Hen-12. 1

They had gotten the reports a week ago. The appearance of these… Hive “Guardians” had shaken everyone to their core. You could feel it in the air, a sort of heaviness. 

The Witch Queen’s throne world required investigation. Guardians themselves would have to go in and clear out the hive. They were…hesitant. Most hadn’t thought about how terrifying it was before; to defeat an enemy and have them stand back up. 

Orac-9 had been one of these people, spending too long dwelling on the news, thinking about how horrifying the situation was, without thinking about how the work needed to be done. As a hunter, they usually didn’t work with others, but they were smart enough to know that it wouldn’t be a smart idea to head out on their own. They threw their cloak over their shoulders,  grabbing the fireteam details on their desk before heading out.

One other hunter, a titan, and a warlock. The fireteam met up in the tower courtyard. The warlock, Leaph, and the titan, Scott, were already there. They looked nervous, the exo thought. He supposed they had a right to be.

Orac-9 stepped into the group, looking around for the other hunter. Were they late? 

They caught the gaze of another exo hunter, talking to another group of guardians. They startled, patting the shoulder of the titan next to them before jogging over to the group.

“That’s Hen-12,” the warlock spoke up, startling the exo. He looked over “And I’m Leaph. This is Scott” they said, pointing at the titan

“Hey! You’re here” Hen caught up with the group and looked around. He smiled. “So…let’s do this!”

—

The wizard gave a final screech. And in its place, a ghost appeared, with a bone-like shell and glowing green core. Oran-9 raised a hand to move forward and shatter it, but…froze. Their throat seemed to close up as they stared at the green light emanating from its core. Leaph gasped. 

Move. Just move. Orac-9 took a deep breath, shakily stepping forward. Its light got brighter as it got ready to resurrect the wizard and—

They saw Hen-12 shoot past them in slow motion. Hand outstretched, not a drop of the same fear the rest of them felt after seeing the ghost appear. 

He grabbed the ghost and, with frightening little hesitation, crushed it. A chill ran down their spine as the screech of the little thing cut out. 

The hunter turned toward the rest of the group, a confused look on his face. “What was that? You almost let it resurrect.”

They were silent. 

Leaph spoke up first “Y…yeah sorry about that.” 

“Thanks, Hen,” Scott said, 

Hen-12, no doubt sensing the tension, gave them an awkward smile, “It’s fine. Just be ready next time, yeah? 

They nodded, and the group moved on. Hen-12 seemed to be the only one who had it together. The other two seemed to recognize that and had a quiet respect for the hunter for the rest of the mission.

But Orac-9 felt different. Hen hadn’t even flinched when the ghost was crushed in his hand. Hadn’t even taken a second to breathe before turning away. It was…unnerving. 

They shook their head, pushing the thought away. They had a job to do. It was best for everyone if they focused on that.