Destiny - On Wings of Fury IC

[Shalashaska]

The Tower
Hall of Guardians​

"With all due respect, Commander, I believe I speak for most when I say this is worth investigating." The sounds and whirrs could be heard as the Exo known as Saint-14 tilted his head ever so slightly to the side. Standing at the table of the Vanguard were 6 of the most skilled Guardians the City had ever known. Commander Osiris, Saint-14, the recently appointed Cayde-6 and the two 'apprentices' – Ikora Rey and Zavala.

"I have to agree with tin-head, here." Cayde spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. This was a surprise; while Cayde was usually the type to talk your ear off, he had been silent recently. Everyone knew why, though none directly addressed it. While Titans and Warlocks built effigies, memorials, funeral pyres and composed songs of those they lost, Hunters tended be more… Personal. When the news of Former Hunter Vanguard Andal Brask being murdered by Taniks the Scarred reached Cayde, he had been a flurry of emotion. From denial, to anger, to despair – the Exo further proved that there was indeed a soul in the machine.

Nevertheless, he had eventually fell silent, merely nodding or humming in response to questions he had been asked – this, was the first time he had spoken in days. "If what Ikora says is true – that there's a potential warmind on Venus that has the Vex antsy, then we should pursue it." He said, leaning forward against the table as he turned to face Commander Osiris, the Warlock Vanguard staring ahead at the star chart being projected in front of him.

Eventually, his arcane and serene gaze swept over the room. From the newly appointed Hunter Vanguard, to Saint-14 and his charge – the Crucible Champion and former pupil of Lord Saladin – Zavala, to his own apprentice Ikora Rey. The Speaker had taught Osiris time and time again to operate with logic and wisdom, and that many kings before the Golden Age had fallen due to ignoring their council.

"Very well." He spoke, his voice a whisper but carrying an unfathomable authority and power. "I shall leave this matter to you, Ikora. You have proven that your Hidden are of exceptional value, and taking charge now can prepare you for the future when you take your place at this table as a true member of the Vanguard." Osiris spoke as he stepped aside, motioning for Ikora to take his place.

"I must go see the Speaker before going to investigate an… Anomaly. I shall remain in touch. May the light of the Traveler guide us all." He said before he began to shine, the solar light engulfing his body until he was grossly radiant. Then, in an instant, he was gone.

"Yeah, and people say Hunters are show offs." Cayde quipped in response to the Commander's display of power while Saint-14 remained silent, the Exo's gaze focused squarely on the table. There was something wrong with Osiris. Something had changed in the man who he had once championed to be a member of the Vanguard, and the Exo had every intention of getting to the bottom of it.

---

Venus
Shores of Time​

Perched on a rock, nestled in an alcove overlooking the beautiful and lush scenery. Venus, unlike other planets, still had a raw and untouched beauty to it. While Mars was dreadfully orange and painfully dull, Earth was a mess with its bright spots scattered throughout and the moon was a desolate waste after The Great Disaster, Venus was still a planet of wonder. With fresh streams and grass, trees and leaves of every color painting the landscape, even amongst some of the ruined buildings, it still looked beautiful.

Yet, as the Vex stood around an old research facility of the Ishtar Collective, it was clear it wouldn't be that way for long. With bright spires of physical data littering the landscape, the Vex made their intentions very clear. They had every intention of doing to Venus what they did to Mercury – having already rendered one lush, garden planet as little more than a machine basking in the Sun's glare, it was clear they had the same plans for Venus.

Watching the Vex stand around, their machine frames jerking and jittering as they stood, their milky-white cores perfectly exposed, the Hunter could barely refrain from pulling the trigger. It bothered him, how these machines sought to erase life – how they could erase life and leave it hollow and cold. While he would love to wage a pointless one man war against them, he knew it wasn't his duty.

No, his duty was to observe them. Keep track of them and their movements. He found it peculiar – how even lifeless machines could be afraid. It was terribly obvious, in all honesty. The Vex merely moved around the building, sticking to a very specific radius as if they had mapped it out. And, whenever one of them strayed too far to the building, they were quickly shot down.

Looking down the scope of his rifle, the Hunter hummed a familiar yet alien song. He didn't know when or where he learned it, but when his ghost awoke him, it was the only thing in his mind. And it stuck with him through everything.

*Static*

"-Chh-Crr-C-Come in, Hex."

The sound of Ikora's voice being transmitted through his helmet right into ear ended the Hunter's song.

"Ikora." He replied, his voice low even as he hid himself almost half a mile away from the Vex.

"Return to The Tower. I've sent out a call to several Guardians who I believe can assist you in breaking the Vex lines to get into the facility. We need to know what's in there – we need to know if it's Gilgamesh."

"Affirmative." The Hunter stood and slung his rifle over his shoulder, his hand opening to reveal his ghost.

"Already preparing transmat to ship." The Ghost stated and in an instant they were gone in a flash of light.

---

Scanning…

Scanning…

Scanning…

List: Compiled.

Filtering.

Guardians Confirmed:

Hex. Rowe. Nero.Talavera.Utkarsh. Cassius.

Intiate: Operation Enkidu? Yes.

Beginning Guardian Recall.

---

In an instant, every Guardian was sent instructions to return to Tower, and if they were already present, to head to the Hall of Guardians to undertake a crucial task.[/hr][/hr]

 

[Cassius]

Cassius was in his ship, orbiting the earth when received his summons. He liked the peace and quiet that space gave him, allowing him to work without any distractings. The Awoken Warlock had just begun to write down his most recent findings on how the void can effect living thing when his ghost materialized next to him. "Sorry to interrupt but you have an urgent message from the Tower, more specifically from Ikora Rey."

"Ikora? She's in training to be the next Warlock Commander." Cassius put down his pencil and leaned back in his chair, spinning it around to face his ghost. "You know what this means Virgil?"

"That we're going on vacation?"

"Haha, no, it means that big things are happening, and we get to be a part of it. Play me the message."

Cassius received instructions to report to the Hall of Guardians immediately for a crucial task. He went to the helm of his ship and flew back to the Tower, transmatting down and walking calmly to the hall. "Void Walker Cassius, reporting for duty my lady." he said to Ikora, bowing politely as he did.

 

[Xam]

The Tower
Hall of Guardians
​

The rubble was still untouched since his last visit, not a single stone had been moved, it was almost miraculous how peaceful the scene would look without complete eradication of life that the area had been home to.

He averted his eyes before he fell too far into his memories, he was still only half in the current century when the message arrived.​

_
​

Utkarsh strode towards the Hall at a sedate pace. He'd already been loitering around Tower North, gazing below as he aimlessly passed the time, when he received the message. Something about a task of vital importance, from Ikora no less. Yawning as he entered the tower, the Warlock idly wondered what fresh hell he was about the encounter.

Well, at the least this time he hopefully wouldn't be saddled with kiddies that had egos bigger than their balls could support.​

 

[Cassius]

Cassius looked to see the mighty Utkarsh enter the hall. The sunsinger was known to many in the Warlock order as perhaps one of the most powerful defensive fighters they had to offer, or so Cassius had heard. He hadn't ever seen Utkarsh at work, though hopefully his presence here meant that was about to change. "Ah Utkarsh, I hadn't expected to see you here. What brings you to the hall this day?"

 

[Sir Salty]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Of all the places to be. What if someone sneaks up on us? What if someone tries to kill us? Trap us in here,"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"If they find us, it's because you're not being quiet," Rez mumbled, he was sitting atop a rock, legs crossed sitting Indian style. The cave felt the most relaxing place to meditate, though Proxy was quivering in his shell at current. There was only so much of his Ghost he could drown out. It seemed his Ghost had its own mind and willpower. And one of the habits it seemed to have was never stop worrying or talking. Rez kept his eyes closed. Trying to feel the void. See it with his mind. To push beyond his own boundaries and barriers meant to go deeper into the inner. To find the corruption.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Right you are, it's just I'm a little worried about the rock over there," Proxy continued staring at a stalagmite sticking up on the ground, with a rocky growth over its shaft, "Looks like a tiny creature is peering at us. Nope! Nope! Just a rock I was wrong."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Rez ignored him, controlling his breathing. Further, furthering away. Traveling into the inner mind. His synapses firing like wormholes used to cross galaxies. He could feel every neuron fire off, he could see their roadways. Each neuron like neural stars. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]His heart beginning to slow to a state of near death. His breathing controlled, low, shallow breaths. And his mind was his mind like the universe. He could feel the universe, he could feel the galaxies and the stars. He was going deeper into his own mind now. It felt like someone had washed a lot of weight off his shoulder.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]He had been seeking a vacation. Some peace from the fighting. Some peace from the talking. Through his own meditation he would explore the unknown. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Ah!" the scream of Proxy's shattered through even his own mental barrier. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"What is it?" Rez asked, though he sounded entirely too calm to nearly be in a panic the way Proxy was, though Rez was reaching for his gun he had laid on its side on top of the rock beside him. Then Proxy began to laugh.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Sorry, sorry, I turned around and saw my own reflection," Proxy responded.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Rez raised a brow slightly. True, he'd admit it. Proxy was an annoying Ghost to have around. It's personally was literally cowardice and yet, Rez had no choice, but to keep him around. And even if he was given a choice for a different Ghost, he would probably still keep Proxy. It's generally caution allowed him to be more aware of the environment.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The more afraid Proxy was, the more Rez raised his alarms. The less scared Proxy was and just falling on moronic, the less Rez was on guard. Then there were circumstances like this. Rez was a separate end to the other Warlocks in the tower. While he reasonably helped them, and reasonably helped those at the Tower. He sought growth.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Evolution. Rez could have been a teacher if he wanted to. He was once described by someone as a hermiting monk. Which was true. Rez chose to travel and find locations where he could meditate and focus on the inner problems of the universe. And to mess around with his own "chakra" if there was even such a name for it.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Oh," Proxy sounded surprised.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Oh?" Rez asked.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"We have been asked to return to the Tower. Now that….that sounds like a much safer idea," Proxy told him. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Rez shrugged. If they were being asked then he would go. It wasn't like he denied work. Or that he didn't want to work. Rez hopped off the rock and stuck out his hand. Looking at Proxy, "Time to go then."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Proxy didn't respond, for the first time in a while. But the two of them moved back to his ship. And he set his location towards the Tower. Must have been something important then to directly call them to come over. Rez put on his gear preparing himself for the delegations. He rarely showed his face outside of armor. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]And he wondered if he would be the only one there. Or if there would be others. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]**[/BCOLOR]
​

[BCOLOR=transparent]His answer came quickly when he saw the other Guardians beginning to gather. Rez narrowed his eyes, the likelihood of this being a serious affair had increased with their presence. He did not greet any of the others, he would wait for what they had to say to him. Before he'd reply. [/BCOLOR]

 

[Shalashaska]

[fieldbox=Gabriel 'Hex' Zaynesworth, red, solid, 10, Book Antiqua]

Eyes closed, Hex was silent as Star controlled the jumpship. The Hunter and Ghost had a particular relationship, wherein if anyone was to see them interact, you'd think neither even knew the other existed. Yet, the duo had complete and utter faith in one another, operating on the same wavelength to the point some had even hypothesized the two shared a psychic connection. Though, neither one of them would admit or deny it.

The sound of a ping made Hex open his eyes and they instinctively narrowed when he saw who the transmission was coming from. Well, wasn't he just Mr. Popular today? Without a word, Star opened the channel.

"Hex." Saladin's voice filled the interior of the ship and the Ghost instantly lowered the volume, though that didn't spare the creation of light from Hex's apathetic gaze.

"Lord Saladin." Hex spoke after a few seconds. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" He inquired, his gaze leaving from his Ghost as he looked out the window. Watching as the tower came into view, Hex could only wonder how long until the Tower - no, the City itself collapsed.

"You were part of Lord Felwinter's... Entourage, in the past, were you not?" Saladin inquired and Hex had to admit he was surprised. Out of all the things he'd expect the last living Iron Lord to ask him, it wasn't that.

"Yes. When I awoke Felwinter took me in. And then I got sent to the Vanguard after he joined you."

"He spoke very highly of you, and judging on your track record with the Vanguard, your performance confirms his praise. So, I have a request, Guardian."

"You're the Iron Lord, not me. If anything, I should be asking you for a favor."

"I'm afraid after the Outbreak, I need all the assistance I can get." Saladin explained. "I merely need you to scout out a section of New York - what remains of it, at least. I've had troubling reports of a former follower of Citan attempting to reclaim his former master's spot as a Warlord."

"I thought most Guardians were with the Vanguard?"

"Not all of them. Not enough of them. And it's even easier to manipulate a newly risen Guardian."

"I'll check it out." Hex said before the two said their parting words and Star docked the ship in the hangar before transmatting Hex out. Looking around, Hex's blank gaze scanned his surroundings before he let out a short sigh and pulled his hood over his head. While he didn't have his helmet on, he still preferred to keep the hood up. Kept the sun out of his eyes. It was strange, though - wearing the colors and banner of the Future War Cult on his back.

How did he even get caught up with them? He couldn't rightly remember, but he had opted to be one of their 'champions', as they insisted. They were vying to get a seat on the Consensus, so they needed Guardians backing them. Hex didn't necessarily mind that, but what he did mind was that meant he had to step into the Crucible. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as it was a good way to blow off steam, but it was pretty terrible when Zavala was on the other team.

The man was a monster among the competitors, sitting at the very top of the ladder. Frankly, Hex was going to be glad whenever the guy became the Titan Vanguard - because then Hex would stop dying from a punch to the face that broke his neck or a shotgun blast every 10 seconds.

Before he knew it, Hex had joined up with the ever growing group of Guardians standing in the Hall of Guardians.

Rez Nero. Utkarsh. Cassius.

He quickly identified them. Being a part of Ikora's ever growing information network meant he knew a lot of guardians even if they didn't know him. Still, he could only wonder if Ikora honestly expected him to break the Vex line with 3 Warlocks. In some ways, it offended him. Solely because he didn't want to be a Hunter being forced to work with 3 Warlocks by himself.

"Gentlemen." He said in greeting as he stepped aside, folding his arms before leaning against a nearby wall, his hood obscuring most of his face.
[/fieldbox]

 

[Stormi]

"Out of all my time knowing you I have never once watched you do something other than do maintenance on that sniper of yours whenever you're here."

Kat looked over to some of the other guardians who were chatting, leaving, coming, and doing maintenance of their own before responding to her ghost. "You can never be too careful y'know, plus she sure is a beauty when she's cleaned." Kat stated staring longingly at the purple and golden brass colored gun.

"I guess you're right" Little light as Kat nicknamed him responded to her.

Done with her maintenance Kat put her sniper on her back ready to leave. "Okay I'm ready to go take us to her." The ghost complied taking them to the ship about ready to ask Amanda holiday for take off approval. reaching her hand out she was about to turn on her com when her ghost stopped her.

"We've got a message from Ikora" he said startling Kat.

As soon as she finished listening to it, they received a recall to the tower. Kat sighed before responding. "Take us back, don't worry girl you'll get to fly soon" she stated to her ship as she appeared on the tower grounds again. Noticing the group that had already compiled she walked up to them still wearing her helmet and hood, she rarely took it off and it was even more rare when someone knew what she looked like. Getting close to the group she didn't speak a word she only nodded as her form of greeting.

 

[Dauwz]

"We're doing this?"

"Yes."

"We're actually doing this?"

"Yes."

The groan she let out almost made him chuckle, "I can never understand your penchant for seeking death."

A snort left the Hunter as he aimed down the scope of his Fang. He'd calculated the entire time it would take for the bullet to reach its target. Factoring in the Moon's lowered gravity, space winds, distance, velocity - it would just take a couple of seconds for the scouting party to enter his range.

"That- is that an Ogre?"

"An Ogre in a Hive scouting party? That's not something you see every day." The Hunter replied, smirking with amusement as his Ghost got into his face.

"And we're still doing this?"

"Yep."

"Suicidal arse." The plates above Nova's singular eye tilted down, showing that the small AI construct was showing some form of agitation. He had studied 'her' showcases of emotion thoroughly and had begun to notice certain patterns and what motion showed what sentiment. Plates raised - shock. Lowered - anger. And various others that had initially surprised the Hunter. He knew the technology they had was advanced, but never in a million years did he think a robot-like being could actually show emotion, regardless of the fact that the Ghost was created by the Traveler.

The white blob could've eased up on her vocabulary, though.

Suddenly, Nova rustled, "We've got a comm signal coming through. It's-" She groaned, "It's that arsehole."

Lucius raised a brow, turning away from his target, "Cayde? What does he want?" He asked, though wasn't expecting an answer. The Awoken Hunter knew his Ghost didn't fancy the new Hunter Vanguard all that much, but even she knew when to put a lid on it after the death of Andal Brask. The usually witty Cayde had been unusually silent until then, only talking business and no fun, which the Hunter could understand. He, however, had an annoyingly suspicious feeling about this transmission.

"Patching you through."

Comms buzzed alive in his helmet, "Rowe."

"Cayde? What's going on?"

"Yeah, arsehat. We're still in the middle of that bullshit op you gave us."

"Nice to hear from you too, Nova. Glad to know you've still got a stick up your ass. Wherever that is."

"Shut up."

"Anyway, sorry for the static-y comm signal. Ikora's taken up all the available comm lines contacting other Guardians. Had to use this old piece of junk. That woman can be bossier than Zavala when she tries, I swear." Lucius chuckled when he heard his the new Exo Hunter Vanguard sighing, "You're gonna have to return to the Tower, kid. Highest priority."

Lucius blinked dumbly, "What's going on?"

"Haul ass over here and you'll find out. Can't talk about this through an open comm line. Can't know who's listening, especially through this thing."

The Hunter hummer, "Solid copy." He paused, "What about the current mission?"

"What about it? Jump ship and get to the Tower. Highest priority, remember?"

"But the Hive are literally right there."

"Oh. Get to killin' then and I'll expect you back in a bit. I'll cover for you."

"Thanks."

"Yeah, thanks." Nova growled, smacking herself into Lucius' helmet to drive her point of annoyance home.

When Cayde cut the line, the Hunter went back to watching the slowly approaching Hive, "Mind giving me a count?"

"I hate you sometimes."

"Love you too."

"Five. Four. Three-" As soon as Nova ended her count the Awoken fired his Scout Rifle five times. Five shots - five Acolyte heads gone. The Ogre was quick to find their location, and Lucius smirked as he stood up from his prone position. He holstered his Fang, pulled out Double Nickel and held it with one hand while in the other he had his trusty knife in his grasp.

When Lucius shot into a sprint to meet the advancing Ogre, Nova seemingly sighed in utter frustration, "I hate my life."

-----------​

"You doin' alright?"

"Yeah. Though this shotgun needs a bit of work. Recoil mechanism's way off."

"Thought so." Banshee-44 replied, eyeing the shotgun he had asked Lucius to test out in the field, "How was the reload?"

"Overall it's okay, but I'd say the chamber needs a bit more work. With a shotgun you run out of bullets fast, especially with CQB. When that happens you want to be able to reload as fast as possible so you can rain hell on the next guy. This gun's kind of slow."

"Yeah. I almost got squashed by an Ogre after that piece of shit jammed."

"Now what a loss that would've been." Lucius snorted at Banshee's comment, noticing how the Exo was looking amused at annoying his Ghost. Lots of people did that, but he didn't really complain. Nova was a bitch sometimes, so a little bit of Karma never really hurt anyone. That and it often proved to amuse him.

"Rowe!" The Hunter turned, noticing Cayde storming off somewhere in the distance, "Get your ass over to the briefing room. Several other Guardians are already there!"

"...and where are you off to?"

"Hangar bay! I think some douche stole my Sparrow!"

"Again?"

He didn't answer.

"I'll see you later, Banshee."

"Come by more often. I got a Rocket Launcher that needs some field work."

"I will, I will." The Awoken waved and stormed off towards his goal. He wondered if he'd know any other Guardians. As luck would have it, he knew some of them, but only by name.

"'Sup." He greeted with a lazy wave of his hand before flicking Nova over her shell when he realized she was about to say something dumb.

"What was that for?"

"You know exactly what."

"...cockmuncher."

"And there it is."​

 

[Xam]

Cassius looked to see the mighty Utkarsh enter the hall. The sunsinger was known to many in the Warlock order as perhaps one of the most powerful defensive fighters they had to offer, or so Cassius had heard. He hadn't ever seen Utkarsh at work, though hopefully his presence here meant that was about to change. "Ah Utkarsh, I hadn't expected to see you here. What brings you to the hall this day?"

The Tower
Hall of Guardians​

Utkarsh started as someone called out to him. That's....Cassius, Voidwalker,, he's made quite a name for himself in the last 10 years. He'd probably be best used for cover fire and running interference.

His eyes flicked throughout the room, briefly landing on each of the new arrivals. Rez, Voidwalker, uses some kind of new aged supportive techniques, which is impressive in and of itself considering he's utilizing the void. Middle of the formation.

Hex, Gunslinger, grumpy. He should take point.

Kat, Nightstalker, Line of support in the middle, across from Rez.


Now, he didn't know that they were both here for the job. It could be two separate jobs, that they just happened to be receiving at the same time, at the same place. That totally happened. All the time, and like always Utkarsh fell into the bad habit of assigning roles for a mission he didn't even know the parameters of.

"Ah, hello. I'm here for a job, I was told it was something important. I'm just hoping it's not too important."

As he finished talking, another one walked in, with a shrill sounding ghost.​

 

[Cassius]

Cassius watched as other Guardians crowded into the hall. This was most certainly very odd, he'd never seen so many guardians in one place before. They weren't all going on the same mission were they? No that'd be preposterous, no mission requires 3 warlocks and 3 hunters to all be on the same team. He glanced over at the latest hunter to arrive and his ghost, who seemed to have a rather abrasive personality. He raised an eyebrow curiously at them, before turning his head towards Utkarsh to here his response to Cassius's earlier greeting. He laughed just a little bit when he heard of the Sunsinger's trepidation at taking on what could be a historic mission, "Not too important? My friend why would you ever wish such a thing? Matters of importance are exactly where we Warlocks belong, who else is going to ask the questions that need to be answered? Who else will have the presence of mind to take mental notes for later?" It was clear that Cassius had a very high opinion of the Warlock Order. How he felt about Titans and Hunters however remained to be seen.

 

[Shalashaska]

[fieldbox=Gabriel 'Hex' Zaynesworth, red, solid, 10, Book Antiqua]

Patience was a virtue. It was an old saying, but it was one frequently uttered by Warlocks. Though, at times, it could be lost on Ikora Rey of the Warlock Vanguard. She had sent the Guardian Recall out not long ago, but she couldn't help but be aggravated with how long it took everyone to arrive. Yes, they were quick, but she would have preferred if they had been even more expedient. Though, it didn't show on her face. No, her countenance was one of an ever stoic and ever calm Warlock - she had to follow the example set by Osiris if she was to one day succeed him.

Still, standing at attention, she waited until all the Guardians had arrived. Looking them over, she knew she had made the correct choice in composing the fireteam.

"Thank you all for gathering here on such short notice." She spoke, her words stern as ever. "I will get straight to the point, as enough time has already been wasted. After years of searching, we believe to have found the location of the Warmind Gilgamesh on Venus. While this would ordinarily be cause for joy, it is subverted by the growing Vex threat." Ikora said before looking to Hex, the Hunter nodding in understanding.

"I've been scouting the area for weeks, and I've finally found where the AI is probably stored. The issue is the Vex have it on lockdown - Goblins, Hobgoblins, Minotaurs... The full works. You don't put up defenses like that unless you have something worth protecting, and after extensive research, we know there's nothing the Vex fear more than Warminds." Hex spoke up, explaining a part of the situation.

"If we are able to make contact with Gilgamesh, we could potentially avoid Venus sharing the fate of Mercury. And, there's a chance we could use it to rouse its brother Warmind, Charlemagne, and drive back the Cabal presence on Mars." The Warlock explained, trying to ensure everyone present understood the important of the mission. "I've assembled you all here because you are the most skilled Guardians currently available after The Great Disaster." Ikora looked between each and every one of them before her gaze settled on Utkarsh.

"Utkarsh, I am counting on you to lead this mission. Hex can guide you, as he's spent the most time on Venus and surveying the land, but he lacks the leadership skills you have. I am expecting you to lead this fireteam as you have done with others in the past." She said, hands clasping behind her back. "As for the rest of you, are there any questions?"[/fieldbox]

 

[Cassius]

It seemed Cassius's original though had been correct, they were all here for the same mission. And for the Venus Warmind no less! This was certainly an exciting time for Cassius, who was getting giddy at the thought that he would get to leave his mark on history. Although something bothered him about their destination. Ikora had said that there were Vex units surrounding the outside of it. The question now would be why? Were they the first squad sent to gain a foothold, or were they standing guard against any intruders? The latter was a much more chilling thought as it would point towards a possible goal for the Vex. One that Cassius desperately hoped was not something they had thought of. If those units were standing guard, then it could mean that the Vex were trying to corrupt the Warmind, instead of simply destroying it. Cassius decided to ask Ikora, rather than specualte in a vaccuum. "You say that there is a Warmind in this building yes? If that is the case then it why would the Vex post units at the entrance to it? Do we know yet?"

 

[Sir Salty]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Merely he was eager to go. The less he'd feel trapped enclosed by four walls. Didn't like to stay in the temple of buildings much. Much prefered to keep to natural sanctuaries and open walls. Best to see what was coming and also the best way to stay the least out of the factions and other politics that came with being a Guardian.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent] Which seemed like a shameless thing to admit to. Though with his second life Rez prefered to help when needed, and stay quiet when he wanted. He could days without touching the tower, which put others on edge when he didn't just show up. Afraid he had been slain or something worse had happened to him.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Though he sought enlightenment with his second life. A way to expand one's own mind and to expand the power he already passed. Vex did not make him on edge. Only the possibility that they were thinking. He liked quite drooling creatures that stumbled on their own thoughts. Then things with free will and a goal in mind.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Rez pointed to Cassius "And in the same vein. We have to consider what their goals are exactly. Guards out front suggest high resistance inside. Wouldn't you say?"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"High resistance, oh this does seem terribly unsafe. How about we just send them a postcard, a gift basket, people do love those," Proxy piped up.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]It was embarrassing to walk into the tower with the Ghost that seemed afraid to exist. He tried to ignore Proxy in this case.[/BCOLOR]

 

[Xam]

[fieldbox=Utkarsh Deane, blue, solid, 10, Book Antiqua]Utkarsh groaned internally as Ikora assigned him to be the leader of this ragtag group of Guardians on what sounded suspiciously close to a suicide mission if the slightest thing went wrong.

He was a pretty acceptable leader, if he tooted his own horn. If he hadn't managed to become one after nearly a half century of leading a variety of missions, it'd be a bit embarrassing, but just because he was good at leading didn't mean he enjoyed it. Leading meant responsibility. The guardians in the hall became his soldiers rather than his comrades.

He had to make decisions that made sure no one was blown from here to Tartarus. He had to make sure all the cogs in this Frankenstein of a fire-squad were spinning correctly, and not grinding against the others, It was exhausting and he hadn't even really started yet.

He'd rather go back to when his twins had been infants, at least when they did stupid shit it was because they were actual babies instead of acting like them.

Resisting the urge to rub the bridge of his nose in exasperation, Utkarsh raised his hand to attract the attention of the oth-, of his team before anyone else spoke up.

"When everyone's finished with their queries, I want you all to outfit for a full week of intensive missions and meet in the Hangar. I don't have any questions for Ikora, so I'll be going on ahead. Hex, I want to see you there on the double, so we can discuss preliminary details.[/fieldbox]

 

[Stormi]

Kat leaned against the wall with hear arms crossed in a nonchalantly. Not really caring that this was a suicide mission or not. A job had to be done and they were there to do it. During the briefing she had set her sniper at her side. Piking it up by the long barrel she slung it over her shoulder. She was't much of a team player considering her attitude towards the others. She hadn't said a word since she arrived. If you asked her, she personally didn't know a soul in the room, except for Ikora and Hex, only because Cayde talked about him a few times.

She looked over to their new-found leader, seemed trustworthy to her. Though she'd probably never talk about anything personal with him. Pushing off of the wall she started to walk out of the hall. Walking towards some of the stalls she bought some of the things she would need. She was never one to keep a bunch of belongings.

Making it to the hangar Kat sighed. She sat in a small corner visible but not to noticeable to others. Doing so she took off her helmet and sat it beside her, letting her pony-tail fall to her shoulder. It was then she pulled something out of her hair, it seemed to be a hair pin. She stared longingly at it's engraving 'To Kat the one I love the most'

"Still staring at that?" a feminine voice startled Kat.

She looked up to see a young, blonde, freckled, woman, it was her friend Amanda holiday. "Jeez you didn't have to startle me"

"Well yeah I did y'know, you were doing that thing where you're all emo and stuff"

"Was not" Kat scoffed.

"Sure ya weren't Hun" Amanda teased her.

"It's just I wanna know who this was from ya hear?"

"Yeah yeah" she paused for a second. "Well I got things to do so quit moping ya hear" Amanda said wandering off.

"Yeah I hear" Kat whispered to herself getting up. Sliding her hairpin in the exact place it was she picked up her helmet. Making sure her hair was fine she started to slide it back on.

 

[Dauwz]

'Vex, Cabal, and now Warminds... this just keeps getting better and better.' Lucius couldn't help but agree when Nova spoke after phasing into his body. This entire situation seemed a bit... odd. The outcome seemed too convenient for his experienced persona. Lucius hadn't been awake for too long - about three years, give or take. But because of his survivability and potent light he was able to carve himself into the record books with his blade. This led him to take on a good dozen high-stake missions that he luckily managed to come out on top of. This, however, unnerved him. He couldn't exactly put a finger on it.

'A gut feeling?' When he scowled, Nova knew she hit the bullseye,'I hate it when you get those.'

"You and me both." He said under his breath before zoning back into the on-going conversation. The leader was going to be Utkarsh. He'd never had a mission with him before now, but he'd heard good things from other Hunters. They should be in good hands in regards to leadership. He just wasn't sure about their firepower.

Giving a lazy salute to their leader, the Bladedancer spun on his heel and left the meeting space in a bit of a hurry. He wanted to check some things before they departed. Passing a few doors, he let himself into the Tower's Forge, specifically where the Crucible weapons were manufactured "Lord Shaxx?"

The large bulky figure didn't even flinch, but raised a single finger as an order to wait. Curious, Lucius peeked over the Crucible Handler's shoulder. 'Is that... what I think it is?' Nova questioned, quite obviously just as surprised as Lucius was, who was thinking the exact same thing. A large and menacing blade was laid bare on Shaxx's workbench in all its glory, and beside it was what the Hunter could discern was the beginning of a mechanized hilt. There were other parts scattered about the bench, and while Lucius knew some of them others seemed like they were collected from an entirely different solar system. What he could distinguish from the design was that the interiors were complex, but the exterior had an almost serene simplicity to it that made him want to tinker with it.

"Hands off, Hunter. You'll hurt yourself." Shaxx warned, and Lucius made a face as a response, "The blade is still volatile and reacts unpredictably to different types of Light."

"Really? You're saying that to the one person who actually managed to repair your godawful Sparrow?" The Hunter shot back, a triumphant smirk establishing itself on his facial features behind his helmet. About a few months after Lucius had woken up, the Crucible Handler decided to... 'experiment' on his Sparrow. Shaxx being Shaxx, he needed to have the biggest, meanest gun on that thing - a vehicle that wasn't even supposed to house any weaponry in the first place. Suffice it to say his additions not only pretty much broke it in two, but risked all those Solar, Arc, AND Void charges setting off, which would've effectively blown a third of the Tower off the map.

Whether it was courage or pure stupidity, Lucius stepped forward to help the Handler. Through a painstakingly ginormous amount of complaining from his Ghost, of course. Through no little effort, The Hunter actually managed to not only defuse the weapons, but actually salvage them for proper use later... and put Shaxx's Sparrow back to how it was before.

The large male snorted, "Touche." Turning, Shaxx stopped for a mere moment as a thought crossed his mind. He addressed the Hunter, "Well? Give it a go."

Freezing for about a second, Lucius blinked dumbly before shaking his head. He wasn't sure if he should actually mess with Shaxx's handiwork, but far be it for him to question the Crucible's spearhead. He stepped towards the mechanization and ran a singular finger along the blade. Much to his utter curiosity, the blade seemingly 'drew' from his Light as his finger began leaving a trail of Arc energy that it absorbed. His eyes widened, "Is this...?"

"Indeed it is." Shaxx mused and Lucius couldn't help the explosive burst of laughter that left him, "You're only the second person to know of this, I'd appreciate if you kept it to yourself. Too many Guardians would love to get their hands on something like this. Too many would get themselves killed." He nodded when Lucius replied with a salute and a quick Gotcha, cap'n, "What brings you to the Forge?"

"Banshee told me my claws are ready."

The Crucible Handler folded his arms as he sat back on his workbench, meeting eyes with the Hunter, "They are." He paused, "But I'm still not sure if you should be running around with Hadium-based weaponry. Something that potent can be dangerous, especially for someone with as strong a light as yours." He spoke, at the same time handing Lucius a medium-sized metallic box.

"I think I can manage." Lucius answered. He quickly proceeded to open the box and grinned when he pulled a pair of Sabre Claws out of it, "Besides, if I'm going on a suicide mission, I might as well be prepared."

"Do I even want to ask?"

"Ask Ikora or Zavala. Not sure if I can talk about it. And Shaxx? Thanks. For the claws."

"You're the one who retrieved the Hadium. All I did was forge the blades. Had fun doing it, too."

Bidding farewell to the Crucible Handler, Lucius made a few more pit stops before heading over to the hangar. He stopped by Levante to fix a few ripped parts of his clothing, checked with Kadi 55 for any mail he might have forgotten about, paid a visit to Rahool to get some of his collected Engrams out of the way, and eventually came up to Banshee again to restock on Ammo and other necessities. Making sure everything was in order, he went straight to the hanger bay.

 

[Shalashaska]

[fieldbox=Gabriel 'Hex' Zaynesworth, red, solid, 10, Book Antiqua]

"They're transmatting the area. Same thing they did with Mercury. There probably won't be that much resistance inside. From what we've gathered over the years, the Vex are deathly afraid of the Warminds." Hex spoke up at Ikora's prompting. She wanted him to speak so at least some sort of 'connection' could be formed between the guardians. They had all been brought together at a moment's notice, so it was best they get used to talking to one another casually. "They find it easier to determine and calculate what we're going to do in comparison to an AI. Really speaks wonders about the Warminds. Anyway, it's obvious they're not trying to get to Gilgamesh, they just want it 'gone'. So, based on they're track record, they're trying to throw it out of time and then turn Venus into another machine planet." Hex explained, sharing the conclusion he and Ikora had both came to.

Pushing away from the wall, he gave each of them a nod before departing.

"I better go see what our leader wants to discuss." He said as he swiftly left, catching up to Utkarsh in barely any time, he was soon walking beside the Warlock. "Commander." The greeting left Hex's lips instinctively. While he was a Hunter and preferred to work on his own, he respected the chain of command and easily fell in line.

"What would you like to know?" He inquired as they came into the hangar bay where everyone's ships seemed to be getting readied.

Back in the Hall of Guardians, Ikora still stood.

"Was there anything either one of you still had questions about? It is best to ask now than to hold your tongue and be surprised in the future."[/fieldbox]

 

[Xam]

[fieldbox=Utkarsh Deane, blue, solid, 10, Book Antiqua] He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at the state of address, 40 years and he still hated titles, but he knew better than to try and convince people to stop calling him by one.

"How many Vex are we looking at? Patrol routes, How far we have to penetrate, the works."

As they spoke, the duo continued walking towards the Hangar. Utkarsh had no need to collect any extra provisions, having stocked up before he even entered the Hall. Arriving in the Hangar, he noticed Kat skulking by herself in a hard to notice corner. 'When did she manage to get past us?'

Shrugging it off, Utkarsh strode towards an empty table in the Hangar, motioning for Bigby to display the map of the Area he'd received from Hex's ghost.
[/fieldbox]

 

[Shalashaska]

[fieldbox=Gabriel 'Hex' Zaynesworth, red, solid, 10, Book Antiqua]

"Roughly 70 Vex. I counted 40 Goblins in the front acting as a 'wall'. There's 10 Hobgoblins, 5 on each side acting as sentries for their flanks. They're on elevated ground. 10 Minotaurs spread about. They seem constantly be rotating between the front line and the actual entrance. Directly in front of the door is a Hydra and several Harpies. On top of the building itself is a Cyclops." Hex informed casually, the map Bigby was displaying being lit up to update the influx of information as the Hunter spoke. "The subway beneath is flooded, preventing any underground approach. The Cyclops would blast us out of the sky." The Hunter was calm, as if the entire situation didn't phase him and he merely relayed the information quite nonchalantly.

"Several of the buildings have structural weaknesses due to the elements and time. Regardless, it's a half-kilometer trek down a ruined street just to get to the building. And the Vex have home field advantage. Most of the street is cracked and damaged, with a few destroyed vehicles possibly providing some form of cover. Our main approach looks like it'd have us running it right down mid, in a practical killbox, but you're the leader not me." Hex shrugged; hopefully Utkarsh could see something he didn't, because from where Hex was standing, it was going to be quite the ordeal.
[/fieldbox]

 

[Xam]

[fieldbox=Utkarsh Deane, blue, solid, 10, Book Antiqua] Utkarsh started rubbing the the bridge of his nose halfway through Hex's monologue. This was ludicrous, he had to be getting pranked right now.

What the fuck was Gilgamesh if they were this desperate to protect it, and all he had to penetrate the tight formation was three hunters and three warlocks. Tamping down his urge to shoot something, he took another look at the map. There had to be a hole somewhere, regardless of size no wall was insurmountable.

"I know you have profiles on the individuals on the team, pull it up, recite them to me. I have only minimal information on most of them."

There were several points with potential on the map and he highlighted them on the map, then pulled up little circles to represent the Guardians, moving them around the map to see what would work best.
[/fieldbox]