[i]I wrote this little story to tell the backstory of Super Good Advice, and flesh out the weapon a bit. Constructive criticism and compliments alike are most welcome. Hope you enjoy it, and if you do feel free to leave a comment and give it a like![/i] [b][u]Part 1[/u][/b] A cold wind swept across the harsh Martian landscape. The blowing red sands rolled in from the dunes and covered the canyon floor with a shifting layer of dirt. The Cabal patrol moved down the canyon, following the trail of a strike team that had gone dark several days earlier. Little of the missing team's trail remained. The sand had filled in footprints and buried all but the most significant clues. The lead scouts, a pair of Psions, surveyed the ground ahead of them closely. Despite their careful search, they failed to notice the trip mine which had been expertly concealed just below the sand. A terrific explosion echoed down the canyon, and the entire area was swallowed by a red cloud of dust. As the air cleared, half of the formation had been killed by the blast and now lay dead, bloody and mangled, on the canyon floor. Suddenly, the canyon erupted in gunfire. From an elevated position on the canyon wall behind them, lancing beams of solar energy roared down on the stunned Cabal patrol. The lead Centurion barely had time to bark out an order before the wall of heavy fire ripped through his shield and filled him with dozens of deep, smoking craters. Caught in the open, the remaining Cabal troops fell one after another as the wave of gunfire swept up the canyon, blasting through their ranks with a barrage of solar rounds. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the ambush was over and silence settled across the canyon once again. After a few moments, a trail of falling sand and small red stones tumbled down the canyon wall as the hidden attacker left his roost and descended to the ruined Cabal patrol below. A lone Hunter emerged from a rocky outcrop and began the climb down. He wore a red survival suit, upon which was mounted white plates of body armor and various pieces of communication equipment, survival tools, and emergency gear. From his shoulders hung a simple white cloak. In his hands, he held his best friend and constant companion, the massive gatling gun, Super Good Advice. Also painted in a red and white color scheme, the heavy triple-barreled weapon was almost as long as its wielder was tall. Yet, the Hunter lifted it easily. As the Guardian reached bottom of the canyon, he approached the dead Cabal patrol cautiously. The weapon's triple barrels swept over each the alien soldiers as the Hunter searched for any survivors. Satisfied that they were down, the Guardian slung the heavy weapon onto his back. Wasting no time, he knelt beside the nearest Cabal and began stripping it of intelligence and anything he could use. From his back, the sentient machine gun spoke up. "It sure took the Cabal long enough to follow up on their missing team, didn't it?” The Hunter pulled a solar energy matrix from the Centurion's shielding unit and said, "Yeah, I was beginning to wonder if they were gonna show. I'm glad they didn't stand us up." A floating ball of light and machinery appeared beside the Hunter. “We should relocate, Pahanin,” the Ghost said to its Guardian. “This is the second Cabal group we have engaged in this canyon, more may already be on the way.” Pahanin pocketed the solar packet along with some glimmer he had taken and said, “Yeah, you’re probably right. What do you think, ‘Vice?” Super Good Advice, loathe to agree with a Ghost, answered back, “We should probably move, but I think we have time to finish up here.” Pahanin nodded before turning to another of the dead Cabal. “This group took nearly two days to arrive. Don’t worry, Ghost.” “It’s just that the next group that comes is bound to be far better prepared,” the floating ball said back. “It could be too much for any one Guardian to handle alone.” “But I’m not alone,” Pahanin countered, as he pulled ‘Vice from his back with a grin. “You know what I mean,” the Ghost responded dryly. Their conversation was cut short by the booming roar of jet engines. Pahanin whirled to see a Harvester, one of the Cabal’s airborne armored troop transports, fly into the valley and descend toward him with terrible speed. “Speak of the devil!” shouted the Ghost, as it vanished with a flash. Pahanin had ambushed the Cabal here because there was no cover and the terrain made escape difficult. But now he had been caught in the same trap. The Harvester was too heavily armored to be damaged by any conventional weapon, so Pahanin stretched his arm toward the sky and let his light surge into his fist. A blazing hand cannon materialized in his hand, and as the drop-ship rapidly approached, he took aim. With a deafening crack, a massive blast of solar energy blew the Harvester’s main gun to pieces. A second blast ripped a gaping hole in the drop-ship’s port engine pod. The effect was immediate. Without its port engine the Cabal craft spun wildly out of control, slammed into the canyon wall and exploded. Before the trio could say anything, however, a deep bellow rang out from the burning ship and echoed down the canyon. “What was that?” asked ‘Vice. Before Pahanin could give any guesses, the air was filled with the sound of tearing metal and the destroyed Harvester gave a violent shake. Another crash rang out, and a deep gash appeared in the side of the Cabal ship. With a feral roar, a hulking giant of steel and darkness tore through the Harvester’s armor and ripped its way free of the burning craft. “Oh no,” the Ghost said. The Colossus stepped out onto the red sand and heaved its enormous heavy Vulcan cannon from the wreckage before straightening to its full height. Somehow, it seemed even larger than the burning wreck it had just emerged from. The monster’s gaze locked on the lone hunter, and the barrels on its weapon began to spin. With enough energy left for only one shot, Pahanin did the only thing he could. He took aim and sent the third and final blast toward the Colossus. A blinding pocket of energy, hotter than the surface of the sun, slammed into the Cabal’s Vulcan cannon. The weapon was instantly turned to slag. Its heavy barrels were now red hot and bent sideways. With a roar, the Colossus dropped the ruined weapon and charged. Part 2: [url]https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/123787946/0/0[/url]