Chapter Five

The landscape of the moon was exactly what she thought it would be, and yet it was completely different. There was something about the silence and the purity of the pale while scenery that caught Wren off guard. She sat on the wing of her jumpship, watching as a group of strange creatures lurked through the shadows, almost too far away for her to see. It was a lonely, desolate place.

Over her shoulder the Earth hovered in the black expanse of space, the Traveler little more than a child's play thing. That was what kept them all safe even though it was smaller than a grain of sand in the greater view of the universe and Wren had to wonder if their battle was an uphill one.

Still she swore she'd prove Cayde wrong. It didn't matter if their war was won or lost in the end; some battles could always be won. She planned on winning this one. She'd find the missing Guardians and bring them back to the Last City.

With that thought in mind she hopped from the wing of the jet, feeling the difference in gravity when she did. The landing felt strange and although her boots were weighted to make it more natural, they didn't help the floating feeling in the rest of her body. It would take some getting used to and she didn't have time for that. She checked her ammo and began to sprint up the hill, sticking to the brighter areas but keeping an eye out for the monsters skulking in the shadows.

"Hive," Kiran said quietly, disappearing in a shimmer of light. "The moon is overrun with them."

"I'll keep that in mind. Where was the last transmission?"

"There's an abandoned colony base near here. We might find something there that can help us with the next step of the puzzle."

"Right," Wren said, trudging off toward the nearest ridge.

"Hey, kid," Cayde's voice said out of nowhere and Wren flinched at the sudden sound. "I got you a Sparrow ready. She ain't pretty but she runs like a dream. Your Ghost'll know how to call it up."

Wren set her jaw. She didn't know what a Sparrow was but whatever it was, she didn't want it. A rock skittered soundlessly across the rocky ground, a product of her irritation. When Kiran got the point that she wasn't going to reply, he piped in.

"Thanks, Cayde. We appreciate it."

"Yeah… you need anything, you let me know."

"Will do."

Silence.

A nagging feeling in the back of Wren's mind made her wonder if she was being too hard on Cayde. It longed to make excuses for what he said, but the anger still lingered. The hurt still tightened around her windpipe. She wasn't ready to let it go. She still had to prove herself. Then she might take his apology. At least if she showed him how capable she was, she'd know the apology was genuine and not just to ease his own guilt.

"I know you're mad, but maybe you'll want to use the Sparrow? The base is nearby but it's still pretty far to walk and I'm afraid we don't have that kind of time," Kiran suggested.

"I don't even know what that is," Wren said, still marching onward to finally crest the ridge. The base could be seen in the distance but just barely. Flashes of light was enough to convince her that she'd have a fight on her hands once she got there.

"Here, I'll show you."

Kiran appeared in the palm of Wren's hand, sparked blue, then a small ship materialized beside her. It was old and a little dented, the neon green paint chipped and rubbed off on the edges to reveal a dark gunmetal grey underneath.

"Well, that's noticeable," she said dryly.

"He wasn't kidding. It's ugly. But it'll get you there safely."

"You don't sound so sure about that," Wren said, eyes shifting to Kiran, who barely peered at her.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. He said it runs fine."

"You really want me to like him, don't you?"

"What? No! I mean, yes? It'd make things easier if you got along."

"We'll see," Wren said, swinging a leg over the brightly colored Sparrow, settling into its worn leather seat.

"Alright, this is your thrust, your break, and the pedals are for steering," Kiran said, hovering over each piece as he explained its purpose. "It's pretty easy but be careful to feel your turns or you'll flip it."

"Noted."

Kiran disappeared, and Wren held her breath, hesitating only a moment before testing the thrust. At first the Sparrow wobbled under her, but she quickly gained her footing and sped up, relishing the feeling of floating and the pull of her cloak in the wind. A smile curved the corners of her lips and for a moment she forgot being angry at Cayde.

Ugly as it was, it rode smoothly over the rocky terrain and soon she was close enough to the base to see the letters on the side. Not that she could read them. The symbols meant nothing to her, but she didn't need them to know she'd arrived at her destination. Someone was in one of the windows, sniping Fallen who swarmed around a Servitor on the other side of the narrow valley.

Wren dismounted the Sparrow before it came to a stop and immediately regretted it. She tripped when her feet hit the ground and the Sparrow sped off for a few more yards before it bumped into a boulder. Kiran sighed in her ear and the Sparrow faded away.

"Whoops," she said, hoping the Guardian in the base hadn't witnessed what she'd done.

"Try to be more careful next time. C'mon. That Guardian might be one of the lost fireteam."

The Guardian waved down to her, indicating the path was clear. Wren spotted a ramp leading up to where the Guardian was, and she quickly trotted to the top. Inside it was obvious that there had been a fireteam up there at one point. Three bedrolls lay against a side wall, blankets folded up beside them. Packs of food and jugs of water lined another wall but there was only one Guardian there at the time.

"Did Zavala send you?" the Guardian asked. She was tall, nearly six feet if Wren had to guess, and was lean and toned; a Titan by the mark on her armor's shoulder piece. Awoken, like Wren, the Titan had white hair shaved into an undercut, and bright chartreuse eyes.

"He did. Where's the rest of your fireteam?"

"Dead most likely," the Titan replied, her gaze turning toward the window. "We were trying to find a way into the Hive Fortress, but we underestimated their numbers. I know for sure that Aso is dead. We had no choice but to leave his body by the door. Rorick went back yesterday to retrieve him but he hasn't returned, and I fear the worst."

"Do you want to return to the Tower?"

"Not without them. Even if I'm taking back bodies, I won't go back without them."

"Alright. Where's the door?"

"I'll show you," the Titan said, slinging her sniper rifle over her back. "Oh, name's Sisre. Sisre Vev. You can call me Sis."

"Wren. Just… Wren."

"You don't sound so thrilled with it," Sisre laughed.

"It's a long story."

"We've got a long walk."

Great, Wren thought, following the Titan down the ramp and across the valley floor. "Cayde named me."

"You let him name you and Wren is what you got? Hell, you got off lucky," she chuckled. "You met Fransrick yet? Could have been so much worse."

"It's not so much the name I have an issue with. It's Cayde."

"You'd be the first Hunter I've met in awhile that didn't like him. What'd he do?"

"I overheard him saying I wasn't cut out to be a Hunter. He hasn't even seen me fight. Just rubbed me the wrong way I guess."

"You're new then right?" Sisre asked, gliding up to a ledge.

"Yeah." Wren replied as she jumped up to meet Sis, noting the way the path narrowed. The walls shot up on both sides, far higher than they could jump or boost, trapping them in. If they had been surrounded, there would be no way out but to fight. Wren's fingers tightened around her hand canon's grip, but she didn't draw it.

"Don't sweat it. Cayde doesn't always think before he opens his mouth. We're here," Sisre said, stopping at the top of a steep slope down to a massive door. A dead Guardian could be seen laying near the door but there was no sign of another. Rorick was still missing.

"It looks clear. Do you want to get your fallen teammate before we look for Rorick?"

"Yeah. Maybe there'll be some sign of Ro down there," she said before slowly making her way down the slope, auto rifle at the ready.

Wren followed her lead and drew the hand canon, watching the shadows for any sign of movement. The further down they got, the more she felt they were being watched. She turned to peer over her shoulder and she thought she saw someone standing on the ledge above but as quickly as the figure was there, it was gone without a trace. A chill ran down her spine, but she set her jaw, allowing the hurt of Cayde's words to push her past the fear.

Sisre gently lifted Aso onto her shoulder, the motion as effortless as lifting a sack of flour. She rested the butt of her rifle on her hip, eyes scanning the area for any sign of her third teammate.

"Look. There," she pointed, "those boot prints are headed toward that cave. That might be where Rorick went."

Wren led the way, tension knotting between her shoulders when she spotted rust colored stains in and around the prints. There was a good chance Rorick was badly injured or dead. She eased up to the cave, stepping over piles of dead Hive. Their bodies crunched under her boots, falling apart as if they were made of paper and she couldn't help but grimace. Kiran materialized to shine his light across the back wall of the little cave.

There sat a Titan in battered armor, his chin resting on his chest. A rifle lay alongside his right leg, hand still on the grip while the other hand held tight around his elbow. Dried blood cracked along his gauntlet's surface and Wren was sure the bleeding had stopped; whether from his Ghost or death, she couldn't be so certain.

"Rorick?" Sisre called, setting down the body of Aso at the entrance of the cave. "Are you alive?"

Wren edged away from the corpse, turning her back on them to check her surroundings. It seemed clear but she was unnerved, the nagging feeling of being watched still picking the back of her brain.

"Yeah," a deep voice responded, barely a whisper.

"I got worried when you didn't come back."

"Didn't want to lead them back to camp," he said, wincing in pain.

"Where did they all go?"

"Not sure. I thought they'd never stop coming, and then they did. A group of Thrall just stood there, screeching at me, then they were gone."

Wren could hear scuttling overhead. She leaned forward, peering up to the ledge above. A shadow darted by and she backed up into the cave. "They're not gone," she said. "We have to move."

Rorick stood on shaky legs, leaning against Sisre for support. He wielded his auto rifle in his left hand, refusing to play the victim. Wren didn't know the two Titans well, but she got the feeling that they would fight to the end. She was the one who would be useless. The body of Aso lay motionless nearby and she didn't think she was big enough to carry him out. Still, she had to try.

Wren adjusted the body, putting his arms around her neck and lifting with her legs. He was big. Heavy. A Titan. He was smaller than Rorick, which she was grateful for, but it was the first time she noticed just how small she was in comparison to them.

"Don't strain yourself. We can come back for him," Sisre said, but Wren shook her head. She was determined to do what it took to get them all home.

Her legs shook under his weight and it took a moment to steady her breathing. Sisre and Rorick stepped out into the light and the instant they did the scurrying overhead became louder. The pair of them hobbled as quickly as they could up the steep slope, boosting their way to the top. Below them Thrall seeped out of every crack, charging toward them in a tide of creaking bones and gnashing teeth. The pair of Titans rained bullets down on the Thrall, dropping many of them.

Adrenaline coursed through Wren's body as she rushed out as quickly as possible, her legs wobbling under the dead weight of the third Titan. Her left arm wrapped tight around his, keeping him on her back while her right hand fired off rounds from her hand canon. The rounds tore through the scrawny Thrall, sometimes ripping through two in on shot. Sisre left Rorick at the entrance to the narrow pass and descended to help Wren with the body of her fallen teammate.

Wren was relieved to have the weight off her shoulders, her body feeling much lighter. Against her instinct to run, she turned her back and continued to slay Thrall while Sisre escaped with the body of her fallen friend.

The aliens screamed when they died, their shrill shrieks echoing off the stone walls. Chills ran up Wren's spine at the sound but it wasn't nearly as startling as the hollow click from her hand canon. She dropped the used clip and snapped in a new one a fraction of a second too late. Thrall were on her in a heartbeat. She blasted them one after another, spurred on by the ripping of their claws through her armor. It all passed in a flash and before she could process it, silence settled over the area. All she could see was the endless sky above her from where she lay on her back, panting for breath.

"Now that's the way to prove yourself!" Sis called, pumping her gun in the air.

"Let's… not do that again for a while," Wren said, shakily rising from the ground, dead Thrall all around her.

"You ready to go home, Hunter?"

"More than you know," she huffed, joining Sisre and Rorick. "I'll get Aso. I've had enough of the moon."