Note: The beginning to Azra's story as seen in the main fic is not the first one I wrote. Originally she was supposed to meet the Crew during the Battle of Twilight Gap. I scrapped this for a couple reasons (mainly, it didn't give much time to develop the world and the emotional impact of Twilight Gap falls a bit flat if you aren't already fond of the characters), so I decided to start from a different place.
But I never got to talk about what Andal's Crew (and their two Dead End Cure tagalongs) got up to the night of the 21st in-story. I had the old draft sitting around, so with some tweaks (okay I rewrote 90% of it, sue me), here's Part 1 of a (probably) 3-part minseries: Twilight Gap, v1.0.
In Which Azra Makes Acquaintances
Lend me your hand and we'll conquer them all
But lend me your heart and I'll just let you fall
Lend me your eyes, I can change what you see
But your soul you must keep totally free
Awake My Soul – Mumford and Sons
Small decisions can sometimes have large effects.
For example, a question: What if a certain group of Hunters had left for a certain mission one day early?
This does not seem a decision ripe for temporal picking, at least without some additional background information. It is not a well-documented fact that Guardians in the wild are often (discreetly) followed by unpaired Ghosts. Guardians go interesting places and offer a measure of safety against enemy parties. They are also great for jumpship rides to exotic locales.
So, let's imagine for a moment that a certain Ghost had stopped over in the City for a rest before heading off to Europe to continue his search for his Guardian. He would check the outgoing flight plans for the next few days to see if he could hitch a ride with anyone. If the Hunters had left a day early, he would not have been able to tag along, silent and unnoticed, in the ship of one Cayde-6. Instead, he would ride with a Warlock named Gallida Tuyet on her journey to a Golden-Age archive in Old Palermo, Sicily.
Because of this, Azra Jax was not raised on July 14th, 2868. With nearly 4,500 kilometers of coast to search, the Ghost that would be named Spark took a few extra years to find his Guardian.
And his Guardian, who was raised alone, stayed that way. She felt no urgency to get to some unknown City thousands of miles away. The Fallen were getting bolder and bolder, so better armor and weaponry were a higher priority than a jumpship.
Eventually, her Ghost convinced her. There was a spaceport in Vienna with a ship that still flew, and Azra Jax set out across the Atlantic Ocean. She was alone, but far from inexperienced. A tumultuous life in the wilds, without safe harbor or the security of company, taught many harsh lessons.
Fortune was not on her side. The date was April 21st, 2871.
Twilight Gap.
Azra was falling, and the only thing running through her mind was a joke. Just some ancient reference from who-knows-when, jarred into the now when her new jumpship disintegrated around her.
Hey, I still have payments on that!
At least her body knew what to do. She spun in the air, managing to orient herself and at least slow her descent. She rolled a bit when she hit the ground, but as far as she could tell she hadn't broken anything. She let herself lay for a second and tallied up her luck.
She wasn't too long of a walk from the City: Lucky. She would have to walk because she no longer had a ride: Unlucky. Spark had transmatted her out just in time. She supposed that was good. The burning, tumbling wreckage of her ship careened on. Azra could feel the vibrations of its crash through the soles of her shoes as she gathered herself up.
The timely transmat was only good because it was Dark here. A resurrection would be tricky. She had wandered some pretty odd places across Europe, through mountains and Fallen nests and giant, twisting shards of alabaster and Light- but none so Dark as this. She'd stayed away from places as Dark as this. Final Death was not something she enjoyed courting.
She took stock of her surroundings. The sun had set not half an hour ago, yet it was already dim as midnight. Nearly everything was in the shadow of the mountains around here. She was in some valley between the peaks, where scrubby underbrush and determined trees had made a home for themselves. There was cover: Lucky.
It took her a moment to realize the sound of engines had never really faded. Either the motors on the Jumpship miraculously survived their crash, or-
Two smaller vehicles shot out of the undergrowth as she turned. Azra already had her sidearm in hand, but these weren't Pikes. They were smaller, lower to the ground, and apparently much more maneuverable. One banked hard to avoid her, close enough to pull her cloak in its wake. The engine noises pitched down rapidly, both vehicles turning at sharp angles back around towards her.
She kept her sidearm out.
There were two Human figures on the not-Pikes. They leaned back in unison and cut their engines. One pulled off its helmet, revealing… not a Human face. In the darkness, she couldn't make colors (besides its eyes glowing like the sky before sunset and its mouth full of coal-orange), but the lines were clearly artificial. It had a horn on its head.
"That crash yours?" asked the other one. He sounded Human, at least. He wore a long, dark piece of fabric over his shoulders. Azra just nodded her head, dumbfounded. He took off his helmet, and Azra was greeted with the first glimpse of a person's face that wasn't hers. Thinner, male, with a poorly-trimmed beard. That's all she could see the darkness. Her Ghost knew better than to shine flashlights in hostile territory.
She didn't know what to do. Put her sidearm away? Run in the opposite direction? Salute? They were the first living humans (or robots) Azra had ever met. It was completely outside of everything she knew.
Her ears caught more whining. Her feet felt the faintest rumble of something approaching. Four more vehicles pulled up, with four more people. Six total. Azra felt very overwhelmed. From being completely alone to six people, in the space of twenty seconds.
The artificial person (was he a person?) wasn't as calm as his companion. "The hell are you trying to do, flying a jumpship 'round here at a time like this?" His voice had a mechanical overtone to it, like a Ghost's.
"My Ghost said the Last City was a safe place," Azra bit back. Her voice was scratchy. It sounded angry. In reality, her hands were trembling from fear a slight bit of shock. She did her best to shake it off and focus on the task at hand. The people before her all seemed urgent.
"Your Ghost said…" the Human one began. Azra recognized the horrified understanding in his voice. "You've never been to the City before?"
Azra just shook her head mutely. Her eyes flicked between the other five. For the most part, they were focused on her, but one wasn't paying attention at all. Her back was to the group, facing outwards. Azra caught her head turning in smooth arcs. She was studying the world around them. Looking for something.
Azra found it first. There was a slight shift in the wind, the tenor of the air, the movement of branches far back in the trees. Her head tilted up, and there it was: A Skiff.
Azra automatically pulled her hood up and stepped backwards, doing her best to blend into the shadows. She crouched to present a smaller target and hoped her ragged cloak and the shrub she had shoved herself under would do their job to break up her outline.
They did. The Skiff trundled by, oblivious to her presence. It moved in the direction her Jumpship had crashed. Azra held her breath until the sound of its engines faded and her heart slowed a few tics.
Only then did she think to take stock of the others. They had all similarly taken to cover, crouched or prone in the underbrush. Their vehicles sat silent and inactive. They got to their feet before she did. Azra was still a bit stunned.
"How long have you been alive?" one of the new people asked. His cloak tapered off in a sharp point, and he was taller than her. His voice was deep and rough.
She stood, dusting off her knees. "Like, a day and a half? Or are you asking for, um, total time?"
The gruff one crossed his arms and tilted his head just a little bit. Azra could tell he was giving her a look behind his helmet. She swallowed and managed to talk around the lump in her throat. "Almost eight months, then. I was first raised in Old Portugal, but, uh…"
"It took us a while to find a ship," Spark said diplomatically.
"I've never met other Guardians before," Azra said. "You guys are Guardians, right?"
"Isn't it obvious?" The robot asked. "We're not exactly run-of-the-mill, here."
"I've never met anyone before," Azra said.
Perhaps she'd said it a bit too softly. The Fallen were all about posturing and strength. She hadn't even considered that Humans (and robots) might be similar. She had no rules, no way to gauge what was appropriate, no way to tell if the shift in the bearded human's shoulders was pity or judgement. What she did have were instincts, and those instincts told her to protect her vital organs. She tilted her chin in, crossed her arms, and hunched her shoulders, making herself a smaller target.
"Well, shit," said one of the others. He was decked head-to-toe in dark gear. There were veins of electric blue through it all, like the heart of fire showing through a lightning-struck tree. "You been on your own?"
"Didn't… see a reason, uh, not to be?" It was the best answer she had.
"Your Ghost never took you to the City," the gruff one said. It sounded like it should be a question, but his inflection was flat.
"Well, I tried to, but then our ship got shot out of the air!" Spark huffed. "I haven't been in this area of the world for a few years. Why is there Fallen artillery so close to the City?"
There was a moment where nobody spoke. Azra did not miss the shortest one of the group make a gesture, then tilt his head like he was speaking.
Spark perked up. The short one's Ghost had pinged him some data. He scanned it for a few seconds.
Azra felt Spark's shock like it was her own. Her stomach dropped. "Oh no," the Ghost murmured.
"The City is not a safe place right now," the first Human said sadly. "Or maybe not ever. The Fallen organized a massive military effort, and just about an hour ago they managed to breach the Wall."
"So much for that hot shower I was promised," Azra muttered. "That's why artillery got so close. They're swarming the place." She went over her loadouts in her mind, trying to make her strength even somewhat up to the task of taking on Fallen war-parties. Her odds weren't good. And with no transportation now but her own two feet, in the dark, in unfamiliar terrain, with no map…
"Why don't you tag along for now," the Human said. Azra nodded gratefully.
The lightning-blue Guardian shook his head. "We can't take her into the fight we're seeking."
"We can't leave her out here alone," the Human replied. "She's Dreg food." He turned his face up to the sky. "We can talk as we move, but we need to clear out. That crash is going to draw a lot more attention."
"Sorry?" Azra offered. It sounded like something she should apologize for.
The Human just shook his head. The others were re-starting their vehicles now. "You got a Sparrow, newbie?" the robot asked.
Azra eyed the sleek not-pikes and shook her head. "If you're talking about your rides, no."
"You're with me, then."
The feeling of speed was exhilarating. It was better than riding a Pike. The Sparrow accelerated so smoothly and could take turns that would send lesser vehicles fishtailing. She immediately wanted one.
Her glee was heavily tempered by the terror or falling off. Riding double was hard. It was worse because she couldn't see where they were going. Azra couldn't keep her eyes open against the blistering winds their speed produced, and even if she could, she was in back. She locked her arms around the robot's waist and prayed she wasn't squeezing too hard.
Eventually they came to a halt. Azra stumbled back upright on unsteady legs, trying to stretch usefulness back into her stiff fingers. The short one stepped away from the group, Ghost at his palm. The others gathered in a rough circle.
"Alright," the bearded Human said. "This'll hold for now."
Azra had already done a sweep of the woods. Everything was quiet, at least temporarily. She rolled her shoulders and settled her guns in their slings.
"Basically," the Human started like he was about to get in to a deep explanation. Instead he paused for a second, then swore to himself. "I never asked your name, did I? Do you have one?"
"Azra," she said. "Uhm, Jax. And my Ghost is Spark."
A faint smile touched the Human's lips. "Well met, considering the circumstances. I'm Andal Brask. That's Cayde-6, Tevis Larsen, Shiro-4, Imir, and Shaana Duri." She affixed the names to the people best she could in her mind. Cayde-6 was the robot she'd ridden with. Tevis was the pointy-caped one who gave looks. Shiro-4 was short. Imir was still glowing blue. Shaana was the lookout. "We're after the Kell of Kings," Andal explained.
Azra nodded, not sure where he was going. She was familiar with both Kells and the House of Kings, at least in theory.
Andal gestured as he talked. She was fascinated with the way his hands described shapes in the air. "This is going to be a tough fight, if we can even find him. And this area is crawling with Fallen that you're probably not up to fighting, on top of it being so Dark out… we all agree it's best if you stick with us. We can protect you, whatever the future holds. At least a sight better than you'd be off, running by yourself in times like this."
"Well, okay," Azra said. She really had no reason to disagree. Even if she wasn't too excited to go hunting after a Kell. It sounded like more trouble than it was worth.
Andal smiled. "Cool! Put these on." He thrust a pair of greaves into her hands. Azra took a step back in surprise.
Leg armor wasn't the only thing she was given. The others stepped forward, donating their own pieces of gear from their Ghost's storage. Some fit, some didn't, but by the time they were done, Azra was better kitted out than she'd ever thought possible. The City must be an amazing place, to make armor like this.
She slipped on her borrowed helmet (from Tevis, she remembered), and was astounded to find it had settings. Spark rifled through them, thought-quick. His voice was whisper-close in her ear as he explained the HUD and the night vision. The world bloomed in surprising color. Shaana Duri was in tan-green camouflage that nearly matched the scrub around her. Andal's cloak was black in true, though Tevis's was actually maroon. Cayde had a blue body to match his blue eyes.
As she acquainted herself with her armor, the others double-checked weapons or spoke in hushed tones. Spark keyed Azra's helmet into the comms network, so she caught the tail-end of Shiro's explanation to Andal.
"There's a Captain I think a half a click northeast who should have a key. Best place to check first, in any case."
Andal hummed. "Best be on our way, then. Azra, you linked in yet?"
Azra started at the sound of her name on someone else's lips. It was a weird feeling. She wasn't sure if she liked it.
"Yeah," she replied. Andal nodded in response and addressed the group.
"We're going on foot from here. No need to startle our prey. Keep your eyes out, obviously, don't want to be prey ourselves. Stick close. Azra, you're with Tevis. Do whatever he says, and don't give him trouble. 'Less you wanna get acquainted with some real solid death. Let's move out."
The others gathered. Azra startled when Tevis appeared next to her, unannounced.
He leaned close, voice even more gruff in the comms link. "Listen, blood-"
Azra's tongue got ahead of her brain. "What did you call me?" She interrupted.
"Blood. Like bleeding. You've bled before, yes?"
Now it was Azra's turn to give him a dull glare. He seemed unfazed by it. Was he upset?
Tevis just crossed his arms and straightened. "You've been by yourself for nearly a year in hostile territory. I'll trust you to look after yourself. But you have no experience of the type of fight we're getting into. So I expect you to keep your hands, and your guns, to yourself. Stick to me. But you leave the fighting to us. You put effort in for self-preservation only, do you jive?"
"Uh… jive?"
He shifted his weight. "This is not the kind of fight newbie Hunters walk away from living. Do you understand?"
"Yesssss," Azra drew out, pushing down the sudden frustration that reared its head at the patronization. Was it even patronization? Was he angry, or just being stiff?
"Then do what I tell you to do, no question, no talk-back. You don't know the shape of the world. I'll not have you running into situations where we'll have to risk our lives to pull you out. Stay back, don't draw any attention to yourself, and don't get in my way."
He walked off. Azra just stood there for a moment, trying to process. She'd thought maybe she was getting the hang of talking with people. Why did everything have to be so confusing all of the sudden?
Tevis's bark snapped her back to reality. The forest behind her loomed foreboding in the Darkness. She ran to catch up.
