A/N: This one took a little longer and I apologize. I travel a lot for work and for those of you who are reading this I hope your patience has been rewarded with this new chapter which is now my longest. I don't own Destiny, Activision and Bungie do. Entity is being loaned to me by a good man named Reilly.216. Make sure to check out his story, that is Entity's origin, which I think is coming together nicely. Enjoy.
CH 3: Two minds that merge
The howling winds from outside the dome could be heard in the silence that had formed from the cluster of Guardians. All of their weapons were raised and ready, anticipating who would fire first. The three different colored Guardians aimed at the single bare white armor of the man behind the bar top.
"By the Queen…" The woman spoke up suddenly while lowering her shotgun, and quickly elbowed the hooded one.
"Entity, you can be the only Hunter to have claimed to have found Sasquatch!" She followed up with a fit of rolling laughter.
"Who is-? What?" The Exo who sounded like Romeo responded confused, and lowered his own rifle in response.
Seeing as the other two weren't taking this situation as seriously anymore, Sushi lowered his scout rifle and let it dematerialize so he could raise his hands in a nonthreatening manner. He took a few tentative steps towards the still cautious and apparently paranoid man before him.
The movement caught the other man's attention and the man whipped his rifle around to point it at the one he had punched earlier. The man, not a Cabal he mentally reminded himself, had stopped suddenly and raised his hands even higher. With no other motions made, and no shots obviously being fired, the other two decided to leave Sushi be with the mystery man.
"Look man… Calm down and we'll get you out of here and back to Earth." Sushi quietly requested of the man. "I promise."
After a few more brief tense moments the man nodded and complied with slowly lowering his rifle. He held on to the rifle tightly as he was ready to raise it again in a heartbeat. Prepared if the other two came back and he needed to fight. Kicking those negative thoughts aside he made his way from behind the counter and towards Sushi and the pair of small floating bundles of angles and lights.
"So, this may be a little rushed. But I need to form with you." One of the little glowing things spoke up. The little eye it had seemed to focus on him and he froze like a deer in the headlights, his rifle half raised in caution. The Ghost paused in it's advance towards him.
"You need to do what?" His voice croaked and sounded rough due to lack of use. His raised tone caught the attention of the other two and they returned from their conversation outside the room.
"Did you hear that? Sounded like a fucking Baron." Joanna muttered "You get your vocal chords all messed up or something when your Ghost put you back together?"
"I what?" He croaked in a slightly upset tone. "I don't remember-" He stopped talking as the memories came flooding back to him and he realized that he had indeed, died.
"Well that doesn't matter, we have to get you to the Tower where it's safe." Entity spoke up.
"I'd say you could handle yourself because of your sheer size, and according to Sushi you got quite a punch, but your gear is absolute shit. So let's get you home."
It was during this conversation that one of the Ghosts had rocketed forward before anyone could react and broke apart into motes of light before the man who was now backpedaling and cursing loudly.
"What the hell?!" He shouted in confusion. Raising his rifle again and pivoting in spot to find the little floating object.
"Oh this guy is hilarious." Joanna stifled some more laughter and pantomimed wiping away a tear. "But seriously, let's get out of here. We have to turn in this bounty, and we may have pissed off the local Primus by killing some of his Siege Dancers." She pointed a thumb over her shoulder for added emphasis.
"Sushi, you can take him in your jump ship, since you found him." Entity ordered before pulling out his Ghost and calling his ship to put himself into orbit.
Joanna, still laughing followed him up and left Sushi with the new Guardian. Sushi silently put his hand on the man's shoulder, feeling the man tense up and nearly leap out from under his hand, and let his Ghost pull them into his ship in orbit. The man thrashed about as he felt himself being pulled apart at an atomic level and back together before he hit the deck plates of the inside of a ship with a crash. His head swiveled as he rose quickly to his feet and looked around for the mysterious Sushi that had brought him here.
"Don't worry; it will take quite a few hours for us to return to Earth from here. So get some rest, you'll be busy when we get to Earth later." A voice, Sushi's, was heard over the small ship's PA. "Plus, we are apologizing now for having to leave you at the Tower once we get there."
"What do you mean?" A hesitant voice asked the air.
"Well, any new Guardian doesn't exactly have a class when they are brought back. So the Vanguard puts them through training and combat scenarios to see where you would fit best." The voice of a Ghost informed him in Sushi's place.
"Who are you? Where are you is the better question." The solid sound of his boots clunking on the metal reverberated within the hold.
"Don't worry Guardian; I'm a Ghost, your Ghost specifically. Your new companion and best friend in this world." The little bunch of angles with an eye, a Ghost, formed in front of his helmet. "I'll be guiding you when we get back to the Tower, and I'm sure I can fill you in on the few hundred years you have been gone." The Ghost paused as it seemed to rotate it's body a little. "I hope you don't mind, but I forwarded some of the data I have on you to the Vanguard as well as to the Guardians who found you."
"Well I'm sure that won't do them much good. I'm a dead Petty Officer from the United Earth Navy detached to Mars. What will they do with that? Promote me? I'm a friggin' zombie." He pointed out to his Ghost.
Seeing as this conversation wasn't going to advance he sat down in a crash seat and pulled the harness over his arms and strapped himself in tightly. He looked up at the Ghost who seemed to be floating awkwardly in the hold with him. He tried to ignore the pivoting object but gave in with a frustrated sigh.
"Alright! At least tell me what I'm going to see at this, 'Tower', when I get there."
"Well, let's start off with the Traveler." The Ghost began excitedly.
.
Dreamless sleep was always a bad sign that was a solid theory that some philosophic man may have made at some time. To the man now living in a world not too familiar, it meant less sleep and more worries when he awoke. As his mind processed that he was waking up and how he had drifted off, he came to a realization. He didn't have a name that he could remember. What was he going to call himself now? He racked his brain for any name that he could remember, Romeo? No, that was a terrible name. Well, for him anyways.
He continued to pick at his brain for a while before he felt the sudden weight of gravity on him. Not the artificial one that the ship had pushed on him, but planetary gravity. Names could wait, he was at Earth, or so he hoped.
With a growl, he undid the harness and pulled his body out of the crash seat. The ship tilted and he braced himself accordingly as he felt the ship now slowing and pitching up to touch down with a thump.
His head swiveled to the side as he heard a hatch open and the now revealed Exo climbing down a ladder into the cargo bay from what he assumed was the flight station above. The Exo's yellow optics locked onto his polarized visor and seemed to be calculating something that was lost on him. This was new and strange to him, Exo were a smart bunch, but this seemed far too sentient than he had remembered any Exo he worked with being. He would investigate about that at a later time, just another question to his never ending pool of questions.
He returned to what was happening as Sushi pressed the release button and the rear ramp started to lower towards the landing pad beneath the jump ship. The Exo didn't hesitate or wait to explain before he took off to get down and into the hangar proper. Only stopping briefly at the base of the ramp to wave the cautious Guardian forward and coax him out of the ship.
That was when he noticed the sounds of the early morning crews filled the air as more Guardians poured in to the hangar to head out for morning bounties or to go talk to the maintenance crews. Only a few seemed to stop and notice the new arrivals, and one of them was courteous enough to wave in their direction. It wasn't returned, and it only caused the man's face to scrunch up in a frown.
"Who are all these people?" He quietly asked Sushi when he caught up to him.
The Exo looked up at all the people as he passed by a cleaning droid and went up a flight of stairs. Looking back into the hangar he shrugged nonchalantly. He stopped at the landing to look at a group of Hunters as they passed.
"They are all Guardians just like you. So don't be too hostile towards them."
"Sometimes they are a bit useless on the field though, and only do low level bounties." Joanna spoke up as she appeared behind them. "They make good practice at the Crucible though."
Sushi seemed relaxed in her presence but the appearance of Joanna without her helmet was alarming to the other man. He took an involuntary step back and raised an eyebrow at her appearance. She had a dark blue, almost purple skin tone with bright yellow eyes that glowed. Glowed! She had what appeared to be wiry green facial tattoos that were beneath her glowing eyes.
"What?" She asked him casually.
"The biometrics I'm pulling right now off of him suggest that he is alarmed with your presence." His Ghost's voice seemed to resonate within his helmet and out the speakers. It was followed by the Ghost materializing in front of him.
"Thanks for the info Twinkles." She nodded to the Ghost before redirecting her attention. "So you got a problem with me? Never seen an Awoken before?" She took a threatening step closer towards the larger man. Whose sole response was a quick shake of his head suggesting that he didn't.
"Will you kids behave?" Entity grabbed Joanna by the shoulder and tugged her back slightly. "I need to talk with Sushi, so will you take-" He hesitated and looked at the other Guardians for a hint.
"I don't know…" The taller man admitted. "I just remember I was in the Human Navy and I recall my family, things like that. It's just my name doesn't come up at all in my memories." His helmeted head lowered slightly as he remembered he didn't even know who he was anymore.
"Striker." Joanna piped in.
"Please don't"
"Oh dear, no, you can't give anyone else nicknames."
"That's just dumb, where did that name even come from?"
All of these rejections came at the same time and Joanna dragged the toe of her boot on the ground while she grumbled a few obscenities before grabbing the larger man's arm and pulling him out of the hangar and into the courtyard beyond.
"C'mon, let's get you to the Vanguard and find out what you can be. While you do that, I'll figure out a name for you sailor boy." She seemed to almost be skipping as she walked him past a gathering of Guardians kicking around a large purple ball.
"Please don't call me that either."
.
Entity and Sushi watched as the two Guardians left. The tension between the two was strong and most of the Guardians who passed them gave them a wide berth. Sushi turned towards Entity's before looking down sadly.
"Look." Sushi began. "I know I told you I'd think about it for a while and that I would take on some more bounties with you." Sushi hesitated for a moment to gather his thoughts. "But I am done. My joints aren't as young as yours anymore and my desire to hold this rifle of mine is going away."
Sushi could feel the disappointment rolling off of Entity like an avalanche at this point. Entity, however, put his hands on his hips as he thought of how to convey his thoughts clearly.
"You're a good Guardian, Sushi, why give it up?" Entity asked finally.
"We all help people in any way we can." Sushi started. "Most aid each other with camaraderie in fire teams. So you should learn to trust the Guardians you serve with, we are all a family now. Exo, Awoken, or Human it doesn't matter anymore. We were all born in the light of the Traveler. So serve your brothers and sisters in arms. The Cryptarchs gave me an offer to join them. Guardians need the aid of the Chryptarchs, so it's not like I'm just handing out armor shaders to everyone. That is how I can help my brothers and sisters of the Light now."
"I do make them work a lot, don't I?" Entity let out a bark of laughter but let it quickly die down.
"So you're done with the Guardian work now?"
Sushi thought about that for a moment and shook his head.
"Never, I wasn't brought back to life just sift through ruins and collect dust behind a desk. If the Traveler needs me to fight again I will know where to find my rifle." Sushi solidified his remark by materializing his rifle and inspecting it. "But until that point I won't need it, so, here." He held it out for Entity to take it. "I want a professional to watch over my gun, I doubt you'll use it all that often. But that way if things go wrong I'll be coming to find you."
Entity looked at the gun and back at Sushi's yellow eyes. Giving the equivalent of a sigh of defeat from an Exo, he took the rifle and looked it over briefly, noting that it was deceptively heavy in his hands. The bronze colored rifle was heavy in the front, countering the weight of the bullets that would be loaded in the rear of the rifle.
"What do you load this thing with, bricks? Or old fashioned slugs? No wonder you can't ever keep up with most fire teams." Entity teased as he dematerialized the weapon into storage in his Ghost. "But Sushi, it has been an honor to have been on the field with you." He nodded towards the Warlock Exo before, he too, left to go about his business.
Sushi stood in the hangar for a while longer. Watching the Guardians going around preparing to leave or visit the different faction leaders, a few had noticed him standing alone by a small stack of crates and had acknowledged him. He looked down at his hands, clenching and unclenching them before nodding to accept his new fate. He was ready.
.
Joanna led the new Guardian down some more stairs and into the Vanguard HQ and motioned for him to go forward. She began to slide back and almost managed to get away before a short and bald black lady had stopped her.
"I see you have returned, Titan, and had brought a friend." Her voice was cool and controlled. The feeling that she was veiling her words put Joanna and her companion on edge. "I also hope you brought back what I loaned to you a while ago?" The venom in her question was almost tangible.
"Well. I did use your shotgun, yes, and it worked well. I, uh, left it in the jump ship and will go and get it. But first, here is a new Guardian that needs to be guided into the Vanguard." Her voice was surprisingly muted and rushed as she practically shoved the man forward and into the table.
Before the lady could respond Joanna had vanished back the way she had come, leaving a few amused stares from the other Vanguard leaders.
"Well if she says is true and I am keen in believing it, welcome to the Tower Guardian." A large Awoken male in decorated armor addressed him from across the room. "I am Commander Zavala, head of the Vanguard for the Titans."
Seeing the ribbons and that combined with the rank forced an instinctual reaction and the man snapped to attention. His armored heels crashing together to produce a large cracking sound that surprised the Vanguard leaders as they exchanged looks.
"It seems that you are already familiar with military protocol, Guardian. It will be good to have another warrior of the Light who shows at least a little respect for their superiors." An Exo who had now approached him stated with some dry humor. "Name is Cayde-6, head of the Vanguard for the Hunters." He folded his arms as he leaned against the table.
"We hope that you are up to the task that will be laid on your shoulders." The woman spoke up again. "I am Ikora Rey, head of the Vanguard for the Warlocks. What is your name?" She waved offhandedly towards her Ghost who appeared to be trying to get her attention.
"I don't remember my name, things are hazy, but I am trying to remember." The large man let his helmet dematerialize and allowed his bald head to feel the crisp air that flowed in behind him. He reached up to rub his temples in frustration.
"Well, don't worry. It may take some time, but it seems you still have some memories." Ikora spoke up trying to comfort him. "Some Guardians don't even remember their past lives, so you are counted among the lucky."
Commander Zavala reached over and tapped a few commands into a small pad. "But we have to assess your skills before we turn you loose. I just sent a message to the officer in charge at the barracks for new Guardians. You will report there and training will begin at 0600, so rest up tonight." The strong voice of the Commander made an impact on the new Guardian as he returned to attention. "Now get going, Guardian."
The voices of the Vanguard followed him out of the room and died down as the new recruit made his way through the Tower and towards where the barracks was located on the map his Ghost provided. It lead him towards a large building with a large plaza and a field beside it. Swallowing his nervousness he stepped up to the door and watched it open automatically.
A foyer is what greeted him and behind it sat an Exo Titan who flicked her green optics up to analyze him for a moment before nodding to the side.
"The compartments are that way for the males and you have some clothes provided for you at your rack. Pick any open one, since the clothes will fit anyone. Good luck." She added the last part as an afterthought and went back to her duties as a watch stander in what he would call a quarterdeck.
The compartment was at the end of the hallway and it was nearly full of dozing Humans and Awoken. Several Exo sat on their racks and seemed to be studying something with their Ghosts. What he noted gratefully was the silence. No one spoke, and it was nearly deafening and he enjoyed that. With this silence greeting him he approached a rack and let his Ghost pull his armor into storage before quickly changing into blue shorts and a tight grey shirt with the mark of the Vanguard on the left chest.
With one last look at the slumbering Guardians-in-training, he climbed into his rack and drifted back into sleep.
.
A sudden pounding was heard and it startled the slender Awoken Warlock from her studies. Nearly knocking over her desk lamp she glared through her glasses at the door. When the pounding resumed she marked the spot she was just reading with her finger and went to open the door. Ready to tear apart whomever was dumb enough to interrupt a Warlock during their study periods.
The door slid open to allow the short form of Joanna to push her way in without a word. The Warlock let out an indignant squawk as she was shoved aside by the other Awoken.
"What is the meaning of this, Jo?" She managed to finally get out.
"I need help. I need to think of a name, a good name for a big and strong individual." She seemed to be more musing to herself other than talking to her friend. "C'mon Archivia! Think!"
Archivia glared daggers before resetting her glasses. She opened her mouth to respond with something witty but closed her mouth before looking at the book in her hand. She paused as she opened it again and gazed at the words.
"Well anything else to describe him would help a lot, Jo." Archivia pointed out.
"He is a big Human, unhinged an Exo's jaw with one punch through the helmet. He also was apparently in the old Earth's Navy." Joanna, Jo, paced around and counted off the individual aspects with her fingers. "How about something that has to do with water? What do you have there?" She asked, finally noticing the book.
"This is a history book on the country of France and the surrounding areas." She commented as she browsed the contents. "How about this, an old word from the Normans, Ras, it means a strong sea current or wave. Well, something to that extent." She looked up at Jo questioningly.
"I like it, but no. It needs more spice. Something that pops, you know?" Jo was now standing next to Archivia. "How about this? It's another way to spell it and it makes him sound more like a tidal wave than a ripple that Ras would make him sound." She pointed to the word in question and looked up to her friend.
"Raz? That doesn't make it that much different."
"I like it. I'm going to call him Raz, I'll tell him the good news tomorrow." Jo skipped off and back out the door.
"May whatever God he prays to have mercy on his soul." Archivia commented before closing the book again with a resounding thud.
Post A/N: I hope you enjoyed it, Archivia belongs to RC927. So I now will be opening up my story to OC's, I will need at least two or three fire teams worth of Guardians. Plus alien OC's in this story. As always, please leave a review and let me know how I did. Keep on keepin' on everyone!