Thunder's Storm

Leaders of Armies

Thantalus Susanna and Alex were called up to the vanguard war table. Ikora met them at the door and quickly ushered them inside. What they saw was astonishing. There were humans running in and out and around binging information from terminals lining the walls. The table in the center held the usual, Shaxx and Zavala were discussing battle strategy while Cayde was inspecting scouting reports from some hostile area.
The most unusual characters in there were who the speaker was talking to. Sitting around a round table in three large chairs(plus the speakers) was the Fallen Kell Draksis and a human wearing a strange armor. Thantalus didn't know what to make of this.
Alex went straight to Cayde and Susanna stayed close to Thantalus as Ikora ushered them toward the table were the speaker and his two guests were.
"Thantalus, the Speaker wants you to listen in on the conversation." Ikora had a meandering expression as she quickly returned to study her books on the Hive.

"Ok, then."
He turned toward Susanna and she nodded  in approval to Thantalus. He walked up to the table and took a place standing next to the speaker. The speaker looked up at him and tilted his head.
"Ah, Thantalus, you are finally here! These are two leaders I want you to meet. You will be working with them. First introduce yourself to Draksis, the Winter Kell..."

Draksis stood, Thantalus only stood to theassibe beings waist, his horns nearly reaching the roof. His deep red eyes looking at Thantalus with respect and a hint of disgust. Fallen hated talking to guardians. He spoke in a deep gravelly voice which a strange accent.
"Greetingss, ssir varlock, my people have sspoken many dangerss about you."

Thantalus was stunned for a moment before he spoke,
"They have?"

The Kell nodded,
"Yess, a varlock vho ssheathes him self vith thundar and lightnings, Guardians vere not our friendships, yet ve contain no choices. Oryx hass Taken many of our varriors."
The Kell sat back on his chair, a defeated look spread across his face.

Thantalus was taken aback by some of this, he has never before heard a Fallen speak anything but their own language willingly, and never seem one side with the Guardians by any means. He pushed that to the back of his mind though as the human sitting stood.

The man was just as big as Shaxx and. Thantalus noticed the similar armor plating, and design. He had a dark beard that went don't a few inches long and short dark hair. His piercing yellow eyes made all his other facial features unimportant. They contained a deep sadness yet a resilience that could kill a thousand men.

"I am Dreakon, commander of the regular human forces in this system."

Thantalus was confused... Shaxx normally commanded the regular forces in the city.
"I thought Shaxx..."
The speaker interrupted him.

"There are other sanctuaries in our solar system Thantalus, they don't have any Guardians so we never knew much about them. We simply trade weapons and armor to them in return for information."

Dreakon nodded,
"Yes and after this next battle I hope there are many more opportunities to come! I can contribute tanks and a few cargo ships for the battle. And we will be ready." 
The speaker nodded in approval.

"Thantalus, you are dismissed for now, I want to tell you singing before you leave. You and your fire team will be commanding a mixed squadron of the Kells Fallen, and Dreacon's soldiers. Their lives will be in your hands, their leaders have agreed to trust you with the lives of their men, don't fail them."

"Yes sir!"

Thantalus turned and walked out of the war room with Susanna close behind him, Alex chose to stay and speak with Cayde about a few things. Susanna was amazed, this was a momentous time in history for the city, to make peace with one of the Fallen Houses and unite humanity under one banner. This was almost unheard of. As she and Thantalus exited the tower they walked along the plaza. She reached out and held his hand. Thantalus was deep in thought and didn't pull away from her.
They stopped as they noticed that on a secluded part of the Tower Fallen were camped out.
They were unarmed and talking to each other in their guttural language they fell silent and looked at the two guardians holding hands and watching them. One of the Dregs slowly made his way over to them, he reached out to touch Thantalus' cloak and he pulled back, not allowing the creature to touch him. The Dreg cowered for a moment,

"Dreg... No... See ... Human before.... Curious." The Dreg didn't know a lot of their language yet it seemed that he was extremely interested. Susanna knelt down in front of the Dreg letting him touch her brunette hair. She reached out and touched the young creatures face.

About that time a vandal came and grabbed the Dreg by the collar of its suit and drug it back to the camp. Susanna turned back to Thantalus to stop him but he stood there with a grim expression on his face. He knew this was the way it had to be, Fallen had their own form of hierarchy, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. The young Dreg howled in protest but the vandal kept dragging him back barking orders in the gravelly tongue they call a language.

Susanna stood by Thantalus,
"I wonder why they have to be that way?" She asked.
He saw the hint of worry in her eyes.
"It just has to be that way, that's the way they were born, and it's likely never to change."

She grabbed his had and started walking to the ship hangar,
"Well we have a long day ahead of us, we better get our gear and ships ready then get some sleep! You never know what we are going to face!"
Thantalus looked her in the eyes and smiled.

It was indeed a good night before the hellacious dawn.