Destiny: War with the Rhinos

[Cerulean]

OPEN SIGNUPS - Destiny: War with the Rhinos





Destiny: War with the Rhinos
Chapter 1: Interchangeable Parts



Location: Rubicon Wastes, 8:19am

Ortan Decloe


They were ordered to report in at 11am to Slyan-56. He would be the one to answer to and give them their first mission. It was rather arid in the bustling hanger, hence why the young man was drinking some tasty fresh water. The intention was not there but it seemed that he was the first recruit to arrive. Fully armored, except for his helmet, and fully ready, except for this tasty water, the sound of distant explosions reminded him of where he was. The frontlines of a fight that hadn't seemed like it ended since before he was here before. Guardians vs Somebody who wants to take down The Traveler.

This wasn't exactly home. It was a small facility dubbed " Camp Mighty Mouse" by Cayde-6, given its size and shape similar to a heroic rodent. It was procured from the Cabal so the Guardians could drop in force. For the most part, it was a forward camp but it was no Tower. There was a lot more green and a lot less orange, most of the time.

"You think the rest will get here for the briefing?"

"Well, that is up to them isn't it Little Blue?"

So here now he sat down, over in the designated mess hall area, to wait for the rest to arrive. It shouldn't be long, assuming they wouldn't want to get their backsides reamed by their CO.​

 

[Cassius]

Cassius stood at the entrance to the mess hall, examining the room and the people in it. He had all his armor on, but left his helmet off, revealing his blue skin, glowing yellow eyes, and red tiger-like face paint. As he looked from table to table, Guardian to Guardian, the Awoken Warlock seemed to be searching for something. He had apparently found it when his eyes found Ortan sitting at his table and drinking his water. Cassius made his way over to him and asked, "Excuse me, are you Ortan Decloe?"

 

[Howlykin]

He found there was something mildly comforting about fighting Cabal. Out of all the strange beings directed against the Traveler and the Guardians of the last surviving city, they alone seemed akin to genuine soldiers. Ordered, structured, strategic - it almost felt like proper war against them. No strange rituals and shrines of the Hive, no raiding parties and traces of an unknown culture of the Fallen, no sheer mechanical relentlessness of the Vex with their untold technological might. The Cabal were comforting like that, but only as far as one could find comfort in fighting armor-clad giants with appropriately large caliber weaponry. So a small comfort only, but he learned one simply had to take what one could get.

Being a Hunter, he looked quite close to that philosophy as well. A tattered cloak, a dusty armored suit and far more rust-red Martian sand everywhere than he'd care to have. At least his own body was well-maintained, but in that kind of environment it was bound to be only temporal. Having only arbitrarily dusted himself off after getting off his Sparrow and stepping into the camp, this particular Guardian went into the mess hall, which to him was only marginally useful. There were only so many fellow Guardians to choose from in terms of interaction here, so checking those present through the visor in his helmet he quickly identified those he was supposed to join.

A Titan and a Warlock, judging by the fashion choices no less unmistakable than his own utilitarian yet flexible garb. A Human and an Awoken. Both seemed to be without their helmets, so he followed suit, clamps unsealing near his neck as he removed his own headgear to reveal his blue metal face. An Exo, obviously, and a coincidental final piece to make the assortment of representatives for each specialty and species complete.

 

[Fluffy]

Outside of the mess hall entrance there stood a lanky Awoken female with her helmet tucked under her right arm. As for her left hand, it sat on her chest while she forced out mouthfuls of air. Be that as it was, she kept her back straight against the wall. And though her head was resting back with the hood up, her sights stayed forward so she could stare menacingly at anyone daring to meet them. More or less, it looked like she was breathless from running. That was half of the truth. She literally jogged her way over to the site after parking her Sparrow, which she accelerated every chance she had. The rush was heavenly, but also fading. In the company of her comrades, she wished to be calmer.

A quiet sigh of relief fell from her lips after she established a smoother breathing pattern. Following that was a loud sniff, then she looked up and down the hallway with a grouchy expression on her face. No one familiar yet. Next was to step to the side and join the others wherever they may be. She looked over the groups of people standing around, giving her enough time to piece together what remnants remained in her mind as far as appearance descriptions went. When her pale, yellow eyes settled on a trio of males--an Exo Hunter, an Awoken Warlock, and a Human Titan--she was sure the search was over. The more recognizable one was Ortan, seeing that he would be the one to explain their mission. He had water, too. That did well to remind her of how dry her tongue felt from making herself run in the heat of Mars.

The hood of her cloak fell as she leaned her head back, revealing her spotted face markings and a diagonal, poofy strip of white hair. Harper had to admit, she looked forward to getting to work soon. The sweetest thrill of all was the thrill of the fight. A corner of her mouth twitched into the briefest of smirks as that thought crossed her mind. After smoothing her unused set of fingers over her crest, she made her way over to her team's table. Quietly, she slipped into an available seat and set her helmet down in front of her. In front of her, also, was one armored hand sitting on top of the other. She sat with confidence, as she always did. However, as she turned her head, her usually sour face softened just enough so her teammates would, hopefully, find her more approachable. Although she said nothing, she did dip her head politely when she had the attention of at least one of them.

 

[Dunruffle]

Dice walked down the hallway chuckling to himself as he counted out the glimmer from his latest gambling haul. "Dice we are two minutes late for the rendezvous, i suggest no more deviations from our current route." Rolling his glowing green eyes, Dice waved off the ghost floating next to him. "Oh calm down ghost, its fine if we are a little late." Putting away his glimmer, Dice hummed a tune off-key as he looked around for the mess hall. "Hrmm..i was sure it was this way..." His ghost reappeared and sighed, "I have added the waypoint to the mess hall to your map." Dice chuckled, "i was going to just ask someone but never mind."

Walking into the mess hall, Dice looked around for his group. Seeing a few guardians gathered around a table, Dice walked over and waved cheerfully. "Hey guys! This is the group for Ortan right?" Examining the others he chuckled, "looks like the human is the odd one out, I would feel bad if he didn't have another human friend to play with." He gave Ortan a friendly wink, "I kid. Nice to meetcha. So as you probably can guess i am a warlock.Stormcaller to be exact." He made a few sparks jump from his fingers and smiled, "So how did you guys get roped into this?"

 

[Cerulean]

One by one, almost like clockwork, a new person had entered the mess and attempted to sneak a spot in with him at his little table. His ghost dissipated at the sight of the first guardian that wasn't Ortan. The thing that troubled him most was that they all knew his name, and he didn't remember any names other than their new CO in the message. The entire framework of his thoughts for the next few moments can be summed up with: Who the fuck are these people and how do they know my name?

"Yup, that's me." He said, smiling and nodding to the Awoken tiger, when they arrived. Even for an Awoken, this guy was pretty brightly colored. Hopefully, stealth won't be a big part of this particular mission, and the poor man looked like he was hit in the face with a box of crayons.

Next up was an Exo, who seemed fit to just arrive and not say a thing. Something, he can appreciate from someone such as a hunter. Ortan gave him a respectful nod, assuming he was also with this group. The hunter seemed like the serious type, so Ortan thought it better than to be easygoing in his general direction.

To be honest, he didn't know how many more were coming. They already had a well-balanced fireteam, from the looks of things when the first Guardian of the feminine persuasion arrived. It was a pretty face. One he recognized, no less. They weren't overly close, but they had a few friendly chats before. His smile had just a touch more sincerity when she sat down. "Oh good, the eye candy is here. Well, for the men anyways. After all, I am sitting right here."

Before he said anything else a much more jovial element entered the group's collective bubble. Another one who knew his name, despite him never having met the Exo before. Were his shenanigans that wide spread already? At least this one was talkative, someone he could shoot the shit with during times like this.

"I guess this is, and I was not really roped in, per say. Long story for another time, my green-eyed compadre."

-BZZTTT-

"Will the maggots in the mess hall mozy into my office? NOW!"

That was not the voice of a woman who was pleased they were sitting around. The sudden shout startled Ortan into a stand that resulted in the the Titan's knee hitting the table, splashing his water on the two Awoken at the table. Awkwardly, the young man just stood there. "That's my bad." Moving with a bit of urgency now, he grabbed his cup and tossed it into the garbage before starting to walk away.

"Shall we? It's just through here."

---------------------------------------------------

"Did they send me dolts, when I asked for Guardians?"

It appears that Slyan-56 has a white, Titan suited frame to back up the titanically large voice, and red lights that light up when she talks. It also appeared that the Commanding Officer had a lot on her plate, with her desk being messy and her phone blinking different lines that were on hold. Hard-nose is a suitable phrase, but it becomes a pun when referring to an Exo. Though, she seemed the type to defenestrate anyone who might mention it in front of her.

The group stood next to one another, watching her click on a large projector on the side of the room. It has a picture of a tower. After a brief sigh, she continued with a much more even volume and tone to her voice.


"We have been having our scouts try and expanding our eyesight out of the Wastes, seeing as how we aren't playing with homefield advantage anymore. After a few went missing about fifty miles west of The Barrens, it was obvious something was out there. We needed to find out what it was. Turns out, the Cabal have a little outpost. We've managed to get enough of a look at this place to know that it has a lot of Cabal and a lot of ordinance. It's probably a forward armory for the front lines to have easy access to supplies.

Your job is to go in and find out what happened to those scouts, sabotage that place enough to put a dent in the Cabal's line, so maybe The Tower can have some time for an attack coming very soon. You will be provided with explosives, so use them wisely.

Any questions?"

 

[Howlykin]

Nods, brief introductions, taking one's place at the table. They didn't really seem about to buddy up right here and now. Then again, that was not precisely what they'd been called in to do. The Stormcaller Exo who approached last was perhaps the only break from the otherwise curt first meeting. He wasn't sure what to think of it, except perhaps a hint of surprise mixed with internal questioning. Humorous manner was not the first thing he associated with Warlocks. Then again, being prejudiced towards one's Guardian calling probably wasn't the way to go. Being asked exactly how they got roped into this caused the Hunter to look at the stranger somewhat suspiciously.

"Official request to support the Martian operation." He stated his reason for being here, at once matter-of-factly and with the slight hesitance that implied he would be surprised if anybody else in the room was here for any different reason. Mars was far from a tourist spot. It was more of a frontline. Which he imagined would imply a lot of hostile engagements, casualties on both sides and likely...-
"Will the maggots in the mess hall mozy into my office? NOW!"
-...yes, and a resident hardass in charge. This was looking more and more like "normal" war. Rather than the call to action itself, it was Ortan knocking over several glasses of water as he popped up that caused a jolt from the Exo. It seems the Titan even managed to splash the exact two organic members of the team besides himself. An impressive feat.

"Sounds like our cue..." The Hunter remarked, standing up from the table and waiting for the others to follow suit.

---------------------------------------------------

During the briefing, the Exo would mostly be quiet. Seemingly completely blocking out the initial assessment of the group's ability by the CO. After all, he's seen some of the higher-ranking Guardians in the Tower. Ortan and the rest of them certainly did not look the part. He tuned right back in as the briefing began, impassively studying the structure on the image. It was certainly located in a large open space and those in the tower probably had a great view of the surrounding area. Especially, he imagined, through the scope of a sniper rifle.

The time for questions came, and his own came rather fast. "How many scouts have we lost?"

 

[Fluffy]

Harper had her lips around the rim of a cup when Ortan called her, and himself, 'eye candy' all in the same breath. While scoffing into her beverage with amusement, she replied to him with continuous up and down motions of her brows. Her free hand, afterwards, made a wave towards the overly cheerful Stormcaller who arrived. He made sure they knew exactly who he was in case they couldn't already tell. Then there came a sigh of satisfaction as she set down her empty cup with one hand, the other dragging the top of itself along her lower lip to catch the drops clinging to it.

And then literally seconds later, water cups went spitting in her face all at once. The Awoken lady tensed up with only one eye staying open to point its glare towards Ortan. It wasn't until she stood up with a cup of water clenched in her hand, with every intention of throwing it onto the human, that she registered the intercom of strict orders. Harper paused abruptly, that harsh NOW! making her head sink down between her shoulders. A sneer was directed to the ceiling while she set down the cup and mumbled a string of grouchy words to herself. Decidedly, it was enough that he suffered a moment of awkwardness. She could just poke fun at him about it later instead. For now, they have duty to attend to, so she ought to not behave like a brat right now, she supposed. Privately, she smirked while running a set of fingers through her crest in case there were loose water drops to collect. It was pleasantly cooling, she discovered, having it drip onto the hairless sections of her head.

With her helmet tucked under her arm, she followed her acquaintances to where they would meet their superior. Harper took up a spot beside Ortan and pointed her sights to the Commanding Officer, her expression looking stern but thoughtful. Even though she herself didn't have anything to ask, she was very interested in knowing the answer to their Bladedancer's question. She also had observed from the get-go that he was the sort to appreciate facts which were as precise as possible. When their Commanding Officer said a 'few' went missing, it could mean a few different numbers. It was concerning to hear about the scouts who didn't make it back. Harper made a mental note to be extra cautious on their way to the outpost, too. Scouting happened to be included in her list of job skills, so to speak

 

[Dunruffle]

Dice tried to stifle a laugh as Ortan spilled water all over two others. "Smooth man." He chuckled as they filed into the office and received their briefing, stroking his chin as he ingested the information. "How much do you wanna bet we get to blow the place up? I say 5-1 odds against but you never know." Dice was almost bouncing on his feet with excitement. A mission into uncharted territory with a fresh batch of teammates. His thoughts were in overdrive as he planned out ways to make things more exciting.

 

[Cerulean]

The metal titan looked between the group, as they all reacted in one form or another. A sigh escaped her snowball of a face. She had enough on her plate with cracking the whip on every undisciplined recruit. Hopefully, the enthusiasm would serve to keep them alive, or at least the silent ones to keep him in line. Sitting on her desk, with some files falling off, the CO lit an electronic smoking device of some sort.

Finally, she turned to the only one who had a relevant question.

"Officially, we have lost three scouts. Unofficially, we found one, in several spots. I still have to phone the family, before we send what's left back home. The cabal don't fuck around, boys and girls.

Go to the armory just outside, and about a good piss away. You will get your mission gear there. If you clowns don't have anything else, then you are dismissed.

May the Traveler's light be with you."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ortan looked blank faced, as everything just sort of washed over him. Sure, they didn't look like much, but he assumed that was an advantage. They never see you coming. Still, with the group he ended up with, he imagined the stuff they were going to do together. There was potential here...potentially.

Since he didn't have anything to say, the Titan bowed and exited.

Before long, they have picked out their explosives and each had an equal sharing of it including a trigger and a sack to keep it all in. Ortan adjusted his helmet on his head, while looking at the location on the map. Going over to one of the hunters, he pointed out the ridge.

"I'm not a strategist, but we could probably get a good look from up here. What do you guys think?"

 

[Howlykin]

He stifled the further questions, such as where the scout's Ghost had gone, why the scout-in-question couldn't be recovered, what the last communication with the scouts was, or whether the Cabal were jamming signals within or even near the structure. Casualties, he supposed, were inevitable and it would not help to question the captain any further. Two possible survivors, he noted to himself, beyond that - the same mission of secure & destroy an enemy strategic point. So as they were sent out of the commanding officer's office, he merely saluted and went out with the rest of the team.

"May the Traveler's light be with you."

He didn't argue.

Outside he followed along with the team, took the explosives. Demolitions weren't his best skill, but he was certain Tchaikovsky, his Ghost, would provide the necessary info on that. That would come later regardless. When their small outfit's leader approached, Janus-8's colored eyes refocused slightly on the map with a barely-audible whir. "It's a plausible option, but it's also just about the only prominent ridge... I would be... surprised if the Cabal weren't watching it..." He paused. Sure he'd criticized the decision, but that also required an alternative. Finally he pointed at the bottom of the ridge on the side facing the tower with a gloved finger. "Depending on the angle of the sun, the ridge would cast a shadow. Observing the tower from there would be somewhat less predictable, but still provide us with adequate cover. My suggestion is we attempt to circle here on foot, observe the structure for an entrance... Could help if we created a diversion while we cross from there to whatever entrance we find though."

 

[Fluffy]

Prior to departure, Harper sent a salute in the commanding officer's direction. Then, along with the others, she went off to obtain the explosives assigned to them. As she replayed the given info in her mind, she pointed a look to the floor that could best be described as a worried cringe. The bluntness concerning their brutal methods really was all too appropriate; the Cabal don't fuck around. They were intimidating creatures of war who were not to be underestimated. She repeatedly reminded herself of this in her head while she organized her gear. A healthy dose of cruel reality did well to help maintain her focus.

Seconds before she caught up with the other two, she smoothed a hand over the strip of long hair on her head and put her helmet on. Next was to listen in on the conversation. Ortan outright admitting he was no strategist prompted a hidden smirk on her end. Yes, he amused her, but more importantly she admired how despite everything, he was right there with suggestions to at least get a planning session going. She, not being the most 'people person' in the world, appreciated that.

Throughout Janus-8's response, she inched in closer to be part of the brainstorming group. When there was room for her to do so, her willowy form bowed above the map to get a better look at it. Particularly, a better look at the ridge they were discussing. A thoughtful hum could be heard from within her helm while she straightened back up, her hands joining together behind her back. Without a doubt, the ridge itself was being watched, possibly even guarded. They would indeed need to be stealthier. "I agree that it would be beneficial to observe on foot from the shadows. Provided that they do cover us well enough throughout our watchful tiptoeing," a smooth alto voice commented through the helmet.

"A diversion would certainly be helpful. It gives us more time to reach the target entrance undetected...hopefully. Maybe they could be led to believe it's another case of 'pursue the scout'?" She shrugged after offering a possible way of keeping the Cabal off those who would looking for the tower entrance. They might be less likely to bother with extra security if all they see is a single person out scoping the sands.

 

[Dunruffle]

Dice threw a sloppy salute to the commanding officer and bounced after the rest of the group. Taking his share of explosives, Dice bounced the hefty package in his hands as he watched the planning session. "OOH! Did I hear the word diversion? I call dibs on being the decoy! I just got a black market booster for my sparrow the other day and I have been itching to try it out. How much do you all wanna bet I can get all of the cabal to come after me? 20? 50? No backing out on a bet though, nobody likes a wuss." He put the satchel on his belt and flicked a few sparks at the group, "also you guys need to lighten up. Gotta live every day like its your last am I right?"

 

[Howlykin]

Choosing someone to initiate the diversion, from what he knew, was never easy. After all, who in their right mind would look over a variety of tasks with a different degree of safety involved in them, and would then point excitedly at one of them and say: 'you know what? Put me here. Right here where there'll be the most enemies, the most attention and the most shots flying. I volunteer to do that'. Playing decoy was a desperate role and he expected the team would spend some time discussing who would be best suited to fit into it. So when Janus-8 heard an excited "I call dibs on being the decoy!" followed by what could only be described as cheerful banter about a black-market Sparrow upgrade and an invitation to place bets, he turned away from the map and expressly looked straight at Dice. No words - only a single blink with the fraction-of-a-second whir of mechanical parts that came with it.

He paused and looked between the rest of the team. Would any object? Confirm or deny that this was a good idea? A bad idea? Dice certainly didn't seem to be taking his words back. So Janus raised a hand and his Ghost appeared over his palm right on cue. "Tchaikovsky, can you run me a simulation of the sun's movement over these coordinates? When will the shadows under this ridge be longest?"

"Of course, Janus." The mechanical familiar responded and floated over the map, a cone of light shining on it from his single eye. It created a digital mock-up of shadows on the map in plain sight of all those present and through an accelerated timelapse, determined a moment where the ridge cast a length of shade in the direction of the tower. "By my estimation as the sun sets, the ridge casts a shadow, followed by nightfall." The Exo looked back at the map and nodded as his Ghost continued with the tactical analysis. "Additional benefit would include the lack of need to account for limited vision if the operation is engaged within the time-window just before sunset."

"That's one way we can run this operation." Janus concluded. A gasmask-like helmet helpfully manifested by his Ghost seemingly out of thin air concealed his face, while still letting his voice with the slight mechanical twang to it be heard. "I will follow your judgement, Ortan, if you have any objections. Otherwise..." And he turned to face Dice again. The helmet was, of course, expressionless, but the words themselves seemed to slightly break the typical semiofficial tone of the Bladedancer. "120 Glimmer says we'll still have to mop-up Cabal after your diversion's done."

 

[Fluffy]

Selecting a decoy for the diversion, honestly, would not have taken long. The Awoken woman didn't know whether that was a good or bad thing. Had Dice not chimed in so eagerly, Harper certainly would have volunteered. To put it bluntly: she liked going fast. Leading a swarm of Cabal into the vast sands of Mars sounded like a positively thrilling experience.

You would hear no objections from her, even so. If he wanted to do it that badly, he should go right ahead. A half-awkward, half-annoyed "Right..." came from her end after Dice mentioned you should live each day like your last. For her, his enthusiasm managed to be refreshing and obnoxious at the same time. Whatever relationship she ended up building with this one was going to be interesting, for lack of a better word.

When Janus' sights met hers briefly, she shrugged at him and made a single approving nod. So long as Ortan agreed as well, it looked like they had this part of the decision made. She then silently followed the explanations of their Bladedancer's Ghost, and noted to make efficient use of their limited time-window. She was all for trying to not stick around after sunset.

As the Exo turned to readdress the matter of Dice's bet, Harper smirked within her helmet. It was pleasantly surprising to hear the slight, but noticeable, tone change. Many probably wouldn't expect that of such a calculated hunter. A quick moment of consideration was given to that of the betting circle. Decidedly, she would stay out of it. Just on the off-chance she may get too hooked on the excitement of gambling. As it was already, she had unhealthy interests in pursuing danger for the adrenaline rush it offered.

So, she instead turned to face their Titan comrade. "And here is where I find out whether or not Mister Ortan is a betting man?" she wondered curiously with a quiet, teasing chuckle in her voice. Harper's lanky arms then came from behind her to fold over her chest, and she waited to hear what he might have to say on all of this. The process of this brainstorm session was impressively smooth with small moments of amusement. Hopefully their mission would be the same way.

 

[Cerulean]

The team's titan took a minute to think of an answer. It seemed that for the most part the team just fell together. They were going to go with the old "Look at this hand, as my other one punches you in the dick." He nodded to the more serious Exo and patted his shoulder.

"Sounds like a pretty solid plan, to me, Janus. Dice, I wouldn't suggest getting to into the performance. Lest they figure out that you are trying to get them to look at you. The cabal aren't as stupid as we think they are, but they are just as tough. I also would throw out the idea of not taking the explosives with you. I don't want to try and find all your nuts and bolts when they pick you off."

Ortan took another look at the map, as his ghost phased out and studied the other team members. "Did command not think to keep a warlock on?"

Blinking, Ortan looked around, he could have sworn there were more of them. "Yeah...hm..."

Shrugging he called the ghost back in, and smirked at the expressively haired Awoken. Purposely, he looked her pose up and down, as if to pander to her sense of self. "I'm with Janus. 250, if you can handle that." He said, winking at Harper, before slipping on his helmet. "Either way, we got a job to do. And those scouts are betting on us to get the job done. Which is why, I live my life as if people depend on me. Not as carefree as Dice, but I also don't tangle with the black market either." He let out a laugh before moving towards the exit. "Lets get a move on, team. The cabal await!"

"Relevant mission files uploaded. Go team!"

 

[Fluffy]

They were ready to set course for their mission. Harper nodded affirmatively to Ortan prior to double checking herself for anything missing or out of place. To her delight, all was as it should be.

The Awoken looked away suddenly upon hearing hurried, and fairly heavy, footsteps heading towards them. Coming from around the corner was a tall, caramel skin toned woman with her helmet tucked under her arm. She was dressed for battle like the rest of them, though she matched with Ortan the most. Like him, she was a Titan.

Her eyes brightened at the group when she was a mere few feet away, her lips curling into a cheerful shape. A sigh of relief came out, as well. She worried she wouldn't have shown up in time to join them. The doctor was so certain she wouldn't be fit for duty today, but her constant pushiness for an appointment first thing this morning enabled Alexa to prove them wrong. It was a good thing she did, too. While she was getting educated on what the mission was, they mentioned this particular squad was in need of another member or two. Alexa answered to that call with nothing but enthusiasm.

"Hey, you guys," she said upon stopping, breathing out calmly while she placed a hand over her chest. Her voice was more on the low side, and wore a Spanish accent. "Alexa Garcia, at your service." She bowed her head politely towards the group. "Forgive my tardiness. I had to pretty much bully the medic into signing my clean bill of health." She chuckled sheepishly, her hand moving to curl into a fist and knock against the area of her armor where her left rib cage was. "I had some beaten up ribs, but they're good to go now." Her nose scrunched as she smiled again, deciding against explaining why her ribs were 'beaten up.' What mattered most was that she could reliably back up her team as their Defender.

"Anyway." The statuesque woman gestured to the door. "I don't mean to delay us any further." Drawing her arm back to hang it at her side, she curiously looked on each individual. Her sights stopped on Harper, who she swore she recognized. The armor made it somewhat difficult to tell. "We've met before, I think?" she pointed out, arching a brow. "Nope," Harper replied flatly. "I'm sure we--" "Nope," Harper interrupted, shaking her head insistently. To her dismay, that was a dead giveaway as to who she was. "Ah, nice to see you, Harper." Alexa spoke through a smug smile, looking satisfied when she heard the long, dramatic sigh come from the Huntress' end. They were on good terms, they really were. That was the problem. Harper loathed how well she got along with someone like Alexa. More or less, it was like the moody outcast of the school was secretly buddies with one of the popular kids.

With a warm chuckle, she walked past Harper, making a friendly shoulder bump on the way there. Just light enough to not make the significantly lighter female wobble. Grouchily she grunted, dusting at her shoulder while she watched Alexa put on her helmet and walk ahead. Harper joined her at her side so she could fill her in on the details of their discussion regarding the ridge, and the diversion Dice would be putting into play. There would be plenty of time to explain it from then to the time they arrived at their Sparrows.

 

[Quail]

"Chess, we're over forty-five mintutes late. We're going to miss them." A tinkling voice pressured, haste and what seemed like anxiety coloring the impatient words. Chessie rolled her glowing emerald eyes as she sprinted across 'Camp Mighty Mouse', cursing everything under the sun at her tardiness. She had just come fresh from a mission to the Cosmodrome; a routine 'take out this Vandal Captain out before he causes more trouble' kind of thing that had taken an hour longer than it should have, the damn Fallen almost having cornered her when she'd run out of ammunition. She grit her teeth just thinking about it.
"I know, I know. You can stop saying it every three minutes now, Krav." She snipped in between heavy breaths, casting a glance at her Ghost hovering beside her head. Krav did a motion similar to a mechanical shrug and rolled it's singular bright eye. "Sure thing." It retorted sarcastically before dissipating. Chessie briefly wondered how the spark of The Traveler could even possess any sense of sarcasm or emotion at all, but quickly dropped it and focused on pumping her legs faster.

Already having been briefed and sent off in a hurry, she had only a couple more minutes before the other Guardians departed for the mission and she was left eating the red dusts of Mars she despised so much; though she'd be damned if she didn't get there in time. "I think that's them. Just up ahead," Her Ghost relayed without reappearing, "Also, you still have your helmet on."
Chessie burned in embarrassment under her visor, popping the Taroudant Type 1 off of her head with a hiss of air and tucking it under her arm. "Thanks." She murmured before turning her gaze ahead and scanning for the Guardians she was scheduled to rendezvous with. A mixture of hope and relief rushed through her as she caught sight of the ragtag group she assumed to be hers, just as her Ghost had said. She allowed a small smirk to climb atop her lips as she neared, her heavy footfalls coming to a stop as she met the gaze of the fellow Titan that matched the description of Ortan DeCloe she had been given. Apparently, he was the one she had to answer to.
"You're Ortan, right?" She inquired needlessly, pausing a moment to catch her breath before continuing, "Chessie Malcolm, your extra Striker reporting for duty. Sorry about the delay, I had to put down a Captain in the Cosmodrome."
"I can't believe we actually made it. Good job, Chess. Now we don't have to get chewed out by Zavala again." Krav chimed lowly, making a sound similar to a chuckle.
"Gee thanks. Y'know, it wouldn't hurt to show some faith in your Guardian now and again."
Chessie murmured, sparing a glance at the angular Ghost that was busy looking the other Guardians up and down with a kind of curiosity. She guessed he was just making sure they were with the right people, though she never knew what was really running through her Ghost's head. Dismissing the thought, she turned to the other Guardians with her little smirk still intact and bowed slightly, something of a unique quirk that she always found herself doing. "Hey, you can all just call me Chess." She introduced, radiant eyes scanning her new 'team'.

 

[Howlykin]

In his experience, this must have been the biggest delay following the words "Go team!". Then again, it was also one followed by the largest number of extra reinforcements. With his faith in the Guardians managing to be nothing nearly as organized as an actual army reinforced, he took this time to look over the new arrivals. The Hunter Janus-8 himself was already seated on his Sparrow - a typical if slightly darker colored model of the durable hover-bike. He sat upright, hands removed from the handles as he awaited for the definitive command for them to move out. At this point he wasn't sure how many more were going to join them.

Meanwhile the two Titans introduced themselves. While he could barely judge the specifics of their character, barring perhaps the suggestion that Titan Garcia was acquainted with Harper, they were not an unwelcome addition to the team. His own greeting to the two of them didn't take much time. A brief wave of the hand and a clear and brief "Janus-8. Bladedancer." With the introduction complete, he looked over to Ortan. There was a good chance those two had to be briefed, if not on the overall mission, then on the specifics of the plan they'd come up with. Not that it was beyond Guardians to "drop in and wing it".

Once the two Guardians were for the most part on even ground regarding their mission, it stood to reason that it was time for them to move out. The balance of their team had clearly somewhat shifted, but overall seemed to possess enough diversity to pull this off. The extra satchels of explosives each one of them brought along added some reassurance as well. Facing the road ahead once again, Janus was ready to go, leaning forward against the seat of his Sparrow and grabbing the bars, ready to blast off across the Martian sand towards their objective.

 

[Dunruffle]

Dice laughed as Janus and Ortan took him up on his bet. "Great! I can tell this is gonna be fun, also no sore losers." Putting on his helmet, Dice followed the group out to their sparrows. Hopping on his own sparrow, Dice turned it on and revved the engine with a throaty rumble. He looked over to see the two new members of the group arrive and he waved cheerily at them. "Heya! Names Dice, warlock stormcaller! Sorry but the betting has closed for this mission. But maybe we can make a new one on the way there." Dice sat back on the seat of his sparrow as he waited for the others to get ready, occasionally playing with small arcs of lightning between his hands.