"Hunter! Where did all of this come from?" Nix plopped a box down onto the Cryptarch's table, closely followed by 4 more tower bots who stacked more on top. Nix thanked the bots before turning back around.
"Got them out in the field - some interesting stuff in there, " she nudged a box, "can't say I didn't look it all over myself first, but it's time to pass it on. Can't keep the good stuff to myself forever!" Nix grinned. Master Rahool paused, studying her, until realization hit and a smile creased his face.
"Nix? Necryptonix? Is that you? I heard a rumor that you were back, but I never thought…" He trailed off. Nix's grin sharpened as she realized he had assumed her dead. She couldn't decide if she liked that or not.
"Sorry Rahool, you can't get rid of me so easily." Nix had hung around the old Cryptarch a lot, trying to learn how the cryptarchs decrypted things. She had picked up a few things, but she wasn't anywhere near the level of the cryptarch order. When it came to anything above average, she still left it to them. Rahool poked through the boxes, gaping, muttering under his breath.
"Good, now that it's gotten your interest, get to work. I need some new gear." She waved and backed away a few steps, enjoying the look on his face a moment longer, before turning and heading toward the Hall of Guardians. The lists were ready.
Ghost downloaded the last list from Ikora's ghost before spinning back to Nix and floating over her shoulder.
"Quite the crop, if I'm reading their files correctly." Ghost commented.
"Hey, spoilers, wait until I've had a look." Nix reprimanded Ghost lightly.
"Just let us know once you've made your choices, Nix. we'll gather 'em up for you." Cayde sounded abnormally bright this morning. Nix wondered what mischief he was up to now.
"We already put a hold on their missions so that they don't travel too far out. They'll be here as soon as you give the word." Ikora gave Nix a nod and went back to examining a strange object exuding void energy.
"Thanks. I'll get back to you all tomorrow morning with the final names." Nix bowed herself out, Ghost close behind.
Nix didn't get far though. A heavy hand clapped down on her shoulder, her knees almost buckling under the unexpected weight. Nix's head whipped around to get a look at her assailant, only to come face to face with bright white chest armor. She shifted her gaze upwards and took a step back.
"Hey, what the hell –", she broke off as recognition hit. Her stomach dropped.
"Don't tell me you thought you could avoid me the whole time you were back, Hunter." Lord Shaxx towered over Nix, his bulky armor making him even more imposing.
"Avoiding is an awfully strong word, makes it sound a lot worse than it –"
"You still owe quite a few guardians a rematch in Rumble, and in Control. Lord Saladin has been missing you during the Iron Banner matches. When should I expect you back in the Crucible?" Shaxx's voice was firm. Nix grimaced. She had decided long ago that her Crucible days were over.
"Preferably never, Shaxx. I'm kind of busy, and I don't really know what's going to happen after this raid, and there's still a lot to do out in the field…" Lord Shaxx waved his hand dismissively at Nix.
"Excuses. Don't tell me you've lost your mettle, Nix? You, who used to make the enemy team tremble in their boots when they saw your name on the roster?"
"I wasn't that good, Shaxx. I was terrible at Salvage, and even worse in Clash. I was barely passable at Skirmish. Even in Control and Rumble I had my good days and bad days –"
"More good days than bad, if I remember the number of times the other ghosts had to revive their guardians." Ghost chimed in. Nix grimaced at him.
"You're not helping." Nix poked him away from her. She could almost hear Shaxx smirking from under his helmet.
"Well Nix, tell me when you're ready to re-assert your dominance in the arena. I'll be waiting." Shaxx walked out of the Hall, his ghost close by him. Probably going to act as announcer for another match.
Nix shook her head slowly, still frowning, before heading to her usual hiding place in the storage area of the tower.
"If we took this warlock to help out with the Hive puzzles, then we should take this titan to cover him." Nix shook her head at Ghost's suggestion.
"No. If the warlock can't handle himself in close-range, then he can't come with us. We can't spare a titan to guard another guardian. We need them in the front."
"This warlock is a skilled Sunsinger. He can self-ressurect." Nix nodded idly, still reading the file in her hands.
"You aren't going to take a single idea I give you, are you?" Ghost grumbled.
Nix didn't answer. She sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, the files placed in a semi-circle around her, easy to grab. Ghost moved in circles around her. Nix imagined they looked like they were in the middle of some strange summoning. Which, she supposed, they technically were.
Nix put down the file and grabbed another, flipping rapidly to a back page before putting that one down too. She sat still for a moment, then snatched up another file and skimmed it and replaced it. Ghost stopped to hover over her shoulder, trying to find the method to her madness. He trusted her judgment, but had never understood her thought process. She was like a hummingbird, eyes flicking over everything, left then right then left then center then back to her knees, grabbing one file and setting it down again without looking in it, switching the positions of two other files. Normally she was so still, but when it came to planning and strategy she was all over the place. Ghost didn't understand. He floated in circles once more.
Once the stars had been out for some time Nix put down another file and went still, eyes staring at the floor in front of her, head cradled in her hands. Ghost stayed silent, knowing she was making a final decision and shouldn't be disturbed, or she would lose it.
"This is a stupid idea," she said finally. Ghost moved close to her and spun inquisitively.
"This is a stupid idea, but I think it's going to work."
"….So you've decided then?"
Nix nodded slowly, head still in her hands, still staring blankly into space.
"…care to share?"
Nix stayed silent for a moment longer, taking in a breath, letting it out slowly. She began gathering up the files around her, the rejects in one pile, the five she chose in another.
"The usual formation. Two titans, two warlocks, a hunter, and me." She straightened the piles and dragged herself to her feet, stretching.
"Okay. What now?" Ghost hovered so close he almost bumped into her.
"We start thinking up some good ol' fashioned icebreakers, my ghostly friend."
Nix had never been particularly good at dealing with new people. For all her prowess in the field, it was still a fight for her to not clam up in front of strangers. But silence wouldn't get this done any faster, so she steeled herself, sitting cross-legged on a couch down in the bar beneath the tower hangar. She had grabbed on to one fall-back though. Her helmet glowed faintly under the hood of her cloak, a small wall between her new teammates and herself. Ghost hovered idly, strangely quiet.
The chosen guardians filed in close to each other, having arrived at the same time. Punctual. Good. Nix had a pet peeve about punctuality. Cayde had once showed up an hour late to a meeting because he had gotten caught up in a game of cards. Nix had raged at him for wasting her time, and started refusing to ever schedule things with him again. Good times.
These guardians knew each other, like she had seen in their files. They had a loose Fireteam together, but hadn't done anything huge. Yet. They stood close together on the other side of the lounge, waiting for her to say something, but Nix studied them quietly for a moment, noting which ones stood ahead of the others, the defiant set of shoulders on one, the subtle lean-away of another in the back, the crossed arms and loose stances, all of it told her something. Finally, she gestured at the other couches and they dispersed to have a seat, slightly uneasy it seemed. The Vanguard hadn't told them much.
When everyone was seated, Nix uncrossed her legs and planted them firmly on the ground, leaning forward to lean her arms on her knees as she peered at her charges. 2 titans, a male and female, 2 warlocks, male and female, and 2 hunters a male and herself. They wore a little armor, but otherwise seemed to be in shore-leave mode, trying to catch a little time to relax even as they planned their next run. Nix took a deep breath, and spoke.
"How much do you know?"
"Not much. Cayde was acting a little tight-lipped, for once." The hunter answered. He was human, a scar running through his right eye, but the other bright blue. The others seemed to agree with him. So the Vanguard really had left it up to her on this one. Great.
"Well then, let's get the basics first. My name is Necryptonix, and I'm your leader for this raid," Nix looked at the widened eyes, "yes, I said raid. I don't know how much you all know about current events, but Crota is back. You know, the big angry Hive prince that fucked the moon all up way back when. We have to kill him. Any questions?" Their responses were jumbled as everyone tried to talk at once.
"I've never seen you around the tower before-"
"Who are you?"
"How the hell is Crota back here?
"Does this have something to do with that crazy Eris chick?" Nix snorted. She and Eris's Fireteam had never gotten along in the past, but now they shared one thing in common. Survivor's guilt. Nix stayed away from her.
Nix held her hand up to quiet them, and looked to Ghost. He floated into the middle of the room.
"I'll transfer details to your ghosts, if you'll please…" The other guardian's Ghosts materialized and floated to Nix's Ghost. In just a few moments and a few strange flashes, the information had been given to the others. Ghost floated back to Nix and hovered over her shoulder.
"Read up on that tonight, memorize it. Think about it. Ruminate on it. Know it better than you know yourself. Meet up back here tomorrow, at the same time. We'll talk drills and tactics. We have about two weeks before we need to move out of here. That's a little time to make sure you all know how to follow orders, and know what you're doing." Nix stood up in one fluid motion, gave the others one last look. "And once you've done a little research, if you decide you don't want to do this…tell me. I'll find someone else." They stared at her in surprise. Nix walked out, no look back this time.
"Why'd you give them an option like that?" Ghost muttered to her, a mixture of horror and shock in his voice.
"Because, if they don't want to do this raid, if they're afraid, they'll never make it out. I need people who know exactly what they're getting into…and want to do it anyway. It's the only way to make this work." Nix's long strides carried her away and up the stairs, back to her hidey-hole.