Excerpt 001: Enquiring Minds

[rekindledtitan]

TYPE: Patrol log

LOCATION: Ishtar Sink, Venus

PARTIES: Three [3]. One [1] Ghost-type, [1] Guardian-type, designate Blaze-37, Class Titan [

rekindledtitan ], One [1] Unconfirmed, designate Aran, Samus [onemorebounty ]

 

ASSOCIATIONS: Multiversal Nexus; Samus Aran; Chozo; Ishtar Sink; Hezen Protective; Pelsor; House of Winter; Drevis; Blaze-37; Ishtar Academy



They land in a clearing on the city outskirts with grass under their boots and a heavy overcast above. The breeze that greets them is hot and humid, a little acidic. Around them is a densely-grown treeline, with broad leaves that are near-luminescent shades of green. Their rustle is echoed by the distant wash of waves from beyond the ruins.

Blaze turns to scan the area, hopeful of opposition even though her Ghost already checked the site. The broken towers and city blocks are quiet within the overgrowth. But then it’s not the human ruins which really stand out. To the north a massive volcano takes up much of the sky, belching out a noxious plume of ash and gas. Small wonder that each shift in the breeze makes the scent of the air waver between sulfurous and salty. Over the hills to both south and east loom dark geometric structures. Look at them with anything other than the optical spectrum, and they emit some very peculiar readings.

“At last,” the Exo remarks, feeling a thrill that doesn’t break her readiness. Her head’s turned up to check the skyline as she speaks. Then she's moving for the buildings. “We’re in Guardian territory, more or less. Doesn’t stretch too far yet. Won’t take long to find some trouble.”

Comments

[onemorebounty]

*Ducking back, Samus is glad she didn't try to take that corner at a run.*

We're popular. I'll go high, you take low?

*Backing up a few steps, she gets a running start into a high, tumbling jump at the far wall of the corridor. Kicking off, she rebounds from wall to wall, working her way toward whoever's firing in what should be a fire-drawing and -evading course. She hopes.*

[rekindledtitan]

The pulse splashes off the wall noisily, sending ripples of fire licking along the stone. A bit singed from catching the edge of it, Blaze nods. //Right with you.//

She has a good turn of acceleration but the Hunter swiftly overtakes her as they charge down the passage. The Vex have left barely enough room to evade on either side. Vertically is a different matter: the big gun platform punching out fire at them has no trouble adjusting to airborne targets, but there's also no ceiling to limit evasion.

Blaze is far and away the easier target; Samus the more immediately threatening. After a couple of lower shots, the platform starts focusing most of its mortar fire on Samus. As another comes in high, Blaze throws a grenade beneath it, hoping to even things out. The explosion sounds good, out there. But it doesn't disorient the firing cyclops in the slightest.

[onemorebounty]

*Seeing the way the enemy is dividing its attention, Samus kicks for more altitude, drawing fire further away from Blaze, and setting herself up for her own counterattack--when she runs out of wall, in whatever clearing the cyclops occupies, she'll come down on it in a storm of void-fire all her own. It wouldn't be the first time an enemy was particularly vulnerable to its own weapon turned against it. She hopes.*

*At the very least, she should be distracting, and hard to shake off.*

[rekindledtitan]

It's a wide open room out there, open to the sky far above. The mortar unit occupies the center, in front of what looks like a circular pit. On each side of the room waits a contingent of lesser Vex: infantry backed up by a pair of minotaurs each. One group occupies the only cover: another raised area to the right with a few stone barriers set up. Both groups are well out of the cyclops' firing line, and when Samus emerges all their fire converges on her.

The mount above which it floats allows the cyclops to turn freely in all directions. Of course, as Samus leaps into the open, it's trained squarely on her. Nothing is easier than to shoot down that eye-like weapon. And the void beam is very good at hammering hard targets.

It launches another bolt at Samus, but jerks under her bombardment - then starts to spasm, flinging mortar fire at random. Some hits the Vex flanking it, blasting apart a few of the small infantry and forcing the two minotaurs to teleport evasively as their shields collapse.

And that gives Blaze time to charge out of the entrance. She sprints for the raised area and boosts over the cover, launching herself down among the clustered Vex in another ground-pounding blast.

[onemorebounty]

*Samus lands on the spasming cyclops, using its bulk for cover against the Vex Blaze isn't occupying while she puts a few more rounds of void fire into its tender places.*

Forcing the heavies into retreat is a good start. It's not quite "they saw us coming and committed suicide," but we'll get there.

*Before the Vex have time to adapt to the situation, she springs from the cyclops toward the far group from Blaze. They need a more immediate threat than the Titan, or they might regroup.*

*Samus has threats in abundance.*

[rekindledtitan]

Blaze doesn't get to reply: a stray blast from the cyclops hits the platform while she's finishing off a minotaur. She lets out a sound of startled pain as her plate buckles, all her readouts screaming into the red. Urged by the Ghost, she backs up until she can swing herself over the edge and shelter behind the stone.

By the time the cyclops regains a measure of control, Samus has done it a good deal more damage - and moved to the other place it can't target. The moment she lands amid the infantry, a recovered minotaur teleports into her face, arm raised to hammer down on her.

//Bad news - I detected a surge of Vex in the direction of our exit, and now I'm having trouble sensing them.//

[onemorebounty]

The trap closes.

*Samus sighs, driving in close against the minotaur, where it can't get an effective swing at her. Driving the muzzle of her arm-cannon into the joint where the upraised arm meets the body, she pours void-fire into what she reasons must be a vulnerable point--it's always harder to armor joints effectively.*

I was starting to think we were going about this the wrong way, anyway. Ghost, how bad is Blaze hurt?

[rekindledtitan]

Samus' earlier conjecture holds: the minotaur's shields are based on the same power as their guns. Under the beam they simply collapse. The minotaur staggers, its cry grating as it swings its weapon hand in from the side. Its companions have thought better of closing to help: they back away.

//I'm fine,// Blaze answers insistently, her voice rough. She's moving stiffly as she leans out to shoot at the cyclops' damaged eye, her armor scorched and smoking. The first answering blast splashes against the corner of her cover and undoes any recovery she's managed. But she's on her feet. //We just ought to finish off this bunch.//

[onemorebounty]

*Samus fires again, looking to burn the weapon-arm right off if possible, before rounding on the Cyclops. It really should have played dead, because now she's leaping back to finish the job.*

Agreed. And then perhaps get Ghost to another terminal. I'm thinking if the Vex can shift the architecture to their advantage, why don't we do the same, and cut straight to whatever's controlling this place?

[rekindledtitan]

The minotaur's attempt to fight back becomes a dying flail as the beam vaporizes connecting circuitry. If Samus leaves it alive, it's merely a crippled hulk at this point. The cyclops is still up, and quick to throw another blast at its returning nemesis. Blaze steps out of cover again, firing with care to avoid targeting her comrade.

//Are you sure that's a good idea?//

//Sure it is, Ghost. We wanted to learn about the Vex-// Her attention drawn by fire from hr left, Blaze bolts out to deal with a trio of surviving small infantry. //Best way to do that is go for their heart. Or... brain, or whatever. You get the point.//

[onemorebounty]

*The cyclops seemed to be an artillery piece, meant for long-range bombing. Knowing she can siphon power from the Vex when she needs to, Samus is more than willing to let a blast splash on her suit's shields, leaving her free to charge straight into close quarters, where blasts and blows are bent on bringing the beast low (with added alliterative appeal).*

I won't ask you to put yourself in danger, Ghost. Well, more danger than the being-shot-to-death we're already in. If you're worried the Vex could back-hack you if you plugged in again, we'll play it safe. But being at their mercy in all this shifting architecture makes me nervous. In their place, I'd keep us running from one ambush to another, wear us down without ever giving us even a chance of reaching our goal.

[rekindledtitan]

Damaged as the cyclops is, Samus will swiftly trigger another spasming episode. The big Vex is trying to regain control and repair its systems, but it won't take much more punishment to push it into its death throes.

//All right. I detect a terminal near the shaft behind that cyclops. I'll try to break into their controls and find us a viable target. But I don't understand their network well enough to make any promises.//

//Good enough. Which way?// The Ghost answers with a marker, and Blaze breaks off to sprint past the cyclops, heading for the area behind that raised platform. The terminal in question is a dull metal console that looks only half-assembled.

[onemorebounty]

*Samus is great at being pushy, ask anyone. She's more than willing to tip the cyclops into its final spasms, before falling back to cover Blaze and Ghost at the terminal.*

If you can get coordinates, we can PINpoint to it as a last resort, but I'd rather not do that so often that the Vex figure it out for themselves.

[rekindledtitan]

The dying cyclops arcs with electric discharge as it tries and fails to hold itself together, then gives in to the terminal chain reaction. It explodes, sending hunks of twisted metal flying in all directions. Blaze leans over the Ghost to cover it, grunting as a few shards bounce or glance off or lodge themselves into her armor.

"I definitely agree with that."

After that, there's just a couple of remaining infantry units to shoot down. The Vex reinforcements seem to be running late.

"Wasn't much of an ambush," Blaze comments, glancing around before she inspects the circular pit. "Hey, we could always just jump down there. Must lead to something."

[onemorebounty]

*Picking off the stragglers, Samus certainly won't complain about a lack of Vex reinforcements.*

That's an option. Can you get a map up, Ghost, give us an idea of where it leads?

*Not that a negative answer would be a deal-breaker at this point.*

[rekindledtitan]

"Working... wait. This looks familiar..." With a throbbing hum, the stubby console reconfigures: a white-light grid forms above it, resolving into a new interface that resembles a ship's wheel. The Ghost scans it, and then tries accessing the red optical port in the center. Blaze takes a look at it, then peers down at the pit. Inside it sweeps down like a bowl, before dropping into a deep central shaft. A dull red glow has begun to emanate from below.

The Ghost bobs in front of the new console, shell spinning as it works. "Well, I haven't found a map, but there are scheduled maintenance directives. Below us is some sort of signal relay, if I'm interpreting this right. You don't need to jump in yet. These Vex have been modifying this room. This must be the place where the Fallen House of Wolves broke in. The Vex quarantined something- if it's what I think... hold on."

"Is that a 'get ready to shoot' kind of 'hold on'?" Blaze lifts her rifle anyway.

"I hope not, but just in case... you know what to do."

[onemorebounty]

Fallen House of Wolved--the scouts we took those Pikes from? Something of theirs was left here and quarantined by the Vex? Interesting.

*Moving to the edge of the shaft, Samus peers over as far as she can, trying to get sight or scan of the glow's source, arm cannon at the ready.*

[rekindledtitan]

The red glow has no clear source, diffusing up through grooves in the floor as if the source is spread around the room below. There's a stone floor down there: not a dangerous jump down, but they'd need help getting back up.

That might be close by, however. With a warping 'fwip', a bridge materializes leading out across the pit, ending in a circular platform that matches the shaft below it. Curving bands of metal float down from above, focusing the blue light of the anti-grav field that's powering up. The Ghost floats back up to Blaze's shoulder as they watch. Sticking out from the dull Vex architecture are some obviously foreign cables, leading to a curving purple console with an ordinary-looking screen.

"And that is how the Kell of Wolves got to the top of the Citadel. And how one of our fellow Guardians followed him up. A little piece of Citadel compromised using stolen Vex secrets."

"Think he left any behind?" Blaze lowers her rifle and heads over to it, the Ghost tagging close behind her. She looks to Samus when it starts scanning the Fallen tech. "See anything good down there?"

[onemorebounty]

I see a floor, so it's not too long a fall. I'm liking the sound of stolen Vex secrets, though, let's have 'em.

[rekindledtitan]

"The Wolves found out how to access large portions of the Vex network. I'm extracting the protocols for our own study now. Gravity lifts like this one, the local teleportation grid... this machine could even hijack a warp gate! If Skolas planned to use it, the Wolves must have found the key to the Vex navigational system. But it's not here."

"Wouldn't need to share it for a grav lift." Blaze looks the machine over. "I know the Fallen are good with booby traps, but this looks simple. Funny the Vex didn't just pull the plug and smash it. But lucky for us. You can hijack their hijack, right?"

"Well, of course."

[onemorebounty]

*Samus' fierce smile is audible in her voice once again.*

Then when you've got everything you can pull out of there, let's follow along and find out where they went.

[rekindledtitan]

"Almost done. They left some surprises in here, but nothing I can't handle. And... got it. Everyone aboard the gravity lift."

[onemorebounty]

*Samus will follow Blaze's lead on this one, she's the one who knows this tech. Do they stand on the island? Step into the column of light? She'd feel very foolish making an assumption and stepping out into a long fall. So instead, she'll stand lookout.*

[rekindledtitan]

Blaze hasn't really used one of these things before, but once her Ghost is back with her, she'll happily stroll out onto the island and see what happens. She's peering up at the light when she crosses into it and the gravity field snatches her up, sending the Guardian shooting up the column.

//Hah, nice! We ought to get a few of these in the Tower!//

[onemorebounty]

*Watching Blaze go up, Samus backs her way into the column, ready for any last-second surprises while they're split up.*

If Ghost got the schematic, maybe you can build one.