Episode 2: Emperors Ransom Valus Trau'ug stood in the middle of the command centre, with monitors surrounding him. His operation on Phobos was almost complete, and he would be able to return to his own personal mission, excavating the Vex artifacts from the surface of Mars. But one thing was making that objective very difficult, Aru'un, the son of the Cabal Emperor, impatient and reckless, he threatened to damage Trau'ug's whole operation with his ambition. Trau'ug turned at the hiss of a door opening. Aru'un stomped in, angrier than usual. "Why have I not been promoted to Val yet?" he argued in their native tongue. "I am deserving of the title. My father promised me-" "Your father doesn't think you are ready for the responsibilities that come with being a Val. And he is not alone in his thinking, my Prince." Trau'ug turned away. "Explain to me why the front line of Infantry are always Phalanx?" "They shouldn't be. If Psions were the front line, then the whole legion would be more mobile." Trau'ug shook his head. "No. The Phalanx are the front line because of their shields, they protect the infantry behind them, allowing them to carry on their duties safely. They might not move at the same pace, but at the end of the day, they are alive, and so are their comrades." he shook his head. "This is why you are still not a Val. You don't understand strategy, your response is always brute force, and reckless speed." Trau'ug was about to say more when a warning light began to flash on his console. "Security breach!" he shouted. "Maintanence found one of our sentries dead behind a terminal. Aru'un, you stay here in the control room while I take a search team to sweep the facility." he shot him a stern look before he could protest. "That's an order." Aru'un stood there fuming as Trau'ug left with his team. He should be the one out there, fighting for the empire. "Do a scan for heat signatures, search for any anomalies." Aru'un snapped to a technician wearing armor with orange markings. He was leaving nothing to chance. "Three signatures!" the technician looked at Aru'un. "They're... here?" _______________________________________ Kabr and Toland stood on the other side of the command centers blast doors, preparing to breach. "You ready?" Kabr nodded. "Then you might want to take a step back..." Kabr stepped out of the way as Toland hurled a Nova Bomb at the blast doors, obliterating them and revealing a group of surprised Cabal. Kabr followed up, charging in with his Aegis raised, deflecting a barrage of incoming fire from the Cabal, who had gotten over the surprise quickly. He dove behind cover, and returned fire with his new scout rifle, the Fate of all Fools, which handled like a dream. He took out his targets with tactical precision, the holographic scope acquiring them with ease. But despite his efforts, the Cabal held steady, with their Phalanxes forming a shield wall and returning fire. Toland joined him, and they focused their fire, searching for weak points, but finding none. Kabr smiled. While the Cabal had focused on the obvious threat, and had rendered them useless, they had turned their backs to a greater threat. A ceiling panel was dislodged, and Dredgen Yor dropped down from above, firing Thorn as he fell. He landed on his feet, slashing his knife across the throat of a Psion. He went to work, whirling, firing, slashing all in one fluid motion. He felled the Phalanx wall, then turned his attention to the few remaining Cabal. The technician rushed towards them, and was met with a kick to the groin by Kabr. One of the other survivors, a rather large Centurion, raised his hands in surrender, trying to plead for his life. "What's he saying?" Dredgen snapped. Toland translated the Centurion's mumbling. "He says his name is Aru'un, and that his father will pay handsomely for his safety." "What good is Cabal currency to us?" Dredgen cocked Thorn, aiming it at Aru'un's head. "Why not just kill him?" Aru'un whimpered, his mumbling getting more frantic. Toland listened to him, his face steady. "He says that killing him would be a terrible mistake, as his father in the Emperor of the Cabal, and that he would declare war on his solar system." he looked at Dredgen. "That's why." _______________________________________ "Alright, so we don't kill him." Dredgen holstered Thorn, still glaring at Aru'un. "So what can he tell us about what the Cabal are doing?" Toland relayed the question to Aru'un, who answered back. "He says that Trau'ug, the general, is very interested in the Vex activity. He's trying to unlock their secrets involving time..." Kabr frowned. "Then why are they on Phobos, a planet where the Vex haven't even existed? Why not do this research on Mars, closer to the Vex?" Toland relayed the question to Aru'un, who, being a little more confident, barked at them in what passed for laughing in Cabal. Toland sighed. "Dredgen, shoot his leg." Aru'un protested, and before Dredgen shot, he reluctantly answered. "Now that's better. He says that the Vex are aware of their interest, and are very quick to respond. They attack aggressively, wiping out every team that tries to get close to them. This is the only place where they are sure the Vex won't find them." Kabr nodded, understanding the reasoning behind it. He remembered from his time in the vault how the Vex had manipulated time. He knew they would protect their secrets at all costs. But something was nagging at the back of his mind. He winced in pain as a cold metallic sound echoed throughout his mind. He was surprised that he recognized the voice. "Hello Kabr, you didn't think I forgot about you now, did you?" _______________________________________ To be continued... Next Chapter: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/147193018/0/0 Table of Contents: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/114713352/0/0 (so yeah, this is a little late, sorry about that. I was a little distracted and was unable to finish this for yesterday.)