Sarren showed up to Aunor's office looking tired. Which was fair enough, given that it was the end of the work day. Aunor decided that she would do her best to keep the debriefing short, for both their sakes.

"Sarren," she greeted.

Sarren nodded to her. "Aunor."

"What have you got for me?" she asked.

Sarren sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "I spoke to three of the Chasers: Jaedryth Wrythal, Rogue-12, and Tristan Bentlix... None of them recognized the gun and all of them expressed their doubts that Hayden would use such a weapon."

Aunor nodded. That was to be expected. Friends were accustomed to seeing the best in each other and so could be blinded if one of their group were to turn on them. "Did you learn anything more about his background?"

Sarren nodded. "I learned something from Wrythal about Hayden's time in the Reef." Sarren's left eye lit up as a recording of Jade Wrythal's voice played. "...It was the Mindbender. When Harley was hunting him, he got into Harley's head and nearly corrupted him. He would have succeeded if Kaedro and Bazzle hadn't been there. They know more about it than I do..."

Aunor sat up straighter, her fatigue draining away.

"I'm sorry it wasn't much," said Sarren apologetically, "But hopefully it helps."

"It will definitely help," replied Aunor, "It confirms that Hayden omitted details from his report to the Vanguard. More happened in the Reef than what he told them." Her fingers drummed on her desk as she considered her options. "I will schedule a meeting with Deputy Commander Torelli tomorrow... Perhaps he will be able to fill in some of the blanks." She looked back up at Sarren, her expression softening slightly. "You're dismissed, Sarren. Go home and get some rest."

Sarren nodded again. "Goodnight, Aunor."

Aunor nodded absently as Sarren left her office. The new lead was promising. Hopefully, she was right and the case would soon be closed.

With a sigh, she began the process of sending an official summons to Torelli. She regretted having to pull him away from his duties as the head training instructor, but it couldn't be helped. The longer Hayden's case dragged on, the more likely it was to become a public affair. And that was the last thing Aunor wanted. She didn't need to deal with the attention and political upset that would occur should the case become widely known.

Once the summons had been sent, Aunor shut down her computer and rose to her feet. It was high time for her to turn in for the night herself. After all, there was more work to be done tomorrow.

Harley couldn't sleep. Granted, his sleep schedule was inconsistent at best even when he wasn't confined to a Praxic cell, so it didn't surprise him.

Instead of sleeping, he sat cross-legged on the bench in the cell with Prism resting in his lap. He didn't have any way to tell what time it was, so he kept his mind busy by mulling over the interrogation that had occurred earlier.

He couldn't tell what information Aunor might have taken note of, but he was sure that there was bound to be information that worked against him. Then again, he wasn't even sure of the form of punishment that would be brought against him if he was found guilty. He got that possessing a Weapon of Sorrow was bad, but how bad was it? Exile? Strangely enough, he wasn't sure he'd mind being exiled. Back in the Tangled Shore, he'd toyed with the idea of leaving Sol altogether. Did the City really need a Guardian who couldn't manage to save one life, even with prior knowledge of danger? If he was exiled, then at least it wouldn't seem like he was abandoning the City out of choice.

But what if the punishment wasn't exile? Was there a death penalty for Guardians? He didn't know. Nor did he know how such a thing would work. They wouldn't kill a Ghost, he was certain of that. But how would they stop a Ghost from reviving its Guardian after the Guardian was executed? Would it take place in a Darkness Zone? Or would they use a Weapon of Sorrow?

Logically, he knew he shouldn't be fixating on such morbid thoughts, but it was hard not to, especially given his current situation.

He wondered, not for the first time, how he'd ended up here. He wasn't sure how the Weapon of Sorrow had found its way into the Chasers' apartment but he was going to add it to the list of proof that his life was a huge cosmic joke. Turmoil and misfortune seemed to plague his every footstep, stalking him across the universe like a second shadow. It was just his luck that this would happen now, right when he'd been given the chance to possibly have a break.

Or maybe it was karmic justice. Maybe it was his comeuppance for letting Cayde die.

Harley's mind latched onto the thought. That had to be it. It was the only way he could make sense of the hand the universe dealt him. He had failed. In fact, he'd failed not only Cayde, but the Traveler as well.

He had been tested out there in the rocky desolation of the Reef. His will had clashed with that of the Mindbender and it had shattered. The cracks had been there. They had been put there by Oryx when he'd broken down Harley's will and twisted it into a warped mirror of his own. After Harley had been freed of the corruption twined into his being, he'd slowly pulled the pieces back together. But they had never fit the same way. The cracks were still there.

He'd spent every passing day trying to fix them, trying to prove to himself that he wouldn't be broken again. He'd endured Kyler's betrayal. He'd endured the Red War despite his faltering faith in the Traveler. He'd endured the labyrinth of the Infinite Forest, where time and reality meant nothing. He'd spent three years of his life in the Forest with Osiris, learning. Growing.

Even when Cayde died, he hadn't broken. Instead, he'd channeled his pain and anger onto the ones responsible. But when he'd faced the Mindbender, all it took were some twisted words to bring everything crashing down. There is a knife for you. It is shaped like [you walk by yourself].

He pushed the words out of his thoughts with a shiver. But they were still there, dancing in the back of his mind, trapped under his skin like the barb of a thorn. He had failed the Traveler. He had failed Cayde. This was the price.

Aunor inspected the Titan as he sat down across from her while trying not to be too obvious about it.

She had felt unusually nervous in the time leading up to the meeting. While it was true that she was a well-established Warlock of the Praxic Order and carried the Cormorant Seal, she recognized that Bazzle Torelli had been a Guardian for just as long as she had, if not longer. Not to mention the fact that he was one of Zavala's Deputy Commanders. Aunor's position lent her a lot of leeway as far as the Vanguard were concerned, but not so much that she could ignore Bazzle's authority.

The Titan didn't look too pleased about being in the meeting and while his reputation indicated that he wasn't one to let irritation affect his judgment, Aunor didn't want to push her luck. She nodded to him. "Thank you for coming, Deputy Commander Torelli."

The Titan gave a small wave of his hand. "No need to stand on formalities, Aunor. My first name is fine."

Aunor blinked. "Very well then, Bazzle." She fought the urge to straighten the papers on her desk again.

"I understand that you had some questions about Harley Hayden," said Bazzle, "Is this in relation to his arrest?" He sounded curious, but not surprised.

Aunor nodded. "We're trying to establish the severity of his case by identifying potential risk factors in his background."

Bazzle nodded thoughtfully. "It seems to me that Hayden may stand to benefit from the Praxic Order's rehabilitation measures..." he mused.

Aunor latched onto the admission with interest. What could have possibly happened with Hayden that would constitute Praxic rehabilitation as a necessary, even beneficial measure in Bazzle's eyes? "I saw his file," she said.

Bazzle's gaze locked onto her, his steel-gray eyes boring through the carefully constructed shield of professionalism, probing for her true intentions.

"Hayden's background is...troubling." She would have to make sure to choose her words with care. "He's been through much in his short time as a Guardian."

Bazzle nodded. "He has. Being a Guardian is rarely easy, but for Hayden, it has been notably more difficult."

"And this...concerns you?" asked Aunor, trying to parse out where the Titan stood on the matter.

Bazzle leaned forward. "Let's speak openly. I'm fully aware that you are looking into Hayden's background to find support for the allegations about the Weapon of Sorrow as much as you are to help him. I know the Praxic Order and I know what it does. Just like you know that I want what's best for Hayden."

Aunor raised an eyebrow, though she couldn't deny she felt a measure of gratitude towards the Titan for laying it all out. "Then it seems we are at an impasse."

"Not at all," said Bazzle, "I have learned over the past few years that what's best for Hayden may not be what he wants. I won't deny that Hayden's past has its...shadows. I don't believe he would own a Weapon of Sorrow but I understand that you must form your own conclusions. So I will tell you what I know..."

"Thank you, sir."

Bazzle smiled wryly. "I wasn't finished. I will tell you what I know on one condition."

Aunor pursed her lips. She wasn't entirely surprised that there were strings attached. Hopefully, the Titan wouldn't ask anything of her that would jeopardize the investigation. She didn't think he would, but one never knew for certain. "What is your condition?" she asked.

Bazzle leveled his gaze at her. "I want you to promise that you'll do everything in your power to help him, whether he's guilty or not."

Aunor frowned. "Help him how?"

"You're a member of the Praxic Order... You know how."

She nodded slightly. She did know what he meant, though it was rare that Guardians electively chose the type of help provided by the Order. She sighed. "I can promise that I'll do my best."

Bazzle nodded, appearing satisfied. "Good... Now, what is it you wanted to know?"

Aunor drew a breath. "Hayden's files don't have any information on what happened in the Reef. I understand that he reported to the Vanguard upon his return to the Tower, yet no written report has been submitted to Records."

Bazzle nodded again. "That is likely because of the nature of Hayden's activities in the Reef. As you know, Cayde-6 was killed in the Prison of Elders by Uldren Sov. Hayden was there when it happened. After bringing Cayde's body to the Tower, he returned to the Reef against orders to hunt down Sov and the Scorned Barons."

Aunor nodded. The details of Cayde's death might have been kept secret from the majority of the Guardians, but the Praxic Order had always been fully informed.

"Kaedro-22 and I were sent after Hayden to stop him before his actions could jeopardize the City's standing with the Reef."

That was news to her. She hadn't known the Vanguard were taking action on the situation. "I see," she said, "And were there any incidents involving Hayden that concerned you?"

Bazzle frowned. "A few. He was shot with a Devourer Bullet when he went after the Rifleman. Fortunately, it was not a fatal wound and he was able to recover."

Aunor nodded as she turned on her Holopad to take notes. The Order had dealt with Devourer Bullets before. It was concerning to hear that an enemy faction had been able to get one. "Continue."

"A few cycles later, Kaedro and I followed Hayden as he went after the Mindbender. The Mindbender was able to get into Hayden's head. And somehow, Hayden was able to understand him, despite his use of Hive language."

Aunor's brow creased as she added it to her notes. While the Hive were much studied among Guardians, it was forbidden to attempt to learn or decipher their language. She knew Bazzle was fully aware of this. "Why do you think Hayden succumbed to the Mindbender while you and Kaedro did not?" she asked, "Did he study the Hive language at all?"

"We don't believe so… Wrythal theorized that it had to do with the Mindbender's focus on Hayden. Also, Kaedro and I were both wearing helmets while Hayden was not."

Aunor tapped the stylus against her chin. It was true that Guardian helmets were built to withstand psychic attacks to some degree. But she thought it might extend beyond that. The Mindbender was incredibly dangerous to the vast majority of beings. But Guardians, being paracausal, would only be mildly affected even without a helmet on. There was something else going on with Hayden. Something deeper.

"Is that everything?" she asked.

"Almost," said Bazzle, "When Hayden chased after Sov in the Awoken's Watchtower, we encountered a number of Taken, some of which exhibited strange behavior toward Hayden."

"Strange how?"

An odd note crept into the Titan's voice. "They displayed...no hostility toward him."

Aunor's grip on the stylus faltered. Out of everything Bazzle had told her, that struck her as the most concerning. The Taken were essentially the antithesis to Guardians. They hated the Light. For them not to attack a Guardian...it was unheard of. If anything warranted a closer look, it was that.

"I assume you have enough information to come to a conclusion," said Bazzle, "...In any case, I've told you all I know regarding the time Hayden spent in the Reef."

"Yes, thank you…" said Aunor absently as she read back over her notes.

"Do you need my help with anything else?" he asked.

Aunor pulled her gaze away from the Holopad to meet the Titan's eyes. "No, I think I have everything I need…" She got to her feet, extending a hand. Bazzle rose as well and shook it. "Thank you again for your time, Deputy Commander."

Bazzle nodded. "Of course… I trust you will remember the terms of my cooperation?"

"I will."

"Then if you'll excuse me, I must return to the Training Center. Wrythal and Allerton have had to manage without me for long enough during my time in the Reef."

With that, he took his leave.

Sighing to herself, Aunor sat back down and began compiling a list of concerning items from Hayden's background that might support him having a Weapon of Sorrow in his possession. She also sent for Sarren to come to her office. A decision would have to be made about Hayden's case soon and she wanted another opinion on the information she'd learned.

Once again, Sarren looked tired when he entered Aunor's office, a fact that she commented on.

Sarren gave a slight grin. "I was up late going over the case details."

Aunor nodded. She often found herself doing the same thing, especially with tricky cases. Though Hayden's case wasn't tricky in the usual sense. They weren't lacking evidence. In fact, they almost had too much evidence. The problem was the political aspect. There was always going to be trouble when a Guardian was arrested. The higher profile the Guardian was, the more trouble seemed to follow.

Logistically, she knew they had Hayden pinned. But she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to the case, something that they were missing. She hoped talking it through with Sarren would help.

"What did you learn from Torelli?" the other Warlock asked.

Aunor took a deep breath. "A lot."

She proceeded to recount the information that Bazzle had shared with her, taking care to draw attention to all of the relevant details. When she finished, Sarren remained silent, a thoughtful frown lingering on his face.

"Hayden's background doesn't fill me with confidence," he remarked.

Aunor nodded. "I know. There is far more troubling information than reassuring information… But we must come to a decision as soon as possible."

"Alright," said Sarren, "Let's lay out the evidence."

Aunor nodded again. She decided to start at the easiest point. "For one, Hayden's background contains many incidents of unauthorized absences and disobeying of Vanguard orders. Scouting the Vault of Glass, entering the Infinite Forest, pursuing Uldren Sov and the Barons…"

"True, but he's a Hunter," Sarren pointed out, "Hunters statistically follow protocol less often than Warlocks and Titans."

Aunor could give him that one. "It might not mean much on its own, but when placed alongside everything else...it doesn't exactly paint a good picture. He was corrupted by Oryx."

"Through no fault of his own."

"We can't be sure of that… But I'm inclined to agree with you. Nevertheless, Oryx's corruption has had some lasting effects. When he encountered the Mindbender, Torelli said he was nearly corrupted again. Not only that, but he was also able to understand the language of the Hive somehow."

Sarren pursed his lips. "I see what you mean... It may indicate a strengthening of the Darkness inside of him."

Aunor nodded. "We can't forget that you detected instability in his Light," she reminded him.

Sarren nodded grudgingly. "Wrythal said that she also detected it…"

"Exactly. This isn't about whether Hayden's corrupted or not. It's about how much the corruption has taken hold. Oryx, the Devourer Bullet, the Mindbender...all of these things could have played a part in strengthening it. Torelli said the Taken ignored Hayden when he was in the Watchtower. That's a very bad sign."

"Yes. But you're forgetting one thing, Aunor."

Aunor shot him a curious look. "What's that?"

"You asked Hayden if the gun belonged to him and he said no. I was monitoring him. He didn't lie."

"You've been wrong before," said Aunor dismissively.

"Yes," Sarren admitted, "But I can count the number of times on one hand. Shouldn't we consider the possibility of Hayden's innocence?"

Aunor's brows furrowed in frustration. They needed to be consolidating their evidence, not poking holes in it that would invariably lead nowhere. "We have. It doesn't measure up, Sarren. We have to base our judgment on facts and the facts are that Hayden has a troubling background and was found with the gun in his hands. The fact that your bionics didn't detect him lying when he denied it wouldn't hold up in court. And I'll tell you right now, we should be thanking the Traveler that this case won't be put to trial."

Sarren sighed. "I suppose you're right," he said, "So what are the next steps?"

Aunor echoed his sigh. "We inform Hayden that the Praxic Order has found him guilty. Once the required paperwork has been processed, we can start rehabilitating him. He hasn't fallen yet and I don't intend to lose another Guardian to the Darkness if it can be helped, especially one with as much potential as Hayden."

Sarren nodded. "Very well. Would you like me to tell Ikora about it?"

"No need. I'll tell her myself as long as you don't mind speaking to Hayden."

"I'll go tell him."

Aunor watched Sarren leave and felt a weight leave her shoulders. The evidence had been analyzed and punishment had been decided, all without having to involve members of higher authority or Shin Malphur. She was hopeful that Hayden would do well in Praxic Order rehabilitation. All she had to do now was bring Ikora up to speed, type up the case report, and finish off any remaining paperwork. Then the case would be officially closed. A satisfied smile on her face, she set off to find Ikora.

Harley wasn't surprised to learn that the Praxic Order had found him guilty. He knew the evidence was stacked against him.

Not that he especially minded having to enter the Praxic Order's rehabilitation program. In fact, he thought there was a good chance that he could probably use it. He didn't mind having to be kept in Praxic custody either. He figured it was what he deserved for utterly failing at being a Guardian.

The only thing about his situation that bothered him was not being able to see the other Chasers and still having no idea how the Weapon of Sorrow had gotten into the apartment. He'd gone over the circumstances of discovering over and over with Prism but they hadn't managed to come up with any plausible theories. As far as he knew, the gun had just appeared out of thin air.

With nothing else to be done but wait, Harley leaned back against the wall, wondering what Praxic rehabilitation would be like.

A/N: Apologies for the later than usual update. I was out for most of the day and had to wait until I was back home to get the chapter up. I hope you enjoyed!