Chapter 9 - The Calm

[ [-~~~~Encrypted Field Report –Identification: Mithrax~~~~-]

~Status - Objectives Listed:

~Pending status of missing Guardian; Results: Missing in Action.

~Establishment of Base Headquarters: Marginally Successful.

~Purging of Vex Presence: Ongoing.

~Establishing Communications with potential natives: Stagnant

~Oxygen Levels: Stable

~Native Presence - Minimal - Levels of Aggression: Extreme Violence

~Vex Presence - Extreme/Scattered - Vex infrastructure and biomechanical converters spread across the desert.

~Pools of radiolaria discovered - Locations = +Scattered/Direct Coordinates: N/A.

/Manual Environmental Notes - User Entry = Mithrax:

_I come bearing grim news. In our time here in this desert, we've discovered an oppressive miasma that permeates throughout this otherworldly desert. Aside from the miasma, we've taken measures to fight against a phenomenon we've dubbed "The Storm." It is that storm that brings this miasma in its most potent form. Our Guardians feel its abhorrent effects more than us Eliksni. They describe it as a choking feeling as if something is siphoning their vitality away from their bodies. Their Ghosts have relayed to us that the miasma has underlying properties that share a similar molecular composition, such as those found on Europa and Earth's moon. The implications of such information are troubling; however, we will attempt to collect some samples to send back to the city for study._

/Entered Personal Logs: 2 Detected —

+Audio Log ID: - Mithrax:

-To the reciprocator of this message, I greet you in the Light. Our scans of this foreign land before our crew's departure indeed were accurate… if it is of our detriment or not is still to be seen. As reported in our status logs, there is a permeating smog shrouding much of this barren wasteland. We feel eyes watching us through a veil of darkness. An unseen being…watching our every move, waiting…. We will bolster our defensive positions. I can feel the anticipation of a fierce battle looming over our horizons.

If you are reading this, Eido. Let the light guide you. I know your choices will be just. I will see you soon.

May the Light guide us all.

+Audio Log ID: - Aurora

- Commander Ikora, this place… it's something else. The environment here is anything but natural, more than that of Mercury or Venus. Even the animals we've come across are unnatural, more like monsters than anything that could live naturally. On our second day, we had a confrontation with these bear-like creatures with giant spiked clubs for arms. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but there's no other way I could describe it.

-We found them hiding inside these red flower fields, walking around and hunting anything that moved. The moment we stepped within a few meters of the field, the bears perked up and began charging at us. They used those club arms to run towards us like oversized crutches. Fortunately, our weapons were more than enough to put them down without much issue, although unfortunately, one of Mithrax's scouts was killed in the exchange. They approached one of the felled bears, only for some of the flowers to start pulsating and throwing their leaves around them. Some flew and latched onto the scout's body. I saw the roots of the flowers break through their skin, straightening and contorting their limbs. One moment it was standing, speaking clearly with fluidity, the next they were on the ground convulsing and trying to move their arms towards the flower heads. By the time I had seen him get infected, it was too late. I tried to pull the flowers away from the scout's body, but the flowers latched onto me….

Before they could kill me, I ignited myself with solar energy, which was enough to burn away those…parasites.

-As a result, Mithrax decided it would be best that there should be daily excursions to find any nearby flower beds and burn them out. Personally, I have no objections to his decision, but I can feel some hesitation from Crow.

-Speaking of him, I've kept a close eye on him as per your request. So far, he seems to get along extremely well with our Eliksni friends. It surprised me to see he could even speak their language fluently enough to hold a brief conversation. It's quite spectacular to witness.

His relationship with the other Guardians… It's mixed. He gets along well with Hector, both going out on Mithrax's daily commission to burn the flower fields. Unfortunately, the old cretin of a Hunter has been very distant from Crow. I can see him giving side glances with something akin to disdain in his eyes. I don't know why, but it's not uncommon for him to dislike new faces. Perhaps he'll warm up to the new light, but knowing the old bastard, I highly doubt it.

-That's all I have to report. I pray that we can find Erin and unravel this mystery. I'm already starting to feel homesick…

-System Addendum = /

/Biological Lifeforms Detected;/

/Designation: The Hive.

_END TRANSMITION_

[A loud huff from Zavala filled the serene silence of his office. Fresh after taking in the information from the otherworldly expedition, he spent several minutes pacing around his room. He contemplated the implications of their discovery in that barren desert world. Zavala had gone over potential locations such as Venus, but they had found no signal so far. Mars was still missing, so it was unlikely that they were on an uncharted section beyond the known regions of the Hellas Basin. A thought crossed his mind that they could be inside a simulated reality manifested by the Vex, but Ikora continued to question that idea, unsure if the Vex would waste time and power to simulate animals.

Deep in hypotheticals and possibilities, a long beep rang from Zavala's desk, breaking him out of his reverie. He shook his head, pulling himself back into reality before answering the transmission.

"Commander Zavala." A deep voice, with the heavy accent of Golden Age Russians, transmitted through the device.

The holographic image of a titan, his armor wrapped in strings that intertwined with sharp spikes jutting from his arms, filled the room with the hologram's blue glow. Zavala sighed as his eye trailed across the familiar crest on the titan's helmet.

"Saint…" Zavala's voice was solemn but stern, filling the quiet room with an aura of tension.

"Are you alright, Zavala? You seem troubled. " Saint-14's commanding voice dwindled as he noticed Zavala's empty gaze.

"Yes… Yes, I am…. What is the status of the Eliksni Quarters?" Zavala spoke stiffly, his eyes blankly staring into the Saints projection.

"Mmm… I have spent a few days wandering the streets, helping with repairs, and keeping everyone civil. The damages caused by Lakshmi's followers have mostly been repaired. There is still much healing to be done, Commander." Saint-14 spoke with a somber voice, any trace of his usual vigor falling silent. "Eido has been of great assistance with guiding her people in Mithrax's absence. Her guidance with the younglings has proved fruitful. They help with some of the less dangerous tasks…"

Saint-14 trailed off, his attention seemingly caught by something off-screen.

"Ah, apologies Zavala." Saint mumbled to himself as he reached for something behind him. "Here, I have the data that the splicers have accumulated. So far, the Vex activity around the city has died down, but…" Saint stopped himself, quickly swiping his finger across the data pad's screen.

"But what? Saint…" Zavala's voice grew concerned as he watched the hardened Titan mumble under his breath.

"I have had fireteams report from outside the city that they've encountered these anomalies manifesting for split moments." Saint stopped, pulling the data pad closer to his helmet. "Eh… I wish the little bird was here. The data records have not translated most of the data yet. I still struggle to read Eliksni…" Saint turns several times, before stopping and waving his arm toward someone offscreen. "Excuse me, friend, could you translate these lines here? I do not do well with your language just yet." In response to Saints calling, a short Dreg shifted towards the towering stature of the Titan. The Dreg outstretched their hand, grabbing the tablet shakily.

"Y-yes… I can s-s-speak… I see what I can do, yes?" The Dreg spoke in sputters, their sharp teeth grinding against each other with each word.

Zavala could see the Dreg's body shiver under Saint's stature. If the situation had been different, the Dreg's life could have ended easily with one punch toward its skull. He could understand the intense fear the Dreg was under.

"Perfect, my friend! Could you translate this line for me, please?" However, Saint seemed to be oblivious towards the Dreg's current state of emotion.

Saint handed the shaking Dreg the datapad. They recoiled at the sudden movement, but after a few moments, they composed themselves and held the data pad in their hands.

"A-aha… This… is… yes… hah… eh."

Zavala watched with worry towards the Dreg, but before he could say anything to Saint, something towards the edge of the hologram caught his attention.

"Excuse me! Excuse me, Saint-14?!" The filtered voice of an Eliksni came from beyond Zavala's view.

"Eido! It is a swell surprise to see you!" Saint uproariously welcomed the temporary "Kell" of House Light with open arms.

His sudden outbursts almost made the Dreg, which was teetering on the line of a breakdown, jump with fear.

"It is, glad to make your acquaintance Saint-14!" Eido bowed, almost dropping a stack of papers and other machines from her arms. Standing straight again, she turned towards the near-fainting Eliksni.

"*Narlen, let me help the Lightbearer. Here, take these and take them towards the medical wing.*" Eido approached the shivering Eliksni whilst speaking their native tongue. Eido handed them the stacks of paper and machinery she was holding. In return, she took the data pad from their hand. "*There's nothing to fear from the Saint. I will assist in your language studies later. Take care now, please.*" Eido spoke with the Eliksni language, leaving Saint to only speculate as to what they could be saying.

Zavala could only piece bits of their conversation, but after seeing the Dreg calm down slightly in the presence of Eido, Zavala sighed in relief.

"Apologies, Saint-14. Narlen… She is still adjusting to life underneath the great machine. She still feels… nervous, around light bearers."

"I see…" Saint lowered his head. He felt defeated. His attempts at creating relations with the local Eliksni had ended sourly.

"Saint…" Eido approached him, placing her hand on his slumped shoulders. "It is not your fault."

"If only…that were the truth." Saint turned towards the fleeing Dreg, watching her run towards a set of dilapidated buildings.

"Here, let me help you." Eido looked at Saint inquisitively, her glowing blue eyes brimming with curiosity.

"Alright… Thank you." Eido couldn't see through Saint's mask, but through his voice, she could understand there was joy behind his helm.

"Anytime." Eido chattered happily. "Now then, about the reports…"

Eido scanned through the columns of texts and data, absorbing all the information she could in one go.

"Mmm… Commander Zavala, are you still with us?" Eido looked up towards Zavala's holographic face.

"I am, please continue."

"Of course!" Eido ran her eyes through the data once more. "According to these reports, Vex activity outside city walls has indeed receded with activity. However, they also report that there have been discoveries of new anomalies outside the strongholds around the city."

"What sort of anomalies?"

"Well, the splicers that recorded the information described them as Vex-like in nature, but not in any way we've studied. The code is similar to what we've encountered before, but they've detected some deviations in the code, lines of information that haven't been deciphered before."

"I see… Is there more?"

"... Besides the anomalies, there are a few scattered reports from splicers and guardians alike of another unexplained phenomenon. They described them almost like mirages, appearing hazy in the corner of their eyes before vanishing in an instant." Eidos' eyes ran down pictures and descriptions taken from Eliksni and Guardians. "There is one report from an older splicer. It's different from the others. They were able to peer into the mirage."

"What did they see? Could it be the Infinite Forest?" Saint leaned over to look at the images caught by the scouts.

"No… Nothing like that. His words are that it was 'untouched, and untainted by civilization.' He describes a lush jungle, greener than anything he's seen on his tour of Earth or his time on Riis before the Whirlwind. They felt tempted to enter, but before he could, an arrow came flying through and struck their vandals in the stomach. They launched the arrow with so much force it broke through their armor and skin. The medic on the team ran to them and pulled the arrow out. It was drenched in their blood, but they coated the tip with an unknown substance on it. It wasn't until later that the doctor realized it was poison. They had rushed the vandal back towards the Skiff and our splicer began his retreat away from the anomaly."

Eido looked up from the datapad to see Saint staring down at the report. She could feel his intense concentration as he went through each sentence. Zavala remained poised with the knowledge given to him, with his arms around his chest, eyebrows furrowed with anticipation visible across his face.

"He has written something else, too - look." Saint caught Eidos' attention, who was pointing at a new line of text that was slowly filling the screen.

"Let me see…" Eido ran through the new text. "This is… incredible!"

"What is it?" Zavala came through, stern but patient.

"I-I'll read it." Eido cleared her throat.

"Our party stopped to gather ourselves. We had witnessed countless anomalies with little rest time between. My back would give way any moment, so I rested beside a field of flowers. That was when the arrow flew with the strength of a hundred kells. It broke through the wind like a deafening explosion and struck our fated vandal. His body slammed into a tree after I watched him fly weightlessly. I could hear his bones shatter like the cracking of our newborn eggs. I did not seek to join him, so I retreated. However, the anomaly had not finished its mission with me. My hubris wanted to see more of the anomaly, to stand before death. So I turned. I turned and saw a shadow running towards me from the other side. I could feel its searing gaze burn the skin away from my body. It was towering, its feet bearing down on the dirt with the ferocity of a tank marching to war. I could only glimpse its face, but what I saw resembled something human…and its hair, I can still see it now, red with the fire of rage… Before my life was expelled into the endless void, the anomaly vanished, leaving me still with my life, and a sea of questions alongside it."]

[A long, fatigued hiss fizzled through Mithrax's filter. His long, segmented fingers worked tirelessly across the holographic screen. Close to his side was a small can of Ether connected to an opening in his mask. The cool air of the desert night blew through an uncovered flap in his tent, filling the stale air with an icy breeze.

"Misraaks?" A soft knock came from a large metal container of Ether, followed by a soft voice.

"Crow? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me… Can I come in?" Crows' muffled voice resounded from the other side of the tent's door.

"You may, yes…" Mithrax grumbled, letting a waft of Ether gas expel through his mask.

The tent's door creaked open, allowing clear passage from the ivory-draped hunter. The scales on his armor reflected softly in the fire's glow.

"I appreciate it." Crow pulled back his hood, exposing his dark hair to the cold air of the desert night.

"You know, I thought you were one of our Vandals. It's rare to hear a guardian call me by my Eliksni name."

"Well, I try my hardest to be hospitable to our Eliksni neighbors." Crow gave Mithrax a cheerful grin. Reaching behind him, he pulled a package wrapped in rough cloth. "Here." Crow unwrapped a hefty-sized metal container. Through its glass side, a thick violet gas swirled wildly inside. "I flavored it a bit to help warm you up."

"Oh, how do you know how to…"

"It's something I've picked up along the way during my stay across the Tangled Shore. Can't say it was…enjoyable, but at least I walked out of it with some useful knowledge." Crow spoke casually, humming quietly to himself as he pulled the Ether tank from around his belt.

"Hmm…I see. I'm sorry to hear about your predicament. I shall not pry further if you do not wish me to."

"Don't be. I learned some valuable lessons from my time being imprisoned there. For one, I learned some basic words and sentences from some generous vandals and dregs. I even have someone to practice with from time to time."

"Speaking of, where is he?" Mithrax's mandibles clicked as he settled in his chair, making the hard leather squeal under the strain of his weight.

"Oh, Glint…" Crow snickered to himself. "Probably outside, doing his usual rounds." His smile turned wry, accompanied by a somewhat quiet snort. "Most likely talking about things I've already told him not to," Crow mumbled, just barely loud enough for Mithrax to catch. The Hunter turned to look towards the swinging door of the Kell's tent, wincing at the thought of Glint mouthing off some of the more personal and traumatic experiences the two have shared. "Heh, no matter what I say…it goes through one ear and out the other…"

Mithrax hummed quietly, listening to the Guardian talk away while his mandibles clicked rapidly. He found the relationship between the Lightbearer and his Ghost very amusing since he'd first met them during the construction of the Eliksni Quarters. "He is quite the energetic one." Mithrax leaned closer toward Crow, his chair squeaking with each heavy movement. "Your beginning was not an easy one." Mithrax leaned forward, his chair squeaking as it struggled to hold its bolts together.

"I… yeah." Crow's cheerful smile dimmed. Images of the Tangled Shore, ensnared by the Spiders' web of mercenaries and outlaws, flashed through his mind.

"Apologies. I did not intend to resurface any unsavory memories." Mithrax raised his hands, stammering apologies.

"No, it's alright." Crow chuckled lightly, waving off Mithrax before raising a metal canister into the air. "How about we drink a bit? This is one of the few times we don't need to be melancholy." Crow approached the sitting Mithrax, handing him the cold Ether can. "Here, take a whiff of it and tell me what you think! I found some ingredients to spice it up a bit. Those flowers when ground up aren't that dangerous."

Mithrax looked at Crow, mouth agape. "I-I… The others deserve it more...they should be rewarded for their hard work over me." Mithrax lowered his head, humbly declining Crow's offer.

"Nonsense, you deserve this just as much as them. Besides, I already gave them a tank of it. They all seemed to enjoy it, even our doctor." Crow insisted, still holding the can in his outstretched arm.

Mithrax gave a long sigh. "If that is so, I'll humbly accept." Mithrax grabbed the canister from Crow's hand. He grabbed a long tube tied to his chest, connecting it to the open end of the tank. Connecting the other end to his mask, he breathed in a hefty chunk of the gas swirling inside. "It tastes…magnificent." Mithrax let out a satisfied groan. For years, he and his people survived on the basic foundations of Ether, only being enough to keep them alive, never being able to experience the finer tastes of Ether.

Mithrax took several slow puffs, savoring each inhalation of the gas.

"Cheers, Misraaks!" Crow raised his hand into the air, mimicking holding a cup.

"Yes, cheers…" Mithrax followed Crow's motions, holding up the canister into the air, before settling back onto his lap. He closed his eyes, siphoning the euphoric gas into his lungs.

"It's almost time for me to take up a watchpoint." With a loud huff, Crow pushed himself up, stretching his arms with audible cracks. "Enjoy the rest of the Ether. Goodnight, Misraaks." Crow bowed towards the Kell, before turning around and hurrying through the tent door.

Mithrax slumped back into his chair watching the young hunter leave.. He took one large huff of Ether before swiveling back around to face his data screen.]

The winds had begun to pick up, the same as every night beforehand. Frozen winds of the desert night swept over the once sizzling desert, turning it into a wasteland of frozen rock and bones. Most animals would find the desert a deterrent. Ghosts, however, were an abnormal exception to that rule. The Ghost had only one thing to be wary of. The witch's choking miasma.

The sand beneath parted ways as the paracausal energy of the Ghost glided through. His shell expanded every few minutes, scanning mounds and rocks across his path. Focus-minded on discovering something through his endless scans.

"Tico."

A voice called from the other end of his transmitter, robotic and worried sounding. The receiver stopped in his tracks, contemplating if he should answer.

"Tico!" The voice on the other end grew irritated, giving way to an aggravated yell.

"What? What do you want?" The sound spiked in volume pulled the Ghost away from his concentrated trance.

"What do you mean, what do I want? Where are you?" The voice on the other end grew even more irritated, tinged with worry and confusion.

"Tsk. I'm fine, Glint. I'm just north of camp." Tico sighed, regretting his passive-aggressive response toward his friend.

"North?! Please don't tell me you're flying towards that tower. You know what happened last time." Glint's voice crackled.

"I'm not, I'm not. Just — scanning rocks and dead trees." Tico thought slightly before fully responding.

"-" There was static silence on the other end.

"Fine. Just know Hector-6 is riding out towards you. Stay safe, I'll see you soon," Glint spoke sternly, but with a tinge of tenderness, before abruptly cutting communications.

"Right…" Tico spun his shell, its edges drooping in disappointment. He now only had a few minutes to continue his search. Rather than wait, however, he would make the most of it.

"I'm here. Why aren't you saying anything?"

…

The desert's silence was all that Tico was met with, the blowing winds splashing against his eye.

"Fine…Hide all you want, but I'll find you. You can't hide forever."

Tico sprung at full speed, going from rock to rock, mound to mound, pebble to pebble. Data surged through his circuits. The age of the rocks, the weight of the mounds, and the number of sand particles. He computed every little detail in seconds inside his mind, but none gave him his desired answer.

The scars of time etched on jagged stone. They held nothing of importance within their wounds. Until-

"AHA!" Tico gasped with happiness. The rock he'd scanned held traces of the darkness's energy. The same he'd found himself surrounded by upon the ice deserts of Europa.

Where… is… he…

A woman's voice whispered into his core, feeling her frigid breath enwrap his metal shell.

"I hear you! Where the hell are you? Show yourself!" Tico spun rapidly, scanning the winds and particles of miasma around him.

Where is my love… Where is….my love-

"Who is your love? Who are you?"

Spinning, scanning, her voice grew louder.

I love him… I love him so much…. so much…. so much…

Louder and louder, her ice-cold hands wrapped around his shell, bringing him closer to her empty heart.

Love Him.

"Tico!"

"Woah-Ah-Ah!"

The cold silence coalescing around his body was shattered as his small body was yanked towards the desert floor. Around his shell he could feel gloved hands tightening their grip around him.

"Tico, please, come back." Cries came from the robed figure, their voice growing more choked with each word. Tico couldn't focus on their face, but his robotic voice was more than enough to identify him.

"Hector?! Hector, I'm here, I'm here." The Ghost's voice was grumbly, but he tried his best to reassure his companion.

"Thank the Traveler." Hector cried with joy, pulling his friend into a tight embrace.

"W-what happened? Why were you manhandling me?" Tico slowly floated away from Hector's chest, gathering himself.

"You made me worried sick! I saw you from afar and then… then you just fell. Y-your shell kept shaking while you just yelled at no one!"

"I was?... You're right… I was yelling. There was a woman. It felt like the pyramid again. It felt cold, so cold." Tico shivered as he floated. Some parts of him still felt ice cold from the woman's touch.

"Was this…another episode, Tico? Please, be honest with me."

Tico could hear sniffling from his partner. Exos had a difficult time showing emotion through their mechanical faces. Tico had only seen Hector break down only a handful of times, but it nearly broke him every time he'd seen him cry.

"N-No, I know what I felt. There was a woman. She whispered about love and finding someone. I felt her touch and everything. It wasn't some hallucination." Tico pleaded, knowing without a doubt that what he saw was more than that.

"I want to believe you. I really do… But I can't, not right now." Hector stammered his cries. "Losing someone else… Losing you…"

"-" Tico rubbed against his Guardian's chest. "You won't lose me."

"Tico, look at me." Hector wiped away the tears from his eyes and cleared his throat. "If you really think there's something here. Something that could give you, give us answers, I'll come with you. We'll search for it together, not alone."]

[Sat at the edge of the derelict desert camp, a closed-off tent glowed dimly with a blue light. Inside, past the swinging door flaps, sat the limp body of a bear. It had no hair on its head and a wrinkled face, with limbs stiffened from rigor mortis having set in long ago. Inside its mouth, two large pliers were extended to keep its maw from slamming shut.

A large, modified servitor hovered above the body. Two long extensions hung at its sides, with several tight metal cords attached. It hung two enormous arms that were malformed like gruesome clubs up by hooks attached to the ends of the metal wires.

"Perfect."

A tall, hunch-backed Eliksni captain scanned over several tools that lie around his workstation. His tough, muscular arms reached towards two large, vibrating energy swords. Arc energy spilled from the base of the blade as it powered on, hungry to cut through flesh. Its hilt had worn down over centuries of use but still held together enough to not need replacing. His other arms held the massive club arm in place, keeping it ever still. With one powerful swing, the energy blade came crashing down through the arm. The arm slowly detached with a loud squelch, before swinging idly by the hook of the chains. The captain pulled back his arm and swung for the other arm, cutting cleanly through it. More squelching noises came as the arm fell from the socket and hung in the air from its chains.

The intense heat of arc energy cauterized the stumps of the bear, leaving the table and room relatively clean.

The captain grabbed an arm hanging from the hooks, turning it around, inspecting every thorn and spike on its forearms.

The captain mumbled to himself, "This should be good enough." He'd found a handful of spikes and edged thorns sturdy enough to be pulled away. From the table, he'd pulled a large plier stained in dried blood. His three free arms gripped the arm, making careful to avoid the edged thorns. Grasping the thick thorn, he twisted and pulled away, slowly edging the thorn away from its base.

"Almost…" With one powerful yank, the thorn came flying out with an explosion of green blood. His arms held him in place for a few moments, though unfortunately the weight of his body pulling at the arm was too much for the hook. The arm, along with the rest of his contraption, fell downwards, crashing into the sand and wooden floorboards. The crash blew sand everywhere around his workstations, covering papers and data tabs with dust.

Hissing in anger, he threw the arm away from his body, letting it roll toward the edges of the tent. He picked himself up and saw the mess around his office. With several aggressive clicks of his mandibles, he kicked away the sand around his metal table. Sand flew at the edge of his boots hitting even more items around the tent.

"ARRRGH" The captain let a gargling yell, throwing the tongues with the thorn across the room. He huffed and growled as he grabbed a dented metal canister, throwing himself back into a scratched leather chair. Sitting somewhat comfortably, he cracked the top of the canister open, letting out a small waft of ether gas. The intoxicating smell enveloped his nostrils, calming down his raging mind.

Blissful and relaxed, he sank deeper into his chair, opening the can further to let out more of the intoxicating gas. Entranced in bliss, the sound of heavy boots slamming against the wooden floorboards pulled him out of his entrancement.

"Oh… Parzaks?" A soft, feminine voice came from the entrance of the tent.

The captain raised his head, sighing in disgust at the sight of the machine spawn at his door. The top-heavy frame of an awoken titan leaned partially through the door flaps. Her silver hair and starlight skin brought bile to his throat. "Another star child reject, wonderful," were the first words to cross his mind when he lay eyes on his Kells expedition team.

"What is it?" The captain growled towards the Titan. Using his four arms, he slowly pushed himself off his leather chair, staring directly into Aurora's eyes. "I don't appreciate the uninvited company." Hisses and growls interjected each word as he stared at her.

"I heard a lot of commotion over here. Is everything alright? This place looks like a mess." The titan pushed through the flaps and fully entered the room, ignoring the hateful speech of the captain.

"There was an accident…that is all."

"I can see that much…" The Titan took in the room in its entirety. The servitor floated limply. Its large eye kept following Aurora as she wandered around the room.

"Either way, let me help you."

"No. I don't need your help."

"Well, like it or not, I am going to." Aurora crossed her arms and pouted, stubbornly refusing to leave.

"That would be unwise…" Parzaks voice grew more agitated, with two long strides he stood only inches away from the Titan. His build was giant, standing a solid three heads over Aurora.

"You can try to scare me, but I'm not leaving. I'm going to help you and by the Traveler I will make sure this place is spotless."

"Eugh." Parzaks turned away, angry that his intimidation didn't work. A part of him wasn't too surprised, most Awoken he's had the misfortune of meeting have always been hard headed and stubborn.

Aurora walked around picking up random tools and broken pieces of furniture, before stumbling above an incomplete contraption. "What weapon were you making?" Aurora turned towards Parzaks, who was turned away in a corner lifting a series of wooden shelves.

Hearing the Titans question he turned his large body to see her holding his work-in-progress weapon.

"Don't damage it!" The captain reached out one of his lower hands. His eyes widened with fear.

"I'm not gonna break it! I was just curious about what it was." Aurora walked towards one of the open tables and placed the weapon away gently.

Watching his weapon away from the Titans hands, Parzaks sighed with relief.

"I have to say, I've seen some of your other weapons."

"Mmmm." Parzaks watched Aurora walk around the room, idly looking at his collection of handmade weapons across the tents walls.

"I've seen them in action," she leaned closer towards a set of modified wirerifles. It held an extra barrel with fitted wires around an extra arc battery. "Woah! These are the rifles you used a few days ago, aren't they?! Ah!" The titan clasped her hands in excitement. Pronaks felt slightly distressed at the Titans enthusiasm towards the weaponry. Even more so after catching glimpses of small tinges of solar energy enveloping her fingertips. "They were magnificent!"

Her unusual excitement towards his weapons carnage had left the captain wide-eyed, unsure of whether the machine-spawn would attack him or continue in her ecstasy-filled recollections. He wasn't sure which he should be more worried about at that point.

Watching alertly, he noticed the sparks of the Great Machines familiar form above her shoulders.

"Please excuse Auroras… eccentric behavior." From the sparks came a voice, and from the voice was a ghost. Molded in Awoken familiarity, the Ghost shrunk and expanded its shell as it spoke. "Aurora?" The Ghost spoke again. "Aurora!" No response from the titan.

The Ghost sighed in frustration. It flew a few inches away from the Titan's shoulders and, without warning, flung itself towards her face. A loud thump came from the impact. A pulsating imprint of the Ghost's eye bruised Aurora's forehead.

"OWW!" Aurora grumbled in pain. "Phoebe! Why did you hit me?"

"You were salivating again."

"Oh… Was I?..."

"Yes."

"Oh... I'm sorry… I'll excuse myself…" Aurora picked herself up with her head hung low in shame. She whispered a thank you towards Parzaks and turned towards the tent door.

Parzaks followed the Titan out of his tent. Seeing an Awoken shameful of themselves was a rare sight for him. He wanted to feel some soft prideful joy, seeing someone of that background feel shame was something he'd dreamed of for years. Though seeing Aurora, someone who was so eager to help him, despite his attitude, he felt guilty.

Outside, she gave a meek wave before disappearing into an old worn out tent. Standing in the cool desert wind, he turned around to look inside his tent. He sighed, begrudgingly walking back towards the mess inside, ready to clean it all alone.]

[Nestled high in a wooden watchtower, Crow watched across the desolate wasteland, keeping any harmful abnormalities away from his team.

A small spark of blue dust erupted near his chest. From its center, his Ghost manifested itself. "Sooooooo… How was it?" Glint asked playfully.

"Fine… I guess."

"Look on the bright side. They all seem to like you. Well… except for that one guy, he didn't look too pleased to see you… Then again, he didn't seem pleased with anyone in the group, so I wouldn't blame you for it." Crow's monotone answer didn't suffice with Glint. The other Ghosts acquainted themselves well with Glint, however, they couldn't find the chance to interact with Crow. That was until Glint volunteered Crow to partake in Mithrax's expedition.

"Right…"

"Don't be so gloomy, Crow. All things considered, everything went smoothly, wouldn't you say?"

Glint's shell spun and turned, trying in earnest to lift the mood of his Guardian.

"It did…" Crow started to speak, but his lips quivered before he could finish. He turned to face away from Glint, looking back towards the endless expanse.

"What's the matter? You can tell me…"

"It's not…" Crow sighed before turning to look at Glint in the eyes. "It just doesn't feel right to me. To lie, to walk around with this facade of a mask." Crow's voice began to break.

"I know… but until we can clear your name, it's the only way you can be safe!"

"Clear my name of what?" Crow had heard that phrase so many times, that he'd only ever be safe. Since his first hours of life, every other living thing besides Glint has wanted him dead. "No one's ever told me why I'm even hated. What do I have to clear my name of?" Crow began to break down, tears flowed from his eyes as he remembered the way Guardians would kill him. No matter what he'd say, those who ended his life always looked at him with unbridled rage, even as he lay dying, he could see some sigh in relief, showing no remorse or mercy towards his dying body. "I don't want to sleep with one eye open every night! I'm tired of it…"

"C-Crow…" Glint lowered himself towards Crow's weeping face. With a light tug, his shell expanded, expelling a small gust of light. The particles wrapped around Crow's body, nudging his body closer towards him.

"What is…" Crow raised one hand, watching as small particles of light wrapped around each of his fingers.

"It's… the closest thing I can give you to a hug…" Glint nuzzled himself around Crow's neck. "You're a good person Crow. Even through all that you've endured, you still help anyone you can…" At this point, Crow could hear Glint's voice break. "I don't think I could've picked a better Guardian. I'll never regret picking you."

At this point, neither could contain their emotions and began sobbing into each other. This was the second time since Crow's first resurrection that Glint had heard him sob this much before.

"Thank you, Glint." Crow's tight embrace on Glint had grown so strong, he could feel his shell shift.

"I'll be by your side bud, always will be." Glint released more particles around Crow, making his own embrace equally as tight.

Deep into their comradic embrace, the sound of glass shattering boomed across the night sky.

"Crow, what was that?" Glint frantically flew up towards the sky. In the distance away from the Ivory tower, shards of coded glass began to fall and smash across the sand.

"Shit…" Crow looked in the same direction. Shards the size of buildings crumbled from unseeable walls in the desert. He had to warn the others, what he was seeing could be a colossal Vex attack.

"Misraaks! Misraaks!"

"Crow! Bless the Light! I see the Vex walls crumbling. Ready yourself! I shall prepare everyone here. Retreat as soon as possible." The loud sounds of metal clanging and firearms reloading took over Mithrax's speech. "May the light guide you."

"Understood!" Crow pulled down his rifle, loading in a fresh magazine before looking down its scope. Scanning around, he saw the shards of glass embedded into the sand. As he's looking the sand began to be lifted, as if something was rising from beneath.

"Shit! Those are tomb ships, Glint." Crow saw several large dark ships rise from the sand. The ship's guns began to twist and turn as if they tried to readjust themselves. They pointed behind the ships and began to fire void energy balls wildly.

"Wait…Look over there." Glint flew forward past the watchtower. His shell expanded as blue rays shone towards whatever had caught his attention. "That's a carriage!"

"Wha–" Crow focused his weapon towards Glint's direction. In between the raging walls of sand, a horde of Thrall were clawing through each other. At the front, the target they were hunting down was running for its life. "Is that a dragon?"

"I hope not… Look, it's dragging something!"

"A… carriage?" Crow took a moment to comprehend as to why there would be such an archaic vehicle riding through such a dangerous desert. Giving it a few seconds of thought, he realized that whatever was inside could be the native residents of this hostile world.

"Someone's on top of it!"

Amidst his thoughts, Glint flew in front of Crow's face. Crow looked through his scope again. The carriage was approaching rapidly, making it easier to see the details of the caravan. The "dragon" was nothing more than an oversized lizard to him. Although heavily armored, he could see large gashes across its shell alongside scorch marks. Despite its wounds, he could see the mangled arm of a thrall dangling in its mouth. "The thing's definitely a fighter," he thought.

But the beast was not what caught his attention. The carriage itself was a contestant for the most bizarre thing he'd seen across the desert. The walls were constructed from brittle wood, yet somehow it remained intact even through the relentless attacks from the Hive's tomb ships. From what he presumed to be opened windows, explosives from a grenade launcher came crashing down on the thrall alongside what he could only theorize to be void blasts.

Aiming up towards the roof of the carriage, his jaw dropped at what he saw.

"Erin."

"What?"

"Glint, it's Erin! She's on top of the carriage!"

Atop the carriage, the subject of the rescue mission stood ready with her Void quiver in hand. Besides her, a silver haired woman held her hands forward, shards of Stasis energy swirling around her body.

"I can't believe it. I think there's another Guardian with her." Crow gave a low chuckle. Watching the events unfold in front of him in such a short notice was too absurd. He took his face away from his gun, preparing to report this newfound information to his comrades down below in the camp. He began to walk towards the edge of the watchtower, ready to jump off and join his companions down below. As his feet left the wooden floor, his sharp ears picked up a distant boom. It was quiet, so far that it was barely audible. In the few milliseconds as his body descended, the booming grew in volume, becoming louder and louder until it was deafening. In that split moment, where the sound grew deafening, a white light enveloped Crow's eyes. At that moment, the intense feeling of heat engulfed his body, leaving all of his feelings void as he was reduced to nothing but dust.]

AN: Thank you for reading this chapter. Stories been sorta on life support for the past few months but I feel myself becoming more excited to write since I've started Uni. Hopefully coursework, etc, wont drown out that excitement.

Thank you once again to my editor, who's always ready to help me out between each chapter.

Happy Halloween everyone, thank you for reading.

See you next time.