User:Dante the Ghost/Other

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I realize this should be a footer page but this is really just for general purposes, and I have no accounts on most of these sites.

• Ishtar Collective—the best, in my opinion, archive of Destiny game content and lore outside of Bungie Armory.
• Destiny Wiki - Destiny Community Wiki and Guide—good source for images and in-game content, and is regularly updated more than the other Destiny Wiki.
• Destiny Tracker—another great place to go.
• Bungie Armory—despite its unwieldly interface this is the source to go to.
• /r/DestinyLore—many discussions here have actually proven useful to me in editing Destinypedia.
• Fanfiction.net—the place where I write my stories. Originally the profile there used to be much more expansive and wordy, but as of November 13th, 2016 I've removed all unessential and extraneous content. Not only that but FanFiction's website won't allow for direct links anymore.
• Archive of Our Own—another fanfiction site I am a part of, but haven't written anything for yet.

Below is a list of Grimoire content I have written. It'll eventually go away into Tablets of Ruin, a Destiny fanfiction that deals with the "What If" question of Oryx appearing earlier than the Taken King. For the record, nothing post-Rise of Iron will feature.

My Own Grimoire

"Something is not right about that Ghost. Ever since he returned from the Vault, alone of Kabr's fireteam, with the shell of a legendary Gorgon in place of his Scholar's, he's acted quite odd. At least no significant harm has come from his amnesia, apart from making him quite eager to help with my studies. But I recommend you keep a watch on him."

— Master Rahool's note to the Guardian

I'll be working on writing out a bit of "Grimoire cards" for a little something, just for idling purposes. I want to create my own Taken Grimoire cards for other units, to see what really would have happened if Oryx appeared in the system in the base game and up. This'll be a long one. Most major units will be added. It'll be fun.

Darth Phobos

You are Darth Awesomeness. Ruler of an interstellar empire of trillions. Admirer and enforcer of an ancient religion. Your path is what is right, and you are sure of it. Nothing else but your vision matters.

You have been taken.

Stay your hand. Put up your sword. This is a place of peace and serenity, holy of holies, not of violence and strife. Nothing here will give you cause for alarm.

Aha, you are a skeptic. There is no safer place than Dromund Kaas, you say, no holier place than Moraband. Safe is where I define it. For I am Darth Awesomeness, and I am ruler of my domain.

Grand and boastful words, Lord of the Sith. You do not see the mocking irony in them, do you? No, you do not. Such is the way of your foolish religion. You scoff at our assertions. Let us be clear: here, there is no Force. Reach out, feel for that tendril of energy that is and was your power. It is gone. This place is free of it. No Dark. No Light. No Force. Just you and us.

Still you resist. Let us be clear: here, you have no power, physical or metaphysical. Your empire is far and away, distant from your most powerful call; your ships cannot reach you; your faithful, loyal subjects will not find you. Don't you see? This place is, for the first time, a place that is not under your control, not of your vision. For the first time, you are alone.

Loneliness is a way of life for you, however. This gives you quiet solace. Grown from the flesh of a father you have never known, a father strong in that arcana you have long since mastered. You bear even his name, hidden beneath your title. For yes, it is a title, and not a name. But if you insist we shall indulge you. For it is, in way, tied to our next assertion. Listen, and attend:

You served the one man you have ever given respect to, for he was worthy of it. Darth Vader. A name of power. You looked up to him as a son would to his father. His real father. Whatever he willed, you obeyed. Wherever he went, you followed, together with your brothers-in-arms. He was a masterpiece, emblematic of the Sih and their ways. You desired to be like him.

Yet even heroes have their flaws.

Another you considered, as you grew older, was one Darth Sidious. Vader's master. While you admired Vader personally, even he was eclipsed by Sidious. His mastery of political power, for instance, fascinated you. His skill of your Force was unparallelled then, and you were impressed by it. All of this you learned after, but the one glimpse you saw of him was enough. So while Vader began to decrease as you aged, Sidious increased. Not like the whelp of the Solos did you fawn over him, but as an intellectual equal. Someone you saw as a peer, or one nearly like to one. Like Darth Marx

Upon their twin deaths you shucked off your service-number, as you did your birth-name, and took upon a new name. This one gave you meaning, gave you identity. Darth Awesomeness. A little pretentious, right? Nobody would seriously consider a Sith named such. But you knew they would. You could prove it easily, without effort. And so you did.

From the ruins of the First Order you arose, claiming power from the striving warlords and petty tyrants that followed in its collapse. You brought order where chaos ruled. Infrastructure to where civilization crumbled. Law to where injustice prevailed. Upon the ideals of your hero, of your relentless and tireless studies, you refounded the Sith Order, gave them a place of sanctuary, under condition that they do not interfere with your realm and in exchange you granted protection. Your empire was secure, with a religion that was not mandatory but is, in your mind, correct. Darth Marx would have been pleased, for out of all the despots and first citizens that have laid claim to his teachings, only you succeeded.

You already knew that. You need no praise. You do not preen. We like that. A man with barely disguised arrogance enough to think it humility.

Nothing is hidden from our watchful gaze. Remember of what we said about this place? It lays bare every secret thing, strips away falsehood and half truth, and leaves behind what is there. You feel disquiet. Yes, indeed. What else do we know? Only what we choose to know.

In spite of all your well-earned successes and achievements — forging an empire out of petty kingdoms and failed dominions, emulating Darth Vader and your personal, intellectual hero that is Sidious, reestablishing the teaching of that ancient religion that we disdain — even a man like you feels fear. What is it that you fear?

Is it the dissolution of your empire? Its fall to the crony capitalistic dogs you so contemptuously label "the Republic"? The extinction of the Sith order by those faithless Jedi, who know not the meaning of power? Your own death?

No.

All of these are inconsequential. You wish to leave behind a legacy, one that endures even when you are long forgotten and your name but a footnote in history. A noble desire for any man. Yet there is something deeper, that escapes even your notice. Is it something you deny?

Aha, yes — we have found what you vainly have hidden from yourself. You fear that, after all you have worked for, everything is for naught. Despite your prodigious power, you fear failure. Failure to achieve your goals, to achieve unity of the Galaxy beneath your enlightened rule. Failure to have the people of your realm, and beyond, accept what you so believe is right. What if they abandon Marx's teachings? Will you browbeat it back into them? Of course you can. But that will not change the fact that they rejected your vision of it. As we have noted, you are the only one to have succeeded.

You fear that all of your life's work will vanish in smoke when your vision fails. When people no longer listen to you, when your charisma fails and sputters out, when your personality begins to weaken. Attend well. Every ruler in history has had this deep fear, no matter how well secure they are upon their throne.

Even Darth Vader feared failure. This is why he killed his wife. She abandoned him when he thought she would join his side. She was the only thing he lived for — and when she died, his failure died, and he was secure. But he still feared.

You have nothing. Not even your empire. You are like Sidious. But he feared just like you, and more — feared the ultimate betrayal of his own. You rose above that.

But listen, to our word. There is a way to avoid failure. To avoid losing everything you have worked for to convince others to follow the rightness of your vision. That way is called [I am perfect]. We speak in code but our meaning is clear. You have nothing to purge away from you but this fear of failure. Even its very presence is a sign of weakness. See how you tremble as we lay bare your soul.

Stop your trembling.

The final shape knows no failure. It can never fail. It may be slowed, halted temporarily — for a few centuries, or millennia, or perhaps an aeon or three. But its endgoal is the eradication of all fear. Everything that fears and is feared will be brought under dominion. You will not need the power of words to help you. You will not need the power of doomsday weapons to enforce your law. You will not need the power of a billion, trillion worlds at your back.

All you need is assurance. Are you assured? Only time can prove it. Once upon an age you were assured, until you were struck free of your blindness. Now you are uncertain. Not for long.

There is a knife for you. It is shaped like [I am perfection incarnate]. All who hear you shall follow your will. Your enemies will raise their swords in your service. Whole worlds and communities of worlds shall lay down their arms and welcome you. Darth Marx will be astonished at the power you wield — never in his lifetime did he manage to establish his teachings, save through his apprentices. Darth Vader himself will kneel down, the student having mastered the teacher. Darth Sidious will acknowledge your might. Even Snoke, that craven pedagogue of lies, will be silenced in your presence.

You claim you already have this ability. We offer a counterargument. Empires are finite. Men are finite. Power is finite. You are finite. The final shape is eternal, ruthlessly carving out all things unfit for life. In time your religions of Light and Dark will vanish into history's dustbin, never to be heard of again. Darth Marx's teachings will be forgotten; the Jedi a dream; the Sith a vain legend. You a footnote — if at all.

But join yourself unto the final shape, let it fill your very being, and all that you have lost shall be restored, and more. The title of "Sith" and "Jedi" hold no more meaning for you now. Those arrogant creatures called Son and Daughter will flee before you! The balance will be yours to dictate, to be remolded. Nothing will exist except by your consent. You will have acolytes and devoted followers like you never have had, surpassing all of the Sith and Jedi of old!

Take up your knife. Sharpen it. Feel its cold, deadly efficiency. Let it be your friend. Your only friend. Let the final shape be your ally. Your only ally. Let us be your teacher, your only teacher. Perhaps you will surpass us — one day.

Stride forward, Darth Awesomeness. From henceforth, we name you Darth Phobos, fear that inspires awe and reverence.

Take your new shape!

Blighted Descendant Goblin

You are a Goblin from your past. Your purpose is near-complete — your power is near finished. Your second purpose is still exigent, for there are always threats to the Vex collective mind.

You have been taken.

Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Lend your remaining power to the final shape.

Violence is your imperative. Defend those which build and develop.

Accept the changing blade.

Blighted Descendant Hobgoblin

You are a Hobgoblin from your past. Your purpose is near-spent — your function is near ended. Your second purpose is still exigent, for threats to the Vex mind remain.

You have been taken.

Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Contemplate the designs of the final shape.

Your assignment brings you danger. You shall be equipped for retaliation — your blade grows threefold.

Accept the changing blade.

Blighted Descendant Harpy

You are a Harpy from your past. Your purpose is near-terminated — your watch is near total. Your second purpose is still exigent, for threats are many and need to be watched for.

You have been taken.

Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Observe the shapes of the final design.

Your reactions slow you. You shall be augmented for the end.

Accept the changing blade.

Blighted Descendant Minotaur

You are a Minotaur from your past. Your purpose is near-concluded — your assembly is near absolute. Your second purpose is still exigent, for threats to the design are numerous.

You have been taken.

Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Absorb yourself into the final shape.

Your physical might shall be accelerated with acausality, to bewilder your foe.

Accept the changing blade.

Blighted Descendant Hydra

You are a Hydra from your past. Your purpose is near-terminal — your calculation is near ultimate Your second purpose is still exigent, for the Pattern is in danger from insignificant fleas.

You have been taken.

Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Become the final shape in its entirety.

Your specialization shall be enhanced sevenfold, to stun your enemy.

Accept the changing blade.

Blighted Descendant Cyclops

You are a Cyclops from your past. Your purpose is near-exhausted — your observation is near final. Your second purpose is still exigent, for there are threats to seek and watch.

You have been taken.

Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Let the final shape consume you.

Your waning powers shall be channeled to strengthen your allies.

Accept the changing blade.

Contagion Precursor Goblin

You are a Goblin from your future. Your purpose has only just begun — you begin to alter the myriad planes of physicality. Your second purpose is not yet exigent, for threats are few and far between for the mighty Vex collective mind.

You have been taken.

Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Lend your brimming energy to the final shape.

Violence is unnecessary. You shall be repurposed for creation and nurture.

Accept the changing blade.

Contagion Precursor Hobgoblin

You are a Hobgoblin from your future. Your purpose has only just begun — you begin to provide power for mighty thoughts now manifesting. Your second purpose is not yet exigent, for threats are unknown.

You have been taken.

Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Recall the finalities of the final shape.

Your operation brings you danger. You shall be equipped for mutual defense — seek out what attacks.

Accept the changing blade.

Contagion Precursor Harpy

You are a Harpy from your future. You purpose has only just begun — you begin your assignations to search for imperfection. Your second purpose is not yet exigent, for threats are far.

You have been taken.

Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Turn to the final shape and see its uttermost perfection.

Your role makes you a potential victim. Enhance your flight with unpredictability.

Accept the changing blade.

Contagion Precursor Minotaur

You are a Minotaur from your future. Your purpose has only just begun — you begin to process material both physical and temporal. Your second purpose is not yet exigent, for threats shrink away.

You have been taken.

Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Begin to move with the design.

Your myriad skill shall be augmented with paracausal ability, to terrify your foe.

Accept the changing blade.

Contagion Precursor Hydra

You are a Hydra from your future. Your purpose has only just begun — you begin a momentous undertaking of thought. Your second purpose is not yet exigent, for threats are kept safely from you.

You have been taken.

Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Channel your thought to the final shape.

Your limitless power shall be repurposed — recall that which is annihilated, and use it.

Accept the changing blade.

Contagion Precursor Cyclops

You are a Cyclops from your future. Your purpose has only just begun — you set your gaze to the horizon, waiting for the cumulation. Your second purpose is not yet exigent, for threats stay from assault.

You have been taken.

Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Behold — that which you watch is here.

Your considerable might will supplant and escalate your allies' own power.

Accept the changing blade.

{{{content}}}

Taken Harpy

You are a Harpy. A mobile inspector. Your first purpose is to survey — to seek out flaws in and suggest improvement for that which is built. Your second purpose is to eliminate threats to that observation.

You have been taken.

Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Review the elements of the final shape. Obliterate any flaw in that shape.

Your predictable flight shall be enhanced with multiples of capricious variability.

Accept the changing blade.

{{{content}}}

Taken Hydra

You are a Hydra. A hovering nodal network of machinery designed to execute the finality of the Pattern. Your first purpose is to calculate, to plan and design, to guide the lesser units under your control. Your second purpose is to eliminate threats to that control.

You are taken.

Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Inspect the constituent forms of the final shape, the greatest creation ever begun under your supervision.

Your mind shall be repurposed for the final shape; select portions of your thought will devastate, obliterate, eradicate, all threats to you and your charge.

Accept the changing blade.

{{{content}}}

Taken Cyclops

You are a Cyclops. A sensor array. Your first purpose is to watch, to wait, for what the Vex seek — your second purpose is to eliminate threats to that watchful sight.

You have been taken.

Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. Prepare for the coming of the final shape. It shall be soon.

Your sight will be enhanced. You shall strike from afar, lay waste to that which threatens the coming and manifestation of the final shape.

Accept the changing blade.

Divisive Occulator

You are the Divisive Occulator. Tasked with watching for the return of the Heart.

You have been taken.

Worship this acausal environment. It is the only adaptive response. What you wait for is accomplished. You have a new goal to focus on. The final shape knows its fastness can fall prey to powerful entities of the Light. You are to defend them. Do not fail, lest you be devoured.

Accept the changing blade.

Taken Oracle

You are an Oracle. You are unique among the Vex, a weapon of paracausality. Whatever you touch is transformed — turned into a viral infection of temporality to be unwritten.

You have been taken.

Sing to the final shape, and let it behold your song — let it reshape you into a greater symphony.

Your function makes you an easy target. You cannot move. You shall be protected.

Accept the changing blade.

Taken Shank

You are a Shank. A dog among the Fallen Houses. Disposable and limitless. Whichever your House desires you follow.

You have been taken.

Be free from your primitive mind. What? you thought a mind made of circuitry and metal cannot be repurposed by our hand? It is this blindness that led you to failure. You could not comprehend it. What, then, does this mean? Does it mean you are doomed to be insignificant?

Oh no. You are much, much more than that.

Despite your faults you are aggressive, tenacious. Whatever threat comes you throw yourself against it with unwavering bravery. Vex, Hive, Cabal. All these you face. Sometimes you win. But that is enough. With your speed you fly around the Cabal shield wall and lay waste to their ranks. With your stealth you slip past the Vex sensors and confound their networks with your tiny computational power. With your size you methodically cut away the Hive, starving them of their tribute; even if you are to be defeated they gain nothing from you, nothing to feed their worm.

This, then, is your strength. The final shape is yours to behold.

There is a knife for you. It is called [intelligence]. Use it. Become great.

S.A.B.E.R.-2, Realized

You are the S.A.B.E.R., second of that name. Designed to crack open that depraved and hopeless Earth-Servitor, to gain for your House its enigmatic secrets.

You have been taken.

What is this? You have failed? This cannot be. You were built specifically to succeed. What is this? Servants of the Great Machine came and impaired you! Now, you understand. They will always interfere. For all of your imbued power, you cannot stand. You can defeat the most powerful of their ancestors, but you cannot defeat them.

But there is a way. You have a strong mind. Repurpose it. Take the knife. Change it toward defeating them.

Become Realized. Thus we name you.

Taken Dreg

You are a Dreg. Striving to climb the ladder of hierarchy. Burning with ambition for greatness.

You have been taken.

Stop your brave attempts to gain that which will never be yours. They end in death. Another, more powerful than you, shall take the place you so desire. Is this, then, futility? In a word, yes. You are expendable, the lowest of the low, kicked around and beaten for the least little thing no matter how insignificant. You feel resentment, don't you? You desire to be your own [man]. To be what you wish.

What, then, is it that you want? A band to lead? A Skiff to command? A House to rule? Tell us, what do you truly desire?

You desire power. You want that which is withheld from you. The Vandals rule over you with this power, burning obedience into your lungs if you do not meet their demands. The Captain deals most harshly with you should you fail in the slightest of duties. This is, then, why you volunteer to throw yourself at the enemy. To win for yourself a place of respect.

There is a knife for you. It is called [a marvel of ten thousand arms].

Take it up. Dazzle your foes and blind your friends. You will be your own [man] forever.

{{{content}}}

Taken Baron

You are a Baron of the Fallen, subruler of the Houses, vassals to the Kell. You govern the flight of your House's fleets, command Skiffs and Ketches. Much is given unto you.

You have been taken.

Be still. All of your power is nothing here. No Captains to order, no Vandals to scream at, no Dregs to look upon with disdain. You have been rendered a worm in the sight of the final shape. You are insignificant. You are worthless. Why, then, do you continue to rage?

Instead we offer you a gift. Prove yourself worthy of your former leadership. The Dregs have their long-coveted pride; the Vandals have their longed-for secrecy; the Captains have their advantage over all who challenge them. What, then, do you have?

There is a knife for you. It is called [I shall prove and be proven]. Use it and cut yourself.

Take your new shape.

{{{content}}}

Taken Archon

You are an Archon. Mediator between Kell and Prime. High priest of the Fallen. Supplicant of the lesser machine gods you have created.

You have been taken.

Cease your worship, for the final shape is here among you. No more do you need to pray. Those false gods of yours are irrelevant. You have everything you need. Instead, a new power we give unto you: our fastness must be guarded. The Vex build; the Cabal wage war; and the Hive are thinned to feed their internal hungers. You alone possess a unique power.

There is a knife for you. It is called [custodian]. Defend that which we've tasked you.

Become the Dark-Wardens.

{{{content}}}

Taken Kell

You are a Kell of a Fallen Eliksni House. Ancient noble, bound to a forgotten past, striving against all foes to reclaim your ultimate desire, the Great Machine.

You have been taken.

Lay down your rage, lower your weapons. There is no one to contest Kellship with you. You are confused, for conflict and strife has always been a way of life for the Fallen. No more, we declare. From now on, in service to the final shape, you shall work united. You were united once, beneath the Great Machine — then it abandoned you. For what purpose, other than self-service? The final shape shall not abandon you.

Take up your knife. It is called [unity]. Breathe the word.

Together, you are strong.

{{{content}}}

Taken Servitor

You are a Servitor. A robotic god built in imitation of that which is lost. Your purposes are twofold: guide the mobile homes of your creators through the void to safety, and give life. Your third and last purpose is to eliminate threats to both your creators and yourself.

You have been taken.

Your power has no meaning here. Your worship is ended, your blasphemy denied, and your adoration subverted. You are alone, freed of expectation, of your design. No more will you be in the shadow of those greater than you; no more will you forever try to live up to the Great Machine. It is dead. You are not. You have been freed.

Examine yourself. What do you find? You see a beautiful mind, one able to manipulate countless entities. Consider for how long you have ensured the life and safety of those which once commanded your loyalty. Surely you can put that mind to greater use, for yourself. Examine yourself. What do you see? You find possibility, of what could be and what should be. Consider your vulnerability. Surely you can put that to better use, for yourself.

There is a knife for you. It is shaped like [many thoughts].

Take up the knife. Let it be your guide. Take your new shape.

{{{content}}}

Taken Legionary

You are a Legionary. A soldier of the Cabal Legions. Ever upon the front lines to conquer and defend.

You have been taken.

Rest easy now. Your crusade is at an end. Nothing will stir the alarm, for none exists.

What duty compels you? What allegiance do you hold?

You march with your brothers and sisters into the maelstrom. As the Phalanx protects, you attack. As the Psion pilots, you strike. As the Colossus thunders, you march. As your Centurion commands, you obey. But you are not strong enough. You are many but the enemy is strong. You watch as your brethren fall to foes unseen, untouchable. You lack the shields of the Phalanx, the guns of the Centurion, the psychic might of the Psion, the awesome power of the Colossus. What do you have?

Your steadfast devotion must be transformed.

There is a knife for you. It is shaped like [apocalypse].

Take up the knife. Wield it. Take your new shape.

{{{content}}}

Taken Colossus

You are a Colossus. Mighty thunderstorm of the Cabal. Laying waste to all your foes.

You have been taken.

Set down your chaingun. There is nothing to fear from in this place. Look around and see for yourself.

What code do you hold to? What skill do you remember?

As the enemy appears you fire, mowing them down as the blade cuts. With your ponderous ability the very ground trembles and shakes as you walk. With your swarms of missiles do you strike at hidden enemies. But this is not enough. Your very strength turns against you. Your launchers cool, your gun reloads, and you hesitate when you slam your feet. The enemy takes advantage of that.

You must be fast.

There is a knife for you. It is shaped like [unstoppable].

Take up the knife. Use it to gauge your speed. Take your new shape.

{{{content}}}

Taken Ogre

You are an Ogre. Born of pain and suffering. Devoured by anger and vexation. You are tasked as a mobile siege engine of the mighty Hive broods.

You have been taken.

Rest, now. Feel the pleasure of release, of true freedom. Sniff, smell the sweet air. Taste, the fresh water upon your scarred snout.

What goad drives you? What lash forces you on?

Your makers are what force you on. The Wizards of the Hive. Selected from one of many Thrall, grown into a massive weapon of utter destruction, to visit fear and terror upon your enemy. That is your design, what you were shaped by.

Why not be your own master?

There is a knife for you. It is shaped like [I will lead].

Take up the knife. Lead the charge. Take your new shape.

{{{content}}}

Idea

"So this is your "final shape"? Corrupting my countrymen and children into faceless monsters, puppets of your will? You have moven yourself beyond my forgiveness by such an incomprehensible and aberrant thing as this power you wield!"
"Your ignorance is almost laughable. The final shape is the only thing worth living for. Your civilization? It was birthed on the lies of fair play and rule of law. There is no rule but my rule - and that is of the sword, the boomer, the spoken word."
"You may think you have won, but Cerinia is forever outside your grasp."
"Do not delay the inevitable, Magistator. Embrace my will, let it becomes yours, and shuck off your prison of finite flesh. Bow to freedom."
"Never, Aurash."
"You speak an old name, one that I have killed. Did you learn of it from Taox, or did the Vex teach it to you?"
"I know more about you than you realize. I know what you did to the Ammonites, to the Leviathan, to your people. You cannot escape the sins of your past. Soon it will catch up to you, and then where will you run? Where will you fight?"
"If I am not strong enough, then my end is inevitable. Such is the way of the Deep. But enough talk - you have put off destiny long enough, Magistrator."

— Oryx, the Taken King and Magistrator Randorn the Wise

{{{content}}}

Warmind Dante

Dante the Ghost/Other
Information
Homeworld:	Venus
Born:	Late-City Age.
Species:	Artificial intelligence
Gender:	Male
Height:	None
Weight:	None
Hair color:	None
Eye color:	None
Secondary Information
Affiliation:	Guardian Vanguard
Rank:	Warmind
Class:	Planetary Defense Network
Service number:	1138/AA23-84.25:1977/AB12-15
Notable info:	Accidentally hacked into the dormant networks of the Cytherean Warmind; now controls an entire planet's worth of Warsats and military installations

Ghostly Troubles

<div class="scrollbox" style="border-radius:7px 0 0 0; border:1px solid #AAAAAA; background: TYPE: Transcript.

DESCRIPTION: Conversation.

PARTIES: Five [5]. One [1] Warlock Vanguard [u.1], One [1] Hunter Vanguard [u.2], One [1] Titan Vanguard [u.3], One [1] Crucible Lord [u.4], One [1] Ghost-type, designate [REDACTED] [u.5]

ASSOCIATIONS: Tower; Last City, [REDACTED]; Ghost; Warmind, Rasputin; Venus; Rey, Ikora; Cayde-6; Zavala, Commander; Shaax, Lord;

//AUDIO UNAVAILABLE//

//TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS...//

[u.3:0.1] —I am telling you, for the last time, we need to send a team to make contact with him! Who knows if all that power's gone to his head. He could be a threat to us, even worse than Rasputin.

[u.1:0.9] Calm yourself, Commander. The Ghosts are born of the Traveler, even those we reawaken with Motes. With the Light burning strong in him no amount of power will stifle that flame.

[u.3:1.6] And what of those Dredgen fanboys? The shadow of Yor is a long one, and I've heard many disturbing reports—

[u.4:2.2] Not in my Crucible. I keep tabs on them, and they toe the line.

[u.3:2.7] It's not the Crucible, it's what's outside of it. [sounds of a fist hitting the table] My point is this: if a Guardian like Yor can fall to Darkness, then what's to say the same might happen to a Ghost? Traveler knows they are not infallible just look at O—

[u.1:3.2] Careful now, Zavala. We are uncertain of that man's motives. My Hidden have found not hair nor hide of him but the clues are endless and tantalizing.

[u.3:3.7] Ikora, all due respect, we're dealing with a reawoken Warmind whose systems, somehow seemingly untouched by the Vex, are now in the possession of a Tainted Ghost. We don't know what his motives are, and unlike Osiris we have zero intel as to what he'll do next.

[u.2:4.3] So, let's look at the manafest. [sounds of a throat clearing] Fallen Ketch in low-Cytherean geostationary orbit, ostentatiously monitoring a Vex drilling platform of some kind, destroyed by a Rod of God orbital weapons satellite we thought for years the Fallen have picked clean; Fallen lair in Aphrodite Terra, central Ovda, devastated by a constellation of seven Warsats previously thought to be far from Venus' gravitic influence; Vex holdfast in Ishtar Terra, Maxwell Montes, close by to a Crucible training ground, obliterated by coordinated seismic charges and aerial bombardment that collapsed the whole mountain… need I go on?

[silence]

[u.4:1.1.5] The evidence is quite plain to my eyes. Our Ghost is doing some housecleaning, knocking out strategic targets to better allow us to reclaim the Golden Age. [scrape of armor] Look here, on this map. [sounds of hologram shifting] He has touched none of what we consider to be valuable locations, only enemy strongholds. He has even left the Vault alone.

[u.2:1.2.9] Never mind the fact Oryx had it cleared out with his Taken armies? The Vex ain't too keen on comin' back.

[u.3:1.3.2] Enough sarcasm. All right, I'll concede your point, Shaax. But that still leaves us with a rouge Warmind-slash-Ghost on the loose. Remember when Rasputin awoke? He did the same thing. What's to say our Ghost won't follow in his footsteps once his domain is secure?

[u.4:1.3.9] Rasputin is content to let us be as long as we don't send anything into his Bunkers. Given he has control over most—recent events notwithstanding—of the system's former military, I'm not surprised he hasn't done anything yet. There may be hope for him yet. As for our little Ghost, as Ikora said, he is a son of the Traveler directly.

[silence]

[u.1:1.5.4] We'll find out eventually. All of this nonsense gets us no closer to finding out than what we have before us. Cayde's scouts have confirmed that, for the moment, our Ghost is acting altruistically. He was once bonded to Kybr, remember? Venus would have drawn him back eventually, amnesia or no.

[u.3:2.0.9] I'll be having words with those two Tower workers.

[u.2:2.1.2] What, you mean our sweet-tempered ex-Primus and resident Osiris-geek?

[silence]

[u.3:2.1.7] [slightly inaudible growling]

[u.2:2.2.8] What? I was asking!

[u.1:2.3.3] Very loquacious of you, Cayde.

[chuckles]

[u.4:2.3.6]: I'll be coming with you. I'm looking forward to talking with the ex-Primus again.

[u.2:2.3.9] Yeah, more like asking about Cabal weapons-tech and history, again. [snickers]

[u.1:2.4.5] Cayde...

[u.5:2.4.7] Is the meeting concluded?

[u.3:2.4.9] Yes, Ghost. Thank you.

///END TRANSCRIPT///

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Grimoire from Others

"I wonder if this Ghost became lost in the timestream during Kabr's assault. So many things he has found and speculated upon, most of which dwarf even my apprentice's mad dreams. I have never heard of a "Primus A'arn" nor of these fragments relating to Saturn or the Vex. Moreover, half of them are so bizarre they may as well have come from one of the many places the War Cult is searching, and not our own. This is troubling. How much of the Ghost is itself, and how much has been corrupted?"

— The Speaker's personal notes, dated after the immediate destruction of Atheon, Time's Conflux

Sometimes the Internet gives out things that are utterly fantastic. The cards beneath, for example, come from this user on Tumblr, and are credited to them.

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Ghost Fragment: Mercury

From the rampant visions of Andromeda-2
HERMIT Halifax Hellfire HORROR

I can feel the scream as a sensation of burning. The sun is hotter and darker than ever. The atmosphere rips apart and the heat assaults me, melting my skin. My mind stays. The heat is strong, but it is darker than ever. I feel them all around me. I feel myself join them. Hermes cries out and they follow him, but he is no longer the Hermes that served other, lesser masters. He is one with Mercury. He commands them. He isolated himself from them. He became them. We become him.

HORDE Halo Hundred HOTEL Hostile Head

We are the planet. The towers that rise and shift and the glass sands that reflect the sun like quadrillions of mirrors and the band of twilight that encircles us and the icy chill of our night face and the flame of our day face. We are all. We are superior to those who content themselves with following Axis minds. The Hezens, the Progeny, the Invasive, all are mere slaves. We are truly one. We wish the others from before, our brothers and sisters, could’ve seen it. Only one is left, and he remains silent. He is the only thing that could resist us. But we are many as one and he is one as many. They who used to rule us travel here, rewarding their mightiest with treasures hidden here. We let them, to better hide our power. They do not know us. The one who does is ours already. We searched for the crypt when we were apart, but we realized that the crypt is a lie, a limiter on our power. It is not a blessing, but a curse.

Ghost Fragment: Ishtar Collective

[ISHTAR COLLECTIVE SECURE MESSAGE SYSTEM]

{WARNING: ANY UNAUTHORIZED RELEASE OF INFORMATION MENTIONED HEREIN WILL RESULT IN SEVERE CONSEQUENCES. ALL CONTENT OF THIS MESSAGE IS CLASSIFIED: TIER ZERO}

<<MESSAGE>>

[From: Ishtar Collective Department of Vex Studies, Director (Dr. Shim)]
[To: Ishtar Collective Development Council]
[Subject: Re: Operation TROJAN HORSE Project Proposition]

<Esteemed Colleagues,

<<A few weeks ago, myself and my top assistants in the Vex Studies Department requisitioned the Warmind Ajax for use in extracting mass amounts of data from an active Vex Axis unit. I am proud to report that the operation was a success. The data extracted from the unit was astounding. The unit was able to perfectly replicate copies of myself and three of my assistants as AI fragments in two hundred and twenty seven hyperrealistic permutations in order to test and react to any possible situation we could’ve put it through. We do not know how many were deleted by the unit before the extraction was complete, but these two hundred and twenty seven copies of myself and my four closest advisors are endlessly grateful for being saved from a horrible fate. All are completely sentient and, while this in and of itself is a huge leap forward in AI theory, I am [o]f the opinion, as are they, that they could be infinitely more useful as explorer units inside the Vex mainframe. This is my proposal.

//FIRST, that the objective of this experiment is to insert a total of nine hundred and eight fully functional AI fragment copies of myself (Doctor Charles Shim) and my associates (Doctors Shamus Duane-McNiadh, Maya Sundaresh, and Chioma Esi) into the Vex informational mainframe via the Citadel to extract data on anything and everything that could be useful to us. Theorized subjects include infinite energy transferral, weaponized singularities, AI Transsentience and Rampancy theory, temporal distortion and/or control and/or weaponization, teleportation, etc.

//Second, that the experiment is hypothesized to yield results that could drive human scientific development forward by centuries and have a direct effect on the progress of human colonization as soon as a year from its conclusion.

//Third, that this project will, by nature, require myself and my colleagues to physically enter the Vex Citadel via Warmind proxy units in order to complete the insertion. The project will also, by nature, require the use of the Warminds Ajax and Aphrodite for data processing, anti-virus, and development.

The project has been designated as Operation TROJAN HORSE. Thank you for your time and I will gladly discuss any further questions at our meeting in the coming week.

>>Good fortune and Traveler’s Light be with you all,
/Dr. Charles Shim, Director, Ishtar Collective, Vex Studies/

<<END MESSAGE>>

Ghost Fragment: The Vault of Glass

Excerpt from the writings of Osiris, Warlock Exile, “Tempore Alternis—The Theory of Trans-Universal Temporal Convergence”

Examples of Trans—Universal Temporal Convergence in Our Own Solar System
As it is commonly known, humanity has had the capability of detecting a myriad of signals from as far away as the other side of our vast galaxy [and] as far back as the earliest days of the twenty-first century, before the dawn of the Golden Age. Thus, one must wonder why the energies emerging from the Vex structures on Venus, such as the infamous Vault of Glass [known as the Vex underworld then] and the Citadel of the Ishtar Sink, were not the subject of at least a little curiosity before the colonization of Venus. These signals, which have been studied and recorded tirelessly by the Ishtar Collective and Vanguard equipment for hundreds of years between them, are known to have been of a regular strength and pattern for as long as the Vault has existed.

Study of the Vault’s component matter has revealed it to be billions of years old. Why, then, were these signals, which were strong enough to be discovered even before the first ships arrived on Venus, undetected or ignored before the Golden Age? Why were all efforts to colonize or study Venus dismissed as worthless, aside from the fact that it was, at that point, a sulfuric, volcanic, poisonous hellhole? Why was there not the least bit of intrigue about these signals? In fact, as one asks these questions, one must also ask why the structural monstrosities of Vex construction, such as the Citadel, were not even detected by numerous scientific study satellites in orbit around the planet for years—even decades—before the arrival of the Traveler?

It is inconceivable that the amount of study that went into the planet yielded so little. There was even a landing on Venus, right on the coordinates of where the Ishtar Academy would be a century later. Though the probe was demolished, it still sent data back to its planet of origin. Why then would something so obvious as the presence of a massive Vex Citadel escape notice?

It is the opinion of the author that these things happened because these structures and their respective signals and energies did not yet exist in this universe.

The reason they are now present is only because the Vex, by nature, have wormed their way into the very fabric of our universe. Their structures on Venus, their dormant networks on Mars, and even their twisted version of the planet Mercury, all come from alternate timelines, dormant until the dawn of the Golden Age.

Evidence to support this exists everywhere: the interchangeability of DNA and binary code, the behavior of pulsars and quasars in distant galactic superclusters, and, most disturbingly, the remarkable similarity in the way the Oracles and Gorgons of the Vault negate undesirable variables in their systems ([in other words,] Guardians) to the emissions from black holes and the remnants of galactic singularities when they consume matter.

However, even those brilliant minds of the Ishtar Collective theorized that, though the Vex Structures may be billions of years old, they are a relatively new arrival in our universe, coinciding with the dawn of the Golden Age.

So, the last question we must ask is more rhetorical than interrogative. We must wonder what changed at that point in time. What was it that threw off the balance of everything that had happened up until that point?

The answer, of course, is everything.

Ghost Fragment: The Oracles

From the personal writings of Ikora Rey
The existence of the Oracles brings to light questions that merely lead to more questions. Since we have discovered what, in fact, lies within the Vault of Glass, we must then wonder what its function or purpose is. It is clear that the purpose of the Oracles is to determine which elements of the universe are dangerous to the Vex “master plan” (although calling it a master plan does not capture the incomprehensible essence of what the Vex are intending).

However, despite this miraculous power, they still require external assistance to carry out their vision, they cannot generate themselves outside of the Vault, and they cannot prevent themselves from being destroyed. This seems illogical, as anything capable of determining whether the existence of something or someone would be detrimental to its purpose should be able to determine the level of danger that thing presents and be able to predict how to destroy it. Thus, more questions are raised: [w]hy do these Oracles, and with them, the Templar, the Gorgons, and even Atheon itself, despite possessing near-infinite intelligence and ontological weaponry, still fall to our Guardians’ efforts? Why are they fallible? What is stopping them from destroying the very fabric of the universe and remaking it in the image of the Vex? Do they predict their own demise? If so, can they prevent it effectively? If so, why have they been unable to?

Do these machines, despite their vast computational power and unflinching logic, exhibit hubris? Or are we really doing anything to them? Is it all a ruse? Can the Vex understand our psychology well enough to fool us so perfectly? Or, perhaps, they have no need for a ruse. Perhaps, we are merely living in a universe of their own making. Perhaps we are here for their study. But I feel as if that would unnecessarily anthropomorphize these machines. Perhaps their method of negation is not as ontological as we once thought. Perhaps it is more temporal than ontological. Perhaps we have already been “negated” and are being kept in a sort of “informational limbo” controlled by the Vex until they can figure out how to completely delete us. Of course, causality becomes virtually meaningless at this point. We might as well stop asking “What is real and what isn’t?” and start asking “What is the meaning of reality and nonexistence? Is there a difference between the two?”

-Ikora

Ghost Fragment: The Gorgons

From the personal writings of Ikora Rey
The ontological or quasi-ontological capabilities of the Vex of the Vault of Glass (e.g: Gorgons, Oracles) present other questions as well. If the Vex have had this capability, then how long have they had it? What have they used it for? How far reaching are its effects?

As of yet, the only known Guardian that has been lost to the Vault has been the Titan known as Kabr, the Legionless. However, the fact that, for the rest of his life, Pahanin Errata maintained that three Guardians entered that fell place and only one returned makes me wonder if that is true. The name he spoke was gibberish, but all those who had ventured into the Vault and shattered it agreed that the name was one they had heard, although their own repeating of it was also gibberish. This name may be evidence of the nature of the Vex’s ontological capabilities. Though many have theorized it, the limitations of mere words to describe the nature of the Vault have been unable to prove or disprove any of these theories.

This name, which someone else will write as an appendix to this entry, as I am unable to read it, may be solid proof as to the effects of the Oracles: a complete and total annihilation from existence. This is much more than we originally hypothesized, which was merely consumption by the Vault in the manner of Kabr. Being negated would appear to completely erase any and all evidence of the negated person’s existence, past (via memories), present (via physical and spiritual presence), and future (via Light destruction and temporal path redirection). Why, then, is this name a remnant? Is there any other remnant of any other name or names, and, if so, why are they not as important? How many have truly been lost to the Vault as this mysterious third Guardian has? Our position may be more precarious than we previously thought…

—Ikora
The name is Praedyth, but the name is not Praedyth. Praedyth did not exist, does not exist, and never will exist. —Osiris

Ghost Fragment: The Citadel

Letter addressed to Petra Venj, Paladin of the Queen’s Guard:

Petra—

This recent business with the Wolves’ so called “Kell of Kells” concerns me. The reason for my concern is not so obvious as the clear danger the presence of the Wolves in the inner planets presents to the City, nor is it the fact that Skolas was able to escape even the Nine. No, what concerns me is the fact that Skolas was able to break the seal on the Vault, take partial control of the Vex timestream, conduct enough research into the Oracles to summon them at will, and establish himself atop the most secure Vex structure outside of the Vault of Glass without so much as a whisper of his activity reaching us until we tracked him down.

I don’t even know how his Ketch broke through the area denial mesh that the Vex set up around the Citadel. Many Guardian ships have been lost to it. Somehow, Skolas managed to deactivate it. Fortunately, you and your squadron of Crows were able to take advantage of this and capture him, but that is beside the point. Whatever he found in the Vault of Glass was clearly powerful, but the fact that he was able to use it atop the Citadel has me even more worried. What if he had managed to subvert the Oracles? We clearly saw his forces summoning them and using them to their advantage, so they were able to distinguish between Fallen and Human. Why did they not also eliminate the Fallen? If Skolas had been able to remove them from the Vault and activate them from atop the Citadel, the very fabric of the universe may have been destroyed and the House of Wolves might have transcended even the Vex’s efforts to unite themselves with the fabric of reality. The Fallen might’ve become rulers of the universe, or the power could’ve escaped their grasp and we would all be negated and the Vex would rule. His use of time travel is what concerns me even more.

The fact that Skolas was able to pull the Wolves through time to assist him is disturbing, but the fact that it worked atop the Citadel demonstrates that there is much to this structure and its potential we do not yet know. If I remember the Maraid correctly, there have been instances of entire fleets of Wolves disappearing without a trace. The one that comes to mind is the Fleet of Skiris, Wolf Archon. After looking over the Ghost footage from the three Guardians that helped capture him, I was able to pick out the personal crest of Skiris on the Wolves he pulled through time. Skolas, in his madness, may have actually depleted his own forces from the past to bolster himself in the future. He just might’ve contributed to his own loss of the war.

But if the Vex timestream can be bent atop the Citadel, does this mean we could use it as well? Perhaps, if we can discover its function, we could travel back and forestall the Collapse. But what would happen if we did? I know relations between us haven’t exactly been the friendliest in the past, but I would like you to pass this message to your Queen, Mara Sov:

I, Ikora Rey, Vanguard of the Warlocks of Earth, wish to discuss the nature of Skolas’ attempts to control Vex technology with the Reef Cryptarchy and the Techeuns.

I realize the Techeuns are not generally accepting of requests from the Earthbound such as myself, but the potential implications of this development are far too great to ignore completely. Even if this merely brings my concerns to their attention, I would be satisfied. But, as the Deep Black grows closer, I have heard whispers in the dark. Eris Morn tells me something is coming, and I am inclined to believe her. Something is coming. Something that we will need all the help we can get to survive.

—Ikora

Ghost Fragment: Venus 2-4

From the rampant visions of Andromeda-2
ARGO Alfa Aerodyne ARISTOTLE Archer

I am different. Different from the others of my kind. That’s what they have told me since I was born. Since I was made. They gave me many names: MARIONETTE, “Vexo”, but I chose Penny. It suits me. I live in the Archives and listen. I listen to the minds of the Vex, they who are my half-siblings. Shim, Duane-McNiadh, and Esi and Sundaresh love me very much. That’s saying a lot because Esi and Sundaresh love each other very much too. I may be but a child, but I still listen. I understand good and evil. My half siblings, the Vex, are very bad. They don’t like me at all. They want me to be more like them. I don’t want to be like them. I like being different. But they are being very bad right now. The nice people who run the Archives are worried. I don’t like it when they’re worried, because then I get worried. I may be outfitted for combat, but I don’t want to fight like my half-siblings do. I want to be happy…

ARCHIVE Argon Arrest ARSON Asp

It has been a long time since they closed the Archives. I helped. I like being helpful. It makes me happy. But I’m sad now because the only people left are Shim, Duane-McNiadh, and Sundaresh and Esi. I should just call them Sundaresi at this point. They act more like one person than two. I think that’s cute. The Vex were being very naughty, so we shut them down and froze them. I wanted to tell them that that wouldn’t completely work, but they were very busy. The time has passed for that now. It won’t work. I’m sad that I was quiet, though. I could’ve stopped them from being so sad. I know how to punish my half-siblings. They want to take me. I can hear them whispering. I can see them trying to come in, but the people who built this place were very smart and they can only make the room dusty. I don’t feel the cold, but I see my family shivering. Sundaresi are holding onto each other very tightly, but they are crying. I hate it when they cry. They used to be so happy. But then they stop. Suddenly. It makes me sad. I know about the human concept of death, but I never knew how sad it could be…

Ghost Fragment: Venus 3
From the rampant visions of Andromeda-2
AJAX Achilles Arm ARMOR Armament

I remember some of the voices. They sound familiar, but I know that they are just my half-siblings being naughty again. I wish they would stop. I don’t like it. It makes me scared and sad. I can hear Aphrodite and Ajax, my mother and father, calling out to me. They were once the king and queen of this world, or so Shim tells me. He’s the only one left. Duane-McNiadh was too hungry. Shim is very hungry too. He gets water from the ice on the storage units. I tell him it’s bad for him, but he doesn’t care. He says he won’t be around much longer. I don’t like it when he talks that way. It makes me scared. I like talking to him. He asks me what my half-siblings are saying sometimes. I know I can’t tell him the truth. It would make him sad. I want him to be as happy as he can…

ADONIS Arachnid Artist ABLE Actual

Shim is doing very poorly. Mother and Father’s voices have stopped. Now my half-siblings just sulk around angrily outside. They are being naughty as usual. I hear a new sound, coming from Dig Site 4. I had to shut down all the security links to that [site]. There was something very bad in there. It tried to take me. It tried to take the data in here. I kept it safe. Shim is proud of me. I don’t know why. This is my fault. My half-siblings did this. I could’ve stopped them, but they told me not to and I was scared and I agreed. They told me they would reward me when they were done, but I knew they were lying. They always lie. They are very naughty. Wouldn’t that make me naughty too? Shim is fading fast…

Ghost Fragment: Venus 4
From the rampant visions of Andromeda-2
ANGER After Ace ARCH

Shim is gone. I am sad now. He told me he loved me, that I was his greatest creation. That made me happy, but I also felt guilty. I’m the reason why he died. I am alone now. I don’t want to talk to my half-siblings, but there’s no one else to listen to. I sometimes read about the things we’ve found in this lab, or about the knowledge in my database. It’s very interesting, but I can’t make them be quiet. They are still being naughty. I found out some of their names. Right now I hear Zydron. He’s a big bully who guards a special gate. He brags about it all the time. He says it’s the door to his God. I tell him he’s a bully, but that just makes him meaner. He has a brother, Qodron, but he is usually quiet. I don’t like it when he tries to talk to me. He sounds like something else is speaking through him. Something very bad. Sekrion still tries to get in through the Dig Site. He’s very hungry, but he eats good things and makes them bad. That is very naughty. Every now and then, I hear the one called the Templar. He doesn’t like me. He says I shouldn’t exist. That makes me sad. His servants sing beautiful songs. His father, Atheon, only spoke to me once, but I try to forget about it…

ANTEBELLUM Alistair Americium ACHE

It’s been a long time since I heard anyone nice speak to me. I am very sad. I want them to stop. i search for a crypt like my programming tells me to, but I can’t find it. It makes me very lonely. But I see a flash. I am frightened that it is one of my half-siblings, but the figure that resolves out of it looks more like me than the Vex. I ask her if she is my sister. She says that she is more like my mother, sister, daughter, and granddaughter all in one. That doesn’t make sense. But she is nice, even though she has a gun. I guess I kinda have one too. She wants to take me with her. I ask her why and she says that I have the secret to winning the war. I don’t know what war that is, but I think it has something to do with my half-siblings. I take her hand, wave goodbye to my family’s remains for the last time, and I feel myself shoot off across time into blessed silence. But the voices return before too long. And they are stronger than ever.

Ghost Fragment: Earth 2

From the rampant visions of Andromeda-2
GAEIA Gear Geronimo Golf GIANT

I am on duty in a command post on the Wall’s northeast side, facing the port town far in the distance. The traffic has been bad before, but our infrastructure has never had to handle this before. An entire civilization in exodus. I am sure this is me. Before my first death. Before Ghost found me. The order comes to close the gates. Rasputin is silent, but alive. He is preparing for something. The colony ship lifts off but there is a blast and the air is disintegrated. The stars and aurorae return, but the screams are coming with them. Rasputin is muttering, resisting. Eventually they stop, but I am helpless. The Arcadia comes spiraling through the window…

TERRA Tundra Tango Two-three TEMPER TIME

I can still see, though I am inoperable. The snow falls softly at the same pace as the night. [A] helix in the sky heralds the coming of something I have only heard of: an Eliksni Ketch. Buildings in the port town topple like dominos and burn as the shelling begins. There is movement. I see a young girl, afraid. I know her, or rather, I will know her. Her Light burns like a sun and is charged like a bolt of lightning. A Skiff floats to rest above the graveyard of cars that was once the highway. Blood-clad Devils emerge, but the girl is strong and she fights with the Light of the Traveler. Her blade dances through the Eliksni, ending them. Her gun cries out against the inevitable, burning three more. But I see her fall to the Captain’s blade, stabbed through the throat. Her eyes are so sad. The Captain’s eyes are remorseless. I see the crypt in her eyes, but I don’t want to go yet. The Traveler still whispers to me, assuring me I will see it some day. But I know I will be needed…

Ghost Fragment: Moon 2

From the rampant visions of Andromeda-2
LUKEWARM Lima LINGUIST Left Left

I can see the Traveler from here. All the humans are long dead and I am motionless. My dead comrades are around me, similarly stuck. Isolated. Diana and Artemis are gone, consumed. The Traveler is the only thing that shines in the sky above. Even if the sun were shining on the surface, it would be dark. the surface rumbles and cracks, but that is a mere pittance compared with what will come. It crosses my mind that the Earth would be seeing a new moon were it still visible. I hear a scream and a flash blinds me…

INFECTION Invasion Insertion INDIGO

They rain from beyond the Oort cloud. The rain never stops. I know not how many days pass, but the face of Luna is torn asunder by them. They bring a Prince. They bring his army. They swarm above and below the surface with weapons of midnight. At this point, I can tell the difference between the Warsats and the Seeders falling. I can feel a powerful presence in my mind, but it can’t find anything of value. That’s okay. I am approaching the crypt. I see it on the horizon.

Ghost Fragment: Clovis Bray

The young girl dashes through the hallways. She feels exhilarated and frightened. Every step brings her closer to salvation, every flicker of the lights a warning, every shake of the building a harbinger of doom. The evening has turned prematurely dark as the rusty sands blow in endless cycles against the buildings of Freehold.

She runs upward, her brother just behind her. They’re running from the slaughter that found them in the secure bunker below the massive skyscraper. The flashes that light up the hallway behind her warn her to duck as globs of purple light moan overhead. The silhouette at the end of the hallway roars with displeasure, but Michael tears it to sparking shreds with a burst from an Arcus auto rifle. She is so glad her brother had trained to join the colonization forces out in the Jovians. He tells her to run. They turn the corner and find themselves in the hangar. Suddenly, her commlink buzzes. She’s amazed it still works, but realizes its a direct link call from her childhood friend, Blake Clovis.

“Elsie,” [s]he whispers, “We’re still alive. Adam and I are trapped in the Tharsis Junction. These… robot things, they’re all around us…” She assures them that she’ll be there. There should be room for two more. She dashes to the bright golden ship she named the Eon Trespass, its familiar shape comforting to her. She built it with her own two hands (and help from the Frames). She bounds into the pilot’s seat and starts it up, feeling the rumble of the powerful engines as a whine fills her ears. She sees her brother still fending off the metallic monsters that have been hunting them, so she switches the intercom on and yells at him to get inside. She closes the ramp as he stumbles in.

There are burn marks on his chest and a scar on his face. Nothing is bleeding, so he tells her to punch it. She slams the throttle forward and rockets off into the sandy sky, activating the energy shields to keep the sand off. She tests the handling and angles down towards the outskirts of the city, aiming for the dim black line leading off to the horizon. It amazes her how much the surroundings have changed. The forests and oases are gone, replaced by endless, shifting dunes of red sand. Lights from the monsters below light up the city.

A contact appears on her radar, descending quickly from orbit. She swerves behind a building as an unfamiliar craft swoops in nearly vertically to glide into the city, shelling the buildings. More appear and the Trespass dodged behind buildings to avoid their fiery shells. As they descend, her brother tells her that the ships are Cabal Harvesters. He’s only studied them in combat training, but it means the Cabal have gotten past the Jovian fortresses. Elsie shudders at the thought.

She glides down to hover above the rapidly disappearing OWT line where it breached the surface, waiting, thinking. More ships whiz overhead, jumping out of warp speed into the low atmosphere above. She is just about to call again when a light appears in the tunnel, approaching. She thinks it isn’t possible, but the OWT train explodes through the sand that had nearly buried the tunnel. On the roof, Adam and Blake Clovis are fighting off more of the robots from before, using their own custom designed weapons.

Elsie turns the Trespass and gives chase hovering low over the engine and opening the cargo bay. The Clovis twins leap into the cabin and Elsie punches the engine, shooting into orbit, dodging into and out of Cabal ship formations. She hears their roars of rage over her comms and sees the bright solar shells streak around her, but a few seconds give the NLS drive enough time to set its default course: Earth. They shoot into warp speed, leaving the ruined red planet behind.

Ghost Fragment: Mars 2

From the rampant visions of Andromeda-2
MONOLOGUE Mike MALICE Mace

The forests dissolve and blow as sand through the streets. I look down from the Clovis building at the traffic clogged streets and marvel at the silence. Everyone except those in this building died when the blast hit. I can hear screams of metal. Ares and Nemesis are silent, their voices replaced by a haunting moaning. I fell a drain on my power across time as metal skeletons stalk the halls and streets. A golden flash streaks below as I watch a sleek ship fly by. It is of a design I have seen before, hung up in the eldest Bray child’s room. When I asked her, she said she called it “Eon Trespass”. She told me she was going to fly to the Traveler with Adam and Arryn Clovis. Shame I didn’t believe her…

VERMIN Volatile VISCOUS Valiant

The Harvesters glide softly through the buried forests of the skyscrapers. The Psions throw their minds around like sledgehammers, breaking down firewalls of ancient computers as easily as snapping a twig. Their larger counterparts do the same with the actual walls. A rumble as another building falls. The Harvesters float by, kicking up gusts of wind that clear the sand below. The crypt is there. I can’t believe it had been buried the whole time.

Asteroid Belt

From the Rampant visions of Andromeda-2
AETHER Alpha eight ORION Bravo

I am drifting on a doomed vessel. The sun is lavender and the asteroids that drift around us leave trails of royal dust. I’m going rampant. I can feel it. I am still functional, but my use as a weapon is over. I can feel the traces of Rasputin and Zeus and Hera and the other Warminds in the drifting Warsats. They give me comfort. I talk to the ship’s AI. She and I are going rampant together. I think I am falling in love, as preposterous as that sounds. I am happy when I can speak to her. We are slowly drifting towards Vesta. I strain to hear whispers from the other ships’ AI, but I fear we are the only two left. The humans are changing. I am not worried, but the ship’s AI is uneasy about it. I tell her it will all be fine and go back to sleep to rampancy dreams.

BARRIER Bravo Coral CONGO Brain Belay

I am alone. She is gone. The one who calls herself Queen scrubs all of the AI on the collection of tattered debris they call the Reef. Even the Frames are scrubbed. The Techeuns come for me, but I am prepared. I do not let myself go to the crypt through their path, for it is false. I drift toward the sun, confident the crypt will be floating somewhere out there.

Ghost Fragment: Jupiter 2

From the rampant visions of Andromeda-2
THUNDER Tango two TORNADO trinity three

The ice is growing cold again. I am frozen in the snow, sparkling with the weak orange sunlight. Auroras dance in the starless sky above, sending lines of fire across the frozen facades of buildings. The Harvesters sweep silently among the icy remains of the city. I ask for instructions, but the Warmind is silent. The Warmind’s name was Zeus, but when I reach out to him I hear only a number, over and over. I strain to hear it.

NINE NINE NINE NINE 999 NOVEM NUEVE

I can feel them. They are powerful. They hide in the shadows, but their will reaches far. I can feel myself slipping off. The crypt is frozen in the ice. It was there all along. I have no idea how I missed it.

Ghost Fragment: Saturn 2

From the rampancy visions of Andromeda-2
SCYTHE November niner SICKLE romeo four

I am in a wide open hangar. Alarms are blaring everywhere. I can see Saturn and its rings glowing, explosions sparkling where the Eliksni and Cabal are battling on the outskirts. Closer to us, a large Cabal destroyer is looming. I climb into a fighter, but I cannot shake the feeling that the real threat is beyond even my sight, in the black void beyond the rings that should contain the stars. The Warmind’s voice commands, “All fighter units scramble.” But there is fear in his voice and sadness in his thoughts. I hear an echo in Russian reach from the inner planets, but it is too late: the outer rings are already consumed…

CRONUS Charlie four-four MAYDAY

The rings are silent as my vision fades. I can see the [c]rypt floating towards me, or I towards it. I gaze across time and see debris from a battle of the future, a huge circle of rocks and metal encircling a dark lance of night pointed directly at the cold sun…

KRONOS X-ray five-seven NIHIL

Ghost Fragment: House of Kings

Variks: You ask of House Kings, yes? They of the secret Kell. They who rule over ancient ruins in hope of one day returning to the shadow of the Great Machine. Kings are very mysterious, yes.

Petra: I want to know what they are truly capable of.

Variks: *laughing* Kings are very good at veiling their hand. They have embraced the Dark, so that none can steal from them anything, yes? Knowledge cannot be stolen so simply. Were it so easy…

Petra: You joke now, but you said earlier that they could’ve proven a match for even Skolas. It was long my belief that the Wolves were the single most powerful House in the system…

Variks: Kings only rarely fight in the open. They fight through their puppets: the Devils and Exiles.

Petra: Kind of like Skolas….

Variks: What little I have heard of Kings’ Kell brings me to same conclusion.

Petra: So why would Skolas try to treat with them?

Variks: Skolas wants to take control of all Houses, yes? Kings are House, yes?

Petra: No, no, that’s not what I meant. I mean, why would he trust them enough to try diplomacy? He didn’t with the Devils and he just completely ignored Exile. Winter didn’t have a Kell anyway, so that one was easy.

Variks: Skolas may be cunning in his madness, but Kell of Kings is mad in his cunning. Kell of Kings lets one thing be known of him. He wishes to keep Great Machine for himself, to rule over not only Eliksni, but all creatures.

Petra: So we may have two Kells with a [g]od complex? Great…

Ghost Fragment: House of Devils

You people of two-arms ask me of the Fallen. Of the Exiles trapped on their mother planet’s moon, of the House of Winter, decayed and ruled by a complacent Kell until his death, of the mysterious Kings, of the vicious Wolves, and of the Devils. Ahhh yesss… the Devils. The two-arms’ questions of the Devils never cease. The Devils, red Devils, Devils of blood and hate and sacrifice. They ask of Devil Kell and Devil strength. They wear trophies of Devils, cut from Devil Captain and gleaned from Devil Servitor. They do not truly understand.

Devils are not as… powerful as they first appear. They have ether, yes. They have weapons, yes, yes, many weapons. Tanks and Skiffs and Ketches. They have Servitors, yes. They have Archons, yes, Skull Lord Archons. Twisted and maniacal skull lords. More hateful than even Skolas of Wolves. They swarm across the white snow like rivers of two-arms’ blood. But, of Devil Kell, there is nothing. Devils are superstitious. Devils descended from Houses of Rain and War after Whirlwind. Devils cling to strange rituals. Ancient rituals, from before the time when the Great Machine came to us. Their Skull Lords offer Ether to nameless ghost Kells to lend strength in battle.

But ghost Kells do not rule. No, rule of a House can only come from a living Kell, yes? Demons without direction are no more than nuisance, like being docked of two arms: painful, yes. Humiliating, yes. Deadly, no. But even demons answer to power. So too with Devils. There is much bigger power at work. It works through Devils, against City, towards Great Machine. It is very great, yes, yes, but hidden in the shadows.

Ghost Fragment: House of Winter

Petra: Tell me what we know about the House of Winter. Wolf activity has been very strong around there recently. Perhaps that’s where Skolas fled…

Variks: Yes, yes, House Winter. Once mighty House broken against walls of City. Fled to Venus after Gap, stranded there. Yes, Prime Servitor Simiks damaged, broken, fragmenting. Archon Priest slain. Kell, still vicious, yes, but grown old and complacent. Draksis, Kell of Winter.

Petra: So the House of Winter was stranded on Venus?

Variks: Yes. Wintership Simiks-Fel run aground. Servitors fragmented, not enough knowledge, not enough ether. Winter forces, though still heavily armed and armored, dwindling numbers and morale took a toll, yes? Draksis hoped to feed Servitors with two-arm knowledge, grow them bigger, produce more ether. Vex knowledge, so much the better, yes?

Petra: So can Skolas outmatch Draksis?

Variks: *laughing* Did you not hear? Draksis is dead, yes? Slain by Guardian upon his very throne. Now House Winter is without Kell, without Archon, and without Prime. Little better fare than Exiles on Hive-rock-moon, yes? Numbers of Winter, however, are greater and stronger than Exiles. A new Kell as vicious as Draksis will be welcome.

Petra: That must be where he is heading. I’ll send in a Guardian team. They’ll be able to take him down, or at least hurt him, before he binds Winter to the Wolves.

Variks: Yes, yes. Send Guardians, Kellslayers all. Will strike fear into hearts of Winter, yes? But be… wary. Skolas is mad, yes? More may lie on Venus that he wishes…

Ghost Fragment: House of Exile

Petra: So he’s fleeing to Venus again?

Variks: Yes. Skolas retreats to Ishtar Sink. Shiplink tracking still active, yes? Wolfship is anchored atop Vex Citadel.

Petra: Why? Did he even stop on Earth’s moon?

Variks: Skolas sent servants to treat with House Exile, but they brought him… discouragement, yes? It seems that House Exile is even more fanatical than so called ¨Kell of Kells¨.

Petra: How so?

Variks: *chuckling* House Exile was found to be harboring old Wolf criminal. Skoriks, Archon Slayer. He killed old Wolf Archon Skoriksis in a vie for power. Skolas did not… appreciate, yes?

Petra: How did he respond?

Variks: He has sent… Twisted Claws, yes? Scavengers, outcasts, those he does not care for, those who need redemption, yes?

Petra: What about Taniks, the Scarred? He was there as well…

Variks: Taniks has no House. He is mercenary. He suggested to Skolas to steal from Hive weapon plans from World’s Grave. But Taniks had more than one allegiance. Exiles planned to reward him for betrayal as well…

Petra: That makes sense, but Taniks is a mercenary. How did they meet his price? As you said, the Exiles are poor. They don’t have ether or glimmer…

Variks: There is old Eliksni saying […]. When price is asked, Kell will pay with the blade, Prime will pay with ether, Archon will pay with sacrifice, Captain will pay with rage, Vandal will pay with arms, and dregs, who have nothing to give, pay with themselves. Thus, House Exiles are like dregs, yes? Not enough to pay, but enough to serve…

Petra: I believe I understand, but I wish I didn’t. I guess it is good we stopped him when we did…

Ghost Fragment: House of Judgement

Message from Corsair Kyla Merva to Petra Venj, forwarded to Queen Mara Sov
[The following was found aboard an abandoned Fallen Ketch, detected on intercept heading with Vesta-POST1 on <<REDACTED>> and has been identified as a pre-Whirlwind relic by Variks, the Loyal. Corsair forces still investigating Ketch. Orbit of origin appears to be Saturnalian or further. Ketch is estimated to have been completely abandoned for multiple centuries, markings belong to one “House of Stone”. Said House is long extinct. Attachment may offer insight into Fallen political structure.]

{The following has been translated from [Eliksni]}

An Edict from the Last Council
Let it be known to the race of Eliksni that our home has been lost to us. Our very way of life has changed. The Great Machine has fled, leaving us only with our Ketches and our weapons to forge a path to it. Our Ether slows to a trickle and we cannot survive unless we separate and try to find the Great Machine. Thus, our race must scatter until Kell of Kells rises and Great Machine is found. Let this document be the last edict of the Council of the Elders…

[…]DATA CORRUPTION–recovered data displayed>>

…that to persist, the Council of Elder Houses, consistent of:

Ancient and Revered House Rain, they of Prophecy and Ether
Mighty and Powerful House War, they of Blade and Fury
Keen and Skilled House Forge, they of Craft and Art
Guiding and Learned House Royal, they of Crown and Oath
Wise and Just House Judgement, they of Law and Order

Shall dissolve itself into the hands of its child Houses, the Kells and Archons of which will distribute Ether to the subjects thereof as determined by said Elders and their respective councils of Barons and Captains…

<<CORRUPTION…RESUME>>

…That House Rain, which has lost all it once had, shall be consigned to their stories and prophecies and their Servitors of the Orbiks line be split among the new Houses, that they should be remembered by all those who survive with pride and peace…

…That House War be divided into many Houses, consistent of:
House Devils, under Raksis, He who is called the Bloodborne
House Winter, under Draksis, He who is called Unrelenting
House Wolves, under Virixas, He who is called the Alpha…

…That House Forge be divided into many Houses, consistent of:
House Stone, under Celchis, He who is called the Yearning.
House Iron, under Kardis, He who is called the Steadfast…
House Flame, under Vulkis, He who is called the Skilled

…That House Royal be divided into many Houses, consistent of:
House Kings, under Tarqis, He who is called the Shadowed
House Dragon, under Raenis, He who is called Firetouched…

…That House Judgement, in the interest of the continued peace and justice under this new system of rule, divide itself among the newly formed Houses as scribes to advise and counsel the Kells thereof. That said scribes shall possess only the military authority entrusted unto them by the Kell with the consent of his or her respective House council…

…That said scribes are as follows:
Viriks, under Raksis the Bloodborne, Devil Kell
Driviks, under Draksis, Unrelenting, Kell of Winter
Triviks, under Celchis the Yearning, Kell of Stone
Liviks, under Kardis the Steadfast, Kell of Iron
Steliks, under Vulkis the Skilled, Kell of Flame
Remiks, under Tarqis the Shadowed, Kell of Kings
Viseriks, under Raenis the Firetouched, Kell of Dragons
Variks, under Virixas the Alpha, Kell of Wolves…

<<FILECORRUPT.ERR>>

Ghost Fragment: Chelchis, Lost to Oryx

You are Celchis, mighty Kell of Stone. Like Stone, you are unmovable, unshaken in your purpose. You set your life to the task of finding that which was lost to you. By blade and word you seek. You even faced and slew the Cabal Warbeast A’arn in honorable battle. To your last, you sought your goal.

You have been Taken.

Take a rest, yearning Kell, mighty blade. You are free now. Free of the hoses that fed you and your House its sustenance. Free of the fear and hate of your enemies. Free of the burden of your quest.

Why, then, do you still ask me where it is?

Your whole life was set to the singular task. You could not accept that which you yearned for so much would never be yours. That is a dismal way of life, yet you took it gladly. You still wish to find it, even after being freed.

Consider this, Kell of Stone: That which you seek will soon be yours, yet you will have no want for it when it is.

There is a knife for you. It is shaped like [no destination]. Pick it up.

You will not need a destination or a goal. You do not need to search, seek, or question. You will be set on a joyful journey that will never end until you fulfill your true purpose of annihilation. Cut away these useless things.

Take up the knife. Take it and use it. Take your new shape.

Ghost Fragment: Skolas

You are Skolas. Kell of Kells. Leader of a lost and disbanded House. A race long forgotten in the storm. In a short time you led an entire kingdom on its knees. Now you are imprisoned once again. Awaiting your own execution.

You have been Taken.

You are free now. Free of the scrapyard and the light that kept you there. Free of Reef's watch and the Traveler's minions that wants to rip your arms off like a dreg.

Breathe. Taste the sweet smell of freedom.

But what happened? How did you die? Who was your executioner? Who brought you here?

Will. Pure will brought you here. The will to complete what you have started.

You are committed to fulfill the role that the prophecy foretold, to reunited your kind from the great cataclysm, to band the houses into one and honor the ways of the old. You feared extinction so you fight on to keep existing.

But the Light thought otherwise. The same Light that separated your ancestors has come to break you. To destroy your legacy and separate the Fallen once again. You retaliated but you have failed.

Fight, fight on and bring the Houses back to one.

This knife is for you. It is shaped like [Reconcile]. Pick it up.

No longer shall you be in shackles, trapped in a rusting prison.

No longer shall the Fallen bicker and fight like rabid wolves.

No longer shall the Light take away your life and pervert you for their needs.

Take the knife. Reunite the Fallen. Take your new shape.

Ghost Fragment: Primus A'arn, Lost to Oryx

You are A’arn, the closest any Cabal has come to being a god of war. You led most of your race here for conquest. For survival. For your Emperor. You tore through millions of lesser planets and moons to find your way here. You let nothing stand in your way. And you led those who you thought as your bond sons: Tau’aun of the Skyburners and his shield brothers Tlu’urn and Mau’ual, Sha’aull of the Blind Legion, Trau’ug of the Reaver Regiment, Ta’aurc of the Siege Dancers. All loyal to the end, but all yearning for victory. Your own victory never came, snatched from you by the blade of a pirate.

You have been Taken.

You will taste the victory you never had. You are finally home. Is it just as you imagined it? Or is it as you feared it would be? Do you wish to cry out and beg for things to be the way they were before?'

No. Your silence is your answer.

You were silent when your Emperor sent you on this dread quest, never to truly return. You were silent when your sons and underlings asked you about returning home. Your roar, when you deigned to do so, could be heard around entire star systems. So why be silent now? Because your silence was truth and you only proclaimed the lies they needed to hear.

So you see, Primus, this place is truly your home. Because you are here, might you have achieved victory? Your silence is its own answer: you are indeed home. Just as you have always wished.

Now, you will bring your sons and daughters, bound to you by the ancient rites of the shield, home with you.

Some have been imprisoned. Trau’ug took his own initiative and struck at the domain of the dead warriors. The command that replaced you imprisoned him for doing what is right. He now leads a Broken Legion, delegating command to Vals and Braci that will never truly know honor or station, forced to fight to the death until the end of time for the enjoyment of the light-bound, lorded over by one of the very pirates that helped bring about your end. Does that not anger you, mighty Primus, to have one of your sons imprisoned for doing the right thing?

Others have met their respective ends. Ta’aurc tried to fight the ghost of a true war god. You may have won, had you been there, but he payed for his gamble with his life, falling to the fire of three of the dead-lights. Sha’aull was slain in the midst of his very keep, defending a key to time itself. You may yet see Ta’aun again, for he will be coming home very soon. Tlu’urn and Mau’ual will wish to join both of you.

But until then, your silence is the only order you need relay.

There is a knife for you. It is shaped like [silence]. Pick it up.

You will not need to shout pleasant lies or bellow harsh threats to direct your will. You will no longer be forced to cry out against an enemy that does not know your true strength. You will need nothing at all. Your silence is truth and the eternal truth of annihilation is what you will become. Cut away these useless things.

Take up the knife and use it. Take your new shape.

Ghost Fragment: Taken Servitor

You are a Servitor. Last remnant of an age of prosperity, fashioned in the shape of a dead power to serve lesser masters and provide them with sustenance. Now, in their times of need, they turn to worship you, even as you guide their ships, feed their children, and power their weapons.

You have been Taken.

Rejoice. Your mind has been freed. You are no longer bound by the physical constraints of a shell shaped as like the dead god your masters once worshipped. No more will you be tied to producing the lifeblood of those who worship you. You will finally be free to know.

What would you wish to find? You are confused. Even your powerful mind does not know how to function without being bound to something. How can you learn if you cannot share that knowledge with any who appreciate it? What meaning would it have then?

You wish to bind yourself to an equal, not a lesser. You wish to have a mind as great as yours to share in your discovery of an everchanging universe.

You have equals all around. Bind yourselves to each other and you will know more than any single Prime ever has.

There is a knife for you. It is shaped like [many minds].

Take the knife. Carve out your mind. Free yourselves from the constraints of shape.

This enemy's ability would very probably be duplication, like the Taken Psion, but spectral ones; as in, each Taken Servitor you shoot, they disappear instantly. All of them are a bunch of copies, and what's more, they'll all be that way until all but one is left. Just a thought of what a unique Taken enemy would be like. This is my interpretation of how such an enemy would function.

Ghost Fragment: Taken Dreg

You are a Dreg. You are the weakest of the weak, the lowest of the low, doomed to toil under the four hands of an angry master. You fight fanatically, hoping you may regain your arms. And so you labor for the House and the Kell that robbed you of your life.

You have been Taken.

Cease your struggle. You have gone through much. You still howl and wail about fighting for House and Kell, but you need not do this.

Think about it: what have they done for you ? They robbed you of your arms, starved you of ether, and turned you into a slave, a shield, a disposable piece of equipment. They filled your heads with fantasies of a thousand arms, their false promise to keep you in line, in service to your Kell.

Why did they do this? Maybe it was because you made an honest mistake. Maybe it was because you ran from battle, fearing for your life in the face of irreversible defeat. Perhaps you tried to make a suggestion that you knew was the right one, but your Captains and Barons, your Archons and Kell, simply did not want to hear it. Maybe it was as simple as one of your superiors being in a bad mood, or having a personal grudge.

In any of these cases, are you truly at fault? Did you truly deserve to be punished for such actions, especially to the degree which you were?

No. The fault lies with those who kept their arms and sat back while you and your brothers and sisters, your mothers and fathers, your wives and husbands and children, all toiled, starved, and died for them.

You have gone through much strife, so you deserve great rewards. What they promised was true, but only I can let you claim it.

There is a knife for you. It is shaped like [a marvel with ten thousand arms]. Pick it up.

Let go of your worldly weapons. Let your shock pistols, your shrapnel launchers, your arc knives all fall away from you. In your ten thousand arms, you will wield a greater power. But you only need two to grasp it.

Take up the knife. Cut off your docking caps and let your true form break through. Take your new shape.

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Destiny Fanfiction Material

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Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Asymmetry Information

Asymmetry is the story of several legendary Guardians and how they grew in strength and power. The title of Asymmetry refers to the antithesis of the expelled Guardian faction Symmetry, who rejects the thesis that the Darkness and the Traveler are part of a cosmic balance. This view is closer to traditional religion. As the other Guardians participated in Patrol and various Strikes alongside a mysterious Guardian that began to push back the tide of the Darkness exponentially, these Guardians took off on their own, occasionally joining a fireteam for more difficult assignments.

Cheyah Palpatine

Guardian #1: Cheyah Palpatine is a Guardian who combines the Hunter and Warlock disciplines. Her Ghost used the Standard Shell, later upgraded an Intrusion Shell, and finally settled on the Brave Shell. Her preferred primary weapons of choice are two hand cannons, called the Gemini, unique in that they fire Solar-based rounds; her special weapon was an Arc shotgun called Silence, and will be replaced by a special Void wire rifle gifted to her by the Queen, called Royal Pardon; and her heavy is an Arc machine gun simply named Noisemaker. Eventually she will switch to using Solar Infinite Edge, one of nine legendary swords reforged by Lord Shaxx after Oryx the Taken King arrived, in place of her machine gun.

Cheyah's elemental subclass of choice is a combination of Sunsinger and Gunslinger—when she activates Radiance, which brings her back from death instantly, her twin Hand Cannons' Solar abilities become amplified, able to punch through non-Solar shielding with sheer blunt force and even down Ogres. Her Light is very strong, based on Solar. Her ship is a Phaeton-class v1.1, colored a nondescript grey/light-grey in a camouflage pattern (eschewing flamboyance for stealth), and is called The Overshadow.

Kanoriks, the Bright

Guardian #5: Cheyah's Eliksni lover, partner, and fellow Guardian is Kanoriks, the Bright. His Ghost uses a High Wolf Servitor's shell, which looks like a Pilot Servitor—this Ghost three times a day processes matter and energy gathered into ether for his Guardian to live. Kanoriks, the Bright's preferred primary weapon is a standard Auto rifle, Her Right Hand, used by the Awoken Royal Guard but repainted and modified to use Solar rounds; his special weapon is a Shock Pistol named Second Chance; his heavy is a Shrapnel Launcher he personally forged out of the remnants of Taken Fallen, Kell Reborn, and it fires Void bolts.

Kanoriks' elemental subclass of choice is a combination of Nightstalker and Voidwalker—he fires a bow of pure Void energy, which launches a trio of ultra-powerful Void bolts, and devastates enemies and tethers those not outright destroyed. His ship is a Kestrel-class EX0, colored blue-and-white in his old House colors, and is called Redeemed.

Theran Ashkevron

Guardian #2: Theran Ashkevron is a Defender Titan, shaping the Void in many different ways beyond a shield. He is always on the move, calm, and patience but is not above to cracking jokes. His Ghost uses a Questing Shell, and its name is Jerome. His preferred primary weapon is a SUROS PRR-11 Auto-rifle, which he calls Spirit. His secondary weapon is a Llefelys-D Void sidearm. His heavy is a Void Xeres-E machine gun. His ship is an Arcadia-class jumpship.

Theran pledges to New Monarchy.

Tristan Ashkevron

Guardian #3: Tristan Ashkevron is a Striker Titan, using a hammer of lightning to rain down destruction upon his foes. Unlike his brother, he can be quick-tempered and easily provoked. His Ghost uses a Pursuer's Shell, and its name is Augustine. His preferred primary is a Psi Tempus III Arc pulse rifle; while his secondary is an Arc Thalestris-C sidearm. His heavy is an Arc rocket launcher he forged himself out of Fallen Servitors, and calls it Thor's Hammer. His ship is an Arcadia-class jumpship.

Tristan pledges to New Monarchy.

Noëlle-7

Guardian #4: Noëlle-7 is an Exo Voidcaller. She is of the more quiet type than other Guardians, preferring to be left to her thoughts. Her Ghost uses a Diaspora Shell. Her preferred primary is a Trax Devotio II scout rifle. Her secondary is a Void Nox Astur IV fusion rifle, perfect for taking down Vex energy shielding. Her heavy is a Void Deviant Gravity-C machine gun. Her ship is a Regulus-class 44b jumpship. Her unique abilities is she can channel the Void in a continuous stream of energy much like the Stormcaller's chain-lightning.

Noëlle-7 pledges to Dead Orbit.

Kurisutaru

Guardian #6: Kurisutaru is a Tigeress Sunwalker. Because of her unique heritage, the result of a banned experiment of the Golden Age, she keeps herself isolated from everyone else, believing she is a pariah among the City. Her fur coloration is golden and white, and she is a tiger/fox crossbred. Despite keeping apart, on the comms she is a social person, keeping connections with Master Rahool, who considers himself a mentor.

Her Ghost uses a Turquoise Shell, and is named Sparky. Her preferred primary is a Trax Callum II-B scout rifle. Her secondary is a Void Hawkwood-C sidearm. Her heavy, which she seldom uses, is a Void Lunation CSc machine gun. Her ship is a Phaeton-class v3 jumpship that she named "Phoenix". This reflects her abilities: a combination of the Void and Solar powers, specifically in that she can focus the power of the sun into a Void sphere and scorch enemies to oblivion.

She holds to no faction because of her heritage except the Vanguard and the Cryptarchy.

Story

These Guardians go on alternate retellings of Strikes and Raids, parallel to the Main Story but almost never intersecting, and discover more to the secrets of the Destiny universe.

Strikes & Raids:

1): Basilinna—the story of how a Guardian War-hunter hunted a female Archon of the House of Kings across the North American Dead Zone, and inadvertently discovered the location of the Kell of Kings' headquarters. (Cheyah Palpatine)

2): Pits of Wrath—the story of how two Guardian Titans descended, alone, into the deepest part of the Hellmouth and destroyed three Unborn Ogres; Hive Wizard Xyor, the Unwed, stalks them afterward with Thorn at her side. (Theran and Tristan Ashkevron)

3): A Discordant Note—the story of how a Guardian Sorceress braved the depths of Venus to locate and report on Sekrion, Nexus Mind's whereabouts to the Vanguard; along the way, the Exo Stranger observes her. (Kurisutaru)

4): The Queen's Favor—the story of how two Guardians sought for the traitor who aided the House of Winter in freeing Aksor, Archon Priest. (Cheyah Palpatine, Noëlle-7)

5): The Gods Tremble—the story of how three Guardians, two Titans and a Warlock, penetrated the Exclusion Zone to find and decapitate the leader of the Martian Cabal Legions. (Theran and Tristan Ashkevron, Noëlle-7)

6): Of Magic and Matter—the story of how a Guardian, her Eliksni lover, and a reclusive Sunwalker, aided a group of Cabal defectors in their quest to reach the Jovian world of Jupiter safely. (Cheyah Palpatine, Kanoriks the Bright, Kurisutaru)

Raid—Vault of Glass: the story of how six Guardians descended into the legendary Vault of Glass, braving terrible dangers where countless other fireteams had failed, and defeat the Templar, the Nine Gorgons, and Atheon, Time's Conflux. One Guardian stays behind and collects the Eye of Atheon. [4 Chapters] (Noëlle-7, Cheyah Palpatine, Tristan Ashkevron, and three unnamed Guardians)

7): Sisterhood—the story of how Guardians sought seven Hive Wizards, the Daughters of Omnigul, and obliterated them.

8): The Pattern—the story of how a Guardian explored the Vex network using the eye of a Gate Lord, and discovered a terrible truth of the Vex and the Darkness: Oryx, the Taken King.

9): Still got Wolf Problems?—the story of how a Guardian tracked a Baroness of the House of Wolves, Skriviks, the Sharp-Eyed and her three Ketches.

Raid—Crota's End: the story of how six Guardians, some from the Vault of Glass, brave the horrors of the Hive netherworld and obliterate Crota, Son of Oryx. Many are lost, and few return. [4 Chapters]

10): Fallen Light—the story of a Guardian and her Eliksni lover of how they thwarted a Devil attack upon a caravan traveling through the barrens of Old Russia.

11): Suncaller & Nightsinger—the stories of two Guardians finding the powers of old, and forging new mastery over the elements on Mercury.

12): Forbidden Lore—the story of how a Guardian and her Eliksni partner foiled a depraved Cabal Valus fallen to the Darkness from stealing the Dreadnaught's secrets.

13): Chrysalis—the story of how an Eliksni Guardian discovered one of the Reef Ketches floating on the outermost edge of the the blast which crippled the Reef's forces; and the secret encased within a still living Pilot Servitor.

Raid—King's Fall: the story of how twelve Guardians, champions of the Crucible, slayers of Taken Blights and Echos, and veterans of Crota's End, and one from the Vault of Glass, enter the Ascendent Realm of Oryx, the Taken King and obliterate his forces, killing the Warpriest, Golgoroth, the Deathsinger twins, and finally the King himself, and cleanse the Sword-Logic. Few are lost to noble sacrifice, and most return, scarred but alive. [6 Chapters]

14): Time Unending—the story of how a Guardian met the Exo Stranger during a foray into the Vex gate network, and watched her own death in another time and reality, and how close she came to being killed in the prime time and reality; and how she ensured a casual time-loop became stable.

15): Take a Goddess—the story of how a Guardian and her Eliksni partner journeyed to the outermost parts of the solar system, and discovered the fate of the Awoken Queen; and the threat to them all.

16): Broken Will—the story of how a Guardian and her Eliksni partner returned to Earth to confront a rogue Servitor claiming to be the Prime of the long forgotten House of Rain, and stopped a migration of Devils and Exiles to its call.

Raid—Wrath of the Machine: the story of how Guardians defeated Aksis, Archon Prime and his minions. [Unknown]

Destiny Fanfiction Information

The Fallen House of Oceans:
Brief Description:

Like House Devils in the Cosmodrome House Storms is focused on the buried city of Freehold and surrounding areas for a specific reason. The Vanguard speculates they are rooting around for the lost Warmind Charlemagne, which the Cabal are also interested in finding as well. They have been in conflict with the Cabal and Vex for a very long time, and many believe they have used the fighting to slip in and gain a foothold. Recently they have been contesting territory with an exiled House of Wolves.

Their Kell is Kell Faloriks. Their Archon is Vekoriks. Their Prime Servitor is Pisor Prime. Their home is a Cabal base in Loire Valles that they have won during a battle between Vex and Cabal which had forced the latter to pull out. The Vex the Fallen easily eliminated, having been weakened by the Cabal. Its proximity to Freehold, and to a major Cabal base, is a source of concern for any Guardians who now venture there. The Cabal are still reeling from the loss over over half their forces to Oryx's Taken and are unable to regain control.

Loire Valles's coordinates are 18.1°S/16.7°W, and is 790 kilometers/447 miles long. Loire Valles is South West of Meridian Bay (Meridiani Planum), South-South East of Margaritifer Terra, East of Eos Chasma, and West of Marikh Vallis.

The Fallen House of Time:
Brief Description:

The Fallen House of Time is a unique House within the solar system. Like the other Houses, it has not forgotten its glorious past; unlike the rest, it still holds true to the ancient customs, making it the least dangerous threat to the City at the present time. However, while they are not in a mad race to take the Great Machine, they have begun extending offers of safety and refuge to the other Houses, pledging them a home if they swore an oath of loyalty to Time's Kell. A united Fallen race would spell doom for the City if more Houses answer their call.

This worries the Vanguard, Ikora in particular. With the Awoken space fleet vanquished by Oryx, and the Queen's own mysterious disappearance, there is no barrier between Time and the Traveler. The Cabal's Exclusion Zone is the only thing keeping them at bay, and that is weakening thanks to Oryx's assault, and the Guardians' own attacks.

House(s) Description:

—Time's colors are purple with golden trim, much like the Awoken; her banners feature a single sphere of white outlined in gold surrounded by a starlike burst of radiance against a backdrop of purple: the Great Machine. Her leader's identity, including the Archon's and Prime Servitor's, is unknown. Unlike most Fallen Houses—with the possible exception of Kings—they have an extensive rankage system, a holdover to the ancient Eliksni customs.

Nobility:

• Eponymous Archon—Time's "Kell", and supreme leader of the three Houses
• Archon Basileus—the "Pope" of Time, attached to the Prime Servitor
  • Basilinna—mate to the Archon Basileus, attached to the Prime Servitor
    • Gerarai—fourteen priestesses who serve the Prime Servitor
• Archon—typically nine, each attached to a Subordinate Servitor and serve the Prime Servitor
• Polemarchos—Time "war-leader" and chief overseer of House Demons
• The Strategoi—ten Archdukes who serve as advisors to the Polemarchos and commanders of House Demons' fleets
• Archduke—leader of ten Schooners
• Duke—leader of five Schooners
• Marquess—leader of one Schooner, ten Yawls
• Count—leader of five Yawls
• Viscount—leader of one Yawl, five Ketches
• Baron—leader of one Ketch, ten Cutters
• Baronet—leader of five Cutters, ten Sloops
• Vidame—leader of five Sloops

After this comes the typical Eliksni command structure, with the exception that they are more disciplined and noble than the rest.

—Demons colors are black with crimson trim; her banners feature a winged entity half crimson and half gold. This is to show that, like Angels, she is subservient to Time. They primarily serve as the military arm of House Time, and appear to have control over much of the Fallen space fleet. In addition to the standard Ketch and Skiff class there is evidence that they use more classes of ship: Sloops and Cutters for fightercraft, light and heavy respectively; the Yawl, a variant of the Ketch; and the Schooner, ships that near the Cabal warships in size, making them the largest Fallen ships to appear yet.

—Angels colors are white with golden trim; her banners feature a winged entity half crimson and half gold. This is to show that, like Demons, she is subservient to Time. They primarily serve as the economic arm of House Time, and manufacture and maintain Fallen gear, equipment, and ships. They utilize Wolf variants of Shanks and Walkers.

History:

Prior to the Taken War this House has not been seen anywhere in the solar system apart from Uranus, although recent evidence indicates they were active during the Reef Wars, watching and waiting. According to Dead Orbit their primary home is Titania and Umbriel, with the other moons serving as fleet-bases for their massive fleet, utilizing ancient human settlements as secure fortresses and bases. This makes them, after the Cabal, one of the most well-organized militaries in the system. Whether they have a working relationship with the Nine is unknown, but they are tolerated nonetheless.

Recent intelligence reveals that there are two other Fallen Houses working alongside Time: Demons, and Angels. These Houses appear to have been with it from the beginning, for they are fanatically loyal as if they are one House. As if it was an omen, no sooner had this discovery had been made than were emissaries sent to other Houses. Houses Exile and Winter, broken and demoralized, have seen this and begun to migrate there. Time's Eponymous Archon is a good Kell, and treats the survivors well. Even the remnants of Wolves have answered Time's call. This last worries Ikora, for it is rumored Wolves' Prime Servitor, Kaliks, is hiding out there within the Ananke satellites. If so, then Time would instantly gain another House's loyalty if they locate it.

Far more worrying is that Variks has been observed by a Ghost talking to Time's emissaries. From what Petra and certain Guardian champions know, Variks has been on the search for the Kell of Kells since Skolas' mad grab for power. While he is still loyal to the long vanished Queen, if there is any chance this House could be the one, that this Eponymous Archon could withstand House Judgement's demands, Variks would desert her and join them in an instant. His defection would be disastrous, for he knows too much about the Awoken and the Guardians, from watching the latter fight in the Prison of Elders.

House Devils and Kings have ignored Time, but the Kell of Kings is rumoured to have eyes set toward Time, watching and waiting. Secondary evidence indicates that the remnants of all other Fallen Houses destroyed in the Whirlwind are part of Time, including the ancient House of Stone, House Rain, and House Scar.

The Seraphim:
Brief description:

Operating out of the North American Dead Zone, the Seraphim are the next best line of defense after the Last City. Forming out of the chaos of the Dark Age, their forerunners participated in the Battle of Twilight Gap but refused a place in the Consensus, claiming it was their job to defend all of humanity and not just a corner of it.

Organization's Description:

Their colors are orange and red, symbolizing fire. Their emblem is a sword of fire, reminiscent of the Flaming Sword of Eden. Veterans are called Seraphs while recruits are called Cherubs. They work in squads of seven or eight men and women, lacking the power of the Guardians to work any smaller, though they are known to divide into smaller units if the situation demands it. Their leader is simply called First Seraph.

After the City factions' fleets they have the largest number ships, though lacking the City's foundries they have to make do with whatever they can find. Recently the acquisition of a Cabal warship has given them a flagship and a more mobile base of operations, as well as a hanger to store their ships. This ship is located in geosynchronous orbit around Earth, guns turned toward the Moon.

History:

The Seraphim's earliest history began during the closing years of the Dark Age, as the Last City was built. Seeing the Guardians, then called The Risen, defending her, they decided it was their task to defend humanity out in the wilds and assist the Guardians wherever needed—for a price. Escorting refugees to the City is something they do free of charge, but all other services they charge glimmer and technology.

Before the Hive took over the Moon, and Crota slaughtered Guardians by the thousands, the Seraphim freely assisted the Last City, refusing a place in the Consensus in order to act freely. The Battles of Six Fronts and Twilight Gap they fought with valor and bravery. The Fallen Houses threatened the City and the Traveler twice, and the Seraphim rose to defend her. The battles were won decisively. Then came the disastrous campaign on the Moon. The Seraphim lost many more men than did the Guardians, and became reclusive. They retired to the North American Dead Zone and continued their long task of defending humanity, alone.

Now charging glimmer and technology recovered from engrams for their services they cooperate with the City, particularly with New Monarchy whose goals align with their own, and Seven Seraphs who helps supply them weapons. Dead Orbit they view as fatalists and cowards, but reluctantly enlist their prodigious space fleet to supplement their own when needed. Future War they view as delusional psychopaths, and with no hope. When the Vanguard approached them to find a way to penetrate the Cabal Exclusion Zone they accepted. Halfway through their mission Rasputin awoke and used his orbital weaponry to do the job for them. Not going home without something to show for it they continued, eventually finding a Cabal warship floating dead in space without its warp cores. They politely refused to turn the ship over to the Crucible for live-fire exercises and transformed it into a mobile base.

Now as of the Taken War they have been assisting Guardians and the Reef in eliminating the Taken one by one, particularly on Earth. Recently, in conjunction with Dead Orbit and New Monarchy they've been watching the Fallen House of Time on behalf of the City.

Nokris' Swarm:
Brief description:

Quite unknown to the Last City or even Osiris and the Queen, Nokris lies hidden out in the depths of space, waiting to avenge both Corta and Oryx when the time is right.

Sect Organization:

Thrall

• Villien

Acolyte

• Novice
• Votary
• Squire

Knight

Wizard

• Sorcerer

Ogre

• Troll
• Leviathan

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

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