Chapter 7
Holo stirs awake from a good night's rest in her new home. She rubs the tiredness from her eyes decides to peek at the upper bunk where Lawrence made it his bed. Her ears drooped as the bed was empty. She knew that he was around but…
She hated waking up alone…
"Holo? Are you up?" Lawrence calls out.
Holo perks up and wags her tail. "Coming!" she jumps out bed still in the same clothes from the Farm. She opens the door and was welcomed with pleasant smells of breakfast.
"Good morning Holo." Lawrence greeted her as he moved a pan to plate some breakfast.
"You are just in time for Breakfast. Take a seat and I'll serve some up."
Holo nearly trips over her own feet running to the small kitchen table. Lawrence walks over with two plates. One notably having more food than the other which he places right in front of Holo who was salivating at the mouth. "Figured you might have a bigger appetite than me. Enjoy." He sat down as Holo proceed to eat the food with vicious intent.
It took her half the time to finish her plate as Lawrence with his. "You know.. I wonder if you actually tasted the food…" Lawrence commented causing holo to look down in embarrassment.
"It was good. I really appreciate you cooking for me."
If Lawrence had any form of annoyance right now...it was gone by her thanks.
"I-I Um...You are welcome." He then quickly eats the rest of his plate while he swears he saw holo snicker a bit.
"So what's the plan for today?" Holo asked as she sat on the couch while Lawrence cleaned Ace. "First if we are going to be working together we are going to need to get you set up with training and equipment." he slides the revolver back into his holster.
"I don't see why I have to do that. I have my wolf form defeat my enemies." Holo said with a proud stance.
"Have you taken on TWO Cabal commanders in a tight room with both trying to either stab you with a fire sword or use a cannon to bomb you to pieces?" Lawrence asked. Holo stopped dead in her tracks
"I umm" Holo stammered. She was strong but wasn't sure about taking on armies of Cabal or fallen. Especially with ranged weapons that could Pearce her hide.
"Don't get me wrong. In a fight, you utterly dominate in your wolf form. I almost feel bad for the red legion you slaughtered...Almost."
Holo smiles at his words.
"But having one technique to fall back on isn't the wisest choice. Your wolf form is only good in large open areas and that's only half the battlefield. Most of the time guardians have to hunt deep in ruins and caves to find the real monsters."
"And how do you deal with that?"
"By being as versatile as possible." Even with the restrictions of guardian classes. Hunters, Warlocks and Titans are versatile thanks to one thing they share.
Weapons...and lots of them.
"So how would that work with me?" Holo asked as she wiped her face with a napkin. Lawrence took a moment to think about how to make this work with her.
Holo most likely had no combat experience outside of her wolf form and she wasn't a guardian. But Lawrence had a few ideas that can work.
"First things first, you need gear and training. I have an idea for the former but would need to know your limits in your human form."
"I can easily adapt and learn new things. It's a trait that helped me keep hidden all the years." Holo answered and the hunter nods.
"Very well then expect very strict training lessons on both learning your enemy and using weaponry." He says like a drill sergeant Which cause holo to burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Sorry that demeanour on you is so humorous!" She said as the guardian looked her with an unamused face. "Fine, then I will then just make sub-par food until your training is done. "
This stopped her laughing.
"Alright, I guess I'll go out for my meals." She then gets up from her seat. "I'm sure I can get a nice man to help me out with that or even find me a new place to st-" She looked at Lawrence and stopped.
It was hard to tell for a person without her skills but for that moment…
There was a ghost of pain on his face.
She rushes over to him and grabs his hand. "I-I'm sorry! I promise to not leave you! Please don't be mad!"
Her sudden change in emotion snapped the hunter out of his gaze and looked at Holo in her red eyes. It took him back for a moment. She was genuinely concerned for him.
He smiles at pats her head.
"I'm okay. I knew you joking." Even then he felt like he was lying to himself. He didn't like the joke.
Holo's tail wags and she heads for the bathroom to shower.
"I promise to take my training seriously. As long I can hunt with you." Holo said with determination in her voice right before she enters the bathroom. Lawrence nods and puts Ace back together within nearly ten seconds. 'Huh, a new record.'
The hanger.
Lawrence went over all the ways he could train Holo to ways of a hunter that did not require light. It would take some time to find what weapon types suited her and also find a way to store it all effectively. She liked the idea so far.
There was just one BIG issue: Armour.
Normally he could just grab one of his old sets in his collection and get it refitted. That would be one of the best options as he constantly joined raid groups to make sure they got out alive and those missions provided some of the most top-notch armour.
But that would shred to bits if Holo decided to go wolf form.
"I can just strip if you need me to go wolf," Holo suggested
Lawrence froze at how chill she was mentioning stripping naked in the middle of a fight. "N-no that won't be necessary. I think I have an idea where we can find you some armour."
Holo needed something custom AND high quality. Most of what the vanguard produced were meant for guardians and militia gear was only for earth terrain.
"So where are we going?" Holo asked Ghost.
"If I am thinking what he is thinking. We are going to a base on Mars."
"Mars?" Holo cocked her head to the side never hearing of such place.
"Oh! Right, you never went to another planet before have you?"
Holo shakes her head.
"This will be interesting then." The ghost then disappears into the hunter's pack as they reached the Hanger from the plaza. The wise wolf still very curious about where they were going, the two enter the hanger. Lawrence walks over to the service terminal at an empty landing pad to select a ship for the trip.
He selects the ship Alpha Umi. it was larger than what he normally used but it suits his current needs thanks to it being able to seat a full fireteam. The ship is transmitted and the cockpit opens up.
"Hop in. I just need to notify the ship change to Holiday. Ghost will lead you in." Lawrence said and Holo nods.
Walking over to holiday who was feeding The colonel Cayde's old pet chicken or as he put it: A fine feathered friend.
"Hey Holiday" She turns around and smiles.
"Hey there. I am guessing you're heading out again?"
Lawrence nods.
"I am just reporting my ship change." he points his thumb over and she learns around to see.
"Alpha Umi? You haven't used her since.." Her eyes lit up as she sees some in the co-pilot seat. Even from this distance, Holiday could tell that it was a woman and gave a big smile.
"Well look at you.." She gives him a light punch to the arm.
"Hey! It's not what it looks like! I am just helping her with some training."
"Yeah 'Training'." she did air quotes and that only annoyed the hunter more.
"Chill man. I am just teasing ya. I'll update the roster. Have fun out there!" Lawrence then leaves with slight redness in his face and hopes into the pilot seat.
"Got caught up with something?" Holo asked with a hint of tease in her voice.
"She was being silly as usual." the hunter responded as he engaged the startup protocols causing the engines to roar to life. Pausing for a moment he asks: "Have you ever flown before?"
Holo shook her head. "I have seen similar vehicles in the air before. A strange thing to find that humans have discovered the key to flying like birds."
Lawrence smiled as he anticipated what her reactions will be to not only flying but going into space.
The engine ignites and they lift off out of the hanger. "Well you're in for an experience Wise Wolf" he then pulls up on the flight stick and they fly off into the sky.
It took a moment for holo to get used to the feeling of flying but when she opened her eyes.
They were in the sky.
"Wow. We are so high up!" She said looking back the city which looked small now.
The wolf then looks to the horizon, Pecticluary north.
"Looking for your home Holo?" Ghost asked curiously.
"Sorta...my memory is still fragmented from my long hibernation. All I can remember it was far north of the wheatfields."
"Oh, sorry for asking." Ghost blinked his optic.
"Oh no, It's not an issue at the moment. I believe my memories will come back at some point. But right now I am happy with my current abode and travelling partner." She then smiles at the hunter who had his helmet on.
Under it, he was unknowingly smiling.
"Going to break atmosphere. Hang on it's a bit rough." Increasing their accent the sky faded away revealing the starry black void of space.
Mars orbit.
After a short warp jump plus Ghost giving a small lecture about astronomy. They reach the red planet of Mars and Holo looks at it with excitement and wonder.
"Wow, Just, Wow," Holo said as the hunter prepared his loadout.
'Auto rifle...Sunshot...Rocket launcher' he nods and the gear appeared on his person. He then hits the autopilot and swings his chair around to face Holo to brief her on the mission.
"So where are we going on mars?" She asked.
"The Braytech facility. It's a golden age research centre that houses advanced tech." Holo then realizes the reason for them coming to mars.
"Ahh, so that is where we are going to make my gear. For one to go to such lengths for me. I will have to reward you some time later." she said looking at him suggestively.
Thank the traveller he was wearing his helmet as his face was burning red.
"Ah well...Anyways the main entrance is a hot zone for enemy and friendly patrols. I can deal with them like nothing and we will be landing close by. Just stay close by and only transform as a last resort for you." Lawrence explains and Holo nods agreeing.
"Even in this form, I am above the limits of a human," Holo said getting herself ready.
"We are approaching the LZ. light enemy activity detected." Ghost reported.
Lawrence swings his chair around and preps for transmat.
"This may tingle a bit."
The two then are transmitted to the area in front of the facility. Holo shock her body as that was her first experience being teleported.
"That was-" She then ducked dodging a void bolt from an acolyte.
"Showtime." The hunter pulled back the receiver handle of his AR.
Turns out there was a patrol of hive passing through. Too bad for them. Holo ducks out of the way but still got a good view of the hunter.
Now for the fun.
Lawrence shoots down the offending acolyte causing a group of thralls to rush out of the corners they were hiding. Swapping to Sunshot, he jumps to a higher vantage point and shots one in the head. Causing a chain reaction of solar explosions thanks to Sunshot special abilities.
"Move up!" he yells and they rush up to the Braytech entrance but not without getting a warm welcome of some legionary slug rifles.
"These guys are here as well?!" Holo asked and growling a bit.
"Yeah, they kinda have a foothold on nearly every planet in the system." Lawrence answer after tossing a solar grenade form cover.
It blows up and takes the few that did take cover behind the phalanx.
"But they never learn half the time." he pulls out his rocket launcher and takes aim at the remaining squad and pulls the trigger. The rocket flies and obliterates the remaining cabal.
"And they never learn wherever you go."
Both wolf and hunter then enter the facility with the security doors closing behind.
Doing a quick once over his gear and reloading his Rocket Launcher.
"You ok? Did you get hit anywhere?" He looks over Holo ready to use his medkit.
Holo opens up her cloak to show that she was fine. "As I said, I am more than capable in a combat situation."
The hunter nods in agreement, she manages to avoid all damage and remained calm. Perfect for hunting in the cosmic wilds. Overall, once she was armed, he could see her going on a few missions with him.
'You... sure about... that?'
Time stopped. The area became shrouded in darkness...he couldn't breath...it felt like whe-
"Lawrence?" Like a beacon of light, Holo snapped him out of whatever hell that had briefly held him.
"Sorry." was all he said and he walked to where Ana Bray was working. Leaving a concerned wolf and Ghost behind. After catching up Holo decides to reach for the veteran hunter's hand. He accepts it and holds tight as if wanting to protect her from something…
'What haunts you, Hunter?'
AN: S'up Readers. Sorry for taking so long with this chapter. Had finals to study for and after that I finally got my parts for a new PC and THAT had some trouble shooting. BUT now I am Back with with a vengance. SO our duo is now on mars to get Holo geared up to help our Hunter slay the darkness. For the next chapter expect action, A little bit of romance but most of alll...a certian red-headed student of Lawrence shall make her appearence. Eyes up guardians and leave some feedback!
(P.S: WHY PULLED PORK WHYY?)