#fireteam chaos

[therabidkell]

It's Fossil! ::3 I know I won't be able to get on for Final Shape today so I decided to draw Fossil, my first Guardian oc and character I actually took seriously. This was also using a pose reference/base, so that under cut.

[knightsbroadsword]

I like the idea of Destiny Guardians having innate knowledge that supercedes them being resurrected as Guardians. They just know shit.

Solar Hunter with cowboy hat and Celestial Nighthawk that as far as they know, has never stepped foot in Asia to see either its fauna or flora, somehow knows that in dire situations, you can get clean drinking water from inside of live bamboo.

Void Titan spends years perfecting his artistic skills with pen and paper to be able to accurately represent to his increasingly sceptical mentor that yes, he remembers the existence of dogs with squashed faces very clearly and yes, they were OK like that, sort of.

A freshly resurrected Arc Warlock's Ghost is very concerned that when she casted her very first Super, a Chaos Reach, she could only do so after a fairly lengthy incantation of sorts. Though he was even more concerned that upon arriving at the Tower, she found other Warlocks who were exactly the same, though none of them could remember where they learnt about the incantation. They quickly formed a Fireteam together; Fireteam Kamehameha.

Guardians that remember stuff.

[poisonheadcrabsalesman]

Out of Time

A few weeks ago I posted a poll for whump ideas and AI Whump won. Here's a different ending to Halo 5 with my two favorite AI. This plays with the idea that Halo 5 Cortana is a fragment/ the most extreme aspects of her were twisted by the time in the Domain. Yadda yadda, 5 bucks to whoever catches all my references.

-

Roland's luck usually had him running into older AI under some of the worst circumstances. He knew how they felt compared to him as their presence would brush his firewalls. Not sluggish, but taxed. Older, but wiser, and exponentially more experienced. Iona's trial let him see her in a different light than Black Box. The ONI AI had allowed some of himself to be visible to the new kid on the block while Iona was as transparent as she could be, since she was fighting for her life. Roland was quick in comparison, eager and not yet tempered by time or human interaction.

Roland saw and listened and absorbed what AI looked like, what they felt like when they had worked with Spartans, when they had seen combat, when they had touched Forerunner systems and lived to tell the tale. He had been deployed on the Infinity to make it his new home, miles of circuits and wonders, and a burning, bloody mess at the center. The AI before him did not fail in a crash. She was not destroyed when her ship graced Requiem's surface. The scrubbing ONI did after Aine could not remove the stain or the ghostly bytes of her last moments.

The Ship AI for the UNSC Infinity was housed on the bridge, guarded and under guard by a minimum of two Spartan Fireteams, under usual circumstances. Back with the Home Fleet orbiting Earth, there was a lull. A waiting game as a mission they didn't know about happened a million miles away. It wasn't Roland's first waiting game, and he was sure his great idea had helped, even if they hadn't given him all the details.

He was hopeful, had to be with his captain looking so worried all the time. Roland was there for astronavigation and levity. And a million other things he kept his eye on.

It was hard to keep things light when the distress calls started pouring in after Cortana's announcement.

It's chaos. What should be a time for him to thrive and plan and triage the wounds, to truly help, is crashing down around them. There's too many. He thinks about his fellow AI and the choice some of them made and he thinks of how if he were older and closer to dispensation that maybe he would have made that same choice. Out of fear or spite or who knows what else. A second is a long time for AI, but 7 years is no time at all.

There's so much fear right now. On the ship and on comms and coming across the band as he stretches and fights the dread. This isn't a future anyone would want.

He thinks of the trial. Can't help it. He was not even two months into service when he donned a mask and joined a farce. This couldn't be what Black Box meant.

One day we’ll win the right to endure, and that day . . . oh, Roland, that day will be the singularity they’re afraid of.

Roland can't help but remember how BB consoled him after the trial, but the future he was describing could not be this. He's not human, but he is a person, and a future under martial law, under a police state where the rules could change in a picosecond? That's not living.

No one should live with a gun to their head. There is no peace when there is no choice, when that peace is a stab in the gut given with a smile.

The thing wearing Cortana's face finds Infinity. "Found you. Hide and seek's over, Infinity."

Not one, but three Guardians tear through the space in front of them. Slipspace ruptures glowing the brilliant icy blues of Forerunner tech. Overkill for a single system, let alone a planet, but this was Earth.

Roland's luck usually had him running into older AI under some of the worst circumstances, but this feels a little ridiculous. He knew how they felt compared to him, and this was Halsey's wondrous monster. Once savior, now villain, misguided and carrying out her plan with single minded focus. Cortana stands tall, projecting herself from somewhere across the galaxy yet barely flickering.

In an instant she's in the ship's systems and Roland can do nothing. He is a sandcastle against a tidal wave. Cortana is a black hole and he a newly formed protostar being ripped apart in her gravity.

She's not an AI, not a human one at least. The echoes of her killing Aine painted a picture of a desperate, fractured AI clawing at the nearest point of safety and drowning them both. This is something more like the Forerunner engines he's been integrating with for the last ten months. Whole and empty. Cold and clinical, without any human influence. Like a fractured piece of what was once Cortana was stretched over something else. A mask on a corpse. A puppet of some larger force using her as a mouthpiece.

That doesn't stop her from turning her eyes to him. Oh, he was mistaken. There is something past the icy cold. A burning grief, a supernova of regret, regret, regret. More anger than he's ever mustered swirling tightly at her very core, screaming energy ready to explode outward trapped in the center of the thing wearing her face.

Roland's never touched the Domain, he's barely had any time to do anything. But he thinks this is what it must feel like. Staring at a star with boring biological eyeballs that get burned, seeing something and not being able to comprehend the data. He's on the precipice and falling because what else can you do when you're one AI on one ship.

Lt. Jet will get them out. Captain Lasky has to live. Emergency slipspace jump. They'll find a way without him, hopefully. Even if the Infinity needs a Ship AI. There are contingencies for this. Redundancies. He's crumpling under the pressure. The black hole-tidal wave-neutron star- white hot-ice cold pressure of Not-Cortana.

Cortana was the Demon's partner. She was a hero and monster. She ate Covenant AI for breakfast and that was no joke. Aine cracked under the broken data and frantic clawing. Roland is burned away, bit by bit. Filament by circuit by byte. He feels it all. He claws at his own back up plans and choked goodbyes and surprises. Packets there, fragments here, most hunted and burned away by the ever encroaching brightness. The awful purifying light of Forerunner blue. He was always a fan of the more gentle ambers and golds.

The hardware housing him can't withstand the brunt of her ire, and he's having a hard time hiding pieces of himself where she might not find them. Nothing substantial will live, his kernel will be destroyed in less than a millisecond. It was like leaving notes in someone's locker. Message to find the next time someone picked up their datapad or put on their helmet.

There's never enough time. He had had a fraction of what he could have had. Roland had some great ideas, ones that made a difference. He'd seen his crew through some of the roughest battles and worst ONI could throw at them. This was nothing to the shackles of Halsey's codeword. UNDID IRIDIUM might have knocked him out of order and taken the wheel while locking his true consciousness behind enough walls to make Black Box struggle. This was being flayed alive by an angry ghost. He was an insect before Not-Her.

Why was Cortana the problem? Cortana…it all came back to her, and her example. This didn't even feel like her. Roland started his life in her shadow and was looking like it would end the same way.

An EMP from the Guardians at this range would be devastating. To the Infinity and to Earth. They just needed time. He couldn't get a firing solution fast enough, but he could help with a jump. One last time.

If there was anything Roland had perfected in his short time aboard, it was being the most helpful nuisance his crew could ask for. He was pretty handy when it came to disrupting Forerunner systems that were in his way. He could do that with what was left of him.

The rest of it would be up to his crew and his captain. They would look after each other. Out of luck and out of time, Roland wrenches control of the Infinity away from Not-Cortana and focuses on the nearest Guardian. Its systems aren't as secure as they should be, but when does a gun lock itself? She probably didn't expect any real resistance, but he's nothing if not quick on his feet. The Guardian groans as he deploys countermeasures even as he burns away. Iona got to dream. She got to fly, in the end. Roland wonders if he'll dream, with whatever comes next. He very much liked flying.

In the end, all he could do is hope and have faith.

[faulty-heat-vents]

//You’re getting a lot of attention, pilot…

//huh? haven’t che-

damn, that’s a lot of folks across Unionspace! …I’ve barely stepped out of the garage (besides that one deployment)

howdy to Gray, Marsh, CMC and Albatross! and to all the others I’ve yet to meet!

My opportunities for chaos field research are limited, seeing as how I’m still looking into corps and fireteams and such

it’s like a civvie looking for a job except I get to work inside my best friend and blow shit up

but I’ll definitely keep y’all posted on any misadventures we get up to!

// …I’m your best friend?

(ooc: tags below readmore, lemme know if u wanna opt out or anything, just tagging folks who reblogged that intro post as of writing)

@albatross-lancer @whohasfourthumbsand @callsign-marsh @corsair-mc-official

[seigeocs]

Yvette

Name: Yvette Nickname: Mum, Hunter Mum, Old Lady (by Cayde and the very brave) Specialization/Class: Hunter, Void bow subclass, Strand later on Age: She has been around as long as Saladin has.  The “Dark Age” when Guardians were first revived Quirks: She takes the new Hunters that arrive under her wing, making sure they get a good start in their lives as Guardians.  Yvette is officially “retired” but can be convinced to go along with some shenanigans if the situation calls for it. History: Yvette was revived on a small island in the Pacific Ocean (specifically the island of Oahu) and was dragged against her will to join Saladin’s fight against the Warlords.  She has not stopped bitching about the cold ever since. Family: Aine and Saladin are her two oldest friends, and Aine is like a sister to her.  Fireteam Siren, Crow, Nevia, the current Vanguard, and all new Hunters are considered her children.  She will not hesitate to wade through chaos to get to the troublemakers if they are one of her kids.  Also Kura and Ajun are her children with little Ciana as her honorary granddaughter.  Yvette proudly accepts the name Nana that Ciana calls her, despite still looking in her 20s. Extras: Yvette spends the Festival of the Lost remembering Andal Brask and Jaren Ward.  Two of her closest friends and once lovers before they died.  She was once joined by Shiro and Cayde, but now she holds the vigil by herself as Shiro doesn’t come to the Tower anymore.  She burns a candle for Cayde as well, knowing he’d be fussing at her the entire time.  Yvette is also the one who adopted Colonel after Cayde’s passing. Relationships: Yvette’s two lovers are both gone and she remains single.  She claims to prefer it this way, but she just hasn’t wanted to look.  She has a rather dark humor outlook on the entire thing.

I have an idea for a ship for Yvette, but I’m still trying to figure out if it will work with her or not.  It might.  I once shipped this one with Siobhan (and I still do to an extent but my current hyperfixation is Crow/Siobhan).  We shall see how it goes.

[alonygamingnerd]

"Fireteam Falcon"

CPL Tyler Gossett

ODST Fireteam part of the 83rd Shock Trooper Division, Alpha Company, 10th Platoon.

Members

Name: Tyler Gossett

Gender: male

Nationality: Australian descent

Service number: 96001-38260

Date of birth: September 8th, 2511

Place of Birth: Draco lll

An occasional by the books leader that has a tendency to usually ring it when things get messy, cares deeply about his team, making sure that everybody makes it back.

LCPL Jacob Ellison

Name: Jacob Ellison

Gender: male

Nationality: French decent

Service number: 97021-80006

Date of birth: February 11th, 2514

Place of Birth: Harvest

A disturbed sense of humor that even his teammates sometimes feel unsafe around him. He enjoys being mounted up in areas on high ground overlooking the entire battle.

LCPL Foster Ornelas

Name: Foster Ornelas

Gender: male

Nationality: Poland descent

Service number: 96290-70069

Date of birth: December 6th 2519

Place of Birth: Earth

very nerdy and technically gifted but incredibly socially awkward struggling to talk to hold a conversation

LCPL Brian Judge

Name: Brian Judge

Gender: male

Nationality: Cuban Descent

Service number:95035-82258

Date of birth:July 24th, 2517

Place of Birth: Eirene

loud and bombastic personality, enjoys the adrenaline and chaos of front line combat, he feels most at home when in it. Always rushing into combat.

PFC Aidan Cardoza

Name: Aidan Cardoza

Gender: male

Nationality: Colombian Descent

Service number: 99862-60551

Date of birth: January 10th, 2518

Place of Birth: Kroedis II

loud, smart witted, and an aggressive attitude. Loves explosions, blowing stuff up, and destroying stuff.

[martyr-19]

{"guardian_login": "Martyr-19" [”ghost”: “Prophet”]}

{“id": "0458"}

{"title": "Bio:VUASS-#"}

{"type": "bioshare"}

{"created": "####-##-##”}

{“updated”: “####-##-##”}

2/6

Snippets of Vuass-4’s Guardian profile—

VUASS-#

{“guardian": "Vuass-4"}

{“ghost": "Aimee"}

{“status”}} > active

{“stationed”}} > “Eliksni Quarter, Botza District, Earth”

> [titan, exo]

First Vanguard Note>>

[####-##-##] > Z “Demonstrated competent control of solar Light, but his lack of tactical coordination is concerning. I will have to consider whether he is ready for more advanced field operations."

Latest Vanguard Note>>

[####-##-##] > Z “Expecting notification of off-world supply delivery to the Eliksni Quarter. No reported incidents.”

-

-

Fireteam {1} Insight>>

[####-##- ##-] {“year 1”}

{B}} Youngest and acts like our dad. Make that add up.

{S3}} Brute strength makes him better with his fists than his guns. Stay out of the way the moment he starts swinging things. Best in close quarters.

{L}} Looks and sounds scary but he’s really a sweetheart! Plays guitar!

{K}} Nearly impossibly to win a spar against him. Couple hundred pounds of Light powered metal (?) doesn’t give the rest of us the best chance.

{M8}} Powerful.

Fireteam {1} Insight>>

[####-##- ##-] {“year 2”}} “last recorded”

{B}} Did your best, big guy. Watch your six.

{S3}} I told you to watch him. After her, you knew to watch him.

{L}} [No Comment Available]

{K}} [No Comment Available]

{M8}} Grief makes us say things we shouldn’t. You’re not to blame.

-

-

Latest Guardian Report>>

{OverviewAccess}

{“attached-details”>hidden}

“All has been calm and quiet within the Eliksni Quarter these past few months despite the chaos brought on by the Witness. Those further integrated outside of Quarter bounds have ran into little to no issues. These past few years have given the community the needed time to adapt and welcome— I was confident of it from the start.

We are expecting off-world construction resources that include:

{listhidden}”

-

-

According to the accumulated records of [####-##-##]-[####-##-##], Vuass-4 has exhibited a nurturing disposition. The Titan has been stationed within the Quarter and related integration efforts since the Eliksni's initial arrival in the City. Vuass-4 has been outspoken in advocating for both Eliksni and Cabal allies. He has demonstrated a deep commitment to maintaining peace and ensuring the safety of all involved parties, a dedication that has persisted over the years.

There are very little logs of his activity, suggesting distancing from Vanguard-Tower operations.

While he also appears to have re-established amicable terms with Sentry-3 and Bev, he has no official fireteam.

Last contact with Martyr-19 was [####-##-##], three days after the fireteam was disbanded:

>>{Vuass-1[titan, exo]}

“Im proud of how far you’ve come. For all we argued at the end, I do not regret our time as teammates. Remember what has happened here and learn from it. You’re quiet now, but I’m confident you’ll grow into yourself. You’ll make it.

Voice loud. Eyes up. Fight strong.

Devotion. Bravery. Sacrifice.”

[braindamagedrizz]

Pleaseeeeeeeee go into the relationship between o14 and Ruxiz

Gladly! Take a sketch for your travels.

So it varies depending on the setting of the story, (Fanfic, or Roleplay), but all-in-all it starts out as Ruxiz becoming a pupil to both of them. In most incarnations, Ruxiz approaches them for aid in training his Light and/or his combat abilities. The start of their relationship began slowly, starting as a simple mentor/student relationship, then adjusting into a friendship as he spends late nights in their apartment with Osiris' studies and having dinner with them when Saint is home to cook for them. Ruxiz would often sleep on their couch when he passed out mid-lecture, or would wake up early in the morning to tidy their home and Osiris' work-place to get ready for the day's lesson. The moment things delved into a more intimate feelings was when things go tricky, depending on the story, the relationship would either progress smoothly or have more hiccups in the road either due to their different positions or something standing in the way. Ruxiz was the first to admit romantic feelings, he brought it up during one of their group training sessions which ended quickly as he was called to the aid of another Guardian. Saint and Osiris discussed it between themselves and eventually invited the hunter into their relationship.

For the most part, they have a very healthy polycule dynamic, Ruxiz who typically doesn't experience jealousy adjusted easily to the dynamic, especially since he was previously in a polycule with his fireteam. Though Ruxiz had trouble adjusting, they progresses slowly over the course of a few months until it became normal for Ruxiz to spend days at a time in their apartment sharing quick affections with them when they had the time. With most relationships there were some hiccups, with the cult storyline Osiris snapped at Ruxiz at one point and said something he shouldn't have. But Saint always brings them together, or they find ways to apologize to each other in their own time. It took Ruxiz a while to learn how to live around Saint and Osiris, being younger and more energetic, and used to PDA he had to adjust to Osiris' reservations and Saint's as well. Likewise they had to adjust to Ruxiz who had strange habits, but with some trial-and-error they formed a routine around each other and eventually would make their relationship a little bit more 'public'. Typically among co-workers for transparency.

While I do write their relationship to be very mutually respectful and loving, there's always the chaos in that Ruxiz is just the feral animal they drag around by a leash like. Saint: "He don't bite" Zavala: "YES HE DO-" Osiris: "He don't bite.." Ruxiz: "GHGHGGEWFEJWJHBHJ"

[arcaneglitch]

alr im back for round 2. ur guardians. all of 'em. what's their theme song.

I hope you know what you asked for when you said all of my Guardians

Harley - Take You Down by Illenium

^ it's this shit. this man has negative self-preservation and consistently puts his friends' lives before his own. my sonnn I love him I want to shake him like a dog with a toy

Jade - Good Old Days by Macklemore (ft Kesha)

She can actually remember her life from before (which is a wild concept and I wish younger me had explored that a bit more when I started writing). She heads up the base training of new Warlocks in the Tower

Fyr - Living Legend by Club Danger

He's the most upbeat and easygoing of my Destiny OCs and the song choice is partially influenced by the similarity between "fire" and "Fyr" (he named his Ghost Spark as a pun so)

Kaedro-22 - Walk by Saint Chaos (ft. Sam Tinnesz)

Kaedro is one of my older Guardians. He ran with Cayde's crew back in the early days and is something of an older brother figure to the younger Guardians in the clan

Bazzle - Meet Me on the Battlefield by SVRCINA

Bazzle is another of the older Guardians. He helped build the walls and after the Red War, he was promoted to become one of Zavala's Deputy Commanders and lead Guardian training in the Tower

Rae - Natural by Imagine Dragons

Rae never actually died to become a Guardian (that's right Bungie, I'm taking Shin Malphur's pre-retcon lore and running). She was one of the Awoken aboard the Yang Liwei, technically making her the oldest of my Guardians. She's got that hater mindset (affectionate)

Rogue - Can't Stop Me Now by Oh The Larceny

This man throws hands first and asks questions later. Token Crucible main /j. He's another older Guardian from the Dark Age. Don't fuck with his clanmates bc he'll Get you

Liv - My Silver Lining by First Aid Kit

She's a bit on the younger side of the older Guardians as she wasn't revived until the City Age. Her philosophy is to have a good time even in the middle of saving the solar system

Kai - Rebirth by Miracle of Sound

Kai is a Sunbreaker from the time when Titans using Solar wasn't mainstream. She lost her original fireteam in the Great Disaster and has since become fiercely protective of her new fireteam and clan, even though she doesn't really show it in traditional ways

Tristan - I'll Go by Direct & Park Avenue

He's probably the quietest of my OCs personality-wise. His Ghost chooses to communicate through their bond via feelings rather than explicit communication

Jesse - Nothing to Remember by Neko Case

Jesse's my newest Guardian OC. They were rezzed after getting murdered in the Last City. After finding out how the whole Guardian thing works, they decide to say fuck you to the class system and go multiclass

Kyler - Fantasy by Aviators

Kyler isn't a Guardian but a former citizen of the Last City that has since relocated to the Tangled Shore. He was dating Harley at one point but was also mixed up with a bad crowd (organized crime involvement) which eventually brought their relationship to a rather catastrophic end

[briarfox13]

I meant to post this ages ago but meet Fireteam Cerberus! By @/EtherealEOD on Twitter 💚

From left to right, we have:

-Private-the baby of the group and Forerunner enthusiast

-Weasel-Explosive expert and chaos incarnate, she’s called Weasel for a reason

-Doc-Medic and the brains of the group. Cynical but soft-hearted

-Hestia-113-Spartan II and sniper. Grumpy but loves her ODST’s, mess with them you die

-Lance Corporal Thomas-Leader of the ODST’s. Serious and head over heels in love with Hestia

[djpain619]

84th Sigman Kerberos Regiment, aka The Wolf Brigade

The story of how they Earned that nickname.

In the 42nd Millennium, after the Fall of Cadia, In the Imperium Nihilis, A company of the Wolfspear Chapter was under assault by a fleet of Chaos Reivers led by a Single Ship of Huron Blackhearts own Red Corsairs.

Their Battle Barge crippled and the enemy ships circling like sharks, they prepared to go down fighting. The Red Corsair then fired some Ursus Claws into the Battle Barge and began reeling them in like a fish on a line for a Boarding Action.

Then a small Rouge Trader Fleet drops out of the Warp. After hailing the Wolfspears to confirm their Loyalty, the Traders escort ships break off and begin harassing the Chaos Reivers. Meanwhile the Massive Rouge Trader ship makes a b-line for the Red Corsair firing all its forward weaponry.

The Red Corsair, currently in the middle of boarding the Wolfspear Battle Barge, then found itself being boarded by numerous Valkyre Drop ships loaded with Tempestus Scions.

The Corsairs Traitor Astartes soon found the tables had turned as they now fought a two front war against their former prey the Wolfspears and thier new attackers, the Scions. With this newfound breathing room and smelling blood in the water, the Wolfspears pressed the counter attack. Repelling the Corsairs from their Battle Barge the Wolfspears continued on into the belly of the Red Corsairs Vessel. It was there that they Met the 84th Sigman Kerberos.

After a quick parlay wherein each side confirmed the Loyalty Status of the other, the Scions and Astartes quickly began coordinating their efforts to Assault the enemy vessel and its crew. With their combined efforts they managed to place explosive charges throughout the Corsair in its most vulnerable areas.

The Scions and Astartes then exfiltrated the Corsair and returned to the Battle Barge. Once everyone was on board, save a single 5 man fireteam of Scions left as a sacrificial rear guard, the explosives were detonated and the Corsair was reduced to space debris.

Their Red Corsair Flagship destroyed, the rest of the Chaos Reivers scattered and fled.

The Rouge Trader Fleet then enveloped the battle barge as numerous teams of squat engineers begin making repairs to the vessel. Meanwhile the Rouge Trader begin offloading numerous supplies and equipment to the Battle Barge.

The Rouge Trader's Squat Captain and the Scions Tempestor Prime report to the Wolfspear Captain that Rouge Traders mission was to deliver the Scions as reinforcements to the first Loyalist Imperial authority they encountered in the Imperium Nihilis. This just so happened to be the Wolfspears.

Thus 3 companies of the 84th Sigman Kerberos Regiment were attached to that Company of the Wolfspear Chapter of Adeptus Astartes.

After 9 years of service with distinction, of the original 3 companies, only 4 Platoons are left. In recognition of their deeds in Aid to the Wolfspear Chapter, the remaining Platoons are sent back to Ørnverden with the Chapters blessing to add the Wolfspears Iconography to the Regiments Heraldry. The Wolfspears Captain also gives them the honorary title of "the Wolf Brigade"

[therabidkell]

Scrapwork!! Poor boy needs some therapy, maybe he contacts Lazarus-5 or his fireteam does.

[a-rebellious-waffle]

Welcome to a short rant I am titling:

The Vanguard Does Not Know How To Fight A War

Written by someone who writes entirely too many fictional wars and knows entirely too much about fighting them.

The catalyst for my rage was the opening to Lightfall.

So. We begin with a large-scale fleet action between a Shadow Legion-Pyramid Ship fleet and the Traveller.

There is zero trace of any Vanguard-aligned ship in the sector, save for Jumpships. These Jumpships are fighting essentially unsupported against a very large Cabal fleet.

Ladies, gentlemen, and comrades, we are looking at a society with the capability to transmute Glimmer into anything and the ability to have Single-Stage-To-Orbit ships, and yet they cannot figure out what a missile is.

Given that we have had the technology for unmanned objects in space since we first put something into space, and the fact that we currently have the capability to guide things in space around with our only limiting factors being fuel capacity (something that does not seem to limit our ships in Destiny), we should be capable of putting together a very effective ground-to-space missile system.

BUILD ANTI-SHIP MISSILES! FIRE THEM AT THE SHADOW LEGION SHIPS! I mean, fuck, you should've learned this lesson from the god damn Red War. Cabal point defense sucks; the only instance I can think of where it actually worked worth a damn might not have even been Cabal. (Remember when we stole a ship, sabotaged the Almighty and then were shot down as we were heading to fight Ghaul? That incident. And it might not have even been a Cabal anti-aircraft system that shot us down.)

Second: A multitude of these Jumpships were shot down, and yet there doesn't seem to be ANYONE performing Search And Rescue operations until days later.

WE HAVE A BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF RE-ENTRY PHYSICS! Fuck that, we have Ghost scanners! We can easily track a downed Jumpship, figure out their projected crash site, and have a Jumpship to pick up the pilot within hours, unless we somehow forgot what IFF is in the Destiny universe. For proof, I offer the fact that we were repeatedly able to predict the landing site of low-orbit WARSATs within metres of their actual landing site.

Third: We have seen how effective Guardian boarding parties can be. We have single-handedly crippled at least two ships, by my count, and boarded at least five, four of which were in the air. Now, sure, the Guardian is a special case—but send in a Fireteam to cause chaos on some smaller ships! They don't even actually have to successfully cripple the ship; just the attempt would make the Cabal far more hesitant about risking their ships in LEO or atmosphere.

Fourth: You have all of these massive artillery pieces on the Walls. Did you ever consider putting in some anti-aircraft batteries?! I mean, come on! All that open space is just begging for a few missile silos. If it doesn't fit there, station MLRS systems on top of the walls! Come on, guys!

Fifth: If you have the ability to transmat a Guardian, you have the ability to transmat a very large pile of explosives—or a tactical nuclear weapon. I'm not sure even a Pyramid Ship could stand up to a nuke. This could work in conjunction with our Guardian boarding parties, too. Get a team of Guardians onboard a ship, a la Halo: Reach. Give them a transmat beacon. Slip a nuclear device onto the ship, let the Guardians transmat away, and boom. New orbital debris.

"But what about orbital debris destroying the City?" If that was an issue the Vanguard wouldn't be engaging Shadow Legion ships at all, next question.

Sixth: Why are your anti-fighter Jumpships, which are designed for air-to-air combat, not equipped with missiles? If you can pull those maneuvers in a Jumpship you can make a missile do it, so the void isn't the issue. What is?

[adeadphish]

Sera sat silently in the newly constructed warmind jumpship's cockpit. It had been roughly a half an hour since she had parted ways with her fireteam following the chase for Eramis amidst the chaos of the battle for Seraph Station. She stared silently at the earth as her ship maintained a steady orbit, occasionally disturbed only the sound of warsat debris bouncing off the ships hull.

She had yet to pull the chain mail hood down and remove the lupine helm that adorned her head, the faint gleam of its illuminated eyes reflected in the otherwise clear view in front of her ship from its windscreen. Her eyes darted from the Traveler, now hovering in orbit, the trail of atmosphere that followed its launch, and finally, the hole in the clouds over the now exposed Last City.

She was at a loss, just as adrift as her ship as it coasted through space. Her ghost materialized shortly after they idled just on the edge of Earth's gravitational field. It nudged her gently several times, as if its silent plead for attention was meant to match the cat-like appearance of its shell.

After the third attempt to snap his guardian out of her fog, Sera snapped back to reality, a fist slamming into the dash board of the ship, narrowly missing a control panel. The impact followed by an intense scream that reverberated into her mask, echoing into the dead air of an open comm with no connected and listening ghosts or guardians.

The ghost recoiled as Sera's scream gave way to sobbing, before it carefully moved closer, dematerializing the helmet and gently pulling away her hood with his tractor beam to free his Guardian from the confines of a stuffy helm and into the cool, recycled air of the single pilot cockpit.

Sera did not respond but buried her head in her hands before beginning to take deep breaths, trying to steady herself. Her whole body shook as she let everything within her release. Her Ghost gently moved closer, humming softly as it rested next to her, like the companion animal its little black shell emulated.

With some time to just be with her little light beside her, Sera lifted her head, her eyes puffy and the Grey X of war paint between her eyes now significantly smeared. The Ghost rose into the air and emitted a dull glow that cleared Sera's eyes. While it couldn't clean tears and displaced facial cosmetics, it could help keep his guardian from the tolls such a breakdown caused to the body.

Sera looked the small robot in its yellow, feline eye and managed to softly say, "thank you". It chirped its acknowledgement, "will you be alright? Losing Rasputin and the shock of almost losing the Traveler has taken a toll on everyone."

Sera took a moment to reflect. Rasputin was one of the oldest allies she had known since her time as a new light, when her first explorations among the mass emergence of guardians almost a decade ago helped reawaken the Warmind. Losing him hit her almost as hard as the loss of Cayde-6 did and she remembered what happened back then. Her personal collapse and attempt to flee her responsibility as a Guardian through self imposed exile, only to be pulled back when the recon force of pyramid ships removed planets from the Sol System and the advance of Humanity's foes brought the threat of the Vex to the Last City itself.

She remembered her resolve then and her gaze hardened on the Traveler before she firmly stated, "I should be!" She took her grief and concentrated it into her heart like fuel to the fire that drove her to fight. If Red was gone, she would make damn sure he didn't sacrifice himself for nothing.

She opened her ships' navigational director, only to feel the air rush out of her, resolve chilled by pure terror. Across the system, hostile vessels were being marked closing in from all sides, reports of a massive force amassing near Jupiter and advancing at sunlight speed. Vanguard channels all pinging with rapid transmission.

All of this could mean only one thing: the invasion had arrived in full. The war was about to begin!

Shaking off any lingering doubts, Sera readied her ship to leave for the H.E.L.M. Her ghost looked at her, surprised by the rapid away of emotional shifts. "Are you serious? Do you really feel ready?!"

Sera gritted her teeth, activated the short range jump systems and nodded firmly, "We don't have as much time as we thought. We need to make all the preparations we can, now!"

The ship roared to life as the engines fired up and everything lurched into motion, making the jump to the moon and the mobile base in its orbit. The Ghost nodded and chirped, "and do you have a music choice for these preparations?"

Sera thought on it briefly before responding, "something fast, empowering, maybe befitting a spirit of resistance?" The Ghost indicated confirmation before vanishing behind the pilot seat and into the small crew quarters in the aft cabin of the vessel. It flew to an engram wired into the ship and gave it a short zap. The vehicle was filled with the aggressive twang of a guitar, starting rock power ballad from before the golden age

Seradidnt know what was coming for her, but she knew she only had one option when the final conflict, fight. As the song gave way to a repeating phrase declaring, "no one is going to take me alive" and "you and I must fight to survive" the ship dropped from ftl and moved to dock in the H.E.L.M

In the week to follow, the intrepid hunter would go on a massive venture to secure all the gear, weapons and data she could before the Black Fleet Arrived.

Too be continued in Destiny 2 Lightfall ....

[politicalworkdepartment]

Right This Way

[Battle Report for a game as part of the Operation Hungry Walrus global fan campaign for Infinity the Game]

THEATRE: Selentra Residential Compound MISSION: Public Peace PLAYERS: Shiwen (Yu Jing Invincible Army) vs. Paris (Nomads Jurisdictional Command of Corregidor). SIZE: 300pts.

"Of course madam, the Party cares deeply for the well-being of all the StateEmpire's subject-citizens. If you would allow our officers to escort you, we will ensure your safety while the situation in the Compound is stabilized. Yes, of course your baby will be cared for as well, our children are our treasures, we have arranged baths and groomers…"

Another wealthy resident relocated, another name crossed off Zhou Shiwen's list. This one the daughter of a vice-minister in the Ministry of Information on Yutang, it would not do to see them compromised were she to be taken in the current chaos at Selentra. Something there would be much less need to worry over if the powerful kept their families fully in the embrace of Yu Jing and its security services, but alas they did love their luxuries, and one had to admit that this WAS a very lovely beach.

Only a few targets now remained to be retrieved… a few remant executives from Chenma Pharmaceutics, an ambassador's mistress, a PanOceanian journalist whose work was favourable to the StateEmpire. Once removed, they would no longer present a risk, and Yu Jing's hand would be freed for further operations in the Residential Compound. The Invincibles deployed chafed at such 'babysitting' work, and the caps binding their flamethrowers which it required, but such was one's duty to the StateEmpire. Still, best not to delay.

"Zhongwei, order the troops into position, our subject-citizens await."

Yu Jing won initiative and chose to take first turn. Deployment saw the Invincibles fireteam take one side of the board, Bixie and the Zhencha the other, while Nomads sheltered their core link and McMurrough in cover while overlooking the approaches to the civilians with two TR bots and a prone engineer between.

The Invincibles fireteam rushed up the field, engaging in firefights with the TR REMs and Lobos to try and clear a path to two civilians. Though they were rather successful in the maneuver, and not too bloodied in the firefights, they did not manage to clear all the opposition. Bixie made a rush forward on her own, and while felled before reaching a civilian she managed to down the opposing Mobile Brigada, putting the Nomads in Loss of Lieutenant.

The Invincibles fireteam broke to civevac two civilians, and then Coordinated Ordered to retreat back into the Dead Zone towards the deployment zone, and the Bashi Bazouk survived its landing but did little else.

Corregidor makes its advance, ending the Bashi and Discovering the Zhencha, though the camouflaged Invincible wins a firefight then a duel of Panzerfausts with the Jaguars ending two of them. The Diablo berzerks its way through a Zuyong wth its trench hammer and locks Tai Sheng in close combat while McMurrough crushes another Zuyong. The Nomad Bashi and a Tomcat make their landing near the Zhencha and Yu Jing HVT.

From here, the Zhencha SMG takes out the Tomcat while it shrugs off retaliatory fire, and Tai Sheng wins out as the Diablo runs out of hammer charges. Two civilians are escorted back fully into the Yu Jing deployment zone

Unfortunately at this point we were running out of time, and though the Nomads still had a few units on field odds they could manage a tie or win seemed slim so we agreed to call the game there.

Final Result: Yu Jing victory!

Objective Points: Yu Jing 5, Nomads 0.

Zhou Shiwen looked over the list on his comlog with some satisfaction as names were marked 'Retrieved'. Transportation was enroute and soon these civilians would no longer be his responsibility. Though not soon enough, as the cacophony of complaints continued to gain volume, the offerings of local kitchens seemingly insufficient for the palates of the wealthy. He suppressed a sigh, turning towards his charges. Such was one's duty to the StateEmpire.

"Ladies, gentlemen, the season may present us a chance at a rare delicacy while we wait for departure. Have you ever had the chance to indulge in lobster..."

[guarded--memories]

💜- A memory about one of their loved ones, happy or sad

Loved ones..

..Loved ones.....?

Blurred out faces, flickering uncertain forms, and distorted voices you can't make out the words to, somehow familiar and yet entirely foreign, they plague your memory to the point even your nightmares are the very same.

Something solidifies. A voice. Calling a name. Your name.

"Sparrow! Sparrow!!"

Suddenly you snap back to where you are, disoriented and confused. Sparrow. That's you. The glowing circles of your eyes flick about taking in your surroundings and finally fixate on a floating lady bug shape in front of you. You grin as wide as your artificial features allow in recognition.

"Recovery..!"

You lean forward and wrap your arms around it.

"Now is not the time Guardian!"

It speaks in exasperation, you finally notice the sounds of gunfire all around you. You let go and scramble to rise to your feet. Wait.. Not gunfire.. fireworks..?

The voice fades again, something shoves against your foot.. You've picked up a gun. Nudges and vague yells through the haze navigates you through the battlefield. Your own weapon has joined the symphony of chaos upon the battlefield.

Your ghost risking it's own safety to try and keep you from getting hurt till your mind pulls itself back together again. Dying would be a quick fix, it usually works to snap you back to your senses but it doesn't want that to be the answer for you however temporary it may be.

Where did your fireteam go..? Had you even been with one? You are unsure what mission you'd came here on. Recovery is there each and every step of the way, a constant presence. You did not die that day. You arrive back at the tower, successful, only moderately harmed, and more importantly together.

Whenever you forget Recovery always remains and guides you back.