[spoiler]There are mild depictions of gore. Nothing extreme, but you were warned.[/spoiler] Wednesday; three days until the Guardian Assault Gunshots and explosives filled Victor's ears. The Cabal were attacking again, and once again, the titan was fending them off. Victor ran across the street, then hid behind a building. He inserted a new magazine into his auto rifle, then ran to attack. A hulking mass of armor gripped the barrel of the weapon and swung it around. It slung Victor into a wall, knocking him to the ground. Victor wiped the sand out of his face to see a boot coming to break his neck! Victor was startled awake. He looked around and remembered that he was still in the Vestian Outpost. Sweat had soaked into his shirt. Nathaniel was flying around the room. "There was a knock at the door. Shall I get it?" The ghost asked. "No," Victor said as he wiped his face. "Let me get it..." The titan walked to the door and opened it. One of the Queen's royal guard was there with a message, and it was urgent! "Captain Riekel? Are you Captain Riekel?" The guard asked. "That's me. What seems to be the problem?" The Guardian asked. "We received a distress signal from Mars. An 'Ajax' is requesting your aid. He said Cabal are invading Sector Twelve..." Victor instantly tensed up. He rushed back into the room and snatched up his auto rifle. He ran back to the door as Nathaniel willed the titan's armor on. The guard stepped out of the way, barely dodging the hustling Guardian. "This isn't right!" Nathaniel declared. "What could have happened?" The ghost asked. Victor ran down the hall for Laurel and Matson. "I'm not sure, Nate, but we must get down there!" Victor stopped, then turned back to the guard. "Get our ships prepped for take-off!" The three Guardians tossed bags into their respective ships. Matson hobbled over to his ship and pulled himself into the cockpit. "How are you feeling?" Laurel asked as she handed the hunter his shotgun. "Eh, I think I'll be fine," he replied as he took the weapon. "Oh... Can you believe we're actually going to Mars?" Laurel also asked. "Yeah, I never thought the capt'n would break," Matson began flipping switches on the panel. Laurel started to trudge away to her ship. "Laurel?" Matson asked. The warlock stopped and turned around. "When we get down there, stay close to me. It could get pretty wild..." A bright smile began to grow on the Awoken's face. The three ships came out of warp just a few minutes later. The arid planet now took up their entire field of view. "We're heading for Meridian Bay," Victor said over the radio. The ships tilted upward for the final stretch to the surface. The team landed in the Dune Sea, Meridian Bay. Crimson, Nathaniel, and Panoptes transmatted their Guardians onto the sandy surface. "So, this is Mars?" Matson said as he spun around, arms out, taking in the rust-red scenery. "It's a beautiful place," Laurel added. "Once we reclaim Freehold, Meridian Bay will be a much better place to visit..." Victor led the two Guardians to the nearby city, Freehold. The ships flew back into orbit, leaving the team to walk the rest of the way. Victor led the hunter and warlock into the city. Cars were on fire, buildings had holes in the walls, and scaffolding were spread across the ground. Cabal and Guardian bodies were scattered around everywhere. The warlock covered her mouth as she tried not to cry. Matson wrapped his arms around Laurel, trying to comfort her. Victor glanced back for a second, but kept his focus on the possible threats. However, he was worrying about them. Did they need to see this? A reflection flashed the titan, blinding him. He looked up at the high window to see a Guardian waving him down. Victor turned to Laurel and Matson, then pointed the tower. Victor waved at the Guardian, letting him know they were coming in. The trio headed for the skyscraper. They ascended the floors, and soon they reached a group of Guardians. They were limping and carrying wounded. Matson held Laurel tighter as she began to cry. A medic, who was cleaning a hunter's amputated leg, looked up to Victor. "Ah, Captain. They would like to speak with you inside." The medic wrapped the hunter's leg in a bandage, then tied it tight to stop the bleeding. Two sliding doors opened, and allowed the team through. Humans and Awoken-- Guardians of all kind-- we're screaming in agony. Blood of various colors painted the white tile. Laurel could not handle it anymore. Matson led her back outside so she did not have to witness the suffering. "Sergeant, what happened here?" Victor asked. The titan walked away from the balcony. He removed his helmet and turned to Victor. "Sir, we've lost so much ground. The Junction. The Exclusion Zone. The--" "Wait, wait, wait. The Exclusion Zone?" Victor wiped his mouth. "We had the Exclusion Zone! I was there, we took that section!!" The titan furiously shouted. "I know, I know. It's widespread, Sir. The Cabal have... I don't know. It's like they were baiting us the whole time..." "They couldn't have! This couldn't have been a trap!" Victor walked out to the balcony, where the crisp wind chilled his face. "It must be whoever that new ship belongs to. They must have done this." "Captain," said a new voice. It was Ajax. Victor turned to listen to what the hunter had to say. "My men are back on our feet, but we lost Discovery. Two died in the skirmish yesterday; the third died in his sleep. Alexander refuses to take his last two back out again. The boys and I will scout the Cabal and see what we can get." The hunters turned and left the tower. It was not long before they were scattering across the dunes. Victor pinched his nose. "We only have a fraction of our forces left. Can we not get these men and women back up?" "No, Sir," the sargeant said. "Too many have lost their ghosts in the various firefights. These here, are the ghostless survivors, so we're having to patch them up... I'm afraid it won't be long before the Darkness gets too dense and we won't be able to revive anyone..." "We don't have enough to break the Cabal, now..." Victor leaned over the rails. He felt defeated. "What can we do?" The sargeant asked. "We hide. Pull as many survivors from the lines, and we regroup. We're no good divided..." Victor looked up into the sky. It was not even noon yet.