[b] A Game of War Prologue[/b] Truths and Lies Table of Contents: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/253518460?page=0&sort=0&showBanned=0&path=0 One Week After Truths and Lies, The Tower.   "Why did you become Dredgen Truth."   "Because of the whispers."   "What whispers?"   "The ones that followed me out of the Hellmouth. The whispers that screamed death in my mind."   "So this started when you visited the Hellmouth?"   "Yes. Could I make it anymore obvious."   "You know where you are, yes?"   "Vanguard interrogation room, I was taken back to the Tower after summoning a Hive Ascendant to the Dreadnought."   "And you say the whispers have stopped?"   "Yes."   "You will be submitted for evaluation before sentencing." Teren remained silent, the Titan who had been interrogating him left.   The only thoughts that swirled through his mind were about the horrors he'd seen while he was unconscious on the Dreadnought. He'd seen the universe from the creatures view.   A map with pieces laid on it, all of them pawns except a select few. He knew what it was. It was a game of war. ---------------------------------------------------------------   "You were effectively insane for years. You're not getting out of here anytime soon, if ever."   "So no more combat duty. No more interplanetary duty. Tower duty, sorting papers and signing papers."     The man sitting at the desk made a half-hearted effort to cheer Teren up. "Hey, it's not as bad as it seems. You don't get shot at here at least."   "Why do I get the sense you don't mean that."   "Gee I don't know, maybe because I don't. Take it from someone with experience, changing from field duty to Tower duty is terrible. Despite appearances I'm a guardian. I just decided that if I was gonna end up in the Tower then I was gonna wear something comfortable."   "I wouldn't want to walk around in armor all day long in your position either."   "Glad to see we agree."   "What's your name?"   "Silas."   "I'm Teren if you didn't know."   "Yeah I know, some of us received your bio."   "Huh. That bad?"   "That bad."   "What did you do before you ended up here."   "I was part of a fireteam. The others died when we tried to breach the Vault of Glass. After that I was traumatized. I came here and they helped me. Maybe they'll do the same for you."   "How long has it been since you last left the Tower."   "A while." ---------------------------------------------------------------   "What have you come to ask me about this time Kirk."   This was the third time the Titan had come to interrogate him. Teren could see why Kirk had been chosen to interrogate him.   His entire demeanor was purposefully unnerving. His armor was a monotone dark gray, covered in sharp edges and points. His helmet had a large visor on it that you could almost see his face through. Anything you saw through that glass was darkened though. As if a shadow had fallen over his face. All you could see of the face was white war paint in the form of a skull covering his face. His eyes were glittering like he was talking to someone he was about to murder.   "The Hive Ascendant," he spoke in a quiet and unsettlingly dark tone.   "What do you want to know?"   "His name if you have it, otherwise a description and any added information about him."   "So you're filling in a target file."   "Similar."   "High priority?"   "Yes."   "I don't have a name but I have an appearance. He was ten feet tall, very broad shoulders. Long, sharp black colored claws and thick armor."   "Can you be any more specific?"   "No, I fell unconscious before I saw more." Kirk remained silent for the next five minutes, then abruptly left. --------------------------------------------------------------- One Month After Truths and Lies, The Tower.   "Some of them call your words poison."   "Darek I know I screwed up for a bit there."   "Screwed up! You nearly started an anti vanguard movement that would have torn the City apart."   "I couldn't have done it the dissent wasn't already there."   "That's still an ongoing investigation, albeit one I'm not a part of. You caused a mess, one we still don't know the full extent of. That Hive is still running around somewhere, and we very well know he intends to play a game with us. One that ends with us dead and the Traveller at his mercy."   "Believe me Darek I wish I hadn't done any of it."   "It's hard to believe you when you lied to the entire City for years."   "I know. That Hive intends to kill all of us. He'll dance on our Graves and all that, I can't guarantee we'll win but I can give you an edge."   "What edge?"   "He'll employ psychological warfare often, that's why he's so successful. The best defense against it is to not listen. If that becomes impossible you'll need friends to help. Trying to keep the atmosphere from becoming to defeatist is key. The moment you let yourselves feel defeated he's won."   "Is that all?"   "All that I can remember. Be careful."   "The time to be careful may disappear beneath us."   "I know." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Feel free to give feedback, I know my writing skills are still undeveloped so any bit helps.