Aaron and Sidriks continued venturing through the remains of the Cosmodrome, all the while slowly approaching their objective. Snow continued to fall tonight as it typically does, Aaron was rarely in the Cosmodrome when it wasn't snowing. It seemed to just follow him like a criminal record. Everywhere he went, at some point or another it would snow, he began to grow sick of it. Sidriks, on the other hand, didn't mind the precipitation, usually, on his home world or at least where he had resided, it was dry and arid.

Now he had been across so many different places on so many different worlds he began to appreciate the precipitation for what it was. A life-giving part of a world that doesn't exist in every part of the universe.

"Looks like we're getting close, Eris, how will we know we're there?"

"It's exactly where I told you, Aaron, you'll know it when you see it"

The two guardians approached the abandoned refinery. The inside was filled with destroyed train cars and multiple cracked and broken walls. The rusted scenery was just as bleak and hopeless as the other structures they had come across. So many people arrived at this destination to travel to the other planets that humanity had colonized. What was it that people wanted so bad that they left this world for the others? Aaron could only guess.

The refinery was shockingly empty in comparison to the other structures, it was bland and full of snow. The building had the same sort aesthetic as the other buildings around it, rust and chipped paint. The two of them considered which direction to go, to their left was a cave that descended deep into the earth, and to their right was a set of stairs. The cave appeared to be lit by some sort of hive crystal. "Well, we're not gonna save the city standing here Aaron," Sidriks said walking to the left.

"You want to split up?" Aaron asked his Eliksni friend.

"Separation has an up and a down. The up being that we are more likely to find the Heart of Crota if we fan out. But if we separate there is a likely hood that we may be heavily injured, or find another one of Crota's minions."

"Remember Sid, we have comm links."

"So, if need be we call the other for help and give a location?" He asked.

"Exactly."

"Alright I'll go to the left to the cave, you may head up the stairs."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'll be fine." He said walking towards the cavern ahead of him.

"Okay, be careful."

"You as well." He said looking down into the vast dark cavern that lay ahead of him. He got a chill looking down into the darkness, Aaron disappeared up the stairwell. He descended into the darkness using Oracle as a light. Oracle is Sidriks' ghost. She found herself fascinated by the Fallen warrior who she had selected as a guardian. She could hear and speak to him in his own head much like other ghosts could. However his thoughts were always far different than other guardians, he was focused on the mission, and when he wasn't, he would be focused on finding his daughter. There was some middle ground when he was around his friends, but when he was by himself it was only these two things. His inner frustrations from one of his thoughts were represented by the sheer savagery of his attacks.

Sidriks would at times enter the crucible, and when he would arrive, he got stares from guardians who were on his team as he sank his blades into the guardians on the other. Probably because they would think, if I keep going in this program, I could be on the other end of those blades. They noticed that he was unlike other fallen warriors that they had fought before. Sidriks showed a display of savagery, control, and skill that no other Eliksni Captain had shown. Capable of taking down multiple guardians at once. Some matches he would participate in he would not get killed once.

The cave only continued to get darker and damper as Sidriks descended. With only the alien hive crystalline shards glow indicated to him where he was. The odd barnacle-like substances that lined the walls smelled of decay, much like the battlefields of the early Eliksni wars. Sidriks knew the smell, but he couldn't stand it. It made him think of his times in the old wars, he was a remarkable soldier, but those under his command weren't so fortunate. He could sometimes find himself without his unit at the end of some battles. He had their blood on his hands and could do nothing to save them.

Sidriks had now entered the world of the hive, he walked into the cave that was drenched in water and darkness. He walked ahead hearing his feet dip into the cold water puddle beneath him. "There's no sign of the heart where I am Aaron." He stated to him over the comm link.

"Yeah, I couldn't find her either, there is a hive seeder here but nothing close to it."

Then a green light appeared before Sidriks, its glow slightly emitting enough light to show an area a meter away from it. Sidriks readied his sword, and shock pistol prepared to duel whatever beast came before him. The creature that appeared was a hive knight, with a much more elaborate armor than those who Sidriks had faced before. His sword may have had the same aesthetic as the hive warriors who wielded blades, but his was clearly different. This knight's sword was double-edged with a chitin cross guard. He had a helmet that had completely covered his face, only the glow of green through the slits in it signaled to Sidriks that there was even a knight in there at all.

His helmet was much more spherical, pointing only towards the top of the helm, not outward from the sides. His armor was much curvier than the original knights that Sidriks was used to seeing. With the chest of the warrior taking a much more rounded look than the bulkier suit that knights would use. This knight's armor was sloped to the point where it almost seemed feminine.

The knight raised his sword and looked at Sidriks. The knight was taking in his opponent, it was clearly a fallen captain, but he was different, he could smell the light coming from him. His armor no longer tattered and battle scared, it was evident to the knight that either he was a reborn guardian or a rookie captain. "Lay down your pistol Eliksni." The knight ordered.

"What for?" Sidriks asked.

"I may serve Crota as his fist, but I know a true, honorable warrior when I see one. Let us duel a warriors duel." The knight demanded.

Under his helmet, Sidriks smirked. A warrior as honorable as he and his daughter? Impossible. "Very well," Sidriks stated to the knight before placing his shock pistol around his hip back into his holster. Replacing it with his second shock sword. "Before we begin, I would like to know the name of the opponent I face," Sidriks demanded of the knight who was in front of him.

The knight looked at the Captain from the inside of his helmet. "He is as honorable as I am." He thought to himself.

"I am Sardon, the Fist of Crota."

"Sidriks Velkor, Guardian of the Last City."

The two got into a combat-ready stance. Sidriks noted how the knight moved and how he handled his blade. He was so much, unlike the others who he had faced before his posture was calm but cautious. He had two hands on his blade instead of one with the palm underneath his thumb over his left hand. The two warriors circled each other each waiting for the other to strike. Sidriks continued observing his opponent. His stance as he moved had his left foot step behind his right, much more like a shuffle than walking.

It was silent as the two kept their gazes locked on the other. "Sidriks, what are you doing?" Oracle asked him telepathically.

"I will grant him a warrior's death, and an honorable one." He replied to her.

"Understood."

She rarely questioned him because his thoughts usually spoke his will to her, not that she was at all submissive. She just found that his actions spoke much louder than his words. Sardon then lunged forward with his blade, clearly displaying to Sidriks that he was no ordinary hive warrior. Typically they would move in for large sweeping strikes on their opponent, Sardon attempted to stab him with a lunge. Sidriks dodged his blade and moved in to strike him. However, Sardon was also much quicker than a typical hive warrior, and when he moved in to deliver a blow to his torso, Sardon blocked the blade causing a spark in between the two of them.

Sidriks could feel his heart race, it had been much too long since he last had a challenge like this. He was getting excited by the prospects of this duel. The two warriors closed the distance between them with Sidriks eventually gaining the upper hand with his second sword pushing the knight back. Sidriks then leaped up into the air to deliver an overhead strike. Sardon moved underneath one of his blades and swung at Sidriks hoping to see what the Eliksni would do next.

Sidriks noticing how Sardon was going to cleave into his side used his second sword to parry the blow taking a few steps back. However, Sardon anticipated this and swung his sword in a spinning motion causing a cut to form in Sidriks chest armor. Sidriks smirked under his helmet again, this was different. The only other time he got this excited was when he and James would train in the training facilities in one on one duels.

The two swordsmen looked at the other. "I dare say you are one of the greatest challenges I have ever faced," Sardon told the Fallen Captain.

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you," Sidriks stated to him.

The two then resumed their duel. The Chitin sword that belonged to Sardon was a perfect match for the shock swords forged from Eliksni steel that Sidriks wielded. Sardon continued to think about his opponent, how powerful he was yet how honorable. The two of them weren't so different. However, the deep hatred of the light by his people demanded that he smite the Eliksni Guardian gifting the light to his master. Yet at the same time, Sardon wanted to defeat him, but not kill him, hoping that one day he may fight him once again.

Sidriks began to perspire heavily under his body glove, only other guardians were strong enough to challenge him in combat one on one. Most, however, were overconfident, narcissistic, sure of themselves that they could beat him. Until they were beaten themselves.

Their blades clashed in the darkened cavern briefly lighting up the cave to reveal their surroundings. Sardon's armor was a grayish color, not belonging to any of the warriors who Sidriks had faced before. It was entirely possible that he chose not to affiliate with any of the hive broods because he felt none of them were his, he belonged to his prince and only his prince. The two continued to hack and slash, neither of them seeming to gain an advantage. Sidriks then swung one of his blades at the open chest of his opponent, slicing it much like Sardon had to himself only a few brief moments earlier.

This was the first strike Sidriks had landed on his opponent. Sardon, however, seemed unphased by the attack and the two continued to fight. Sardon felt his opponents strike, a shock of pain was delivered, but Sardon ignored it. He would fight this warrior to the death if necessary. He would not dishonor his prince. Not to a light warrior. Sardon, unlike Dredgen Yor, was calmer, collected. He had emotions in his system, but they would not impede his ability to fight. Sardon had fought for millennia, he knew what emotions did to a warrior. It favored savagery over control, and that lead to the deaths of many soldiers at his hands.

They appeared to be evenly matched. Sardon was powerful and experienced, and so was Sidriks. It was rare for Sardon to be challenged like this, by a warrior of similar prowess. The duel between the two warriors would have gone on forever until Sidriks found an opening in his fighting style. Sidriks used one sword slicing at his abdomen causing Sardon to fall to the ground defeated. Black blood began to drip down from his chest to the pool of water below.

Sidriks then pointed his sword at his enemy's face. Sardon looked up, he had dishonored his prince. He saw no way to redeem himself, there was only one other way. Dimonus. Dimonus was an ancient tradition of Hive Warriors, a tradition to redeem oneself in the face of defeat. Sardon Took his sword and raised it, with the blade facing himself. "Do you yield?" Sidriks asked backing away.

"I have lost. There is only one way for me to redeem myself in the eyes of my prince." He stated to him. "I will die, but not by your hands Sidriks." He said then in one swift thrust, he inserted his blade into his stomach.

"You fought well, Sardon." He stated as his opponent began to disintegrate. All that remained of the warrior was his blade, sheathed into the ground.