[url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/246624086/0/0]Table of Contents[/url] Powel slowed down as he came up behind the army, taking deep breaths through his nose. He was a gifted runner, but jogging so far through snow while wearing armor would make anyone exhausted. His legs were aching horribly, and the rest of his body wasn’t feeling much better. The army had stopped at Natalia’s ridge, covering the hill like ants. The town of Flats sat directly in front of them. People turned to look at Powel as he passed, moving to the front. He patted hunched shoulders, taking in their weary faces. They had been through so much today. He found a man in armor, one of Daedalus’ gunmen, and placed a hand on his back, “Hey, what’s happenin’?” The man turned to him, “Don’t know. Been stuck back here.” Powel nodded, then moved on. It only took a moment to spot a familiar face. Hamin, another of Avery’s guards, stood at the front of the line. “Hamin!” Powel called, getting his attention. The two moved towards each other, coming together and exchanging a brief handshake. “What happened?” Powel questioned, “We heard gunfire.” Hamin shook his head, “I was behind it all. No one knows what’s goin’ on. I got a dozen idiots beggin’ to go sack the town an’ people wanderin’ ‘round like lost sheep. Jenny got here first, I think.” “Where’s Jenny?” Powel inquired. Hamin pointed over the crowd to a house, nestled at the edge of Flats, “Right by there, checkin’ their Sparrows. The Lady send any orders?” “No,” Powel replied, “Wait ‘til she gets here. Thanks.” With that, Powel knifed through the crowd, towards the house. He came out of the gathering and got an unobstructed view of the town. Flats was silent, with its inhabitants hiding in the wake of the battle. But some curious villagers had left their homes to see who had won. They peered around the corners of buildings and through half-closed shutters. A cluster of Sparrows was parked next to the home Hamin had indicated, no doubt belonging to the town’s dead defenders. Powel stepped around one of the bodies of the aforementioned gunmen. There was a small gathering next to the vehicles. Jennifer was among them, fixated on a patch of snow at her feet. “Jenny,” Powel said as he came close. Jennifer lifted her gaze up to him. She tugged nervously on a lock of her hair and waved him over. When he got close, she whispered to him, “Is Lady Avery here?” He shook his head, “She’s on her way.” Jennifer’s head bobbed anxiously. “What happened?” Powel pressed, “We heard guns.” Jennifer glanced over her shoulder, looking at the people behind them, “Me an’ one o’ the Lord’s men got here first, with a few others. Two of ‘em were still kickin’, an’ one had a gun. Nearly took my head off. Shot a few others before we got ‘im.” “Traveler…” Powel mumbled. He stepped closer to Jennifer and put a comforting arm around her shoulders, “Glad you’re okay.” “Thanks,” she muttered, glancing at him as he removed his arm, then back to the field, “Avery almost here?” Powel frowned, “What is it?” Jennifer pointed at the patch of snow in front of them, “That don’t look right.” Powel studied the ground, his grimace deepening. There was a strange imprint in the snow. Something a little larger than a Sparrow had been there, leaving distinct marks in the powder from its large base and some fin-like projections. The imprint was masked by sprays of snow from when it’s engine had been turned on. “Looks like a Pike…” he hissed. “Exactly!” Jennifer agreed, matching his tone. “I’ll go tell the Lady,” Powel said, turning. He slipped back through the army. When he came out on the other side, the Warlords were nearly there. He waded out to them, and they all stopped when they came together. “Report,” Avery requested. • • • Avery analyzed the foreign markings in the snow. Powel, Brenon, Lerit, Vilenye, Daedalus and Jennifer stood behind her. “A Pike,” she concluded. “How?” Jennifer stammered, “When were Fallen here? There’s no sign of ‘em.” “No,” Avery dismissed, “It was Natalia. She has a Pike.” “How do you know that?” Daedalus questioned. Avery put a hand to her mouth, deep in thought, “She likes to brag…” Jennifer let out a relieved sigh. “She was here,” Avery pondered, “We saw her. Who checked the bodies?” “Tanaka, m’Lady,” Jennifer answered. “Of course. Find him.” Powel turned, cupping his hands around his mouth, and bellowed, “TANAKA!” Avery looked over her shoulder. Few people were still on the ridge. Most had been sent into Flats to secure it. But one of Avery’s guards, Tanaka, was standing on the hill, next to Derik. He perked up when he heard his name and hurried over. Avery made a mental note to find out why Derik was lingering up there. “Yes, m’Lady?” Tanaka asked as he arrived. “Who did you find in the bodies?” The Exo questioned. Tanaka didn’t even need to take time to remember, “One Warlord-type, m’Lady. Armor and all. Alexander, I’d guess, tellin’ by your description.” “I’ll check him myself, then. Any capes?” “No, ma’am.” Avery thought for a moment, then spoke to those around her, “Natalia was here, but she left. Alexander led the charge.” Daedalus sighed, “There goes our chance to kill her…” Avery’s gaze sunk down to the Pike marks. This wasn’t right. Natalia would have led the charge herself. She was a bold warrior. She never retreated. So why had she now, and what was the point in leaving all her men to die? Precious gunmen that could have been saved, wasted for nothing. Nothing about this move made sense. Avery didn’t understand. Natalia was proud. She’d rather die in battle than retreat or surrender. Surrender. The metal plates of Avery’s face contracted slightly in a small frown as she caught the word. This could have been the move of someone who wanted to lose a war. Had she misjudged Natalia? Or did she have something planned? Some trap that Avery couldn’t think of? A shroud of worry settled over Avery’s mind. She didn’t like not knowing things. She couldn’t defend against the unknown. “We’ll take the Sparrows,” she ordered, “Lerit, Vilenye. Ride back to the buses and tell them to drive over. We’ll camp on the other side of town.” “Yes ma’am,” Lerit replied. The pair moved to the Sparrows and each mounted one. “Brenon,” Avery continued, “Set up a watch for the night. We need to be careful. Natalia could be setting a trap.” “Yes, ma’am,” Brenon saluted offhandedly as the Sparrows roared to life and sped away. Avery looked back to the ridge. Derik was still there. She tugged on her cape as she spun to face the ridge, “Tanaka, Brenon, with me.” They followed her faithfully up the rise, listening as she spoke, “Tanaka, go ahead and find Alexander’s body. I’ll be right behind you.” “Yes, m’Lady!” Tanaka chirped, practically skipping ahead of them. He had a morbid fascination with dead bodies, a disturbing quality, but she had found use for it… “What’re we doin’?” Brenon asked, bringing her thoughts back to the present. She was straying from Tanaka’s path, heading straight towards Derik. “Magnate,” she answered, “He’s been getting moody, and the last thing I need is him lowering morale and inspiring disloyalty. It may be best if you speak with him.” “Why me?” Brenon inquired. “You’re friends,” Avery replied. Brenon nodded. They came to the crest of the ridge and stopped behind Derik. He was gazing out across the open field. A corpse lay at his feet. Avery folded her hands behind her back. Now she understood. “Friend of yours?” She asked, careful to speak softly. Derik didn’t respond right away, and his voice cracked when he did, “Yeah.” He turned to face them, his gaze lowered somberly, “Just met ‘im today. Was right next to me the whole time. His name was Fren.” “Hm,” Avery grunted. So the outsider may have died alongside Fren if he hadn’t come to fuss about surrendering. At least he wasn’t complaining anymore. It was an insensitive thought, she knew, but she was glad to have one less thing to worry about. Brenon moved past her to stand next to Derik, grabbing the outsider’s shoulder sympathetically. Avery sighed quietly, “Anyone else?” Derik swallowed and nodded, “Irene.” Avery didn’t know either of them, but she wasn’t foolish enough to mention it. There was no point in making Derik feel worse, “There’s been enough death today. We’ll set up camp soon. Get some rest.” Her cape swirled as she turned, searching for Tanaka and spotting him waiting in the field. She walked away from Derik and Brenon, leaving them with a parting piece of advice, “They died for us. Don’t waste it.”