[b]Okay, so i had to split this episode into two parts, and here's the second one. If you missed the first part of this episode, then click here: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/197525545/0/0 If you missed Episode I, then click here:[/b] https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/197392415/0/0 [u][b]Episode II (continued):[/b][i] Prep Mission[/i][/u] They touched down in a small basin near the Skywatch. The snow crunched and broke apart under their hard boots, and each Guardian scanned the area around them. "Looks clear to me," Alexander said, his voice coming in through their comms, "If we want to find some action, there's that Hive Seeder up on the ridge, next to the Terrestrial Complex." "There's probably a beacon or two as well," Kate said. "Alright." Abigail began walking up to the Skywatch, "let's see what we can find." Together the fireteam walked through the snow and dirt, making their way to the Skywatch. As they got to the top, they walked along an outer ridge, just below the helicopter landing pad. They walked by a cave, and Alexander noticed something inside. "Hey," he called, "there's some loot in here, wanna grab some?" "No," Abigail spoke coldly, "let's get moving, might be an Ogre or something in there." Alexander laughed, "Alright boss, but there's no Ogre inside, it was killed a while ago." "How do you know?" Dave asked. "'Cause, I was the one that killed it, haha." There was a slightly awed silence as they walked past the cave and got to the top of the ridge, where the Skywatch awaited them. The sight before them was like a breath of fresh air. White, powdery snow caked the rock and dirt, and it made everything stand out against it. To their right, the entrance to the Terrestrial Complex stood open, the inside dark and cold from the lack of Light within it. In front of them, probably a hundred yards off though, was what they were looking for. A Hive Seeder jutted from the ground, black and glowing green. It's opening gaped like the maw to some mystical beast, and led to the Jovian Complex. It was where the Guardians who destroyed the creature, Omnigul entered to finish the deed, and they were heralded as saviors of the Cosmodrome. Where it once used to spill out Crota's Spawn, the Seeder now was empty and cold, almost beckoning for exploration. And explore is just what the Guardians did. Cautiously they plunged into the maw, each of their Ghosts flashing next to them, providing necessary Light to the consuming Darkness. "What do you think we'll find in here?" Argus questioned. "Depends on what's left of Omingul." Alexander answered. "Right, so let's keep moving." Abigail commanded."We'll explore what we can, then make our way back to the ships and back to the Tower. I don't plan on staying out late tonight, so we'll need to get rest for tomorrow." And so the five Guardians walked through the Jovian Complex, weapons in hand and ready to fire. They walked past numerous piles of ash and dust, most likely the remains of the hundreds of Hive that were slain to reach the Brood Mother herself. "This stuff reeks, even through my helmet" Dave sighed. "Maybe cause that old bucket is well...old." Kate laughed, and the others did too at Dave's disappointment. "Wait," Alexander held up a fist and moved to the front of the group. "Do you guys hear that?" The others went quiet and tried listening, but they couldn't hear anything. "you sure you heard something?" Argus asked. Alex took a step forward. In front of the group, there was nothing but a long corridor of darkness, that not even the Ghost's could bring Light to. Wisps of a smoky Hive substance rose up into the air, seemingly from nothing. "There's something here, with us." The Hunter spoke ominously. Just as he finished the thought, numerous triads of yellow green eyes appeared in the Darkness some taller than the others, indicating the presence of Knights. In the center of the mass of eyes however, there was a blotch of mass that seemed heavy and slow, as it ebbed closer to the fireteam. "Oh shit," Argus muttered mechanically, readying his auto rifle against his shoulder. "Abigail, what do we do?" The Guardians looked to their leader, even Alexander, who was interested in how the Warlock would handle things. "Uh, um shit, okay, back up, back up first. Okay, um, how many enemies do you see? You know what -blam!- it, open fire!" The Guardians didn't hesitate at the order, and began sending bullets into the Hive wall. Just as they did so, the whole mass seemed to explode, with deafening shrieks and screams immediately running towards the heroes. As the Thrall were quickly gunned down, more came, and after another legion, even more swarmed in, with towering Knights toting large blades of bone behind them. The Ogre remained farther back, it seemed to be testing it's broodmates. The Guardians had fallen back behind makeshift pieces of cover. They were still gunning down copious amounts of their foes, but it was clear that they would soon be overwhelmed. "Where the Hell are they coming from?!" Abigail shouted over the gunfire. "Doesn't matter now!" Alexander shouted, tossing an incendiary grenade into the swarm. The grenade created a wall of fire, which bought the group time to escape. "We need to get out of here, NOW." Abigail understood, "Fall back. Fall back." It didn't take long for the others to follow the order, and soon they were running back through the Complex. As they retreated, Alexander looked back at the burning Hive. Against the fire, the silhouette of a huge Ogre stood, hunched and calm, which the Hunter found very unusual. If he stared for another second, Alex would have been sliced in two. Luckily the vicious Knight bellowed as it swung down for the kill, which gave the Hunter just enough time to react and jump out of the way. The Hive blade missed him by mere inches, and he wasted no time driving his own blade into the neck of the Knight. It instantly disintegrated, and Alex gloated at his small victory. "Blisk, let's go!" Argus shouted from down the corridor. The others were already exiting the Seeder, and running across the Skywatch. Alex turned to the Hive, and after sending a few more bullets their way, he ran to the exit, the screams and shrieks following not far behind. The roar of the Ogre that commanded the swarm shook the entire building, raining dust and debris in Alex's way. The Ogre must not have cared for its own losses, as his earthshaking roar brought debris down on its own Thrall and Knights, crushing them to ash. Alex on the other hand, dodged every piece of falling stone, and slid out of the Hive Seeder just as the entrance to the Jovian Complex was closed off by the destruction. The others were catching their breath just a few yards away. "What the hell happened in there?" Dave sounded scared. None of them could give a straight answer. It wasn't usual for a strike route to be infested with the enemy after their leader was taken out. "It doesn't matter right now." Alex stood and began walking back to the ships, eager to quickly leave the Cosmodrome. "We can't worry about what happened in there alright? When we get back to the Tower, we'll notify the Vanguard, but then we need to get our shit together for the mission tomorrow." Argus grunted, "he's right. We need to be focused for the rescue." he sighed, "Martian Wastes, here we come." [b]Ok, so that concludes Episode II Episode III: [/b] https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/198781976