Chapter 1: A Guardian Rises

"When the long dark closes around us, we will be the last light." - Wei Ning

A bitter wind whipped across the barren landscape outside the wall. What used to be a thriving Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan was now a silent graveyard. Numerous colony ships stood abandoned, some still filled with colonists that would never break orbit. The long stretch of highway leading towards the mountains was covered in rusting cars. A lone Ghost blinked into existence, flitting between the worn vehicles, searching for something. It hovered above a skeleton, lying across the front seats of the ruined car. Letting out an almost sympathetic, "Ouch," the Ghost continues its quest.

In the distance, a sniper lies in wait. Zooming in on the Ghost, it growls to its alien comrades. Following his lead, they begin to scuttle among the cars towards the little light.

The Ghost finally stops in the middle of a small clearing, inspecting a particular body. "Is it possible?" it mutters to itself. It's outer segments float away from its core, connected by a ball of blue light. "There you are," it says with pride, before compacting and releasing a burst of Light.

The first thing Eric registered was pain; his whole body ached. The next was a voice speaking to him, "Guardian. Guardian? Eyes up, Guardian," He slowly opened his eyes with a groan. Though his vision was blurry, he could tell that he was lying on the ground in a patch of dirty slush. He was surrounded by rusting cars, and a dilapidated wall rose overhead. A little light was floating just above him.

"It worked. You're alive! You don't know how long I've been looking for you." Eric sat up, wincing as his sore muscles stretched. "Wha... What are you?" He mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"I'm a Ghost. Actually, now I'm your Ghost. And you... well, you've been dead a long time. So you're going to see a lot of things you won't understand." Eric's eyes shot open, a shock clearing his vision. "I was... dead? But..." He clutched his head, grimacing. "What happened? How..."

He was interrupted by a shriek, echoing across the wasteland. Eric quickly stood up, staggering as the blood rushed from his head. The Ghost had turned, looking away from the wall, toward the wilderness. It cautiously turned back to him. "This is Fallen territory," it warned. "We aren't safe here. I have to get you to The City. Hold still."

It disappeared, causing Eric to start. He looked around confusedly. He heard the robotic voice in his head, "Don't worry, I'm still with you. We need to move. Fast." A jumpsuit plated with thin armor materialized around him, and a domed helmet dropped into his hands. Eric inspected it. "How exactly am I supposed to see out of this thing?" he asked.

"Just put it on," the Ghost replied. "We won't survive long out in the open like this. Let's get inside The Wall."

Eric placed the helmet onto his head, sealing himself into darkness. After a second or so, the inside of the helmet flared to life, displaying a perfect image of the landscape outside. "Whoa..." Eric said, stunned. He glanced around at the car graveyard, taking in the ruination.

"I didn't bring you back just for you to die again. We have to move." The Ghost snapped at him. Still mystified, he began to run towards the entrance of the Wall. The Ghost piped up again, calmer but still stressed, "Okay, I need to find you a weapon before the Fallen find us,"

Eric climbed the steps and entered the darkened doorway. "So... do you have a name?" he asked. "Ghosts are traditionally given names by their Guardians. But the Guardian must remember their own name first." it replied. Eric racked his memory, finally responding, "It's... Eric, I think. Why can't I..."

"Quiet," the Ghost whispered. "They're right above us," Sure enough, Eric heard a scuttling sound coming from the rafters above his head. The end of the hallway was completely dark, devoid of the dim sunlight that was streaming through the windows behind him.

The Ghost appeared on Eric's shoulder, shining a bright flashlight into the darkness. Eric chuckled, thinking of the Ghost as an angel on his shoulder. They emerged into a great room, still pitch black except for the glow of the Ghost.

"Hang tight. Fallen thrive in the dark. We won't. We need more light. I'll see what I can do," the little light said. It floated over a chasm, previously obscured by the dark. "Another one of these hardened military systems and a few centuries of entropy working against me,"

Eric staggered, struck by this news. He'd been dead for centuries. Before he could really grasp this newfound knowledge, the lights came on, revealing alien forms clutching onto the massive supports.

"Fallen! They're coming for us!" the Ghost yelled, swooping back towards Eric. A large door slid open behind him. "Here! I found a rifle! Grab it! I hope you know how to use it."

Eric dashed into the room, picking up an ancient rifle. He recognized it as an old Khvostov model, the 7G-02. He pulled out the magazine, making sure it was full. He ran down the adjacent corridor, his Ghost pausing to transmat the extra ammunition before following.

The next few minutes were a blur for Eric. He progressed through the Wall, popping Fallen skulls and navigating tripmine webs. Along the way he happened upon an old shotgun, a Preacher. They finally made it out of the Wall, into a clearing his Ghost called the Divide. "This was an old Cosmodrome." the machine told him. "There's got to be something we can fly out of here." The state of the clearing shocked Eric: overpasses lay crumbling, tanks and cars sat silently, and Fallen tech dotted the area.

The sky began to darken as a portal appeared in the distance. A massive craft dropped out, the shockwave toppling a colony ship. "Fallen ships! This close to the surface?!" his Ghost exclaimed. Eric fought through the hordes dropped off by the spacecraft, making it to the other side of the clearing and dashing into a large building.

"I'm picking up signs of an old jumpship. Could be our ticket out of here," the Ghost stated. "It's in Dock 13. Keep following the path." Eric walked slowly through the old computer lab, reloading his Khvostov. "Hey Ghost, why haven't I run out of ammo yet? There were only a few magazines where we found this gun," Eric asked. "Ghosts can synthesize ammunition and basic armor from various elements and materials. Fallen tend to carry a lot of useful stuff around,"

They emerged into a small area where a battered ship hung from the ceiling. Fallen guards immediately responded, calling for reinforcements. As Eric began to clear them out, he heard a growl coming from the other side of the room. "Uh-oh, it looks pissed," he commented, seeing a Captain charge towards him."It's Rahn! Be careful!" his Ghost exclaimed.

He began to furiously backpedal, pumping bullets into its armor. They had little effect, bouncing off of the Fallen's blue shield. Eric tripped on the uneven ground, his arms flailing instinctively. A purple ball flew from his hand, attaching to the Captain. It glowed for a second before exploding twice in quick succession, sending the Captain flying back. Its shield gone, it shrieked a challenge at Eric. Feeling a sudden sense of calmness, Eric charged silently at the Captain, catching it unawares. He delivered a thundering uppercut to the Fallen's chin, disintegrating it in a flash of purple light.

Eric sat down hard, stunned by his sudden power. "Alright, let me see if I can get us out of here," his robotic companion said, beginning to scan the ship. "It's an old Arcadia ship. Been here awhile. Hasn't made a jump in centuries. We're lucky the Fallen haven't completely picked it clean."

Eric stood up, worried, "Will it fly?" His Ghost looked reassuringly at him, "I can make it work," It disappeared into the inner workings of the craft. The engines roared to life, cables flying off of the ship like thrashing snakes. "Okay, it's not going to break orbit, but it just might get us to The City. Now, about that transmat..."

A roar filled the room, causing Eric to whirl around. A massive Fallen was crawling out of a whole in the wall, crawling on all six. Eric was quickly surrounded by a blue grid, obscuring his vision. The next thing he knew, he was in the ship, looking out the viewport at the assembled Fallen. "We can come back for them when you're ready. Let's get you home."

The jumpship rose out of a hole in the roof, turning towards the stars. As it accelerated away from the Cosmodrome, Eric could have sworn he saw a figure standing atop Dock 13. The stress of the day quickly took its oll as his adrenaline wore off, and Eric slumped unconscious into the pilot's seat, his Ghost steering the ship.

A/N:

I hope you guys enjoy this! Trying to juggle school and fanfic is not easy. Remember to leave a review if you think this can be improved