Rest of the story: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15ew1g89oxjEj5mZRFvv94Ht2Td6lVWkc-Lk7nwplUgg You may use the tag as well, but not all parts are on it. Spekris waded through the trashed lair, looking around with squinted eyes. Bullet holes riddled the walls, and dead Eliksni were strewn around the floor. “Shame. Pretty sure we hid out here a couple times.” He dug his claws around a cache, took out an ether canister, and stuffed it into his bag. “Those lightbearers really tore the place up.” He grumbled and began to walk out, but was stopped by a noise coming from a nearby room. “Spekris! Report!” His captain’s voice boomed from the outside. “Almost done, boss, just gotta check this noise out.” He brought a shock rifle out and slowly approached the room. He revolted at the sight he entered to. A thin, young Eliksni tugged at the leg of a deceased Vandal, whose head was completely gone. “Holy crap, it’s a kid.” Spekris put his weapon away and approached the child with a hand out. “C’mon, we’ve gotta get you out of here.” The child shied away, holding its dead parent’s leg tight. “Kid, your pop’s dead! Let’s go.” Spekris impatiently yelled. The child closed all four eyes, unwilling to accept the truth. Spekris had never been one to deal with children, but he knew what this Eliksni must have been thinking. With all the patience he could muster, he coaxed again. “C’mere, you look like you’re starved.” Spekris produced the ether tank he had scavenged earlier and began to prepare it. The promise of nourishment brought the child out of his haze, and he finally realized the situation he was in. “No use staying here. I’ll bring you to my captain, c’mon.” Spekris took the child’s hand as he began to replenish himself. “You got a name, kid?” The child shook his head. “Alright, what about…” Spekris looked around, thinking. “Miskor. How’s that?” - The three titans watched as an unlikely trade took place. Cabal legionaries moved like a well oiled machine, loading crate after crate onto Tivik’s skiffs. A large centurion received glimmer from Tivik himself, whose eyes glared bright in the dead of the night. Tivik’s imposing figure filled their eyes. Each move he made was slow and with purpose. His right arm was stacked with several warlock bonds, some particularly fresh. Tivik turned around to address his crew, revealing a mass of hunter capes stitched together, painted red orange, like his other banners. Similarly colored was a row of titan marks hanging from his belt. “Disgusting. We were right.” Zahir said, lifting his head from Lacer’s sniper rifle. “They’re definitely exchanging weapons.” He looked again, and his aim drifted to the Cabal. “It definitely ain’t like the Fallen to trade instead of steal.” Lacer crossed his arms. “I’m scanning a lot of slug shotguns in those crates.” Crucius commented. “Yep, Jolt here was almost killed by one.” Lacer poked at his ghost, who disappeared in response. “Ghosts are tough, but those slugs could definitely damage us at the least before we rez. Even worse in places our light is weak, such as areas covered in wizard poison...” Crucius continued, staring at the trade. As the ghost finished his observation, Zahir brought his fist down on the rock that was their cover, to the attention of his team. “What’s up, Zahir?” Bronze asked, casting a look at Lacer, who seemed just as confused. “Uh oh.” Crucius floated in front of Zahir. Beneath his helmet, his eyes flared. Visions assaulted his senses. Everything around him was consumed by flame. He watched as his lightless fireteam struggled against an onslaught of Cabal. He remembered now. He had buried the memory deep in his mind, but the fall of his fireteam came back to him. He had just rounded a street corner to see his friends begin to be overwhelmed by Red Legion. They advanced like a storm, covering the space between them with slugs. The hunter Kale-8 fell first, followed by the warlock Heather. He reached out to his friends, but his mind sucked him into another vignette. Vira, a member of his scout team, cast off his robes to unpin himself from a rock. As he returned fire at a street filled with Red Legion, his body began to fall as it was riddled with holes. Then he was carrying Eltanin through the EDZ. She clutched her destroyed ghost in her hand. Zahir looked down to her bloody, mangled legs, and his vision blacked out. “I promised I’d avenge them.” He thought, as he was pulled out of his memories, “so what am I doing here? Instead of fulfilling that?” He stood up from cover, and began to march toward the firebase. “Hey, hey, Zahir! What are you doing? This was supposed to be an intel run! Well, I guess not after what happened with those assassins, but we can deal with…” he had Jolt scan the centurion. “We can deal with Bracus Gourn and Tivik later! Stop!” Zahir didn’t listen, and launched into a sprint. He hadn’t faced the Cabal since the Red War, but he felt he had to answer to his own promise before his fear. “Well, if he’s going, I’ll have some fun, too!” Bronze leapt up, trailing behind her teacher. “Oh for- c’mon! Just think this through for a second! Yeah, they’re all in one place, but we know how dangerous Tivik’s crew is, especially the big guy himself! You always told me, we’ve gotta divide and conquer!” Lacer emphasized his last few words by clapping his hands. Still, his pleads fell upon deaf ears. He begrudgingly ran after the two. “Zahir, since you’ve already started a battle, do you mind if I turn your attention from the Cabal to Tivik?” “I know, but the Cabal are-“ Zahir started. “Forget them! Our target is right in front of you! The Guardian Killer! Go! We’ll hold back the Cabal.” “Fine.” “Guardians approach. What have you done?” Gourn asked, sticking a finger at Tivik’s chest. “I am not sure, my assassins should have taken care of them. Tivik tapped his helmet. “Miskor! What happened?” No response. Tivik’s heart quickened. “Spekris! Status!” Tivik breathed a sigh of relief as he heard a scramble in his ears. “Boss! These lightbearers are just too lucky. I had one of em, but his friend interrupted me, and I had to get away!” Spekris hastily explained. “I got shot up real bad. I took almost a whole clip of bullets.” “Was it the orange titan?” “No… Miskor went after him, but, something went wrong. He’s dead.” Tivik heard the pain in Spekris’ voice. “Call a skiff. You have done enough.” Tivik took a look at the titans. “So, these are the lightbearers that killed Darvahk and Miskor.” He motioned to Gourn. “I suggest we retreat. I am not suited to head on combat. I do not duel, I trap.” Noxis crawled up beside Tivik. “It would not help to lose Gourn’s business by leaving this to him. We must aid him.” “But Noxis! We are sending our crew to their deaths if we-“ “What have I told you, fool? The death of our comrades is inevitable in our struggle. We will give them three skiffs of Eliksni, and that is final. I will support as well. The sooner these lightbearers die, the better off we are.” He did not let Tivik speak up. “Go! You must survive.” Noxis went away to explain the situation to Gourn. “Victory or death. That is the Cabal way.” Gourn accepted the offer. “All troops! Advance! Kill the guardians!” The centurion raised his fist, bronto cannon in hand, and sped off. “Typical of the Cabal. It will be a shame if Gourn dies, though.” Tivik looked back at the brewing battle as he walked toward his skiff. The three others began to spill Fallen troops. They were all heading to their deaths, but Noxis was right. It would he best to kill his pursuers here. He forced himself to look away, and was surprised to see a titan speeding around his right flank on a sparrow. Zahir braced himself. He was at the perfect angle. “You sure these tunnels are that deep?” He asked Crucius, who only blipped in response. “All right, then.” He launched himself off of his sparrow, coating himself in arc energy. A sudden burst of speed launched him forward and into the surprised Fallen. He wrapped his arms around what he could of Tivik’s torso, and propelled the both of them toward a Cabal mining pit. They plummeted far, far down. “Do you think he’ll kill Tivik?” Bronze asked taking cover beside Lacer against the battalion of Cabal. CONT IN COMMENTS, TOO LONG FOR B.NET