Fireteam Riptide ran across the battlefield to the hangar, dashing over lost weapons that the Hive army had dropped. Tanis was in the lead, for exhaustion really didn't take a toll on him during this battle. He felt more empowered than anything. Alaura followed close behind, but turned back every now and then to see Malachi struggling to keep up. She slowed down and attempted to help him, but he simply waved her off. She looked at him worriedly, and jogged behind him to be there if he fell.

Soon, Jarvis teleported Alaura up into her dark blue CX20 Spindle Demon ship, and immediately took off after the Hive. Alaura set her now shaking hands on the flight controls. She exhaled steadily, focusing her eyes on the viewport in front of her. Memories of the change she underwent flashed through her mind. Imaginary screaming, panic, and fear overcame her, causing her to softly let go of the wheel.

"-Alaura," Tanis' voice met her ears from over communications. He followed closely next to her ship and peered over into it, hoping he could see her through the glass. He could barely make out a dark figure; the only thing that stood out was the light from Jarvis' eye.

She cleared her throat and tried to keep her hands from shaking. "Yeah?" Her voice sounded stronger than she felt.

"You okay?" Malachi questioned in concern. Macey dematerialized his helmet and he relaxed in his chair. If he had to, he'd take charge of this mission, but Alaura was much more professional than he was. He'd rather stick to the shadows and operate out of the spotlight.

Alaura nodded, but realized they couldn't see her. She confirmed it, "Yeah. I'm good. If we get split up, our rendezvous point is where we had our second encounter with each other." That poor park. Tanis wrecked the crap out of it. Malachi almost shot Alaura. Sweet, sweet memories. It was time to overwrite those memories and create newer, happier ones.

She placed her hands on the controls to familiarize herself with how to pilot the ship. Jarvis was flying right now, but at some point, she wanted to do it herself. The controls seemed less complex than a helicopter, but still complicated enough to leave her stumbling for a moment. Jarvis highlighted the buttons she needed to push and explained it to her.

Macey and Dinklebot did the same. Tanis picked up on it quickly, maneuvering his red NS66 Cloud Errant in the air on his own. Malachi struggled, but considered it easier than the time he had to hijack a private jet. Macey guided the black LRV2 Javelin on a flight path her guardian could follow.

After giving initial thought to what they were doing, Malachi's spirits lifted and a dorky smile spread across his lips. For the first time in a long time, he felt giddy. I'm living in a Sci-Fi movie. Literally. I make so many references, but now, my life will be a part of them. "Finally! A space battle. I've been waiting for one."

Tanis clicked a few buttons on the dashboard before asking, "Why is that?"

"I can be Han Solo and kick some ass." He didn't want to sound too proud to admit it, but god, was he excited. If he didn't have a wound on his abdomen, he would be bouncing in his seat.

Alaura snorted before she could stop herself, "As if you'd be Han."

He almost felt offended by her words. "Come on. We're both outlaws, had a partner, and are ruggishly handsome. You have to see the similarities, princess."

Alaura thought for a moment. He never mentioned a partner before... She held her head high at his comparison, and replied wittily, "You're right. Both of you are scruffy-looking nerf herders, and I'm definitely as strong as Leia."

Tanis dodged an enemy ship and shot another down. He shook his head at the conversation. With the matters at hand, he thought they would've taken this incredibly seriously. Malachi laughed, but before he could reply with something snarky, Tanis cut him off, "Less talking, more action, guys."

Some Hive ships appeared to be made of solid bone, while others were made out of some kind of harsh, jagged metal. The shapes were rough, forming coffins that had been way too bent out of shape. The wings extended far enough to make the ship fast to a certain extent. The cannons fired green plasmid-like bolts at the fireteam.

One after another, the fireteam managed to take a few ships out on their own. They flew together, and mowed them down while in triangle formation, with Alaura in the lead. It wasn't until a new wave of ships left the larger tomb ships that the guardians became slightly panicked. The ships flew together in small squadrons, coming at them from all sides. The fireteam broke formation to scatter the forces, allowing them to fire at enemies easier.

"Jarvis, I might have a dangerous idea." She fired at oncoming enemy ships, destroying two that came her way. Jarvis perked up from looking down at the digital map, waiting for her reply. "I'm going to need you and Dinklebot to coordinate this. Tanis, head directly towards me with a few on your tail. Ghosts, make sure our ships don't impact as one flies up, and the other down."

Tanis questioned warily, "You think that'll work?"

"Are you insane? The chances of success are lower than twenty percent!" Jarvis exclaimed in surprise. His ghost shell clammed up for a moment and shook, as if a chill just ran through his circuits.

"Then I hope you two are coordinated." She pushed a few buttons, and watched as Tanis headed in her direction straight on. She eyed the few enemy ships behind her, and grasped the controls a bit tighter in anticipation. Confidence boosted her system, and she had hoped Tanis had felt the same way.

With enemies hot on his tail, Tanis hunched over in his seat, entirely focused on the viewport in front of him. He watched as Alaura's ship grew increasingly closer. Dinklebot glanced over at him, unsure if this was going to work.

At the last second, Jarvis and Dinklebot took control of the ships and forced them to go in opposite directions, narrowly escaping demise. The enemy ships didn't react fast enough and crashed into each other, creating a large amount of silent explosions.

Alaura cheered and threw her hands into the air. The biggest smile formed on her lips as she declared, "You guys have little faith in me."

"With good reason. I can't believe that worked!" Jarvis opened his eye after being frightened for their lives. Everyone took a moment to calm down, and return to shooting down enemy ships, destroying the fleet slowly, but surely.

Malachi looked over warily at the other two friendly ships. They fought so hard to make it to where they were. His teammates were some of the strongest people he's ever met, and he still couldn't believe it. Hitmen, bodyguards, security teams, con artists, they had nothing on this fireteam. Couldn't even compare, surprisingly enough. Their strong will to save humanity, even though there was a minimal chance of success, made them so determined. Nothing could stop them, except for death itself.

That's why he had to save them.

Malachi sucked in a sharp breath, ignoring the immense pain coming from his gunshot wound. He shot at the enemy ships that followed his teammates, and directed them in his direction. He took a hold of the controls and flew off the path. The enemies shot back and fired at the back of his black Javelin, almost destroying the paneling before Malachi spun around.

Tanis was the first to notice his leave. He checked the screen looking out behind his ship, and saw no enemies. He followed Alaura off to the side, away from the oncoming assault from Hive ships. Tanis panicked in slight fear of losing one of his only friends, "Are you crazy? You against them?"

Jarvis circled where he was on the digital map, and how many enemies were following him. Alaura glanced down at it, a small tinge of distress rising up in her chest. He won't make it. There's no way. I can't lose someone else. She called out over comms, "It's too dangerous, Malachi. Let me handle this myself."

A sad smile graced his lips. If anything, this might've been goodbye. Short. Sweet. Simple. And, hell, he didn't have to see their expressions. All the better for him. "I got you, guys. I'll meet you there." His voice wavered a bit at the last part of the sentence. He's said this before, and he failed his partner. He couldn't stand to lose again. He coughed in an attempt to cover it up, "Just get there safely." He sharply turned his ship as he set a new course for some random abyss of space in hopes to save his team.

"That better be a promise, Malachi," Alaura nearly threatened him, but left the statement incomplete. He wouldn't want to know what came next. She hit the side of her chair, angry that another team member could possibly perish. She wanted to go after him, but the odds of getting themselves all killed were too great.

Communications ran silent for a while. Alaura fired at enemy ships, maneuvering through space as best she could. Jarvis helped correct some of her flight mistakes, allowing a smoother flight to occur.

Tanis focused on enemy ships that were on his tail. He pulled his ship up as fast as he could, and spun it in a circle as he performed a loopdy-loop. When he steadied his ship, the enemy ships were now in front of him. He fired at all of them, causing them to explode on impact. He dove down to escape the explosions and debris.

"Damn, Tanis. Where did you learn how to do that?" Alaura asked in surprise. He was turning out to be more of a natural badass than she was. For a moment, she felt like a proud mother of her child. Tanis had grown so much since the transfer, and even though there were some quirks, it definitely was for the better.

"I'm not sure, but that was awesome! Woo!" He cheered in almost a childish innocence. It was the same innocence and exhilaration he had when they infiltrated the town underneath The Traveler. Even if he didn't remember, he was beginning to act more like himself every passing day.

A portal opened up off to the left, and the Hive fleet began to retreat into it. Alaura and Tanis followed them, shooting down every single one they could before they disappeared into the portal. When the last ship entered, the portal closed, and the two guardians were forced to end their adventure. They flew down to the rendezvous point back on Earth in silence.

The playground wasn't there anymore, and not because Tanis royally wrecked it way back when. It was now part of a forest that ended when it met the street. On the other side was a plain green grass field that ran on for miles. Under the moonlight, it was gorgeous. The light reflected off of the bright leaves and grass blades, creating a soft glow around everything. The cold atmosphere made the hot jumpships creak as they flew by.

Alaura and Tanis set their jumpships down in the field. No other ship was in sight, and their spirits dropped a little bit because of it. Malachi wasn't there. Neither of them knew if he even survived. The two ghosts couldn't raise Macey on their own private communication lines.

In order to get comfortable for their wait, Tanis collected wood from the trees nearby. He set them in the little fire pit Alaura had set up, and waited for her to start the fire. She used her survival techniques to start the fire with ease. After that, they sat in silence around the campfire, lost in their own thoughts. The fire crackled against the wood, and popped from time-to-time. The crickets chirped softly in the grass from afar, creating a chorus of nightly music.

Alaura stared down at the fire, and got lost in the flames' dance. She gave Malachi so much shit over the time she's known him. And for what? Fun and games? Challenging his abilities? Annoying him? She almost felt bad for putting him through all of it. Sure, he'd been somewhat of a jerk in the beginning, but he was starting to open up to them. He started to treat them as his teammates, not some random strangers he got paired up with. Malachi even started to soften his hard exterior, and it wasn't only because of his blood loss. Or, at least, Alaura hoped it wasn't because of that.

Malachi was a true friend to them. Hell, he risked his life just to save them. Alaura thought back to just a few hours earlier when she had saved him with the void bubble. Her heart raced, for she was so afraid to lose someone else. This man was starting to mean something to her, and she wasn't sure if she should start feeling comfortable, or scared.

The flames danced underneath the stars, bright and shining red. Tanis listened to the soft music Dinklebot played in his head, calming his entire being. He felt relaxed, until he remembered they were waiting for Malachi. Had he made it? Did he die from the Hive, or blood loss? If he had fainted, would Macey guide his ship back to the team? These questions swirled around Tanis' mind. But why? What did the hunter mean to him?

Malachi meant a lot to him. Regardless of how little he knew of him, and despite how he tried to kill him multiple times, the hunter was a friend. Maybe an even potential brother he never had. They definitely had their differences, but he could see how much Malachi cared. Tanis had been so wrapped up on his search for knowledge, that he neglected Alaura's broken emotions when she came back to them. Malachi picked up the slack and tried to make things right. He would have done the same thing for Tanis if it came down to it. For that, he was grateful.

A sound emerged from the grass, causing Alaura and Tanis to snap out of their thoughts. They immediately whipped out their primary weapons and aimed it at the target. Their eyes fell on Malachi, who sent them a small nod. "Wow, you guys really know how to throw a welcome back party."

Relieved, Alaura and Tanis holstered their weapons. Tanis gave Malachi a high five for making it back in one piece. Alaura smiled, allowing herself to stuff away the grief that she nearly had. She was about to say something until Malachi spoke up, "I only took so long because I needed to patch myself up." He set his hand on Alaura's shoulder to steady himself as he sat down. He groaned, and leaned back into the grass. "Glad to know I gave you guys a scare."

The two guardians shook their heads and sat back down. They laughed and talked for a long while, until the sounds died down, and they all fell sound asleep next to the warm campfire. 

AN: I got really into making aesthetics for my characters, so here's Malachi's for his origin/solar ability. Each one ended up telling a story, and it fits so well with the characters. <3 To clarify, since it's hard to read on here, the top right square says "They're dead. Because of you."