Old Russia, Cosmodrome

She could hear something... A little voice... but the darkness was comforting. She didn't want to wake up. She strained to hear what the voice was saying

"Guardian? Wake up, guardian!"

Guardian? Her? Was she a guardian? She couldn't remember. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and took a proper look around her.

The first thing she saw was snow. And then rusted cars.

"It worked... you're alive!" said the distant voice, now much closer.

Her eyes were drawn upward, to see a strange little orb. She looked down at her hands- were those her hands? Why was she wearing gloves? She didn't remember putting them on... there was a lot she suddenly couldn't remember. She flexed her fingers, testing them. They were awkward and stiff.

"You don't know how long I've been looking for you!"

"... Me? You've... been looking for me?" she managed to mumble as she finally found her voice.

"Yes, but it's not safe here, I have to get you to the City," her new friend replied.

"What... city?"

"You'll see. Here, hold still for a moment..."

She was terrified, she had no idea who or what those things that attacked her were... but she also felt exhilarated. The sniper rifle she now held in her hand felt almost comforting, like an old friend.

"Keep your guard up, guardian," the Ghost-her Ghost-reminded her.

It couldn't have spoken a moment too soon, as a dreg suddenly burst through the metal grate flooring in front of her. But before she could even think, her knife was suddenly plunged into its throat.

"WHOO! Did you see that? Oh, my stars, I didn't know I could move that fast-!" she hollered with excitement.

"Yes, I saw it, but keep your voice down! Do you want every Fallen in Russia to know we're here?" her Ghost chided her again.

She peeked out from behind her cover. The dregs and vandals had all been taken care of, and now she only had to deal with this captain. With her rifle brought up to her face, she looked through the scope and waited for her target to move into her sights. She didn't hesitate when the captain finally broke its own cover, and finished it off with a headshot.

"YES! Did you see that, Ghost?"

"Why do you insist on yelling every time? You're louder than summer cicadas... Now let me take a look at this old jumpship."

She put her rifle away, and watched the curious orb examine what, she assumed, was the jumpship. She certainly didn't know anything about ships, but to her eyes it looked like a pile of scrap.

She took this moment to ponder her situation more. She couldn't remember anything. Not a single fragment of a memory remained. She didn't even know her own name... but the Ghost interrupted her thoughts.

"Yeah, I can make this work. But I should tell you about the transmat-" a shrill roar interrupted him, and they both turned to see an even bigger Fallen emerge from the centuries old hole in the wall. "Bringing you in!"

She felt a peculiar sensation as she found herself in the ship suddenly. "Wait, what-"

"Hold on!"

She couldn't see the ghost, but assumed that he was the one activating the thrusters and bringing the ship to life. She buckled herself in, and watched from the cockpit as the ghost narrowly maneuvered their escape. Now it was just the two of them, and the long ride to the still unknown "city".

"... Ghost?" she asked, her previous bravado gone.

"What is it, guardian?" the little orb materialized in her view.

"What... happened? Where were we just now? How did I get there? And who am I? Why can't I remember anything?"

"Uh... slow down there for a moment. This... well I'll be honest, this may not be easy for you to hear..."

The silence in the ship was palpable and heavy. The new guardian-apparently, that's what she was now-felt very somber. She was still processing what her Ghost told her. The Traveler, the Golden Age, the Collapse... and her, dying sometime near the end of that. She was coming to terms with the fact that her previous past was lost to her, probably forever. Even her name was gone.

"Hey, Ghost?"

"Yes?" her little friend seemed to perk up-if a Ghost could do that, that is.

"What did you call me earlier?"

"Guardian?"

"No, not that, you said I was louder than... something. What was it again?"

"Oh, cicadas? Awful little things, terribly noisy-"

"Cicada. That's my name," she said with finality.

"W-what? Are you sure? There are much better names than that-"

"No, I'm sure. My name is Cicada now."

"Well... alright... Cicada. By the way, we're only a few minutes out from the City now. You should be able to see it soon."

"Alright, thank you Ghost."

The new guardian settled into her seat more comfortably, and removed her helmet. The light gleamed off her steel gray and purple paint on her mechanical face, and her optics glowed a bright white as the exo, Cicada, saw the Last City for the first time. First was walls, vast and impenetrable. the agricultural areas, vast swaths of land for growing crops and tending livestock. Then she saw the City, proper. Houses and parks, and then tall buildings, taller than her imagination would have expected. And hovering ominously over it all was the Traveler. Unmoving, silent, but guarding and watchful. Cicada inhaled, taken aback by the sheer size of it.

The ship cruised over the city, heading towards the tallest tower she could see. She was still taking in the sights, and barely heard her Ghost conversing with someone over the radio asking for identification. Finally, the ship came to a hovering stop right over the top of the building. She felt the strange tingling sensation again, and found herself in some sort of communal courtyard.

"Welcome to the Tower, Cicada, and your new home. This is where the guardians live."

Cicada didn't reply, but just looked around with wonder, drinking in as much as she could see. There were so many other people around. Some she could only assume were guardians, as they wore impressive armor. Others seemed to be dressed more casually. There were humans, and exos like her, and people that looked like humans, but had blue or purple skin, and glowing eyes.

"Come on, guardian," the Ghost chuckled, "we need to meet with the Vanguard and introduce ourselves."

"Yeah... okay..." Cicada said in a daze. As she blindly followed her Ghost, she didn't notice the eyes that had been watching her since she landed...