[url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/93582232/0/0]Part 1[/url] [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/94009976/0/0]Part 2[/url] [i]Wherein the hunter Jarrod and the warlock visit the Tower, and a Vanguard titan intervenes.[/i] [b][i]/Excuse me... excuse me, sir! Uh, ma'am? Do you have a moment?[/i][/b] My ghost has been away from the Tower for so long that it is afraid it has been forgotten by it's peers - that is to say, other ghosts. It has hailed every single floating orb it can see, beeping and whirring frantically in the hopes of getting some attention. I casually sniff at the brisk Tower air: antiseptically fresh with a hint of pine, like always. "Be quiet. You're making a scene." [i]/Your antisocial tendencies are your own; I certainly do not share them. Hello... hello there![/i] The warlock - Huros, for what it's worth - walks on my left. He acts far too friendly for an awoken, I have noticed. Were it not for my desire to find this Vex-thing and end it, I would leave the uncomfortable familiarity and return to the slums. "It is a rare thing," he begins, "to see a ghost display more enthusiasm than it's Guardian." I give a sidelong glance at my ghost, as it shifts from side to side, looking over this long-lost home. "Don't encourage it." The metal polyhedron briefly glances at me, rapidly arranging Light-infused sections in a way that brings to mind a frown. Satisfied that I am aware of it's displeasure with my comment, it returns to surveying the Tower. There are more Guardians than I remember, sporting armor and wielding weapons ranging from the very new to the very old. There a pair of titans, human and exo, discuss ballistic optics for their main arms; over there an exo warlock explains the superiority of his order to a clearly annoyed awoken hunter. So much color, so much life, so much Light... So much Light I feel even more isolated than normal. At least down in the City I am surrounded by the downtrodden and forgotten. Here I cannot help but be seen, and the thought of being seen is unsettling after so long in the shadows. "Jarrod?" The warlock has placed his hand on my shoulder. More than I can handle. I swat at his hand and step away, turning to face my unwanted friend. "I know what you're trying to do. Stop it. I'm not looking for a friend or confidante. You said you can get me to Mercury; you said you can give me a chance to avenge my fireteam and redeem myself. I've had enough with the banter and commentary. Give me what I came for, or - " "Drop it, Guardian. Drop the blade!" I snap back, my mind suddenly my own again. The area has gone quiet. Three titans in the black, orange, and white livery of the Vanguard are aiming firearms at me. The leader seems to be the exo female, a Vanguard-issue shotgun held firm at the hip. "Drop that blade, Guardian." "My apologies, Veska-5," interjects the warlock. He has maneuvered himself into the line of fire, his arms outstretched. "This is the hunter I have spoken to you about. He is unsettled by this place, so long has he been away from it." The exo doesn't relax, doesn't drop the muzzle of the shotgun. Instead she shifts her stance to the side to look around the awoken. She sizes me up quickly, a brute force scan only a titan would trust. One blade, patchwork armor, and a ghost that clearly doesn't think too much of me; I may as well be a child with a sharp stick. "Stand down," she says, motioning to the other titans. She mag-locks her shotgun to the armor on her back and turns her face to the warlock. "Get this meat-sack to the sanctum, Huros." She turns to lead the way. "The sooner this Mercury insanity is over with, the sooner I can get back to dropping Cabal."