{"id":795,"date":"2014-08-05T02:03:48","date_gmt":"2014-08-05T06:03:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/destiny.bungie.org\/fanfic\/?p=795"},"modified":"2014-08-08T11:09:29","modified_gmt":"2014-08-08T15:09:29","slug":"the-legends-part-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/destiny.bungie.org\/fanfic\/2014\/08\/05\/the-legends-part-two\/","title":{"rendered":"The Legends, Part Two"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe Fallen have set up significant anti-air defenses within Arkhangelsk,\u201d Tesni Jarmila\u2019s Ghost briefed her enroute. “We lost one Jumpship already, though its pilot survived, and another two Guardians are currently pinned somewhere within the city ruins. Whatever Nordavia was doing there it clearly<\/em> has the Fallen interested,\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAny more reinforcements coming or is it just me?\u201d Tesni asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeveral other Guardians have responded. We are the closest however, by at least an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that anti-air?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a good read on it now, but getting in won\u2019t be easy\u2026\u201d her Ghost replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m ready. Drop us in as close as you can,\u201d she ordered.<\/p>\n

Two minutes later, Tesni completed her transmat on one knee, pulse rifle at the ready. She\u2019d long since learned to be prepared for anything. Fortunately, the only thing moving, at the moment, was the rapidly shrinking glint of her Jumpship, the Anastasia, as it arced its way back into a safe orbit. Tesni quickly took in her surroundings. It was the usual. Broken buildings, smashed streets, unreadable Russian signs. She did a second sweep to be sure then confidently moved forward into the city\u2019s interior. She wasn\u2019t the same woman she\u2019d been twenty years before, when her Ghost had found her dead on a long forgotten beach. Back then, and for months afterward, she\u2019d been reeling, trying to cope with everything. Now, she was one of the few Guardians of The City to have survived the ill-fated campaign against Crota, and one of the fewer still who had set foot on both Mars and Venus. She was, despite her insistence to the contrary, fast becoming a legend.<\/p>\n

A patrol of Dreg and Vandals guarding a collapsed parking garage fell to her not even knowing what had hit them. Even the large Fallen squad she encountered next was easily pushed aside, and it had been lead by an experienced Captain. Tesni was moving fast through the empty streets, maybe faster than even she<\/em> should have been, but it was necessary. Time was running out. Of the three guardians who had been alive when she landed, one, Mitya Durst, a friend of hers, was dead. Permanently dead, his indicator having blinked off minutes before. The second, identified as ‘xXHacker_NameXx’ had been taken down as well. His indicator was still active, but it marked him as revivable\u2026 a status that wouldn\u2019t last long in the field without backup. And it didn\u2019t. By the time Tesni finished fighting her way through another group, this one armed with a pair of Pikes, his indicator had blinked off as well.<\/p>\n

That left one, a ‘Natela Murk.’ A name that seemed oddly familiar for some reason. Tesni was still a kilometer away, but at least now, armed with a Pike, she was hopeful she could reach the other woman in time. Racing along the abandoned streets wasn\u2019t simple, but the long idle traffic was nothing compared to gridlock of Moscow. At five hundred meters out, Tesni keyed her mic.<\/p>\n

\u201cNatela, this is Tesni Jarmila. I\u2019m inbound from the East, eta two minutes. What are you facing?\u201d There was no substantive reply. The comlink was open and active, but all Tesni could make out was heavy breathing and Fallen gunfire. She tried again. \u201cNatela, what is your situation? I\u2019m one minute out, and I could use some help helping you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026 I can\u2019t move…\u201d the other Guardian replied. Her young voice was pained and weak, but at least she was alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cSnipers then? Artillery?\u201d Tesni asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know<\/em>!\u201d the other voice insisted fearfully. \u201cI can\u2019t move my legs!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t what?\u201d Tesni asked, confused. The girl\u2019s statement didn\u2019t make any sense.<\/p>\n

Tesni rocketed over the final hill between herself and her fellow Guardian. At the bottom of the downslope, the roadway she\u2019d been following split to curve around a large, long-dormant fountain. The plaza was flanked on the left by some sort of three story office complex and to the right by what looked to be a courthouse or administrative building. By the way the Fallen, both living and dead, were clustered, the building on the right was the one of interest. Tesni gunned her Pike\u2019s engine and charged through as much of the small crowd as the could, guns blazing all the way. She mowed down three or four of them as she passed through, a decent accomplishment vs. the usually agile aliens. The rest turned to fire at her, bunching up as they did so. Tesni smiled. Their actions were as predictable as they were perfect. Perfect for her, that is. She leapt clear of her Pike, held herself aloft briefly with a burst of Light, then charged back into their midst, unleashing a devastating explosion of Arc Light as she impacted among them. All but one of the Fallen attackers died instantly in the blast with the final one dropping to her rifle a moment later.<\/p>\n

\u201cNatela, are there any snipers?\u201d Tesni called out as she began scanning the windows of the office building. There were dozens if not hundred of dark spaces to check, and searching each one visually was going to take time. She got her answer sooner than she\u2019d wanted, as the tell tale glows of charging beam rifles made themselves known. The first was up high and to the right on the building\u2019s roof, the second, low and to the left. Tesni did the only thing she could do when faced with so much firepower spread so far apart. She turned and dashed towards the open door of the administration building. The first shot missed high, streaking by her head as one of the snipers overcompensated, but the other caught her in the back as she passed through the smashed doorway to safety. Tesni grimaced for a moment as she hid behind the wall nearest the entrance. Most Fallen weapons could barely scratch her armor, but those beam rifles\u2026 they hurt. Bad. She took in a few pained, shaky breaths but then clenched her fist and channeled some of The Traveler\u2019s immense power to heal the damage the sniper had caused. Another second and she was fine, the only lingering effect being a slight numbness in her back as her brain tried to cope with the fact that she was no longer injured.<\/p>\n

A sound to her right caused Tesni to spin, gun at the ready, but it was only her fellow Guardian. Oddly, the much younger woman was sitting on the floor near a window with her back propped up against the wall. More oddly still, was the fact that her sniper rifle was laying on the ground more than a foot outside her reach. The girl had her helmet off, revealing her purple-dyed hair and making her face, and the intense pain she was in, quite clear even in the dark interior.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, let\u2019s get you out of here,\u201d Tesni said, offering her hand. The girl shook her head no.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t move\u2026My legs or my arm…\u201d she said once again.<\/p>\n

It was obvious to Tesni what had happened. The girl had been pinned down and had been trying to snipe her way out when she\u2019d been counter sniped in return. The large hole melted through the center of her light chest piece spoke to that. But why hadn\u2019t she healed herself? That was the confusing part.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeal and let\u2019s go,\u201d Tesni all but commanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2026 don\u2019t think\u2026 I\u2019ve tried?\u201d Natela replied, resting her head against the wall behind her. Her breathing was shallow now. Her voice, dangerously weak. \u201cIt\u2026 hurts\u2026\u201d the girl continued slowly.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn rookie,\u201d Tesni groaned. The girl was suffering needlessly against a wall when she should have been right as rain with only the slightest effort. Tesni readied her pulse rifle and took aim without waiting for permission.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo! Wai\u2026\u201d the younger girl squawked pitifully before a three round burst silenced her. Her Ghost expanded, lighting the hallway as it caught her.<\/p>\n

\u201cBring her back,\u201d Tesni ordered it angrily. An instant later the shorter girl was standing again, sniper rifle in hand, helmet in place, body fully restored. \u201cWhoever thinks<\/em> they trained you didn\u2019t do jack all,\u201d Tesni snarled. \u201cWhen we get back, me and you and them are going to have a long, long talk. And then me and you are going to spend some time in the Crucible where you can learn to deal with the pain without getting others killed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026\u201d the younger girl began, but fell silent under Tesni\u2019s glare. Tesni summoned her Ghost to her hand and asked, \u201cStatus on those guns?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThree of the guns have been successfully neutralized by other Guardians. I have the Anastasia standing by,\u201d her Ghost replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cBring it in. I\u2019m taking this one back to the tower for a long<\/em> debriefing,\u201d Tesni responded.<\/p>\n

The flight back didn\u2019t take an hour, but it felt much longer to both of the Guardians. Tesni spent the time trying to cool her anger, while Natela worked on staying as far away as possible from her incensed rescuer. Their debriefing session, too, seemed to stretch on as Natela had each of her mistakes, and their resultant consequences, pointed out to her. Two Guardians had died, in part thanks to her. Their Ghosts had been permanently lost, not to mention one of The City\u2019s few viable Jumpships. When it was all over Natela walked down the hallway, dejected, helmet in hand, unsure what she was going to do next. But then the Titan who\u2019d all but dragged her into the debriefing\u00a0called her name from the opposite end of\u00a0the hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cI realized during the briefing that we had met before,\u201d Tesni said calmly as she approached. \u201cIn one of the locker rooms. You were\u2026 having a tough time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Natela nodded. \u201cI\u2019d just died for the first time. It wasn\u2019t fun,\u201d she deadpanned.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore or less fun than being hit by an anti-ship round and then drowning? That\u2019s how I first died.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm\u2026\u201d Natela answered, unsure of what to say. \u201cWait, why are you even talking to me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I think I can help you stop having tough times,\u201d Tesni replied. \u201cI\u2019ve been where you are and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHelp me? Why would you want to help me? You\u2019re a legend. I\u2019m just\u2026I just<\/em>\u2026You were there. You heard all about my mistakes,\u201d Natela said accusingly.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I also realized who you were, Natela Tamaya Murk. You\u2019re one of the ‘chosen living’, and a natural blade dancer. We haven\u2019t seen one with your talent in years. You may not be a legend yet, but if you live long enough you will be. And I can make sure you do<\/em> live long enough. And the first step to that is to get you better trained in the Crucible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI never fought in the Crucible because I don\u2019t want\u2026 I\u2019ll look foolish and worse than I already do. I don’t want my sister to see that,\u201d Natela said, voicing her worries.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe won’t if you\u2019re fighting beside me,\u201d Tesni countered. \u201cI don\u2019t do this often, but I do outrank you. Meet me on the deck of The Tower tomorrow morning at 10:00 prepared for combat. That\u2019s an order.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes ma\u2019am\u2026\u201d Natela replied. It was tough, but she managed to hold a convincing frown until her new mentor disappeared around the corner. \u201cI\u2019m going to be trained by Tesni Jarmila?!\u201d she said, laughing to herself once the coast was clear.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am<\/em> going to be a legend!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe Fallen have set up significant anti-air defenses within Arkhangelsk,\u201d Tesni Jarmila\u2019s Ghost briefed her enroute. “We lost one Jumpship already, though its pilot survived, and another two Guardians are currently pinned somewhere within the city ruins. Whatever Nordavia was doing there it clearly has the Fallen interested,\u201d \u201cAny more reinforcements coming or is it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[107,24,4,99,11,106,16],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/destiny.bungie.org\/fanfic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/destiny.bungie.org\/fanfic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/destiny.bungie.org\/fanfic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/destiny.bungie.org\/fanfic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/destiny.bungie.org\/fanfic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=795"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/destiny.bungie.org\/fanfic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":801,"href":"https:\/\/destiny.bungie.org\/fanfic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795\/revisions\/801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/destiny.bungie.org\/fanfic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/destiny.bungie.org\/fanfic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/destiny.bungie.org\/fanfic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}