The Ghost Behind The Glass
Creaking. Groaning. The ship around the group of captives seemed to tilt and wobble, each hit causing the massive freighter to shake and vibrate. Several in the group, young children, cowered and cried, as their guardians tried to soothe them. One particularly large blast caused a child, no more than five years of age, to start screaming. Their warden barged in, hefting an electric club, and waved it menacingly, until the child’s parent managed to quiet him. The helmeted goon barked something in a harsh, incomprehensible language, and then left and locked the cell door.
“It will be okay, dear one.” An older woman said, stroking the hair of her distraught daughter.
“The Ghost will come. We are in his sector. He will come.” The older woman seemed completely confident, her faith fully placed in this “Ghost.”
“What Ghost? You mean the one from the fables?” A youth, older than the rest, said in a quiet, unsure voice.
“Yes, the Ghost. The Ghost Behind the Glass. His ship, a Tenno Railjack, can travel the system and bring devastation to those who harm innocents.”
“Tenno? The warriors that bring balance to the solar system?” Another child asks, her tears clearing up.
“Yes, I believe in them. The Tenno never let those like us hurt for long. They bring peace and fairness to the system, fighting for all who stand for good.”
“Mumma… I’m scared… What if the Ghost doesn’t come? Who will help us then?”
“He will come. He must.”
Sector 13b, Venus Proxima
A ship, a dark stain on the blackness of space, ripped a hole through reality, appearing amidst a group of Corpus Battle Frigates. A beam of deathly green energy lanced into a hoard of smaller ships, causing them to lose control, careening and then exploding. The Railjack, ever nimble, avoided return fire by boosting and coasting around, its side mounted armaments blasting fast-fired laser beams, taking out both ships and boarding pods. A cavalcade of blasts rang out, simulated vibrations and sound giving feedback to the Captain. The Captain, a gaunt, darkened specter controlled the Railjack with vile precision, weaving in and out of enemy battle formations and leaving death and devastation in his wake.
“Captain!” Janneer, the gunner yelled out. “We have trouble. A cargo ship with captives is leaving the sector.”
The captain spoke, the voice ethereal and haunting. His beak-like mouth didn’t move, but the speech manifested in thoughts that rang out, hollow and haunting all at once.
“They. Must. Be. Saved.”
Abandoning the offensive, he steered the Railjack to pursue the fleeing cargo ship.
The momentary distraction allowed a boarding pod to breach the hull, and enemies spilled out onto the area above the forge. However, they were met only with violence, as a professional killer was awaiting this exact situation. Plina Sittex, a Sister of Parvos, a Corpus defector, cackled with glee as she began to lay into her old brethren.
“Should not have come here. You know boarding a Railjack is a death sentence.” She said, finally glad to see some action. The Corpus grunts screamed as they died, the Captain barely acknowledging them as he guided the ship onward. As they neared the large Corpus vessel, his voice rang out in their minds again.
“Zaa. Take control. I pursue.”
The backup pilot saluted and grabbed the controls when The Ghost stepped back.
“Godspeed Captain. We’ll await your return.”
The ship Cephalon, Cy, spoke up.
“Slingshot is hot and ready for you, Captain.”
Reaching the back of the ship, The Ghost quickly climbed in and got ready.
“Archwing Slingshot loaded. Tenno in the barrel." Cy’s deep voice rang out, a grin somehow showing in the Cephalon’s even cadence.
Aiming carefully, The Ghost launched forward, careening through space with fatalistic determination. Punching a hole through the fleeing ships hull, The Ghost stood among a hoard of those who wish him death. But unfortunately for his enemies, he was death. He gestured, and Sowed the fates of all Corpus present, and then in a flash, his Shadow emerging from him, and he Reaped. All present exploded into viscera, their insides swiftly becoming their outsides. The Shadow’s roamed the hallways, reaping all in their path. Stalking amongst the carnage, bodies and guts lining the hallways, the Ghost quickly made his way to the holding area.
A Corpus Shock Eximus, a prison guard, stood in his way. In a dismissive, almost casual way, the Ghost leveled his pistol and executed the Guard before they could even react. Stepping over the body, he entered the holding area. The interior of the large cell was crowded, and all those inside looked on in fear and awe.
“The Ghost… he came!” A child shouted in elation. The group gathered round, an older woman kneeling in front of the Ghost.
“Sevagoth… you came… I knew you would. The Tenno never forget the downtrodden.” She said, tears in her eyes. Her daughter took the Ghosts hand, squeezing it tightly.
“You will save us, right Mr. Ghost? I want to go home…”
The Ghost nodded, patting the child gently and then spoke a few terse words.
“Must go. Come.”
He led the group out of the cell, and guided them to the exit. The adults covered the eyes of the children, so they would not see the violence the Ghost wrought upon those that hurt them. Mentally communicating with the ship Cephalon, the Railjack met them at the exit, and he helped each of the former captives onto it. Finally boarding the ship himself, he made sure Plina would watch over them. Stalking to the front of the ship, he took command once again. Bringing round the ship, he continued the mission: the total annihilation of this sector’s Corpus.
The group stood near the back of the ship, by the forge.
“Mumma!! We are on a Railjack! Like from the stories!” The young girl cried out, joyously.
“Yes, my dear. Now we can watch the ones that took us from our homes burn. Tenno justice comes swiftly to those who overstep.”
They watched, speechless, the Railjack effortlessly dodge and weave, spraying lances of death into the groups of Corpus ships. Picking on a large frigate, the Ghost piloted the ship to destroy the security nodes, and then had Zaa take over again, and went all the way to the back to the slingshot and flew off, smashing into the ship.
Sevagoth surprised a group of technicians, who yelped as the Ghost reached outwards, somehow causing their personal shields to fail. Before they could react, he brought out his rifle, which the nearby Corpus recognized as Tenet-class Glaxion, a cruel beam rifle that froze as it stole the life of its targets. The green energy beam spit out and tore through the Corpus, their bodies freezing and then shattering into shards of bloody ice.
Stepping over the corpses, he walked up to the reactor core and initiated an overload.
“WARNING. CORE OVERLOADING. PLEASE EVACUATE.” The system rang out, in a futile attempt to warn the inhabitants of the doomed vessel. Sevagoth stood his ground, and as dozens of soldiers and technicians streamed in, he was ready. He Reaped, and he Sowed, and he was death. He killed these corporate drones, mowing them down as a farmer did grain with scythe. His Shadows spun around the room, any and all enemies nearby turning into bloody paste as their internal organs exploded from their torsos, painting the deck red. Sevagoth, for his part, was not idle. He flew around the room, bullet-jumping as only Tenno could, and used his dagger to slit throats, his pistol to remove heads from shoulders. His Glaxion took many lives as well, the deathly beam making his enemies easy targets. The Ghost was angry. Angry that these bastards only preyed on the weak, angry that he could only face grunts as he knew the ones truly culpable were their superiors, who never would see combat. They lived cushy, pampered lives where they took, and took, and took until there was nothing left. He hated them. The Ghost wanted to find them and deliver unholy retribution unto the souls of those that hurt others. And he would. This strike, the destruction of this freighter, was another step in his quest to bring vengeance to those who so rightly deserved it.
“CORE DETONATION IMMINENT. PLEASE EVACUATE.”
Sevagoth watched as the Corpus scum began to turn tail and run to the evac pods. His Railjack would shoot them down, so he didn’t worry. He began to move to the exit, opened the doors to open space, and donned his flight-enabling Archwing and took off towards the ship.
“Mumma! The ship is doing something weird!” The child pointed, as exhaust plumes shot out in its death throes. They saw the Ghost return, his presence bringing them a measure of peace they had not known for a long while, despite his gaunt and terrifying appearance. They watched, in awe, as the massive freighter began to vaporize itself, the explosion rocking them as they watched thousands die. Sevagoth stood, watching as well, his hands resting on the glass.
“You are. Safe. We’ll take you. Home."
