I do not think our weapons will be of much use either.”

“So we use our Light.” Kita finished for his Guardian. “Wear him down and hit him with our best.”

“We need to clear out Aksor’s friends first.” Lisset replied. “If we can put them out of action, it shouldn't be too difficult to get the bastard into position.”

Basilisk nodded. “That's it, then.” The life was back in his voice with the Vex gone, even but eager to fight. Certainly better than the alternative, Lisset thought.

“Koga’s nova bomb should be the final blow.” Boudica said. “A direct hit should disintegrate him.”

"He's not stupid enough to stand and take it.” Basilisk noted. “We need to root him in place.”

“I can go after his legs.” Lisset said as she unsheathed her Hunter’s knife. Already it crackled with energy waiting to be unleashed.

“I'll clear-” The Titan was interrupted with the sound of alien laughter, loud and directly overhead. The Guardians dove instinctually out of their cover a heartbeat before Aksor’s foot caved it in, crushing the rock and collapsing the nook.

Now flushed into the open, the Paladins were shot at by everything the Fallen had. Line rifles, shock grenades, streams of arc fire, and a withering barrage of cannon rounds from Aksor bracketed the three. There was nowhere left to run now, nowhere to hide.

All or nothing.

   Basilisk let his Light flow through him like a conductor for lightning, and sprinted towards the towering alien. “Now!” He shouted as he lunged at Aksor. The Fallen warlord shimmered out of reality as the Fist of Havoc landed at his feet, blinking away a few meters… only to find Lisset waiting for him there.

   The Huntress didn't speak as she stepped into the Bladedance, her knife slicing through armor and sinew alike in an instant. Aksor had already teleported out of the Titan’s way - he hadn't been ready to do it again. Howling in pain and rage, the monstrous Archon stumbled and fell to his feet. The House of Winter’s fusilade stopped suddenly, and a moment later they were gone, abandoning their new Kell without a word.

Koga did not know if Aksor knew he had been left to die alone. He did not know if what was left of Winter had fled out of fear, or disgust to see their new leader broken so quickly. All the Warlock knew was that Aksor died with his many pairs of eyes open, watching as the Nova Bomb hurtled towards his wounded form.

When the dust settled, the Guardians of Fireteam Paladin were the last to be standing on the volcanic rock. What was left of the House was scattered - but not destroyed, Lisset noted.

   “It’s done.” Kita said, breaking the silence. “I'll let the Vanguard know.”

   “That's it, then.” Basilisk spoke, turning to face Koga.

    “I can only hope.” He replied. He looked out across the horizon, ancient Vex spires rising like teeth. Untapped potential rested in them. Malice, not yet unleashed.

   Somewhere, the Gatelord awaited them.

   Somewhere, their quest had an end.