Author's Intro: My semester of school is almost over, and I've been itching to really start writing again. I've been in a bit of a slump lately with it, and it's time for that to end... maybe. I sorta vomited up this bit here tonight and wanted to share it. I miss the feeling of having a long-running story that I update every once in a while (sometimes 'a while' is way too long; I'll try to avoid that). I've also felt lately that, while I like and long for the benefits of telling a story that has been outlined, I've found that a lot of my writing that I like the most has come from discovery writing.

So... why not a taste of both?

I was seriously disappointed in Destiny 2's story. So much potential, but such weak execution (in my opinion, at least). So at long last, I'm going to do something that I've been thinking of doing for a long time: write a long Destiny story! This will basically be a retelling of the D2 campaign. (Yep, another one of those.) Since I'm not really planning anything right now, I'm not sure how it will turn out. It might be cool, or it might be crap. I don't know yet, but that's kind of what makes it exciting. I obviously have a sort of roadmap as there is an existing story to base this off of, but I don't intend to keep things too similar (the idea is, of course, to expand and improve on what we have now).

So here we go. I look forward to this adventure and will do my best to keep the words flowing, the story interesting, and the update times short. If you read on, I hope you enjoy the story.

And as always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story. If you're feeling generous, leave me a review when you're finished. It would make my day.

~Kookie

The parade was more spectacular than Acteon-9 could have ever imagined. He hadn't often been in the streets of the Last City, but he imagined they hadn't seen festivity like this in a very long time. Streamers and confetti flew in the air, citizens shouted and applauded from the sides, ships flew in the air launching fireworks so bright that they were easily visible, even in the full daylight. And in the middle of it all, Guardians innumerable walked among them. Row by ordered row, each Guardian wore their most beautiful and ornate armor for today's celebration. Acteon himself wore a fine new set, colored white and blue, designed with sharp angular features, and adorned with the symbol of a snake on the cloak. Eva outdid herself on this one, he thought.

"You should actually tell her that next time you see her," his Ghost, Reacher, whispered inside his head. "I know you were thinking it when she gave it to you, but you didn't say anything!"

"Right right, I'll let her know sometime," Acteon thought back. He absentmindedly gave a smile and wave to the crowd. A fellow Exo caught his eye whooped in praise. This is nice, he thought, more to himself now. Such a long, hard road we've been on… All leading up to this. If this joy, this peace, is the reward for the fight of the Guardians, then every bullet spent is worth it.

He caught the sound of a commotion from behind. He glanced back to see a Guardian in white and red armor stumbling his way through others around him in an effort to force his way forward. The Guardian-a Titan by the looks of it-burst out near Acteon and pulled up beside him, trying to shoulder aside the Warlock that had been next to Acteon as politely as possible. "Acteon!" the Titan said, clapping a hand to the Exo's back. "I was worried I wouldn't be able to find you in this mess."

Acteon could barely understand the words among all the commotion, but enough got through that he got the idea. "Why get up to me, Liam?" he asked his friend. "We agreed to meet later, didn't we?"

"Sure did, but that would be too late for me to do this!" Before he could protest, Acteon was lifted into the air and up to sit on Liam's broad shoulders. The Titan thrust a fist into the air and shouted louder than Acteon thought possible, "Three cheers for the Hivebane!"

Must you embarrass me like this…? Acteon thought. He took comfort in knowing that no one would probably even hear his friend's shouting. But… to his eternal shock, people actually did take notice. Some of the shouting quieted and the crowd took up a rising chant.

"Hivebane! Hivebane! Hivebane!"

Liam, I'm going to kill you when when this is over.

"That would be highly inefficient," Reacher noted. "We're really close to the Traveller; the Light is definitely strong enough here that he would revive within secon-"

"I know, it's-it's just a figure of speech.Acteon was tempted to try to hide the grin that came to him, but he let it show. He so often hid such feelings when he was out, especially in crowds. But today… today he would shine. He smiled broadly and lifted his arms, waving to all around him. They were still shouting his nickname, the once Shaxx had coined for him. If he forced himself to look past the embarrassment of it all, the praise felt… good. He had been the one to defeat Oryx, hadn't he? At least in part. Sure, he had help from his Fireteam the first time; he wouldn't have lasted long in the war against the Taken without Liam and Audra at his side. The glory should hardly be his alone, but… he would allow himself this moment in the spotlight, even if it made him a bit uncomfortable.

Not too long after, the parade reached its end. A wide stage had been erected in this plaza with seats in front in the grass for the Guardians to sit in and row upon row of seats to the sides for the citizens. People piled into them as they made their way in to hear a speech from the Vanguard. Acteon watched them and there so many streaming in that he wondered if there would be enough space for all of them.

Soon enough, though, everyone was settled in. A few Guardians had to stand in the back, but they were still close enough that hearing wouldn't be an issue. Majestic music started playing in the newly installed loudspeakers and people cheered, then silenced as they awaited the Vanguard's arrival.

And finally… they came. The curtain was pulled back and Zavala, Cayde-6, Ikora Rey, and the Spear himself took to the stage. Zavala nodded humbly, Ikora gave a reasonable smile and a wave, the Speaker raised his arms and looked to the Traveler, whose form seemed to hang not too far from where they were. And Cayde… Cayde took in every bit of the attention from the crowd. He waved wildly, shouted greetings and thanks to the people, and flashed finger-guns in every direction. Typical Cayde, Acteon thought. Not trying to make much of a respectable name for Hunter's is he? While Acteon questioned the Hunter Vanguard's enthusiasm, the crowd seemed to love it. Not just the citizens, but several Guardians took to their feet and cheered Cayde on. Zavala finally had to come up and grab Cayde by the shoulder and haul him over to the middle of the stage, where a microphone had been set up. Zavala then took his seat beside Ikora and the Speaker, leaving Cayde front and center before the now-silent crowd.

Wait… Cayde is giving the speech? Acteon thought. Everyone had been expecting Zavala to be the one to give the parade speech. Big speeches were just… kind of Zavala's thing, but definitely not Cayde's…

Cayde cleared his throat before the microphone. "This thing on?" he said into the mic. The resonance of his voice across the open space was answer enough to all. "Right… Well, welcome everyone! How did you like the parade?" More cheering. "I thought so too. And how about those classy Guardians? Pretty great, am I right?" More applause. Cayde laughed. Acteon sensed not just humor and the thrill of the moment, but… real pride in Cayde. The Hunter Vanguard was truly proud of how far the City had come. "You all probably know me well enough to know that I'm not really one for speeches. I'm more the shooty-shooty, stabby-stabby type. But today is a special day, this time is a special time.

"You know, my old mentor, Andal Brask, used to tell me, 'Cayde, I really wish you'd stop eating ramen for two seconds and go clear out those damn Fallen in the Cosmodrome like I asked you to three weeks ago!'" This got a chuckle from the crowd. "Brask was a great man, and if he taught me anything, it's that you have to balance your shooty-shooty habits with your ramen-slurping habits. And our Guardians have been doing a lot of shooting. Like, so much that I can't believe we can keep the ammo flowing fast enough. But now… now it's all done. Our greatest enemies have been defeated, and you know that means…" He paused for a moment, letting some tension build. Here comes a joke… Acteon thought.

Cayde seemed to wait a second too long. Too long for a dramatic pause, more like a… hesitation. Cayde-6 did not hesitate… did he? "It means," he said, "it's time to enjoy the peace that our Guardians' efforts have won us. They have given their lives time and time again for a chance at peace, and look what we have… I bet if the Traveller had a giant face on it, it would be smiling right now. This is our Age of Triumph… So let's enjoy it. Today, no Guardian goes into the field. No weapon shall be fired, no Light shall be expended." An excited murmur started in the crowd. Acteon found himself smiling again. Cayde continued, gaining energy, "No Guardian will die today, and no Guardian will feel the crushing weight of Darkness! Because today, the Darkness has been driven back and we are safe, thanks to them. Today, we stand in the Light together, Guardian and citizen, and celebrate!"

Every single person gathered took to their feet and roared their approval. Acteon couldn't help but feel excited. A day where no Guardian would be out on patrol… Such a thing was unheard of. There was usually some sort of threat in the system, but… surely it wouldn't hurt for them all to rest today.

This was their time. Best enjoy it while it lasted.