Viper had just transmated to Trostland to the EDZ. He received a communication from Devrim just a short while ago saying Viper was needed at the old man's lookout to, "pick one of his up." as he put it.

"So what do you think old Dev has for us V?" Aria chimed in as Viper strolled along to the church. The Fallen and the Cabal were keeping their distance from entering the church. Most of them knew entering that territory was certain death from Devrim's No Land Beyond Sniper Rifle easily. Viper pulled out his Hand Cannon and quickly shot down two Fallen that noticed him while making his way up casually, "Not a clue."

As he entered the church and climbed up to Devrim's lookout he looked to the left to see a familar face sitting on the couch. Devrim turned to see Viper walk in and waved at him quickly and mentioning that there's tea brewing for the Exo and the other guest. Viper took a seat on the couch and said, "Kali-2? Is that you?" She was a young recently rezzed Exo Hunter V had trained alongside another Hunter named Selene a few weeks back who was sitting on the couch trembling while her ghost Rouge was trying his best to comfort her.

"Hey Kali it's Viper. What's up? Dev called me here. Is something the matter?" Rouge looked up at him and was about to speak but was stopped by V as he pulled his hand up waving him off. Viper knew she wasn't the most confident Guardian. Loud noises scared her and Aria heard her ressurection origin from Rouge and from what he was described it wasn't an easy one. The expeirence left her a little traumatized being chased down by so many Cursed Thrall for two days straight till she was saved by another Guardian on patrol in the area. Viper figured that's why she's both so meek and jumpy around loud explosions and gunshots. That's why he kept stopping Rouge from talking for her. She needed to build confidence in answering her own questions and problems.

She was trembling terribly and looked at Viper, "It was so terrifying Viper. I-I-I..." She looked like she was about to breakdown and curl into a fetal position over what she was trying to answer. Viper put a hand gently on her shoulder and said gently, "Hey. It's okay. Take your time. Here let me grab some tea and we'll talk it out." She nodded quietly and removed his hand, "I'll be right back just gonna pour the tea for us okay?" She nodded again.

As V got up he quietly made his way to Devrim's kettle. He had a faint idea what it could be that got her so spooked. He could feel it as his hand was on her shoulder. The faint feeling of the Void lingered on her. Devrim looked at Viper and whispered, "Is the young lady gonna be alright?" Viper responded quietly, "I hope so. You never forget your first time with the Void." Devrim went quiet and looked the young Exo before going back on his watch, "Well then I leave in your capable hands. But do save me some tea. Haven't had my morning cuppa." Viper chuckles, "I got ya Dev."

The Hunter takes a seat and passes a mug to Kali while holding his own, "Now let's try this again." He looks to both Kali and Rouge, "Take a deep breath and tell me what happened?" Kali followed Viper's instruction and took in a deep breath to calm down before she began explaining, "It was just a simple patrol. Zavala had asked me to run some here today. Just simple scavenging missions to help both The City and The Farm. We got surrounded at one point though." Viper listened keenly as she was describing her experience. Everything seemed normal so far, "It-It wasn't so bad at first. I aimed my bow like you taught me and fired every shot I could into their heads. I missed a couple times though." Viper relaxed and smiled, "That's fine and nothing to fret over. You're still learning and practicing and it'll take a while to get used to your personal weapon."

She nodded and it looked like a small smile formed on her face, "Eventually though the Fallen began to outnumber me. My bow and sidearm couldn't keep up with the reinforcements." She took a sip of the tea and sat there quietly for a minute before taking another deep breath, "Things got bad. Even though we had completed the mission and had all the supplies we needed we were surrounded and I had no way to escape through weapons alone. But Rouge told me there was an option that would guarantee victory." Viper's optics narrowed as he turned his attention to Rouge who looked uncomfortable and nervous, "Rouge said I should try summoning a Duskbow. I had the potential for it and the tether would hold down the enemies long enough for us to catch a break." Viper's eyes narrowed even further and their was visible anger on his face as he responded, "You didn't..."

Rouge was panicking in place, "It-It-It was the most logical option to guarantee her victory against the Fallen that had surrounded her." Viper was pissed and responded, "You told your Guardian who is barely a month old to reach into the void to summon something she's never used before in her life or had any training or mental preparation with knowing full well how dangerous it is for an inexperienced Guardian to use that power?" True to the Hunter's name every word coming out his mouth felt like it was dipped in poison as he called Rouge out for his terrible decision, "I-I-I'm sorry. I didn't know it would scare her so badly. I honestly thought she could handle it. But...when she tried summoning it..." Kali began trembling again and Viper quickle changed his tone and told Kali to take another sip of tea and breathe, "Shhh...It's alright Kali. You did nothing wrong. I know what you went through and it's always terrifying the first time you try to summon the Duskbow or Spectral Blades." She nodded quietly and drank more of her tea.

Viper points at Rouge angered at the fact he choose logic over common sense, "She had the supplies she was required to get Rouge. The mission was complete then and there. She didn't need to fight the Fallen to total victory just enough so she could escape unharmed. Your job should've been on finding an escape route for her instead of having her try and defeat such overwhelming odds she clearly wasn't prepared for." Rouge looks sullen as Viper continues, "You know she's quite talented with an Arc Staff and could've easily used that instead to thin the numbers just enough to make an escape but you decided that she should use the Light in a way she was clearly not ready to utilize. So tell me honestly Rouge. How many times did you have to rez her to get her out of there?" Rouge tries to hide behind Kali but Aria stood in his way.

She was clearly upset as well for not even what could be considered a rookie mistake but a mistake that could've meant Kali's final death, "At least five..." Viper was fuming at this point and looked like he wanted to scream and berate the ghost for his gross incompentence but he knew that Kali was his priority and turned back to her. Rouge sighed in relief before immediately stiffening up in fear as both Aria and Viper made a quick glancing glare at the Ghost.

Viper sighed, "Aria. Can you-" She interrupted, "I gotcha V. Come on Rouge we're going to have a nice private chat on the roof." Rouge doesn't say anything and follows Aria without any fuss. Kali looks sullen, "Please don't be angry with Rouge. He was just..." Viper scratched the back of his head slightly annoyed but understanding of Kali's feelings towards her ghost, "I"m sorry. It's just that was absolutely the worst choice he could've made and I let my emotions get the better of me there." Kali nodded, "He's a good ghost. A little too straight forward and militant sometimes but that's part of his charm." She smiles gently looking down at the tea, "He definitely regrets his actions. He tries so hard to be confident and on the ball with logic but..." Viper chuckles, "Sometimes it backfires and he gets flustered?" Kali chuckles, "Exactly! How'd you know?" Viper rolls his eyes, "I know his type a little too well in some old fireteam mates in both Guardian and Ghost alike. Their type always got on my nerves but when it was go time I could always count on them in a pinch."

Kali nodded, "I'm sorry I didn't protest to Rouge about using the Duskbow." Viper waved it off, "What's done is done now Kali. I know you'd be a very capable Nightstalker if you ever took a chance with the Void. Just make sure when you're ready to try either power out you have someone to train you for it. It can be one of our most powerful abilties with the Light but it's also a dangerous one to tap into. The Void's a scary thing." Kali went quiet. He motioned her to take another breath and drink of the tea and she complied easily, "Viper..." Viper looked and waited for her to ask her question, "Did it scare you? When you first used the Void?"

Viper laughed, "Oh absolutely!" Viper forms the Duskbow in his hands and plucks the string gently before making it dissipate, "First time I summoned these things was an experience let me tell you. I couldn't sleep for 4 weeks after I used the Duskbow for the first time."

Viper looked excited to tell Kali his story, "Picture it! Venus! The Ishtar Cliffs! 20 Years Ago! There I am. Stuck between a horde of mindless Vex and the edge of a cliff with what looks to be about a 200 foot drop into one of the many oceans of Venus that I'm pretty sure had sulfuric acid in it. So what do I do? Me an untrained newbie decides my best option for escape is to summon the Duskbow. I had a little bit of training before hand calling out to the Void for some power and taking a little peak before hand. But boy let me tell you I was not prepared when I tried summoning that Duskbow. Touching the Void in training is nothing compared to when you finally reach it for the real deal of needing power to save your life."

Kali sat there engrossed in Viper's story, "So as I'm sure you were aware when you tried calling upon it. As soon as you dipped your hands into the Void for that power it felt like something grabbed back and tried to pull you in didn't it?" She nodded visibly shaken remembering the experience, "That's normal and sadly it's gonna happen every time you try to use it's power. The Void is an agressive dance partner. She likes to tango in ways that shouldn't be allowed but sadly you gotta work with what you got. One of the most legendary Nightstalker's who I got to train me when I first dabbled into the void always said the secret was you can't be afraid. If you're scared of the Void. It'll take advantage of that and consume you before you can ever hope to control it."

Kali looks at Viper and asks, "So what happened when you first summoned your Duskbow." Viper chuckles nervously, "The fear got the better of me at first. I immediately thought. Well this is fun! It's not going to be the Vex or the 200 foot drop that kills me but my own inability to control my emotions. I couldn't help but laugh at the irony of the moment and somehow in some stupid twist of fate. Laughing at my own stupidity was what helped cool me down in that pinch to summon the bow and use it to kill those Vex." Kali looks surpised to which Viper laughs even harder, "Thinking back on it. It was sheer dumb luck I survived that day. But ever since that moment I knew that if I was going to be one of the few Nightstalkers avaiable to the Vanguard I needed to learn how to not be afraid of the Void evey time I called on it's power."

Kali asks one last question, "So how did you beat your fear?" Viper shrugged, "I didn't." He raises his hand that summoned the Duskbow earlier to show that it was trembling just like how Kali has been trembling this whole time, "I'm still afraid everytime I need to reach into the Void for power when I need it. Maybe not as much as my first time. But definitely still scared." Kali looks confused to which Viper continues with his answer, "I just learned that while the Void is scary as hell. Through all my experiences as a Guardian nothing scares me more than some of the stuff I've fought as a Guardian." Kali looks defeated a little after Viper's response, "Makes me wonder if I'll ever be able to overcome my fear."

Viper pats her shoulder and smiles, "Kali. If there is one thing I'm certain of as the one who taught you how to handle a bow. That between you and me I can definitely see you overcoming this fear and becoming just as great if not better then Tevris ever was. While my answer does sound like an even greater fear is the only way I overcame it. In reality, it more so both the fear of something greater but also the wish to protect those from that fear so they'll never have to experience it. I think Hunter's carry some of the heaviest emotional weights of all Guardians. We know how ugly the world can be out here in the wilds and how dangerous it is but at the same time we understand the value of someone we can always count on whether it's our Ghost, a friend, a fireteam..." Kali interjects, "A mentor." Viper pauses surpsied at her answer but smiles, "Exactly. I may not always be here and I know one day I'm gonna get in a bind I can't get out of. But never forget the trust and confidence I have in you and Selene to be the best you both can be." Kali smiles at how strong Viper seems.

Kali finally looks like she's stopped shaking and Aria and Rouge had just arrived back. Viper looks at Rouge to which Rouge looks both afraid and intimidated by the Veteran Hunter, "Rouge I'm sorry I went off on you like that. But I'm confident Aria has given you a lot to think about and Kali here seems to still have an unwavering confidence in you. So prove yourself to me that you can make the right calls in the future when she needs you most. You're after all the only one who will truly be there when it really matters." Rouge perks up a little, "I promise I'll keep her safe." Viper nods approvingly and looks to Aria, "Well I think our work here is done. You better hurry on up to the farm Kali. I'm sure the folks will greatly appreciate those supplies you acquired." Kali stands up and smiles, "Yes sir! Let's go Rouge. The Hunter Vanguard gave us our order!" Rouge chimes in happily, "Yes ma'am! Transmating to our jumpship now." Viper baffled at her comment tries to retort but is too late as she returns to orbit, "Sigh...I'm not the Hunter Vanguard," Aria chuckles, "I don't know V. Sometimes you seem like it. The cloak definitely makes you look the part." Viper sighs and raises his hands in annoyance, "Nope! Not happening! Not ina thousand years! I'd rather take on a Pyramid single handedly then be the next Vanguard Leader." Devrim and Aria can't help but laugh at Viper's annoyance.