Chapter 9
The coordinates lead us in the direction of the European Dead Zone. Not a welcoming name. I hadn't found myself in the area over the years, minus the occasional Crucible match. Lord Shaxx did love putting his arenas anywhere and everywhere. He put one of those things on the Darkness-blasted Dreadnaught of all places. Of course "Dead Zone" would be no deterrent, even if it did keep pretty much everyone else out.
I hadn't been there, but I'd heard stories. Rumor had it that something in the region warped and twisted much of the landscape and wildlife. Stories of "haunted forests" had spread through the Tower a while back, usually by Hunters and drawing even more of them into the area to look around. Enough didn't make it back to convince the Vanguard to... encourage them to stay away, though not enough to official deem it off-limits.
And now we were getting a signal to come join a bunch of refugees there. Funny how life works.
"Anybody have any clue what we're flying into?" Kana-4 asked.
"Nope," I replied.
"That... That is decidedly unhelpful," the Exo Titan said in return.
I gave a shrug she couldn't see. "It's what I do."
Celeste laughed. "Ghost stories. Legends. It's hard sometimes to tell truth from fiction when a bunch Hunters spin yarns around a fire."
"Or when a Hunter gives a mission report, or talks about gambling winnings, or tells you what they had for breakfast..." I added.
"Oh shush, Old Man."
"It's why I like it when Tanton talks. He does it so rarely, you know he wouldn't waste it on nonsense."
"Thanks, I guess," Tanton replied.
"Oh, we'll fix that eventually," Celeste said. "Sure, stoic and deadly has a certain allure, but chatty is just more fun."
"Blessed Traveler, what is that?" Kana gasped.
We were approaching the given coordinates. No "farm" was visible yet, but that isn't what had caused the reaction. A large half-dome shape rose from the landscape, it's presence seeming to disrupt the atmosphere around it as lightning could clearly be seen arcing against the surface of it, but nowhere else in the area. Something seemed to be glowing inside the curve of the thing as well, giving more light than the electricity sparking around it.
Elgan materialized without warning near my head and drifted forward, letting out a soft whisper, "That's a shard of the Traveler."
"You sure about that?" I asked the Ghost.
"Of course I'm sure," he retorted. "You've been in the City and seen the underside. The Traveler was badly damaged around the time of the collapse. This is a piece of its shell."
"You catch that?" I asked the others. They all replied an affirmative.
"I wonder if we could get to it," Celeste added, a note of awe in her voice.
"Perhaps," I said. "But first, we need to find the coordinates from the message."
It didn't take us much longer. The Farm was practically in the shadow of the shard. I was mildly surprised to find that the Farm was actually a farm. I'd expected it to be some sort of code. We could see several people, Guardians and non-Guardians alike, milling about. All looked up on our approach. Near what looked like an honest-to-goodness sports field, I could see someone waving some landing lights. We banked in close, then transmatted down onto the field.
"I'm getting a signal on where to dock the ship," Elgan said in my ear. "Give me a second."
Once our feet touched the ground, several people came over in our direction. Some were hoping to see familiar faces or lost loved ones and turned away disappointed. Others were just there to welcome other survivors, and there were plenty of calls of, "Welcome, Guardian!"
We shook offered hands, accepted enthusiastic embraces, and made our way toward what appeared to be the central hub. I could see a set up for mail and storage, which was a welcome sight. The fact that Tess Everis had already managed to set up shop somehow just made me shake my head. I could see Tyra Karn as well. Why was she here? Had the Red Legion hit the home of the Iron Lords?
"Hey there, Guardians," an unfamiliar voice called out, and I turned my gaze skyward. A woman I didn't know in a poncho was standing on a platform extending from the side of the large wooden structure. She motioned for us to join her. "Come on up."
I glanced to the others. Tanton shrugged. Seeing no stairwell on the outside, I entered the building to find a way up. Once I'd passed through the door, I was pleasantly surprised to find Lord Shaxx standing inside.
"Claney?" Shaxx called out. "Good to see another Titan survived the Red Legion. And your team as well."
"Most of us," I replied. "Baruch didn't make it."
"Shame. He showed promise. We've lost too many good Guardians to this Ghaul," venom dripped from his voice at that name. "We will end the Red Legion. We will reclaim our home. And when we do, I will glory in turning his command ship into a Crucible arena."
"I look forward to it, sir," I said before continuing up the wooden stairs.
"Welcome to the Farm, Guardians," the woman greeted us as we emerged into the sunlight. "Name's Hawthorne. Nice to see a few more of you straggling in, we can always use a few more hands around the place."
I got my first good look at her. Dark hair peaked from beneath the hood of the poncho and she had a circular pattern of dots painted or tattooed onto her face. Her clothing looked worn and stained, like someone who had spent plenty of time out in the wilds. On our approach, a large hawk or falcon landed behind her, cocking its head to look us over.
"Thanks. I'm Claney. These," I indicated the others, "are Celeste, Kana, and Tanton."
"Where are you coming in from?"
"Mars by way of the Tower."
"You picked up our signal at the Tower?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Great," Hawthorne seemed to relax a little at the news. "That means the signal boosters Aasim connected for us are working. That should lead plenty of refugees to us."
"Aasim?" I asked. "Aasim-7? Exo Hunter, green shell?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Nothing. Just should have figured he'd survive and be in the middle of things again," I said with a chuckle.
"He's done more than survive," she replied, her voice losing some of its friendliness. "He's done a lot for us, though now that he has his Light back, he seems to be in a hurry to run off and get himself killed."
"Wait," Celeste interjected, stepping forward. "He got his Light back? How?"
"How should I know that?" Hawthorne asked rhetorically. "I don't have any first hand experience with that sort of thing, if you hadn't noticed. The only thing I know is that it had something to do with that."
At the end of the statement, Hawthorne hiked her thumb up and pointed over her shoulder toward the shard of the Traveler. Clearly, we weren't the only ones who had been curious about it. If Aasim regained his Light from visiting it, perhaps it would be worth looking at closer. I watched jagged streaks of lightning play across its surface for a moment before refocusing on the woman in the poncho.
"Personally, I wouldn't recommend crawling through the woods near that thing. It has a well earned reputation. However-" she stopped mid-sentence, focusing on an incoming transmission only she could hear. "What? No, I need you to... Just wait, I'll be right there."
She turned her attention back to us. "Speak of the devil. I have to go. Feel free to make yourselves useful. Hopefully a lot more people will be following that signal and we need to be ready."
"Sure. Thanks again," I said as she hurried past us. We turned and headed back down the stairs.
Two steps down, Tanton asked, "Who is Aasim-7?"
"I'm sure you've heard of the slayer of Crota and Oryx? The Guardian who successfully raided the Vault of Glass and killed the leader of the Devil Splicers?"
"Hivebane, Young Wolf, and a host of other names that have been bandied about," Celeste added.
"Ah," the Hunter nodded.
"And now, seemingly the only Guardian with Light."
I just shook my head. It figures that if any one Guardian was going to be spared, it would be Aasim. I had sarcastically used the term "Super-Guardian" when rumors began circulating that one Guardian had accomplished so many major feats over the last several years. Then it had turned out to be true, and from a Guardian who had barely been revived before beginning this string of achievements. It seemed as if he did have some special connection to the Light and the Traveler that the rest of us just lacked somehow. That wasn't a particularly pleasant thought, that I may be lacking something important.
I turned my eyes again to the piece of the Traveler in the distance, wondering if anyone else had attempted to travel to it in hopes of regaining their Light as well. If one Guardian could do it, why not more? Was Aasim really some sort of "chosen one"? The idea seemed wholly unacceptable to me at that moment. That thought was interrupted by Celeste's voice.
"Old Man? Are you listening?"
"Hmm? Sorry."
"Where'd you go just now?"
"Sorry, kiddo, I was lost in thought for a moment."
"Well, we'll leave you alone to brood then," she said, giving me an odd look. "I was just saying I wanted to poke my nose around and check things out. Split up and then meet back here in a few?"
"Sure, sounds like a plan," I said with a nod.
She stared at me for several seconds as if trying to read my expression, then turned and walked away. The other two headed off in opposite directions, with Kana heading in the direction of the Eververse stand and Tanton heading past the building we had just been in. I decided to see what sort of accommodations had been set up.
The Farm was clearly still a work in progress. Some important things had already been put in place, but I didn't see nearly enough places set aside for the amount of people that would probably be flowing in here. Some Guardians could just stay on their ships, especially those that had larger ships like my Invictus had been. Lost Days was pretty must just a cockpit, not the best long-term solution for a place to bunk up for an extended time.
Then there was the hygiene issue. A, hopefully, large number of Guardians might all be staying in close proximity, and we'd lost nearly everything when the Tower fell. That was going to mean a lack of clothing to change into or spare armor to swap. There were going to be some ripe smelling Guardians gathered together if something wasn't worked out. Clearly that was an issue less important than simply staying alive, but it was probably going to be coming up sooner rather than later.
During my tour of the compound, my eyes kept moving back to the shard of the Traveler in the distance. It was nearly impossible to focus on anything else. I knew the urge to go to it would continue to eat at me until I actually followed through, so I opted not to fight the compulsion.
I held out my hand and Elgan materialized over my palm. It took longer than it usually did. He was still moving slower since the Light left us. I wondered if he would ever recover entirely.
"I've decided to go check out the shard," I told him. "Alone."
"Well, that's the worst decision you've made in a while," he replied.
"Very likely," I nodded. "But I have to go see it, and without Light, I'm not going to let the others risk it."
"No chance I can talk you out of this, I'm guessing?"
"Nope."
He sighed. "That's what I thought. What's the plan?"
"Go over there," I said, pointing to the shard. "That's about the gist of it."
Elgan rolled his optic.
"I'm going to cut across the soccer field, hop that fence, and walk into the woods. We'll have to leave the Lost Days behind. Launching it would be too noticeable, and the others would be able to track it. We'll hike our way to the piece of the Traveler, watching for any dangers along the way. Better?"
"Not exactly, though a step better than just, 'Go over there,'" the Ghost said. "And what shall I do if the others try to reach out to us? Because you know they will."
"We'll burn that bridge when we get there," I said, glancing around to see if the others were in sight. "Time to go."
Elgan dematerialized and I set off. I stayed close to the buildings, casting glances to see if I could spot any of my team. Once I got to the bridge leading to the soccer field, I dropped down into the creek, using the raised banks to keep me out of view. Once clear, I climbed out and made my way to the tree line. I thought I'd managed to slip away when my thoughts were once again interrupted by the voice of Celeste.
"Going somewhere?"
She stepped out from behind a tree in front of me, standing with her arms crossed over her chest. Her helmet was on, so I could not see her face, but everything about her posture said that she was angry. So much for slipping away unseen.
"Did you say something?" I asked Elgan when the Ghost appeared again.
Celeste answered before he could, "No, he didn't say anything. I knew something was going on with you, and really there was only one thing it could have been." She jabbed an accusatory finger in the direction of the shard. "Were you really just going to go without us? Without me? And then what? You die alone without your Light and we are just left wondering where you went? Or what happens if you manage to get your Light back? Would you even have come back for us then, of would you just go gallivanting off on your own to try to save the world?"
"I would have come back-" I began, but she cut me off.
"I'm not finished. You do this stuff all the time. When we were going after that Archon years ago. The moon. On the Reef looking for Zillah. Dealing with that crazy, Siva-fueled Hunter. You always try to leave everyone behind and do it yourself, and I'm sick of it."
She stepped forward then and thrust both hands forward quickly, her palms striking my chest. The move caught me off guard and I staggered back. My foot caught a fallen branch and I tripped. I hit the ground hard. Before I could recover, Celeste darted in with a closed fist and punched the side of my helmet.
I rolled away from her and scrambled to my feet. She was in on me quickly, swinging again. I managed to get an arm up this time and deflect the blow. I managed to catch her forearm the next time she tried to hit me, and caught her other arm as well. She struggled to pull free, but I held tight.
"Celeste, stop it," I said through gritted teeth.
"No!" she shouted, swinging her leg to try to kick me.
I pivoted to dodge the kick, then swung her around so that her back was to me and I had her arms pinned across her body. I ducked my head so that it was at shoulder level and she couldn't rear back to headbutt me. I pushed my right elbow in, taking her off balance, so now she was leaned back against my shoulder.
"Let me go!" she shouted again, trying to wriggle free.
"No," I said, "not until you calm down and stop attacking me."
"Not until you stop running off and being stupid," was the retort.
"Can't do that, kiddo."
"Why not?"
"Because I can't lose anyone else," I replied. "It's why I didn't bother with a fireteam for so long. After most of my first team died, it was too difficult. If I can do this, if I can take this on myself, and keep the rest of you safe in the process, then I'm going to do it."
"You're going to lose us anyway," she said, struggling less against my hold. "You're going to push us all away, and we're going to leave."
"Better you hate me and be alive than follow me happily into something and die."
Sensing some of the fight leaving her, I let her go, giving her a nudge to regain her balance and stepping back. We stood facing each other then, neither willing to give an inch.
"And if you die? How am I supposed to deal with that, you big idiot?" she asked. "'You've got me, and I've got you.' I said that to you just yesterday. If there's no you, then what do I have?"
I had no response.
"You know what?" she said finally, throwing up her hands. "You go. Go see the shard. See what happens. Maybe we'll still be here when you get back."
"Celeste!" I called to her as she turned to walk away.
She paused, half looking over her shoulder. "What?"
"Get the others. We'll go together."
She nodded, then started jogging back to the Farm. I sat and waited for the rest of the team. While waiting, I stared at the shard, wondering what exactly we would find when we arrived.
…
AN
Thank you Palmtree192 for the story follow!
MaybeALittleBroken: Reducing my readers to talking gibberish? I'll take that as a good sign.
