[i]This is my retelling of the Battle of the Twilight Gap, and this short series is different from my other stories because there is a different character for every episode. You'll be in the point of view of favorites like Zavala, Ikora Rey, Shaxx, and others. Based on such little lore about this battle, I have taken creative liberties as usual. Please read, bump, and enjoy! You're in for an epic ride![/i] [b] Episode One [/b] “Remind me why I got stuck with you again?” asked Ana Bray, grimacing as she heard Cayde-6’s boots crunch in the cinnabar, burnt grass behind her. He might as well have been banging sheets of metal together. “You’re too damn loud.” Cayde finally caught up. “I’m no master spy, miss.” “Exactly my point,” she retorted. “You should have been created with a lighter step.” Ana looked him up and down, frowning. “In fact, I might be able to modify that little problem. Have you forgotten I’m an Exoscientist?” The Hunter sighed. “You’ve told me for the thousandth time. You ain’t fixing my horn and you ain’t touching me,” he said, pausing. “Well, I mean, if you [i]really[/i] want to touch me you can touch me—” [i]Less talking, more sneaking[/i], said a voice in Ana’s head. It was Andal Brask, Hunter Vanguard and temporary fireteam leader, using their Ghosts as in-head transceivers. The man was currently miles away overlooking the Old Russian steppes, acting as their eyes with an enhanced long-barreled sniper rifle. [i]You have two Vandals advancing on your position.[/i] Ana, kneeling behind a ledge sprouting with poppies, began to hear the heavy footsteps. They were twenty-feet away based on her calculations, so now she waited for the perfect moment. Cayde scraped his metallic arm against the rock next to him. The Vandals grunted in surprise. “Useless!” hissed Ana. She rolled out of cover, and with little effort, cast her throwing knives at the Fallen. The blades sunk into their necks and unleashed micro-adhesive incendiaries. Instantly, the Vandals’ necks bulged from the pressure as ether steamed away from pops in their flesh, which then blossomed into curling cinders. Their heads rolled down their backs and their bodies slumped to the ground. A shuffling of feet and a crunching noise made Ana spin around. Cayde, aqua eyes twinkling, held a Stealth Vandal’s crushed neck in his grip. “You were saying?” “Fine,” said Ana, grinning. “You might be good for something.” [i]Good work. Now hurry before more patrols come through. [/i] “Hey, hey, hey,” said Cayde, dropping the corpse and gesturing lewdly to where he thought Andal was hiding. “We’re doing all the work here, you know. So don’t rush us, old man.” [i]I didn’t sneak out of the Tower to be bad-mouthed by you, Cayde![/i] “Sorry, old man.” Ana took the lead again as Andal cursed and they began making their way to an old outpost just ahead, erected on top of a windswept promontory overlooking a toxic lake. The broken windows glowed with light and shadows. Elder Vandals guarded the outpost in every possible place—the flat roof and stairway leading to each floor, the entrance, even along the cliffside. Multi-colored Shanks monitored the airspace surrounding the building. Ana looked around and realized most of the buildings as far as she could see were lit, and more Fallen troops were patrolling than usual. There has never been so many of them in one place before. [i]Heavy security, eh? There must be something important going on. I guess the Vanguard’s suspicion was right about the strange activity. Another attack is probably coming. Release your Ghost, Ana. The outpost ahead is the most carefully guarded, so send it there. [/i] “Wait,” she whispered, disturbed. “It’s unmistakable. Every House of the Fallen is here based on their shades and emblems. Even the House of Exile is here. What the hell is going on?” Cayde shrugged. “Let’s find out.” Ana sent out her Ghost and it promptly went invisible. Perhaps she should have been grateful the space pirates didn’t have the most advanced technology, otherwise her little Ghost wouldn’t have made it so far. The voices filtering into her head now wasn’t of Andal, but of her Ghost translating the garbled language of the Fallen that would have been best understood in human speech. [i]Where are the rest of your forces, Balksis?[/i] [i]On their way. The House of Winter does not rush for anyone[/i]. Foreign curses sounded behind her Ghost’s voice. [i]The humans will catch on soon. [/i] [i]So what?[/i] [i]We lose the element of surprise, you blasted fool[/i]. More grunts and shuffling. [i]You waste my breath. Rigoris, how goes the preparations on our Ketch and where are they? Are the soldiers mobilized? [/i] [i]The three Ketch starships are out of human satellite range and are fully prepared for the invasion, Riksis. Six-hundred Walker tanks are operational. Three-thousand Dregs and five-thousand Vandals assembled. A good one-thousand Servitors are ready to support the troops, and organizational stations are being built to better provide ether in the fastest amount of time possible. [/i] There was a hum of approval. [i]Excellent. We strike in two days, with or without House of Winter. Balksis, if your forces do not arrive in time then I will personally kill you myself, you sniveling wretch.[/i] “We must get this news back to the Speaker,” whispered Ana, just when more angry curses rose. She instinctually called back her Ghost and it disappeared into her mind once more. “This is bad,” said Cayde, gripping his hand cannon. “Six-hundred spider tanks? There’s no way we can fight off that many…six-[i]hundred[/i]. Isn’t that a little bit of an overkill? I mean really, is it--" [i]Shut up, Cayde[/i], said Andal.[i] Fall back. The City depends on us now.[/i] As much as Ana disliked Cayde, he was right. They had just suffered a crushing defeat on the moon from the Hive. The Titan Orders were still recuperating from the Battle of Six Fronts. Not only that, Guardians have been cropping up a lot less lately, which meant they were dying far faster than what the Traveler could currently offer them. Now another battle was imminent, from the combined might of the Fallen houses. Ana realized that another miracle was impossible. [b][url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/93092612]EPISODE TWO[/url][/b] [b][url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/94013318]EPISODE THREE[/url][/b] [b][url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/95269586/0/0/1]EPISODE FOUR[/url][/b] [b][url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/96203881/0/0]EPISODE FIVE[/url][/b] [b][url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/96619605]EPILOGUE[/url][/b] [i][b]DISCLAIMER: THIS SERIES IS A WORK OF FAN FICTION, SO CREATIVE LIBERTIES HAVE BEEN TAKEN. DO NOT TAKE THIS STORY AS CANON. DUE TO A LIMITED AMOUNT OF LORE, I HAD TO SPECULATE ON WHICH CHARACTERS BELONGED TO WHICH CLASS AND SO FORTH.[/b][/i] [b][url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/100362914] DESTINY FAN FICTION ARCHIVE[/url][/b] [b][url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Forum/823422]JOIN CLAN FOR FAN FICTION UPDATES[/url][/b]