If you want to move to a preceding or following part, or read an actual description of the story, click [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Post/1901902/223764924/0/0]Table of Contents[/url]. [b]The Last City, Earth[/b] It was night by the time Morgana, Nicholas, and Storm returned to the City. The Tower was deserted but for Guardians who preferred the night shift and Hunters who hated midday crowds. The Vanguard rarely left their posts, however, and as Morgana relayed events in the Cosmodrome she wondered if they ever found time to sleep. She knew it wouldn’t bother Cayde, but the idea of Zavala or Ikora missing felt wrong to her. As she finished, Cayde surprised her by speaking up in a concerned tone. “How could we have let this slip past us? We have dozens of Guardians in that place, day in and day out, and we only just noticed this?” “The signs were in front of us, Cayde,” Ikora replied. “The Fallen’s movements weren’t random, and we’re fortunate we could glean some of their objectives in the first place. And what we found was astonishing. They say the Warminds were a legend, even in their own time. Now we know Rasputin lives. Your discovery is priceless, Guardians. Nothing in the Cosmodrome is more important.” “Uh, hate to disagree with you Ikora (not really),” Cayde countered, “but last I checked, that old space can used to be on our side. The Hive, not so much. We always feared they would rise again, harbingers of the Darkness to come. Their presence on Earth demands that we strike their strongholds on the Moon, the last place we faced them.” “That is not for you to decide, Cayde,” Zavala interjected. “You know there’s an interdiction in place.” He typed commands into his tablet and activated the hologram generator, displaying the order for the Guardians’ benefit. [b]BY ORDER OF THE CITY CONSENSUS AND THE GUARDIAN VANGUARD[/b] ALL SHIPS IMMEDIATE/REPEAT AND RELAY We hereby terminate all organized combat operations on or around Earth's Moon. Effective immediately we declare the existence of an interdiction on the Moon and cis-Lunar space. Guardians operating in this interdict will receive no formal support from the Vanguard or from assets of the City. We urge Guardians to exhibit the greatest care and consideration in approaching the interdicted space. We furthermore derogate all strategic objectives concerned with the recovery of assets or information from the Lunar surface, and, without exemption, cancel in whole and in all its parts the effort to establish a beachhead and strategic presence upon the Moon. This interdict will remain in effect until such time as the hostile presence on the Moon poses a demonstrable existential threat, or until intelligence is obtained that leads to the defeat of the enemy leadership elements recently encountered. Guardians with an accurate assessment of losses in the recent days, or with intelligence on the nature and method of hostile resistance, should report to the Vanguard immediately for debriefing. “‘Demonstrable existential threat’?” Cayde quoted. “They’re on Earth now! I think that pretty much qualifies. And who writes these things, anyway? The jargon’s enough to make my circuits fry.” “Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Ikora prodded. “Nevertheless, substantial evidence needs to be presented before proceeding with such an extreme course of action. As it is, I sense Mr. Volkov possesses something that may suffice.” Nicholas stared at Ikora in confusion for a moment before remembering the claws he retrieved from Gotra. He pulled the glowing green tips out of his pouch and rested them on the Vanguard’s table. The Vanguard leaders leaned in with raised eyebrows. “Hive Wizard Warping Claws…” Ikora muttered. Cayde beamed. “I think [i]these [/i]would make more than a point to the Consensus.” He turned to Zavala. “What do you think, Commander? These guys have done a good job today. Why don’t we give something for their trouble?” Zavala nodded. “Indeed. Your intelligence is invaluable, Guardians. The dream of the City is stronger today because of your efforts. We have in some surplus helmet, gauntlet, and torso armor requisitions. Take your pick.” “You look like you’ve been picking up stuff while you’ve been out,” Cayde observed, “but you’re still wearing your baby helmets. I’d go with those.” The Guardians took him up on his advice and had their Ghosts receive the transmat codes for the new armor. “Now, what are we going to do about…?” Cayde asked, waving his hand at the hovering interdiction notice. Zavala deactivated the hologram. “It is as Ikora said: a case has to be made. Fortunately, we have just the Guardians to make a strong one to a leading member of the Consensus.” Cayde smiled and wagged his finger at Zavala. “You…you do me proud some days.” “What are you referring to?” Storm asked. “The Speaker has requested an audience with you,” Ikora replied. “We intended to bring it up when we reported Riksis’ demise, but he asked for your presence before we had the chance. You’ve become quite famous in a short span of time. If you don’t have anything else to bring to our attention, the Speaker is waiting for you.” Morgana felt a nervous knot twist in her chest. The Speaker personally asked to see [i]them[/i]? As they walked out of Vanguard Hall, Cayde noticed a residency report on his tablet. “Hey guys, did another Hunter show up while I was out? It says here I got someone setting camp in the Hunter Tower, goes by Nonavyor Bis…Ha! Is this some kind of joke? Good one. That just made my day.” Once they were in the Tower Plaza, Storm asked, “Who is the Speaker? Is he in charge of the City?” “Not in the way you’d expect,” Morgana replied. “He holds a place in the City government, the Consensus, out of respect for his role in its foundation. From its earliest records, the Speaker has been a part of the City, but his main tasks include guiding Guardians and working to heal the Traveler.” “Does he preach sermons on Sunday?” Nicholas asked. Morgana glowered at him. “This is a big deal, Nicholas. As long as I’ve lived here, a [i]resident [/i]of the City, I’ve never even seen him.” She led them to the other end of the Tower Plaza across from the entrance to the Hanger. There, a hallway marked with signs directed them to Tower North. They turned right, headed down a flight of stairs, passed a janitorial Frame sweeping the floor, and finally turned left down another set of stairs to north end of the Tower. It opened up in a wide semicircular balcony, with part of the building hanging over the area near the entrance. Stacked on a couple of levels, on their left were collections of seating areas like were at the Hunter’s lounge, but more civilians were gathered than Guardians. On their right a narrow alley housed a shop squeezed between two parts of the Tower wall. It was owned by Eva Levante, a resident of the City who spent her time in the Tower designing emblems and armor shaders for Guardians. Along the right wall a massive circular gate closed off another part of the Tower. “What’s in there?” Storm asked, indicating the door. Morgana shook her head. “I don’t know. Haven’t had any reason to go there.” The entire balcony encircled an immense spherical structure, somehow supported by architectural feats of engineering, unseen supports attached to the Tower, or suspended by unknown technology. A short bridge connected the balcony to the structure, and Morgana led her friends across into the building. The structure was largely open-air, with an expansive view that perfectly centered on the Traveler in the distance. A large gyroscopic machine spun and slid over their heads, swirling around a holographic projection of the Traveler. The floor beneath it dipped down into a shallow bowl filled with sharp acoustics triangles. Lamps that glowed like miniature galaxies surrounded the depression.