[i]OK, here comes Part 2. Hope you guys enjoy it. For those of you who just joined us, here's a link to Part 1[/i] https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/223178180?sort=0&page=0 [b]ABOARD THE BLUE BIRD - 2.7 Seconds Later[/b] They materialize inside the ship, which has enough seats for a raid team and then some. Marshall looks eagerly around. MARSHALL: "Wow, cool! Is this a real jumpship? With guns?" ODDISH: "Its protection is mostly defensive in nature. It's got AcMag energy shields and Bulwark-A ceramic ablative armor, the very latest stuff. However, it does have a modest weapons array." MARSHALL (examines controls in gunner seat) "Nose-mounted Hyperion Mark II plasma cannon, twin Trax 49A coilgun mass drivers, and three pods of Medusa rockets with gravitonic warheads." ODDISH: "Two forward, one aft. You've been studying your weapon systems." MARSAHLL: "Yeah, there's a simulator in the library. This thing's got enough firepower to blow up a small ketch!" ODDISH: "In a pinch, yes, a small one. But we're not going to be taking it into any fights. It's a school bus, not a warship. Now, as per the rules, you'll be wearing helmets. Try these on. You can put your rifles on the rack as well." He shows them the equipment rack, which has three helmets on it. The kids do as instructed, sliding on their helmet and sealing it into place. Petra has a little trouble getting her long blond ponytails inside, so Mr. Oddish teaches her how to pile her hair into a nice neat bun. He's done the same service for many female kinderguardians, and a few male ones as well. GLORIA: "Can I fly the ship? I've flown a simulator before." ODDISH: "A real ship's different from a sim. I want you to watch me fly us down there, maybe I'll let you take the controls on the way back. OK?" (Gloria nods and sits in the co-pilot seat) "Setting suborbital course for Bannerfall Tower. Everybody strap in." [b]BANNERFALL TOWER - 15 Minutes Later[/b] The six Guardians (one big, two medium-size, and three little) materialize on the deserted tower. They look around; it's got a huge open space and some really long corridors. ODDISH: "OK, you guys. First thing we're going to learn is mobility. While your light is a ferocious weapon, it's also a cool way of getting around." GLORIA: "Is that why we're here?" ODDISH: "Yup. Bannerfall has a huge open space that's just perfect for training of all sorts, and since there's no Crucible matches scheduled here today, we'll have it all to ourselves." MARSHALL: "RJ told me about the Crucible. Usually when he's bragging about his kay-dee, whatever that is." ODDISH: "Don't get me started on the Crucible. Guardians killing other Guardians when we've got five seperate alien threats to deal with... boneheaded idea." RJ: "You just say that because your K/D ratio is so bad." ODDISH: "Maybe, but I had 75,000 enemy kills when I left active service for this gig. How many do you have?" (RJ has nothing to say to that) "Anyway, we Titans use something called the Titan Skate. I'll show it to you now." He does just that, and expertly: he covers the hundreds of meters from one end to the other in just a few seconds. Then, he comes back the same way. PETRA: "Wow! I wanna try! I wanna try!" ODDISH: "Well, you won't be able to skate, not yet. But I can teach you how to..." PETRA: "No! I wanna try it with you!" (holds arms up) ODDISH (sighs): "OK, but we're only doing it ONCE!" He picks her up and sits her in the crook of his arm, then repeats the Titan skate maneuver, roaring up and down the corridor at an insane speed. PETRA: [i]"Wheeeeeeeeeeee!" [/i] We now begin a montage of scenes as the day proceeds. Mr. Oddish narrates the day's events via voice-over: ODDISH (voice-over): "Guardians of different sorts get around in different ways. Titans use Lift to either fly into the air a short ways or accelerate to an extreme speed." DAWN: "It's really easy to do, Petra. Why don't you give it a try?" Petra goes charging across the courtyard, executes her Lift... and smashes facefirst into a wall. She falls flat on her armored butt. And promptly starts wailing again. DAWN: "Uhh... sorry, Mr. Oddish." ODDISH: "It's how we all learn. On your feet, Petra. Try again." Sniffling, Petra picks herself up and gives it another try. ODDISH (v.o.): "Hunters do multiple jumps. They start with two jumps, but can learn to do three, or even teleport a short way if they're Bladedancers. RJ, you want to give your little brother a lesson in double-jumping?" RJ: "Sure thing, Mr. O. Catch me if you can, twerp." RJ and Marshall go bunny-hopping up and down the corridor. Actually, RJ goes bunny-hopping and Marshall tries to catch him, but his hops are shorter. And then, RJ starts blinking in and out on his way back. MARSHALL: "No fair! I'm telling Mom!" RJ: "Mom's dead, you idiot." Marshall promptly starts crying. Losing your mom at 8 is not something you get over all at once. ODDISH (v.o.): "Warlocks use a more leisurely form of travel. They can go higher and farther, but more slowly and with less controllability. Gloria, since we don't have a warlock present, I'll coach you myself." Gloria leaps into the air and shoots skyward, higher and higher... and higher. Then, drifting like a kite on the wind, she goes flying over the tower's railing and falls out of sight, plummeting over a kilometer to smash to bits on the unforgiving concrete below. ODDISH'S GHOST: "Guardian down. Way, way, way down." ODDISH: "Not funny, little light." RJ: "Actually, it was, kind of." ODDISH (v.o.): "Fortunately, for Guardians, death is usually a mere inconvenience. However, let's try not to do it too much today, OK?" (he revives her) "Remember, practice makes perfect." Soon enough, the kinders are doing much better. Dawn and Petra are thrusting about the courtyard. Marshall and RJ are bunny-hopping almost side by side. And Gloria is pirouetting through the air like a flying ballerina. ODDISH: "Outstanding, you guys. Let's take a break from this. You know what we're doing next?" PETRA: "Titan skate! Titan skate!" MARSHALL: "I wanna Titan skate too, Mr. Oddish. That looked fun." ODDISH: "I said we were gonna do it ONE TIME." PETRA: [i]"Pleeeeease?" [/i] Cut to: once again, Mr. Oddish is Titan skating through the Tower at an insane speed. This time, in addition to Petra on his hip, he has Marshall riding him piggyback. PETRA & MARSHALL: [i]"Wheeeeeeeeeeee!" [/i] The day, and its lessons, continue. ODDISH (v.o.): "Your primary weapon isn't flashy, but it's your life out there. Autorifle, pulse, scout, whatever, a Guardian who can't handle their gun won't survive long. Align the sights, control your breathing, squeeze the trigger. And get used to loud noise and recoil, you'll experience plenty of both." The younger kinderguardians are enthusiastically blasting away at a set of reinforced plasteel targets that have been erected across the courtyard. Gloria, star student, is perforating the bullseye of her target with near-mechanical accuracy. Marshall has improved a great deal, and most of his shots are going near center as well. Petra, despite only firing one bullet at a time, is missing the target half the time. MARSHALL: "Geez, Petra. Can't you hit anything? What a noob!" Petra has been carefully taught that a Guardian NEVER points a gun at another Guardian except in the Crucible. So, she very carefully puts her rifle down, turns around, and punches Marshall in the face (the visor anyway). Since she is wearing light-infused armor, her punch is far more lethal now. Marshall disintegrates in a flash of arclight. ODDISH'S GHOST: "Guardian down." ODDISH (points to a spot on the wall): "Petra, go to time-out. NOW!" Petra goes to the time-out spot, sits down, and starts bawling again. ODDISH (v.o.): "Your light is your defense and your mobility, and a second chance when you fail. But you can fight with it, too. Your basic ability is your grenade." Mr. Oddish coaches Gloria, and she tosses a vortex grenade with reasonable accuracy. He pats her on the shoulder. A short distance away, Petra tosses her first flashbang. It explodes, startling Dawn and causing her to shriek and erect a bubble. Petra, struck stone blind, trips over something and falls flat on her face, then throws another hissy-fit. Marshall, coached by RJ, manages a flux grenade. Problem is, he unintentionally sticks it on RJ's head. RJ spews several potty words and sticks a grenade on his brother. An instant later, both grenades detonate, sending two kinderguardians cartwheeling through the air. ODDISH'S GHOST: "Guardian double down." Mr. Oddish looks at the scene before him: one Guardian hugging herself in the middle of a bubble, another sitting on her butt and throwing a tantrum, and two more lying motionless on the ground. Then... GLORIA: "Uhhh... Mr. Oddish? Why are you beating your head against that wall?" [b]To be continued...[/b] Part 3 - https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/223562403?sort=0&page=0