Phreelancerz pt. 2

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At the Tower, I have a few stops to make. I talk to my Vanguard rep, Commander Zavala, to bring him up to speed on the situation. He nods and tells me to get back out there. Typical. Next, I give my engrams to Master Rahool. He gives me back a Strange Coin and some guns I break down into glimmer and weapon parts. Last, I check my vault to store those extra materials and see if there are any guns I want to take with me. My vault is full, I need more space. Zwazo is arguing with the Frame that runs the bounty board. I think he's losing. I turn away and walk towards the railing that runs along the edge of the Tower, as I approach, Boston and Kittyy drop in from their ships.

Phreelancerz Clan. Greetings are exchanged. Zwazo and I wait while they grab supplies, check for available bounties, and prep for what is coming. I do a quick tally, two Titans, one Defender Class, one Striker Class, One Warlock, Sunsinger Class, and a Hunter, Gunslinger Class. A solid load out of power, defense and recovery. Once back in low orbit, I bring Boston and Kittyy up to speed on the mission brief and our new strategy of hard contact to force the Fallen away from the river. Boston is all for it, Kittyy, naturally more cautious, has questions.

"Do you have a count on how many Fallen are present?" She asks. I don't.
"My ghost says several hundred, all ranks including servitors," I reply. Kittyy is quiet on the comm and Boston speaks up.
"Won't be a problem, Dash and I will take point, Zwazo is mid coverage and Kittyy, you can tail and snipe from distance," he says. It's as good a plan as anything I've thought of.
"Fine, just don't get so spread out that we can't revive each other," she warns.

We dive in low through the atmosphere over the open plain, as we hit the ground, all of our ghosts go crazy blaring warnings about incoming enemies. The sky darkens as several Skiffs, Fallen drop ships, appear overhead. One of them is carrying a Walker, a six-legged tank with a mounted plasma cannon. The Walker drops to the ground with a thunderous impact, releasing Shanks. We scatter, trying to find what little cover is available. Zwazo creates a protective bubble made of pure energy. Boston, Kittyy, and I all slide inside to avoid getting cut down by Shank fire.

Enemy fire echoes off the bubble as we cower inside. I crouch next to Boston who is laughing. I look at him.
"So, that didn't go so great," he chuckles. I can't help but smile inside my helmet. His enthusiasm for battle is contagious.
"Yeah," I say. "New plan: Kick Fallen ass." Boston nods, stands and steps out of the bubble, firing Red Death, the staccato bursts are loud compared to the "pew, pew, pew" noise of the Shank firing mechanism. I step out of the opposite side of the bubble from Boston, level Vision of Confluence at the same leg he is shooting and squeeze the trigger. The gun pushes against me in a steady rhythm. The Walker staggers, emitting a burst of electricity, then bows its head to reveal its weak spot along its "neck." Zwazo's bubble dissipates and I hear familiar sounds. Thunderlord, Zwazo's heavy machine gun, whines and rattles off several arc rounds. The high-pitch whip crack of Icebreaker, Kittyy's favorite sniper rifle, completes our well-orchestrated take down. The Walker never stood a chance.

When the Walker explodes, it's just a matter of clean up with the Shanks. We collect some glimmer and other materials and then it's back to the river mission. We move in formation towards the river, ready to cut through Fallen and establish a beachhead. We arrive just in time to see another Fireteam of Guardians make an attempt at breaching the Fallen defenses. They have some success and we follow close on their heels to support their efforts. Then the sky lights up. We're all caught by surprise.

Web mines and shock grenades go off, as we stagger back and try to regroup. My head is ringing and everything sounds far away. Kittyy is waving her hands frantically at me. I can't tell what she means. My ghost says my shield is down. Suddenly, my left shoulder lights up with pain from impact. I go to one knee. Shoulder stings and burns at the same time. Arc damage. Kittyy raises a rocket launcher to her shoulder and lets loose. Something behind me screams in agony. Everything starts to fade.