Chapter I - Be It Ever So Humble
"Attention occupants: Coordinates reached; emerging from warp speed"
The Small spacecraft emerged from warp speed, Earth panning out underneath it. As it did so, its occupants were busy communicating with the landing crew.
"City Vessel 723, requesting permission to land." the ship's owner, an Exo, spoke into the small spacecraft's radio. Seconds later, another voice crackled through. The Exo immediately recognized this voice; Cayde-6, the sarcastic Hunter Vanguard.
"City Vessel 7-whatever, this is the landing crew, AKA me. Permission granted. Come on down, you three." Cayde chirped.
"Roger that, Cayde. City Vessel 723 entering the atmosphere." the Exo chuckled before turning the radio off as the small ship zoomed down to Earth. As it did so, the Last City spread out beneath them, and hovering above it, in all its glory... The Traveler. An ancient, mystic being the Guardians relied on to protect humanity. It hung in place, never moving. It seemed to survey its surroundings, but only serving as a watcher. The last time it acted was during the Collapse, and...
Echo shuddered every time the Collapse crossed his mind. It had happened decades ago, yet it still haunted him. The screams, the destruction...
the Darkness.
All of this flew through his mind as the small ship landed. He turned in his seat, shaking the thoughts out of his mind, and spoke. "Alright, guys, we've landed."
Behind him sat his two closest friends; a Warlock and a Titan, named Oris and Carrion respectively. The two other Guardians sat up from their seats, Carrion stretching dramatically. "Yikes, how long was that flight, anyways?" he yawned.
"Carrion, it lasted less than a minute." Echo responded.
"Well, maybe, but it still doesn't beat my record" Carrion chirped.
Echo chuckled as he pressed the ship's door controls. "You still on that? I thought we resolved this months ago."
Carrion laughed as he and Oris descended the ramp from the door. "Never gonna do it." he chirped again. Echo rolled his red eyes in response, and the three Guardians exited their ship. Around them, the Tower's hangar buzzed with activity, some ships landing, others departing. As the Guardians continued through the hangar, Echo caught sight of three more figures approaching. He called out in a joking manner, "Commander on deck, folks. Straighten your ties."
Indeed, approaching the three Guardians was Commander Zavala, the Titan Vanguard. As he drew closer, he chuckled, his smile broadening. "At ease, gentlemen."
Echo reached out, shaking Zavala's hand. "It's good to see you, Echo. I trust the task wasn't too difficult, given how quickly you returned?" Zavala asked.
"Not too bad, although it did get a bit dicey when Gate Lords started to show up. We pulled through though, I mean... it's our job." Echo responded.
"And a fine job you did indeed, you three. Come on, you arrived just in time. We're about to have a banquet in honor of all of our brave Guardians who fight for us every day of their lives, and I would be honored if you three would attend." Zavala spoke.
"Of course. We'll be right there, we probably shouldn't come in with burn marks and bullet holes all over us though, eh?" Echo quipped.
***
The Tower's banquet hall was huge. Bigger than Echo expected, even for a massive group of alien-fighting demigods. As he, Carrion, and Oris entered, they were greeted by several Guardians and congratulated for their successes on Nessus.
Echo, Carrion, and Oris found seats at the large table, and as they did, a nearby band of Exos had begun playing some sort of pre-Golden Age orchestra. Almost immediately, several Service droids emerged from a set of double doors carrying large platters of food. Turkeys, ducks, pigs, bushels of lettuce and other vegetables - it was all a little too much for Echo, and since he was an Exo, he didn't need to eat; he just did it to put everyone else at ease. As he dug into a slice of turkey breast, his arm was jostled by Carrion, and he almost dropped the portion of turkey he was holding. He turned to Carrion, as if to say *what the Hell? I'm busy*, but stopped short. Carrion was discreetly gesturing down the table. "Looks like you got a fan there, Echo", he whispered.
As Echo turned, he saw what - or who - Carrion had been gesturing at. Across the table, a distance away, sat a human female who looked to be about 20 to 30 years old. Dark brown hair tumbled down past her shoulders, and her eyes were colored a piercing blue. She had indeed been looking at him, but averted her eyes the instant he turned to look at her. As she did so, Echo turned to the Guardian next to him, the Tower's Gunsmith, Banshee-44.
'Hey, Banshee, who's that over there?" he asked. Banshee looked up from his hefty meal of turkey legs and potatoes, and answered in a dismissive manner.
"I dunno. Zavala said she's the Tower's new 'exo mechanic'. Dunno why we need one, but whatever floats Zavala's boat, I guess." Banshee responded, immediately going back to his meal. Echo soon went back to his own meal, but made a point to check if this mysterious new 'exo mechanic' was still watching him.
***
Three hours later, the banquet was still in full swing. Guardians were mingling with each other, talking and laughing. Echo, Oris, and Carrion were discussing the recent Vex outbreak on Nessus with Zavala, Ikora, and Cayde.
"Lemme tell ya, I don't think the Exodus Black can handle a 'survey mission' while the Vex are around. I mean, of course, I'm gonna tell them 'I told you so' when they come yelling for help, but still." Cayde was saying. However, Echo's mind was elsewhere. Wandering, really.
Past the Tower, past Mercury, past the Infinite Forest, away to the far reaches of nothingness that held secrets too dark and unpredictable...
A sudden voice jolted him back to reality. "Echo, there's someone I'd like you to meet." Commander Zavala cleared his throat. As he did so, he gestured to behind Echo, to where somebody stood.
"The Tower's new Exo mechanic."