Apologies this chapter runs a little long, I think I wasn't quite exactly sure where I was going till about halfway through. Oh the pain of not really editing! Lol
Ellana lay stretched on her cot reading a digitized book she'd left there for slow times like this. She wanted to go back to the canyon not so much to kill the time traveling Ahamkara but to make sure that Osiris was alright. She knew he was more than capable of taking care of himself, he hadn't gotten this far without being smart. Ellana just couldn't help but care. Her friends often told her that she cared too much, she would counter with the argument that they didn't care enough. Really the argument went no where and Ellana was left fretting. Over the years she'd just learned to keep her fidgeting hidden.
The Guardian spun a little ball of Solar energy in between and around her fingers until she realized she'd been staring at the same page for the last ten minutes. Heaving a sigh, she snuffed out both the orb and the book before leaving the spare room.
Outside the hot wind toyed with hair that had come loose from her bun. It was night by now but Mercery tended to remain a similar temperature with Sol so close.
"Pearl, do you still sense Sagira and Osiris?" she asked out loud, even though she knew the Ghost was up at the ship's console.
"In and out, they must be really working those rips. I don't know if that's wise but then again... what part of diving head first into danger IS wise." he responded in her head space.
Ellana smiled, "You shoulda picked a different day job then."
"Yeah but then I wouldn't be with you."
"Awww, you're so sweet." Ellana purred and she felt a happy tingling course through her nerves.
"Aww you're sweet too."
Ellana felt her heart seize for a second before she saw Sagira next to her, not too far off, Osiris exited a triangular portal, panting slightly. It looked as though he'd received a couple of wounds since this afternoon but they were healed, the only remnant was his bloodied robe.
The portal quietly closed behind him as he shouldered his rifle, "How long have we been gone?" he asked.
"Hello to you too, and you've been gone for about six hours." the Awoken folded her arms, "We should be getting a transmission back from the Vanguard here soon. Did you run into the... whatever the Ahamkara?" Osiris pulled his mask down and wiped the sweat from his face. Ellana couldn't help but notice he'd shaved relatively recently.
"Not directly, but I confirmed my theory that it's taking advantage of this damaged timeline. I think for now I will cease my wars with the Vex at least in this moment."
"Your doubles will take care of the Forest for now, they're more expendable than you if this machine planet implodes." Sagira said.
"If it explodes it might just take the system with it, we have to keep it in tact for now." He abruptly stared at the ground, as if hearing something else.
Ellana waited a moment before asking, "Um... Osiris?"
"Yes." Suddenly he was back with them, "Sorry, I was thinking." He rubbed his face before turning away quickly.
"Honestly, he thinks too much... but I feel bad stopping him cuz it gets things done." Sagira muttered in a low voice to Ellana, who cracked a small smile.
"Alright!" Pearl popped up in between the two ladies (shoving Sagira off to the side), "So we got the satellite information back. Here ya go." he projected a 3D hologram for all of them to inspect, "From the projected numbers..."
"This tear is growing." Osiris finished.
"Wow... Ikora was right he is fast." Pearl said in a lone tone. Sagira floated up next to him, "Well, he wouldn't be one of the best Warlocks out there if he wasn't an over achiever." Osiris stepped closer to the map to inspect the information further.
"That doesn't look right." Ellana brushed her fingers over the particles of light to make the data shift, "Why would this thing be growing? The Vex are all over that canyon repairing it."
"A good question." Osiris said. Something that was the closest to a compliment she'd received in her entire relationship with this man. Even when she'd come back to help him correct things in the Forest he compliments had been minimal. She wasn't quite sure if the years in exile had chipped away most of his kindness, or that Ikora had put up with this attitude her entire apprenticeship.
"Whatever it is, it's tearing up the fabric of time faster than the Vex are repairing it." Pearl added, "Also, I just got word from the Vanguard, they're telling us to wait for further instructions while they assess the situation."
"Tell them that Ellana and I will take care of the situation. Don't send anymore Guardians unless they want them tempted by this rogue Ahamkara." Osiris said with finality.
"Whoa whoa... you're not the boss of us!" Pearl growled.
"And neither is the Vanguard, they are just a means of organizing the Guardians." he looked directly at Ellana this time, "We exist to act, we don't have time for the Vanguard's politics."
"For a man with all time and space before him you sure don't have a lot of patience." Ellana took his look of surprise as a triumph, "Relax, Osiris, we're coming with you..."
Pearl perked up, "We are?"
She held up her hand, "After we make a personal call to Ikora. If anything to just let her know what's happening." Ellana added. She knew she would owe Ikora in some form or fashion, the Vanguard Warlock never asked for anything directly but Ellana made it a habit to repay her senior in some way whenever she had to take the heat for her actions against orders.
"Make it quick, we can't have this tear engulf this system." Osiris muttered, turning away. The younger Warlock walked off a small distance for some privacy.
Pearl used Ikora's ghosts' personal channel to each them quickly. The ghosts could communicate the easiest over long distances, but Ellana needed to skip the formalities. She quickly explained the situation to Ikora once she answered and waited for a response.
A moment of thought passed.
"He's always been an... enthusiastic individual to spend time with. Being in the Vex network has probably changed him a little. I can only imagine what not having a linear time line can do to one's sanity." Ikora sighed heavily. Ellana had a feeling that Ikora wanted to be the one to be at Osiris' side, but she had to take care of the Guardians at the City. This duty she would not abandon.
"Press forward, Guardian. Have patience with Osiris. He never liked company except on his own terms." Ikora shut off the feed just as the voice of Zevalla sounded from somewhere in the background.
"Wait are we really doing this?" Pearl hissed quietly near his Guardian's ear.
"Yes! Why are you fussing?"
"I always fuss!"
"You do but not about doing our duty to the Traveler." Ellana poked the top of Pearl's head, "So what's the difference now?"
Pearl glanced over at Osiris who was talking with his own ghost, Sagira happened to look over at the same time and gave one of her spikes a little waggle, like she was waving.
He looked back at Ellana, "No reason! Just... don't like jumping in to a situation with an unknown fire team member... heh..." The Awoken gave him a smirk before turning and going back to the other Warlock.
"Are you finished?" Osiris asked.
"Oh it's a never ending dance. However today I dance my own tune." Ellana put her helmet over her head, "Ready when you are, Osiris."
"Well this is exciting!" Sagira twittered happily.
"Focus, Sagira." Osiris said.
"You can't tell me this isn't exciting, what it's been a couple... several hundred years since we last had a companion as cool as me? I'm positive you'll like Ella's conversations!" Sagira twirled around Ellana's head before returning to Osiris' side. He gave her a strange glance before opening another one of his Vex portals, "This should take us back to where I was last. Let's go."
"Yes... Ella... let's." Pearl endured his Guardian's side long glance and eye roll.
The sand filled wind of Mercury boiled away as Ellana set foot into the triangular portal. It was replaced by stillness and static, the sound of flowing liquid touched her ears before her eyes could drink up the differences in shape and color.
The Guardians were at the bottom of the canyon, the sky was but a mere tiny strip overhead. On either side rose high walls of Vex structures and radiolarian waterfalls. It seemed like at some point it all had been connected but a great shifting force had ripped the Vex's structures apart. It was a comforting thought that even everlasting creatures like the Vex weren't completely immune to natural disasters like the shifting of tectonic plates.
"It's a different time of day every time you look up." Osiris said as he checked his gun and put his mask back on, "Not that it matters too much to the Vex. The only thing this erratic time zone does is slow them down on the physical plain."
"I assume Vex design things beyond what our eyes see in front of us." Ellana's response earned her a different look from Osiris, this time one of pleasant surprise, he nodded.
"Sooo we're looking for whatever is causing this anomaly to... you know... not shrink." Sagira said.
"The Ahamkara?"
The feathers shook dramatically with Osiris disagreement, "No, it doesn't have a reason to make a hole in time worse."
"Why not?"
"It benefits from creatures being alive, not dead."
"Tell that to that very dead squadron of Cabal."
Osiris only chuckled coldly in response, "Seems there's more than one anomaly down here."
"That's for sure." Sagira chimed.
Pearl narrowed his optic and snuggled close to Ellana's neck, sitting in between her collar and a fold of cloth so he didn't fall off. He didn't always like hanging out in her head space.
"We'll cover more ground if we split up." Osiris said.
"Or Ella will get totally lost without us, it's not like she has a get out of jail free card like you." Sagira scolded her Guardian.
"Reasonable enough. These areas are prone to shifting with time being so... unpredictable."
"Unpredictable... sounds like fun." Ellana smiled more out of nerves than her sense of humor. She never liked messing with time or anything beyond the mortal realm. However, the Beyond in whatever form seemed to always manage to pay her a visit. It was a disadvantage to being Awoken and Risen, you could tell when something was wrong or different before anyone else could.
The fights were minimal as they walked the seemingly never ending length of the canyon. Vex for the most part kept their distance as they seemed too preoccupied with repairing the tears in time as well as the physical structures caused by the Cabal star destroyer. Ellana imagined that construction wasn't just happening in front of their eyes.
The two Guardians were silent for quite some time. Only conversing when they needed to analyze or exchange information. However the more they spoke, the more Ellana noticed that his tone softened a little. Perhaps the more she showed her willingness to assess things in a scientific manner, the more comfortable he felt.
They chased down clues for a good couple of days, that was about the time Ellana actually started to feel tired. Not so much physically tired, as they were mostly walking except for the occasional scuffle with Vex, it was a mental exhaustion. Guardians could perform for weeks at a time if they wanted/needed to. However they were encouraged by their seniors to take a break for the sake of sanity. They did, after all, come from a being that rested on a regular basis.
"Osiris!" she called up to the man ahead as she finished jumping over a small creek of white glowing fluid, "I think it's time to rest."
"We don't have time to rest."
"What are you talking about we don't even have time down here." Ellana sighed, catching up to him, "I just need a few minutes to... center myself." she said instead of saying 'nap'. She wanted to speak on the level of her usual fire team but she felt she couldn't do that with Osiris, at least not at the moment.
"Good then you should never be tired."
Ellana pinched her brows together, "Did... did you just sass me?" she stopped when the other Warlock stopped.
"Am I not allowed to sass someone?"
"Osiris...? Sassing someone? Nooooo..." Sagira giggled from her perch on his shoulder.
He sighed and shook his head, feathers enunciating his exasperation, "Fine, but only for a short while."
They chose a small outcropping of rock that seemed to be undisturbed, probably a small piece of cave that the Vex hadn't plundered to make room for their giant machine. Osiris set his weapon in his lap as he sat down on the white sand, Ellana took up a position on the opposite side of the small cave.
Might as well look the part...
Ellana positioned herself with three glowing orbs in front of her. The Solar energy looked like three mini suns circling one another. It was a game Ellana played with herself sometimes when she had to meditate in the Warlock halls. It also helped her rest her mind and refocus. Sometimes simplifying the world just in front of you eased the burden of being alive for so long.
Pearl remained in his Guardian's headspace at this point. He flew through the glass columns and walls etched with complex data codes. It was one of the ways that Ellana had been able to comprehend the Ghosts' bio-digital world inside her own head and Pearl decided to keep the visuals.
He was double checking some code when abruptly out of the corner of his optic he saw movement. Nothing ever moved in here unless Ellana shook to her very core.
Quick as he could he flew over to where he'd seen intruder and rounded a corner just in time to see Sagira disappear into the next hallway scanning for something.
"Sagira!" Pearl yelled, his voice echoing unnaturally against the room. The white ghost sped after her and finally caught up but she didn't stop moving, "Sagira!" Pearl growled, "What are you doing in here?!"
"I'm looking for something." she started scanning a nearby column and went in a couple of circles before deciding it wasn't there and moving on.
"Look Sagira I know we're bonded and all because of that weird cult machine, but that doesn't give you the right to just barge in here and tinker with things! She's MY Guardian!"
"I'm not tinkering with anything." Sagira flew around another wall again.
"You...! Wait... you aren't?" Pearl tried to keep up, Sagira was quick to decide where she was going and he almost ran into the walls a couple times.
"Of course not, like you said, she's your Guardian... technically ours... but mostly yours." she soared down a long hallway, looking to either side, noticing how compact the code was becoming. Then it opened up into a spacious empty room with six columns on either side of a massive door. Chains were tangled between the pillars that seemed to have no end where they linked. They glowed hot when Sagira tried to get closer so she backed away, looking at the door on the far side.
"I meant to ask... is that door her old life?"
"Yes... it was... a lot more recent than most Ghosts now days do." Pearl sighed heavily. He didn't like coming to this area of Ellana's consciousness. It sent a cold feeling through his circuits. Sagira braved getting closer again, seeing the nasty cracks in the black glass that made up the entirety of the space. The lines of code pulsed gently with green light.
"Looks like you two had a rough start."
"Yeah... we did." Pearl looked at his reflection on the floor. Even with the dark glass he could see the scar on his optic.
He glanced up, "Anyway, what are you doing in here?"
"Trying to find some specific details about Ellana, I saw them before now I just have to remember where." immediately the aged gold Ghost went sailing down the hall the opposite direction.
"If I may drill down to the bed rock of my question, what and why?"
"I'll tell you the why." she turned and looked at him, "For Osiris."
"For... Osiris...? What?"
"That's two whats now." Sagira quickly scanned another wall, "Let me put it this way, it's been several... well... out here anyway... a really really long time since Osiris has had anyone in his company but me. Aha!" she scanned a particular endless spiral of his code and the entire wall lit up for a few seconds, "Got it! Come with me!" she said excitedly. She opened up what could only be described as a portal and hopped in. Pearl hesitated till she poked her eye over the edge and gestured for him to follow.
Pearl exited Ellana's mind and into Osiris'.
At first he was very discombobulated, his sense of which was which rolling. Once he settled Pearl looked up and around. The images of Sagira's world inside her Guardian were of stone and metal. The sun's rays could be seen tilting against certain walls, the code here glowed a warm honey yellow. Here and there an occasional chair could be seen, like someone would be sitting and reading.
"Welcome to my humble abode. Feels weird doesn't it?"
"That's a... small way to put it..." The white ghost felt very powerless here, he didn't know where anything was or if he could decipher any of it. Sagira was a very senior Ghost, having been alive for long enough that even other Ghosts knew and respected her experience.
Pearl look a closer look at her handiwork in creating the Guardian that was called Osiris. She stayed there and watched him.
"This is all brilliant..." Pearl growled, feeling his inexperience very painfully.
"Thank you, feel free to poke around when you want." he looked up at her, "Just don't do it when they're awake... they notice it faster... or at least Osiris does." she flitted down a nearby tunnel, "I think it's only fair, if I have access to your Guardian, you have access to mine. Call it a gift of trust."
"Hey! Wait for me!" Pearl dashed after Sagira. They went through several different areas till Pearl was thoroughly lost since he didn't have time to read anything. One constant however was that the sun's rays were always shining somewhere, didn't matter how odd the structures were.
Sagira found a wall with a similar endless spiral to the one she'd found in Ellana's mind. The prodded it to life, light filling in the cold language.
"What... are you doing?"
She accessed a holographic panel that appeared in front of her and she 'copy pasted' Ellana's information into it, "You know how our Guardians are made from an eternal cosmic god?" the language began mixing, picking and choosing certain clusters of symbols from Pearl's spiral, "One of the reasons I chose Osiris is his dedication to save humanity... even if it's a thankless duty with the methods he chooses. However, organic creatures for the most part... were not meant to live forever. 'Forever' is a very... very long time to comprehend."
Green over lapped the gold, not overwhelming it but hovering just above the wall, almost like a sub note.
She finally turned to Pearl, "I see our bond as an opportunity to... help Osiris not lose that soft part of humanity that's so important. We don't need another... you know... Thorn."
"You're manipulating him?"
"No no... that would be disrespectful to him. I'm merely... encouraging certain things to be noticed." the green language above the wall started shifting, going from one cluster to the next several times before settling down, "He keeps himself distant emotionally especially after the Vanguard turned their back on them... even Ikora, isolation is the worst thing a human can do to themselves in the long run."
A loud digital click followed by several beeps and the spiral locked itself in place, a strange mosaic of gold and green now. The words glittered when the sunlight touched them.
"It's just another way to take care of your Guardian, eternity can be very harsh on a heart that knew for sure it would... sleep one day." Sagira watched Pearl reading the text, "Nothing big has to happen... but it would be rather nice to see him smile and laugh again." she sighed, "What do you think, Pearl? I'm asking as a friend."
The Light behind Pearl's optical glass softened a bit. He hadn't really thought about the far future with his Guardian... not like this. He'd figured everything would be the same old same old. It hadn't occurred to him that perhaps one day, Ellana would grow weary.
It was all just an endless cycle of destruction and creation anyway. What did you live for in between?