Chapter 6

Deception

Voidwalker Maximus

I answered each of the questions as well as I could, Starco showing the footage on the gray wall in front of us to support what I said. I didn't know the Guardian asking me the questions and dissecting my story and the footage; heck, I probably wouldn't have even thought he was a Guardian with just how scrawny he was if he wasn't wearing a ridiculous orange flight suit with a large version of the Vanguard logo emblazoned across the front and smaller ones decorating the sleeves. He held a datapad to his young face that only seemed to highlight the Mongolian features of his face, like the ancient Genghis Khan's least favorite child.

At long last, the debrief ended. The man removed the projector from Starco's shell essentially left us to our own devices with one condition: we could not quite leave the room. I asked multiple times, but received the same answer, "There is more to be done Maximus." A cookie cutter response that irked me the few times I've been debriefed since getting out of the Garden. I didn't feel like I was entitled to a little more power and respect since getting out of there, but I did wish the Vanguard would let me toss my weight around a little more on my own. Most Guardians got to pick their own fireteams and activities, but my fireteam was assigned as well as most of my missions. Then again, I was a soldier back then just as I am now, so I'm not about to complain. That and Arla is nowhere near a bad teammate to have. I was just nervous about her involvement with that Heksis guy. There was something shifty about him, especially the fact that I'd never seen him without his helmet. For all I knew, it was a vanity thing; he could have a nasty scar that ran along his face, and I get that because I know a few people who are that way, but each of them had shown me before replacing their helmet and rarely taking it off in my presence since.

I had a feeling, a prediction, about why the Vanguard wanted to keep me here for now. One that I could almost guarantee I was correct on, but I was going to wait and see if I was correct before I actually put all my metaphorical eggs in a symbolic basket.

Suddenly the door hissed open. I spun around in my chair expecting to see Charli but saw a different friendly face. "Nice to see you could join us Miss Nublier," the man with the data pad said without looking up. Arla nodded as she walked in, her face still glistening with sweat from the game she no doubt just left. Her green eyes, however, still had that limitless glow to them. "How'd it go?" I asked, referring to her game.

The smile she had on her face broadened so that her front teeth began to show just a little. "Did a little pitching tonight."

"I heard," I responded.

"Yep. Six and two-thirds innings with two hits and eight strikeouts. Was going to go more, but Shaxx told me that the Vanguard had requested my presence." Arla was beaming as she talked about her numbers. If there was one thing she loved almost as much as being a Guardian, it was baseball. I liked it well enough but nowhere near as much as her.

"That's partially my fault," I said with a raised hand.

"No. No need to apologize. My arm was getting tired anyways. Layma was actually my replacement surprisingly enough. She's a pretty decent pitcher, and I think you ought to give it a try sometime. "

"Maybe when I've got a few days off,"

Arla rolled her eyes. "That's your problem," she said with a chuckle. "As long as you keep coming back to the Vanguard asking for another assignment, they'll keep giving you work. Don't know if you've realized this yet, but we're kind of famous."

I sighed. "Yeah, I'm aware. Have you seen the new ads?" I was referring to the promotional covers each of three main foundries asked Arla and me to do. We ultimately decided that we'd each endorse one apiece and determine the third eventually. Arla had done Hakke because they offered to let her and Heksis build some custom weapon they'd been working on. I went on with Omolon because...well I didn't really have a reason for once. Just kind of picked them on a whim. Nice people, really devoted to their work. That left Suros as the odd company left out, and they kept calling because they hadn't heard back from us in a while. I'd told them each time that we were rather busy and would come in sometime in the near future, just be patient. Frankly though, I didn't want us to have conflicting brand endorsements because that seemed traitorous in my book, and no doubt Omolon would take notice. However, if my hunch was correct, Suros would have their cover sooner rather than later.

Arla sat back in her chair and folded her arms. "I think my stuff for Hakke turned out rather well. Saw your shots with Omolon too. Not bad Max."

"I still don't like being called that," I said.

"Well, I think you're going to have to get used to it. After all, it rolls off the tongue much easier than Maximus." She shifted in her seat. "So on a different note, why am I here exactly? I love hanging around you and being a Guardian, but I'm kind of beat after that game."

"You're preaching to the choir," I stated, looking her in the eyes. "Had to face a tank today."

"That's right!" she smacked her forehead the with heel of her hand. "Here I am celebrating pitching when you went out there and risked your life for the billionth time. How'd it go?"

"Well, we stumbled upon a Cabal base and promptly got the aforementioned tank sent after us…"

"Wait, who's we? You found that new Guardian?" Her voice held some feigned enthusiasm, and I could tell.

"I did. Her name's Charli Hendricks, a former pilot for the MFN. Nice girl, auburn hair and looks very natural on the ground. Can only imagine how good she is piloting a spacecraft."

"Oh," Arla said simply.

I fidgeted in my seat. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. It's just that I think I have an idea what your theory is now."

"Which would be?" I prodded.

"You think the Vanguard are going to assign her to us." I nodded in response. Arla threw her head back, her sweaty, brown hair dangling over the back of the chair before she came back up. "Naturally."

"Is that a problem?" a new voice asked from the back of the room. Arla and I immediately turned to see Ikora Rey standing at the entrance to the room.

"Is what a problem?" I asked innocently.

"Charli becoming your responsibility for the time being. You two took a stroll through the Black Garden," she gave me a stink eye for a moment. "So training a former soldier how to shoot a gun should be a walk in a much less dangerous park."

"How long of a walk?" Arla inquired curtly.

"Excuse me?" Ikora said sternly. "Miss Hendricks will be your teammate until we officially decide whether or not to assign her to a fireteam because as far as I know, you two are currently in the market for a new addition."

"Well yes I see that, but don't you think we could take on someone a little more experienced? Someone who knows how things work nowadays?"

Ikora placed a hand on her hand, using her thumb and forefinger to massage opposite temples. "Look, I'm going to be straight with you," the Vanguard relented. Arla leaned forward onto the table and crossed her arms over it. "Zavala feels rather put out that he did not have a Guardian help destroy the Black Garden, something Cayde has made sure to hold over his head."

"Okay, and why does that result in us getting a trainee?" Arla demanded a little more politely than she had been a few seconds ago, probably happy that she was finally getting a real reason.

"Zavala wants her to be with you two until something big happens again, so he can say he's had a Titan do something monumental besides guard a massive wall. I've done some digging, and the trend says he's right. Many of the more famous Guardians had a breakthrough event followed by more critical battles and skirmishes. Don't let this go to your head, but the entire Vanguard thinks that you two haven't even reached the pinnacle of what you can do yet. There's more Darkness to fight."

I interrupted. "Pardon me, but it almost sounds like you want us to bite off more than we can chew and miraculously come home alive. To say that the Black Garden is not the hardest thing we'll face does not exactly bode well for the City or even us."

"The Garden was the most immediate threat to the City because of its proximity, but there are many more things we are yet to find and fight, each one I can guarantee will be more fearsome and dangerous than the last. Believe you me, I was the main opponent to Zavala's argument, but unfortunately one is not a majority in a group of three. Know that we do not take this assignment lightly, but the situation demands it. I don't know if you've realized it yet, but since the Traveler gained some of its Light back, there are more Ghosts seeking their Guardians. People we have designated for the small amounts of training we can do here are in short supply. Besides Maximus, you of all people should know that we rely on field experience to teach the newer Guardians." Ikora gave a small smile near the end.

Arla obviously wanted to get out of here, the sudden request spoiling her mood. I kind of did too, but not necessarily for the same reason. Like I said, I wasn't surprised by this because she was already somewhat familiar to me, but my experience in the military taught me things. For instance, the elite were the elite, and that status had to be earned. I could only assume that they found something in Charli that was rather unique, possibly something similar to what I did in my early days of being a Guardian that were indeed not too long ago. I just wanted to get out of this room. Relaying the specifics of an operation for the database was unbearably boring.

Ikora looked at Arla, almost internally pleading. "Please Arla. We need your co-operation on this. Think of this as the time we added Maximus to your team, or the time I assigned you to that mission with Heksis. Both of you have gotten along rather well since then I'd venture to say." A valid argument in my opinion.

"The circumstances were different back then. We weren't part of the big front or public figures when Maximus came around, and I was on vacation when you dropped that surprise mission on me."

Ikora continued to try and reason with Arla. "Look, I know you're not my biggest fan after the Heksis thing, but don't let the past cloud your present duties."

"I'm not angry about the Heksis thing," Arla stated flatly with a slight tinge of anger hiding in the undertone of her voice. "If anything, I ought to thank you for it, but I had to work for my standing, my opportunities to take on high risk . Charli just got revived and is about to have the same opportunity that took me years to earn...

I was beginning to think I should step in and calm her down. Her voice had steadily been rising, and something related to her former self was starting to arise. "Arla," I interrupted, trying to defuse her increasing frustration. Arla held up a hand. I insisted, grabbing hold of her hand and gently placing it on the table. "Arla, this is not you that's talking. You're tired and not thinking clearly." I turned to Ikora, rising from my seat. "I think we'll take our leave now," I stayed with finality. Without waiting for a response, Arla flew threw her seat beneath the table and stomped out of the room.

I also pushed mine in, making angled eye contact with Ikora as I did. Her eyes burned internally with a cold fire more akin to ice than actual flame, a look I'd never seen in her before. I turned to leave, but a hand grabbed my shoulder just before I walked through the door. I turned around just as she retracted the hand. "Try to do something that will satisfy both the Vanguard and Arla," Ikora said, the request sounding more like an order. "The last thing we want to do is drive a barrier between us and the Guardians we lead. Can you be that bridge for now?"

"I don't necessarily have a choice." I exited quickly before she could respond.

I found Arla in her room, one not too far from my own apartment-style room. After rapping gently on the door, Arla gave the system the go ahead to let it slide open automatically. She was laid out on her bed wearing a black tank top and the pants of her armor, the top half hanging neatly on its rack by the door. On the other side of her armor was the shelves of exotic weaponry Arla had amassed over her years as a Guardian. I'd seen her use a fair share of them, but I wasn't too sure she'd actually used all of them. I tore my gaze from the guns glinting sunlight to Arla now sitting up on the bed and twirling one of her knives in her right hand. Her face was much less flushed now with a serene look spread across her face.

"You alright?" I asked calmly, no idea if she was still frustrated.

"I'm fine; great in fact," she replied just as serene as her face suggested. A smile now began to creep on her face. "I mean come on, we've got a new partner. It's exciting. New possibilities and adventures await."

I was confused. "Hold up," I said. "Am I missing something? You were steaming mad a second ago."

Arla gave a suppressed chuckle. "You totally missed my tactic. If there's one thing the Vanguard like to be, it's right. If you haven't noticed it, they like it when someone strokes their ego, a person who follows orders to the T and gets things done."

"So you mean me?" I concluded.

"Exactly. You're a former soldier…"

"As are you," I interrupted.

"Yes, but I've been at the Guardian game much longer than you have. I've picked up a few things here and there that have proven to work. How else do you think Lee and I got you to our team?"

"I figured it was luck of the draw."

The smile continued to grow on her face. "That's not exactly how things always work. Lee was the one who found you first and then told me what he saw: your orb incident. With some digging and a few favors, he got you put into our fireteam, and you've seen where that's gotten us."

I guess it made sense. "So...you were never really mad?"

"Nope. It was all a ruse to get her on our team, and it worked beautifully. Charli is now with us, and we can take on more than chew and come home in time for dinner."

"Okay, let's not get cocky now," I cautioned. Arla chuckled in response. "So what now?" I then asked.

"Tomorrow," Arla said, excitement building in her voice. "We find a little trouble."

"Define 'a little trouble.' I'd rather not get into the same kind of trouble that's made us essentially celebrities," I prodded.

"Well, you said that you found a Cabal base earlier, so how about we give it a visit?" Arla suggested.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Charli was revived not too long ago thinking that she had crashed her ship, and then the Cabal attacked. I'd venture to say that she'll have a couple objections to that plan." To say the least, I was concerned for an emotionally-sensitive human like her. I certainly had my moments, but I generally could put them aside; Arla was the same way but a little more frequent with her moments but not too much. Charli was just in the infant stages of her Guardian career, and that was putting it rather conservatively, her emotions were likely out of whack as she ultimately sorted out what this new-to-her world was.

"Well then, it seems we have a teaching opportunity on our hands. Part of our being Guardians is recognizing our past and its influences but not letting it distract us from our goals."

"You sound more and more like a Vanguard every day," I commented.

"And you sound more human with every passing moment."

"Touche," I relented. "When do you plan on leaving? Charli's probably got a laundry list of things to do on top of the unanswered questions she's got."

Arla stopped twirling her knife, setting it on a nightstand next to her bed. "Well, I'm gonna get some sleep first and then we'll see from there. I suggest you do the same."

"You're probably right. Talk to you later then." Arla nodded and flopped onto her pillows, pulling the blanket to her neck just as I walked through the door. I proceeded to my room which was not too far from hers, and shut down for awhile."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Titan (Striker) Charli Hendricks

A few hours later...

Charli stared at the mirror. In its reflective pane stood a powerful Titan in brilliant orange armor with yellow and red underplates that only accentuated the burnt orange. The paint was pristine from the neck to the black, grippy gloves and even the armored boots on her feet, a condition that would definitely not last long once she got out of the relative safety of the Tower. Her new helmet and weapons lay on the bed in her newly arranged living quarters. Sunlight from a nearby window glinted off the orange finish and streaked down the smooth curve on the front. The helmet was rather curious, lacking a see-through faceplate and replacing it with cameras invisible to the naked eye.

Charli turned back to the mirror and held up her right arm and hand, turning the armored and open appendage over multiple times before tensing the muscles and giving the arm a small flick. Arcs of electricity immediately spread across her arm, many of them gathering at the knuckles of her fist as she stared. All she could feel was awe. This was her doing this, not some implant, a defining power that could prove extremely useful in the field.

She grabbed the helmet off the bed and returned to the mirror, once again staring at what was her for hopefully quite some time. Charli looked herself in the eyes, watching her auburn hair flit about with the air conditioning system. Her face looked soft but experienced, young but old at the same time. A small, spiked form hovered in the background just over her left shoulder. "How do I look Vern?" Charli asked earnestly for the third time.

Vern was Charli's Ghost, customized only in two aspects: the shell and the voice. In the interface, Charli messed with the tonal frequencies and mixes so that it sounded just like Chad Roundtree's from what was so long ago but felt so recent. She gave the shell a deep crimson color with a thin, gold stripe circling from top to bottom. In this crazy and unknown universe, she needed a voice she could recognize easily and that would calm her when she needed it. The personality wasn't the same as his, but she would take what she could get at this point.

"Just as I said earlier," the Ghost said in the synthesized voice she gave it. "Imposing doesn't even begin to describe it." The voice was aggressive but kind and brought back so many tearful memories, but the tears would have to remain on the inside. She was still a soldier, a protector of the innocent and destroyer of those who threatened the peace she tried so hard to keep. Fallen, Cabal, it didn't matter. If she had even the inkling that they would try and shoot at her, her trigger would already be pulled and the target dead or about to die.

"Thanks," Charli said with a smile. Imposing to her enemies was exactly what she wanted. "What time did this Arla person say to meet?"

"The Hangar in two hours. You do remember where that is right?"

"Yeah, I think I got it. If I don't, that's where you come in."

"Right. I'm here if you need me." Vern disappeared in a flash of light.

Charli turned around and looked at the white pistol and blood red hand cannon that lay on her bed. She placed the pistol at her thigh via the magnets built into her armor for just that purpose and held the hand cannon in her right hand. It was as heavy as some of the assault rifles she'd used in the past but barely half the size. The actual end of the barrel jutted out from a squared off metal body. Charli pointed it at the mirror using only one hand but found it too heavy to aim accurately with just one hand, the sight at the end swaying with the natural shake in her hand. Gripping it with two hands, she found the sight much more stable. She could feel the Ghost's presence in her very conscience despite its not physically being there. "Vern," Charli said. "What do you know about Maximus and this Arla person?"

"I can pull up there files for you. If you put on the helmet, I'll put them on the screen for you to look through," the Ghost replied politely. Charli slipped the helmet on over her head, and the HUD came on after only a second or two. Vern pulled up two white pages that seemed to scroll depending on how Charli looked at them. The pages then slid to the middle of her HUD in a slightly offset stack to show that there was another file behind it. The first opened up and showed a picture of the blue Exo, Maximus, that found her on Mars. His yellow eyes in the picture seemed to stare right into her as if they were staring right into her soul. Most of the data there made no sense to her: battle reports, some place called the Black Garden, and a couple run-ins with the Awoken out in the Reef. There was also a void "Final Death Certificate" and attached obituary. 'What happened there?' Charli wondered. There were several questions on her mind about Maximus. It seemed in the relatively short time he'd been a Guardian, he had accomplished so much.

Feeling as though she'd read enough, Charli moved to the other file. An Awoken woman with blue skin with slight undertones of green, shoulder-length brown hair, and glowing green eyes looked back at her. "Arla Nublier," the name slot read. Her file was much longer, sorted by each year she had been a Guardian, 8 nearing 9 in total. She had also seen quite a bit in the field, but the thickest part of the data file was within the one marked for what Charli assumed was the current year. The psych-eval said that she had apparent trust issues with new people she encountered and maintained a strict moral code, deviating it very seldom. The Vanguard, Cayde, had added several of his personal notes to the file, noting her skill with both a combat knife and throwing knives. There were also clippings and pictures of her in an orange uniform, holding a baseball bat or glove. Some were action shots whilst others were obviously staged "action shots."

Charli's eyes wandered back to the Black Garden entry. Something about that name seemed oddly familiar but alien all the same. She brought both files on screen and looked at the sections labeled "Black Garden." In both files was a copy of a very bare-bones battle report of what seemed to be a very easy in and out assassination mission. Curious, Charli looked at an earlier report in each of their files and found it brimming with details and events that pertinent to the report, making the Black Garden file seem even more lackluster. Something was off here. It was almost like they were hiding something on purpose, a dirty secret. "What's the Black Garden?" Charli asked Vern.

"It was a major Vex installation. Maximus and Arla went in and destroyed the Heart within it, basically the control center for the Vex. The Vanguard are wary of the report both of them sent in because neither of them have allowed the Vanguard access to the feed from their Ghosts to back up the reports."

"Hmm." The Vex, murderous robots that Charli knew very little about but also knew that they were not to be trifled with. They were what ultimately caused the MFN to evacuate several cities as they invaded from below ground. Meanwhile, the Cabal took them as a distraction to besiege these same cities from above ground, creating a two-fronted fight that the top brass knew they would ultimately lose. There originally had been a theory going around that the Vex were part of the Cabal army, but that was quickly dispelled when several confirmed reports noted fighting between the two whenever their fronts collided. Charli pushed the ensuing memories out of her mind. The less she thought about those weeks leading to her final moments, the better off she'd be. She just had to bury them with new memories in this new world. "Do you think that the reports are blatant lies?"

"I certainly have my concerns about them, but if the Vanguard accepted them, I don't think it's wise to question their decision. They've got a lot more experience than me and most definitely you when it comes to the goings on here. Maybe the report seemed normal to them."

"Should I ask them about the Garden?"

"The Vanguard won't be able to tell you much more about the Garden…"

"No. Maximus and Arla."

Vern was quiet for a moment, probably thinking over the chances. "It's a little naive to think they'll just tell you something they haven't told the Vanguard."

"So you DO think they're lying."

"I said I have my doubts. I feel that there are more blanks to fill into the story mainly because I don't think it was a simple in-and-out operation. The Vanguard has lost plenty of Guardians while they tried to find the Garden. A closely guarded secret like that place was likely difficult to find and extremely dangerous."

"How do you think they got in then? Especially since this Maximus guy hasn't even been a Guardian for a year."

"A very good question. One that I cannot answer even though I would love to be able to. I feel like they had outside help, maybe the Awoken, but they haven't been very cooperative in the past. Given those two's history with the Awoken, I again have my doubts on that theory."

"What happened?"

"Once again, we don't know much, but we do know that Maximus got into a fight with the Prince, one Uldren Sov."

"Yeah, I think I have doubts on that theory too."

"Well regardless, you need to be ready for field work pretty shortly. Anything you want to do to occupy these next couple hours?"

"I kinda want to explore this city we're supposed to be protecting." Charli wanted to get an idea of exactly what she was protecting rather than just having blind faith in it.

"A little less than two hours isn't quite enough to get a good grip on the City. I'd rather us go to the firing range and get you accustomed to those guns."

"I know how to shoot a gun," Charli argued politely.

"I get that, but I'd like to make sure everything is functioning properly before we go get shot at just to have it fail."

"How about this: we go to the range, but we take on that obstacle course down there instead."

Vern thought for a moment. "Well, it uses live rounds, so...fine. Just try not to pull anything stupid or too aggressive." Charli smiled and took off the helmet.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The obstacle course was more like a simulator than an actual course. The instructor would send the Guardian's Ghost an encrypted data file that would augment the Guardian's visual sensors in their armor, making their surroundings and stand-in enemies look like the real thing they would find outside the Tower. This area was found closer to the bottom of the tower (within the first five floors) and took up two floors due to simulated elevation.

The air smelled like gunpowder and energy burns, a thing the pristine silver floor and white walls could not confirm in the slightest. Each one of their surfaces was pristine to the absolute highest degree. Charli instinctively walked cautiously as if she were afraid of tracking mud onto the surfaces, a rather extraneous fear but present nonetheless. A pair of Guardians, a Titan and Hunter, stood in front of a counter with their helmets on and guns strapped or magnetically fixed to their backs. Both turned their heads as soon as Charli walked in, looking away from the data pads that each of them held. The Hunter gave Charli a nod before going back to whatever he was looking at beforehand. However, the Titan took off his helmet and turned off his data pad, setting both down on the desk in front of him. Said Titan was a human with fair skin, an understanding face, and brown hair shaved at the sides but slicked forward on top either by sweat or gel. Charli walked towards the desk with a smile on her face. "Hello!" the Titan at the desk said politely in a surprisingly deep voice as Charli walked up.

"Afternoon," Charli replied with a small wave from her right hand.

"Can't say I've seen you here before. You new?"

"You could say that," Charli admitted.

"Always nice to meet new Guardians. Name's Cormack, Cormack Johnson." He extended a hand, and Charli promptly shook it. "And you are…?"

"Charli Hendricks."

"Hey Frank!" The Titan shouted to the Hunter focusing intently on his data pad. "She said her last name's Hendricks, just like you." The Hunter, now seated, threw his head over the back of the chair and sighed. "It's a common surname," he said cynically in an old British accent. "It's just like someone walking in with the last name Smith or Johnson.

"Always the pessimist aren't you?"

"Someone's gotta do it."

"Just like someone's gotta help this fine lady do what she came here to do. So what can I help you with today Miss Hendricks?"

Charli was caught off guard by the question; she hadn't been paying much attention to their brief conversation, but she recovered just in time to hopefully not make it seem awkward. In truth, she'd almost forgotten why she even came here before Vern put some thoughts into her mind. "Oh, um, I was hoping I could run the simulator a few times. Get a hang for this hand cannon." Charli grabbed the gun off a magnetic holster just above her waist on her back and held it up for Cormack to see.

"Nice weapon," the Titan said. "Glad you came here with it first rather than sprinting off into the field to shoot up some Fallen. New weapons are always a bit finicky with the first hundred or so shots, especially hand cannons. May I take a look at it real fast? I promise I'll give it right back."

"Sure." Charli made sure the safety was on and flipped the handle of the gun so that the Titan could grab it comfortably. Cormack hefted the gun in his hand for a moment, aiming down its sights, pulling out the capsule and reloading it. Done with his inspection, he returned the gun. "Very nice hand cannon you've got there. Marking said it was made in the last couple weeks, so you should be okay in terms of misfires, but just be careful. Also, keep the hammer oiled, so that the gun can actually shoot; a gun that can't fire isn't much more than a piece of steel you can hit someone with."

"Noted," Charli replied.

"Alright, so you want a combat simulation?" Charli nodded in response. "Well then, let's take a look at some basic combat on Earth. Fallen sound good to you?"

"Perfect," Charli confirmed, a half-smile curling the left side of her lips.

"Alright then. So what's going to happen is I'm going to send your Ghost some data, a modification to your suit's coding. It'll...adjust the optical sensors so that a different area is displayed. In this case it'll an abandoned city on Earth formatted to match the course layout for today. The damage the Fallen do to you will be simulated, but it will hurt because of some of the other changes this mod makes."

"Any advice?" Charli asked, not really needing it, but maybe this man had some words of wisdom for her.

"Find a fighting style that suits you. Cover-to-cover works just like it almost always has, but practically all the famous Guardians move laterally as well. Y'know, jumping and shooting. It's kinda fun when you get the hang of it." Cormack tapped something into his datapad and tapped something on it with a final-looking press of his fingertip. "Also, you may want to use grenades."

"Grenades?" Charli asked. She looked all over her person, checking each pocket and strap, but there were no grenades to be found. "Nobody's given me any grenades."

"Strange, you should've gotten a small belt like this." The Titan unstrapped a small black belt fashioned at his waist that had three silver balls on it, each one about the size of Charli's palm. Suddenly, there was a rip of Velcro, and Cormack offered the strap of grenades. "Go ahead, take 'em. I can get more pretty easily. Strap 'em on, and they'll automatically draw power from your suit one by one. Wait thirty seconds between each through, and they should have enough charge for a decent flashbang. Your Ghost will pick up the metal ball and place it back on the belt."

Charli reached for the belt and strapped it on her right arm because she'd always thrown better with her left despite being ambidextrous. "Thanks," she said as she fastened it, pulling it tight against the plasteel armor she wore. The metal balls looked much heavier than they actually were and stayed motionless whenever Charli moved her arm. Cormack waved off her gratitude. "No problem at all. Just glad I could help. Ready?" Charli nodded and drew the hand cannon from its holster once more. Cormack pointed to a black and yellow line a few meters from where they stood. "Step beyond that line and give me a thumbs up when you're ready. An energy barrier will form on that line and the simulation will begin. Just touch the energy shield, it won't harm you I promise, when you're done."

"Will do," Charli said as she stepped beyond the line and pulled her helmet over her head. Everything was dark for a moment, the gun's weight increasing for a moment as Charli was left in total oblivion, aware of where she was but feeling like she was standing in the middle of nothing, like a weird sort of limbo. She gave a thumbs up and suddenly light poured in from her surroundings just as her HUD fired up, almost as if she were opening her eyes to it for the first time.

It looked like some kind of suburb. Dilapidated and destroyed houses lined each side of a cracked asphalt road dotted with large craters. Embers crawled through the air while smoke eased its way through the wind like a cloud. Charli turned around and saw a wall of bright blue energy scarcely two feet from where she stood. It went as high as the eye could see and boundlessly to the left and right. As she took a pair of careful steps backwards, she noticed that the wall of light seemed to disappear the farther she walked away from it, getting replaced by more of the ravaged scenery. In the distance Charli could see a "hill" with a cul de sac rounding out on the top, a singular perched at its crest looking down over all the things below it. She turned her eyes to the sky and saw an ash gray sky with a piercing sun desperately trying to shed its light on the surface, thicker clouds of smoke muddling the rays. Several Fallen Skiffs loomed in the distance, carrying their repulsive pirate crews.

Charli was amazed at just how real all of this looked and felt, losing herself in the scenery for a moment. Her grip on the gun relaxed slightly, voluntarily letting her arm go limp and letting the gun's weight dangle at her side.

Out of nowhere, something slammed into her head, leaving Charli on the ground with her head spinning. Her head felt like knives had been jabbed in it as she quickly tried to refocus her vision; a white bar in the top of her HUD pulsated red before it recovered. She pulled herself off the ground and ran to a house on the right, bolting past the front and pressing her back to the siding of the house, the seemingly flimsy plastic surprisingly sturdy, must have been another energy wall. Charli put both hands on the hand cannon and peered out from the side of the house, trying to catch a glimpse of the sniper. Nothing but cratered road and destroyed houses.

The one she was taking cover behind was mostly intact, the roof caved in but the walls still standing. Everything was dead silent besides her own breathing. Keeping her head down, Charli turned the corner and hurried to the next house. As she ran, a bolt of pure energy screamed toward her, an instinctive duck saving her from taking another into the head. Charli slid into the cover of the next house, this wall being similarly intact but in more disrepair, large holes dotting its surface. She had an idea of where the sniper was, about three houses away on the opposite side of the street. Charli took aim in its general direction and fired three shots. A shadowy shape ducked beneath the destroyed front wall. 'Gotcha,' Charli thought as she made her way to the other side of the house and continued moving up.

Another house, more listening for any idea of where her enemies were. Thus far, it'd only been that sniper. Charli crossed the back of the house and looked at the one she'd seen the sniper in, purposely sticking her head out to draw a shot, but none came, just eerie silence. She leaned out and fired another three shots into the house's collapsed walls. This time there was no movement, but instead a loud cry of agony. She'd hit him somehow.

Charli sprinted into the lack of a doorway and started looking for the downed Fallen, whatever class it was. She swept the floors with her hand cannon at the ready, her HUD warning her that there were only two shots left in the capsule before she'd have to switch it. For the most part, the house was completely dark except for small pinholes carved out by bullets or shrapnel that allowed small pinpricks of light in. Her suit automatically turned on the night vision as she searched for the injured sniper, but after looking around the floors and walls for any sign of blood or activity, she couldn't find anything. Instead, she picked up the nasty sense that she was being watched. Looking up, there wasn't much to see besides a torn apart ceiling and the aforementioned pinpricks of light, blinding dots of bright green in the night vision. Had she imagined the cry? Had the simulator glitched out? Perhaps, the body disappeared when it was killed. Then again, what kind of a crappy simulator would that be? "Hey Vern, do you know if the bodies disappear in the simulator?"

The Ghost was silent for a moment before replying, "No, they don't as far as I'm aware, not until you have quite a substantial amount. Tracker says zero kills, so that Vandal should be around here somewhere."

'So it was a Vandal,' Charli thought. They have a tendency of turning...Charli spun on her heel just in time to swat away a blade and send a semi-transparent form off-balance down the hallway she was in, the invisible blades cutting very noticeable gashes in the wall as it tried to stop its momentum. She leveled her aim and fired off a shot at the creature she couldn't see all that well in the dark. As expected, her shot smashed into the back wall. The Vandal's invisibility flickered and then deactivated, showing off mostly white armor with pieces coated in blood red. It wore a sleek rifle on its back and held two blades in its top set of hands.

Charli shot the last bullet in the capsule, but only managed to graze its shoulder, leaving it relatively unharmed. Her heart was beating much faster, her stomach much lighter. She quickly flicked the hand cannon open and tried to jam another capsule in, but her shaking hands made her drop the capsule just as the Vandal charged forward with its swords ready to strike. Charli sidestepped the blades just in time. She dropped the hand cannon and grabbed the sidearm with her left hand, moving immediately to fire it, but the Vandal kicked it out of her hand before she ever had a good grip on it. The kick was swiftly followed by a second that knocked Charli to the ground. The white bar had decreased about a quarter of its length.

The Vandal then leapt forward, trying to drive both blades lengthwise into Charli. She rolled to her right and met the wall just as the blades sliced into the dilapidated, ash-covered carpet. Rolling back, she could only see the Vandal's shadowy form standing above her about to swing again. Charli tensed the muscles in her arm and grabbed hold of its leg. Arcs of electricity immediately streaked up the Vandal's armored leg and caused its leg, and other parts of its body, to immediately tense and spasm uncontrollably. Pulling the paralyzed Fallen's feet from beneath it, Charli stood up and then brought an electricity-cloaked fist on its head. The Vandal quickly turned transparent, disappearing into a light blue outline and into nothingness.

Her heart was racing and her breathing equally as quick. She didn't recall Mars, past or present, being as stressful as that. Was it her last memories with the Fallen afflicting her subconsciously? The faces of her fallen comrades flashed in front of her eyes, flickering away almost as fast as they came. A few seconds later, they appeared again with eyes black as night, a devilish smile draped over their lips. They continued flashing in and out, morphing more and more into faces of the Fallen and causing her heart to race even faster. Sweat dripped out of every pore. Imaginary gunfire rang in her ears as she watched both of her friends die, the memory replaying itself in her head several times, taunting her with her inability to save the people she cared for.

Charli shut her eyes and sprinted through the house, blindly crashing into multiple walls before crashing through a partially destroyed one and out in the street again. Only then did the visions subside long enough for Charli to notice the dozen Fallen charging down the hill. The fear-filled and sorrowful tears that had begun to well up in her eyes turned to fire, lava running down her face. She suddenly felt the weight of her hand cannon pulling down her arm, her index finger poised over the trigger.

Charli planted her feet and dashed forward, charging straight toward the Fallen. They began firing before they reached the bottom of the hill, before Charli was anywhere close to them, but their streaks of plasma only took a small adjustment to the left or right to avoid. She snatched one of the grenades, jumped into the air, and tossed it right at the bottom of the hill, firing off a pair of bullets in the process.

The grenade exploded in a flash of white light, sending several dead Dregs flying through the air and ragdolling onto the ground. The Captain in the center of the group broke off immediately, shoving a Vandal back where the grenade was as the group scattered. Feeling a sudden rush of energy and an instinct she'd never felt before, Charli landed softly and continued sprinting forward but put her weapon back on the magnets, tightening both of her fists and causing arcs of electricity to streak up and down her arms as she charge forward. 10m...5...2...she leapt into the air, shouting a war cry at the top of her lungs as she swung her arms over her head, and threw them into the ground. A shockwave of blue energy enveloped several meters in every direction with her at the center. All of the remaining Fallen failed to outrun the pulse of energy, the edge of the field passing straight through them and turning into fast-fading outlines.

Charli pushed herself to her feet, the excess energy spent in that charge of destruction, but adrenaline, fury, still pumped through her veins. She looked dead at the Fallen Captain trying to scramble up the hill and launched herself after it, closing the gap in a matter of seconds and then jumping feet first onto its back. The force she carried easily planted the Captain's face into the ground. She electrified her hands and flipped the Captain so that she could see its face, the arc energy on her hands quickly dispelling its shield and paralyzing it as she flipped it over. She stared into its glowing eyes behind the helmet, emotionless and dead, uncaring and hostile. She saw no fear in the Captain's eyes as she pulled out her hand cannon. Perhaps it was the simulation, but then again, maybe it was just how these pirates were even after all these years.

Something momentarily held Charli back, like a ghostly hand on the shoulder trying to set her arm by her side. It was almost like a voice was telling her to stop, to tell her to let go, it echoed through her mind as a thought rather than a physical voice, the signature similar but also different from that of Vern's. 'Protect. Do not destroy,' the thought echoed, but Charli did not hear it. The Fallen had their chance to stop the fighting, and they came with guns.

Charli pulled the trigger.