[b]The Defense[/b] The hanger echoed as a jumpship blasted out into the wild. Delta watched it fly away as he sat upon the ramp of his own ship, waiting. Growing impatient, Delta took out his newly refurbished Mida for another look. He had stopped by the gunsmith on his way to the hanger, and Banshee was eager to give Delta his new scout rifle. “I must say, that is quite a masterful restoration,” Banshee had said, clearly proud of his work. “I have never seen a weapon quite like that one. You will find it still has all the bells and whistles, as well as a few new ones of my own design. That, along with a stopping power that few scout rifles can rival, I’d say you have found yourself quite the instrument of death.” Delta was happy to have the rifle back in his hands. He was a marksman at heart, and he was ready to use that talent. Delta had also obtained a new armor set for this mission. Since it was very windy and very cold where he was going, he had gone to Ikora for a recommendation. In turn, he obtained the Nerigal Savant III set in white with streaks of blue, so as to blend in with the environment. Delta was eager to get a move on, but he would not dare directly confront The Defense without some backup. He didn’t have to wait too much longer. Alexandra, sporting a brand new Vanguard cloak, jogged down the steps toward Delta’s ship. He smiled and stood as she approached. “Sorry I’m late!” she said, breathing heavily. “You’re right on time,” replied Delta. He was glad she agreed to join him on this mission, but he frowned when a third member did not follow her. “Is Ross not coming?” Alex threw back her dirty blonde hair and shook her head. “He had already volunteered for an escort detail in the City. Some City scientists wanted a Hive weapon moved between facilities later today, and Zavala asked for some extra security.” She grinned. “I bet Ross regrets that now.” Delta remembered the Key Blade he had found in a Defense bunker and became worried. “There isn’t a problem is there?” Alex shook her head again. “I don’t think so. Why?” Delta knew the weapon was big trouble. “No reason,” he said, boarding his ship. Alex looked at him curiously and followed him up the ramp. “You always have a reason,” she muttered to herself, but decided to let the subject drop. “So what’s the game plan?” Delta sat in the pilot’s seat and began to flip switches. “The plan,” said Delta as the engines began to roar, “is to be very careful.” Alex took the seat next to him as he continued. “The coordinates Foxtrot gave me point to some kind of structure built into the side of Mount Everest in the Himalayas. Visibility is low at that altitude, so we will have to transmat down to a safe location and scale the mountain.” Alex nodded in acknowledgement. “Good plan boss,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to visit Everest.” Delta felt a little uncomfortable at being called “boss”. He realized he was now the designated fireteam leader for this mission. He never thought of himself as a leader, but he was determined to try. “Hold up!” yelled a voice behind them. Delta and Alex turned back to see an awoken Titan marching up the ramp. His armor was a shining, deep red hue with white layers underneath. He was clearly a New Monarchy member based off of the color scheme and the triangular symbol on the helmet he held at his side. He ran his hand through his silky, snow white hair as he approached the pair. “Sorry to intrude!” he said. “My name is Adriar. Ross said you guys needed an extra guy for your infiltration mission.” Delta and Alex looked at each other in surprise and back at Adriar. “Alright,” said Delta. “I don’t see why not. I’ll brief you on the way there.” “Great!” said Adriar, taking a seat. “Welcome to the team!” said Alex, giving Adriar a thumbs up. Delta, of course, was skeptical of this new Titan. He seemed a little over the top, but a full fireteam would be of great help. Delta decided to just let it go, and began liftoff procedures. The City was located near the massive region known as Old Russia, and the Himalayas were just south in the land once known as Nepal. It would be a short flight to the mountains. Having received permission for departure from the Tower, Delta took hold of the controls and guided the warship out into the great unknown. The weather had really begun to pick up as the team neared their destination. The clouds grew in density and the warship descended into a heavy snowstorm. “The ship can’t stay in this weather for long,” said Delta. “I’ll have to send it into orbit while we are down there. Prepare for transmat.” Delta stationed the ship above the drop zone and his teammates teleported to the surface. The Warlock flipped the ship into autopilot and as it prepared to take off, Delta initiated his own transmat. The transition was quick and flawless. Delta planted his feet in the snow in front of Alex and Adriar. There was almost no visibility and the wind howled in the exo’s audio receptors. The silhouette of Everest could barely be made out through the snow. Delta exhaled deeply as his warship flew off. He activated his navigation system and turned to his team. “The facility should be this way!” he shouted, pointing up the mountain into the violently swirling white. [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Post/1371758/225835661/0/0]Part 2[/url] [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/224417569?page=0&sort=0&showBanned=0&path=1]The Hub[/url]