Editing Invasion of Neptune

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|conflict=[[War against the Witness]]

|place=*[[Neomuna]], [[Neptune]]

*[[Essence]], [[Earth]] Orbit {{C|briefly}}

*[[Black Garden]] {{C|briefly}}

*The Guardian is able to wield the powers of [[Strand]] and discovers [[The Veil]]

*Neomuna becomes an active warzone due to [[Shadow Legion]] invasion

***[[Radial Mast]] is destroyed due to [[Rohan]]’s sacrifice

*[[The Witness]] is able to establish a link with the Veil and subsequently begins the [[Final Shape]] by opening the portal over the Traveler and entering its [[Pale Heart]]

*[[Nezarec, Final God of Pain]] is temporarily resurrected by the Traveler’s terraforming power and haunts the citizens of Neomuna in their dreams.

**Nezarec is slain by Guardians within the Witness’s [[Essence|flagship]].

**Neomuni inside the CloudArk are freed from his influence

*[[Osiris]] and [[Nimbus]] learn more about the Veil and its connection to the [[Ishtar Collective]] through various recordings left behind by Dr. [[Chioma Esi]]

|side1='''Forces of the [[The Coalition|Coalition]]:'''

*[[Vanguard]]

*[[Cloud Strider]]s

*[[Imperial Cabal]]

|side2='''Forces of the [[The Witness|Witness]]:'''

*[[Shadow Legion]]

*[[The Dread]]

|side3='''Vex:'''

*[[Sol Collective]]

*[[Sol Divisive]]

|commanders3=

*[[Calixte, System Ward Finality]]

*[[Conceptual Mind]]

|forces3=

*Countless [[Vex]]

|casual3=*Several [[Vex Mind]]s

|casual4=

|civilian=Unknown amount

 

The '''Invasion of Neptune''', also known as the '''Siege of Neomuna''' was a massive conflict that unfolded on [[Neomuna]] after the [[The Witness|Witness's]] attack on the [[Traveler]]. After communing with it and discovering the location of [[the Veil]], a [[paracausal]] object related to the Traveler, the Witness ordered [[Calus]], its newest disciple, and his [[Shadow Legion|forces]] to invade [[Neptune]] and secure the Veil. This prompts [[Osiris]] to stow away on one of the Shadow Legion’s [[Astaroth Rex II|carriers]] in order to stop the invasion. [[The Guardian]] follows him on orders from [[Ikora Rey]], and after sabotaging their carriers, The Guardian and Osiris make their way to Neomuna via [[Drop Pod]]s. From there, they would befriend and ally the [[Cloud Strider]]s [[Nimbus]] and [[Rohan]], and along with the [[Imperial Cabal]], would work to stop both Calus and the Witness.

The Neomuni have known about the [[Vex]] for many decades prior to [[The Witness]]'s arrival into the [[Sol System]] and have fought them off on numerous occasions as the Vex attempted to raid the [[CloudArk]] for its sensitive data. Additionally, both [[The Guardian]] and [[Osiris]] boarded a [[Shadow Legion]] ship shortly before the fleet jumped to [[Neptune]]'s orbit. The Guardian would then fight through the ship before they and Osiris used the [[Drop Pod]]s to land on Neomuna but not before the seige began.

The Neomuni would have their first face-to face encounter with the brunt of The Witness's forces when [[Emperor Calus]] landed his ship, the [[Typhon Imperator]], into [[Ahimsa Park]]. The sector was quickly overrun by Vex and [[Cabal]] alike and the [[Cloud Strider]]s on duty, [[Rohan]] and [[Nimbus]], retreated to [[Striders' Gate]]. The Cabal were followed shortly by The Guardian and Osiris, the former landing in [[Ahimsa Park]] and the latter landing in [[Striders' Gate]]. The Guardian would cut their way though the Cabal forces to Striders' Gate where they would encounter [[Strand]] for the very first time. The Guardian would use this new found power to destroy the Cabal that would land in Striders' Gate but would not be able to reach Osiris before they were exhausted.  

Luckily, Osiris would be saved by the Cloud Striders after fighting off some Cabal and a [[Tormentor]]. The Cloud Striders would then spend the next few hours destroying some of The Witness's forces before regrouping at Striders' Gate. After discussion with Osiris and allowing him to stay within the [[Hall of Heroes]], the Cloud Striders would agree to help The Guardian reach The Veil. The Guardian would fight their way through [[Zephyr Concourse]] and into the [[Esi Terminal]] where they would encounter more Shadow Legion forces, this time with [[Light]] suppressing technology. The Guardian would defeat a Shadow Legion commander [[Vul'ourn, Shadow Legion Supply Master]] despite this only to realize that the area surrounding The Veil was firmly within Shadow Legion hands. The Guardian's [[Ghost]] would then transmit a conversation between The Witness and Emperor Calus, with The Witness ordering their disciple to destroy The Veil using the [[Radial Mast]] which was located deep within the Typhon Imperator. The Guardian would retreat from the area and regroup with their allies to discuss further plans.  

===The Raid on the Typhon Imperator===

With The Veil and the CloudArk in direct jeopardy, the Cloud Striders and The Guardian both agreed to raid the Typhon Imperator. Fighting through Ahimsa Park, the Guardian would board the massive ship and sneak deep into its complex walls and hallways, dispatching groups of Shadow Legion as they went through. They would also sabotage and destroy a small fleet of ships by overloading them with energy. When The Guardian approached the Radial Mast, it was revealed that it was a trap laid out by Emperor Calus. The Guardian fought off seemingly endless waves of Cabal and [[Taken]] and it looked like The Guardian was trapped within the Typhon Imperator. However they would be rescued by [[Empress Caiatl]] and her band of [[Imperial Cabal]], blowing open a barrier and allowing the Guardian to slip away on their [[Sparrow]].

The next mission The Guardian and the Cloud Striders would undertake would be a repair of the CloudArk's power supply which was still under the control of the Vex in [[Límíng Harbor]]. The Guardian would smash through the Vex defenses surrounding the CloudArk reactor, finding more pockets of Strand along the way to assist them. The Guardian would eventually encounter the leading mind, [[Calixte, System Ward Finality]], and destroy it and breaking the CloudArk free of Vex control. However, the Shadow Legion were closing in on The Guardian's position in order to kill them, lying in wait to both destroy The Guardian and the CloudArk in one fell swoop. The Guardian would eventually escape the ambush with the usage of Strand though the reactor sustained minor damage. This resulted in the Neomuni being able to take control of their defensive measures and assist both The Guardian and the Cloud Striders in the defense of Neomuna.  

With the CloudArk secured, The Guardian attempted to further their connection and control over Strand. They departed to [[Maya's Retreat]] in order to meditate on their usage of Strand but were ambushed by Vex forces. These Vex were dispatched by The Guardian's new Strand abilities which lead Osiris and Rohan to believe that they were ready to destroy the Radial Mast. With the assistance of the Coaltion, they located the Radial Mast attempting to link to The Veil within the [[Irkalla Complex]] and smashed through Shadow Legion Forces to get there, using the Coaltion's [[Drake Tank]]s to break through the walls of the complex and sneak their way through. With the Radial Mast activated and the Shadow Legion closing in, Rohan jumped into its construction and attempted to delay its connection with The Veil. Meanwhile, The Guardian destroyed the Shadow Legion forces that had swarmed the area using Strand but was unable to hold onto their control over the energy to destroy the Radial Mast. With no other option, Rohan brought the mast onto him and destroyed it but killing him in the process. From the remains, the Guardian recovered Rohan's core and delivered it to Nimbus.  

In the Hall of Heroes, Rohan was laid to rest amongst the other Cloud Striders and Nimbus was named the lead Cloud Strider in his place.

===The Beginning of the Final Shape===

After the death of Rohan, the Coalition would strengthen its resolve to end The Witness's machinations. A plan was created to crash through the Shadow Legion defenses around The Veil and secure it before Calus could. In order to prepare for this plan, Nimbus and Caiatl rallied their forces as The Guardian and Osiris turned to mastering Strand. The Guardian's training would culminate in the destruction of [[Ioneion, System Control Flow]] within the Vex systems, proving their mastery of Strand. Nimbus would also find and attempt to restore an old [[Ishtar Collective]] orbital ray for use in the raid.

 

 

===Nezarec's Influence===

 

 

The source of the nightmares was eventually traced to Nezarec's existence within The Witness's flagship [[Essence]]. A fireteam of six Guardians went there, clashing with Shadow Legion forces onboard. Throughout te fight, they used powers of light and dark to accelerate Nezarec's resurrection. Despite his combined powers and his return from death, he was defeated. Nevertheless, he reminded the Guardians that he would always be present in their memories and nightmares, an inescapable impression upon the universe.

 

Additionally, the Guardians recovered urn-like containers throughout the Pyramid ship, each of them held memories through the power of Darkness. After recovery, those memories were transformed into a regular data storage medium and happened to have numerous references and retrospectives about the Final Shape, the Witness's beliefs, and the use of Darkness as a force throughout history - including some civilizations that had been previously excised from other historical records thus far.

 

===Post-Root of Nightmares/Studying the Veil===