Beneath Infinity

Moving Forward

Commander Zavala stood on a raised platform at the far end of the Hall of Guardians, overlooking a bobbing sea of faces. The spacious room was packed; Guardians huddled together, crushed like armour-plated sardines in a tin. Some sat on tables and leaned on monitors, irritating a number of the frames trying to complete various maintenance tasks. A general commotion filled the room as the attendees patiently waited for Zavala to begin. The meeting had been hastily organised by the Vanguard after the report of the unusual Vex movement came from the Guardians returning from the Shattered Coast. They had called everybody available, it was obviously something important.

Zavala cleared his voice, posture tall and proud, his white armour glinting in afternoon light streaming through the vast bay windows.

"Some of you already know what I am about to say. I am here to put rumours to rest, and to give some bad news to you all."

This sent a wave of hushed muttering through the ranks. Jacob was huddled in the corner of the room with the rest of the Shattered Coast Guardians, not having made it out of the hall since their report. They were the only group, it seemed, who remained deadly silent.

Zavala continued:

"There has been a report, presented to the Vanguard only a few hours ago, of odd Vex troop movement along the Maat Scars on Venus, near the Shattered Coast Crucible grounds."

More whispering, frantic this time.

"This is not like the Vex, as most of you will know. They use warp gates to move around; they never transfer troops over ground. This would have been simply something to watch out for on your next trip to Venus, Guardians, but I'm afraid it has come too coincidentally soon to another report."

Zavala bowed his head, formulating the words he was going to use. He had always hated speaking in front of the Guardians - he would have preferred to wrestle a Cabal soldier bare-fisted than stand here - but they needed to know what had happened and he was their commander.

"Just over a week ago, on the rim of the Ocean of Storms on Luna..." He paused, sighed, and continued, "...three Guardians were attacked and killed by an unknown entity."

Open mouths and grim stares were what Zavala was subjected to immediately after his own mouth had closed. Gasps and muttering ensued, but they did not continue as the Guardians yearned intently for more information.

"Which Guardians?" Said the Titan from the Shattered Coast, his voice rough as gravel and his face like stone.

"George Bosthon, Aerel Malibushian, and Lupa Leverett."

Now the Grief began. Friends of those who had died burst into tears, others looked dumbfounded, though most simply shook their heads in disbelief. Members of the Valiant Guard of Titans, including the Shattered Coast Titan, pressed their three fingers to their foreheads in a mark of respect for the fallen Guardians. After the grief came the anger.

"Why didn't we know about this sooner?"

"You have no right to hold out information like that!"

Jacob could feel a number of the Guardians around him sobbing, their shivers reverberating through the lines of bodies. Ghali had her arm around a Hunter, dressed in only her underplating, allowing the woman to weep into her shoulder. Tears of her own rolled down her cheeks. The sullen atmosphere of the room made Jacob want to cry himself. The obvious kinship the Guardians felt for one another was inspiring, and their collected grief was obscenely powerful.

Zavala raised his arms, silencing the crowd instantly.

"The information was held due to the method of their deaths. They were killed by a Hive abomination, something brutally and unbelievably powerful. It is like nothing we have ever faced before and it would not have done for many of you disappear in hot pursuit of it before we know what we were dealing with. We uncovered all information I have given you so far because the three Ghosts of George, Aerel, and Lupa somehow made it back to their ship."