"Incoming! Get behind me, now!"

A swelling surge of condensed Arc energy vomited forth from an assaulting Hive Knight's Boomer and made headway for a group of organised Guardians. The Fireteam comprised of four wielders of the Traveler's Light though each was uniquely special in their own right. There was Zack, a recently reborn Gunslinger Hunter whom also as of late, learned of his key talent of the Golden Gun. Howl-23, a Warlock whom also had been just days ago blessed and imbued with revitalizing Light back into his near-human inner works had quickly grasped the concepts of the devastating Void infused Nova Bomb; a feared skill only native to the Voidwalkers. Then there was Sonya the Titan, while also being relatively new to her contemporary life as a Guardian had already mastered her innate abilities as a Striker; specifically the fearsome Fist of Havoc.

But the forth member of the group was far more experienced and intimidating in physical being compared to his newborn counterparts and was perhaps the sole factor of attention the Knight and its own cronies of Acolytes and Thralls were more concerned with. Simon was also a Guardian and a Titan as well but unlike his troupe of recruits still wearing nothing but their durable bodysuits and scavenged cloth and robes their own Ghosts had put together, he was fully armored from head to toe, seals and insignias of the Vanguard and the Lords of the Iron Banner engraved into the finely shaped Plasteel covering his body.

Just before the Arc-based mortar could connect, Simon summoned the Light within him and casted a great dome of Void energy around his team, known as the Ward of Dawn. The round fired from the Knight's Boomer impacted the bubble and dispersed harmlessly as it's own energies were converted and then generated into Orbs of Lights. In stubborn frustration, the Hive doubled their efforts and charged forward at the seemingly trapped, discharging more Arc mortars and now Void darts at the Defender's barrier as a swarm of Thrall made a mad dash for the Guardians, the lanky and skeletal-like abominations hungry for their Light.

"On my signal, back out of the bubble as fast as you can! I'm going to bring them all in one spot. Understood?" said Simon while he maintained his Ward of Dawn.

"Yes, sir!" the other Guardians respectively confirmed in unison.

Despite their own decrepitness, the Thralls were ever-surprisingly nimble and in no time were already on top of the barrier, lunging at the Guardians within and wanting nothing more but to tear them apart.

"Now!" ordered Simon once the first Thrall's hideous maw phased through the Ward.

Zack quickly Blinked out from existance while Howl-23 and Sonya jumped out with haste, leaving only Simon as the bubble's only occupant and dish to the hungry Thralls. But what the Hive didn't know what they they were the ones who were trapped. Almost immediately, the violet light brimming from Simon's heavily plated earthborn Centurion-like helm glowed intensely and so did the Ward of Dawn until its Light radiated in the same likeness as a star. The nearby Thralls and Acolytes screeched in displeasure as their eyes were overloaded by the untamable light before them, halting their attack where as the Knights in the rear shielded their faces, unable to fight with the current state of affairs against them.

While the minions of the Hive were stunned, Simon dematerialized the Ward of Dawn and raised his Pulse Rifle up and took aim. "They're stunned, this is your chance! Finish them off!"

The Guardian recruits gladly replied as they summoned their Light powered abilities and unleashed them upon the still flinching living-husks of the Hive. Sonya leaped into the horde of Thralls with Arc lighting dazzling from her combined fists and slammed into the earth, destroying rock and bone alike as her Fist of Havoc went off like a thunderclap that echoed throughout Cosmodrome Rocket Yard. Howl-23 too jumped into the air and with a menacing sphere of swirling Void energy formed in his hands, the Exo Warlock casted the the terrifying Nova Bomb upon the line of Acolytes who were too late to react after recovering from their blindness and soon were vaporized after the Nova Bomb made contact. Zack as quick as ever, ignited his own Handcannon with Solar energy, infusing the conventional weapon with fiery Light and fired the Golden Gun. Intense streams of Solar spewed forth from the muzzle and shot right through the carnage and nailed three Knights in their weathered skulls, instantly incinerating them upon contact.

Simon was a tad surprised on how the recruits were able to respond and utilize their specials talents in such efficient ways; he never got to even pull the trigger of his Pulse Rifle the moment he gave the attack order. As the ash and dust cleared there was nothing remaining of the Hive force. In fact, for the moment, the entire Rocket Yard had been cleansed of its alien violators as savaged Hive husks and broken Fallen bodies laid unmoving across the snow and rust covered landscape.

[color=6ecff6]"All hostiles have been eliminated. Good job you three!"[/color] Cipher, Simon's personal Ghost announced as the tiny machine materialized into reality, [color=6ecff6]"I'll call in the strike order. Commander Zavala will be most pleased that another Strike Team was able to reach their objective on time."[/color]

Just after Cipher's sentence had ended, the roaring engines of three Jumpships entering the local airspace came overhead, the shadows of the large craft quickly past over the ground as three new heavily armed Guardians and their Sparrows quickly came into view, having been beamed down from their individual Jumpships. The trio sped by the accomplished Fireteam without a word but had saluted and even waved to them before making their way to their time critical objective.

"Well, that was fun," Zack humorously commented, "May we do it again?"

"I'm not sure if being surrounded by Light craving skeletons is what you should consider, 'fun'." retorted Howl-23.

"You're right Howl, but breaking them sure is!" Sonya optimistically replied.

"That's true." the Exo agreed.

"I'm confident we'll have more tasks like this at hand eventually," said Simon as he stowed his Auto Rifle to the magnetic seal on his back panel, "But I think this should do for the day. Let's head back to the Tower shall we? Drinks on me, how about that?"

The recruits looked at eachother briefly and happily nodded in unison.

===

After departing from the group of recruits so that they could attend their next set of errands and responsibilities, Simon himself had satisfied his schedule for the day and was heading towards his own quarters until Cipher had stopped following him and floated neatly in place to which Simon was quick to notice.

"Something up, Cipher?" Simon asked as he turned to his Ghost.

[color=6ecff6]"Yeah, I got a message from Commander Zavala. He wants us to meet him down at the Vanguard Hall."[/color] Cipher replied.

Simon stared blankly at Cipher, briefly turning around back where the recruits were before and then back at the Ghost, "Haven't we already satisfied the training quota for today?"

[color=6ecff6]"Erm, yes. We have,"[/color] the Ghost responded as if slightly taken back by Simon's gesture, [color=6ecff6]"But this is a priority request. Sounds bigger than the daily usual. Even got a roster with higher ranking Guardians on it. I'd bet a few Glimmer this is some kind of Strike operation."[/color]

"Suppose that's fair. Anything more to it?"

[color=6ecff6]"Afraid not. We'll have to go to the Vanguard Hall to learn more details. The usual red tape."
[/color]

With a faint sigh, Simon pulled away from his original path his quarters and set course to the Vanguard Hall, "Well, let's get going then see what this is all about.