The speaker calls together a new, unconventional Fireteam for an important mission.

He knew he was just dreaming. Except it wasn't a dream. He wished it was though, that it was just a horrible figment of his imagination. Because if it WAS just a dream then it would mean that it wasn't real. That it had never happened. And that everything else that had followed it was not real either. It would mean that he could call the dream what it really was for him: a nightmare.

But no. He wasn't dreaming. He was not so fortunate enough for that to be the case.

He was remembering.

The interior of the transport was filled with red lights, flashing on and off like someone was playing with the light switch. There were electrical sparks here and there, along with thick black smoke that choked him every time he tried to take in a breath. The smoke was mostly at the back of the craft, near the engines as well as the rear hatch. An alarm sounded over the interior communication system, a kind of shrill siren that grated on everyone's nerves, which only served to increase the tension in the cramped confines of the ship.

Along the sides of the main compartment he was in were the rest of his platoon, sat down and locked into their seats by the metallic harnesses that covered them. They were angry, he knew, because he was likewise angry. Each man and woman was – like him – a member of the Lunar Guard. Guardsmen who had sworn to defend the surface of the Moon with their lives from any hostile forces that sort to harm its inhabitants. Guardsmen who – also like him – did not enjoy having to retreat in the face of the enemy.

Because that was what it felt like: a retreat. Oh yes, the orders they'd gotten made it clear that this was ONLY a temporary situation. That once they got planet side they would be going straight back out as part of a combined relief mission to drive the Hive off the Moon once and for all. He didn't believe that though. None of them really did. The situation on the Moon was BEYOND salvaging. The top brass had known that too, hence the orders to evacuate the civilian personal from the base and escort them back to Earth as fast as possible. That knowledge did not improve his mood however.

Some of his men were injured, having fought their hardest to buy time for the last of the civilian transports to escape. Others were dead and had been left on the surface of the Moon, their bodies unable to be recovered in the rush to get as many Guardsmen out alive. That was where the lieutenant was right now, lying dead in the cold embrace of the moon's surface. Her death had put him in charge. As Platoon Sergeant it was now his responsibility to get these men and women he had served with for over twenty years back to Earth, as well as to provide cover for the civilian transports that were still in range of the Hive.

Unfortunately, his ship had taken some damage on the way out. The pilot had just called him up to the flight deck, saying that one of their engines had started to fail. Making his way across the main compartment, he punched the door controls at the side of the door leading towards the front of the craft. The door slid back out of the way and he proceed through the tight corridor towards the door ahead of him, ignoring the other doors to either side that led to the gunnery stations. There was no smoke here, although the alarm could still be heard and the lights continued to flicker red, despite the obvious fact that there was no one here to experience either. Except himself, of course.

Reaching the door he tapped in the 6-digit code that allowed access to the flight deck. The doors parted down the middle and slid into the hollow alcoves to either side, as if they wanted to get out of his way, knowing what mood he was in. The doors were made of solid titanium, the same material as the hull of the craft. After all, if one of the passengers suddenly flipped out and started shooting, it paid to ensure that the guys flying the transport were not in danger of getting shot.

The flight deck was also clear of smoke, even clear of the annoying red light show that the rest of the ship was subjected to, most likely because it would be a distraction to the crew. The alarm could be heard, though it was muted to a degree, so that said flight crew could talk to one another without having to resort to shouting to be heard. They were still shouting though.

"Starboard engine offline, damage to fuel lines extensive. We are bleeding into the void!"

"Long-range coms are dead. Backup systems are down."

"Life-support systems are at half power."

He made his way towards the pilot, who was struggling to keep the ship on course. Out through the forward window he could see Earth getting larger with each passing second. He knew that they were almost there. Just a few minutes more and they would be into the atmosphere. The jump from the Moon had been made hastily, so the exact exit point had not been as close to the planet as would have been ideal.

Ahead he could make out a trio of objects moving against the back drop of the Earth surface, moving towards it. He knew those three objects where in fact the other transports like the one he was in, each carrying about a hundred civilians plus their crew. The last transport also carried something else as well. Something the meant more to him than his pride as a guardsmen, more than his oath to do his duty and protect the helpless against those who would harm them: his family.

Something was wrong though. The transports were getting further away from them. He realised that his transport was not keeping up with the others, most likely due to the damaged engine. He wondered what exactly had caused the damage the engineer had just reported. Before the jump to Earth he had been informed that the damage was minimal and that it should not affect their journey. He called to the pilot manning the helm; a man in his late twenties who's name escaped him. The pilot didn't look round, keeping his eyes on his controls and the star field and planet ahead of him, but acknowledged his presence and started reporting the situation to him. It was not good.

"Sergeant, we have a pair of Hive ships out there hunting us. They just appeared on our scanners coming in from off the starboard side. They hit our starboard engine and our antenna array during that first pass."

He registered this information as a cold sensation started to come over him. With the antenna gone it would be impossible to warn the other ships of the danger, plus the damaged engine would prevent them from staying in formation. A thought stuck him.

"Can we increase power to the other engine to keep up our speed and stay with the rest of the transports?"

The pilot shook his head.

"Not enough power, sir. Besides, doing so will overload the remaining engine to the point it might explode or give out completely, stranding us out here. Even if I used the manoeuvring thrusters, we would still be left –"

A yell from the sensor operator cut him off in mid-sentence.

"I've lost long-range and short-range scanners, sir! I don't have a fix on where the hostiles are!"

A moment later the coms officer cut in, her voice laced with dread.

"Portside Gunnery crew reports the hostiles are coming around for another strafing run."

The pilot immediately responded, talking as he began to bring the ship around to avoid the expected incoming weapons fire.

"Initiating evasive manoeuvres!"

"Oh God!" cried the coms officer, the horror flooding her voice. "It's not us they're targeting!"

He looked back towards the fleeing transports, knowing what he was about to see, but hoping against hope that he wouldn't. As he watched, bolts of bright light lanced out of the dark off to the side, striking first the leading transport squarely in the side, then the second the same way. Both ships exploded, the plumes of fire stretching out in all directions. A shock wave rode out ahead of the each blast, the one from the second ship knocking into the last remaining transport – the transport with his wife and children aboard. Before he had time to think, two blurred shapes swept past the window, heading off towards the direction they had initially come from.

He knew that the Hive ships were most likely circling around for a third strafing run, and that this time the only targets they would have was his own ship and the one carrying his family, along with over a hundred other souls who did not deserve to die. There was only one option left.

"Get the gunnery crews on the starboard side to open fire! Even if those bastards are out of range they may decide to deal with us first before finishing off the last transport. That might buy them enough time to get out of range. Do it!" he yelled.

The coms officer relayed his orders to the men manning the guns and a moment later he felt rather than heard the defence turrets opening up. From his position he could not see if the hostiles were taking the bait or not, but a moment later the coms officer spoke again, this time with a finality in her voice that spoke as loudly as the words she said.

"Gun crews report the hostiles are splitting up. One is coming straight for us, whilst the other-"

She never finished the sentence. There was a deafening blast as the ship bucked to one side, throwing him into the console next to the navigator. Pain erupted as his head struck the low ceiling above, causing him to fall to the deck. He felt blood begin to run down the side of his face, confirmed a moment later as some of it ran into his eye.

Struggling against what must have been a concussion, he gripped the console and pulled himself up by it just in time to hear the pilot curse. As he looked up towards the forward window, he saw another bolt of light slice into the aft section of the remaining civilian transport, cutting its engines away from the ship's hull. The rest of the ship began to tumble, caught in the gravity well of the planet who's atmosphere it had just entered. With mounting horror, he watched as secondary explosions erupted from the stricken craft, knowing the signs of an explosive decompression when he saw it.

"No!"

He did not know if it was him who cried out, or maybe the pilot. Possibly one of the flight crew. All he did know was that in that moment, his family was dead. Weather they had died directly from the impact of the Hive ship's weapons, suffocated by the loss of air or just been blown out into space he would never know. But there was no doubt in his mind that they were gone, along with the other civilians on board, and that there was nothing he could do about it.

Even as the full horror of the loss – both the loss of so many lives as well as his own personal loss – hit him, the flight deck exploded all around him. He was once again thrown off his feet, this time so hard that his head dented the point of the wall it hit. As he began to lose consciousness, the last thing he heard was the pilot screaming about Earth's gravity…

With a start, Valen awoke. His eyes snapped open as he sat bolt upright in his bed, hitting his forehead on the underside of the bed positioned above him. He winced, both at the pain in his head and the even greater pain in his heart. Not for the first time he cursed the fact that although he was no longer a Lunar Guardsman, he still had to sleep in a bunk bed in a room shared by at least one other person. He lowered himself back down onto the bed, holding the framework of the bunk bed with one hand whilst he held his forehead with the other. He closed his eyes for a moment, reflecting on the memory of his death and the death of his family.

He had had the same nightmare at least once a week to begin with for the first few years after his Ghost had revived him. These days however, it only came to him when he was feeling considerably depressed or anxious about something, or from when he had just come back from a particularly hard or harrowing mission. Of course, it wasn't a true nightmare in the sense that it was 'just a bad dream'. It was a memory of what had actually happened, although it was a memory that sometimes he wished he did not have.

Not for the first time he wished that he had lost his memory of his previous life before becoming a Guardian, just like the all Exos had. Of course, he then reminded himself that if that was the case, then he would never have remembered his beautiful wife and children, and that was something that he could not live without. Although they were all centuries dead he still loved each of them deeply, which was why the memory of his death had truly haunted him for the last 12 years. It wasn't his own death that pained him; it was theirs.

Opening his eyes again, he glanced at the mirror across the room from him. He first saw himself; white skin and clean shaven, light brown hair, shaved into a buzz cut, as per standard regulations in the Lunar Guard. He may not be a guardsman anymore, but there were some things you never changed. His dark brown eyes focused for a moment on their own reflection, before they shifted to the scar across his left cheek. It was roughly two inches long, slightly on a slant from left to right, the result of a bar fight he had tried to break up one night whilst on leave. One of his guardsmen had tried to come to the aid of a woman being roughed up by the local gang, and he'd gotten involved before one of the punks had pulled a knife and blindsided him.

His gaze then swept to his bed in the mirror, before rising to the bunk bed above him. It was empty. Karn – his roommate, must be out checking up on his Jumpship. It had recently caught some weapons fire during a forced extraction from a mission he was on, and Amanda Holliday has informed him that until the damage was fixed he would not be flying it any time soon. The damage had been to the thruster assembly, which Karn had repeatedly told Valen had made the flight back to the Tower difficult. Karn had been a Guardian longer than him, nearly 24 years in fact. It just went to show you that that even veteran Guardians could be caught out sometimes.

He glanced at the chrono display on the wall and saw that it was approaching five in the morning. Deciding to avoid going back to sleep, Valen got out of bed, taking care this time to avoid braining himself on anything. After a quick wash he dressed himself, then adorned his Titan armour, once piece at a time. Each part was coloured an even mix of red and white, with only his Titan Badge – the section of cloth adorning his right hip – being coloured differently. The cloth displayed the insignia of his old unit back when he had served in the Lunar Guard; a howling red wolf, picked out in gold against a silver full moon. A large gold star was positioned above the wolf and moon, bracketed by a pair of smaller silver stars. A jet black backdrop completed the crest of his old Platoon; the 161st of the Lunar Guard – The Crimson Wolves.

Leaving his head bare for now, he carried his helmet under his arm as he left his room. Making his way towards the Tower Plaza, he summoned up his Ghost. The little A.I. appeared in front of him, hovering just above eye-level.

"Sparky, link with Amanda Holliday's computer and find out if my Cavalier is fixed yet."

"At once, Guardian." The A.I.'s blue eye flashed for a moment, then steadied. "The records indicate that your S-20 Cavalier was fixed 2.5 hours ago. There is also an attached message from the Shipwright to the repair file. The notation states that in the future, the owner of this particular Sparrow "should think it over a dam lot more before he decides to jump his machine over a Fallen Devil Walker, especially whilst its weapons are still active."

Valen smiled as his Ghost read out the message. It hadn't been his intention to jump the Devil Walker; it had just happened. The walker had been inside a depression at the time and he had been going at speed to avoid getting shot by the other Fallen. He hadn't even seen the thing until he was cresting the edge of the depression, and by then it was too late to change course. Gunning the thrusters, he had jumped over the walker to avoid crashing right into it.

Unfortunately, a stay shot from one of the Devil Walker's secondary cannons had hit the undercarriage of his machine as it sailed over it, causing damage to the brake system as well as the thrusters themselves. The damage had required Amanda to strip down half of the vehicle, and because of her schedule had taken the better part of 8 days to fix. Of course she had other jobs that she had also been doing at the same time, but even so the damage had been extensive and needed whole sections of the undercarriage to be replaced. He had relied on his old Shrike in the interim, which was still useable after all these years, but in truth he missed the extra speed and endurance his Cavalier possessed. It would be good to get it back.

"Understood, Sparky. Please send a message to Ms Holliday expressing my gratitude, as well as stating that I'll try to be more careful in the future, especially when trying to avoid getting shot to pieces by the Fallen."

The A.I. acknowledged the command and promptly disappeared. Valen had taken to calling his little companion Sparky after their first official mission together. During the mission, the Ghost had provided Valen with a wealth of information, as well as insights into how the Fallen operated, leading Valen to comment that the Ghost was 'quite the bright spark' when it came down to it. The Ghost had accepted the comment with enthusiasm, and the name was struck.

Entering the main Plaza of the Tower, Valen walked over to where the postmaster robot was stationed. As he approached it, Kadi 55-30 noticed him and called out to him.

"Guardian Valen, Commander Zavala has sent word for you to go see him at the earliest opportunity. I understand from the message that it has to do with a summons from the Speaker."

Valen raised an eyebrow at this. Commander Zavala was the Vanguard of all the Guardians in the Tower who belonged to the Titan class. He had spoken to the Commander every so often over the years but had never been summoned like this, and not in connection with the Speaker.

"Message received, postmaster. Is there anything else for me whilst I am here?"

"Only a copy of a message from Amanda Holliday, stating that the repairs to your S-20 Cavalier are complete and that you can pick it up at your convenience," stated the robot. It went back to work as Valen headed off towards the Hall of Guardians.

Valen entered the Hall of Guardians and spotted the Commander straight away. It was hard to overlook Commander Zavala, standing where he was at the head of the main table in the centre of the room. Clad in his bright white Titan armour, Zavala stood out from amongst the other people in the room, save for the other two Vanguards who were also stood at the table, on either side. Ikora Rey – the Vanguard for the Tower's Warlocks, was busying herself with a data-slate, lost in thought. Cayde-6 – the Vanguard for the Hunters, was currently talking to another Hunter – a human male dressed in rich gold armour, trimmed in white. A golden cloak was fastened across his shoulders, whilst a red helmet rested on the table next to him. His back was to Valen, but he could tell from the Hunter's bare neck that he had tanned brown skin, along with a short crop of rust-red hair on top.

As Valen passed the Vanguard and the Guardian, he caught a snatch of their conversation. The Vanguard of the Hunters was explaining something to the redheaded man in an animated fashion.

"It is not your place to question these orders, Jonas. The speaker himself requested you for this assignment. He feels that out of all the Hunters currently stationed at the Tower, you are the best match for what he has in mind."

"But you know that I hunt alone most of the time, Cayde. And when I do not, I only work with one other Guardian." The Hunter was obviously not happy with whatever his orders were. "Besides, what the Speaker is describing goes against the established code of practice, not just for the Hunters, but for all Guardians! It's against protocol!"

It was clear that the Vanguard was losing his patience with the Guardian he had called Jonas. His frown deepened as his voice took on a more authoritative tone when he next spoke.

"The Speaker speaks for the Traveler, until such time as when the Traveler is once more capable of speaking for itself. It is for him to decide what is or is not against our code of practice! It is not up to you! You will answer his summons Jonas, otherwise -"

Valen missed the rest of the conversation as he past them by, glancing quickly at the guardian in order to catch a glimpse of his face. If this Hunter was willing to argue over a summons from the Speaker, then Valen felt it would be wise to steer clear of him, least he prove just as stubborn in combat.

The Hunter's face was indeed - as he had expected from the flash of skin he had already seen around the neck – tanned brown from years of exposure from the sun. Like a lot of Hunters, this Jonas appeared to spend a great deal of time out in the wastelands, surviving off the land. Whilst it marked him as experienced, Valen knew that there were some who considered Hunters to be dangerous, due their habit of interpreting the rules as they see fit to suit their own methods. Valen had worked with Hunters before in the past however, and knew that they were not all like that, just some.

The Hunter's eyes were dark blue in colour. His face seemed long overall, as if it had been stretched. His nose was small but tall, and his chin protruded out a little. Upon said chin was a sole patch of hair the same shade of red as the hair upon his head. There were no scars on the man's face, though it had a slightly weathered look about it. As their eyes met, Valen saw a streak of defiance in those two blue orbs. "Pleasant fellow," thought Valen, with not a small amount of sarcasm.

The Hunter returned his gaze to Cayde-6 as Valen approached Commander Zavala. Alongside Zavala was another Titan that Valen had not initially noticed, as the other Vanguard and Guardian had been in his line of sight. It was Loken-12, a Titan that Valen had fought alongside many times in the past. Along it was true that the Exo had four more years' experience as a Guardian than he himself did, Loken-12 tended to defer to Valen whenever their worked together, letting him take the lead due to Valen's prior experience leading men into battle.

Like Jonas, Loken-12 had his back towards Valen. Even so, Valen recognised him straight away. Although his blue and grey armour was hardly rare, it was his head that gave him away. Its surface – what would be called skin if he was a biological life form – was a dark gold, with a pair of crimson-red fins reaching up from where his audio receptors – his ears – were positioned. As Commander Zavala noticed Valen's approach he nodded in his direction, causing Loken-12 to turn towards him, allowing him to taken in the Exo's appearance.

The first feature that always caught Valen's attention was his strong blue eyes. Despite their colour, there was always a kind of warmth to them whenever the two met, demonstrating the fact that Loken-12 regarded his fellow Titan as a friend. Valen had found that his gaze would then always rise slightly to the markings on the Exo's forehead. Three thick stripes stretched down the top half of his face, each one a dark, crimson-red that matched the colour of the fins either side of his head.

"Guardian Valen," spoke Commander Zavala. "Thank you for responding so promptly to my message. I had been informed that you were asleep when it was sent." Zavala gestured for him to join them, which Valen did, taking up a position next to Loken-12.

"Not a problem, Vanguard. It was a fitful sleep that I'm glad to be awake from. The usual echoes from the past." He knew that Zavala would understand what he meant. Over the years Valen had learned that he was far from the only Guardian to be plagued by memories of their own death. Those Guardians whose deaths had been particularly traumatic tended to be the ones most effected, and he had confided in Zavala once about 6 years ago about how he had witnessed his families' deaths, just prior to his own. Zavala had never reviled the details of his own death to Valen, but he had confided that he too was sometimes troubled by it.

He turned to Loken-12. "Good to see you again Loken. How are you doing these days?"

The Titan shifted a little and Valen could swear he saw the trace of a smirk on his friend's lips.

"Good to see you too, Valen. I am doing well, as always. I hear though that you have recently restarted the old fashioned sport of stunt driving out in the wastelands of Russia. Something about jumping over a Devil Walker at full speed whilst riding your Sparrow?"

Valen laughed, realising that Loken-12 had obviously heard about his encounter with the Devil Walker, and how he had avoided hitting it. Commander Zavala's eyebrows rose as he stared at Valen with an expression that seemed to say you did what? Valen felt he should explain what happened before Zavala began to think that one of his Guardians had been off joyriding instead of doing his duty.

"Not intentionally, I assure you. The dam walker was hidden by a depression in the ground and I only just saw it in time to kick in my boosters, using the crest of the depression as a ramp. If I hadn't I would have driven straight into it and crashed." He glanced over at the Commander. "Of course, our local Shipwright is likely to be still cursing my name for all the damage she had to repair to get my Sparrow functioning again."

Zavala seemed to relax a little, evidently reassured by Valen's words.

"Just so long as you are fully functional now, then I don't see a problem. The Speaker has issued a summons for you both to meet him in his office. It is in regards to a mission he wishes to task you with, but only if you are fit and ready for duty."

Valen felt a moment's unease as he thought about the last thing he had heard Cayde-6 say to the argumentative Hunter. Something about a summons by the Speaker…

He put it from his mind however. The Speaker summoned numerous Guardians throughout the course of a day. He just hoped that the Hunter showed more respect to the Speaker than he did to his own Vanguard.

After speaking with Commander Zavala, Valen headed for the Tower Hanger to check on his Cavalier. He did not doubt for a moment that the Shipwright would have signed off on it if she had any doubts about the repair work she had done. He just needed to double check that it was prepped and loaded onto his ship, as it sounded as if he was going to need it. Loken-12 said that he needed to check something with the Crucible's Quartermaster, and that he would meet him at the centre of the Tower Plaza in 15 minutes. The commander had indicated that it would be best if they arrived together, and Valen and Loken-12 had agreed to do as the commander suggested.

He headed out of the Hall of Guardians and up the steps towards the Plaza, his mind buzzing with questions. Why had the Speaker selected him and Loken-12 for this mission? Would it be just the two of them alone, or was there going to be a third Guardian joining them? As they already had two Titans in the mix, the logical choice for a third Guardian would be either a Warlock or a Hunter.

Most fireteams were made up by someone from all three classes, though he had heard of a few teams that had two from one class and one from another. A team with two Warlocks for example could have one focusing purely on the offensive, whilst the other Warlock heals and boosts the rest of the team. Even rarer still were fireteams comprising three Guardians who were all from the same class. They tended to be sent on specialist missions to backup existing fireteams that were lacking in that class. A team of Hunters for example could provide long range sniper support for a Titan/Warlock team engaging the enemy at close range.

As he walked through the Plaza towards the Hanger, he spotted the Hunter again, this time arguing with Banshee-44, the Gunsmith. He had noticed when he had left Commander Zavala that the Hunter had already left the Hall, though it looked like he had come straight here to complain about something else now that the Vanguard of Hunters had dismissed him. Valen did not get close enough to make out what Jonas was saying to the Gunsmith, but he did see him pointing to a sniper rifle that was on the table – a Trajan-C to be precise, and then started jabbing at Banshee-44, who did not look as if he was enjoying the Hunter's attention.

Valen made a mental note never to work with the man. With an attitude like his, Jonas would be a disruptive element in any fireteam he joined, and Valen for one did not want to have to put up with such a person. There were other Hunters he could work with, those who were less prone to start a fight at the drop of a hat. Clara was a good example. Reliable, skilled with a rifle and was always calm under fire. Nothing ever ruffled her feathers. She kept her head in a fight and did not argue with her team mates, not when doing so could potentially jeopardise the mission.

He put thoughts of Jonas from his mind as he entered the Tower Hanger, heading straight for Amanda Holliday. She was sat on a stack of crates like they were her own personal throne, reading a data-slate before she looked up. As Valen walked up to her he knew from the expression on her face what the Shipwright's first comments would be.

"So, how long is it going to take before you wreck this thing again, Guardian? If you let me know now, I can fix it into my schedule for later."

She said it without a hint of humour at all, and Valen could understand why. Over the last 7 days he had been getting increasingly irate messages from her cursing him for getting the Sparrow shot up so much. She had taken to repeatedly reminding him that every time she had gone to work on 'the wrenched thing' as she called it, she had ended up with her arms buried up to the elbows in its innards, such was how far in the damage had been done. By the end she was far from happy with him.

The following conversation was simply a rehash of the prior one they had had when he brought in the Sparrow over a week ago, plus a repeat of what she had said in her last message. After ensuring that the Cavalier was loaded onto his Jumpship, Valen thanked the Shipwright, which earned him a snort and an earful, then headed back out of the Hanger and towards the Plaza.

He noticed that the Hunter had now left the Gunsmith's store, though he could not see him anywhere. He spotted a few Guardians he knew, including Karn, each of whom he spoke to in passing, only pausing to ask Karn if his Jumpship was fixed yet. Karn shook his head, saying that he expected it to be another two days before the work was complete.

After speaking with Karn, Valen spotted Loken-12 standing over by the Postmaster's kiosk. Heading over to him he called out to him. Loken-12 turned and waved, then walked over to meet him. Together they headed for the Northern part of the Tower, known as Tower North, which contained the Star Map room, as well as the Speaker's office.

As the two made their way towards the Speaker's office they discussed what Commander Zavala had told them. Apparently, there had been numerous reports of trouble to the north of the city of Phoenix, Arizona in North America. Reports indicated that the Fallen were active in the area, holed up inside the remains of a prison complex. Loken-12 was concerned about taking on such a well defendable location.

"Although such places were designed to keep people in, those same measures will make it easy for the Fallen to keep us out. We will need someone to find us a weak point in their defences to gain entry via, otherwise we'll never get past the outer walls."

Valen knew that Loken-12 was right in that regard. They would need a Guardian trained in reconnaissance work to lead them into the prison complex, someone like a Hunter. Valen was starting to become increasingly worried about who had been given the task. There were a number of good Hunters currently at the Tower, and Commander Zavala had indicated that those being sent on this mission were currently here, not in the field. He knew many of them, either having worked with them before or by their reputation. The fact though that the Hunter who'd been arguing with Cayde-6 had been summoned by the Speaker increased the nagging feeling that he might be the one who had been chosen. He decided to voice his suspicions to Loken-12.

"A Hunter, in other words. And I have an unpleasant feeling I know who. That Hunter that was speaking to Cayde-6 when I arrived in the Hall of Guardians. I overheard Cayde tell him that the Speaker had summoned him. I got the impression that the man doesn't like the idea of fighting as part of a team, more of a 'lone-wolf' than a team player. What do you think?"

"It could be the Speaker summoned him for something completely unrelated, but as to whether or not he's a team player, I heard him earlier before you came in, when he dared to raise his voice at Cayde. I understand he DOES work with a partner sometimes, and that he had in fact been planning with another Guardian on heading out today as part of a planned search of the old Cosmodrome in Russia for Golden Age-era tech. This summons puts a damper on those plans, hence his mood."

"It still doesn't give him the right to disrespect his Vanguard though. Zavala would tear our asses a new one if we ever spoke to him in that manner. The Vanguards are the best of the Guardians in their respective classes. They deserve the respect of all Guardians."

Descending down the steps that would take them to the Speaker's office, Valen recalled some of the stories that were still told about the Vanguard and their accomplishments. He would have been deeply honoured if he were ever asked to join any of them during a mission, as would most other Guardians. He knew however that the Vanguard only tended to venture out rarely these days, and always together as a team. They devoted most of their time to their duties at the Tower, which included guiding the other Guardians, as well as handing them assignments to complete. Being a Vanguard carried with it a lot of responsibility. And responsibility was something Valen could well understand.

During most of his twenty-two years in the Lunar Guard, he had served as the platoon sergeant in the Crimson Wolves. It had been his role to advise and support the Lieutenant in charge of the unit. The 161st had been led for the last 4 years by a new lieutenant – fresh from the academy, after their previous CO had retired. Valen had taken on a number of responsibilities normally carried by the platoon commander, at least in the beginning, until she was up to speed. After her death during the evacuation of the Moon, he had been placed in charge and had led the guardsmen under his command in defending the evacuation transports until they were underway.

That was why whenever they worked together, Loken-12 let him take the lead. He had – as Loken-12 stated more than once, "proven himself to be a capable leader whilst under fire, when it really counts."

It was good to have comrades who felt they could put their trust in you.

Upon entering the Star Map room they saw the Speaker standing in from of the large projection. In front of him were two Guardians, one of whom was indeed the Hunter called Jonas, just as he had feared. "Please let him be here about another mission," Valen thought, then admonished himself. If the Speaker was putting them in the same fireteam then it would be unprofessional to gripe about it, plus the Speaker would only do so if it was necessary. Still, he could not help but think of at least two or three other Hunters he would prefer to work with, Clara included.

The other was an Awoken female, a Warlock judging by her appearance. She currently had her back to him, though Valen felt that he knew this Guardian somehow, despite the fact that he did not recognise the dark purple robes she wore. She had her long black hair tied back in a ponytail, which was the source of the familiarity Valen felt when he saw her.

At the sound of the approaching footsteps of the two Titans, the woman turned her head towards them, just as Valen recognised her. Her name was Sonya, a skilled Guardian he had worked with a couple of times with in the past. She had impressed him both times, demonstrating a calm yet focused attitude towards the mission, which also played well in a fight. She typically focused on the Path of the Voidwalker, but Valen remembered she had just started learning the Path of the Sunsinger when he had last worked with her, some two years ago. That could explain why she had done away with the red armour and robes she had worn at the time.

Being a Titan, Valen knew little about a how a Warlock's abilities worked, save that they gained this power from the Traveler itself. He did know that a Warlock's wargear – just like a Titans or a Hunters – could enhance the Guardian's abilities when worn, so it was possible that she had switched to using some wargear that suited a Sunsinger more than a Voidwalker.

Gesturing towards the Hunter, Loken-12 spoke again.

"Looks like that Hunter may be the one after all."

They joined the other two Guardians in front of the Speaker. Giving a quick nod to Sonya, Valen then addressed the Speaker.

"Speaker. Commander Zavala has informed us that you wished to see us regarding a mission."

The Speaker laced his hands behind his back as he faced Valen.

"That is correct, Guardian. Recently we have received reports from other Guardians that a member of the House of Devils – known as the Devil Prince, Zeksis, has been staging attacks against our efforts to reclaim the technology of the Golden Age that exists in the south-western part of North America. Our reports indicate that this Devil Prince has established himself in one of the former detention facilities that exist there."

The Speaker began to pace back and forth in front of the Guardians.

"The facility was constructed at about half way through the Golden Age, and according to our information was modernised a number of times before the Collapse. Our records are incomplete as to the exact nature of the security systems in place, though we do have a recent blueprint of the layout, as well as a first-hand account."

The Speaker came to a stop in front of Valen.

"From a previous fireteam's efforts we know that most of the prison's anti-aircraft guns are still functional, so deployment will have to take place further away from the target area than normal. The fireteam was able to make it as far as the outer courtyard of the prison before they were overwhelmed by the Fallen."

Valen considered this news. So, a Fireteam of Guardians had been sent in to eliminate this Zeksis, but had not succeeded. Or survived, judging by what the Speaker was saying. A sudden thought struck him as the Speaker's words registered within him, but before he could put voice to his question, Loken-12 spoke up, beating him to the punch.

"Speaker, you said 'a PREVIOUS fireteam's efforts'. That would imply you are planning on sending another Fireteam after this Devil Prince for a second attempt."

The Speaker's head dipped slightly, as though he was weighting the pros and cons of his next words. When he next spoke, Valen could well understand why.

"A fourth attempt, in fact. The first Guardian went in alone, confident that he could sneak in and eliminate the target with a few well-placed shots. After that-."

"Was it a Hunter?" interrupted Jonas, speaking for the first time since Valen had arrived. Valen frowned, feeling it was rude for the man to interrupt the Speaker, even if it was with a worth-while question. After all, Hunters tended to be the stealthiest of Guardians, either picking off their targets at range with a sniper rifle, or getting in close without being seen and ending them with one slice of the blade.

"Indeed," answered the Speaker. "Rojas the Stalker, in fact. I believe you knew him."

Valen saw the shock in Jonas's face at the news. Obviously this Rojas was more than just someone the Hunter knew.

"He was the Hunter that first welcomed me to the Tower after I was revived. He tutored me for months, teaching me the skills needed to be an effective Guardian. We have worked together on and off over the years. He was a close friend. How did he die?"

"We do not know the specifics. Only that he got as far as the outer wall before he was spotted. We think that he was trying to sneak through a hole in the wall that had been left deliberately, setting off either an alarm or a booby trap. Either way, his last transmission was cut off in mid-sentence, then nothing since."

Valen could see that Jonas was struggling with himself. Understandable, really. The man had been a mentor and fellow Guardian to Jonas. From his own personal experience he knew how difficult it was when learning of a friend's death. He himself had not had someone who mentored him when he first became a Guardian. He had just set out on his own, trusting his military training and his Ghost to keep him out of trouble.

The Speaker continued to describe the previous attempts following Rojas's death. Another Guardian, this time a Warlock, had a little more success. He had sought out the prison complex after detecting a signal from Rojas's Ghost, indicating his death. He had not been trying to seek out and kill Zeksis, but had been confronted by the Devil Prince when he had tried to recover Rojas's Ghost, hoping to get whatever data it contained back to the Tower. His battle was witnessed by another Hunter, who was too far away at the time to come to his aid. Witnessing the Warlock's death at the hands of the Devil Prince, the Hunter had returned to the Tower to inform the Speaker.

"It was then that I dispatched a three-man Fireteam to hunt down Zeksis and slay him," the Speaker was saying, as he studied the star field projected into the centre of the room. "The team consisted of a Hunter, a Titan and a Warlock. The Hunter was able to lead the Fireteam into the prison, but was then killed during a subsequent ambush. The Warlock and Titan continued on further into the prison, only to succumb to the heavy resistance that they encountered there. They faced off against large numbers of Fallen who managed to outflank and overrun their position, killing them all with sheer weight of numbers."

At this, the Speaker turned back towards the Guardians. Although the Speaker's face could not show any emotion, Valen felt that the Speaker was nervous as he spoke the next words.

"I believe that the only way to eliminate this Devil Prince is to try a new approach. I am therefore forming a new Fireteam to deal specifically with this threat. A four-man team, comprised of the four of you. A Hunter to guide the team, a pair of Titans to provide the meat of the team's firepower, and a Warlock to augment the Titan's fire power as well as keeping the rest of the team alive. I asked the Vanguard to put forward nominations as to who they thought could get this task done, as well as who they thought would work well together. They each submitted a list to me of who they felt were the best choices."

Loken-12 spoke up.

"And the four of us were on these lists, Speaker?"

The Speaker nodded.

"Your names were near the top of each list. The deciding factor was that each of you has worked with at least one other member in the team, so it is the consensus amongst myself and the Vanguard that the four pf you will function well together as a fireteam."

At this point, Sonya stepped forward and spoke for the first time. Valen had noticed her shifting uneasily when the Speaker had mentioned the requirements for the Warlock in the new team.

"Speaker, I have not progressed along the path of the Sunsinger as much as I had wanted. I fear that my skills as a healer will not be up to the task."

The Speaker glanced over at the Awoken Warlock.

"I have spoken to Ikora Rey. Your Vanguard has stated that although there are Warlocks who have progressed further along the path than you have, that has been at the expense of their training along the path of the Voidwalker. Remember, I said that the Warlock needed for this mission will be there to augment the team's overall strength in terms of attack. They will need your power to overcome the defences Zeksis has in place. Be at peace, Guardian. You are more than skilled enough for the task at hand."

Valen felt that he needed to say something, both about the unusual makeup of the team as well as the fact that Jonas seemed to not be much of a team player, from what he had heard.

"Speaker, would it not be better to send in two fireteams, rather than a single, over-strength one? Fireteams work best with two or three members. A fourth may be too much. Besides, I do not know how the others in the team feel about this, but I am uncomfortable with the ideal of being lead in to battle by someone who is no suitable for leadership and has made no attempt to hide the fact that he prefers to work by himself."

As he said this last comment he glanced over at Jonas, who scowled at him and looked like he had something to say. The Speaker however beat him to it.

"Although two teams would allow for a more powerful strike, it would not be as coordinated. Having two fireteam leaders would cause confusion if they each gave orders that conflicted with one another. It would also be harder for the Guardians involved to enter the prison via stealth, as a larger party would be more noticeable. Four is a good balance between the firepower that will be needed to eliminate the target, and the need for speed and stealth that will get you to the target. As to your second concern, I never said that the fireteam would be led by the Hunter, only guided by it."

Valen suddenly felt the eyes of every Guardian present resting on him. Both Loken-12 and Sonya were smiling, whilst Jonas was clearly aware of something the others had also figured out, but did not like at all.

"If Jonas is not to lead this new team, Speaker," Valen said, already guessing at the answer to the question he was about to pose, "then who is?"

The Speaker took a step towards Valen, placing his hand on Valen's shoulder and looked him square in the face.

"You are, Guardian."