Destiny, Episode XXIV: The Exclusion Zone

Previous Episode: Episode XXIII, A Debt

Next Episode: Coming Soon

Meridian Bay, Mars

Day 057

   The Red Planet had long been a warzone. It was appropriate that it was named after the ancient god of war, for such a deity must have reveled in the endless conflict that had raged since the Collapse. The Guardians were not the only ones fighting to reclaim the world; there were the Vex, of course, defending the Gate to the Black Garden as well as whatever plans they had for the world. But there was another player, one strong enough to give the Vanguard pause, and one that the Paladins had studied intensely before setting out for Mars in the hopes that they would avoid the mistakes they had made walking blind onto Venus and Luna.

   They were called the Cabal, and they ruled Mars with a fist made of iron. No one knew where exactly they came from, other than that they had arrived after the Collapse to pick from the bones of humanity. They were the vanguard of a vast stellar empire, though not even the Warlocks knew how large and how dangerous it really was. All anyone knew was what the Hunters could report back from their patrols - the Cabal had dug in on Mars, building fortresses and trenches that combed the planet’s surface. Everything that mankind had built on Earth’s closest cousin was in their hands, and were being searched with interest.

   It had taken days to convince Zavala to allow the Paladins to go to Mars. The veteran Titan had fought tooth and nail to keep them from heading to the dead world, though in the end he relented. “You’re too young.” The Commander had said, slowly shaking his head. “The Cabal may not possess the power of the Hive or the numbers of the Vex, but they are disciplined and well-trained. You are not fighting a horde - you are fighting an army.”

   “And armies can be broken.” Basilisk had argued, his arms crossed tightly behind his back. “This is our fight, sir. Let us see it through.”

   Zavala’s permission finally came, not in the form of words or a written command, but in a simple nod to the fireteam leader. Although the brute of an Awoken did not show how he felt with his face or his posture, Koga could see worry in his eyes. No one wanted to ask how many Guardians never returned from their first foray to Mars.

   The Paladins set out in the morning, refreshed and as prepared as they could be for what they were about to step into. Their plan was simple - make quick landfall on the planet’s surface, avoid the guns of the Exclusion Zone and infiltrate the Cabal defenses, locate the Gate, then get out. They would not be heading into the Black Garden today - this was a recon operation, pure and simple. As they left the Tower, their craft streaking up towards the heavens, they each braced themselves for what they would find when they arrived.

   They were not prepared for the sight that awaited for them.

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   Mars was burning. From a distance, it was impossible to make out through the dust storms and the slowly churning weather, but smoke was rising impossibly from the surface. As the three Guardian ships streaked past the asteroid moon of Phobos, hanging uncomfortably closer to the planet’s surface than it ought to be able, they only realized the truth just before they breached the Red Planet’s thin atmosphere.

   As the trio transmatted down, they arrived on the surface with their weapons loaded and ready, expecting an ambush the moment they touched the rust-colored sands. They were met instead by the immediate aftermath of destruction on a colossal scale. The ground was charred and black with soot where impacts of terrible might had scoured the landscape. Craters a meter deep dotted the landscape, ground zero for ordinance of incredible power. If there was any consolation, there were no corpses strewn about, but that was most likely because anything unfortunate enough to be standing in the blast radius was disintegrated entirely. The Guardians lowered their weapons, awestruck.

   “What happened here?” Koga slowly said, stunned.

   “I don’t know, but it looks like we missed it.” Basilisk replied. Carefully he took a knee and scooped his gauntleted hand through the burnt sand, letting it stream through his fingers. He stared at the specks falling back to the ground careful, contemplating them. “If I had to guess,” the Titan began as he stood back up, “there was an orbital bombardment here, and recently.”

   “Cabal?” Lisset proposed, her eyes darting up to the sky. Aside from the Martian moon looming overhead, no ships or satellites of any design were visible.

   “Maybe.” Basilisk answered, frowning. “But this is their territory. They’d have to be extremely desperate to do something like this.”

   “So, something else.” Koga muttered. “It is very convenient that this bombardment happened just before we arrived.”

   “The City lacks the ability to project this level of force beyond Earth.” Boudica noted. “And I don’t believe the Vex possess any form of artillery.”

   “Not the Vex.” Basilisk replied, a grim certainty in his voice. “Rasputin. He probably has regained control of the old military arrays across the inner solar system.”

   “Rasputin?” Koga repeated. He shuffled his feet as he thought. “Yes, I suppose it is possible, but why? He has not aided us before.”

   “It could be coincidence.” Lisset said. “But the Warmind might have his own reasons to see us to the Black Garden.”

   “I don’t think we’ll be able to answer this question now.” Kita interrupted. “We better hurry before the Cabal dispatch reinforcements. They’re probably on their way now.”

   “Fair enough.” Koga said. “Where to next?”

   “I advise not going directly to the coordinates. It’s miles away, and the Cabal have a lock on orbital communication, including the transmat net. We won’t have access to Sparrows until that’s fixed.”

   “There is an outpost nearby.” Dal suggested. “I’ve marked an entry point. There should be a terminal inside that can grant us access to their battle-net.”

   “Alright, let’s check it out.” Basilisk said, readying his rifle. The others followed close behind him as they moved across the black and burned sands towards what appeared to be a trenchline in the distance, eerily abandoned by its makers. They all could feel that primal sensation in the back of their mind that they were being watched.

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   It took a few minutes fussing to get the door open. Most of its high-level electronic circuitry had been destroyed in the bombardment, leaving Basilisk eventually to just kick it in with a barrage of powerful blows. Despite the noise, there was nothing waiting for them on the other side, just an empty and poorly-lit hallway. It seemed like a painfully obvious trap, but as they slowly paced through the Cabal structure, nothing lunged out at them. They were either being ignored, or being studied - either way, nothing had announced its presence to them yet.

   The halls were cramped and filled with equipment. Most of it was unrecognizable tools and machinery, but there was some obvious ordinance stored on racks ready to be moved to gun emplacements. There were doors on lockdown that doubtless led to a deeper honeycomb of trenches and bunkers - the Cabal, it seemed, were master fortress makers.

   Eventually, the three came to a stop in front of a large terminal. Orange holographic images and text floated above it, all of it written in the strange script of the Cabal. “This is it.” Kita said, flashing into existence above Koga’s shoulder. “I’ll see what I can’t do.”

  “Be careful.” The Warlock said, his revolver ready in hand.

   “Careful of what?” The Ghost replied. He began to probe the computer, which hummed slightly in response. “Access key? Seriously? DOS is more complicated than-”

  The Ghost stopped suddenly when bright red lights suddenly came alive above them. A klaxon began to blare, echoing loudly in the chamber. Basilisk shot an extremely nasty look in the direction of the poor AI.

  “Uh, I might have triggered a failsafe…” Kita mumbled, embarrassed. Koga shook his head and extended his hand, the Ghost vanishing just above it.

   At the end of the room, beyond where the terminal was, a massive door slowly slid open to reveal a ship hanging meters above the ground. Below it was a squad of large, heavily armored aliens leaped forward, their jump assisted by powerful thrusters in their exo-suits. They were rotund, wearing equally thick armor painted in dulled and worn colors marking the regiment they belonged to, and in their hands were massive slug launchers that roared as they opened fire. The Cabal moved to meet the Paladins like a steel wave, barking commands and call-outs in their incomprehensible tongue.

   “Looks like that’s their failsafe!” Lisset said, going to work with her shotgun.

   The two sides fell upon each other into a frenzied melee. The Legionnaires, as that was what these jump-troopers were called, tried to use their sheer mass to break the Guardians. 800 pounds of muscle, fat, armor, and weaponry all moved to crush their foes underfoot. Lisset dodged barely out of the way of one when it attempted to charge into her, putting a slug through its backplate when it had passed. Basilisk wrestled with another’s cannon to keep it from being pushed into his chest. He let his Light flow into his fists, sending a powerful current down into the alien. The Legionnaire died in a flash of blue light.

   Three more Legionnaires rushed Koga, hoping to pin him to the ground and flatten him. The Warlock spun his hand cannon around and fired thrice, each shot aimed at their heads. The rounds sparked as they knocked the helmets off of the Cabal, which was followed then by a sudden burst of a black fluid, their bodies bursting inside the armor as they were exposed to the Martian atmosphere. A grim reminder of why he needed to keep his own robes pressure sealed, Koga thought.

  The Cabal would not be outdone by the death of their first team, and suddenly a hail of slugs filled the air. From outside marched a steady wall of shields, guns being lifted above and being fired wildly by their bearers. A Cabal Phalanx was a foe to be reckoned with, Vanguard records had said. One was a pain - a squad of them was a significant obstacle. The Paladins returned fire as they moved to what cover they could find. No bullet got through the heavy shields the Phalanxes carried, bouncing and ricocheting off their armor uselessly.

   “Grenades!” Basilisk shouted, reaching for his. “Use your grenades!” He flung the small explosive high, lobbing it straight over the shield line. There was a muffled flash as it detonated in their midst, and the Phalanxes closest to the explosion crumpled to the ground. Those unfortunate enough to not have been killed instantly stumbled, and were finished by the rest of the fireteam’s ordinance.

   The Cabal dropship, which had been monitoring this situation from overhead, suddenly decided to intervene as the third and final team approached the Guardians. An undercarriage gun roared to life as a streaking red shell hurtled towards the entrance to the bunker. The three hunkered as the round impacted, sending debris and shrapnel into the air. With their enemies pinned, the remaining Cabal surged forward, urged on by their officer in the rear. The Centurion barked commands, waving its stubby arms as it rallied its men.

   The Legionnaires approached, ready to crush the Paladins underfoot. Lisset knew that they needed to break their morale, somehow, or they’d press the assault until doomsday. The Hunter steadied her scout rifle around the lip of her cover, trying to line up a shot on the Cabal officer. All three of the Guardians had replaced their gear before coming to Mars, and the new equipment was worth the price - her first shot with her rifle disintegrated against a burning red shield around the Centurion, the second shattered it, and the third went cleanly through the alien’s head.

   The Legionnaires, to their credit, did not deviate from their assault for long. It was a moment of hesitation as they realized all too suddenly that their sergeant was dead before they turned their attention coldly back to the fight. That single moment was enough. Koga poured his Light into his fist and jumped up overhead before unleashing it as a Nova Bomb. The Cabal had seconds to respond, and they fought diligently to the last before being torn away in the explosion. The Cabal dropship, now without troops to defend, beat a hasty escape, leaving the Guardians alone.

   “Fast thinking.” Koga complemented Lisset as he fluttered to the ground.

   “It’s what I’m here for.” The Hunter replied. “That went well, all things considered.”

   “They must have been moving into position before the alarm went off.” Basilisk noted, turning to the others. “We should move quickly before they send more.”

   “Agreed.” Koga muttered. “Kita, do we have-”

   “-Sparrow link?” The Ghost interrupted. If he had lips, he would have been smiling. “I got through the Cabal lock. We’re good to go.”

   “Best news I’ve heard all day.” Lisset said, her ride apparating underneath her legs. “Let’s find your gate, Koga.”

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

   They rode for miles through the ever-shifting dunes. Cabal defensive fortifications dotted the landscape, but the soldiers within didn’t bother to fire at the fast-moving Guardians. They were being monitored, Basilisk knew that for sure - somewhere up ahead, the Cabal would have a checkpoint at the ready. As they flew, they could see the charred frames of Vex destroyed in battle. Good, the Titan thought as he drove past the empty battlefields.

   The checkpoint Basilisk expected came quicker than he’d like. It was in a narrow pass when the hastily-put up barricades appeared, manned heavily by what must have been a platoon or more of Legionnaires. They were loaded for bear, and they opened fire the moment Lisset’s Sparrow turned the corner. The air was filled with a hail of bullets as the Cabal opened fire, the ground spitting dust as the rounds impacted around them.

   The Guardians jumped off of their Sparrows as quickly as they could, their vehicles disappearing the moment they were clear of their bodies. Lisset rolled when she hit the ground, diving behind the desiccated husk of a tree that had thrived back in Golden Age Mars. Koga allowed his Light to carry him up and behind a rock from where he began to open fire at the defensive line with his machine gun. Basilisk, lacking subtlety, simply slid behind whatever looked thick enough and began to spray pulse rifle fire in an attempt to suppress.

   “I’d rather not get pinned down here!” Lisset shouted over the din of the growing firefight.

   “Cover me, I can clear the way!” Basilisk barked back. He kept firing until his magazine ran dry. Rather than reload, he ditched the weapon and switched to his shotgun before sprinting forward. The Titan let out as fierce of a battle cry as he could as he charged forward. The Legionnaires manning the defenses naturally shifted their priority to the sprinting Guardian right before them, but they watched in abject horror as their shots disintegrated against Basilisk’s shield of Light, utterly useless. The Titan jumped up, and brought his fists down against the metal barricade wall. The defensive barrier flew backwards at the impact, crushing the Cabal cowering behind it. The ground erupted in lightning, taking whatever somehow had managed to survive.

   The others rushed forward, firing at the remaining alien squads. Quickly, Koga wrenched the Exo out of the line of fire and behind cover. He fired blindly as he moved, trying to keep the Cabal’s heads down as best as he could. The Warlock ran out of ammo about the same time he had finished dragging Basilisk behind what was left of the checkpoint.

   “Thanks.” The Titan mumbled as he got back to his feet.

   The firefight came to a halt only a minute later when Lisset entered the Bladedance. She gracefully cleaved through the remaining Legionnaires like an angel of death, her power only coming to a halt after she had killed the Centurion leading the shattered defenses. Once again, Mars was quiet. It had been a simple exchange, but enough to convince Koga that their plan was sound - they could ill afford to explore the planet blindly.

   “How much further?” Koga spoke.

   “It’s right down this path, in a place known as the Valley of Kings.” Kita answered. “If the Awoken told us the truth, the entrance to the Black Garden should be there.”

   “I don’t believe the Queen would lie to us.” Lisset frowned. “She finds us too interesting to have us killed.”

   “Small comfort.” Basilisk dryly remarked. “We need to keep moving fast. Ghosts, stand by to transmat us out of here as soon as we find the Garden. I don’t want to get stuck into another fight.”

   At that, the Titan extended his hand and his Sparrow appeared beneath it with a soft hiss. He clambered onto it, taking some comfort in the familiarity of the machine. The others quickly embarked theirs once they had called them forth. As always, Lisset took the lead, speeding along the old desert path. The others followed close behind, the sound of a Cabal dropship at their backs.

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   The small canyon opened into a sprawling mesa. The bleached stone architecture of the Vex made their first appearance on the dead world, crowded at the foot of a massive ring. The structure was unmistakable - it was a gate, just like the one they had found on Venus. Thick black clouds seem to stream from its edges, dissipating into the air in a steady flow of dark pollution. The Paladins brought their Sparrows to a halt far from it, their vehicles’ engines humming on idle.

   “So, that’s it, then.” Dal noted warily. “Anyone see a way in?”

   “I don’t think we can just walk through it.” Lisset muttered. Koga shook his head in accord.

   “No, we cannot.” The Warlock said, grimacing. “The gate does not seem to be activated like the one on Venus.”

   “How to do that can wait for another day.” Basilisk interrupted. “Let’s get out of here before someone gets wise. I’d rather not have another firefight today.”

   With a twinkling of blue light, the Guardians and their Sparrows vanished, leaving the red sands behind. Mars slowly turned, unaware that anything had ever happened.