"Vel, Yyrrhiks," Kyler greeted.

The Captain turned to regard them. "Vel, Kyleriks. You come for business?"

Kyler shook his head. "Nama…"

Harley's eyes widened in surprise as the mechanic launched into an explanation in rapid Eliksni. He couldn't make out what was said, but he saw Kyler gesture to him a few times while he spoke.

When he fell silent, the Captain laughed a low grating chuckle. "I see." He looked at Harley. "Velask... I am Yyrrhiks."

Harley glanced at Kyler. "Velask is their formal greeting," said the mechanic in an undertone, "Kind of like saying 'pleased to meet you.'"

"Oh." He looked back at Yyrhiks. "Velask, Yyrhiks... My name is Harley."

Yyrrhiks chuckled again. "Neta, Har-lee. Er yur. Yuzen Lo Variisis."

Harley turned his confused gaze on Kyler, who laughed. "He says he knows who you are. Apparently, you're pretty well-known among the Eliksni on the Shore."

Yyrrhiks nodded. "Eia. Har-lee Lo Variisis. Har-lee shanhus Fikrul ma Uldrenkel."

Harley couldn't understand any better than before, but he got the gist of some of it.

"What did he call me?" he asked.

"Lo Variisis," said Kyler, "It loosely translates to 'Unyielding Hunter.'"

The Captain's eyes glittered. "I forget Har-lee does not speak Eliksni way. I speak Guardian way instead?"

Kyler gave a small chuckle.

"What's so funny?" asked Harley, somewhat defensively.

"Nothing, really. It's just kinda funny that Guardians can't speak the Fallen language, given that you guys spend so much time fighting them."

Yyrrhiks gestured to the seat across from him. "Sit. Join Yyrhiks." Kyler and Harley sat down. "What brings you here?" the Fallen asked, "Why come? Not business."

"No, not really… You said you already knew who Harley was and what he's doing."

Yyrrhiks nodded. "Eia. Har-lee seek-fight Scorn Barons."

Harley nodded. He was still wary of Yyrrhiks, but there wasn't much he could do aside from wait for the Captain to help or refuse.

"There's a problem," Kyler continued, "He's getting intel from Spider. Or he was. He can't go back now, but he needs the locations of the rest of the Barons." He looked at Harley. "Which ones are left?"

"The Mindbender, the Machinist, the Fanatic, and Uldren."

Yyrhiks growled. "I know these. Hiraks. Elykris. Fikrul. Many-danger three."

"Do you know where I can find them?"

"Eia. I tell you. But only one. If come back alive, next one."

Yyrrhiks laughed then, as though he'd just told an excellent joke. Kyler chuckled a bit.

Harley sighed. "I suppose that works… Why are you helping me though?"

"The Scorn ruined this Shore," Yyrrhiks hissed, "Houseless, no-honor thieves and murderers. They deserve to be hunted like sloat."

He added a few more words in Eliksni that Harley couldn't understand, but knew to be insulting from the look on Kyler's face. Yyrrhiks leaned closer, his four eyes boring into Harley's.

"You find Mindbender, Hiraks, in the Jetsam."

Harley grimaced. He was not a fan of that particular area. Yyrrhiks noticed his expression.

"You also hate this place, yes? It be also with Eliksni. Evil. Hateful… Sha, lo. Daszen ki."

Harley nodded. "Thanks for the location." He stood up. "We should probably get going. I'll be after the Mindbender tomorrow and I have the feeling that Prism will want me to get some more rest first."

Kyler nodded in agreement, standing up. Yyrrhiks rose as well and clasped forearms with Kyler.

"Thank you for your help," said Kyler.

"Yes, thank you," said Harley.

He was surprised when Yyrrhiks clasped his forearm as well.

"Friend of Kyleriks is friend of Yyrhiks. Good-hunt, Har-lee. Bring honor to your House."

Harley nodded. "I will."

With that, he and Kyler took their leave.

Harley waited until they were back at the pike before he spoke. "...So how the hell are you able to speak Fallen?"

Kyler gave a small cough, looking sheepish. "It was...an option in the school I went to. I kept it up long enough that I'm fluent. My time on the Shore has been a really good refresher, too."

Harley couldn't deny that he was impressed. As Kyler had pointed out, most Guardians didn't bother to learn the Fallen language. For a civilian to do it...well, it was admirable to say the least.

As they rode back to the cabin, both remained silent, deep in thought. Harley thought about the Mindbender. He'd gotten a short briefing on the various Barons from Spider before he'd started hunting them. Apparently, the Mindbender's name came from his penchant for manipulation. The only other concrete thing that Harley knew about him was that he was obsessed with the Hive. He supposed that was the reason for the Mindbender choosing the Jetsam of Saturn as a place to settle.

When they got back to the cabin, Harley stood facing the sun, or what little of its light was magnified by the gravitational lens. As Kyler stored the pike away, Harley reached for the Light. He'd attempted to do it several times throughout the day to no effect. Sure enough, something was cutting him off from it. He gave up with a huff of frustration and went inside.

After a moment of sitting on the bed, Prism appeared next to him.

"Don't expect to go after the Mindbender tomorrow if you can't access the Light by then."

Harley shook his head. "I've already waited too long."

"What then? You're just going to fight the Mindbender without the Light?"

"If I have to," he said stubbornly.

"You are impossible! I can't let you risk-"

"What are you going to do? Stay behind?"

"I would never. But I could call Kaedro and Bazzle and tell them where you are."

Harley glared at her. "You wouldn't."

"No. Not usually. But I will if you try to leave without the Light. And I expect it wouldn't take them very long to get here."

"Are you threatening me?" he said incredulously.

"It's not a threat. It's a promise."

Harley glared at her some more, but she didn't even blink. Kyler seemed to sense the tension between them when he came in.

"...Something wrong?" he asked warily.

"No," said Harley flatly.

Kyler raised an eyebrow but thankfully chose not to say anything, instead opting to start preparing food. Harley crossed his arms and directed his gaze at the wall, as though he could bore a hole in it with his stare alone. He hated fighting with his Ghost. Both of them were too stubborn for their own good, so arguments could last a while. What usually happened was Harley figured out that he was wrong and apologized to her. At the moment, however, the only thing he wanted to do was be alone. He stood up.

"I'm going out for a bit."

Kyler shot him a concerned look. "Are you sure?"

"Don't worry. I won't run off after the Mindbender. I'll stay nearby. Just need to clear my head."

The mechanic nodded reluctantly.

Harley crossed to the door and stepped out. He could tell that Prism was about to follow him like she usually did, but changed her mind at the last moment. He felt a flicker of gratitude toward his Ghost. She could obviously tell that he needed some time to himself.

True to his word, he didn't stray far from the cabin. Upon finding a decently sized rock, he sat down, facing the distant gravitational lens. He sighed. Everything was getting so complicated. His mission used to be simple. Find Uldren and the Barons. Kill them. Leave for Mercury. Return to the Infinite Forest. Never come back out. He frowned. Did he really mean that? He didn't know. Logically, he knew that everything else would continue after his mission ended. He'd still be a Guardian. Enemies would still oppose the City. The fight would go on. He was just having trouble reconciling that with his current frame of mind.

He wasn't sure he could face returning to the Tower. Cayde would be gone. He hadn't realized how much of a presence the Hunter Vanguard had been in his life until Uldren had killed him. Cayde had been one of the first real connections he'd made as a Guardian and he'd only known that they were actually related for such a short amount of time. Maybe returning to the Forest permanently was a good idea. He could focus on the Vex and leave the outside fight to others. Or maybe he'd leave entirely and venture out, beyond the heliopause. But those were all just ideas, half-made plans that may never be put to use. For now, he had other - more immediate - things to worry about. Such as his failure to reach the Light.

He'd never been shot by a Weapon of Sorrow before and thus had never suffered the effects of being wounded by one. It was comparable to when the Cabal had cut off the Traveler's Light during the Red War, except while he could still feel the Light, he couldn't connect to it. He sighed. Maybe he was right and he'd be able to reach it once he was fully healed. As far as outcomes go, that was probably the best one he could hope for.

He got to his feet and walked back to the cabin. The look of relief on Kyler's face made Harley wonder if the mechanic had expected him to take off despite Harley's assurances.

"I think I'll get some more rest," he said, "Give this wound more time to heal."

Kyler nodded. "I'll wake you up for dinner."

Dinner was relatively quiet as both parties were absorbed in their own thoughts. It wasn't until the end that Kyler finally spoke.

"So you'll be leaving tomorrow then." It wasn't a question.

Harley nodded. "I need to find the Mindbender."

"I know. Just...do you think you'll be coming back?"

Harley frowned at the table, either unable or unwilling to meet Kyler's gaze.

"I don't know... I don't plan to, but I didn't exactly plan to be shot by a Devourer Bullet either. All I want to do is finish this business with Uldren and the Barons and then leave."

"Leave and go where?"

Harley shrugged. "Somewhere else. Does it matter?"

"I guess not… What about your Light?"

"What about it? It'll be fine by tomorrow."

"And if it isn't."

"It will be."

Kyler's lips thinned. "I suppose that doesn't matter either?"

"Not really."

The mechanic sighed and muttered something. Harley thought he heard the word "impossible."

He stood up. "I'm going to get ready for bed. I'll be leaving at first light tomorrow."

Kyler muttered something else in response but Harley didn't hear any of it. Or particularly cared about finding out.

A/N: The Eliksni language used in this chapter was very handwavey since only some sentences can be reconstructed and most of it is still theoretical.