The ground exploded around him as Archangel dove to his left. The Hive knew exactly where he would be, and the perfect time to launch the ambush. Now, a half dozen knights with boomers were pounding his position, providing cover fire for a half dozen more with swords that were moving in for the kill. "Sera!" he roared. "Get us out of here!" He tossed a tripmine grenade at the cluster of knights, but they emerged from the explosion barely touched. The familiar sound of his ghost's computing washed through his mind. "The ship is inbound, but transmat won't be ready for another 15 seconds" she replied calmly. He cursed, then looked back just as the first knight rushed him. The swing of its sword came in the form of a downward slam. Archangel sidestepped, then drove his knife into the knight's neck. Black blood shot from the wound and he smiled. "Soft spot", he thought, as the knight fell to the ground clutching it's neck. As he looked up, Archangel saw that the rest of the knights rushing him were only a dozen yards away. Sera's voice chimed in, "10 seconds." Archangel rolled forward and picked up the fallen knight's blade. The boomers wouldn't fire at their own, and he was going to use that to his advantage. He charged, throwing the three-eyed monstrosities off guard, but only for a second. They accepted the challenge, raising their blades with a roar. They charged, holding their battle cry as the distance between Archangel and the knights dwindled rapidly. Reaching two yards, he drew low into a slide. Their blades sliced through the air above his helmet as he swung his horizontally. The momentum allowed the sword to cut through the knight's bony armor, cutting two right legs clean off. "Three down, three to go," Sera notified him. Archangel dug his front foot into the ground and pivoted hard, burying his blade into the chest of the knight who had the unfortunate luck of standing directly behind him. "Transmat ready. Commencing.." he heard as he shoved the knight down. "Wait Sera n-" was all he could blurt out before he found himself back in the safety of his ship. "Dammit!" he yelled as he punched the wall, "You couldn't have waited until those knights were dead? I wasn't ready yet!" He sighed explosively and collapsed into the cockpit. Sera, short for Seraphim, materialized in front of him, her eye turning from blue to red. She mustered the angriest tone a ghost could and fired back. "You weren't ready? You weren't ready!? Did it occur to you that those sword-bearing knights weren't your only problem? Did you know that there were four more tombships converging on our location? Did you happen to see the swarm of thrall and the ogres behind them coming up the hill? No! You risk your life for the sake of vengeance and combat, and when I try to keep you safe you get contempt with me for it!" Sera turned away from him and hovered above the controls. "I'm setting a course for the tower" she said calmly, "because if you're going to attempt this again, I'd rather your gear be updated, as well as your information." Archangel smiled, but it faded in seconds. "Sera...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken that out on you. You know how I get. Once the adrenaline starts rushing, I'm not in my right mind." he said. "I know Arc...I know.." she replied, then fell silent as she set the coordinates. Finally, she turned back to him. "We'll reach the tower in thirty minutes, get some sleep. You need it. I'll watch the ship and notify you if anything comes up." She turned back to the controls. [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/115693368/0/0]Chapter 1 (Part I): The Beginning of the End[/url] [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/116661010/0/0]Chapter 1 (Part III):Agonizing Memories[/url]