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jsmulligan · 5 years ago

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Smile for Me

New “Tales We’ll Tell” entry featuring Claney and Celeste below the cut.

Somewhere in the Tower watching over the Last Safe City of humanity. Approximately four years before the Destiny campaign.

“Again,” Titan Claney Beamard demanded, bringing his arms up in a boxer's stance.

“It's not fair, you're too big,” would-be Hunter Celeste Etain whined, rubbing her left arm.

“And Fallen Barons, Archons, and Kells are bigger than me, and they won't pull their punches. Same with Hive Knights and Ogres. What's your point?”

“My point is you're being mean.”

“No, Kiddo,” the Titan said, “I'm trying to make sure you stay alive.”

“By beating me up?”

Claney sighed and placed his hand on a handrail, intending to lean against it, but the damaged metal gave way beneath his weight. He stumbled, righted himself, then sat down on the stairs leading from the floor onto a low platform. As he did, dust kicked up around him. Behind him, a row of smashed computers stood dark, unused for at least a few decades.

The two Guardians occupied a room in one of the Towers damaged in either The Battle of Six Fronts or The Battle of Twilight Gap. Or maybe some other attack by Fallen on the City. They all began to blur together after a century of being under siege. Since hardly anyone ventured into the damaged Towers, they made excellent places to carry out training that was not exactly sanctioned by the Vanguard.

“I'm trying to teach you to fight so that things out there that are a lot meaner than me won't do a lot worse than give you a few bumps and bruises.” Claney ran a gloved hand over his close-cropped red hair. “You asked me to start training you. What were you expecting?”

The young girl shrugged, kicking at the ground with her toes. “I don't know. Light stuff? Supers, grenades, blowing stuff up.”

“That all comes later. In the field, Light can fail, guns jam, and ammo depletes. You need to be able to fight if you want to have any chance out there. You need to be a weapon.”

Celeste looked at Claney, confusion evident on her face. “Light can fail?”

The Titan nodded, grim. “Yes. They've been teaching you about the history of the Traveler, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay,” Claney said, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. “So you know about the Collapse and the Darkness. Well, as much as most of us know about it, anyway. There are still areas out there that are known as Darkness Zones, where whatever the Darkness did during the Collapse still lingers, partially cutting us off from the Light while we are there. We can still use the Light, but it recharges slower, and your Ghost will not be able to revive you without help.

“Beyond that, though, there are enemies that can dampen or drain your Light. Not a worry with the Fallen here on Earth, but if you run into the Hive...”

The Titan trailed off there, a haunted look passing over his face. His hands fell still and his eyes turned away from the young girl, staring into the shadows in a far corner. Celeste watched him, concerned.

“Claney?”

The man shook his head clear, returning to the present. “Yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine. What was I just saying?”

“You were talking about enemies that can take your Light, then you got all sad looking.”

Claney tried to force a smile, but could only manage about halfway, and it did not make it to his eyes. “Just thinking about something. Where, uh, where did I leave off? Oh, right, the Hive. They have Wizards that can just strip the Light out of a Guardian and their Ghost. Do me a favor and stay away from the Moon, okay?”

Celeste nodded.

“Well, I think that's probably enough for today,” the Titan declared abruptly, rising to his feet. “I should go on Patrol. Head on back to the Anusky's.”

Celeste nodded. Claney waited until she had left the room before heading out himself. A few minutes later, he had transmatted to his ship and was heading for the Cosmodrome.

For her part, Celeste did as she was told, making her way out of the ruined tower and strolling along the Wall back to the tower that the Guardians, along with a smattering of civilians, called home. She was heading to the dwelling of two of those civilians, John and Susan Anusky. A kind, middle-aged couple who had always wanted children but had never been able to have any, they had gladly agreed to help take care of the young Guardian when Claney first brought her back to the Tower. They had always made her feel welcome, and Celeste was grateful for everything they did for her, but she had to admit that she preferred when Claney was around and she could just stay with him.

Thinking about the big man reminded her of the look that had crossed his face when he had spoken of the Hive. She had seen other moments like that from the Titan. He tried to hide it from her, but the more time she spent with him, the more she learned to catch them.

He had never smiled much, but Celeste had always just thought he was a serious person. In stories and videos, there was always the tough, no-nonsense loner who did what he had to do to survive, and she just figured that was who he was. It was a fair assumption, given the first time she met him, he'd been fighting for both their lives, killing aliens that were trying to kill her as soon as she had been reborn. Plus, a lot of Guardians acted that exact way. Now, though, she was certain it was something more.

Well, if there was something that was making Claney sad, Celeste decided that she would take it on herself to try to cheer him up. She started working on ideas as soon as she made it home.

…

Claney was not going to have time to help train her for the next few days, so Celeste sneaked down into the Tower on her own, trying to practice some of the different blocks and strikes that Claney had shown her. She had gotten her Ghost, Whisper, to gather video recordings of other Hunters, mostly gleaned from Crucible footage, so that she could study them as well.

“Whisper,” she said, holding out her right hand. It was an unnecessary gesture, and the Ghosts were perfectly capable of materializing anywhere they chose, but most Guardians seemed to it, and she'd picked up the habit as well. The little star-shaped robot materialized over her outstretched hand.

“Yes?” he asked in his small voice that always sounded like a nervous little boy who had just broken his mother's favorite vase.

“Play Hunter Comp. 1 for me, please.”

“Right away,” he replied, then swung to face the least damaged wall in the room. A beam of Light shot out from his core and he projected the video image for her to watch. Figures sprang to life, capes trailing behind them as they jumped, spun, and rolled.

“Oh, and keep the time displayed as well,” she said. The Ghost bobbed a nod in response.

Celeste watched for a few moments, and then began copying the moves. The first time she had tried a roll, she hadn't tucked her body in enough and banged her shoulder hard on the floor. She had not let Whisper heal the resulting bruise despite his insistence because she wanted it to be a reminder for next time.

She spent several hours ducking, dodging, rolling away from, and striking at invisible enemies. The Vanguard did not want to let her out of the Tower yet, and she understood why, but she planned to work hard enough that they would have to admit that she had the skills to survive and would let her outside soon. She also knew it would surprise Claney to see how much progress she had made on her own. The thought of catching him off-guard like that brought a grin to her face.

As she trained, she watched the clock. It would be far too easy to lose track of time down here on her own, and she had an appointment to keep and did not want to be late. When the time drew near, she stopped her training and sprinted home, drawing curious looks from others roaming the Tower. She cleaned up quickly, then set off toward the north side of the Tower.

Celeste crossed through the main courtyard, pausing only briefly to watch Guardians coming and going. She felt a surge of envy rise up that she had to force back into place. One day. She climbed the stairs to the hallway the lead to Tower North and followed the hallway. She went down the final set of stairs, glancing over at the New Monarchy gathering to her left before turning right.

“Ah, Celeste, so good to see you,” a voice called out as the young Hunter rounded the corner to her little shop.

Tucked back in the small alcove was the workstation of Eva Levante, Guardian Outfitter. There were several tables and shelves all cluttered with signs of her occupation. The woman herself was dressed neatly in green and yellow, a purple shawl draped over her shoulders.

“Hi, Ms. Levante,” Celeste replied with a wave.

“Please, call me Eva,” the gray-haired woman replied.

“Okay, Eva,” Celeste said experimentally. The woman smiled.

“I was so thrilled when you asked about helping me out,” Eva said. “It can be difficult to keep up with shader and emblem orders at times. Guardians do love to make themselves look unique or find new styles.”

“And what we talked about...?”

“Yes, yes,” Eva smiled again. “I will pay you some glimmer and paint supplies for your assistance. You don't think old Eva would try to rip you off now, do you?”

“No, ma'am, I just...”

Eva raised her eyebrows. “Thought I might have forgotten because I'm old?”

“What, no, I just...”

Eva laughed and looked at Celeste with a twinkle in her eye. “I'm sorry, dear, I was just trying to have a little fun. I didn't mean to rile you up so.”

Celeste let out a breath and smiled. “Okay, good.”

“Come then, young one, let's get you to work, shall we?” Eva turned to her wares. “These emblems aren't going to craft themselves.”

…

Celeste spent several hours each day for the next three days working with Eva. She was able to pick up quite a few tips from the outfitter, and was surprised at how willing the woman was to take her suggestions as well. Once they were finished on the final day, Eva dusted off her hands, smiled, and patted Celeste on the shoulder.

“Well now, you definitely have some talent,” the woman said. “If you ever feel like helping out again, you just let old Eva know, and I'll be glad to let you design more emblems. I'm sure the Guardians will love these.”

“Thanks,” Celeste replied, “it was a lot of fun.”

“And good luck with your project, dear.”

“Thanks. Again.”

Celeste waved and left, a bounce in her step. With what she had gotten for helping Eva the last three days, she should have no problem following through on her plan. Now, just to figure out exactly what she was going to be working with.

“Whisper,” she said, holding her hand out again for the Ghost. He materialized, and she drew him in close. Once she stepped out into the courtyard, she ducked behind some boxes that were piled near the wall. “Show me the current Tower vendor inventory.”

“I can, but no one will sell anything to you since you haven't been officially named as a Guardian yet.”

“I know, I know,” she said with a huff. “I have a plan to get around that. Just do it, please.”

“Fine,” the Ghost whined, then brought up listings for all current weapon and armor vendors a the Tower.

Celeste swiped through them until she found the perfect piece. Once she knew what she wanted, Celeste reached behind the box and pulled out something swaddled in a dirty cloth. She carefully unwrapped it, revealing an older model Guardian helmet. She had found it in the old Tower and grabbed it out of curiosity one day. Now she took a moment to clean some dust off of it, then shoved the cloth back behind the box.

“Uhm, what are you doing with that old thing?” Whisper asked, his shell twitching.

“I'm going to wear it. Duh.”

“But... why?”

“Just get this thing working, then watch and do what I tell you to do.”

Celeste slid on the helmet, which smelled old and musty inside. Everything was pitch black for several moments, but just before she snapped at Whisper, the HUD sputtered and then flickered to life.

“Good work,” she said. With the helmet on and functional, Celeste stood and strode confidently out of the shadow of the boxes. She moved around the small building that housed the Guardian post office, and leaned up against the corner.

“What are you doing?” Whisper asked over their shared bond.

“Shh, just wait and be ready.”

A Titan that she didn't know transmatted into the Courtyard. Celeste broke from the wall, walking urgently toward him, waving her hand over her head.

“Hey! Hey, buddy!” she called out, and the Titan turned to look at her.

“Me?”

“Yeah, you,” she said. “Look, I'm in a bind. I have to rush out on an important mission. Bad guys to shoot, doohickeys to reclaim, you know the drill. Anyway, I really, really need to get this item,” Whisper displayed the image, “from the Vanguard vendor, but I have to run. Would you get it for me? Thanks.”

She handed him the glimmer that Eva had paid her. The Titan looked at it and tried to sputter a protest.

“But... what... you're... who...?”

“Look, it's super important. Keep any change. Just make sure it gets delivered to Claney Beamard. C. L. A. N. E. Y. B... something. And, uh, if it doesn't show up, I'll kill you. Hunter style. Okay? Okay!” Privately to Whisper, “Now, transmat me out of here.”

“To where?”

“I don't care where, just out of sight.”

“But...”

“Do it now!”

“See ya, Ti-” Celeste began as she felt the grip of a transmat catch her, and she made finger guns at the Titan just before she vanished. She finished the motion as she reappeared, “-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan... Whisper! What did you do?”

The Hunter flung herself backward. She was standing on a ledge twenty feet below the top of the Wall, looking down over the City. A heavy gust of wind threatened to knock her loose.

“You said out of sight.”

“Yes, but not where I might fall to my death. Inside, inside!”

“Okay, just let me see where that Titan is...”

The transmat caught her again, and Celeste found herself back on top of the Tower, standing in the hallway that lead from the main courtyard to the hangar. She collapsed to her knees in relief and took off the helmet. Whisper materialized and swooped around her, his shell drooping.

“Sorry.”

“It's fine. We're fine,” the Hunter repeated to herself several times, waving him off with her empty hand. “It's fine. We're fine. Store the helmet away, would you?”

Whisper shone a beam over the helmet, scanning it. After a few seconds, it transmatted away, stored for later use. Celeste patted the little Ghost, then made her way to the living area and found a spot to spy on Claney's door.

After half an hour of waiting, she started to think the Titan had stolen her money. Just as she started to get angry, a delivery person dropped a box off at Claney's door. Celeste waited for the courier to leave, then slipped out of hiding, swiped the box, and darted away, making her way to one of her secret spots she had found in the Tower. Once there, she opened the box and grinned at the contents.

“Perfect.”

…

The next day, Claney returned from the field to find Celeste waiting outside his door. He offered her a weary half smile.

“Hey, Kiddo.”

“Hey, Old Man. Rough trip?”

“You could say that.” Claney opened the door to his quarters and stepped inside and Celeste followed on his heels.

Once inside, the Titan took off his helmet and tossed it on the couch. Celeste glanced at it, noting some new scarring. There was a new crack on the back of his chest piece that Elgan had not quite managed to mend either. Definitely a rough mission.

“So,” Celeste began, “I know you just got back, but I was wondering if we could go to the old Tower today.”

Claney opened the fridge, looked inside, then shut it without removing anything. He turned to look at her. “I know you're excited about training, but I really don't think I can do that right now. How about tomorrow.”

“No, no training. I actually did some on my own while you were gone, actually. There's something I want to show you.”

The Titan stared at her as if he was thinking about it.

“Pleeeeeease?” she asked, wrapping one hand around the other, bringing them to her chin, and batting her eyes at him.

“That's fine,” he said, “just stop with the cuteness. Let me grab a bite to eat and we'll go.”

They made a quick stop at one of the many food shops and Claney grabbed a burger. Food in hand, they strode along the Wall, heading to the old Tower.

“So you really trained on your own?” Claney asked her.

“Yep, all the different strikes and guards you taught me.”

“Good. I'm glad to see you're taking it seriously,” the Titan said, patting her on the back. “We'll have to put you through your paces tomorrow and see how you're doing.”

Eventually they reached the Tower and worked their way down to their training room. They stepped in and Claney glanced around. Nothing out of the ordinary jumped out at him.

“I thought you had to show me something.”

“I did, hang on,” Celeste said, and crossed the room. She yanked open an old cabinet door and reached inside, pulling out a large bundle wrapped in a cloth. “Here.”

“What is this?” Claney asked, accepting the offered item.

“Just look.”

Claney unfolding the cloth, letting the folds fall way. In his hands, he was looking at the backside of the new Vanguard helmet.

“Celeste...”

“Turn it around,” she said with a barely concealed grin.

Claney gave her a curious look, and turned the helmet around in his hands. Plastered on the faceplate of the helmet was a large, yellow smiley face. Curiosity on his features turned to confusion.

“That is something,” he said.

“I know it's not really your style, but, I wanted to do something special for you,” she said. “I've noticed lately that you just seem sad sometimes, and I thought this might cheer you up. Or, at least you'd look happier when you wore it.”

The Titan looked at the helmet, then looked at her again. He turned it around so that he was looking at the backside of it again, then raised it up and slid it over his head.

“How do I look?” he asked, holding his hands out wide, the grinning yellow face covering where his actual face would have been.

Celeste just smiled.

…

This story was inspired by an image that NetRaptor showed me that she found with a Guardian with a smiley face painted on his helmet aiming his weapons with a young looking red-headed girl behind him and said it reminded her of Claney and Celeste. It fit so perfect that I had to use it for a bit of inspiration.

#Destiny the game #fanfiction #Tales We'll Tell #Claney Beamard #Celeste Etain #writing

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jsmulligan · 5 years ago

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New "Tales We'll Tell" entry. Fireteam Painted Truth enters Gambit for the first time.

Contains major "When the Sun Winds Down" spoilers.

Couldn't think of a more creative name.

#Destiny the game #destiny 2 #fanfiction #my writing #tales we'll tell #Gambit #the Drifter #Claney Beamard #Celeste Etain

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jsmulligan · 6 years ago

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Questions About Your Guardian(s)

Saw this shared nd thought I would answer for fun.

Assume these also mean their plural versions. Also reblog this with your answers when you see this and tag a friend if ya want! I wanna learn about your OCs!!!

1.) What is your guardian’s name? What does it mean? What inspired you to choose that name for them?

My main Guardian is my Titan, Claney Beamard. Claney means "red-headed fighter". I had previously used it as a last name for a Guild Wars Warrior/Elemental (Ayden Claney - fiery red-headed fighter). Beamard means "strong like a bear" or something similar.

His daughter character is Celeste Etain. She is my daughter's character, designed to be like her, so she got her middle name. I forget what the baby name book I was using said Etain meant, but a quick Google search just now says "jealousy", which doesn't fit what I was thinking.

Another reused name is my Voidwalker, Zillah Arvid. I had previously used the name for my Guild Wars Necro. It means "Shadow Walker".

2.) What did your guardian name their ghost? What does it mean? What inspired them to choose that name?

Claney's Ghost is Elgan. Most of my character's Ghost names are names that mean ghost, spirit, or light. Except Celeste's. He is Whisper, named after the ghost Butler in Yo Kai Watch, because my daughter was into that at the time.

3.) What is your guardians favorite weapon of choice? What mod do they use for it? Do they have a masterwork on it and if so, how many enemies have they killed with that weapon?

Claney favors ARs, Pulse Rifles, shotguns, and LMGs. He was not happy when the foundries stopped producing those.

4.) Do they participate in the Crucible often or do they just go to complete the daily challenges?

Claney does some Crucible, but only dives full in when it is Iron Banner, because he is a bit of an Iron Lord fanboy.

5.) If your guardian had to choose to be another class, what class would they pick? Or would they stay the same?

Hunter. He enjoys nature.

6.) What is their favorite subclass within their own class?

He is a Defender to the core.

7.) What is their favorite subclass in a different class?

No real preference.

8.) Would they rather receive a titan kiss ( a hard ass headbutt that mostly results in death ), asking a warlock a question that might result in a long explanation, or deciding to play the knife game with hunter and bet at high stakes?

Probably a "Titan kiss". Elgan jabbers enough for any Warlock already

9.) Would they prank other guardians or just their close friends? What kind of pranks would they pull?

He is too earnest and "straight and narrow" to be much of a prankster. If he did any, it would only be to close friends.

10.) Which vanguard memeber to they like to hang out with the most?

Zavala. Fellow Defender, and another Titan who breaks the "Rawr, smash everything" Titan stereotype.

11.) Who would they fml out of Skolas, Ghaul, and Calus?

Sorry, FML?

12.) What kind of hobbies do they do in their free time? Are there any particular skills they have that help them with this hobby(s)?

The only real hobby Claney has revealed is collecting Iron Lord items. Celeste likes to draw and is rather skilled.

13.) What is their favorite armor set and what shader do they use for it?

Claney like just about anything from Iron Banner (if that wouldn't have been clear already), and things with fur. He was a big fan of the Spektar Kallipolis from D1. His armor is usually shaded green and gold or red and gold.

14.) Do they prefer silence or are they unbothered in loud areas?

Silence is preferable to noise, but noise doesn't bother him too much.

15.) Are they afraid of storms? If so, is there a specific reason why?

16.) Who were they before their ghost revived them? Do they know about this and if so how or what did they use to learn about themselves?

Claney has no real memory of his life before, only that he doesn't believe he was a fighter as he was reborn with no natural skill at it. He has only ever had impressions or the tiniest little snippets of memory fragments.

17.) How close are your guardian and their ghost? If they are not close, would your guardian kill their ghost and choose to answer the darkness’ calls?

Claney is very close to Elgan. He rarely says it out loud, but he has deep affection for him. The fact that he drew a gun on the Ghost during the transmission crisis was something that haunted him for a long time.

18.) Would your guardian engage in a romantic relationship with Fallen, Cabal, Hive, etc? If so, what do they find attractive about the species?

Never. He has a deep-seated hatred for the Hive that dates back a long way. He was mostly ambivalent about the Cabal until the Red War. Now, they rank right by the Hive. Fallen, he can understand and could almost feel pity for them if they weren't always shooting at him.

19.) Who is their favorite lore hero? Example, Jolder, Saint-14, Andal Brask, etc. Why is this person their favorite and in what ways do they inspire your guardian? What would your guardian say if they were face to face with them?

Saladin. If we are only talking dead characters, Radegast.

20.) Does your guardian like plants? If so, what kinds? Do they prefer flowers or trees or shrubs? Would they start a garden?

Trees. He likes walking among them.

21.) If your guardian became obsessed with something, what would it be?

Other than the Iron Lords? He was briefly obsessed with Spektar amor.

Does a certain blue-akinned Warlock count?

22.) Do they like reading books or watching movies or both? What genres are their favorites? Does their fireteam have the same taste?

He likes to read, and is a fan of fantasy books. The idea of Noble knights appeals to him.

His fireteam? Celeste would be more of a TV/movie person, as would Kana. Baruch would have been a non-fiction type. Scott, like any good Warlock, was a voracious reader.

23.) What kind of music do they like? Do they dance around anybody in any situation or in the privacy of their quarters? What would their favorite song from the Golden Age be?

Claney is a fan of music, mainly rock. Don't ALL Guardians dance, canonically? Honestly, Claney isn't the type to dance much. Singing is something he enjoyed doing in the past, but he doesn't now. At least, not in public.

Celeste loves to dance, and likes anything up eat and peppy.

24.) What does their living space look like? Are there a bunch of pictures around or do Knick knacks cover the shelves? Do they enjoy bright, neutral, or dark colors? Would they purchase a fur rug?

Claney likes fur on his armor, but wouldn't use it in decoration. His living g quarters would be somewhat minimalist. He wouldn't have a lot of possessions to fill the space, but his home is usually a little messy. "Comfortably cluttered".

25.) Do they travel around the city often? If so, what are their favorite places to go and who do they go with? Are the civilians ever excited to see them or do they give them a look because of precious mishaps that resulted in property damage?

Claney isn't super comfortable in the City. It reminds him of something he may once have had, but is lost to him now.

26.) Are they good with kids? If not, how do they react when a child tries to talk to them? If they are good with kids, what kind of things do they do to entertain them?

Claney is great with kids. He's a big teddy bear, and is always willing to get down to their level

27.) Are they in love with Shaxx?

Not "in love", no, as Claney is straight. He admires and respects Shaxx a great deal, however

28.) When your guardian sleeps, are they stiff and stay in one spot or wild and kick off the sheets? Do they have nightmares often and if so, about what? How often do they sleep?

Claney sometimes has nightmares about The Great Disaster. He lost most of his original team there on the Moon. He is a mostly still sleeper, with the occasional turn.

29.) Do they enjoy coffee, tea, soda, or water? Would they mix all of these together and drink the liquid on a dare?

Coffee and water (individually, not watered-down coffee).

30.) What about their personality attracts other guardians to them? What is it about other guardians that attracts your guardian to them?

He is good-natured and kind. Sometimes wears his heart on his sleeve and mostly honest. He genuinely cares about people.

#Talk about your OC #Claney Beamard #Destiny #Destiny 2 #Destiny the game #fanfiction #boy that was quite a few questions

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jsmulligan · 7 years ago

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“You've got to hold those zones!” the voice of Lord Shaxx, Crucible Handler, rang through the arena, frustration evident in his tone.

Shaxx was a legendary figure, a mountain of a man who had lead famed charges into harrowing conflict, then built the Crucible as we know it to train Guardians to be ready for anything that would come their way. He was very hands on with his creation, monitoring each match that happened. He served as announcer for some matches, others he would just chime in from time to time with comments directed toward the competitors. Normally, hearing him getting so caught up in a match was nearly as entertaining as the action itself. When it was directed at your team, the entertainment value dropped substantially.

“Oh, is THAT what we're supposed to be doing,” Hunter Celeste Etain muttered to the left of me. “And here I thought we were just supposed to dance around them and look at the pretty flags.”

As she spoke, Celeste spun out into the open, drawing her Void bow and loosing an arrow at Zone B. The arrow pierced through one defender. Where he fell, a ball of purple Light blossomed with tendrils of energy lancing outward to snare the other two. I followed her action up by tossing grenade that attached to one and exploded. The energy of the explosion transferred through the Void tethers, killing both of them.

“Maybe that's what Baruch was doing,” Titan Kana-4 chimed in over the comms, her tone teasing. “It would explain why we lost C just now.”

She sprinted into view, performing a crisp slide into the circle that marked the Control point. Celeste and I quickly moved into it as well, the three of us watching for approaching enemies while waiting to be awarded the capture.

“I was not dancing,” Titan Baruch Maor groused after a few seconds, his usual lack of humor evident in his tone. “They shot me out of the air before I could land my slam. I had them dead to rights.”

“And that is why you don't leap high in the air before you do it,” I chided. “At least until you've managed to better control you speed of descent. We've talked about that.”

He did not reply to that, but I could imagine the Awoken man grumbling under his breath. Despite being newly risen, Baruch was very self-assured. That could be a good thing, but it often turned into arrogance or just thick-headed stubbornness. If I could manage to shape it properly, it could result in a stalwart Guardian that others would follow into anything. For now, however, it just made me want to beat my head against the Wall until visions of prancing Thrall filled my skull.

“Tanton. Astrid. How are you progressing?” I asked.

“Got one,” was the Hunter's terse reply.

“We found her by A and took her out,” Astrid's young voice replied. “About to move to capture.”

“Nice work,” Celeste complemented.

“Thanks,” Astrid said, the mini-Titan's voice full of joy. “She never saw me coming. Dove into the back of her knees, then Tanton finished her off with his knife.”

“You and knees,” I muttered, not necessarily intending to be heard.

“It's fun,” she said. “No one ever expects it.”

Motion to my left. I turned and fired, three rounds leaping from my Parthian Shot pulse rifle. They found their mark, striking a Guardian who had tried sneaking up on us. Kana reacted and fired an inaccurate spray from her auto rifle. It was not the best bit of shooting, but enough rounds found their mark to finish off the enemy combatant.

“Heavy ammo inbound,” suddenly sounded through the arena.

“We'll get the close one here,” I said. “We'll do out best to wait for the rest of you to get here before opening it.”

“Not me,” Baruch stated. “I've still got a Fist of Havoc that I need to hit someone with. I'm going after the other drop.”

The heavy ammo crate trasmatted into its designated spot. I erected a Ward of Dawn around it, giving us protection while we grabbed the ammo synths and loaded our weapons. Across the bottom of my HUD, I saw several notifications scroll by in rapid succession:

BRAVO has picked up heavy ammo.

Baruch Maor killed Baris-7, Fist of Havoc

Baruch Maor killed Lee Christoph, Fist of Havoc

Baruch Maor killed David Ryn, Fist of Havoc

ALPHA has taken the lead.

Jarus Corbin killed Baruch Maor, sniper rifle

“Four of them got the heavy ammo, but I took out three,” Baruch said moments later, after being revived and transmatted back into the arena.

“Nice work,” I replied. “Let's finish them off.”

Having five members of our team with heavy weapons available, versus only one of theirs, gave us a strong advantage. We stuck together, working to take out approaching Guardians before they could pick us off or unleash their Light. This let us stretch out the slim lead Baruch had gotten us, and we were able to hold on for the victory. It wasn't the prettiest match I had ever been part of, but a win is a win. The team seemed to be coming together nicely. Well, the team and Astrid, the irrepressible “Wild Child”.

Once the match was called, Celeste made her way to the nearest control point and was started dancing near the flag. Kana cheered her on while clapping a beat. Baruch, Tanton, and Astrid gathered nearby and were watching the two of them.

“Alright everyone, let's call it a day and get out of here,” I said.

“Aww, but I'm holding the zone like Shaxx said,” Celeste jokingly pouted.

“Yeah, someone has to show Baruch how it's done,” added Kana, casting a glance at the other Titan.

“Try it out next time we're in a match and see how it works for you,” the other Awoken man grumbled.

“Well, if you want to stick around, that's up to you,” I replied, “but Fireteam Painted Truth is officially off duty for now.”

“Fireteam?” a familiar voice questioned behind me. I turned around to see Jarus Corbin approaching. He had already removed his helmet and a broad smile was creasing his dark features. “Claney Beamard in an honest-to-goodness fireteam? And here I thought I'd seen everything.”

“Jarus,” I nodded, extending a hand which the Hunter shook. “It's been a while.”

“Yes it has,” he responded, glancing past me at the other five Guardians. “I thought you'd sworn off fireteams. In fact, I remember you making a big deal about it when Iniko tried to get you to join ours a few years back.”

“It's a long story,” I said. “But the short version is that it was something that I'd thought about for a while and the Vanguard assigned three kinderguardians to work with me and Celeste.”

“And the half-pint?” Jarus asked.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I said quickly, holding a hand up. “Don't let her hear you say that, unless you feel like eating a Hammer. What's the phrase? '… though she be but little, she is fierce'? And to answer your question, she's not fully part of the team. Astrid is still only allowed to participate in the Crucible. Officially. Unofficially, I'd be willing to wager just about anything that she manages to slip out and get herself more field experience than anyone would guess.”

A warning appeared on my HUD just then. We had remained too long and needed to clear the arena before the next match. I'd seen people ignore those warnings and had no desire to be cleared from the arena by the Redjacks.

“Let's finish this conversation back at the Tower,” I said to Jarus before turning my attention to my team. “Now it's really time to go. Clear out, head back home.”

…

I changed out of my armor into something more casual while on transit to the Tower. Jarus, the team, and I all transmatted into the Courtyard about the same time, and it looked like they all had the same idea. We briefly discussed heading to the Hangar bar or the City, but decided to continue the conversation at the fireteam quarters. Astrid opted to head back to the Anusky's. We reached our destination and the Hunter paused at the door where Celeste had painted the team's name in large letters.

“Painted Truth?” he asked, glancing at me.

“Celeste picked the name,” I replied with a shrug.

“Don't be jealous your team didn't think of something as interesting,” she smirked and passed through the doorway.

Jarus just shook his head and followed her in. I let Kana, Baruch, and Tanton enter as well before stepping in last. By the time I entered, Jarus and Celeste had each found seats in the common area. Baruch and Kana were looking for seats, and Tanton was disappearing into his bunk. I watched him go and then dropped heavily into an empty armchair.

“Jarus Corbin, this is Celeste Etain, Kana-4, and Baruch Maor. The one who disappeared into his room is Tanton Holter. Team, Jarus.” I indicated each member of the team as I said their names, and they each nodded or waved in turn. “I've worked with Jarus a few times in the past.”

“Yep. And I saved his life every single time, regardless of what he tells you,” the Hunter said. “So, I take it we have time for the longer version now?” Jarus asked.

“I suppose we do,” I said, then took a moment to gather my thoughts. “Well, it starts with a woman...”

“The best stories always do,” Jarus commented, winking at Kana who gave an impressive roll of her optics.

“... named Zillah Arvid,” I continued, ignoring both him and the sound Celeste made at the mention of Zillah's name. “An Awoken Warlock. She, Celeste, another Warlock named Scott-20, and I went on a mission that turned into something much bigger. She suggested we form a team.”

“I can't help but notice there's nobody here that matches that description,” he said. “Is she...”

“Dead? No. She left shortly after making the suggestion and hasn't been seen since. The other Warlock suffered some injuries during the events and decided he preferred life in his study to the field. He is our unofficial sixth member, acting as an information maven as well as facilitating communications and tinkering with gear.

“That left me and Celeste. We work together all the time, but two people do not a fireteam make. It seemed like the end of it. I've spent the better part of the last year stationed at the Tower helping to mentor and train newly revived Titans. Celeste stuck around for a time, but then ventured back into the wilds as you Hunters do. Still, I couldn't seem to shake the idea of putting a team together. Eventually I convinced Celeste to come back and brought the idea up to the Vanguard. They assigned Kana, Baruch, and Tanton to us to make the team, though there wasn't a sixth at the time.”

“Dad and I...” Celeste began before Jarus interrupted again.

“Wait. Dad?”

“I was there when she was resurrected,” I said quickly. “Right after helping you and Iniko, actually. Have you seen any old cartoons where the baby bird hatches and thinks that whatever the first thing it sees is its mother? Same basic concept.”

“Shush,” Celeste laughed, tossing a throw pillow at me. “Anyway. Yes, my dad. We agreed to the assignment and have been spending way too much time in the Crucible ever since to, as the old man put it, 'build team report.'”

“Well that just sounds super boring,” Jarus remarked, smirking at me.

“Oh, it is,” Kana agreed.

“Well, if you get tired of it, Team Tosia could always has room a few extra members. We'd actually let you out to shoot stuff. Just ditch the 'old man' here and come on over.”

“Poaching from my team and inciting mutiny. Remind me to not invite you back,” I said, shaking my head.

“What can I say? I like to stir the pot,” the Hunter replied.

“I'm well aware of that. Speaking of Team Tosia, how are things?”

“Knew they had a boring name,” Celeste muttered under her breath. Jarus either did not hear or just ignored it.

“Not bad, not bad. Broke in a new member not too long ago when someone left the team. We've been keeping active; taking strikes from the Vanguard, doing work for the factions, the usual. It is getting a little weird out there, though.”

“How so?”

Jarus shifted as he spoke, leaning forward, “The numbers of enemy combatants we're seeing and the way they're moving. I mean, given everything that has happened over the last few years, taking the Black Garden, killing Hive Gods, stopping the Devils and SIVA, it would stand to reason that we would see changes. But... I don't know. Something feels off about the way it's going down. I can't really put my finger on it, though.”

I nodded, thoughtful. Baruch and Kana seemed to listen intently with a definite hunger in their eyes. Maybe it was time to get them out in the field instead of just drilling in the Crucible.

“I will say one thing for sure,” Jarus continued, “there is something going on with the Cabal on Mars. Something seems to have lit a fire under them and they are starting to push harder against us and the Vex. Mobilizing in a way I haven't seen since they were right before Oryx wrecked them on Phobos. Tosia has recommended to the Vanguard that we increase our presence there.”

“You think they're planning to try to move against us?”

“Maybe. Or maybe they're a canary.”

“A what?” Baruch questioned.

“A canary,” Jarus repeated. “Back long before the Golden Age, when people would mine underground for minerals, they would sometimes have a canary with them in order to detect lethal gas.”

“Did the birds offer some sort of warning?” Kana asked.

“No,” Jarus replied, “they just died faster than people. So if the canary dropped dead, they miners would know there was a deadly substance in the air and get out.”

“Oh,” was the only response the Exo offered.

“And you think that the Cabal are reacting to something big coming that we haven't detected yet?” I asked.

“They were like an ant hill someone kicked over before Oryx came in, they're starting to get that way now. One doesn't necessarily mean the other, but...,” the Hunter shrugged.

“You may have a point.”

Just then, my Ghost Elgan materialized and floated over to me.

“Sorry to interrupt, but the Vanguard are calling for you.”

“Okay.”

“They want to speak to you in private,” he said.

I excused myself from the conversation and crossed the room to my bunk. I closed the door and sat on the far side of the small room. Elgan flittered over to hover just in front of me, the pieces of his shell rotating in opposite directions. I looked at him, and he connected me to the Vanguard. The calm, deep voice of Commander Zavala emerged.

“Claney?”

“Yes, Commander?”

“There is an urgent matter that the Speaker wishes to discuss with you. He is requesting that you come to his study alone. He says it is something of a sensitive nature and would prefer no one else know that you are coming to speak with him.”

“Any idea what so I'm not going in blind?” I asked.

“No,” the Commander replied, a slight hint of annoyance creeping into his voice. He did not seem to be thrilled to have the Speaker keeping him in the dark either.

“Fair enough. I will head there right away. Claney out.”

The connection severed and I sat still for a moment. For the life of me I could not figure out what the Speaker would need to speak to me about. No point in keeping him waiting, however. I emerged from the room and all eyes turned to me.

“I have to go deal with something. I'll be back in a few minutes.”

Celeste gave me an inquisitive look, and I shook my head then headed out the door.

...

AN:

This is the first chapter of my recently started fic over at fanfiction.net. I saw posts about Destiny week, and that it was fireteam day. I hadn’t contributed up ‘til now, but better late than never? The story itself is a sequel to A Not So Simple Patrol and lead in to Destiny 2.

As always, Astrid is the property of @yourspunkpunk

#Destiny the game #fanfiction #Claney #Celeste #When the Sun Winds Down #yourspunkpunk #Destiny

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jsmulligan · 7 years ago

Text

New Kid on the Block

Nightstalker Celeste Etain was perched on a rocky outcropping outside of the primary patrol paths on Mars. She had been tasked with gathering intel on a Cabal Firebase that had been discovered in the area. It was now approaching three hours that she had been watching the overgrown space turtles moving supplies from one part of the base to another in a way that made little sense to her, and she was growing antsy. Sitting in place this long felt unnatural.

Peering through her binoculars, she watched as the sun glint off the blue and yellow armor of the Siege Dancers as they went about their work. A large Centurion, probably a Valus, was directing fortifications on the western edge of the base. Two Interceptors driven by Psions left the base intermittently, doing patrol sweeps. The path they took was predictable, and never put them in position to cause her any concern.

A Harvester swooped in and dropped off another contingent of Cabal. The first batch of troops dropped down and held position beneath the armed transport. The second group then tossed crates and equipment down to them. Celeste tried to make out any markings on whatever was being dropped off, cut could not from where she lay. Once the last crate was down, the Cabal on the ground began moving it all to a position just out of view. Curious, Celeste decided to find a better vantage point to see what the newcomers were up to.

Crawling back slowly out of view, Celeste drew out a smoke bomb and threw it at her feet to activate her camouflage. She then sprinted from the rock to the next one over. She climbed it quickly, going prone once she reached the top. The camouflage would have given her more time, but she did not want to take any chances. Once in position, she set her sniper rifle on the ground next to her and pulled out her binoculars.

She still could not quite make out what was on the crates that had been delivered. Grumbling in annoyance, she crawled forward to the edge of the rock, risking the increase in visibility to try to get a better view. She strained to look, when suddenly the edge of the rock crumbled beneath her elbow. A small piece broke free and rolled down to the ground.

Please don't see that, Celeste thought over and over again as the rock came to a stop.

A Psion popped its head up and looked right at her. Instinctively, she grabbed her sniper rifle and brought it to bear, snapping off a shot that found its mark. The Psion's dropped to the ground, missing most of its head. The shot might have been silent, but the corpse would be noticed any time. Celeste scrambled from position and prepared to beat a hasty retreat. She had taken one step when the alarm sounded.

“Thrall spit,” the Hunter cursed as micro-rockets began exploding around her.

She slipped the sniper rifle to her back and pulled the hand cannon from the holster on her thigh. Running, she thrust her arm back and fired a few rounds blindly, smiling in satisfaction when she heard one of her pursuers cry out in pain. Just then, her Ghost Whisper sounded in her ear.

“Incoming call from Cayde-6.”

“Busy,” she snapped. “Ignore!”

“Ignoring,” Whisper replied. “Now another call coming in again from Cayde-6, this time utilizing Vanguard override authorization codes.”

“Celeste!” The voice of the Hunter Vanguard sounded over her comms, taking a force jovial tone. “How's it goin'?”

“I'm a little busy trying not to die here, Cayde,” Celeste retorted, turning to empty her hand cannon into the Cabal behind her, then reloaded. “Can this wait?”

“Oh, I'm sure you'll be fine, and I'll be quick. I need you to get back to the Tower, pronto. I've got a... well, a special assignment that you are uniquely equipped to deal with.”

“What are you on about, Cayde?”

“You'll see, you'll see. Just... make it quick, okay? See you soon.” Cayde closed the connection as soon as the words were out of his mouth.

“Why do I think I'd rather stay here with the Cabal?” Celeste asked rhetorically.

“Because you do not want to see what Cayde has in store for you?” Whisper asked obliviously.

“You think?” the Hunter spat, taking aim and shooting an advancing Phalanx in the shoulder as he adjusted his shield. “Get my sparrow so we can get out of here.”

The sparrow materialized behind Celeste. She drew on the Void to created a grenade, which she threw toward the advancing Cabal. The Voidwall grenade exploded, sending streaks of purple Light in two directions, momentarily cutting the Cabal off. Taking full advantage of the moment, Celeste hopped on her sparrow and hit the throttle. Once she felt like she was a safe distance away, she had Whisper call out for the ship and left Mars behind for now.

…

She was still picking little pieces of shrapnel out of her armor when they arrived at the Tower. One of the pieces had nicked her arm, but the cut was shallow and barely bleeding. She bandaged it up, then guided the ship toward the top of the Tower. Whisper took over the ship and Celeste transmatted down to the plaza.

An odd mix of elation and dread swirled through her system as she made her way toward the Hall of Guardians. It could be an interesting mission. Maybe something top secret, the way Cayde called her in. Something did not feel quite right about the situation though. Cayde noticed her the moment she stepped into the room.

“Celeste, there you are! So good of you to respond to the call so quickly.”

“Well, it sounded urgent when you called,” she replied.

“Yes, yes, so it was. Look I've got a situation that I need you to take care of,” the Vanguard said in a conspiratorial tone. “It will be a lot easier if I show you. Follow me.”

Celeste fell in behind Cayde as they quickly made their way back up to the plaza, then headed in the direction of Guardian housing. She furrowed her brows in puzzlement, wondering where he could be leading her. Cayde was uncharacteristically quiet through the elevator ride down to the habitat area. As they exited the elevator, a large crash could be heard coming from one of the rooms.

“What was that?” Celeste asked, concerned that someone was under attack.

“That is what I brought you down here for,” was Cayde's cryptic reply.

The two Hunters strode down the hallway, anxiety building in Celeste. Finally Cayde came to a stop in front of one of the rooms. He hesitated, looking like he wanted to say something, but stopped himself. After a few moments, he opened the door.

Inside the room was chaos. Furniture was knocked about, some pieces shattered. Knickknacks were scattered all over the floor. A frazzled looking woman sat on the floor, back pressed against the separating this room from the next. Just then, a small shape went hurtling across the opening, laughing giddily.

“Hi, Sally,” Cayde said, waving to the woman who cut him an evil glare and then, with a speed that shocked Celeste, sprung to her feet and sprinted past the two Guardians. Cayde sighed. “She isn't the first one to do that this week.”

Suddenly, the small form burst back into view and headed right for the two Hunters with a shout.

“Cayde!”

If Cayde-6 were organic, he would have had the breath knocked out of him by the pint-sized bundle of energy that slammed into him. Amazingly, charging full speed into the metallic form of the Exo seemed to have no detrimental effect on the creature that caused the collision. Celeste got her first look at the source of the destruction in the room and was amazed to see a girl who could not have been more than twelve years old.

“Hey there, Wild Child,” the Hunter Vanguard said with a trace of affection. “I brought someone I want you to meet. This is Celeste.”

Cayde gestured to Celeste and the young girl looked at her skeptically from behind dirty-blonde hair that had fallen in her face.

“Celeste, this is Astrid,” the Vanguard continued. “You and she have something in common.”

Realization suddenly dawned in Celeste's eyes. She looked at the scene around her and back at the little girl. Just then, a Ghost floated into view, taking position slightly above and behind Astrid's shoulder.

“She's a Guardian,” Celeste stated.

“Well, not quite,” responded Cayde, bringing an annoyed look from the girl.

“Too young,” Celeste said quietly.

“Exactly,” Cayde confirmed. “She's Chosen, but too young to be a Guardian. Just like you were. She was dropped off at the Tower a couple weeks ago. A team of Guardians had found her while on patrol with no clue how long she'd been surviving on her own. Given your history, I thought you might be just the person to help her out. Plus, every indication is that she is going to be a Titan and, given your closeness with Claney, you are familiar with their idiosyncrasies.”

“What did you just call me?” Astrid snapped, glaring at the Vanguard and putting her hands on her hips.

“What? Nothing. Anyway,” turning back to Celeste, “do you think you're up for the job?”

“Of course, absolutely,” Celeste replied.

“Great,” Cayde said and slapped her on the back, the relief in his voice obvious. “I'll, uh, see you around. Oh, one more thing. Don't let her touch your maps.”

With that, the Hunter Vanguard disappeared through the door. Celeste and Astrid stood still for a moment, sizing each other up. One a Guardian who had been revived as a child, tall and lean with red hair hanging in a jumbled mess, the other a small child recently brought back to a world she did not yet understand. Astrid broke the silence.

“So, you were like me?” the young girl asked.

“Yes, I was,” Celeste told her. “I was about your age when I was brought back too. A Titan found me and brought me to the Tower; kept me safe. I grew up here, watching as everyone else that was resurrected went out to fight while I just stayed here studying and training, knowing that one day it would be me.”

The bravado and craziness that Astrid had been displaying disappeared for a moment, and Celeste caught a glimpse of the scared child beneath the surface. She gave a sad smile and held out her hand, which Astrid took.

“Hey, it's okay,” she said, then noticed the scars that covered the girls hands. Concern filled her voice. “What happened here?”

“I don't want to talk about it,” Astrid said, pulling her hand away from the Hunter and then hiding them behind her back.

“Okay. If you don't want to talk about it now, I won't push you.” Celeste paused for a moment, then bent down to Astrid's level, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Hey, if you're going to be hanging around this Tower, you need to know all the best places. I can show you all the hide-y holes and secrets this place has to offer.”

“How do you know them if they're secret?” Astrid asked, teal eyes flashing a challenge.

“Because I'm clever,” Celeste replied with a grin. “I've spent more time in this Tower than ninety-nine percent of the people here. I probably know it better than anyone save the Speaker. Follow me.”

With a grin, the Hunter turned and darted out of the room. Astrid stood still for a few seconds, thrown off by the unexpected turn of events. Celeste popped back into view, an impish grin still plastered on her face.

“You coming or not?”

…

Celeste and Astrid stared at the Traveler as it hung in the darkening sky. They'd spent hours exploring the Tower, Celeste showing her every place she used to go as a kid to get away from the adults or to practice her skills in secret. Several spots had been a challenge for her to get into now that she had grown, but that had only make Astrid laugh as she struggled to wriggle through. Now they were back in the main plaza, seated on top of Eververse.

“Do you like being a Guardian?” Astrid asked, deliberately keeping her eyes away from the Hunter.

“I love it,” Celeste answered honestly. “There are difficult moments, to be sure, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.”

“I think I'll like it too. I wish I didn't have to wait.”

Celeste laughed.

“I've been there too, kiddo,” she said, then froze. “What did I just say?”

“What did you just say?” Astrid asked at the same time.

“By the Traveler, I'm turning into Claney,” Celeste said with a groan, falling backward to stare at the sky. “That simply won't do. We need to do something fun. Now. Got any ideas?”

“Well,” Astrid said, thinking, “Cayde is usually alone in the Vanguard room right now and there was a lot of that smelly weed in that abandoned garden you showed me earlier.”

“I like the way you think,” Celeste said with a smile.

...

Astrid was created by @yourspunkpunk. This is another entry to my “Tales” series over at fanfiction.net that was inspired the first time I read an early version of Astrid’s character profile.

#Destiny #Destiny the game #Cayde-6 #fanfiction #Tales We'll Tell #yourspunkpunk #OC's #Celeste #Astrid

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jsmulligan · 7 years ago

Text

Firebrand

Three figures stood in the Tower courtyard, near the opening overlooking the City. Two were women and were dressed in full battle gear, minus their helmets. One was human with long read hair pulled up in two pigtails. The other was an Awoken, green hair pulled messily up on the back of her head. The third figure was a red-haired human male and wore casual clothing. Despite that, he was still noticeably bigger than his armored companions. Hunter Celeste Etain, Warlock Zillah Arvid, and Titan Claney Beamard had been through quite a bit that day, but more stood in store for one of them.

“See ya, kiddo,” Claney told Celeste. “If you do end up leaving the Tower, come find me first, okay?”

“You're really going to milk this 'dad' thing for all it's worth, aren't you?” the red-haired women teased. She gave the man a quick hug, then looked at Zillah. She opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, but hesitated. “See ya,” she said eventually, then turned and walked away.

After several steps she glanced back, looking at the other two. Zillah and Claney had turned away from her and were facing the Traveler, engaged in conversation. Celeste's brows pulled together and she pursed her lips. Something about the situation did not sit right with her.

Claney she had known for years and was family to her. The only family she had since being revived as a Guardian by her Ghost, Whisper. Sure, due to the nature of her unusual situation, there had been a few other people that had helped watch her when Claney was on missions, but she had never felt a real connection with them. The big man had been there when she had been revived, had protected her, cared for her, and helped train her. Well, as best as a Titan could, anyway.

Zillah, on the other hand, she had only known for a short time. She had met the Warlock while the Awoken woman was on a mission with Claney. Zillah had been nothing but rude to the both of them for most of the time they had known her. There was always a bit of a rivalry between Hunters and Warlocks, and the two groups did not always get along, but it went beyond that. The Warlock had seemed to have an authentic dislike for her and Claney.

Somewhere, though, things had changed. Celeste had noticed differences in the way the other two spoke to each other and their body language. Even now, as they stared at the Traveler hanging over the Last City, they were standing close, each seemingly at ease with the other.

It made the Hunter uncomfortable, and she could not quite place why. Her eyes narrowed, then she shook her head, chasing away the line of thought. She had left the other two to go visit someone else, and need to follow through on that. With a last look, Celeste turned and headed for the residential section of the Tower.

The apartment she was looking for was very familiar to her. She had called it home for a little while herself, and now someone else was having to do the same. Not long ago, another Ghost had made the same error hers had and revived a Guardian that was too young to be allowed in the field. Of course, Astrid was even younger than she had been, and had quite a different personality.

Celeste had bounced around a few homes when she was young, many people not being up to the task of dealing with a teenage with the power of a Guardian. Finally, she'd ended up with Mr. and Mrs. Anusky, and it had mostly worked. Having had some success with Celeste, the couple had agreed to take Astrid under their roof as well. It had not been quite as smooth a transition as everyone hoped, but last time Celeste had stopped by, things seemed to be settling in to some form of equilibrium. She only hoped it had held.

When Celeste reached the apartment, the man and woman greeted her warmly. Celeste may not have bonded with them the same way she had Claney, but she did like them. Each time she saw them now, she was surprised to see how much they seemed to have aged since she first entered their home. In her mind, they always looked like they did when she was brought to their door, the fourth such couple to try to take her in.

After catching up briefly, they told Celeste that Astrid had been invited to sleep over with a friend from school, and that they had reluctantly agreed after much cajoling from the tiny Titan. They pointed her in the right direction, and the Hunter made her way to the friend's home. When she got there, she was in for another bit of news when the mother of the friend said that Astrid had told her daughter that she was sick and was not going to be able to come over after all.

“Oh, I'm sorry. I must have missed the update on that one,” Celeste responded with a smile, trying not to let her surprise show. “Sorry to bother you, ma'am.”

The door closed, and Celeste spun around on her heels and set off down the hallway. Astrid had the Anusky's convinced she was with a friend, but told the friend that she was home. She wanted to be somewhere with no one the wiser, and the Hunter had a pretty good idea where that might be.

When she first met Astrid, she had shown the younger girl every secret place she had discovered among the Tower. All the ways she had discovered to make living here bearable when everything inside you longed be out doing other things. One place in particular had seemed to catch Astrid's fancy.

After The Battle of Twilight Gap, much of the Wall had been abandoned, along with the towers that guarded it. Some had since seen minimal use, including the Bannerfall Crucible field. As a teen, Celeste had found an old, abandoned tunnel that led to one of the other Towers. These structures were made to be fortifications, so down below the ground, each had a large, very solid bunker built as a last refuge for fleeing civilians. It was in that bunker that Celeste had practiced and honed her Light away from prying eyes and ears. Astrid had taken to the place immediately, relishing the opportunity to unleash her abilities.

Celeste picked her way through the tunnel, climbing over some rubble and wriggling her way through other portions while remembering how much easier it had been to squeeze through a few years back. Whisper flew over her shoulder, illuminating the way and twitching nervously. The Ghost had never liked her coming here, always concerned that it would collapse and keep them pinned with no way out.

Finally she reached the other tower and climbed down the few flights of stairs to the bunker. She had anticipated hearing the pop of gunfire, the small explosion of Light fueled grenades, or small, armored fists smashing things, but she heard nothing. She pushed the door open and found the room empty. Now that was unexpected.

“Whisper, ping Astrid's Ghost,” she ordered, double checking the room to make sure the younger Guardian was not just hidden away somewhere.

Whispers shell expanded and rotated around his central ball of Light. Seconds stretched on before he collapsed back into himself.

“Guardian Astrid is not in the Tower.”

Thrall spit, Celeste cursed inwardly, whirling out of the room and heading for the surface. No need to cross through the tunnel now, she could exit the current tower and search the vicinity.

Celeste stopped only long enough to fire off a quick message to Claney:

Old man,

Popping out of the Tower to track something down. Should be back soon. No fighting with the Rainbow Death Squad while I'm gone.

Celeste

That taken care of, she set off to try to find Astrid. She just hoped the little munchkin had not gone too far from home on her own. She had Whisper transmat her sparrow down to speed things up.

“Keep scanning for her,” she told the Ghost. “I don't care if we set off Fallen sensors, but try not to send anything toward the Tower. Don't want them thinking there's a Guardian in trouble and sending anyone else out.”

“Or, maybe we do and someone else deals with the Fallen in the dark?” the Ghost asked hopefully.

“No. We find her on our own and keep it quiet.”

They searched for hours. She only had to dodge fire from Fallen snipers three times, which seemed like a strangely low number. She was considering giving up and admitting they might need to contact someone when Whisper finally made contact.

“I've got her. No sign that she has noticed us yet.”

“Good. Mark her on the HUD, please,” Celeste told the Ghost. She nodded when the white marker appeared. The Hunter dismounted her sparrow and began walking. Behind her, the machine disappeared as the Ghost transmatted back into whatever pocket dimension hoodoo the machines used to store their Guardians gear.

Hunters possess unmatched stealth capabilities among the different classes of Guardians. Some more than others. Bladedancers, for example, have cloaking technology allowing them to virtually disappear. Nightstalkers, like Celeste, have a similar ability even if their version is a bit showier in execution. She threw down a small bomb, the resulting smoke covering her and rendering her practically invisible. Thus concealed, she sprinted toward the glowing point on her HUD.

She slowed as she drew near, not wanting the sound of her approach to give her away. Astrid had been moving as well, though at a more leisurely pace. At last, Celeste drew close enough to catch sight of the young girl.

Astrid was clad in the armor her Ghost had manufactured for her at resurrection. She had her scout rifle she had brought with her to the Tower as well, though it was currently slung across her back carelessly. She was walking along the remains of a crumbled wall, placing one foot in front of the other and holding her arms straight out at the side to help maintain her balance. From time to time she came to a missing section and would hop across, landing on one foot. One jump she seemed to misjudge, but managed to use Lift to course correct and continue on.

Astrid reached the end of the wall, then swung her weapon around into firing position. Celeste grabbed her Uzume RR4 and aimed through the sight, trying to see what had caught Astrid's attention. Lined up in a row were several makeshift targets. Buckets rested on top of smooth, straight sticks. Brooms, maybe? Below, other things like sticks, rope, or cloth were attached to simulate armor and two arms on each side of the body. Stick Fallen. Celeste watched Astrid as she aimed and fired, missing with her first shot.

“Thrall spit!” the little Guardian shouted, then fired again.

This time she managed to punch a hole in one of the buckets, which brought a loud whoop. The Titan thrust her fist in the air, which caused her to lose her balance. She steadied herself, then fired off several more shots, hitting more than she missed. She was improving. Celeste was impressed.

Once the last target was down, Astrid slung the gun back over her shoulder and started to make her way back along the wall. She turned back toward Celeste and froze. She stood still for a second, then took a few cautious steps forward. Moving quicker than the Hunter had ever seen her move before, she swung the gun back around and fired right at Celeste.

Celeste dodged just in time, the bullet plowing into the ground right where she had been laying. When she looked back up, Astrid had jumped from the wall and was approaching her position, scout rifle at the ready. The Hunter was baffled. How had Astrid seen that she was there, and why was she attacking her?

“I know you're there.” the Titan muttered to herself, the muzzle of her rifle sweeping from side to side. “You picked the wrong target, Vandal.”

Celeste accidentally kicked a rock, making a scuffing noise. The young girl swung to her left and fired off a shot in her general direction. As quietly as possible, Celeste scuttled back in the original direction before speaking just in case Astrid reacted to another sound by pulling the trigger again. No need to take a bullet if it was not necessary.

“Not a Fallen,” she called out. “I even have the hood back home to prove it.”

“Celeste?” Astrid questioned, lowering her gun.

The Hunter stood with her hands raised and the grenade's invisibility wore off. When Astrid saw her, she dropped her gun and sprinted toward Celeste with a laugh, slamming into her mid-section and wrapping her arms fiercely around her. The force of the impact drove them both to the ground. Celeste had the wind knocked out of her, but when she could breathe again, she laughed along with her.

Astrid suddenly stopped laughing and popped up, before crossing her arms over her chest and sitting forcefully on Celeste's stomach, causing the older Guardian to have to catch her breathe again. “Why were you going to shoot me?”

“What do you mean?” Celeste gasped. “You shot at me.”

“No,” Astrid argued, “I shot at a scope glint. You were aiming at me.”

Celeste let out an involuntary laugh of disbelief. Astrid growled and raised a fist as if she was going to punch her.

“I wasn't aiming at you,” Celeste got out finally. “I was looking through the scope to see what you were shooting at. I thought you might be in trouble. Nice targets, by the way.”

“Oh,” the Titan said sheepishly after mulling it over for a second, then hopped up.

“Now it's your turn to answer a question,” the Hunter stated as she climbed back to her feet. “What are you doing out here?”

“Duh. Target practice. You saw,” the Titan retorted, waving her hand in the general direction of her make-shift Fallen.

“Yes, but why are you out HERE? Why not just use the bunker or one of the other rooms I showed you? And why did you lie to the Anusky's about a sleepover?”

“Ugh,” the child moaned, throwing her hands up in the air. “Because it's sooooo boring in there. The same rooms. The same walls. All. The. Time. And I lied to them because they would never have let me come out here alone.”

“With good reason,” Celeste responded. “You know the Fallen are more active at night.”

“I'd come during the day if I could sneak out of the Tower then,” Astrid grumbled a reply.

“That's... You would... You know that's not what I meant,” Celeste managed stammered out, exasperated. “You think it was easy for me to stay in there all the time? I'm a HUNTER! Everything inside me screams to be out here roaming around and exploring. But I stayed there because I knew it was what I was supposed to do.”

“Well, I'm not you.”

There it was. Despite Cayde's hope that the two would get along famously since they were both revived so young, that was the ultimate truth. Despite the one similar circumstance behind their revival, Celeste and Astrid were very different.

Celeste had no memory of her life before her resurrection, of course, but nothing had made her think she had any history of being a combatant before she died. She had struggled to learn how to handle firearms. Resisted the idea of her life being war and struggles. Astrid, however, came with some skill with a rifle. She arrived with knuckles scarred from unremembered brawls. She took to combat training faster than a lot of adult Guardians. Whatever life she had lived before her untimely death, it had not been easy and had left a mark on the young girl.

“I know that, Astrid.” Celeste dropped to one knee to get down to the smaller Guardian's eye level and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I know you see the world differently than I did. I just don't want anything to happen to you. Plus, imagine how Mr. and Mrs. Anusky would feel if you slipped out when they were supposed to be taking care of you and something did happen?”

“I didn't think about that,” the tiny Titan admitted. “Please don't tell them I lied?

“I won't,” Celeste replied, then her voice dropped into a conspiratorial whisper. “Tell you what. I've got an idea that we can run by Cayde. It will let you get out of the Tower, let you get the practice you need in honing your skills and abilities, but it will keep you safe at the same time.”

“I'm listening,” Astrid replied.

…

The next day. A three versus one standoff just outside the Hall of Guardians.

“No absolutely not!” Lord Shaxx objected strenuously. This had to be the worst idea he had heard in years.

“Come on, Shaxx,” Cayde-6, Hunter Vanguard, cajoled. “You know it's safe. Mostly. Wild Child here's a Guardian, so we know she has the ability. Plus, imagine the look on some Guardian's face when they run in to her!”

“No,” the Crucible Handler stated again, crossing his arms over his massive chest.

Astrid jumped up on the table in front of the big man and mirrored his stance, olive eyes boring a hole through his helmet. The two stood that way for several minutes, seemingly staring each other down, the only change being a narrowing of Astrid's eyes.

“Fine,” Lord Shaxx, almost Iron Lord, hero of the Twilight Gap relented, throwing his hands up. “She can go in the Crucible. Once. Just to see how it goes. I make no promises beyond that.”

Astrid whooped and jumped up and down, while Celeste and Cayde shared a grin. Shaxx suddenly pointed a meaty finger at the little Titan, which stopped her jumping.

“One thing,” he stated firmly. “No crying. There's no crying in my Crucible. I repeat, there's no. Crying. In my Crucible.”

“Tell the other Guardians that,” Astrid grinned.

…

Later that day. Widow's Court, European Dead Zone.

The Warlock spun nervously, searching for his target. He knew he had seen something move, but was detecting nothing. A laugh from behind sent a chill up his spine, and he whirled around, three rounds leaping from his pulse rifle. Nothing. Suddenly, a blur. Something small dashed around a barricade that was not big enough for anyone to use for cover and clipped his knee. He crashed to the ground hard. Rolling over, he saw the most absurd thing he could recall ever seeing. A Titan about half his size was standing over him, a battered Jigoku SR3-SL held near her hip. Bewildered, he could only watch as she cocked back her fist, unleashing a devastating punch with a laugh.

More Guardians took shots and punches directly to the knee that match than in any previously recorded Crucible match. By the end of the battle, the entire Bravo team was limping and trying desperately to find high ground. After taking yet another blow to the knee, that Warlock let out a little whimper.

“Yes!” Lord Shaxx's voice rang out, “Make them cry!”

...

I usually space my posts out a bit more, but since I posted the other Astrid entry, I was getting antsy to share this one too. I probably should have waited, since I haven’t written in months and am running out of content.

Some explaination: this is a follow up to the last post, “New Kid on the Block”, it takes place between chapters 17 and 19 of my novel length fiction “A Not So Simple Patrol” (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11990180/1/A-Not-So-Simple-Patrol), and, once again, Astrid belongs to @yourspunkpunk

#Destiny #Destiny the game #OC #yourspunkpunk #fanfiction #lord shaxx #crucible #Tales We'll Tell #Celeste #Astrid #OC's

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