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

Awesome and terrifying. Especially in the hands of a fifteen-foot piratical augment-addict.

[rekindledtitan]

//Whatever you want to keep!//

The grapple latches onto Blaze just before she stumbles on the tilting floor. The wind is roaring and buffeting them now. It's nearly drowned out by the groan of straining metal as chunks of Citadel start to tumble around them - not least the one they're standing on. She feels the impact on her shoulder and turns to find Samus, feet sliding under her-

The transmat takes hold then, snatching them away from the falling peak and the acidic Venusian air. The Ghost takes the simplest option and dumps both its charges onto the floor of the jumpship, still connected by the grapple line. It tries not to drop them right on top of each other, but there's barely enough space for two people in there. Blaze goes from staring at the Ishtar basin thousands of feet below to faceplanting on the metal deck two inches away.

Big pirates into augments. Samus knows who she wants to kill next visit.

[onemorebounty]

*Samus doesn't land any more gracefully, but rolls quickly to her feet in search of a window, or a feed of the fall.*

Is everyone here? Everyone okay? And can we see it happen? Ghost, tell me you made it with us.

There's quite a queue but he can totally fit her in.

[rekindledtitan]

"Right here." He who controls the transmat gets the front seat. The Ghost hovers over the controls, projecting blue light as it interfaces with them. The little ship is already diving in response. "I'm taking us down for a look."

"All right." Blaze leans against the wall, reaching up for a handhold as she peers through the forward window. "Let's see how the Vex like that parting gift."

Even from this height, the dark mass of the Citadel is visible ahead. So is the wall of cloud rippling out from one end, where the falling sections are punching through. For a moment there's a low rumble through the hull, like a premonition. They drop beneath the cloud cover just before the first of the sections crashes down into a region of overgrown Vex structures, vanishing in a spray of stone and dust and electric haze. The others are close behind.

Up in the ship, they get a few seconds to admire the landscape resculpting before the first thunderous shockwave rattles their hull.

What a guy!

[onemorebounty]

*Samus is recording the view with her helmet, and grinning fiercely beneath it.*

I think they might've felt that one.

He just loves (taunting) his audience!

[rekindledtitan]

Blaze lets out an impressed sound as the largest section plows into the ruins below, breaking apart as it does. Watching that black monstrosity wounded, turned back on itself... she can almost hear the Vex collective keening.

"That's beautiful," she says happily. The Ghost's bringing them around in a circle to stay clear of the the debris, but switches feeds to the lateral port sensors so they can keep watching.

He's sure to have their attention.

[onemorebounty]

It is. This'll make quite a story, when you get home.

*Samus is content to watch the destruction until the last thing that's going to fall has done so and the dust has cleared enough for her to admire the subsequent cratering.*

The next time we go after Vex, we should transmit this first, and give them the leave-or-surrender offer again.

Please make sure to take a feedback form if you survived!

[rekindledtitan]

Oh, isn't that a nice thought? Blaze perks a little. "No kidding. It's a great start."

The wreckage makes for some very peculiar terrain down there, tangled and embedded with caved-in bits of jungle and other ruins. Could make an interesting arena for Guardians to play in - Blaze makes a note to come and find out, if no-one claims it.

At Samus' latter remark, she laughs. "You think they'll need reminding who you are? Those oracles never got to work. Wonder if the Vex can remember what they erase."

//The Fallen comms are swamped with messages. ...Actually, ours aren't much different.//

Please notice the suggestion box, and remember, my door is always open.

[onemorebounty]

How well can they tell one of your people from another? Can they tell I'm not a Guardian? Make them wonder, every time some of your people pay them a visit, whether staying to fight means another costly loss like this one. Teach them to fear, and teach them to doubt.

*Leave it to Samus to deploy psychological warfare against the inscrutable thoughts of an alien mind. She glances to Ghost.*

Good news, I hope?

Your feedback is the key to your experience and our kill ratio!

[rekindledtitan]

"Pretty sure they can detect you're not a Guardian. But I don't know if they can tell the rest of us apart. Either way they've got plenty to chew on. No doubt about that." Like their own scenery.

//No casualties reported on our end. Just a lot of confused and surprised Guardians. I suspect we're going to get a talk from the Commander about choosing mission objectives and sticking to them. But at least some people are enjoying the show.//

"Not bad. We took out a chunk of the Citadel and survived a run-in with oracles. That's worth some trouble to explain."

Your final gasp is important to us. This battle may be monitored for quality control.

[onemorebounty]

You can blame anything that gets you in trouble on me. I'm outside the command structure, and I was the one who suggested we drop the citadel.

*And she sounds just so very repentant, doesn't she? But she'd rather her friends didn't take the rap for this. To the glory, they're welcome.*

Besides, sometimes a recon run finds an opportunity that won't be there to act on later.

Satisfaction guaranteed or your ammo back!

[rekindledtitan]

"Scrap that. We did it together." Blaze snorts. None of those blame games for her, thanks. "Besides, you're right on target with that last part. I don't think oracles are even supposed to deploy outside the Vault. We drew them out, stopped the Vex getting to use them, and eliminated tech the Fallen could use to control the Vex network."

"That's no small threat. The Wolves actually succeeded in tapping into the oracles before. We'll still need to monitor them carefully in case the survivors recovered anything useful. But they're probably too disorganized to use it anyway. They can't have many nobles left."

(Replacement ammo returned at speed. Allow six to eight milliseconds for delivery.)

[onemorebounty]

*Samus smiles inside her helmet, clapping Blaze approvingly on the shoulder.*

Glad we cost them the chance, then. One enemy with that kind of weapon is bad enough.

*She glances around the interior of the ship, then.*

It's good hunting with you, the both of you. Do you have a decontam unit or something, where I could hose this Vex fluid off before I open up?

[rekindledtitan]

"Right back at you." She sounds delighted. "Nothing like fighting alongside a friend again. Just back up a second, I'll get the hose out." Given the ship's size, it's probably no surprise that the unit is basically a reinforced tent; Blaze unseals the hollow base from the ceiling and pulls it down before locking it into the floor, reaching up again to power up the pressure jets and foam sprayers. It takes up the whole back wall, giving just enough room for an armored user (and possibly a small pile of alien salvage).

Someday she'll earn (or inherit) a bigger ship.

For now she just points out the various dials and their functions to Samus, pulling a small tray of cleaning tools from a drawer. Can't be any less than meticulous when it comes to your armor.

[onemorebounty]

*Maybe sucker-punching a Vex citadel out of orbit will help Blaze earn that ship upgrade. It's nice to dream.*

I'll go one better: nothing like fighting alongside a friend and all of you coming out of it alive. I could do with more days like this.

*Form follows function, and Blaze's decontam shower reminds Samus a little bit of her own. With her friend's guidance, it isn't too difficult to clean herself off.*

Thank you, that's much better.

*She will be leaving her armor on until they've all had a spray-down, just in case.*

catch-up time!

[rekindledtitan]

“Hah, we’ve definitely got some advantages on that front. Got to admit, I really didn’t expect you to be that good.” She cops to it breezily. Hey, it’s the good kind of mistake.

While Samus is showering, she gets to watch the dust settle down below, as well as the other sensor readouts. “Hey, Samus, last chance for a peek at our new playground. We’re not the only ones in the air any more – gonna have to swing back to orbit in a few seconds.”

Then shower time, and coaxing-the-Ghost-into-the-shower time.

Welcome back

[onemorebounty]

*She chuckles.*

Glad you enjoyed the show--you're pretty good, yourself.

*The opportunity for a last look is welcome, and she takes it, a satisfied smile curling her lips at the ruin they've wrought.*

Who else is up here? Friends, or...?

[rekindledtitan]

"Aiming to get better," she replies cheerfully.

Blaze leaves it until the Ghost starts giving her worried looks before she sets the ship back on an upward course, climbing past the luminous volcanic plumes and the distant skyscrapers of the old Ishtar colony.

"Couple of them, it looked like. But mostly-" she pulls up a visual from behind them: a trio of streamlined dropships with curved blue armor and shark-like silhouettes, "we have Fallen sniffing around." The skiffs aren't bothering to pursue the fast little ship, not when there's a fresh breach in the Vex defenses to investigate.

[onemorebounty]

*With everyone cleaned off, Samus takes off her helmet.*

May they and the Vex have no luck at all with one another.

[rekindledtitan]

Ghost is shaking off the last foam from its shell, so Blaze is up front on piloting duty by then. She nods to that sentiment, then adds, “I’m still finding it kind of hard to believe we did that. You want to head back to the Nexus while we go report in?"

[onemorebounty]

That depends. Are you likely to be in more trouble if you bring me along, or less when there's more targets for your CO to shout at?

[rekindledtitan]

“Zavala doesn’t shout too much. But he hasn’t signed off on clearance for any visitors yet either. He wouldn’t appreciate you stopping in.” She sounds regretful, but orders are orders. “But wait until we give him the rundown on what you did out there. That will impress him."

It doesn’t help that Guardians give their reports in the heart of the Tower’s command center. Not the best place to bring a powerful outsider. Their caution is basically a compliment. Blaze would love to show their friend the City, though - the one part of their system that doesn't lie in scattered piles of bone and ruin.

[onemorebounty]

*She considers that, and nods.*

I'll go, then, and wait to hear from you.

*She can certainly understand caution, given the circumstances.*

I'll see you in the Nexus, hopefully soon?

[rekindledtitan]

"Count on it." She claps Samus on the shoulder. The returned Ghost bobs slightly in agreement. "We'll swing by and bring you up to speed on how all this falls out. Catch up on what you're doing. And- hey, if your battles are even half that fun normally, you can count us in any day."

[onemorebounty]

*Samus smiles, Blaze's offer reminding her of when Dark Samus had been harrying the pirates, and they had first realized that there were two Hunters upon them. "Truly," the log post had read, "we are cursed." She wouldn't mind reminding them of it, either.*

I'll have to see about finding a fight worth your time.

*With a soft sizzle, a PINpoint portal opens to the Nexus, and Samus nods farewell to Blaze and Ghost.*

I'll see you soon. And I'm going to want pictures of your CO's face when they hear about this.

*Waiting only to catch any replies, she steps through and lets the portal close.*

Almost forgot to add: thank you for the awesome thread! :D

[rekindledtitan]

"Ghost'll save you some." Blaze gives her a parting salute, optics bright. Ghost drifts in to flutter a farewell.

"Good luck out there. And thank you."