The sky bled red and orange and gold. Dawn broke the twilight, and the sunrise was racing forward. Kaori-1 was sitting upon the rough of the mountain-top; gazing off into the early morning. Battered, soft leather draped her exo-skeleton, glistening robes covering her from head to foot. Her helmet lay to the side, her shiny blue eyes darting back and forth across the art of the approaching sun. Concentrating, she held out her palm, and small sparks of purple, yellow, and blue fluttered into air. Beside her rested her trusty auto rifle, matched with her fusion and machine gun. She had spent most of the night cleaning them, spare time being a luxury to her. A metallic orb floated up to her, and with its wandering eye spoke : "...Should we wake them?" "-No." Her voice was calm, precise, and mature. "As you wish." The default, metallic chatter ceased, and the orb flew around as a perimeter. "-Ghost," she called out, "How long have we been fighting?" The orb turned back to Kaori-1; but remained where it floated. "I resurrected you three months and -" "Not me, Ghost. [i]Us[/i], Earth, Humankind. How long have we been at this conflict? How long have we been warring and suffering and struggling?" The orb shifted its gaze, floating closer to the edge of the rough. "The Collapse has enduring hundreds of years, long before I found you; and at this rate, it is bound to continue long after." "Unless we stop The Darkness. And the Vex. And the Hive. We must push out the Fallen, and the Cabal. Is it even possible, with everything working against us?" The orb slumped, as almost to sigh. "I hope so." "Do you really?" There was curiosity in her eyes as she looked towards him. "I've always taken you for an organized light bulb." "Whether I'm programmed or not, my life is just as forfeit if we lose. While I'm unable to explain my origin to you, we Ghosts can die, just as much and complete as you. Being machine, yourself, you should understand." "I suppose you're right. I'm sorry, Ghost." "Don't be sorry for me. Be sorry for The Fallen. Today, we will rout them from this place." "Indeed, we shall." Kaori-1 rose to her feet, and with a shimmer her Ghost dematerialized her helmet and weapons. Looking around the mountain, the echoes of civilization lay before her. For miles, ruined cities, toppled buildings, and wild vegetation. Whatever Golden Age existed, had long since departed. Behind her, lay two companions, sleeping, and for the moment, at peace. Ahead of them, a dangerous mission, and in her heart, Kaori-1 had rather let them remain that way. The younger of her two companions, at least by the way he looked, was a growing young man named Michael. He had lightly tanned skin, medium length dark brown hair, and behind closed eyes donned the fullest green. His armor was made of rough leather, and light steel plating. His usual arsenal of scout rifle, sniper, and sword remain dematerialized with his Ghost, resting near him in stand-by. The only pretense of his aggression remain in a single dagger fitted near his waist. The older of the two, but by no means "old", was a girl by the name of Iris. Her skin was a pale blue, oft with a hint of swirl where the energy gathered near her face, hands, and feet. She had long, dark blue hair; which was perfect when needing to hide her purple eyes. She had hard leather armor, fitted with strong, heavy steel plates; with her hand cannon, shotgun, and rocket launcher ready beside her. Her Ghost was silent, but hovered near her with a gazing eye. Kaori-1 took a deep breath. "It's time to wake up." Her voice was stern, and she knelt down next to Iris and grabbed her shoulder. Iris rolled over and opened her eyes, glimpsing out into the approaching sunrise. "You stayed up again?," she asked with concern, her voice was young, but with the smallest hint of forcefulness. "You know I don't sleep well. Besides, it was best for someone to be on watch. Fallen are near." "You're right. I'll be on watch next time." "Don't worry about it, breakfast comes first." "Michael," Iris spoke, placing her hand on his back, "Come on, it's time." Michael yawned, and sat up. "You know, we ought to have camping gear one of these times." His voice was exceptionally young, but was evident it had matured before his time as a Guardian. "Not for a mission like this," Kaori-1 replied, "In enemy territory it would only make us vulnerable." "I know. I guess I just prefer the beds in The Tower." "So do I," Iris agreed, "And the sooner we finish this, the sooner we can rest." Her Ghost dematerialized her weaponry, and the three of them gathered at the rough of the mountain to view the sunrise together. "Ghost," Kaori-1 spoke, "I need the rations satchel." With a shimmer of light, her Ghost materialized a satchel, and she took out three small containers. She gave one to each Iris and Michael, and they sat down in a circle together. "One of the best things about being on the road, you get all used to the grit of it, and then in an instant can have a home cooked meal," Michael sighed as he motioned to his Ghost, and after opening the container; it materialized the contents into chicken noodle soup with vegetables. "I'm still amazed that this is even possible," Iris added as she opened her container, and her Ghost materialized the contents into beef, broccoli, and cheese. "It really doesn't seem possible." "A lot of things weren't possible," Kaori-1 corrected, "If it is easy enough to resurrect the dead; you'd think it child's play to dematerialize a fresh meal, and then rematerialize it later." "Hey," Iris defended, "I'm just saying, I'm still getting used to it, what if the science messed up, even a little bit, and we ended up eating ... something ... not edible?" "That's not possible," Iris' Ghost chimed, her feminine automation claiming the air, "The Traveler's technology transcends the base capacity of your Earth Science. There isn't an opportunity for failure." "I wasn't doubting you, Ghost. Here, I'll have a bite." Iris used her utensil and took a bite of beef and broccoli. "Mmm, so good." "It's the same as last time," her Ghost reminded. "Aw, you're no fun." "I wish it could always be like this," Michael laughed, "I hope one day, we can forget about the war and just have fun. Like the people in The City. Well, at least sometimes they do." "It will be fine," Michael's Ghost assured, having an automation voice similar to his own,"The Traveler would not have made us Ghosts if he did not think the plan would succeed." "Here's to you being right," Michael agreed. Kaori-1 opened up her container, and with a shimmer her Ghost turned the contents into an Energy Cell. "Ah, just what I needed!" she exclaimed as she flipped open a panel near the back of her neck, and retrieved a worn down cell. Michael and Iris gave her an odd look as she replaced the worn cell with the radiant, new cell. "What? You assumed I had run out of my sense of humor?" "Not exactly," Iris replied, "Seeing as you're usually replacing your Energy Cell after combat. Just didn't expect you to actually 'eat' it for breakfast" "She isn't eating it," Michael interrupted. "I'm really not," Kaori-1 agreed. Iris shook her head. "Honestly, if we don't finish the mission by sunset Zavala is going to lose it." There was a brief silence and then they all started laughing. They retained their small talk and banter throughout the meal, and then packed in their supplies. Michael's Ghost materialized his Scout Rifle, Iris's Ghost Materialized her Hand Cannon, and Kaori-1's Ghost materialized her Auto Rifle. "Alright," Kaori-1 spoke as the group and their Ghosts readied for action, "Let's show the Vanguard why Strike Team Bravo deserves a chance to be part of Raid Team Alpha!" "Exactly!" Michael cheered, flipping his dagger in his left hand. "Hah, if you two want to bother with that damned Vault of Glass, that's your choice," Iris disagreed, "I'm quite content in these smaller missions." "Can't take a challenge?" Kaori-1 taunted, and Iris gave her a steady glare. "Cat fight time?" Michael urged as the two exchanged glances. "Shut up!" they both laughed back, and the three of them began their decent towards the forest below. "But for real," Iris added reluctantly, "I want us to get this done safely. I don't want any issues. It's no one's fault, but I had nightmares for weeks after ... you know." "Hey," Michael assured, putting a hand on Iris' shoulder, "Be cool. We got this." Kaori-1 nodded, and gave Iris the thumbs-up. "Thanks," Iris sighed, "It's going to be okay." "You know it," Kaori-1 agreed, "Time to call it in. Michael?" "You got it," he replied in earnest, and his Ghost began to glow, "Strike Team Bravo to The Tower. Transmission to the Vanguard, permission to engage!" A few moments passed, and then a low thunder replied : "Commander Zavala of the Vanguard. Strike Team Bravo, Mission Engage." ~ ... To Be Continued ... ~