//------------------------------// // Ch 3 The Cosmodrome Part 1 The Courtyard // Story: Destiny's change // by ChiefKitsune //------------------------------// The Cosmodrome, Earth Lifting a wing to shield her eyes the purple mare exited The Wall she had just fought through to try and escape from the Fallen. Soon enough her large eyes adjust to the bright unblocked sunlight and what is before her leaves her speachless, in the distance massive towers of metal could be seen shooting up high into the sky. Though she didn't realize just how big those towers were until she spies a Fallen fleet arrive causing one to crumble but not before the ships passed it. And after about thirty seconds the ships pass over her head and she feels her mouth open as the Fallen ship was as tall as The Wall she just left at least. Meanwhile, her ghost is urging her to hurry up and get moving, though as the fleet appears he informs her of what faction they are from and what they just knocked over in their arrival. 'Gaurdian we must hurry and find a jumpship to warn the last City about that Fallen fleet, that just arrived.......My scanners are picking up a weak signal from an ancient jumpship nearby..... Just hten a loud howl came from the dark behind the mare kicking her into gear as she rushes off towards the new navpoint. "What are those towers Ghost?" the mare asks as she comes around a corner only to spy a Fallen dropship unloading a squad of Dregs in the courtyard she just entered. And before she could get back or hide they spotted her and the turrets on the ship rotated and began to charge up. Upon seeing the crackling blue light from the turrets the mare didn't want to find out how much she could take and dashed to the right where an old small building was to provide her with enough cover or so she hoped. As she is racing to cover she hears the turret's fire as the ship's engines begin to power up and take it away. And as she slides into the cover of a rusted metal wall she spies her spot at the entrance to the courtyard and finds a huge black smoking ring where she was let her know that those guns were very dangerous. Peeking out from the wall she tries to spot where the infantry moved to and nearly lost her head as a blue beam of light flashed through the air her head was occupying moments before. "Holy.....that was close!" she exclaimed as she levitated her rifle up and peek out a different side and upon spotting the Vandal she put a burst of rounds into it forcing it to take cover. As the sniper was taking cover from her fire she assess what the courtyard is holding in terms of enemies. It was to her luck a small recon squad with only about four dregs and one Vandal as the leader. Quickly lining up a shot with one of the dregs she pulled the trigger and sent a wave of lead at the alien falling him and forcing his comrades to also take cover from her fire as they had been simply advancing on her position out in the open. But before she could get another burst off the Vandal came out and took a shot at her forcing her into cover this time. After waiting a moment she looks out and begins to fire on the Vandal once more getting lucky she took out his shield and a few rounds landed critical hits on him killing the alien before he hit the ground. Quickly switching to the dregs moving in on her position she began to work her way through them slowly getting them all or so she thought. When with a sudden spike in her mind urging her to dodge, she listen and moments later to daggers sheathed in crackling energy went through the space she was just using. A dreg had cloaked himself and snuck up on her while she was distracted by his allies. He moved to take another swing at her and she realized he was too close to turn her rifle on him and he was moving too fast for her to have time to unsheath the shotgun on her back. So pulling out her own dagger she clumsily parried the first few strikes but the dreg got a lucky break and landed one sending her nearly to the ground screaming in pain if she was of a weaker will since the dagger bit through her weak armor but the energy dancing across the blade shocked her body trying to force it to freeze for a moment so the dreg could finish her off. But thanks to her unknown species strength she was able to resist and surprising the dreg for a moment as he hadn't expected the strange guardian to remain standing from the attack as a trail of blood flowed out her side for a moment before it was patched up by her ghost as she lunges forward with her own knife and buries it deep into the dreg's chest. Panting from the exertion and the pain as it began to fade as her Ghost worked to heal to full health once more she took in the now empty courtyard save for her and upon catching her breath she looked to the compass at the top of her hud for the direction of her navpoint and began to make her way towards the far end of the courtyard where a double doorway sat open with the doors laying to the side having fallen off due to rust and age. As she approaches the doorway she absently reloads her rifle already getting into the habit of keeping a full magazine in her weapon for the next engagement. Her ghost felt a bit of pride that his guardian was doing so well already for only being revived for a few hours.