Alright guys, this is the first part of a seven part series that will detail the formation of the Guardian Elders, from a lore friendly perspective. Enjoy! Log 1: Time Under Duress Centuries have passed since the Collapse, when The Traveler saved humanity from an entity that tried to destroy us. And in that time, all forms of hostile alien life have taken up residence in our old colonies. The Fallen, Cabal, Vex, and Hive all want a piece of our Golden Age. Not only that, but The Darkness is returning, and humanity had no way to combat it. Until now. Ghosts were sent out across the solar system to resurrect ancient warriors from our Golden Age: Guardians. Their mission was to push back The Darkness, and save humanity. But even on the home front, Earth, no one was safe, except in the Tower, on the last city on Earth. Even then, Guardians were divided between differing factions. The New Monarchy, Dead orbit, Seven Seraphs, Future War Cult, and Osiris all want Guardians to aid them in the struggle against each other. But some refused to take a side, and worked as freelancers. I was one of those freelancers. But soon, all of that changed. My tale begins in the Tower, as the sun was rising over the horizon. I was conversing with the Cryptarch about a new shipment of engrams that would come within a few hours when my Ghost appeared next to me. “Steel,” it said. “I just received a transmission from the Dead Orbit. They require our assistance” I nodded to my Ghost, and bid the Crpytarch farewell, as he lowered his hood over his pale blue face, and leaned against the nearby wall. My Ghost and I made our way to the nearby hangar, where our ship was receiving much needed repairs. “How are the repairs coming?” I asked my Ghost. “Repairs are 93.6% complete.” I moved past the nearby pilots to see my ship ready for take off. I replied to my Ghost, “Very good. This won’t be a very taxing trip anyway”. I jumped into my ship and pulled my helmet off the dashboard. I examined it for a moment, noticing the curves and overall smoothness of the plating. It was the helmet every Titan should have, but haven‘t earned. I placed it on my metallic skull, and grinned as it clicked into place. It was only after the cockpit closed over my head when I realized that the people were moving out of the way of the engines I primed. And soon enough, we were out of the hangar and flying to The Steppes. “Teleporting in five… four… three… two… one…” My Ghost counted. And in an instant, we were moved from the speeding ship to the ground. I looked up, and saw the ship fly into atmosphere to await the resolution of my mission. I then turned my gaze to the broken wasteland that awaited me. My Ghost materialized my Sparrow next to me, and we set off. We drove past rusted cars, broken planes and many caves until we found the beacon next to the broken body of a Fallen Dreg. I knelt next to the beacon as a holographic recording played out in front of us. “Guardian, we’ve discovered a congregation of Fallen in the surrounding area. Now, we know that there are more pressing matters that you might attend to, but their operation is becoming a detriment to Dead Orbit operations. Upon the completion of your mission, a large sum of glimmer will be transported to you personally”. I stood up and collected the mission details. “ Heh, this’ll be fun” My Ghost appeared next to me, and tilted it’s frame inquisitively. “Fun? Steel, I’m beginning to question your sense of humor.” I chuckled, and smirked as I started to sprint west, towards the Fallen encampment. I stopped as I came to a broken overpass, which, beneath it, held the Fallen I was looking for. I knelt down, and observed the surrounding area. There was a captain spouting orders atop a crumbling balcony, while Vandals looked on. There were plenty of Dregs scouting the surrounding area, which could provide a problem. I decided that I could handle the compound. I jumped down the cliff and pulled out my Scout Rifle, and shot two Dregs in the head, killing them instantly. Their snow-white souls flew into the air, which alerted a nearby Vandal, who sounded off the alarm. That meant this place was now a free fire zone. I ran behind cover, and fired at another Dreg. I could hear their clamoring and hissing as they drew closer to my position. I quickly dashed out of cover and fired a flurry of bullets in their direction, knocking their useless carcasses to the ground. I hid behind a wall, and reloaded. But the ceasefire would be cut short by a Vandal charging past the wall to punch me in the chest. I grabbed it’s arm, twisted it, and punched it’s body across the field with a fist full of arc light. I returned to the wall, and looked past it to see the swarm of Dregs and Vandals assaulting my position. I quickly holstered my Scout Rifle and unfastened my Fusion Rifle. I charged my weapon, and turned the corner. In a flurry of energy, their bodies disintegrated into nothingness. I continued my onslaught until the compound was empty, save one: their captain. I stood amongst the bodies, and looked around. “Hmm… where is he- oof!” The Fallen captain had tackled and pinned me to the ground. We stared each other down, and through it‘s hisses I heard the word “Guardian…”. Before I could make another move, a sniper round pierced it’s shields. The force of the impact knocked the captain off of my body. I stood up, and held it down by it’s chest. I gathered as much arc light as I could, and smashed it’s head into the dirt, and watched as it’s soul flew towards the sky. I looked around, and saw another Guardian walk out of the shadows. He was a Hunter, that much was certain. I could tell by their distinctive hoods and slimmer physique. “Hello, Steel.” He said. This Hunter was an Exo, like myself. His metallic voice gave off no malicious intent. Dusting my armor off, I said to him, “I had that Fallen under control. I didn’t need any assistance.” He quickly replied, “I know you didn’t. You were just taking your sweet time…” He crossed his arms. “I have my own business to attend to, besides carrying the Dead Orbits payment.” Underneath my helmet, I looked puzzled. I then took notice of the Dead Orbit insignia on his shoulder plate. My Ghost pulled up some info on this Guardian behind my visor. I approached the Hunter. “So Predakae. You’re, what, a courier for the Dead Orbit?” “More like an agent, Steel.” He replied. “Unlike you, I have a cause to fight for.“ He walked closer to me, and handed me the glimmer. I said to him, “My services are put towards safeguarding humanity, not fighting against fellow Guardians” I felt him slide something underneath the bundle. I looked at the glimmer as it dissipated into my inventory. “Good,” he said. “Then you’ll fit right in.” I looked at the small piece of metal that now occupied my hand. I looked closer, read the text “The Tower. Midnight. The main plaza. Important business to discuss… what’s the meaning of-” I looked up to Predakae, only to see that he was long gone. I looked back down to the piece of metal, and turned it around. It held the words “Guardian Elders” on the back. Guardian Elders? I had never heard the term, nor of any faction that held the name. Puzzled, I teleported back up to my ship, and flew back to the Tower, and waited in my quarters until midnight to come to the plaza. I mean, the only thing I could do was follow the instructions laid before me. And besides, what did I have to lose?