It was nighttime in Clarines. Wistal Palace, during the day a center of activity and life, was quiet. The steps of the guards on their night patrols were faint, the rustling of the wind equally so. The full moon above glistened in its own unique way. And there…it looked down at the couple who rested against each other, near a bay window inside one of the Court Pharmacy's dorm rooms.
Zen Wisteria, Second Prince of Clarines, and his beloved, Court Herbalist Shirayuki, lay on the bed together, both on the verge of deep slumber. During the evening, one of Zen's duties had led him to the Pharmacy, and Shirayuki had asked him to stay with her for the night.
As such, now they were happily intertwined with the other, Zen's eyes fluttering every so often, resisting the urge to fall to the pillows to the side and sleep. It seemed that Shirayuki, her Apple-red hair shining in the starlight, was feeling the same way.
Until Zen murmured something, half a question, half a statement of wonder, under his breath.
"Is there anyone else out there?…"
"Hmh?"
Shirayuki slowly turned up and looked into his navy eyes, and tilted her head in question.
"What do you mean, Zen?" she asked drowsily.
"I was just thinking." the Prince replied. "If there's anyone or anything else out there, among the stars. I could phrase it as...are we alone?"
"I don't know. I don't think anyone knows." Shirayuki replied, stifling a yawn. "If there are others out there...they'd certainly be more capable then we are, if they could come here."
"Right, right…but what do you think they'd look like or act like?" Zen murmured. "Sorry, I'm just rambling right now."
"It's fine." Shirayuki smiled. "You can be curious about it, Zen. And I'll be curious right with you."
"Thanks." Zen said, then Shirayuki failed to stifle another yawn, stretching her arms outwards, before she gave a faint smile.
"Bedtime." she said cutely. Zen merely nodded and they both let their heads rest on the pillows, and Zen drew the warm covers over them. As they finally succumbed to slumber, smiles on their faces, the idle musings of the Prince soon faded away into the night.
As the cracks of gunfire and the flashes of blue shock bolts resounded through the remains of the Ishtar Sink, three figures leaped through the ruins of the Academy Library and took cover behind a bookcase. The blue-clad Fallen that pursued them echoed war cries and yelps of anger as bolts from their shock-weapons singed the shelves.
"You know…" said one of the three, a Hunter equipped with a modified Fear Eater armor set, and the Legend of Six Coyotes, as he drew his SMG and blind fired it around the corner. "I really think that the Fallen have something better to do then shoot at us right now. And we're supposed to be the distraction for this op"
"True on that one." said the Titan, who wore a Custom Spearhead Armor Set, with the Season of Ages XII. "You think they would've learned by now."
As the Titan chambered a fresh magazine into his Auto Rifle, the Warlock of the group opened up with her sidearm, killing a Dreg that had moved to the balcony opposite and above them, a Shock Grenade falling harmlessly to the ground. The Hunter turned to the Warlock and gave a weak shrug.
"That's another one I owe you." the Hunter sighed. "Alright, how do you guys want to do this? We've got a horde of Fallen in front of us, and we're pinned in place,, both ways we can escape cut off. Got a game plan for this one, Anubis?"
The Titan, or the Exo Anubis-3, merely stowed his Auto Rifle and slid into the open. As the Fallen began to focus their fire on him, Anubis merely tapped into the Light and brought forth the Hammer of Sol, the signature weapon of the Sunbreaker Class.
As Anubis hurled a blazing hammer which impacted against the Fallen horde, incinerating their frontrunners, a voice over their comms spoke.
"This is Seahawk-2, come in Horizon."
"We've got you, Seahawk." said the Warlock, Rainea Thoren. "Did you three secure the package?"
"Sure did, Rainea." Seahawk-2 replied. "Your distraction worked perfectly, and we've secured the intel the Fallen were after. What's strange is that it's not what you think it might be."
"Don't keep us hanging." said the Hunter.
"Well, James, it's navigation data." Seahawk replied, having to speak up over the cacophony of exploding Solar Light generated by Anubis-3. "Not for anywhere we'd know of, and the data's pretty corrupted as it is."
"We'll save that for the Vanguard and the Cryptarchs, then." said James Mendoza, the Hunter. "Think we should help Anubis?"
Rainea looked around the corner to see Anubis had incinerated most of the Fallen horde, and those that remained had retreated. As he dusted off his hands, the Titan gave a thumbs-up.
"No need, James." Rainea smirked. "Let's go. Storm, we clear?"
"We're clear." said Rainea's Ghost, as she appeared beside her, the Guardians moving to exit the Academy buildings and into the Ishtar Academy courtyard. "The Fallen seem to have realized that they're better off staying alive rather than pursue us, so I'll bring in our jumpships."
Her gentle voice then added "Signal sent, Jumpships en route."
"Not bad for another snatch-and-grab op." said Anubis's Ghost, Dusty, who had a slight south-of-the-border tone. "Though I do wonder why the Fallen would go after Golden Age nav data instead of something probably more valuable to them."
"Mystery for another time." said James's Ghost, Evs, whose voice had a rough accent. "We'll let the Vanguard handle it once we get to the Tower. By the way, Fireteam Tradewind, you set?"
"We're good!" said the other Fireteam's Warlock, Adrianne Titus. "Ready to head home?"
"As we'll ever be." James smirked as their jumpships flew down into transmat range. "To the Tower?"
"To the Tower." the other five Guardians replied. The six jumpships then blasted off towards orbit, exiting the Venusian skies, all bound for Earth and the Last City.
Author's Notes
Here are some character details for each of the six main Guardians in this story.
Anubis-3 is an Exo Titan, with a gray face, black eyes, and a jackal's face in yellow on his forehead. Though some Guardians speculate over his name's relation to the exiled Warlock Osiris, Anubis has never made it clear whether or not these speculations are true. Nevertheless, he is a capable leader and true Guardian. His prized possession is a sketchbook and journal he found when he was resurrected in the ruins of Washington, DC. He leads Guardian Fireteam Horizon, partnered with James Mendoza and Rainea Thoren.
James Mendoza is a Human Hunter with a long crew cut and a braid on his left bang, and a faint scar on his cheek. Though laid-back and slightly carefree when off-duty, when he fights the forces of the Darkness he holds nothing back. He is a master card player, his favorite being Solitaire as it apparently lets him "Stay true to his roots". The Hunter Vanguard Cayde-6 once described James as "The last person you want to see cutting a deck. Or someone's throat, depending on who or what you ask."
Rainea Thoren is an Awoken Warlock, with a pale blue tone and green eyes, with a curled ponytail. She remembers nothing of her origins in the Reef, as she was resurrected on Earth, in the remains of the Pacific Northwest. She enjoys caring for animals, such as the birds in the Tower or the alley cats in streets of the City, and apparently can entice even the most fearful creatures into trusting her.
Seahawk-2 is an Exo Hunter with a blue face with black eyes, white wings painted on his cheeks, and a serrated prow on his forehead. Seahawk-2 was resurrected in the ruins of Cape Town in Africa, and he vowed to his Ghost, Talon, that they would one day return there once the fight against the Darkness ends. Seahawk is described by Ikora Rey as "One of the few Hunters knowledgeable or foolish enough to play Chess with Commander Zavala on a weekly basis". He leads Fireteam Tradewind, partnered with David Paulson and Adrianne Titus. His Ghost, Talon, is quick-thinking, but somewhat sarcastic, but a dependable ally and partner.
David Paulson is a Human Titan, with braided brown curls and a runic cross tattooed on his neck. His striking blue eyes are his most prominent feature, and despite his Ghost Parker's jokes, he does not wear contact lenses. David preferred going solo to joining a Fireteam for a time, and it was only his friend Adrianne that convinced him to join Tradewind after a close experience with a Vex Mind on Mars that nearly killed him. His Ghost, Parker, is light-hearted and jolly, and always has a joke, pun, or one liner for any and every situation.
Adrianne Titus is an Awoken Warlock, with a short tail of hair and pale pink eyes. She is on the younger side of the Guardian age spectrum, having been resurrected during the Wolf Rebellion against Mara Sov. However, she established herself quickly as a comedic, but dedicated Guardian. However, her encyclopedia of pranks is second to one, the two most prolific being her successful hiding of Cayde-6's Sparrow in the tree in the Tower Plaza, and glitter-bombing Commander Zavala during a Vanguard meeting. Her Ghost, Eco, is one of the few with enough patience and humor to her her friend and partner, and is more often that not her voice of reason.