Dellander laid in a daze as Silla repaired his body. He felt bones shift and grate as they settled into their proper positions. Muscles twisted and mended. His skin tingled as the burnt patches peeled off and gave way to fresh new tissue underneath.

He twisted his head and saw Elva cut through swaths of Vex with a flaming sword. The giant wings on her back…she looked like an angel. An angel of fire and vengeance, and she was magnificent.

A sword. First Linvana with her hammers, and now Elva with a sword. What was the problem with an honest to god gun?

Silla finished the revive, and Dellander sat up. His body was a mix of old aches and fresh jittering. The usual post-res stuff. He pulled his gun out from the melted remains of a Vex and climbed to his feet.

His face felt hot. Why was it so hot? He stretched his neck and realized his helmet was missing. Must have come lose during the fight. At least the air was cool enough to breathe up here. Silla once told him the air on the surface was hot enough to set his lungs on fire.

On the far side of the array, Elva smote the last clump of Vex. She paused for a moment, admiring her handiwork, then keeled over like a dead fish.

Dead fish. Were the hell did that analogy come from? His brain wasn't running on all four wheels yet apparently.

Off to the side, Linvana staggered to her feet and ran to Elva. She knelt by the Warlock's side.

"She's just unconscious I think," she called back to him, "Though I never can tell with Exos." She saw that he didn't have his helmet on, so she took her own off.

Dellander stumbled over to the two of them. Something was definitely wrong with his left side. His leg was stiff and hard to use. He cracked his neck and felt something slide into place. Ah, that was better.

Elva was already waking up by the time he got there. Linvana had removed the Warlock's helmet, and her eyes fluttered as they flicked back on. She groaned and massaged her temples.

"What happened?" she asked.

"You killed them," Linvana said, "All of them."

Elva frowned. "Did I have a sword?"

"Yep," Dellander answered.

"Okay," Elva muttered, "Just peachy."

Dellander stood for a moment, then turned and started walking towards the body of the colossus.

"Where are going?" Linvana called after him, rising.

"You promised me treasure when you dragged me into this," Dellander said over his shoulder, "And since you destroyed all of these-" He waved his hand at the melted Vex corpses. "-I figure the big guy will have the best loot."

He stopped by the colossus's arm. The entire thing was one big cannon, with silver wires and bronze casings. He grabbed hold of a bundle of wires and yanked the out. They came lose with a satisfying crackle of electricity. He tucked those in his belt, and added a few strips of bronze for good measure.

He was about to head back to Elva and Lin when he saw a flash of light in the corner of his eye. The hole in the colossus's chest was glowing, pulsing slightly. That was the place the red orb had sat.

Dellander climbed onto the colossus's body and examined the cavity. The shattered remains of the orb lay at the bottom, covered in drippings of hardened slag. The glow was coming from underneath the broken shell pieces. He pushed aside the shards and came up holding a fist-sized chunk of crystal.

The stone was translucent orange, and it was wrapped in a cradle of thick wires. It pulsed once in his hand and went out completely.

"What is that?" Elva asked as she limped around the colossus's arm with Linvana's help.

"How would I know?" Dellander asked. He hopped down and proffered the strange crystal to Elva.

She took it and held it up for her Ghost to scan. "That's amazing," she muttered, "It has the same makeup as the stone Eris took from Oryx's sword. It must be how they channeled the Solar energy but…" She lowered the crystal and looked around. "Where does this stuff even come from?"

"That doesn't matter right now," Linvana said, "The weapon is destroyed. We need to contact Praedyth, see if taking it out worked."

Elva shook her head. "Praedyth won't be contacting us again. They've sealed the holes in his cell by now."

"Oh," Linvana said. For a moment, she looked visibly stricken. Then the look was gone, covered with her stoic captain face.

"This was their axis mind though," Elva continued, pointing at the colossus, "The architect of their efforts to harness the Solar force. With it destroyed, all their progress in that area is lost."

"So does that mean we're done here?" Linvana asked.

Elva nodded.

"Right then. Polaris, bring our ships down from orbit and lock for transmat. We're going home."


TYPE: GUARDIAN AFTER ACTION DEBRIEF [000183]

AUTHOR: Elva Prime (Gensym Scribe)

RECEPIANT: Ikora Rey (Warlock Vanguard)

Praedyth's fate remains a mystery. It was indeed him reaching out to us, through a backdoor left by the Sunbreakers. I have no doubt now that he is alive, somehow, lost to the Vex. I don't know if it's even possible to rescue him at this point, but I recommend every effort be put into finding him. He quite likely saved the system and possibly the entire universe by alerting us to the danger in the monolith.

The weapon itself is cause for great alarm. Discovering a new programing collective was no surprise, but discovering one on the verge of harnessing the Solar force is frightening, to say the least. Hopefully, with the Incendiary Mind destroyed, they will cease to be a threat. We were foolish to think the Vault of Glass was a definitive victory. As our encounter shows, the Vex have other paths to achieving dominance. We can only assume there are corresponding collectives tasked with harnessing the Arc and Void. Finding them and destroying them is imperative.

The crystal retrieved from the construct is proving to be quite an intriguing find. I only subjected it to the most cursory of examinations on the journey back to the Tower, and I've found it is attuned to Solar power and is drawing power from multiple dimensions at once. With time, I think it might be possible to harness it as a weapon of great power. I will keep you apprised of my progress.

Finally, I wish to include a more personal note with this memo. I am postponing my upcoming expedition to Venus in favor of studying with the Praxic order. The Vex are a fascinating enigma, but I have devoted too much of my time to their study, and not enough time to my own abilities. My experiences in the monolith reminded me that we have only scratched the surface of the Light's potential. I believe the Praxic Order will be an excellent fit. Their recent innovations in the use of Rifts is intriguing.

END OF REPORT

Elva paused, her finger hovering over the send button. There was nothing in the memo about what Praedyth had told her. She kept insisting there was no reason to believe him. No reason to believe a word he said. No reason to believe she was a Vex.

Yet there was a little voice in the back of her head that kept saying it was true. She could have sworn she heard the colossus, the machine she called the Incendiary Mind, speak to her during the battle. How could she explain that?

She stared at her hand, a hand made of servos and wires, sheathed in thin bronze skin. The Vex had bronze skin too.

She needed answers. Guardian or machine, she needed to know who she was. She needed to master her Light, but she needed to be sure she wasn't a pawn of the Vex.

But who would give her answers? Praedyth was still lost.

Find Osiris. He can set you on the right path.

Osiris. A Warlock whose legendary disgrace rivaled his greatest accomplishments. A man who had vanished from the City, leaving countless whispers and rumors behind. Maybe he could give her answers. Only once she knew more could she tell anyone else. Today then, she would rest, and tomorrow, she would go to Vesta and speak to his disciple.

She pressed send on the report and began preparing for the new day.


Dellander entered the Tower hangar with a purpose. He followed the walkway along the side of the cavernous space. It was filled with the usual hubbub of activity. Guardians, frames, civilians, all puttering along with their happy little lives like everything was going to be just amazing. An 'Age of Triumph' the Speaker called it. Hah. The masked fool had no idea.

He reached the corner of the hangar and turned towards the stairs in the back. Jalaal was watching him, following him with those beady eyes. That man was a coward. He thought running was the answer. All that would do is draw it out and make them suffer. They couldn't escape what was coming. Others had tried, and now they were dead or dying. You only had to look at what was left of the Fallen. Dellander understood it now.

He nodded to Miss Holiday, who was talking to some baby-faced Warlock about his ship. He continued past them, up the second flight of stairs, to the skybox nestled in the very upper corner of the hangar. The den of the Future War Cult.

"Well Hunter, this is certainly a surprise." Lakshmi sat on a cushioned stool near the window, watching the comings and goings of the Tower. The other cultists retreated to the sides as he approached.

"Tell me Hunter, have you come to ridicule me again?" she spat without looking at him, "Because it would be very disappointing if you have. I would hate for you to leave with a damaged face again."

Dellander bit his lip and very consciously lowered his hand from his pistol. Seeing her reminded him how much she pissed him off, but desperate times called for desperate measures. There were events unfolding that were bigger than either of them.

"I'm not here to argue," he said quietly, "I'm here to apologize."

Lakshmi's eyes snapped up. "Oh?"

"Let me make this clear. I don't like you Lakshmi. I never have, and I never will."

She opened her mouth to shoot back some witty retort, but he kept going before she could speak.

"That doesn't matter though. Our personal differences are just that. Personal. The reason I refused your invitation was because I thought you were all crazy, spouting nonsense about the future and infinite timelines."

"I fail to see the point of this conversation then," Lakshmi said, standing up. She raised her hand to summon the guards.

"What if I told you I believed you though," Dellander blurted, "What if I told you I've seen the future, and saw that you're right?"

Lakshmi narrowed her eyes and lowered her hand. "And how would one such as yourself see the future? Did you have a vision when you died, like a thanatonaut?"

"No. I went to Mercury. I stepped into a Vex gate and traveled to the past. I touched their network, and I saw it. All of it. Infinite futures stretched out before me like threads on a loom. And every single one of them ended in fighting. An infinite coming war with no escape."

The Exo cocked her head. "You touched the machines' networks, and your mind escaped intact? What else did you see there? What secrets do they hold?"

"I'll gladly tell you all about it," Dellander said, "I'm here because I want to join the Future War Cult."


Linvana spent the morning looking for Telysa.

First she stopped by the Hunter's quarters. They were empty. Then she checked the practice range. There was an old Titan trying to show a blueberry how to use a sniper rifle, but no Telysa. She went to the upper Tower concourse next. The ramen shop that Hunters loved so much was practically deserted. She wasn't in the smelly old ship back in the hangar that everyone called a lounge either.

Linvana checked the hangar manifest before leaving. Telysa's jumpship was still in maintenance, so she had to be somewhere in the City. She ran back to Tower North to pick up her special order from Eva before continuing.

She finally found the Hunter in the courtyard down on the wall. She was sitting at a small stone table tucked behind a row of bushes in the back. Monte Carlo rested on the table beside her as she worked on the magazine, etching a flowing pattern with a small chisel.

Linvana watched her for a moment. The way her silky blue hair framed her pale lavender face and glowing azure eyes was just…perfect, in every way. The way she sat was effortlessly poised, so calm and relaxed, a stark contrast to her usual guarded self. She was everything Linvana could ever want.

Telysa looked up as Linvana approached. "Hey, you're back. Zavala mentioned you were on an emergency -"

"Yes," Linvana said.

"Huh?" Telysa replied.

"Yes, I'll do it. I'll move in with you. If you still want me to."

Telysa frowned. "Of course I do. Why wouldn't I? I love you Lin."

Linvana released the breath she had been holding. She sat down across from Telysa. "I'm sorry I took so long to give you an answer. I needed to figure out some things about myself…about us."

"What sort of things?" Telysa asked, "Linvana, if there's something going on, you need to tell me."

"I know," Linvana said, "And I'm sorry I didn't. That's my fault, and I promise I'll never do it again. I love you and I want to be with you, it's just…"

Telysa noticed Linvana's discomfort. She set down her tools and wrapped her hand's around Linvana's.

"Tell me," she insisted, "Please."

Linvana smiled weakly. "It's just that, well, I've been thinking a lot lately."

"Well that's a surprise," Telysa interjected. Linvana glared daggers into the Hunter. Telysa snickered. "Sorry, go on."

Linvana shook her head and smiled. This time, it was genuine. "I've been thinking about who I am, and what my life is supposed to be.

"Everyone says we're heroes, defenders of humanity and the Last Safe City. I don't remember anything about who I was before I came back. To me, that means I've spent my whole life fighting evil monsters and destroying alien armies and just killing, nonstop. For a while, I thought all I would ever experience was death. Dying and killing and dying again. And then, two years ago, I met you. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you, getting your ass kicked by a single vandal."

"I had it handled," Telysa muttered.

"It was about to run you through!"

"So? I'm a Hunter. I'm sure I would have come up with some sort of backup plan."

Linvana burst out laughing. "You would have been dead within a half a second."

"And the vandal would have been dead in a quarter. Simple as that."

She smiled again and squeezed Telysa's hand. "This is what I'm talking about," she said, "You make me happy, you make me laugh. Being with you was the first time I felt anything beyond the thrill of battle and…the remorse of killing. Polaris brought me back to life, but you gave me something to live for. And I didn't say yes because I was afraid I would lose you."

"What do you mean?" Telysa asked, "I would never dream of leaving you."

"Of course not," Linvana said, "I would never dream of leaving you either. But, we're warriors Telysa. From the moment we hit the ground, we're fighting battles and killing enemies. Yeah, we can come back from the dead, but sooner or later, one of us is going to go down and not get back up. Part of me was afraid of committing, of saying yes, because I knew I could lose you tomorrow, or worse, you could lose me.

"When I was on Mercury, without you, I realized it would be even worse if I died there, alone, instead of by your side. So I decided that even if one of us dies tomorrow and today is our last day, I would give anything to spend today with you. And so…"

Linvana reached into her pocket and pulled out the special package from Eva. She knelt down on the flagstones in front of Telysa and raised the plain silver ring in her hand.

"Telysa Elaine, will you-"

Telysa tackled Linvana to the ground and kissed her. Linvana's breath caught as she melted into her warm embrace.

"Yes you idiot," Telysa said, "Of course I will. I've been waiting for you to ask for months." She took the ring from Linvana and slid it on her finger. Linvana grinned and kissed her again.

Telysa finally pulled away and dragged Linvana to her feet. She bundled up her tools, threw Monte Carlo over her shoulder, and took Linvana's hand.

"Come on," she said, towing the Titan towards the garden entrance, "Let's go get married."

"What, today? Half the team's still on patrol!"

"Oh they'll survive if they miss it. Let's go."


Linvana stood on the long balcony overlooking the north end of the Tower plaza. The cool evening breeze gently ruffled her hair. Behind her, the setting sun painted the Tower and the Traveler with golden light.

She wore her simple ceremonial uniform, a dark blue doublet tunic with matching trousers, and her Sunbreaker's mark belted on her waist. Zavala, Elva, Dellander, and Eva Levante stood to the side, leaving an aisle for Telysa to walk down when she arrived. She had already noticed the FWC patch on Dellander's shoulder. That was unexpected, though she tried not to dwell on her worries. She would discuss it tomorrow. Today was a day for celebration.

"Thank you for doing this on such short notice sir," she said to Zavala. Mostly because she needed a conversation to distract her from her nerves. She had fought down hordes of monsters, yet right now, she was more terrified than she had ever been in her short life.

The Titan Vanguard gave her an appraising glance. He smiled broadly and rested his hand on her shoulder. Devil's shadows! Was her anxiety really that obvious?

"Officiating the wedding of the greatest Titan the City has ever seen," he said quietly, "It's my pleasure, Captain."

Linvana blushed at the praise. "Thank you sir."

"You'll have to give me some time to finish your wedding gift though," Zavala said.

"Take your time sir."

Zavala nodded and lowered his hand. He turned away from Linvana, gazing out at the City and the Traveler beyond. His expression took a distant cast, like his mind was somewhere else.

Oh Traveler. This was really happening. She was going to marry Telysa. They had been together for nearly two years now, yes, but this, this was something different.

Stop it! It was her idea to get married in the first place. She would see this through, even if-

Telysa appeared at the top of the stairs, and she was beautiful.

She wore a sleek, deep red sleeveless dress. The silky material clung to her figure and shimmered in the red sunlight. She wore her sky blue cloak fastened over her shoulders, and had her dark blue hair pulled up in a simple twist. Her pale lavender skin seemed almost luminescent in the sunset.

Right at that moment, all of Linvana's anxiety melted away, replaced with a warm fuzzy feeling as her heart melted into a puddle on the floor.

Telysa strode gracefully towards Linvana, with the firm delicacy only a Hunter could project. Halfway there, her stoic composure broke, and her face split into a broad smile. Linvana grinned back.

She stopped in front of Linvana and took both her hands. Linvana just stared into her eyes, heedless of the stupid, sappy expression plastered on her face.

"Are we ready to begin?" Zavala asked.

"Yes," they said at the same time.

"Very well," Zavala replied, "Guardians and friends, we are here this evening to celebrate the union of Linvana and Telysa, two courageous warriors who have fought countless battles to keep our walls and our people safe. Life in these times is never easy, and that is especially true for Guardians such as yourselves. That you found greater Light in each other is nothing short of extraordinary. You are examples to all Guardians, of what we should strive to be.

"Do you, Linvana, captain of Fireteam Dawnstar, keeper of the Hammer of Sol, take Telysa to be your bride, for better or for worse, in the Tower or on patrol, for as long as you both have Light?"

"I do," Linvana said.

"And do you, Telysa, Bladedancer adept, Bane of Khariss the Forsaken, take Linvana to be your bride, for better or for worse, in the Tower or on patrol, for as long as you both have Light?"

"I do," Telysa said.

"Then by the power vested in me Consensus of the City, I thus pronounce you married. You may kiss."

Linvana embraced Telysa, and kissed her wife as the last sliver of sun slipped behind the horizon.