The Bandwagon (Guardian Ship)...
Austin's POV
Weiss: Can you at least tell us where we are going?
Austin: The Reef.
As our ship entered The Reef's atmosphere, I slowed the ship down and stood from the pilot's seat as everyone else sat on the next room, preparing their armaments. As I entered the room, the group, all including the two other Guardians, wore their usual attire, all the while displaying their confusion as Summer came out from Ruby's head, hovering on her shoulder as Ikora spoke through from it.
Nora: The wha-?
Ikora: The Reef. On the edge of it, there is a wasteland called the Tangled Shore. That's where you'll find Uldren.
Ren: The Reef?
Austin: As the Commander said, it's nothing more than a bunch of rocks.
Ghost: It's more than just that. It's a graveyard of colony ships in an asteroid belt, to simplify it.
Ren: So its a bunch of destroyed ships in space, mixed with giant rocks.
Ghost: Well that's....even more simpler, yes.
Weiss: Didn't he say right as we were leaving that we were forbidden from starting a war with them?
Ikora: Yes. He did. But it's far too late to stop any of you from going. As for Zavala, he will cling on to the broken pieces of the future he imagined until they crumble. He hasn't seen what I've seen.
Uhh... that's new.
Ilia: Then.... what have you seen?
Ikora: Ever since the Traveler woke, it's been speaking to me.
Austin: What?
Ikora: Visions of crowns, roses, silver trees. Candles that turn into bonfires. And I'm not the only one.
Austin: Are you trying to be the Speaker?
Ikora: If you see something... new... don't be afraid to pursue it, Guardian.
I don't get your cryptic Warlock tongue, Ikora.
Ikora: I wish I could help you all more, but the city needs a unified Vanguard. Or at least the illusion of one.
Austin: I know Zavala's a pain in the ass, but... just... don't do anything irrational, Ikora.
Ikora: I know, Titan. This is your road now. Ikora, out.
As she left, I shook my head in response to her cryptic statements.
Ilia: Is she always like that?
Austin: Unfortunately, yes. Cryptic as all hell, but direct at the same time. That vision thing she spoke about was odd. But I'm getting lost in my mind.
Blake: This "Fallen Shore".
Austin: Never been there. This will be my first time as well as yours.
Ghost: Regardless, it's a lawless frontier filled with outlaws, crooks, scavengers, and pirates.
Ruby: Uldren Sov sounds like he'd fit right in.
Weiss: Like a few others we know.
Yang: We'll need to search the shore, from the Fallen camps in Quitter's Well to an ancient Awoken tower nearby.
Blinking a few times, we remained silent in confusion.
Yang: What?
Blake: That's surprisingly specific, Yang.
Austin: How did you know that?
Yang: Raven.
Her ghost came out as well, joining mine and Ruby's.
Austin: Ah. Nevermind.
Nora: Regardless, this Uldren character can't hide from us!
Ruby: Yeah!
Austin: Stay together, and leave no stone unturned.
A Few Minutes Later...
The Tangled Shore...
Austin: Ready?
Jaune: Yeah.
Yang: As ready as we'll ever be.
Austin: Alright.
Grabbing a few people's arms, our ghosts teleported us out of the ship and onto the asteroid cramped land. Letting go, I looked around us, as everyone else did the same...except Ilia.
Ilia: Umm...wait.
Ren: Yes?
Ilia: If this is space, then.... how come we can breath the air?
Austin: I.... don't know actually. It's one of those things you just have to go along with.
Weiss: Oh. I just assumed your Traveler had something to do with it.
I shrugged.
Austin: Maybe.
Ghost began to expand himself, revealing a hologram of the wanted man.
Ruby: I assume that's who we're looking for?
Austin: Yes.
As ghost compressed itself back to normal, it went back inside my head.
Austin: Now let's get going.
As we began our search across the desert-like environment, we encountered a few Fallen enemies. Drawing the Last Word, I began fanning the hammer into their bodies, killing the few Dregs and Vandals with ease. Reloading the weapon, we approached the corpses. Coming out of my head, Ghost began scanning them for data.
Ren: Is there something special about them, or-?
Austin: Not really. Just-.
Ghost: As a matter of fact, yes they are.
Oh?
Ghost: The Vandals' cloak doesn't bear the symbol of any Fallen houses that I recognize. Not even the one for the Houseless.
Weiss: That doesn't sound good for us.
Austin: It's not bad, but surely strange.
Ruby: Sounds like they're different.
Austin: Regardless, let's continue.
As we did so, we came upon a small ravine. One that was small enough to jump the gap. As we all jumped across in our own way, Jaune was the last to make a move, as he stood still on the other side.
Austin: You think you can do it, Jaune?
Jaune: Yeah. I think-.
Looking down into the ravine, he slowly stopped himself.
Jaune: ...so.
Austin: We got you if you fall short.
Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he took a few steps back before making a mad dash for it. Jumping across, he barely made it as he landed on his knees, his eyes still closed. Tapping him on the shoulder, Weiss stood in front of him and responded, causing him to jump up.
Weiss: Hey.
Jaune: Ah! Oh! I'm uhh.... hehe.
Rolling her eyes, she gave away a small smile as he apologized.
Jaune: Sorry.
Weiss: Come on.
We continued onward, seeing nothing but a few Fallen Vandals here and there.
Ghost: I've marked a suspicious energy signature on your display. Might be worth checking out.
Might as well do so.
Reaching the source of said energy signature, we discovered a small cave. Beside it, a computer terminal lied.
The hell?
Nora: I wonder what all of this is about?
As she began to approached the entrance to the cave, she walked right into an electrified force field. Unable to move, her body began amazing out a bit as it sent electric currents throughout her body.
*TSTSZZZZZZ!*
Nora: AaAaAaAaHhHhHhHh!
Yang: Oh boy...
Ghost.
Ghost came out to hack the terminal, a bit more concerned for her than the rest of us.
Ghost: On it.
Ilia: Nora!
Ren: Ilia, wait.
Ilia: Huh?
Ren: She's not hurt.
Ilia: What?
Nora: AaAaAaAaAaHhHhHh....
She's enjoying it.
The force field finally disappeared as Ghost finished, stopping it's electrocution of Nora. As she fell down, her body slowly began to function much more, only this time with a surge of pink electricity flowing through her.
Ruby: Nora...
Nora: That...was...
Ren: Awesome?
Nora: Meh, it was getting boring.
Ghost: Nora aside, this does seem interesting enough to investigate.
Yang: Then we best get going.
Took the words right out of my mouth.
Entering the cave, Blake began making a revelation as we ended up going in a single file line.
Blake: This, to me, seems like a smuggler's tunnel.
Ilia: Dark, cramped, easy to get lost. Yeah, I can see that, too.
Same here.
Approaching another force field and terminal, I gestured for Yang to do the honors.
Austin: All you.
Yang: Raven.
As her ghost came out to hack the terminal, Ren and Ruby both stopped Nora dead in her tracks.
Nora: Again, again!
Ren: Nora, no.
Nora: Aww! Curse you, cruel world!
Ren: Hehe...
Weiss: Please knock it off. They'll-.
As Raven hacked the terminal, the force field opened up. In the next second, a Dreg came crawling out of nowhere in front of us all. As I drew the Last Word, someone else's bullet made impact with its head, causing it to explode in a blaze of fire.
What the fuck!?
Looking around, Yang put away her Sunshot as Raven went back in her head.
Yang: Well that was a real "Dreg".
Nora: Ba dum, tsssh!
Austin: Heh...
Turning around, I found, to my surprise, Ruby and Weiss both making whipping noises at me while imitating the effect, causing me to deadpan in response.
Weiss: What?
Austin: Nothing.
Weiss: I can make jokes, too.
Austin: Oh I know. It's just depressing when you do it.
Weiss: It's just depressing cause you don't have a comeback for it.
Ghost: That is true.
Crowd: Ooooh.
Austin: Ouch. A heartless fiend, you are.
Seeing her roll her eyes in response, I smirked as we continued onward, killing more Fallen as we exited the cave. There, Ruby began asking.
Ruby: Austin? These don't look anything like the Fallen back on Earth.
Looking back at Ruby and her ghost as they inspected one of the corpses, they pointed out.
Summer: They have a lot more metallic armor plating than their Earth counterpart. And not only that, many of them seem to have some form of giant tumors in them.
Austin: Huh. Ghost?
Ghost: They're right.
Ugh.
Ghost: They seem to be taking a more "Hive" look than any of the other Fallen houses.
Austin: Lovely...
Ilia: That means... what exactly?
Austin: We may have some more guests, aside from the Fallen. Be ready.
As we continued onward, we entered a circular area, filled with rusty, abandoned tech. On the ridge ahead of us stood a larger than usual Archon Priest. Beside him, several different races of Fallen stood, watching over us.
Blake: This looks like a trap.
Austin: More than likely.
Ghost: There!
As my ghost pointed them out, all but the Archon Priest disappeared.
Ghost: On the ridge!
I see that.
Archon Priest: Perhaps you and your little posse will give my children a better fight than your friend, Cayde!
!!!
Jaune: Oh boy.
Weiss: Definitely a trap!
Austin: Get ready!
Nora: Yeah!
Yang: Finally!
*Schklikt, klikt!*
Yang: Some revenge!
Well then. Put me down under both scared and horny.
Ghost: I.... did not just hear that.
You heard nothing.
Only a few Dregs appeared in the middle of the area, prompting everyone aside from myself and Jaune to open fire. Shotgun pellets, pistol rounds, sniper rifle bullets, grenades, and others various pieces of weaponry flew past my head towards them, killing them just as quick as they appeared.
That was quick.
Ghost: Indeed.
Seeing the Archon Priest gone, I rolled my eyes in disbelief as Ghost came out of my head, scanning a destroyed Servitor in the middle of the area.
Great...
Ghost: They're sucking the Ether out of this Servitor, corrupting it.
Austin: Don't jinx us, Ghost.
Yang's ghost came out to respond.
Raven: Someone's hacking into our comms.
Petra's voice came through from Raven.
Petra: You're late.
We all looked at one another in confusion.
Ruby: Petra?
Ren: We're late?
Petra: Yes. And here I thought I'd be hunting down Uldren alone. It seems you've brought your friends.
Austin: Where are you?
Petra: I'm on my way to see an old acquaintance.
Austin: Variks?
Petra: No. Word is, he wants Uldren and his Barons dead just as much as we do.
Ruby: Barons?
Petra: Problem is, the feeling is mutual, so my acquaintance is lying low in a hidden bunker.
Austin: Course he would be.
Petra: I'm sending this ghost the coordinates now. If we wish to see him open up, leave no witnesses behind. Clear the area of the Scorn.
Of course. Wait...
Austin: Give us a few minutes. We'll be right there.
Petra: Good. I'll be waiting.
The Scorn?