+1 Legend

[legendary_titan]

[[ooc: Saint's Navigation post is here! If there is any Russian speakers playing here, I'm using google translate, so I apologize if anything he says is incorrect! I won't mind at all if anyone corrects me! I love languages and learning about them. As an added note, I'll add what he said in English at the bottom of the post.]]



With a rustle of plate armor, Saint-14 sat up and looked around. He was currently sitting in a snowbank in what appeared to be a wooded area. Bewildered, his helmeted head looked this way and that as he tried to figure out where he was. It definitely wasn't where he was before. Wherever this was, it was heading into evening, and it was cold and snowing. Looking up instantly told him that he wasn't in the Last City, for there was no sign of the looming shape of the Traveler up above him.

Instantly wary, the Titan levered to his feet, straightening to his formidable height. Last he recalled, he had been in the Tower Hanger...how did he get here? He tried opening communications but received no signal. His Ghost apparently was as flummoxed as he was. The most important thing was that there weren't any nearby threats.

Not bothering to unsling the large shotgun on his back, Saint strode off through the snow. There appeared to be some sort of path, so perhaps he was near a settlement.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Saint stood on the edge of the plaza, staring at the large assortment of partially snow covered couches, benches and tables. Large vidscreens were playing videos and playing announcements by the looks of it. There were people walking about of various shapes and sizes...and species that he didn’t recognize.

”Bozhe moi…” He muttered. “Gde ya, chert voz'mi?” It was only the fact that no one was trying to kill him or each other, that he didn’t pull his weapon. In fact, people were just going about their business as if nothing was amiss.

Once again, the Titan found himself far from home. After being in the Infinite Forest for so long, it was nice to find himself in a place that wasn’t a constant fight for survival. Next step would obviously be, ask around and find out where he was and find a place to warm up and regroup. Not paying any mind to the snow covering parts of his armor, Saint strode off through the plaza to do just that.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Later, Saint-14 found himself in a nearby Cafe; sitting at a table in a corner (and almost looking comically too big for it) and looking through multiple pamphlets. After talking to various locals, he had been directed to where he could warm up and find the information he would need. Some info was very interesting - and some shocking. Especially when finding out that this was a different dimension. However the fact he could freely travel between here and his own world via what was called a PINpoint, put him more at ease.

When he came across the info about the Fallen living in the wilds, the Titan surged to his feet, nearly upending the table. He gingerly sat back down after a few moments (and noting the stares) - reading through the pamphlet again while quietly containing his knee jerk fury. Those bastards. After reading about some sort of truce, he crumpled up the paper in his fist before dumping it onto the table in furious disgust.

It took several minutes for him to calm himself, looking down at the other pamphlets on the table. He might as well follow the advice that he had read in one of them. He uttered a deep sigh, speaking up to the groups of people moving through the cafe at large.

“How far are you willing to go, to fight for the places and people that you love?” He spoke up, feeling kind of strange for just randomly speaking up to no one in particular. Despite his intimidating appearance, the deep voice coming out of the crested helmet was warm and kind; very heavily laced with a Russian accent. “Are you willing to stand up and defend your home and protect it?”


[[ooc: Russian translation: "Oh my god. Where the hell am I?"]]

Comments

[legendary_titan]

"You might not have faced the Fallen in the field my friend, but you clearly have battle experience." Saint nodded, pleased. "They are good with machines, yes. In fact they practically worship them in a form of religion. They produce ether using what is called a Servitor." The Ghost changed the hologram to show a large spherical mechanical shape with a large glowing eye in the center. "A popular tactic among Guardians is to take them out first during a skirmish."

The hologram vanished and the Ghost drifted to hover above Saint's shoulder quietly as they observed the conversation.

"From what I've read, their Leader's name is Baroness Pelsor. She leads a force from the House of Winter." Saint-14 had been lost in the Infinite Forest during the time that Winter had caused trouble on Venus where they had settled. He was still catching up on all the history he had missed back home.

"I had detected a communication beacon from the other Guardians here. I aim to gather them together and get the full briefing on what happened."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"Good. So it's a safe guess they've got some of those Servitor machines on that territory they've set up in the Wilds." Something to remember if they have to fight the Fallen again. Take out their ether production, and they'll feel what it's like to starve. "What kind of technology do they use?"

Ben quietly puts Baroness Pelsor's name to memory. Knowing gangs, or even loosely-knit organizations in general, setting off a power struggle by removing leadership might be a way to cripple them, at least for a while. That makes two weak spots. If this Baroness is the kind of charismatic, ruthless leader Ben suspects she is, her loss would be a blow to the Fallen. That explains why she's so cautious.

"Depending on how well-organized they are, they might not have a successor in place, and if they don't taking out this Baroness might throw Winter into chaos. Again, she probably knows this. I suppose that's why Pelsor's hiding behind her banners and dregs and this truce of hers. She's afraid of you." Ben smirks, boasting a little. "It isn't just you they should fear. You Guardians might be the Fallen specialists here, but you're not the only ones who can fight rough."

Ben has no place to judge the Fallen morally, but he still has a quiet disdain for Pelsor's tactics. He was a monster, and he was a bad leader, but he always put himself on the front lines in a fight. Pelsor's more distant leadership style, refusing to deal personally with her enemies, is practical and speaks to her people's desperation. She's clearly a better strategist, but to Ben her methods reek of cowardice. The distaste is clear in his voice.

"Not a bad idea. As I said, you're the experts. But the fact we can't go on their territory complicates things. That makes tracking their activity here or even knowing how large and well-armed the enemy force is difficult. There's presumably nothing in this truce stopping them from keeping an eye on us - hardly an even deal, in my eyes." As a former warlord, Ben knows the kind of unfair terms that are forced on a defeated opponent, and wonders if that's how Pelsor sees them.

[legendary_titan]

Saint nodded at Ben's words. They would most definitely have Servitors producing ether on their territory. They would be prime targets during any future battles if it came to that. At the question, the large exo rested his elbows on the table, steepling his fingers in thought.

"Their weaponry is highly varied from primitive spears to blasters, to even flame thrower like devices. The marauders further up in their caste system even use a form of cloaking technology which can make them difficult to spot. The Captains are privileged enough to use elemental shielding to absorb incoming attacks. Easy enough to overcome since we Guardians also use elemental energies. It is just a matter of matching their shield's element to quickly overcome it."

Saint was really starting to like Ben. The lad was clearly experienced and knew what he was talking about. He's seen battle before, that was for certain. He sighed a little after digesting what the human said.

"Yes, that is quite the problem." He murmured. "I am certain we would have acted from the get go if there was no civilians and non-combatants to look out for. It...upsets me that they are using innocents to tie our hands." He shook his head with a rumble of distaste. "However, I am grateful that not only are other Guardians here - but others like you with experience to assist us if the going gets tough." Ben had mentioned powerful beings like Angels? It was true, the Fallen would be fools to attack now.

"One of the first things I wish to find out, is to find a way to get some recon and proper intel. They could not have been just sitting idly by in their base." The hard part would be doing this without putting the civilians in danger.

[chiaro_oscuro]

"Blasters. I'm familiar with those. And as for cloaking devices, I have my ways to get around them. I wouldn't need to see a Fallen soldier to know it's there, what it's doing, and react." Ben's pretty sure that Force-sensitives don't exist in the Fallen home universe, so their cloaking devices wouldn't be designed with his skillset in mind. "I agree there are almost certainly things in their base they don't want you to know. Their chain of command, construction work, the locations of those servitors. Things we could use against them. I used to be a warlord myself, so let's just say I know the type."

Not a one-for-one, but it's a term that Saint may recognize. Ben's trying to put himself in Pelsor's shoes at this point. Her organization, if it can be called one, is small, scrappy, and desperate, very different from the First Order. In some ways the Fallen are underdogs against the better-armed and organized Guardians. But there are basic rules that apply to aggressive groups like this. He speaks slowly.

"If I was the Baroness, I wouldn't want to fight you head-on. You could probably wipe out her Fallen if you Guardians got together and made a big enough push, even without outside help. That's why we're being used to stop you from getting a burst of courage. Pelsor's smart. She wants to survive more than she wants to fight you. So she's playing defensively for now. Using the truce to appease us and restrain you." Ben grudgingly respects Pelsor's tactical skill and ability to improvise. "But it's not a toothless threat, either. While I wouldn't say it's her goal, I think she'd follow through with attacking the Nexus as a punishment if you pushed her. She wouldn't win, but she'd do as much damage as she could first."

[legendary_titan]

Saint was silent for a few minutes as he listened to Ben, digesting all the information. A Warlord? It probably meant something different than what he was familiar with. But he couldn't help but think of Lord Shaxx back at the Tower. He wondered what the other Titan would think about all this? He smirked to himself. Most likely, the crucible handler would want to dive in fists blazing. Much like most Titans would.

This fellow was definitely making him more curious by the minute.

"Well. The first thing I can think of, is to somehow get the civilian population in a safe location and out of the way. With them out of the equation - we can wipe out the Fallen and make sure there is no way they can retaliate or return to the Nexus." Some of the logistics was escaping him of course - but the main concern was the civilians. Get the non-combatants out of the picture somehow and the Fallen were done.

[chiaro_oscuro]

"Evacuating the civilians is a good idea, though I can't say that'll be easy or you'll get everyone to agree to it. I do think you Guardians should give us non-Guardians a seat at the table. We're already involved insofar as House Winter is using us as part of their plan. Our safety is possibly affected by your choice. And I think Pelsor underestimates us."

Ben feels a little sympathy for the Fallen, if only because he sees a bit of who he used to be in their ruthless violence and stubborn pride. Saint seems to think a fight between his people and hers is inevitable, and there's some tragedy in that. Pelsor and her crew have a chance to live in peace here, but bad blood may make that impossible.

"On a better note, I'm planning to open a small spaceport soon, to modify vehicles so they can enter and leave the Nexus more easily. The machine parts, tools, and technology involved will be guarded by me. I take security very seriously. If you show me Guardian vehicles and give me an idea of how they work, I could make improvements on them."

[legendary_titan]

Saint nodded with an affirming grunt. "Da, of course. I'm sure the other Guardians would welcome the assistance of the civilians familiar with combat. As for the rest..." He hmm'ed thoughtfully. The Nexus community was probably large enough that it would be difficult to move the population at large. However..."I wonder if there are safe zones here. Like bunkers or caves underground. Places where people can shelter in emergencies..." He murmured. "It's not a full evacuation but it might be easier in a place like this for people to shelter and be out of harms way."

Saint leaned back slightly in his seat at the mention of a spaceport. "Ah, that would come in handy my friend. I do have a sparrow that you could look at sometime. Sparrows can be unique to each Guardian depending on taste but the basic vehicle is the same."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"Come to think of it, I'm surprised there aren't some Fallen deserters here. I'd have thought our lifestyle would appeal to those dregs a little. Not the Baronesses or Captains so much, but it sounds like the lower ranks aren't treated well. Everyone's treated fairly in the Nexus, more or less. Nobody's starved or beaten if they don't follow orders. No need to fight over resources."

Maybe Fallen are more bound to their leaders than humans are, or it's simply what they're used to. But Pelsor's crew have a choice, now, and Ben's curious what they'll do given time.

But his interest quickly shifts to the machine Saint mentions, from the sound of it unique to Guardians. "I wouldn't mind having a look at your Sparrow, Saint. What is it like? Is it a land vehicle or for space travel? I can do either one, if you explain how it works so I know the basics. I know very little about your world and how it works, I'm afraid."