"Randall! Get your head out of the Traveler's ass, and do some damn work!" My boss shouted at me for the third time today.

"Gotcha boss man," I said not really listening, but I was willing to bet he said something about me getting back to work. I stood up from the ledge I had my legs dangling over, and looked to the tower. 20 miles away was the shining beacon of humanity, and the home of the guardians. Even from this distance you could see the ghosts flying around hoping to find their guardian. I wondered for a second how many had fell searching, and how many wouldn't find their guardians. "Alright fine I'll get to work, but I'm not hanging drywall, or I'm hanging myself."

#######

I sat at home on my "couch" (it was more an old mattress laying on the floor) staring at a blank screen in the dark. "I guess my power was shut off. Knew I should have taken that Suros job." instead of sitting in the dark until I passed out, I decided to take a walk toward the wall which only took like five minutes. "Ah there it is!" I climbed on top of one of the pre-collapse buildings, and my personal favorite spot. It was an old glass office which gave me an amazing view of the surrounding area. I took a deep breath and walked to the edge, and stubbed my toe on something metal. "Ah son of a bitch!" I looked down at what I hit as I grabbed my foot. I couldn't believe it… It was a ghost, but it looked to be turned off. I didn't know what to do so I grabbed and ran back home.

########

When I got home I set it down on my table, and I just kinda stared at it for about an hour deciding what to do. I could return it to the vanguard, I could give it to one of the nearby guardians, or….. I could try to fix it. Sounds dumb I know, but why the hell not. I picked up, and looked at it closely. It had just the de facto white shell, but the "eye" of the ghost seemed to have been flicked off. It wasn't a shell some guardian discarded for whatever reason, but a full ghost. My attempts to pry the ghost open were futile, and cost me two brand new screwdrivers. So attempt two at waking the ghost was plain and simple shining a flashlight on it. I figured flashlights makes light, and ghosts run on light….. Makes sense, right? Didn't work. After that it was about 1AM. I had to get to bed soon or I would miss work, and not get paid again. I left the ghost on my bedroom windowsill. I intended to screw with it more in the morning.

#######

6 AM my favorite time of the day. As I dragged myself out of the bed I immediately turned to the windowsill where the ghost was supposed to be, but guess what….. Wasn't there, and the window was open. Somebody stole my fucking ghost.

"You have got to be kidding me!" I screamed at my walls. I flopped back down on my bed and just sat there for half an hour. I thought if I woke it up I could get a cushy tower job, or better yet I would become a guardian somehow. Which now I realize was hopeless because I wasn't dead. Believe it or not that is a key part of being a guardian.

"Forget it….. I'm going to work. My Boss can't scold me if I'm not there"

########

For whatever reason I decided to carry my gun today, It is an Omolon Ufferen HC4. I got it about three years ago from an exo hunter by the name of Cayde-6. I had learned a few hours after I bought it that the aforementioned Cayde-6 was the hunter vanguard. I was so stoked, and learning that the seller of this gun was a vanguard was the only reason I decided to keep this piece of crap. Anyway, I just decided to carry it today. When I got to work something seemed off for a couple of reasons. One my boss didn't immediately yell at me when I walked in, and wait….. Where the hell is he?

'Mackey! Where you at?" I yelled into the building, and a minute later I didn't get a response, "Hey Mackey! You gonna answer me?" Nothing still…. Now I'm worried. I draw my gun, "Hey fuck face I'm coming in, and I'm armed!" That of course got someone's attention. Not a human's attention, but you know. Three dregs peeked around the corner, and saw me. A human with one gun, and of course these son of a bitches run right at me.

"Ah you have to be kidding me!" I raised my hand cannon and fired off two shots. The first one hit the first dreg in the chest, and the next one hit him right in the face. BANG! BANG! Two more shots with the same results. Alright two down, and I still have three shots left. I thought to myself. BANG! BANG! The last one dropped to the ground like a sack of nails. "Yeet!" I heard myself say, "ah come on Tucker. Who the hell," and unfortunately I couldn't finish, because I saw something that stopped my heart. A captain with four shock swords running right at me…. So I did what any guardian would have done. I ran for my life. I mean don't get me wrong becoming a guardian has been a lifelong dream of mine, but I don't really feel like getting impaled with several swords at once. Unfortunately for me I couldn't run that far, because the captain had several invisible friends which decided to make themselves known.

"Ah c'mon guys that's no fair. I only have one more bullet," This looked like the end for me. I was surrounded by three vandals and a captain who looked slightly mad. I think. I breathed in and threw my gun down and just accepted it. I was gonna die, and on that note the captain threw his head up and laughed. I closed my eyes….. No wait, no I didn't something was covering my face. Like a helmet, and then all at once it cleared up. I looked to my left toward the captain was, and there in the sky was my ghost, and he was beaming armor on me. Within a minute I was wearing a full set of warlock armor. The fallen looked upon me in horror, and fled. All except the captain who stood against me in spite of my recent transformation. I smiled under my helmet, grabbed my hand cannon, and reloaded it with ammo that the ghost had given me. The captain did not move. I could not tell if it was out of pure fear, or in defiance. I lunged at him to catch him off guard, and it worked.

#######

Never had I realized how much fun it would be to literally slap something to death. Literally slapped to death, and as my smile faded I looked to the sky where my ghost was, and saw it. It beeped at me. Like an old fax machine (if you know what that is).

"What the fuck!" I said completely bewildered, "Are you that deffective?" The damn thing looked offended. It beeped again, and rolled its solo eye, and disappeared.

"Now listen here motherfucker," said an unknown voice in my head. It was like an angry older man, "You say my ass is defective one more goddamn time I'm gonna kill you. Now that we have got that out of the way, my name is Sam."

"Well Sam…" I started but was interrupted.

'Shut the fuck up bitch. We need to get to the tower, but like five minutes ago."

"Wait…. Am I…. A guardian?"

"Not really, but….. Also yes" Those were the words I have wanted to hear my entire life, but not really life. Also not those exact words, but close enough.

"Do I have a sparrow?"

"God damnit.. Kill me now travler"

#one hour later#

"Why in the fuck did you think you could run all the way here?" asked sam.

"You *gasp* said *gasp* I was *gasp* a guardian," I said unable to catch my breathe.

"I never said that. I said, and I quote "Not really, but….. Also yes", and from what I have observed, it seems you have the perks of a guardian such as but not limited to: Light attacks, the ability to wield some of the most powerful weapons in the universe, and a ghost. Unfortunately though it seems that you cannot be resurrected."

I puked in one of the plants in the commons of the tower, "what do you mean I can't be resurrected?"

"If you die… you aren't coming back," he paused at my unsure look, "I can't be sure though. That is part of the reason we are here. We have to find my buddy, and not get noticed by some key vanguard individuals."

"Sounds possible"

"Fuck you"

#######

Cayde-6 was feeling good, because he was enroute to some of the best spicy ramen in the city. He whistled some old tune he learned from digging around in rasputin's head (less whistled more shaped his mouth to simulate whistling, and playing the tune), but then he noticed something unfamiliar behind him. He knew it wasn't Xur, because it was Thursday. He didn't let it show on his face though. He turned the corner to where Eva Levante works, and thankfully she was currently absent, and he went invisible. The stranger turned the corner, and looked confused. Cayde thought he looked familiar, but wasn't taking chances, and why would a warlock be following him. There was only way to find out. He grabbed the man, pulled him into the cubby area, and threw a smoke bomb to conceal their presence. He leaned into the stranger's ear, and whispered, "Tell me who you are, and what you want with me in the next five seconds or you are going to be nothing but a red splotch the frames will clean up." The stranger was terrified, but complied. His story was interesting to say the least.

#######

"Hmmm you expect me, the hunter vanguard, to believe such a bullshit story."

"Yes, and by the travelers light let oryx strike me down if I am lying."

"One problem though…. Where is your ghost?"

I let out a nervous laugh, as I started my explanation, but Sam materialized next to me with a series of rather aggressive beeps.

"Ah there he is, and what a feisty one he is. So why is this my problem?"

Sam responded with another series of beeps, but before he could finish I interrupted him, "Wait… You understood him?"

"Why wouldn't I? I am a robot he is a glorified printer," which triggered Sam, "Alright… I'm kidding, but really though why are you my responsibility."

I thought for a second, and it clicked in my head. I am his responsibility. He sold me a gun. I told him how I am his responsibility, and he looked like he was gonna cry. After several minutes he looked up, and said, "Fine!" He looked around, leaned in and whispered,"meet me in the war room in five." He then left.

"Well then…. Wanna get some ramen?'

Sam disappeared back into my inventory, and said, "Sure."

#######

Zavala stormed out of the war room, past Shaxx, waking him up, (it was a crucible off season), next to Eris Morn, and out of that area. I wondered for a second what had him so livid, but then I dismissed the thought, because I saw the exo beckoning my to come down. I ran down the stairs, and into the war room, but not without attracting the attention of a certain titan.

"Ikora meet….. Hold on a second what is your name again?" asked the Hunter vanguard.

I ignored him, and turned my attention to Ikora Rey, the warlock vanguard, and introduced myself, "I'm Sal Randall. Your newest warlock."

She looked me up and down, before looking back to Cayde to ask, "Cayde is this one of your jokes?" Cayde then explained what happened along with some explanatory beeps from Sam, and after the explanation she said, "What the fuck?"

Then Lord Shaxx revealed his presence to the guardians in the war room by saying, "I agree with Ikora. That is one odd story."

"Oh, Shaxx, didn't know you were standing there… Please don't tell Zavala."

"Oh you have no worries about me saying anything Cayde. I, personally, would worry about Ikora."

Ikora's jaw was still on the floor when her name was called, and was brought back from whatever she was thinking about, "Uhh I am…. So unsure….. Well…. *sigh* you are right Cayde. We cannot tell Zavala, because he will likely lose his mind, and yet I have no good solution."

The room was silent for a bit. Until Shaxx had an idea, "Ikora can you not loan him some of your power until he learns his own, and we can just stick him with two older guardians who have experience so he does not fall?"

Ikora pondered this for a second, and responded "Shaxx you have a point, and I believe I can do that. We will need to give him some armor, and some decent guns, so he does not stand out."

Cayde brought the three of them together in a big group hug, and said "See, I told you it would be fine Sal." I just sat there dumbfounded. I was going to be a legit guardian, and I would have two vanguard, the crucible handler, and a fire team backing me up. I was so excited as Ikora led me to her personal vaults for me to pick out some gear. When we left I saw Cayde get punched in the arm by Shaxx, and the hunter vanguard wince as the titan forgot his immense strength.