Chapter VIII - Arcology

The stench of Hive filled the air. As the three Guardians made their way deeper into Titan's Arcology, Echo wondered how a place like this had fallen so easily. The metal walls that once showed maps of the area, advertisements for the next Omolon weapon or some miracle product from the Golden Age were now covered floor to ceiling in Hive nest material.

As they rounded a corner, Oris stuck his finger out and poked a wall of nest material, taking some off. He brought it closer to his nose and sniffed, before wrinkling brow in disgust and shaking the gooey material from his finger. Around the corner, the Guardians were suddenly met with strange hollow cries, unmistakable given the environment - Hive Thrall. Just as Echo expected, no sooner had he heard the cries when a pack of Thrall, still screeching, launched themselves at the three. They were dispatched easily, but Echo knew there would be more. "Keep your eyes open. There's bound to be more. Let's keep moving, we need to find the source of the power outage." he spoke, careful not to be too loud; the typical Hive could hear the vibrations of voices from hundreds of yards away.

This in mind, the three Guardians delved deeper into the Arcology, stopping every so often to ward off the occasional Thrall, Knight, or band of Acolytes.

Eventually, they came to the apparent source of the power outage - the three structures holding large pylons had been halted by buildups of Hive nest material. As the three Guardians began ripping down the gross, webby substance, Echo remarked on how gross it was. "Man, you'd think these Hive would have a little respect for the colony here."

Soon, the pylons had been freed, but Deputy Commander Sloane was still seeing problems on her end. "I'm not seeing much progress, Guardians." she quipped through the comm. "There's still something going on. You'll have to go deeper."

THIRTY MINUTES LATER

The three Guardians soon found themselves in a massive, open area. "Under most circumstances, this would be beautiful," Carrion wondered aloud. Ahead stood a wall of Hive Knights, and somewhere nearby, the sound of a screeching Wizard floated through the air.

"That Wizard must be the source of the power outage," Oris' ghost said. Nodding in agreement, Oris hefted a pulse rifle.

"What're we waiting for?" he joked, loading the rifle. As Echo and Carrion loaded their weapons, the three Guardians strode towards the advancing wall of Hive Knights. Nearby, Thrall and Acolytes began to pour from hallways and crevices, but the Guardians did not halt in their advance, and the Knights eagerly rushed to meet them.

In a few tense moments, the foes clashed. The Guardians swept forward like a towering tsunami, quickly dispatching of the small force of Knights that rushed to meet them. Their large corpses fell to the metal floor of the Arcology as the Guardians turned their attention to the incoming force of Thrall and Legionnaires. As they did so, Echo uttered, "Here comes the party" before placing his hand cannon in its holster. As the hordes of Thrall streaked closer, Echo suddenly vaulted himself into the air, his body sizzling with Light. He folded his arms, and flaming knives appeared between his fingers. In a mere second, he threw out his arms, and the burning knives hurtled at the incoming Hive. The knives exploded on impact, disintegrating several Thrall and Acolytes, knocking others back. Nearby, Carrion and Oris reached out to their inner Light as well, drawing power from the Traveler, and rushing the Hive. Their combined strength was more than enough; within minutes, the onslaught of Hive had been defeated.

"Good show, Guardians. Now, let's go find that Wizard." Echo announced before reaching for his hand cannon. However, he was interrupted, as a barrage of projectile magic flew at him. In seconds, Echo was on the ground, his body smoldering, his eyes dark. Immediately, Smokey emerged from nowhere, and shone a pale blue light over him, beginning the healing process. As he did so, Carrion and Oris turned their attention on the Wizard, who once more began to conjure a barrage of magic. Carrion set up a Light-powered barrier in an instant, and the Titan and Warlock emptied their magazines into the Wizard.

Once the smoke from their rifles had cleared, they turned to see Echo sitting up, groaning. "That will never not feel weird." he joked, standing up. "Did you take care of the Wizard?"

"See for yourself" Carrion exclaimed proudly. Echo stepped over to where the Wizard's corpse lay, smoldering, riddled with gunfire. Suddenly, a burst of static came through the comms, causing the three Guardians to flinch. Soon, Sloane's voice came through.

"I don't know what you did down there, Guardians, but it worked. Power appears to be back." she announced. Oris and Carrion high-fived, and Echo holstered his hand cannon. The three Guardians called on their Ghosts, who transmatted them away from the darkness of the Arcology back to the sunlit docks of Titan.

***

Dominus Ghaul sat on a large throne overlooking the Last City. Nearby was The Speaker, still in his restraints. "Tell me again, Speaker. What makes your Guardians worthy of the Light? What is the price of such power and immortality?" he inquired.

The Speaker had been subjected to numerous questions like this. Every time Ghaul had asked, The Speaker had said the same thing. At length, he repeated himself. "Devotion. Self-sacrifice. Death."

"Death." Ghaul repeated. "Explain."

The Speaker took a long breath before continuing. "Devotion inspires bravery. Bravery inspires sacrifice. Sacrifice... leads to death." Just for good measure, he added in a little jab at the Cabal. "So, feel free to kill yourslf."

"Hmm..." Ghaul mused. "Devotion. Sacrifice." he began. He rose from his throne. "I was born an outcast. A runt. As is custom with the Cabal, I was cast aside and left for dead." As he continued, he circled The Speaker like a vulture. "I was taken in by an old scholar, himself disgraced, who saw in me something... redeemable." he looked at The Speaker once more. "He raised me. Taught me. Trained me, and in return, I would become a vehicle for his revenge." The Speaker chuckled at this. Noticing, Ghaul paused, and then continued. "...against an empire that failed him, that failed itself."

"Rejection. Ridicule. Torment. It made me stronger. I gave everything to win, not just acceptance... but glory." Ghaul spoke once more.

He drew near to The Speaker's hunched form. "Beneath my mask, Speaker, is the face of devotion and sacrifice. " he pointed at himself for emphasis. "I will not take the Light by force. To do so would be to admit failure... and I never fail." he finished with an aggressive tone.

He stepped back, raising his arms. "Now, do you see why I would be chosen?"

The Speaker looked up at him, and nodded. "I see now." Ghaul, hearing this, turned away, and began to leave. However, The Speaker continued, and he stopped. "I see all that you have done."

However, he was cut off. The Red Legion's Consul entered the room, flanked by Blood Guard Centurions. "Our operation on the Jovian moon was a success. Once the cage is complete, we will have everything we need to begin the process of extracting the Light."

Ghaul approached him, but looked conflicted. Seeing this, the Consul continued. "Dominus, everything we've worked for is here, for the taking! All that remains is your word."

"No." Ghaul answered. "This is not the way, old friend."

As Ghaul passed him, the Consul looked back, and replied in protest, "But it is the way! The only way!"

"Not for me." Ghaul announced before leaving the room.