Chapter 21
Awareness returned sporadically from there. The voice of my Ghost and the feeling of being washed in Light. Being lifted from the ground. Voices discussing me. Discussing the Vex. A familiar face framed in a shock of red hair. Medical machines. Waking only to be stuck with a needle that put me back to sleep. Between those flashes of reality were scattered pieces of dreams. Or nightmares. Most of them involving fire and death.
When I finally regained full consciousness I was in a hospital room, a number of leads and wires stuck to my arms and head. A needle was in my left hand, connected to a bag of some kind of fluid. Probably a pain killer, if the fuzzy feeling in the back of my brain was anything to go by. A star-shaped object popped into view, the sections of its metallic shell shifting and clicking in a pattern I recognized as worry. Elgan.
"You're awake!" he exclaimed.
"Busy stating the obvious as usual," I groaned.
"Hmph," he gave a pretty good approximation of a snort. "For your information, you've made us think you were waking up only to go on napping several times now. I was just shocked it was the real thing this time."
"If this attitude is what I'm waking up to, I think I'd prefer to go back to the nightmares," I said, closing my eyes.
"Don't even think about it," another voice chimed in. I opened my eyes and turned my head to the side to see Celeste sitting quite literally on the edge of her seat.
"Hiya, kiddo," I greeted her, trying my best to give a warm smile. It hurt.
She dropped the notepad and pencil that had been in her hand and popped out of her seat, dashing over to the bed and wrapping her arms around me. That hurt too. I winced and must have made a sound when I breathed because she suddenly straightened up with a worried look on her face.
"Sorry," she offered sheepishly.
"Why does that hurt so much?" I asked somewhat rhetorically.
"Well, you did crash a ship on top of yourself," Elgan muttered.
I rolled my eyes to look at him, "Yes, but you said I've been out for a while and we usually heal pretty quick. A fact which was pointed out to me by someone in this very room when I tried to leave her behind after she was injured recently. I've been killed and been back to action a few minutes later after a revive with less lingering pain."
"I took too long getting back to you," Elgan explained, a note of shame entering his voice. "You had me get myself and Zillah clear of the blast, but I couldn't get back to you until you were nearly gone. Your Light was so faded that it was all I could do to bring you back from the brink."
"Don't blame yourself for that. It was my call," I consoled the Ghost, trying to sit up and finding it surprisingly difficult to make such a common move.
"It was all I could do to keep you alive," the Ghost continued. "However, not all your injuries could be healed."
That was when I realized why it was so difficult to shift in the bed. Something was wrong with my leg. I had a flash of memory then, a hazy notion of trying to get up to finish the job on Venus and not being able to because my leg didn't work. I glanced from Elgan to Celeste and saw a look on her face I'd never seen there before. Pity. I pushed myself up to a sitting position and looked toward the foot of the bed. My left leg ended in a spinmetal cap just above where my knee should have been.
I fell back against the bed and closed my eyes, rubbing my hands over my face.. For the briefest of moments, I entertained the notion that this was just another dream, that I would really wake up and things would be normal. I knew that to be a lie, though. A wave of despair tried to wash over me, but I pushed it away. Self pity would accomplish nothing. Push through it, move forward, and deal with this as best I could. And maybe indulge in a little self pity when no one else was around.
My movement had apparently triggered something with the monitors. The door opened and someone stepped into the room. I opened my eyes, but didn't sit up to see who it was.
"We're fine," I heard Celeste say, then felt her place a hand on my arm. I reached over, placing my hand on top of hers.
"Just checking," I heard a voice respond, then a nurse entered my field of view. She was apparently satisfied with whatever the monitors told her, because she left the room almost as quickly as she entered.
"Tell me what happened," I stated, opening my eyes and locking them on Elgan.
"When I found you, you were laying half-way on top of... what was left of Jaeger. There were pieces of his Ghost scattered around as well as clutched in your hand. You were bleeding out from multiple injuries, but your leg was by far the worst. It was completely shredded, almost unrecognizable. I did what I could, but the medical staff said they had to take it to save your life."
"Thank you for keeping me alive. I'm sure you did the best you could," I offered. "You always do."
"They are currently fabricating a prosthetic for you," Elgan added. "It should be ready very soon."
I nodded, then turned my attention to Celeste. "What happened with the Vex?"
"Well, first we had to get past a Cyclops. There weren't any mobile units outside the crater, but that is because they were all busy repelling the invasion inside. By the time we got there, they SIVA was already doing its best to infect the Vex. Their response was swift and violent. Each time a unit would get infected, dozens would turn on it and destroy it before it could do anything. Clouds of the nanites were drifting around, attacking Goblins, Hobgoblins, Harpies, you name it.
"We started firing at compromised Vex, but we'll just say the Mind didn't appreciate the assist and leave it at that. To be honest, I almost think we made it worse at first, as the Vex firing at us couldn't work to stop the SIVA and it actually started to gain a foothold. Vex Goblins leaking red SIVA mites were trying to get into the spire, teleporting around and charging into the ranks of their former compatriots.
"Eli-3 summoned his hammers after a bit and really started lighting them up, which turned the tide back in our favor. Scott-20 and I kept the uninfected Vex off his back as best we could, letting him keep his focus where it needed to be. As many as we took out, though, more were transmatting in all the time. Some of them seemed to have modified weaponry capable of attacking the SIVA directly. Finally, the back-up the Vanguard sent got in close enough to reach out to us.
"A Sunbreaker and a Sunsinger trasmatted down to help us fight while the rest stayed in orbit. Even though the Vex seemed to be containing the infection they didn't want to risk leaving any SIVA behind, so they were thought it best to bomb the place. 'Nuke it from orbit; only way to be sure,' one of them said. Needless to say, we got out of there as quickly as we could.
"About the same time, Zillah suddenly popped in with Elgan in tow. Seeing your Ghost without you terrified me by the way, thanks for that. We gave her a rundown of the situation and transmatted out of there. Elgan fought us though. The little guy was afraid they were going to leave you. I managed to convince him that getting himself blown up wouldn't help you in any way. We got one of the pilots to move to where you were and dropped back down to get you. Elgan told you the rest," she finished.
I let it all sink in for a bit before asking, "Everyone made it out okay?"
"Yes," Celeste answered. "Scott is back at his study and asked that we keep him informed every step along the way. Eli left but said he would try to check in. I'm not sure where Zillah is. She disappeared after we made it back."
"You haven't heard from her?"
"Nope," she shook her head. "We got back to the Tower and haven't seen her since. I figured you would wonder, so I've checked on her ship. She hasn't left."
"Have you been in here the whole time?"
"Yeah," she replied. "I couldn't leave you."
"You should go," I told her. "Get some rest."
"I've been resting here," she shrugged.
"Okay," I conceded, glancing over at the drawing pad that she had dropped on the floor. "I see you were keeping occupied. What were you drawing?"
Her face reddened. "I don't want to say."
"Well now I insist," I replied with a smile that was only slightly less painful than the previous one.
Her face grew redder, which I honestly hadn't thought possible. There was a guilty look in her eyes I hadn't seen there in years. She stepped over and stooped down to scoop the pad up off the floor. Her eyes flicked from it to me a few times. She looked away from me and turned the paper so that I could see the picture.
It was a very impressive drawing of her punching me in the face.
"I... well... that certainly is something," I managed.
"I didn't think you would wake up," she mumbled.
"Clearly."
"I was mad at you for nearly getting yourself killed," she continued, "and was thinking about what I would do if you ever tried something like that again. I started it before I knew how bad things were and continued because, well, you know how I feel about not finishing what I start. Don't be mad."
"I'm not mad," I told her. "It's very well done. I'm not a fan of the subject matter, but the quality is nice."
"Thanks," she replied with a slight smile.
"Next time, though, could you at least leave out the tears?" I suggested.
"Nope," Celeste retorted, "that's what brings the whole piece together."
I chuckled, which hurt a bit, and shook my head. Even with the confirmation that she thought of me as her dad, still so little respect from the Hunter. It was somewhat comforting at the moment, seeing that not everything had changed. I'd feel so much worse if the pity I saw in her eyes earlier changed the way she acted around me.
The nurse from earlier stepped in and cleared her throat, "Excuse me, but the patient has another visitor."
"That's fine. Send them in," I said, thinking it might be Scott. Or perhaps Zillah. I didn't expect to see Lakshmi-2, Tower representative for the Future War Cult.
Elgan's shell twirled in agitation and I could sense Celeste bristling at the sight of her. The Exo stepped into the room, her optics sweeping over us and taking everything in. She closed the door behind her and stepped further into the room.
"Guardians," she opened with a nod before turning her attention solely to Celeste. "Leave us."
"Excuse me?" the Hunter questioned, tensing up even more. I reached over and put a hand on her arm.
"It's okay, kiddo," I whispered. "There's nothing to worry about here. Go on out and update everybody. Let them know I'm fine."
She looked at me uncertainly, and I nodded. Glancing between me and Lakshmi, she seemed to be considering her options.
"Fine," she hissed finally, stalking out of the room.
"Thank you for your cooperation," Lakshmi stated. "Much of what I would say I care only to discuss with you personally."
"I know how much the War Cult loves its secrets."
"Yes," she acknowledged, "we do like to keep our mysteries close. That is partly what brings me here today. First, I want you to understand that Jaeger-10 was not acting under the orders of the Future War Cult beyond your initial encounter with him. Firing at you like he did was outside the parameters of his assignment as well. After the Vanguard filed a complaint in response to his actions on Luna, he was ordered to maintain his distance from you."
"You might want to work on your control then," I commented. She ignored it.
"Regardless," she pressed on, "we were not responsible for his actions toward you or his involvement with SIVA."
"I believe you," I told her. "I can't imagine the War Cult wanting to jeopardize their standing by pitting Guardian against Guardian. As for SIVA, I could see any of the factions trying to get their hands on it for their own gain, but attempting to infect the Vex with it is a singular type of madness."
She nodded. "That madness brings me to my second point. It is clear that Jaeger had become deranged. Confused. I would not adhere to closely to much of what he said to you."
"Such as talk of seeing the future and a device that showed it to him?" I suggested. "I've heard the rumors, of course, I'm not new here. Rumors that the War Cult has a machine able to see different time-lines, that all of the 'inner circle' is tested in it to seek out a way to save the Last City. Seems an interesting bit of confirmation."
"I neither confirm nor deny anything," the Exo said, shifting her stance slightly. "Any mentions of such a notion might lead others to draw the conclusion that you had been infected by a similar madness. I would advise against it. However, if there was such a Device, based on his statements, Jaeger would have been immersed in it beyond what would be allowed. Any operators of such a hypothetical device would be dealt with swiftly to prevent such a recurrence."
"I see."
"Do we have an understanding?" she asked pointedly.
"Yes," I nodded. "Provided you can keep a better leash on your charges in the future."
It was her turn to nod. Without another word, Lakshmi turned and left the room. Celeste darted through the door before it closed, looking after the Exo.
"What was that all about?" she asked.
"Nothing to worry about," I said with a wave. It was clear she didn't like the answer, but seemed to accept it for now.
"I sent a quick message to Eli and then reached out to Scott," she told me, "I let him know you were awake. He was glad to hear it and said he looks forward to seeing you up and about. He also said something about you having some time now to look over that book you borrowed. What book?"
"Something about improvised weaponry he loaned me while I was on house arrest. Hadn't had a chance to look over it yet with Iron Banner and then Jaeger. What about Zillah?"
"What about her?" she asked, annoyed.
"I'll assume that means that you still haven't heard from her."
Celeste shook her head. The Warlock's absence bothered me. It actually surprised me how much. Over the last few weeks, I had become used to her presence, even fond of having her around. It had even felt like we'd forged a solid connection, which I never would have expected that first trip to Venus. Celeste must have noticed something in my face and recognized this.
"I could try reaching out to her again," she offered reluctantly.
"That's okay," I said. "I appreciate the offer, but you don't have to do that."
There had been a thawing there as well, their interactions had not been quite as antagonistic as they were early on, but I knew Zillah was still far from Celeste's favorite person. Now that I was awake, I could try reaching out. That or just go look for her once I was up and about again.
I changed the subject, "Are you going to head out and get back into the Iron Banner?"
"Seriously? While you're here deal with this?" she gestured vaguely around the room.
"No need to miss out on my account. I'll be up and out of here as soon as they let me. Besides, I hear they are giving out new weapons and armor, replicas of what many of the Iron Lords used in the early days. I can't go earn any of it myself, I need someone to snag some of it for me." That drew a chuckle from her.
"You and your obsession with the Iron Lords," she shook her head in amusement.
"What can I say," I gave a half smile and shrugged my shoulders, "I know what I like. Chroma, fur, and Iron Lord imagery, and I hear this stuff incorporates two of the three. Gotta have it."
"Fine," she sighed theatrically, "since you insist I'll go have fun and jet around the solar system. After they release you."
"Fair enough."
"For now," she said, flopping back into her seat, "I think I'll finish my picture. Needs a few more tears."
I just shook my head as he picked up her pencil and got back to drawing. I tried to avoid looking at my leg too much, instead choosing to focus on something else. Someone else.
Elgan had warned me that she would hate me for sending her away. I had known that she wouldn't respond well to it, but had hoped she would see the necessity of it and understand why. It seems that she had not. Or, at the very least, refused to admit it. Glancing at Celeste, I remembered her reaction to my leaving her behind when we went back to the Plaguelands. She had felt disrespected, like I didn't trust her abilities as a Guardian. Was Zillah feeling something similar now, belittled because I took the choice away from her? All I wanted was to keep everyone around me safe. Maybe that wasn't my responsibility.
Time passed and there was a knock at the door. A group of medical personnel came in, two of them escorting a cart that carried my mechanical leg. It looked like it belonged to an Exo, meaning it should fit inside my armor with little to no modifications. That was reassuring. They explained to me how it would interface with the spinmetal contraction they had attached to what was left of my leg and respond to mental stimulus just like my natural leg. A lot of it went over my head and I really hoped Elgan was recording it all.
They kept the leads attached to me to monitor function once the leg was attached and had me try to stand. I was pretty unsteady on my feet, but everything measured and tested out okay. They gave me a cane to use until I was more certain on the leg, which brought a giggling fit from Celeste.
"Now you really do look like an old man," she laughed. My glare did not deter her even a bit.
The leg an apparent success and everything else looking good, they released me. Since I was still in some pain, there was a prescription and sent me on my way. They also let me know that the Vanguard had requested my presence once I was released. Celeste had brought me some off-duty clothing, which I appreciated. I didn't want to stumble around in a full suit of armor just yet. I got dressed and then hobbled my way to the Hall of Guardians, ignoring stares from Guardians and civilians alike.
Only Commander Zavala was on duty today. The Titan Vanguard stood with his back to the doorway, staring out the window overlooking the mountains behind the Tower. I limped my way to him, standing to the side and just behind, waiting for him to acknowledge my presence.
"It is good to see you up and about, Guardian," the Awoken Titan spoke, turning his head. "From what I understand, it was a close call."
"So I hear," I replied. "And thank you."
"There will be no inquiry into your actions toward Jaeger this time," Zavala got down to business. "It is clear that the Hunter had become an enemy combatant and stopping his actions was a necessity. Your quick response probably saved lives, either from his direct actions or through his attempts to spread SIVA. That being said, there will still be restrictions places on you for the time being."
"What?" Unbelievable.
"Not because of what you did, Guardian, but because of the aftermath. Specifically, the loss of your leg. Until you have adjusted to the replacement, you are placed on restricted duty. You may move about freely, participate in Crucible matches if you feel up to it, and can report for sentry duty along the Wall. You are not to participate in Patrols, Strikes, or other Vanguard operations until deemed fit to return to the field."
I opened my mouth to argue, but stopped. I knew Zavala. When his voice carried the tone it down now, there was little hope of changing his mind.
"Yes, sir," I stated, barely keeping the annoyance from my voice. Or maybe I didn't, because he turned to face me fully at that point.
"Claney, you have served the people of the Last City well. It is because of Guardians like you that this dream is still alive. Keeping yourself that way is an important part of doing that. This is not a punishment that is being handed down. Rest. Heal. Then return and face the Darkness as you always have when you are capable."
I nodded and he dismissed me. I hobbled back to my room and tried to sit. The prosthetic leg balked a bit at the action, not wanting to bend enough, though it was fully capable of doing so. I fell onto the seat and disconnected the leg, grabbing the ankle and pulling it out of the pants leg. Once it was free, I hurled it across the room in annoyance. It struck the far wall and put a hole in it where it hit. The now empty pant leg only increased my anger. Eventually the irritation faded and I regretted throwing the Darkness-cursed thing because retrieving it was going to be a pain.
I considered asking Elgan to try reaching out to Zillah, but stopped myself. Maybe I should give that some time. Let both of us get our heads in better places, then go from there. To distract myself, turned on the viewscreen, finding an Iron Banner match to watch. I eventually fell asleep there, watching Guardians chasing glory and honor in the name of the Lords of Iron.
...
When I woke up, Celeste was sitting next to me holding my replacement leg.
"Here," she stated, offering it to me. "Looks like you dropped this. Forcefully. Across the room."
"Thank you," I replied, taking it from her.
"I made a small improvement while you were sleeping," she told me, point to the side.
I turned it over to look and saw that she had painted my emblem on the outside face of it. I traced my finger over the familiar cream-colored wolf face framed in blue. It was a great representation.
"Nice work, kiddo," I admired.
"Thanks. Make sure Elgan scans it so that next time you get yourself vaporized, it comes back looking the same."
"Funny," I deadpanned. "Speaking of getting yourself vaporized, I thought I told you to go enjoy yourself and participate in the Iron Banner."
"I just wanted to check on you again before I left," she said. "You sure you're going to be alright, old man?"
"I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine. Promise."
"I hate it when you lie to me, you know," she told me, gently elbowing me in the ribs.
""I know," I smiled, "doesn't mean I won't do it from time to time, though. Now, get out of here. I'm not good enough with this thing to work it back up the pant leg and put it back on while I'm wearing them."
"Oh, I so did not need that mental image," she shuddered, hopping off the couch and bolting for the door. "I think I may scarred for life now."
I watched her go, then turned my attention back to the Iron Banner matches. Much to my surprise, I caught a brief glimpse of a familiar Warlock participating. She was battling it out on at Black Shield on Mars. I quickly put myself back together, grabbed my cane, and got ready to leave. I had somewhere I needed to be. I hobbled over to my closet and pulled out an old leather jacket with fur around the collar and headed out the door.
"Elgan, get the ship ready."
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"Felwinter's Peak. Zillah will need to return there after she finishes up with that round of matches. I intend to be there when she does."
He beeped in affirmation. By the time I got to the plaza, he had already gotten clearance and was bringing the ship to the drop off point. I smiled when I saw the form of the "Lost Days" floating into view. It had been a while since I'd seen the old thing. Good to know it could still fly.
I transmatted aboard and headed for Felwinter's Peak. It was a quick trip, but even so I found myself getting antsy. I forced myself to remain calm. Who knows how long I was going to have to wait once I got there, no need to start getting impatient already.
Once at Felwinter's, I made my way across the bridge and over toward the new Iron Banner staging area. I could see Lady Efrideet speaking with the numerous Guardians who came and went as they picked up their bounties, rewards, or just spoke with the legendary Iron Lord. I found a place to wait under an old dome, far enough not to bring a lot of attention to myself but close enough to keep an eye on the area, and waited.
She must have been toward the end of that set of matches when I spotted her, because I did not have to wait very long for Zillah to appear. She strode through the other Guardians going about their business and made her way to Efrideet. I watched as the two women spoke. Zillah actually smiled, looking surprisingly comfortable around the old Hunter. Efrideet reached out and patted the Warlock's arm before she turned and walked away. I rose and stepped into the light, and Zillah caught sight of me.
"Claney?"
She took two slow steps toward me then stopped, keeping her distance. I leaned heavily on the cane, uncertain of what to say.
"I saw you on the viewer," I broke the awkward silence. "How did your matches go?"
"Split," she replied. "Won two, lost two. Not bad for a randomly assembled team versus groups that were mostly comprised of fireteams."
I nodded and we fell back into silence.
"I'm glad you're up and about," she offered.
"Thanks. You're the second person to use that phrase today, after Commander Zavala."
"Well, I will watch my phrasing in the future," was her half-hearted retort, "I wouldn't want to be confused for a Titan now would I?"
"No, probably not. We do dumb stuff sometimes, like crash ships on top of our heads. Nice to see you getting over your distaste for Hunters, though," I nodded toward Efrideet.
"Oh, that," she said, turning away. "That's something I was going to tell you about eventually, but I wasn't sure how."
"What do you mean?"
"I told you I talked to her before going to Mercury," she began. "Then Venus happened. I was so angry with you for sending me away like you did."
I opened my mouth to reply, but she cut me off.
"I know why you did it. There is a part of me that can even appreciate it. That part doesn't get to talk right now. You sent me away, and then you very nearly killed yourself. I know that you did what you felt you had to do, but I can't accept that right now.
"I opened up to you. I talked to you about the way I have felt adrift, disconnected, for a long time now. I thought, maybe, there was something here. Something I could rely on. A team. A home. Then you did that and were nearly gone forever. I was so angry that I couldn't look at you. I couldn't be there when you were taken in, couldn't sit there and wait to see if you survived your own foolishness. So I came here.
"Efrideet talked to me. Said she saw something in my struggle that mirrored her own. She invited me to go with her when she leaves after the Banner is done; invited me to come to the outer rim of the solar system and see the enclave they have built. She invited me to stay with them and find my purpose.
"And I accepted."
Shock hit at that, and I stood there in stunned silence. Searching her face, I could see the suggestion of tears forming in her eyes. She turned away and wiped at them.
"What about the Tower?" I asked stupidly. "You just moved everything there."
"I'm not leaving forever," she replied. "Not yet. I'll keep my room and my things at the Tower for now. Maybe I'll come back soon. It's hard to say."
I wanted to stay any number of things right then, but my throat refused to let any of them out. I could see her searching my face, waiting for some kind of response. Eventually she got tired of waiting and turned away.
"Don't go," I finally managed to choke out a half whisper.
She stopped mid-stride and stood stock still.
"Please, don't go," I managed again, stronger this time.
She looked at the ground and whispered, "I'm sorry."
Feivel appeared next to her, then the two of them vanished from sight as she transmatted to her ship.
…
AN
Thanks to Irishman 1993 for the story favorite!
I knew fanfiction hated links in emails. I didn't realize it took them out of stories too until I went back and re-read my author's notes. Twice I references Maxims for Maximally Efficient Mercenaries and tried to link to it. Neither link came through. Those are from Schlock Mercenary by Howard Taylor. It's a daily webcomic that has been running for years now, and it's pretty great. If you've never read it, I highly recommend it. Be warned, it will be a DEEP archive dive. Started as a bit of a joke-of-the-day strip and has turned into great space opera. I tried the link again and it still didn't work. Just look up schlock mercenary.
Daydreamer B.A – Yeah, I screwed up the tone the first time I posted the chapter. Fixed it a bit, but couldn't avoid it entirely, I guess. Though I do see now what you were talking about and could probably just have dropped the "That hurt!" line.
Amberstar of Thunderclan – Take over the world? That was never supposed to be the way it came across. You seeing it that was was a big part of the reason I pulled the chapter to revamp it. Jaeger veered too much in megalomania in the original version.
Eli8300 – I know he didn't show up a whole lot, but having him there did add something to the story, so thanks for letting me play with your toys. lol Glad you like the way he turned out.
Order and Chaos – Qui Iudicant – I get what you're saying with SIVA vs the Vex, and pretty much agree. But you can't expect a SIVA infected Exo who has been driven slightly mad by multiple immersions in the Future War Cults temporal machine to be completely right in his plans and notions.