Excerpt 008: Ishtar Sink Joyride

[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 Rogers, Steve [juststeverogers]

ASSOCIATIONS: Multiversal Nexus; Rogers, Steve; Blaze-37; Pelsor; House of Winter; Ishtar Sink; Shattered Coast; Silent Fang; Drevis




It’s hard to see much of Venus from above, so dense is the layer of murky yellow overcast in its sky. Only when Blaze’s little jumpship drops out of the clouds will Steve get a look at what’s waiting for them below. Steep volcanic slopes, luminous green forests; glimpses of colony buildings, broken and overgrown but still standing tall; and then, as Blaze banks them around, there’s something else looming over the old skyline.

It’s less a fortress than a vast column of interlocking structures, black and geometric and unnatural-looking even at this distance. Much of it doesn’t appear to be physically supported: it just hangs there, disappearing into the clouds that roil about it, towering unnervingly over the landscape and making the human skyscrapers look like paltry sandcastles.

“The Vex Citadel,” Ghost explains quietly, at Steve’s look.

“That’s not where we’re headed,” Blaze says. “This time.” The Vex probably wouldn’t be so willing to allow them in after their last visit. Besides, she promised Steve bikes. She sets the autopilot course, glances back over her shoulder to check Steve’s ready, then unclips her helm from the side of the chair and sets it on her head, the seals locking into place as she latches it tight. Ghost checks the ship’s displays and then vanishes into her systems. Her voice comes through the audio relays a little more tinny: “Get ready to drop.”

Fast transmat landings are always slightly disorienting, the way they drop you a couple feet above the ground, but Blaze is used to it and thumps down as gracefully as a Titan can. The warmth of the air enfolds them instantly, muggy and oppressive after the brisk Nexus autumn. Venus is not a place of cold seasons. They’ve landed by a rocky stream that flows between twisting jungle trees, and though there’s an acidic tang to the air even filters can’t scrub out, it’s balanced out by scents of warm vegetation and alien humus. Something small is chirping in the branches above them. The ship swoops away above them, swiftly lost in the clouds. The Guardian looks around, rifle in her hands, then nods to Steve. “Welcome to the Sink.”

“Let’s go liberate some Pikes.”

Comments

[juststeverogers]

"Different house than the ones we fought on Earth?"

It only makes sense for there to be different factions, when Steve thinks about it. People are the same way. For better or worse, there's different clans wherever you go and if that's how humanity is, it would stand to reason that other species might do things similarly. Either way, Steve vividly remembers Blaze blowing her leg nearly off after stepping on a Fallen grenade and he's not too keen for a repeat scenario.

For her part, Nike doesn't say anything but has her SMG drawn and trained to Blaze's nine-o-clock while they make their way through the foliage. She has no relevant information to share and they really can't forget that they're effectively walking into an enemy camp. For fun or not, it's still dangerous.

"Vex are those robot folks, right?" Steve's pretty sure he remembers that from talks he's had before with Blaze and Ghost over the nature of her patrols.

"I am not certain 'folks' is the correct term, for that implies a culture and emotional capacity." Nike is...not a fan of them. Not in the least. "However they do have a fascination with the mechanical."

[rekindledtitan]

"The ones we fought on Earth were from the House of Devils. I don't know much about Fallen culture, but these ones wear blue cloaks."

Blaze chuckles. "You're getting better at the trash talk, Nike. Vex aren't completely organic, though. They've got a gooey organic center, as Cayde says."

The rising hillocks ahead are visible now through the trees: Blaze pauses and points them out for a second. "Fallen resupply camp is up ahead. We can go for the heights, take out their sentries, then drop right in among them."

This is a rather stealthy plan, for her, which means it almost certainly won't go as intended. Blaze does not consider this a problem. She does slow and signal to her team-mates when she catches a flash of red on her trackers, head turning as she tries to sight on the source. She'd have to look up, though, at the way the air ripples just slightly in the branches of a tree above...

[magnetite_plz]

"The House of Devils...I would wager they should met a true one before they claim to be of my kin."

All these beastly races fighting their petty battles across the system and trying to eradicate or enslave Blaze's people along the way. In a way, they are exactly like some of the demon species of her own realm. It is not a thought that gives her very much comfort.

Her comment makes Steve throw a look over at her instead of watching their six as they go but he doesn't waste words now asking why anything that looks that much like an angel would call itself a devil. There's more important things to worry about.

They're all getting tense the closer they get but only Nike has the instinct to look up. The shimmer in the air nearly passes her notice and when she does react it's out of reflex. Her hand leaves her SMG and Blaze will feel a pulse of Light as her magic warps the air around them all and blasts their assaulter with searing holy light.

"Blaze...!"

[rekindledtitan]

Has she been here before? There are tiny touches of familiarity: she knows this smell, the soft thump of her boots on this soil, the light filtering down green and dim around them. This feels recent though, this feels like her and she is entirely in the moment when Angel's voice rings out with her magic.

She turns to follow the vandal tumbling to the forest floor, but the low sound of impact is already masked by the THUCK of a round past her right antenna. Then another, aimed at Steve. Then another; movement ripples through the air as multiple lookouts scuttle to reposition and sight again.

Her grip tightens on her rifle as Blaze aims upward. There's an immediate impulse to use her Light and bound up to chase them. Teach them they aren't so safe in their perches... but not today. They have an objective (a job to do, no stopping no matter what you see) and she opens fire instead. Covers her team-mates, sparing a hand only to wave them onward.

"Move!" Out of the treeline into the volcanic hills before the alarm spreads further. "Shields up! We're heading into their fire now!"

They don't have to go much farther than the summit of the first hill, though. There's a nice sheltering pile of rocks up there... in which a sniper is sitting, ready to shoot at them all the way.

Well. Nothing fun is too easy.

[juststeverogers]

If only gunfire aimed at him was something Steve could be shocked to be in the middle of anymore. It's startling, yes--there's no way to stop the adrenaline that dumps into his system the second he feels the entire shield in front of him ripple and ring out as one of the rounds catches it off-center and ricochets into the trunk of one of the many old trees surrounding them. They say Guardians are a little bit mad to find pleasure in situations like this. If they are mad, then perhaps Steve Rogers is at least in part a Guardian himself.

"Cover me." Steve's charging ahead. Exploding out of the tree line with his shield covering as much of himself as he can. It leaves him with little ability to see around him though. Nike's checking her gun to her belt before grabbing for a rifle instead. Blaze's companion won't be able to protect his flank but she's nothing if not methodical as she tracks the vandals moving form one perch to another and rings out one shot at a time as she picks them off.

"Do what you do best, Blaze. I am behind you."