Chapter 10
Xon was not a complicated person. Had never let anything interfere with his mission to protect the Last City. There was no room for ego, but he still knew he was one of the most capable Titans the Guardians could boast. Combined with the martial prowess of his squadmates Crayta and Elissa, they formed a potent weapon. But that weapon was at a severe disadvantage with the loss of the Warlock on a pointless errand for the Speaker. If the Awoken were not willing to join in the defence against the Darkness, they were not worth their time at all.
The Exo warrior frowned as he watched Crayta pace up and down from his seat in the bar that the Hunter had insisted they visit to 'blow off steam'.
"This is BS and we all know it! Elissa is a gazillion light years away being forced to play nice with that Ice Queen while we're a Guardian down!"
Xon watch silently as the Hunter continued to vent.
"Yeah we're still kicking ass, but even you've gotta admit that it's been a lot tougher without her."
"Combat efficiency has been reduced by 36%. It would be prudent to seek a replacement Warlock to maximise our chances of success in future battles."
Even as Xon made the suggestion he knew what the answer would be.
"Naha, no way." Crayta made a cutting gesture "She's our teammate, there's not a chance that some unassigned rookie is going to take her place. We need our Warlock back from those blueberries and fast."
"Aren't those 'blueberries' your people as well. You are Awoken are you not?" Xon asked, confused. His databanks indicated how the Awoken exiles were typically treated by their brethren, but to slander your own species didn't seem logical to the Exo.
"Missing the point X!"
Xon's motors whirred as he considered a response. Squad cohesion was indeed reduced, and Crayta's poor morale would only hamper it further. He decided to take a different approach.
"I miss her as well."
Crayta simply stared at him before clasping a chair dramatically to support his weight. "Was that... emotion from you just then?"
"Affirmative." A pause "If she were here then you wouldn't be complaining to me."
The Hunter huffed and collapsed onto the chair. Lifting his drink and swigging down the clear liquid, his eyes widened as he considered the Titan. "Wait, was that a joke?"
"Perhaps."
Since coming to the Reef Elissa had felt conflicted more times than in any of battles she fought combined. On the battlefield things were blessedly simple. Her enemy was clear and defined, and she knew who to count on and who to kill. But in this place, she felt utterly alone and surrounded by strangers whose motives were undefined. And it was beginning to exhaust her. Days of inactivity punctuated by intense encounters with the Queen followed by periods of silence where she was left to wonder if she had done the wrong thing. The doubt gnawed away until it felt like she was pulling her hair out.
Ghost remained silent, unsure how to help his companion; the complexities of organic emotion incomprehensible to his machine mind.
That Elissa hadn't heard from the Queen since their kiss was disturbing, and the Warlock began to wonder if perhaps she had made a mistake. It was almost a relief when sometime later whilst on the way to the market, she felt useful again.
Deciding to try and distract herself from recent events, the Warlock had intended to peruse the vendors to find some literature. The smuttier the better. After multiple visits, the merchants there had gotten used to her presence, and no longer eyed her suspiciously as they had the first time. Travelling with her two guards through the crowded market area, she allowed the sights and smells of an unfamiliar culture to wash over her.
That was until Ghost shouted "Move!" as loud as he could. Trusting her instincts, she immediately rolled forward as a gunshot when off behind her. Pandemonium broke out, as the crowd panicked and fled in every direction, screams filling the air.
The crowd parted enough for Elissa to get a good view of her surroundings, and saw with dismay that her two guards were down and unmoving. Two armoured figures were raising their weapons marching towards her. Rolling behind one of the stalls, Elissa drew her hand cannon and slowed her breathing. Rising from her cover, she fired three quick shots that connected with one of the attacker's midsection, the bullets absorbed harmlessly into their shields.
The Guardian went through her options as she considered the best course of action. Explosives and nova bombs were out as there were civilians in close proximity. That left her with the remaining nine bullets in her clip and close quarters combat.
Making a decision, Elissa popped in and out of her cover to pepper one target with what has left of her clip, trusting her shields to soak up the punishment being thrown at her. The eighth bullet broke the shields of her foe, and the ninth and final one clipped them high in the chest, sending them spinning them away towards the floor.
The other attacker, sensing their lowered odds of success, dived into cover before spraying Elissa's ruined booth with fire. Hearing the telltale 'click' of an empty magazine, Elissa leapt up and dived through the stall. Rolling to her feet, she sprinted at the assassin and vaulted their cover before slamming her knee into the underside of their helmet, sending him flying backwards and his rifle skidding away.
The Awoken quickly got to his feet before drawing a knife and lunging for the Guardian, who dodged to the right before savagely kicking the back of his leg and sending him to the floor once more before ripping off his helmet and positioning herself behind to choke him enough to pass out. The man struggled and kicked before attempting a backwards headbutt, but Elissa held firm until his struggles slowed and finally stopped. Lowering the man to the floor, she quickly checked his pulse and was satisfied when she realised he was still breathing.
Hot pain suddenly crept up her thigh, and the Guardian grunted as she swivelled her head to look down. The Awoken who she had shot earlier had slowly crawled their way to her and plunged a knife into her thigh. Rage coursed through Elissa's system as she ripped the knife out and planted it deeply into the attacker's helmet. The figure thrashed briefly before quickly stilling.
Checking her leg and noting with relief that the knife hadn't hit any arteries, she limped over to check on her guards. Numbly prying their helms off, she found no pulse on either. Shaking her head with regret that she never even knew their names, she sat down slowly with her back to a stall, and watched as Awoken response teams responded to the fight. Security and medical personal rushed in, securing the perimeter before evacuating the wounded. Elissa's heart clenched as she watched a young girl of no more than ten pawing at a bloodied woman. The Guardian rarely had to deal with civilians caught in a firefight before, and the sight haunted her.
Closing her eyes, Elissa allowed herself to be checked over by a medic before being patched up. Thanks to her Ghost the leg would heal quickly, but that didn't change the fact that with each passing day the mission more and more resembled a waking nightmare.
Mara thrummed her fingers on her throne as Uldren relayed the attempted assassination of Elissa. The culprits, one dead and one in custody, were mercenaries seemingly unattached to any noble house in the Reef. But anyone with half a brain cell could see one of her political rivals had utilized them. The surviving mercenary had yet to be convinced about providing information, but no matter- he would talk eventually.
Since the attack many representatives of the nobility had expressed their outrage at the incident, and decried the ones responsible for it. Mara smiled grimly at the expressive language the Zapals had used. So expressive in fact the Queen was sure they were responsible.
"I want answers from the survivor Uldren. Use whatever means necessary to accomplish this task but make sure his mind is still intact after."
Uldren nodded and left. It had been so long since the Awoken had seen violence so openly in their sanctuary, and the incident had shaken the people's faith in their rulers. In her rule. Careful to maintain her neutral expression, Mara internally attempted to calm her anger that Elissa would be threatened by one of her own subjects.
That was until her personal aide rushed to her side to inform her that the Speaker from the Last City was requesting to speak to her. Nodding to the aide to forward the call, Mara leaned back in her chair as a screen materialised in front of her revealing the helmeted figure. Mara was always suspicious of those that felt the need to hide their faces- what was lurking underneath the helm that required covering? Leaving her speculation to a future date, the Awoken woman acknowledged the man.
"Speaker."
"We have heard of the incident involving our ambassador." A pause "And of other events in the Reef."
Ah. Elissa was fit enough to report back to her people then.
Mara knew it was ridiculous, but she couldn't help but feel the icy feeling of betrayal pooling in her gut. Even she hadn't spoken to the Warlock about what happened yet. How much had Elissa divulged to the Speaker she wondered.
Oblivious to the Queen's internal struggle, the Speaker pressed on with his little speech.
"Guardian Elissa is one of our finest Warlocks, sending her to you was meant as a mark of respect. But since she arrived she has been hospitalised twice; the first time we can forgive, but the second by a member of your own people we cannot ignore."
Mara's expression remained the same, but her stomach dropped as she saw where the Speaker was leading the conversation.
"Her lose would be a terrible blow to humanity. That is why, until the instability in the Reef is resolved, we have decided to recall Guardian Elissa back to Earth."
Mara sneered at the subtle insult. Perhaps the Speaker had forgotten who he was dealing with. She was no simpering fool. And yet as the thought crossed her mind she couldn't deny the truth. Had Petra Venj being attacked during her temporary exile to the Last City she would have no doubt been reassigned.
"Has she been informed?" Mara couldn't help but ask.
"Yes she has." The Speaker paused again, and if he wasn't wearing a helmet Mara was sure he was frowning. "She was resistant to the idea of returning at first but she understands her duty."
"I see. I thank you for all her efforts- she has proven herself capable time and again." It was taking every ounce of her self control to maintain her facade but it was slipping. She needed to wrap this conversation up quickly. "I would... remind her of that before she leaves. Excuse me Speaker."
The Speaker nodded "Of course Your Grace."
And with that the connection was cut. Turning to her aide, the Queen asked she retrieve Elissa before the Guardian left. With Mara the only one left in the throne room, she finally allowed her facade to dissolve.
Whilst being escorted to the throne room for the final time to say her goodbyes, Elissa reflected on how much she had changed since the first time she entered through these doors. After putting the ghosts of her past to rest, she felt more like a person than ever. This was hard to be grateful for when it was causing her to feel like screaming.
Stepping through the throne room doors, she lamented that the room was full of people. Mara perched on her usual chair flanked by her brother. Elissa desperately wanted to grab Mara, to beg forgiveness for everything, that none of this was her idea. But this wasn't the time or the place.
It never was.
To Elissa's intense irritation, the Zapals were in attendance. Drice in particular wore a self satisfied smile as the Guardian strode past, doing her best to ignore the man.
She walked to the bottom of Mara's throne and bowed deeply. She was about to speak but stopped when she made eye contact with her. The Queen's face was completely devoid of all emotion, much like it was when they first met. Elissa's words failed her as she stared, waiting for a flicker of something.
"Guardian Elissa" Mara began "We have summoned you here to give thanks for your contribution to our people, and wish you luck in your future endeavours against the Darkness."
It was a practiced speech, devoid of feeling. And as Elissa waited for something more, she bitterly realised that was the only thing she was getting.
"Your Grace..." No, no, no, she needed to be strong. "It has been an honour." Elissa forced a smile as she looked directly at the Awoken ruler "Good luck."
The Queen inclined her head slightly as Elissa bowed once more before leaving. The Warlock placed her helmet on and walked out, regret attempting to suffocate her as the unspoken words lingering between them.
Walking back to her docked ship in a daze, Elissa allowed herself to glance back while at the bottom of the ramp before ascending, disappointed that Mara had not followed. It was a foolish hope, but hope nevertheless.
The ramp closing behind her, the Guardian was surprised to find a wrapped item resting on her seat in the cockpit. Picking it up before gently removing the material, she stared at the sword hidden beneath. On closer inspection it bore the Sov family crest, the same type of sword she ran Skolas through with.
Her finger skimming across the blade, Elissa took a shuddering breath. Was this a tribute to her success against the Fallen or to what she and Mara almost had?
Both perhaps.
Sinking into the pilot's seat feeling empty, Elissa flew her ship out of the docking bay and into the cold reaches of space before plotting an FTL jump to Earth. She should have been excited returning to the Last City and her squadmates, but the only thing she could think of was Mara surrounded by smiling faces and hidden knives.