The Speaker stepped forward the last few steps until he stood directly in front of the three of them, with Matt and Ash slightly to his left, and Aria to his right. The Vanguards looked just as surprised at the visit as they did.
"Speaker? What came over you to gift us with a visit of yours?" asked Rey, respectful as always. "My purpose here today, lies with these two. I have been instructed to enlighten them." He gestured at Matt and Ash, whose feelings of confusion were evident in their facial expressions.
"Those two? How did you even know they were here?"
"I did not, until they reached the Tower last night, and the Traveler itself sensed the potential within them. It has guided me here, so that I may assist them in beginning their journey." He turned to face Aria. "It appears that there was a third individual who had simply not reached the Tower yet, as well. You are apart of this revelation, however you are already on the right track." If voices could smile, the Speaker's gave a kind and understanding one. "Your path has been set in motion correctly, though these two require… an intervention of sorts, to spark their light. All I ask is that you remain here and enjoy the company of the Vanguards for a while longer, until they and I return."
His head gazed over at Matt and Ash. "Come, there is much to learn and little time." The Speaker began to walk away, towards the exit of the Hall. With virtually nowhere else to go, Matt and Ash followed after a second's hesitation.
Cayde-6 spoke, and expressed exactly what Aria was feeling; "What the hell just happened?"
-X-
The Speaker wasn't exactly tough to follow, but he sure was mysterious. He hadn't said a word to Matt or Ash since he'd begun to walk, and they'd followed closely in silence as the Speaker rounded corners and passed through corridors, until they crossed a small bridge within a secondary courtyard, and gasped.
The Speaker's room looked not unlike a giant astronomy tower. There was a large, peculiar device that moved and rotated, never impacting against itself due to complicated mathematical algorithms. Behind it was an open balcony, with an incredible view of the Traveler, and the city. To the left was a staircase, one which the Speaker had already ascended as Matt and Ash had gawked in awe. They turned their attention to him, and walked up the staircase as well.
"Please, sit down," said the Speaker, gesturing to two cushioned stools that he had set aside for them, "there is much to discuss." Each of them selected a seat, and awaited what the Speaker had to say.
"I don't know how or why, but the Traveler has selected you two for a greater purpose. Its motives are incapable of being understood at times, and even I still have no idea as of yet as to what that purpose may be." The Speaker turned to gaze at the balcony's view for a moment, as though wishing the Traveler would somehow begin to speak in obvious direction. No such moment came, and he turned his attention back to the two who sat before him.
"What I do know is that I was able to sense each of your light the moment you entered the Tower. You two are powerful, though you do not know it yet. I am here merely to teach you, to answer your questions should you have any, and to hopefully turn you into Guardians." He tilted his head slightly, like he was smiling behind the white mask of his. Ash started to speak first.
"Speaker, I don't know who I am, or anything that's going on right now. I'm not even completely sure what this, 'Traveler' which everyone speaks of, is. I don't remember anything from my past life, as my Ghost had to remove many of my malfunctioning components from my body in order to revive me. How can I find out who I was, what I was created for?" She looked pleadingly at the Speaker. He paused a moment, and then replied as well as he could.
"My dear, perhaps it is not meant for you to understand your origins quite yet. The Traveler has brought you back for a reason, and apparently that reason involves you not retaining any memory of your past life. Maybe the only way to find the path you've lost is to begin a new one, and in doing so stumble across it." This answer obviously did not satisfy Ash, and her fist clenched in frustration. "As for the Traveler, well that's quite easy to explain." He shifted his gaze to Matt. "Or I had thought it was, though perhaps the boy here will shed some forgotten knowledge in the months to come." He turned back to Ash. "The Traveler is an entity that came to us many centuries ago. It sparked a technological revolution, igniting the pioneer within our blood to even greater goals. It helped create your kind as well, the Exos. In a few ways, you could consider it a parent."
"In any matter, a Golden Age of advancement began, with the Traveler at the forefront. It was a time for celebration." Suddenly, the Speaker shuddered slightly. "But as with all happiness, there usually exists one who seeks to destroy it. The Darkness, an ancient enemy of the Traveler, followed it to us. It brought about the Collapse, a period of desperation in which we fought hopelessly against it. Though we did not win against it in any way, our resistance was valiant enough to warrant a temporary retreat from us. It gave us time to rebuild, and prepare." His voice now carried a solemn tone. "But we are not yet ready. Though we manage to keep out the Fallen armies which surround us, they are but one limb of the Darkness, extended like a curios phalange, testing our defenses. It is coming back, and we will not survive it this time unless we stand together with the Traveler once more, and it has remained dormant since its sacrifice for us that ended the collapse."
Ash's face showed understanding now, and she asked, "Alright, so now I know all of that. But what exactly is, 'The Darkness'? Is it like, another Traveler, but evil? Or something else?"
The Speaker drew in his breath, shaken by the thoughts of the information he was sharing with the two potential Guardians. "No one quite knows. Many accounts describe the Darkness as an 'it', others as a 'they'. We don't know if it is a single entity commanding several armies, or if it simply the combined efforts of several enemies' attempts to eliminate us. One thing is certain, that it will not leave us in Peace, and our only chance for survival is to destroy it before it destroys us."
The next question came from Matt; "What exactly is a Guardian?"
The Speaker looked at him with appreciation. "Ah, now we've come full circle to the original purpose of this meeting. Guardians are the defenders of the Traveler, its light, and the City. They fight the war that still rages today, though softly, subtly. They are the most noble warriors that exist, putting their lives on the line every day in order to buy more time of safety and peace for humanity." The Speaker gave a small sigh, in silent appreciation of all the Guardians' combined efforts. "And you two are prime candidates."
Ash and Matt twister their heads to face each other, and then focused back on the Speaker. "You want us to become Guardians? To fight the Darkness?" Matt didn't sound unsure of his decision, he only sounded as though he wished to clarify the Speaker's intention. The Speaker nodded. "As I said, the Traveler has selected you for a reason. The quickest way to discover that reason is to begin your journey."
Matt stood up and returned the Speaker's nod. "During my time, the Traveler gifted humanity with just about every technological advance we could hope for." Matt looked behind the Speaker at the view from the balcony, where the Traveler hovered in low orbit over the City. "And now, I've learned that it sacrificed itself for humanity. The least I can do is to become one of its defenders."
Ash looked conflicted with herself for a moment, then gave an outwards sigh. "I suppose I'm not going to get any answers while I'm stuck here, so yeah. If the Traveler has indeed brought me back for a purpose, then I intend to find out what it is."
The Speaker allowed them both to rise from their seats, and clasped a hand on each of their shoulders. "Then in the name of the Traveler's light, I dub you both Guardians." He released them, and though no obvious physical change occurred, Matt felt warm, happy that he now had a sense of direction for his new life. "Return to the Vanguards, they'll explain the living conditions at the Tower. I expect you'll want to find proper accommodations, and perhaps some sustenance as well." Now that he'd said it, Matt realized he was quite hungry. He'd have to wait until after they'd met with the Vanguards before finding some food.
The Speaker turned back to his desk, leaving Ash and Matt to descend the staircase, and make their way back towards the Hall of Guardians.
-X-
Aria heard the two pairs of footsteps approaching before the Vanguards did, and she turned to look at their source, attracting the attention of the three veteran Guardians as well. Matt and Ash walked back into the room with different expressions than they'd worn when they'd left. Matt now looked truly confident, and somewhat happy. Ash looked uncertain, but with determination in her features.
"So? What did the Speaker have to say?" Zavala was straight and to the point, like most Titans. Matt opened his mouth to speak, but Ash beat him to it. "We've been granted permission to become Guardians, and to begin our journey in fighting the Darkness." Ikora Rey nodded her head in understanding. "Light be with you."
Aria felt happy for them, but also apprehensive, and even somewhat envious. She'd been trying to practice harnessing the light since she could remember, preparing for this day when she might have the chance to become a Guardian. And these two had apparently only been around since yesterday, yet had already been established as Guardians. It made her more than a little disappointed that-
"In addition to you two, another Guardian has been born today as well." Aria's train of though immediately ceased, and her spirits rushed back into her. She met Ikora's gaze with a face of hopefulness, as Ikora continued. "Aria Sorentine, you have more than passed your light evaluation. Welcome to the world of Guardians." Though the sentence itself was simple enough, Aria could feel a lump in her throat, and her eyes became slightly wet. She'd been waiting for this day a long time, and at long last her patience had been rewarded.
"Now all that's left is for you to each find your calling, your class of Guardian." She stared pointedly at Aria. "I already know you have the great makings of a Warlock, and should you desire it, you have my full approval." Aria nodded vigorously, not wanting to give any kind of chance for Ikora to change her mind. The Warlock Vanguard turned back to face the other two. "So we've found one Guardian's path. Now we just need to find yours. There's no sure way to determine your calling, though we have a method that's almost never been wrong." "Almost never?" asked Matt, raising an eyebrow. The Vanguards looked at each other. "There are those whom the light was not meant to touch," explained Ikora, and Matt could tell the conversation of that topic was over. "In any matter," began Cayde-6, "There are specific traits that each class of Guardians exhibit. Warlocks fight with their mind, first and foremost. Titans prefer to smash their enemies to smithereens, and Hunters exhibit a cool sense of lethality, deadly but calm, at least until you piss them off." Zavala rolled his eyes at Cayde's obvious bias towards his class.
"So I ask you this Guardians…picture a source of power in your mind. Allow the Traveler's light to flow through you, and guide you towards your calling." Now Matt raised his other eyebrow. "And how exactly do we do that? Is this some kind of, 'feel the force' vibe that I'm feeling? I'd be very surprised if any of you have watched Star Wars." He looked around at the faces staring blankly back at him. "Ah right, you don't get my references. Sorry."
Ikora shook her head to ward away the negative thoughts she was likely having, and looked back at Matt. "Simply empty your mind. Allow the Traveler to take control for a brief moment, to show you what you need to see." Matt sighed and turned to Ash next to him. She shrugged, then turned back to the Vanguards and closed her eyes. With another sigh, he repeated her actions.
"Now, picture your source of power. What elemental force drives you to succeed?" Matt didn't see anything but the back of his eyelids. Empty your mind, he told himself. Just… relax. Surprisingly, he began to feel dormant, less aware. He tried to picture a source of power like Ikora has said, but he still couldn't see anything.
Suddenly, he began to imagine two orbs appearing in the black void of his mind. They became clearer as they grew in size, and they moved around each other in an odd dance of flight. One he could see, was blue. He felt it's power, it's electric surges and pulses. It was the equivalent of a thunderstorm contained in a ball. The other radiated heat, and billowed with an aura of fire. He felt its warmth pour over him, swallowing him in the light.
Ash heard Matt inhale sharply beside her, and she imagined he was experiencing something similar to her. She witnessed two glowing sources of energy, one blue that emanated a statical pulse from its center, and shocked her when she attempted to probe it. The other was a deep violet color, with tiny purple rays that weaved in and out of space, and danced around her body. Her mind couldn't take the prolonged exposure to the incredible energy each put, and she opened her eyes with a gasp.
She looked to her right, where Matt had just opened his eyes as well, and stared back at her, breathing heavily. Sweat had gathered on his forehead, and he seemed positively stunned judging by the expression on his face. She supposed she had the same vacant and surprised look that he did, and she looked away, trying to focus her mind on correcting her facial features.
"What did you see?" asked Ikora. Matt tried to come up with the words to describe the raw power he'd witnessed, but failed. He tried again. "I saw… two orbs of light, one orange, one blue. The blue one seemed like a storm, I guess, as though someone had taken a hurricane or something and jammed it into a tiny container. The other felt like a raging fire, as though it were a miniature sun, glowing in the dark." He felt sheepish for coming up with such odd descriptions, but he saw looks of understanding from the Vanguards, and even approval from Cayde-6.
"And what about you?" Zavala was the first to shift his gaze to Ash, with the other Vanguards mimicking his movement a moment later.
"I saw the same blue orb that Matt here did, but I didn't see any orange one. What I did see what a purple orb instead. This one felt like…" She tried to come up with words to describe it. "I can't think of any other description other than 'magical'. It seemed to be in defiance of the laws of physics, if that makes sense."
"Indeed it does." Ikora gave them a small smile, knowing how the two were currently feeling. "Matt, you have seen the power of Solar and Arc. Ash, you experienced the might of Arc and Void. Each of these three elemental forces, Arc, Solar, and Void, are specific types of light that Guardians draw their power from. Each class has two distinct arts that accompany it. For Hunters, there is the path of the Bladedancer, and the way of the Gunslinger. For Titans, the arts of the Striker and Defender are their outlying abilities. Warlocks experience the might of the Voidwalker, and the rejuvenation of the Sunsinger." She bowed her head and gestured to the other two Vanguards. "Welcome to the light, Hunter, and Titan."
Cayde-6 motioned for Matt to join him at the table, and Zavala gave Ash a curt nod that implied he wished the same. Both walked over to their respective Vanguard.
"I had you pegged for a Hunter the moment you walked in here," said Cayde, and Matt could hear the pride in his new mentor's voice. "I'm sure that you'll make a fine addition to our ranks."
"A Titan's strength is as strong and unyielding as his will," said Zavala. Ash thought about the two subclasses of Titans, much simpler sounding than something like 'void walker', or 'bladedancer'. But she preferred it that way, straight and to the point. Maybe that's why she'd been drawn to the Titan class. "I've observed you, and I can see that your will isn't so easily broken. You truly are a proper Titan." Ash lifted her head at the praise, and stood a little straighter.
Ikora looked at her own new protégé with pride. "I do not need to explain any of this to you, as you've done your research. Perhaps that should be a defining feature of most Warlocks in the future, that they already know what they need to before even attempting recruitment." Ikora had basically just said that Aria was a role-model for future Warlocks, and Aria didn't think her knees would support her for much longer if she kept getting compliments of this magnitude.
"Now, onto the matter of your living arrangements." Ikora nodded at Cayde-6, signaling that this was his subject to speak about.
"Ah, right. Well, here in the City we run off an economy based around Glimmer, a programmable, digital substance that can be electronically moved around. It's basically like virtual money. The Tower is no exception, and you'll find that most of the weapons and armor around here are sold by different vendors, willing to help Guardians out for a price." He snorted. "You'd think that when it came to saving the human race, people would think about more than just money, but evidently not. Anyway, we're going to give you each a few thousand, to set you up. We'll also issue you each permanent living quarters, though you can buy a different space that you prefer with Glimmer later, if you'd like."
Cayde-6 made a motion with his hand towards the open doorway. "Outside in the courtyard, there's a Frame who tracks bounties, assignments given to us by the City and its people. When you complete those bounties, you earn Glimmer. Simple as that. There's also a Cryptarch out there, by the name of Master Rahool. He's nice enough, but he sells engrams, a fourth state of matter. He collects them from the City and God knows where else, but if you pay him, he'll decrypt some and give them to you. They contain everything from armor to weapons. Engrams are just a better, more efficient way to store items. Just tell him what you need, and he'll find it for you."
Cayde-6 looked at the three of them, and made a thoughtful expression. "Though, I'd say the thing you three need the most right now is a ship. Technically, you've already got one apparently," he said, pointing his thumb at Matt, "but Arcadia class Jumpships haven't been used in centuries, and they're likely very unstable in their current conditions. I'd recommend buying a new one along with these two, but at least you can trade yours in for a discount."
He clapped his hands together in an air of finality. "I guess that's about it! Wait, where are your Ghosts?" At their mention, each of the three Ghosts that had been missing materialized in the air. Cayde glanced over at Aria, and pointed at the one hovering above her head. "By the way, you can keep that one. He's been looking to have a Guardian for a bit too long, I'm sure he'll welcome the opportunity." The Ghost gave a small somersault in alignment with what Cayde had said. The hooded Exo shook his head slightly, muttering, "Damn unprofessional, is what it is…"
"Cayde has neglected to tell you of a very important detail." Zavala glared at Cayde who had sharply turned to the Awoken Titan, his eyes wide as he tried to remember what the Titan could be talking about. Zavala shook his head, and said, "A fireteam."
"Oh, yeah!" Cayde turned back to Matt, and said, "I knew that. Was just saving it for last."
Zavala and Ikora rolled their eyes in unison.
"Anyway, a fireteam is a group of Guardians that carry out missions together, using teamwork and strategy to defeat their foes. Though there are always Guardians who prefer to lone-wolf it-" Cayde-6 gave a small ahem, and whispered, Yours truly, then continued. "-it can be quite useful to have another Guardian or two backing you up in the field."
Matt looked around at the other Vanguards."Well, I don't really know anyone else here, so I don't know where to start in creating a fireteam."
Cayde looked back at him, and made a quick movement of his hand, in the general direction of Ash and Aria. "Well, I know two others in your same predicament."
The newly initiated Hunter gazed at the other two, both as foreign to the world of Guardians as he was. Well, maybe not Aria, but she hadn't had any combat experience yet. He did.
"I don't have any complaints. Would you two like to be part of a team?" He saw Aria consider it for just a moment, before nodding her agreement. He turned to look at Ash. She had a look of concentration on her face, weighing the options she had. He hoped she wasn't taking the room incident from earlier into account. She stopped, and looked back at him.
"Sure. Why not?" She gave him a brief smile, expressing her genuine eagerness to work together. He gave her a nod and returned her smile, then faced Cayde again.
"Alright then, I think that takes care of our need for a fireteam." Seraph began to twirl her little dance in the air, excited at the events unfolding. Cayde glanced up at her for a moment, then lowered his head back to look at Matt. "So it does. I'm issuing orders to each of your Ghosts right now-" He raise his wrist up, and tapped a few commands into the electronic interface that surrounded it. The Ghosts stiffened for a moment, and twitched slightly. "-telling them where your rooms are now. I'd recommend setting up your quarters right now." He turned to Ash next to Zavala. "Except for you. Since you don't have any gear, you can take the time to get a much needed cleaning. Believe me, as a fellow Exo, I can attest to how great it feels after a good buff. There should be someone who does that in the Hangar, assuming she's not on break." Ash nodded her understanding, and walked around the table to the doorway, before exiting the chamber.
"As for you two, go ahead and set up your rooms, and maybe follow her example and take a shower or something. After lunch, I think you should each head into the hangar and pick out a ship for yourselves. That is, unless you want to walk everywhere." Both Matt and Aria nodded and bowed to the Vanguards, before making their exit.
Zavala was the first to speak. "I do believe these three are quite promising. A bit odd, that's for certain, but promising." "You can say that again," said Cayde. "I liked the kid the second he walked in here." Ikora smirked with the grin of a wolf. "Maybe his story with Ash reminded you just a bit of one of your own similar experiences, except she wasn't an Exo."
"Look, I told you both that it didn't happen like that!" said the Hunter indignantly, to the chortles of both Zavala and Ikora, whom each of which had heard his tale of innocence many times.
-X-
"Alright, this is the place." Seraph hovered over next to a door in the back of the Guardian's barracks, which could be accessed through the sliding doors underneath the balcony that led to the elevator station and temporary living quarters. Matt walked over to where she floated, with Aria at his side. "And this, is ours!" Aria's Ghost flew a few feet over to a door on the far side of Seraph's. "Alright, so we're next door to each other. Seraph, out of curiosity, where's Ash's room?" "Checking." He heard her internal motor whir for a moment, then she traveled over to the door opposite of Matt's in relation to the hallway. "This one here. You're all fairly close together." He was glad that he wouldn't have to walk far to reach either of his fireteam members, should the need present itself. "Alright then." With a mock excited look to Aria who giggled, he gripped the handle of his door and swung it open.
He saw that this room was noticeably larger than the temporary quarters of the night before. It wasn't huge, but it definitely gave him a little bit more room, and overall looked nicer. Matt thought it kind of looked like a nice hotel room from his past life. Aria followed him in, and gazed around the interior. "Well I hope all the rooms are this nice." She looked around to see the small kitchen area on the left, with the bathroom on the right. It reminded her of the rentable apartments in the City. Turning around, she made her exit to look at her own room.
She walked out the door and turned to the right, gripping the handle of the door that her Ghost had pointed out. She pulled it open to see a mirrored version of Matt's room, virtually the same space, just reflected. She nodded her head in approval, then left again, her Ghost trailing behind her. She looked over to see Matt exiting his own room, now just wearing his black undersuit, having removed his armor and stored it in his room. He made a motion towards the door. "You ready to go?"
"Go? Go where?"
"To the hangar. I figured we'd meet up with Ash there, and then pick out some ships for ourselves."
Aria liked the idea, and nodded her agreement, pointing to her black pants and blue coat as a sign that she was dressed and ready to leave. Matt looked at them with an approving expression, then turned to walk out the door. Seraph was nowhere to be seen, so she assumed she had dematerialized, so that she'd still remain with Matt in his head, but not fly around everywhere. It took her a second to see that her Ghost was missing as well, meaning that they likely did it on their own accord. It was an odd thought that her Ghost was in her mind, but not the strangest she'd ever heard of. She quickly followed Matt out the door.
-X-
"Alright, you're good to go." Ash almost wished it weren't so. The warm wax and vibration of the buffer had been relaxing, and had felt so good, probably like it did for a human when they scratched at an itch. She looked down at her metallic white-and-silver form, and admired the now shiny and glistening metal that shone from the reflection of light. All of the diluted, rusty red color was gone, and she understood what Cayde-6 had meant; being clean felt great. Her joints no longer made slight squeaks when they moved, her chest and legs weren't covered with scratches in her paint coatings, and her mobility felt so much more fluid. She hadn't noticed the slight stiffness in her limbs until she tried to move them after the cleaning and remarked at how easily they rotated and shifted in their sockets.
"Ooh, nice and shiny!" Whip flew around her now clean body, inspecting it for flaws and finding none. Her paint scheme had even been restored.
She moved over to where she'd lain her black jumpsuit. Though she'd had to undress to get cleaned up, she didn't feel nearly as uncomfortable standing in the eyes of the female cleaner. She guessed that it was just a natural reaction to being with someone with the same kind of body, versus someone who would ogle at it. Though that wasn't really fair, since she now knew Matt hadn't been trying anything of the sort when she'd yelled at him. Stepping into the leg holes of her suit, she pulled it up and over her nude form. Thankfully, the material was stretchy, and fit to her body. It at least eliminated the need for zippers or anything.
Once she was ready, she walked back over to the cleaner. "Alright, how much do I owe you?" "Oh, it's no trouble at all," said the cleaner, waving Ash away. "It's the least I can do for a Guardian of the city. Thank you for your service!" The young cleaner turned back to her station in the hangar, moving to attend to her next order of business. Ash wondered about the respect that her status as a Guardian gained her. The only thing she could really do, was to make sure that respect wasn't given in vain, and to uphold the reputation of Guardians that had preceded her.
"Hey, Ash!' She turned quickly to see Matt and Aria heading in her general direction. She walked forward to greet them. "Hey, what are you two doing here?" "Well, we set up our rooms and figured we'd meet you here, so we could pick out our ships." Ash nodded in agreement of his idea. "Alright, lead the way." "Seraph?" Matt's young Ghost materialized in front of him, and flew towards a set of stairs a few yards to Ash's right. "This way." Following the trail of the Ghost, the trio of Guardians ascended the staircase.
At the top was a workshop of sorts. Holographic monitors and screens lined almost every side of the space, and there was a desk in the back with papers scattered all over. Sitting at the desk was a blonde woman with tussled up hair, and stains of grease on her clothing.
"Uh, excuse me miss?" Her head snapped towards them, and she quickly stood up and walked over to welcome them. She extended her hand and gripped Matt's in turn. "Welcome to the Hangar! I'm Amanda Holliday, mechanic for all the Guardians' ships that pass through here. I also sell them, should you need one." He noticed that she had a thick Texan accent, though he doubted that anyone here even remembered what Texas was retracted her hand, and when he examined his own, he saw bits of dirt and oil on it, left behind from the female mechanic.
"Yes, that second option sounds good, right about now." He gestured towards the two women behind him. "This is Ash, and Aria. We're all new Guardians, and we're looking for a means of transportation."
Amanda nodded in understanding. Man, there seemed to be a lot of that these days. "I gotcha. Will that be a group or single ship?"
"What?" Matt didn't know what she meant by group.
"Well, a group ship can accommodate up to a few people. Singles can only fit one, usually the pilot, unless it's the Ghost that's driving. Group ships are bigger obviously, and are somewhat more expensive, but they're just as fast as the singles, and you only have to pay for one. If you know that you're going to need it for multiple people a lot, I'd highly recommend it."
Matt turned to his two companions behind him. "What do you guys think? We pool our money, and all share one for transport? It'd save us a bit of money if we're all splitting the cost." He could see them consider the notion, and then nod their approval. He turned back to the mechanic, and said, "Alright then, one group ship please." Amanda nodded, and motioned for them to follow her over to one of her monitors. She slid her finger across the screen, and different images of the various models of ships popped onto the screen. "So if you're looking for a nice group ship, I'd recommend this baby here. The LRV2, Javelin class. It's about as fine as they come, and handles like a bird." The ship certainly sounded promising enough.
"How much?" "Around 3,000 glimmer." "Seraph, how much Glimmer did the Vanguards give us?" She hovered in front of him, checking her data. "Around 5,000 each." That left 4,000 glimmer for each of them, more than enough for them to start off with. He turned to look at Aria and Ash to see what they thought.
"That's not a bad deal," said Ash, and she crossed her arms across her chest, awaiting his final decision. "I agree, I think we should take it." Aria looked more than approving of the choice. Matt like the aesthetics of it too. It looked almost like an SR71 Blackbird, the fastest plane in the world, or at least it had been until the Traveler had arrived, and jumpstarted their level of technology to create ships like the Arcadia classes, ships that could literally warp in and out of space to reach destinations faster.
"Sure, we'll take it." "Excellent! Just transfer over the glimmer to my account, and you're good to go." Matt saw a prompt pop up on his wrist interface that Seraph had created for him. He tapped a 'confirm' icon, and watched as a blue light pulsed when he did. "Transaction complete! I'll have your ship outfitted and ready in a few hours. You can store your ship in the hangars here when it's not in use." Matt waved a thank you in her direction, and descended back down the staircase, Ash and Aria following close behind.
"Alright, we've got our ship. Now all we need is some food. Anyone hungry?" On cue, his stomach growled. Both Ash and Aria laughed at the noise. "Sure, I could eat. I missed breakfast this morning anyway, long story." Aria glanced over at Ash who had a look of confusion on her face. "One second, do I eat? Whip, do I eat food?" Both Matt and Aria had to hold their composure to avoid laughing at the absurd conversation Ash had started with her just-materialized Ghost. "Well, you do need energy, but you can get energy from either sources of electricity, or by consuming organic foods like what Matt and Aria eat. The Exos were designed to process all kinds of matter and convert it to energy, so that they could keep functioning." Her question answered, Ash turned back to Matt and said, "Yeah, I'm down. Where to?"
Matt looked up at Seraph, and asked, "Hey, do you know any good places to eat around here?" Suddenly, he became wide-eyed and said aloud, "Oh great, I've turned my super advanced AI companion into a glorified smartphone." He shook his head to the bewilderment of the other two Guardians who stood next to him, and turned back to Seraph. She gave small pulses of blue light as she processed information. "There are a few restaurants in the City, mostly in the higher end areas. What are you looking for?"
"Just look for something with burgers. I'm starving." With another blue pulse, Seraph exclaimed, "I found one. Follow me." Seraph began to float off, presumably making her way towards the elevators of the Tower. Without missing a beat, Matt, Ash, and Aria followed her.
-X-
"Mmm, these burgers are delicious!" Matt enjoyed his meal in delight and contentment. He hadn't expected burgers to still be around, due to the end of the world and everything. Yet here it was, a beef burger with cheese and fruit. Or, whatever passed for beef these days. He hadn't seen any cows, and he wasn't too keen on finding out what the City was using as a substitute.
The trio of Guardians sat at a booth in a popular bar, ordering both food and drink for themselves. Ash had been quite surprised when she found that in addition to her ability to eat organic food, she could even taste it, and they'd all laughed in enjoyment and celebration at her new discovery. Matt was finishing up the last of his burger and drinking some kind of beer, while Aria and Ash were only halfway through their meal. He guessed that being dead for hundreds of years turned you into quite the ravenous eater. He popped the last bit of bread and meat in his mouth, and began to sip his drink, waiting for the other two to finish.
"I agree," said Aria in consensus. "There isn't usually anything this tasty down in the urban districts, where I grew up. This is too fancy a place for my family to visit." Matt liked Aria's personality. She was humble, and didn't seem to try and place herself above others in status. Ash was great too, with her witty banter and to-the-point attitude. He didn't know how old she was, but she acted similarly to that of a 20 year old, about Matt's age. If there was one thing Ash had that Aria didn't, it was the age factor. Aria, being eighteen apparently, was nearly two or three years younger than Matt or Ash. Though there weren't any strict age restrictions with alcohol where eighteen and overs were concerned, Aria had wrinkled her nose at the suggestion of a beer. Ash had no such complaint, and had nearly downed half of her own in the first sip.
"Hey, Matt." He turned to look at Ash, who seemed worried about something. "I didn't mean to make you sound like some kind of creep, back in the Vanguards' hall. I know now that you weren't trying to be offensive, and maybe I overreacted. I just… I'm sorry." Matt was already waving her apology away before she'd finished speaking. "Ah, don't worry about it, no harm done. I probably shouldn't have looked like a snoop peeking in some stranger's bed. No hard feelings?" Ash nodded her appreciation, and went back to eating her sandwich.
"So, you're from before the Golden Age?" Aria looked at Matt with interest. "Yup," he replied, downing another swig of his drink. "And you were alive when the Traveler first arrived on Earth?" Again, he confirmed her question with a quick nod. "When we first discovered it on Mars, I remember everyone thinking it was some kind of structure that had been built. But we quickly found that it was sentient, or at least had some kind of mind. Technology boomed big time, our top of the line electronics became a thing of the past overnight. There was more unity between the different nations than I'd ever seen, probably because no one knew how to react to this thing." He shrugged. "I guess I'm already doing my job, providing insight into the past."
Aria had observed Matt as he'd talked, and she didn't detect any trace of him trying to brag about his unique status, or see him swaggering with his newfound value. In fact, he seemed somewhat uncomfortable with his unusual job, and appeared to dislike the attention it had gained him from the Vanguards. She liked that he wasn't someone who needed to be in the spotlight.
"So, what now?" asked Ash, the last of her meal disappearing into her mouth. "I was just about to ask you two that," replied Aria. "What do you think, Matt?"
He contemplated their options. "Well, we've all had somewhat of a long day. Navigating through the city took about an hour, and it'll take an hour to get back. That estimate leaves us arriving back at the Tower at around five. Not much we can do for the rest of the day, so I'd say head back and get some rest before setting out tomorrow. Our ship will be ready, and we'll take on some Tower bounties."
Both Ash and Aria seemed to like his idea."Alright then, you two can show me my room." Ash stood up from the booth of the table, and left the seat, allowing Aria to exit as well. Matt stood up along with them, and they walked towards the exit together.
-X-
Ash flung herself down on her bed. After Matt and Aria had pointed her room out to her, she'd thanked them and entered. Just like her Ghost had said, she didn't completely need sleep, but it did help her keep her awareness up. Even machines weren't built to run non-stop. She got comfortable, and glanced over at Whip who was setting himself up on the nightstand.
"Today was quite the eventful day, don't you think?" She awaited the Ghost's response, but upon hearing none, she glanced over to see that he'd already deactivated for the say. She looked back up at the ceiling and mulled over the day in her head. Though she hadn't gotten any answers on where she'd come from, or what her past life had been, she'd started a new one just like the Speaker had suggested. She was now a Titan, a Guardian of the Traveler. She had a fireteam, one that was ready to help her on her journey. She thought about Matt and Aria, her fellow fireteam members, and realized that they were perhaps the only real people she knew right now. She also came to the revelation that she'd begun to regard them as friends, not just people she knew.
It felt good to have friends to support her, especially with all the confusing turns her life had taken in the last few days. Staring into the dark space of the room, Ash thought about them fondly as her glowing blue eyes illuminated the shadowy corners of the room, and slowly, closing her eyes, she drifted off into peaceful slumber.