Chapter 14: Recollection and Revelation
The faint sound of repeated beeping stirred Aaron awake. He kept his eyes closed as his body felt pained and weak from fatigue.
"This feels way to familiar." Aaron thought to himself as he slowly opened his eyes.
Gazing around Aaron released a sigh of relief as he realized he wasn't in a Fallen Ketch. Rather Aaron recognized the room and knew he was in the Tower Infirmary. Looking to his right Aaron saw Lance in a bed next to him, bandages wrapped around his head and arm, and braces placed around his sides to hold him still. Looking elsewhere Aaron noticed Kore in a chair leaning back against the wall sound asleep, as well as Jewel who was likewise sleeping in a chair on the left side of his bed.
Before he could do anything else the door to the room slid open and Max, Val, and Syd stepped in. When Syd looked at Aaron and saw he was awake her trademarked smile spread across her face and she squealed.
"Aaron!" The noise startled Jewel and Kore, the latter of which lost his balance in the rolling chair and it rolled from under him and he fell to the ground with a loud thud.
"Ow, what the hell Syd?" Kore stood up rubbing the back of his head to see the others gather around Aaron, and forgetting his frustration he joined the crew.
"Our fearless leader hath awakened!" He said joining the circle.
Aaron laughed a little before turning to Jewel who had a tear running down her cheek.
"Now don't you get soft of me." Aaron said as he leaned over and gave her a kiss.
"We're so glad you're alright." Jewel replied.
"Ya." Aaron said he looked back over to Lance. "How's Lance doing?"
"He should be alright. The only thing of worry now is a fracture on his spine. The doctors don't think it will cause any permanent damage but only time will tell. The only hard side effect that is foreseen is having to get used to walking again." Val informed
"If anyone can make it through something like that with a smile it's Lance."
"What about me?" Syd said almost offended.
"Be honest Sydney, you'd be bawling the first few days." Syd opened her mouth to respond but rather closed her mouth and shrugged earning a laugh from the group.
"How long was I out?" Aaron asked
"You have been unconscious for 4 hours." Max said.
"What happened?" The others looked at each other before Val answered.
"Do you remember anything?"
"I remember fighting Velkis."
"Velkis?" Syd asked.
"The Fallen kell. I also remember getting hit pretty hard and then I think I remember walking up to Velkis. Nothing after that." The group looked between themselves as if they were trying to decide who would speak.
"What?" Aaron asked. The group was silent for a moment before Jewel spoke up.
"Aaron have you ever experienced any kind of….different…..things regarding your abilities as a guardian?"
"What?" Aaron asked. "What are you talking about?"
"You did….something when you killed that kell. You tapped into some kind of….power that none of us have ever seen before and to our knowledge no guardian has ever used before." Aaron looked puzzled at Jewel as he pondered his fragmented memories of recent events.
"Kore has been working with Ikora and other warlocks to try and figure out what you did but all we know is that whatever you did gave you the power to kill the kell and it even healed you."
Aaron thought as he realized that he had little pain in his body aside from simply fatigue.
"All of your cuts, scrapes, bruises, broken bones, all of it's better. Like it never even happened." Jewel concluded. All was quiet as everyone looked at Aaron. Aaron thought for a time trying to recall the events that had transpired during the fight.
"You can't remember anything from when you challenged the kell?" Val asked. "Anything at all?"
"Not really." Aaron said. "All I remember is I walked up to him, and I remember being really really pissed. I remember thinking that I'm ending this and either means I'm dead or he is. Nothing after that."
"Well that would make sense." Kore says as he stroked his metallic chin.
"Why is that?" Aaron asked.
"Because when you tapped into that power there was a big green flash, you started giving off radiation, and then you went ape nuts and punched through the things skull."
"An amazing spectacle if I do say so myself." A voice said from the door to the room. Everyone turned to see Cayde standing there with his arms crossed and as much of a grin as the exo could muster.
"I told em. I told em right from the start didn't I ghost? I know I told you Jewel. Now what can I say was I right or what?"
"Right about what Cayde?" Aaron asked.
"That you're one of the best we've got Romeo. And we couldn't risk losing you."
"Thanks Cayde, I'm flattered."
"Don't thank me, Thank Juliet here. She's the one who went awol and disobeyed direct orders to get you home."
"Wait what?!" Aaron said as he looked at Jewel. "You did what?!"
"Oh ya that reminds me of one of the reasons why I'm here." Cayde said. "Zavala wants the 5 of you in the hall for a meeting ASAP."
"I assume this isn't for a promotion either." Max said.
"Hey don't worry about it. Zavala may be strict and to the books but he's only moderately unreasonable. Besides I'll be there as back-up. I'm sure everything will run smoothly."
"Disobeying direct orders! Attempting to steal classified files! Tampering with your ships tracking devices! And as if that wasn't enough, stealing high-grade explosives from the armory!" The members of fireteam nemesis looked at Syd as she shrugged.
"Seemed like a good idea at the time." She said.
"I have more the ample reasons to have all of you court-martialed and stripped of active duty."
"Now hold on big guy let's think about this real quick." Cayde began.
"I don't want to here it Cayde."
"I know you don't but you have to. Zavala be reasonable here they accomplished their mission and brought Aaron home alive."
"At the expense of possible permanent damage done to one of our best Warlocks." Ikora added.
"Not to mention we didn't get any of the information we set out to get in the first place."
"Who ever said that?" Cayde said as he brought up some holographic displays of the fallen schematics Aaron took from the ketch. "Aaron got all these plans from the ketch before they captured him he just had no way to get it to us until we got him back home. His ghost gave em to me before I came here with the team." Zavala looked at the schematics as Cayde continued to talk.
"This little, unsanctioned operation we just had here turned out to be a lot bigger than any of us thought at first. The House of Kings was building an army. An army with brand new weapons and equipment we've never seen. They would have taken us completely off guard and I don't think we would been able to push them back this time."
"Cayde brings up a valid point Zavala." Ikora said. "Given the evidence shown, if fireteam nemesis hadn't set out to save to Aaron and took the opportunity to destroy the ketch, we very well could have been fighting a losing fight right now." Zavla looked between the other two vanguards and sighed.
"Guardians you're excused for the moment. The three of us need to have a discussion." The guardians nodded and left the hall and returned to the infirmary where they found Aaron sitting up being looked over by one of the nurses.
"So how did it go?" Aaron asked.
"Better then expected." Jewel said. "Cayde really pulled through for us."
"So your not in trouble?"
"Well I wouldn't go as far as to say that. They're meeting together, probably to come to a consensus on our punishment for going against orders and all that."
"Was it worth it?" Aaron asked. Jewel smiled as she walked up and gave him a kiss.
"More than you can imagine."
"Alright ladies and gentlemen let's give the lovely couple some privacy." Kore said as he started ushering people out the door.
"Kore what are you doing?" Aaron asked.
"Giving you some space man. You and your lady need some time alone."
"Not right now Kore. This is a time for all of us."
"Yay, group hug!" Syd yelled as everyone gathered together in one big hug.