20 years later

The streets were thriving with life. Children biked down the sidewalks as cars drove along the road, with the rays of the early morning sun shedding light on a busy day. On the tenth story of the Vanguard Barracks, Icon stood watching through the window as people went about their daily lives.

"You're staring again," Arden remarked. Reclining on one of the many couches in the recreational center, the hunter spent his time fanatically polishing his hand cannon.

"Sorry," Icon apologized, though he did not move from his position by the window. "Ishtar just has such an appealing glow to it, and our civilization appears so vibrant. Never have I seen civilian life thrive beyond Earth."

"And now it thrives far beyond even Venus," Brutus added, a smile of satisfaction appearing underneath his Helm of Saint-14.

"Yeah, it seems Phaetin's dream came true after all," Arden remarked, rising from the couch and holstering his hand cannon in the process. "The downside is that now… we're obsolete. Redjacks comb the streets, and have been keeping the peace for years. Not to mention Rasputin's Warsats, which are now over every planet in the system."

Icon crossed his arms as he pondered his friend's words. "Lord Shaxx has been trying to keep our kind trained with the Crucible, but the number of guardians in designated Crucible combat zones has certainly been declining throughout the years."

"Which is why we must remain vigilant. We cannot allow indifference to prevent us from upholding our duty," Brutus stated.

"And what duty would that be?" Arden questioned.

"A duty to protect our people," Brutus answered heroically, as if they were the three hundred about to face thousands.

"When will we ever be called to that duty again?" Arden asked, sitting down in a half-hearted depression as he thought of the previous years in which no threat had come to humanity. There had been remnants of the Scorn, and the Taken proved to be more numerous than initially expected, but the last real skirmish had occurred nearly a decade earlier.

"I do not know," Brutus admitted, looking out the window at the bustling city beyond. "But conflict is a natural process, and it shall present itself to us one day. When that day comes, I pray we are prepared to meet it with equivalent might."

/

Mars was silent. Ana Bray was left to work in peace from the Braytech Futurescape, as her dedication to Rasputin knew no bounds. Occasionally guardians such as Quinary came to her for work or information, but for the most part she was left to herself. She was going over standardized diagnostics on the facility's systems when, to her surprise, an icon began flashing on one of her terminals.

Ana glanced over at the light, curious as to what it meant. She had never seen the icon in action before, and it caught her off guard to think there was something about Rasputin's systems she did not know. She was about to investigate when the sound of footsteps at the facility's entrance caused her to turn, rifle at the ready.

"Who's there?" she demanded to know.

"Are all guardians so hasty?" the figure questioned from the entrance. The shadows cast by the interior of the chamber hid his face from view, yet it was clear to see from his relaxed posture that he did not fear an armed guardian. Even so, he calmly put up his hands as a sign that he was no threat.

"I'll ask again, who are you?" Ana repeated herself. "You don't sound like any guardian I know."

"And yet I am one," the figure replied, finally stepping into the light. He was awoken, with gray and black hair falling down the right side of his face. Faint, white stripes crossed over his nose to branch out past his forehead and cheeks.

Ana's eyes went wide. "Uldren Sov."

"That's what I'm told," the awoken replied. Then, his ghost suddenly appeared.

"Please don't shoot my guardian!" the ghost begged. "Lower the weapon. He's not a threat."

"This monster tried to murder a member of the Vanguard, and brought chaos to the Reef!" Ana roared.

"I've been told that too," Uldren stated. "Pulled Pork didn't know what I was, yet he revived me regardless. However, there was one thing he could not revive, with that being my memories. Everywhere I have travelled I have attempted to understand my past, and it has been growing worse with each encounter," he explained, climbing the steps to meet Ana. "All I wish to do now is help, Anastasia."

"Help with what?" Ana questioned, lowering her rifle slightly.

"Help redeem my name. Everywhere I turn, I see hatred. The allies from my former life are all gone, from what I've learned. I have nothing, Ana," Uldren explained. "I am told you are one for knowledge, so I figured coming here might help me piece together my past, as well as be some sort of assistance to you." He then looked to the flashing light. "It would appear my timing was perfect," he smirked.

"We need to get to Rasputin," Ana stated, strapping Polaris Lance to her back as she abandoned her post to seek out Rasputin.

The pair entered Rasputin's core without incident, and there they saw the last of his mighty Warsats being launched toward the heavens. His Russian dialogue was hasty and frantic. He had much to say, and Ana's expression concerned Uldren as he watched their interaction. Then, a moment later, Ana turned to him with a look of dread.

"What is it?" Uldren questioned, teeth clenched as he attempted to hide the fear in his heart. He was not the man he used to be, and though he attempted to layer on a stern outward persona, it was clear he was different from his former self.

"Something's coming," Ana answered, her jaw gaping. "Something that has entered the system just outside the dwarf planet Eris's orbit. That's why Rasputin was able to pick up on it." She then looked back to Rasputin. "However, his Warsats out that far have now gone dark."

"Do we know the threat?" Uldren asked.

Ana shook her head. "There's no data on it, but Rasputin remembers all too well. It was the same thing that caused the Collapse."

"No," Pulled Pork uttered. "It can't be."

"It is," Ana said. "What's more, Rasputin has activated the CARRHAE protocol."

"What does that mean?" Uldren questioned, looking around as if it would help him find the answer.

Ana turned to the awoken. "It means Rasputin is seizing control of the solar system's defenses."

"Sounds like the beginning of a war," Uldren remarked.

"Or a massacre," Ana uttered, her body frozen.

/

Dim lights filled the chambers, similar in appearance to the solar system outside. Soldiers surged throughout all floors of the ship, and yet not a sound was made. The walls were smooth and black, creating a sense of despair for those not created to thrive within their confines. There, at the tip of the vessel was a chamber fit for a king. A fifteen foot throne resided within the chamber, of which only one had ever sat upon.

"Persistent, aren't they?" a raspy, multilayered voice uttered. It was as if a hundred voices spoke at once, with half of them being robotic in nature. "In our time, we have hunted the machine to no end. Our antithesis would fill systems with prosperity, and we in turn would reward its effort with destruction. Finally, we caught it. Destruction came to all it protected, yet where would be the fun if we let it die? However, in our moment of hesitation, it struck. It locked my horde down, shut us out, and shut us down. We slept, and we slept longer than we ever could have anticipated." The creature, coated in a metallic black, watched the worlds beyond its viewport as it reached down to claim an object. "Now, the Ruler of Growth flourishes, and we will make no mistakes this time." In his right hand, hanging by the end of his serrated fingertips was the skull of a slain guardian. A cloth still remained over her three green eyes, and her jaw sagged open. "I am sorry, child," the creature uttered toward the head. "You knew too much. You saw what I saw, and knowledge cuts deeper than any blade."