Destiny: Tenebrific

New Territory

The next morning I awoke to a loud banging on my door. Troy was yelling at me to get up and get ready. So I suited up, strapped a few guns to my back and was ready to go. Vice mentioned that us organics would need sustenance before our long journey, and Troy handed me some dehydrated meats, a glass bottle filled with water, and dried fruits. I muttered a thank you as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

Our ghosts took us into our ships, and Troy set the destitnation. I had no idea where we were going, or even what to expect. So in between bites of dehydrated meet, I asked several questions about our journey for the day and Troy answered while chewing his food as well.

"We're heading back to Earth for a scouting mission. So... we'll face the Fallen again. Not the worst of the darkness we've seen." Troy said as he was finishing up his breakfast.

"Indeed, we have seen some terrible things. This will be a relatively short mission, and we will make sure to watch your back" Vice added.

It was nice to have two new friends to help me out on missions. I wouldn't know what to do without them otherwise. I leaned back in my chair as I went on to consume the dried fruit. It was delicious and I had no idea I loved berries so much. I was about to voice this aloud when Ghost spoke up about nearing our destination and I shoved the wrappings from my meal aside. I wiped my face off and then slid my helmet into place.

The ship dropped us off on a ridge, in a place called the Steppes. Troy and Vice mentioned my ship not having a strong enough warp drive to travel to other planets. So our job was to locate one. I guess scouting missions for parts were quite common among the guardians, and this was nothing new to Troy and Vice.

Once we disembarked from our ships we were greeted with some Fallen patrols. Vice and Troy took them out with a few clean shots as I watched in awe. They had been friends for so long that a coordinated attack was effortless. I was no match for their skill and precision. But I followed as they beckoned me on, and continued to shoot down Fallen soldiers as they kept us from finding the warp drive. Once we stepped over a ridge and found a downed ship, the ghosts began scanning the ship for any sign of warp drive. There was none, but there traces of Fallen DNA where the drive had once been. Troy cursed, but Vice remained calm. I was nervous and jumpy. It was so alien. All of it!

Once the Ghost gave us directions to where he located the warp drive, we were off. Troy shot a Fallen and as it fell, it dropped a pretty nice sniper rifle. He smiled and tossed it in my direction. I caught the gun and inspected it. The Ghost told me it was called an Icebreaker and gave me the statistics on the device. I was highly impressed.

"Why are you giving me such a great weapon?" I called out to him as we raced up a hill.

"You need it more than I do! Plus, I already have one." He laughed in response as he took off the head of another enemy.

I equipped the sniper rifle and took to hiding in the back behind Troy and Vice. I took out three fallen who were trying to snipe us. Vice and Troy gave me the thumbs up and I moved forward. It seemed as if the more time I spent on this mission with them, the more I understood about their fighting cooperation and style. I understood what they meant when they signaled a hang back, or a move forward. I felt a part of the team.

Once we reached the inside of a compound where the drive was located, the Ghost picked up on a bunch of Fallen just beyond a doorway. It was as if the Fallen were waiting for us. It was a trap and more Fallen surrounded us as we went in. The situation seemed dire, but we weren't giving up without a fight.

We scattered, took cover, and started to take out the Fallen one-by-one. Once we were down to the last few enemies, a large rumbling shook the ground of the compound. I gripped the metal plate I was hiding behind and exchanged a look of horror with Troy. For the mechanical features of his face Vice seemed concerned as well.