[i]This short story is dedicated to the heroes during the Collapse. This particular one takes place in Old Russia (Present-Day Kazakstan) and how the colony ships in the Cosmodrome escaped. It is pure fan-fiction, and I have taken creative liberties due to the fact we’re only at the beginning of this game’s story. However, I wanted to write about some of the most powerful guardians in the universe, before the Traveler was weakened. I wanted to create stories of how Guardians discovered their special abilities and of how humans survived the Darkness. [/i] [b]Angel of Astana[/b] Hikari watched silent as more of humanity fell into the folds of death. “Zoom the lens in closer, T900” she ordered. The frame turned the dial too far, making the video feed grainy and indiscernible. It was just a simple automata, so she couldn’t blame the thing. Besides, most of its processing power was focused on piloting her fireteams’ jumpship. She sighed. “Zoom back twenty percent.” The frame did so, enough for Hikari to make out the citizens of Moscow being cut down by the Fallen swarming the city. Streaks of Arc energy zipped across the sky, while molten projectiles consumed the masses leaving nothing but clouds of blue cinders. And there was nothing she could do. Hikari flinched as a hand touched her shoulder. “Why do you do this to yourself?” The voice belonged to Desmond, resident Titan and one of the last American Guardians. “You’re making yourself suffer for no good reason.” “It’s not healthy for one’s mind,” said a woman’s voice in a light Indian accent. It was Vi, their resident Hunter. [i]They’re right you know[/i], agreed Hikari’s Ghost in her head. Hikari didn’t respond. She had to focus. If she couldn’t do anything to help these people, then she would watch them die out of respect. It was the least she could do. Orders from above were sending her to Astana, Kazakstan where the last fleet of colony ships were being overrun by the Fallen. If the airbase was lost, millions more would die. Time was too precious to waste. So she watched until burning cityscape turned to woodland and there was nothing to do but wait until they arrived at their destination. A gentle alarm sounded. It was Command. “Guardians,” said the voice, crackling with static. “Report.” Vi cleared her throat. “We’re one hundred miles out from the Russian Federal Bureau of Aeronautics. “We should be there soon.” “Not soon enough,” said the operations specialist. “The Fallen have breached the western quadrant of the Cosmodrome. Only a detachment of Defender Titans are keeping the alien forces from slaughtering the refugees. Every grand colony ship are at fifty percent right now, not nearly enough for them to take off. You need to hurry.” “Affirmative.” Hikari cut the connection. “T900, boost the jumpship.” It didn’t take long for Hikari to spot the massive wall surrounding the Cosmodrome and the last of the colony ships in the entire region. Mounted energy cannons kept the Fallen ships at a safe distance, but the ground troops outnumbered the Guardians ten to one. Fifteen large bubbles glowed violet in the distance, packed tight between a broken section of the wall, absorbing hundreds of bullets while safeguarding the fleeing refugees. “We’re here!” cried Desmond. The T900 slowed over the battlefield, just as several Wards of Dawn collapsed. Hikari fit her helmet over her head, as did the others, and watched her body burn white from activating the short-range teleportation pad. In a flash, her fireteam was deployed among the Defender Titans. Cheers went up. “Guardians!” cried Hikari over the din of battle. “You’ve all done well, but now I need you to assist the refugees and make sure everyone makes it safely inside the ships! My team will take care of the rest!” She waved a hand at Desmond. Her own Defender Titan spread his arms out and light from the Void burst from his body. It arced out so far it touched both sides of the shattered wall and had enough room left over to house a row of ten Defender bubbles end to end. Hikari smirked. Desmond was one of the most powerful Titans in the star system. He could do things with the Ward of Dawn no one has discovered even with centuries of use. More cheers went up from the Guardians behind them who soon seemed to realize they were only getting in the way. They dropped their forcefields and began to make their retreat. “By the Light,” whispered Vi. “Desmond, you’ve outdone yourself.” Desmond glanced at her. “There’s more.” He rotated his wrists clockwise and a ring of runes burned itself along his Ward of Dawn. “I’ve made the shield porous, now we can shoot from within and keep the four-armed freaks out [i]there[/i]. It’s a little thing I’ve been testing out.” The Fallen pounded the shield with renewed vigor. “You’re a show off,” said Hikari. She activated her Sunbreakers and instantly felt the molten warmth radiate along her arms. She lifted her hands and several specks of light swayed to the lilt of her fingers, growing until they were the size of her fists. She cast them out. They erupted into giant balls of fire, ruining whatever ranks the Fallen were attempting to organize. Hikari lifted the solar grenades with the power of her Sunbreakers and crisscrossed them across the battlefield to incinerate whatever stood in their way. Floating sentinels exploded upon impact. Dregs went up in flames. They could do nothing to stand up to her Light as she turned them to ash. Her hands came together and so did the grenades. They merged into one burning sphere and she held it in the sky like a second [i]sun[/i], letting the Fallen see beauty before they perished. She dropped it. Everything turned white as solar energy crashed against the Ward of Dawn. [b][url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/81246759]PART TWO[/url][/b]