Bazzle landed with a muffled thump, a small dust cloud arising from where his feet impacted the ground. He looked around warily. The land was dull and barren - a patchwork of rocky asteroids stretching out in a large plain. On the horizon, he could make out a tower shrouded in purple fog. Its spire gleamed faintly in the muted sunlight supplied by the gravitational lens constructed to magnify the Sun's light. But even with the magnification, the sky was dim and cold. The environment felt oppressive. Unfriendly. He glanced at Kaedro.
The Exo appeared to be looking around with the same unease, reinforcing the wariness in his mind. The wind whistled over the deserted terrain; a ghastly moan that unhinged the mind and sent hairs rising on the back of his neck. Bazzle took a deep breath, filling his lungs as best he could with the thin Reef air. Next to him, Kaedro knelt down to examine the ground.
"Any tracks've been obliterated," he said, standing once more.
He brought out his Ghost, who expanded her shell briefly before closing it and vanishing again. Bazzle heard her speak over the comms.
"I picked up traces of an old signal... They definitely came this way. I can't be certain, but their trajectory indicated that they were moving toward that ridge."
Kaedro shot him a look. "Guess we'd better get moving." Bazzle nodded and they started walking. "What do you think we'll find here?" the Exo asked.
"Hayden, if we're fortunate." Kaedro looked at him, pointedly remaining silent. Bazzle sighed. "I don't want to assume anything about this place," he said finally, "For all we know, your Ghost's information is wrong and there is Awoken habitation here."
"I wouldn't think so," said Jyn reproachfully, "Look at this place. What doesn't scream "lawless frontier full of hostiles" to you?"
She had a point. What they could see so far resembled a wasteland, like one of Earth's deserts. Still, that didn't mean that it would be the same everywhere else. The Shore was a big place after all.
"Here's a question, Baz. Why aren't we using Sparrows? Seems like a lotta distance between us and that ridge."
"We could," replied Bazzle, "But we would draw a lot of attention to ourselves and we don't know who...or what is watching."
"...Good point."
They walked on in silence, keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity. But over the course of the trek, they encountered nothing. No living things stirred on the plain.
"...Is it bad that I'd really like to see a Dreg right about now?" said Kaedro, "This place is boring... The ominous kind."
"Hmm," said the Titan, "We may not be as alone as we think." He gestured ahead to a small collection of tents.
"Finally."
Kaedro hurried forward before Bazzle could caution him against it, vanishing behind a tent. Bazzle quickened his pace to catch up. Rounding the tent, he found Kaedro staring at the crumpled remains of several Fallen scattered around the campsite.
"Well, I take back what I said before..."
"I assume this was a Fallen camp?" asked Bazzle. The Exo nodded. "What do you think killed them?"
Kaedro knelt next to one of the bodies. "Doesn't look like Fallen weapons or whatever those Barons had... I'd say it was a Guardian."
Bazzle nodded. That was what he'd expected to hear. "Hayden was here. We just need to determine where he went."
Kaedro pushed at a Dreg with his boot. "You could ask these guys but I don't think they're gonna say much."
Bazzle frowned. He'd known Kaedro long enough to know that when the Exo started cracking stupid jokes, it meant something was bothering him. In this case, Bazzle didn't have to reach very far for the answer. Kaedro had known Cayde for at least as long as he'd known Bazzle. There was no telling what kind of toll his death would take. Add that to the fact that Kaedro was on a mission to find and stop his friend from avenging Cayde, and Bazzle could see where the Exo's emotions were coming from.
He wondered again if he had made the right decision in asking Kaedro to come with him. He could have handled this mission alone. But Kaedro was doing well so far and Bazzle didn't want to send him away because of his own concerns. The Exo would stay until either the mission was complete or he became a liability. Bazzle was snapped out of his thoughts by Kaedro calling him over. As he approached, he saw a Fallen terminal next to a rock.
"What is that for?" he asked.
Kaedro shrugged. "No idea but it looks important. I'll have Jyn hack it."
Jyn materialized in front of them and started working to gain access.
"That's odd," she said, "There's a Ghost signature here. Someone's already hacked it."
"My money's on Prism," said Kaedro.
"I think that's the safest bet you've made in your entire life," said Jyn dryly.
With a flicker, a large section of the rock wall behind the terminal vanished to reveal a doorway.
"My work here is done," said Jyn, phasing once more.
"Look at that," said Kaedro, "Nothing's less suspicious than a hidden tunnel."
"Indeed."
Upon entering the tunnel, they encountered piles of supplies. Crates and canisters were stacked along the walls. Progressing along the passageway led them to find several more supply caches.
"This is definitely a Fallen tunnel," said Kaedro, "Probably for smuggling."
Further along the tunnel was another Fallen terminal. Jyn used it to reveal a second hidden entrance leading into another branch of the tunnel. The Guardians passed through, looking around. The space was considerably larger than the previous tunnel and was open at two ends. A number of alien bodies were scattered around, some of them on ledges above them. Kaedro leaped over to examine one.
"Son of a Dredgen! It's like a Fallen with the ugly meter dialed up to 1000... Jyn, what are these things?"
Jyn appeared to scan the body. "They're some kind of mutated Fallen," she reported.
Bazzle's jaw tightened. "Scorn."
"Scorn? What are Scorn?" asked Kaedro.
"They were locked in the Prison of Elders. They must have escaped with their Barons."
"Light… So those Barons aren't regular Fallen either." Bazzle shook his head. "What do we know about them?"
"Less than the Vanguard are comfortable with, I'm afraid... Aside from our main objective, we should use this opportunity to gather more intelligence on them."
He walked through the battle zone, following the curve out onto another wide plain. While it wasn't nearly as vast as their landing zone, it was still large in its own right. He made his way over to a circle of twisted rocks. The broken and burned out body of a Servitor lay in the middle, ringed by more dead Scorn.
"What the hell happened here?" asked Kaedro.
Bazzle called Sway out to investigate. She scanned the Servitor.
"It would appear the Scorn have completely drained this Servitor."
Kaedro frowned. "These 'Scorn' seem pretty far from Fallen to me... Guessing Ace took 'em out."
Bazzle nodded. Most Fallen displayed reverence for Servitors. Seeing the Scorn - who used to be Fallen - destroy one was unsettling.
"More Scorn this way," said Kaedro.
Bazzle looked up to see the Hunter heading away from the tunnel. He followed. As the Exo had said, there seemed to be a collection of Scorn bodies scattered in a vague trail toward the opposite side of the plain. They came to a door that led into another tunnel. This one was much wider than the first and showed more signs of use. It wound down into the rock, eventually ending with two doorways, one of which was blocked off. They approached the other one and found a shaft in the middle of the floor. Kaedro peered down.
"Looks like a gravlift." He glanced over his shoulder at Bazzle. "After you."
Bazzle stepped forward, letting himself drop into the hole. Instantly, he felt a beam catch him, slowing his descent. He stepped out onto a large platform. They were now on a lower level of the asteroids. The area was well-lit to combat the permanent shade. He heard Kaedro land behind him as he moved away from the gravlift. The remains of a Fallen Walker sat some distance away.
"Think the Scorn are fighting with the Fallen?" asked Kaedro, "Or do you think it's a Scorn Walker?"
"I'm not sure," said Bazzle, "Given what we've seen so far, it could be either of the two."
"At least we've got another nice body trail laid out for us."
Bazzle nodded.
They followed the signs of battle, meandering around the area. In several places, they saw fires burning. The buildings and equipment all screamed of Fallen occupation, a fact that Kaedro commented on.
"We sure that the Shore's Awoken territory? Looks pretty Fallen to me."
"The Awoken were allied with the Fallen in the past. They assimilated the House of Wolves around the time of Twilight Gap."
"I remember the Gap. Nasty battle…"
Bazzle nodded. "As I was saying, it's entirely possible that both Fallen and Awoken once occupied this area."
"I suppose. Doesn't look like anyone lives here anymore though."
Bazzle had to agree. The buildings were silent. The only beings left there were themselves and the dead.
"That's...a lot of bodies," said Kaedro suddenly.
Bazzle followed his gaze toward a section of buildings. The Exo was right. More Scorn bodies were piled there than anywhere else. A large battle had obviously taken place, though it had long since concluded.
"Do you know which direction Hayden took?" he asked.
Kaedro shook his head. "'Fraid not, Baz. This looks like the last of the battle sites… Jyn, you pick up anything?"
"A few more hints of Prism's signal. Clustered around that building."
"Jyn says this way," Kaedro told Bazzle.
Bazzle followed him over to an entrance that was tucked away in a dark corner. Yet another tunnel led downward. Kaedro sighed. Bazzle started walking down the stairs. The passageway took a few turns before finally letting out into a room that was more spacious than Bazzle had expected. Sitting on an elevated chair at the opposite side of the room was an enormous Fallen flanked by two guards. The guards carried electric spears and sported a collection of green quills that protruded from their backs. They hissed as the Guardians entered. The big Fallen leaned forward, eyes glittering.
"Well, now what do we have here?" it said in a gravelly voice, "I didn't know my Shore was so popular among you Guardians..."
Bazzle raised his eyebrows. The Fallen's English, while slightly accented, was perfectly fluent.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"You come into my house uninvited with your weapons drawn when you don't even know who I am? Ha! ...Guardians, always so impolite."
Bazzle sighed and stored his gun away, though not without regret. He took off his helmet. In this situation, it seemed they were better off playing nice.
"My name is Bazzle Torelli and this is Kaedro-22... We're Guardians of the Last City."
The Fallen chuckled. "I knew that part... You may refer to me as 'the Spider.'"
"You said 'your Shore,' said Kaedro, stepping forward, "What did you mean by that?"
"I say my Shore because it is my Shore, little Guardian. At least until Petra Venj lost it. Now, degenerates from the Prison of Elders continue to wash up and make things...difficult."
At last, they were getting somewhere. Bazzle was interested that this 'Spider' seemed to know Petra Venj.
"When did you last see Petra Venj?" he asked.
"...It's possible that I saw her a cycle or two ago," said the Spider, "The company she keeps is...interesting."
Kaedro's gaze focused on the Spider. "Company? Was it another Guardian?"
"It was. And dressed like you, no less. What is the significance of that, I wonder?"
"What did they want from you?" asked Bazzle.
"The location of Uldren and his Barons. Of course, I couldn't just give that information away without anything in return... Your friend has been helping me clean up the Shore."
"So you know where Uldren and the Barons are?" asked Kaedro.
"I do."
"Then where are they?"
The Spider chuckled. "Why would I tell you that?"
"'Cause you don't want them here either."
"True... but something for nothing is not how business is run. And I happen to be a businessman."
"Where are Petra and the other Guardian now?" asked Bazzle.
Spider shrugged. "How should I know? Petra's business is her own... Our mutual friend is preoccupied with hunting down those Barons. I could tell you where they are, for a price. One of your Ghosts, perhaps?"
Bazzle's eyes lit upon a dead Ghost in the Spider's hands. He was manipulating its segments, almost like a toy. Fighting back the wave of revulsion the sight brought, the Titan made eye contact with the Spider.
"You allowed our...mutual friend to work for you in exchange for the Barons' locations. Why not offer us the same deal?"
The Spider heaved a sigh. "I'm afraid business is business, my friend. And my price has gone up. Petra Venj and our mutual friend both know the location you seek. What is your Earth saying? 'Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead'... But since you can't find either of them to tell you where it is, I can still sell it to you."
"We're not giving away our Ghosts," said Kaedro.
The Spider shrugged. "Que sera, sera... Good luck with your little search."
Recognizing a dismissal when he heard one, Bazzle turned and started walking back through the passageway, Kaedro behind him.
"We should've just forced him to tell us," the Exo muttered angrily.
"That would have only brought more trouble," said Bazzle, "I don't think we want the Spider as an enemy. It is better to remain on neutral ground with him. He may yet be useful."
"As an ally?" said Kaedro doubtfully, "I don't think the Vanguard would like that much."
"As a source of information. He certainly seems to have enough of it."
"Doesn't mean he's willing to share." Kaedro sighed. "So what do we do now?"
"We conduct our own search for Hayden. The best course of action would be for one of us to search the Shore while the other stays here in case he or Petra returns to visit the Spider."
Kaedro nodded grudgingly. "That could work. You wanna stay or go?"
"You should go. You are much more practiced at tracking than I am."
Kaedro chuckled. "I know. Just wanted to hear you say it."
"I will contact you over the comms if either Hayden or Petra shows up here," said Bazzle.
"Alright... If I find him, I'll let you know."
With that, the two Guardians parted ways. The trail was cold no longer.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who favorited/followed! I appreciate you :)