ERA DRAKKA [i]Validus[/i] Thousands of pine trees passed under Echo's ship, an never-ending green field, covering the surprisingly fertile Alaskan soil. These pines were usually covered with thick layers of snow, but it was early August, and the lack of rain had made the woods as dry and flammable as an oiled candle. In the distance, a forest fire was raging. The trio continued their flight, past lakes and rivers, glistering like a pearl sea in the evening sun. The beautiful nature of Alaska's wilderness was largely unspoiled, except for a few long-lost buildings, which were the only reminders of the old times. Affected by rust, the various old shops, ruined shacks and abandoned summer residences had a striking similarity with the surrounding forest, colored red because of the ongoing sunset. Ava-3 noticed this, and broke the silence, which had reigned supreme on the small ship since they had departed from the chaotic Reef. "People say, that if the sunset is red, blood is to be shed" These dark words were ignored by the others, but everyone knew that this saying could prove to be closer to reality than they all wanted. As the terrain started to rise, the vast woods thinned out, and the pines became more sporadic, the clearings between covered in snow. Soon enough, the evergreen trees were completely replaced by the white snow, even during high summer. Suddenly, the radio, which had been dead since they had entered the atmosphere, came to life. A metallic voice, distorted to be irrecognizable, could be heard from the small speaker. "Intruder bearing code Alpha Zulu Charlie seven-four-one point nine-eight point six-two-five-three, you are entering Syndicate airspace, claimed for various purposes. Any and all trespassers will be seen as performing an act of agression, and treated as such. Make yourself known" Echo, who had ran through this procedure many times already, answered: "This is Echo speaking, captain of the SS Nomad, security codes are being sent now. Do I need to provide a reason for my visit?" "No, sir. SS Nomad, you are assigned to landing bay Delta eight. Welcome home, Commander" The radio went silent again, making the only sound in the ship the engine's roar. The Nomad started to slow down and fly lower, eventually coming to a stop about twenty meters above a seemingly ordinary snow bump. After a few seconds of just hanging there, the snow splitted open, revealing that it was actually an entrance to a sizeable landing platform. They went straight down, past the insanely heavy blast doors, which closed as soon as they passed them. After passing two sets of these, they landed on the metal ground. They transmatted out of the Nomad almost before they had even properly landed, and Echo immediately was greeted by an officer. He gave the man an order, and then walked towards an elevator, gesturing Ava-3 and Validus to follow him. Validus, who clearly felt uneasy here, in the headquarters of what once was his enemy, looked to both sides, and saw that the series of landing bays kept continuing for a long time, housing all kinds of ships, from simple Guardian ships and Fallen Skiffs to even repaired Golden Age warships, which surprised him. Despite being so different, they had one major thing in common: they were all painted in dark grey and red, the Syndicate colors that were omnipresent in the base. As they left the elevator, he noticed the typical Warmind architecture, and already starting to open his mouth to ask Echo about it when the Warlock started talking. "Before you ask anything about it, this is indeed an old Warmind bunker. We didn't build this, we only took it over and... refurnished it. This used to be the Kennedy Warmind, but we completely disabled him, except for the defense and life support systems" Validus remained silent, taking in his surroundings. In the time that Echo had been talking, they had embarked on a small train, which was swiftly carrying them through the enormous underground base, past various wings dedicated to research, training or experimental development. Through large windows, the Titan saw rows of white-coated scientists, dissecting unknown creatures, staring through the glass of a microscope or concentrating on computer screens. The Syndicate truly was a knowledge-based group, Validus thought. That's when he saw another hall, filled with shooting ranges and exercition terrains. Drilling sergeants were barking barely understandable orders to the exhausted recruits, but surprisingly enough, they didn't seem to be complaining. Motivated volunteers, Validus realized. The long series of windows was suddenly interrupted by a long grey wall, with only a few words written on it. [i]WING 13/EXTREME RESEARCH PURPOSES/SECURITY PASS LEVEL 9 REQUIRED[/i] Validus was intrigued by this sign, but they turned a corner, and soon arrived at their destination. As soon as they got out of the train, Echo began explaining again. "The Syndicate is a home for all kinds of people, with only a few things in common. Of course we have some rules, but they're limited. The most important thing is that we all despise the way the Consensus and Vanguard acts like a bunch of intolerant toddlers when Darkness is involved" Echo saw that Validus was about to protest, but kept talking, as he didn't want to start the discussion they had on Mars. "I know you do not agree, but there are more important things than fighting eachother right now. Now, what I was saying. Not only do we think that the Consensus is bad, we also believe that the Traveler wasn't good for us. This might seem strange at first, but I think that the human species wasn't ready for it. During the Golden Age, we became arrogant, making the Collapse hit us even harder. And before you say anything, I am aware that if there wasn't a Traveler, I would not be here. Yet, my point stands" Validus didn't say anything, as he thought about what Echo just said. Although he disagreed, he couldn't deny that there was some truth in Echo's words. After a couple more hallways, they arrived in front of a large door. It opened slowly, revealing a hall, whose end wall could barely be seen, completely filled with members of the Syndicate. It was like an ocean of red and grey, if oceans made cheering sounds. As soon as Echo stepped on stage, the crowd turned silent, out of respect for their leader. These men and women were mostly the permanent inhabitants of the base, but Echo knew that there were people listening all over the system and beyond. CONTINUED IN COMMENTS [spoiler]More stories will be added onto the main page, which I will link here. https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/226647634?sort=0[/spoiler]