Greetings from Spain! I finally finished this latest chapter on the flight but had to wait until I had wifi to post it. The next chapters may come more slowly since I'll hav to settle in here. William isn't the only one going on new adventures anymore; wish me luck and enjoy reading! [u]Chapter Nine: A Name, a Door, and an Angry Russian[/u] Part One So while hanging around the Tower or flying out to complete some bounties with Drew and Sierra I've been trying some get-to-know games and asking them questions. I don't really know why I thought it would go well. Sierra doesn't want to participate at all and has only answered a few questions while Drew is always thinking of bashing in skulls. The few things they got to know about me either didn't interest them at all or confused them. On the bright side I actually have figured out more about them despite the failed attempts at friendly conversation. From the start Sierra has made it clear she's a bit quiet and introverted, but pretty bold and rash at the same time, usually taking to going in alone and fighting her own way. She hates sharing things about herself and doesn't play well with others; classic solo act. Drew isn't the brightest, but he's got amazing motivation and enthusiasm. Not much of a strategist, he tends to charge in and let his fists do the talking, his guns throw occasional comments into the "conversation". Good and friendly man, but one who will follow blindly. They picked up on my behavior rather quickly though, even Drew. My eagerness to learn more about them and excitement to be out in the field with them made my extrovertedness obvious, and my constant inquiries let them see my thirst for knowledge more evidently every day. Luckily they got used to all my questions and stopped getting annoyed with them, and I learned about the specific range of questions that Drew could answer. My free time was spent going through every book and file I could find in the Tower or my Ghost's databases. Naturally this lead to everyone I got to know thinking I was a Warlock, even if I still hadn't displayed any abilities yet. Ikora definitely enjoyed my company, though; answering any question I had for her during her free time with a delighted gleam in her eyes and helping me find the best selections to learn from. I felt at home. But it didn't feel right to be called Warlock; I have yet to understand why. We were on mission now. The Vanguard had sent a Guardian into the Shipyards to investigate an odd signal from the Fallen and we were assaulting the Mothyards, trying to keep the Fallen's attention on a larger group of Guardians. The Guardian had shut down the Fallen devices and was now tracing another signal into Skywatch; a different area of Skywatch than where we had battled the Hive. We moved uphill from the Mothyards, pushing to the Skywatch entrance opposite of the one the other Guardian entered. We would hold a short ways inside, keeping the Fallen and probably some Hive from using that path to get to our fellow Child of the Light. I was running analysis, looking at every scan and profile my Ghost put up for our current mission, keeping constant communication with the Vanguard, and making sure we used the proper approach and strategy to keep the Fallen back. After shooting through a few hallways and rooms we found ourselves in a room loaded with storage crates and computers; the room we had first fought the Hive in. We held there, knowing that the other Guardian was only a few small areas away but giving him some room so he could work. He was apparently one of those Guardians who preferred to be left to his own devices. That struck up a thought. "Jarod, pull up profiles on the Guardian we're covering," I requested. "That's not a good name, either," my Ghost sighed. I had been trying to come up with a name for him for the past few days, to no avail. Very few Guardians named their Ghosts-being in a fireteam with two named Ghosts like I am is a rare occurrence-but it felt wrong to leave him nameless like so many others. Unfortunately, he's rejected all of the names so far. "Found them," he said after a moment, putting up a couple more documents on my visor screen. While reading I stayed behind cover, occasionally firing to cripple any enemy that was starting to give Sierra and Drew a problem. Luckily they didn't mind how I usually kept back and played support, they knew I would do it well and that I would join them without hesitation when needed. Plus, I know how much the both of them like to fight. I reached the Guardian's mission files and my eyes locked on a particular date. "Guys," I spoke out on the coms, "The Guardian we're helping out here is the one who discovered the Hive on Earth." "Him again?" Sierra asked as she fired a few rounds into a Fallen Captain's face. "Yep, him again. Who is this guy?" I mused, wondering why he kept turning up. My Ghost spoke up, apparently he had read all the way through the reports already. "No recorded name; he's never told anyone what his name is. And..." My Ghost trailed off, but quickly picked up where he had stopped, "Interesting, he was revived on the same day as you, William." "He's the one Cayde mentioned," I concluded. "Now ain't that neat. You're like twins," Drew laughed over the sound of his shotgun. I should talk with this guy sometime, I thought to myself, Our paths keep crossing. Ikora's voice came in on the channel, ending our conversation. "Guardians, the mission is over. You can clear the area to the extent you see fit and leave," she instructed us. "Mission results?" I inquired. "We have stopped the Fallen from trying to hack into an old Warmind system. The Warmind Rasputin lives, but did not respond to our attempt at contact," Ikora finished and cut out of the channel. "A Warmind?" All three of our Ghosts exclaimed. "What's a Warmind? And Rasputin?" Drew asked. "Warminds were planetary defense networks created in the Golden Age," John began explaining. "They were all destroyed or shutdown in the Collapse by the forces of Darkness, wiping out most of our defensive capabilities," my Ghost continued. "Rasputin was the Warmind of Earth. He had control of every other Warmind system and was by far the most advanced Warmind AI," John finished. "So now that he's awake again we'll be able to put up a better fight, right?" Sierra asked as she threw a knife into a Vandal's neck. "Seeing how he didn't respond to the Vanguard, I think the odds of him helping us aren't very high," John answered, "Rasputin has been silent for centuries and is probably following one protocol or another that we're unaware of. He may not even be under the impression that he's supposed to defend us anymore." "As long as he's not attacking us," my Ghost mumbled. "No guarantees," I joked. "I'm just going to pretend you're aware of how many missiles he can fire at us if he wants to," my Ghost countered. "Quit it, ya scaredy cats," Sierra laughed, "Now are we gonna get outta here or what?" It was at that moment that someone joined our com channel. "Fireteam," Zavala's calm voice broke in, "Are you still positioned in Skywatch?" "Yeah we is!" Drew shouted, putting down a Dreg that had been either brave or dumb enough to step into the room. The Titan Vanguard carried on smoothly, clearly used to that kind of improper response. "We are sending back the Guardian who you were just covering on another mission. Since you are already there and this mission may need more firepower, we need you to go ahead with the mission and have him come in behind, ready to provide extra support if things go south or if you need someone to sneak around," Zavala instructed us. "Got it," I responded, "What exactly will this mission be?" "We plan to activate the Last Array," Zavala told us, "It is a satellite link to the networks of other planets that will allow us to open up communications with off-world Guardians and hopefully provide us with intel on enemy forces and the conditions of other planets in the system." I looked up at Sierra and Drew and they nodded to me. "We're up for it, Zavala," I verified. "Good, I'm sending details to your Ghosts. The other Guardian has yet to move back towards the surface from his orbit; I will fill him in once he starts moving," the Vanguard finished, then cut out of the channel. "Let's go," my Ghost said, putting up a waypoint on my visor screen. _____________________________ Link to ToC:https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/212710816/0/0 Link to Chpt 8 Pt 2:https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/212774039/0/0 Link to Chpt 9 Pt 2:https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/215289127/0/0