In Orbit: Equis
"The fiercest contest lies ahead. This is irrefutable."
- Hood of No Tomorrow description
In Orbit
Unknown Planet
"Earth?"
It was as it appeared. We were in orbit above a planet that could be none other than Earth. The blue marble-like sphere had all the aspects characteristic of my home planet: seas encompassing a large percentage of the surface, green masses representing land, and the white tufts of clouds that swirled above the surface. The planet positively glowed, contrasting the dark surroundings of space, and Earth's atmosphere gave the planet an almost surreal hue. There was something off about it, though...
But as much as I was fond of the appearance of humanity's crown jewel, for the most part I was confused and frustrated. Did that mean we failed the Traveler's mission? What did we do wrong? Why did we simply end up back at Earth, rather than the place the Darkness was threatening?
I was jolted out of my thoughts by a certain metallic voice.
"No, no, no, no, no, no! This is bad! This is very bad!" my Ghost said in clear distress. It darted around the cramped ship, demonstrating a Ghost's rendition of panicking.
I tore my view away from Earth and swiveled around to face the Ghost. "Calm down! What's happened?" I asked, raising my hands in a placating gesture.
The Ghost stopped and hovered in place. Its extremities expanded outward as it said, "There's no reason to be calm! We're cut off from the Light!"
I flinched at the news. That was very bad. Still, I had to keep my cool; there was no one else to fall back on if we lose sight of the mission. If I couldn't complete the mission, who could?
"Are you sure? Completely cut off?"
"See for yourself!"
Instantly, I knew what the Ghost meant. It wanted me to personally access the fount of Void Light.
It wasn't anything new. Warlocks and Titans often make contact with the Void to power their abilities. No physicality involved. After all, Light is a force beyond matter, and Guardians are living intermediaries between the two. We are embodiments and liaisons of the Light all at once. It is only natural we possess visceral means of interacting with it.
I obliged. I got up from the pilot's seat and walked over to an area that was the least cluttered from the earlier chaos. I kicked aside some non-essential belongings of mine and cleared a small spot to sit on. I slowly reared myself to a sitting position on the floor, putting my arms on my knees while learning forward slightly.
Not exactly the paragon of a meditative state, I know, but Exos aren't very picky with how they sit down. Actually, now that I think about it, the same goes for pretty much any Guardian who can actually find the time to rest.
But enough of that. As long as I was away from the ship's controls as I worked, we should be safe.
In order to test my connection to the Traveler, I had to use one of my abilities that uses Light. However, I couldn't try anything that deals damage, as Warlocks' abilities are extremely volatile, and I didn't want to put the only current barrier between me and the vacuum of space in any danger. Grenades, energy pulses, and Glide or Blink (due to lack of space) were out of the question.
Shrugging, I settled for the same process I use for charging up a Nova Bomb. No damage would be caused to my surroundings, as I would only enter my subconscious to gauge at my connection with the Light, not to utilize it.
I concentrated and, like I did on the Moon against the Fallen Captain, I ascended. I broke the chains of mere corporeal existence and, in the quintessence of my being, sought out the Light that me and my fellow Guardians bound our souls to. In a few short moments, I located the fount from which my powers were obtained - the Void. Endless and unlimited power, free for Voidwalkers and Defenders to use at their leisure.
Except, this time, it wasn't.
Before, when describing the Void, I drew parallels to an infinite expanse of ebony-black ocean. But now, it was, well, let's just call it a pool. No, not a lake, not even a pond, but a pool. Entirely fathomable. Quantitative. The Light a Guardian draws from is not supposed to be limited. I quickly realized that the "pool" was not the Void, but was an ethereal representation of my own reserves of Light. The true Void that the Traveler enables us to connect with, the infinite body of dark ocean, was nowhere to be found. And there could only be one sensical explanation.
The distance between me and the Traveler was so great that even I couldn't even access the Void.
If this was true, then the implications were frightening. The more time I spent away from the Traveler, the more my Light would diminish over time, the weaker I would gradually get. My Ghost is in the same boat, and that train of thought was probably what sent it into a panic.
Such a reaction was warranted. It wasn't just our abilities and my fighting capabilities that would suffer from the severed connection to the Traveler. My own internal systems that keep me running? That keep me alive? They are powered by my Light reserves. I'm running on mere battery power for as long as I'm here.
I exited my subconscious, nonplussed by my findings. As a Guardian, I had a few tangles with death, but being dead and staying dead? It gave me a feeling I seldom experienced. Was it fear?
Or...resignation?
A few moments passed. I inclined my head down, putting my head to level with my knees as I sat. For a while, I just listened to the soft whir of the ship and the quiet beeps of apparatuses.
"You're right..." I said quietly. I stood up despondently and trudged over to the pilot's seat. I collapsed onto the seat, similar to how a human would after a long day of work. I took a side glance at my Ghost.
It was unresponsive, and it just hovered in the middle of the cockpit catatonically. Maybe it was undergoing a revelation of its...our mortality. Perhaps it was mulling over the consequences of two synthetics isolated from the very entity that enables them to live. I would have smirked at its stupor if it weren't for these dire circumstances, and the fact that it threatened our lives.
All this begged the question: if we weren't on Earth, then...
I issued a single mental command, forcibly deleting my concerned thoughts of entropy and death (temporarily, of course, as I resolved to dwell on the topic some other time) from my mind. I looked over the faux-Earth again.
And that's when it hit me.
Guardian ships were completely absent from the planet's orbit, was the first thing I noticed. Second, the continents were slightly out of place, and did not sport the damage the Earth retained during the events of the Collapse. The planet, as a whole, looked much brighter and healthier than the Earth I was from. How any of this was possible, I could only guess.
Was this the Earth before the Collapse? Did we just travel through time?
I enunciated my thoughts to my Ghost. It hovered over to me at shoulder-length, looked at the planet, then turned away. It scoffed at the notion. "Preposterous. The Traveler can't go through time," it said, though it sounded slightly doubtful.
"Or can it?" I countered. If the Vex could do it, who's to say the Traveler can't?
The Ghost was silent once again. None of us spoke as we absorbed the situation.
"Well? What do we do now?" Ghost timidly asked, breaking the silence.
There was only one thing left to do, really.
"We go down," I said as I reached for the ship controls and set a course for this strange new Earth.
My ship steadily descended into the planet's atmosphere without any trouble. Everything, for the most part, appeared normal. As we got closer to the surface, we could distinguish the marks of civilization. I couldn't tell how advanced just yet, but I saw structures characteristic of cities (in one unusual case, on a cliff), and sparse smaller structures reminiscent of towns or villages.
"Sapient life..." I said aloud in wonderment. "Should we touch down and make contact?"
"I don't think so. Not yet," my Ghost replied decisively.
I shot it an inquisitive look.
It looked at me. "We don't know where, or when," it muttered the last part out, "we are. We don't even know if the natives here are human, much less friendly! Who knows, we could be on the home planet of the Fallen! Or the Cabal Empire! Maybe even the creators of the Vex!" it said, the Ghost's shell expanding more and more with each illogical theory.
I shook my head, and thought. All of those hypotheses were highly unlikely, and my Ghost was just being irrational. Any planet inhabited by any of those would be war-torn, industrialized, or mechanized, respectively. But as inane as its suppositions were, it had a point. We had nothing to work with, no intel about this place. I couldn't risk a war with yet another species, especially since I'm alone, without even a Fireteam. Who was I, Kabr the Legionless? Taking on endless hordes of enemies by myself?
Not to mention the Traveler sent us here for a reason. Why send a Guardian someplace completely safe? Where was the tactical advantage in that?
Perhaps it was for the best if we played it safe, I grudgingly concluded.
"You know, I think you might be onto something," I said.
"You're listening? To me?" my Ghost asked in astonishment.
"Yep."
"It's about time you let me claim leadership!" it said triumphantly.
"Until you need to hack a door..." I muttered. It didn't seem to hear. I decided to let it savor the moment for once.
I checked the visual feed. We were getting closer to the surface, barely above the clouds. Not quite close enough to be seen by any creatures with eyesight similar to humans, for that matter. The ground below us seemed to be a large forest adjacent to a small town. Seemed as good a place to start as any. I could use the forest's cover to stay hidden and learn more about what we were dealing with.
"Ghost. Activate transmat on my mark."
"Got it."
In a few moments, we would be transmatted to the ground, and my ship would return to orbit pilotless. Once we were on the forest ground, some scouting would be in order.
I checked my current apparel, then I reviewed the armor I had stashed in the cargo hold. Sunbreakers seemed like the safest bet. Get the most out of any Solar grenades I use. I didn't want to use too much of my Light, since it was in limited supply, so I would try to rely more on my guns for the time being. Voidfang Vestments, Heart of the Praxic Fire, and Apotheosis Veil seemed somewhat costly, energy-wise, so I decided not to use them until I got around the Light shortage problem.
Now, my weapons. Just in case we run into...complications. I opted for a well-rounded loadout.
"Ghost, store Patience and Time and Steel Oracle Z-11 in inventory. Transfer me Shadow Price, The Crash, and Super Good Advice."
At the mention of Super Good Advice, a robotic clicking sound resonated from my Ghost. I bet if my Ghost could, it would've blanched. I thought it was going to protest. To my genuine surprise, it complied without a word.
Instantly, an auto rifle materialized snugly into my hands. I tested its weight, and was pleased with the familiarity and ease of handling.
Shadow Price.
A precision auto rifle left behind by Toland, the Shattered. It asks so little, and offers so much.
Without any delay, a deep bluish shotgun engraved with the sigil of the FWC dropped out of thin air in front of me. I caught it with one hand, checked to make sure it was loaded, then holstered it sideways on my lower back.
The Crash.
A close quarters weapon named and sanctified by the leaders of the Future War Cult.
And finally, with a massive weight that would have made any less experienced Guardian fall over, a huge red machine gun with red stripes latched onto my back. If measured vertically alongside an average Guardian, the gun would probably be nearly as tall.
Super Good Advice.
This weapon is full of it.
No less than a second later, the gun greeted me amicably, recognizing me as its rightful wielder.
"Exodus. Good day. You require my services?" Super Good Advice asked from its position on my back.
"If something goes wrong," I replied to it casually. I've had the weapon for so long that I didn't feel like I was talking to an inanimate object anymore. It was a person, albeit one that is immobile and completely dependent on a gunman.
I continued. "We got a reconnaissance mission here. I may need firepower, should the situation get sticky. In the meantime, try to stay quiet while we're on the ground so I can maintain relative stealth."
There was a pause as the gun's artificial intelligence processed the briefing. "Understood," it agreed.
"I'm glad you're okay with-" I said before I was politely interrupted.
"But normally you're not this wary. Why, anyone who wields me has a tendency to go in guns blazing! This isn't any normal scouting mission, is it?" Advice said observantly after a small pause.
I thought about whether I should answer it for a second, then shrugged. No harm in telling a machine gun what we're up against, right?
"Yeah. Completely unknown territory. Unconfirmed hostiles."
"Bah," the heavy machine gun said dismissively. "They will still fall when shot, like any other enemy. I'll be ready if you need me."
"Good," I replied. I knew accepting that bounty a while back was a good idea. It gave me a reliable weapon, that doubled as a companion other than my Ghost. Plus, my Ghost and Super Good Advice hated each other and constantly argued, which provided more entertainment for me when I was out on long, tedious patrols.
I saw that we were nearing the ground, almost to the point of skimming the treetops of the forest. I signaled to my Ghost to activate transmat.
"Take us to the ground, Ghost."
"Okay. Going down in three..."
Super Good Advice apparently just noticed its fellow AI construct and greeted it in the most obnoxious manner fathomable.
"Oh, HI LITTLE LIGHT!" Advice screeched in a faux cheerful, high-pitched voice, at a volume that would have deafened any human ears. The eloquence and overall decency that it normally had when conversing with me all but vanished at the sight of my Ghost.
I rolled my eyelights. Here we go again...
Ghost sighed miserably. "Why haven't you dismantled this thing yet?"
Before I could answer that I was actually going to consider it, Super Good Advice feigned (or didn't) a malevolent diatribe, complete with an evil cackle. "Mwahahaha! You fool! You or Exodus cannot simply get rid of me! I am your doom! Your salvation! I am... YOUR DESTIN-"
Thank the Traveler that my Ghost used that exact opportune moment to transmat all of us to the ground. The world flashed white, and my vision was subsequently assaulted by lush forest green.
Sorry about the lengthy delay for this chapter. Destiny (the game, I mean) has been very efficient in detracting from the time I have for writing this story. But assuming all goes well, the next chapter should be up relatively quickly. (Don't hold me to that though 
)
Also, I feel I should mention something else that may affect this story's future. I am aware that the game Destiny is a work-in-progress. And, regardless of what you may think of it, Bungie is releasing DLC that is supposed to add upon the sad state of the game's story, and reinforce the lore. This is great and all, but be aware that if Bungie releases something that directly contradicts my story or the explanations that I am setting up for things the game does not yet explain, I will make changes, perhaps to the extent of taking chapters down and rewriting them to fit in with the new canon. I often don't like contradicting canon (with the exception of MLP because, let's face it, crossovers are MEANT to compromise canon Equestria).
So...yeah. I'm just hoping Bungie doesn't make my story obsolete.
Thanks for reading.
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Liking and putting it on 'read it later' because of my favorite game.
And it's on a website filled with pony fanfics.
This is gonna be AWESOME!!
5615894
I sincerely hope I don't disappoint, then. Thanks!
media.giphy.com/media/TCxFG1I2VwwI8/giphy.gif
Thanks for the awesome chapter im looking toward to the next one!
It is good to see story update Comrade Warlock!
Next you will make plans to crush the minions of darkness for the glory of the Traveler.
Be safe Guardian and I will ensure everything remains ok until your return.
On my honor as a Titan I do so swear.
5616774
But of course, mysterious Titan bro! Go kill Crota a few times for me while I'm gone, wouldja?
Guardian camaraderie is best camaraderie.
With the exception of, you know, brony camaraderie.
Good to see this update, but I'm not sure how Exodus' possession of almost all of the exotic weapons and armor fits in to the Destiny canon, seeing as how they are supposed to be one of a kind, game mechanics not withstanding of course, just seems a little OP to me.
5616958
That's very understandable, and I appreciate it. First real bit of criticism!
But I really did not intend for his possession of multiple exotics to compromise canon. Because they, well, don't. Each and every single one of them is obtainable in-game by a Guardian, and it just attests to the fact that Exodus is a seasoned Guardian that has been there since day one (because he kind of has been there, as I based the protagonist and his possessions off my own Guardian
).
While Exotics such as Super Good Advice, Invective, and Thorn are indeed one-of-a-kind, other Exotics are known to have been mass-produced, like SUROS, Plan C, Truth, Icebreaker, and even Gjallarhorn (not saying that Exodus will have these weapons, though), so their obtainment isn't too farfetched, lore-wise.
Also, note the lack of anything DLC; he left on his journey before the Dark Below. That means he won't be sporting anything like Starfire Protocol, No Land Beyond or Necrochasm. I try to keep with time continuities, as petty as it may seem.
And if he still seems OP, next update will level that out.
5672308
I actually wrote its lines hearing the Toaster from Fallout NV in my head.
5701165
Er... I'm sorry. Was that directed towards the story being just bad, or the shifting events in the first chapter? Kinda worrying me here, mate.
5616822 *PFFT* Him really? You're not joking? Only warlocks can kill crota alone. A titan would die fighting him in 50 seconds flat
5730195
*and Hunters. It's been proven.
Hey man, I don't judge based on class!
Ahem... #warlockmasterrace
5731661 Did you forget hard mode motherfucker? It's true that warlocks can always kill a god AND be the masterrace in PvE and while this guy went through the deathsingers with the hunter i did the same as a warlock https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A06GLLOO46M if only the traveler didn't make those goddamn hunters for PvP... #Hunters overruns PvP
But none the less the titan is actually the best class i must say. The striker and defender class is useful for both PvP AND PvE but when the next subclass for each guardian type comes out it'll all change for sure...
5731789
Eh. I've maxed out all three classes, so I can see the good and bad of each. Warlock has great melee range and self-rez, but a really shitty jump (this coming from a primarily Warlock user).
Hunters have invisibility, best jump, and versatile supers. Not many offensive options otherwise, IMO.
Titans are pretty well-rounded. Shoulder charge for PVP. Defender class for PVE.
Gotta respectfully disagree here, mate. Striker is okay for clearing out trash mobs in PVE, but so is a Rocket Launcher. Besides, Fist of Havoc requires you to close in for the super, which I find kills me more often than not in harder missions like Nightfalls.
...which is nearly all speculation. Don't get me wrong, I want an Arc Warlock as much as the next guy, but it might be just wishful thinking. Perhaps Bungie will add it in a future expansion. We'll just have to bide our time here with ponies and Guardians in the meantime.
5734403 Well actually striker class is for PvP as it can easily 1 hit KO a hunter on bladedancer mode but the chart of it's power is amazing in PvP but not much in PvE and i'm entirely sure that Arc warlock, Solar titan and void hunter will come in a DLC.
Please continue, post-haste!
This story is great so far
I'm really enjoying it. You have my approval as a fellow writer, and fellow Exo.
Hunter master race.
5868121
Why, thank you! Next update should be coming around soon. You have my thanks, as a fellow writer and a fellow Exo!
Ahem... *warlock master race*
5870034 This master race stuff is bullshit. There ain't no such thing as a master race! The Warlocks,Titans and Hunters each specialize in each different mode and attributes. The Warlocks ar the wizards that revives and destroys (sunsinger and voidwalker). The Titans are like the Spartans from the Halo series with Super Powers (For instances the FoH and WoD). The Hunters are nothing else but assassins,stealth medics and snipers (Bladedancers and Gunslingers). BUT! Everyone knows that in mortal abilities it's the Exo who comes out on top since they can survive in space and i'm guessing Awoken can survive extreme measures of cold but nothing else special. Also my character is Exo for the fellowship and victory!
5877117
And the master race thing is just used to humorously express bias toward a favorite class. Completely opinionated. Pretty much like "Glorious PC master race" and the "best pony" arguments, you dig?
5877495 Oh... in that case carry on.
Please update this soon. This is VERY well written, and I love the backstory you're giving Destiny. It fits. :)
5986150
Thank you for the feedback, mate!
As for the update, I'm struggling a bit on the ending of the chapter. First encounters are fickle things to write, wouldn't you agree?
5987644 Oh, they're just a bitch. But it's always so satisfying to finish one and know that you've gotten it right.
Hunter master race...
6055233 The Hunter is overrated.
As is the Warlock.
Give the Titan some damn respect, or I'll Storm Fist it into you!
Title drop
I find it really interesting how the SGA talks.
But seriously, if I ever got the damned thing, I'd dismantle it.
Either that, or it's gonna collect space in the vault.
6061013
You know it!
I love the characterization. I fucking love it!
I love the way you gave super good advice an ai fucking hilarious I also like the fact it's a warlock