"Cayde, wake up. Zavala is calling," Sundance said groggily, shining her light in his face.

Cayde covered his eyes with his hand and used the other to push her away. "What the hell, Sun?"

"It's Zavala. I tried to ignore him but it's an emergency line."

"Fine, put him through." Cayde rolled to his side and felt for Wren, pulling her close.

"Cayde, I need you in my office immediately. One of Ikora's Warlocks has found information on the being Wren saw on Mars. I've already called to assemble the rest of Cerulean to handle this immediately. Get here ASAP. And bring Wren." The comms went quiet and Wren peered over her shoulder at him.

"Duty calls," she muttered, her soft sleepy tone laced with irritation. "Can't we just ignore him?"

She snuggled in closer to him, tucking her arms tight between them, her forehead pressing into his throat. He wrapped her in tight and chuckled.

"You know we can't. Besides, I thought you liked runnin' around doing Hunter things?"

"I do. Just not first thing in the morning. And you make it hard to want to get up."

Cayde kissed the top of Wren's head. "Well, when you come back we can do this all over again."

She groaned and rolled to her back, stretching her arms high over her head. The thin tanktop she wore rode up over her ribs and the hard bars of her nipple rings pressed against the fabric. Her eyes were closed as she yawned and stretched and Cayde took the opportunity to trace his thumb over one of the piercings.

"Cayde!" she hissed, her breath hitching as she curled in on herself at his touch.

He was on top of her in a heartbeat, his knee pressed between her thighs. "What?" he asked, kissing her neck below her ear. Her legs tightened around his thigh and she arched her back to increase the pressure. Heat from her radiated through their clothing to the plating beneath and he rocked slowly against her.

"Don't tease if you're not going to do anything about it," she said and Cayde nipped her neck.

"Oh, do you want some then?"

"I didn't, but I do now," she grumbled.

"Hmm, I don't think we have time," he mused, despite keeping the motion going against her.

"Then use me."

He tilted his head, unsure of what she meant. "What?"

"Use me," she repeated, her cheeks flushing as she stared him in the eye. "You can get done faster than me, so use me. Then you'll owe me when I get back."

Damn. If his cock hadn't been hard before, it surely was at full attention now. Still, seeming too enthusiastic about the idea didn't quite sit right with him. What if she thought he was just using her all the time? Then again, he wasn't the one that brought it up so maybe it was fair?

"I dunno…"

"What if I want you to?"

"I don't think I understand what you get from it is all."

She pulled him close, as if she was too embarrassed to tell him eye to eye. "I just thing it would be fun to look forward to you owing me. Beside I… I like how it feels."

"How what feels?" He couldn't imagine sexual frustration feeling all that great.

"You know… how it feels when you come inside me."

That elicited a groan from him and he bucked his leg against her, his cock rubbing against his pants. It would be a far cry from their lovemaking from the night before. The emotions of who she was and how they came together over all this time was pushed aside for the more primal urge to fill her. To see it dripping from her. To know that she had allowed him inside, to claim her.

He looked down as she pushed her hand between them, moving her shorts aside to reveal her went pussy. He didn't argue. His cock sprang free from his pants as he pulled them down just low enough to be comfortable.

Cayde grabbed Wren's legs and lifted them, pressing the head of his dick against her and watching as he slowly slid all the way in, her belly bulging as he filled her. As soon as he started moving he became all too aware of what he was doing and regretted it. How could be possibly just use her? She must have sensed his hesitation.

"I want you to do it," she insisted.

"I don't get it…"

"Maybe it's something I think I'll like. I just want to try it out."

"But I don't have time to ya know… do aftercare or anything."

"Don't worry about that. I know you're still here for me, it's not like a one night stand or something. I just want you to do it and if I don't like it, we won't do it again."

He was still going slow, hesitant.

"Don't you want to? Does it not excite you even a little?"

He chuckled darkly. "You have no idea. I just don't—"

"Then do it," she said, more firmly this time.

They made eye contact and Cayde could tell she meant every word. The hesitation faded and he rammed into her, making her cry out. Her hands wound into the sheets and her breasts bounced with the harsh thrusts. It wasn't the first time he got rough with her, but it was still scary. Already there was a faint bruise forming on her thigh where his fingertips dug in to force her hard onto his cock.

"Harder," she moaned and his artificial heart skipped a beat. Harder? She couldn't be serious.

She didn't try to quiet her cries as he fucked her and that only made him all the more aggressive. If she wanted him to use her, then he'd do just that. Her body would be a toy for him. Funny, it made him wish she'd use him as a toy. Tie him down and use him however she wanted.

He closed his eyes and moaned, his orgasm growing every closer.

"I want it all," she said. "Bet y-you'd like it… if I had it in me during our briefing."

Wren was teasing him. When the hell did she get so dirty? Had she been reading the books he had stashed away in the back of the bookshelf?

"Your cum dripping out while Zavala gives us a mission."

That was enough to send him over the edge. He pushed so hard into her that he could feel himself pressing hard into her cervix. Too hard. She clung to him and gasped in pain as his cum shot out in thick streams inside of her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, breathing hard as he lowered himself over her.

She moaned and continued to rock her hips, moving his cock inside her. "Yeah. Felt good but also kind of hurt?"

"I'll be more careful next time."

"I think I liked that," she said. "I almost want you to do it again before we go."

Cayde laughed. "When did you get so naughty?"

"We don't have time to talk about that," she smirked.

"Really do wish you could keep it in you during the meeting," he said, leaning back to see his cum dribbling out of her.

"I really wish you'd do this in the office."

Cayde's eyes flickered then went wide and brightened. "Woah now, who the hell have you been hanging out with?"

Wren pushed against his chest and got up out of bed. He didn't know where she was picking this stuff up, but it was gonna get them in trouble.

"Traveler help me," he whispered.

Xol. The Worm God.

Not words Cayde was prepared to hear. The more Ikora spoke on what Xol was, the more uncomfortable Cayde became. He crossed his arms over his chest, his fingertips digging into his biceps. She was focused on what Ikora and Zavala had found, but she didn't look concerned at all.

Cayde remembered how angry he'd been when Rorick had taken Wren with him to handle SIVA. That same anger bubbled up sometimes but not at Rorick. Cayde cut his eyes at Zavala but the Commander didn't seem to notice. Of course not. He could sit back and send Guardians to their deaths and claim it for the greater good. That never sat right with Cayde and especially not when it came to Wren.

He let his gaze go back to her. Wren. His Queen. After all this time he had her and if he lost her for good? The thought choked him. It couldn't happen. He couldn't lose her.

"Cayde?"

Ikora's voice snapped him back to reality. Everyone was looking at him and he had no clue what he was supposed to say. Zavala's eyes narrowed and he tapped an index finger on the table. Rorick cleared his throat awkwardly.

"I was asking what provision have been allowed to them?" Ikora repeated.

"Ah, right." He shuffled through papers spread across his map and found one of Mars which he spread out over the larger one. "Of course you'll have the typical stuff in your ships, but I have some scouts puttin' crates out for you if you need them. They'll be guarding the crates so if you need something but you're too far from it, just let 'em know and they'll get it to you. Since we don't know how long you'll be out there, we have rations at each station too."

"And rockets?" Rorick asked.

"All the rockets you can carry."

Rorick and Cayde locked eyes. He'd give the Titan fireateam leader anything he needed if he'd bring Wren home safe. Hell, if nothing else, the Titan had proved he could do that. He'd picked Wren up and ran with her from the Tomb. Cayde was in Rorick's debt, even if it was never called in.

"You'll start your mission on Earth. I'll brief you further when you get to the designated drop zone. You are dismissed," Zavala stated. "Rorick, don't forget that the inbound area around Mars is dangerous. Make sure you keep an eye out for falling warsats when you land and report any ship damages you might receive."

"We'll get a mechanic in if necessary," Ikora added.

Rorick nodded his understanding and motioned his four man fireteam to follow him. Wren gave a reassuring smile to Cayde before she left and he wished he could sneak out and follow her. Pin her to the wall in the hangar hall like he used to and make her promise she'd come home to him, but it wasn't possible at the moment. Coordinating their landing to ensure their safety once they got to Mars was his prime concern.

But there was nothing stopping him from being in her comms. Just in case.

The sun was shining bright over the forest in the drop zone. Franz remained silent, walking past Wren like she wasn't there when she hit the ground. She was surprised to find it wasn't as painful as it had once been, which was a sad thought on its own, but they had a mission to do. He went to stand beside Rorick, taking in the view of the area.

They stepped onto the crumbling asphalt of an old street which curved through a pass with sheer cliffs on either side and two dead trees fallen down between them. Cerulean mounted their Sparrows and slowly made their way under the trees, the road falling off on the left side to a pit below where water had settled into a pool a few feet deep. Erosion had long ago collapsed most of the way, but they were able to get through in a single file line.

So far Zavala had not briefed them further and Wren had to wonder what was on Earth that they could possibly need to deal with a Hive Worm God.

"Commander?" Rorick said. "We're headed toward the provided coordinates."

"Very well," Zavala said. "We need something to draw out Xol. Something worth… feeding on."

Sisre and Rorick's helmets turned to one another, and Franz sat up on his Sparrow, resting one hand on his thigh while the other guided the craft.

"I'm not sure I wanna know what a monster god feeds on," Ana said.

Great. She was in on this.

Wren set her jaw. Cayde had told her Ana meant well, and perhaps she did, but that didn't mean her pride in being a Bray didn't rub Wren the wrong way. She'd not told her fireteam of her human self yet, but it was only a matter of time. Maybe they knew something of their past lives too. Of the people they were before.

She turned her attention to Franz who rode ahead of her and slightly to the right. He'd been brought back alongside Beorn. Like twin… right. The nickname must have died when Beorn did. His loneliness stood out to her now. Rorick and Sisre stayed close and Wren knew that Cayde was listening in even if he'd not said he was.

"They feed on power," Zavala said. "We've intercepted a transmission from what remains of the Red Legion that tell of a new fragment of the Traveler that splintered off during Ghaul's assault. Xol won't be able to resist its Light."

It was an uncomfortable thought. Delivering a piece of the Traveler to a Hive god. Though Wren never deified the Traveler, she had to respect it for what it gave her and for them to take a piece and use it as bait? How could the Commander so willingly do this? It was like the old days all over again when she was kept in the dark, used as a pawn until the last moment when the Vanguard saw it fit to tell her where she was and for what. Seemed some things never changed.

The fireteam neared the area called the Sludge. Powerlines hung low from splintered beams and jagged metal beams protruded from the sides of half collapsed buildings. Around the corner and down the slope was a complex of rusty old buildings, their reddish orange hue bright against the midday blue of the sky. Green sections dotted the compound with vibrant reminders of nature's tenacity. All in all, the colors were beautiful and Wren found herself glued to them. Maybe she'd repaint the living room this color…

Their comms began to crackle some and Rorick stopped his Sparrow, hopping off when he saw that below, closer to the compound, a small group of Fallen were engaged in battle with the Taken.

"What is that?" Cayde asked, but Wren knew the others couldn't hear him.

"My signal is being disrupted," Brix said. "The Taken…"

"Taken?" Ana said, surprise in her voice. "Are they after the fragment too?"

"It doesn't matter, clear them out!" Zavala barked, his voice static over the line.

"You heard the Commander," Rorick said.

Franz and Wren dismounted and followed Rorick down the hill and into the heart of the battle while Sisre stayed behind. She leaned forward onto her Sparrow, resting her sniper firmly over the controls to steady her aim. Several loud, well placed shots dropped some of the stronger combatants and drew the attention of those that remained.

A couple of Fallen turned tail and ran but the rest and the Taken aimed at the Guardians as they rushed down the hill. Oh how fast enemies became friends when Guardians were involved. The startled enemies aim showed their surprise, rounds bounding off rocks and sending puffs of dirt into the air as Cerulean approached.

The Guardian's aim was much truer, killing the Taken and Fallen before Sisre even had time to join them. Wren walked through the shattered remains of a Servitor, its shell still rocking as the dust settled.

"Handle that Blight," Rorick motioned, and Franz obeyed with a curt nod. "I see another. Looks like there are some Taken Phalanx guarding it on the inside."

"Wren and I can handle that, can't we?" Sisre replied, the tilt of her helmet being what Wren considered something like a wink.

"Sugarbird?" Cayde's voice crackled through as the first Blight exploded.

Why was he doing this? He knew she wasn't about to openly talk to him on comms. She huffed and shook her head, running through the open pathway under what was once a closed in walkway to the Taken on the other side. She picked them off, watching what remained of their bodies spin into nothing with a shimmering pop while Rorick and Franz flanked right.

The Phalanx had to be coaxed from the safety of the Blight's shield but Wren was able to do it. She ran in close and slid behind cover that was close enough that the Phalanx leaned out to see her better. She scrambled out of the way, circling a boulder before it could get a shot on her. The ground behind her shattered with the blast, pelting the backs of her legs with rocks but Sisre's sniper echoed through the rock and rusted metal and Wren found herself inside the barrier.

Franz joined her and the pair of them took out the second Blight.

"Two down," she said, hoping it would be enough to ease Cayde.

Wren shielded her eyes against the sun as she looked up into what was once a large room with a tin roof. Rust and time had chewed holes in the metal and sunlight filtered down onto what was a cement floor, a good deal of which had washed away into the small gully where the fireteam stood.

"Fireteam Cerulean, can you hear me?" Zavala asked, his voice still crackling but getting better.

"There must be more Blight interference," Rorick said. "Brix, scan the area and let me know if you're picking up any more Blights."

"Yes, my sensors are picking up another close by. Up the hill and at the other end of this building," the Ghost replied.

Rorick led the way up the slope, Wren following up behind the rest of the fireteam. Taken bolts shot over her head and between the other Guardians who had the Taken killed before she could reach the top.

"Not as many as I thought there'd be," Franz muttered. "Wonder why they're blockin signals? Is this a trap or something?"

"Could be," Sisre replied as she stepped into the barrier and took down the Blight with a few sniper rounds. "A piece of the Traveler hanging around? If I were them I'd assume a Guardian or two would come looking for it. Taking out comms can be a decent way to separating a Guardian for a trap, but I think they underestimated us."

"Probably didn't think a bunch of A-listers would come to take it back," Franz chuckled.

Wren gripped the Better Devils hard, falling behind the others as they gathered ahead. She wanted to talk. To say something, anything, to Franz, but she was also afraid that it would ruin his mood and he'd give her the cold shoulder again. He didn't look at her, or speak to her, but as long as he was being light hearted with Sisre and Rorick, it was good enough for her.

She hadn't seen him since Cayde cut her. He'd seemed so concerned with her safety despite his toxic tone and she wondered if she'd been imagining things. Sometimes she thought about when she saw him in the hall after Beorn died. She told him she loved him and he threatened her life. There might have been a time when she feared he was telling the truth but anymore, she wasn't so sure. That meant progress, right?

"Wren, let's go," Rorick called and she snapped back to her sense.

Franz scoffed and shook his head. "Good way to get your fuckin' head blown off," he snapped. "Fucking Hunters," he muttered and Wren's shoulders fell.

"That's enough," Rorick demanded. "We have one more. Sisre, Wren, take care of them."

Wren took a place by Sisre who dropped to one knee to stabilizer her sniper over an old crate. Wren put away her hand canon and slung her scout over her shoulder. The pair of them picked off the Taken guarding the last Blight and before they finished Franz glided down to the Blight and ran right into the barrier. He punched a Taken Psion so hard it disintegrated, then turned his auto rifle on the Blight itself.

"I've got a lock on the shard's location," Brix said. "It's nearby, but the readings are inconsistent with other pieces of the Traveler."

"I wonder what that mean?" Sisre said but Rorick only shook his head.

"We'll have to figure that out when we get there," he said, hopping down to lead them in the direction of a pool of water that disappeared into a cave. "Sorry Wren."

She sighed. "It's fine." She shook her shoulders and tried to prepare to enter the cave after the others, hoping it didn't get too tight.

The cave wasn't too small, the ceiling being high enough that Rorick could walk through without stooping over so she didn't feel quite as claustrophobic wading through shin deep water. Still, her palms began to sweat and she had to keep her breathing steady. It wasn't too bad… not too bad…

"So," Ana said, "assuming this bait plan works, how do you plan on defeating Xol without Rasputin?"

Damn she knew how to push her limits. Wren bit her tongue.

"Been wonderin' that myself," Cayde grumbled.

"I won't have his discussion again," Zavala said sternly.

Wren jumped onto a low ledge where luminescent mushrooms cast a faint blue glow over thick moss. Cerulean pushed farther up a gradual slope where the ceiling became lower and lower, until even Wren had to duck. She held her breath and tried to focus on anything else but she wished the other members of her team would move out of the way.

"I can tell you without a doubt that without Rasputin, we can't win," Ana insisted. "We need the Valkyrie."

"We've won against impossible odds before. Without Rasputin."

Wren couldn't believe what she was hearing from Zavala. What about Ghaul? If not for the Traveler, they'd all be either dead or under Cabal rule. Had he not expressed concern before she'd left for Mars? The question he'd posed had brought to light the harsh truth that without the Traveler, they were in deep trouble.

Tension between her fireteam members grew as they moved farther into the cave until they came upon a cylindrical opening in the system. Shallow water covered the floor and bright white sunlight shifted through leaves and branches of massive trees that grew topside. Rocky outcroppings would serve as platforms to allow them out of the caves if needed.

There were a few more Taken here but nothing they had difficulty with. Rorick continued to lead them up and around, to an area she hadn't seen when they entered. Thick vines sung overhead in a breeze and upon rounding a sheer rock face she saw her first glimpse as the shard of the Traveler.

It was smaller than some others she'd seen, being about as tall as Rorick and twice as broad. A shimmering purple black coating covered it and it remained even after the Taken guarding it were killed.

"What's wrong with it?" Wren asked.

"Looks like the Taken have shielded it with something," Rorick said, reaching out to touch it when Sisre grabbed his wrist to stop him. She shook her head and he relented, drawing his hand back to rest on his rifle.

Instead, Brix emerged and began to scan the fragment.

"I don't think we can get through," he said after a quick assessment.

"There might still be a warsat in Earth's orbit," Ana offered. "Let me see if I can find one and adjust it's trajectory."

"We have incoming," Brix said and the ground began to shake.

All around them Taken anomalies began to form and shudder, popping as they opened to the Taken forces that came into the grove. Wren spun around to open fire on the ones that had spawned behind her, taking a few steps back until she was touching someone.

"Get outta there," Cayde warned but Wren hesitated. Before she could take a step Ana demanded them to stay put.

"I'm using your location to lock on with the warsat," she explained and for a moment Wren wondered if Cayde had come across all comms but when Zavala declined to respond, she has to assume he was still on a private channel.

As much as there were times when he offered her great comfort in missions, this was getting to be too much to handle. Was this him trying to be helpful, or was he being an overprotective worry wart again?

"Wait, are you gonna drop a warsat on us?" Franz spat and Wren realized it was him she was back to back with, with Sisre and Rorick filling out the small makeshift circle.

"This isn't going to work," Zavala insisted. "We need a backup plan."

Enemies converged on them but Wren felt safer than she had in a long time considering the circumstances. Rorick launched a rocket at something Wren couldn't see, but the launcher was close enough to her head that her ears rang after the shot.

"A fuckin warning would be nice!" Franz snapped.

"Do you want to take care of that Taken Wizard? Be my guest."

"Just kill the damn thing and don't blow my eardrums out. Traveler sakes…"

"I'm trying," Rorick said through gritted teeth.

"Are you going to drop that warsat anytime soon?"

"Franz if you don't shut up—"

"Listen, you need to hurry this up," Sisre cut in. "There's a very large Taken Centurion headed this way."

Wren peered over her shoulder for a split second to see the hulking Taken Cabal stalking up the slope.

"Wren, Golden Gun the Centurion," Rorick ordered. "Franz, clear out these enemies. Sisre and I will protect the shard."

She didn't have to be told twice. Solar energy radiated from her palms and the old familiar warmth of the Golden Gun erupted in her grip. Kind of felt like Cayde. She smirked and unloaded on the Centurion, the fiery rounds cutting through the swirling black energy of its body. The final round made a whirlpool in the center of its chest and it vanished in a blink.

"Thinning them out didn't do jack shit!" Franz complained as he rejoined the group.

He was right. More and more Taken spawned through the anomalies.

"Hang in there kid," Cayde said. "If they don't help you soon I want you to get outta there."

"We're fine," Wren muttered.

"What?" Sisre asked.

"Nothing. It's nothing."

"Well tell "nothing" to calm his ass down or I'll spill all his secrets."

"Urg, fine! Damn Titans," Cayde grumbled. « Just be careful, kid. Please."

"Warsat armed and in position," Ana said. "Requesting orbital support."

"What the hell does that mean?" Franz snapped, throwing a grenade at a group of Psions that were splitting and pushing up on him.

"It means we need to move," Rorick said. "Fall back!"

Wren and the others crowded one another and ran, taking cover behind stone in the hope that whatever the warsat was sending their way would be on target. Beyond the rock the sound of an attack shook the ground and lit the interior of the chasm with red. Rocks tumbled from the cliffs on all sides and one of the trees split in half and cam crashing down into the pool below. Wren covered her head with her arms while she waited for the attack to stop.

When it finally did, Rorick peered out of cover first. The others followed when he approached the shard which now had several deep cracks along the surface of the barrier.

"Ana, how did you get it to fire?" Zavala demanded.

"I asked him," she replied. "Rasputin was created to help Humanity. He listens to me."

"This time the warmind listened. But are you ready to shoulder the burden the day that it doesn't?"

Ana didn't reply, though whether it was because she was annoyed with Zavala or was contemplating her answer, Wren didn't know and the Commander addressed Cerulean before she had a chance to respond.

"Get the shard of the Traveler to Mars. It's time to go to war with a god."