AN: Woops. Went way over my word count. Oh well. If you had a fireteam, what would the name of it be? Vine: https://vine.co/v/5UeUMuOHLQh

The room had fallen silent for a while. Tanis ran out of topics to talk to Dinklebot about and closed his eyes to relax. He couldn't fall asleep, well, because Exos didn't need sleep. From a human's perspective, that seemed like a good thing. More can be done with those eight hours instead of sleeping. To Tanis, it was never ending boredom. The hours seemed to drag on, and finding things to talk about kept getting more difficult. He ended up giving up, but none of them would fall asleep. Tanis and the ghosts were doomed to have patience.

Alaura woke up a few hours later, but instead of rolling over to face her teammates, she stayed facing the wall. She ran her fingers over Kai's dog tags and linked the chain around her fingers. Her blue eyes focused on the engraving, yet her mind wandered a bit. She should've known better. The battlefield was insane, but with their positions, it made for horrible tactics. She should've surveyed better. Gave more orders. Instead, she worried about her team's health. She was distracted.

Alaura would carry this guilt to her grave.

She shook herself out of her thoughts after a while and sat up in bed. She rustled her short, knotted dark hair and set her bare feet onto the cold wooden floor. A chill ran up her spine, causing goose bumps to form on her arms. She put Kai's dog tags around her neck and tucked them into her shirt.

Tanis opened his glowing blue eyes and his eyelids clicked against each other as he blinked. He glimpsed at Malachi, only to find him still sound asleep curled up into the fetal position. His eyes panned over to where Alaura's bed was, only to find her fully dressed and putting on her thigh holster. Finally, someone is awake. He thought gleefully for a moment, until realization hit him. He had to talk to her about the events that transpired the day before. "Alaura?"

Alaura's eyes stayed glued to her gun. "Yes, Tanis?" She reloaded her pistol and clicked the clip in place. She set the gun in her holster, and then started checking her other guns' magazines.

Tanis sat up in his bed and made sure not to raise his voice, in fear he would disturb Malachi. He set his hands on the ends of the new coat he wore and played with the fabric. "Are you all right?"

No. I won't be all right for a while. She thought bitterly. She forced herself not to grimace and answered simply, "I'll be fine."

"You did not look fine yesterday." He left his jaw hanging for a moment before closing it. He looked away and leaned his back against the wall to prop himself up. Alaura stayed silent and chose not to answer. There must be something she'd answer to. Probing her about yesterday's events clearly wasn't working. Tanis added quietly, "You also talked in your sleep."

Alaura stopped what she was doing to peer at Tanis. Her interest peaked. "What did I say?"

Tanis hesitated. Would this take her mind off of her fallen team, or make things worse? He had already spoken up about it. There was no going back now. "You were talking about how the Light was calling you to a place between the Light and the Dark. Something about you having to do your duty...or similar to it. It was a lot of gibberish."

Alaura's eyebrows pinched together in confusion. She moved her lips to say something, but became stumped. What could that mean? She pondered for a moment, until she noticed how long she was taking to answer. "That's...worrisome."

"Yeah. You don't sound like you're..." Tanis searched for the right words to say. One wrong word can make it seem like he's accusing her of being insane. Hurting her more was not on Tanis' agenda. He tapped his finger on his chin as he found the words, "...all right."

"I'm okay."

Tanis couldn't help but to point out rather bluntly, "You just went through something traumatic, Alaura."

Alaura big the inside of her cheek as the flashes of her dead teammates crossed her mind. She inhaled deeply to keep her cool. Crying in front of her new team again was not an option. She wanted to believe she had more dignity than that. Alaura stood up straighter and averted her eyes. She avoided the topic completely, "Why don't we talk about something else, Tanis?"

Tanis stared at her for a long moment. He didn't know how to answer. What swirled around his mind were thoughts of himself. Who he was. Who he could've been. How he was created. Where. When. The questions were endless. The odd sensation of furrowing his brow swept over him, causing him to become confused. His brow couldn't move at all, but he could feel it. How? Why is this happening to me? Maybe some wires came loose in his head. He made a mental note for Dinklebot to check his vitals later. Tanis stumbled over his words, "I want to learn more about myself. About the Traveler. The Light. Everything."

Alaura's gaze softened. Tanis wasn't going to let it go. He was so adamant on finding these answers that he didn't stop to think about if he should. The effects could be horrendous. Alaura couldn't imagine what that would do to an Exo's mind. "You can when we have free time. We can help if you want us to."

"Thanks, but..." Something inside of him whispered in his mind. You can do this alone. Like you used to do everything alone. If anyone helps, it's just out of pity. Doubt? His self-conscious? Memories? Tanis couldn't tell what spoke up, but it didn't sit right with him. Tanis hesitated before continuing, "...I can do this on my own."

Alaura walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder gently. She smiled softly and reassured him, "We're here for you if you need us."

Tanis nodded. "Thank you."

Alaura left the room, leaving Tanis to his own ponderings. He waited silently until Malachi woke up. He greeted him and tried to make conversation, but Malachi only gave out one word answers. When Tanis asked him if he was okay, the Exo was met with silence. Tanis received the message he was putting out and stopped talking. He played with simulations in his mind as Malachi got dressed.

Malachi fought with himself on the inside. He wanted to talk to Tanis. He wanted to help the kid. Yet the dreams he had during the night kept him from doing so. Memories of his shady past. Memories of the aspirations he used to have. Memories of her. He promised himself he would try to be a contributing member to the team, but these feelings of despair and loss coaxed him out of it a bit. He nodded to Tanis once he was ready, and both of them walked around the base to find Alaura.

Tanis heard frustrated clicking noises rising from one of the rooms. He motioned to Malachi before walking in. Both of them stopped short once they saw Alaura messing with a huge console in frustration. Tanis cocked his head and questioned, "What are you doing?"

"Looking for..." Alaura struggled with her task. She had no clue how to use the damn thing, and that only made her more frustrated. She bit her lip for a second before finishing her sentence, "...how to contact another base or someone up the chain of command..." She hit a few more buttons until she heard a ringing sound echo throughout the room.

A baby blue hologram flickered into view from the round table in the center. A male sitting at a desk showed up and he looked at all three guardians with a smile. "This is the Intergalactic Empire's head office, how may I help you today?"

Alaura's mouth hung open for a second at a loss for words. She didn't want to sound insane and have the guy hang up, but lying wasn't the route to go. The truth was probably her best shot to talking to someone high up on the chain. She set her hand on the edge of the round table and stated quietly at first, but then gradually raised her voice, "This base...This base got attacked by aliens yesterday. I need to talk to someone in charge, please."

The male receptionist shook his head in dismay. "Ma'am, I can't just put you throu-"

Alaura yelled without a second thought, "Soldiers died here because of aliens, and you are not going to put me through to someone in charge? Are you fucking kidding me?"

The hologram disappeared and the line went dead. Alaura looked out into the empty space, confused and lost. Someone had to care. The galaxy was about to be attacked! How could they not...

The hologram came back on, and this time, three unsatisfied people popped up. Two males, one female. All of them had stern expressions and bags under their eyes. Their uniforms were polished to perfection. Even the way they stood, held up high and confident, screamed the word politician. Their names hung under their respective images. One of the older men, Governor Mihn, spoke up, "You've interrupted our meeting. This better be good."

Malachi wanted to scoff out loud. Real government hospitality right there.

Alaura started to explain, "This base got attacked yesterday by a-"

The younger male, Governor Wicco, interrupted her, "We know."

"News travels fast around here," Governor Rosaline added.

Mihn nearly laughed, "Why do you think we let this call go through? This base is critical to our operations."

Tanis stepped forward and made sure Malachi followed. They stood together as a team, side-by-side. Tanis questioned, "What can we do to help?"

Rosaline didn't hesitate, "Sit tight and keep us updated on anything you see."

Wicco seemed to soften around his fellow governors' hostility. He lowered his voice, "Don't leave that base. We will handle the rest of the chaos."

Alaura shook her head in refusal. There was no way she could agree to that. The restlessness alone would kill her. "Your soldiers would not have made it out successfully without us. I believe we handled the situation well. We can handle anything else that attacks."

Mihn scoffed and crossed his arms. "I hardly see that as a success. Hundreds died. That was so unprofessionally handled by citizens with mediocre fighting skills."

Alaura clenched her hand into a fist in an attempt to keep her anger at bay. The disrespect alone crawled under her skin and made her blood boil. She informed him, "Sir, I was in a fireteam a long time ago. They were a damn fine team that helped win this battle. A little respect goes a long way."

Mihn's expression didn't change. He almost seemed unfazed by the comment. "With that smart mouth, I'm not surprised you never made the new system."

Rosaline used the information given and observed Alaura. She tilted her head slightly and pursed her lips. "You're the only one that made it out on that whole team? That doesn't cry out suspicion at all."

Alaura stood up straighter and set her hands to her sides. Her blue eyes glanced down at the ground, but quickly snapped back up at them. She answered with a detection of sadness in her tone, "We were surrounded, Ma'am. Here you are accusing me of abandoning my team, but I'm the one that's going to have the memory of their deaths imprinted into my brain. Say all you want. I'm not here for your approval."

The governors' eyes widened for a moment in shock. Silence hung in the air until Wicco cleared his throat. "You three are staying out of this. We don't need another mistake on our hands."

Malachi retaliated without hesitation, "To hell, we're not staying out of this."

All three guardians glanced at each other. A nod from each of them indicated a mutual agreement. Saying the truth might get them somewhere. If not, at least they tried. Tanis reported with great confidence, "We've seen the future. What it holds...it's not a happy ending for us. Now, we're here. We know what's going to happen and we're the only ones that can stop it."

"Whether you like it or not, we're here to help," Alaura declared. She held her head up high and waited for a response. Even if the guardians were denied, there was no way they were staying out of this. Semper Fi.

Mihn thought about it and knit his eyebrows together. He spit back, "Do you know how insane that sounds? We don't have time traveling technology."

"That's because it's not yours." Malachi was glad the technology was owned by the Vex. Imagine the destruction and chaos there would be if humans had free access to it? Humanity would go extinct faster than they could save it.

Wicco's eyes narrowed and he spoke slowly, "Then whose is it?"

Tanis replied, "The Vex. They can travel through time."

Rosaline took her turn for the interrogation, "How do you know all of this?"

Alaura glanced between her two teammates. They were all she had left. Her new fireteam. The new Three Musketeers. Funnily enough, the Guardians of the Galaxy. The moment they were graced with powers, they became capable defenders to ward off The Darkness. She proudly stated, "The Traveler sent us here. The Traveler and humanity will cease to exist if we don't stop The Darkness."

Mihn laughed out loud and wiped a fake tear away. "You don't expect us to believe this."

Malachi nodded and confirmed what his teammate said. His gaze didn't tear away from the hologram. "We do. You have to."

A sound clinked behind the trio and someone entered the room. An Exo draped in a torn, brown hood stepped forward. His yellow eyes watched everyone closely. His hand twitched and remained close to his gun's holster. The Exo's face was round and a steel gray. He spoke up, "I believe them." The trio whipped around to see who it was. All eyes immediately fell on him.

Wicco scoffed at the Exo's sudden appearance. He raised his tone in a rather commanding voice, "Echo IX, this is not the ti-"

Echo IX jutted into his sentence with his own confirmations, "I've been following them. I've seen what they can do." Once he saw the guardians weren't hostile, he moved his hand away from the holster. He admitted out loud, "It's unlike anything I've ever seen."

The three guardians watched as the governors talked with the Exo. Their heads moved back and forth between each speaker. "So you've blatantly ignored your mission and followed them?" Rosaline accused.

Echo IX replied instantly, "No ma'am. I got your intel. Just hear me out. This was something too good to pass up." He pointed at the guardians and declared in an astonished tone, "They have little bots that fly. The bots emanate Light as if they were born from The Traveler itself."

Wicco took that into consideration. He put his hand to his chin and stroked it. "Now that The Traveler is back, it does give us the advantage..."

Mihn turned to Wicco angrily. "You're not really falling for this bullshit, are you?"

"What do you want us to do? If they're right, then we need their help," Wicco retaliated quickly. He looked his fellow governor in the eye and waited for him to snap back, but it never came.

Rosaline mulled it over. "And if they're wrong?"

"Then we'll live. I call that a victory either way." Wicco turned back to the guardians and nodded in approval. They gained his vote of confidence.

Mihn rolled his eyes and his lips formed a straight line. Once Wicco had his mind set on something, he would never change it. This was going to be a battle. "We have to talk it over with the rest of the council."

Wicco smiled at them. "For now, what shall we call your team?"

Malachi turned to Tanis, who sent him a reassuring nod. They didn't need to talk it over. Those two knew the answer already. "Fireteam Riptide," he answered. Alaura looked at him in surprise, eyebrows lifted and eyes wide. He shot her a half grin. This was their tribute to Alaura's fallen team.

"Report back tomorrow, Fireteam Riptide." Wicco glanced at his two bitter governors and agreed. He knew the old fireteam wouldn't need the name anymore. If any of them were alive, they'd be a part of this conference call.

"Yes sir," Alaura saluted them. She took a deep breath when the call ended and set her hands on the table. She hung her head and underwent a moment of silence for her fallen team. It was official. She was back on the team with new recruits. Something she never thought would happen.

Tanis turned to Echo IX to examine him. He blinked a few times. He wanted to smile at the familiarity between them. He reached out to the Exo in wonder. "You're...like me."

Echo IX nodded, but retaliated with a question, "How did an exo get mixed up in all of this?"

Tanis appeared at a loss for words. His mouth hung open and nothing came out. Malachi stepped in to cover for him and responded calmly, "He's our friend. We got into some trouble and now we're here."

Alaura fixed her posture and turned around. She stared the robot right in the eye and replied, "That's all you need to know."

Tanis finally found words to say, "Who are you?"

Malachi folded his arms across his chest. He added, "And why the hell have you been watching us?"

Echo IX stayed silent. He mulled the situation over in his mind and decided it would be best to tell them. There was a good chance he'd never see them again, so why not? "I'm a mercenary hired by the government to do odd jobs. Tie up loose ends. I was coming back to the base to report my findings...then I saw the chaos. I watched the battle from afar." He wasn't going to tell them about the memory wipes. The horrors he'd seen. The destruction he's caused. It was all too much for him to talk about. That's why he had to have nine memory wipes, but even then he remembered the atrocities eventually. His name reflected how many memory wipes he had gone through. That's how all Exos were.

Alaura snapped at hearing those words, "And you didn't help? Do you know how many lives that could've saved?" She clenched her fist and stepped forward. Malachi and Tanis quickly put one hand on her shoulders, reeling her back to them. They kept their hands there to hold her back just in case. Alaura stepped back and scowled at Echo IX.

"I was in shock. Aliens? Come on. I thought Exos were the only different race around here. It was...a lot to take in." Echo IX explained. He shrugged and looked between all of them, "Look, you don't have to trust me. I could care less. I did my job. I did you three a favor. I think we should call it a day."

Malachi furrowed his brow. Who does this guy think he is? He could understand being in shock was a possibility, but did he really not care enough to come help? Malachi used to be a merc and he would've jumped into the fight if he were in Echo's position. He didn't need to get paid to be part of something great. Hell, it would've made a fine story to tell at the bar. He narrowed his eyes at Echo. "It's nine in the morning."

Echo scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Did I stutter?"

Tanis started talking, "You don't have to be-"

The base's early warning system triggered. The room's white lights powered off and a flashing red light started. Sirens rang throughout the base's speakers, causing the guardians to cover their ears at the sudden noise.