Entry Two

Day Three. 0900 hours.

Note to self: overconfidence in previous training may prove to be fatal. ["Has. Has proved to be fatal."]

(brief pause)

After achieving my usual level of success in target practice yesterday, I believed I was still skilled enough to recapture this "warp drive" from the Fallen, and set out for "Old Russia" without fully assessing the situation at hand. I have died seven times since.

Ghost was patient enough to revive me each time, but he insists that I "be more careful" in the future. ["Yes! Because if I die, you die too!" "Right. Sorry."] Which is why I am currently observing the Fallen, rather than engaging them directly.

The Fallen apparently have three ranks: Dreg, Vandal, and Captain. ["Five. Don't forget about Kells and Archons."] Correction: the Fallen have five ranks, of which I have only encountered three. Dregs are the foot soldiers; they carry pistols and electrically-charged daggers. Vandals are long-range combatants that favor rifles or shrapnel launchers - though some have active camo and melee weapons similar to Elites. Captains are the most dangerous. Their heavy armor, energy shielding, and fearlessness in combat make them formidable adversaries. However, their fearlessness also makes them reckless - and with the right strategy, it will be easy to use that against them.

["You could also use your Super for once." "My what?" "Your Super. Your subclass' ultimate ability." "Ghost, I... have no idea what you're talking about."]

1100 hours.

According to Ghost, Guardians can utilize three types of Light: Solar, Arc, and Void. "Solar" Light is incandescence, "Arc" Light is electroluminescence, and "Void" Light is somehow connected to dark matter. The types have been divided into collections of techniques - i.e. "subclasses" - so that Guardians only have to focus on one type of Light, rather than all three. [Seems like a waste of potential to me, but Ghost assures me it is the most efficient approach.]

I'm most intrigued by the Sunbreaker subclass, but I've decided to use the Striker subclass for now. Its Super, "Fists of Havoc," reminds me of the "ground pound" technique that Jorge-052 employed on occasion. Plus it is the most fun to use.

Still, I would gladly trade my Light for my previous augmentations. I am noticeably slower and weaker than I once was, and the distinct lack of "Spartan time" has proved to be particularly frustrating. Ghost says there is no way he or the other Guardians can restore my augmentations, so I'm tempted to track down Dr. Halsey's research and recreate Project: CHRYSANTHEMUM after I recapture the warp drive.

["Duane, even if I could provide you with...augmentations...there no is way of telling whether you actually had them in the first place. They could simply be part of the memories you've constructed to deal with your enigmatic past." "Ghost, you need to learn that I am not like other Guardians. The memories I have are clear and real. And I would appreciate it if you didn't interrupt my entries just to contradict me." "Uh...right. Sorry."]

(brief pause)

I believe I've learned enough information about my new enemies and powers to make an eighth attempt. Though if I fail ["-Again."], I will spend the next few days systemically wearing down the local Fallen patrols by training with my subclass.

1700 hours.

Defeating the Archon guarding the warp drive was extremely difficult, due to my inferior equipment. It was no smarter than an Elite Ultra, but fighting it felt akin to fighting an Elite Field Marshal. Once we land at the Tower, I will ask Commander Zavala for better weapons and armor. I cannot survive with what I currently have.

As for the warp drive, it is not capable of slipspace travel. I will only have access to the core worlds for the time being.

Ghost is "asleep" right now. He essentially lives in my back pocket when he isn't needed. Despite his constant scrutiny, he was indispensable over the past two days, and I feel like he deserves an actual name. However, I'm not sure what would be fitting or appropriate. My database says Bergljót means "helping light," but it is a bit of a mouthful...and apparently feminine. Luminița, "little light," is...also feminine. Duh. [*sigh*] Alexis means "helper"...Gallagher means "foreign help"...Zahir also means "help" [or possibly "radiant"]...

There's also Lior - "I have a light" - but it is too similar to Ori, the name of a Ghost of another Guardian I met earlier. So I can't use that.

Gallagher and Zahir sound the most appealing to me. I'll ask Ghost for his opinion once he wakes up.

2100 hours. Final continuation.

Commander Zavala offered me better equipment upon my return to the Tower. It seems the equipment is distributed through a "rewards" system, with the better Guardians receiving the more valuable weapons and armor. Discriminatory but efficient.

Ghost suggested the name "Sullivan" when I asked him what he'd like to be called. He reasoned most other Ghosts have names meaning "light" or "help," and he would rather have a name similar to mine. So Sullivan it is.

Tomorrow I train with a man called Lord Shaxx. He runs the Crucible, a Guardian-vs.-Guardian event similar to the War Games. Sullivan says it is an easy way to learn my subclass's abilities. I personally want to know how using my Light affects other Guardians.

I also need to speak with Ikora, the Warlocks' Vanguard. She has done extensive research on the so-called "Golden Age," and she might have answers that the Tower's database does not. She might even have an updated map of Sydney, where HIGHCOM used to be located.

Since the Vanguard's resources are stretched thin, and because Commander Zavala has expressed high hopes in my previous training, tomorrow is the only day I will have to train. After tomorrow, I and Sullivan are going to the moon to investigate a missing Guardian. May luck be with us both.

(end of entry)