Aunor could tell her day was off to a bad start the second she woke up. For one thing, she found that her hair had turned into a huge knot overnight. For another, her interface displayed missed calls from several of her coworkers, as well as one from Ikora. A message from Sarren indicated that it would be in her best interest to get to headquarters as soon as possible.

Aunor struggled into her undersuit, wondering what had happened. Clearly, something was afoot. She pulled on her duster and - when it became clear that it wouldn't cooperate - wrangled her hair into a messy bun. Then she was on her way to Praxic headquarters, sorting through various notifications on the way.

"Do you know what's going on Bahaghari?" she asked.

"Unfortunately not," replied her Ghost, "I'm afraid I'm as much in the dark as you are."

Aunor shoved down her apprehension and increased her pace.

The second she entered headquarters, Sarren was at her side.

"Aunor, thank the Traveler!" he exclaimed, "Did you get my message?"

"Yes," replied Aunor. She glanced around the hub. "What's going on?"

There was far more activity in the hub than usual. Warlocks were rushing about or conferring in small groups. Sarren's mismatched eyes flitted around the room.

"I think it might be a good idea to discuss it in your office."

The slight nervousness in his tone had Aunor taking a closer look at him. Sarren was normally put together, especially at work. That morning, however, he seemed more on edge than usual. His hair - usually carefully combed and styled - was sticking up in ruffled disarray. Too preoccupied to agree or disagree with his suggestion, Aunor merely followed him to her office. Once inside, she sat down behind her desk, finding some reassurance in the normal action. Sarren remained standing.

"Alright," said Aunor, "What was your message about? What's gotten this place so worked up?"

Sarren took a breath. "There's been a breach."

Aunor felt a cloud of dread settle over her. "What."

"Hayen's case was leaked. The Consensus is calling a trial."

The office was filled with a heavy silence as Aunor processed the news.

She rose from her seat. "How is this possible?"

The number of Order members who were aware of Hayden's case was extremely limited. As far as she was concerned, Sarren and herself were the only two with substantial knowledge of the case.

"A mole," said Sarren, "It's the only plausible explanation."

Aunor shook her head. "It couldn't be. You and I were the only two people on the case."

"What about the others? The backup you brought when we arrested Hayden?"

She shook her head again. "All they knew was that we were arresting him for possession of a Weapon of Sorrow. The interviews, the backstory was only known to us. Except I never discuss Praxic cases with anyone outside of work unless it's Ikora... So if I didn't do it and you didn't do it, then we have a real problem."

"We have a real problem in any case," said Sarren dryly, "You didn't want this case to go public. Now it is public and will only get more so if it goes to trial."

Aunor's fingertips tingled and she clenched her hands into fists. Sarren was right. Hayden's case going public was the last thing she wanted. It was better for the Praxic Order - and in some cases, the Hidden - to be the only ones involved. Rogue Guardians were dangerous and had to be handled carefully. Dredgen Yor's name had not been forgotten. Everyone knew the kind of damage a corrupted Guardian could inflict and it was the Praxic Order's job to help guard against such things.

There were a limited number of ways to handle such Guardians. Or just one, if you asked Shin Malphur. While Aunor very much believed that the punishment should match the crime, she knew the renegade Hunter disagreed. His method should be considered as nothing short of a last resort.

She sighed, pacing the length of her office. All Guardian trials were run via the Consensus. If the Consensus had called a trial, it meant that they were not appeased by the judgment served by the Praxic Order. Aunor returned to her desk.

"Alright," she said, "Let's walk through this." Sarren sat down across from her. "We can assume that the Consensus will opt for a harsher sentence than Praxic rehabilitation. As with all Guardian cases, there are only a few viable options."

Sarren nodded. "Imprisonment," he said, "They could sentence Hayden to The Hold."

The Hold was the City's prison. Its supermax wing was designed to be able to contain Guardians if necessary.

Aunor frowned. "The Consensus has never taken that option."

"I know. But it is open to them."

"Even so, if I had to bet, I would bet on exile. It's been the most favored approach so far."

"Has there been a case in which a corrupted Guardian has been exiled?" asked Sarren, "The only incidents I can remember involved Osiris and Toland. Neither circumstance resembles Hayden's."

"You're right," Aunor conceded, "We don't have many examples to draw from. No corrupted Guardians have been exiled partially because there haven't been many known cases and partially because the ones we do know about were hunted down by Shin Malphur."

"...Good point."

She sighed. "I believe that exile is still on the table, though. Despite the troubling contents of Hayden's background, there's also a lot of good in there. Enough that the Consensus would likely grant him some leniency."

Sarren nodded. "I see what you're saying. And you're right. Exile would be the most lenient option. Because the only surefire way of stopping a rogue Guardian is execution, something the Consensus has never resorted to. For a Guardian to be executed in any way that matters, their Ghost would also have to be destroyed."

"Exactly. I can't see it being brought up as an option at all."

If it ever turned out that the Consensus was open to such a drastic measure, then Aunor would be forced to reconsider her loyalty to the Vanguard, the City, and everything it stood for. She could never align with an entity that would commit murder and call it justice.

"There's one problem," said Sarren, "If Hayden were to be exiled from the City, then the Consensus would essentially be leaving his fate in Shin Malphur's hands."

Aunor barely refrained from uttering a nasty word. Sarren was right. They were both well-aware of how Malphur dealt with rogue Guardians. If the Consensus chose to exile Hayden, they might as well be sentencing him to death. Her fingers crackled with electricity.

"Darkness take Shin Malphur," she cursed.

"I can't help but notice a distinct lack of good options in this situation," Sarren remarked wryly.

Despite herself, Aunor's lips twitched. Still, Sarren was right. Hayden had a limited number of options and none were in his favor. But as much as she wanted to continue talking through the possibilities, she knew that wasn't her job. When Hayden's trial came around, she and the other members of the Praxic Order would likely be providing evidence against him rather than helping him.

Across from her, Sarren's bionic eye glowed.

"Not all of Hayden's background is slanted against him. By bringing up the good he's done, as well as any extenuating circumstances around the bad stuff, a case could be made-"

"That isn't our job, Sarren," said Aunor, "That kind of thing is for Hayden's defense to decide. What we need to be focusing on is getting our evidence in order for the trial and finding that mole."

A look of consternation crossed the other Warlock's face. "But Aunor-"

Aunor silenced him with a look. "I'll get things ready for the trial, but I need you to look into who leaked the case."

Sarren's eyebrows shot up. "Me?"

Aunor nodded. "Yes. I'm placing you in charge of the mole hunt. Take any resources you need, just find the mole."

Sarren nodded, rising to his feet. "I'll get it done."

As soon as he left her office, Aunor found her shoulders slumping. She rubbed her eyes. The situation was bad. The Praxic Order couldn't afford to have a mole. They were the force that policed the Guardians. Pressure would be coming down on them to find whoever had leaked the case. Failure to do so could mean anything from suspensions to heads rolling. As a high-ranking member of the Order, Aunor was particularly aware of the potential consequences.

"Do we know how much information was leaked?" she asked.

Next to her, Bahaghari sighed. "I've been looking into it… It appears to be everything that was included in your report."

Aunor groaned. As with all of her reports, she had spared no detail. Everything was in there, even the classified information she had learned from her visit to Records.

"Give it to me straight, Bighari… How bad is it?"

"If it stays limited to the Consensus, not too bad. It won't be good by any means, but much better than if it had been leaked to the entire Tower. Still, I'm worried about it spreading further. The Consensus and the Praxic Order know to keep Guardian affairs internal, but who's to say the mole won't strike again?"

"I know what you mean. Hopefully, Sarren will be able to find the mole before they can cause any more trouble. In the meantime, send everything we have on Hayden's case to my terminal. I'll pay a visit to him myself. We have a trial to prep for."

Harley had been preparing to transfer into the Praxic Order's rehabilitation program. He wasn't sure what it would entail, but he figured it was the fastest way back into the field. Maybe even the only way.

It had been a few days since he was informed of his sentence, yet he hadn't been moved or even been told what rehab entailed. So when Aunor came to his cell, he fully expected her to do at least one of those things. But she did neither. Instead, she stood just outside, looking slightly troubled. At least, he thought she did. Aunor wasn't someone easily read. There were no indicators apart from the minute furrowing of her brow and the way her arms were crossed in front of her.

"What's going on?" asked Harley.

If Aunor was surprised by the question, she didn't show it. She sighed.

"There's been a development in your case."

Harley frowned. A "development" could mean anything. It could be good or bad. He got the impression that it was bad, though, based on how Aunor was acting. But he could be wrong. If she was rooting against him, then anything that was bad for him would be good for her, and vice versa. He waited for her to elaborate.

"There was a data breach," said Aunor, "The file on your case was leaked to the Consensus."

Harley still couldn't figure out if this was a good or bad thing for him. The Consensus was the highest authority, made up of the Vanguard, faction representatives, and possibly other important people. The Speaker used to be the head of it.

"How was it leaked?" he asked.

"A mole. Someone in the Praxic Order."

Aunor's eyes flicked downward for half a second. Was she feeling embarrassed? Ashamed, even?

She took a deep breath. "The Consensus has called for a trial."

Her eyes bored into his. She seemed to be trying to determine whether the news was affecting him.

"I don't get it," said Harley, "You told me that I would be going into rehab."

The corner of Aunor's mouth turned downward. "Apparently the Consensus has deemed that sentence...insufficient. A date hasn't been set for the trial yet, but you should get your defense in order as soon as possible. I could get you a Holo right now if you have someone you'd like to call."

Harley considered it for a moment before shaking his head.

Aunor sighed. "Alright. Fair warning though… when it comes to Guardian cases, the sentences are limited. I trust I won't have to outline the possibilities for you?"

Harley nodded. He could guess at the viable punishments for Guardians.

"I need to get back," said Aunor, "If you change your mind about that call, let me know."

Harley nodded again. The Warlock waited one moment longer before walking away, leaving Harley to consider the sudden change in his circumstances.

Not long after Aunor had left, Harley got another unexpected visitor. The Warlock was wearing a helmet, and that alone was enough to give him a hint.

"...Drifter?"

"Who'd ya think it was, brother?" Harley could hear the grin in his voice. "Word's gotten around that there's a Praxic mole."

Harley frowned. "You know about that? Does the rest of the Tower know too?"

He really hoped not. The last thing he needed was for his predicament to become public knowledge. He already had more than enough unwanted attention to deal with.

The Drifter waved him off. "Nah. I only know 'cause I make a habit of keepin' my ear to the ground. My sources tell me that the Consensus called a trial." He whistled. "Tough break, kid."

He sounded like he was familiar with such events. Maybe he'd be able to give Harley more information about it. After all, he'd been around for much longer.

"Any idea what my odds are?" Harley asked.

"With the Consensus? Not good, brother. I don't know if you're familiar with City history, but they tend not to like rogue Guardians."

"But I'm not a rogue Guardian," Harley protested.

"Well, let's see… you went off the grid for months, you hunted down Prince Whatever against orders, you lied to the Vanguard…" Harley opened his mouth to argue but the Drifter cut him off. "Lyin' by omission's still a lie, kid. Also, Aunor and her goons found ya with a Weapon of Sorrow. All that, on top of a 'history of deviant behavior' makes you a rogue Guardian, brother."

"Where did you get that phrase?" asked Prism suddenly.

"What?"

"That phrase. 'History of deviant behavior.' Those aren't your words, are they?"

The Drifter chuckled. "You've got a sharp Ghost, kid. That was in your file. Aunor wrote it."

"You read my file?" said Harley incredulously, "How?"

The Drifter shrugged. "I know a guy who knows a guy. Not important. What you need to know is the Consensus almost always rules to exile Guardians who're put to trial."

Harley grimaced. He wasn't surprised, as he'd come across past cases of Guardians being exiled from the City. He supposed he could think of worse punishments. There were other sanctuaries outside of the City. The Farm and Felwinter Peak, for starters, as well as any Hunter hideouts. The greatest downside would be his inability to see his Towerbound friends like Bazzle, Fyr, and Jade.

"I know what you're thinkin'," said the Drifter, shaking Harley out of his thoughts, "You're thinking that exile won't be that bad. Other Guardians have done it, so why not you? I'll tell ya right now, brother...you won't survive. And it isn't because there aren't any safe places out there. It's 'cause of the Man with the Golden Gun."

Harley frowned. "What do you mean?"

"He doesn't like rogue Guardians. You're safe while you're in Praxic hands, much as I hate 'em. But as soon as you step outside City walls, you're a goner."

Harley couldn't prevent a shiver going down his spine. "So you're saying that if the Consensus exiles me…"

"You're as good as dead, kid."

Harley sighed. Just when he thought everything had been sorted, something new had to come along. His options had been limited to begin with. The Drifter glanced over his shoulder for a fraction of a second.

"Listen, kid, I wish I could help more, but you're probably better off without it. Lotta folk around here don't like me."

"You keep saying that," noted Harley.

The Drifter shrugged. "What can I say? It's true."

"Why don't they like you?"

The Drifter's hands twitched. Harley got the impression that he would normally be fidgeting with one of his coins.

"Depends on who you ask," he said evasively.

Harley frowned. "But you're a Guardian. You help the City. Why would they-"

"Whoa whoa whoa," said the Drifter, "Let's get one thing straight, kid. I'm not a Guardian. Never have been, never will be. And sure, I might help the City so long as it's in my interests, but there's a lot of people that don't like the way I do things."

Harley thought that over. He'd never met someone who had rejected the title of Guardian so vehemently. He wondered what could have happened to the Drifter to cause that. It was clear that the Lightbearer shared only what information he deemed as absolutely necessary.

"What do you think I should do?" he asked.

"As far as I see it, you've got two choices... You could bust yourself outta here and leave the system. Plenty of space out there in, well...space. Come back in a century or two when everyone's calmed down."

"Right," said Harley dryly, "Simple. I'll break myself out of a cell designed to hold Lightbearers while my Light is suppressed and my Ghost can't revive me... I assume I can't expect any help from you?"

The Drifter shook his head. "Nope. I've got a reputation to maintain. If someone finds out that I helped a rogue Guardian escape from Praxic jail, Aunor will be after me before you can say 'primeval'. Sorry brother, but I'm not ready to give up my spot in the Tower. Got too much unfinished business and a few schemes still bein' cooked up."

"Great. So what's my other option?"

"Option two. You accept your fate. If this trial happens, either the Consesus'll getcha or the Man with the Golden Gun will."

"That's option two? 'No other way out so I guess I'll die'?"

The Drifter shrugged. "There's probably a few more options between them, but yeah... Anyway, if you make it outta this mess alive, come find me. I could use you for a few things."

"You mean your 'schemes'?"

"Yeah. So don't let the Man with the Golden Gun shoot ya dead. Good luck, kid."

With a two-fingered salute, the Drifter turned and left the holding area.

Harley watched him go, not sure how to react to his visit. It seemed like the Drifter always showed up at convenient times, yet still managed to be utterly unhelpful. But despite how unproductive the Drifter's "options" appeared to be, the Lightbearer still had a point. Harley would have to choose between action and inaction. Like the Drifter said, he could either accept his fate or do something to change it.

Before, he was content to let things play out. Even though the Weapon of Sorrow didn't belong to him, he figured the fastest way to freedom was by accepting the Praxic Order's rehabilitation. But the circumstances had changed. He was now facing much higher stakes.

"What should I do, Prism?"

His Ghost sighed. "I don't know that there's much to do, Harley. We can't break out of here without outside help. I've been trying to hack the restraining band, but I haven't made much progress. I'm unfamiliar with Praxic tech. Even if I did hack it, I couldn't guarantee that I'd be able to hack through your suppression restraints."

"That's pretty much what I expected," said Harley with a sigh, "You're right. We'd need outside help. Unfortunately, that's not the kind of help we can reach."

"You could accept Aunor's offer to call for defense in the trial. Then you could get one of the Chasers to help."

Harley shook his head. "They wouldn't let me make any call without listening in. And even if I could somehow get a message to one of our friends, they'd get in trouble with the Praxic Order. I won't let that happen on my account. I'd rather just stand trial."

"I'm on board with whatever you decide," said Prism, "And you never know, the Consensus might go easy on you. I know it feels like your past is against you, but there are just as many positive points as negative ones. You helped take down practically every major threat to the City in the past few years. Crota, Oryx, the Black Garden… Not to mention how you're one of the heroes of the Red War."

Harley felt his face warm slightly. "You're laying it on a bit thick."

"Nonsense. All I'm saying is they can't talk about the bad stuff without giving you credit for the good stuff. You've done a lot of good for the City and the Consensus is a parade of fools if they can't recognize that."

"I guess we'll see," he said doubtfully.

If he was being truthful, he was just tired. Tired of having to deal with problem after problem. He wanted nothing more than to go about his business like every other Guardian. But if the universe had proven anything, it was how that life wasn't in the cards for him. With any luck, the Consensus would side with him. Then he could go and kill time with Kaedro in the Cosmodrome until the threat of the Hunter Vanguard title passed. But in all likelihood, that wasn't how things would turn out.

In any case, he couldn't be motivated to do anything to change his current situation, especially when it seemed so unchangeable. Instead, he would let the trial play out and allow the Consensus to determine his fate.

"What do you think of the Drifter?" he asked.

Prism blinked, possibly surprised at his abrupt change of subject. When she spoke, her tone was careful.

"Something about him feels off."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't explain it. I just have a weird feeling. He seems shady."

"If he's a Lightbearer and the Vanguard allowed him into the Tower, he can't be too bad, right?"

"Someone needs to tell you about the Dark Age," Prism muttered, "...You can decide to trust him if you want, but you asked for my opinion and I don't trust him."

"I don't trust him either. At least, not right now. He hasn't earned it yet. But I'm open to working with him. I want to see what Gambit is."

"As do I," said Prism, "I wasn't able to find much about it from the searching I did when we met the Drifter. It seems like the players have done a good job of keeping it off the books. But if it turns out that it could harm Guardians or the City in any way, it needs to be shut down."

Harley nodded. He wondered if Gambit would be something he'd like. The only other sort of "game" the Guardians had was Crucible. He'd played a few matches of it in the past, but after his ordeal with Oryx, he couldn't face killing other Guardians - even if it was in a sporting capacity. If Gambit was anything like Crucible, he wouldn't enjoy it.

Still, it could be worthwhile to see what the Drifter had planned. If he referred to Gambit as salvation, Harley felt it was in his best interests to find out what he meant. Hopefully, it would help refocus him. Ever since he'd returned from the Reef, Harley had felt disconnected from everything. The feeling had only gotten worse once he'd been taken into Praxic custody. He needed a distraction.

Unfortunately, it looked like the distraction was about to be delivered to him by the Consensus itself.

A/N: This chapter was slightly delayed due to me taking the day off to watch MCC lol. Hope you enjoyed!