Chapter 7: [url]https://www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Post/1371758/221802818/0/0[/url] Knights Among Light Finale: Part I of III Chapter VIII: Incursion The comms suddenly spiked back on. Not in the traditional manner. And they were on a Concordat frequency. A voice sounded through the mic. “Good evening Resistance. I am afraid to say we found your base. You have till midnight to surrender or we will resort to using the DarkMatter Rail on your headquarters. Goodbye. Sincerely, Yulin.” “Well that’s great. I expected the Devils to fight against that.” Artemis said. Shadowshot replied. “They wouldn’t. Only the Wolves. And maybe Kings if necessary.” ThunderBunker picked up his walkie talkie. “Hello? If you can hear me! Kill Ava!” --Tower Hangar, Amanda’s Terminal, The Last City-- “This is Dead Orbit Fleet Commander 1, we are standing by for launch.” Amanda pressed her mic. Her hair had previously gotten in the way. Ruined the connection. “A’ight. You are clear for launch.” She pulled down the hangar door control lever at her terminal. The doors opened slowly, letting each ray of moonlight in separately until it combined into a ray of moonlight covering the Tower hangar. Cayde stood next to the shipwright with a metal grin on his faceplate. “Ya know, I never thought I’d lead another mission.” The Exo said. “I never thought I’d deploy a fleet, ya know that?” Amanda told Cayde. “And I never thought I would have a casual conversation that wasn’t at a bar.” “What is it like?” “What is what like?” “Bein’ a Vanguard. Ya know, being important.” “I think you’re important.” “You know I’m not.” “You are to me.” “Caaaaaaaayde. Ya makin’ me blush again.” “I’m fine with that.” “You know I’ve always had a thing for Exo Cowboys?” “Then you’re outta luck. I’m no cowboy. I’m a roguish commander.” “So I’ve heard.” “You wanna kiss me? “Not necessarily.” “Why not?” “Because Zavala is behind you.” Cayde turned around to see the Vanguard Commander. The Titan was just awkwardly staring at his brother in arms. He then spoke. “Cayde, where is the fleet going?” The Commander asked. “Fleet?” Cayde asked pretending he didn’t know. “Oh that squadron? Just ya know. Recon. Test flights, the usual thing. Nothing like a war. Which is the usual” “They all say Stargazing on the sign-outs.” “Great night for sightseeing.” “Cayde, what is going on here? Fleet and Amanda. I need an explanation.” “I didn’t even know I was talking to Amanda. Is that her. Man, I can’t remember anybody anymore. All stuck in this Tower ya know.” “Cayde. What is happening?” Saladin asked as he walked into the room. “Stargazing tour.” The Hunter Vanguard replied as nonchalantly as possible. “We aren’t joking, what is happening here. Eris was stuck behind the Exotic weapons terminal in the dark. We heard her Satanic rituals from the Speaker’s Observatory.” This was the response of the Titan Vanguardian. He was obviously mad about something. Cayde couldn’t determine what. Or why. All he did was close the terminal. “Amanda, she’s my romantic interest. And that fleet is going to attack the Concordat Headquarters in London. We didn’t tell you because you would disband the Resistance.” “You were right about that last part. I need it immediately disbanded. Too much risk.” “So is not having a Resistance or an active military better.” “Point taken. You can have Amanda, that doesn’t bother me as long as she can walk. I need to get to leading the fleet. They can’t beat the Concordat by themselves.” “Wait? What? You’re fighting but won’t authorize the Resistance you’re about to lead?” “I- yes I am. Resistance authorized. Just make use of the fleet!” “Aye-aye cap’n.” Cayde turned to Amanda. He handed her his Ace of Spades. One of the three handcannons on his belt. (Ace of Spades, The First Curse, The Last Word) “That was surprisingly easy.” Cayde said to himself with a smirk as he made his way towards a ship. --Chicago-- Flames gave their light and heat across the City of Chicago. Under siege by an impossible threat. The threat of the Concordat, once again loomed across Earth. “Deploy the Twilight Garrison immediately!” Artemis yelled down the hall. The Concordat ships from above the City were not landing as if they were bees around their Hive. Future War Cult Guardians ran through the crowd with Artemis and Shadowshot. Nobody was hidden in the city. They might as well fight. Many faces seen in fear as the two Hunters ran through the McCormick Place. A red haired Nightstalker just trying to get by, he had fought in a war lost in time. A female Warlock preparing for her demise, readying her pulse rifle, knowing that even if she had slain every Hive she would die here. From Guardians. From her own kin. “Artemis, how long do you think we’ll hold out without the Dead Orbit fleet?” Shadowshot asked. “They’re still orbiting Saturn.” “Let’s go with… ten minutes.” Artemis replied. “Optimism!” “Eleven.” “Nine was all we needed.” Shadowshot took the Concordat Sidearm from his belt. “Might as well use it until we get to the armory.” He said as an excuse to use the gun. “So are you going first or do I go first or you or what’s the situation?” “Maybe we should just sit here and die.” Artemis said. “Wait what?” “I said maybe we should wait for them to kill us. Clearly I was not being sarcastic.” “You can stay here. I’m going to find a weapon.” “By yourself. In the middle of a warzone. Defenseless.” “I have this Havoc Pigeon.” “A sidearm that can easily be outgunned by every known weapon that’s available to us.” “Are they us?” “No, but they outgun you by a ton.” “I’m going either way.” “If you say so. But if you get shot, I told you so.” “Alright. See you in another life Arty.” Shadowshot broke into the battlefield with a sprint. He jumped to the ground almost immediately. Rockets had the Resistance here pinned down. He rose up and fired into the crowd of Concordat. The sound of bullets hitting armor was not heard. It couldn’t be heard in this warzone. The red haired Nightstalker was dead next to Shadowshot. He had held a Tuonela in his arms when he died. SS picked it up and began to return fire to the group of rocket Concordat. Most of them had been picked off by Artemis’ shots, cries heard then silenced as bullets entered their skulls. Then the thunder of ships breaking from hyperspace. A blockade runner hovered over the Resistance troops alongside Shadowshot. It opened up revealing Resistance troops. SW-33P3R was among the group that had landed. He jumped into the main battlefield and opened fire on the Concordat that had just begun to advance. “All of you! Move forward! Statistics show only a 60 percent chance of death!” “Right.” Artemis said, “60 percent.” The troops ran forward. Devastation was everywhere. The thunder of gunfire boomed across the sky. In the distance, the Trump tower exploded in a fury of glass and steel. The Hybrid tore across the shattered Earth. From it’s eye fired bolts of plasma at the Resistance. “Take it out!” General Hemera yelled over the sound of bullets and explosions. A stray bolt of plasma from the Hybrid managed to make its way over to SS, hitting him dead straight in the chest, catching him completely off guard, as he fell towards the ground, trying to catch his breath. “I told you that you’d get shot!” yells Artemis. A Taken Vandal appears and puts a dome over him, while Artemis runs over to carry Shadowshot to cover. As she makes it into the dome, she tells her Vandal to provide covering fire. It nodded, and obeyed, while Artemis slung Shadowshot over her shoulder and makes a run for it, back towards the other Resistance members. Only to run into a group of Concordat. “Spin me around,” rasps ShadowShot. “For what? You’re injured, on my back and I’m staring at a ton of people over here.” “My super is ready.” “Right,” She addressed the group of Concordat members, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to turn around, and run, alright?” She turned around slowly, and hoped that Shadowshot would pull it off. She heard the shouts from the Concordat group, and turned back around. To see everyone tethered to the ground. She summoned a few thrall, and ran past them, leaving the Concordat troops to their demise.