He didn't remember the first time. Nobody did. Thing was, he couldn't remember the last time either. That should probably bother him more than it did. "Guardian down!" "Revive!" He opened his eyes. Felt for the hole that should have been in his chest, sucked for the air that should have wheezed through a punctured lung. Rage burned like acid in his blood. Revenge. The four-armed Fallen still stood over him, blades wet with his blood. A burst from his auto rifle stitched it from crotch to forehead, lifting it and tossing it aside like a rag doll. "Revive!" He killed the hive knight that had only just killed him cooly, dispassionately. A bug crushed under his heel. "Revive!" He sprang back to his feet, blade already arcing through the neck of the cabal that had felled him. Precise. Like taking apart a clock. "Revive!" The red eye of a Vex blinked out. "Revive!" The half lives, the tiny victories and countless defeats frayed and blurred together. "Revive!" Who... What... Wait... "Revive!" No... Stop... "Revive!" Make it stop... "Revive!" "Revive!" "Revive!" He found the old ship, rusted and beached, leaning drunkenly against a sand dune a hundred kilometers from the shrunken sea shore. Set up a signal, made sure the Fallen could hear it. An event like this demanded an audience. Crawled down into its bowels, found the warheads. Spiky trefoil warning labels. Smiled to himself, for the first time in, well, he'd lost count. Set to work, wiring, connecting. Ignoring his Ghost's questions. Waited until the ketch touched ground a few clicks away. Felt the detonator, smooth on his hands. It felt like, felt like he had a choice. Free from any destiny. "Guardian down," he whispered to himself. And pressed the switch.