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The Ghost passed its scan over another ancient pile of bones with no effect. “No… Not you.” The drone sighed audibly before it continued its search, its spherical midsection drooping between the triangular pieces of its outer shell. It had been so long since the Traveler had stood its ground over Earth and pushed the Darkness back. So long since the little Ghost had been made and set off on its mission: to find its Guardian, a being capable of using the Traveler's light as a weapon. So long that the Ghost's sense of time had lost all meaning. Some of its brother and sister drones had traveled far beyond the reach of Earth, to find their Guardians on far-flung worlds… but this Ghost knew its Guardian was here. 
Old Russia. It thought to itself. I'm in Old Russia again. Light, it's been so long. How much longer will this last? How much longer will I be forced to search for my Guardian-And suddenly, there it was. The Ghost felt a slight tug on its central sphere, causing its eye-light to reduce to a pinprick of gold. It froze in midair. No. Could it be? Is that…
It followed this feeling do a downed ship. No easily identifiable marks or parts- but this wasn't here the last time the Ghost was near the old Cosmodrome.
Are… the Ghost shook slightly. Are you in there?
The little Ghost hesitantly made its way through a hole blasted into the side of what had been the ship's hull- so much of it had been picked apart over what must have been many, many years by humans and Fallen alike. The Ghost slowly made its way through, scanning piles of bones or other remains as it found them.

Then the feeling came back, stronger than before- the Ghost visualized a brilliant spark of light and shook with joy. That was the sign. The journey was over
Traveler… I… I've done it. I've found them.
The segments of the Ghost's shell separated from the central sphere in a blaze of golden Light. The Ghost poured its light into this spark. Surrounding atoms came together, forming into a lanky humanoid male- a shock of bright-red hair grew in sharp contrast to his blue-gray skin- he was one of a new group of humans the Ghost had heard of over the Ghost Gossip Network, called “Awoken.” But the Ghost didn't care about that. It felt something it hadn't for a long time. Joy.
Oh, Light I've done it! I finally found you! The Ghost gathered more pure materials from the surrounding area, forming basic clothes around this reborn life. The Awoken lay on the ground as if asleep, and the Ghost brought its triangular segments back to its core, making it look like a small star.
The Ghost spoke, perhaps for the first time in centuries. “G... Guardian?"

The Awoken stirred. He sat up slowly, as if sore. He held a hand to his head and groaned.

The Ghost came closer. “Guardian?” The Awoken froze. 
You did hear me.
“Eyes up, Guardian!” The Ghost spun its sections as the Awoken looked at it, eyes wide.

“Wha…?” The Awoken looked around him. “Are… are you talking to me?”

“Yes!” The Ghost spun happily in the air, bobbing like a fishing lure. “You have no idea how long I’ve been looking for you!”

The Awoken refocused on the Ghost. “For… for me? But I have no idea who… or really, what you are.”

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” The Ghost floated back to eye level “I’m a Ghost. Well…” He turned then faced the Awoken once more. “Actually, now I’m your Ghost. I haven’t been in the Cosmodrome for a while and I found you now, so you’ve probably been dead for a while…"

“Wait, what?” the Awoken sat bolt upright. “You’re saying I was dead?"

“Yes, but the Traveler has brought you back with its Light.” The Ghost paused, turning downward. “Though me. You’re meant for great things, Guardian."

The Awoken leaned forward and laughed.

“What’s so funny?” The Ghost moved in closer to the Awoken’s face. Its top and bottom sections scrunched in, as if annoyed.

“It’s just,” the Awoken got out, between chuckles, “You’re talking about all this greatness, and I don’t even know my own name."

The Ghost moved back. “Well…” it looked around the hallway they found themselves in. This section of the ship was badly damaged in the impact many years ago, but it was possibly that some evidence may have survived. The Ghost found some near- shattered glass that had some lettering on it.

“Rin… Rindel?” The Ghost looked up. “If this was your room, this may have been your name."

The Awoken stood and turned to look at the panels. He could barely make out the lettering in the dust. He knelt over and blew on some panels. Two narrow ones spelt RIND and EL, the third with one name- ZIVAS.

“Rindel Zivas.” The Awoken repeated, nodding. “That… that sounds right.” He turned to face the drone. “And you? Are you just called ‘Ghost?’"

The Ghost flinched. “Well, I…” He turned. “I don’t have a name. From what I can tell, most of the time, Guardians name their Ghosts."

Rindel smiled. “My little light, huh?” He paused. “I’ll call you…”
  The Crucible could hardly be called “quiet” on the dullest of days. The series of open-aired arenas were sectioned off from the rest of the City, but the varied architecture made it perfect for honing the skills of humanity’s protectors- Guardians. It was a stressful environment- Every engagement was live-fire, with death being a daily occurrence. Of course, that didn’t matter when Guardians had their Ghosts to revive them and get them back into these elaborate matches. The late summer sun beat down on the battlefield like a drum, matching the staccato bursts of gunfire. A lanky figure wearing light armor and the hooded cloak of a Hunter slunk into a staging area. No one else in here yet. Good. Gives me time to think...
Are you sure this is a good idea?
The Hunter ignored the little voice inside his head. His Ghost, Solas, was phased into him, making it easier to disregard the question as another random thought.Solas let out a long, metallic sigh. You can't just run from the Vanguard's debriefing, you know. I've been getting pinged for months. “Later.” The Hunter finally spoke, his voice hoarse from a lack of use. He leaned against a wall and idly adjusted his cloak’s hood over his helmet.Though Solas was still phased, the Hunter felt him tilt, as if to affect a quizzical look. If this is about Sarra , I’ve been saying for years- The Hunter bashed a fist to his chest. Solas rolled his eye. For the record, I don’t see the point of this exercise. But when you get called out by the Vanguard in front of the entire Tower, I’ll be the one saying I told you so. The Hunter shrugged. He didn’t care about the reports, about Zavala and how he’d inevitably be lectured on being out alone, about not coming back to report more often. He clenched a triangular amulet that lay close to his chest before tucking it under his armored vest. Yes, none of that mattered. He had a memorial to attend to.How long has it been, love? He wondered to himself. Five years? It feels so much longer than that...“Hey! Are you deaf? We drop in ninety seconds!
So much for being alone with my thoughts.
The Hunter turned. A Warlock had been the one doing the yelling. The hunter noted that his robes looked flawless- not a stain or tear in sight. The same was said of the heavily armored Titans that stood on either side of the newcomer.Like they haven’t been out in the wilds for some time, he thought. “I haven’t seen you before.” The female Titan standing furthest away hefted a large multi-barrel machine gun like it was a rifle. “When were you rezed?”“Oh, that doesn’t matter!” The Warlock’s faceplate did little to hide his exasperation. “We should have waited for Anthony. Now we’re matched with some rando, and if we lose our winning streak, so help me…”“Easy, Skye.” The other Titan looked about as apologetic as he could behind his helmet’s visor. “He’s a few matches away from meeting Ikora’s record. I think you can tell he’s on edge.”The Hunter shrugged. He activated a small screen on his left arm and tapped at displays as he brought a foot up to the wall.You know, if you want to listen to some music, all you have to do is tell me. Solas’ voice came as if whispering in the Hunter’s ear. The Hunter continued tapping his screen.“You know, it bothers me when I speak to someone and they don’t respond.” Skye the Warlock moved up to the Hunter, grabbing his chestplate. “You too good to talk to us or something?”In a lightning-fast motion, the Hunter drew a large-framed revolver and pressed the muzzle into the Warlock’s robes. It took a moment for Skye to register what had happened, but he shifted slightly, moving further from the Hunter.“I'll talk when I've got something to say,” the Hunter almost whispered. “I suggest sticking with your fireteam. If you're worried about the match, don't worry about me.”Skye released the Hunter and backpedaled to the Titans. “Just hope that you don't cost us the round, stranger.”“Guardians!” The booming voice of Lord Shaxx echoed through the staging area. “Welcome back to the Crucible! As a reminder, this round’s game is Elimination. If you're killed on the battlefield, your Ghost will transmat you back to the staging area after fifteen seconds, where you will stay until the round is over, last team standing wins. You may revive downed teammates if you can get to them in fifteen seconds, but just remember that you’ll be painting a Cabal-sized target on your back!” He let out a jolly laugh. “Get out there and show me what you're made of!”The group transmatted to the field. The Hunter took off before the others on his team could say anything.The female Titan sighed. “Typical Hunter. Should we connect him to our comms?”Well, as long as we can stay alive, why should we care?” Skye pumped his shotgun. “To victory!”  The Hunter slid behind cover as a hail of gunfire hit the wall he had been in front of. He had managed to take down one of the opposing Guardians, but according to his HUD, two of his teammates were down for the count. That’s just fine, he thought. I work better alone, anyhow. Bullets continued to pepper the thick concrete between him and his assailant. The Hunter swung open his revolver chamber to reload, when a burst of energy zinged just over his head. The opposing gunfire abruptly stopped.“That’s two!” Skye pumped a fist into the air before running over to the Hunter’s position and slapping his shoulder. “Hey, no hard feelings about earlier, huh? It’s just you and me, so we need to work together if we’re gonna win this. Any ideas?”The Hunter simply shrugged. Skye shook his head.Contact! The Hunter felt something nudge his shoulder with Solas' warning. Six o’Clock! He leaped from his position as a pair of Pulse Rifle bursts fired, their rounds finding their way to Skye’s faceplate. The Hunter spun midair and threw a pair of cylinders toward his Titan opponent. Seeing the cylinders, the Titan formed a shield of pure Light- but no explosion came, not even smoke. If those were grenades, they were duds.The Titan chuckled. “It’s just you left and two of us, Hunter. You may as well call it quits so we can go back to the Tower early. There’s no shame in admitting you’re outgunned.” He looked around, his Pulse Rifle raised. “Hell, I’ll even buy you the first round when we get back! How ‘bout it?”From cover, the Hunter held out his display and pressed an icon with a triangle on it. A small smile formed on his lips.Suddenly, a strange noise, like a beam building energy, could be heard in the area. The Titan leveled his rifle, confused. Then he heard singing.
Well it's been such a long time coming, I thought you'd understand
The realization hit the Titan like a warhammer. The Hunter hadn’t thrown grenades. They were speakers.
That I'm so far ahead of the lines you've been drawing in the sand
The Hunter smirked under his helmet. He holstered his revolver and moved to a higher position.
'Cause it's simple, you were wrong
He decided to hazard a peek into the next area. True to form, the Titan held his position- And based on his movements, he was extremely confused.
You must have known that we’d end up alone
“Where are you?” The Titan’s voice boomed in anger in the small space as he tried to cover every entrance to the space he could think of.
I know you thought I'd sold my soul, but you never told me to my face
The Hunter reached into the air and grabbed at pure Light. It manifested in his hand as a revolver cast in flame. It was now or never.
I just had to leave you cold and blow this shit away!
The music broke into a crescendo as the Hunter revealed himself. He jumped from his perch into the space occupied by the Titan. His Golden Gun erupted in a glorious volley of devastating Solar Light.A bust of bullets hit the Hunter in his side for his troubles. He felt the bullets burn his flesh, but his momentum could not be broken so easily. His first shot had gone too high- just over the Titan’s helmet. He rolled as he hit the floor, stopping abruptly in front of his opponent.The Titan, in a rage, threw his rifle away. His fist crackled with Arc Light. The Hunter was close enough that a punch enveloped in electricity would likely finish the match.The Hunter sprung away from his landing, putting just enough distance between himself and the Titan that the punch missed. The next volley from the Golden Gun, on the other hand, found its mark. As the Titan fell in front of him, he felt another burst of bullets strike his leg. He dove for cover with what strength he could. Traveler’s Light, it hurt!Give me just a few seconds, The Hunter heard his Ghost in his head. I’ve already transmatted out the bullets in your chest cavity, and lucky for you, only one bullet is still in your leg. Give me twenty seconds and you’ll be right as rain.The Hunter hardly felt the cooling sensation of Solas’ healing. He pulled out the amulet from under his chest and rubbed his thumb on an edge. Somehow, he felt calm in the moment.
It feels like you’re right here with me, Sarra.

Why did you have to leave?
A noise from behind snapped him from the reverie. A Warlock stood behind him, bringing a Pulse Rifle to bear. The Hunter raised his Golden Gun to fire.The flaming revolver fizzled away in motes of Light like embers.Swearing, the Hunter kicked himself away from the wall to avoid a burst of gunfire from his opponent. Stupid, stupid! A weapon made of pure light never lasted very long- and he let himself get carried away. He sprang to his feet as another burst of bullets only served to remind him of his opponents presence. As he rounded a low wall, he turned toward it, intending to jump over and ambush. His own auto rifle was stowed behind his cloak and would be impossible to draw without stopping- He drew his revolver and jumped over the wall, ready to cut his opponent down.The next thing he noticed made his heart stop.This Warlock- was that-
Sarra?
Same, form-fitting dark robes. Same battle stance. But that was impossible. She had been dead for years.He felt a burst in his head and everything went dark.  The Hunter sat up from his position, holding his head. A splitting headache made his vision blurry for a moment and cut off all conscious thought- A side-effect of resurrection that he had always experienced as a Guardian. The pain faded almost as quickly as it came - but the next thing he heard almost made him wish he’d stayed on the ground.“Outstanding!” Shaxx entered the battlefield with the downed Guardians from both teams, slowly clapping. Even with orange accents, his stark white armor made him look like a knight from old fairy tales. As ever, he wore a full-faced helmet with a pair of horns, one of which had been broken off in battle years ago. “I don’t think I’ve seen a performance so glorious in a while. He clapped the victorious Warlock on the shoulder. “That was impressive.” The Hunter could tell that the Warlock was pleased with herself, helmet or no. He pictured a smug smirk on her face.No, of course that wasn’t her. The Hunter frowned under his faceplate. Still… it felt so similar to when I met her for the first time... “Equally impressive,” Shaxx continued, “Was the performance of this Hunter. Distraction is a valuable ally when overpowered in battle. It can drop the most well- laid defense if done correctly, but also remember that you should never let your opponent distract you from your objective. Remember this lesson. Of course, I can think of no better teacher of that lesson than the Iron Wolf himself. Isn’t that right, Rindel?”The Hunter flinched. That nickname. As if it wasn’t bad enough that Shaxx had identified him, he brought up a name which had its fair share of spectres associated with it. Before he could respond, a page came in over the citywide comms system.“Guardian Rindel Zivas.” Commander Zavala’s voice echoed throughout the city. “Report to the Vanguard for debriefing. Now.” Rindel looked toward the tower. The jig was up. He sighed before looking at Shaxx.Shaxx shrugged, a motion that looked more comical than it should have with the Titan’s enormous shoulder pauldrons. “Sorry, Rin. We’ve all been told to report sightings of you. Commander’s orders. Now, get up there.”Rindel made his way to the exit. He looked around. All the Guardians were now talking amongst themselves in hushed tones. Even Skye, the arrogant Warlock seemed like he was in awe.Rindel kept walking. It took everything for him to ignore the stares. This was one of the reasons he avoided the Tower as much as he could.Solas phased out of him. His red shell had seen better days- it looked more brown from a lack of maintenance. He focused a beam at Rindel’s throat and rotated side to side, looking as if he was shaking his “head.”“What?” Rindel’s voice was much clearer, showcasing his annoyance. “Gonna say ‘I told you so?’”“I would,” Solas started, “But then, you just did it for me.”Rindel glared at his Ghost behind his faceplate. Getting from the Crucible setup to the Tower was a long walk in any case. Answering to Zavala’s ire would make it feel far, far longer.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Hey Cyclone? You in here?”

Rindel made his way into a small garage space in the Tower’s vast hangar, lead on by the echo of a distorted guitar riff. As he made his way in, he saw a burly metallic gold Exo under a sparrow hoverbike’s chassis,

“Yeah!” Cyclone pulled himself up from under the Sparrow and held out a metallic gold fist - He looked like a robot, but he was every bit a human as Rindel was. “Glad you were able to find me.”

The pair bumped fists and Rindel sunk onto a rolling stool, looking over the hoverbike. “Someday, I’m gonna get my hands on one of these.”

“You’ll need some serious glimmer for a racing model like that.” Cyclone chuckled as he picked up a water bottle from a workbench. “That said, I didn’t ask you around to talk that kinda shop. We’re meeting with the guys in about half an hour. Think you’re ready for your first off-world Vanguard detail?”

Rindel’s eyebrow raised. “Off-world, huh? What’s the occasion?”

“Our little Hive skirmish in the Cosmodrome.” Cyclone paused to tilt his head back, pouring water from the bottle directly into his mouth. “We basically gave up Luna to the Hive years ago- apparently, the Vanguard hoped the moon would be enough for ‘em. But if they’re showing up on Earth, that means they’re growing bolder.”

Rindel nodded. He leaned out from the Garage and stared for a moment at the white-gray orb that floated effortlessly over the Last City. “Hey Cy?” He called to his friend. “I know this might sound stupid, but… D’you ever just look at it?”

“What, the Traveler?” Cyclone grinned. “Yeah, I do. They say that this is the place it fought off the Darkness. Right here.” He threw his now empty bottle into an open-topped cylinder and crossed his arms. “And it brought us both back from death, so I guess we’re obligated to do its will.” He tapped Rindel’s shoulder and winked. “Or, y’know. Something Zavala would say.”
“So what then?” Rindel ran a hand through his bright red hair. “We blindly follow it?” “Far as I know?” Cyclone picked up a wrench and placed it on the workbench thoughtfully. “It’s that, or we make our own destiny.”  The lift doors opened to the top level of the Vanguard Tower. This was the Guardian’s home.Or, it was supposed to be. Rindel was more at home these days almost anywhere but here. Surveying the Old Russian Cosmodrome, intercepting rhinoceros-like Cabal scouts on Mars, messing with the robotic collective known as the Vex on Venus- anything was more welcoming than being back here. But then, he didn’t exactly expect anyone here would be happy to see him. Really, I don’t have much left. It would be so easy to just cut it off. But I can’t. His eyes narrowed behind his visor. I can’t go down that road. I refuse to. A pair of Tower Guards waited just outside the lift, as if to punctuate just such a thought. Both were dressed in light armor, holding standard-issue Vanguard auto rifles.“Guardian Rindel Zivas. We are to escort you to Commander Zavala.” The Guard to Rindel’s left stood stiffly as he spoke. It was apparent that he didn’t order around Guardians too often.“I appreciate that, but I know where the Commander’s office is. I’ll be over there soon.” He started to move off the lift and was blocked by the Guard to his right.“Commander Zavala requests your presence immediately, sir.” He looked directly where Rindel’s eyes were behind his helmet’s visor. “I’m afraid you’ll have to come with us.”Rindel affected a sigh. “What, I don’t even have time for a shower before my debrief?”Neither man moved a muscle.Rindel rolled his eyes, glad that the Guards couldn’t see his face. “Alright. If he wants to see me badly enough that he sent you two, we shouldn’t keep him waiting. Lead on.”The Guards turned and began walking. Rindel followed along. May as well get this over with.  “Poor kid. You aren’t the only one who’s having a rough time with Zavala.”Rindel raised an eyebrow as he considered his Ghost. “The hell are you talking about?”Solas “nodded” toward a Titan walking the other direction in training gear. The Titan looked a bit small for his armor-and like he’d been crying. He turned his face away from Rindel and the Guards as they walked past. “His Ghost pinged the local network - His Guardian... Jay... Jayesh? He hasn’t been doing terribly well in his training, and he’s been asking for pointers.”Rindel frowned. “Percentages?”“Below seventieth percentile of minimum.” Solas sighed. “I guess if he were a Hunter you could help, but-”“You know we work alone.” Rindel clenched a fist. “Some kid getting yelled at by Zavala isn’t changing that.”There was a noticeable pause before Solas piped up again.  “Apparently Zavala told him that he’d sooner be a better trash collector than a Guardian.”“Geez. Laying it on thick, isn’t he?” Rindel rolled his eyes. “He's gonna run that kid straight into the wilds at this rate."There was another lengthy pause before Solas spoke again. “I told his Ghost to let his Guardian know to not take it so personally and that he should go to one of the Titan clans for more training. They’ll help him out.”Rindel felt a small smile form on his lips. There. At least we can do someone some good for him.  The next he heard from Solas was a few feet away from the door leading to Zavala’s office.“Forgetting something?”Rindel, turned, facing his companion. “What?’His Ghost tilted in mid-air. “Don’t you think you’ll be in enough trouble without taking your helmet off in front of the Commander?”Rindel stopped just before he entered “Yeah, you’re not wrong.” He pulled back his hood,  undid the pressurized seal that connected his helmet to his suit and removed it.The Guards moved away from him, standing on each side of the large door. Rindel wasn’t sure if it was out of discipline or if it was because of the smell. His red hair hung just past his shoulders and was matted in a few places, a thick beard grew down to his chest, and his skin was now a pale blue from lack of exposure to the sun. He reached up to knock and turned the brass doorknob.Zavala could best be described as “imposing” on the best of days. The broad-shouldered Titan commander’s armor was polished to a mirror sheen that contrasted the dark red suit underneath. It blended in with his blue skin and made it seem as though Zavala’s bald head was actually a helmet. He faced a large plate-glass window that overlooked the City, and turned as the door closed. “Rindel Zivas,” He began. “Now that you’ve finally decided to grace us with your presence, we have a great deal to discuss. Have a seat.” He stood, still as a stone, waiting.The Hunter walked through the room and took his seat. Zavala sighed, moving his arms from behind his back. “I’ll skip the pleasantries.” The Commander’s eyes blazed like a blue fire as he sat. “How do you explain your absence from the tower?”Rindel leaned back slightly. “I’ve been out in the Wilds, meeting our enemies where they live.”“Indeed,” Zavala crossed his arms, looking briefly at a holographic display just behind Rindel’s seat. “As is the duty of every Guardian who serves the Light. But, I must ask- What are your motives?”Rindel tilted his head. “I’m sorry, Commander, I’m not sure what you mean. As you said, I’ve been fulfilling my duty-”“Your duty?” Zavala tuned a monitor on his desk. There were several windows up that showed logs of kill counts, locations, dates- “To humanity, or to the pursuit of power?”“You pulled my ship logs.” Rindel slouched a bit in his chair. His lips pursed and he tried to look at the City, at the desk- anywhere but directly at Zavala. Here we go , he thought.“Yes, I did, and what I have seen is concerning, to say the least.” He pointed to varying logs. “You have spent limited amounts of time here on Earth and Luna, with more time dedicated to Mars, Venus, and the remains of the Reef. But what really worries me,” he continued, pointing to three logs in particular. “Are these entries.”Rindel glanced at the screen. A total of six and a half months, spent in a small area around Saturn. ”The Dreadnaught!" Zavala placed both of his hands onto the desk. “What could possibly compel you to spend so much time there?”Rindel crossed his arms. “I don’t know, I thought you might be happy that there’s around twenty thousand less Hive in the Universe.”“Don’t try to play this game with me!” Zavala shouted. “This behavior speaks to obsession on one hand. But, considering that you are the only one that has been near Saturn in the last six months, it also possibly speaks to having a deathwish.” Zavala leaned in closer.”Have you taken any artifacts from the Dreadnaught? Weapons?” Zavala paused briefly. “Bones?”Rindel bolted upright, standing out of his chair. “What are you trying to say, Zavala?” He gripped the edge of the desk. “You think I’m going to turn to the Dark like one of the Shadows of Yor?” He drew his revolver and slammed it onto the wood. “Take a look for yourself! I’m no Dredgen! Does it look like I’ve been carrying a Weapon of Sorrow?”“No, but this proves a greater point to me,” Zavala sat down, steepling his fingers. “You have been out on your own for far too long.”Rindel’s face softened. He moved away from the desk and took back his seat.“You’ve made quite a reputation for yourself over these last few years. ‘The Iron Wolf,’ I believe they call you?” A slight smirk formed on Zavala’s face. “Are you familiar with Rudyard Kipling?”Rindel closed his eyes, shaking his head.Zavala chuckled. “An author from before the Golden Age.” He stood and walked to a large bookcase, pulling out an ancient-looking book. “This is a collection of poems and stories, but apropos to your situation, a passage here caught my eye.” He opened the book and read the passage out loud;
”Now, this is the law of the jungle, as old and as true as the sky,

The wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die.

As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk, the law runneth forward and back;
For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.” Zavala snapped the book shut. “There is a reason why Guardians go out into the Wilds in teams. We’re stronger that way. You can fall back on and rely on other Guardians. If you fall on your own, we’d lose one of our best, and we can’t have that.” He looked directly at Rindel. “You need to find a new fireteam, Rindel. But, I also know that I can’t convince you of that just by telling you to. So, for that reason, in addition to your flagrant disregard for Guardian reporting protocol, I’m putting you on a minimum of two month’s leave from active duty and revocation of flight privilege. Effective immediately and in effect until you find a new group with which to sortie.”Rindel felt as though he lost balance for a moment. “You’re grounding me?”“In a manner of speaking, yes.” Zavala placed the book back on the shelf. “Considering that you have the run of the city when I should be throwing you in the brig, take it as a sign of appreciation for all you’ve done. Find yourself a new fireteam.” He motioned for Rindel to leave. “And for the Traveler’s sake, take a shower.”Rindel dragged himself up from the chair. As he internally cursed his situation, Zavala’s voice pierced his thoughts.“You almost forgot this.” Rindel turned, seeing the commander holding his revolver out to him, grip first. He took it back, planting the weapon firmly in its holster.As he turned to leave Zavala let out a long sigh. "Rindel. While I can't condone your actions... Well, I'm a little reminded of Saint-14, looking at you."Rindel looked back to the commander. Saint-14 had been the Titan Vanguard before Zavala, and well before Rindel had been resurrected. “We all do what we can to make the City safer. What’s your point?”“My point is that Saint was one of the bravest and most powerful Guardians I ever had the pleasure of knowing.” Zavala’s eyes turned downward. “But he’s also not been heard from in well over twenty years. He left on a crusade by himself and never returned.” He walked closer, placing a hand on Rindel’s shoulder. “He was no Shadow, but he too was driven by obsession. I don’t want you making the same mistake he did.”  Rindel took Zavala's advice. After a well-deserved deserved shower, shave and trimming of his hair, he changed out of his armor and into a set of more civilian clothes and did what any obedient Guardian should have done - Report to his Vanguard leader, Cayde-6. The metallic blue exo had been thrilled to see him, and Rindel wasn't opposed to spending time with him - Cayde’s idea of a debriefing was to go out to his favorite Ramen shop, followed by a visit to his office to play cards. Amanda Holliday, the Tower’s shipwright and Shiro-4, one of the Vanguard’s scouts, decided to join in, drink, and be merry.“Know what, I’m out.” Shiro threw his cards towards the mostly standard tower frame that acted as their dealer. “The trick is to quit while you’re still ahead, right?”“What, you too chicken to hang with the head honchos?” Amanda lightly nudged Shiro as she pushed in some of her own glimmer. “Call.”“Call,” repeated the frame. “Heads up.” The frame drew a card and placed it down on the table with four other cards in community pool before turning to Rindel. “It’s up to you.”Rindel paused a moment before pushing in a larger pile of glimmer. “Raise. Two thousand.”He watched as Amanda’s smug look turned to dread. For now, though, he focused his attention on Cayde. The Exo paused mid-drink and checked his cards. He affected stroking a beard before pushing in more glimmer. “I’ll see you, and raise you another five hundred. How’s that?”“Raise.’ the frame repeated. “Miss Holliday? It’s up to you.”“Well, shoot. I’m out too.” Amanda tossed in her cards.“Fold.” The frame announced. “Rindel. Bet or showdown?”Rindel looked directly at Cayde, keeping his face neutral. Either this’ll work, or it won’t… But either way, it’ll be over quick. “Re-raise. All in.”Cayde processed what was going on for around half a minute. Suddenly, he threw in his cards. “Nope. Nope! I'm noping the eff out while I still can. You win!” He raised his arms in a mock celebration as Rindel discarded and collected his winnings.“No,” Amanda protested. “No fair! That is such a cop-out!” She stood and grabbed Rindel's cards before anyone could protest. As she compared them to the community cards, her shoulders dropped.“What?” Now Shrio was standing. “Enough suspense! What’d he have?” Even Cayde was leaning forward, waiting for Amanda to share her revelation.Amanda turned the cards so the others could see. “Nothin’. He had a crazy handful of nothin’.”Cayde slumped in his chair. “You damn near cleaned me out on a bluff? ” He shook his head and pointed at Rindel. “Know what, I ain’t even mad, that’s just impressive.”Rindel cracked a grin as Solas transmated his share of the glimmer off of the desk. “It happens to the best of us. No hard feelings.”“Speaking of hard feelings, I heard about the thing with Zavala.” Shiro patted Rindel's shoulder. “Sorry about that.”Rindel frowned. “Not your fault, Shiro. You don't have to be sorry.”“Still. Think of it like a vacation.” Shiro walked to Cayde’s wetbar, pouring himself another drink. “Some time away from the field can be a good thing. Relaxation and all that.”Rindel nodded, settling back into his chair. Maybe for some people. I still have work to do out there.
Scores to be settled.
“So, let me get this right,” Cayde started, raising his hands near his face. “In addition to being all, ‘I can’t bear the thought of losing you’ and making it sound like killing so many Hive was a bad thing, Zavala quoted The Jungle Book. The Jungle Book?!” “Really, Cayde?” Shiro raised a section of his face over his right eye, giving the impression of a raised eyebrow. “You’re gonna give Zavala crap for quoting Kipling?”“Maybe I am,” Cayde continued, downing the neon-blue liquid in his glass. “At least he didn’t quote The White Man’s Burden. What’s your point?”Rindel raised his glass, using it to point at Cayde. “Read any Stevenson recently?”The whole group laughed. It was common knowledge among Hunters that Cayde adored Treasure Island. An original copy of the book was displayed on the bookshelf near Cayde’s desk, which was being used now as their poker table.“Well, if I may, Sir,” Cayde tried to affect an old British accent. “With no intention to take offense, I deny your right to put words into my mouth.” He winked.“Alright, let's get back to the really important topic!” Amanda had topped her glass off as well, and stood in the corner of the office, addressing the group. “What can we get Rindel into so he doesn't lose his mind in the next two months?”“What about the Crucible?” Shiro suggested. “You've got the skills to put plenty of Guardians in their place, and I'm sure Shaxx’d be glad to have you.”“Did you see my match earlier?” Rindel gave Shiro a sidelong look. “I lost, remember?”“To be fair, that 'lock you lost to has been kicking all kinds of ass these last few months,” Cayde suddenly bolted upright. “Hey! There's an idea! Why not see if she’d be on your fireteam?”Rindel was about to respond when he heard a knock at the door.“Okay, who the hell-” Cayde was cut off as Ikora Rey entered. She was far more dressed down than usual- She wore a simple jacket in her usual shade of violet over a white button-up blouse. She surveyed the room before seeing Rindel.“Excellent. I thought I might find you here. May I speak with you a moment, Rindel?”Rindel looked around the room. Shiro shrugged. “You may as well see what she wants. I think we’re done here, anyhow.” He stood and made his way for the door. “Thanks for the drinks, Cayde.”Cayde waved as Shiro left the room. “Well, c’mon in, Ikora. I’m sure Rin would-”“Actually, I was rather hoping we could speak privately.” She glanced over at Rindel. “There’s a little place I like near the Tower's base. Meet me at the lift.” She turned and walked away from the door.”Rindel looked at Solas. “Well? What do you think?”“As if you have anything better to do,” Solas nudged Rindel’s elbow. “You really shouldn’t keep her waiting.”“I, I just…” Cayde looked at Rindel while pointing at the door. “Did Ikora just ask you out?”Rindel’s eyes widened as his face flushed, turning his cheeks a purplish shade. “Wha- No! You heard her, right Amanda? She wants to ask me about something!”“Namely, if you’re single.” Amanda laughed. “Just be careful. I hear she bites.”“Guys.” Rindel held up his hands. “It is not a date. If she wants to talk with me, that’s her business, and Solas is right. I shouldn’t keep her waiting.” He grabbed his bomber jacket and started walking before the door. As he was about to exit, Cayde started to sing to a backing track his Ghost, Sundance played.
“I wouldn't if I were you,

I know what she can do,

She's deadly man, she could really rip your world apart!

Mind over matter,

Ooh, the beauty is there, but a beast is in the heart!”
Rindel held his face in his hands. “Seriously?”
“Oh, here she comes!

Watch out boy she'll chew you up!

Oh, here she comes!

She's a maneater!”
“Okay, okay! Enough! I’m taking off!” Rindel didn’t quite slam the door- he did hear Amanda join in Cayde’s song, both laughing at the absurdity of it all.Solas floated in front of Rindel’s face. “What?”His Ghost faded off the lower half of his eye while lifting his shell’s upper quadrant, making it look like he raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure that this isn’t a date? It sounds like a date.”Rindel rolled his eyes and gently pushed Solas away. “It’s not a date.” He continued walking, and Solas made the expression again. Rindel turned. “It just isn’t. More to the point, Hall and Oates? Really?”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rusty’s Pint Garage was normally a quiet place to grab a drink. The location, close to one of the city’s vast walls, meant that it happened to be a preferred haunt for several Guardians- It was close enough to the Tower that they could still respond at a moment’s notice, but far enough away that, so long as they wore civilian clothes and hid their ghosts, they could pass as regular residents of the Last City.

Tonight was not a quiet night at all. Crota, the Hope-Eater, the Son of Oryx had been slain. A distinct sense of joy and calm had come over the City, and the Guardians that had lead the offensive into the Hellmouth were celebrating.

Rindel sat toward the back of the main room. A frothy beer sat in front of him, but he was sure that the warmth he felt was from everyone here- Guardians were normally respected or even feared in the city, but everyone in this little bar wanted to shake his hand just for being part of the group that killed the Ascendant Hive.

“Hey, everyone!” Cyclone-7, a broad-shouldered Titan stood in front of the bar, being sure that he had every patron’s attention. “I know that you’re all pretty well-aware that we ended Crota, but I want to take a second to recognize my fellow Guardians.” He raised a Stein glass that was nearly empty. “Kris, Neil, Setsuna, Emil, I just wanna say thanks for backing my sorry ass when I had this brilliant idea: Let’s take Eris Morn at her word that we can go into the Hellmouth and enter an Ascendant Realm! Manufactured realities? Who cares!” Scattered laughter erupted from the gathered crowd.

A silver Exo lifted up a glass from a table. “You’re saying that like you could have done it without us, you dumbass!” Emil-9’s shout reverberated through the building. “You needed us backing you up from the time you were rezed! How was this any different?” More laughter filled the building as Cyclone motioned for everyone to quiet down.

“Because, Emil, I made the kill, but anyway,” he continued speaking through the laughs. “I want to thank Rindel most of all.” Rindel stood a little straighter as the room collectively looked at him. “You were the one who actually destroyed Crota’s sword all that time ago, you remember that?” Cyclone took a step closer to Rindel’s position. “When the rest of us were bickering about who ought to keep it, you just stepped in and destroyed it, while it was beginning to take hold on the rest of us. Looking back, that was the first thing you did that redefined what’s possible in this world, at least as far as I’m concerned. That’s how I knew we could do this. So thanks for that,” Cyclone said, raising his glass, “And more importantly, thanks for killing the Ogre that was trying to rip me in half, because if you hadn’t I wouldn’t be here right now. I certainly wouldn’t be trying to moonlight as a failing comedian!”

As the laughter finally died down, Cyclone raised his hand. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, we couldn’t have done it without you, Rin. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have on my fireteam, and I am proud to call you my friend. Cheers, brother.”

Rindel raised his own glass and finished his beer. Cyclone finished his off as well and addressed the room. “Now, there’s only one problem with this bar. There are way too many empty glasses! Next round’s on me!” The entire building shook from the patron’s cheers as they rushed to the bar to top off their drinks.

Rindel shook his head as a blusey Pre-Golden Age guitar riff started on the speakers. “Does he really want to blow that much glimmer on booze?

“You two entered into the Black Garden, and then Cyclone killed one of the Ascendant Hive within a few months. I say let him.” Solas hovered just over Rindel’s shoulder, close enough that he could still be heard over all the commotion. “Speaking of that, if he’s buying, there’s no reason not to get topped off.”

Rindel raised an eyebrow. “What, no lecture on drinking too much?”

“It’s a celebration. I’d hate to be a buzzkill. Though if you must know, your blood alcohol content is negligible.” Rindel could almost feel Solas’ sarcasm radiate within him as the Ghost phased into him.

“Another beer it is!” Rindel stood from his chair and made his way toward the bar. He felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Hey, what’s the big hurry, stranger?”

Rindel turned and found himself face to face with a female of the Awoken race. The first thing that grabbed Rindel’s attention was her hair- A fiery orange plume rested on her left shoulder, while the right side of her head was buzzed short. Her lilac skin complimented her soft features.

“Uh, I was going to-“ He felt his cheeks flush as he tried to find the words to describe his actions. “Erm, I was gonna get another drink, if you want anythi-“

She closed her eyes and laughed. “If you’re that flustered, I may as well come with you.” She grabbed Rindel’s hand. “Come on.”

Rindel was sure the alcohol had tripped him up slightly, but he could have sworn he’d heard that voice before. An opening appeared at the bar, which they filled. A jet-black Exo bartender addressed them. “What’ll it be?”

“A Tom Collins, please.” Rindel’s new friend looked to him. “What about for you?”

Rindel put his Stein back on the table. “Another lager if you would, Mika.”

The vessel was pushed away before Mika could pick it up. “Hold on,” the Awoken said. “You’re just having another beer?”

“Well, yeah.” Rindel tilted his head. “Any reason I shouldn’t?”

She turned to the bartender. “Mika, get this man a Manhattan. We need to show him the error of his ways.”

Mika let out a synthesized chuckle. “It’d be my pleasure. A Tom Collins and a Manhattan, coming up.” The Exo turned and moved down the counter to make the drinks.

Rindel, meanwhile was too perplexed to complain about her dismissing his choice in drink- She was so familiar to him, but he couldn’t quite nail it down.

“I’m really sorry- Have we met before?” Rindel felt drawn in on himself, embarrassed for asking. Thankfully, she responded with a laugh.

“No, I guess you wouldn’t recognize me in this getup.” She paused for effect. “Though, our first meeting was way fiercer than this. You fought like an animal- I believe Shaxx called you a wolf?"

“Wait, we met in the Crucible?” A smile grew on Rindel’s face. “You’re a Guardian!”

“Bingo!” She held out her hand, which Rindel shook. “We haven’t been properly introduced. Sarra Safahl. You’ve been making quite the name for yourself, Rindel Zivas.”

“Is that so?” Rindel took hold of a small, stout glass that Mika had brought back for him. It was filled about halfway up with an orange-brown liquid, with a pair of ice cubes and a candied cherry floating in the drink. Sarra took hold of a tall glass with a clear fizzing liquid. “What have you heard?”
“What I’ve heard and what stories you can tell are two different things.” Sarra moved from the bar. “So, you killed an Ogre? How did Cyclone get into that situation?”   “So, this is what you had in mind.” Rindel looked over the stark brickwork of the building that Ikora had brought him to. “I’m a little surprised it isn’t a library.”“Contrary to popular opinion, I know how to have a good time.” Ikora slid up a plaque that revealed a keypad. “Aside from berating Cayde, of course.” She pressed a series of numbers and a voice emanated from a speaker.“Identify yourself.”“Ikora Rey.” She looked to Rindel. “And guest.” The door unlocked and opened for them. Ikora nodded her head toward the entrance, and they walked in, immediately descending a set of stairs to muffled music - A series of vocals over a pulsating electronic beat
I got the message, I heard it loud and clear

Should have expected, So brash and cava-

Leary from those dancing days
Born in to the world with two left feet in the grave

The stark black tiling near the stairs eventually faded to a soft white iridescent set further into the room. The walls were black marble, with glowing tubes of Chroma marking the edges. Ikora made her way past a group of patrons dancing in the middle of the room, and Rindel followed, walking to the rhythm of an electric guitar.
If I can hold you tonight

And keep you so safe, armor falls aside

If I can hold, baby, you tonight

I doubt it's going to change what we are inside 
He made his way over and sat next to Ikora at the bar as a middle-aged man made his way over to them behind the illuminated counter, wearing a white suit that almost made him blend into the surface. “Mademoiselle Rey,” The man greeted her warmly with a strong accent. “Welcome back to Marchand de Destin. What can I get you?”“A Boulevardier for me, Alain. And whatever this gentleman would like.” Ikora held her hands in her lap, waiting for Rindel to place his order.“A Manhattan.” Rindel had his elbows on the counter, his chin resting on the backs of his hands. “Bien sûr,” Alain responded. “Une minute s'il vous plait.” He moved down the bar and began preparing the drinks. It wasn’t long before he came back with a pair of glasses. The Guardian pair thanked the bartender, then Ikora lifted her coupe glass and took a sip.“Okay then, let’s get right to the point,” Rindel said suddenly after taking a drink from his lowball. “This isn’t a social call, is it?”“Not in the traditional sense, no.” Ikora considered her drink, moving around a toothpick that held an orange peel and several candied cherries. “I have a favor to ask of you, Rindel.”“A favor?” Rindel raised an eyebrow while looking at her. “What, need me to make sure Cayde attends consensus meetings?”“While I appreciate the offer,” Ikora began, “That isn’t quite what I had in mind. I have a Warlock who was recently resurrected. She hasn’t gone on her first official Vanguard mission yet, because she hasn’t been set up with a partner. I would like you to do it.”“Pass.” Rindel replied flatly, taking another sip of his drink. “That sounds like something one of the Clans should handle.”“You don’t think I’ve been asking them?” Ikora set down her drink. “This situation is… unusual. She’s been in the Tower for three months.” “Three months?” Rindel almost fell off of his barstool. “How has she not gotten any field action in three months?” “Being blunt, she scares people.” She stopped a moment. “She’s been fighting in the Crucible almost since she arrived at the tower. And she’s an amazing fighter. But being a female Warlock, having an astounding Crucible record and being my student…” Ikora trailed off.“People think it’s your second coming.” Rindel’s lips tightened. He had never been able to witness Ikora’s reign in the Crucible, but her reputation carried on still. That Ikora was a formidable fighter was the very reason that several Guardians avoided her when they could- She had a reputation of being “scary,”“So, your decision?” Ikora was facing him. “Bearing in mind you’d be able to get back out into the field.”“Sorry, but my answer is still no.” Rindel downed the rest of his drink. “I don’t care what Zavala thinks. I work alone.”“As you have for some time, yes.” Ikora finished her drink as well and signaled the bartender for another round. “Well, I’d hate to think of our night out together as a complete waste of time.” She gave Rindel a sly look. “I couldn’t help but notice you were all playing cards when I arrived. Care to play a round or two with me?”Rindel smiled. “Just don’t get too upset when you lose all your Glimmer.”   Rindel smiled widely as he pulled in a group of chips from the table. A couple of rounds had turned into many, many more. Ikora had won a few hands, but her pile was getting smaller and smaller. Do you intend on clearing her out? He heard Solas in the back of his head. Based on your current win rate, I estimate that it will take another two to three hands to do so. Let’s just see how this plays out. Rindel considered his hand: Based on the community cards, he had a two-pair going with kings and aces. The jack from the turn was of no consequence to him, it languished with its brother from the opening three-card flop.Ikora looked at her cards from across the table. Her lips pursed, and Rindel’s eyes narrowed. Ah, he heard Solas’ voice in his head. You’ve found her tell? Close to one as I’ve found. Every time she’s tried to bluff, she’s done that. Rindel plotted his next move when Ikora’s voice broke apart his thoughts.“Rindel, how would you feel about raising the stakes?” She had placed her cards down, caressing her chin with her thumb and forefinger.“What did you have in mind?” Rindel leaned forward.“In addition to my remaining Glimmer,” she said, indicating the small mound of chips on her side of the table. “I’ll remove your grounding. If you beat me at this hand, I’ll reinstate access to your ship and supplies, and you can leave the tower as you please once again.”Rindel tried to keep his best poker face on, but inside, the gears were turning. Ikora had given him the key to his freedom on a silver platter. He couldn’t let himself lose his cool.“But,” Ikora continued “You’ll need to go all in to call me. And if you lose,” She looked him directly in the eye. “Not only will you lose your Glimmer, you will also take my young Warlock on a mission. Does that sound fair?”“I’m terribly sorry, Miss Rey,” their dealer held up a hand. “Table stakes only.”“No, hold on.” Rindel kept his gaze on Ikora. “Give her a chance to win her Glimmer back.”The dealer shrugged.”Okay. Both players will go all in, the river card will be followed by a showdown. Are we in agreement?Ikora neatly pushed in her chips. “Yes.”Rindel considered the possibilities. This was either the greatest bluff in the history of the City, or Ikora had a good hand of her own. It couldn’t be a straight or a flush; there were too many suits and not much in the way of card variance on the table. You know, Solas said in his head. I’ve got a bad feeling about this. If you don’t want to take on her student, you should fold and- “Call.” Rindel shoved all his chips toward the center of the table.The dealer nodded as Rindel heard a metallic groan in his head. “Heads up. Here’s the river. Showdown, please.”Rindel could hardly believe it. A second king graced the table, which turned his two-pair into a full house. He threw his cards down onto the table, feeling smug.“Full house,” The dealer called. “Kings full of aces. Miss Rey?Ikora considered her cards a moment, then put them down as one. Rindel saw a jack.
So, there it is. Just three-of-a-kind jacks. Not enough to-
Ikora then moved the top card, revealing a second jack. Rindel’s face slowly drained its color.“Four jacks.” The dealer looked to Rindel. “Miss Rey wins.”Rindel was stunned. Ikora had that hand from before she made her suggestion, and she’d  played him like a fiddle. As Ikora summoned her Ghost and transmatted her winnings off the table, he saw a genuine smile on her lips.“You must have thought I was bluffing, Rindel. As I said, you will take my student on a mission. Meet me in the Hangar at noon. I’ll be sure that Amanda Holliday knows to get your ship resupplied.”   Rindel was vaguely awake. He lay in his bed, the covers pulled up around him. He could simply drift back into the realm of sweet, blissful slumber at any moment.That was, until the sharp sound of his window blinds being drawn let loose a barrage of unforgiving sunlight onto his face. He immediately curled up, grabbing his head in both hands and wincing. It felt like a pair of Vex Gate Lords had decided to dance a samba on his skull.He wasn’t aware that he was moaning until Solas floated near his face. The upper half of his eye light was dimmed, making the Ghost look as irate as he sounded. “Well now. Welcome to the realm of the living.”Rindel gingerly sat up in bed. He wanted to glare at his companion but realized that doing so would only make things hurt more. “Solas, it’s far too early for clichés as it is. It feels like I survived a shotgun blast to the head.” He kept his eyes closed as he tried to put himself back down. “Could you please pull the blinds closed? I’ve got a terrible headache.”The Ghost flew behind him, pressing him back up. “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that. You have a promise to keep, and you certainly aren’t going to do that by staying in bed.”Rindel had by this point put his feet to the ground. Solas moved to face him. “You really need to watch your alcohol intake. I did warn you that this would be likely to happen with the amount of whiskey you drank last night.”Rindel wore a blank look on his face. The events of the previous night were encased in a dense fog. He vaguely remembered starting the night with Cayde, then getting dragged out by Ikora, and then…“Oh, crap.” He placed a hand to his forehead. “I get to take out the young Warlock.”“So, you do remember.” Solas spun his frame as he floated near Rindel. “Well, you’re not going to be of much use to her with a hangover.” Solas projected a healing beam onto Rindel. He inhaled deeply as the throbbing in his head subsided.He opened his eyes, taking in his quarters. He looked to Solas. “How much time do we have?”“About three hours.” Solas tilted. “Is there anything you need to do?”“Yeah,” Rindel replied, as he pulled his armor from a closet. “If I’m going to be setting an example for a new Guardian, I may as well make my gear presentable.”   Rindel strode through the entrance to the hangar. Though his dark cloak was ripped in places near the bottom, it was cleaner now than it had been in months. His dark-colored armor was all much the same way- Embossings of wolves were flanked with nicks and scratches, each a remnant from a battle hard-won.  He pulled on a strap for his left gauntlet, ensuring it was securely in place on his arm. Hawkmoon hung at his side, ready to face the minions of the Darkness where they stood.“He-ey now. Lookin’ sharp there, Rin!” He heard Amanda before he actually saw her walking towards him. Her coveralls were already stained with oil and grease,and she had a large grin on her face. “Your ship’s all set, and Ikora’s waitin’ for ya.” She came up next to him and lowered her voice. “So, is it true? She cleaned you out and got you to take the rook out on a bet?”Rindel sighed. He’d overheard a few Guardians talking about this in the mess hall. He should have known that this story would spread like wildfire.“Yes, it is true.” his eyes lost a bit of their glow- from a brilliant electric blue to a storm gray. “It’s also true that I drank like the Fallen drink Ether, which I paid for this morning.”“You shoulda seen Cayde when he heard about it. He was laughin’ for a good five minutes.” Amanda pat him on the shoulder. “Even if this is shit detail, at least you’re headin’ out to the wilds again. Take care of yourself, wolfie.” She winked and head off toward the depths of the hangar.Rindel shook his head as a small smile formed on his lips. Through everything, Cayde and Amanda brought a sense of levity to every situation. But she was right, he was going back into the wilds. Even if this was a Vanguard op, he would be leading it, so any action he and this Warlock would take on would be his call. He forced himself to relax.As he neared his ship, he saw three figures standing next to it. From where he was, he could make out Ikora and Zavala and guessed that the third person must be the new Warlock. He did his best to put forward an air of confidence. At this stage, he had to do as Ikora asked, and the faster he did, the faster this ‘Lock could find herself a new fireteam and the faster he could get back to venturing out alone.“Right on time, Rindel.” Zavala faced Rindel, his hands held behind his back. There was a noticeable pause before he spoke again. “For all I've said of you, you are nothing if not punctual."Ikora stood next to her protégé. “Rindel, thank you for agreeing to this. I’d like to introduce you to my student.” She nodded toward the Warlock, who stepped toward him. She wore dark blue robes that bore a golden eagle design, which almost matched her blonde hair, which came up in a quiff. She extended a gloved hand, which bore extra padding that ran to above her elbows.“I’m Samantha. Samantha Drake. I’m looking forward to working with you, Guardian Zivas.”Rindel shook her hand. Her grip was strong, and her green eyes burned with determination. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end- maybe there was something to the rumors, but more than that, she felt so familiar to him.Zavala coughed. “Now that we have all been introduced, let’s go over the mission plan. Guardians Zivas and Drake, you are to investigate reports of Fallen activity in Old Chicago. As far as we know, that swamp holds nothing of interest, but if the reports are true, several battalions worth of Fallen have settled in. Find out what has their interest and disable or destroy it if you can.” He looked to Rindel’s ship. “I’ve transmitted additional information to your ship’s mainframe. I understand that the weather in the area can be particularly violent at this time of the year. Be careful and come home safe.”Samantha stiffened. “Yes sir, Commander! We won’t let you down.”“See to it that you don’t, Guardian Drake. You two are cleared for launch.” Zavala turned and made his way out of the hangarIkora considered the Guardian pair before her. “Good luck to you both. I expect to see good things in your report, Samantha.” She moved to follow Zavala out of the hangar.Rindel breathed deeply and sighed. Here we go. He walked to his ship and double-checked the supply loadout from a tablet he pulled from a pouch at his side. Two weeks’ worth of rations for redundancy, two hundred liters of water, three quick deploy tents, and a crate of ammunition. This level of supply was overkill for this kind of mission, but it never hurt to be prepared.  Besides, it makes for less time wasted when we’re done and I head back out on my own. A wry smile crossed his lips.“Guardian Zivas? Are we ready to go?”He looked up from his display. Samantha still stood in that same stiff manner that she had with the Vanguard. It was hard to tell if it was out of respect or nerves.Rindel raised his eyebrows. “First of all, it isn’t ‘Guardian Zivas.’ The only person who calls me that is Zavala, and we aren’t that polite in the wilds. Second,” he looked her over, brows furrowed. “Where’s your gear?”“Commander Zavala informed me that I would be going on a mission this morning. I had my weapons checked in from the Armory, so they should be on your ship already, Guardian Zivas.” Her eyes widened. “Er, sorry.”“It’s fine, just call me Rindel.” He checked the ships logs. Sure enough, there were entries for weapons that were not his own- A shotgun, a sidearm and…“What’s this?” He pointed to an entry labeled Last Perdition. “Your required reading for the trip?”“My pulse rifle.” Samantha demeanor changed as she put her hands on her hips. “The name wasn’t my idea. Shaxx came up with it.“Well, that was fast.” Rindel chortled. “You just that stiff around the Vanguard or…” Rindel’s voice trailed off as he felt something click in his mind. A Warlock in dark robes, weilding a pulse rifle in the Crucible. “Wait a second.” He looked up from his tablet.”You’re-”“Yes, I’m that Warlock from the Crucible.” She crossed her arms. “Any more questions, or are we going on our way now?Rindel raised his hands. “None for the moment, no. Supplies are looking good. Let’s get aboard.”“Before that, just one thing.” Samantha uncrossed her arms.“That being?”“If you’re going to insist I call you Rindel, then call me Sam. Only the Vanguard have called me ‘Samantha.’”“Hey, whatever you say, slick.” He put the tablet back into its pouch. “Let’s get this show on the road."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“For the love of all that is good and just in the universe, would you please stop flicking lint at me?”

Rindel smiled as he gathered more lint off of his boots. Flicking the balls of dust and associated products was the most entertainment he’d had in the last several hours of transit. He rolled another wad and waited until Cyclone was once again buried in his terminal before he let it loose.

Cyclone said nothing as he slowly turned to look at Rindel. The last lint missile had lodged itself just behind Cyclone’s eye. Rindel could barely contain his laughter as the Exo attempted to dislodge the foreign object.

“Rindel, seriously.” Cyclone eventually gave up and summoned his Ghost, which made quick work of the lint. “I’m nearly finished with this write-up for Tess. She’s been bugging me for weeks and I think I finally found the best way to describe the origins of the New wave of British heavy metal”

Rindel raised an eyebrow. It was no secret that Cyclone was very interested in music from before the Golden Age of humanity. As Guardians made their way through the wilds, they sometimes came across records or barely operable computer systems that gave them more information about humanity’s past- So much had been lost to the collapse, and people wanted to piece that together as much as they were able to. There were groups of scholars and researchers who made careers out of digging up humanity’s past.

Then of course, there was Tess Everis. She ran Eververse, a marketplace that was part Guardian outfitter, part Golden Age catalogue. Rindel had met with her on a few occasions, and she seemed nice enough. There was a catch, of course- Any Golden Age material was made to be thoroughly researched prior to being released to the general public, meaning Tess had a group of her own researchers. Cyclone was one of these, but Rindel suspected that the real reason Cyclone even volunteered was to have early access to anything that Fenchurch or any other Guardians brought in.

“Sounds like you’re making progress.” Rindel didn’t care as much about the research side of Cyclone’s hobby but the music was fun to listen to. “Who was in this… wave?”

Cyclone grinned. “It’s a metaphorical wave. It meant a shift in how music was composed and played- and serves as an origin point for many other compositions and artists. Prominent groups of the British wave included Motörhead, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.”

Rindel shook his head as he suppressed a grin. Cyclone always got so excited when he was able to share in his passion for music with other people. Watching his Exo friend’s eyes literally light up made asking these questions worth it, even if he didn’t fully understand what he was talking about.

“Cy, you should really think about getting into your combat gear. If Aprikose was right, we should be around fifteen minutes away from Io.” Sarra entered the cockpit in her full gear, minus her helmet. She walked over and pat Cyclone on the shoulder. “You can always finish your report on the way back.”

“Yeah, yeah. Give me a minute.” Cyclone deactivated his terminal and stretched out before moving to the cabin to change. Rindel took a seat on the right side of the cockpit and double-checked their course as Sarra took a flanking seat toward the center.

“You’ve been to the Reef before, right?” Sarra’s voice drew him away from checking the flight path.

Rindel looked back to her. “Well, yeah. Cyclone and I dropped a year or so ago. It’s… interesting.”

“What are the Awoken there like?” Her sea-green eyes burned into his. She looked conflicted, and Rindel could guess why. They were both Awoken themselves, but the Awoken of the reef were, in spite of being relatives to all Awoken in the system, extremely secretive. It was hard to know if they could be trusted, and it was this potential that kept the Guardian Awoken asking themselves many uncomfortable questions.

“Depending on who you’re talking to, you’ll just as easily be spoken to in riddles as you’ll have a knife at your throat.” Cyclone re-entered the cockpit, now dressed in his normal plate armor. He took a seat at the controls. “At least, that’s how that smug bastard of a prince acted.”

“We don’t have to work with Uldren on this trip, thank the Light.” Rindel checked his gear and looked to his comrades. “I can’t say for sure that Io is completely clear, but it’s as good of neutral ground as we’re gonna get for this meeting. We ready?”

Sarra nodded while Cyclone fiddled with a knob on the console. A rapid, pulsating drumbeat filled the cockpit as both Rindel and Sarra turned to face the Titan.

“What, I’ve only been writing about this stuff for the last seven hours. Besides,” Cyclone continued as a heavily distorted guitar riff began. “You two get to be the first outside of researchers to hear this.”

Rindel smiled. He had to admit that the sound of this music was filled with energy. “I can live with that.”

Sarra smiled slightly as she settled into her chair. Rindel was glad to have her along on the trip, but decided to focus on the music, to mentally reset and prepare for what was to come. After all, any news from Petra likely meant that her queen, Mara Sov, was calling in a favor- and he wanted to be ready for whatever that could end up being.

Shooting for the stars

Cruise the speed of light

Glowin' god of Mars

Body burning bright

Well I'm ridin', ridin' on the wind!

Yes, I'm ridin', ridin' on the wind!

Tearing up through life

Million miles an hour

Blinding all in sight

Surging rush of power!

Rindel had the final approach mapped to the ship’s autopilot system. His music player had randomly selected this track, but he wasn’t complaining. His head bobbed in time with the beat

Well I'm ridin', ridin' on the wind!

Yes, I'm ridin', ridin' on the wind!

He looked over- he was still getting used to having someone sitting in the co-pilot’s chair. Samantha had her eyes closed, and it was hard to tell if it was the result of annoyance or discomfort. He frowned. Even if he didn’t like this detail, it would still be rude to keep playing the music if his partner didn't like it. He almost turned the knob down when a Ghost phased in front of him.

“Woah!” Rindel practically jumped back into his seat. The Ghost spun its blue shell as it moved to eye level. It moved its top segment upward, giving the impression of raising an eyebrow before addressing him with a female voice.

“I appreciate your concern for my Guardian’s comfort, Rindel, but you should keep the music on.” She turned, looking at the Warlock, her segments drooping. “She… well, the truth is, she hates takeoffs and landings. She has since I found her. And honestly, the music is a nice distraction.”

A small smile formed on Rindel’s lips. “Anything else I should know about?”

The Ghost’s eye brightened. She started to speak when her Guardian interrupted.

“That’s enough, Ryu!” Samantha still had her eyes screwed shut. “Come back to me.

Ryu let out a soft metallic sigh before phasing out of physical form. Solas chuckled from inside Rindel’s consciousness.

What would you do if I shared one of your secrets with a random Guardian?

Rindel got the impression that Solas was smug.

I’d probably just shoot you and sell the parts for scrap.

A smile formed on his lips.

I sincerely hope you’re joking, Rindel. That isn’t very funny.

He “felt” his Ghost cross arms in annoyance.

Hey, if you don’t spread my secrets, you won’t have to find out.

They ended their initial descent and came to a hover over a set of crumbling towers. He found a small clearing next to a large body of water his display identified as Lake Michigan. The water, dark and brackish, had made its way around the ruins of several smaller structures, forming a new shore in this field. Scans showed no Fallen in the vicinity, so Rindel set the ship down, shutting off the engines.

Rindel stood, unbuckling his harness. He pat the back of Samantha’s seat. “Ready to get to work?”

Rindel watched as Samantha secured the last guy line for a tarp that covered the ship. “There!” She called over to him. “ How’s that?

“One way to find out.” He pulled out his tablet and tapped at the screen several times. The light-colored tarp appeared to disappear in patches along with Rindel’s ship underneath it, with only a faint outline of discoloration marking the edges.

Samantha’s eyebrows raised as she tapped a finger against the tarp. “Active camouflage, huh?”

“Sort of.” Rindel slid on his helmet and secured it under his chin. “It works best when the object stays still, so it’s perfect for stuff like this. Good enough to keep Dregs from getting too curious.” He slung a pouch through a gap in his cloak that had an odd-looking handle protruding from it before pulling his hood over the helmet

“Have you known the Fallen to steal-” Samantha stopped herself mid-sentence. “Nevermind, I’m talking about

Fallen

. They steal anything that isn’t nailed down.” She donned her own helmet and checked that it was secure before grabbing her rifle-Last Perdition

“Okay. Let’s head toward downtown.” Rindel pointed toward the sprawl of ancient buildings in the distance. “The Fallen generally don’t like being out in the open if they aren’t scavenging.

Samantha nodded and the pair made their way toward the city. The sky was somewhat overcast, with clouds that built up on the horizon as they made their way closer and closer to the ruins of Old Chicago. The ruins were overcast with a blanket of light gray, but a large anvil-shaped cloud to their southwest dominated the sky.

“I really don’t like the way those clouds are looking.” Samantha summoned Ryu as she and Rindel walked. “Do we have any forecast for the weather?”

Ryu shook, giving the impression of shaking her head. “Not at this time. However,” the Ghost looked over her Guardian’s shoulder at the Anvil. “The mass does appear to be rotating. That is an indication of a supercell thunderstorm.” She looked to Rindel. “Based on current estimated wind speed, the storm should be on us in the next hour.”

“We’ll be long-gone before it arrives.” Rindel looked back to the young Warlock. “Besides, patrols are a rain-or-shine gig.” He motioned in the direction down the street. “If we figure out what they’re doing here, we can deal with it and be home in time for dinner.”

“Still,” Samantha persisted. “I’ve heard that supercells can be really dangerous. Shouldn’t we hold off until it passes?”

“Your Ghost can heal anything the storm can do to you.” Rindel turned and began walking down the road. “And even if you died, you’ll come right back. Perks of being a Guardian. Well, that and…”

He suddenly stopped and held up a fist. He crouched low and made his way to the wall of a nearby building. Samantha followed suit. “What? What’s going-”

Rindel made a chopping motion in front of his neck. He then held a hand up to where his ear would have been. They both heard a guttural growl very close by. Rindel supposed that it may have been on the opposite side of the wall. He drew a knife and immediately felt a hand grip his shoulder.

“What?” He hissed. The last thing he needed was for her to ask a question.

“It’s my first mission,” Samantha had drawn her sidearm, a standard Häkke model with a suppressor. “I should take point.”

“Just stay back for this one.” Rindel whispered. Without another word, he darted into an opening in the wall. He saw two of the spider-like Fallen in the room. One was busy looking over what looked like an ancient data terminal, looking for anything it might be able to scavenge.

The other turned and saw Rindel enter. His arm shot out, and the knife embedded itself in the creature’s skull. The Hunter drew another knife as the second Fallen jumped, turning to investigate the dull thud of his companion hitting the floor. The blade found its mark in one of the creatures four eye sockets before it had a chance to scream.

Samantha rounded the corner, her pistol raised. She searched the room and checked the openings. Rindel shook his head when her back was turned. At least she had a good discipline for threat detection. He pulled his knives from the Fallen, wiping their blood off on their cloaks.

“I could have taken them, you know.” Samantha sounded indignant. “I’ve run room clears in the crucible more times than I can remember.”

“Well, Miss Shaxx, I hate to break it to you, but the Wilds don’t work like the Crucible.” Rindel stood, sheathing his knives. “If we’d used guns on these two, it’s entirely likely that another patrol would hear it and alert their Captain or whoever is running this group. We’re trying to see what they’re up to, and it becomes much harder to gather intel under fire.”

“In case you didn’t notice,” Samantha held her pistol up, pointing to the cylinder on the edge of the barrel. “My sidearm is suppressed. I could fire off a dozen shots and their buddies would be none the wiser.”

“Suppressed doesn’t mean silent!” Rindel shot back. “You’d still attract their attention!”

Rindel, you may want to check your radar-

“Solas,

not now!”

Rindel yelled at his Ghost. “Furthermore, if I remember correctly, this is my mission on official basis. It’s my call if you engage or not.”

“Then what’s the point of me being here?” Samantha shouted back. “If you’re gonna do everything yourself, I may as well have just stayed at the Tower! I’d get a lot more done that I apparently will out here!”

Solas phased next to Rindel’s head as Ryu appeared next to Samantha. “Stop it, both of you!”

Rindel glared daggers at his Ghost from behind his visor. “Solas, this really isn’t the time or the place to lecture us on-”

“If you’d

listen,”

his Ghost said forcefully, “We are currently being surrounded by a group of Fallen."

“They do not sound happy, either.” Ryu continued. “I’m not an expert in Eliksni, but I’m pretty sure I heard them mention something about dismembering the both of you. Repeatedly.”

“Both of you phase, now.” The two Ghosts disappeared. Rindel reached from behind his cloak, producing a compact auto rifle. Samantha holstered her pistol, moving Last Perdition from her back to her hands.

“Okay then. Obviously, they know we’re here. What now?” Samantha pulled the bolt back on her rifle, chambering a round.

“Stealth is off the table.” Rindel replied. “We go loud.”

Samantha conjured a burning ball of light into her hand. He almost felt a smile from behind her visor. “Let’s burn them to the ground.”

Rindel nodded and backed up to a wall in the room. He put a foot against it and kicked off, using the momentum to dash out of the room. A group of Dregs waited outside with a few Vandals in tow.

He drew a knife from his side and stabbed the nearest Vandal in the chest, which fell into a gurgling heap in front of him. As the Fallen collapsed, he maneuvered the muzzle of his rifle up and over the alien’s body, firing on the Dregs in full-auto bursts. They fell to the ground looking more like colanders than soldiers.

This group dealt with, he decided to hazard a glance over at Samantha’s position. She made her way to a pair of Vandals, ducking and weaving through their shots of Arc-infused plasma. A Dreg jumped into her path, screeching a defiant battle cry.

Rindel noticed another Dreg coming up from behind Samantha. He aimed at the alien, but it was dealt with before he could pull the trigger. Samantha threw her pulse rifle over the blockading Dreg’s head, and in a fluid motion, drew her sidearm as she blasted it with a palm full of Solar Light. She immediately spun and unleashed a quintet of rounds on her would-be-assailant.

Both Dregs fell as she used her momentum to leap into the air with a backflip, tossing a small, glowing ball of light at the Vandals. The ball ignited blades of grass as it rolled toward them, attaching itself to one of the Vandal’s legs. It screamed in either pain or horror as the ball expanded, swallowing it and its parter whole. The only thing that remained when the ball collapsed were a scorched section of earth and cinders of the Fallen

I like her.

Solas commented in his head.

She’s got some moves.

Oh, yeah?

Rindel noticed a group of eight of the aliens converging on his position. He stowed his rifle and crafted a blade of Solar Light.

Watch this.

Showoff

. Solas’ voice was flat.

He threw the blade at the Dreg directly in front of him. It embedded itself into the alien’s head and exploded. He drew Hawkmoon from its holster on his thigh and spun it by the trigger guard up to firing position, killing two more dregs with a pair of shots each. He spun to face a group of three that had unleashed a few shots his way and caught a bolt of plasma in his side. He grit his teeth as he tilted his revolver sideways and fired three shots, letting the recoil move the gun to face each of his targets.

A Captain ran to him holding a pair of swords and a pistol. Rindel whipped his revolver to face his new opponent, but this Captain had the sense to grab his wrist with its open hand and pull it upward, letting the round shoot harmlessly over its shoulder. Rindel winced as he attempted to cross-draw for another knife with his left hand - Solas hadn’t had a chance to heal his burn yet - and the Captain stabbed him in the chest through his arm with one of its swords. The Fallen hissed with pleasure as Rindel screamed in pain, then drew an arm back to slash with a second sword.

Rindel used the opening to headbutt the Captain. It staggered, releasing the grip on Rindel’s wrist for long enough that he could wrench his arm free. He pressed Hawkmoon’s muzzle to the Fallen’s chest and pulled the trigger six times.

The Alien fell on top of him, driving the sword into his torso. Solas had healed the burn on his side, but Rindel would need to get the sword out of him before that tissue could be mended. He tried to push the Captain off of him, but felt the mass come off of him suddenly. He looked to his rescuer, only to find a second Captain facing him. Rindel lifted Hawkmoon and pulled the trigger.

Click!

Rindel cursed. In the excitement, he’d lost count of his bullets and he was now empty. The Fallen leveled a gun at him and laughed, saying something in its language. Rindel tossed the revolver to the side and lifted his hand to reach behind his back. This served to twist the sword in his torso, but he fought the pain, grabbing at nothing for a moment. Finally, his hand found purchase.

He pulled his hand back down to reveal a strange gun. It wasn’t quite a pistol, it was too big. The two barrels were enormous. The Fallen screeched as Rindel pulled a pair of triggers with his index and middle fingers, unleashing a swarm of pellets that knocked the alien back, leaving a pulpy mess in its wake.

“All clear,”

He heard Samantha say over their network,

“Everything good on your end, Rindel?”

Rindel dropped the shotgun as he grabbed for the sword with his free hand. “Peachy.” He coughed. A splat of blood appeared on his visor.

Damnit. Sword must’ve pierced my lung.

He managed to grab the blade, but the angle was awkward- He couldn’t pull it out.

“That didn’t sound good. You okay?”

Samantha radioed back to him.

“Oh, fine,” Rindel gasped out. “Just sitting here with a Captain’s sword in my chest.”

“I’m coming to you, hold on!”

He saw Samantha dash over to him. She dropped her weapon and inspected the wound. Rindel heard her inhale sharply through her teeth. “This looks bad, but you’ll be fine. Let’s get this thing out of you.”

“Then, just… get on with it.” It was getting harder and harder to breathe. A shiver of fear raced up his spine as he coughed again. The adrenaline was wearing off by this point, and the pain settled in, sharp and biting.

“O-Okay.” Samantha gingerly grabbed the sword’s handle. She knelt, bracing her knee on Rindel’s chest for better leverage. “On three, okay?” She looked down, taking a deep breath before counting. “One, two…”

“Oh, for the love of the Light!” Rindel managed to shout. “Just pull out the fu-”

Samantha pulled hard, and the sword came free in one motion. Rindel swore from the pain as Solas phased into existence and got to work healing his Guardian.

Samantha threw the sword to the side and considered what she looked at. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“Please, don’t talk right now,” Solas interjected. “It’s hard enough to heal a lung normally without him trying to get in a quip.”

Rindel leaned his head against the pile of rubble he lay in and let Solas’ cool healing energy rush though him. Bones knit themselves back together, muscle and skin reformed, and his suit patched itself back into one piece.

Just another minute or so. Be patient.

“Why did you take that whole group on by yourself?” Samantha asked. Rindel moved his head up slightly to look at her. “You weren’t trying to show me up, were you?”

He lifted his uninjured arm and made an arcane gesture with one finger.

“Aw, I love you too.” Samantha’s voice dripped with sarcasm. Ryu phased in front of her before she could say anything else

“Much as I enjoy this playful banter, I have some news.” She addressed both Guardians. “We still don’t know why they’re here, but I have an idea of where we can find out. I intercepted some radio chatter from the Fallen. They’ve been ordered to retreat, and I quote, ‘secure the Prime and its Sliver.’”

“Prime?” Rindel asked, his voice ragged. “What, like a Prime Servitor?”

“Don’t talk, I’m almost done.” Solas finished his work and turned to face the others.

“That was my thought, yes.” Ryu continued. “I’ve also picked up a noticeable amount of movement further into the ruins. It seems to be heading-” She placed a marker down, which appeared in both of the Guardian’s heads-up displays. “Here. I’d venture to guess that’s where we’ll find our answers.”

In the distance, they heard a rolling rumble. Water fell from the sky in sporadic patches, quickly turning to a constant downpour.

“That sounds like our cue to get out of here.” Samantha looked to Rindel. “Any ideas?”

“Yeah,” Rindel scooped up the shotgun and flicked the barrels downward, ejecting the spent shells and reloading before placing it back to its holster on his back. He stood after grabbing Hawkmoon. “Solas, do me a favor and get my Sparrow over here, would you?”

Solas approximated a nod. He phased into Rindel and a motorcycle-like hovercraft appeared in front of him out of thin air. He climbed aboard and motioned to Samantha. “Hop on.”

Samantha looked over the Sparrow a moment before getting on the back. “I can see why Guardians normally ride a Sparrow each.”

“How’s that?” Rindel looked back at her over his shoulder.

Samantha looked around and threw her hands up. “What am I supposed to hold onto?”

Rindel’s face flushed, and he was glad his helmet hid it. “You could always hold onto me.” 
Samantha turned. She looked into the storm in time to witness a bright flash of lightning. She turned and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Just don’t get any funny ideas,” She said.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He kicked the Sparrow off the ground, starting up the engines. “Besides, I hate to break it to you, but you’re not exactly my type.”

He twisted the throttle and they sped for the waypoint, unsure of what they would find.

“Yep. That’s a Prime Servitor, alright.”

Rindel moved the spotting scope away from his eye. He had his helmet off for the moment, and ran a hand through his plume of red hair before tossing the scope to Samantha. “See the spines on its shell?”

Samantha doffed her helmed and shook her straw-colored hair before she looked through the scope herself. She saw at least forty Dregs grabbing crates, salvage or weaponry, loading them onto a pair of their Ketch dropships. Behind them was a large, floating ball that towered over the few Captains that directed the Dreg’s movements. It glowed with a purple sheen that originated from several spines that were arranged on the three sections of its shell. It hovered, unmoving aside for the occasional adjustment of its metallic carapace. “Yeah, I see ‘em.” She tossed the scope back to Rindel. “So, then. What’s the play?”

Rindel considered the courtyard they surveyed. The wind had picked up considerably, the rain falling in sheets. They were currently in what Rindel presumed was an office building of some kind, several stories above the Fallen group, and were surveying them through one of the remaining unbroken sheets of glass windows.

“Your attunement is with Solar Light, right?” He pursed his lips, considering his options before turning to Samantha. “Sunsinger?”

“Dawnblade.” Rindel saw a small smile form on her lips. “I can make Swords out of Solar Light.”

He raised an eyebrow, frowning. “That may be useful if we want to clear those Dregs in a hurry. You’d be able to rip right through them.”

Samantha placed her hands on her hips. “I can also throw them at things… and make the swords explode.” Her smile turned into a mischievous grin.

Rindel’s eyebrows raised as he let out a low whistle. He’d created an exploding knife earlier that day. He imagined the possibilities of that on a larger scale. “Okay, scratch my original thought.” He took another look at the courtyard and noticed a Dreg holding a large metallic cylinder that it grabbed from behind the Servitor’s position. A similar grin formed on his face. “Hey, Sam? Take a look at this.”

“Okay?” She took the scouting scope back from Rindel and looked down at the courtyard. “What am I looking at?”

“See the Dreg holding that canister?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s probably filled with Ether.” Rindel smiled from ear to ear. “We rupture it, they’re gonna be focused on it. That gives us an opening.”

Samantha smiled herself. “I think I’ve got a better play.” She ran to one of the broken windows, slipping her helmet back on. “Wait for my signal, then jump in and lay fire into that Servitor with your Golden Gun. I’ll float down and hit it with my swords.”

“Blitz play, huh?” A crack of thunder rumbled through the air. “That’s fitting.” He pulled his helmet on his head, adjusting his hood over it. “What’s the signal?”

“You’ll know.” she pulled Last Perdition from her back and settled into a prone position, the barrel poking through a small hole in the wall. She waited another ten seconds before letting off a pair of three-round bursts.

The Dreg holding the canister fell near one of the Ketches. The second burst hit the container, rupturing it and sparking an electrical burst that engulfed the Ketch, causing it to explode, taking about twenty-five of the Dregs and a pair of Captains with it.

Rindel pointed at the explosion. “I take it that was the signal?”

Samantha let loose a trio of bursts. “Yep.”

Rindel grinned and burst through the glass.

The remaining Fallen didn’t pay as much attention to him as they should have. The ones that turned to attack him were swiftly shot down, letting Rindel run all the way up to the Servitor’s position. It turned to face him as he got within ten meters of the monstrosity.

“Got a present for you!” Rindel threw a ball of light at the Servitor. As it made contact with the construct, it split off into a group of smaller motes of light that spread away lazily before striking the Servitor with concussive force. A pair of Captains yelled a battlecry to showcase their displeasure and rushed. Rindel reached over his shoulder and grabbed his shotgun.

“Not this time.” He waited for the one to his right to come close to him before unleashing fire from both barrels. The Captain was knocked back from the force of the impact, leaving Rindel open to throw one of his knives at the other Captain, catching it in the chest. The second Fallen shrieked in pain as Rindel stowed the shotgun. He reached into nothing and called on his inner Light.

The Golden Gun appeared in his hand, undiminished by the rain, which simply turned to steam on contact with the weapon. He aimed for the Captains first, turning them both into ash. He then refocused on the Servitor, holding his left hand over the rear of the revolver. He pulled and held the trigger, fanning four rounds of burning light into the Fallen construct. It moved away, trying to put distance between itself and the Hunter that stood before it.

Rindel noticed something sticking out of the ground underneath where the Servitor had been. A small white shard, maybe a few centimeters long.

I’m getting a large light reading off of that piece of rubble!

Solas said in his mind.

Rindel! I think… that may be a piece of the Traveler!

Rindel’s eyes widened.

That explains it! The Prime was using it to make Ether!

Grab it! Do not let the Fallen take it with them!

“Sam! Whatever you’re gonna do, do it, I could use a hand here!” He ran for the shard and noticed that the Servitor was glowing.

“On my way!”

He saw a flash against the buildings that reminded him of the lightning.

“Did you figure out why they’re here?”

“Yes! There’s a piece of-”

He suddenly found himself high up in the air.

Of course. Bastard teleported me.

The wind roared in his ears as lightning sparked all around him. He twisted himself around in the air, trying to get the waypoint back in front of him. If he timed it right, he could use the light to prevent himself from dying as he hit the ground.

Then he saw it. Lightning sparked in the distance, creating a silhouette of a terrifying force that sent a chill down Rindel’s spine.

These storms rotated as a result of atmospheric instability. Under the right circumstances, that rotation would increase to immense, terrifying proportions.

Apparently, those conditions had been met.

“Sam! Melt that Servitor!” Rindel felt panic set in. “Hit it with everything you have!”

“On it!”

She yelled into their network. He saw several flashes of orange from the surface as he fell and came in sight of the battle just in time to watch the Servitor explode. He broke his fall with his Light, then hit the ground in a roll. He grabbed the small shard, pocketing it before turning to Sam.

“Okay, we need to get the hell out of here. Solas, transmat the Sparrow! We should have dusted off five minutes ago!”

“I’m sorry, Rindel. I can’t.” Solas transmitted over the network. He sounded in shock. “The ship… it’s been hit.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Samantha moved closer to Rindel. “What do you mean  the ship has been hit?”

“It was hit by the-” Solas was cut off as a gigantic Fallen leapt down from one of the buildings. It screeched at the Guardian pair, and did something they did not expect. It spoke to them in English.

“Pathetic dead things!” It screamed. “You steal from us what belonged to us to begin with! I shall cut the sliver from you and impale it into you! I shall cut your Ghosts to shreds! I shall-”

The Fallen was suddenly knocked back into a wall. It stuck to the wall, impaled on a piece of rebar. It screamed curses as it tried to pull itself free.

“What the hell-” Samantha turned in time to see the side of the building they were in get torn off. The roar of the wind became deafening. A wedge tornado had formed, and was right on top of them.

Rindel grabbed her arm. “Run!

Now!”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rindel awoke to the ringing of his personal comms unit. He pulled his bedsheets up over his head, hoping to shut the annoying sound out. After a moment, the ringing stopped, and he felt a shift on the bed.

“Shouldn’t you get that?” Sarra spoke softly as she wrapped an arm around Rindel.

“It’s probably just Cy wanting to hit up the Crucible or something.” He pulled the sheet down and took in Sarra’s soft features and smiled as he brushed her cheek with his hand. “If it’s important, he can leave a message.”

“Well, at least he woke us up.” Sarra poked Rindel’s nose with one of her slender fingers. “You would have slept through the whole morning, otherwise.”

“I guess that means we should make the most out of it, then.” Rindel quickly pulled in Sarra for a kiss, relishing in Sarra’s surprised squeal that dissolved into giggles. As Rindel rolled onto his back, he noticed that they had an intruder. “Aprikose, what have we said about bothering us during our private time?”

Sarra’s bright orange Ghost spun his rounded segments before he replied with the stiffness of a butler. “My apologies, Rindel. but Solas and I are getting hailed relentlessly by Faye. Apparently, Cyclone requires your presence, quite urgently. I would recommend-”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll call him.” Rindel grabbed the comms unit and hailed Cyclone’s frequency. The gold-colored Exo appeared on his screen in his full battle gear.

“Rindel! There you are! I’ve been trying to contact you for half an hour! Faye wouldn’t tell me where you were, and Zavala-” His gold eyes narrowed. “Hey, Rin? There any reason I can only see you from the nose up?”

“What? No! No reason at all! Why would I-” He heard a giggle from behind him as Sarra wrapped an arm around him, using her other hand to angle the device down slightly. heat rose in Rindel’s cheeks as he watched Cyclone blink several times.

“Rindel will be in the main courtyard in a few minutes. I’m sure you understand.” She slunk out of view of the camera, leaving Rindel to wonder how his life turned out this way.

“Well.” Cyclone made a noise as if he were clearing his throat. “Duty calls. Zavala wants us in his office fifteen minutes ago, something about a Cabal base on Phobos.”

“Alright. I’ll see you in fifteen.” Rindel closed the feed and tossed the screen onto the bed, throwing his clothes on in a hurry. “Sarra, I’m sorry about this. I know we had stuff planned for today, and-”

“It’s okay.” She tightened the belt on a bathrobe, then wrapped her arms around his neck. “The nice thing about dating another Guardian is that we both know the drill, don’t we?”

Rindel smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. “Ain’t that the truth.” He kissed her cheek and pulled away, grabbing his bomber jacket from a stand. “Besides, Cabal on Mars? I should be home by tonight.”

“Tonight?” Solas flew between the two Guardians, considering them both. “Don’t you mean, ‘this afternoon?’”

Sarra laughed, bright and clear. “Of course! You and Cyclone have fun now, okay?” She waved at Rindel as he closed the door behind him.

Rindel took a deep breath in through his nose, appreciating the crisp autumn air. Since he and Sarra had started dating, everything felt more complete, somehow. He zipped his jacket up and looked to his Ghost. “Well then. Shall we see what Big Blue has in store for us?”

“With Cabal near Mars?” Solas gave an approximation of a shrug, bobbing in the air like a fishing lure in water. “What could possibly go wrong?”

Rindel’s eyes opened to a blurry world and a splitting headache. He was aware that something had happened to him, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. The following seconds allowed the pain to subside into nothingness, and with that, sweet clarity.

Oh, right. I got tossed by a tornado.

As his vision cleared, the blur became a pile of detritus that had landed on him. He stood up, the debris clattering on the ground around him. He felt around him for his weapons. Over his shoulder, he found a smooth handle. A strap from his vest was torn, leading to nothing. His hands went to his hips, then his right hand found a textured pistol grip at his thigh.

“Okay Solas, put me in contact with Vanguard control. They’re gonna want to know why we’re running late.” At this point, he had no idea where his auto rifle was- it looked like the strap he used to secure it had torn, so it could be anywhere in this rubble. He held a hand out and the Ghost materialized. “Solas? How’s that connection coming?”

His Ghost’s top section shifted forward and down as he concentrated on establishing the connection. “I… I can’t. The comm relay is down. It must have been damaged along with the rest of the ship.”

Rindel shifted slightly. “How bad is it?”

His Ghost’s sections spun. Solas’ eye-light dimmed.“You don’t want to know.”

“How bad, Solas?”

“Well, the ship’s transponder still works, so I at least know where it ended up.” A waypoint appeared on Rindel’s visor. “It’s about four kilometers from its original position.”

Rindel shrugged. “Meaning, she’s still in one piece?”

“Not exactly,” Solas continued. “Diagnostics put multiple hull breaches as the smallest issue. A wing and two engines are missing.”

Rindel’s shoulders slumped.

There goes my ride.

“What about the Sparrow?”

“According to logs…” Solas’ eye flashed as he processed data. “Destroyed. Looks like you’re gonna have to hoof it for a while.”

Rindel sighed. “Well, a little exercise never hurt anyone. What about Sam? Do we know where she is?”

“Hold on. I’m going to see if I can get in touch with her Ghost.” Solas went silent for a moment, then his eye-light narrowed. “Oh,

that

isn’t good. We need to get to her and fast.”

“First off, get a waypoint set, second,

what

isn’t good?” Rindel began running as soon as the waypoint showed in his vision.

“She’s pinned down and has Fallen on her position.” Solas turned to face Rindel. “Ryu is saying she can’t move. She can heal from the inside, but if Samantha dies-”

“They’ll be after Ryu.” Rindel grit his teeth and willed his legs to carry him faster still. The Fallen worshiped technology - as far as most scholars surmised, the Traveller had come to them before it settled with humanity. Naturally, they wanted it back, and only for themselves.

On the one hand, Rindel was disgusted with the prospect of what they might do to a Ghost if they captured it. On the other hand, Samantha was his ticket back to the wilds, and he admittedly didn’t care much about what happened to her after this mission- But he also couldn’t let her die out here.

Not again. Not on my watch.

Rindel drew Hawkmoon from its holster as soon as he was close enough to hear the Fallen’s shock weapons firing. “Okay. Open up communications with Ryu.”

He felt his Ghost nod in the back of his mind. He could see the waypoint in a building that was in front of him, a few stories up. Ryu’s voice came in over the network.

“Rindel? Oh, thank the Light! Samantha is pinned, we could use some help!”

“On my way up!” Rindel dashed through the broken sheets of glass in the building, using the Light to force himself up through a hole in the ceiling that he presumed must have housed stairs. “Is Sam okay? Any injuries?”

“There’s a good reason she isn’t talking to you.”

Ryu sounded panicked.

“She’s lost a lot of blood, and I can’t revive her while phased."

Rindel bared his teeth behind his visor and cursed before replying. “Copy. How many tangos on you?”

“At least five Vandals, but there’s a Captain here too.”

A pause.

“I’m sorry, Rindel, but I can’t mark them for you.”

“We’ll get it done, Ryu. Just concentrate on healing Sam.” Solas’ voice was even, a calming tone in the cacophony of gunfire. “We’ll be on them in less than thirty seconds.”

“Alright,”

they finally heard. If Ryu had lungs, she would have taken a deep breath.

“Just get here soon.”

“See you on the other side.” Rindel held his back to a wall. The Fallen were already quite preoccupied with their target practice, so he’d have to bring attention to himself. Rindel nodded and Solas appeared next to his face.

“I’m assuming you’re planning a blitz play for this one?” Solas eye light burned a brilliant gold.

“Yeah. That seems like the best plan.” He knocked his helmet against the wall and took a deep breath. “Hey, Solas? You don’t mind playing something for me, do you?”

“I never do.” Solas switched off the bottom section of his glowing eye, his voice giddy. “Anything in particular?”

“Something classic.” He paused half a moment. “Know what? Throw on some Glitch Mob.”

Solas phased, and Rindel almost felt him smile.

In three, two, one…

Rindel listened as he heard a steady drumbeat fade in with string instruments. There were occasional segments that sounded fragmented- It sounded like the file was corrupted, but he had been reassured long ago that this was intentional. He swung out the chamber on his revolver, checking it one last time. Satisfied, he moved it back into position and warily made his way around the corner into a hallway.

No wonder you’re so stubborn

Nobody ever made you dig deeper

By this point, the sound of the Fallen’s weapons had died down. Rindel narrowed his eyes, frowning.

I hope to the Traveler that doesn’t mean I’m too late.

He came to a large room at the end of the hall and peeked around the corner.

No wonder you’ve got demons

Everything you ever did is coming back around

The Fallen hadn’t noticed him yet. They were moving toward a figure against the far wall, slumped over and bloodied. Lightning shot up Rindel’s spine as he summoned and threw a solar grenade.

I can’t help you if I’m weaker

You took the honey from the queen bee keeper

He heard a series of cries from the larger room as the Fallen turned. The smell of singed flesh suggested to Rindel that he’d gotten at least one of them. One last breath.

No wonder you have demons

Everyone’s got a choice this time around!

He dashed into the room, making a beeline for an adjacent wall on the other end of the room. Vandals screamed curses at him as they opened fire. Rindel jumped and kicked himself off of the wall, throwing a knife at one of the Vandals as he returned fire. Rounds caught one of the Fallen in the chest as vapor-like Ether seeped from the knife now embedded in another’s skull.

Rindel hit the deck in a roll, popping up to a kneeling position and quickly subduing the remaining Vandals with a pair of rounds to the head each. He stood from his position, a light gurgling sound emitting from the Vandal he’d shot in the chest. Rindel ended its misery with another bullet.

He surveyed the room, Hawkmoon held at arm’s length. All clear. He stood to full height and looked at the figure slumped against the wall. Now, he could clearly identify it as Samantha. Her gear was tattered and burned, with a small pool of blood forming around her.

The silver revolver clattered to the ground as Rindel ran toward Samantha. He realized too late that he’d walked into a trap.

“Rindel, look out!”

He heard Ryu over the comms as he felt something push him up against the wall. The enormous form pinned him with three hands as a fourth rummaged around him, eventually pulling his shotgun from his back and throwing it to the side. The alien glared at Rindel as it kept feeling around his torso.

“Where?” It growled, “Where is the sliver?” Rindel immediately recognized the voice- This was the same massive Fallen that had confronted them before the Tornado hit. “Give back what is mine and your death will be quick, yes?”

Rindel strained, trying desperately to get a wrist free. Even completely unarmed, he would be able to do some serious damage to the Fallen if he could. He received a punch in the gut for his trouble, and the Fallen moved closer, looking around.

“Ah, but its Ghost is hiding.” The Fallen nodded toward Samantha. “If I kill you as I did the other one, it will show itself, yes?”

Suddenly, Rindel felt a sharp pain as one of his knives stabbed into his shoulder. He grit his teeth, refusing to give the Fallen the pleasure of hearing him cry out in pain.

The alien tilted its head. “No reaction. Strange. How the other screamed and screamed. But you- You are different, yes?” Another stab, this time to the abdomen. Still, Rindel refused to scream. “Does it feel… nothing?”

“Oh, I feel, alright.” Rindel spat. “I’m just... wondering if that’s really the best you’ve got.”

A sword came up to Rindel’s throat, digging through the lining of his suit and into his skin. “Then we shall experiment, yes?” The Fallen’s face came close enough to Rindel’s head to touch it. “If I cut off its head, what shall its Ghost do, hmm? Will it leave its Guardian to die? Will it risk its existence to save you? Will it-”

Rindel was startled as he fell back to the floor. A glowing blade burst through the Fallen’s chest, and smoke rose in wisps from the wound. As the alien fell, the sword’s glow intensified to a brilliant white, burning the Fallen from the inside, leaving nothing but ash. Samantha stood before him, blood dripping from a piece of rebar that went through her chest. She fell to the ground in a heap.

Ryu flew next to Rindel’s face. “You have to do something! I can’t fully heal her until you get that rod out!” Her upper and lower segments pulled away from the sphere in her middle, as if her eye widened.

Rindel pulled out the knives that the Fallen had stabbed him with and let them fall to the ground with a clatter. Solas phased out of him and passed a healing beam over his wounds, and Rindel relished in being able to breathe properly once more. His Ghost flew over and made an approximation of a hiss “ One side’s been bent over to make it a hook, and the other was bent… well, after entry. This won’t come out easily.” He looked to Rindel. “Unless..”

Rindel nodded as he kneeled next to Samantha. He held a hand to her side to try and calm her.  “I won’t sugarcoat it - this is gonna suck. I’ll make it quick.”

Samantha nodded as best as she could, trying to prevent herself from writhing in pain. Rindel held a hand out, drawing his light to form a concentrated blade of Solar Light. He brought the knife down onto the rebar, making short work of the metal and cutting off the rudimentary hook. He stood and gingerly put a hand on the remaining section of steel.

He waited half a moment, then pulled it from her in a single fluid motion. Samantha gasped in pain as Rindel threw the bar away, kneeling next to her once more. Ryu immediately got to work as Samantha breathed a heavy sigh of relief, pausing for half a moment before looking to Rindel. “What took you so long?”

Rindel stood up for a brief moment before he leaned against the wall, letting his torso slide down slowly. The adrenaline was wearing off now, and he shook his head, allowing himself a light chuckle. “Oh, you know, just had the aftermath of the tornado to deal with. Nothing major.”

He heard Samantha’s helmet hit the floor as she brought her head down to rest. “I was trying to find you, you know.” She breathed heavily. “When I came to, I- Well, Ryu found Solas, and I decided to get smart and cut through here.” She brought her head back up and let it fall back to the floor. “I got careless. Didn’t think I’d get ambushed.”

Rindel sighed before he stood once more, knocking dust off of his cloak. “Part of the beauty of being Guardians. We can come back and learn from fatal mistakes.” He shook his head and snorted. “I’m reminded of a line from this pre-Golden Age movie I saw once- ‘Why do we fall?’”

Samantha pulled her torso up and leaned on her elbows. She shook her head. “I’ve got no idea. Because we aren’t good enough?”

Rindel walked to her and held a hand out. “‘So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.’"

Samantha paused a moment and took his hand. He leaned back and pulled her up to her feet, then went through the room, retrieving his weapons.

“Alright then, ‘team leader,’” Samantha had already recovered her weaponry. “What’s our play?”

Rindel reloaded Hawkmoon before placing it back in his holster, then located his shotgun. “First thing’s first. We need to get back to the ship and see if we can get a distress signal out to the Vanguard and resupply.” He looked toward the waypoint in his HUD and sighed. “This patrol is gonna take a lot longer than I thought.”

“Well, it isn’t exactly what I had in mind for my first assignment, either.” Samantha moved for the nearest hallway. “Let’s go. Sooner we get that signal out, the sooner we can get out of here, right?”

Rindel nodded. “Let’s go for it.”
   
“That should do it. It’ll take a minute or so for the satellite feed to reconnect.” Rindel allowed a small smile to cross his lips as he heard the light whir of servos adjusting the satellite dish.

It had taken the pair about an hour to make their way to the crash site. By and large, they had kept conversation to a minimum, keeping a watchful eye on their forward path, but the further the Guardians traveled, the more obvious it became that they were the only sentient beings for kilometers. Several times, they had heard a noise or seen movement on their motion trackers, only to find it was something as simple as the wind knocking around old metal cans or a wild animal. But soon, they would be able to put all of this behind them and go back to life at the Tower.

“So,” Samantha spoke so abruptly that Rindel nearly spun on his heel, but caught himself. “Ikora tells me you’re supposed to be some kind of walking legend. Something about a Black Garden, a couple of Hive gods- so why have I never seen you before now?”

Uh oh.

He heard Solas’ voice in his head.

She doesn’t know, it’s not her fault, don’t lash out at her-

Solas. You can stop, I’m fine.

His lack of an answer didn’t deter Samantha. “Far as I can tell, you’ve just been out in the wilds going on a few years now.” Rindel felt a slight pressure build in his chest. Her line of questioning wasn’t grating, but it could easily get there. “I mean, I know Hunters like going it alone sometimes, but… for months at a time?” he could feel her eyes boring into him. “Ikora told me you ran with a crew once. What happened?”

As Rindel opened his mouth to answer, a feed to the tower opened. The camera display the ceiling of the tower’s vast hangar, then swung around to reveal Amanda Holliday. Her face was caked in grease, and she had a pair of magnifying goggles tilted up on her forehead. Her eyes beamed at the screen.

“Well; if it ain’t ol’ wolfie! You’ve been out there a while. You two plain’ nice?”

Rindel heard Samantha snigger behind him, but decided to ignore it, taking a seat in front of the monitor. “Well, the weather sure isn’t. We had a violent storm system produce a tornado on us. My ship is toast.” He keyed the diagnostic report over to Amanda before he continued. “She’s in no shape to fly and I’m not sure you want to send a recovery team just yet, in case we get another bad storm, but we need a ride back into town. Got any ideas?”

Rindel watched as Amanda’s eyes scanned back and forth over her screen. Her face scrunched up, presumably from seeing the extent of the damage, and she sighed before she said anything more.

“I might be able to dispatch a City Hawk out to ya. Nothin’ fancy, but she’ll get you home.”

“That works for me. Sending coordinates now.” He leaned back in the chair and briefly looked to Samantha, holding out a fist with his thumb extended skyward. Samantha smiled.

“Received. I’m sendin’ out City Hawk Seven-Two-Three. Give us two hours, we’ll come and getcha.”

Amanda gave a mock salute.

“Just be advised that we’re expectin’ a storm of our own. It doesn’t look like anything too serious, but you’ll have reduced visibility on approach. Tower out.”

The feed cut and Rindel’s screen went black. There was nothing left to do but wait.
   
“So, what are your plans when you get back?”

Samantha’s words tore Rindel from his command inputs. True to Amanda’s word, the City Hawk picked them up after only a few hours, and they were nearly ready for departure. He looked at her a moment, then resumed typing as he responded. “Well, I’ll need to talk to Holliday about a new ship and a new sparrow. I expect that’d take a week or two to be completed at least. After that?” He hit the “enter” key and heard the engines begin their ignition sequence as he spun to face his fellow Guardian. “It’s probably back to the wilds with me. Venus or Mars, maybe further- I’ll go where the winds take me.”

He watched as the Warlock folded her hands together, looking at them. Her lips pursed, then relaxed and pursed again before she spoke. “Well, if you’re not leaving immediately, do you want to team up?” Her eyes met Rindel’s. “I mean, it seemed like we worked together pretty well and you haven’t had anyone backing you up for a while, so-”

“Sorry, Sam. but I work alone.” Rindel crossed his arms and spun his chair to face forward. “It’s nothing personal. I tend to go places where the Darkness is strong. I just don't want someone else to get hurt.”

“Because that's what happened before.” Rindel met her eyes once more. She hadn't asked. It was as if she looked into his mind and found the answer she was looking for.

Rindel didn't answer for two minutes. He felt his mass lurch downward as the City Hawk rose up into the air. Samantha was completely unfazed, a stark contrast to how she reacted before. “I thought you hated takeoffs and landings.”

Samantha smiled softly. “Yeah, getting tossed by a tornado and getting impaled by an alien does some interesting things to your perspective.” Her expression suddenly hardened. “And you’re dodging.”

Rindel sighed, considering his boots. “It’s hardly dodging if you hit the answer on your first shot.”

“Oh.” Samantha’s voice lost its hard edge immediately. A few moments passed before she broke the silence. “I’m sorry. I don’t have any right to bring that up-”

Rindel held up a hand. “It’s alright. You hadn’t even been rezzed when it happened, and it’s by and large in public record anyhow.”

Samantha didn’t respond. Hours passed with only the steady hum of the City Hawk’s engines to stave off the silence. Rindel stared off into the distance, watching the darkening clouds in the distance grow larger and larger, and found himself caught in thoughts of that time, years ago. Of his team, of the Dreadnaught, of-

“Oryx.” Samantha’s voice suddenly pierced through the cabin.

Rindel turned and faced her again, slowly. “What did you just say?”

“Oryx.” Samantha repeated. “The Taken King. You were the only Guardian that came back from the Dreadnaught that day.”

Rindel said nothing as his vision focused on his lap. “Looked up the records, did you?”

He suddenly felt Samantha’s hand on his shoulder. “I can’t even imagine what that must have been like. I’m sorry.”

Rindel’s lips pressed together in a thin line as he turned his head away from her. Her apologies did little to stave off the phantoms he faced of that day.

Samantha patted his shoulder and continued. “I know you’ve probably heard it all. That their lives weren’t wasted, that you did everything you could. All I want to say is that I’m here for you.” He felt her hand squeeze against his cloak. “You shouldn’t have to face this alone.”

Rindel sighed as her words played back in his mind. Of

course

he needed to face this. Doing it himself just made it easier to press on without worrying about others. And why shouldn’t he? Saladin had told him he was among the strongest Guardians he had ever seen. Was it possible he’d been doing it wrong for the past several years? Was he ready to bare those wounds?

Was he ready to be hurt again?

He raised a hand over to Samantha’s and gripped it. He paused a moment before barely whispering his reply.

“Thanks.”

A ping on their radar ripped them from the moment. Solas phased into existence at Rindel’s shoulder. “We’re ten kilometers out from the City’s walls. You should probably hail the control tower and let them know we’re inbound.”

Samantha moved her hand from Rindel’s shoulder as he cleared his throat. The City Hawk approached Twilight Gap as he keyed the comm system. “Tower Approach, this is City Hawk Seven-Two-Three, en route to final approach. Please advise on best vector.”

The only thing he heard back was static. He raised an eyebrow. He expected some interference from the storm, but the Tower’s communications equipment was good enough to still get through in the worst of weather conditions. He keyed the comms again.

“Repeat, Tower Approach, this is City Hawk Seven-Two-Three. Anyone home?” More static. He turned to Solas. “Send a ping through alternates, see if that’ll make the tower squawk.”

Solas spun his shell segments as his eye brightened. “Nothing on secondary or tertiary channels. Emergency frequency is playing back static, too.”

Rindel froze. Everything was down. The realization of what that meant chilled him to the core. Suddenly, he sprang into action, strapping himself into the seat. “Sam, you may want to buckle up.”

Samantha buckled her straps in after a few seconds. “Rindel, you don’t think-” Her voice shook, betraying her anxiety. “We’re not under attack, are we?”

“There’s no reason to assume they’ve all decided to leave the control tower at once for a drink.” Rindel pressed several buttons on the control panel and grabbed a flight stick that extended to his seat. “My aircraft.

“Your aircraft.” Solas confirmed. He waited a beat before speaking again. “Remember Meridian Bay?”

Rindel considered his Ghost. “Somewhat. I came in too hot and you had to rez me from the wreckage. I think the first thing you said was ‘you fly too fast for your own good.’”

Solas approximated a nod. “Forget I said that. Fly fast.”

Rindel nodded and pressed the throttle forward, hurtling the craft into the storm- and all the unknowns that came along with it.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“...And so, we commit their bodies to the Light, to be free of corruption. We give unto the Traveler our hearty thanks, for our brother and sister Guardians that have been delivered from the miseries of this world. May they know eternal bliss as one with the Light.” The Speaker for the Traveler extended his arms outward and lifted his masked face towards the ceiling.

Rindel only barely registered the Speaker’s words. He, along with a host of Guardians of every discipline, every rank and every form had gathered in the hall normally reserved for consensus hearings, and while the filled seats would normally have held the multi-colored hues of their varied battle armors, it was currently a sea of solemn blacks and grays. Today was a day of mourning.

The Speaker stood at a podium before five white caskets, each draped with the crest of the Vanguard. “Let us not forget the sacrifices of our brother and sister Guardians, for though they are no longer with us, they have not died in vain, and remain with us in memory. Let us rejoice with the knowledge that these brave Guardians died in protection of the Light and of humanity, and though we mourn in their loss, let us remember them for their heroism and friendship.”

Heroism and friendship. But they had meant so much more than that. Rindel’s gaze was transfixed on the only two caskets that held bodies. For him, they held the remains of his family. A brother, with a heart as enormous as his stature, and a lover, with whom he had seen a glimpse of hope for a peaceful life. These thoughts ate at him and consumed his mind. If he had only acted more quickly. If he had just pulled the trigger a second before-

“Rindel? The funeral’s been over for several hours. You should get something to eat.”

He looked up to find an empty room and his little red Ghost circling his head. He smiled grimly. “You’re right. I’m sorry, little light.” He reached up and caressed his partner’s pointed shell. “I don’t mean to worry you.”

Solas affected a sigh. “At least you have the sense to admit that.” His eye looked downward as the upper section of his shell raised, making him look sad. “I’m sorry, I just-”

“It’s alright, Solas, I know.” Rindel stood to full height, walking to the caskets. “You don’t have to say anything.”
Solas phased into him, and Rindel felt pressure on his shoulder. I’m here if you need me. But you also need time. Do what you need to do.
Rindel nodded as he walked toward the caskets. By the Light, his boots could have been filled with lead for how long it took him to get there. He wanted to do so many things. To apologize, to cry, to scream. But the gaping emptiness would not let him.

“We all lost family today, Rindel. But it seems you lost more than most.”

He turned, coming face-to-face with the Speaker. He approached Rindel’s position, placing a black-gloved hand on the casket holding Cyclone’s body. “The Traveler mourns the death of its Guardians. But, in the same breath as it expresses sorrow for their loss, it rejoices in that so many more lives have been saved. Their Light, and the Light of their Ghosts, have rejoined the Traveler, and their souls are at peace.” He looked directly at Rindel. “All the same, it would be foolish to think that simply hearing these words would relieve the pain you feel.”

Rindel simply looked to Sarra’s casket. The Speaker had always been able to look through him, though his sorrow was chiseled into his face. He nodded and looked back at the Speaker. “It’s not just their loss.” He said suddenly. “I… I feel I could have done more.” He looked to the three empty caskets. “Setsuna, Neil… Kris…”

“Were Taken.” The Speaker placed a hand on Rindel’s shoulder. “That Oryx was twisted and vile enough to corrupt Guardians is no fault of yours. In killing them, you set them free from an existence of unyielding torment.”

Rindel's gaze snapped back to the Speaker. “But, Speaker, If Kristina hadn’t been Taken… If Cyclone hadn’t lost his love-” His voice cracked. "If I could have prevented it-"

"My son," The Speaker suddenly took a step forward, wrapping Rindel in an embrace. "This is not your fault."

Rindel felt Solas' presence on his shoulder and broke into bitter tears.
  “Rindel? Rindel, get up!”He coughed as he rolled to his knees, forcing himself off of the floor. He felt the dull throb and vertigo of a resurrection, and shook his head as he came up to kneel. It’s okay, take a second. He felt Solas in his chest, urging him to not push himself too hard. That was pretty rough, even by your standards. Rindel dared to look over his shoulder at the smoldering wreckage of what had once been the City Hawk. Flames licked the edges of what had been one of the Tower’s exterior walls. Thank the Light this is an emergency. I’d hate to see the repair bill for that. “You all good?” Samantha’s hand pressed on his shoulder. “Need a second after the rez to recover?”Rindel pushed himself up and brushed off his shoulders. “Never better.” He pulled Hawkmoon from its holster and faced her. “Now, let’s find the bastard who wrecked our tower and put a bullet in their head.”Samantha hefted her rifle and nodded. “No time like the present. Ryu, do we have anything on comms?”“Nothing.” The Ghost communicated over their network. “Enemy forces have dropped in all over the city. I can’t be sure, but it seems like…”An interior wall burst next to them. A hulking figure in red scale armor roared a battle cry before firing at the two Guardians.Rindel unleashed a knife at the alien’s chest as Samantha fired her rifle, placing a trio of bullets into each of the monstrous soldier’s knees. The knife bounced off the alien’s armor, but combined with the pain it felt from its wounds, it was distracted enough that Rindel was able to run up to it and shove Hawkmoon’s muzzle into its chin. He pulled the trigger, and the alien fell with a thud.“Cabal.” Rindel wiped a drip of dark liquid off of his chestplate. “That answers who, but why would they be attacking the city?”“From what I’ve read on them, they have more of a ‘blow up planets and take no prisoners’ kind of a MO.” Samantha lowered her rifle slowly. “Unless this is some kind of revenge?”“I doubt that.” Rindel picked up his knife and re-sheathed it. “The Cabal don’t make a move unless they think it would benefit them in some way. They want something, and it’s here. But what-”He was cut off by static over their comms system, which resolved into a familiar voice. “...Repeat, this is Commander Zavala. Civilians: report to evac points. Guardians: render assistance if needed, and push back against our attackers. Our city will not fall.” “Commander!” Samantha keyed the comms system. “This is Guardian Drake reporting in. Guardian Zivas and I are in the Tower. Where should we go?”There was a noticeable pause on the comms. “Naturally, we will discuss your sortie later. Guardians Drake and Zivas, rendezvous at my position in the Tower Plaza. I could use some extra firepower.” “Copy. We’ll be there ASAP.” Rindel nodded toward a door at the end of the hallway. “Better not keep big blue waiting.”“Yeah, really. If Zavala needs extra firepower, we’re in pretty deep.” Samantha moved toward the door and paused in front of it. “That’s weird. Shouldn’t these open automatically?”Rindel took a look at the sliding door for a moment. He drew a knife, trying to force the blade in between the two halves of the door. “Damn. It’s probably on lockdown protocol.” He moved over to one side. “Any ideas, Solas?”Before his Ghost had a chance to respond, the door burst open from the other side, hurtling a figure five feet into their room. The figure let out a long metallic groan as a Ghost phased into existence above it, A Ghost Rindel recognized.“Wait, that’s Sundance! Cayde! You alright?” Rindel holstered his revolver, made his way over to his mentor and squatted next to him.Cayde bolted upright and considered the Hunter in front of him. “Rindel! You’re a helluva sight for sore eyes!” He opened his mouth to continue, but stopped as he looked past Rindel’s shoulder. He suddenly shoved Rindel to the floor. Before Rindel could respond, he saw three shots of pure Solar energy flash from Cayde’s position, streaking down the hall through the open doorway. He looked through the doorway to see a trio of the invader Cabal burn to cinders.Samantha looked from the scene of the carnage to the Hunter pair in front of her, motioning to Cayde, who stood up to full height. “I take it that Rindel gets his battlefield antics from you?”Cayde turned his head to the side with an audible crack. “Bound to happen if you learn from the best. Ain’t that right, Rin?” He held a hand out to the closest thing he could call a protégé.Rindel grabbed Cayde’s hand and pulled himself up. “That’s one way of putting it, I guess.” He motioned to the doorway. “Apparently, Zavala could use a hand in the plaza. I know you’d love the chance to show him up.”Cayde chuckled before looking to Samantha, covering the side of his mouth facing Rindel. “This one knows me too well,” he said in an exaggeratedly hushed tone. As Samantha laughed, he addressed Rindel properly. “Tempting as your offer may be, I’m leaving the evacuation-hero-stuff to big blue. I’ve got a date with whoever’s behind this.”Rindel smirked behind his helmet. “Aw, gonna take them out to dinner first?”“At my favorite ramen shop.” Cayde winked as he pulled his own revolver from a thigh holster, spinning it by the trigger guard before bouncing a pair of fingers off of his head in a mock salute. “Gotta run!”Samantha shook her head and looked back to Rindel. “If he’s the standard by which all Hunters and measured, how do you guys get anything done?”“Oh, that’s easy,” Rindel drew Hawkmoon once more. “You laugh along with him, then dance to your own tune.  "That makes how many now? Fifteen?" The magazine from Samantha's rifle clattered on the floor as she slid a new one into the magwell with a satisfying click."I think that Gladiator ought to count for two." Rindel listened to his spent shells bounce off of the concrete as he slid a new pair into his shotgun's breach."Of the normal ones?" Samantha shrugged. "I'd say that's fair."The Guardians made their way through a hallway with a small stairwell at the end of it. As they neared the stairs, Rindel heard a faint cough. Hawkmoon jumped up to firing position on reflex, and Rindel moved toward the stairwell slowly. He felt Solas phase out of him."Wait!" His Ghost's segments spun as he faced his Guardian. "I'm sensing Ghost signatures! They're friendlies!"Rindel let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding as he holstered his revolver. Samantha held her rifle at rest as they made their way up the stairs.The room they entered held at least fifty civilians. A human male raised a rifle, then immediately lowered it as he realized he did not face invaders. "Oh, thank God!" His relief was palpable. "More Guardians!""More Guardians!" Rindel heard chatter throughout the room. A young boy tugged at his mother's leg. "Mommy, we're gonna be okay!"Rindel noticed a hulking figure break through the crowd, though a booming voice betrayed his identity immediately. "Ah! The Iron Wolf returns!"The Hunter shook his head. "Hey Shaxx, good to see you too.""And my young Dragon! Come here, Samantha!" He expanded his arms as she approached and wrapped her in a bear hug for three seconds before releasing her, then turned to clasp Rindel's shoulder. "I'd heard you two left on Vanguard duty. I'd say 'Welcome home,' but..." He released the Hunter and gestured to the people that surrounded them. "I'm afraid we'll have to fight for it first."Samantha summoned Ryu, who made an odd grunting noise as her healing beam swept Samantha's body. Shaxx was known for his powerful hugs- most Guardians considered it lucky to walk away from one with less than a cracked rib. As soon as Ryu finished, Samantha took a deep breath, as if to test her lungs, then turned to Shaxx. "It's good to see you, Lord Shaxx, but we have business elsewhere. Guardian Zivas and I are to report to Commander Zavala's position in the Tower to back him up.""Then you'll need to be stocked on ammunition, surely." Shaxx motioned for the Guardian pair to follow him to a closed sliding door. He pulled it open with minimal effort, then motioned down the hall. "Second door to the right is my armory. Take whatever you need, and back up the Commander."Rindel nodded. "Thanks, Shaxx. I'd ask if you want to tag along, but it looks like you've got your hands full as it is."Pounding footsteps reverberated around the room from behind him as he turned to enter the hallway."Shaxx!" A Warlock ran up to their position. Her boutique robes were caked with dust and grime, no doubt from encounters with the Red Legion. "We've found more civilians. We should get this group to the evac shuttles, and..." She paused, taking in the Hunter in front of her. “Rindel. I’ll be damned. I didn’t expect you to be around here.”Rindel smiled sadly behind his visor before giving a small wave. “Hey, Kari. Nice to see you too.”A Ghost materialized next to Kari, sporting a royal blue shell adorned with a lion. “Well, well, well. The prodigal Hunter returns. I can’t say I expected this,” he started, his segments turning. “But then, we’ve heard rumors. Losing a bet to Ikora? Taking Ikora two-point-oh into the field?”Solas sighed from his place in Rindel’s essence. Oh, boy. Now we get to hear Neko gloat. Exactly what I wanted. Yay. “I know you can hear me in there, Solas.” Neko somehow looked like he was smirking. “I win. And I’m the one ready to say I told you-” Kari reached out and pushed her Ghost out of Rindel’s line of sight. “Not right now, Neko.” She refocused on Rindel. “So, it’s true. You partnered up with a rook, and now you’re back. That’s a switch.”Rindel opened his mouth to respond before Shaxx cut in. “I hate to interrupt this reunion, but you should get going, Rindel. Even Zavala won’t last forever on his own.” He nodded toward the hall. “I can take care of these people. Go!”“Wait.” Kari reached up and placed a hand on one of Shaxx’s massive shoulder pauldrons. ”We can handle this. If Zavala needs help, you need to go too.”Shaxx considered Kari a moment before he nodded. “Alight. You know what to do.” He gripped her hand. “Make me proud.”Kari turned and began directing people into groups. As they entered the armory, Rindel heard Neko over the comms. “Hey, Rindel? I’m glad you came back when you did, in all seriousness. It’s good to see you again. Now, get out there and give them hell.” “You got it, Neko. Best luck to you, too.” Rindel chuckled. Neko had always come off as something of a hothead, but he was nothing if not direct. He found the Ghost’s no-punches-held attitude to be refreshing sometimes, much to Solas’ chagrin.“Is it just me, or do I sense some history there?” Samantha had her head tilted to the side.“Some.” Rindel hefted a Vanguard auto rifle from a gun rack and slung it to his back as he exited the room. “Let’s go.”Shaxx nodded his head. “What do you know of Oryx?”Samantha held back as she looked to the Crucible handler. “The Taken King? Yeah, that Rindel ended him, right?Shaxx nodded. “Kari and her husband, Rem were part of the first fireteam that was sent into the Dreadnaught after a transmat beacon had been set up.” He tilted his head forward. “Rem… well, let’s just say he didn’t make it back. And after Rindel lost as much as he did-”“I think I get the picture.” Samantha sighed. “I can’t tell- he’s still so broken from that time.” She looked to Shaxx as he hefted a large single-edged sword over a shoulder. “Do you think he’ll ever completely heal?”“One can only hope, my Dragon,” Shaxx said, wistfully. “One can only hope.”   “Okay. Is this thing on?” Cayde’s voice filled the communications systems of all three Guardians. “So, Sundance keeps tagging these Cabal as ‘Red Legion.’Anybody got any info?” “Some of my Hidden have filed reports on them," Ikora responded. "They’re elite. Ruthless. And if rumors are to be believed, they have never known defeat." Rindel heard Shaxx chuckle behind him. "Today, we shall prove otherwise." He clasped Rindel's shoulder. "Today, they face the might of the greatest Guardians in the history of this city!" "Then perhaps these 'greatest Guardians' can hurry to the plaza!" Zavala sounded particularly irritated- Rindel wasn't sure if it was more directed at their tardiness or the invading forces.Samantha forced open a weakened section of the wall with her Light, motioning Rindel and Shaxx through. "We're here, Commander! We're moving up to your position."Rindel pulled his rifle from his back and pulled back on the bolt. The Plaza was very badly damaged, with piles of rubble marking the places that storefronts used to be. A spherical pod hit the ground hard and spewed dirt and bits of concrete into the air, then dissolved to reveal more of the red-clad Cabal."Guardians! To arms!" Shaxx pulled the large sword from his back and ran headlong into the fray, bringing the blade down onto one of the hapless Legionaries as the edge sparked with flame. Samantha fired burst after burst from her rifle until her target backed into the rail at the edge of the Plaza, falling to its doom. Rindel ran straight for a third Cabal, pulling and holding his trigger in an automatic symphony of gunfire. The alien's armor held for a short time before it was simply too damaged to protect its wearer, and the Legionary fell in a heap."Well met!" Zavala's voice boomed from a terrace. "Don’t let them past the gate! The evac shuttles are back there!""Understood." Rindel reloaded his rifle as he walked toward the commander. "Any word on the evacuation efort?" "We are filling the shuttles as we speak, Rindel." Ikora's voice came in over the comms. "You need to buy us fifteen minutes." "You may have to make do with ten." Zavala frowned. "This 'Red Legion' keeps sending their troops at our position, and even with the extra firepower-"A slug zinged past Rindel's face, startling the Guardians and bringing their attention back to the battlefield. They turned in time to see the offending Cabal impaled on Shaxx's flaming sword. Shaxx placed his boot to the alien's chest and withdrew the sword, letting loose a triumphant laugh. "If it's time to be bought, let the price be paid in the blood of the Cabal!" He raised the sword to a defensive position as more drop pods made their marks on the Plaza. As they disintegrated, Shaxx screamed a battle cry and re-entered the melee.Samantha flung herself into the air and produced a flaming sword of pure light. A pair of flames erupted from her back, shaping themselves into wings. She held herself in mid-air as she flung sword after sword into groups of the Cabal. The Red Legion have attached something to the Traveler! Solas spoke in Rindel’s head with a mix of apprehension and determination. They aren’t going to get it as long as we live and breathe! Rindel flung his new rifle over his shoulder with his left hand as his right drew Hawkmoon in a smooth arc. He let loose a trio of rounds at an approaching Cabal as he ran toward another at full speed. One of his knives shot out at this unfortunate Legionary, who found it more difficult to stand after the blade embedded itself into its knee. Rindel jumped up and over the enormous alien, unleashing a final round into its skull.The Guardians pushed back against the invaders with a stunning ferocity. But, for every Red Legion soldier they were able to kill, another seemed to pop up in one of their spherical drop pods. Rindel felt a surge of relief when he heard Ikora’s voice over the comms again. “Guardians, the last of the shuttles in this group is away.” “Excellent news, Ikora.” Rindel saw a faint smile grace the Commander’s lips. “We’ve received no word from the Speaker. Can you confirm if he is on one of those shuttles?”Ikora took an audible breath before responding. “No, Zavala- he never made it. I’m going to look for him.” Rindel stopped dead in his tracks. They couldn’t find the Speaker? He had to admit that the Speaker would be a very high-profile target for the Red Legion if they wanted to demoralize the City’s defenders. “I’m heading over there!” He turned to face Samantha. “You coming?”She holstered her sidearm and shook her head. “We can talk things over later- Traveler knows that Zavala wants a debrief.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Rindel. We’ve got this. Find the Speaker!”Rindel nodded and bolted for the west end of the Tower before Zavala could protest. He keyed the comm system as he made his way down the empty halls. “I’m heading for the Speaker! Ikora, any headway on his-”A slug flung past Rindel’s visor, ripping a hole into his hood. He kicked his feet in front of him, diving into a slide as he took aim at his attackers. His first bullet caught one of the Cabal in its throat, while the second and third were rendered useless by a devastating Void explosion. Ikora floated to the ground gently, her back to Rindel.“Holy crap, Ikora!” Rindel holstered Hawkmoon as he approached. “Any headway on-”“The Speaker is gone.” Ikora’s voice betrayed her rage. “I saw him loaded into one of their transport ships. We were too late.” Her hands balled into tight fists. "I was too late.” A crimson Cabal gunship rose up the wall to face the Guardian pair. Ikora turned to face it, a violet glow overtaking her fingers.“Red Legion, you will take no more from us! And you shall have no mercy from me!” She leapt into the air, and unleashed the destructive fury of her Light on the craft’s engine. She landed on the craft’s fuselage as the engine failed, leaving the gunship to plummet to the city below. Rindel fruitlessly reached a hand out, but quickly checked his action. “Rindel, there’s nothing we can do for the Speaker right now.” Zavala’s voice was steady over the comms. “Samantha and Shaxx are finishing up what remain of the Red Legion in the tower, and I’m coordinating a counter attack.” “That’s a great idea if I ever heard one.” Rindel eyed the Traveler looming over the city. The device the Cabal had attached spread tendrils along all sides of the structure, as if it meant to engulf the massive sphere. He felt a shiver climb up his spine. “Where do you want me?” “I want you to move onto that command ship.” Rindel heard shouting in the background of Zavala’s feed. “We can’t get anything past its shields. Board that ship and disable it. I’m sending Amanda Holliday to pick you up.” “On it.” Rindel made his way to what could pass as a clearing and activated a navigation marker. “All I need is my ride.”The roar of a pair of turbine engines announced the arrival of a jumpship a moment later. "Hey there, Wolfie. A big blue birdie told me you need a ride?" "You heard right, Holiday." Rindel made his way to the ship. “Get me on that command ship, I don’t care if you have to trasmat me to make it stick.” “Careful what you wish for, Rin.” Amanda took off and faced the enemy ship. “Here we go. Hold on back there!” Rindel felt the tug of the G-forces against his harness. The City Hawk darted back and forth through the air- it may have almost looked comical if Amanda wasn’t actively avoiding enemy gunfire. The ship banked into a high-G turn as Rindel’s stomach lurched. “Commin’ in hot! Get ready for that transmat!” Rindel suddenly found himself mere feet above a long shard of crimson metal. He rolled as he landed on the ship’s catwalk. No enemies to be found on this level. Good. “Amanda, I’m aboard the ship. Get yourself clear of this POS and wait for my call for pickup.”Amanda chuckled over the comms. “Okay, Wolfie. Let us know when the shields are down, and we’ll hit that bastard with everything we’ve got.” “Oh, I’m looking forward to it.” Rindel slunk his way into the ship’s interior. He found a group of Legionaries huddled around a console, all but oblivious to the Hunter’s presence. I’m willing to bet that none of these troops are ready for something like this. Rindel felt his Ghost “grin” in his chest. Give me a second, I’ll see if there’s a way to sneak into the generator room-assuming that the Red Legion would put it somewhere obvious. Or, Rindel unslung his rifle and took aim at one of the Centurions. We can always just thin the herd while we look. Or we can do it the hard way. Solas’ sarcasm was palpable. Just- if you die, try to get flung out of range of their weapons? Rindel opened fire on the Cabal, delighting in their panicked response to his arrival. “As if I have a choice in where I land when I die.”One of the Cabal had the sense to draw its weapon and fired several bolts at the invading Guardian. Rindel tucked into a deft roll and returned fire with a volley of his own. A burst of black plumed from the Legionary’s head as it fell to the floor, with its fellow Cabal joining within seconds.“Now that they’re out of the way,” Solas phased into existence and passed a beam of light over the console the Cabal had been protecting. “There. I just stopped their trooper pods from deploying. And-” He paused a moment as if looking through a directory. “I was right. Totally unoriginal construction means the shield generator is at the back of the ship, below deck.”Rindel pulled back the bolt of his rifle as he considered his Ghost. “Okay, then. If we know where it is, let’s smoke it so the ground-boys can light ‘er up."  "So, let me get this right.” Rindel leaned against one the angled halls of the ship’s walkways. "The generator is on the complete opposite side of the ship compared to our position.”“Correct.” Solas passed a healing beam over his Guardian’s leg, healing a flesh wound on his thigh that had been made by one of the Cabal’s slug rifles.“And the best way to get there," Rindel continued, "Is the main deck of the ship.""Also correct." Solas confirmed."Crawling with tangoes who want nothing more than to kill us?" Rindel checked his equipment idly."Most likely."Rindel grinned behind his visor as he walked toward the door. "Cue the music."Solas let out a small laugh as he phased into Rindel, playing a recording of a man singing over a soft piano.
Tonight, I’m gonna have myself a real good time, I feel alive
Rindel stopped just before the door. “Not sure I’m feeling this song for our present situation, Solas.”
And the world, I’ll turn it inside-out, yeah
Oh, trust me on this one. Solas held his giddiness on full display. Wait for it…
And floating around in ecstasy, so don’t stop me now
The door slid open, revealing the upper deck of the Red Legion command ship. Rain fell in large drops onto the deck as lightning flashed in the distance. The song Solas chose increased in tempo and intensity.
Don’t stop me, ‘cause I’m having a good time, having a good time!
Rindel grinned as a drumbeat entered the song, dashing out from his position to engage a pair of diminutive Psions. The one to his left snarled as the one to his right held out a hand, creating a purple glow underneath Rindel’s feet.The glow dissipated as a force suddenly flung the Hunter five meters into the air. He twisted into a backflip, flinging his knives from his belt as he rotated to face them. Both blades found their mark, and Rindel ran past the slumping bodies almost as soon as he landed, making way for a larger open area.A hail of bullets and energy bolts greeted him. Rindel rolled on reflex, but still wound up catching a bolt in his side. He sprang behind a metallic container for cover as Solas materialized, treating his Guardian’s wound. “I count five legionaries in that group.” Solas mimed looking around the corner. “Plus an Incendior. Got a plan of attack?”“Yeah, I’ve got a plan.” Rindel drew on his light, creating a blade of Solar energy in his hand. “Attack.” He rounded the corner and threw the blade at the Incendior. The burning knife slashed through the Cabal’s armor like a hot knife through butter, and exploded half a moment later. The blast ruptured a pair of tanks on the Incendior’s back, which vaporized the remaining troops. Nice! Rindel got the impression of Solas pumping a fist. That structure to the left should have our generator.
Don't stop me, don't stop me, don't stop me, hey, hey, hey!

Don't stop me, don't stop me, Ooh ooh ooh!
The Hunter nodded and ran for it. An entryway big enough for a tank opened its maw, revealing a lone hulking Cabal- The Centurion gave a low chuckle as it raised a Bronto Cannon and fired several explosive blasts. A large plume of smoke erupted from the deck, and Rindel suspected the Cabal thought he had scored a direct hit- he heard a triumphant cry from across the deck.
Don't stop me, don't stop me, Have a good time, good time!

Don't stop me, don't stop me, Oh yeah!

Let loose, honey!
Rindel used the Light to spring into the air, then pulled on his Golden Gun. Volley after glorious volley of Solar Light cut into the Centurion, which burned to ash as he landed on the ground.Solas phased into view, the upper part of his eye light burning brightly.“That’s the last of them out here. Head straight ahead, then down- Our generator should be right there.” He paused a moment as his segments shifted. “I guess this song worked wonders after all, didn’t it?”Rindel smiled and held out a fist, which his Ghost knocked into. “Yeah, I’ll give you that.” He dropped down to the lowest level, using the Light to slow his descent. He entered the open door to the generator, a housing that held a massive fan-like turbine. “What do you think, little light?” Rindel considered his companion. “Double-aught or slugs?”Solas looked him directly in the eye. “Slugs. Buckshot would have too much spread."Rindel pulled his shotgun from its back holster and flicked the twin barrels downward. He pocketed the two red shells from the breach, then replaced them with a green pair, flipping the barrels back into position before leveling the weapon at what he presumed to be the weak point of the system. “Let’s try out that theory.”
Don't stop me now, I'm having such a good time

I'm having a ball

Don't stop me now

If you wanna have a good time

Just give me a call!
Rindel unleashed both barrels of his shotgun on the turbine. He cracked a grin as the unit broke free from the rotating shaft, flinging itself against the sides of its housing and irreparably damaging it.
Don't stop me now ('cause I'm having a good time)

Don't stop me now (yes, I'm havin' a good time)

I don't want to stop at all!
The Generator’s turbine ground to a halt as warning displays flashed red as the Hunter calmly reloaded his shotgun and stowed the weapon on his back. Rindel keyed the comm system. “Zavala! We did it! The shields are down! Give me ninety seconds to clear this thing and hit this sonova bitch with everything we have!”He heard nothing but the faint crackle of static in response.“That can’t be good.” Solas took over the comms, trying to re-adjust for maximum range. “Zavala? Commander, come in! Can you hear me?”Dead silence.“We don’t have time for this!” Rindel ran for a large door toward the back of the room. “They’ll see we cleared the shield, and I don’t wanna be here when this thing goes off.”“I’ll keep trying.” Solas frantically went through frequency after frequency. “Amanda! We’re headed topside! Can you hear us?”The door slid open automatically as Rindel rushed towards it. He keyed his comm system again, trying to hail anyone he could, but the sight of the moon-like Traveler stopped him. His eyes widened behind his visor. A set of dark tendrils now appeared to extend all the way around the Traveler.“By the Light,” Solas’ eye light grew. “How do we come back from this?”“You don’t.”The monstrously deep voice came from behind Rindel. He was almost certain that it would have shook the ground if it were any louder. He turned, rifle raised. Before him stood the largest Cabal he had ever seen, in stark white armor adorned with gold trim. Blood red eyes burned at him from muted gray skin, framing a facemask that reminded Rindel of a rebreather. He was flanked by a pair of Centurions, which held their position as their commander raised a hand.“Oh, I see.” Rindel kept his rifle trained on the massive Cabal. “You must be the big bad commander of these troops.” He paused a moment, considering the ruins clearly visible from their position. “Red Legion, right? I hope you have enough glimmer to cover all the property damage.”“While amusing, your words are without consequence.” The massive Cabal rumbled. His arm still raised, he motioned to the Traveler. “Welcome to a world without Light.”A shield activated from the tendrils, casting a deep orange glow around the Traveler. Rindel aimed his rifle and began to pull the trigger.He felt his knees slam to the deck as a splitting migraine radiated through his entire body. The rifle clattered to the floor as Rindel gasped, suddenly desperate for air. The pain lessened, leaving a dull agony and a throbbing headache reminiscent of his hangover from several days ago. He forced himself to look to Solas, who faltered in the air.“Rindel, I don’t… I don’t feel so good…” His Ghost’s eye light reduced to a pinprick as he fell out of the air completely. Rindel tried to catch him, but only fell to the floor.He forced himself to reach, all his muscles screaming in pain, to grab hold of his companion and drag it to his position. He was only vaguely aware of thundering footsteps approaching his position. He came to his knees and looked to the source of the noise.“Do not look at me, you pathetic creature!”The sharp pain returned as Rindel sailed through the air. He barely held onto Solas as he hit the deck face-first. He rolled for several feet before he opened his eyes again, revealing a splatter of blood- from his nose or mouth, he couldn’t tell which- and a spiderweb crack along his visor. He barely managed to pull Hawkmoon from its holster. The Cabal was on him instantly, holding Rindel’s entire arm in one hand.“You are weak!” The being snarled. “Undisciplined! You cower behind walls!” The Cabal suddenly moved his hand down past Rindel’s elbow and wrenched the limb the wrong way.Rindel screamed as he heard bones snap. Hawkmoon fell from his limp fingers, and the Cabal nonchalantly kicked the revolver away, sending it over the edge of the platform.“You’re not brave,” The white Cabal continued. “You’ve merely forgotten the fear of death.” He stood to full height, towering over the defenseless Guardian at his feet. “Allow me to re-acquaint you!” He reeled a foot back and kicked Rindel with enough force that he landed millimeters from the edge.Solas careened off the edge and into the rubble below. Rindel noticed all too late that his friend was gone, and fruitlessly called his Ghost’s name from the edge. Oh, this is all a bad dream. This is just a nightmare. C’mon Rindel, wake up! He realized it was not a dream as the monstrous Cabal grabbed him by the collar, holding him a full six feet off the ground.“Your kind never deserved the power you were given.” The Cabal considered Rindel, his voice almost filled with pity.“Who the hell are you?” Rindel managed to choke out.“I am Ghaul. And your Light is mine.” He released his grip, leaving the Lightless Hunter to fall over the edge. So, this is it. This is how I end. Rindel managed to look back at Ghaul, leaning his head over the edge. He held his good arm up, trying to pull on Light that wasn’t there. All he managed was to point a finger at the Cabal, as children of the city would do when playing Guardians and Fallen.
Bang.
Then blackness.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The Guardian Tower’s courtyard was normally a peaceful place in the summer. It wasn't unusual for citizens of the last city and Guardians alike to spend time in this place during the evenings. Vendors of all kinds would sell food, music would be played, and the people would smile, laugh, and enjoy these halcyon evenings together.  Now it was a hellish warzone. The jagged edges of upheaved stonework and rebar formed a stark contrast to a normalcy that had been thrown out the window by alien invaders- The Red Legion.Samantha hadn’t been a Guardian for that long - it had been perhaps three months since her Ghost had brought her back from the dead to fulfil a greater destiny- to protect Humanity and The Light. She had hoped that a return from her first mission would be a restful one- But as it would seem, fate had other plans. She and the Crucible’s handler, Lord Shaxx, along with a few other Guardians were now holding the tower, cutting down as many of the Red Legion’s troops as they could. As she reloaded her Pulse Rifle, her gaze rested on the heavily-shielded crimson capital ship that hung in the sky, close to the spherical Traveler. The only teammate she’d ever had, Rindel Zivas, was on that ship. When Zavala had radioed him to go aboard it and attempt to disable its shields, he hadn’t hesitated. He’d gone up there, alone. Most would have dismissed this as standard Guardian logic- meet the enemies of the Traveler head-on, and quickly if human lives were at stake. But Samantha knew better. Not too much, but better. Rindel was troubled. He held a deep regret within him for lost teammates. It was rare for Guardians to die permanent deaths-dying was of little consequence to Guardians when their Ghosts would bring them back to life. But his teammates had died, and he blamed himself. From what Samantha had been able to gather, he distanced himself from the Tower for the last five or so years, working exclusively on his own. “The Iron Wolf,” they called him. Samantha thought the moniker fitting- A loner with a heart of stone. So why was she so worried for him? No. Her eyes narrowed with determination. You’re thinking about the guy who killed Oryx. This is gonna be cake for him. He’ll be back in an hour, we’ll clear out whatever’s left and go back to how things were.  Then an orange glow surrounded the Traveler.She suddenly felt winded, as if she had been punched directly in the abdomen. Suddenly, none of her concerns mattered. She leaned against a nearby wall and drew a ragged breath as her rifle clattered to the ground. She didn’t feel pain, but something felt wrong. Deathly wrong. An armored figure picked himself up from the ground next to her. “What…” Shaxx spoke with a raw edge. “Samantha! Are you alright?” He moved to stand with some difficulty, as if suddenly unaccustomed to the weight of his heavy armor.Gunfire erupted in front of them. Samantha dove for her rifle as her hulking companion ran directly toward the source of the sound- what at first glance, looked like a pair of bipedal rhinoceroses, clad in deep red armor. He screamed a battle cry as he raised a longsword with a flaming edge. The enormous creatures responded with a shot each. Shaxx continued for several steps before he collapsed.“Lord Shaxx!” Samantha’s immediate instinct was to run to his side, but her combat training took over. She knelt as her rifle’s stock jumped up to her shoulder, the muzzle facing in the direction of the enormous aliens. In a fluid motion, she found her mark- the first alien’s left eyepiece- and pulled the trigger, letting loose a three-round burst. She had already pivoted her knee to face her second target as the first fell, and let loose a second burst.She ran to Shaxx, not letting go of her weapon for fear of facing more of the creatures. “Lord Shaxx!” She yelled, doing her best to roll him over as she knelt by him. “Shaxx, talk to me! Shaxx!”Shaxx let out a low groan as he slowly flipped himself onto his back. He suddenly grasped his right shoulder, hissing through his teeth. Blood flowed freely between his gloved fingers, staining the leather. “Axios!” He managed to choke out, his breath ragged.His Ghost did not materialize. Hey, Sam? She heard Ryu, her own Ghost in her head. I’m gonna… I’m gonna take five. Her eyes widened as the pieces slammed together in her mind. Their Ghosts were unable to function. They were suddenly weaker. She felt a void inside of herself. “The Light is gone.” She suddenly said. Shaxx cursed as he forced himself to sit up. “So it would seem, my Dragon. Damn it all.” He considered his arm, his voice wavering. “I… I’m useless now.”“You are not.” Samantha held out her hand. “Not as long as you can keep moving.” Besides, I’m the useless one, she thought bitterly.  “What do you mean, hold this area? With no Light, what can we hope to do?”A contingent of Guardians had gathered in one of the older Crucible sites. The labyrinth-like structures made it easier to set up ambush points against the Cabal, light or no light, but without their light or their abilities, the Guardians were still being cut down. Samantha sat with her back to a wall and wrapped her arms around her knees. She hardly paid attention to the Warlock making a fuss of their current situation.“So, you would rather run?” Shaxx had discarded the pauldron and most of the armor on his right arm. It was now hastily bandaged and hung in a sling made from a fallen Hunter’s cloak. “So long as we draw breath, it is our duty, no, the birthright of our rebirth, to defend this city!” He placed his hand on his hip. “We shall defend the city, down to the last man if we need to.”“That’s pretty bold talk coming from a man who’s down an arm.” A Hunter stood and walked toward Shaxx. “We need to face facts. We lost.” He let the words hang in the air. “The City is gone. And, damn it, I wanna get back at these guys as much as anyone else. But if I might borrow one of your quotes, we can't kill the enemy if we're-"A round zinged through the Hunter's helmet. Samantha scrambled to her feet as the body slumped to the floor. She rounded the corner of the building and pressed her back to the wall as Shaxx took up position next to her. The small contingent of Guardians had been caught off guard, and were quickly getting cut down by combined fire from the Red Legion troops. Samantha pulled back the action on her rifle as Shaxx awkwardly readied a hand cannon in his left hand, audibly hissing in pain. The Crucible handler nodded away from the carnage and began moving away from the gunfire. Samantha followed hesitantly. The Hunter’s logic had been sound- they needed to find a way out of the city if they wanted any chance at survival, let alone freeing the city. Now, the chances seemed slim to none that they would even be able to make their way out with their lives.As they came to the next alley, Shaxx raised his cannon and fired. He managed to fire four rounds before he was backhanded by a Red Legion Centurion. Samantha raised her rifle and pulled the trigger.  Click! Her heart dropped out of her chest. She backpedaled away from the enormous alien as she discarded her rifle and pulled her pistol from its holster. Suddenly, she fell. The pistol flew from her hand as her head hit the ground with a crack. She forced her eyes to open in time to feel and enormous hand lift her off of the ground. The Cabal Legionary emitted a dark chuckle as a thick blade sprang from its wrist. It held Samantha at arm’s length and moved the tip of the blade to her throat.
Just please make it quick.
A flurry of thoughts and emotions ran through Samantha's head. Rage, regret, hopelessness and bitter sorrow. And yet, she found her thoughts directed, almost unanimously, towards the Awoken Hunter that had been her teammate.She had been unable to do more. Perhaps if she had gone along with him aboard the Cabal capital ship. If Rindel had backup, this would all have been avoided. Instead, here she was, about to die.And, more than likely, she was about to join him in death. She shut her eyes and waited for the final blow.
Rindel… I’m sorry.
The Cabal suddenly released her. Samantha fell on her back, her visor shattered as her helmet took the brunt of the impact on her head. She coughed as she slowly rolled over to take a knee. The enormous alien had slumped down to the floor, a sizeable hole in its head."All clear!" A commanding female voice called out. Samantha looked to the source of the noise- an olive-skinned athletic woman with a hooded poncho. She slung her sniper rifle as she cracked a grin. "Well lookie here." She activated a radio-style COMM link on a shoulder strap. "Hey Devrim! Looks like somebody left some perfectly good Guardians just laying around. I'm finishing up here."Samantha stood, slowly pulling off her helmet. She let it drop to the ground as she slowly backed up to a wall. She could hardly hear anything that her rescuer said as she spoke to Shaxx. She looked down at her hands. They were shaking. “Hey.” She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up. The poncho-clad sniper had her brows raised. “This sector’s clear for the moment, but they’re gonna fill this back in real quick once they get wind of the casualties. Let’s get you out of here.”Samantha stared at the sniper for a moment. Her lips tightened as she gave a nod. The sniper made her way over to Shaxx. “That goes for you too, big guy.” She tried to pull Shaxx up with some difficulty. “Hey, help me out here, blondie!”Samantha snapped out of her thoughts and rushed over to help Shaxx to his feet. “Who are you? A Hunter?”The sniper smirked. “What, a Guardian? Hell no.” Samantha gave a sidelong look to the stranger as they helped pull Shaxx to his feet. “City militia?”“Considering I crossed an ocean to get here?” The stranger snorted. “Nah, I got the hell out of here while I could. You’re just lucky that I care about people too much to just let them die.” She held out a hand. “Name’s Hawthorne.”Samantha took her hand. “Samantha Drake. Thanks, by the way. Y’know, for saving us.” Hawthorne eyes narrowed as she looked down at Samantha’s hand. “Take a breath, blondie. Fight’s over for now.”Samantha looked back to her hand. Still shaking. Still not used to mortality.Shaxx cleared his throat. “We owe you a debt of gratitude, miss. Thank you.”Hawthorne smirked. “No need. Like I said, I just can’t stand people dying. Now, far as I can tell, you guys have two choices.” She turned and headed for the wall. “Stay here and get yourselves killed, or come with us and see if you can make a difference. What’ll it be?”To her surprise, Shaxx followed. “What you do is your choice, my Dragon. Don’t feel a need to go just because I am.” Samantha considered her hand, still shaking from her brush with death. If she stayed here in the thick of things, she’d likely end up dying. And then what? After that, she couldn’t protect anyone or anything.Her hand clenched into a tight fist. No. Rin would lull them into a sense of security and tear their hold down. And since he’s gone, I have to do it instead. She took a breath and followed Hawthorne, vowing revenge on the Red Legion.   He was tired. So very tired. Rindel came to with start. He opened his eyes, and all he saw was darkness. By the light. Am I dead after all? He raised his left arm to his face, only to find something in front of his helmet’s visor. He tugged at what felt like a heavy tarp, and the world revealed itself.It was about that time that the pain set in. Almost as soon as he saw the darkness of night above him, his eyes screwed shut as he grit his teeth, doing his best to avoid screaming. With the pain came memory. Memories of having his arm broken, of being dropped from a command vessel.Memories of the Traveler, captured. And losing his Ghost. He remembered the colossal white Cabal who was the commander of these troops. His head felt so heavy. He could just close his eyes and drift off into death.
“Your kind never deserved the power you were given. I am Ghaul. And your light is mine.”
Soon he would die. Ghaul would win and humanity would be all but extinct. No. This is not how this ends. His eyes shot open with a burst of determination. Ignoring the pain in his arm, he slowly rolled over once, which was enough to loosen the tangle he was in. He recoiled slightly as water dripped onto his face from the dark night sky- the visor itself was completely broken, with only a few shards of glass left to stubbornly proclaim that it had even been there in the first place, letting rain fall through. Rindel forced himself to sit- everything was pain. But he couldn’t let himself go now. Not with no light and to a foe that had to contain the Traveler just to stand a chance. He caged it. His face scrunched up angrily as he thought of the orange glow that had encased the giant sphere. The Cabal took out Light and there wasn’t a damned thing I could do about it.  He gingerly stood, wincing as his legs took his full weight. An attempt to walk normally left pain shooting up the side of his leg. He cursed as he grabbed for it with his good hand. Then he heard the scratching of metal on metal and the boom of enormous footsteps, and his blood ran cold. He flung himself to the floor and prayed they’d think him dead. Pain shot all around him, but he willed himself to remain completely still. The ground shook as Red Legion foot soldiers drew nearer. “Ferus!” One yelled. “Another stray!” Rindel felt a pressure against his back- the gigantic muzzle of the Cabal’s rifle. “I’m up by one!”“Hold fire, Nirak.” A second voice rumbled. “This one is already deceased, and the goal is live ones, remember?”Rindel felt the muzzle shove into his back. I am a corpse, he thought. I do not move. I do not react.  If he couldn’t pull this off, he’d be right soon enough. “This one has no marks about him,” Nirak protested. “Why not make sure?”“This is the one the Dominus flung from The Immortal. ” Ferus mused. “He fell at least a kilometer- nothing could survive that.” Rindel heard an armored foot turn. “We’re still even on kills. Don’t bother with this one. Save your ammunition for the ones that need it.”The first Cabal made a sound like a metallic hiss, and Rindel felt the giant mass lift off of his body and the ground vibrate with the Cabal’s steps. I am a corpse, he thought again. I do not move. He waited for what felt like an eternity before trying to stand again. He moved deliberately,  limping his way into the open. Every step was agony. His muscles burned as he fought an overwhelming and all-consuming desire to just keel over and die.In the face of death, he stubbornly refused. This is not how I end. He doggedly walked on. Not here, not to cowards like these.  Perhaps the strain of keeping himself upright distracted him, or perhaps it was these thoughts of vengeance. But he was so consumed that he didn’t notice an errant piece of rubble in his path until he stepped on it. He immediately lost balance, stumbling a few feet before he landed on his broken arm. His eyes screwed shut as he willed himself to not scream. “G... Guardian?” A familiar voice. He opened his eyes, his vision blurred through tears of pain. A Ghost wearing a horrendously beaten-up shell, darkened with soot and grime. The Ghost made a sound like a sob and flew into Rindel’s chest. Suddenly, the pain didn’t matter. Rindel grabbed the Ghost and held it as close as he could to himself. “Solas, don’t you dare wander off like that again.” He chuckled in spite of himself through his pain. “I was so sure I’d lost you.”"Guardian... Rindel," Solas said shakily. "The Light... It's gone. They've taken the City, the Traveler... Everything.”“I know, Little Light, I know.” Rindel stroked his partner’s shell with his thumb. “I’m useless.” Solas turned downward in Rindel’s hand. “You’re so badly hurt, and with no light…” Suddenly, Solas shot up in the air. “Wait. I feel… I feel Light!” his eye burned brightly with realization. “Rindel! The Sliver!”Rindel’s eyes widened. That’s right! The shard of the Traveler we found in Old Chicago! He felt around his pockets and pulled out what looked like a small chunk of marble. “Can you use it?”Solas suddenly spun his segments and Rindel felt the familiar pleasant cooling touch of Solas’ healing. After a moment, he flexed his right arm. There was no break, and his leg felt much better, too. He stood and looked to his companion. “Good thinking, Solas. Now, it could be too much to ask, but d’you think-”"Nevermind that!” Solas’ eye darted back and forth. “The Red Legion is killing Lightless Guardians. We have to get out of here. Can you walk?”Rindel got on his feet and squatted a few times. “I think I can do more than that.” He reached out and stroked his companion’s shell. “I guess Ghaul didn’t trap all of the Light, did he?”Solas trembled slightly in mid-air and phased into Rindel. Assuming Ghaul is the Red Legion commander… The Ghost’s voice sounded somehow tired now. There wasn’t much Light in that shard, Rin. Enough to heal you… but that’s about all. I don’t think you’ll be able to use your Golden Gun or any of your other attunements. Rindel darted from a low wall toward a storm drain, sliding in and landing, cat-like, on the concrete below. I can make do. I’m more than just a flaming revolver. You’re also completely unarmed. Head into the sewers if you can. Rindel almost felt Solas frown. Most of the Cabal are too big for those tunnels. If we want to get out, that’d be our best option.  The Hunter smirked and made his way down the storm drain, quiet as a whisper. Not completely unarmed. He reached up and felt the handle of his shotgun over his shoulder Any word on a rendezvous? Light or no Light, it’ll be easier to fight these bastards with numbers.  I'm picking up an emergency broadcast. Even in phase, Solas sounded out of breath. They... They're evacuating the planet. Rindel felt a tremble within him. We're on our own. He came across a broken grate just big enough for him to squeeze through. Alone or not, We need to keep moving. For Sarra, if nothing else. We’re gonna find a way to kill that sonuva bitch and take the Light back. A synthesized chuckle. We are at the weakest we’ve ever been. Even when I first brought you back and you were gaining your control over the Light, you were more powerful than this. What makes you think you can? Rindel stopped and frowned as he came to a rusted-over grate that lead beyond the wall. Because I’ll be dead if I can’t. And so will a lot of other people. He drew the shotgun from his back, pressed the muzzle against one of the anchoring points and pulled both triggers.A fizzle emanated from the breach of the weapon. Rindel swore and broke open the action. Both shells were scorched. So much for our escape. He heard his Ghost chuckle again. Any more brilliant ideas? Only one I’ve got. Rindel threw the dud shells away and placed the shotgun back in its pouch before pressing a boot against the grate, nearest to a support. The old support snapped, and the others simply could not support the grate any longer. It fell out onto the ground with a dull thud.As the Hunter landed in the field just outside the walls, his Ghost piped up. If we’re gonna stand any kind of chance, we’ll need supplies. Rindel felt a small shiver inside of him. Twilight Gap should have an outpost. We’re about 20 kilometers out.  Rindel took in a deep breath. He took a look up the vast wall that surrounded the city and clenched a fist. Ghaul would get his comeuppance. He would make sure of it. He set off into the night, unsure of how he might accomplish this task.    “Samantha? We’re here.”Samantha jolted awake. She bolted up out of her chair, ready for a fight. She heard Hawthorne laugh. “Geez! Still on edge, blondie?” She leaned against the dropship’s bulkhead and smirked. “Relax. You’re very far away from any threat, Red Legion or otherwise.”Samantha lowered her fists slowly and let out a breath she hadn’t even been aware she was holding. She shut her eyes as she tried to refocus. 
No Red Legion, no Fallen, nothing. We’re safe out here.

In theory.
She opened her eyes, and did her best to assume a look of confidence. “Thanks again for that. We appreciate your hospitality and-”“Oh my God,” Hawthorne rolled her eyes, motioning to the door just behind her. “You don’t have to be that polite. C’mon.” She slung her rifle over her shoulder and exited the ship.Samantha followed out to find that they had landed in a large field. Several other ships landed all around them, and Guardians piled out of the craft in droves. Shaxx gingerly made his way out of one, his arm now in a proper sling. He made his way over to Samantha with an older man in olive battle fatigues.“Ah, Suraya!” The older man’s face beamed with a smile, contorting his short, graying beard. “Lord Shaxx and I have been discussing some fortification options now that we have a heap of Guardians here at the farm. If you’d like, I can put the kettle on for us.”“Later, Devrim.” Hawthorne considered Samantha. “We can start up on that tomorrow. Any news from Trostland?”“A few groups of Fallen, but nothing for us to be concerned with.” Devrim glanced at a wristwatch. “There’s a few hours until sunrise. We have patrols out already, so we should have this lot get some rest while they can.”“What can I do?” Samantha frowned. “I mean, I got some rest on the way over, and-”“You need as much as you can get, my dear dragon.” Shaxx held his head down. “You’ll need your strength yet.” He clasped Devrim on the shoulder. “Now then, about that tea…”“Ah, yes.” Devrim chuckled. “Over this way. I was rather hoping we might continue our discussion of the Fallen Houses. The Devil’s dialect is really quite fascinating.” As the pair left, Hawthorne cleared her throat. “Okay Guardians, listen up! There’s a campsite set up on the other side of that stream. Link up with the refugees who are already there for now. You’ve got a long day ahead of you tomorrow, so get what rest you can now.”   Samantha held her hands behind her head. She had been able to find a light sleeping bag with a thin padding between her and the ground. She longed for her small apartment, for her bed and her books. She would give anything to be able to talk with Ryu right now. Her Ghost had been the only friend she had. She had gone away with the light, and it all made her feel like a husk of her former self.
S… Sam?
She heard her Ghost’s voice in her head. “Ryu! You’re okay!” She kept her voice down with some difficulty. “It might be too much to ask, but… Can you exit phase?”Her Ghost appeared in a small ribbon of light. Ryu hovered in the air for a second before collapsing onto the sleeping bag. Samantha held her friend close and refused to let go.“I was so worried about you.” Heat grew behind her eyes. “Everyone’s Ghosts stopped responding all at once, and the Red Legion started killing Guardians, and... “ She choked back a sob. “Ryu, I thought you might never wake up.”“But I did.” Ryu pressed into Samantha’s shoulder. “I’d never give up on you. You know that.”Samantha held onto her Ghost and cried herself to sleep.    “Just another five hundred meters.” Solas said wearily. “Hopefully you can find a place to get some rest.”Rindel soldiered on, feeling worn-out himself. Guardians depended on the light for more than their fantastic abilities and reviving from death - Their Ghosts were able to heal injuries and ensure that they could push themselves much harder than any normal human. With the light, the twenty kilometer hike would have been a cakewalk, even through the mountainous region just outside the city’s walls. Now, he was tired and hungry, with a dull ache throughout his legs.“Let’s just hope that there’s still supplies to be had,” He managed to get out, his breath ragged. “I doubt we’re the only ones who thought about this.”As he exited the thicket of the forest, the outpost came into view- a series of blocky buildings of weathered concrete and rusted metal.Rindel didn’t care. He thought it was the most beautiful building he’d ever seen. He made his way to a door and smiled. 
Maybe I’m no so screwed after all.
"Solas, layover a map on my HUD. Mark where the-" He cut himself short and sighed."Oh, right." His Ghost floated in front of his face. "No visor." He spun his shell's segments for a moment before he continued. "The old floorplan puts storage around the corner, first door on your left." Rindel ran to the door and opened it. Bottles and cans were strewn around, but some still remained. He found a unopened bottle of water and took a drink. It tasted awful - it had obviously been sitting there for some time.He took a bracing breath and glulped the water down."Careful. Don't drink too fast." His Ghost admonished him. "That water won't do you any good if you throw it all back up."He set the water down and capped it. "Thanks." He looked around him. "Now, let's see. Any bags we can-"His Ghost entered phase and vanished. Movement. Opposite end of the hallway.  Solas warned. Human-sized. Likely not Cabal or Fallen.And naturally, no Light signatures to detect, either. Rindel drew his shotgun and called out into the hallway. "Okay then! I know you're here." He cautiously made his way out of the room, making a point to stick the muzzle of the weapon out first. It would be imposing,weather or not it was loaded. "Look, don't make a mistake here. I'm trying to survive, just like you are. There's plenty of stuff for both of us if you just-He felt a sharp crack on the back of his head, fell to the floor and faded out of consciousness.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Open your eyes.”

Samantha felt her eyes open, slowly. Her surroundings were blurred out of recognition -  Everything looked white and nondescript, and she felt horrendously tired. What she would give for her bed, to lie down and-

“Samantha. Come here.”

She turned, finding herself face-to-face with a figure in flowing white robes as her vision came into focus. For a moment, she thought she was looking at the Speaker, but realized that this figure wore the garb of a Warlock, and the Speaker, though many things, was not a Guardian.

“Who are you?” She stood her ground.

The white Warlock chuckled. “An important question, to be sure, and one I cannot answer fully for fear of time. For the sake of brevity, you can consider me to be a herald of the Traveler.” It beckoned her to come closer. “Come, my child. I have much to show you and only a short time to show it.”

Samantha’s eyes widened. A million questions filled her mind as she made her way closer to the White Warlock. How could the Traveler communicate with them if the Cabal had their cage around it? Why had it decided to wait until now to reach out to Guardians?

And why her? Surely, there were better Guardians to receive this message than one rezzed three months ago.

As Samantha neared the White Warlock, it held a hand out, and suddenly, their surroundings shifted - It was a view of the Last City from a distance, with the Traveler cast in a hateful orange glow. “The power that has been given to you has been taken and sealed in a cage, and now those usurpers have taken your home.” The figure turned to face her directly, its face covered in a blank, white mask. “You must take your power back before it is too late.”

“How?” Samantha held out her hands. “The Traveler is blocked off. We can’t do anything!”

She swore she saw a smile through the White Warlock’s mask. “That is not entirely true.” The scenery shifted again, crossing over mountains and oceans, until it finally settled - Samantha recognized the rolling hills and towering mountains - And a shape like a bone-white, curved fang that towered over the scenery.

“Wait a second. I’ve seen that from the Farm.” Samantha looked at the masked Warlock incredulously. “It’s supposed to be a shard of the-”

“Yes. You must go there, Samantha.” The scenery shifted, showing a Guardian at the base of the Shard – A Warlock, shining brightly with regained Light. “But, you will not be alone.” A second figure appeared – A Hunter, similarly engulfed in Light. “You and your partner will gain back the Light and will free the Traveler from its cage.”

The Warlock turned to face her directly. “The way will be treacherous and fraught with peril. But fear not, Samantha. We all have our parts to play – And this is your destiny.”

Before Samantha could ask anything more, the world faded away.
  Samantha bolted upward into consciousness, breathing heavily. What was that dream? Was the Traveler actually communing with her?She processed this as the smell of antiseptic and the soft beep of medical equipment made their presence known. Shaxx moaned softly as he gripped at his bandaged shoulder, still asleep. While most of the Cabal slug had been removed from the wound, the round had fragmented, and several shards remained. He had a long road ahead of him before he recovered, and even then, his shoulder would never work properly again, unless they could regain their Light.Samantha frowned. If they still had the Light, this would have been as simple as having his Ghost transmat the shards out of his body and healing him. Even if only she had the Light, she could create a Healing Rift and…She stopped mid thought.
I could bring the injured back to full strength.
That settled it. She stood to full height, discarding every trace of tiredness. She quickly and quietly made her way out of the farmhouse. She would need to make her way out toward the Shard – And for that, she’d need a way to get out there.She took in a deep breath of the early morning air to steel her resolve before turning and heading directly for the barn on the property, which housed several light vehicles. As she pulled her arms through the sleeves of her disheveled robes, her dream – no, her vision ran through her head. “Hey Ryu. You up?”Her Ghost materialized and affected a yawn, all her segments expanding outward for a moment. “I am now.” Her segments spun as she tilted, inquisitive. “Heading to the Barn? Are we on hunting duty again?”Samantha shook her head. Over the past several days, she had teamed up with Hawthorne and several Guardians to increase the food stocks any way they could – foraging for mushrooms, finding berries or other fruits, or hunting for wild boar and deer. She was sure that if she volunteered again today, she might be able to make her way toward the shard, which was centrally located in a region Hawthorn had called the European Dead Zone. “I have something else in mind. I had a…” She paused a moment. “…vision last night. We need to make our way to the Shard of the Traveler.”Ryu’s eye-light tightened down to a pinprick. “W-what? Wait, a vision? ” She came up to eye level and tilted downward, her voice hushed. “You think… is the Traveler reaching out to you?”Samantha nodded. “I think so. I was spoken to by a Warlock. They said they were a ‘Herald,’ and told me to go to the Shard, that I would know what to do.”“By the Light.” Ryu spun her segments, thinking. “If there’s a trace of Light there, there’s a chance you could channel it. The only way to know for sure would be to make our way out there.”Samantha nodded as they entered the barn. The place had a musty smell about it - a mix of motor oil, gasoline and tobacco smoke. The lone occupant in the structure was a tall, lanky man with long chestnut colored hair that draped past his shoulders. He wore heavily stained, dark gray coveralls and was in the middle of welding a piece of pipe while the rhythmic strum of an acoustic guitar played over a set of speakers. He stopped and flipped up a protective faceplate and examined the work before he cut power to the welder and doffed the helmet. He turned to set it down on a workbench and started as he saw Samantha. “Sweet Christmas!” Casey took a breath and gently set down the helmet. “Do all Guardians like sneaking up on people?”Samantha held a hand over her mouth, suppressing a smile. “I mean, it doesn’t help that you’re blasting music… and welding.” She looked over to his work. It looked like a metal traffic cone, with a length of pipe extending out the top of it that ended in a hinge. “What’s this?”“A little idea I had for the Puma.” Casey reached into a chest pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes, one of which he grabbed with his teeth. He quickly slid the pack into his pocket and light the cigarette with a worn lighter that looked as if it had come out of the Golden Age. “Let’s say I was inspired by you Guardians.” He took a deep drag and blew twin plumes of smoke from his nostrils.“I’ll take your word for it.” Samantha looked over to the old truck that was parked just outside. Casey had extensively modified the civilian light-duty truck over many years to be a capable off-road vehicle, something that Samantha had witnessed first hand over the course of several days. Trying to keep the tone light and avoid raising suspicions, she pointed to it. “Speaking of that. Why ‘Puma?’”Casey took a seat on a beat-up office chair and leaned back, causing the furniture to squeak. “What d’ya mean?”Samantha looked over the vehicle. It looked somewhat animalistic, with large fender flares that vaguely looked the haunches of a wild animal. “I don’t know. With that winch and those upward supports, they look like tusks to me.”“Talk straight. What’s your point?” Casey flicked a section of ash off of his cigarette with obvious annoyance.Samantha sighed. “I just think it looks like a warthog. Y’know what I mean?”Casey rolled his eyes. “Look, see those antenna arrays up on the cab, how they stick out the sides?” He pointed at the vehicle with the cigarette before taking another puff. “Those look like whiskers. And what kind of animal has whiskers?”“A walrus.” Another Guardian answered, causing both Samantha and Casey to jump.“How do y’all keep doin’ that?” Casey picked up his still lit cigarette from the floor and took another drag. “I swear, someone oughta put bells on you jokers.”Samantha rolled her eyes. “Madrid, is it really necessary for you to sneak up on people?”The new Guardian, Madrid, laughed and pulled back the hood of his camouflaged cloak – He was an Awoken, with a skin tone somewhere between blue and purple and deep violet hair that cut off at his shoulders. “I keep telling you, I need to stay stealthy. I have to keep practicing somehow if we’re hoping to kill Ghaul.”Casey took a last pull from his cigarette and ground the butt into an old hubcap where several of its brethren lay. “You still think you can take him out?”“The boar I bagged tells you everything you need to know.” Madrid had his hands on his hips. “Not to sound cocky or anything, but put me in a position where I’m half a mile from Ghaul with a sniper rifle and a clear line of sight, and the Red Legion is over and done with.”Samantha grinned. Madrid was a bit cocky, but he did have genuine skill to back it up. Maybe all Hunters were like that in some way.Her eyes widened with realization. The Herald had mentioned a partner as it showed her the shard. In the vision, there had been a Warlock next to the Shard, engulfed in Light.And a Hunter.Before she had a chance to say anything, Hawthorne rounded the entrance to the barn and beamed when she saw the Guardian pair. “Oh, perfect! I was hoping I might find you two around.” She hefted a rifle over her shoulder. “You two up for giving the Fallen and the Red Legion a black eye?”Samantha pushed down any mention of the Shard - This could be their way to it’s vicinity. “How do you plan to do that?”Hawthorne held up a small device that looked like a radio transponder and grinned. “Remember that Servitor you took down the other day on the hunt? Devrim had the brilliant idea to rig it to send out a nasty message to the Legion troops in the area. If we get ‘em at each other's throats…”Madrid smiled. “They’ll have their boots off of our necks. Nice.” He looked back to Samantha. “I’m game. Are you in?”Samantha’s thoughts swirled. Everything was falling into place for her to get to the Shard. 
So, why do I feel so apprehensive?
She took in a breath and forced herself to smile. “Let’s do it.”Casey grabbed a brimmed hat and put it on his head as he grabbed a key. “Well, what the hell. Where to?”Hawthorne’s face hardened. “The EDZ. We’re going closer to the Shard.”  Madrid’s face scrunched together, as if the Hunter had smelled something rotten. “I still don’t understand why there’s only one rifle.”Hawthorne narrowed her eyes as she faced Madrid. “We aren’t the only ones out on patrol  and there’s not much iron to go around. You’re lucky I was able to put together enough so you both have backups.”The Puma’s truck bed had a small locker that the group was pulling weapons out of - Samantha was already holstering a worn, squarish pistol with a long barrel - Hawthorne had mentioned that it had an integrated suppressor. She eyed an old-looking rifle with rotary sights and a compound bow that made up the remaining arsenal. Samantha sighed with a degree of resignation. “Well, take your pick, I guess. I’ve seen bows used before, but haven’t used one myself, so-”Madrid raised an eyebrow, and Samantha stopped herself mid-sentence. He grabbed the rifle from the box and held it out to her. “Go on. I can handle a bow.”Casey pulled up the brim from his hat as he spun around from his place in the driver’s seat. “If you’re good with a bow, then don’t complain, Legol- ass, ” He pulled out another cigarette and ignited the tip as Madrid rolled his eyes. “If you three are all dandy, I’ll head on back for now. Ping me when you’re ready for pick up.”Hawthorne clipped the transponder to her belt and slung her rifle over her shoulder. “You two good?” Samantha loaded her rifle and pulled back the action with a satisfying clack. “Now that I’ve got this I am.”Hawthorne pounded on the side of the truck and Casey nodded, shifting into gear and taking off down the vague dirt trail they had arrived on. “Okay, so let’s go over this one more time from the top.” She pointed to a raised landmass that was dwarfed by the ominous glow of the Shard of the Traveler. “If we’re getting this signal out, we need this transponder up high. There’s an old salt mine around here with a radio tower on top of it. That should be high enough to get the signal out to the Red Legion in the area.”“We’ll be closer to the Shard than you like, be careful around the area, all that good stuff.” Madrid adjusted a cylindrical quiver at the small of his back. “Reports of Fallen in the area, so we make sure to drop them before they have a chance to do the same to us.”Samantha looked up to the Shard. “When was the last time anyone went to the Shard, anyhow?” She tried to say it offhandedly, as to not draw too much suspicion.Hawthorne pressed her lips together. “If you’re thinking about making your way over there, don’t. A few Guardians went out over that way a few days ago and never came back.” She turned and waved an arm forward. “We can’t afford to lose anyone else.”Samantha frowned as Hawthorne led their group onward. She needed to figure out a way to get to the Shard, with or without Madrid. I’ll figure out a point where I can slip away as we get closer.  As they went further and further in, Samantha couldn’t help but to be mesmerized. The woods in this part of Europe were dense, with occasional breaks in the foliage that led to wide-open grassland. It was obvious that, even in the Golden Age, this part of the world had been remarkably, gloriously untouched, save for the odd wooden structures they came across during their trek- maybe homes or sheds, but all covered in moss and collapsed under the weight of time’s slow, unending gait. She suddenly heard Ryu in her head. Sam. Madrid’s talking to you. She snapped out of her reverie and looked toward Madrid. His yellow eyes burned like candle flames in the shade of the trees. "What's on your mind? You looked deep in thought."Samantha tried to give an easy smile. "I haven't been out of the City too much. Newly rezzed and all." She held up a hand, blocking a spot of sunlight through the leaves. "Sometimes, it's just hard to believe that the world still has this much beauty left in it."Madrid smiled. "A piece of advice. Remember moments like these. They're reminders of why all the fighting's worth it." He paused, pointing a finger to her right hand. "You're a damned good shot for a newbie. Your fireteam's lucky to have you." His smile rapidly changed into a frown. "Sorry, I mean-""Yeah, I know." Samantha took in a deep breath, trying to refocus herself. "I mean, I only went on one mission with another Guardian, and the Cabal attacked as we were on our way back."There was a noticeable pause before Madrid spoke again. "Did they make it?"Samantha closed her eyes, fighting the burning sensation behind them. "Considering he was on the capital ship when the Cabal took the Traveler…"Madrid nodded somberly. "I'm sorry for your loss."“It’s okay.” Sam raised a hand. “I mean, we all lost people, right? Moping won’t bring them back. "“No, but we can still remember, right?” Madrid looked off into the distance. “I was rezzed almost two hundred years ago. I’ve seen all kinds of things- Twilight Gap, the Taken War, the SIVA crisis, you name it. But this is something else. We lost a lot of good people, and we’ll probably lose a lot more before everything is said and done." He looked up into the canopy of leaves overhead. "They say that you die twice. Once when life leaves you, and again when you are no longer remembered. We can keep them alive in our heads and hearts. So, talk about it. If you want to, I mean."Samantha stopped for a moment. She swallowed, then started talking."He was an Awoken Hunter, like you. A gunslinger to the core- he would be just as likely to use that huge cannon of his as he would his knives. He was… actually, an amazing teammate."Madrid had turned to face her at the mention of an Awoken Hunter. "Anyone I'd know?"Samantha shook her head. "He'd apparently been away from the city for a while, doing things on his own."Madrid chuckled softly. "Sounds like a lot of Hunters I know. There's a lot of us that fall into that lone wolf stereotype." “It’s just... He was my first teammate. And now he’s gone.” Damn. She didn't realize how much still needed to unpack. But with everything going on, how had she had the time? “I can understand.” Madrid closed his eyes a moment. “I’ve lost team members before. It’s not easy to deal with even with the Light.”“I just wish he hadn’t been so damned stubborn.” Samantha unconsciously gripped the armature of the rifle tighter. “If I’d been there…”“Stop right there.” Madrid held a hand up. “You go down that road of blame, you might never come back.” He sighed softly and continued. “See, I knew this one Hunter. He was one of the best Gunslingers I’ve seen before or since. Fiercely loyal, too. You could count on him to pull some crazy idea out of his ass to get the mission done.”Samantha forced a small smile, glad to be out of her headspace of self-blame. “What happened to him?”Madrid took in a breath and held it a moment before answering. “I’m assuming that you’ve read up on the Taken War, right?” Samantha nodded. “Well, this guy went up against Oryx. His team wasn’t the first - team after team were being pushed back by Oryx's daughters, but when he went in? He got this crazy idea to punch a hole through the Drednaught’s hull.” Madrid brought his hands together and pulled them apart for effect. “Vented the atmosphere in that part of the ship, bye bye Deathsingers.”Samantha raised an eyebrow. “How did he manage that without getting himself or his team sucked out?”Madrid chuckled. “He had his team dig in while he went in on his own. Apparently some shaped charges and a Gjallarhorn did the trick for the bulkhead. He wrapped a rope around his waist and this huge Titan reeled him back in.” He looked Samantha in the eye. “Like I said, crazy.”Samantha snorted, smiling fully in spite of herself. “Sounds like someone I know. You still haven’t told me what happened to this guy.” Madrid clicked his tongue. “You’re pretty sharp. So, they went in, and fought against the Taken King. That Hunter was the only one who came out. He lost his whole team.” Samantha’s eyes widened with sudden realization. Is he talking about- “After that, he just sort of… broke.” Madrid’s lips pressed together, forming a straight line. “He became overwhelmed with grief. He holed himself up in his apartment for a few months, then suddenly left on his own.” He paused, scratching at his cheek. “He came back once or twice, but… He wasn’t the same. It’s like he became some kind of revenant.”Samantha felt her pulse quicken. She was almost certain Madrid was talking about Rindel. “Madrid, that Hunter- was his name-”She stopped talking as Hawthorne held up a fist. They had stopped at a small chasm with a ghostly glow emanating from it. Hawthorne looked back at the pair. “Okay guys, enough flirtin’. The corruption’s running deep around here. Let’s keep moving and get in and out.” She double-checked her rifle and leapt over the chasm with a running start.Samantha’s cheeks burned as Madrid chuckled. After they had cleared the jump, the journey became more suspenseful - The Shard dominated the landscape, casting a deep shadow over the area. The lush canopy was now replaced by barren, dead-looking trees that twisted in and around each other unnaturally. It was little wonder that people thought this place was haunted.She was already on high-alert when Hawthorne raised a fist again. She brought her hand down and all three went down to a crouch. Hawthorne looked back to Samantha and Madrid and spoke in a whisper. “Group of Fallen up ahead. Looked like five or six. Could be a scouting party.”Madrid pulled an arrow from his quiver as Samantha debated slinging her rifle in favor of her pistol. “If we can take ‘em out quickly, they won't have time to call for their buddies.” Samantha nodded to Madrid. “How many can you take out before they notice?”Madrid threw up the hood of his cloak and chanced a look. “Six. Looks like standard formation for ‘em - little bastards up front, big one in the back.” He came back down and frowned. “The Captain will just radio in for reinforcements as soon as I drop one of the Dregs. We’ll need to take him out first.”Samantha shifted on a knee. “Can you flank around them?”Madrid shook his head. “Not at this distance. “Captain is the priority. Hawthorne, get him in your sights and take him out, we’ll mop up the rest in the confusion.”Samantha shouldered her rifle and flicked the safety off as Hawthorne slowly pulled her rifle from her back and lay down on the ground in a prone position. “Okay.” Hawthorne whispered. “Mark your targets, drop them as soon as I fire.”Samantha aimed for one of the Dregs at the front of the group and waited for the report of Hawthorne’s rifle. She took in a breath and let it half out, ready to take it out with one burst. Suddenly, the Dreg froze, holding up a hand. It barked something to the others in its language and suddenly, the Fallen raised their weapons. Oh no! We’ve been spotted! Ryu wailed in Samantha’s head.Hawthorne let a round loose. Samantha dropped her Dreg with a single automatic burst. Hawthorne hissed. “Oh, shit! The sonuvabitch ducked!”Samantha grit her teeth. A second Dreg dropped in her peripheral vision with an arrow in its eye socket. Bark from a nearby tree trunk exploded as one of the Fallen’s weapons hit it, showering the trio in debris. Samantha got another Dreg in her sights and squeezed the trigger, dropping the Fallen in a burst of light-blue Ether. She maneuvered her way around the tree trunk, ready to find a new target. Even with the Captain still in the picture, these Dregs were going down quickly. Just one more and-“Sam! Look out!” Madrid’s warning came as Samantha heard the sharp sound of a sword being unsheathed. The Captain had maneuvered its way to their cover and swung at her. Samantha raised her rifle upright like a sword as she fell to the floor, hoping to at least dampen the blow.The sword flew along with the Captain’s arm as Samantha felt a percussive blast from behind her - along with a biblical noise from Hawthorne’s rifle. The Captain staggered in pain as it gripped at the stump with one of its lower arms. It growled something in its language as it leveled a Shock Pistol at Samantha’s head. She raised the rifle like a club in a wild attempt to defend herself.The Captain’s head suddenly knocked back and its arm went limp. As his gigantic fame slumped to the forest floor, Samantha saw an arrow sticking out of the Captain’s forehead. She turned, about to thank Madrid, then froze. The last Dreg in the group was behind him.Months of Crucible fighting took over. She dropped her rifle as she yelled for Madrid to duck. She yanked her pistol out of its holster and quickly dispatched the Dreg with three well-placed shots. Madrid looked back to the Dreg and let out a low whistle. “Hey Sam? When we get our Light back, remind me not to piss you off.” He made his way over to her and reached out a hand. Samantha was still a moment before she grabbed his hand and pulled herself up. “I think you have to be trying to do that now, Madrid. Thanks for saving me.” She glanced back at the Captain. That had been too close. First Hawthorne had stopped it from cutting her in two, but if Madrid had held his fire a moment longer…She hoped the others didn’t see her trembling. Madrid grinned “I mean, I’d never be able to live with myself if I let a beauty like you die.”A wash of fear blocked out Madrid’s attempt at flirting. She slowly, deliberately holstered her pistol. Calm down now, Sam. Breathe, she told herself. You’re feeling the after-effect of the adrenaline. You’ll be fine. We’ll plant this transponder and get the hell out of he- Hawthorne swore. Samantha turned to see her holding a hand to her ear, listening to an earpeice. “Well, my Eliksni isn’t great, but I’m pretty sure we have a whole lotta pissed-off bad guys heading this way. We’re bugin’ out.” She stood quickly, taking off in a run with Madrid close behind.Samantha scooped her discarded rifle off of the ground and sprinted after them. She didn’t have time to stow the weapon, and she thought holding the rifle would give her some measure of confidence.The truth was that every sound in the forest was an encroaching footstep, every jagged branch a sword, and every shadow another enemy hiding in plain sight. They needed to leave. That meant aborting the mission.That meant no chance at seeing the Shard. This time, she thought. I won’t see the Shard this time. I’ll be back. As they ran closer to the crevice they had jumped over earlier, she saw a gap between a pair of boulders that looked like a shortcut. “Guys, this way! We can go through here!”Hawthorne spun “No! There’s a-”Hawthorne’s warning came too late. As Samantha made her way through the gap, she found herself at the top of a steep hill. She dug her heels into the ground, but momentum pushed her forward, and the ground gave way beneath her feet. As she tumbled down the hill, she lost her rifle almost immediately as she reflexively brought her hands up to her head.. Rocky outcroppings and bramble knocked the breath out of her  and slashed into her body as Madrid screamed her name. Every injury seared with pain, but above all of that was the icy pit that formed in her core - She was, as far as she knew, tumbling away to her death.Her mind became a flurry of questions. Why is this happening? Am I going to die? Can Ryu do anything? Why did Ghaul have to steal the Light from us?
Why did Rindel have to die before I told him I cared?
A sickening crack and sharp, searing pain up her left arm threw all her questions to the wind. She couldn’t catch enough breath to scream in pain. Her whole existence was blow after blow after blow. She thought it would never end.The escarpment suddenly leveled out, and Samantha collapsed in a heap. She lay still, taking in the breath that had been knocked out of her by so many rocks. She was alive. Badly hurt, but-Then the pain came back to the forefront of her consciousness. Dull aches from every place a rock had hit her. Her cuts stung. Without thinking, she moved her left arm to roll over and sharp, burning pain raced up the limb. Her vision blurred as tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Oh, Samantha, She heard Ryu in her head, softly, mournfully. You’re so badly hurt, and I can do nothing. She heard a sob, but whether it was Ryu’s or her own wasn’t clear. She lay back down on the ground. She was going to die here.She was going to die here, and Rindel’s death would be for nothing. She took in a shaky breath and pushed herself up with her right arm, bringing her legs underneath her. Enough self-pity. I’m still alive and I am not gonna die here. She slowly stood as her logical mind came back. Okay. I can still stand up. No obvious leg injuries, then. She moved her right arm around. It was sore as hell, but she could still use it. Her left arm, on the other hand…“Ryu,” she whispered. “I need to see if you can do a quick scan on my arm.” She slowly began opening her Warlock robes and pulling the sleeve off of her left arm - she needed to give her Ghost something to do. She hissed as she was forced to bend her elbow, and as she got the sleeve off, she saw the skin around her elbow was badly bruised, but there was no open wound. That was good, at least.Her Ghost materialized and passed by her arm, studying the injury for several seconds. “Okay, so some good news. Your bones aren’t broken. The not-so great news is that your elbow’s been dislocated. You’ll need to set the joint.”Samantha knelt down, positioning her left forearm over her knee and grabbing the wrist with her right hand. Her brain brought up a foggy recollection of first-aid training from months ago. She clenched her jaw closed so as to not bite her tongue and took several shallow breaths before she swiftly pulled her forearm forward, twisting the wrist. The pain returned, stronger than before, and Samantha quickly clamped her good hand to her mouth, stifling a scream.She forced herself to slow her breathing down. She ached all over, but at least she was alive. She carefully pulled her robes back on, leaving the front open enough to use as a makeshift sling. Ryu was busy re-scanning Samantha’s elbow before she entered phase again.  Well, that’s better. Not perfect, but as good as we can do for now, Samantha heard in her head. If the Shard grants us Light again, great, but if not, it’ll be awhile before it’s back to normal, so try to avoid using it unless you have to. Samantha nodded, taking in a deep breath. She glanced at the towering Shard above her, and slowly made her way through the trees. As she moved, the vision played over and over in her mind. There was a detail that had been bothering her. She was supposed to go to the Shard with a partner. If she remembered right, a Hunter, from how she saw it. Maybe she was meant to bring another Guardian back here after she got the Light back?And that was assuming that she was getting the light back. She stood still and closed her eyes for a moment. Traveler, if you can somehow hear me, please, she thought. Guide me. “Okay, how much further?” A hushed male voice said.Samantha’s eyes shot open. I’m not alone. Elation was quickly drowned out by dread. A human would be just as able to kill her as the Fallen. She quietly moved behind the remains of a thick tree.“We’re about two kilometers out.” A male, metallic sounding voice responded. “The Shard should be through this thicket if we read the topography right on our way in.”A small chuckle from the first voice. “Thanks, Solas. Let’s do this.”Samantha felt the world fall away as she slumped against the bark. Solas… that’s Rindel’s Ghost! Does that mean that Rindel’s alive? Did Solas make it out and bind to someone else somehow? “I’m your eyes behind you, Rindel, but be careful. Anything could be out there.” That’s Rindel! A warmth filled Samantha’s chest and her vision blurred with tears. He really is alive! She flung herself from behind the tree. This was all starting to make sense. Rindel was her partner. They were going to get back their light together. But for now, she was so overcome with emotion. She had to let him know so many things. Starting with how much she cared.Solas’ eye faced her and widened as he disappeared into phase. Rindel dropped to a knee and spun to face her. Samantha saw his shock of cherry-red hair underneath the hood. His light-blue skin and the red marks around his blue eyes.He had pulled a sidearm from a holster and was aiming it right at her.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rindel stirred, taking in a slow breath. He felt like he was wrapped in a weighted cloth- It was hard to move, and something was in front of his face. He tried rolling and managed to free himself. As he pulled what had been a canvas awning away from his face, a sharp pain bust from his shoulder, as if he’d been stabbed. A cold, biting pain overtook most of his body. He wanted so badly to scream, but he didn’t have the strength. It was all he could do to pull himself up to his knees.

A set of thudding footsteps came up to him. Rindel slowly looked up to find himself face-to-face with an enormous Cabal in stark white armor with gold trim. Rindel wanted to do anything - raise a fist in defiance, spit on him, anything at all - But he felt so weak. Ghaul bent one of his trunk-like legs and knelt, considering the Hunter.

“The Light was never meant for you, it seems,” Ghaul rumbled. “The Traveler’s eyes have been opened, Rindel. It has chosen the Red Legion, not the Guardians. Even if its decision came after some…” He trailed off as the Traveler, still encased in a giant orange shield passed overhead in the wake of the Red Legion capital ship. “...Convincing. And now that I have taken the Traveler under my care, I have no further use for this system.”

A crimson dropship landed just behind him, and Ghaul turned to board it, pausing for a moment. It was difficult to read his face with that giant rebreather. Was that… pity? “Understand that what I do is for the greater good, Rindel. The Guardians cannot defend the Traveler. They never have. What is about to happen to this planet, and this system is a kindness.”

As the dropship lifted off, Rindel tried to stand, but he was still so weak. Buildings began crumbling around him, exposing a low, blood-red sun. Rindel hung his head in defeat, screwing his eyes shut. He had lost. Humanity was about to breathe its last.

“Why?” He heard a whisper to his left. “Why could you not save us?”

He looked to the source of the noise and his eyes widened in horror. A dark sludge had formed around him, planting him like a stone.

And the sludge had a face.

“Why couldn’t you stop this?” Another face whispered. “You should have killed him,” another said. “We’re all about to die, because of you!” yet another snarled.

Rindel willed himself to stand, and the sludge stretched - So many black, inky hands grabbed him, threatening to drown him in the sludge.

Then, for a brief moment, the world went white. Rindel tried to block out the light with a hand - It did little, the light was so intense that he could see the shadows of his bones through his flesh.

When the flash subsided, he saw something more terrifying than the ooze that surrounded him.

The sun had exploded.

“Oh, no.” He said out loud. “No, no, no. This can’t be real, this can’t be happening!”

“We’re gonna die!” wailed more voices from the sludge. More hands reached out. “Save us!”

“What can I do?!” Rindel yelled. A brilliant blade of energy, a shockwave from the Sun, grew larger and larger.

“Save us!” The sludge screamed.
As the blade drew closer, Rindel drew a breath and closed his eyes. This is because of me. Everyone is about to die because I couldn’t stop this.
The blade hit the earth in a brilliant flash, and  consciousness ceased to exist.
  
Rindel sat up with a start. He was under a large tree on the edge of a meadow. The scent of wild flowers wafted into his nose as the sound of a babbling brook echoed in the distance. He held a hand to his face and stared at it for a moment.

No black sludge. The world hadn’t been destroyed. Was that a nightmare?

“Rindel?” A bright voice called.

He froze. He hadn’t heard that voice in years. Not since…

He turned, and saw an Awoken woman in a simple summer dress. Lilac skin. Bright orange hair. And those green eyes.

Sarra smiled at him softly. “Everything okay?”

Rindel stood slowly and walked to her, his mouth agape. He was still trying to process what he was seeing when she closed the distance and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“What’s the matter, love?” Sarra frowned. “You’re acting like you haven't seen me in years.”

Rindel let out a sob and pulled her close, burying his face in Sarra’s shoulder.

He must have died. That was the only explanation he could figure out. But that didn’t matter. He had the love of his life in his arms once more.

He felt her stroke the back of his head and kiss his cheek. They held each other before she whispered. “It… It really has been years, hasn’t it?”

“It’s been so long.” Rindel felt tears flowing freely down his face as he pulled back, pressing his forehead to hers. “Sarra, I missed you so much.”

Sarra’s voice shook. “And I’ve missed you.” She sniffled. “That’s what makes this so hard.”

Rindel moved forward slightly, suddenly afraid to let her go. “What?” His mind raced. “I-I died, didn’t I?”

Sarra gave him a sad smile. “No, love. You didn’t. You’re still very much alive.”

Rindel felt his heart break all over again. “But - I saw,” He stammered, “The- the City fell. Ghaul took the Traveler, the Sun exploded-”

“Which will come to pass if you fail.” Sarra took a deep breath. “But you won’t fail.”

Rindel let go. “You’re sounding as if I still have something to do.” His brain was buzzing with all manner of different stimuli, and he felt as though he was floating.

Sarra nodded. “You have to go to a place known as the European Dead Zone. There’s a piece of the Traveler left there, with some Light left. Take the Light back and free the Traveler from the Red Legion.”

Rindel cocked his head. “Are… Are you really Sarra?”

Sarra nodded. “The Traveler needs you to free it, Rindel.” She slowly closed the gap between them. “And… I’m only here to tell you what you need to do.”

Heat rose in Rindel’s core. “But why?! Why send you?” He shouted. “Especially with everything I’ve gone through since you left?”

Sarra hugged Rindel once more. “So we could see each other. Even just one last time.”

Rindel held Sarra tight. The tears were back now. “I don’t want to wake up.”

Sarra held him back and nodded. “I know, love. I know.”

“I love you,” Rindel whispered.

“And I love you,” Sarra whispered back. “I always will. But you have to wake up. ”
   Rindel? He heard a familiar voice in his head. Rindel, can you hear me? No! His heart felt as though it had turned to lead. Don’t make me wake up. Please, don’t- He heard the familiar sound of Solas’ exiting phase, and a slight weight on his chest. “Rindel, please.” His Ghost’s voice shook. “Please wake up. Please.”Rindel tore his eyes open with some effort - His eyes felt dry, and it was hard to keep them open. He reached his hands up and around his Ghost. “I’m here, Solas. I’m here.”Damn it all, why couldn’t he just have stayed in that field?Solas emitted a noise like a contented sigh. “I knew you’d come through,” He pulled against his Guardians hands, and Rindel let him go. The Ghost floated in front of Rindel’s face, his eye light now a dim gold. “How’re you feeling? You took quite the knock there.”“I hope you got the number of that bus,” Rindel muttered, feeling the back of his head. “I feel like crap.”Realization hit him as the fog of his dream cleared. He wasn’t in the storeroom. He had been laying on an old sofa against the wall of a large room - Perhaps what was once a recreation room. A door opened and Rindel saw a figure enter the room. He wore heavy armor that showed plenty of signs of wear and a dark blue Titan mark. As the figure pulled off a helmet, Rindel groaned internally. Of all the people in all the places in the world… Why does it have to be him? Why Emil? The silver Exo noticed Rindel, and his blue eyes brightened as his metallic mouth twisted into a grin. “Well now! Good of you to finally wake up! I was worried I’d have to haul your ass onto my ship.”Solas scrunched his segments together and faced the Titan. “If you hadn’t attacked us when you first laid eyes on us, you wouldn’t have had to drag him on these dingy floors!”“Cool your jets, Solas, I already told you,” Emil sounded exasperated. “I couldn’t see any friend-or-foe tags because Motoko's been offline since we lost the Light - And of course, your wonderful Guardian decided to introduce himself by pointing his shotgun through a doorway.”Rindel held up a hand. “Knock it off, Solas.” He looked up at Emil and narrowed his eyes. “Well, you gave me a hell of a knock, but you didn’t kill me, so I guess I owe you that much. What’s this about loading a ship?”Emil’s face shifted back to one of his obnoxious grins. “I’m glad you asked! See, the way I see it, someone’s eventually gonna need to knock the Cabal out of the city, and to do that, we need to build up a base somewhere - And as it turns out, yours truly cleared a fortified base in Cuba that’d do the trick!” He turned and motioned for Rindel to follow him. “And, seeing as we ran into each other, I figure the Iron Wolf’d be up to helping us get set up!”Rindel’s lips curled into a snarl. Emil had always been a cocky jackass, but Rindel never gave him much in the way of thought. There weren’t too many people he could think of that he’d want to work with less than the silver-plated Exo - Emil was impetuous and boorish on the best of days. But still, the rational part of his mind reminded him, He does have a working ship. You could always have him drop you in Europe to find the Shard. He took a bracing breath and followed after Emil. “Alright, wait up. What do we need loaded?”  “So, let me get this right. The real plan is Cuba. Y’know, the Caribbean. So you’re saying you need to go to Europe… why, exactly?”Rindel closed his eyes for a moment and willed himself to calm down as he brought his palm to his forehead. They were currently in the hold of Emil’s ship sitting at opposite ends of the galley table as Solas busied himself in the cockpit with pre-flight checks. Several days and several short flights had passed since they had found each other at Twilight Gap. As they had made their way further and further south, he had been attempting to explain why he needed to go to Europe before they mounted any response against Ghaul, only to find Emil’s general sarcasm and dubious attitude to be a brick wall in their communication. “Because there’s a Shard of the Traveler there.”Emil rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat. “Because you think you’ll be able to get your Light back-”“Emil, I know we can.” Rindel clenched his fist under the table. “The vision I received-”Emil let out a hollow laugh. “Rin, I know you were always sweet on Warlocks, but c’mon. You’re sounding like one of the Thanatonauts. You don’t honestly believe the Traveler’s talking to you, do you? Especially now?” He ran a hand over his silver head and stood. “We need to begin fortifying if we have any shot at getting the Light back. We’re heading to Cuba.”Rindel shot up and moved to block Emil’s path. “ Damnit, if you would listen-” “No, you listen!” Emil’s eyes brightened to a near white as he yelled. “You think you’re being smart with this idea? Well, you ain’t the first person to think about it. And everyone who’s been out to see if the Shard has any shred of Light? Dead.” He moved inches away from Rindel’s face. “Honestly, if you miss Sarra that much, there are far easier ways to-”Rindel threw a punch into Emil’s face like a cobra strike, nearly knocking the Exo off his feet as he stumbled back several paces. Emil blinked several times before wiping his mouth, revealing a small dent in his faceplate as he streaked dark blue blood onto his cheek. He looked up at Rindel, grinned, and ran at the Awoken with a guttural yell, grabbing the Hunter’s shoulders and slamming him against a bulkhead.Rindel slammed his palms against the wall, absorbing most of the impact. He quickly ducked as Emil threw a punch of his own, denting the bulkhead over his head. He tried to slide out from under Emil, but the Titan grabbed his chestplate with a dark chuckle. “You owe me for that cheap shot, you slippery son of a-”A warning alarm bared through the ship, and a cold wash filled Rindel’s core as Solas keyed the intercom. “We’ve got movement coming up the hill to our three-o’clock! Signatures are large enough to be Cabal! I need a few more minutes to get us airborne.”Emil let Rindel go and made his way to the weapon storage locker. “We’ll get back to that later. Sounds like we got bigger fish to fry.” He pulled out a machine gun and yanked back the charge handle as he strode to the loading ramp.Rindel quickly searched the locker and found a new-looking scout rifle, along with several spare magazines. He pocketed the extra ammunition and shouldered the rifle, feeling its heft as he moved to the loading ramp. As he chambered a round, he tried to formulate a strategy. But Emil's words bounced around in his mind. That was a low blow, even for Emil. What the hell gave him the right to bring up Sarra like that? Just because the little asshole never knew what real love was, and he never would, the bastard-"Rindel, get your ass over here! I could use a hand!"As Rindel ran for the exit, he spotted a thick concrete barrier that he could use for cover, but it was far away enough from the ship that he’d be shot down if he tried making a run for it. He tapped Emil’s shoulder, getting the Titan’s attention. “See that wall over there? If I get to it, I should be able to pick some of them off.”Emil’s eyes narrowed. “That means you’ll need covering fire.” He peeked outside of the loading bay and hissed. “They’re closing in already. Think you can cover twenty meters in about three seconds?”Rindel considered the distance. “Yeah, that shouldn’t be a problem. Just let me know when-”Emil jumped out of the ship and opened fire on the Cabal, screaming a battle cry. Rindel swore and made a mad dash for the barrier, sliding the last meter or so behind cover. Years of combat took over. He popped up over his cover and centered his sights onto the head of a leading Centurion. As the beast fell, a row of Phalanx troops crested the hill, expanding their shields to overlap each other and protect the troops behind them.Rindel dropped behind cover - He had plenty of ammo, but it’d be worthless against those shields if they couldn’t deactivate them. He looked over to Emil, still firing bursts of his machine gun and yelling obscenities at the opposing troops. As Emil hunkered down in the loading bay to reload, Rindel peeked out at the Cabal. Two of the Phalanxes were hopelessly trying to get their shields back up. Rindel centered them in his sights without a second’s hesitation and dropped both targets.A barrage of fire forced Rindel back into cover. Rounds whizzed over his head as he threw out the spent magazine, slamming a fresh one into the receiver. As he pulled back the action, Emil lumbered out of cover, opening fire. “That’s the way!” Emil yelled at Rindel. “Keep it up!”Rindel moved down the wall slightly before he popped up - How the hell had those Phalanx’s shields dropped? Then, the stream of bullets from Emil’s machine gun hit one of the shields dead-center. It fizzled out, leaving the Cabal defenseless as it was filled with lead.Rindel quickly zeroed in on shield after shield, popping them like so many ochre balloons. The last Phalanx’s shield overloaded as Rindel ran out of bullets. As he instinctively pulled back behind his cover, he heard Emil’s barrage of gunfire stop, and the Titan screamed defiance. “That all the Red Legion's got? We’ll take you all on! You guys aren’t worth a fu-”A shot rang out and Emil’s verbal onslaught stopped. Rindel looked toward Emil and saw that he had been knocked onto his back, holding his side. Rindel slung the rifle and sprang into action, sprinting to the ship and rolling his body behind the hull to gain some cover. A Centurion stood in the distance, holding a slug launcher. As he pressed his back against the ship, a round struck the hull. “Emil!” He hissed. “Where’s my shotgun?”“On the ship,” Emil whispered. “There’s no time.” He fumbled with a holster on his hip and tossed a pistol toward Rindel. As the weapon went airborne, the Cabal fired another slug, blowing off Emil’s hand. Emil grunted and writhed on the ground in pain. “Move around! Flank this bitch!”Rindel nodded and scooped up the pistol. As he rounded the nose of the craft, he heard the sound of the engines spooling up. C’mon Solas, faster! We need to get the hell out of here! He hugged the ship’s hull as the Cabal lumbered up to Emil. He had to be careful with this. If he ran out too early, the Centurion would see him and shoot him down almost instantly. Too late and Emil would be dead. Every step the towering Cabal took was torture. His heart pounded in his ears as the Centurion lifted its slug rifle upwards, considering its target. Rindel quietly moved away from the hull, and walked toward the Cabal with the deliberation of a stalking panther. As he got closer, Emil started laughing. It sounded like an old truck motor trying to start, but it grabbed the Centurion’s attention. “What is humorous?” the Centurion blared through a translator. “Do you find humor in your death?”Emil gave the Centurion one of his crazed grins. “No.” He raised his good arm with a finger out, forming it into a pretend pistol. “Only in yours! Do it, Rin!”Rindel gritted his teeth and jumped on the Cabal’s back. The Centurion dropped its rifle and tried to reach for the Awoken, but there was nothing it could do. Rindel shoved the barrel of the pistol into a gap in the Centurion’s armor and pulled the trigger seven times.The Centurion writhed as Rindel fired shot after shot into it, then finally collapsed. Rindel jumped away from the body and ran over to Emil. The Exo chuckled and raised a fist. He opened his mouth to say something, but threw a coughing fit before he had the chance. Rindel holstered the still-smoking handgun and knelt next to Emil, pulling him up with his good arm. “Can you walk?”“Oh, I could do a friggin’ marathon,” Emil breathed. “Just… get me patched up and-” His speech devolved into another round of coughs, now accompanied by a blue-black liquid.Rindel looped Emil’s arm over his shoulder and forced the Titan to his feet. “Come on! We’re almost to the ship, Emil. Let’s get you in there.”Emil simply nodded in response. Rindel strained to keep the massive Titan upright, practically dragging him up the loading ramp before setting him down on the floor. “Solas!” he yelled toward the cockpit. “Dust off right now!”The loading ramp closed as the engines’ whir built up to a roar, and Rindel felt the ship lumber off the ground. As they accelerated, Cabal rounds peppered the hull like hail, then finally stopped.They were safe. For now.Rindel bolted to the cockpit and grabbed a medkit. Solas peeked over his shoulder at the crumpled mess that was Emil. “That was an incredibly brave thing you just did, Rindel.” As if Emil deserved it. Rindel ripped open the kit and began dressing the wound - Emil was still alive for now, but unconscious. He bit his lip thinking about what he needed to do. Traveler help me. If the Shard can restore me, maybe it can get Light back to two Guardians. He bound a tight bandage around Emil’s midsection and pulled him up and onto a cot. Most definitely not my first choice for a partner in this. Hell, he isn’t even my last choice. But then, beggars can’t be choosers. He clenched a fist as he saw the frayed stump that once included Emil’s right hand. And I cannot let anyone around me die.
Not again.
  “There,” Solas chirped. “I see a clearing about two and a half clicks from the Shard. That’s about as good an LZ as you’re gonna get.”Rindel nodded as he prepared the dropship to land. He flicked a switch and felt a slight tug on the flightstick as the ship’s thrust redirected downward.He chanced a look at Emil, unconscious and laying on a cot in the cargo area. He had changed out the bandage earlier. Emil’s “blood” had coagulated into a thick sludge around the wound, making a seal.  I hope the Shard has enough Light for two for his sake. Emil may have been a stubborn moron, but he had saved Rindel’s life. That would be a debt repaid if Rindel could get his Light back to and let his Ghost heal him.As they neared the clearing, Solas passed several buttons on the console using his shell. “I see a lot of Fallen around here. Good news for us - They’re all converging away from the Shard, and there are none around our LZ. If you hurry, you can probably make it there in a straight shot.” He turned and phased into his Guardian.Rindel swung the dropship around and descended as quickly as he was able. As soon as he touched down, he keyed the shutdown sequence, lowered the loading ramp and unbuckled himself from the seat. “Okay, then. Get to the Shard, get back the Light, get back here, drag Emil’s ass over there and hope it works again.” He looked over Emil. The Titan’s life was in the balance.Really, both their lives were.“Yeah, no biggie there, right?” Rindel shook his head and stood. Time to take back the Light. He reloaded the scout rifle and pistol and found his shotgun. He held it, hoping for some reassurance from the weapon’s weight. But there was none he could find. Still, you’ll be more than enough to put down anything I run into, he thought. He quickly loaded the shotgun and holstered it on his back before pocketing extra shells. No point in being unprepared for trouble.Emil suddenly grabbed Rindel’s wrist with a surprising strength. “Wh-” He whispered. “Where the hell are we…?”Rindel freed his wrist and crouched to eye level with Emil. “Hey, hey, easy now. Don’t move much, okay? You’ve lost a lot of blood.”Emil’s eyes scanned the open ramp.  “We’re in the EDZ.” Emil chuckled softly. “You crazy bastard, you actually brought us here. The place I told you Guardians are going to die.”“I know you don’t understand it, but this is our best shot at saving your life.” He gripped Emil’s shoulder. “If I can get back the Light, I’ll come back for you and get you out there. We’ll get Motoko back, she’ll patch you up.” Rindel forced a grin. “Crazy enough to work, right?”Emil smiled in spite of himself. “It only took a friggin’ crisis for us to start working together, huh?” He took in a shaky breath and grabbed Rindel’s shoulder. “Get back the Light. For your sake and mine.” He turned and coughed. “And when I get mine back, we’re gonna take Ghaul together. You and me.”“Thanks, Emil.” Rindel stood and turned to leave. “I’ll come back for you.”“You better!” Emil called out as best he could. “If I die, you can bet I’ll be haunting your ass!”Rindel exited the ship and took in a deep breath of cool, crisp air as he raised the loading ramp “Okay Little Light, I’m gonna stay low as I can, but watch my six.” He pulled his cloak’s hood up. Damn, why did his helmet’s visor have to break? A HUD would have made things much easier.Solas exited phase and took a position over Rindel’s shoulder. “Well, the Traveler told us to come here. Let’s see what it’s gonna do.”They made their way through the forest quietly, the Shard hanging over them like a giant pearl-white monolith through the twisted branches of the forest. Rindel tried not to think about the strange shapes they made and focused only on movement - The faster they could get there, the better. He stopped for a brief moment as they came to an open clearing surrounded by thick trees, many of which were long dead and decaying. “Okay,” He asked his Ghost. “How much further?”There was a slight pause before Solas responded. “We’re about two kilometers out. The Shard should be through this thicket if we read the topography right on the way in.”Rindel chuckled. Even now, his Ghost prided himself on precision. “Thanks, Solas. Let’s do this.” He stood to full height and began walking toward the Shard.“I’m your eyes behind you, Rindel, but be careful,” His Ghost floated just over his shoulder. “Anything could be out there.”Rindel had only half-heard his Ghost. As he made his way through the clearing, he couldn’t help but to look up at the Shard. A remnant from the Traveler’s last stand against the Darkness, before it created the Ghosts and went dormant. I hope there is still some Light in there, he thought. If not… a lot of people are gonna die. He suddenly felt Solas phase into him in a panic. Rindel, behind you! Someone’s following us! Rindel felt as if time slowed to a crawl as adrenaline arced electricity up his spine. He pulled the sidearm from his holster as he twisted around on the ball of his foot, bringing his knee to the ground as he raised the weapon and the figure came into his line of sight - a human woman in stained dark blue Warlock robes - and tousled blonde hair.His shock froze his trigger finger in place. “Samantha?” He slowly brought the pistol to a resting position as he stood up. “Is that you?” As he took in the sight of the rookie, he noticed that her arm was being held up in her robes, like it had been broken, and her green eyes glistened. A thought snapped in his head and he raised the pistol again, aiming past her. “Are you hurt? Is there anything following you?” He walked past her, looking for Fallen.Samantha took in a slow breath before she answered him. “...No. At least, I don’t think there is.”Rindel let out the breath he’d been holding and holstered his pistol. He turned to face her and saw her rub her face with the back of her good hand. “What the hell are you doing out here? And what happened to your arm?”Samantha took in a sharp breath through her nose before she looked down at her arm. “I fell down an escarpment, of all things. I don’t think it’s broken, but Ryu thinks it may be a dislocated elbow.” Her lips pressed together before she looked directly at him. “Rindel, I-”The Hunter frowned and grabbed her wrist. “Let me have a look at it.”Samantha closed her mouth with a small sigh. “Yeah, sure.” She maneuvered her shoulder out of the robes as Rindel moved her injured arm gently.“Well, you’ve got some nasty bruises, that’s for sure.” he pulled off one of his gloves and felt around her elbow, looking for a broken bone. “You still didn’t say why you were here.”“After you went aboard the Cabal’s capital ship, a group of us were rescued by an outsider.” Samantha recounted their arrival at the Farm, pooling together resources to survive, and the mission Hawthorne had charged her with. “We planned to place a hacked Servitor transponder in the area to try and get the Fallen and Legion to fight each oth- ow!” Samantha pulled back reflexively. “Don’t press so hard, that hurt!”Rindel chuckled. “Not a bad idea, honestly.” He held Samantha’s wrist. “Hold your arm out a second, I want to check the other side.”Samantha nodded and continued. “We ran into a group of Fallen and were able to take them out, but not before they alerted the others. We had to run and…” she stopped herself mid-sentence. “And I fell. Because I took a path I thought would be a shortcut. Because I’m stupid.”Ryu suddenly appeared and nuzzled her Guardian’s cheek. “You were trying to get us both to safety. You’re not stupid, Sam.”Samantha’s face fell, crestfallen. “I sure feel it.”Rindel stopped a moment, tightening his grip on Samantha’s wrist. He then quickly extended the arm, twisting her hand away from her body.Samantha yelled in pain, smacking Rindel’s hand. “Hey, a little warning? That really hurt!”Rindel paid little attention to the outburst, moving her arm up and down. “Sorry about that. Just thought it’d be better to get that over with. Can you move your arm?”Samantha slowly flexed her arm with a wince. “It hurts like hell, but I can move it, yeah.”Rindel tore a strip off of his cloak and wrapped it around the elbow. “Some extra compression should help.” He pulled the rifle from his back and held it out as she slipped the arm back through the sleeve of her robes.Samantha took the rifle and firmly pressed the buttstock against her shoulder. She nodded and lowered the rifle before facing Rindel. “Now then. Let’s-” “Look, I don’t have time to explain, but there’s a ship about half a klick that way with an injured Titan on board.” He unholstered his sidearm and held it low. “Get over there and hunker down. Have Ryu link up with Solas. If…” He took a breath before he continued. “If I’m KIA, take the ship and get back to the Farm.”Samantha narrowed her eyes as her brows furrowed. “The hell I am. I’m going with you.”Rindel raised an eyebrow. “Sam, this isn’t up for negotiation. If we’re killed out here, we’re-”“I know what the stakes are, Rindel. You don’t have to patronize me.” Samantha’s tone had gone ice-cold. “Look, I know you won’t believe me, but the Traveler showed me what needs to be done. That I need to go to the Shard with,” Her voice cracked, and she looked away from him.  “With a Hunter, Rin. And, obviously that’s you.” Her voice quivered. “I know it sounds like something out of a dumb fairytale, but it’s true.”Rindel held a hand to her chin. Was it possible that the Traveler had come to her, too? The thought tumbled around in his mind. Rindel, he heard Solas in his mind. If what she’s saying is true, this is good news for us. It means that the Shard does have some Light left in it, and that there should be enough for more than one Guardian. It would increase our chances against Ghaul no matter how you look at it. But what if she were to get killed? Rindel’s brow furrowed. Then another good Guardian would be lost forever. He felt his Ghost approximate a shrug inside him. You aren’t asking her. She wants to come. If she dies, that’s her fault, not yours. Rindel mulled over this a moment before he looked Samantha in the eyes. “Sam, let me level with you. I had something like that. Saying I needed to find the Shard. I believe you.”Relief poured over Samantha’s face. “Then, you are the Hunter I saw!” She smiled brightly as she started to reach a hand out, then pulled it back, as if she thought better of it. “Then we can do this. We can get our Light back.” Rindel forced a slight smile. “Then let’s get going. We shouldn’t keep Ghaul waiting.” With that, he started walking toward the Shard with Samantha in tow.The ground gradually raised up, and as they came closer to the Shard, the forest began to thin out. The Guardians soon found themselves at the top of a hill, and not half a kilometer away, there it was.“The Shard,” Samantha said, suddenly. “Just like the Traveler showed me.”Rindel took in a breath and looked over to her. “Well, it’s not coming to us. Let’s take a look.”The pair descended the hill toward a rocky outcropping that formed a natural wall around the Shard’s base. There was an opening in the outcropping that was easily wide enough for the Guardians to enter side by side. As they came into the clearing, the impossibly tall edge of the Shard towered over them.“Okay,” Rindel said. “Now what?”Ryu phased out from Samantha. “We’ll need to get close to it, at least.” She spun her segments as the Ghost equivalent of a raised eyebrow. “It’s not like anyone’s had to-” She jolted in midair and phased back into Samantha.Samantha suddenly grabbed Rindel’s arm and pulled him behind a boulder in the clearing as a superheated bolt of plasma struck the ground where he’d been standing. “Fallen!” she hissed. “Damnit, and when we’re right here!” Rindel rechecked his pistol. The area had a ridge running through it that created a high point in the clearing – That was likely where they were firing from. He peeked around the corner. There were more boulders in the clearing.A vision flashed in his head of picking off Red Legion troops while Emil distracted them. I’d need to be the distraction here… but I can make this work. “Hey Sam?” Rindel called over to her. “I’m gonna run out and give you an opening. Be ready to take aim.”Samantha grabbed his arm. “Are you crazy? If you get hit by one of their weapons, your Ghost can’t heal you!”Rindel heard the Fallen chattering - likely discussing strategies of their own. “We don’t have any better options. It’s that, or they overwhelm us. Ready?”Samantha slammed her eyes shut for half a second before she readied her rifle for battle. “Okay. Go!”Rindel dashed for one of the other boulders, firing his sidearm wildly at the Fallen position. He ducked behind a boulder as the Fallen screeched and more plasma flew through the air. He waited a breath before he reached around the boulder and fired off more rounds.The report of Samantha’s rifle echoed through the alcove three times. Rindel heard more shouts in Eliksni as the Fallen returned fire - he quickly glanced toward Samantha’s position to find that her boulder was currently getting peppered with arc bolts. It’s working! Solas chimed in Rindel’s head. There’s another boulder about five meters to your ten o’clock, and the ridge is another ten meters past that. Rindel slid a new magazine into his pistol and narrowed his eyes, Then let’s kick things up a notch. He darted out from the boulder and fired the pistol at a Dreg standing near the edge of the ridge. A round caught the Fallen in the chest, and it fell limp, rolling off the edge of the rockface. Bang! Bang! Bang! Samantha let out three shots in rapid succession as Rindel zipped past the boulder. As he reached the rock face, he stowed the pistol and pulled his shotgun from his back. There has to be some way they made it up there to begin with, he thought. Did you see anything, Solas? I thought I saw something that could be a ramp, his Ghost replied. Twelve meters away. Rindel quietly dashed around the edge, and found an earthen ramp. He bolted up the structure, ready for a fight. As he held his shotgun out, he saw a group of Fallen scurrying up a nearby ridge.Solas came out of phase and looked around. “I… I think we scared them off.” He turned to his Guardian. “Okay, Rindel. Take me to the Shard.”Rindel cracked a small smile as he called out to Samantha. “Hey, they’re running away! We’re all clear!” As she stepped out from behind the first boulder, he had to admit: with or without the Light, she was a damned good fighter. Maybe it was good that she was backing him up.He saw her eyes widen as she reached out in a warning - But it was too late. A barbed Fallen spear pierced his chest.His vision blurred as he fell to the ground, and he barely made out Samantha and Solas screaming his name before the world faded around him.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Samantha screamed Rindel’s name as he fell. This wasn’t real. Rindel didn’t just die before they got the Light back. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen!As the Fallen Captain stood over her only real partner, the fog in Samantha's mind faded, sharpening her focus. Only one thing ran through her mind. Protect Rindel. She fired - every trigger pull, every bullet, every rifle report brought her rage higher. The Captain stumbled back as the shots pinged off its overshield.Samantha left her cover as the Captain disappeared in a flash of ether. She moved quickly to the outcropping. As she ascended the ramp, Ryu warbled in her head. Sam, you’re being too rash! You’re going to get yourself killed! But I have to do something! She scanned the area with her rifle before she spotted the Captain scurrying up an almost sheer cliff face. She raised the rifle and took aim, firing another angry shot at the alien. A splatter of violet ichor on the cliff face marked her hit as the Captain tumbled down the cliff face, crumpling into a heap at the base. Samantha raised the rifle to fire another shot for good measure, but stopped at the sound of Ryu’s voice.
Sam, Rindel is gonna bleed out if you don’t get pressure on that wound. Get to him now!
The fire in Samantha’s core froze over. “But the Light-”
That won’t matter if he dies, Sam! Get over there!
 She spun, sprinting over to Rindel. He clutched at the spear still protruding from his chest, a deep red stain soaked itself through his armor. Samantha slid to the ground and dropped her rifle, immediately pressing her hands against the wound. She looked around frantically for more Fallen, knowing that they’d be easy targets. What she wouldn’t give for some cover right now!What she wouldn’t give for her Healing Rift.She felt Rindel’s weak grip on her wrist and looked down at his face. Through his grimaces of pain, it looked like he was trying to say something to her, but just couldn’t get the breath.“Stop talking, just concentrate on breathing.” Samantha was having trouble breathing evenly herself. “You’re gonna be fine, Solas is gonna be back in a second and heal you-“A plasma bolt zinged over her head. Samantha threw herself to the ground and drew her pistol. “Keep pressure on that wound!” she yelled as she rolled over to bring the weapon to bear. A group of screeching Dregs had come down the cliff face. She pulled the trigger and the suppressed pistol coughed as one of the Dregs fell.All of her panic, stress and rage combined into a scream as she unloaded the pistol’s magazine. Dreg after Dreg keeled over, but it seemed as though the moment she killed one, another appeared to replace it. As the pistol ran dry, she rolled to avoid another plasma bolt and slammed a fresh magazine into the magwell. She took out another five Dregs with brutal efficiency, rising to a knee as the aliens fell.“Sam!” She heard the panic in Solas’ voice echo through the clearing. “I can’t get to the Light here! I can feel it, but I can’t channel it into me!”She wanted to cry. Her friend was going to die. They had the tools to save his life just out of their reach. “Damnit!” She screamed.“Wait!” Solas’ tone changed. “The Sliver! Sam, it’s in Rindel’s pocket! Grab it!”Samantha’s eyes widened. She shot over to Rindel’s side, patting down his pant leg. His eyes had closed and his skin had gone almost pure white.A shiver ran down Samantha’s spine. Oh, Traveler, please don’t let us be too late. She found the small shard and pulled it out. There was still a faint glow to it.Ryu phased into her physical form and transmatted the Sliver from her hand, rocketing off to Solas. Samantha allowed herself a small sigh of relief as she saw a little flash of light in the distance. It must have worked. Solas would be down soon, Rindel would be healed and-She suddenly felt a punch to her back that went through her torso. She looked down to see a bloodied blade sticking out of her abdomen. A dark chuckle emanated from just behind her before the sword was pulled from her.As she fell to the ground, Samantha’s thoughts turned to the vision she had received from the Traveler. She had seen a Hunter and a Warlock getting their Light back. It occurred to her in that moment that maybe that didn’t mean that she was the one. Perhaps it meant that someone else would free the Traveler from its cage.Perhaps she was about to die here. The Fallen Captain uncloaked itself and pulled a knife with a curved blade from its side, its edge rough with dried blood. The Captain said something in Eliksni and raised the weapon to deliver a fatal blow.A thunderous clap blew the Captain away from Samantha in a bloody pulp. She looked over to find Rindel holding his shotgun, still smoking from both barrels. He winced in pain and dropped the weapon.Seeing the pain on Rindel’s face should have brought the pain in Samantha’s body to a fever pitch, but as Solas flew to Rindel and blasted his body with pure Light, all she felt was relief. She didn’t know if she was meant to be regifted the Light, but in that moment, she knew that her friend was safe.If she was to die here, then so be it.  Rindel felt his body raise several feet off of the ground as Solas filled his body with Light. The spear that had gone through his chest was transmatted out of him and the flesh knit itself back together. He felt warmth return to his extremities as his blood was replenished.But instead of delight, all he felt was a burning resolve. He drew his pistol, ran directly for the group of now panicking Dregs, and opened fire. Now Samantha was gravely injured. Tell me that Ryu’s already channeling Light from the Shard for Sam! He staggered as a plasma bolt hit his midsection before quickly returning fire, catching the shocked Dreg in the neck.He felt the cool sensation of Solas’ healing along with his Ghost’s reply. She’s trying to, Rin, and if it’s anything like what I grabbed onto, it’s… slippery. Hard to grab onto. He felt the sensation of Solas affecting shaking his head as he kicked one of the Dregs into the cliff face. Finish these ones off, then you need to help her! You don’t need to tell me twice. The remaining Dregs quickly retreated, scurrying up the edge of the cliff, and a new figure shimmered into existence – A Fallen that towered over Rindel, bigger than the Captains and wearing the ornately decorated armor of an Archon. Rindel raised the pistol to fire on the massive Fallen and pulled the trigger. Click! Rindel reached to try and clear the jam, but suddenly found himself knocked back five meters and the pistol flung from his grip.  He felt more of Solas’ healing around his torso before he stood up to his full height. Okay then. No more screwing around. He focused on the image of a revolver in his mind, wreathed in flame and filled with power. He reached his hand up into the air to pluck the ethereal weapon from pure nothingness.But there was no weight, no warmth in his hand when he brought it down to fire on the Archon. Rindel looked, mouth agape at his empty hand. Before he had a chance to ask Solas what was happening, the Archon let out a hearty laugh and opened fire with a shrapnel launcher, catching Rindel in his side as he slid behind cover. As Solas healed the new wounds, Rindel found himself staring at his hands. He’d done everything he normally would have to summon his Golden Gun, and nothing had happened. He felt the side that had just been hit by hot shrapnel. It had already healed up, and the armor had neatly mended itself over it. That meant that Solas had full control over healing. Did that mean that he’d somehow lost his own ability to wield the Light?
Introspection later, Rindel! That Archon’s taking aim at Samantha!
Rindel’s face curled into a snarl as he focused Light into his left hand, hoping he could generate a grenade. He whipped around the corner, moving his arm as if to throw a rock. A glint of Light shone through his fingers, and a small part of him was elated to see it. Then he saw the color. A brilliant electric blue. The grenade bounced as it hit the ground and separated into smaller motes of the same bright blue light with flickers of electricity dancing between them.Did that mean he was suddenly channeling Arc Light?He heard a frustrated metallic groan in his mind. Rindel, focus! Whatever you have, you have! Take out this Archon! Rindel’s eyes narrowed as he burst out of his cover. “Solas, the spear!”As the polearm materialized in his hand, he felt a current run up his spine, down his arm and into the weapon. Electricity crackled down its length, arcing to the ground. He dashed toward the Archon, feeling newfound power propelling his legs to close the distance inhumanly fast.As the Archon raised the shrapnel launcher, Rindel got the sense of time slowing to a crawl. He reflexively spun the spear in front of him, forming a barrier of whirling electricity. The blazing hot shrapnel exited the barrel of the Archon’s launcher and bounced off the impromptu Light shield, bursting the Archon’s overshield and causing the lumbering Alien to stagger.Rindel passed the spear to his right hand and spun around in a devastating slash with the tip of the weapon, now reforged in pure Light. It cut through the Archon’s chestplate like a freshly sharpened blade through paper - The Fallen’s dark purple blood splattered along the ground as it fell to its knees. Rindel gripped the spear with both hands and ran it through the Archon’s torso, wrenching the weapon upward as Arc Light disintegrated the Archon, leaving nothing behind but the heavily damaged armor. Oh no, Solas whispered in his mind. Multiple heat signatures are inbound. They’re regrouping. Solas waited a beat before he continued. You don’t have much time before the structural integrity of that spear won’t be able to hold itself. You’ll have maybe enough to take out a few Dregs. If we could just seal the wound Sam has- Rindel’s eyes widened. In a fraction of a second, he knew what he needed to do. He kicked the ground and sprinted back toward Samantha.  What are you doing? You’ll draw the Fallen right to her! “I’ve got an idea!” Rindel didn’t even spare the conscious thought to communicate telepathically to his Ghost as he slid into a crouch next to Samantha. Her robes were stained through - as were her gloves, pressed against the wound. Her cheeks had been drained of color already, though her lips were stained with her own blood. She was fighting to keep her eyes open.Rindel took in a breath and held the spear over her wound. “I’m gonna see if I can cauterize the wound. It’s gonna hurt like hell, but it should buy us some time while Ryu’s working on getting Light to heal you.”When Samantha didn’t acknowledge him, Rindel reached down and moved her hands away from the wound. He tried to ignore how easily he was able to move her arms, and instead pictured the spear tip in his mind - An image of an electrical current heating metal. As he felt heat through the shaft, he brought the tip of the spear to the still-bleeding wound.Samantha screamed with the small amount of breath she had as the blood boiled and hardened under the heat and blackened the surrounding area. Rindel was somehow relieved - she wasn’t dead yet. Before the spear fizzled out, Rindel flipped Samantha to her side and repeated the process on her back. Solas blared a warning in Rindel’s head as he scooped Samantha off of the ground. Heads up! Lots of pissed-off Fallen incoming! There’s an outcropping about ten meters away that should be ideal cover.  As Rindel lumbered Samantha to the outcropping, he was vaguely aware of a distant roar in the air, but his main focus was now on Samantha. Her breathing had gone from labored to shallow after he cauterized her wounds. “Solas, tell me good things! How’s Ryu doing with the Light?” “I can’t get a hold of it!” Ryu’s voice was trembling with frustration. “It feels like it’s right under the surface, and it just slips away whenever I try to grab it!” “Keep trying!” Rindel peaked from his position and saw the rifle Samantha dropped. With any luck, it’d have some bullets left in it, and even if it didn’t, Solas could synthesize more now. His mind was a blur: Emotion mixed with logic and strategy and that damn roar-Wait. Roar? He had only just noticed how loud it was getting before it suddenly cut out.A large dropship fell from the sky in a lazy spin as the Fallen tried to scurry away. Rindel crouched behind the outcropping and held a part of his cloak over Samantha’s face as he pulled a loose section over his mouth and nose. The craft hit the floor with an enormous crash as dust was flung throughout the clearing.Then, silence. Rindel checked Samantha – Still breathing, but her breaths were more shallow than before, and each breath was spaced further and further apart.Damnit, she was about to die!He heard another loud crash, then the metallic whirring that shot off toward the Traveler. “Wait, who are you?” Ryu’s voice echoed over the comms. “What are you – Ow! Stop hitting me!” “Get out of my way!” Another voice on the comms hissed. “My Guardian needs the Light just as much as yours!” Rindel’s eyes widened. Guardian? Is that another Ghost? “My Guardian is dying down there!” Ryu yelled. “She needs healing right now! Move before I knock your shell off!” “And my Guardian also has heavy injuries, thanks for asking!” The new voice’s tone was practically dripping with venom. “Just let me take this Light and-“ Suddenly the feed was silent as a brilliant flash filled the clearing. After several seconds, Rindel heard more of the telltale note of a Ghost’s repulsion drive. Ryu’s shell flashed a brilliant ultraviolet as a radiant beam struck Samantha. Rindel shielded his eyes.When the burst subsided, Samantha rocketed up from the ground and took in several deep breaths. Her emerald green eyes pierced Rindel’s as she ran her hand over her now healed stab wound. “Did… Did Ryu heal me?” Her breath shook slightly as she spoke.Ryu let out a metallic huff. “Not for lack of trying of that other Ghost. What was with her anyway?” She pulled the upper segment of her shell down. “It’s just good that I was able to get the Light for you. It seemed like-“Another loud crash echoed through the clearing, followed shortly by a hearty laugh. “That’s what I’m talking about!” Emil’s voice rebounded throughout the clearing. “The Light is back, bitches!” “That voice!” Ryu shouted. “His Ghost nearly killed Sam with that idiocy! Who the hell does he think he is?”Emil crashed loudly through the brush. “Where the hell are you, Rindel?”Samantha got back on her feet and peered into the clearing. “You know this clown?"“Yeah, unfortunately,” Rindel groaned. That had been Emil? What the hell was he thinking, flying his ship in that state? “Damn it all, now we’ll need to drag his ass out of here, and he wrecked our ride out of here.” He blew his frustrations through his teeth and exited cover.He opened his mouth to admonish Emil but stopped cold when he saw the Exo hefting a machine gun over his shoulder. He’d been completely healed.But according to what Sam’s vision had shown her, there was only enough Light for two Guardians. How was this happening?Emil chuckled as he strode toward Rindel. “I gotta hand it to ya, I though this’d never work, but here we are! Both of us charged with Light! Now what’s say we…” He stopped a moment as his face plates shifted, causing his eyes to narrow. “What’s up Rin? You look as though you’ve seen a ghost. And not the Light-filled kind.”Rindel brought his composure together enough that he was able to respond. “You’re healed up. How?”Emil recoiled as if he’d smelled something rotten. “Kinda obvious, ain’t it? Motoko pulled Light from the Shard and patched me up!”“Wait, what?” Samantha walked into the clearing. “The Traveler showed me-““Woah, hold on a second.” Emil held up his free hand. “When the hell did Ikora two-point-oh enter into this?”“When she got the same vision I did,” Rindel growled. “And the Traveler told her that two Guardians would get their light back, not three.” “And all I saw was a Hunter and a Warlock. No Titan.” Samantha cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms. “This isn’t right.”“Oh, who the hell cares?” Emil smirked, letting the light from his mouth dance across his face and chest plate. “That just means one more of us that can help to kick Ghaul’s ass, right?”“But the Traveler is never wrong!” Samantha’s hands balled into fists. “The only ones who were supposed to be here were me and Rindel, so what are you doing here?”Before Emil could fire back, Rindel held up a hand. Another roar of aircraft, but this didn’t sound like a jet engine. A Fallen Ketch swooped in, depositing a Spider Tank into the clearing with a loud crash. A turret on the main section of the robot turned and faced the group.Emil chuckled and hoisted the machine gun to his hip, yanking back the charge handle. “Nice of the Fallen to give us a test run!” He pulled the trigger and unleashed a hail of bullets at the machine.  Samantha dashed to the discarded rifle as the Exo Titan opened fire with his machine gun. She rolled on the ground and snatched up the weapon. “Find me some cover, Ryu!” She yelled to her Ghost as she slammed home a fresh magazine.
There’s a low rock outcropping seven meters ahead, just past that drop-off! You should be able to slide into it!
Samantha kicked a foot out in front of her and slipped into cover. She envisioned a fiery warmth in her hand channeled energy to create a grenade of pure Light.But when she popped up over the cover to throw it, nothing left her hand. She fell back behind the wall. She had poured the energy into her hand the same as she always had. Why wasn’t she able to summon grenades?She chanced a peek over the low outcropping at the Titan when she heard a sudden burst from the Spider Tank. A dark blue smear was on the ground where the Exo had stood. Samantha pulled back into cover as a wash of cold filled her. She took several breaths as several facts coalesced in her mind.Her wounds had been healed completely. This Exo had apparently been heavily injured as well, before the tank’s shell blew him to kingdom come. That meant that they both had received some Light back. But she wasn’t able to create a grenade. Did that mean that they had split the Light of one Guardian between them? The thought turned her blood to ice. There was no way for either of them to know what abilities would work or not. She doubted that she would be able to summon her Dawnblade. But more importantly, did that mean that their Ghosts could still revive them? If they died, would it be a final death? “Hey Sam! I’m gonna get underneath this thing and fill one of its legs with buckshot!” Rindel’s voice sounded oddly calm over the comms. “Emil’s takin’ a dirt nap, so you’re up! Light up the legs!” Dirt nap. That phrase hit her in the gut.Samantha took in a deep breath and let it half out. She popped up from her cover, centered her sights on one of the Tanks legs and pulled the trigger five times. She wasn’t sure if her rounds were having much of an effect on the machinery, but then a panel burst off and the tank staggered. She pulled back in time to watch Rindel take out another leg as he slid underneath the armored monstrosity, unloading both barrels of his shotgun before darting out. The legs buckled underneath the weight of the tank.Samantha allowed herself a small moment of celebration. They were still making this work, Light or not. A flash emanated from the area the Titan went down, followed by a guttural yell and resumed machine gun fire.Her eyebrows raised. So that Titan was able to be revived. Maybe everything was going to be-A round from a wire rifle literally cut through Samantha’s thoughts. She collapsed in a heap as the world went black.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Silence. The world was black and featureless. Samantha felt as though she was floating in the abyss.

Passing visions of what may or may not have been flashed by in a blur, like a movie that had been cut to shreds then stitched back together all wrong. Her consciousness made out the bare outlines of a thousand different scenarios, all playing out from her own perspective.

She was instantly kneeling in front of a tombstone, grieving, then just as quickly she was on a beach with an Awoken she couldn’t quite make out, then found herself facing down Ghaul alone-

Just as suddenly, it was as if a light had been turned on in a stark white room. Then vision returned. As the world around her faded in, so too did sound – Gunfire, and the sound of two men yelling, though still muffled.

“…ck can’t I summon my hammers? What the hell is wrong with the Light?”

A loud, distinctive

bang

before the response. “The hell if I know, Emil! Just keep firing!”

The ringing in Samantha’s ears faded, but she had a massive headache that was focused at her temples. As the pain cleared, she was suddenly very aware of the fact that she had been killed.

And yet, here she was. Revived. Death no longer had a hold over her.

“Where the

hell

is the Ikora wannabe?” The Titan Rindel had called Emil yelled over the staccato report of his machine gun. “Did she bite it?”

That did it. Samantha pulled herself off the ground. “Better than you did, hammer head! At least I wasn’t blown up!”

There was a pause in the gunfire before Emil responded. “Rin, where did you

find

this girl? Up from a rez and she’s cracking jokes?

Damn,

you found a good one!”

Samantha noted that Rindel declined to acknowledge the statement. “Sam, fire on the turret base! I’ve got an idea!”

“On it!” She popped up from behind cover and opened fire on the Spider Tank. There were already a considerable number of holes and dents around the base of the turret, where it rotated. She suddenly noticed a seam that had become more exaggerated as the metal around it had been deformed by round after round impacting the structure.

Before she could center her scope on the target, another wire rifle round whizzed over her head. She dove to the deck as a second round plinked harmlessly on the ridge of the outcropping she had been using for cover. “Your name’s Emil, right?” She yelled to the Titan. “Give me some covering fire!”

“Don’t you mean, ‘be a distraction?’” Emil paused a half-second before he re-opened fire. “Hey! Over here, you Fallen bitches! I’m right here!”

Samantha huffed.

I guess that’s one way to do it.

She rose slowly and brought the turret back into her rifle’s scope. She quickly found the seam that she had spotted earlier. And best of all, she saw what looked like a hairline crack in the metal of the turret body behind it.

She let out her breath halfway and fired three rounds into the point where the seams met on the turret.

The bullets from her rifle were never going to blow off the Spider Tank’s turret, but as she watched the rounds impact, she saw that they did exactly what she wanted them to do: They bent the metal at the seams and deformed the rotating section, effectively locking the turret in place. The tank suddenly stopped and lurched forward, exposing its motor core.

She watched as Rindel sprang into action, summoning a spear made of Arc Light. Had he always had a level of attunement for Arc Light? She remembered him using Solar Light before, on their mission? Her thoughts faded as he jumped onto the tank’s “head” and thrust the spear into the core. Arc Light surrounded Rindel and the core like so many vines, and the core began to glow. Samantha instinctively dove behind her cover as it burst into a thunderous explosion.

After several seconds, there was a stillness to the clearing. Samantha rolled to her back and looked up into the sky. They had

won.

Against all possible odds, they had made it here and gotten the light back. They had a chance.

Her brow furrowed.

But am I of any use with only half of the Light I should have?

The silence was broken by a loud whooping noise. “Hell yeah, Rindel!

That’s

what I’m talkin’ about!” Emil laughed in the clearing. “Hey, you too, blondie! That was some killer shooting for a Warlock!”

Samantha sprang to her feet. For a

Warlock?

Oh, what she would give to run this jackass through with a burning sword! She clenched her fists tightly as she entered into the clearing. Rage started burning through her as the Titan came into view. She had done exactly what the Traveler had shown her. She’d saved Rindel’s life, very nearly at the cost of her own.

Then this clown had to come along and steal half of the Light that was meant for her.

Emil recoiled slightly as she came into view. “Damn, you’re just full of sunshine, ain’tcha? Fightin’s over for now, so-”

“How the

hell

did your Ghost get the Light back for you?” She let the words drip out in a growl. “The Traveler showed me a vision. Two Guardians. A Hunter and a Warlock. No Titan.” Her eyes narrowed. “And the Traveler is never wrong.”

“So you said before. Blazin’ Light, what is with you two?” Emil chuckled. “Guess that just means I’m special.”

“Special?”

Ryu phased into being, looking as irate as Samantha. “Your Ghost practically knocked me out of the sky while I was trying to pull on the Light from the Shard!”

Emil sniggered. “Hell of a Ghost. Sounds like Motoko.” His mechanical mouth twisted into a stupid-looking grin. “Stoppin’ at nothing to save her Guardian from certain death… I mean, I guess that’s nothing to a papercut for a Warlock, but-”

That clinched it. Samantha dashed toward the Exo, throwing all her weight into a punch to Emil’s jaw accompanied by an admittedly satisfying

snap.

As Emil staggered back, his Ghost, Motoko materialized, quickly repairing the damage to his jaw. “What the hell was

that?

” she spat. “My Guardian was dying, and he needed the Light!”

“So was mine, you stupid bitch!”

Ryu flung herself at Motoko, attacking with a ferocity matched only by her fury. “You had no right-”

As Motoko punted Ryu to the floor, Emil simply grinned as his eyes brightened. “Okay then, Sandy.” He brought his fists up in a defensive position. “Let’s dance.” He squared his shoulders for a punch.

Samantha suddenly heard the

clap

of a gunshot – And the whizzing noise as a bullet cut the air between her and Emil. The two Ghosts froze in place as Rindel slowly lowered the still-smoking sidearm. “That is

enough.

We have far more important things to worry about.

”

“Hey, man,” Emil’s voice was strangely calm as he slowly raised a pair of open hands. “She started it, so-”

“Actually,

you

did when you decided to downplay Sam’s injuries!” Rindel glared at Emil with a gaze sharp enough to kill. “She nearly

died

keeping me alive long enough to get the Light back. And I mean permanently. So shut the hell up about what you don’t know.”

Emil opened his mouth as if to fire off a retort, but stopped, as if he thought better of whatever insult he had planned to throw at Rindel. Samantha willed her body to relax as Ryu returned to her side.

Rindel shook his head as he holstered the sidearm. “Now that that’s out of the way, how are you two holding up? Any issues with your Light?”

“Hell yeah, we have issues!” Emil’s voice suddenly had a hard edge to it. “Motoko was able to bring me back after that tank blew me up, but I can’t use my hammers at all.”

Samantha frowned. She’d had her suspicions, but that all but confirmed her theory. “Okay, so let’s back up a bit, since both of us were out. When…” She couldn’t even bring herself to say his stupid Ghosts’s name. “...Our Ghosts pulled the Light, what happened?”

“Well,” Ryu huffed, “I was trying to grab onto the Light from the Shard, but it kept…” her voice trailed off. “Moving out of reach? It’s kind of hard to describe, but it didn’t want to come to me. Not immediately.”

“Then I came in,” Motoko continued. “We had our tussle, and I pulled on the Light too-”

“Tussle?”

Ryu exclaimed. “You nearly knocked me out of the air! If it had taken any longer you’d have-”

Samantha glared at her Ghost.

That’s

enough,

Ryu. I know you’re upset, but you need to calm down.

She felt one of her hands curl into a fist as she admonished her Ghost, realizing that she still needed to calm down herself.

Samantha could almost hear Motoko’s eye rolling as she continued.

“Anyway,

I came in and started pulling on the Light, and then so did she, and then

bam!”

She twirled around as her shell’s segments rotated. “I’m suddenly charged with Light! So I rushed back to Emil, and then-”

“So, wait a minute,” Solas said as he phased into being. “You were both pulling on the Light at the same time? And then it channeled into you both?”

Ryu affected a nod. “That’s the size of it. But if the Traveler was right and there was only enough in there for a pair of Guardians...”

Emil’s eyes widened. “Oh

crap.”

Samantha took in a deep breath before she spoke. “It’s what I suspected from that moment I couldn’t make a grenade. We’re both only at half power.”

Rindel held a hand to his forehead. “I mean, I

guess

that makes sense. But how do we get you two topped off?”

“Easy!” Emil bounced a finger off of his head “The Shard is

right here!

It’s still glowing, so there’s gotta be some Light left in it! Let’s have the Ghosts try and pull on some more.”

No sooner had Emil said the words did the Shard’s luminescence fade, before it went out entirely. His face scrunched together as his words neatly matched Samantha’s thoughts.

“Well,

shit.”

Emil readjusted the strap that held the machine gun to his back. After the Light had faded from the Shard, they’d gone back to his ship, hoping to use the radio to call for a lift back to this “farm” that Samantha had mentioned. The ship had been heavily damaged in the crash, and despite the best efforts of Motoko and Solas, they hadn’t been able to get it working again.

So, they were doing all they could do - Walk. They had run into occasional Fallen scout parties on their way out of the Dead Zone, but they’d been able to make short work of the ones that hadn’t run away. That thought  made Emil smile. If the Fallen were running, that meant that word was getting out, at least among their ranks, that there were Guardians with their Light back.

As they crested another one of the area’s rolling hills, he tried to look for smoke, the glint of  solar panels, steam - anything that might give a clue as to where a human settlement might be. “Hey Rin!” He called. “How much further?”

Rindel shook his head, his brows furrowed. “How the hell would I know? I’ve never been in this part of Europe, much less seen anything like this ‘Farm’ we’re headed to.” He turned and faced Samantha. “Any ideas?”

There was a noticeable pause before Samantha answered. “We’d usually come out this way in a truck. That’d be about an hour or so out so… maybe another forty kilometers?”

Emil stretched his arms in an exaggerated manner as he groaned. “Forty

kilometers?

Damn, man.” He looked over to Samantha giving one of his big grins. “Still, even after those skirmishes back there, I’m good to go for the moment! You holdin’ up okay?”

Samantha glared at him and kept her focus forward. Damn. She was still cold as ice.

You don’t think she’s still pissed about the Light, do you Ko?

He felt his Ghost make an expression like raising an eyebrow.

It’s pretty obvious, honestly. Assuming that the Traveler actually reached out to her, she was supposedly set to get

all

her powers back, like Rindel did. Not to mention that it seems like you weren’t a part of the equation.

Well, I am now.

Emil pounded a fist into an open palm.

No regrets. We’ve gotta do what we can to kick Ghaul’s ass.

Even as he thought this, he felt a twinge of… something. Guilt? He’d been mortally injured because he’d gotten cocky. If he wasn’t injured, Motoko wouldn’t have needed to fight her damndest to save him. He clenched his jaw as the plates that formed his lips ground against each other. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he’d become an interloper.

Maybe Samantha did have a good reason to hate him.

The distant

crack

of a gunshot ripped him from his moment of introspection. Rindel stopped a moment, holding up a hand. A moment passed before more shots echoed over the hills, several with the distinctive

thump

of Cabal munitions.

“I just barely got a radio transmission,” Solas announced as he phased into being. “Traveler’s Light, there’s a lot of static, but it’s definitely a human transmission.” His sections shifted as he looked to his Guardian. “We’re gonna help, right?”

Emil chuckled. “Hell yeah, we are! We’re Guardians! That’s kinda what we do!” He pulled the machine gun from his back and took off in a run toward the firefight. He could ponder his interactions with Samantha later. If there were Cabal in the area, it was his sworn duty to kick their sorry asses hard enough that they’d burn up against the field caging the Traveler.

As soon as he came in close enough to see the lumbering aliens, he let out a battle cry as he opened fire. His machine gun sang its lovely song of death as he reveled in the Cabal’s surprised yells and screams. He opened his mouth to yell some obscenity at the Red Legion troops when he got hit in the torso by a microrocket. The slug pierced through him, causing him to drop his machine gun as he fell. It hurt like a son-of-a-bitch, but at least he knew that he could be healed now.

A shadow streaked over him, followed by an ear-splitting pop as Rindel fired from both barrels of his shotgun at close to point-blank at one of the Centurions. Rounds zinged over him as he felt his wounds stitch themselves closed - It was great to have Motoko back. He’d missed his sparkette, though he’d never admit that out loud.

“You broken?” Samantha slid into a kneeling position near him as she zeroed in on a group of Psions, taking them out with a headshot each.

“Aw, how sweet!” Emil grabbed the machine gun from the dirt and pulled up the dust cover to reload. “Didn’t know you cared!”

“I

don’t,”

Samantha fired back at him as she flung a magazine from the rifle and slammed a new one into the receiver. “Just needed to know if I needed to drag your sorry ass off the field today.”

Emil winced slightly as he yanked back the charge handle.That said it all. She really did hate him with every fiber of her being, didn’t she?

Because you’re the biggest bastard in the system,

a little voice in him said.

He shook his head before putting his mask of bravado back on. “Well, if you need to drag someone off, it ain’t gonna be me!” He stood to his full height as Rindel fell. A Colossus towered over him, pumping a rotary Slug Thrower in the air.

“Hey, that gun’s kinda cute!” Emil bellowed. “Try mine!” He pulled the trigger and unleashed a hellstorm on the towering behemoth. The Cabal’s armor deflected some of the rounds, but Emil could tell that some were going through. Soon, the big guy would fall, and then he could be the hero for all these people-

The Colossus’ fell as a burst of black splattered from its head. Samantha stood just behind him, rifle still smoking. She gave him a sarcastic grin. “Oh, sorry, did I steal your kill?”

Internally, Emil was seething.

Of

course

that was my kill, you-

He took a deep breath. She was trying to get under his skin, so to speak. He wasn’t going to let her play her Warlock mind-games. He held up a finger. “One.”

“Oh, congratulations! You can count.” Her smile was insufferable. “Gonna list off colors next?”

“That’s still

one

kill, Goldie Locks,” He growled. “Not that it matters.”

“That’s

enough,

you two.” Rindel flipped up to his feet from the ground, rubbing at his neck. “By the

Light,

Solas still can’t heal me quick enough. That hurts like hell.” He twisted his neck with an audible

crack

before nodding towards the thicket. Let’s see who we’ve run into.”

Samantha nodded and turned to the trees. “Hello? We’re Guardians! You can come out now, the Cabal are all dead now!”

A few figures emerged from behind trees, some obviously Guardians, judging from their armor. One woman emerged, wearing a poncho with a light hood and a shocked expression on her face.

“Samantha?”

She stumped over her disbelief as she neared the group.

Samantha’s face lit up. “Suraya!” She ran over to the woman, who wrapped her arms around the Warlock before she could ask if the group was okay.

Emil sniggred. “Aw, what a touching reunion.” He elbowed Rindel. “Better be careful, Rindel. Looks like your girlfriend’s eyes might wander.”

Rindel raised an eyebrow at Emil before shaking his head and walking toward the small group of people. “You assume too much, Em.”

Emil sighed as he slung his machine gun.
Yeah, maybe he was rough around the edges, but what did Rindel expect from a Titan? Kittens and knitting? That wouldn't take out Ghaul or free the Traveler. You know, unless he could knit a garrote or something.

So, even with his bravado and dumb jokes, the two Guardians he’d teamed uip with shouldn’t have

hated

him like this.

“What d’you think, Ko?” He whispered to his Ghost. “Am I being the asshole here?”

His Ghost materialized next to his face. Her squarish shell had seen better days, but it was good to see her again. “No! You were dying, and I didn’t have another choice! How were we supposed to know that the Shard only had so much Light in it?”

She paused, spinning in midair to look at the group. “Being honest, I’m still mad at… Light, I can’t even bring myself to say her name. Sam’s Ghost.” Her eye lit up in a burst of orange before it shifted back to its usual ice blue. “I felt the Light and as soon as I came to, and… And saw how badly injured you were, I-”

Emil gently held her shell as he ran a thumb over one of the worn edges. “I know Sparkette, I know.” His faceplates shifted into a thin blue smile. “I shouldn’t have been so reckless. This could have all been avoided if I hadn’t been so damn full of myself.”

A moment passed in silence before Motoko spoke again. “Still, if you hadn’t been injured, it’s possible you wouldn’t have your Light back. Maybe I’d still be stuck in here.” She shuddered in his grip. “I never want to feel like that again.”

Emil took in a breath and held it in a moment before letting it out before he began to make his way to the larger group. Whether Rindel or Samantha wanted it or not, they were all in this together. That meant that they needed to rely on each other.

Besides, they weren’t seeing the bigger picture. Having him around was like a force multiplier. Soon, they’d be facing down Ghaul, and then they wouldn’t be whining about him stealing Light, or whatever Samantha thought. Motoko was right. He had been

dying,

for the Traveler’s sake! What was his Ghost supposed to do, just let him

die?

He heard a distant roar in the clearing. What the hell was

that?

Emil whipped his head around in time to see another Colossus fire a barrage of incendiary missiles. “Get clear!” he yelled as he ran to intercept the missiles. Even if he let them hit him, there were only so many he could block before he’d be killed.

But he had to do something. He reflexively dug a heel into the ground to better absorb the impact and clinched his forearm to his side. He couldn’t

make

a shield, so he would need to

be

the shield.  He closed his eyes and waited for the missiles to kill him.

Boom!

The first missile impacted. Emil could feel pressure releasing from the explosion. Then another explosion, then two more.

Wait,

four

explosions? How am I still feeling impacts?

He opened his eyes to find a shimmering wall of Light just in front of him. The remaining missiles impacted it, one after another. Hairline cracks appeared through the shield, but it remained intact. Emil’s eyes widened.

I can use my shields. I just saved everyone.

Ko! Synthesize me some more ammo!

He quickly pulled his machine gun from his back and poked the muzzle through the shield, opening fire on the massive Cabal. “Rindel, move in and flank him! Sam, keep him pinned down!”

As he paused his barrage to reload, he heard the report of Samantha’s rifle just to his left, while Rindel made a mad dash toward the lumbering alien. He pulled the dust cover down over the fresh belt of ammunition as the shield dissipated and racked the action as Rindel unloaded his shotgun into the Cabal’s knees, bringing the alien tumbling to the ground. As soon as the Hunter dashed away, Emil pulled his trigger, sending a deluge of rounds into the Cabal and making quick work of the threat posed to the group.

As he surveyed the horizon for more targets, He felt a nudge against his back. He started before turning to face Samantha. “What?”

“Did… Did you make that shield consciously?” Samantha asked. “I mean… Did you know that you’d be able to make one when you did?”

Emil chuckled. “Y’know, I’d love to say ‘yes,’ but the honest truth is that I had no idea.” He turned back, still scanning for more Red Legion. “I was just… Y’know, trying to keep people from dying.”

This was it. Maybe she’d finally turn around. He had been

brave,

damnit, and it that wasn’t obvious enough, then-

He could almost hear her eyes roll as she sighed in exasperation. “We

all

were trying to stop people from dying. Doesn’t make you special.”

He raised a finger as he spun to face her. “Okay, first off, I was willing to die to save those people. I was going to let the missiles hit

me

so

they

wouldn’t get hit!”

“Oh, how noble,” Samantha said dryly. “Except even with you in pieces, your Ghost could bring you back. Only difference is how long it would have taken.”

“Yeah, well, at least I did

something!

” The plates around his eyes narrowed. “I didn’t see you or Rindel do anything to help!”

“Actually, I was trying to shoot down a few, and Rindel had his Arcstaff out.” She raised her eyebrows as she looked off.

“Pretty

sure we could have handled it.”

“Okay, knock it off, you lovebirds!” A lanky man with a long chestnut-colored ponytail called to them, pointing to Emil. “You two argue like an old married couple! Someone wanna tell us how the hell

this

huge sunovabitch made a shield?” He nodded toward Rindel. “And I swear to God that I saw lightning arcing from your feet as you ran to take on that big bastard, not to mention that lightnin’ rod you made a second ago. I thought none of y’all had your powers? And who the hell

are

these two?”

Samantha stepped toward the man. “Casey, this is Rindel and this is…” She paused. “...Emil. They’re Guardians, too.”

Casey crossed his arms. “Kinda got that from the armor and the fashion sense. Titan and Hunter, right?” He shook his head. “That doesn’t answer

how-”

“We got our powers back.” Rindel answered. “We went to the Shard, and-”

“Wait, from the Shard?” The poncho-woman Samantha had called Suyara raised her eyebrows. “That… actually worked?”

Emil nodded. “It’s a long story.”

Casey shrugged. “Well, hell. We’ve got a drive back to the Farm.” He grabbed a brimmed hat from the ground and hit it against his knee to knock dirt off of it before placing it back on his head. “I’d say we’ve got time for a story."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rindel lay in a small cot, kept awake by swirling thoughts and doubts. He held up his left hand, staring at it in the low light of the prefabricated structure. After getting Emil’s ship towed back to the Farm, he’d had a lot of time to process everything that had happened within the last several days. How were they going to be able to win against Ghaul and his Legion?As he spun his wrist around, his gaze caught a glimpse of a small tattoo on his third finger - A feathered wing that wrapped around the finger where his ring used to sit. He sighed and let his hand fall to his chest. Thinking about Sarra now wasn’t going to help him figure out the best solution to this problem. So what do we do? He grabbed his boots and slipped them on his feet. If he couldn’t sleep, he wasn’t going to stay here.He heard a soft groan from Emil’s cot. “Rin?” His voice was heavy with sleepiness. “What’re you doing? It’s not morning yet.”“I just…” Rindel paused. He had no desire to share any of these doubts with Emil on the best of days. Certainly not right now. “I need to get a bit of fresh air. Get back to sleep.”Emil yawned and pulled his sheet over him. “Will do, bud.”Rindel shook his head as he quietly exited the prefabricated structure. Bud. Yeah friggin’ right. As if Emil had earned the right to think of him in that way. He took in a breath of air still perfumed with spices from the barbeque pit that Shaxx had organized earlier. He needed to find a place to work through this, somewhere still. He wandered past the barn where Casey kept several vehicles and heard the crashing of waves.  A lake. Perfect. He rounded a large water pump and found himself at the end of a small dock. He walked out into the pale moonlight and listened as the waves crashed gently on the shore. This was a good spot to get away from everything for a little while to work through all of these problems.Then he could figure out how he was going to kill Ghaul.He absentmindedly stroked the edge of the tri-lobed amulet that hung around his neck as he considered the present situation. Against a legion of highly-trained, brutally efficient Cabal, they had one Guardian at full Light whose powers had shifted against his will, a Titan who could create shields, but had no offensive abilities to speak of, and a Warlock who’s only evidence of being a Guardian was being able to be revived from death.
How the hell do we win against those kinds of odds?
“Can’t sleep?”Rindel jumped at the noise and spun around, finding himself face to face with Samantha. She was out of her Warlock robes, instead wearing a shirt that was slightly too big for her frame and a pair of rough-hewn slacks. He sighed and looked back out to the lake. “No. You, too?”“Yeah, something like that.” She leaned against the railing at the end of the dock and looked straight out onto the water. “After today… I guess there’s just a lot I have on my mind right now.”Rindel sighed as he looked out onto the water, leaning against the rail himself. “That makes two of us.”They stood there for a while in the silence before Samantha nudged him. “So?”“So what?” Rindel looked to her as he raised an eyebrow.“What’s knocking around underneath those red locks?” Samantha gave him an easy smile. “You don’t have to keep everything vaulted up in there, you know.”“A lot of different things coalescing into a mess of madness.” Rindel shook his head. “Honestly, if I wanted to share, and that is a pretty big if, I don’t even know where to start.”Samantha chuckled. “Okay then, mister mysterious.” She took in a deep breath and let it all out before she spoke again. “Fine. I’ll go first.” She placed her elbows on the rail, cradling her chin in her hands. “This place, the Farm? It’s really peaceful. I was thinking that I missed the Tower, the libraries and the bustle of the City, but… this is nice.”Rindel nodded. “I guess there’s a reason that I went out to the Wilds as often as I could before all of this. Sometimes, getting away can be good.”He knew that better than most.“I’m still pissed at Emil,” Samantha continued. “It makes me wonder if he interfered with the Traveler’s plan, or…” Her voice trailed a moment. “Or if this was part of the plan all along, and I somehow didn’t see it right. Neither scenario fills me with confidence.” She smirked and looked directly at Rindel. “There is also the fact that he’s a cocky, condescending jackass where I’m concerned, but-”“I mean, being fair, Emil’s always been like that.” Rindel rolled his eyes. “I remember when I first met him, I’d been a Guardian for… maybe six months? Anyway, he was all cocky and bragging how he’d be able to lead us around Luna, he’d been there a bunch of times, blah blah blah.” He sniggered. “He was only rezzed about three months before I was and it turned out he’d been once . We got there as a patrol of six and he got us so lost in the tunnels that when we got out, it was at the freaking Hellmouth. ” “Wow.” Samantha’s eyebrows raised as she pushed herself back from the railing. “Sounds like him, alright.” She shook her head and continued. “Speaking of that, I…” She held up a hand. “I’m… scared. I think I can finally admit that.” Rindel looked at her. Hell, he was too. He tried to come up with any kind of response - sympathy, understanding, whatever. But nothing came out. Maybe he wasn’t ready to admit it out loud yet.Sam continued. “Obviously, our hand’s been dealt and we have the Light we do, but… I can’t use my Dawnblade. I can’t even heal .” She looked off into the distance. “Am I even a Guardian anymore?”Rindel frowned. She had a point. Guardians were supposed to be able to wield the Light as a weapon. If she couldn’t, where did that leave her?Still, she was as skilled a fighter as she was when they’d met in the Crucible. He clasped a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, don’t sell yourself short. You may not have your Dawnblade, but you’re more than just a burning sword. Your determination is what makes you a Guardian. Don’t forget that.”Samantha breathed in as if to reply, but paused. After a moment, she sighed, reached up to his hand and squeezed it. “Thanks. I think I needed that.”The waves continued their soft chorus against the shore as Rindel moved his hand back to the railing. Despite the pep talk, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense for him to carry out a solo attack against the Legion. It’d need to be a fast, surgical strike for it to work. Maybe he could convince Samantha and Emil to just stay here. Protect the farm, find other Guardians, plan a way to retake the city. Keep themselves safe while he took out Ghaul. No more deaths.But how could he make that work? More doubts flooded his mind. If Ghaul was able to cage the Traveler, what would there be to stop him from doing the same to a Guardian? The thought sent a chill down his spine.How were they supposed to win?He felt a tap on the top of his head. He turned to Samantha, who had a coy smile on her face. “Okay, your turn. What’s going on up there?”Rindel’s lips made a thin line. “Too many problems and not enough solutions.” He finally said. “Sooner or later, an attack needs to be made against the Red Legion. I just don’t know how we can with only one Guardian at full strength.”Samatha punched his arm and he recoiled. “Ow!” “There’s three Guardians with the Light back, thank you very much. Besides, wasn’t it you that said that we’re more than just our weapons?” She laid a hand on his shoulder. “You don’t have to do this alone, you know. I’ve got your back.”Rindel tried to curl his mouth into a small smile in response. “Yeah, I know,” he said flatly.“I’m serious!” Samantha insisted. “I know that I don’t have any of my offensive abilities, but I don’t care. If the Traveler said that we’re taking the City back, then we’re taking the City back, hell or high water. I’m with you to the end.”It was hard to not admire her determination. “Thanks, Sam.” He let out a deep sigh. “We’ll figure something out. We have to.”“There’s… one other thing.” She bit her lower lip as if trying to stall for time. “Thank you. For staying alive… and for saving my life.”Rindel raised his eyebrow in a sidelong glance. “I can’t take all the credit, there. Ryu did all the heavy lifting. Besides, you saved me. So, in a way, I guess that makes us even.”Samantha shook her head. “You really shouldn’t be telling others not to sell themselves short when you do the same. Ryu told me about what happened.” She ran a hand over the area where the Fallen Captain’s sword had run her through. “You stopped me from bleeding out. Ryu healed me, but you saved me.” Rindel shrugged. “That’s what partners do. They watch each other's backs. I’m sure you’d do the same for me in the same circumstances.”Samantha smiled. “So we’re partners now, huh?”Rindel paused. That… was a heavy handed word. But he had said it. Guess that made it true. “After everything we’ve been through, I can’t imagine calling you anything else.”Samantha suddenly wrapped an arm around him and planted a kiss on his cheek.It felt as though a small explosion had gone off in his chest and his heart was doing somersaults. His mind froze as he tried to process what had just happened.Samantha smiled and patted his shoulder. “It’s getting late. See you tomorrow, partner.”“Y-yeah,” Rindel stammered. “I’ll... see you then.” Samantha snickered and walked back to the shore, leaving Rindel alone on the dock with his jumbled thoughts.  “You seem like you’re really distracted today.” Ryu listed the spherical body in her shell to the side as the shell’s segments splayed with her curiosity. “Did something happen last night?”“I mean… I guess you could say that.” Samantha let her voice trail off as she considered the bowl of oatmeal in front of her. It was gloopy and had all the charm of a bowl of doubt-flavored wallpaper paste.The memory of kissing Rindel played in her head on repeat, and she wasn’t sure how she felt. Her logical side presented her with what she knew as fact: She had saved his life, and he had saved hers. It made sense that going through that together would cause them to form a strong bond, and that she would feel some level of affection for him. That had simply been a mild display of that affection.And yet, there was that fluttering warmth in her chest whenever she thought about him. A calm that filled her when she thought about spending more time with him. And this side of her wanted more.She hadn’t seen Rindel at all that morning. After she’d asked around, Devrim told her that he had taken a quad and left on hunting duty early in the morning, alone. He had also mentioned that he’d seemed somewhat agitated.Did that mean he was avoiding her? Maybe that she was reading too much into the situation? She felt a sharp pain in her forehead. “Ow! What was that for, Ryu?”“Because you’re brooding.” Ryu hovered a few centimeters from Samantha’s nose. “We have most of our connection back, but not all of it. I can’t read your mind. So, what happened?”Samantha took in a deep breath and sighed. “Well…” She hesitated. She knew that she felt something for Rindel. But was it love? She felt as though saying the words would make them real.Was she ready for that?“Hey, blondie. Got a minute?”Oh no. Oh, hell no . Samantha’s unease amplified her annoyance with Emil instantaneously. “What the hell do you want, Emil?”As Emil sat, the chair creaked underneath the weight of the Exo in his full armor, save his helmet. By the Traveler, did he have to sit with her? Working alongside him and Rindel was going to be the best way to take back the City, but it didn’t change the fact that seeing his silhouette only reminded her of the power she didn’t have. She swore, if it wasn’t for that fact, she’d be convincing Rindel to go right now and leave his dumb ass-“Look, let me level with you. You probably think of me as a hotheaded moron. I am a hotheaded moron, and I know you and Rin don’t like me. But for now, we’re stuck.” He held out a hand. “I’m not asking for us to be friends, but we need to actually work together. Can we do that?”Samantha studied the Exo’s face. He clenched his “lips” together, and his eyes were locked on her. He was being serious, and as much as she didn’t want to admit it, she knew that he was right. She sighed and shook his hand. “Like we have a choice. Just so you know, the second, and I mean the second Shaxx can get the Crucible back up, we’re dueling. And I’m gonna enjoy killing you over and over again.”Emil snickered. “Hey, you’re welcome to try.” He shoveled a forkful of scrambled eggs into his mouth and swallowed. “Anyhow, where’s Rin? I thought you two would be off somewhere playing kissy-face like you were last night.” What? She froze as she felt heat rise up and explode on her face. How the hell did he know?“I… look, that…” She stammered. “It- It was practically reflex, and I don’t even know why I did it, but now he’s avoiding me, and that’s the first time I ever kissed anyone, so-”Emil’s fork fell to his plate with a clatter. “Wait, what?” His eyes dimmed in intensity as they widened. “First time? But I thought you two were-”Oh by the Light. Oh, Traveler’s Light, this conversation had just gotten awkward. Samantha held her head in her hands. She wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and fade into nothingness. Knowing Emil, this was going to be another avenue for him to annoy her and make her life a living hell-“Okay. So that we’re on the same page. You guys… aren’t a thing?”Samantha raised her head, slowly. Emil sat up straight with his hands folded on the table. It was hard to read his face, but it didn’t look like he was smiling. He was taking this seriously.“No.” Samantha gripped her arm as she focused on a spot in the distance. “No, we’re not.”“But you kissed Rindel.” Emil paused a beat before he continued. “Obviously, that means that there’s something there, right?”Samantha bit her lip. There was something there. Her emotional side was begging for more of this connection that she had felt with Rindel.“There is,” she finally said. “But… I haven’t heard anything from him since then. He’s avoiding me. So I’m not sure if there ever will be something there.”Emil chuckled and folded his arms over his chest. “Well, what’d you expect? You just kissed him completely out of the blue. It kinda makes sense that he’d need a bit to process that.”Samantha narrowed her eyes. “And you’re suddenly an expert on Rindel? He was gone for a long time. People change. You don’t know him as well as you think.”“Maybe.” Emil took a drink of black tea from a mug. “But I’d also be willing to bet that you don’t know him half as well as you think.”Samantha frowned. As much as she hated to admit it, Emil had known Rindel for so much longer than she had, longer than she had even been alive as a Guardian. “I’ll give you that. Doesn’t change the fact that he’s keeping me at arm’s length. Further than that, really.”Emil’s face shifted - He raised his eyebrows for a fraction of a second, relaxing in his seat. “He’s lost people, you know. Keeping people at arm’s length is how he deals with that possibility. But that still isn’t the same as him avoiding you outright.” She crossed her arms. He was making this sound more complicated than it was. “Look, I just don’t see what he has to think about. Did losing his fireteam really affect him that much? I mean… obviously, losing anyone would hurt, but the Taken War was five years ago. Isn’t that enough time to grieve?”Emil’s body shot bolt upright, like an electric current had passed through the chair. “He hasn’t told you.” He put a palm to his hand and sighed. “Of course he hasn’t. Why would he?”“Told me what?” Samantha leaned forward on the table.“You’ve looked up information on the raid against Oryx, right?” Emil pulled a handheld data terminal from his hip and started tapping at the screen. “Did you ask why he went in the first place?”Samantha stopped at that. She had never really given it much thought. “He wasn’t selected by the Vanguard?”“No.” Emil brought his lips together in a grim expression, passing her the terminal. “He volunteered because of the first team that went.”Samantha poured over a report that Emil had brought up. “This… this isn’t Rindel’s team. And there’s a Hunter listed as MIA?” She scrolled further and froze. “One survivor who made it back. Kari Winters? I’ve met her a few times.”Emil nodded. “Kari and her husband, Rem, were in pretty tight with Rindel. Him and Sarra, Rem and Kari and Cyclone and Kristina? The Tower used to joke that when they went out on patrol or on strikes, it was basically just a massive triple date.”Samantha drew her mouth into a tight line. It had never really occurred to her that Rindel may have dated someone else before she had come into the picture, but it made sense. It didn’t stop the flash of shame that suddenly ran through her, though. “Go on.”Emil took a drink from his mug and continued. “Anyhow, Sarra and Rindel took a week of liberty after Cyclone and Kristina tied the knot, and that week was when word came down that Oryx was still alive after they'd killed him on the Dreadnaught. Rem and Kari knew the lay of the land and the Vanguard felt time was of the essence, so they put together a team and they went to take him on without Rindel.”“And then… Rem died.” Samantha nodded solemnly. “And Rindel went to avenge his friend.” She frowned, brows furrowed. “And in the process, he lost his team.”“You’re half-right.” Emil’s eyes brightened. “He lost his fireteam, sure. He also lost his brother… and his wife.”Samantha froze. His wife . Rindel and Sarra had been married. The revelation cut into her like a razor blade. Suddenly, so much clicked into place. No wonder he distanced himself from everyone.And worse, she had forced her feelings onto him, with no regard to what that could do to him. What had she done? It was really no wonder he was keeping his distance now. Guilt overcame her. What gave her the right to force her emotions on someone who wasn’t ready for that?Emil leaned back against his chair for a moment. “So then. What’s your next move? Even knowing his past, I doubt you wanna throw in the towel just yet.”Samantha’s mind halted. What was she supposed to do? She should just cut things off. That’d be the best thing to do. To just drop this idea and move on. That was logical.But then, that’s not what her heart wanted at all. Rindel made her feel whole. She couldn’t just let that go. Even as she thought that ending her pursuit would be for the best, her soul screamed that she needed to keep going.Why did emotions have to be so complicated? “There you two are.” Hawthorne cut off her thoughts. “Finish up your breakfast and gear up. We’ve got a job to do.”“That’s all you had to say.” Emil’s tone changed as he set down his fork and pounded his fist into his palm. “Who’re we messin’ with today?”“Cabal and Fallen.” Hawthorne smiled. “The day has come for us to set up our little broadcast. Devrim made a few minor adjustments to the message and Rindel will be back soon. From there, we link up our booster to the signal repeater and let it do its thing.”Rindel would be back soon. There was that fluttering sensation again. No. I can’t let this happen. We have an important mission ahead of us. We need to take back the City. Having a crush on a teammate isn’t going to help that. She took a breath and forced herself to focus on the task at hand. So from here on, I’m just his teammate. Her logic took center stage. No talking about a future that will never be. Talk to him for no reason except what may pertain to the mission. You don’t have any of your powers, but you can be a good soldier. You will be a good soldier. Nothing more and nothing less. “Okay then.” She stood from her seat “Let’s gear up. We should be ready to leave as soon as Rindel arrives.”She had to be strong. She couldn’t let her feelings get in the way. Yet, as much as she tried to bind it down, there was still that flutter when he crossed her mind.  Samantha took a knee and stopped as Rindel held up a fist. They had made their way into an old salt mine buried into a mountain. Hawthorne and several of the Farm’s other residents had set up a signal repeater on an alcove that linked into the mine. They could have gone up a sheer cliff face, but taking out a battle group of Fallen, complete with a Servitor, would weaken their ability to attack the Farm and would discourage them from moving in so close.As Rindel disappeared around a corner, rifle raised, Samantha’s heart froze in her chest. She took a deep breath and tried to reframe the situation with logic. He’s leading because he has full use of his Light. It makes the most sense. Besides, even if there were Fallen around the corner, even if he were killed, Solas can revive him. He’ll be fine. But for as much as she tried to bring down her anxiety, the possibility of him getting shot made her hair stand on end. Her Light from the Shard had been split, and she couldn’t heal. What was there to say that he could be revived? He’d almost died once on her watch. She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding when he came back into her view.Rindel walked back to the group with all the poise of a leopard stalking prey. “Next room is clear. No tangoes in sight.”Emil scoffed  and shook his head. “Are you sure the Fallen set up shop here?”Hawthorne frowned. “After the last time we ran maintenance, the Fallen moved right in. I know someone who’s got a burn from a bolt rifle that he got from sticking his nose in too close. I’ve got no idea what’s going on.” She pulled out a tablet and looked at a video feed. “Let’s see what Louis is seeing.”Samantha looked over Hawthorne’s shoulder as she pulled up a camera feed. Louis, a peregrine falcon, was Hawthorne’s hunting partner. She had to admit that having him fly overhead with a camera was a brilliant idea, even if she didn’t quite understand how the bird somehow knew exactly where to fly to give the best information. “Anything?”Hawthorne’s eyes narrowed as she moved her fingers across the screen. “It looks like the repeater is secure for now. Good, I was afraid that the Fallen were gonna to tear it apart.”“Well, that’s good news! No bad guys between us and the goal means this is gonna be a cakewalk!” Emil’s mouth cast a blue glow as he grinned. Samantha nodded. That was true, but they needed to be prepared nonetheless. She looked to Rindel, forcing her expression to be one of a confident soldier. “I’ll take point.”Rindel’s frowned. “No need, Sam. The room’s clear. We can just walk in.”That hit her like a punch. She needed to prove that she was competent, and here she was, trying to show off by leading. She felt that little spark that she carried for Rindel and forced it away. “Copy,”As Rindel and Hawthorne lead, Samantha heard Ryu groan in her head. This doesn’t feel right. I know we only have half the Light we ought to, but it feels like I can’t pull on it. Samantha stopped. “Ryu’s saying stuff is feeling off with the Light. Anyone else’s Ghosts feeling odd?”Rindel paused before he responded. “Yeah, Solas is feeling that too. Emil?”Emil nodded and held out a hand. Motoko phased into existence and immediately pinned herself to Emil’s chest. “Oohh, something feels way off. Not quite like a Darkness Zone, but…” She shuddered and phased back into her Guardian.Samantha had heard of Darkness Zones. Typically, they had a “muting” effect on the Light of any Guardian that entered them, rendering their Ghosts unable to revive them from death in the zone. There were only two known ways around this - Either removing the Guardian’s body from the zone, or having another Guardian to amplify the Light. She shuddered. A Darkness Zone  would be especially dangerous for a Guardian with only half the normal amount of Light,even if it wasn’t a true Darkness Zone. The thought made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.As they rounded another corner, they entered a large room that looked to be a receiving area of some kind - there were the oxidized remains of several light trucks strewn all around the room - and what looked like a set of metal walls supported by latticework in the corner, now a dull orange from rust.Emil motioned toward the structure with his shotgun. “Is this the elevator?”“Same one I used last time.” Hawthorn pressed a button in a metal box that was held onto the cage with zipties. “This should be a straight shot to the repeater once we get up to the top.”The machinery sputtered to life and began making a rhythmic creak as the elevator car came lower and lower. Samantha walked closer to the shaft, wondering when she might see the elevator car. As she starred up the shaft, her mind wandered to the kiss that she’d given Rindel. How good it made her feel in the moment. How right it felt.  No, she reminded herself. He’s even keeping you at arm’s length. You need to do the same. This is just a stupid crush. You’re in enemy territory with possibly no way of coming back if you die. So stop thinking about him, and pay attention to- A loud snap came from the elevator shaft. The machinery suddenly stopped working.Samantha froze. What the hell was that? The elevator car?Before she could determine what that was, she felt someone grab her and throw her to the ground. An enormous crashing sound came from the cage as the car slammed into the ground, kicking up a thick layer of dust. Samantha did her best to cover her nose and mouth, but buckled into a coughing fit. Your robes! Ryu yelled in her head. Rip off a piece if you have to! It’ll be better than breathing all this in! Samantha pulled at the front of her robes and felt the cloth around an armored section tear. She pulled the fabric, plasteel plating and all, to cover her nose and mouth, and took in a breath. She coughed out what remained of the dust and willed her breathing to slow down. She was okay. The room hadn’t collapsed.She heard a loud coughing noise that sounded like a combustion engine backfiring. “Everyone okay?” Emil yelled.“I’m okay.” Hawthorne sounded shaken, but not ragged - She must have avoided the brunt of the dust. “Sam? Rindel? What about you two?”Samantha pulled herself to her knees. She breathed in and immediately doubled over coughing. “Fine,” she finally managed to get out. “Rindel?”A soft moan was her only reply. Her blood ran cold.“Rin! Where are you, buddy?” Emil sounded as panicked as she felt. “He’s over here!” Solas yelled. She saw a spot of gold near her through the fog-like dust. That had to be him. The dust thinned as she approached, and she found Rindel pinned beneath a section of the elevator shaft that had collapsed.Her heart dropped out of her chest. Rindel had been the one to push her out of the way. And he was pinned under the elevator’s wreckage for his trouble.“He’s got a collapsed lung and his legs are pulverised!” Solas yelled. “I… I can’t pull on the Light! We need to get him out of here!” Samantha felt a cold pit form in her stomach. Then, laser focus. They needed to get him out. She frantically looked around for something to pry up the metal siding.Emil dashed past her as his shotgun clattered to the ground and began frantically searching for a section he could grab onto. “Sam, drop your gun and help me get this off him!” He stopped for a moment and planted his feet on the ground, then pulled on the metal plate with all his might. “Hawthorne!” he yelled through gritted teeth. “As soon as there’s enough room, drag him out!”“Y-yeah! Got it!” Her brain felt like it was about to explode. Her rifle fell and she ran to the opposite side of Rindel. She took a deep breath and dug her fingers under the plate and pulled up on the plate as hard as she could. She was not going to let Rindel die for her mistake. “Harder!” Emil grunted. She felt the plate go lighter and pulled as hard as she could. Her muscles screamed at her to let go, to let Ryu heal her and make the pain stop.But she refused to do so. Not for Rindel. She let out a scream as she pushed herself beyond their breaking point. She felt a knot form on the back of her arm as her muscles protested. Hawthorne needed to get him out, and fast. She wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to-“Got him!” Hawthorne exclaimed. “He’s out!”“Sam,” Emil’s voice strained. “Get your hands clear!” Samantha pulled her hands out as Emil did the same, and the metal sheet hit the ground with a clang! She turned and fell to the ground. Muscles be damned, she needed to get him out of this Light-forsaken cave.  She pulled herself up to her knees and crawled to his side.“Okay, Solas.” She heard Emil say after a ragged breath. “How’s he doing?”“Relax Emil, he’ll be fine.” Hawthorne smiled. “I mean, you all have-” “I still can’t reach it!” Solas darted around Rindel. “He’s fading fast. I don’t think he...” His voice trailed off into a wail.Solas couldn’t heal him. He was going to die. Permanently. Samantha would never get the chance to tell him that she loved him.A bright aura emanated from the floor. Samantha’s eyes shot open as she felt energy coursing through her arms to the floor. A cool, tingly feeling that spread through her arms, legs and abdomen. The same one as when she created a- Sam, look! Ryu’s voice was equal parts surprised and elated. You’re healing him! You made a rift! She dared to look at Rindel. Sure enough, a circle of light cascaded around them with her at the center. Rindel’s legs were already healing rapidly, filling up his Hunter’s leathers. Soon, his chest began to rise and fall. He was breathing normally. The feeling of hopelessness vanished instantly. She had healed him! Now she had time. All the time in the world to figure out how to tell him how she felt.“Hey.” She looked up to find that Rindel was already on his feet. He held out a hand. “Hell of a time to pull that trick out.”Samantha grabbed his hand and pulled herself off of the ground. She dusted off her robes and stood to full height. “I just…” She looked up and found herself locking eyes with him. Light, she could stare into those gorgeous blue eyes forever.  “I was so scared I was gonna lose you, and-”Rindel reached over and held her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “I know that feeling. I saw that siding coming down on top of you and just had to get you out of the way. I don’t know what I’d do if you’d…” He bit his lip and nodded. “Anyway. I’m glad that worked out.”She gave him a small smile. “That’s twice you’ve saved my life now. I owe you one.”“Well, you’ve also saved me twice, by my count.” Rindel said. “I think that makes us square.” Okay, her logic told her. Calm down. You’ve got your healing back. You are more effective as a soldier and a Guardian now. He’s okay and so are you. Back to the mission. You can still show him that you can be professional- She practically ran into him and wrapped her arms around his torso. She took in a deep breath as she pressed her cheek into his shoulder.
If my fear of losing him was enough to force my healing back, then maybe I am in love with him after all.
“Hey Sam? Trying to suffocate him?” Emil’s voice slammed into her throughs like a battering ram.She immediately backed away from him. Why did I do that? And of course Emil had to say something! Did I just ruin everything? Oh, no, what if I overstepped again? Now I’ll- Rindel pat her shoulder. She looked up and he gave her a small smile. And… was he blushing? “Thanks, partner.” He walked toward a hallway with the remains of a gate and threw up his cloak’s hood. “Okay then. If there are Fallen holed up in these caves, they definitely know we’re here now.” He turned and jogged down the hallway.“He read my mind.” Hawthorne smiled as she pat Samantha on the back. “Looks like you’ve got a fun trick for when we get back to the Farm. Let’s deal with this and see about getting some people healed up, huh?”Samantha nodded. “Yeah. There’s a few people I can already think of.”“Take your time. You’ve also got your boyfriend to look after, y’know.” Hawthorne winked. “For the record, you guys are cute as hell together.” She turned and made her way into the hallway.Samantha felt her cheeks practically ignite as Hawthorne left. Now she thought they were a couple! In that moment, she wanted nothing more than that, but-“Y’know, that’s not exactly what I had in mind for your next move.” Emil nudged her. She turned to see him holding out her rifle. “I mean, damned effective, though.”“It’s not like I planned that.” Samantha frowned. “Honestly, I’m worried I screwed things up with that hug. I just…”Emil laughed. “What, ‘cause you were worried we’d lose him? Nah, I wouldn’t worry about that.”Samantha frowned, furrowing her brow. She didn’t know how reliably Emil could read Rindel’s emotions, but it gave her a glimmer of hope. “Maybe. We’ll see.”“We’ll see.” Emil repeated. “Oh, and good to see you dropped the hard-ass routine. Light, I’m supposed to be the robot here. C’mon.” He grabbed his shotgun’s fore-end and pumped it. “I’ve been dying to kick something’s ass.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Emil stretched his neck as the elevator reached the top of the shaft. Before getting the Light back, fighting against a battlegroup of Fallen would have been a difficult proposition, bordering on impossible. Having just his shields and Samantha’s healing abilities alone would have made it easy. Rindel’s full control over the Light had made it a cakewalk.As the elevator locked into place, Emil slung his still-warm shotgun and pulled open the locking gates on the elevator. This part of the EDZ really did look pretty, even with the jagged edge of the Shard of the Traveler looming overhead. “That was fun. We should do that again sometime. Except, I’m thinking the Last City? Red Legion? What d’you guys think?”“That’s the plan, eventually.” Rindel brushed past Emil and out of the elevator. “Okay. So where’s the receiver?”“We hid it in plain sight.” Hawthorne held out an arm as a loud keen echoed in the sparse trees. Louis landed on Hawthorne’s thick glove, clicking his beak impatiently. Hawthorne rolled her eyes and pulled out a mouse that Louis had caught earlier. The falcon nearly nipped Hawthorne’s finger snatching it up. “Check that workbench with the tarp over it.”Emil nodded and pulled up the tarp. There the receiver lay, with only a blinking status light to give any inkling that it was online and working. “There we go. That looks… receiver-y to me.”Samantha sniggered. “And when did you become an expert on communications equipment?”“Guys, enough.” Rindel summoned Solas, who quickly transmatted the jury-rigged mess of servitor parts to the ground. “We’ve got the booster here. Let’s let Hawthorne set this up so we can get back.”Hawthorne raised her eyebrows and smiled. “See, that’s the spirit. We’ve got that boar you took down to look forward to.” She turned her gaze to Samantha. “Among other things.”Emil smiled as he watched Samantha look off awkwardly. She wouldn’t admit it, and certainly not to him, but he knew that she was devastated and frustrated to be without any of her abilities. Healing would be a massive asset to the Farm… and on the battlefield. Not to mention that she seemed happier since she’d hugged Rindel. He’d figure out a way to get them together. Sam needed him and Rindel needed someone in his life, whether or not he’d admit to that.Hawthorne plugged in the last cable of the booster onto the repeater and opened a display terminal. She typed in a few commands, then pumped a fist.“Okay, we’re live! Hey, Louis!” She called to her falcon, who was now perched on a nearby gantry. “It worked on the first time! Pay up!”Louis looked straight at Hawthorne for a moment before unfurling his wings and taking flight.“How in the hell can a falcon owe you money?” Emil shifted his faceplates, a slight grinding sensation echoing in his skull as he raised an eyebrow.Hawthorne laughed. “Oh, come on. It’s a joke, big guy.” She lightly tapped against his reinforced chest plate.Emil straightened. Well. That was obvious. Crap. “Well, I mean, obviously. I just meant, y’know, how off-the-wall that’d be if he just showed up with a pouch full of Glimmer? That’d be nuts, right?”She chuckled and turned back to the terminal screen. “I mean… you aren’t wrong.”He felt a nudge against his side. “Good save.” Rindel whispered.“Shut up,” Emil hissed. “Let her do what she needs to.”“Huh. Our signal’s going out, but…” Hawthorne’s brows furrowed as she poured over the display.“What?” Samantha peered over her shoulder. “Do we have a gap in the effective range or something?”“No, there’s an incoming transmission. And it looks to be encrypted.” Hawthorne let the words hang in the air.Emil paused. An incoming message meant that there were other pockets of survivors, which they had suspected had to be the case. But an encryption? “Can we play it?” Hawthorne clenched her jaw and typed in a command string into the terminal. The screen displayed a simple text input interface - A Vanguard login page. Hawthorne moved away from the display “Okay then. This is Vanguard. Anyone got a login?”Rindel looked over the screen and nodded before turning to Samantha. “Does your login still work? I’m not sure if mine’s still active.”Samantha nodded. She tapped the edge of the keyboard for a moment before she typed in a username and password. As she hit the enter key, a simple audio message of a very familiar voice began playing through the terminal’s speakers. “Guardians,” Zavala’s voice played through static. “The City is lost. If there is any Light left in the system, we must coordinate what forces we have and make ready to take the fight to the Red Legion. They may have taken the City, but we will take it back. We rally on Titan. Be brave.”  Emil froze. Zavala is alive. Holy crap, Zavala’s alive! If he was coordinating a counterattack, it didn’t matter if they were the only Guardians with the Light. Their chances of reclaiming the City had just shot up.Samantha pulled away and looked back to Emil and Rindel. “So, we’re going, right?”Emil grinned and pumped a fist. “Hell yes we are! Oh man, I’ve gotta get Motoko to record the look on Zavala’s face when he finds out we’ve got our Light back! And just think, guys,” He grabbed Rindel and Samantha by the shoulders. “We’re gonna spearhead that counterattack! I cannot wait to ride in, find Ghaul and-”“No.” Hawthorne said softly, her back to them.Emil looked back to her, puzzled. “No… what?”She closed the terminal display and whipped around with her eyes ablaze. “You are not going to Titan.”“The hell we aren’t!” Who the hell did this chick think she was? “If they’re gathering to make an offensive against the Red Legion, we have to go!”“The Farm.” Sam’s voice was flat, and as Emil faced her, he could see she was conflicted from her frown and furrowed eyebrows. “There are still more refugees coming in, and even if this trick works to get the Cabal and Fallen fighting each other, they’ll still be gunning for humanity.”“More reason to take back the City!” Emil widened the apertures of both of his eyes as he turned back to Hawthorne. “What better defense exists than the Walls the Titans built?”“Don’t you get it?” Hawthorne’s eyes drilled into Emil’s. “Your city is gone! Soon, there won’t be any walls or any of the other defenses! The Red Legion is gonna destroy all of it!”“You’re right.” Rindel moved just in front of Emil. “They’re gonna destroy everything. Which is why we have to take the fight to them eventually.”Hawthorne recoiled and narrowed her eyes. “You’re all the same. You-” She stopped herself. “Know what, I don’t have to deal with this. You guys take the caves back out. I need some air.”Emil walked toward her and raised a hand to her shoulder. “Hawthorne-”She swatted his hand away and glared at him. “Don’t touch me.” She slung her rifle over her shoulder and turned, walking away as Louis took off from his perch to land on her arm.Emil shook his head. What did she know? Taking back the City was the best option that they had open to them. Even if the Red Legion destroyed the City, he knew they wouldn’t stop there. Even with a cosmic entity like the Traveler under their control, they would not stop until they occupied the entire system.“Hawthorne,” Rindel called to her. “We’re not gonna leave right away. We’ll help get you guys situated until we know whether or not our diversion worked. And even when we leave, we won’t abandon you. We will be back, and we won’t be alone.”Emil could hear her scoff as she directed Louis to take off. “You’ll know where to find me, I guess.” She mounted a ladder and slid out of sight.  Rindel stared into the flames of the fire pit. Shaxx had started it after Samantha was able to heal his arm, and many people had come and gone. But now, he was alone. Alone with the flames and his racing thoughts.From what they’d gathered from Devrim, their diversion was working. The Fallen and Cabal in the area were already at each other’s throats, and their preoccupation with each other meant that they hadn’t come within fifty kilometers of the Farm since that morning. It was a sigh of relief for the refugees, bolstered by another of Shaxx’s famous barbeque pits. But the peace of the present only let the thoughts of the future torment Rindel.Zavala’s message kept playing on repeat in his head. There were Guardians out there planning a counter-attack on the City with no Light to speak of. Guardians who were very likely planning a suicide mission. On the one hand, he knew that the Farm deserved their protection. Hell, they’d opened their doors to refugees and given them some semblance of normal life in the process. He couldn’t just abandon them.But at the same time they were safe for now, and he knew that taking the City back was the only real endgame. The Cabal were ruthless conquerors who wouldn’t stop until they had subjugated the entire planet. And seeing how Ghaul had captured the Traveler, he wouldn’t be shocked if he found out that he planned to destroy the Earth out of spite.He felt the heat from the fire wash over his legs as the breeze shifted and was suddenly reminded of the Iron Temple. He had barely scraped through the SIVA crisis by the skin of his teeth, and for all the possible horrors that nanotechnology controlled by the Fallen presented, the current threat the Cabal posed threatened to destroy everything he knew. The more scenarios that went through his head, the more he realised that he probably couldn’t do this on his own.“Got room for one more?”He leaned back and saw Emil at the opposite end of the pit, the flames reflecting off of his silver face. “There’s nothing stopping you.”Emil walked around the pit and sat next to him. Rindel’s thoughts wandered. Doing this with Emil would have its drawbacks. He knew that there were plenty of instances where the Titan would slow him down, even at full Light. But even with half of his Light missing, generating shields had a lot of potential uses. Not to mention that his penchant for using machine guns and shotguns, along with his brute strength would make him formidable in combat, even with no offensive Light abilities to speak of.As for Samantha, he tried to think of her from a rational, analytical perspective. But there was this warm, fluttering feeling that he got when he thought about her. Her sheer determination and will. Her willingness to protect others at all cost. Her smile. How her eyes seemed to shine like emeralds in-“So.” Emil’s voice broke him from his thoughts. “I just talked to Casey. The ship’s back in order, and she’s spaceworthy. Best yet-” He pulled out a metal flask from a pocket and took a drink. “-Case agrees with us. We take back the City, refugees get to go back home, and he gets his peace and quiet back.” He held the flask to Rindel. “Got this from him, too. Damn good stuff.”Rindel took the flask and smelled it. “What the hell’s in here?” He said as he recoiled from the odor. “Brake cleaner and corn syrup?”Emil’s doubled over as he let out a synthetic snort. “Hell, it kinda feels like it. Casey called it ‘Moonshine.’ Can you believe he made that himself?”Rindel handed the flask back to Emil. “I can. Enjoy your corn-flavored rubbing alcohol.”Emil shrugged. “Hey, your loss.” He took another swig and capped the flask. “So. I say we head out tomorrow, first thing. Avoid Hawthorne and all that. You’re in, right?”Rindel tried to force a grin, but it felt all wrong. Emil didn’t seem to notice, though. “Gives you time to sleep off that alcohol, too.”Emil opened his mouth as if to retort, then raised a finger and pointed at Rindel. “You got me there.” He leaned back against the wooden bench. “Sam’s already asleep too, so we’ll want to get her, too.”Rindel sighed. “Yeah, about that. We could leave her behind.”Emil froze, then slowly turned to stare at him. “Why?”Rindel grimaced. Even with some of her Light back, going back onto the front lines would mean that she was in danger. But he had to take his own emotions out of the equation. “With her healing back, she’d be a better asset here than to us. We’ve always got our Ghosts to help us out, and with more refugees inbound, there’s gonna be more people to heal, not to mention those people defending the farm.” He nodded. That’s all it was, right? It made more sense from a pragmatic perspective. That was all.“And all I have to say to that is horseshit,” Emil spat. “Know what I think? I think you’re figuring out you care about her, and you don’t know how to process that. You’re trying to ditch her so she can be safe here and you don’t have to deal with your emotions.”“And you’re drunk, Emil.” Rindel clenched a fist. What the hell did he know? He was just thinking practically, right?Then his mind wandered to the previous night. How he’d said that he was Samantha’s partner.How she kissed him.And there was that warm, fluttering feeling again.“Maybe I am, but I’m also right.” Emil jabbed a finger into Rindel’s shoulder. “Don’t think I didn’t see how you reacted after Sam saved your sorry ass. After she hugged you. You’re catching feelings. And that scares you.”“Well, maybe it should!” Rindel snapped, feeling heat burst out of his mouth like a spray of buckshot. “Everyone I’ve ever loved is dead. They’re gone, and they’re never coming back. And hell, I don’t even know how I feel about her. But if she stayed behind…”Emil’s eyes focused on him like lasers as his metal face contorted into a scowl. “You’re justifying pushing her away because she’d be safe? You’re more of an asshole than I thought.”“But you can’t deny that she’d be able to do a lot of good here.” Rindel glared back at him. “Real, genuine good. How many people here could she save with her healing? How much safer would these people be with a Guardian, one who can come back from death, to help them?”Emil paused, his eyes dimming for a moment. “You’re still being an ass but…” He held a hand in front of his face and massaged his temples. “But dammit, you’re not wrong, either.” He stood up and moved to leave. “I’m gonna get some sleep. You should do the same. You’re gonna need some time to break it to her if you’re actually planning to leave Sam behind.”Rindel recoiled. “What? What do you mean if I-”“Because I’m leaving it up to you to tell her. I’m gonna go over my ship, make sure she’s all set.” He saw Emil’s fists curl. “And you’d better man up and actually tell her, or you’re really gonna be on my shit list.”As he walked away, Rindel’s gaze returned to the flames. “What do I do, Solas?” Rindel tried to think through telling Samantha his plans… And he couldn’t bring himself to even entertain the thought.His Ghost phased into existence at his shoulder. “You want my opinion? She should be coming with us. But that’s not the answer you want to hear.”Rindel held his head against the back of the wooden bench that surrounded the fire pit. Keeping Samantha here would be for the best and would keep her safe. But it’d also tear her apart. She wouldn’t hesitate to force his hand and come along anyway if he tried to tell her point-blank.He took a breath and stood. I’m doing this for the good of the people here and for her own good. Even if that means she and Emil hate me for it. Hell, I can accept that. He doused the fire and felt the relationships he had formed die out with the flames.  Emil closed his eyes, trying his best to not punch Rindel in the nose. “You asshole.” Rindel’s voice was annoyingly calm. “If I told her, she’d insist on coming. You know that. If we’re leaving her behind, that’s the only way to do it.”“If we -” That did it. Emil shot off of the pilots chair and stared Rindel down. “There is no we. There’s only me and you. And you decided to do this, knowing full well that it’d probably tear her up. We’re doing this to kill Ghaul. After that, do whatever the hell you want. We’re through.”“Fine by me.” Rindel looked away from him and crossed his arms over his chest. “If it weren’t for our current situation I’d be doing this alone anyway.”In that moment, Emil wanted nothing more than to grab Rindel by the scruff of his neck and hit him hard enough to send his head through his ass. It’d serve him right for what he was doing to Sam. And he was willing to throw away what little they had in the way of a friendship over this? The thought made his synthetic blood boil. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Rindel had a point. Leaving Samantha behind as a protector and a healer would do the Farm some good, but he’d told Rindel that he needed to break it to her, hoping that it’d make him see the other end of things, that having her along would boost their chances, even if she wasn’t at full Light.Obviously, that idea had completely backfired.“I need to check the gear doors. Make yourself useful and keep an eye on the generator calibration.” Emil walked past Rindel and out of the rear of the ship. You already checked the landing gear. He felt Motoko list to one side, confused. Why are you- Because I needed to get out of there. Emil sighed and stared up at the ship’s hull. I thought I was the jackass on this team. He’s had a rough life as a Guardian. He felt a slight pressure on his shoulder, as if someone held a hand there. Have you considered that he holds people at arm’s length because he doesn’t want to get hurt again? Emil closed his eyes completely. Was that the reason he’d been on his own for as long as he had? Because he was worried people would get hurt? It’s still a load of crap. It isn’t like he’s cursed. And people shouldn’t face what he’s going through alone. “Well, the ship’s looking good. Is everything ready?”Emil spun and found himself face to face with Samantha, dressed head to toe in her combat robes, with a rifle slung over one shoulder and a backpack over the other. Why was she all decked out?“Uh,” Emil tried to kickstart his mind from the shock. “Hey there. Uh, where’re you going with all that?”Samantha tilted her head in confusion. “On the ship, you moron. We’re about to take off for Titan, right?”That hit him like a one-two punch from a truck. She knows. Oh, crap, she knows. Damnit, now I have to tell her… He stopped mid thought. Wait, why do I have to tell her to stay behind? She wants to come. She’s packed and armored. She’s ready to kick some serious ass. And, having her aboard now would throw a monkey wrench into Rindel’s brooding. Force him to deal with his feelings. The last thought had his inner devil cackling with sheer delight.“Yeah!” He brought his voice up an octave, ramping up the cheeriness. “Just doin’ some last checks before we go. Rindel’s already inside, I’m sure he’d be delighted to see you.”He noticed Samantha’s face go several shades redder at the mention of Rindel. “Y… you think so?”“Yeah!” Emil pat her shoulder. “Head on in, I’m almost finished out here!”As he watched her climb up the ramp he let himself smile. Rindel wasn’t gonna like this, but hey. He’d brought this on himself in a lot of ways. Besides, in some measure, he deserved to be happy, whether or not he wanted to be.“So. You guys really are leaving, huh?” Ah, hell. He didn’t really want to face Hawthorne now. He already felt bad enough that they were leaving the Farm after all these people had done for the refugees. “Yeah.” He finally said. “We’ve fought Cabal before. They won’t stop until they’ve completely taken over. We have to kick ‘em in the teeth before they get the chance to do the same to us.” He finally faced her. “All of us.”Hawthorne looked away from him as she drew her mouth into a thin line. “I grew up in the City. I left because I couldn’t stand the idea of the Vanguard telling us what we could and couldn’t do. That we couldn’t leave.” She let out a sigh, refocusing on him. “And here I am telling you what you should or shouldn’t do. Not hypocritical at all, right?”Emil shrugged. “You care about people and want to keep ‘em safe. That’s what we want, too.”“Yeah, I know.” Hawthorne walked to him and gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Just stay safe out there, big guy. And come back in one piece.”“We’ll be back,” Emil nodded as he tried an easy smile. “And we won’t be alone.”“Not as long as you have each other, no.” Hawthorne smiled and nodded toward the sky. “Get goin’. You sure as hell won’t save the world by staying here.”Emil nodded and made for the entrance ramp. That we won’t.    Ghaul stood in the observation deck of the Immortal as it rested over the so-called Last City. Within the last several days, the cage over the pale-white orb the humans called the “Traveler” had been building up from the main sections of the shield generator. Taking the Light away from the Guardians had been a simple concept, but had taken years of development and manufacturing. Then, assuming the experiments on the Jovian moon were successful, taking the Light would be as simple as syphoning it from the Traveler itself.But Ghaul sought a different path. The Guardians had the strength and abilities that they did not because they took their power by force, but because the Traveler had supposedly “chosen” them. Ghaul was determined that he would be chosen, in order to gain the full power of the Light. After all, he planned to make the Traveler the center of a new, prosperous Cabal Empire. There was no room in his plan for half-measures. He took in a deep breath and splayed his fingers with a practiced grace. Building the Cabal Empire would be meaningless if the Traveler was a resource and not an ally. If he took the power by force, it would be of his own desire, not for the betterment of his people.If he took the power by force, he would be no better than Calus. He pushed aside these thoughts of the exiled Emperor. Now, he ruled over the Cabal. They all now looked to him. So, he would convince the Traveler. Not because it was easier, but because it was the right way. “Do you see, Traveler?” He rumbled aloud, as if the ivory sphere could hear and respond to him.  "Do you see all that I have done?” He took in another deep breath and slowly dropped to a knee. “Grace me with your Light. Take your place at the center of my Empire.” No, that wasn’t right.The Traveler needed to see that their relationship would be symbiotic in nature. He would not subjugate it. He lowered his head, bringing his voice to a whisper. “See me, Traveler, and the Red Legion will be your true Guardians.”“Dominus.” The ship’s artificial intelligence alerted him through a speaker set throughout the room. “The Consul approaches.”Ghaul sighed and rose to his feet. He would consider how he might address the Traveler later. For now, he needed to stay abreast of the situation in the City itself. Most of the humans had fled from the City in their ships, though a stubborn resistance had remained. “Consul. What news?The Consul entered the observation deck, holding his trunk-like arms at the small of his back. He looked out through the window and took in a breath. “It’s beautiful, is it not?” He held a hand out toward the Traveler. “The machine is now yours, Dominus. As with all things.”Ghaul chuckled. “I am sure that you did not come here solely to discuss the aesthetic of our defensive measures?”The Consul gave a toothy smile. “Of course, Dominus. You will be pleased to know that the City’s containment stands at roughly ninety-eight percent. Those who fled are being hunted, and those foolish enough to remain have been executed.” The Consul turned back to the viewport and looked down at a spot of smoldering wreckage. “Victory, as with all things, is yours to claim.”Ghaul placed a hand on one of the Consul’s massive pauldrons. “Without your oversight, there would be no cage. The Guardians would still pose a threat. This victory is as much yours as mine, old friend.”The Consul nodded, considering a readout from a display on one of his gauntlets. “It was your sound tactics that ended the main bout before it had a chance to begin. All that remains is the completion of the cage around this great machine.” He looked up, raising a fist as he addressed Ghaul directly. “Then we may begin the extraction of its power and put it to its rightful use.”“The Traveler,” Ghaul countered. “The humans call it the Traveler.”The Consul considered him with a bemused expression. “I would contend that other civilizations may be more...  precise in their naming. It is but a machine, one that provides immeasurable power to those who possess it. As the Eliksni call it, a ‘Great Machine,’ indeed.” He strode to the viewport, moving a hand as if to brush the surface of the giant sphere.  “We were able to nullify every Guardian with the cage. We have proven that its functions can be controlled and exploited.”“And yet,” Ghaul closed his eyes for a moment, considering his next words. “The humans and the Eliksni both believe it to be a god.”“Dominus.” The Consul’s footsteps boomed against the hard floor until Ghaul felt a weight on his shoulder that shook slightly. “Ghaul.” The Consul’s words took a softer tone as he shifted from being one of his most trusted advisors to his surrogate father. “We have spent our lives, you and I, working to reshape our society, to reforge the Cabal and rebuild an empire nearly destroyed by Calus’ greed and corruption. There is nothing in this universe greater than you!”Ghaul nodded, staring off as events in his past played through his mind. Being cast aside for being too small as a child. The Consul taking him in and raising, teaching and training him to be strong, bold and ruthless. How he had cast Calus out into unknown space after the Midnight Coup and declared himself Dominus of the Red Legion. The Consul smiled. “The Red Legion will have that machine’s power. You will be called Emperor of the Cabal!” He pat Ghaul’s shoulder. “What more would the Dominus have?”Ghaul smiled under his face mask. “I would have words with my guest.”As he pressed a small button housed in one of his gauntlets, a porthole opened in the ceiling, bringing down a containment unit that held a  male human in restraints, his arms splayed out to prevent any means of escape. The figure wore a white cloak and obscured his head and face with a black hood and a stark white mask.Ghaul stepped forward, circling the human. Amazing that a cosmic entity like the Traveler would have a human like this, reportedly old and frail, speak on its behalf.But the time for contemplation was over. Now was the time for answers.“So,” he began. “You are the one who speaks for the Traveler.”“I am,” the human replied, his tone harsh and biting. “And you must be the leader of the Cabal.”“The very same.” Ghaul nodded. “I am Ghaul, commander of the Red Legion and Dominus of the Cabal Empire.”The Speaker tilted his head downward, letting out a quiet laugh. “So then. Give your grandiose speech or gloat, or do what you plan to. There will always be Guardians.”“But Speaker,” Ghaul reached up and pulled the restraints that held the Speaker, pointing him toward the window. “Without the Light, what Guardians are there?”“You cannot hope to contain the Light completely.” Ghaul could not see the Speaker’s face through the mask, but he imagined a look of pure hatred.Ghaul’s mouth formed a smile behind his mask. “That’s suggesting that I only intend to contain it, Speaker.” He stood directly in front of the human and held his arms at the small of his back. “You and I have much to discuss.”