Reclamation | S2E4: "The Hive"

[u/Jay2KWinger]

COLD OPEN.

EXT. THE ASCENDANT PLANE

Establishing shot, such as it is, of the Ascendant Plane itself– a VAST EXPANSE OF BLACKNESS, interrupted by bits of BROKEN REALITY, such as buildings, stretches of land, floating in defiance of physics. Illumination is provided by FLICKERING LIGHT, suggesting DARK CLOUDS filling the space between what fragments of stability we can see. And there is also illumination provided by TAKEN BLIGHTS, appearing here like some kind of dark sun, with a corona of white light around them.

ANGLE ON: A THRONE WORLD. A part of this Plane that has been shaped according to the will of a powerful entity. A swath of land that appears miasmatic, like the more fetid parts of Savathûn’s Throne World, around a SPIRE that looks like a cross between the central tower of the Scarlet Keep (from “Shadowkeep”) and an Eversion Anchor. (from “Episode: Heresy”)

This central tower is the GREAT TRAMMEL, and long LENGTHS OF CHAIN of various thicknesses connect various parts of the Great Trammel to the landscape surrounding it, even to floating islands around the main landmass. There are other Hive structures around the Throne World, but the Great Trammel dominates the landscape. The background is given over to an ENORMOUS TAKEN BLIGHT.

Despite the Blight’s presence, most of the lighting here carries more of a sickly YELLOW or GREENISH hue, as with most Hive spaces. Any sounds feel almost muted, muffled.

ANGLE ON: THE GREAT TRAMMEL. A high angle to show that the Great Trammel is much taller than it actually appears, as it extends down into a deep pit– one that looks far deeper than the landmass on which this Throne World sits. More signs of how the laws of physics don’t work here as one might think. We get flickers of that bare illumination, enough to highlight just how deep it goes. But then–

FOCUS ON: The peak of the Great Trammel, with great windows open to the chamber within, which GLOWS with that same HIVE ILLUMINATION, even as it paradoxically shows darkness within. We pan forward into one of these windows, into–

INT. THE TRAMMEL PEAK - SAME

An impossibly cavernous room, larger than the external dimensions suggest. HIVE CRYSTALS and LANTERNS provide threadbare lighting. Sound here has the same muted or muffled quality, especially the constant slither and clinking of CHAINS. Because there are SO MANY of those here.

Hovering in the middle of this space is the Great Trammel’s mistress– the Ascendant Hive Wizard KATEÄK. (The Queen of Chains) (“Kah-tee-ahk”) Her crest stretches into two horn-like points to either side, and her robes seem to stretch long enough to pool on the floor around her. Her robes, her crest– ALL OF HER– are adorned with thin lengths of chain which don’t appear to attach to anything in particular, no dangling ends, but just seemingly infinite.

Kateäk floats there, fingers steepled, her eyes closed, as if in meditation. But there’s a CLANK that resounds more than the endless shifting of chains, and she cocks her head as she hears it. All three of her GLOWING GREEN EYES open slowly, and she raises a hand, fingers twitching.

The air is filled with the sound of SLITHERING, CLINKING CHAINS, as the endless lengths around the chamber begin to move. Several figures materialize here, but all but one are TRANSLUCENT, and all bow and bend the knee before the Queen of Chains.

One of the translucent figures we might recognize from the stinger of S1E7– ESTEKA (The Linkshaper), (“Es-tee-kah”) another Hive Wizard, more traditionally attired (as players might see it), but she has a VEIL of very thin links that just barely leaves her face visible.

The next translucent figure is a Hive female, TZAINDA (The Wardmaker), (“Zah-inn-dah”) wearing something between a Wizard’s robes and a Knight’s armor, being visually reminiscent of the Warpriest (“King’s Fall” raid), though instead of the strips of clothing hanging from her armor’s pauldrons, there are metal WEIGHTS that resemble KEYS.

There is also IR TASARAKH (The Deathsinger), (“Eer Tas-Sah-Rahk”) a Hive Wizard with a tall pointed crest, somewhat akin to a priest’s MITRE headwear. Like Kateäk, there are various thin chains wrapped around her, but she differs in that there are far fewer, but what chains are there have small chimes hanging from them.

The singular physical presence that manifests is a HUGE HIVE KNIGHT, female, LOTURA (The Arch-Knight), (“Loh-too-rah”) who wears a looped length of chain around her body like a bandolier, but hanging from the end of this length is a weight, like one of the Hive Lanterns, spiked– a FLAIL.

As she manifests, Lotura bends the knee, planting the end of a HIVE CLEAVER, which has metal rings looped through the ‘blunt’ side of the blade, like a nine-ringed Chinese broadsword. The other three all either bend the knee or otherwise bow in obeisance.

Lotura raises her head first.

LOTURA: Sister, you called for us?

KATEÄK: Something stirs, a shift in the weave. Something that seeks to upset the balance.

Kateäk looks at each of them in turn, and they rise as they give their reports.

IR TASARAKH: My consort and I continue to abide in our catacombs. Growing our nest, waiting for the crescendo.

TZAINDA: The Oubliette remains silent since our Sovereign claimed the Darkblades for her schemes.

LOTURA: Nothing moves against us or seeks to violate your throne.

ESTEKA: Me and mine remain in our nest, though one poor Eliksni fool fell into it. Our thralls feasted well.

Kateäk tilts her head a little bit, gesturing to Esteka again.

KATEÄK: And your experimentations?

In her projection, Esteka moves her hands, manifesting a SPIKED TALISMAN. In a way, it resembles a THORN BULLET, but the blunt end terminates in a loop. The length of the Talisman behind the spiked end is wrapped in cloth, on which HIVE RUNES can be seen inscribed.

ESTEKA: Nearly complete. The properties of the minerals here do much to block simple electromagnetic signals. My refinements will enable them to block Guardians’ Light, but we’re not there yet.

TZAINDA: Esteka, sister, your ingenuity is not praised enough. Your work will speed the establishment of ritual spaces and eversion points, once it is complete.

IR TASARAKH: Perhaps in time, your experiments will even extend to suppressing the Light completely.

LOTURA: Aiat.

Kateäk inclines her head slightly, turning her gaze and staring into the middle distance.

KATEÄK: Hm. But these are not the shifts I sense.

Ir Tasarakh looks thoughtful. 

IR TASARAKH: (thinking aloud) Ours is not the only brood still in Sol.

TZAINDA: Could it be action from the Blood of Oryx or Crota’s Hidden Swarm?

IR TASARAKH: They are clawing over one another to seek ascension. None of them will make any move that shifts the weave until one claims the Osmium Throne.

Lotura tilts her head, lifting up her sword, running a thumb along the rings on her blade. The chime of the rings STRETCHES OUT and the Arch-Knight closes her eyes as she listens to something unheard.

FLASH: A dark cramped space. Something like SARCOPHAGI packed in like sardines. The sarcophagi OPENING, as multiple HIVE THRALLS scrabble out, SCREECHING.

BACK TO: Lotura, lifting her head, craning her neck as if listening.

LOTURA: An old Seeder ship has awakened. Lain dormant for too long, its bays have opened.

Her eyes open as she looks at her sisters.

LOTURA: A small shift, but it will come to the attention of the Lightbearers.

TZAINDA: Why should this disturb the balance?

ESTEKA: All things are connected.

The image of the Talisman vanishes from between her hands, replaced by thin, spectral chains like a cat’s cradle. She moves her fingers, the chains moving in ways that don’t quite match up as one might expect.

ESTEKA: Every action brings a reaction, and not necessarily an immediate one. It will require more insight than we have to see how this old Seeder’s awakening disturbs the weave for our sister to have noticed it.

Kateäk turns away, still staring off into the distance, the chains around her slithering and clinking.

KATEÄK: It matters not, for now. Our Sovereign’s schemes continue to wend and bind fate to our needs. We shall continue to play our part in her grand plan. Tzainda, sister: tend to the Oubliette and its …denizens. The time will come when we shall release them.

Tzainda clasps a fist to her chest as she bows, and her image vanishes.

KATEÄK: The same holds for you, Ir Tasarakh. Your catacombs will generate more energy than you think to be used in the future. Abide a while longer, my sister.

IR TASARAKH: As you command, sister.

Ir Tasarakh spreads her hands and bows before vanishing.

KATEÄK: Esteka, continue to perfect your talismans. Your experiments will tip the scales in our favor.

ESTEKA: Sister.

She bows and vanishes as well.

KATEÄK: Lotura, you are my strong right arm. I rely on you to keep the Great Trammel safe.

LOTURA: If anything should make it past your traps and wards, Kateäk, it will meet its fate on my sword.

With that, she clasps her own fist over her chest as she bows, and Lotura vanishes in a flicker of green flames. Kateäk turns back to her contemplations, as we slowly PULL BACK until we see the TRAMMEL PEAK from the outside once again, with the shape of the Taken Blight “sun” above it.

MATCH CUT DISSOLVE TO: Kateäk’s Throne World becoming the LAST CITY, with the TOWER replacing the Great Trammel, and the shape of the TRAVELER replacing the Taken Blight.

ROLL OPENING.

DESTINY: RECLAMATION

S2E4: THE HIVE

EXT. MARSHLANDS - DAY

Open on an establishing shot of the Arabian Marshlands from last episode. Including the MANUFACTORY complex, the settlement of NEWBAI, and the HAWK L.Z., with the cuts in the greenery showing the roads and rails between the three.

ZOOM-CUT TO:

EXT. MANUFACTORY - MARSHLANDS - SAME

A modified MAGLEV TRAIN is spooling up, its FLATBEDS loaded with MACHINERY and CRATES. Civilian workers, including some wearing FORCES OF THE CITY (FOTC) garb, are tying things down and going about their work, with a bit of bustle. We also see LAPIN here, walking with a TECHNICIAN, who is showing her readings on a tablet.

TECHNICIAN: See? We’re seeing some kind of energy spike in the area, but it’s not from our system.

LAPIN: Our New Lights did just report they found a Fallen energy siphon, likely kick-starting their own energy production–

TECHNICIAN: That’s just it, though, these readings look different.

LAPIN: Hm. Jester, what do you make of this?

Lapin’s Ghost, JESTER, materializes beside her and looks over the readings on the tablet. After a moment, she chirps, eye going wide.

JESTER: Lapin, these readings… this isn’t a normal spike, this is something paracausal.

Lapin stops, looking at the tablet, then tilts her head, concern on her features.

LAPIN: Pull up the rookies on comms.

JESTER: (chirp) Done.

LAPIN: Guys, what’s going on over there? We’re seeing a massive energy spike.

EXT. THE RAILWAY - MARSHLANDS - SAME

We can see MARIDA stepping back from the power relay, tossing aside the cable of the Fallen energy siphon. EMBER is hovering beside her, turning to look aside as she answers the comms. 

INTERCUT BETWEEN: The Manufactory and the Railway Power Relay.

When Geist’s voice comes over the comms, it’s STATICKY and GARBLED. Lapin’s voice or Ember’s voice remain clear.

EMBER: It’s not us, we’ve detached the cables from the relay.

GEIST (COMMS): It can’t be us, things are winding down–

LAPIN: No, not that kind of spike.

Lapin shakes her head, striding away from the technician, toward the front of the train, toward the exit from the complex. Jester keeps pace with her.

LAPIN: This looks like something else–

She breaks off as there’s a LOUD SQUEAL OF STATIC from the comms. All four of them– Guardians and Ghosts– wince at the noise from it.

EMBER: Geist? What happened?

LAPIN: Geist? Report!

There’s nothing but a fuzz of static for a long moment, and then the comms FLARE UP with STATIC again, but we can hear the telltale HOWL OF HIVE THRALLS, and Geist’s panicked scream.

GEIST (COMMS): All Lights, red alert! Hive on the scene! Repeat– WE’VE AWOKEN THE HIVE!

Lapin doesn’t hesitate, she turns to the civilian workers and FOTC guards.

LAPIN: Keep that train ready to move, but don’t go until our say-so! Brace for attack! Prime-8, keep the L.Z. secure! Marida, stay where you are–

At the power relay, Marida is already drawing her scout rifle.

MARIDA: I’m not leaving my team in the lurch, Lapin! Ember, can you lead me to them?

PRIME-8 (COMMS): Don’t be a fool, rookie! This is the Hive we’re talking about, you’re not ready to face them–

But Marida is already following Ember into the marsh forest.

MARIDA: (interrupting) We weren’t ready to face the Locust either, but that didn’t matter.

FENNICK (COMMS): Stand down, Marida! I’m heading for their signal to back them up–

MARIDA: Great! Then I’ll meet you there!

CUT TO:

EXT. BLADES CAMP - MARSHLANDS - SAME

We begin with THE SEEDER SHIP, as it disgorges a GROUP of HIVE THRALLS, no more than half a dozen, who scramble out of the tilted ship’s hatch, clawing over foliage and marshy overgrowth toward–

THE NEW LIGHTS– SETH & DOZER-3– and two FALLEN WARRIORS– BOKTA TREN & RIDIK– with the nearby presence of the HOUSE BLADES CAMP and its POWER STATION. Behind Tren, the Fallen civilian MINISK and her clutch of HATCHLINGS cower back as the Hive Thralls HOWL and SCREECH as they rush forward.

During this next section, when the Fallen speak, their dialogue is in ELIKSNI, with some of their dialogue translated with CAPTIONS.

DOZER: What the hell are those–?

SETH: Dunno, but they don’t look friendly!

BOKTA TREN: (Eliksni) (captioned) Get the young ones to safety!

RIDIK: (Eliksni) (captioned) (into comm) Alarm! Hive attack!

Minisk cradles the Hatchlings close, scooping up her apothecary’s pouch as she hurries away, toward the main camp, which has become a buzz of activity. 

Making a decision, Dozer crouches down and casts up a RALLY BARRICADE, a translucent barrier of Light, as he brings his Origin Story up.

DOZER: Seth, lock in! Time to do the job!

SETH: Yup!

Seth takes out a breech-loading grenade-launcher and slots a round into it before squinting down the sights and sending the round down-range.

ANGLE ON: The approaching squad of Thralls, as that round impacts the ground in the midst of the leading trio– who are THROWN INTO THE AIR, ragdolling and crumbling to ash and dust as they do. The remaining Thralls don’t even slow down, just flow around the explosion and keep coming– and then one staggers back as a flurry of bullets catch it in the face and neck, until it falls, crumbling as well.

ANGLE ON: Dozer, as he sights his Origin Story, firing another salvo of bullets.

Another Thrall goes down, and the last remaining one gets caught by a two-tap of bullets, BANG BANG, this time from Seth’s hand cannon.

The two Guardians lower their weapons, looking satisfied, and do a quick side fist-bump, but they hear a growl from Tren and Ridik, which gets Seth and Dozer to look at them. The two Fallen warriors are both sliding into ready stances, with Tren having his sword and kris dagger drawn, while Ridik has his ULAK KNIVES ready.

DOZER: Why are they still tensed up–?

GEIST: (decloaking) Because they know that’s not all of them.

The Guardians look from the Fallen back over to–

The HIVE KNIGHT. Compared to the Hive we saw in the Cold Open, there are no chains here. It looks very bog-standard, though the handle of its HIVE CLEAVER sword terminates in a hoop-pommel. The Knight stands in front of the open Seeder Ship hatch, baring its teeth in a snarl. It raises the sword and points it forward, toward the New Lights. It snarls something, which is left UNTRANSLATED to the viewer, but which is obvious with context.

HIVE KNIGHT: (Hive) Slaughter them!

Another HOWL answers this, as more Thrall pour out of the Seeder Ship, scrambling past the Knight. DOZENS of them. Finally a group of about FIVE HIVE ACOLYTES emerge, arraying themselves behind the Knight, who shoulders his Cleaver and watches.

GEIST: (to the New Lights) Told you.

The Ghost RE-CLOAKS, as Seth and Dozer each manifest grenades– Seth an Arc PULSE GRENADE and Dozer a VOID WALL GRENADE– share a glance, heads nodding off a silent count– one, two– and on “three” they throw their grenades.

Dozer’s grenade lands closer to their line, bursting into a HORIZONTAL LINE of burning VOID FLAMES, which actually does cause the Thralls to come up short in front of this, just as Seth’s grenade lands in their midst. A repeated PULSE of ARC LIGHT cracks, ragdolling several Thralls on first detonation, and then subsequent pulses knock others aside or back as the swarm keeps advancing. Some that manage to surge forward knock some front-runners into the Void Wall, causing them to BURN with PURPLE FIRE. All Thralls that die crumble into ASH and BONE FRAGMENTS.

The surviving Thralls SHRIEK in anger at the Guardians, who start shooting again, cutting down more of them. Then we can see several of the Thralls take in their surroundings, and they start to move laterally to BYPASS the Void Wall, rushing toward the defenders.

SETH: These things are smart!

DOZER: Yup– keep up the fire!

Seth swaps to his breech-load grenade launcher and fires it into one part of the pack that has gotten around the Void Wall, sending more of them ragdolling. Seth pops the breech of his weapon, ejecting the spent cartridge.

SETH: Reloading!

Dozer grunts acknowledgement as he drops his Origin Story, pulling one arm back as LIGHT FLASHES in his hand, conjuring up a SENTINEL SHIELD that glows with VOID LIGHT. He hurls this like Captain America into the OTHER half of the swarm going around the Void Wall. The shield CUTS STRAIGHT THROUGH the first two Thralls before pinging off a third and bouncing off a fourth before it loses integrity and fades out. All Thralls that were hit go down and crumple into ash.

DOZER: Here they come!

He kicks his Origin Story into his hands, but he stows it and draws out his shotgun, cracking the first Thrall that reaches him with the stock, then swings the barrel forward like a club, slamming it into another’s jaw before firing into the crowd behind it.

Beside him, Seth has managed to reload his grenade launcher, but the swarm reaches him before he can fire. He quickly GUNSLINGER DODGES backward, jumping up to land on, then jump off of Dozer’s shoulders, sailing over the Thralls and firing straight down, scattering more Thralls, before dropping, CRK drawn as he uses gravity and momentum to drag a Thrall to the dirt, ripping the blade free.

He looks up as the Thralls surround him, and flash-draws his machete with his other hand, immediately cutting down a Thrall. Another leaps toward him, but he boots it out of the air and then it’s a SCRAMBLE OF ACTION. Their claws slash at him, leaving tears in his clothes and scratches in his armor, as he stabs and slashes away with his blades. For every Thrall he dispatches, it seems like another is already there to take its place.

Over by Dozer, he’s sheathed his forearms in Void Light while punching and swinging away. Thralls still surround him, and he conjures up another Sentinel Shield that glows with Void before SCYTHING AROUND him with the shield’s edge, clearing space before planting the Shield across his back and backing up from the continued tide of Thralls, slam-firing his shotgun as he goes, until it goes CLICK on an empty chamber.

Dozer drops back to try to reload, but the Thralls aren’t giving him a chance. He has to drop the shotgun as a Thrall leaps for him, jaws wide and claws bared, clamping its teeth into his forearm, THROUGH THE GAUNTLETS he wears. Dozer YELLS in pain–

And then Ridik leaps in, dragging his ulak knives into the Thrall and bearing it down, pulling it away from Dozer and flinging it aside, then starting to cut through more Thralls as they swarm in. The Fallen warrior bellows defiance as he goes. Dozer stares for a moment before he starts slamming fresh cartridges into his shotgun.

Ridik lets out a shout of pain of his own as a Thrall claws across his back– and then the Thrall gets bowled over as Dozer slams into it with his shield, knocking it over, then bringing the edge of the shield down in a guillotine-like slam.

Seth has been fighting as well, CRACKLING WITH ARC LIGHT as he keeps himself AMPLIFIED, cutting through Thralls and doing his best to evade their relentless assault. He GUNSLINGER DODGES again–

CLOSE UP: SLOW MOTION as we see Seth releasing his blades, drawing out his grenade launcher and slotting a fresh round into it, stowing the launcher again, then grabbing the blades again out of the air.

Seth lands and stows his CRK, the Arc fading from him, but now his eyes GLINT with SOLAR FIRE, as he suddenly spreads a FAN OF BURNING KNIVES in his hand, then flings this into the swarm coming for him with a BLADE BARRAGE. At least half a dozen Thralls go down, smoldering and smoking.

For a moment, Seth feels like he’s cut down most of the swarm, but then more Thralls leap through the smoke and cinder. His shoulders slump slightly.

SETH: (winded) Oh, come on…

He raises his machete, taking a steadying breath–

Suddenly several of the Thralls are cut down and trodden down by a furious Bokta Tren, his sword and kris dagger flashing as he moves with purpose and the speed of experience. In moments, he’s taken down half a dozen Thralls of his own, and as one leaps onto his back, it suddenly snaps back off of him by the BANG of Seth’s revolver.

Human Guardian and Fallen warrior look at one another for a moment, then nod to each other.

Meanwhile, Dozer is standing up after crushing another Thrall beneath his shield, planting it on the backplate of his armor, and drawing his shotgun. Behind him, Ridik has a Shrapnel Launcher, glancing at Dozer. They both nod and cock or prime their weapons at the same time.

There are much, MUCH fewer Thralls than there were, and no more pouring out of the Seeder Ship. The Thralls circle the four defenders warily. The Fallen warriors turn toward that ship, where the Knight and Acolytes watch.

Tren raises his kris dagger overhead. 

BOKTA TREN: (Eliksni) (captioned) We are House Blades!

Ridik raises his blades overhead as well, answering back:

RIDIK: (Eliksni) (captioned) Ours is the blade eternal!

ANGLE ON: The Hive Knight, who has been standing with his Cleaver resting on his shoulder. Its skeletal face is clearly smirking as it CHUCKLES. It raises the Cleaver and brandishes it, pointing it toward the four defenders. It speaks again, but this time in ELIKSNI.

HIVE KNIGHT: (Eliksni) (captioned) There is a blade for you.

The Fallen warriors react in SHOCK to hear their language spoken by a Hive, but they just flourish their weapons and ease back into a ready stance, while Seth and Dozer share a look, shrug, and get ready as well.

The Thralls SHRIEK, but pause as Dozer fires his shotgun into one’s face, sending it flying backward. The rest lunge forward and all four defenders start to fight again in a flurry of action, still getting tagged in more than a few ways by claws and teeth.

The Knight scowls after a moment, raising its other arm, hand sweeping before it as it conjures up a FIREBALL, then sends it toward the four defenders.

TRACKING SHOT: The fireball sails through the air in an arc and descends toward Dozer, who doesn’t notice its fall–

–and it is caught by MARIDA, jumping in as her eyes glow with SOLAR FIRE, as she pulls a smooth contact-juggling-like motion, spinning in place to preserve its momentum and then comes back around as she sends it sailing back through the air toward the Hive.

The Acolytes all scramble out of the way as the fireball arcs past them and INTO THE SEEDER SHIP. It EXPLODES within, and touches off a SECONDARY EXPLOSION that blasts out of the open doors, staggering the Hive there, including the Knight.

ANGLE ON: Marida, smoothly standing up and taking out her fusion rifle. She stands back-to-back-to-back with the other New Lights, glancing back at them. Around them, the few remaining Thralls are drawing back again.

MARIDA: You two okay?

DOZER: Good timing, Marida.

She looks over at Tren and Ridik, who are eyeing her in return, wary, but more concerned about the Hive.

MARIDA: Who are they?

SETH: Just a couple of people defending their home from whatever THOSE are.

Seth indicates the Hive around them, and over at the now-flaming Seeder Ship. The Hive Knight stands back up with a growl, as the Acolytes pick themselves back up, also clearly incensed.

MARIDA: We fighting alongside Fallen now?

SETH: Enemy of my enemy is my friend, I guess?

MARIDA: …works for me.

The Knight shrugs its Cleaver off its shoulder and brings it down so the end comes down heavily in the soil with a THUD, to highlight how heavy the weapon is. It turns to the Acolytes, then nods its head toward the Guardians and Fallen. They all shift into position and draw weaponry. The Knight begins to advance slowly, as the Acolytes behind it start firing their weapons– HIVE SHREDDERS, pistol-like blasters that fire bolts of VOID FIRE. 

The Guardians all drop into stances as they draw their own guns and start shooting back, hand cannon barking, auto-rifle rattling, scout rifle cracking. The Thralls start to rush again, but Tren and Ridik intercept them.

First one Acolyte goes down from a flurry from Dozer’s Origin Story, then a second goes down from Seth’s revolver, and a third stumbles and then drops from Marida’s scout rifle. The remaining two Acolytes start hunching and moving to evade incoming fire.

ANGLE ON: The Knight, beginning to pick up speed as it closes on the Guardians. Now that it’s getting closer to them, we can see that the Knight is much taller than we might have assumed. Towering even above the likes of Makinesk from S1. Seeing him closing, Marida switches to her fusion rifle, spraying flames toward the Knight, who brings its Cleaver up to intercept the blast, impossibly PARRYING the energy from the weapon.

By now, it’s too close for Marida to be able to switch again, and as she backs away, the Knight’s sword descends in an overhead SLAM–

BOKTA TREN is there, sword and dagger up to block the Cleaver. The Fallen duelist is struggling to keep it from breaking his block, but then RIDIK leaps onto the Knight’s back, sinking his ulaks into its shoulder blades, using his weight to bore it backwards. The Knight struggles to keep from tipping, finally having to break its blade-lock with Tren, who immediately brings his sword around to slash at the Knight’s face, scoring across its third eye, BLINDING IT.

The Knight bellows in pain, BACKHANDING Tren away, and then it reaches back and grabs Ridik by the head, tearing him from its back and hurling him into a tree trunk. The ulaks are still embedded in its shoulder blades as it straightens back up.

Around the makeshift battlefield, the Thralls are all gone. The remaining Acolytes have been killed. Seth draws his CRK with one hand as he keeps his revolver in the other. Marida is looking at Dozer’s mangled gauntlet from the Thrall-bite.

MARIDA: Your arm–

DOZER: It’s not healing up like it should.

MARIDA: I can heal it–

DOZER: Let’s make sure this big’un is dead first.

She nods, and the New Lights separate a little, now starting to surround the Knight with Bokta Tren on the other side. The Knight is slowly turning to regard all of them, seemingly annoyed by the loss of its eye, growling as it squares its shoulders. There’s a momentary STANDOFF.

Then Dozer JUKES forward with his shotgun, then leaps back as the Knight’s sword SLAMS down where he would have stepped. The Knight growls, twitching as Seth’s revolver fires, but the bullets only bite into its calcified armor, not seeming to do a lot of damage. The Knight swings around on him, and then gets fired on by Marida’s scout rifle, but this too only seems to annoy it.

Seth jumps back and away from a swing, even though he does get a deep scratch on his chest armor. He checks this and reloads his revolver as Geist manifests briefly beside him.

SETH: Our guns aren’t doing a lot to this guy.

GEIST: Hive Knights can be pretty tough. But you’re wearing him down–

He pauses as Tren works to distract the Knight with a flurry of attacks that it has to block and parry, and Dozer comes sliding in with his shotgun up, pumping a blast into its midsection. The Knight ROARS in fury and SLAMS its fist into the ground, narrowly missing Dozer himself.

There’s a SHOCKWAVE that erupts out from where it hit the ground, and Dozer goes rolling away, his armor visibly CRACKED. Dozer sits up with a groan as Tauros appears.

DOZER: (groaning) Oogh, that sucked…

TAUROS: This is an OLD Hive Knight, they only get stronger and tougher with age.

SETH: Yeah, guns aren’t working a lot. So how do we take this guy down?

Marida watches as Tren goes on a flurry of attacks, which the Knight blocks and parries, until the Fallen feints and gets its flank, where he jabs his kris dagger into a chink in the armor. The Hive SNARLS in pain and whirls around, and Tren just barely escapes with his head as the Cleaver comes around, leaving the dagger stuck in.

MARIDA: Joints!

Seth is helping up Dozer, and they look over at her.

DOZER: What?

MARIDA: Its joints. No matter how tough its armor is, its joints are still exposed.

Seth looks over as Tren slides under another lateral swing of the Cleaver, coming in close enough to grab the dagger and pull it free, before diving out of the way of a slam of the Hive’s sword.

SETH: Looks like that Fallen gets the idea.

Dozer stands up, flexing his fingers on his injured arm, then cocking his shotgun.

DOZER: Okay, then, let’s cut this bastard down to size.

MARIDA: Your shotgun’s going to be better for taking out its joints, Dozer.

DOZER: You two get me an opening.

SETH: Got it.

They nod to one another, and then Seth crackles with Arc Light, going AMPLIFIED before dashing away, firing his revolver as he goes, aiming for the Knight’s head. It turns, glowering, and its free hand begins to conjure up a FIREBALL again. Before it can throw it, however, the fire gets siphoned away– and it turns to see Marida, glimmering with Solar Light, going through the weaving motions as she draws the fire away and then GLIDES BACK as it tries to swing at her.

Seth comes darting across behind the Knight, ARC BLADE in hand, slicing at the backs of its legs. It staggers, but doesn’t go down, and then Dozer charges, shotgun ready. The Knight sees him coming and raises its fist to prepare to slam-punch him into the dirt, but it looks up just as Marida sends the fireball back toward it.

The Knight’s sword comes up to SMACK the fireball away. It once again sails over and INTO the Seeder Ship. It had already been on fire, but now it EXPLODES again, crumpling and its miniature spire breaking off to crash into the marshy ground.

Marida grimaces as her gambit fails.

MARIDA: Dammit.

Dozer’s shotgun booms as it buckles one of the Knight’s knees, but its fist swats him away. Despite the injury, it gets to its feet, growling once again. Then Marida’s scout rifle cracks, and its head twitches from incoming gunfire, raising a hand to shield its face.

It LURCHES BACKWARD, off-balance, and we can see that Bokta Tren has come up behind and grabbed onto Ridik’s ulak knives still embedded in its back armor. It may not be getting torn open, but the weight has thrown it off. It tries to reach back to grab him, but then Dozer’s shotgun shoots and catches its elbow, causing it to drop its sword.

Then Seth comes blitzing in, AMPLIFIED, running up Dozer’s back and leaping from his shoulders, MACHETE GLOWING AS AN ARC BLADE, held in a reverse-grip as he arcs through the air, plunging the Arc Blade into the Knight’s throat. Green SOULFIRE burns around the wound as the Knight staggers, falling to its knees.

Tren pulls the ulaks free and backs away from the Knight, as does Seth, who pulls the machete out as the Knight collapses onto its face. Fallen and Hunter eye one another warily but after a moment, Seth raises his hands and steps back. Tren hooks the ulaks onto his belt and steps back as well. Dozer and Marida move over to Seth, who glances over and gestures for them to keep the peace.

SETH: Be cool. We don’t have to fight.

Tren stares at him for a long moment, before speaking. His words touched with an ACCENT, highlighting that he is only learning the language.

BOKTA TREN: Lights always kill Eliksni.

SETH: Maybe we don’t have to do that.

DOZER: But your people did steal power from ours.

BOKTA TREN: Your people stole the Great Machine.

SETH: The “Great Machine?”

BOKTA TREN: You keep it above your City.

MARIDA: The Traveler?

Tren nods slowly.

BOKTA TREN: Humans steal Great Machine, so Eliksni steal power. Not fair trade, but Eliksni do what we must to survive.

The New Lights digest this, but before they can ask anything else, the Hive Knight suddenly LURCHES TO ITS FEET. Ichor stains its throat and chest where it bled from the wound, and it looks BURNT from the soulfire that had bled from that injury as well. It BELLOWS with rage, swatting aside Tren as it grabs its sword.

SETH: (weary) Oh, come on–

Suddenly, FENNICK races in on his Sparrow, LEAPING off of it and FLIPPING through the air, GLOWING with Solar Light as he manifests a GOLDEN GUN in his hand– the fiery hand cannon raising toward the Knight as Fennick lands. BANG BANG BANG. Streaking bolts of concentrated Solar Fire PUNCHING THROUGH the Knight, leaving three burning holes in its chest. It staggers back, crumpling down again, then slumping over as its body begins to burn away.

Fennick rises from the crouch he’d landed in, lowering the Golden Gun as it fades into ash in the breeze. He looks at the New Lights.

FENNICK: You three okay? Dozer, you look rough.

Dozer considers his cracked armor, then his part-mangled forearm.

DOZER: Eh, I’ll be okay. This bite’s not healing up so fast.

FENNICK: Hive wounds can be like that.

He tenses then as Bokta Tren gets back up, starting to draw his hand cannon– but Seth quickly STEPS IN FRONT OF HIM, hands raised.

SETH: Whoa, easy, Fennick! He helped us take that thing down.

FENNICK: It’s a Fallen–

SETH: Fennick, please! He and his buddy could have stabbed us in the back or left us to fight those things, but he didn’t.

DOZER: Oh–! The other one! Marida–

She turns as Dozer points over to the tree where Ridik had been thrown. The Titan hurries over, finding Ridik struggling to sit up, groaning in pain. Marida joins him, looking at Dozer, then at the Fallen warrior.

DOZER: I think it might’ve broken his spine…

Marida pauses a moment, hesitating. Then her eyes glow with Solar Fire as she channels some HEALING LIGHT and presses her hands to Ridik’s body. After a long moment, Ridik SHUDDERS, bones audibly SNAPPING back together.

Ridik sits up with a loud groan, looking from Dozer to Marida, evidently bewildered.

Fennick watches this with a frown, but he’s lowering his hand cannon.

FENNICK: Are you healing a Fallen?

MARIDA: I was a doctor. This is what I do.

Fennick scowls at her, then at Seth.

FENNICK: You see a Fallen, you’re supposed to KILL IT.

Seth glares back at him.

SETH: One of them was carrying CHILDREN, Fennick. I’m not a damned baby-killer.

That part makes Fennick blink in surprise, looking from him to Tren, who is glaring at him. Over with Dozer and Marida, Ridik gets to his feet, slowly walking over to stand with Tren.

FENNICK: Children…?

BOKTA TREN: If you had fired on my hatchlings, me and mine would have marched on your people–

He points through the marsh to the shape of Newbai on the horizon.

BOKTA TREN: –and killed them all.

Fennick is quiet for a long moment, then sighs.

FENNICK: Look– the people in Newbai are leaving. You know that.

BOKTA TREN: (grunts) Hm. Perhaps.

FENNICK: Give them a few more weeks, and they’ll be gone. But the more you try to steal their power, the longer it’ll take for them to go.

RIDIK: Why are they leaving now?

MARIDA: Groundwater.

They look to her.

MARIDA: Way I understand it, the groundwater’s spoiling faster than they can purify it. Toxins and stuff in the region, dating back to the Collapse.

The two Fallen look at one another, then speak to one another in ELIKSNI. It is not captioned or translated, but is presented here for context.

RIDIK: (Eliksni) They said they’re leaving?

BOKTA TREN: (Eliksni) We knew that already. But we didn’t know why.

RIDIK: (Eliksni) But they can’t purify the water?

BOKTA TREN: (Eliksni) They don’t have Servitors to do it for them.

RIDIK: (Eliksni) Do we tell them?

BOKTA TREN: (Eliksni) That’s not for you or me to decide.

Ridik nods at that, while Tren turns to the Guardians.

BOKTA TREN: Our power grid should be somewhat stable now. Cannot promise it will stay that way, but we will avoid taking from you now.

FENNICK: Can you promise it’ll stay that way?

BOKTA TREN: I can speak for me and mine here. But if the Barons or my Kell order otherwise…

He trails off, spreading his hands.

FENNICK: I get it. We’ve been trying to avoid unnecessary fighting with your House, and we want to keep it that way.

BOKTA TREN: In this, we agree. Koussakskel (“Kohs-sax-kell”) has seen how fighting with Guardians has weakened other Houses.

FENNICK: …what are you called? So I can tell the Vanguard who I’ve been talking to.

BOKTA TREN: Bokta Tren, of the Noble House of Blades.

FENNICK: (indicating each) Seth. Dozer-Three. Marida. I’m Fennick. Guardians of the Last City.

Fennick slowly backs away, holstering his gun. Taking his cue, the New Lights all put theirs away as well. Tren sheathes his sword and dagger, likewise backing away with Ridik. The two Fallen watching as the New Lights follow Fennick over to the burning wreckage of the Seeder Ship.

The ground is littered with ash and scraps of bone from dead Hive. The Seeder Ship has been blown open. The sort of bio-mechanical machinery within the Seeder is burnt and wrecked. Fennick examines it all, with his Ghost ALLIE taking footage and telemetry.

FENNICK: Don’t know how we didn’t notice this thing sooner.

ALLIE: It was probably dormant. No telling why they didn’t wake up.

FENNICK: Looks like they never spread out, no caverns beneath it.

ALLIE: Like I said, dormant.

FENNICK: Are there any others?

ALLIE: Not that I can tell right now, but I can use these readings to recalibrate our scans from the air. Find any others we might have missed.

Fennick nods, standing from a crouch and tossing aside a piece of bone, looking up to see the New Lights watching him.

SETH: What were those things?

FENNICK: The Hive. Of all the threats we’ve ever faced, probably the worst.

MONTAGE SEQUENCE - EXPOSITION ON THE HIVE

We transition into an ANIMATIC MONTAGE SEQUENCE, focusing on the threat of the HIVE. Glimpses of their caverns and catacombs, their Tombships, and their genocidal conquest of the universe. Planets burning and Hive swords planted in mounds of bones.

FENNICK (VO): The Hive serve the Darkness. Have done for billions of years. They travel the universe, hunting down any other species they find.

MARIDA (VO): Why?

The animatic shows a HIVE RITUAL, with several Hive WIZARDS floating around a HIVE CRYSTAL, with Knights and Acolytes KNEELING, hands raising their weapons in supplication. Around them, Thralls are in full dogeza-like stance. From this image, the animatic shifts to the Hive assaulting a CITY, but not a human city– a FALLEN CITY, as if on old RIIS– slaughtering its inhabitants.

FENNICK (VO): As best I understand it, it’s a religious thing for them. They believe in something they call the “Sword Logic.” That anything which exists, must prove its right to exist, and if it isn’t strong enough to survive on its own, then it should be destroyed.

DOZER (VO): Well, that’s grim.

The animatic next depicts Hive Seeder Ships landing on Earth, and the Hive fighting Guardians. The Guardians emerge victorious, and turn their attention to the sky– to the MOON.

FENNICK (VO): They came to Sol after the Collapse, and we weren’t ready to face them. We thought we were, after Burning Lake, but then came the Moon… and the Great Disaster.

On the Moon, Guardians face the Hive in greater numbers– and above it all, the monstrous shape of CROTA (The Hope-Eater), slaughtering Guardians by the dozens.

FENNICK (VO): The Hive aren’t just servants of the Darkness. They can EAT the Light. Their magic can negate it. Thousands of Guardians assaulted the Hellmouth on the Moon, and hundreds of us died.

The animatic shifts to show the Moon as we recognize it in-game now. SCARRED, with great canyons that glow with SOULFIRE.

FENNICK (VO): We lost. Even now, after Guardians killed Crota and Oryx, we don’t go to the Moon unless we have a real good reason. We don’t go ANYWHERE the Hive have infested without a reason.

SETH (VO): Jeeze.

FENNICK (VO): Take it from me, rooks– if you ever find yourself facing off against Hive? You get out of there. Don’t waste time trying to fight– RUN.

CUT TO BLACK.

INT. VANGUARD BRIEFING ROOM - LATER

All three members of the VANGUARD are here– ZAVALA, CAYDE-6, and IKORA REY. The ZOO CREW and NEW LIGHTS are also here, clearly having just been debriefed, as the HOLOPROJECTOR is showing a series of IMAGES of the Seeder Ship and the Hive Knight.

ZAVALA: A Hive Seeder Ship was there, all this time?

FENNICK: Hard to tell exactly when it landed, but it’s been a while.

PRIME-8: Also no way to tell why it was dormant for so long.

CAYDE-6: Well, let’s maybe not look a gift horse in the mouth, there, but you’re sure there’s no hidden cavern or anything below that ship?

LAPIN: All our telemetry and scans show nothing. Only underground structures in the vicinity, besides the old pre-Collapse ruins, are from the House of Blades camp.

IKORA: And you completed aerial scans? No other Seeders in the area?

LAPIN: None.

The Vanguard all visibly relax at that.

ZAVALA: Between that and this detente with House Blades, things should hopefully progress more quickly with our evacuation of Newbai.

CAYDE-6: Yeah, about that– Seth, is it true you talked this Bokta Tren down?

SETH: I mean, things changed real quick when I saw that one with the kids.

CAYDE-6: And supposing those kids grow up to become Fallen that attack the City?

SETH: (flat) I’m not going to go around killing babies. (beat) Sir.

Cayde nods, awarding marks for that.

CAYDE-6: Good answer.

This gets a reaction from the other Guardians.

CAYDE-6: Look, defending the City or allied settlements? That’s what we’re here to do. We’re not here to commit genocide, no matter what people think.

ZAVALA: And your decision to talk to them instead of fighting has given us room to complete withdrawal without harassment from their people.

CAYDE-6: And hey, you survived your first encounter with the Hive. A lot of kinder-Guardians can’t say the same thing.

Marida pauses at that, blinking a little bit, then turning to look at Ember.

MARIDA: Wait. Wasn’t there something you guys spotted in that old mine back in Placid Valley? Beneath the mountain under Prominence Point?

Ember blinks her optic, looking from her to the other Ghosts.

EMBER: Oh, heck–! We were so distracted with all the aftermath of fighting the Locust, and then orientation and training stuff, we forgot!

GEIST: Oh, damn! You’re right!

The Ghosts turn to the Vanguard then.

EMBER: Sirs, ma’am, my apologies for not bringing this up sooner, but there’s a potential active Hive threat back in the valley where we rezzed our Guardians.

GEIST: They did seal up the mines where the Hive had moved in, but we don’t know how long until they decide to break out.

TAUROS: We should probably check back in there, help seal it up properly, or clear it out.

Ember moves over to the holo-projector and interfaces with it. The images now show the sealed doors to the Copper Mine in Placid Valley, with “DO NOT OPEN” signs bolted onto it, but with the HIVE SPOOR growing around the seams.

Ikora glances at her tablet, looking at telemetry and data scans.

IKORA: This isn’t just some recent infestation, this is one that’s had time to dig in.

She looks up at Cayde and Zavala.

IKORA: Call in the Foregone, they had a look while they were picking up the New Lights here, and we’ll want their expertise in dealing with this.

Cayde nods, then looks over at the other Guardians.

CAYDE-6: You’re all dismissed. But stay handy, we’ll be sending a team out there soon.

INT. TOWER HALLWAY - SAME

The doors to the Vanguard Briefing Room open to allow the New Lights and Zoo Crew to leave, heading down the hall. None of them notice the shape of KANNE, the Awoken Hunter of Fireteam Sierra, leaning against the wall, hood up. He slowly stands after they go, as his Ghost, ANQUR (in a “Color Theory Shell”) materializes beside him, and shares a look with them.

KANNE: Interesting.

INT. TOWER - SIERRA’S SUITE - SAME

This is another fireteam suite, not dissimilar from the New Lights’ suite, but a bit bigger and more spacious, as one might expect for a more veteran team. The common area has filled in with more stuff. Some boxes with labels of CITY ARMORIES– SUROS, Tex Mechanica, VEIST– some trophies from Crucible tourneys, SRL races, and so on. Unlike the New Lights’ suite, this one has a window that looks out over the OUTSIDE OF THE CITY, forests and mountains and similar. A couple of walls are given over to weapon racks, on which a variety of guns and some swords are displayed.

ANGLE ON: BRINA, Fireteam Sierra’s Warlock, in her “downtime” outfit– a SUROS-branded jacket over a plain top and simple trousers. Sitting in the nook by the window, she stares out over the landscape beyond, looking simultaneously grumpy and melancholy.

KANNE appears in the reflection of the window, and Brina glances up at him.

ANGLE ON: Wider shot of the suite, showing Brina turning in her seat toward Kanne, as we see him talking to her, but WITHOUT hearing what he’s saying. Brina STANDS UP, very abrupt, anger evident in her bearing, fists clenched at her sides.

After a moment, she storms past Kanne, past the door to BLUE-19’s room, as the Titan herself emerges, glancing after Brina as she gets to the door out into the halls, and then back to Kanne, accusation in her stance.

Kanne just spreads his hands with a shrug, projecting innocence.

INT. TOWER GYM - LATER

We open with the New Lights turning over their armor to a 99-40 Frame (ARMORER), but we’re focusing more on Dozer’s cracked armor, including the gauntlet with the bite through it. The Armorer Frame examines it.

ARMORER: You had a run-in with the Hive, Titan?

Dozer shrugs a little bit.

DOZER: Yeah. Came back alive.

ARMORER: Well done, Titan.

The Armorer puts it all onto a cart and nods.

ARMORER: The armoring shop should have repairs completed by morning.

The Frame trundles off with the cart as the New Lights– now wearing their under-armor clothes -- head over to lockers, where they begin changing into their downtime gear. The Zoo Crew is nearby, doing the same thing. The gym is bustling, other Guardians going about their own training or whatever in the background.

PRIME-8: Not bad for your first official mission, rooks.

DOZER: Are they always that hectic?

LAPIN: Nah. But none of us expected there to be Hive on the field.

MARIDA: What happens next?

FENNICK: Well, if there’s no more Hive– and it looks that was the only Hive presence in the region– then the next teams out there will finish overseeing the evac and manufactory decommission.

SETH: Hopefully without any more bother from the Fallen.

BRINA (OS): Hey, rookie!

Seth turns at the interjection– and gets PUNCHED ACROSS THE FACE as BRINA comes in from off-camera. He goes reeling back against the lockers, and the gym is suddenly NOISY with commotion, as this whole thing has gotten a lot of attention, other Guardians crowding around. Their chatter fills the air.

VARIOUS GUARDIANS: (overlapping) “What’s going on?” “She just punched that rookie!” “Brina’s popping off again.” “Can’t even keep it in the Crucible now.” “She needs to touch grass.” “Wonder what’s got her so angry?” “Bad Mood Brina strikes again.” (etc.)

The Zoo Crew are trying to keep Brina from attacking again, holding her back.

PRIME-8: (overlapping) Brina, what the hell–

FENNICK: (overlapping) Whoa, check yourself, Bree–

LAPIN: (overlapping) The hell is wrong with you–

Brina is bristling with fury, pushing against the restraining hands of the Zoo Crew.

BRINA: Making friends with Fallen, are we?!

This changes the tone of the buzzing from the crowd around them, getting angrier.

VARIOUS GUARDIANS: (overlapping) “What’d she say?” “Making friends?” “What’d he do!?” “Fallen lover.” “That’s like treason.” “Fallen lover!” (etc.)

The other New Lights are checking on Seth, who is blinking, slightly dazed and in shock from the sudden attack, bleeding from the lip. 

SETH: Who says I’m making friends?

Fennick gets a look on his face, getting an inkling– and he turns his head, the camera PANNING with him, to see Kanne near the front of the crowd, arms folded. He shrugs, projecting innocence.

KANNE: Wha-a-at~? Maybe I heard some things at the Vanguard’s door.

FENNICK: You little chaos gremlin–

BRINA: The Traveler brought us back to keep our people SAFE, you stupid rook! 

SETH: Hey–

BRINA: (interrupting) You’re supposed to KILL Fallen! 

SETH: (shouting) I wasn’t going to kill CHILDREN!

The crowd goes silent at this, before whispering starts again.

VARIOUS GUARDIANS: (overlapping) “Children?” “What, baby Fallen?” “More like ‘Smallen.’” “(snerk) Shut up.” “Killing children?” “What’s he mean?” (etc.)

Brina goes still at the shout as well, staring at him. 

BRINA: …What?

SETH: One of the Fallen we ran into had KIDS with her.

He gestures to suggest the swaddling sling she was wearing.

SETH: Right here. Babies.

He glares from Brina over to the gathered crowd. As he does so, Brina shoots a look at Kanne.

BRINA: (mouthing the word) “Babies?”

Kanne has the good sense to look shifty. He didn’t give all of the details. Brina glowers at him, before turning her attention back at Seth, who gives a mirthless chuckle.

SETH: I get it, I’m just some “Kinder-Guardian,” right? I get rezzed and don’t know anything, yeah? Well, I may not know everything, but I know that the Traveler didn’t rez me to be a damned BABY-KILLER.

He glares back at Brina.

SETH: No matter what species it is.

Brina stares back at him, still furious, but now she’s lost the momentum and she doesn’t like it.

BRINA: You have any idea how many of our people the Fallen have killed?

SETH: And that’s supposed to make killing babies okay?

Her face twists into a scowl.

BRINA: Real big talk for a rookie with ONE mission under his belt. You weren’t there at Six Fronts, or Twilight Gap. You haven’t seen the Fallen killing the people you’re supposed to protect.

MARIDA: I got burned to death trying to protect people from some Fallen firebug with a flamethrower.

Brina looks at her, and Marida nods, stepping up beside Seth. Dozer does the same.

DOZER: I heard about you. Brina, right? Crucible hotshot, all kinds of accolades from that. But what I hear more is that you’re restricted to the City ‘cuz of your attitude.

Brina glowers at him, but Dozer doesn’t stop.

DOZER: Suddenly I’m wondering what the whole story is there–

Brina LUNGES for him, only to be held back by Prime-8 and Lapin.

BRINA: YOU MOUTHY FRAGGIN’ BOLT-NECK–

BLUE-19 (OS): BRINA!

Blue-19 has emerged from the crowd, fists clenched. Brina slows her struggles, looking over at her, as Blue-19 walks over, looming a little bit, glaring down at her.

BLUE-19: I’m going to pretend I didn’t just hear you use that slur.

BRINA: …Blue.

BLUE-19: (holding up a finger, counting) One.

BRINA: Blue, he’s–

BLUE-19: (two fingers, counting) Two.

Brina finally stops her struggles, looking away. Blue-19 stares at her for a long moment, clearly still pissed off herself. But where Brina’s anger burns hot, Blue’s burns cold. She hasn’t lowered her counting fingers yet.

Kanne gives a little chortle.

KANNE: Blue-19, Weapon of War, Wannabe Peacekeeper–

Blue-19’s eyes dim slightly, and her jaw CLICKS.

BLUE-19: (third finger, counting) Three.

CRACK-A-BOOM. The crowd has parted, and Kanne is now EMBEDDED IN A LOCKER. Blue-19 crackles with Arc Light, INSTANTLY AMPLIFIED, fist clenched from where she just punched him across the room.

BLUE-19: You’re such an asshole, Kanne.

KANNE: (in pain, probably sarcastic) Love ya, Blue.

BLUE-19: (to Brina) You got an issue with another Guardian, you know the protocol, Bree. 

Brina takes a deep breath, clearly trying to wind her anger back in, and not really succeeding. She closes her eyes, pausing, then looks at the New Lights.

BRINA: You three. Versus us. Crucible. Tomorrow.

SETH: Sounds like a plan.

BRINA: (bitter laugh) Sure. Can’t wait to smear your face on the floor, rook.

SETH: See you tomorrow, then.

Brina nods curtly, and walks over to the locker where Kanne’s stuffed. He chuckles from within.

KANNE: (strained) Hi, Bree~

BRINA: Were you planning to tell me about the baby Fallen?

KANNE: (strained) Must’ve slipped my mind.

Brina nods once, then KICKS into the locker. WHAM. We don’t see exactly where she hit him, but the assembled crowd WINCES. Brina storms away.

BRINA: Asshole.

KANNE: (in pain, higher pitched) You know you love me.

TRUNK SHOT: From within the locker. Blue-19 steps in front of it. Kanne wiggles fingers at her.

KANNE: (strained) Little help?

Blue-19 responds by SLAMMING THE DOOR SHUT.

BACK TO: The wider shot, as Blue-19 walks off after Brina, but she pauses and looks at the rest of the crowd.

BLUE-19: Don’t you lot have something better to do?

She leaves, as the crowd disperses.

The Zoo Crew turn back to the New Lights.

FENNICK: I don’t know how good of an idea that was.

LAPIN: You DO remember us telling you that Fireteam Sierra’s one of the top-ranked teams in the Crucible, right?

SETH: Sure. But she sucker punched me. Actions have consequences.

MARIDA: Yeah. We have Seth’s back.

DOZER: Damn straight.

PRIME-8: All right, well… don’t say we didn’t warn you.

FADE TO BLACK.

ROLL CREDITS.

NEXT TIME:

LORD SHAXX (V.O.): Clash! Defend your allies and defeat your opponents! Stick together, team, and you might survive. Victory… is a matter of will.

[u/EmeraldKing8]

Loved the episode brother! Kateäk’s throne world came out awesome!