EPISODE 12 VAULT Written by SmartAurum75 Saladin shook his head. He punched at Exypnos’ chest. It was no use. Alan crawled out of the Taken Armor. He too was bleeding out. Saladin grabbed Exypnos. Hemera turned on the comms. “Natus. We’re going to need an immediate evac. 2 injured, one critically. The other will survive.” Natus transmatted them out of there. They launched the ship. This time, it was an ambush. “Shotgun!” Natus said. He flew the ship throught the air. “Man the cannons!” He yelled. “And get up here Erax!” Erax ran to the co-pilot seat. They were taking fire. Tombships fired and Waning Star jumpships launched rockets. “I have right cannon!” Hemera yelled. She fired at a Taken ship. It exploded. Erax looked in shock. He felt sorry. That Taken was once a Guardian. With a soul. Erax put the brake on. Natus looked at him like he was a maniac. Erax opened the back airlock. He jumped out and smashed into the next ship. He grabbed out a Taken Stormcaller EXO Warlock. He threw the Warlock to the Blockade Runner. He triple jumped to the next ship. Inside was a Taken Sunsinger Warlock. He broke the glass and stabbed the Warlock. He grabbed them out and brought them to the ship. He tore the Taken energy off of them. Erax knew who this Sunsinger was. It was Ash Walker. He was a Taken Warlock Commander! Erax took his Dark Drinker off of his back and plunged it into Ash’s chest. The Taken energy on Ash’s body was absorbed into the sword. Now for the other Warlock. This one was E.X.O. 1. Across space, aboard the Dreadnaught, Oryx screamed in pain yet again. One of his Commanders that he had put his life force into had died. And become a child of the Light. Nokris stepped into the Altar room. Two of Oryx’s five remaining Commanders were now dead or returned to normal. “My King!” Nokris said to Oryx. “The Light is becoming a much larger threat to your light than anticipated. I suggest that we use the weapon on the Vault of Glass. The Stranger and Fireteam Delta are within.” The Vex will have nowhere to run. They will fade from time.” Oryx looked at Nokris. “A good move. For another time. You may be the next Hive god my son, but you are nothing compared to me.” Oryx walked away. Nokris walked to the Pedestal of Calling. He stepped on it. If his father wouldn't do it he would. He took the Taken Infinite Edge sword off of his back. He stabbed it into the Pedestal. The weapon lit up yet again. It was a beam again. He had the beam charge to 200%. Then it fired. Instead of hitting Mercury, the Moon was coincidentally right in the firing path just as Nokris fired. The beam hit the moon and in a blast of green light and stone the moon too was gone. Nokris looked in shock. He had just destroyed an Ascendant Realm entrance. Oryx teleported in and blasted Nokris. Nokris hit the wall. The worm inside him was growing rapidly. The transformation to a Hive had completed. He was now a Taken Guardian Hive god. His armor he changed into that of a Warden Knight that was Taken. Nokris got up. He was as large as Crota now. The Infinite Edge sword had now become a massive spear. Nokris tackled his father. They fought. Nokris plunged his spear into Oryx’s chest. Oryx was desperate and attempted to teleport to his Ascendant Realm. As he did so, Nokris grabbed his wings. They were in Oryx’s Ascendant Realm. Oryx could be killed. Nokris tore off one of his father's wings with his bare hands. Oryx stabbed Nokris with his sword. Taken filled the room. Nokris made quick work of them. That was when it happened. Nokris threw his spear into the Taken King. Oryx collapsed. Nokris grabbed the spear from Oryx’s back. “You will bow. Or you will die!” Nokris said. “Now ‘Taken King’. You will bow to the God of Night.” Oryx looked up to his Prince. He had a choice. Die the Taken King or live as the Pride of Nokris. Die the taken King. Oryx rose with his sword. Nokris changed tactics and whacked down Oryx. Nokris kills Oryx and takes over all hive. Nokris was victorious. Now a true Hive God. The God of Night. He had given his father his final gift of love. The Awoken trio set a course for Venus. They would meet with Fireteam Delta in the Vault of Glass. It was a Regulus Class jumpship. Petra sat in the cockpit. Zavala looked at Mara. “You did good out there. Alak-Hul could have killed us all and you led him to the ‘Bond Brothers’. Ending the Cabal reign of the stars.” Zavala said. Mara smiled to herself. “My dear Commander, it was not a challenge. It was truly just a foolish creature with an axe.” Mara said to Zavala. Zavala looked her in the eyes. Did he like her. No that was too weak of a word. But he didn't love her. Not like that. It was still complicated to him. Mara blushed. Her bright blue blood riahed to her face. Zavala never had a wife and if he did in his past life he wouldn't know. But Mara was one with both the Dark and the light. Petra turned around and walked into the cabin. She looked at Zavala and then at her Queen. “Well…” She said. “I'll be in the cockpit if you two need me.” Petra flew the ship to Venus. They landed. The Osiris blockade runner was already landed. It stood by the Waking Ruins. Zavala walked out. Saladin stood outside the Vault door. “I have a transmat to the Glass Throne.” Saladin said. “We have pressing matters to attend to.” They transmatted to the Throne. “Osiris is dead, Zavala.” The Titan Vanguard looked at his mentor in disbelief. Saladin continued. “The Dreadnaught’s weapon was repaired as well. The engines will be soon. But the weapon is our most dangerous threat. It.. it um… Destroyed Mars… and the Moon. As well as the Lighthouse.” Zavala was in utter shock. This was terrible. Petra ran past them and to the newly established medical bay. It was in front of the left portal. Hemera was treating Exypnos. She was still in a coma. Alan was now fine. He was off to search for loot in the Labyrinth. Nyfir walked up to Tellectus. She was hurt mentally. And Nyfir was a great therapist. The Exo Stranger sat silently on the stairs. The door that closed the Vault of Glass was broken open. A Vex Minotaur head rested at the door. Erax looked around. “What have we done to deserve this?” Erax said. “I'm sorry.” He was holding a cord that was attached to his head. The cord had a button on the end that read ‘detonate’. He didn't know what to do. His systems had all shut down besides his HUD and his mind. He was broken. He tore the button off the cord. He may be broken but he wasn't going to commit suicide because of it. Ash Walker went to him. He was surprised that Erax was actually not dead yet. “Hemera told me about you.” Ash said. “You remind me of my friend. Eccentric Warlock. Wore the Ram everywhere. And I mean everywhere. But he got Taken. Last I saw him he was bowing to me on the Dreadnaught. Poor guy. I hated seeing that. Especially seeing him soulless and all. Made me want to cry. But I couldn't. Oryx made me hate him.” Ash looked down. He was scared. “Quinn, Mark-11, Ajax, Daltec, ALL OF THEM! They’re all Taken.” “How many more have to die before we destroy the Hive?” The Exo Stranger said. “The Dreadnaught destroyed Mars. If that wasn’t a tactical move i don’t know what is. Mars was home to both the Cabal Fleet and the Black Garden. The Cabal forces in this system are all but nothing and the Vex have nowhere to go.” The Stranger put her ‘Fate of all Fools’ scout rifle on her back. “We must destroy the Dreadnaught. And I have a plan. I call it operation 5251977. We will send 7 one manned Reef Ships to the Dreadnaught. They will fly their ships down the weapon charging channel. All of the ships will have an Energy Reversal Detonator. Dropping it directly into the weapon’s center will reverse the weapon’s charge, tearing the Dreadnaught apart from the outside to it’s core. No mess. The debris will fade out of existence. The Dreadnaught will be wiped away from the Universe. Biggest backfire in history.” Saladin was skeptical. “What happens if we fail?” He asked. The Stranger responded. “Humanity is extinguished and the Hive will destroy the Universe to it’s extinction. This isn’t just about Humanity or the Traveler anymore. The entire Universe could die if we fail.” Saladin was now determined to not fail at any cost. “Let’s get going.” He said. As Saladin walked down the stairs his HUD lit up. A sudden yell from the door. “GUARDIAN DOWN!” The Ghost said. “Is Exypnos dead?” Variks asked. Hemera ran out from the medical tent. “Don’t worry! That was someone else… Where is Alan!?!” “Went to Gorgon Maze to look for loot. Yessss.” Variks said. “Will be back soon.”