The trip to the Eliksni quarter was swift, the skiff drifted to the ground with a soft hum before off-loading its civilian cargo. A flash from within is the only hint of the paradoxical guardian who it had previously housed.
"You do realize these ships aren't designed for more than one guardian" Crow's voice glided my ears as I touched down in his ship's cockpit.
"I needed a place to hide, Atlanta's ship small" I adjust and try to move where I can not be in the direct way of his steering.
"Atalanta, she will absolutely slug you for calling her anything else; I learned that lesson the hard way." He crosses his arms and moves his chair farther back. "Glint, please fly the ship so I can give our contraband some space"
The little-great machine appears and rolls his whole self to emphasize his annoyance at the request. The ship begins to move towards the large building on the wall with a small start.
"Atalanta's prepping the residence quarters for you before discussing getting you a combat evaluation. You will get to choose a weapon from each of us before you go into it." A sly smile appeared as he sat up. "You have any particular weapon preferences? Between her and I, we probably have anything you could imagine and more."
My fingers tapped against the hull as I thought about what I had wielded within my short existence. "My weapon from before my revival has gotten me far, but I have slapped together a device to launch shock mines before. Explosives can make up for the failings of more traditional weapons."
The Hunter laughed at this statement. "Atalanta and you are going to be great at ruining a crucible map together, I know exactly what I'm gonna let you try first."
The ship stopped near a portion of the wall below the large building and Crow gestured to the viewport. "Have your ghost transmat you about 15 feet that way to arrive in our quarters for the time being; I need to go land this with Holiday." A mask appeared on his face as he said this. I nodded to him before a flash of white consumed me and I was sitting in the quarters.
It was the most alien place I had ever seen. No bedding or practical use for the room I was in other than a viewscreen and platform being surrounded by blocky cloth structures. No markings to show the purpose of the room or who owned it, and no comms system upon the wall to communicate with other parts of the den.
I stood and explored more of this blocky home and found a galley, the space was full of storage spots, but the floor and ceiling were lacking additional panels. Moving along the rectangular spine of the quarters I found 2 locked doors labeled for both Atalanta and Crow. Private rooms were not unheard of, but for each member of the crew felt wasteful of both space and resources. An unmarked door capped space and I entered it, meeting a small room housing a cloth block, more storage cubes, and a door to a tiny space. With my personal quarters discovered I chose to make it feel more normal to me.
"Little-great machine, I would appreciate my spools of strength wire and soft twine alongside my storage pods." I called into the air as my companion appeared to my left.
"I'm not sure they would like us to change this space too much, this is a human-designed set of quarters after all." They nevertheless obliged and provided me with the means to make this structure feel like a proper nest.
"I believe that this space is permanent, and I need to feel at home as much as any human." Grabbing the strength twine I prepared to suspend the storage blocks against a wall to allow for my net hammock.
-scene change-
"I suppose this is as close to a den as I can make this place" I brush my 4 arms against my legs as I survey my new space; the cloth block was sliced into a wider structure with more give and reinforced with the cloth from the viewport covers. Said viewport now had a storage block suspended in front of it with a piece of strength twine as a breakaway point for escape. The other storage blocks had a similar fate with one prepared to drop in the way of the entrance; several sets of hammock nets took up the majority of the cube now with storage spheres suspended from points along them.
"I can turn that small room into another escape after I return from my combat evaluations, an Eliksni can never have too many ways to get out alive" I have seen this lesson drilled into the head of each and every hatchling by their den-parents and crew to ensure their safety. A trapped Eliksni is a dead Eliksni.
"You are an undying, light-fueled machine; I doubt anything could both fit into this room and threaten you" My tiny godling had watched with a confused photoreceptor throughout my nest making.
"That logic left many a house Kelless; there will always be mightier" I looked out the crack past the storage block towards the Great Machine against the Vex-grid sky.
The quiet woosh of the transmat alerted me to another entering the residence; I peered into the long room and witnessed Atalanta approach my den.
"You sure decorate fast, interesting how you decided to change the layout" She peered into my quarters and scanned the modifications I had conducted.
"It was a little too…other for my needs, I need an Eliksni nest rather than a human one." I turned now to face her directly. "How will my combat testing occur?"
With a sigh, She started. "Right onto the next step are we? Shaxx is currently ensuring Twilight Gap will be guardian-free for a few hours so we can ensure you won't be seen. It will just be Ikora, Mithrax-kel, Crow, and us; weapons alongside the objective will be handed out on site. We will be heading out in about 2 hours. I recommend you take advantage of the shower at the other end of the dormitory so you can get any grime off of you."
"This will be your first impression on two of the most powerful guardians in the tower currently, I expect you to treat it as such." She looks me up and down. "I left some armor mats and standard gear out in the main room for you and your ghost to modify; do what you think looks best."
"Thank you Atalanta captain, I will be presentable."
"I will be in my room if you need anything, I need to get a power nap." She pops her neck as she walks into her personal quarters.
-scene change-
"She will be out in any minute now, are you ready to impress?" My little great machine buzzed in my mind as I finished the third check of my armor.
A black undersuit clung tight to my frame, hexagonal webbing hiding the metal of my carapace. White and blue armor plates hung smooth and shining to the suit with breaks at my joints to allow for climbing and combat. A mantle of furs and blue cloth hung to my waist and shoulders: the white shell of the traveler hung proudly against the deep blue. I placed my helmet upon my head, a rounded white racer's helm with a wide rectangular blue view screen above a respirator. Four white fins hung long and proud against the back of it as a suggestion of speed and grace.
"I will work to please those who took in my crew, but I don't feel like showboating." I barked back with a roll of my shoulders; I am not some curiosity to be observed.
Atalanta exited her room with a quick stretch. "Ready to knock em dead, crab boy? The new suit certainly makes ya seem more ready to fight." She grins as her neck cracks awake. "I wanna see what Zavala left me with, so transmat out the window whenever you are ready." 2 white flashes are all that mark our exit from the quarters.
"Let's go see where Ikora has us destroying" She sits comfortably within the pilot's seat looking as if it's more comfortable than her plush brick. "Twilight gap it is, glad to see this night hasn't taken her sense of humor. You know the history there right?"
"Eliksni refer to it as the near-closed claw, the closest we had ever come to touching the Great Machine. I cannot even begin to imagine how it must be told from the defender's point of view." I spared a glance at our god's pale shell, full of luster and tranquility. "The House of Light is doing the impossible currently, and I cannot help but be honored for my part to play."
"Ikora is gonna love that sort of reflection out of you, let's just hope you present as well under fire." She pulls the throttle and the engines move to full pace as we soar towards the remnants of Twilight Gap.
-scene change-
Transmat flash changed my view from the clean inside of Atalanta's ship to a rusted-out battleground with several figures standing around a shipping container's entrance. Mithrax-kel, Crow, and a female human all turn to face me as Atalanta appears beside me; the human, the Ikora I've heard so much about speaks first.
"You always seem to do the impossible guardian, I'm glad that extends to your fireteam." She turns to look me up and down. "Coeniks-1, it's a pleasure to meet history in the making. I am Ikora, the warlock vanguard member and the head of all guardian-based research, and I'm here to see what the traveler has blessed us with to combat this endless night."
"The Great Machine chose me to be the first Eliksni guardian, and I seek to serve that role with every fiber of my existence until the light leaves this body." I straighten my back and bow at her. "What does this test require of me, Ikora-kel?"
A smirk appeared at this. "Eager are we? Inside the crate behind me are several weapons for you to choose from to use alongside the rifle you brought; choose wisely because you and Crow will be facing Atalanta in combat. Full revives and no restrictions upon your light; I want to see the limits of both of you. Now gear up you two."
Crow and I walk within the crate and survey the weapons within. He immediately grabs a red sniper rifle with a small bipod and a weapon that reminds me of a wire rifle. I glance around and see everything I would ever need.
In the far end of the crate sits two grenade launchers, one a single fire and the other a drum-fed system; my ghost highlights the first as Orewing's Maul with blinding grenades, a quick-draw system, and an autoloading system. The second is referred to as Outrageous Fortune with delayed-detonation grenades, a snapshot sight system, and an on-board rampage AI.
"Come here my little explosive children, I need you for this fight. Hehehehehehe" I scoop them into my arms before my ghost turns them into data.
Crow glances over at me, fear and caution painting his face. "Are you sure you are ready for explosives? I don't wanna end up as a scorch mark."
I turn to him and open my arms wide. "What she can't see, she can't shoot; I plan to blind her and trap doorways. Eliksni are taught to put the odds as far into our favor as fast as we can, explosives are a great way to do that."
"Just leave me a clean shot and I can drop her; getting close is suicide with her raw strength." He checks the pistol from his hip and places it back into its holster and walks out into the night. "Better to not keep them waiting."
I follow suit and look to Atalanta as she checks an auto rifle's sights, a shotgun slung between her shoulders. Keeping range from her does sound advisable with that load out.
Ikora looks us all up and down. "Mithrax-kel and I will be watching from a ship above the battlefield; win by any means necessary and feel no need to hold back. Good luck to you all." A flash and it is just the newly formed fireteam on the quiet rust.