A Tour of Earth 2 - 03

A few months after the Warp, as it was being called where the second planet Earth popped into existence, a group of combatants including a couple of Spectres, were invited to go on some strikes with Guardians. This became known as the call of the Guardians, not necessarily a challenge, but an invitation for people to test their abilities. There were ample targets as Admiral Hackett and his 5th Fleet had taken up residence around the second Earth.

They had been scanning the planet for days, searching for enemies and they had found plenty. Many even tried to escape, headed for other planets, but none could make it past the 5th fleet. The technology of the Fallen and Cabal was more advanced but no one else had any capital ships, making them easy pickings for the 5th.

The agreement with the Citadel included that the first wave of people sent for ground-side operations would be a single squad of chosen elites. One from each of the four council races.

Kaiden Alenko, who was now being considered by the Council as a potential candidate for another Human Spectre in the wake of the loss of Commander Shepard, was the first choice for the Systems Alliance to join the call from the Guardians.

Jondum Bau was the Salarian Spectre who joined the Guardian's Call and was recognized by the council as one of the most effective Salarian Spectres in operation.

Spiras Vectarin was the only female Turian Spectre and she was in a perfect position to demonstrate her capabilities.

Tela Vasir was the first to join on behalf of the Asari, her interest had been peaked since the meeting on the Citadel.

Fireteam Starfall was the first to be chosen to escort the three to the Tower and then to lead them on some newly recorded Strike spots with a list of Bounties from Zavala.

Spectre Tela Vasir was sitting in a small Asari drop ship with Jondum Bau and Spiras Vectarin as they flew down to the Tower in the Last City. They had been watching the swarm of fighters, dropships, and small frigates that were floating in a massive donut-shape above the Traveler as a halo of sorts. It was like walking past guards that were waiting for you to make one wrong move so they could swarm you.

"That is quite a site isn't it?" Jondum Bau said while gesturing at the Traveler.

"Indeed," Tela said trying not to sound impressed. Her mask of serenity and cold indifference had served her well throughout her life, but there was no telling how much the Salarian could pick up with his observational skills.

"I was reading the report on these species...the Fallen, that we will be fighting, they seem to have AI as well. This whole system has gone mad," Jondom commented, trying to draw a response out of Tela.

"Makes you wonder what they are thinking when you see the largest ship in the galaxy being controlled by a fucking AI," Tela said bitterly.

"I would love to see that thing in action though, how would it have fared against Sovereign? That would be something to see," Spiras Vectarin said.

Vasir scoffed.

"I hear there is nothing that can be done about it though. The ship has an unknown payload but used to be able to destabilize stars. Who knows what the defensive capabilities are after the AI took it over? I also read a report where the Vanguard claimed the hull is impervious to destruction, but I am not sure how that works," Jondom said, trying to push the Salarian curiosity trope.

"Well, whatever we find here, it will be surely different, I hear some of these Guardians still use swords despite being from the future," Spiras said.

"Oh they do, they had one on their back when they came to the Citadel. Bows and arrows too...unless it was just for show," Vasir said with derision.

"I was able to obtain information on this 'Light' that they wield, but it seems their powers can be somewhat abstract as well. Most Guardians choose a style or element that suits them or it is chosen for them somehow, but they have a few different ways in which they utilize that power. I am curious what our teammates will have in terms of powers and how they compare to biotics," Jondom said.

"I read the report as well, but what interests me is this chosen one they have, the one they call THE Guardian," Vasir replied.

"Oh? The nameless Guardian on the team? Yes, she is much stronger than the rest...by a large margin, it would seem. The power levels are strange in that they are not actually quantifiable, instead just something all of the Guardians agree on. With all of that, the Guardian is universally heralded as the strongest and is held in high esteem. She is a legend of sorts because of her actions during the Red War alone. I read the data on that, some of it is...unbelievable," Jondom continued at a pace only a Salarian could maintain.

"Well apparently she can use multiple forms of the Light and the Guardians have all said it is supposed to be stronger than biotics according to the Alliance reports, but who can be sure until we see it in action," Vasir responded.

"We are approaching the hangar now." The Asari pilot said over the comm into the cabin.

"It seems it is time to meet our team of babysitters," Spiras said.

Vasir just sighed.

The ship landed and they exited into the Hanger on the Tower.

Waiting for them in all their glory were Fireteam Starfall and Kaiden Alenko.

"Welcome Spectre's Vasir, Bau, and Vectarin, I am Rico-77 but just call me Rico, this is Kessa and this is The Guardian. And the Systems Alliance representative over here is Staff Commander Kaiden Alenko."

Jondom Bau stepped forward first to offer his hand as Tela stared at the only Guardian wearing a helmet. Before he could however the Ghost at Rico's shoulder spoke, "And I am Sam, Mr. Forgetful's Ghost here, and the other two are Adam and Ghost."

"Uh yeah, sorry Sam," Rico said sheepishly.

"Hmpf!"

"I am Spiras Vectarin, but please call me Spiras, good to meet you all," Spiras said calmly, she had a medium-weight set of armor with black metal plates over brown robes and silver trim on it all. There was a large black sniper rifle on her back and a Carnifex pistol on her hip.

"Jondom Bau, Bau is fine for me, good to meet you all as well," Bau had black and orange armor that was very tight but could be considered medium armor as well. Jondom Bau asked the Ghost, "If all Ghosts are called Ghosts? Why are you named Ghost then?"

"Well I have not been given a name, and I am fine with this one. Not all Guardians speak and mine does not, therefore she cannot give me a name," The Ghost didn't seem sad, but his voice was soft.

"Why don't you speak?" Tela Vasir asked the Guardian aggressively.

Rico interrupted while the Guardian's helmet just looked at her, no emotion or body language could be seen as she was still as a statue.

"Don't worry about her, she is who she is okay? Just call her Guardian and her ghost, Ghost," Rico said not allowing the conflict.

Kessa then spoke, "Look it's a hard subject for some people just let it be okay? Becoming a Guardian is not an easy process." she had her hood up as it was snowing, but her helmet was off, and her braid stuck out from the depths of her hood. The longer they looked at her they could also see that the glowing lines of light traced her face and down her neck, were constantly moving.

"Alright, I meant no offense," Jondom Bau said, "Just curious is all."

Kessa just shrugged but still had a slight smirk on her face.

"Well, it is also nice to meet you Spectres, I have heard a lot about you both, but forgive me Spiras I haven't heard of you," Kaiden Alenko said trying to break the tension.

"Hmmm yes, well I usually work in Terminus System and putting down Batarian Slavers, so if you haven't been out there you probably wouldn't have heard of me," Spiras said with some amusement in her voice. "You ran with Shephard though?"

"I was, it was...it is a hard loss," Kaiden said. Tela remained silent.

Everyone in this conversation could sympathize.

"Well, let's give you guys a tour of the Tower, shall we? Then we can go do a Strike or Lost Sector or something. I know there are some good Bounties today." Rico said.

"Tell them about the Dawning... we also made those plans," Kessa stage whispered in Rico's ear.

"Oh yeah, also it is currently a holiday for the Last City that we call the Dawning, we will celebrate that before we go out on a mission, cause...well we got you guys gifts! So, let's go take a tour first," Rico said with enthusiasm as he lead them out of the busy hangar where many people had what seemed like more permanent setups out of their ships than just a temporary hangar would allow.

The Asari drop ship that had the three Spectres on it was parked in the large hangar in spot 03 next to Saint-14's ship. As they walked from their ship they drew the attention of the Legendary Titan.

"VHat do ve have here, Guardians? Are these new recruits!? Hah, they vill not survive," Saint-14 said punctuating it by pointing at the three Spectres, as the pilot remained with the ship. The massive Exo had a single verticle line of purple running down the face of his helmet, with a large vertical plume on top. He had huge armor and was the largest human most had ever seen. He also sounded crazy.

"Uhh, is he talking about us?" Spiras asked. Saint-14 however started feeding pigeons.

"Yeah, that's Saint-14, he's a legend, don't make eye contact. Let's just move on," Kessa said.

"Right, well, just over here, this is Amanda Holliday, Chief Shipwright," Rico said.

"What can Holliday do for ya!?" The short blonde-haired lady asked with a country accent.

"She's an incredible pilot and a badass mechanic," Kessa commented.

"That's right, you send me some ships that don't fly, and I'll change that," she said with a smile before immediately going back to working on a small fighter jet of sorts.

The group walked on towards the main courtyard and was stopped before they left the hangar.

"Well look at this! We have a wonderful group of exotic beings here, I sure hope you are here to enjoy the Dawning." An extremely happy and helpful-sounding synthetic voice came from a large blue circular machine with a spinning yellow core. The Happy voice then turned sarcastic and very dour, "You guys are going to hate it."

"Oh shit...Yeah, this is Failsafe...she's...well she's her own person," Kessa said with a wince.

"I am hurt Kessa, we were such great friends. It would be horrible if you died in a firey accident, I would never wish that on anyone!" In that same happy voice, Failsafe replied, then changed once again to sarcastic, "I didn't wish it on my crew either, and look at them now."

"What is this? The mood swings are responsive to the situation, this is an AI," Jonom Bau said as Tela narrowed her eyes at it. Spiras just looked on interested.

"OH NO! They are racist against AIs!" Failsafe began in a positive sarcastic voice only to flip it again, "Could have seen that coming."

"Uhh, don't worry, she was lost on a planet for hundreds of years after her crew was...lost, we brought her back here as a survivor. She helps by working this computer over here where Guardians can make weapons based on her designs," Rico Explained nervously.

"If I had feelings, they would be hurt, once again!" Failsafe's voice turned to anguish, "Ugh, they ripped my heart out you know."

The Guardian just walked up and patted her panel then walked away.

"Good to see you as well Guardian!" Failsafe said, "Too bad you left the rest of my body to the Vex."

"We should move on, see you later Failsafe!" Rico said before leading people on.

"Goodbye Rico, goodbye racist aliens!" "It's not like I can go anywhere..."

Kessa winced again and looked to the three Council Spectres who were looking at each other with horrified expressions. While Kaiden laughed a bit.

"Well anyways, everything is decorated right now for the festival, so yeah, it's quite festive at the Tower right now and there is also snow here and there so watch your step!" Rico said.

Passing Failsafe they walked past a group of Guardians, in full plate mail and armor dancing in various ridiculous routines. It was strange because there was no music playing.

"Uhh, don't mind them, we Guardians like to dance and stuff...they will draw you in if they can," Rico warned, trying to push the guests onward.

"Are they listening to the music in their helmets?" Bau asked.

"Yeah, probably," Kessa said.

They made it to an open courtyard with a massive glowing white tree which was blueish white with yellow lights on the trunk and branches. The leaves were hanging and looked to be almost vine-like things that were also glowing blue. It was a beautiful scene.

Below the tree was a small tent with a carpet and an old lady smiling at the group. Hundreds of Guardians in amazing armor were walking everywhere, all silently speaking with each other while still gesturing. Others were actually dancing...like full-on dancing as if nothing else mattered. The music was soft but they could hear it.

"Hello, dears! I have cookies for you! Baking is good for the soul after all! Don't you think?"

"This is Eva Levante, someone who brings holidays and traditions from the Last City and involves the Guardians, as it is important to connect with those who we protect," Rico said with some amusement in his tone.

"That's right dear! And we are all so thankful! Please have a cookie!"

Even Tela noticed as the Guardian grabbed a cookie with some excitement and made it disappear like putting it into an inventory.

They walked from there to Zavala's perch to be welcomed by the Commander. After spending some time speaking with him, it was then time for some bounties.

"Well Guardians and Spectres, I have a few bounties for you to ease into this. But maybe also try some Lost Sectors or something," Zavala said.

"Thank Zavala, we will take off ASAP!" Rico said.

"There is plenty of room on our ship so we can celebrate the Dawning really fast before the mission. Let's go get on board now," Rico continued as he talked to the guests.

Ghost brought around the M3-D1 Valkyrie for Fireteam Starfall and they waited as it flew in.

"This ship was an emergency response vehicle back in the day. Holiday, with the help of the Black Armory, refit this ship perfectly for the Guardian. We share it now since it has enough room for us." Kessa explained to Bau.

"And it is spaceworthy?"

"Oh yeah! Might not survive a jump through your Mass Effect Relays, but she can make it anywhere we have needed to go," She explained.

"I see."

"Prepare for Transmatt," Ghost said, but didn't give them time to do so before all 7 were turned into Light and put onto the ship.

"What is that? A large cylinder, taking most of the space in a small room. Cryogenic chamber perhaps? No, ship not suited for long-distance travel..." Bau was speaking out loud when Kessa took pity on him.

She pulled her hood back revealing her beautiful face, "This is our Zero-G bed, that the three of us sleep in. It is heavenly."

"You guys share a bed?" Kaiden asked confused, then upon noticing the devilish smirk on her face he blushed.

"Well yeah, we are a close Fireteam after all," Rico said, and when he said that both Kessa and the Guardian turned to look at him sharply.

"I mean we are in a relationship as well," Rico said sheepishly with his hands raised.

"Hmm, I am surprised you have the parts to make that happen," Tela said while looking at Rico.

But it was Kessa that answered, "Oh he has the parts alright...it's amazing."

After the casual banter, the Spectres began to look around the room, there was a wall with what seemed to be just helmets...all different and some very out there in design. Looking to the other wall were just swords and bows...like some middle ages armory on Earth, except the weapons all looked futuristic...and deadly.

"Thank you, Kessa...anyways we thought we would celebrate the Dawning with you guys and so we have some gifts to give," Rico said.

"Now, each of us picked out a couple of things for each of you, I drew you Tela, so here you got the first gift," Kessa said and handed Tela a box that looked like it could contain a handgun.

Tela raised what could be considered her eyebrow, "Thank you..." she said slowly, then she opened the box. Her eyes widened at the hand cannon there. Kessa continued, "That hand cannon is called True Prophecy, it does more damage for the opening shot of each clip, and it has Rampage, which if you kill one enemy with it you gain a stack up to 3 stacks of increasing damage. This is a diminished effect as none of you can use the Light. The weapons we chose have been essentially made easier to use so you don't injure yourselves," She shrugged at their scowls.

"This is...an amazing weapon," Tela said, nearly breathless as she inspected the weapon. "Thank you."

"Yup, now what type of weapon do you use as your main?" Rico asked.

"I prefer an assault rifle or something with a 3-round burst," Tela said as she dropped the Carnifex into the box while placing True Prophecy on her hip.

"Hmmm okay, let's try this then, Gridskipper with Multikill-Clip and One for All. Here you go," Kessa says as she handed over Gridskipper with ammo for both weapons.

"These are both amazing weapons!" Tela said astonished as she looked over the Gridskipper. "They don't use heat sinks though?"

"Nope, we have a bunch of ammo, but no heat sinks," Kessa replied. These people are not guardians and could not use the weapons to their full potential. But that being said they would still be stronger than their Mass Effect-based weapons.

"Alrighty, I got you Bau, so here this is The Seventh Seraph Officer Revolver with Vorpal Weapon and Multikill-Clip. And what type of main weapon do you use?" Rico asked.

"If I have this amazing hand cannon, then perhaps a submachine gun would do?" Bau replied.

Rico smiled and pulled out an SMG, "This is the Death Adder, a solar-type weapon with Kill Clip."

"What does Kill Clip mean?" Bau asked.

"After you reload, the damage from the weapon is increased for a short while," Rico said and Bau nodded curious as to how that could work.

Silently the Guardian walked up to Spiras and Kaiden, handing a Wardens Law Hand Cannon to Spiras and a Dire Promise for Alenko. Then her Ghost manifested, "So the Wardens Law is a good all-around hand cannon with excellent stopping power for you Spiras. The Dire Promise can help give a boost to movement and it has aim-assist as well for you Kaidan. What are your preferred main weapons?"

"Sniper" Spiras said while Kaiden said "Assault Rifle." Still holding the fancy boxes that held the weapons.

The Guardian nodded, and even Spiras was surprised to get such a response from her.

The Guardian then handed Kaidan a black and gold box, "This is called The Summoner, and it has some of the best rolls out there with Zen Moment and Rampage. Zen Moment improves recoil control, and Rampage is that stacking damage buff we talked about earlier," Ghost said while a wide-eyed Kaiden looked over the weapon.

The Guardian then turned and looked at Spiras as if gauging what weapon she should give her. She then pulled out a sniper with no case, which made her Ghost gasp, "Fine choice Guardian, this is the FUGUE-55, a SUROS Void Energy sniper. This one has Vorpal weapon on it, making it great for taking down stronger enemies."

"I guess I have to retire my Black Widow for this thing then. I haven't seen weapons like these before," Spiras said.

"Yeah, well, that sniper is the real deal. The overpowered shot can drop some serious enemies." Kessa said reverently.

"Alrighty, well we were also going to celebrate our Dawning as we haven't given each other gifts yet either. But just hang out for a second and we will get ready to go," Rico said.

"As our hunter, and the scout of the group it's only fair that I give my gifts first," Kessa said.

She then handed two boxes, one to Kira and one to Rico. And also opened one herself?

Rico gestured for Kira to open hers first...Her Ghost commented on it, "Oh wow...is that the remade Hawkmoon?"

Kessa replied, "This is a completely redesigned upgrade of it. The Paracausal Shots increase the damage of the last round in the magazine, the more headshot kills, the more damage the final round does."

"Incredible," Ghost said, tone matching the Guardian's reverent posture.

"It doesn't have to replace your Sunshot, but it's a backup in case you ever want to take a break with it," Kessa said. To everyone's surprise, the Guardian went forward and hugged Kessa who just chuckled, "I knew you would love it." It was the most emotion The Guardian had shown so far.

Rico then opened his box and found Eriana's Vow, a hand cannon that acts like a sniper with special ammo. "Holy shit Kes, you knew I wanted this huh!?"

Kessa just smiled and pulled her box out, "Yup, Sam told me what you wanted and I got myself a little something too!" She pulled the Ace of Spades out of the weapon box on her lap.

Sam manifested over Rico's shoulder, "Great teamwork Kes! I see you finally found all of Cayde-6's stashes?"

"You know I did!"

"Oh wow, that is Cayde's weapon? How did you get it?" Ghost asked as he examined Kessa's weapon.

"Hehehe, it isn't his actual one, but he had said he left the blueprints lying around in one of his weird caches. Anyways, I found the prints and made one for myself," Kessa said proudly.

"You got yourself a gift on the Dawning?" Kaiden asked. It was obvious the Alliance representative was learning a lot about the guardians right now, but Kaiden's curiosity peaked enough to ask.

"Well, you are supposed to treat yourself on the Dawning, duh!" Kessa said playfully.

"I guess that makes it my turn then," Rico said.

He then pulled 3 longer weapons boxes out and handed one to Kira and the other to Kessa while keeping the third.

"Whoah! The Found Verdict! I wanted this so bad!" Kessa said excitedly as she loaded the weapon at an amazing pace before it disappeared into Light. She then jumped up and hugged Rico while he still had his box on his lap waiting for Kira to open hers.

Ghost scanned the white and black weapon with small amounts of turquoise light and...gas? coming off of it after Kira pulled the top of the case open.

"This is the Heritage, the Deep Stone Crypt shotgun...it seems Rico is quite familiar with the Guardian's favorite weapon set," Ghost said with an amused tone. The Guardian had taken a liking to the weapon set of the Deep Stone Crypt and already enjoyed using the hand cannon, Posterity.

Kira got up and hugged Rico, but did it quietly, "Do you like it?" Rico asked and got a nod in return.

Rico opened his and pulled a surprisingly simple shotgun out, "This is Gunnora's Axe, but it's a perfect energy weapon with Auto-loading holster and Voltshot. I can't wait to put it through its paces."

"Nice one Rico!" Sam said, her excitement palpable, and the rest of the Fireteam mirrored that.

"Well, it's time for the Guardians' gifts," Ghost said. Then Kira walked over to a cabinet under the workbench and pulled a small wrapped bundle that looked like it could be a sword or something and handed it to Kessa.

She opened it and also gasped. "YOU DID NOT GET ME QUICKFANG! AHHHH!" Kessa's delightful squeal of happiness was punctuated as she drew the weapon from the very nice cloth that held it.

"Oh my word, I didn't think I would get this, I have been trying for so long!" Kessa said before taking on a devious smirk, "My smile, is full of blades!" She said mimicking the description of the weapon.

If Kira's nod could be smug, it was. Kessa popped up and lifted the Guardian in a spinning hug, "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

Kira then grabbed a massive package that had been leaning back behind a gunlocker, if this was a sword it could be in Final Fantasy. Immediately Rico's blue glowing eyes seemed to widen. "NO way."

Sam, who was still floating over Rico's shoulder giggled.

"So, I take it you helped her Sam?" Rico asked.

"No comment! Open it!" Sam said with way too much excitement to not be a part of it.

Rico did and found the Lament. The Exotic chainsaw sword was held reverently in Rico's hands. "This...I can't believe it...They said we couldn't get it anymore...oh man I am so going to use this on our mission right now!"

"You actually plan to use swords? And bows?" Tela had finally found a way to clip her weapons to her armor as she stared at the guardians in disbelief.

"Psh, we could only use bows and swords and get more kills than all of you," Kessa said challengingly.

"Oh really?" Tela said.

"I too, would like to see that," Spiros said.

"This is crazy, you guys are going to fight with medieval weapons?" Kaiden asked incredulously.

"These are modern takes and each has its benefits, we will show you," Kessa said eyes struggling to leave Quickfang.

"As much as I want to use my Ace of Spades, I will use my Le Monarch and this Quickfang for our strike or whatever we do. My Monarch deals poison damage, it is amazing!" Kessa said smugly.

"Yeah, I have a bow as well, the Trinity Ghoul. The thing deals with chain lightning strikes from the arrows," Rico said with his new Lament on his back.

Now that most of the gifted weapons were stored, the Guardians then equipped their bows and swords. Kira was last to pull the sword she just got for herself for the Dawning.

"Holy shit, is that the Sola's Scar? Trying to replace your Black Talon finally?" Kessa said.

Kira shook her head violently.

"I am just playing," Kessa said with a laugh. They all knew how much Kira loves that Black Talon.

Ghost spoke up, "That would be a crazy thing, replacing the Black Talon. That being said the Guardian here has had her eye on this sword for a while. We did those Osiris Trials a while back and this is what she chose."

"Oh yeah, I remember that," Kessa said.

"What bow would you use then, Guardian?" Spiras, who after receiving the weapons from her, now felt that she might have a connection to at least interact with the so-called legendary warrior.

Kira casually put the Sola's Scar on her back, and a weapon manifested in her hands in a wave of light.

"The Guardian's favorite bow is this, the Wish-Ender. It is a magnificent weapon that she has a few different versions of. This is the original though. When aiming down the sights you can see enemies through walls and objects," Ghost explained.

"When drawn and released correctly, this bow can turn arrows into a perfectly straight shot that doesn't stop for a long time. It was made for a servant of a Forsaken Queen, and now our sweet Queen uses it," Kessa said while staring at The Guardian with a smirk.

The bow was beautiful, a pearlescent white with golden accents. It had an intricate carving on the inside surface, and as Kira drew it, there was a power gauge that filled with blue light as it was ready to be fired.

"That is a beautiful bow," Kaiden said.

"Well, we know what time it is..." Rico said.

"Time to try out our new weapons!" Kessa said excitedly.

"Ghost, let's go to the EDZ and hit up some Lost Sectors...that will be a good place to start," Rico said to Ghost who was more or less the pilot of this ship.

"On it."

The new squad showed up at the ruins of the EDZ and Rico led the 7 person squad off in a seemingly random direction. There were a few trees knocked down around this outcropping of rocks. An odd symbol with arches was painted on the rock they walked by. Rico led himself around and was getting ready to drop into a hole.

"I am surprised this place isn't clear by now," Kaiden said, "You said this is another settlement right?"

Rico nodded, "Yeah, honestly we just got some bounties about a decent series of squads of Fallen moving in again to recapture things. So this has probably been cleared before, but the Fallen are relentless. Might be they found something they like here."

"I see."

"Yeah, the actual reinforcements haven't started engaging things too far from the Last City anyways. We can just sweep through these squads with easy enough," Kessa explained as they readied to jump into the Lost Sector.

"Oh, you guys have jet packs or can stop yourselves from falling to your deaths right?" Sam asked over the party chat as Rico was about to drop down a hole.

"I can do fine, but I'm not sure about these three," Tela said.

"I have enough biotics to survive a decent fall," Kaiden said simply.

"Uhh, I don't know," Spiras said with a decent amount of skepticism.

"I will be fine," Jondom Bau said.

"Well, I can catch you as you fall," Tela said with a smirk as she jumped down the hole. The Guardians shrugged and followed. Tela did just that as Spiras leaped forward and landed cleanly into her biotic grasp.

"Alrighty, this is a Fallen Cave, but there shouldn't be too many of them. We will let you guys lead the way if you want to get some action with your new weapons and we will follow up. The second the boss shows though, make sure to target him. They usually have a crazy shield or can do different kinds of damage. Fallen also use drones so watch out for those, they also like to throw on invisibility and sneak up from behind," Rico said. "Any questions?"

"Uhh, nope. We got this," Alenko said.

To be fair they did kill things without too much trouble and only a bit of damage taken. It was obvious Tela was a powerhouse with biotics, she would use Biotic Charge and drop a Shockwave immediately after. Then start mowing people down with her new weapons. She had a strong barrier that refreshed every time she used her biotic charge.

Spiras on the other hand was using tech powers to dismantle the Fallen before picking them off with her new sniper. She even scored the last hit on the boss with a beautiful Vorpal round, right through the Fallen's eyes. She did get hit once in the forearm and had to switch to her new hand cannon to finish the Lost Sector off after she killed the boss.

Jondom Bau took some damage, one shot to a leg and the other a slice from a spear, but his spraying capabilities with an SMG were surprisingly controlled. He took down the entire sub-squad of Fallen scouts that had flanked in invisibility as they engaged the boss.

Alenko used his new rifle to mow his way through the crowd of Fallen, occasionally adding some basic biotic attacks like Pull or Throw to take them off balance. His pull was surprisingly effective against a swarm of bomb Shanks, the drones that the Fallen scrap together in hoards.

There was one Servitor, but Tela put a singularity and Flare combination on it, causing a Biotic explosion, while Spiras place a delicate bullet through the central eye. The machine was destroyed completely.

As they accessed the chest full of glimmer and shitty blue gear they also were working to apply Medigel to their injuries but stopped when the Guardian walked up and dropped a Well of Light. She gestured at the injured and they came into the circle only to be near instantly healed with a comforting warm light that somehow felt like a loving embrace. It was like the Guardian was comforting them as she healed them.

A unique effect of the Guardian that many have noticed in the past is that her Light always offers her emotional support when it touches you. She both heals and comforts empathetically. It is a thing of great honor to be healed by her, in the community of Guardians.

"That was unlike anything I have ever felt before," Alenko said as he moved his newly healed arm and armor. "It fixed my armor too? What the hell was that?"

"It was like being hugged by warm sunlight that heals me," Spiras said.

Jondom Bau looked at her curiously.

"What? It's true." Spiras defended.

"I agree, it is just surprising to have my thoughts come from another person...Please, Guardian, tell us how you healed us and fixed our armor?"

"Look, it's just a Warlock thing, usually each Warlock finds a subject and studies it relentlessly, and our little Warlock's passion is healing. She has been working on improving her healing rift through meditation and practice. At some point, she was able to imbue her emotions and love in it." When Kessa said love, the Guardian looked at her sharply in what Kessa knew was a narrow-eyed glare.

Kessa just laughed, "I know how you do it, little Warlock, and we all love you for it. I am right though, we can feel your love through your healing. You all just wait until you feel the Attunement of Grace, she slams a sword into the ground and you feel her...I don't know her 'righteous divine love' empower you. It is an amazing experience."

Kira shook her head and signaled Ghost to transmatt them all back to the ship.

"Okay, this next one is a Strike instead of a Lost Sector, on an old Cabal Commander turned arms dealer. This should be fun," Rico said as they appeared on the ship.

"Alrighty Guardians and Spectres, this-" Ghost was interrupted.

"I am not actually a Spectre," Kaiden said with his hand raised.

"Alright Guardians, Spectres, and Kaidens, this will be a Strike against a very powerful Cabal Commander. He will have at least a few hundred troops under him, probably 10-20 Elites, and maybe even some air support. We should let the Guardians lead this one, so you may see how they fight, and it is without a doubt something you need to see," Ghost finished.

Tela seemed skeptical, "I hear this Light you use is pretty dangerous...how does it compare to biotics?" Tela asked the Ghost.

"It seems as though biotics have a lower power threshold, they also do not react well to separate fields. When overlapped, it causes a cascading explosion that grows exponentially. Yet that explosion is still weaker than one of the Guardian's Nova Bombs, or even Ricos Thundercrash would be much more powerful than your Biotic abilities showcased today," the blunt response by the Ghost had Tela's smirk dropping to a confused frustration.

"Well then, let us not wait any longer...show us your power," Tela said with a bit of tension.

"Alrighty," Kessa said with a hidden smirk of her own.

The Guardians had casually fought their way through a few hallways at this Cabal base. They were just launching arrow after arrow as if to prove a point. Each doorway they passed through was massive and could fit a tank, but then they entered what appeared to be a storage yard with a few turreted towers looking down on them. The largest Cabal the Citadel forces had ever seen was standing on a raised platform as if looking over everything. There were hundreds of troops there waiting for the Guardians to engage.

"Eyes up Guardians, they have some drop ships also incoming," Ghost said in his usual serious battle tone.

"Fireteam Starfall...you know what to do!" Rico said. They stepped forward to the ledge as if challenging them all. Then Kessa dropped a smoke grenade and the guardians went invisible.

The four Citadel observers were staring in shock as from the sky the massive form of Rico once again appeared with Arc Light coursing around him. He floated in mid-air for a second as the power built up, then he flew forward with the speed of a meteor, impacting the huge Cabal Commander with the force and sound of thunder. The Cabal's shield exploded and he was sent flying back into a wall.

At the same time as the explosion hit everyone heard a metallic 'Schwing' as they looked up and saw the flame-wreathed form of the Guardian. She was holding a golden flaming sword of light into the air, she had wings of fire going nearly 20 feet out of her back and she looked like a goddess of fire and destruction.

Even Tela's eyes were wide with shock and awe as the Guardian began swinging the sword causing arcs of molten solar energy to slice through anything in their path: enemies, crates, walls, it didn't matter. Everything burned.

Then a purple arrow of Void Light came flying out of the shadows, and there was Kessa. She was hovering in the air shooting a bow made from the same Void Light that the arrows were made from. The arrow tethered the boss and everyone around him to a line of void light. She then threw a knife into the head of a Cabal that burst into void dust, before kicking another in the face.

Within 2 minutes, Fireteam Starfall had wiped out everything living or machine, in this large courtyard, and an entire division of these monstrosities called the Cabal was wiped from existence.

The four observers regarded them with their mouths open, as a drop-ship that was burning after having been cut in half, crashed behind them. They now knew the power of the Guardians.

Fireteam Starfall had become legendary among the Council Militaries as well as all of the guests to the Last City. They constantly had taken different squads of people from Asari Commandos, Alliance Spec Ops, Turian Infantry Squadrons, and more on strikes, raids, and lost sectors. It was hard to learn from the Guardians directly because they fought at a different pace, a different level entirely. But even seeing them in action was a thing to behold.

While a normal team, even one equipped with biotics, is going to look at the battlefield on a smaller scale than any Guardian. Their powers are just on different levels. Not to say that any of these teams of people couldn't hold their own, because they could. It's just that Guardians are a different story.

Fireteam Starfall had so many bounty clears that it became a running joke that everyone else was just picking up their scraps. This wasn't true, but it felt like that to many people. So they ended up taking a break for the first time and decided to go to the other Earth for some R&R.

"We are going to the Carribean...I want tropics, I want a fruity drink with umbrellas."

"Yeah Kessa, we will get you your fruity drinks, but we also need to find some good nightclubs! It is supposed to be weird to dance randomly in Earth society!" Rico said.

"Don't worry Rico! I have been looking for some great spots to kick it and dance!" Sam said enthused as always.

"Now we're talking!" Rico said and leaned over to Kira with an arm around her shoulder, "Come on, I know you are ready for some dancing!"

He felt Kira giggle silently behind her helmet and nod.

"Alright! I guess we all win then, thank you, Sam!" Kessa said.

And just like that the three Guardians had a vacation on a beautiful, non-war-torn Earth. It was hard to mix in because they either wore their full armor and stood out or just were an Exo and two Awoken that still stood out. They all agreed with The Guardian and left their armor on until they made it to the resort that their Ghosts had booked.

"Okay ladies, I have discovered an amazing thing! It will make your days amazing, I promise!" Rico said right when they entered their beautiful suite that overlooked the beach from a nice balcony. It had a huge jacuzzi tub, a large open shower, and a massive bed. Not zero-g, but still very comfortable. The resort was small and they only shared the beach with a few other couples, many of whom looked at the armored people strangely.

"Okay...and that is?" Kessa said with her eyebrow raised.

Rico then spawned things from his inventory. "Sundresses!" He had a purple one for Kessa that went down to about mid-thigh with a matching wide-brim sun hat in purple. For Kira, he had a light tan sun dress that went just past the knee in length and had a similar colored wide hat to keep the sun off her.

He also had a few pairs of expensive sunglasses that blocked the sun from their sensitive eyes.

"Whoah! It is so soft! Kira, let's get these on and go get a drink!" Kessa said as she immediately stripped in the middle of the room.

Kira just shook her head with a blush and a small smile for Rico. He knew he did well when she also put on her dress and hat. Followed by sunglasses. Her silver pearlescent hair went down to her shoulders and was perfectly straight, but it looked so amazing against her skin and the dress.

The three had truly become a family and it was when Rico could see the small smiles on her face that the feelings of belonging fully took over. Both Kessa and Kira were a part of him now, and vice-versa. Rico changed into some shorts and went to go buy his ladies some drinks. This was going to be a great vacation.

The Guardian never had time to reflect like this, to sit around at a beach and smell the amazing fresh air. Feel the soft sand on her feet or even wade out into the warm seawater. She could never remember anything about her last life.

Not a single whisp.

Until she began dying a lot at the end of the Red War. She had strange visions of her past. Nothing specifically clear, but one word, one sound. It made it through.

Kira.

In one of her deaths, she saw a small child with blue skin, wide and curious orange eyes with metallic silver hair. It wasn't her, but someone who looked just like her. A twin maybe?

The dream was too blurry to be sure, but the girl was either calling her Kira or saying she was Kira. Either way, it became the Guardian's name to those closest to her...Her Fireteam.