Dreg Strength

Though the Guardian sleeps, their Ghost watches over them always. The Traveler continues to influence the system, expand its reach, through the fragments it released in its final breath. Not quite dead, not quite starved, and not quite ready to give up, three fully grown Eliksni were sustained only by their air-tight suits and their Ghosts. Unconscious and out of contact with their home, the only force to act upon them was gravity… Until a lone blockade runner approached them, following a beacon placed by an expert, to take them to stranger places still.

"Rise and shine, you old Devil," said a voice.

Limbs stiff, muscles aching, Morik stirred. He found there was abundant air, and his ether and strength were returning. He shifted his head, lying on his back, and saw a Prime Servitor. Or a sad excuse for one cobbled together out of Vex parts somehow. The quality of ether was atrocious, but even spoiled food can look good to one starving.

"You, uhh, took quite a lot of punishment, didn't you?" The same voice. It was a man in yellow robes, a black sun stitched in as a design.

"Not to worry, not to worry. Osiris had us pick you up. He doesn't think you'll reconsider joining us, but I like to give you the benefit of the doubt. After all, it was my ship that pulled you in, my tower you've been sleeping in and…"

A soft snarl caused him to trail off. An Eliksni with a domed helmet stood nearby, arms folded. The same Captain from the Kings' Ketch.

"... And his Servitor that's feeding you, but that's beside the point. We've helped you out, Guardian. Are you sure you won't hear us out?"

Morik sat up, seeing Ramiks and Viksis in similar states nearby. Only then did he realize his helmet was off, like theirs, and that it was sitting on the rock slab beside him. Looking around, he recognized the surface of Mercury from Crucible footage.

"Don't take everything for face value, Guardian. This isn't where you think it is. Well, it kind of is. Only it isn't. We'll get into all that later. Maybe. First I need an answer."

Morik replaced his helmet. "To answer, I need context. If I 'hear you out,' am I obligated to stay?"

"You say that like you have the choice to leave."

Morik continued to look at the scene outside the stone tower. He was very careful not to send any message beside those that came out of his mouth.

"Why save us if you intended to kill us, then?"

"No one made any such threat, now did we?"

"What are you?"

"A difficult question to answer without giving anything away. You must know by looking at me that I am a Disciple of Osiris. And by now you know who Osiris is. You've also met Jeksin. Anything else will have to wait for your answer."

"I would consult with my Archons."

"So… You want to wait for them to wake up? I can understand that. So, we wait, then."

"Sit tight, children of Light, 'cause it's story time," said the man in gold robes.

The flat stares of the three Eliksni were the only reply.

"Tough crowd… Anyway, once upon a time, there was a big ol' ball of space magic rocketing around between solar systems, doing whatever it did. In one system, it happened upon a proud spacefaring race with a culture of conflict and a caste system. This "Great Machine" shared its knowledge with the natives, helping them create wondrous things, the likes of which they had never seen. After a time of great prosperity, the Great Machine suddenly fled. In its wake, a Whirlwind blew, tearing down the planet, silencing their Great Houses, and flinging them into the stars. Proud Eliksni no more, they became the Fallen.

As their Great Machine continued its travels, it settled on the little Red Planet here in this system. The humans on Earth sent a team to make first contact, to the surface of Mars. They brought the Great Machine, dubbed the Traveler by their race, back to Earth. Much like the Fallen before them, and possibly like others even before them, the humans experienced a Golden Age. The humans, unlike the Fallen, helped each other in their newfound wealth. They banded together, creating, building, discovering, and so the Traveler stayed. This time, it did not flee its enemy, and the same Whirlwind, the Darkness, blew into the solar system in all its fury.

Here's where things get a bit complicated. With their new technology, the humans had made another race, in their image, of metal and Light they called Exos. When the Darkness arrived, many humans sought to flee this new force, and became the corrupted Awoken. The Traveler lost, humanity shrank into a single city, and the story ended.

Except it didn't. The Traveler began raising the dead humans with its Light, creating super soldiers to fight back. What is the Darkness? Why did it follow the Traveler? Why do the Fallen still chase it? Why is it said the Vex and Hive are 'true' servants of Darkness? Why did the Traveler leave the Fallen to their fate, but not abandon humanity? What is the Traveler? If there is 'Speaker' for the Traveler, why is it he never tells us what it wants or what it's doing? Why are its soldiers polarized into three types of Light? If the Black Garden's heart has been destroyed, why does the Traveler not heal? So many questions, and yet the Guardians, the Vanguard, the Tower, the City as a whole does not care to have them answered.

But Osiris cared. He asked the difficult questions. Frightened people. No one likes it when they doubt their way of life. So the unhappy people got rid of the problem. Osiris left, flew beyond the Reef, into the Darkness they all feared, and he was never. Seen. Again. Right? Wrong. He's alive, he is still questioning, and he is seeking others who are willing to learn from him. He can teach Guardians things the Tower does not want them to know. He can open new channels of power to anyone connected to the Light. He can connect to the Light in his own way. Osiris is master of his own destiny, controller of his own fate, and he is willing to teach his ways to any who will listen."

The man paused, finally, his fast-paced speech finally punctuated.

"What's the matter? Rejoice! Osiris has chosen you, personally, for his teachings! Ya know, if you bother to listen."

Viksis and Ramiks looked at each other, then to Morik.

"You ask many unanswered questions. What are Osiris' answers?"

"Ahh. See? You are interested."

"I will not blindly listen to one who has turned from the Light without some proof he is not simply mad."

"A fair point, I guess. Osiris would like that more than I do. He likes people who question, of course. Me, I just wish you'd shut up and follow along. But, that's between you all and Osiris. He offers many things, many forms of knowledge and power. But just because he shows you what you don't know doesn't mean you can learn. Just because you learn doesn't mean you understand. Just because you understand doesn't mean you can perform the techniques he teaches. It takes practice, talent… There's a lot more to all of this than just listening."

"We will hear him. But we are not simple initiates or followers. You ask us to doubt, even betray that which has given us life, and has given our race a second chance. We will have questions."

"I'm sure," said a new voice, "That I can oblige."

"Master Osiris!"

The man and the Fallen off to the side bowed.

"If you are willing to listen, then I will speak. Let me finish, then ask your questions. The answers may not be easy to hear."

"I am willing. But in this, I will not speak for my Archons."

Viksis kept one set of his arms crossed, but gestured with an open hand and a nod of his head.

"If my Kell thinks you worth the time, I will listen," said Ramiks, almost grudgingly.

"Then, first, allow me to give some hedging. After, I will answer your questions. This is a message from a Guardian who was once a close friend to me. It reached me thanks to one of the many parties searching for me. 'What drives a Warlock to madness?'..."

Morik, Ramiks, and Viksis sat and listened. The message Osiris recited, obviously from memory alone, hinted at his own past and the actions that had brought him to where he was. The message painted him as a knight of wisdom and unearthly force, but a traitor and a wanted man, lost and unknown.

"... 'Perhaps what drives a Warlock to madness is truth.'"

Osiris ended, but offered no indication to his guests that they should speak. After a few seconds of silence, Morik spoke up instead.

"What made you turn from the Light?"

"I done no such thing. I turned away from the Traveler."

"Why turn from the Traveler, then?"

"Consider what happened to the Eliksni, hundreds of years ago, and then what happened to Earth hundreds of years ago. You can see parallels. The Traveler arrives, the Darkness follows, and everything falls to pieces. Why else would humanity have called it 'The Collapse?' Obviously, you Fallen had a bone to pick, but what about the Hive and the Vex? The Hive feed on the Light, but they don't just tap into it themselves, even though it is possible without the Traveler acting as a proxy. Why? The Vex, they can simulate reality and all kinds of outcomes, but they still lose. And they chase the Traveler for some reason too. Then there's the Cabal, who probably just see it as a powerful weapon to add to their collection. If the theme were followed, the Traveler would have left humanity like the Fallen, but it didn't. There are many theories as to why, but I won't share any of them. If you are to learn from me, you must make your own."

"That doesn't answer the question!" said Ramiks.

"Because the Traveler is silent. If it once guided humanity, showed us the way to a 'Golden Age,' it no longer does so. It is no god, but an idol through which diffuse power flows; a power outlet into which races may be plugged. Though it is helpful, and made such great technologies possible, rather than plug in, one may harness the lightning itself. Or steal it from another."

Ramiks tilted his head, struggling to keep up, but Morik and Viksis understood the metaphor right away.

"So," said Morik, "Then your answer is that you turned from the Traveler because you do not trust it. After it gave the Earth its Golden Age, after it raised you and so many others from the dead to protect those still living, after it gave of its own structure and power to drive back an enemy that did not discriminate between itself and those it protected. If the Darkness really sought only the Traveler, the Traveler could simply leave to protect itself and the races it helps. But it made a stand instead, yes? Risked everything to create a bastion for those who followed it. And you don't trust it."

"Your logic is flawed," said Viksis.

"The same could be said of yours," said Osiris. "You put much faith in something you don't understand."

"Do you not as well?" said Morik.

"I don't follow."

"Your faith is in your own knowledge. In yourself, your senses, your body, your own power and your own understanding. Have you never dreamt as you slept at night? Or been struck on the head, made to see strange shapes and stars until your head cleared? Perception is not to be trusted either, yet you have thrown away your old home, your race, home planet, security, everything in service to what your eyes can see and your ears can hear. To follow gut feeling or instinct is one thing, something I know well, but to stake everything on one's own self takes a great deal of faith as well."

Osiris looked at Morik flatly, betraying no reaction or thought. The hulking Eliksni, his glowing eyes a mirror of monotony behind his Titan-styled helmet, waited for his response.

"I cite Toland to respond. We are at war. We always have been. We are a product of the victorious parties that came before us. Form over formlessness. Order over chaos. We are born from victories over parties we don't even know exist, like the counter idea to the gravity we know so well. I have simply looked at history and refused to repeat it. I see the two sides of this war and choose not to be caught in the crossfire."

"Then why do you stand in twilight, between the brightness of Light and the shadow of Dark?"

Osiris again paused, thinking.

"My reaction was to say, 'to understand,' but you are making me wonder about my own motivations. I'm not sure of whether I should throw you out or congradulate you. I thought I had control over my emotions well enough, but you've done a good job of angering me."

Osiris' tone and manner hadn't changed at all, despite this confession.

"I have dealt with hate from others before," said Osiris. "I have been ostracized, laughed at, had my sanity questioned, asked what my goal was, on and on… But you are the first to question my position, my faith… You've tread on asking the heading of my moral compass, but have avoided it. Are you not curious? If I am good or evil?"

"Even ordinary humans say morality is a point of view. I have heard some of the theories you refused to talk about, thinking I would be your student. One says that the Darkness is evil itself, consuming the good. But to our prey, are we not evil? We Guardians call ourselves Hunters, Titans, Warlocks, Striker, Gunslinger, Voidwalker, and so many other names. These are negatively charged names, with a ring of evil to them, yes? How could those we face not fear us? I know, for my faded and ignored memories still hold visions of the Guardians I faced. So I cannot question morality, only follow my instincts, which I have thus far ignored."

Osiris might not have recognized the tone Morik had changed to, but Ramiks and Viksis tensed slightly. Morik stood from the slab he had been seated on, where he had woken. His Titan's Mark, the symbol of his House, lagged behind before fluttering to his thigh. He towered over Osiris.

"My instinct calls you evil. My gut says to smash you to paste on the floor of your own tower. To leave this place. You have approached me and attempted to use intellect to sway my perception to the one you so dearly trust. Whether you realize or not, admit or not, you had the motive of turning me away from what I believe. To use me. I say, then, that to ignore morality would still put you lower than the Traveler. At least the Traveler has not lied to me about using me or shifting my perspective. Fogged or not, evil or not, that perspective and the motives I have been given are a path to choose. And I have chosen."

Ramiks and Viksis stood as well, ready for anything.

"Stand aside and let us go, or I will make you."

Osiris sighed and lowered his head. "You are correct, I have no right to hold you here or force you to do anything. The choice is yours, and our interaction, though short, has been stimulating. It's been a long time since I've had such an experience."

Osiris looked up at the Kell without fear.

"But do be careful of threatening that which you do not understand. We aren't done yet, despite what you've chosen. You will be seated and civilized, or you will be made to do so. We have saved your life, sustained you until you would wake, and hosted you without hostility. Don't embarrass yourself."

"It was you who put our lives in danger in the first place. You locked us out of the Pilot Servitor on board the Kings' Ketch so we could not avoid the self-destruct. You knew we would do anything to protect the city, and you left us a way out that would fit your agenda. You sustained us, saved us, and treated us kindly to serve yourself, not to be hospitable or generous."

"I do not subscribe to the altruism you seem to think is righteous. Everything has a price."

"Then you must be prepared to pay for your attempt to corrupt us!"

Morik raised an arm to strike Osiris, slower than normal and watching his student and Jeksin. Osiris raised a hand, but Morik was gone. His attack, a bolt of Arc Light, met Ramiks' shock blades, diffused. Jeksin could hardly uncross his arms in time before Morik's arm smashed into the side of his helmet, coming out of his ether-powered blink swinging. Osiris' student pulled a stylized knife from his sleeve, two fingers wide, a fifth of a meter long, and barely curved at the end to pierce armor. He faded from view for a second, appearing behind Morik with his arm back to stab. Viksis grabbed his elbow and yanked him up, punching him in the stomach and flinging him across the room. The student braced against the blow, flipped gracefully to put his feet to the wall he was about to crash into, jumped, and floated in midair.

"What a mistake you've made!" yelled the student, a bow of Void Light forming in his hands. He fired, striking Viksis in the chest. Viksis fell, but ball of Void Light remained where the arrow had landed, floating and snapping out tethers of Void Light to Viksis, Morik, and Ramiks. They felt weighed down, their Light smothered, even their ether retreating from their command. Ramiks, who had been deflecting lightning from Osiris' hands, fell to one knee and had to use one arm to support himself, continuing to block with his remaining shock blade. Morik braced for a moment before he, too, fell to his knees and held himself off the ground with all his might. The student, a Nightstalker Hunter, dashed in with his knife drawn to kill Viksis, stabbing through the top of his helmet. Ether sprayed less than enthusiastically from the hole and Viksis went limp, his Ghost rising from his body. Morik looked over his shoulder, unable to even cry out, and tried to move to help. As he watched, the student put his hand under Viksis' Ghost and formed a Vortex Grenade. Rather than throw it, he let the vortex open, swallowing Viksis' Ghost. Permanently. Morik felt unthinking rage crash over him, but he couldn't yet move.

"You fools should have listened to Master Osiris…"

The Nightstalker's anchor faded at last and Morik stood, spinning to face the Nightstalker. He was partly through the start-up of a heartbroken howl of rage when a flaming sword pierced him under the ribs, through his back and out his side, a strike to cause pain and wound but not kill. Morik's roar changed pitch into agony. He grabbed the blade, heat scorching his hands, and looked back.

"You. You are a Titan…!"

"This one is a Sunbreaker. A breaker of Light, then, yes?"

Jeksin twisted his blade and yanked it out of Morik, kicking him in the back. Morik hit the stone next to Viksis, face to face with Viksis on his back and Morik on his stomach. There was no intelligent glow in the eyes of his Archon, and no ether. No more Light. Morik's head slid to angle forward, straining to see Ramiks. Ramiks was up, standing, his shock blades flashing as he swung in a frenzy, deflecting bolts of lightning and keeping the Nightstalker at bay. Jeksin stomped on Morik's back, where he'd stabbed, causing Morik's vision to swim with pain. Jeksin leaned down, twisting his foot.

"Too confident, you are… Were…"

Jeksin began to straighten when Morik rolled onto his side. The force Jeksin had on his foot was redirected and he swayed, off balance. Morik swept Jeksin's other leg out from under him with a swipe of his arm. As Jeksin fell, Morik stood. Now it was Morik stomping, a Kell's boot to a Captain's chest. A few of Jeksin's ribs cracked and his limbs convulsed involuntarily. Morik tightened his hand, fingers rigid, and slammed the three fingers of his upper right arm through Jeksin's helmet visor, crushing one of Jeksin's eyes by happenstance. Morik yanked the writhing Captain off the ground by his helmet, but the weight of his body wouldn't hold on the cracked visor and more of it shattered off. Jeksin slashed, not expecting to fall, Morik lost balance for a second, not expecting to drop Jeksin, and Jeksin's swords missed. Morik recovered first, stomping again, this time on Jeksin's wrist to free one of his blade. Morik snatched it up and stepped, now "above" Jeksin, who was on the floor on his back. Jeksin rolled over and launched himself at Morik's legs, only to have Morik jump, turn the point of his acquired blade down, and spear Jeksin through the neck with it. Morik took the other blade without ceremony, prepared to fight Jeksin's Servitor. As it had the entire time, the Servitor remained unresponsive, feeding ether into the room and doing nothing else. Morik turned to help Ramiks.

"You disgusting-"

A bolt glanced off Ramiks' blade.

"Ignorant-"

He slashed and kicked at the Nightstalker.

"Long-winded, prideful traitors!"

With no connection to the Traveler, Ramiks entered the Bladetrance, Arc Light collecting around him and dancing on his shock swords. The Nightstalker phased out of sight again briefly, getting distance and ending up with his back to Morik, too focused on the Archon in front of him to notice. Morik stabbed him through the abdomen and collar, lifting him over his head and slamming him down. He pulled the blades free and slashed them across each other, beheading the man through his hooded robe. He looked back to see what had become of Ramiks and Osiris. Osiris was channeling Arc Light himself, so much it countered gravity and lifted him off the ground. His gold and black robes billowed around him, and Arc Light lanced from his open hands at Ramiks. Ramiks had his blades crossed to intercept the lightning and was walking forward. The two glowed such a brilliant blue that Morik had trouble looking directly at them. Morik blinked against the glare, alternating sets of eyes so he wouldn't miss anything, and still he barely noticed Osiris vanish for a moment. Osiris had blinked behind Ramiks and unleashed more lightning, blasting the huge Archon across the room and into the wall, face first. Osiris shifted his focus to Morik, who tried to mimic Ramiks' tactic of blocking with his stolen shock swords, but the Arc Light ignored his guard, spiraling through Morik and causing him to jerk uncontrollably and cry out in pain. A wave of Arc Light from behind Morik passed over him and suddenly he was free from Osiris' attack, Ramiks using Razor's Edge with both swords. The pulses of Arc Light pushed Osiris back a bit as he formed a barrier of his own lightning to deflect the waves.

"We must go, Morik!"

Morik struggled to catch his breath, slumped and numb from the pain. He noticed he was on one knee next to Viksis' body. With a prolonged grunt of frustration, he bent, slung Viksis over his shoulder, and turned to run. There was only one way out of the room, aside from the huge opening at the other end, a hallway that continued around a corner further into the tower. Morik ran and stopped before rounding the corner. He looked back to see Ramiks in flashes of blue light, still holding back Osiris, Arc Light from the Warlock scorching the wall behind him, the floor around him, and being absorbed by his blades. Morik had never seen a Bladedancer hold the trance for so long, which stuck out oddly in his mind despite all the new things he'd just seen and learned. Osiris drew closer, his face a mask of calm focus, trying to force down Ramiks' guard. He got too close and Ramiks found a chance to escape by using his Showstopper, spinning and forcing Arc Light outward from himself. It nearly threw Osiris out of the tower, pushing him across the room, and gave Ramiks time to turn and run.

"Follow me," said Ramiks, never losing grip of his Light, "You cannot fight as you are."

The two, first Eliksni under the House of Light banner, needed no argument for understanding. Morik was out of breath, leaking what little ether he had from his bleeding wound, his armor was scorched in places from being shocked, and he was carrying an Archon worth of dead weight. Ramiks was breathing heavily, but he was glowing with Arc Light, which by some twist of fate he could instinctively reach while Morik was left powerless. They ran, knowing a Stormcaller was chasing them, deeper into the tower and ever further from anything they had ever known.

From The First coming soon…

A/N: Sorry it took so long, but the moment I had the motivation and inspiration to write more for this, I did. I was at work, and thank the Lord for Google Drive because this never would have happened if I couldn't just sign in and type. I've got barely enough to go on to wrap this up, but now that I've got a grasp on some direction it won't be nearly as long. I might even be able to finish by Christmas. Sorry to anyone who expected, like I did, to finish by TTK releasing. Life gets in the way, ya know? I've been working on two other FFN projects behind the scenes on this one, but those won't take away from the time I spend on this. Thanks for waiting, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this stark departure from what the story has been so far.