You've Got Time ( a Destiny Story)

A Life You Will Remember

He said, "One day, you'll leave this world behind
So live a life you will remember."
My father told me when I was just a child,
"These are the nights that never die."

The Nights - Avicii

-

It was a happy sight. Three Hunters sat around a small fire with their backs against a boulder. The night air was cool and mellow and carried the barest hint of salt from the nearby sea. The flames cast a small pool of cozy light and warmth on the barren rocks. Glasses and bottles clinked and the barest hints of laughter rippled out from their protective nook. A fourth Hunter, swathed in a yellow-orange cloak, sat lookout on top of their boulder. He studied their surroundings through the scope of a gun nearly as long as he was tall. Occasionally he would shift, scanning the horizon in slow, steady sweeps.

It was a classic pre-mission party for the four. Their ultimate goal relied on stealth, so instead of dropping by on jumpship, they'd have to ride in a few hours by Sparrow. The loot (a massive stash of Fallen tech and supplies, in an unexplored Golden Age research lab to boot) promised to be more than worth their efforts. So tonight, with Shiro keeping watch in case a Fallen nest they'd kicked earlier proved trouble, they decided to get pleasantly drunk, tell stories, and take bets on the next day's events. Every few minutes, Shiro would softly call down a suggestion of his own. If he killed more Vandals than Tevis, he'd win a pot of seven hundred glimmer and two shock blades scavenged from a House of Kings Captain. Cayde bet Shiro that something would attack their position before the night was up. Andal bet that it would rain. At this point, nobody was stupid enough to take that one, except for Cayde.

It was a good time. The four were pack, and all things were settled between them. There was only so much you could go through with a person before you learned them well, the jagged edges smoothed over until you fit together like gears in a watch. This group was no exception. Telling the story of everything that had happened between them would take months. There were precious few secrets to darken their bonds. Hurting one would surely bring the righteous retribution of the other three. They rode and fought and worked like a well-oiled machine, a complex dance learned from years upon decades of dedication.

So tonight wasn't particularly exceptionable, as far as nights went. Tomorrow was a high-stakes grab, but they weren't raiding hive tunnels or trying the Vault of Glass. In truth, some of them would later recount the night as 'almost boring', up to the point Shiro cocked his sidearm and let out a soft 'heads up' whistle.

All talk died, except for Cayde's triumphant demand that Shiro hand over the glimmer for losing their bet. The lookout slid from his perch, shaking his head. He crouched to conceal himself behind the rock and murmured just loud enough to be heard over the fire. "I'm not so sure anything is 'attacking', Cayde. It's a Human. Running right for us."

Andal Brask leaned forward. His voice was slurred from the alcohol, his face glowing with a telltale flush, but his eyes were still sharp. "A lone Human, all the way out here? We're smack-dab in the middle of Fallentown. It's gotta be a Guardian. Did you see a Ghost?"

Shiro shook his head again. "I didn't see one, but they're going fast and headed this wa-"

He was interrupted by a clatter and thud as the stranger attempted to vault the rock, failed miserably, and nearly landed in the fire. She scrambled off of her hands and knees to find three guns and a rather impressive knife pointed in her direction.

There was a beat of silence while they took each other in. On one side, four veteran Hunters, weapons cocked and in hand. Two Exos and two Humans, in various states of inebriation. The blue one on the right stole a sip of his drink, gun never wavering a centimeter.