INTERVIEWER: So Saoirse didn't get in trouble for breaking your rules?

VALENTINA: No. Not really.

INTERVIEWER: How often does that happen?

VALENTINA: Does what happen? Saoirse get in trouble? Not as often as you might think for someone with her personality.

INTERVIEWER: Real quick, there was something I wanted to discuss. (rustling papers) It was mentioned by Saoirse that a Titan by the name of Vladimir was in charge of the Tower prison?

VALENTINA: Yes.

INTERVIEWER: We asked Saoirse why a prison was necessary if the Guardians could escape by using their abilities.

VALENTINA: …

INTERVIEWER: Saoirse also mentioned the prison had 'permanent residents.' Do you know anything about that?

VALENTINA: …

INTERVIEWER: …

VALENTINA: It is true that there are ways to drain a Guardian's Light, but I am hesitant to say anything.

INTERVIEWER: Why is that?

VALENTINA: Is that a serious question?

INTERVIEWER: Of course.

VALENTINA: You think it's strange that I don't want to discuss a potential weakness of Guardians with a possible enemy?

INTERVIEWER: We aren't your enemy.

VALENTINA: So says you.

INTERVIEWER: Your continued cooperation would be most helpful.

VALENTINA: For you. So far, I haven't gotten a very good deal from this arrangement.

INTERVIEWER: (sigh) I'll see what I can do but I won't promise anything.

VALENTINA: You've said that before, so I'm not expecting anything. (pause) What did Saoirse say about Vladimir?

INTERVIEWER: That he was the only one 'Big and mean enough to keep the crazies in line.' Her words, not mine.

VALENTINA: Vladimir is certainly gruff and can come across as intimidating, but he is not mean. He is actually a very nice person. (sigh) Vladimir is primarily a Defender Titan, which focuses on Void energy. One of their abilities is a suppression grenade, which focuses Void light in a compact shape that explodes momentarily suppresses a Guardian's light. So based on that, use your imagination how Guardians are kept in confinement.

INTERVIEWER: I see. Is that what happened to Saoirse then?

VALENTINA: At that time, Vladimir used his suppression grenade to block Saoirse's Light, but she wasn't taken to a heavy duty cell. For her, it was more like getting put in time out.

INTERVIEWER: Interesting. Moving on, you went to see the Vanguard the day after?

VALENTNA: Yes.

INTERVIEWER: What was discussed?

VALENTINA: Not much really. We still couldn't come up with a plausible solution.

Valentina sighed. Weeks had passed since she and Selene had raided the Cabal base, but so far, no one could agree on the best course of action. Cayde was all for blowing stuff up, but Ikora disagreed, saying the consequences far outweighed the reward. Zavala didn't say much, and kept his thoughts mostly to himself. As usual, Selene was hardly seen in the tower and Saoirse complained loudly about her wall duty punishment. In the meantime, the Spartans snuck out of the Tower to visit the city. Part of Valentina wished she had gone with them.

"So why didn't you?" Valkyrie asked. Valentina shrugged. "I don't know. Something about it just bugs me."

"The City?" Valkyrie asked. Valentina shook her head. "No. This whole situation. Is there something that we are overlooking?"

"You mean helping the Spartans get home?" Valkyrie asked and Valentina nodded, then frowned. "Now that I think about it, I haven't seen that Doctor Chudnoffsky lately."

"I would say good riddance, but I can see how that would be a problem," Valkyrie said.

Valentina wandered over to the clinic and went inside. She asked about Doctor Chudnoffsky, but the nurses said he hadn't been in for a few days. Valentina thanked them for their troubles and left. "Well that's disconcerting," Valkyrie said.

"I agree," Valentina said. She went to the apartment where the Spartans were staying and knocked on the door. Aurora answered and said, "Hey. What's up?"

"Oh. I was just wondering if any of you had seen Doctor Chudnoffsky lately," Valentina said.

Aurora frowned. "No I haven't." She opened the door and invited Valentina inside. "Hey! It's Valentina!" Aurora called out as she disappeared inside. Valentina sat in a chair and waited. She heard shouting in the distance and Aurora came back in and said, "No one has seen him recently. Why? Is he in trouble?"

"I don't know," Valentina admitted. "Does he seem like the type to get into trouble?"

Aurora put her hand to her chin and thought. "I don't know the guy well enough, but from what I've heard from Steve and Allen, once he sets his mind to something, he won't let it go."

"I see," Valentina replied. By now, Steve and Allen had walked in. This was really the first time Valentina had seen them without their armor. Allen and Steve had their hair cut very close to the scalp, while Aurora's brown hair was about chin length and held back with a hair tie. Even out of their armor, Allen and Steve were very tall, with Steve being physically bigger than Allen and Aurora. Aurora was the shortest of the three, and all of them had pale skin. Valentina imagined this was because they spent so much time in their armor. She started to feel uncomfortable with the three of them looming over her.

"Hmm. If I were an idiot doctor, where would I hide?" Steve asked, and stroked his chin in thought.

"Well, he is an alien lover. Where is the nearest place with aliens?" Allen asked.

"Technically, the Fallen have camps located around the City," Valentina said.

"What would it take to get out there?" Steve asked.

"Not much. There are entrances through the wall, but they are heavily guarded," Valentina said. "The easiest way would be to take a ship and go a short distance away from the city."

"Okay. I think we can agree the doctor took a ship and headed out somewhere," Steve said.

"Hold on. I think that's a bit much at this point," Aurora said. "Perhaps he just went down into the City. From what I saw, it's a very big place and easy to get lost in. Perhaps he went down there and hasn't come back yet?"

"That is also a good guess," Allen said. They all thought for a few moments and Valentina said, "I think we should go and talk to Amanda. If he did take a ship, she would know about it." Allen and Steve nodded in agreement and Valentina led them through the Tower to the hangar.

"Hey there!" Amanda called out when she saw them. "What can I do for ya?"

"Do you remember the other guy that came here with us?" Allen asked.

"Tall, thin, graying hair, and a pretentious douche bag?" Steve offered.

"Hmm. Not really. However, there was a guy who fit that description who came through the other day. He got a little heated when I wouldn't just give him a ship."

"Why not?" Aurora asked.

Amanda raised an eyebrow and stared at Aurora. "Do you really think I'm going to give a ship, one of the most valuable resources the City has, to some guy I don't know? Tell me, how much sense does that make to you?"

"Okay, I'm sorry," Aurora said and put her hands up.

"Anyway," Allen interrupted, "Where did he go after that?"

"Well after he threw a tantrum, he kinda stormed out. Haven't seen him since," Amanda said. "What's his deal anyway?"

"Back where we come from, he studies aliens. He's a doctor in alien biology and stuff," Steve said.

"Oh. One of those eh?" Amanda said. "It's rare, but we have those kinds of people here too. They think that we can all just get along, and the only reason they want to kill us is because we are killing them first." She sighed and shook her head. "Some people just don't understand that some things just want us all dead."

"Sounds about right," Allen said.

While they were talking, Valentina was lost in thought. Based on what she knew about Doctor Chudnoffsky, he wouldn't just give up. He was too stubborn and thought too highly of himself. In the time they had been here, it was possible he had learned about the Fallen, Vex and Hive, but Valentina had a suspicion he was most interested in the Awoken. She recalled the conversation they had and realized she might have said too much. He had pestered her endlessly about becoming his test subject, but she had refused. Valentina wouldn't put it past him to ask other Awoken in the Tower. And besides the Tower, where was the largest concentration of Awoken? That thought hit Valentina like a thunderbolt. "Amanda, is there regular shipments between the Tower and the Reef?" she blurted out.

"Yeah. Why?" Amanda asked.

"He asked me to go back and be a test subject for his research and didn't appreciate it when I said no. When did the last shipment go out?" Valentina asked. This line of thinking was making her more agitated, especially since she was the one who had mentioned it.

"Uh, a few days ago. Why?" Amanda asked. She saw the anxious look on Valentina's face and realization slowly came over her. "Oh. That could be bad."

"Wait. What's bad?" Steve asked.

"When I told him no, I imagine Doctor Chudnoffsky asked others in the Tower to take my place. I bet others said the same thing. And where else besides the Tower do Awoken live?" Valentina asked.

"The Reef," Amanda replied. "It makes sense why he would want a ship." She frowned and added, "Does he even know how to fly a ship?"

"At this point it doesn't matter," Steve said. "If your guess is correct, then he went to this Reef place. So how do we get there?"

At that moment, the Tower public address crackled to life. "Uh, Warlock Valentina? Could you come and meet with the Vanguard? What? Really? Oh, and Zavala wants you to bring your new friends. Thanks! See you soon," Cayde said.

They stared at each other for a few moments. "I bet I know what this is about," Allen said. They all turned their attention to Valentina, who shrank under their gaze. "It's not my fault," she mumbled.

"Well, it kinda is," Steve said. "If you had agreed to the doctor's demands, we wouldn't have to go get his dumb ass out of trouble again."

"Okay, okay," Allen said, stepping between Steve and Valentina. "Let's just go and see what this is about."

"Good luck," Amanda said and waved them off. It wasn't a long walk from the Hangar to the Vanguard Hall and Valentina was silent the whole way. Steve's words troubled her greatly. Was this her fault? Was there anything else she could have done to prevent this? Doctor Chudnoffsky was a smart man. Even if Valentina hadn't told him about the Reef, he would have found out anyway. Valentina nervously chewed on her thumb nail.

"Hey! There they are!" Cayde called out. Valentina stopped at the foot of the stairs and fidgeted nervously. Cayde gave her a long look and said, "So. I imagine you know why you're here?"

"I have an idea," Valentina said softly.

Ikora gave Cayde a stern look. She then turned to Valentina and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I understand your trepidation, but this isn't your fault."

Zavala cleared his throat. "Just to make things clear. We have received word from the Reef that an unknown visitor claiming to be from another universe showed up at the Vestian Outpost and started causing trouble. The Reef has him in custody."

"And what do you want us to do about it?" Steve asked.

"Our relations with the Reef and the Awoken are tenuous at best. It's in our best interest to not let things get worse," Zavala said. "Having newcomers such as yourself cause a scene certainly do not help matters."

"Like I said, what do you want us to do about it?" Steve repeated. He crossed his arms and made himself look as intimidating as possible.

Zavala narrowed his eyes. "I don't want you to do anything. You've done enough by not keeping an eye on this Doctor Chudnoffsky fellow."

"Don't blame me. I'm not responsible for his actions," Steve said.

"Whether you believe that or not doesn't matter. He came with you from your world, and any action reflects on all of you," Zavala said. "In the meantime, Warlock Valentina will go to the Reef and negotiate for his release."

"Me?" Valentina squeaked. "Why me?"

"Because you are a Guardian and familiar with these outsiders," Zavala said.

"Are you sure it has nothing to do with the fact I am an Awoken?" Valentina asked.

Zavala narrowed his eyes. "You know as well as I do that the Reef-born Awoken do not view us in a good light."

"Just making sure," Valentina mumbled. "And I don't know anything about Reef politics, or politics in general. I don't know if I can convince them to let the doctor go."

"You're a Guardian. You'll do you your best," Zavala said. With that, he deemed the meeting over. Cayde gave Valentina a sympathetic look and shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry. Wish I could offer some advice, but I know about as much as you do."

Ikora was more helpful. "Try talking to the Acting Regent-Commander Petra Venj. She might be more lenient since she has much more to worry about." Valentina nodded and left.

Steve ran to catch up. "So, when are we leaving?"

"I don't know if it's a good idea for you to tag along," Valentina said.

"Well we are kinda responsible for the idiot doctor," Allen said.

Steve turned to Allen and said, "Didn't you hear what I said back there? He's a big boy who can make his own stupid decisions. Don't drag us down with him."

"And what happens when we go back without him?" Allen persisted. "Look. I get it. I really do. But it will look bad on us for leaving him behind. All the science nerds will be asking for our heads. You know how they are."

"Yeah I do, but it serves them right," Steve said.

While they argued, Valentina had a sudden thought. She looked over her shoulder and tried to suppress a shudder. Eris Morn was a Hunter that participated in The Great Disaster. In retaliation for the dead Guardians, Eris formed a fireteam with five other Guardians to find and kill Crota. They ventured deep into the Hellmouth on the Moon and waited for their chance. Needless to say, they failed and Eris was the only survivor. One could only guess at the horrors she saw and experienced while she was lost. At some point, Eris lost her Ghost and her sight and it was said she replaced her lost eyes with those from a Hive enemy. Her face was heavily bandaged, but three glowing eyes shined a sickly green color. Dark miasma flowed quietly down her face like unending tears. Her time in the darkness changed her greatly. Few remembered her from before.

Very hesitantly, Valentina made her way to Eris' stall. "Speak, Warlock," Eris said, startling Valentina. "Oh. Yes. Sorry," she stammered. "I do have a question." Eris' three glowing eyes burned deep into Valentina's soul. "Um, the Hive Ascendant realm can act as a portal to other dimensions, yes?"

Eris nodded. "There are gateways to the Ascendant realm. However, the Ascendant realm itself is another dimension."

"So it would be possible to enter the Ascendant realm and exit into another dimension?" Valentina asked. Eris stopped to consider her words. "I suppose that could be the case," Eris said. "But you would have to know the coordinates of the dimension you are trying to travel to."

Valentina nodded. "That would make sense. Is there any way to know what dimension you would be trying to travel to?"

"I am unsure," Eris said. "I assume this is related to those strange people you found?"

Valentina nodded. "But Selene is the one who found them." At this, Eris perked up. "Selene? I have not seen her for some time."

Valentina looked around uncertainly. "Well, she has an aversion to the Tower for some reason."

"Indeed. I do not blame her," Eris said. "But that is not for me to tell."

Valentina gave Eris a curious look. "Your question intrigues me. I shall look into it."

"Oh. You don't have to if you don't want to. I didn't mean to impose on you or anything," Valentina stammered. Eris dismissed her words with a wave of the hand. "Pay it no mind. However, I will ask you to do something for me," she said.

Uh-oh, Valentina thought.

"On the Dreadnaught, there is a Hive Knight that guards the way to the Dreadnaught core. If left to its own devices, it will grow in power and attempt to usurp the Taken throne. This cannot be allowed to happen," Eris said.

"And why do I have to do this?" Valentina asked.

Eris cocked her head to the side and stared at Valentina. "It is a fair trade. I gave you information and in return, you will do this for me."

"We never had that sort of agreement," Valentina argued. "I merely asked you a question since you have knowledge about the Hive."

"I shared that knowledge with you, and in return I am merely asking for compensation. Is that so wrong?" Eris asked. The air seemed to grow colder and an uneasy feeling came over Valentina. "N-no. I guess not," she stammered.

"Good. I will await news of your success," Eris said and turned her back to Valentina.

Valentina was quite nervous and confused. Eris had unsettled her greatly. It kind of made sense that Eris would ask for some form of compensation, but go to the Dreadnaught and kill a Hive Knight? It sounded so simple. It was true that Hive Knights were quite dangerous, but they could be dealt with. Valentina had a sneaking suspicion there was something Eris wasn't telling her. Valentina sighed. She would deal with that when the time came.

Steve threw his arm around Valentina and she gave out a startled yelp. "Whatcha doin?" he asked.

"Nothing. Talking to Eris," Valentina replied and pushed Steve's arm off. "Right now I have to go to the Reef."

"Oh. When do we leave?" Steve asked.

"I really don't think you should come with me. The Awoken at the Reef are very reclusive and don't take kindly to strangers," Valentina said.

"All the more reason for us to go with you. For protection," Steve said.

Valentina frowned. "I suppose it would be worthless to ask you to stay out of trouble."

"Of course! Trouble is my middle name!" Steve said. Valentina sighed. "Somehow I believe you." Allen and Aurora joined them and the four of them went back to the Hangar.

"Back already?" Amanda asked.

"Yes. I need our ship to go to the Reef," Valentina said.

"Sure thing. I'll have it right out," Amanda said. Moments later, the elevator rose from the depths of the Hangar with their gaudy blue and green ship. "That ship is so ugly!" Steve whined. Valentina ignored him and walked up the ramp. Once everyone was on board and strapped in, Valentina took off and headed for orbit.

"So this place we're going. Why is it called the Reef?" Allen asked.

"During the Collapse, many ships tried to escape to deep space. Many didn't make it and were marooned in the Asteroid Belt. The survivors managed to build a new society, completely isolated from Earth or its colonies," Valentina explained.

"So how did you end up on Earth?" Steve asked. Valentina said nothing and stared out the viewport. "I don't know. Valkyrie found me on Mars. After a while, a Guardian found me and brought me back to the Tower." Valkyrie appeared and settled gently on top of Valentina's head. The trip to the reef didn't take long at near-light speed. Valentina carefully navigated the asteroids and ship debris and arrived at the Vestian Outpost. Due to its location, the area surrounding the Reef seemed to glow with ethereal energy, giving everything a dark purple glow. Valentina brought the ship on approach and carefully put down.

"Um, do we need our helmets here?" Allen asked.

"No. There is atmosphere here, but it is a bit thin," Valentina said. The ramp descended and once Valentina led them out, the ramp retracted and the ship took off. "Don't worry. It's in a holding pattern since there isn't much space here," Valentina added.

The area wasn't very big and appeared to be the remains of a hollowed out ship. Platforms were welded together and connected with walkways to the main parts of the ship. To the right of where they were was the Postmaster and vault access. Directly ahead was an Eververse kiosk and off to the left was a command post of sorts. On the far wall was the Reef cryptarch and Fallen wearing green and white colors. The area was surprisingly well lit, with most of the light coming from the asteroid belt outside.

"So what is this place exactly?" Aurora asked.

"This is the Vestian Outpost. It serves as a gateway to the rest of the Awoken realm," Valentina said. "This is as far as most Guardians are allowed." She led them over to the command post where several Awoken were working. The one in charge had pale lavender colored skin similar to Valentina and a bright electric blue eye. Her left eye was hidden by an eye patch. Her dark maroon hair was cut short and she wore purple and black light armor with gold highlights. She did not look happy. "Normally I would be happy to see a Guardian, but this is not a normal circumstance," she said.

Valentina winced. "I'm sorry Acting Regent-Commander. I was sent by the Vanguard to negotiate for Doctor Chudnoffsky's release."

Petra frowned. "Doctor who?"

Now Valentina was confused. "I was told that an unidentified intruder was apprehended here at the Reef. We assumed it was this Doctor Chudnoffsky."

"Yeah. Our bad on that one," Steve spoke up. Allen elbowed him in the ribs. Petra looked over Valentina's head. "Who are they?"

"It's a long story," Valentina said.

Petra looked back to Valentina. "I don't know of any Doctor Chudnoffsky, but I will take you to the prisoner." Petra turned to one of the other Awoken and spoke in her ear before leading Valentina and the others through the outpost. The tunnels were round and dark as Petra led them through the ruined ship interior. They passed a large opening, but the door was locked and heavily reinforced. "What's in there?" Steve asked.

"That leads to the Prison of Elders," Petra said.

"Oh. Sounds kind of important," Allen said.

"Sure. It's an arena for Guardians to test their might against the most dangerous prisoners in the Reef. Think of it as a reward for the Guardians helping us out during the House of Wolves crisis," Petra said. They continued on and Petra stopped in front of another door. She unlocked it, stepped through and led them down another corridor.

"This is it," Petra said and stopped in front of another door. She unlocked the door and it opened, revealing a small cell and a rather disheveled Doctor Chudnoffsky pacing inside. "This is unacceptable! You have no right to treat me this way!"

"Well, you DID break their rules so this is all your fault," Steve said.

Chudnoffsky became indignant. "What rules have I broken? I have done nothing wrong!"

"Well for one, you are a stowaway," Petra counted. "And two, you are not a Guardian or from the City. Not to mention you caused quite the scene when you got here."

Valentina sighed. "This is the man I was telling you about. I have come from the Vanguard to negotiate for his release."

"Is that so?" Petra asked. "I have half a mind to keep him locked up here."

"By all means do it. You'll be doing us a favor," Steve said. Allen and Aurora elbowed him in the ribs.

"What sort of trouble was he causing?" Valentina asked.

"For starters, he was greatly unimpressed with what we've built here," Petra said. "Then he started wandering around, asking questions and bugging everyone. When he was stopped and asked, he became belligerent. So we detained him."

"What will you accept for his release?" Valentina asked.

"For starters, he is banned from the Reef," Petra said.

"Done," Valentina agreed.

"Hey!" Chudnoffsky protested.

"Shut up old man!" Steve said and put his finger in the doctor's face. "This is all your fault and you have no say." Chudnoffsky sputtered in reply.

"Anything else?" Valentina asked.

Petra thought for a moment. "As a matter of fact, yes. When he arrived, he was holding a small tablet device. I imagine that's what he was recording his notes on. I want all the data he has gathered about the reef deleted."

"Absolutely not!" Chudnoffsky shouted.

"Deal," Valentina said. Petra reached into her pocket and produced the doctor's tablet. "I don't know how that thing works," Valentina said. Allen took the tablet from Petra and stared at Chudnoffsky. "Well?"

"I absolutely refuse! That is my private property and you have no right to take it!" Chudnoffsky said.

"Well you should have thought about that before you stowed away to get here," Allen said.

"How else was I supposed to get here? That so-called shipwright of yours refused to lend me a ship," Chudnoffsky said.

"I'm sure she explained why," Valentina said.

"It doesn't matter! Do you know what happens to those who impede the progress of science and understanding? They become footnotes in history, forgotten in the passage of time. You are impeding my research!" Chudnoffsky insisted.

Petra turned to Valentina. "What is he talking about?"

"His field of study is alien biology. Since we Awoken are not quite Human, he wants to study us and take his findings back to his world," Valentina said. "He asked me to go back and become a living specimen."

Petra looked horrified. "You refused right?"

"Of course," Valentina assured her. Everyone turned to look at Chudnoffsky. "What? Why are you all looking at me like that?" he asked.

"It's simple Doc. Either you stay here and be a special guest of the Reef until you die, or you do as she says and you can come back with us," Steve said.

Chudnoffsky's face started to turn red and Valentina became worried he was going to burst a blood vessel. "I guess there's no choice then," he said through clenched teeth. He grabbed the tablet from Allen and turned it on. Reginald appeared and looked around. "Well this is cozy," he said.

"It seems I have gotten myself in a bit of trouble," Chudnoffsky said. "I need you to retrieve all of the data I have gathered since coming to this place."

"This place as in this world, or this place as in your current location?" Reginald asked.

"My current location," Chudnoffsky said. Reginald's form blinked rapidly and a folder appeared in his hand. "What do you want with this?" he asked.

Chudnoffsky blew out an angry breath. "Delete it."

"Are you sure?" Reginald asked.

"Of course I'm sure!" Chudnoffsky shouted. "Just do as I say!"

Reginald was taken aback. "No need to shout sir," he said and the folder disappeared. "Done. The data has been erased."

"Hold up," Steve said.

"What now?" Chudnoffsky spat

Steve turned to Valentina and asked, "Doesn't your Ghost thing have the ability to interface with computers?"

"Yes," Valentina replied.

"Good. Have it take a look at his computer and make sure all data and records pertaining to everything she said is actually gone," Steve said, pointing his thumb at Petra.

Valkyrie appeared and floated over to Chudnoffsky, who held his tablet against his chest. "What's this about?" he asked.

"You heard him. Let me have a look," Valkyrie said. Reluctantly, Chudnoffsky held out his tablet. Valkyrie scanned the tablet and her points twisted about as she worked. "Oh. This is interesting. The portal that brought them here is similar to the one in the Court of Oryx that the fireteam used to travel to the Ascendant realm."

"Really? That is interesting," Valentina said.

"Hmm. There's a lot of good stuff in here. I had no idea your world was so interesting," Valkyrie said.

Reginald appeared and turned red. "I must protest your action," he said.

"So this is what you consider an A.I.?" Valkyrie asked. "Intersting."

"That data does not pertain to your search," Reginald said, brandishing his cane sword.

"Ha! Like you could stop me," Valkyrie said.

"Play nice," Valentina said.

"Fine," Valkyrie huffed. After a few moments, Valkyrie said, "It's a good thing you had me check. There were all kinds of backups and additional information that was hidden deep in the program files."

"I must strenuously object to this treatment," Reginald said, waving his sword about.

"Doesn't feel too good, does it asshole!" Isis spoke up through Aurora's helmet.

"What was that?" Petra asked, looking around.

Allen and Steve stared hard at Aurora, who shrank away. "Nothing. Ignore it for now," Allen said.

"In any case, I'm done here," Valkyrie said and went back to Valentina. Petra gave a satisfied nod. "You're free to go. Normally your punishment would be much harsher, but since you are apparently not from this universe, we'll let it go for now." Furious, Chudnoffsky stuffed his tablet in his pocket and followed them back out to the main area.

"I apologize for the trouble this has caused. Please don't let this reflect too badly on your view of Guardians and the City," Valentina said with a bow.

"No trouble at all,' Petra said. "It's in the Reef's best interest to maintain communication with the City."

The ship arrived and everyone stepped onboard except for Valentina. "I have another matter to attend to, so I won't be going back with you," she said.

"Then how are we supposed to get back?" Steve asked.

"The coordinates for the City are in the computer. The autopilot will take you straight there," Valentina said.

"Okay. I think we can figure that out," Allen said. The ramp closed and the ship departed, leaving Valentina behind.

"Are you sure that was a good idea?" Valkyrie asked.

"Maybe not, but I really hate to go back to Earth, just to come right back here," Valentina said.

"Well it will take a little while for your ship to get here," Valkyrie said. Valentina wandered around in the meantime. It was rare for Guardians to be invited further into the Reef past the outpost. Valentina had heard of a Guardian who had actually met the Queen of the Awoken, who ruled the Reef with an iron fist. Not much was known about her, but she had gone missing when Oryx arrived in the Solar System. Valentina looked in Petra's direction and could only imagine how Petra felt.

"Your ship is here now," Valkyrie said and transmatted Valentina on board. She took the controls and made the short flight from the Reef to Saturn, where the Dreadnaught was orbiting. It was quite easy to find since it had used its superweapon and made a significant hole in Saturn's famous rings. The Dreadnaught itself was an enormous diamond-shaped spaceship that also served as the gateway to Oryx's Throne World. It was rumored that the Dreadnaught itself was carved from the bones of an ancient Hive god. A large hole was torn in the side where the Cabal had crashed a landing ship into the Dreadnaught. Valentina flew in close to the hole and Valkyrie transmatted her down to the landing zone that had been set up for the Guardians.

"The quickest way to get to where we want to go is through that wrecked Cabal ship," Valkyrie said. "Wasn't there a mission a while back to prevent the Cabal from blowing up the Dreadnaught?"

"I believe so," Valentina replied.

"Hopefully we'll have an easier time than they did," Valkyrie said. The crashed ship was up ahead, and the quickest way inside was through the large cargo ramp. There was a small contingent of Cabal fighting off the Hive. Valentina was amazed there was still Cabal soldiers left. A war of attrition in a Hive fortress was not a winning strategy.

Valentina checked her weapons and set out, carefully to avoid the skirmish between the Hive and Cabal. She made it to the ship and snuck on board with little notice.

"I'm using the data gathered from the strike mission. The beacon on your HUD will lead you there," Valkyrie said and Valentina made her way through the passageways of the ship. Before long, she came to a large hangar area that was being patrolled by Cabal. "I don't think you can sneak past them all," Valkyrie said.

"I was afraid of that," Valentina said. She took a few deep breaths to try and calm her racing heart. This was foolish. She should call Selene or Saoirse for help. But what would that prove? She was a Guardian and a Warlock. The energy and secrets of the universe bent to her will. Wisps of Void energy circled her hands and dark thoughts whispered in her ear, telling her take her enemies and make them tremble before her. The Void pulled at her, it wanted to break free and feed.

Valentina exerted her will over the Void and the whispers quieted, but did not fade completely. She set her mind to the task and entered the hangar. The first group of Cabal she encountered didn't notice her. Valentina gathered the Void in her hand and tossed out a ball of energy like a grenade. It split apart into smaller clusters before exploding, killing most of the Cabal soldiers and damaging the rest. Valentina quickly took care of the survivors. In the next bay over, she found another group and tossed another grenade. Now alerted to her presence, the Cabal began to shoot back.

Valentina took cover behind a pallet and peeked out. A Cabal Legionary used its jump jets to jump up on the catwalk where Valentina was hiding. Startled, Valentina gathered Void energy in her hand and thrust it forward. The Void energy enveloped the unlucky Cabal it disintegrated into nothing. Valentina felt a rush of power come over her as the Legionary disappeared. This scared her a little. It was as if the Void had stolen the life force of that Legionary and fed it back to her. She didn't take much time to think about this since she was still being shot at. She tossed another Void grenade down below and shot at the rest.

A Cabal Psion snuck up from behind and knocked her down. Valentina quickly rolled to her feet and pushed back at the Psion, knocking it off balance and quickly shot it. Another Legionary jumped up to the catwalk and Valentina quickly shot it and used her Void energy drain to kill it. The rest of the Cabal soldiers were killed and Valentina took a moment to catch her breath.

The marker on her HUD pointed to a large door across the hangar. The door was locked, but the crash had knocked the ceiling loose, so Valentina was able to bypass the door by going up and over. She followed the passage ways further into the ship and came across an open area with Cabal and Hive fighting. "This area is the bridge. Where we need to get to is through that door on the far side," Valkyrie said.

"Should we wait for them to fight it out?" Valentina asked.

"It's up to you," Valkyrie said.

"We'll wait until the fighting has died down some," Valentina decided. She hid behind some boxes and shot at the enemies she could see without giving away her position. When the fighting died down, Valentina took care of the survivors and continued forward. Through the doorway, the hall abruptly ended and exited back to the Dreadnaught. Valentina peeked inside and saw the biggest Hive Knight she had ever seen. It was standing in front of a set of doors on the far side of the room. "I bet that's the Knight Eris told us about," Valkyrie said.

Valentina was speechless. How was she supposed to do this on her own? That thing would crush her without hesitation. She would have to be smart about this. The Knight was now pacing around and Valentina quickly dashed inside and hid behind cover. Scattered around the room were cylinders that glowed orange. Valentina remembered that these cylinders exploded when shot. She snuck forward around a large chunk of stone and surprised an Acolyte. It shouted in alarm and Valentina disintegrated it with her energy drain. Now alerted, the Knight began shooting at her with its large weapon. Smaller side doors opened and more Acolytes, Thrall and two Wizards entered the room.

Valentina retreated further back in the room and when a large group clumped together, she shot at one of the cylinders. It exploded and the Hive enemies were reduced to cinders. The large Knight was still shooting and chasing her, so Valentina kept on the move, mostly driven by adrenaline and fear. One of the Wizard floated into view and launched a barrage of explosive energy projectiles at her. Valentina jumped in the air and used her glide ability to float out of the way. She swapped her scout rifle for her fusion rifle and shot her own barrage of energy projectiles at the Wizard. It took a few shots, but the Wizard was finally killed. Unfortunately, the large Knight caught her with its weapon and she took heavy damage.

Valentina managed to duck into cover and took a moment to asses her damage. It wasn't fatal but it still hurt. At that moment, another Acolyte found her and started shooting. Valentina lashed out with her energy drain and felt a surge of power as the Acolyte died. Her overshield had quickly recharged and she was ready to go.

The Void now whispered in her ear, demanding payment for her use of its power. Valentina was willing to oblige and drew from the Void and focused the power in her core. She jumped out of cover and floated over the Knight, staying just ahead of its weapon's path. The energy in her core moved to her hands and built up until Valentina could no longer contain it. She thrust her arm forward and a large purple ball of Void energy shot forth and impacted the Knight, dealing a massive amount of damage.

The knight staggered back and Valentina pressed her advantage by throwing a grenade at its fee and firing shot after shot from her fusion rifle. Finally, with a roar of anguish, the Knight collapsed into a pile of dust, leaving Valentina breathing heavily from her effort. Satisfied for now, the whispers of the Void faded into the back of her mind.

The realization of what had happened finally caught up to Valentina and she slumped to the ground. She suddenly felt very tired and worn out.

"Probably because you're not used to using Void energy yet," Valkyrie suggested.

Valentina agreed. It was different than using Solar or even Arc and it still made her nervous. But Void was from the Light and not the Darkness, so everything would be okay, she told herself.

Valentina pulled herself to her feet and poked through the pile of ash the Knight left behind and found a strange piece of parchment covered with strange glyphs.

"Hmm. I wonder if the Cryptarchs can make anything of this," Valkyrie said.

"We should take it back to Eris as proof we killed the Knight," Valentina said.

"I suppose you're right," Valkyrie said. They backtracked through the Cabal ship to the Guardian landing zone, where her ship picked them up and headed back to Earth.