Mission: The Invitation

Mission: The Invitation is the first mission of the Edge of Fate. Follow Ikora into the Oort Cloud — an invitation has been sent.

Objectives

• Rendezvous with Ikora — Push through the surface of Kepler and rendezvous with Ikora.
• Defeat Unidentified Combatant Unit — Defeat the hostiles to render the Archon vulnerable again.
• Push Back the Fallen
• Speak with Ikora
• Explore the Area
• Investigate Structure
• Investigate Area — Move forward with Matterspark.
• Escape the Area
• Defeat the House of Exile Servitor
• Destroy Shields with Pylons (×2)
• Find Materials
• Defeat the Crystalline Captain
• Charge Pylons (×3)
• Acquire Acceleron — Locate a local Acceleron to enable the Time Latch.
• Return to the Mechanism
• Defeat the Archon's Vessels
• Acquire the Mysterious Object
• Use the Mechanism
• Explore Onwards
• Speak with the New Contact

Transcript

(Cutscene Begins)

Orin floats across the surface of Kepler.

Orin as III: what follows light and shadow is silence

Camera pans to reveal Orin levitating across an unknown rocky planetoid surrounded by towering cliffs and the remains of large shipcrafts.

Orin as III: that silence breaks

View cuts closer to Orin's legs, focusing on her legs before transitioning to her face.

Orin as III: i am summoning you as a new age begins

The cutscene shifts to a Guardian activating their jumpship and departing from the Last City.

Orin as III: i see sapient life turn to each other

Camera narrows on the jumpship as it launches from Earth into space.

Orin as III: they remember how to look to the stars

Ascending from Earth where the Traveler and Essence hover above the planet, the jumpship launches to travel across the Sol System.

Orin as III: they remember curiosity

Back on the rocky planetoid, droplets of water rise from the ground as Orin glides across the terrain.

Orin as III: they remember how to thrive

The jumpship travels past Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Orin as III: but they have forgotten

Passing the Sun, the jumpship flies past a satellite.

Orin as III: they forgot that we were here long before the traveler

Scene returns to the Traveler, then transitions to Earth where the symbol of the Nine hovers above the planet. The jumpship approaches the rocky planetoid, where a large black hole is located at the centre.

Orin as III: they forgot that they need us

Cutscene shifts back to Orin and zooms in on her face.

Orin as III: but they are fated to remember

The cutscene shifts back to a close-up view of the Guardian approaching the planetoid.

Orin as III: i will remind them

Returning to Orin, the Emissary of the Nine blinks and speaks through her own mouth rather than telepathically.

Orin: I'm sure you will. But not through me. Find someone else!

As a fold in her cloak opens, Orin sheds through her robe and falls to the ground from her levitating stance. Hauling herself to her feet, Orin pants in shock and looks in the distance, resigning from her position as Emissary of the Nine.

Orin: My will is my own.

Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate appears as the Guardian's ship enters Kepler's atmosphere.

(Cutscene Ends)

(Cutscene Begins)

Ikora Rey investigates the runes of the European Dead Zone alongside her Ghost, Ophiuchus, and two other Guardians. During this investigation, they find runes of old buildings levitating above the ground.

Ikora: I think it's safe to say this is what is disrupting our beacons.

The cutscene shifts to reveal a blue rift in the center of these floating debris. Without warning, the rift expels a train in Ikora's direction. As Ikora and the two Guardians dodge the train, it crashes near the edge of a cliff. Ikora and the two Guardians approach the train cautiously.

Ikora: I've seen primitive trains like this in old ruins.

One of the Guardians enters the train alongside Ophiuchus, who scans around the inside.

Ikora: Never liked the look of them.

Ophiuchus scans a purple flower.

Ikora: These readings have a bearing.

The Guardian grabs the flower.

Ikora: Gravimetric distortions, leading out past orbit.

Ikora looks down at her datapad.

Ikora: Like footprints.

The Guardian hands the flower to Ikora. The cutscene briefly shifts to a motionless hand holding a pellet of the same species of flower before returning back to Ikora.

Ikora: Like a trail we're meant to follow.

View transitions to Ikora and the two Guardians where they are only seen from a distance.

Ikora: Guardian. I'm sending coordinates your way. It appears we have an invitation.

(Cutscene Ends)

Ikora: Guardian, welcome to "Kepler" as the Vanguard archive calls it. The gravimetric distortions we tracked from the EDZ are tangled in an excess of dark matter. In our records, this planetoid was confirmed to be unoccupied and inert, but these readings indicate… a singularity. Something is keeping this planetoid stable and our matter intact, but… Guardian, there's a black hole here on Kepler. This is dangerous. If at any point this singularity destabilizes, it could swallow us and take the entire Sol system with it. We need to find whoever sent our invitation. They need our help.

Arriving in the orbit of Kepler, the Guardian descends toward the surface aboard their jumpship. From a cliff, a nearby Fallen Captain spots their approach and grunts at their arrival. Moments later, the Guardian lands on a cliff.

Location: The Stacks, Kepler

Ikora: Guardian, I can see you've got Eliksni hostiles incoming. I'm picking up what I think is a distress signal. I've been able to isolate a radio signal through the telemetry. It has some primitive decryption on it. Should only take me a moment.

Navigating across the terrain of Kepler, the Guardian is ambushed by aerial Fallen units called Corsairs, hailing from a House that bears green cloaks.

Ikora: Watch your head! I've never seen Eliksni move like this. Mind their very idle, Guardian.

Defeating the Corsairs along with the remainder of the Fallen units, the Guardian lowers the forcefield blocking the way forward and travels into an arch.

Lodi: Mayday, mayday, mayday. Lodi transmitting. STRANGE MATTER detected. Singularity opening near HI and NHI population.

Ikora: I can't tell when this mayday was sent. Whoever made it understands the danger this place is in…

Continuing their journey into Kepler, the Guardian discovers the runes of another ancient. Suddenly, they are ambushed by another Fallen detachment.

Ghost: Ikora, it looks like we've got a blockade up ahead.

Battling the Fallen detachment, the Guardian encounters Wretches wielding spears imbued with Strand. Defeating the enemy forces in their proximity, Ikora Rey transmats to the location and the Guardian converses with the Warlock Vanguard to discuss these strange oddities.

Ikora: A singularity, a distress call, and now another ancient train. But how do they all connect? More importantly, how can we help? The status of the singularity will worsen with time — we can't do anything about that right this moment. But discovering a lock mechanism this complex and a radio transmission that sounds Human means we could be on the precipice of encountering another pocket of civilization. By my triage, the most effective thing we can do right now is find the source of the distress signal. The trail we're following leads past the train, then scatters. We'll need to get through to find who called for help. The mechanism here appears to be missing some pieces. I've tracked materials nearby that closely match the frequency of the device. Find them, Guardian.

As Ikora transmats away, the Guardian explores one of the buildings nearby.

Lodi: Lodi transmitting. Status moonsick, adrift, Odysseus protocol active.

Ikora: "Odysseus Protocol"? We've heard that before. Wait, there's a backlog. Keep moving, Guardian. I'm going to see if these transmissions can give us any more information.

Exiting the building through a nearby automatic door, the Guardian travels outside and discovers another section of the building. Discovering a device attached to strange fungi close to one of the doors, the Guardian activates it.

Ikora: Dark matter spike in your vicinity. Could be one of the gravitational distortions Drifter was talking about. Guardian? You all right?

The Guardian begins to stagger as they receive a vision displaying the symbol of VII.

VII: (distorted soundwaves)

yet to be unsheathed + reach through nine invitations + delivered what will + is done + in trust

Suddenly, the vision ends as the Guardian regains their mobility. Meanwhile, the door nearby opens.

Ikora: Your vitals stabilized. Must be a fluke.

Travelling into this building, the Guardian interacts with a strong source of dark matter. Harnessing this power, the Guardian merges with the Dark Matter to transform themselves into a circular compact and energized state known as Matterspark.

Ghost: Well, this sure is new! All your vitals appear to be in order, but your molecules are moving unbelievably fast.

Ikora: Guardian, this energy pattern is distinct from your expected paracausal signature. It matches the dark matter readings from when we landed. It appears you've managed to somehow… fuse with dark matter?

In this new energized form, the Guardian travels through a small tunnel and expels electricity to activate an Exile Pylon to open an entrance leading out of the tunnel.

Exile Pylon has been charged

The Guardian exits the building and travels outside where they encounter a detachment of Fallen under the command of a large Servitor: the Exile Overseer. After receiving heavy damage from the Guardian, the Exile Overseer activates an Immunity Shield. Utilizing the Dark Matter, they transform themselves into Matterspark to travel across tunnels and charges two Exile Pylons to disable the Exile Overseer's shield. With the Servitor vulnerable, the Guardian destroys the Exile Overseer.

Ikora: Why send a train to invite us to a black hole? It seems whoever sent our invitation values consistency and catastrophic interference.

Drifter: About that… I got info, but you're not gonna like it.

Ikora: Try me.

Drifter: The "gravimetric distortions," the dark matter, the weird train, an invitation… There's only one group of jokers I know who get up to these kinds of theatrics. The Nine.

Ikora: Well, that certainly is a theory. Although I would expect to have heard from the Emissary if that was the case.

Transforming themselves into Matterspark once again, the Guardian charges another Pylon to open a small entrance and travels into a cave.

Ikora: I'm going to rerun the telemetry to see if I can find another radio transmission… and get us some answers.

The Guardian travels deeper into the cave.

Lodi: Achieved precarious stabilization but still request evacuation due to hostile NHI. If we can't close the singularity, we're pulling everyone in with us. Anyone? You out there?

Ikora: Odd. The timestamp on this transmission doesn't make sense. It comes after the Mayday, but the timestamp says it was recorded many months before. Either someone is intentionally trying to scramble these transmissions, or the singularity is causing more problems than we thought.

Exiting from the cave, the Guardian travels across a cliffside until they arrive at another section of the mountain guarded by Fallen combatants led by the Crystalline Captain.

Ikora: It's the same Eliksni combatants from earlier! They are persistent. Stay vigilant and don't let them come back again!

The Guardian battles the Crystalline Captain.

Ghost: I thought I recognized those symbols. This is the House of Exile.

Upon defeating the Crystalline Captain, the Guardian activates three Exile Pylons while in their Matterspark form to disable a shield barrier.

Central security disarmed

Ghost: The last time we encountered these Eliksni was on Luna. They're called the Exiles because each of them were cast out from their original house.

The Guardian enters a small building using Matterspark.

Ghost: That's the last of them, and we've got what we need. Let's head back to the train and see if we can't get past that blockade.

Ikora: No more transmissions on the backlog, and the timestamps are all off. Keep heading for the train; maybe we can triangulate a location.

While travelling back to the location of the train, the Guardian staggers as they receive a vision displaying the symbol of V.

V: (distorted soundwaves)

I T I S K N O W N Y O U A R E D E A T H N I N E R E A C H O U T

The vision ends.

Ikora: Suppose you're right, Drifter, and we ARE dealing with the Nine. You have the most experience with them. What did you observe in your interactions?

Drifter: Rumor has it that the Nine are extradimensional, caught in the gravity of Sol's heaviest hitters — y'know, planets, moons, stuff like that. There are aliens, and there are aliens, and these guys are ALIENS. They don't live in this dimension, which means they can mess with you.

Ikora: The Nine can scheme all they like, but until they affect the real world, let's not give them any more power than they actually possess.

Eventually, the Guardian returns to the location of the train, where they find it overrun by agents of the House of Exile commanded by the Vessel of the Archon.

The Archon: You trespass the domain of the Once-Exile, Chosen of the Giver. I am Archon Prime, sovereign of this orbit! Speaker of the voice invisible.

The Guardian defeats the Vessel of the Archon.

Ghost: Interesting. That Eliksni wasn't an Archon. I wonder what that was all about?

Abruptly, additional Exile forces spearheaded by two more Vessels of the Archon descend.

The Archon: In the wake of destruction, one Exile falls, and three more rise.

Ghost: Hold on. That same voice — this "Archon's" voice — is coming from another Eliksni. I'm not sure what's going on.

The Archon: The Grand Design bids us destroy them, bring death to the Deathless. Fulfill the destiny of the House of Exile! Strengthen the singularity and ascend!

Ghost: That voice is coming from another Eliksni!

The Guardian defeats the two remaining Vessels of the Archon.

Ghost: I still don't understand how that voice jumped from one Exile to another. The Witness could possess, but that required a civilization's worth of Darkness. Could something have drawn them here? Maybe the high concentration of dark matter is boosting this Archon connection to Darkness?

Ikora: Darkness is about connection of memory, but it doesn't work like that. And dark matter, in spite of the name, has nothing to do with Darkness.

Ghost: So this is something else entirely…

Discovering an Unusual Vessel on the ground, the Guardian acquires the mysterious artifact.

Ghost: Huh, one of the Archon's lackeys dropped something.

Ikora: Ophiuchus's energy readings are spiking. This is a container of dark matter… the same connected to the singularity. Don't let that go.

With this artifact in their possession, the Guardian connects the Unusual Vessel to a nearby device.

(Cutscene Begins)

As the Guardian and Ghost wander the location, a mysterious Human wielding a pistol approaches from the device.

Lodi: Hold it! Who do you work for and what's your business here?

Ikora transmats to the location reading her datapad.

Ikora: Telemetry originates at this location, but the signal is weak…

Lifting her face from the datapad, Ikora gazes at Lodi.

Lodi: What are you doing here?

Ikora: We're Guardians, from Earth's Vanguard. Circumstances suggest we were invited, but we don't know who sent the invitation.

Ikora opens her palm to reveal the purple flower pellet.

Lodi: Earth?

Ikora: Have you been here a while?

Lodi: Uh… I have journal entries tallying four weeks, but… my five-o'clock shadow says a day. Something's wrong with time — it's my job to investigate.

Lodi stumbles in fear as Fallen roars are heard from the distance.

Lodi: You picked up something that's special to the people here — use it. I'll see you on the other side; we can talk there. You can, uh… tell me all about Earth.

As Lodi walks towards an unknown location, Ikora briefly glances at the Guardian before transmatting away.

(Cutscene Ends)

Ikora: That's the man who sent the distress signal… but he didn't seem in distress.

Ghost: "Something's wrong with time."

Ikora: I'm curious as to how our contact intends to 'fix' it, but his observations seem to be correct.

Drifter: And we just got here. There's probably a whole mess of time nonsense just around the corner.

Ikora: Agreed. This train's temporal presence is… concerning.

Drifter: That's the least of our worries. The real head-scratcher is our friend saying "the people here."

Ghost: Ikora did say she suspected sentient life.

Jumping into the train, the Guardian is transported into a set of railcars in a time anomaly where they travel down a trail of passenger cars until they depart from the exit. Finding themselves outside of the anomaly and in a cave, the Guardian travels through the cave until they approach an exit.

Location: Caldera, Kepler

Departing the cave, the Guardian finds and meets with Lodi at a cliff overlooking a settlement with large structures.

(Cutscene Begins)

The Guardian and Ghost approach Lodi.

Lodi: (sighs) Sorry for all that earlier. My name's Lodi. My introductions aren't usually that rude.

Lodi approaches and shakes hands with the Guardian.

Lodi: (laughs) C'mon. Let me show you around.

Cutscene transitions to Lodi giving a tour to the Guardian and Ghost around the settlement, where a group of Humans with robotic masks are seen wandering the location.

Lodi: Your companion gave me a debrief about your mission before she insisted on meeting the scientists here.

Ghost: Scientists?

Lodi: Oh yeah, the Aionians are brilliant. They, uh, been great hosts since I showed up here a few weeks back.

The Aionians look at the Guardian and Ghost.

Ghost: Objects from a different time were sent to us, like we were called or invited. Did you get one too?

Lodi: Uh… of sorts? I got a call of my own. I hope your ride was smoother than mine. Are you… headed back to Earth after?

Lodi and the Guardian stop in their tracks.

Ghost: Are you asking for a ride?

Lodi: Just conversation. Um… appreciate the offer, though.

Lodi continues the tour.

Lodi: I'm staying with the locals for a while — time distortions all over this place. The Eliksni make it hard to traverse further out. (chuckles) Fascinating, aren't they? You know their language structure's similar to Finnish. Keep an eye out for the House of Exiles — they don't like me getting closer with my recorder.

Lodi and the Guardian come to a halt.

Lodi: If you're here to sort out the time anomaly, then it sounds like we're on the same side. I'll help you look into your calling card, you help the locals with some of the weightier tasks? You seem like you can handle yourself.

The Guardian nods at both Ghost and Lodi.

Lodi: (chuckles) Person of few words; I can appreciate that.

Lodi and the Guardian resume walking around the settlement.

{End Mission: The Invitation}