Chapter 6: The Strongest Fireteam (This chapter is following Ashley in a third person point of view as I am still out cold.) Ashley made her way to the vanguard mentors. She figured out what Max had done based on the blood all over him and the cloak that he had been wearing. He had killed a Baron from the House of Devils. That is not something that many can say they had done. Maybe Max had more potential than she had expected. She knew his reflexes were good, but someone with so little combat experience had taken down a baron with reflexes as the primary method of combat. Reflexes of that level were not natural, and could only be categorized as something known as an Irregularity. Some guardians are revived with a trait that they had in their time alive at the extreme of that trait. In her case, her sight was extraordinary. She could see farther than someone using binoculars could see, making her one of the most skilled snipers out there. Max must have had abnormally good reflexes when he was alive, and that trait had been amplified to the extremes. “Apologies for the interruption.” Ashley said with a serious face, “I want to discuss the incident where the new guardian under my supervision went rogue for a short time and wiped out a camp of Fallen Devils.” “Ah, just in time! We were about to discuss the repercussions of his actions.” Cayde said with a roll of his eyes, showing that he had nothing wrong with the actions that Max took. Ashley felt reassured knowing that Cayde was on her side. She knew Zavala would be a tough nut to crack, but she knew that she needed to help get Max off lightly. “Okay, I think that his actions were wrong, but that the outcome was the best it could be under the circumstances. He is an asset worth having, and I have my own personal reasons as to why I can’t let him be punished for something as mundane as a lost temper.” Ashley said, taking the diplomatic approach for the time being. “I understand that you may consider his actions justified, but that does not excuse his disobedience. He broke the rules, and took an initiative against a high-ranking fallen target that was out of his league. He broke a fundamental rule by disobeying orders that you gave him as someone of a higher rank. You know that is a serious offense.” Zavala said with a stern frown, “You know just as well as I do that we guardians are the embodiment of the light. We strive to be as good as we can be, and anger and disobedience are two things that cannot be tolerated.” “Come now, Zavala! Lets give him another chance. The circumstances were extraordinary.” Cayde said. Ikora had been quiet for the whole exchange, clearly deep in thought. “What if we gave him an assignment to stay in a fireteam with Rene as the leader, and Ashley here as a mentor.” Ikora finally spoke up, “I think the best thing to do is give him a warning for now. If he breaks the rules again, we can punish him. Ashley seems to think highly of him, so I say we give him a chance.” After a moment of silence where Zavala and Cayde looked at each other, the two agreed to the proposal that Ikora put forward. “Now for the main reason that I came today. Max took down a Baron. Does anyone see an issue with this? How did he defeat a Baron at his skill level?” Ashley said. “You’re right! I didn’t think about it too much, but a untrained and underprepared guardian took down a fallen Baron.” Cayde realized where this was going almost immediately, “You think he has an Irregularity?” “Almost certain of it. It could be one of two things: Intuition or Reflexes.” Ashley said with a smile. “Hmm… Ikora, what was Rene’s Irregularity again?” Cayde asked. “Telekinesis. He supposedly practiced spoon bending when he was young.” Ikora said. “Interesting… How about this? We get the three of you in a fireteam, and I will give you some fun things to do out in the wild. Max seems to have a more reckless nature than most thanks to his irregularity, so I recommend that you make his movements the main focus of your teamwork.” Cayde suggested. “I like that idea. Now all that’s left is to help him get over the pain of loss and the regret he feels as going berserk like he did…” Ashley knew she had a lot to do. It would be worth it to have her boyfriend back to normal. She made her way down to the living spaces and knocked on Max’s door. No answer. She decided to just go in. She opened the door to find max on the floor, still out cold. “What am I going to do with you?” Ashley asked nobody. “Ah, you are already here. I was about to track you down so I could ask if you guys wanted a third member for your team.” Rene said, coming in. “Already talked to the Vanguard. You are team leader, but Max will be the one deciding our combat maneuvers.” Ashley replied, setting Max back in bed. “Oh. Well that answers that.” Rene said with a smile. He sat down on a chair that was near Max’s bed. Ashley sat down on the couch in the corner with a sigh. After a long silence, Max twitched a bit. He opened his eyes and looked around. He saw the two others in his room, and tried to get out of bed. He immediately stumbled and was caught by Rene. “Woah, settle down. Get some rest. You need it.” Rene said calmly. “Rene? Ashley? How many days…?” Max said. “About 2 days.” Rene responded. Ashley was too busy turning away from the spectacle, which was Max in the buff. “OKAY ENOUGH ABOUT THAT, PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!” Ashley yelled with exasperation Max seemed to notice for the first time that he was completely naked. He sighed, grabbed the blanket, and wore it like a cloak. He quickly went over to Ashley and gave her a pat on the shoulder and a knowing look. Without another word, he went into the closet and got dressed in proper clothes. Ashley was so much more confused than she was when she walked in to the room, and Max knew that all too well.