A/N: Was really sick these past few days (No Cap), but feeling a bit better now Alhumdulillah. Enjoy the Chapter not asking for reviews (I have given up and resorted to trying reverse psychology).
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[Cosmodrome]
The night hung low over the derelict desert plains as moonlight slipped through seams of a sea of clouds. The light flickered as it glinted off rusted wreckage, but as the moon shined bright, the shadows seemed to darken.
Two cloaked figures weaved through the long stretching shadows of the jagged mountains. Stitching their presence from shadow to shadow, unseen and unnoticed.
Bandit crouched behind the hollowed husk of an old cargo hauler, his cloak flicking with the breeze. Up ahead, Cory knelt beside a stone outcrop, motioning with two fingers.
"Two squads. Devils," he whispered. "Patrolling. Mostly Dregs, one Captain."
Bandit nodded as his eyes scanned the patrol's movements. "They're not guarding anything," he muttered. "Just circling like vultures."
"Means what we're looking for isn't under them." Cory gave a slow nod, his figure flickered away.
Bandit and Cory stuck to the high ridges, flickering from rusted debris and darting above jagged rocks as they surveyed all of Mothyard's grassy plains. The Devil's Lair loomed in the dsitance. But they weren't heading into it.
Instead, they wrapped around the mountain range and surveyed the ridges at its base. The two skipped in the air, swiftly and deftly moving across the ridges, until finally their eyes caught something, curious.
"You seeing this?" Bandit asked.
"Yeah. Feels off. " Cory replied.
"Exactly."
The pair slid down a rocky ledge, landing quietly behind a mound of old rusted Fallen walkers.
The thrum of Devil squads echoed behind them—idle chatter, metal scraping, boots crunching gravel. The two shared a glance, their figures seemed to blur as they blended into the surroundings.
They pressed on, staying low. The ridgeline bent into a narrow slope, twisting around to a clearing flanked by collapsed satellites and broken pylons. And then, just past the scrap heap, Cory spotted it.
A shimmer.
Cory and Bandit flickered forward, hanging above the ridge. They stood above the clearing, watching in silence.
He glanced at Bandit, the two paused as they shared another glance. Then Bandit's eyes narrowed, as if he'd understood his part.
Bandit leaned forward, his figure scattered as he melted into a puddle of shadows, merging into the dark. The puddle stirred, and then swam to the source of the shimmer.
Cory looked to the side. He spotted a Fallen captain leading a patrolling squad on its way to check on the ridge. He frowned slightly. If he were to kill a single dreg, all of Devil's lair would know that someone had found this place.
He couldn't afford that mistake. But to let the patrolling squad reach the base of the ridge was also out of the question. If Bandit was spotted, the mission would be compromised.
Cory clasped his hands together. 'At best, I need to delay them a bit.'
Tendrils of shadow sprouted around him as they twisted and turned. The tendrils twitched and sunk bank into the shadows, slithering towards the patrolling squad.
The Fallen captain heaved a breath as pressurized ether mist perspired through his mask. He trudged through the clearing below the ridge, eyes scanning for anything unusual. Just then, a rusted piece of junk seemed to rattle at his side.
The Captain jolted, flicking to the right as his darted to find what had caused it. But as he turned, a rattle came from behind him. The patrol squad was baffled.
In the distance, Cory controlled the tendrils to make as much noise without getting seen. As long as be could occupy the squad, it was fine. Besides, it was almost impossible to see his shadow tendrils at night.
On the other side, Bandit hurriedly made his way to the source of the shimmer they had seen. As he turned the final corner, Bandit stopped and his eyes widened in surprise.
"Sepiks..." He breathed.
The Prime Servitor floated silently in the dark, its spherical body nestled deep in a camouflaged pit beneath the ridge. After making sure of what he'd seen, Bandit didn't linger, and flickered away.
Cory's tendrils continued to distract the squad, the shadows beside him stirred as Bandit emerged from within, "We found it."
"Good." Cory nodded softly as he opened his hands, the shadow tendrils seemed to vanish. "Let's go."
The next instant, their figures vanished, darting back towards Skywatch.
Bandit tapped his comms. "Cayde. It's Bandit. You're gonna want to hear this."
There was a static hum on the line, followed by Cayde's voice.
"Hey, you two still breathing? I was just about to send in a fireteam to check."
"Yeah, we're good," Bandit said. "We've got visual on Sepiks. It's not in Devil's Lair proper. It's stationed under the southern ridge—hidden, cloaked, and out of sight."
There was a pause.
Cayde's tone shifted. "That's... interesting. What else?"
"It was in a camouflage field. They might move it soon." Bandit added.
"Send the coordinates, the City will take care of it now." Cayde replied.
The transmission cut.
He tapped his wrist and setup another call.
"It's me. You were right, they did ask us to locate Sepiks."
"You found it?" Void replied.
"Everything's setup, city will act soon. Is that all you need?" Bandit answered.
Void paused, and then continued, "That's all. Appreciate the heads up."
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[Tower, last City]
Cayde stepped through the Vanguard doors, waving a datapad in one hand.
"Found him," he announced. "Our big round friend, Sepiks. The Nightstalkers pinged the location near Devil's Lair."
Ikorra looked up from a holomap. "Already?"
Cayde nodded, tossing the pad onto the table with a dramatic spin. "What can I say, my hunters are just that good."
"Right." Ikorra studied the network interference across the Cosmodrome, "Looks like the new relay system is paying off. No scattered frequencies trying to tap in, no one can monitor our traffic now."
Zavala stepped forward, arms crossed as he reviewed the coordinates Cayde received.
"Keeping their prime servitor here, I guess they never expected to be found" he muttered.
Cayde nodded, "They might move Sepiks tho, my guys also found it in a camo field. Might be prepping for transport."
He glanced up at the other two. "We need to strike fast. While they're still reorganizing."
Ikorra was already tracing out deployment zones across a digital map. "Agreed. If they manage to relocate Sepiks, we'll lose the chance to dismantle their command."
Cayde leaned over her shoulder, pointing. "Why not send in the Nightstalkers again?"
"They're scouts, Cayde," Zavala said without looking up. "It's not their job."
Ikorra raised a brow. "The new lights?"
Zavala nodded. "They've been through the Cosmodrome. They've proven adaptable, and strong. We need them out in the field."
Cayde chuckled. "True, I did see the new crucible fights. These young ones are absolutely crazy."
Ikorra smiled faintly. "Looks like its set, we'll strike at the break of dawn."
Zavala chimed in, "Prepare all the information we'll need. We'll contact the New Lights with the strike info in a few hours. Send the best of them, I am sure they'll know what to do."
He tapped his console. The screen flashed red, then cleared to show a strike operation: Vanguard Strike: The Devil's Lair
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[Cosmodrome Skies]
Void leaned back in the cockpit, hands relaxed behind his head. The stars shimmered outside the glass, but his gaze was fixed on the Cosmodrome's far edge. The Devil's Lair loomed in his thoughts like a sleeping predator.
Obsidian flared softly beside him. "So. What's the actual plan?"
Void didn't answer immediately, his thoughts spiraling. "They're sending a strike after Sepiks for sure. No other reason to mobilize the squad for tracking it down."
Obsidian nodded, "So they'll send the new lights to take a swing at the Devils' prized servitor?"
Void smirked. "Pretty much."
Obsidian hummed. "And you're just gonna watch?"
Void's eyes narrowed. "Please. When the City moves against Sepiks, the Devils are going to retaliate. It'll be fast. It's right under their nose."
He turned in his seat, bringing up terrain scans of Devil's Lair. Obsidian zoomed in, highlighting the southern ridges.
"They'll pull everything to defend Sepiks," Void said. "And when they do, Devil's Lair will be exposed. Just for a little while."
Obsidian nodded with understanding. "And that's your opening."
Void leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Exactly. I want to know what they're building in there. The splicer gear, the ether tech, all of it. Nulsis gave us the info, but it wasn't the full picture."
"You think they're hiding something more?" Obsidian flittered to his side.
Void's eyes narrowed, a though flashed in his mind.
'Siva'
But then it quickly faded. It wasn't possible for the Devils to get their hands on SIVA, at least not yet. Had they even tried, the remaining Iron Lords wouldn't stay idle. The fact that Saladin himself wasn't leading a charge into the Devil's Lair was proof that they were still far.
"I think they're trying to evolve, to innovate," Void replied. "If we let them, the Devils might just become our biggest threat."
The ship rocked slightly as it entered Earth's lower orbit. The Cosmodrome stretched out below, cloaked in clouds and fading dusk.
Void stood up, grabbed his cloak, and flicked it over one shoulder. "Once Sepiks falls, eyes go to the strike team. All I need is ten minutes."
Obsidian blinked again. "And if they spot you?"
Void smirked, tapping his sword hilt. "They'll have bigger problems. Isn't that right?"
~Of course, O brother mine~ An eerie chuckle seemed to echo in the ship.
The ship descended towards ridges of The Devil's Lair and Void transmatted out, landing squarely at the foot of the mountain range. Void looked up, The Night sky was beginning to fade.
His eyes narrowed, he was sure the city would strike at daybreak. Void took a step forward, blending into the shadows. For now, he would just watch as he prowled at the base of the mountain.
But soon, he'd bare his fangs.
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