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Post by Soline on Sept 24, 2014 21:30:52 GMT -5
“Sepiks Prime cast a great shadow over our City. With its destruction, the Fallen Devils will grow weaker. But we must stay vigilant. The Fallen are crafty. They'll find ways to survive. They always do.”
No one would be so foolish as to call it peace, but there was a reprieve that followed the destruction of Sepiks Prime. Without their servitor, it seemed that infighting had broken out among the ranks of the Fallen. An opportunity like this was too much for the Vanguard to pass up, and they began to send Guardians out into ruins that had long been held by the Devils.
Sati-9 was one such Guardian, the Vanguard had sent her forth to the ruins of what had been known as Shanghai long before the Collapse. There had been word that the House of Devils seemed to be grouping within the city, and they needed brave volunteers to assess the situation.
Like so many cities, Shanghai had fallen a long way since it's prime. Most buildings were broken, leaving a skyline like jagged spikes reaching for the sky. The most notable change to the skyline though, was the ketch that hung over the city, docked atop one of the larger buildings that remained in one piece. This was no army though, nor a united house in its prime, and only a few skiffs flew the skies leaving an almost ragged impression to those who were familiar with the might that the Devils had once brought to bear.
There was no way that anyone could fly unnoticed into the city though, and so Sati had been forced to set down in the far outskirts, working her way in by foot. The air was wet, humid and the clouds overhead threatened a storm that could break out at any minute.
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Post by Alex Cooper on Sept 24, 2014 21:59:42 GMT -5
Four months had passed since Sati-9 was resurrected, brought back to serve as a Guardian. In that time, she had filled her position well, staking out into the wilderness almost immediately with a certain enthusiasm and gusto not seen by most freshly raised Guardians. It was with that same enthusiasm to explore and discover new secrets, both about her past and the all encompassing past of the Traveler and civilization, that sent her out to the ruins of Shanghai today.
She had certainly found herself better gear since being originally outfitted with what her Ghost could stitch together for her. The most noteworthy piece of equipment on her person was Mitternacht SR3 scout rifle, with an improved scope for increased range and a small hole drilled through the grip to allow a lucky rabbit's foot key-chain to be laced through it.
Slung on her back, underneath her waist-long cloak, was a notched Pompeii-LR3 sniper rifle, and on her hip was a pack of extra incendiary rounds for it, just over her Macerick Mk. 32 hand cannon. Unlike most other Guardians she traveled without a helmet, not needing to breathe in the vacuum of space or for most other reasons Guardians wore there's, having figured out ways to use her natural enhancements as an Exo to theoretically replace the need for it.
Plus it made her feel awfully cramped.
Making her way through the overgrown outskirts, Sati-9 kept herself entertained by keeping a keen eye open for any stray wildlife, relying on their presence to tell her whether or not the Fallen were nearby. Where there were Fallen, critters tended to scurry.
"Remind me what our objective is here," she said to her Ghost, who was likely within her or somewhere nearby, as he normally was. She knew the objective, but the silence was deafening and she felt the need to carry on conversation, as there would be very little once they made it into the city, which she was getting awfully close to already.
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Post by Soline on Sept 25, 2014 23:26:33 GMT -5
"The Fallen congregation. We're here to see what sort of threat they may pose to the City. Sepiks Prime's death has them scattered, reports have this as one of the largest gatherings since then. The Vanguard are being cautious." The Ghost's voice echoed from within, choosing not to show itself in the hostile territory.
"Furthermore, we are to try and keep engagement to a minimum. With the numbers that are massing here we would be very quickly over-run should we be found. Information is our primary purpose."
There were traces of wildlife, though none seen directly. Tracks in the mud here, the sound of birds in the distance. There was an impression of walking into a bubble of silence as they approached the city, as if everything was holding its breath in wait of what would happen. Even the sky, heavy with clouds seemed to be waiting for the moment to break into storm.
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Post by Alex Cooper on Sept 26, 2014 0:30:54 GMT -5
Information gathering was well within her element. Given the fact that as an Exo with memory loss Sati-9 had a strong thirst for knowledge, of herself, the Darkness, the Traveler, and in all things really. It was because of this craving of information that she became an unofficial scout for hire (the for hire part made her feel more like a professional). She took on jobs, requests, or even just investigated rumours muttered around the Tower to bring back information so other more reckless Guardians could rush into warzones and have their Ghosts bring them back again and again.
"We should probably try to get to higher ground," she suggested, nodding towards one of the distant buildings that was mostly intact. "If we're taking headcounts I'd like to do it through my scope if it's all the same to you." She usually asked for permission from her Ghost to get things done, as she trusted his judgement and liked the thought of making such a small little thing seem superior. It was cute, in a way.
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Post by Soline on Sept 26, 2014 12:01:09 GMT -5
"Higher ground is likely to be safer. It would help us avoid any pikes that the Devil's may have patrolling the area too." The Ghost agreed before popping out to do a scan. "There's a good building half a kilometer southwest of here. I suggest we check there first."
The path to the building the Ghost had indicated was clear, though not straightforward. There were two times where a street just became impassible due to a collapsed building and the rerouting set them back to the point of nearly doubling the original distance. As the pair approached the building, they heard the whine of engines down the street to their right.
They were nearly to the building, but running to it risked being caught before they got there. That said their current location wasn't the best cover either, and backtracking out of sight didn't guarantee that the patrol wouldn't turn their way.
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Post by Alex Cooper on Sept 26, 2014 13:24:57 GMT -5
Sati-9 didn't seem to mind the backtracking, or at least her face hadn't shifted subtly to show any sort of frustration. It wasn't until she heard the engines nearing them that she seemed irritated, letting out a hiss of frustration. "Pikes?" she allowed herself to ask, as she picked up the pace and sprinted for the building.
Towards the last leg of it, before running completely into the open, she brought a closing fist to her chest and blinked forward, aiming for the building's interior and hitting the ground with a slide to get behind something as quickly as she could.
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Post by Soline on Sept 27, 2014 0:28:29 GMT -5
It was the blink that saved her, sliding behind cover just as the Pikes rounded the corner. They didn't stop in their course as they moved past the building, and the whine of engines slowly dwindled into the distance.
"That was close." The Ghost spoke after they were safe. "Thankfully we should be okay now. The higher levels of this building should give us a better idea of what sort of deployment the Fallen have gathered here."
The pair was currently in the lobby of what was once likely a hotel-- and a rather nice one too. Signs of past grandeur was hidden amidst the dust, grime and debris that littered the floor and surfaces. It was extremely unlikely that there would be any life to the elevator, and even if there was it wouldn't likely be safe. That left a door toward the back that lead to a stairwell.
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Post by Alex Cooper on Sept 27, 2014 0:43:36 GMT -5
Sati-9 brushed the back of her hand against her forehead, in a mock gesture of breaking a sweat. "Want to start taking bets?" she asked, already moving towards the stairwell door. She wasn't in any real hurry, so she kept a slow pace to look at things as she walked by, always eager to add new things to her collection of odds and ends. Some might have called her scavenging eccentric, others crazy, and some few wise understanding warlocks might have nodded their heads in approval. Whether or not people approved of her stashing old bent forks and long dead power cells away wasn't important to her. If something interested her, that was all she needed to want to take it.
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Post by Soline on Sept 28, 2014 0:21:44 GMT -5
"Bets?" The Ghost questioned, still safely hidden within Sati-9.
Much of what was still there was in shambles. Torn drapes, ripped paintings and worn away carpeting. A rusted and dented bell sat by a counter top, the dust coating it telling a story of years without contact. There stairwell was little better, worn carpeting continued and the walls were coated in a chipped paint. Aside from a few broken off pieces of the wooden railing, once finely polished no doubt, they were at least in one piece.
As the pair ascended the staircase, they were granted a few small windows to get an idea for the area through the grime. As they neared the third floor, a peak out the window would show a trio of shanks patrolling away from the hotel. It was at the fourth floor that they found the end of their climb in the form of a shattered staircase.
Heading out the door would show a standard hotel hallway, though some doors hung open, if they even had doors. Inside showed signs of a life once lived, broken beds, torn up chairs and musty tables. It was a fairly straightforward hallway, never truly branching despite a few twists.
As they turned a corner, a fresh staircase greeted them, along with a way to continue their climb. They were also greeted by an end to the quiet that had stayed with them until now as gunshots rang out from the stairwell.
It had seemed so simple, a gathering of Devil's. Thin the herd, sow some discord among the ranks. Stop them from getting a chance to regroup. The abandoned hotel had seemed a good vantage for starting the mission, unfortunately the Fallen the same thought and had posted a squadron of guards on the upper levels.
At first the Vandal had seemed as surprised as the pair to see each other, unfortunately even if they had disposed of the Fallen quickly the noise would have drawn the rest of the guard. From there a lack of cover and a voiced desire by Sebastian to not be backed into a corner would force them down toward the stairwell they had just left with three vandals and a pair of dregs firing on their heels.
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Post by Bastion-22 on Sept 28, 2014 1:25:48 GMT -5
Bastion-22 felt his back hit the floor as he slid down the stair's, cursing angrily even as he tried to scramble to his feet. His hands brought the Shingen auto rifle around from his back as he got up, and a half turn let him fire a quick burst back up at the Fallen chasing after him. He then barreled forwards, hunting for a door way to swing into and break the line of sight.
"I believe this count's as well within mission parameter's, yes?" he called over the sound of his boots hitting the ground, grabbing a door frame to pull himself into it more easily. "All we're missing is a Walker climbing up the tower face to greet us."
The Exo took a brief moment to take stock of his situation, surveying the room as he ejected the mostly spent clip and slammed a fresh one home. "Sebsatian, tactical options?" he asked it, peeking around the corner of the door towards the stairwell.
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Post by Alex Cooper on Sept 28, 2014 5:47:09 GMT -5
"On the headcount," she replied, chuckling softly as she scaled the stairs. "It's a joke, buddy," she had to explain, then dropped the subject to better focus on her surroundings. Nothing worth salvaging or scavenging, that was for sure. As disappointing as that was, it wasn't entirely surprisingly, and so it was with only a small sigh that she gave up on finding a souvenir from Shanghai and returned her attention fully to the mission at hand.
Until there were gunshots.
Sati-9 sprung into action, replacing her Mitternacht with her Macerick and holding the hand cannon at the ready, unsure of just what might happen next. "Ghost, those were bullets, weren't they?" she asked, bracing herself against one wall and aiming down her sights, up the stairs. "And what, a shock rifle? More than one." As a scout, it was her job to be able to recognize Fallen weapons, and do her best to count out the enemy through sound alone. There were too many shots for there to be a single Vandal. Three or four, with a mixture of Dregs with shock pistols in their ranks. More than what she wanted to tangle with at the moment. Alone, anyway.
But she was not alone.
"See if you can't find the other Guardian. Take me to him, Ghost!"
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Post by Soline on Sept 29, 2014 11:44:07 GMT -5
"We could retreat. Fall back and find a new position? They outnumber and outgun us right now. It would be foolish to make any sort of-- wait." Sebastian began, cutting off suddenly. "There. Retreat downstairs, I believe there may be a solution to our problem there." The Ghost neglected to give a solution for exactly how the pair would retreat through the rest of the hallway unharmed, though it was clear that they could only stay in the room for so long before the Fallen pushed in and overran them.
Sati-9's ghost appeared briefly beside her, the familiar scan running around the nearby area. "I'm detecting the Light of another guardian upstairs." The Ghost quickly disappeared again, a firefight was no place to be visible. "Head for the stairwell, but approach the top with caution. There's no telling if the Fallen are paying it any mind. If we're lucky, they won't be expecting another Guardian."
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Post by Bastion-22 on Sept 29, 2014 15:29:00 GMT -5
"Understood. Let me know when they hit the base of the stair well." he said, lowering his shotgun and reaching down to his belt. He removed a small, fragmented orb and bounced it in his hand once, before flicking the pin out but keeping the spoon depressed. He'd wait for Sebastian's signal before hucking it around the corner, then darting out of the room and down the hall way. Hopefully, the flash bang would disorientate them enough to get him clear.
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Post by Alex Cooper on Sept 29, 2014 15:40:58 GMT -5
Sati-9 nodded as her Ghost disappeared, following his orders and making a rush for the stairwell. She kept her hand cannon up and at the ready, her instincts so twitchy that had it not been for her robotic mind, she would've blown off the first head she saw, including that of a fellow Guardian's.
She made it to the stairwell in little time, then started to climb, keeping her side pressed against the wall for support and aiming her sights for the doorway into the next floor. Please be a Guardian, please be a Guardian . . .
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Post by Soline on Sept 29, 2014 23:48:50 GMT -5
Three... two... one. A loud ringing filled the air as the grenade detonated down the hallway. The cries of surprise and confusion made it clear that the flashbang had done its work. A few shots even rang out before Bastion started moving. Once he did, he would be able to make it to the stairwell unmolested while the Fallen cleared their heads and sorted out what happened.
The Titan had a moment to catch his breath after taking cover within the stairwell before he found a gun pointed up at him from below. "And there is our solution. I hope." Sebastian commented from within.
A muffled blast rang out from above as Sati-9 made her way to the stairwell, though whether that boded well or not was hard to tell from sound alone. Making it to the stairwell, she quickly found herself looking up at another Guardian. "Well, at least it's not the Fallen."
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