RDS I-VI
Epilogue
The day that he awoke would be a day of infamy for them. A wealth of revelation and emotion traded over a very short time, the irrevocable moment of a lasting bond being formed. For a man that found love in a machine, and a machine that found it could love a man.
Together they had faced any and all adversity that came their way, meeting it head on as they blazed a trail for those that wished to follow. Even problems that stemmed from within themselves was dealt with in an uplifting manner, with a clarity and speed that was testament to such a strong partnership.
Although that's not to say, that even with such strength, that it didn't make their first truly intimate night together a little...awkward. Never the less the struggle was eventually overcome and she was able to adapt, able to share in his bliss sometime later.
Years passed as the world changed around them, the opening of the Reef, the capture of Skolas, the return to Jupiter, the death of Oryx, the destruction of a Cabal war machine, the reclamation of Earth...
Yes the world changed, but the two stayed the same, a rock solid constant of cold cunning and warm emotion. The pair was almost infectious, with an odd ability to spread compassion to those around them. Secret loves bubbled between guardians, and city patrons alike, spurring two particular Vanguard to finally begin to come out of their shells, even their resident Hive sorceress found that special someone.
For many, many years there was a stability, an unbreakable trust that weathered the greatest storms. No poor decision or petty argument, glimmer or part replacement, nothing could put even put a dent in what was forged. Or so the couple thought...
It was slow at first, and of course no one would have noticed it right away, in fact neither of them did despite one having the ability to read the bio-telemetry of the other. The very transition was an issue that other guardians hardly ever thought about, mostly because it rarely ever happened.
The concept of being a guardian was supposed to in some ways, negate the very notion, when in reality it didn't. The fight against the Darkness, the never ending war against it's minions and even those few god-like beings that seemed to have power that rivaled the enigmatic force itself.
In the end such a battle always took its toll.
When it became obvious to both, one was more than a little anxious, while the other took it in stride. They knew it was possible that this day may come, they were rather skilled warriors after all. But to theorize...to picture the image in one's mind versus seeing it unfold before your very eyes.
Anyone can attest that those two instances are very different things.
It soon became harder to cope with when their movements got sluggish and their timing fell just a bit off. A stubborn warrior would have paid it no mind even if a guardian retiring was not unheard of. Plus a solider of Light often had more to give than just their prowess on the battlefield.
While not up for candidacy in becoming the next Vanguard, a senior advisory role within the Tower could have just as much of an impact. So despite the still concerned looks his wife shot him, he jumped at the task, joining the ranks of tacticians and scientists as he began to help mold a new generation.
As a decommissioned guardian it was refreshing to lead and help new and old guardians alike, to arm them with knowledge for the trials ahead. It was a period to remember for certain, a period that the aging guardian cherished. To see the rugged look of determination on a fresh fire team heading out, and the humbled look of success blanketed over a seasoned fire team coming in.
A time truly fitting to a guardian who'd lived a life such as he.
But in the end, time still waits for no man.
Even the period of reminiscence and resolution had to come to a close. It was odd really that not even during the Golden Age, the very peak of humanity's achievements, did they discover a way to overcome the very fate of all beings.
Fortunately it is quite possible to find peace even as you neared your last destination, to know that your accomplishments mattered to at least one, perhaps only one individual. To know that you did not need to leave a behind an overwhelming discovery or be witness to a milestone achievement.
But rather to impart those with memories of the times you shared, the battles that were won, and a love so powerful it transcended the limits of what was thought possible between human and exo.
So when his time drew near, the Warlock harbored no regrets. He had fought on the side of good, made the best of friends, and he'd fallen in love with the most beautiful woman ever built.
He was at peace, perhaps a bit sad that he was one of the few guardians to die of natural causes, still he was content none the less. For in his dying moments, the crimson Huntress was at his side. He told her not to morn him, even though try as she might, she could not. He said she was too upstanding, too level headed to grieve over a man like him.
But to instead be happy, that he had a very fulfilling life which would have meant nothing had she not been in it. That she should move on, and live life for the both of them. The Huntress of course refused to comply, claiming she would be lost without him.
For such a long time she'd been ignoring the idea of his loss, even though the very reality of what he was had plagued the first months of their relationship. The idea of outliving him due to her inorganic composition had been so alien to her, so surreal, she had dismissed the thoughts as if they were a mere rumor.
"You're being ridiculous" he would say, he would explain why she was stronger than all of them, the true embodiment of life if you will, a shining example of power, pose, and cunning.
She couldn't help but grumble darkly to herself. Why, even now could he do nothing but praise her? She wanted to be reminded of him not herself. But somehow it still brought a little, genuine smile to her face, and soft laugh from her voice. He just couldn't help it could he?
"Raj, you know I love you right?" the exo whispered, letting a little sarcasm seep in for old times' sake.
"There was never a doubt in my mind Nilanna, never a doubt." he chuckled as he leaned up for one last kiss.
'I love you' were the words on his last breathe as the unbending laws of nature claimed him. Even despite what he asked, grief overcame her soul. But it was his memory that brought her back from the brink, A short but spiraling madness saved by the moments they shared.
Wearing his Bond across her arm, she would push forward for him and him alone. To respect his wishes, to continue the fight, push her own limits as he once did.
For his legend was finished, but a new chapter in hers was just beginning.
The sand laced wind of the Marian surface was at its usual amount of unforgiving that day. Navigating the dunes and Golden Age ruins were becoming a particular challenge, even for the more experienced of guardians.
The aging Huntress that stalked the desert was no exception. Her team's typical patrol mission had a few days tacked on as they were forced to take refuge from an enormous storm. Inevitably the guardians were eventually called back to the Tower, but the crimson Huntress opted to stay behind, it had been ages since the last time she'd been able to stroll out into the field alone.
So when the dusty monsoons started to wane, she began to walk, partaking in a journey for which she had no purpose. Perhaps it was her instincts as a Hunter beginning to flair once again, that unexplainable need to lurk about in the wilds.
Either way she now had the red planet more or less to herself, and for any Vex or Cabal stupid enough to approach, the quick expenditure of her hand cannon was all that was needed to deter their progress.
"Back to basics" her tiny partner would say, just a guardian and their ghost out in the field trying to reclaim what humanity had lost. A true test of-
"Wait moment Nila." he ghost said, causing the Huntress to skid slightly as she came to a halt.
"Problems Rave?" the guardian asked.
"I'm not sure..." the tiny mech said as it's angular parts suddenly expanded over a light blue sphere of energy. It had detected something faint, but what?
"The Cabal again perhaps?" the exo guessed.
"Hold on, hold on, whatever it was I heard it again." Rave snapped as she floated off to the side.
The Huntress brought her weapons close, creeping forward to check over the dune they stood atop, if anything was trying to get the jump on them out here, they would be in for a rude awakening.
"I got!" the ghost exclaimed as it disappeared, in cloud of azul dust. "We need to head for that building." Rave explained as a location was marked on Huntress's display.
"Do I at least get to know what I'm looking for?" Nila grumbled as she began to jog.
"It's another ghost."
Now that was something to put a spring in the Huntress's step, this could very well mean a new guardian was being revived. In recent years, and too many a joyous celebration, the Traveler had reawakened. Well partially, it was enough so that it could now repair any dead or damaged ghosts. It had suddenly become even more of a priority to recover newly revived guardians in the field as to not squander the gift the Traveler had bestowed them.
On swift legs the Huntress leapt into the decaying building, only to meet a dusty room shrouded in darkness.
"If you don't mind." Nila asked, spurring the ghost to appear in order to illuminate the way.
"I'm definitely getting a solid signal now." the ghost replied, it's little body flexing with excitement
Worn by time, it was impossible to determine the purpose of the complex they were in. Only that it had been large, and rather spacious. Sporting tall corridors and sizable windows designed to let light wash in. Various dust cover items seemed to have been thrown about, almost as if there had been a struggle to leave the facility before the Darkness swallowed it whole.
"Just a little further." Rave said as she floated through a small hole in the door before them. Nilanna was forced to shoot out the locks on the large entry way. Sometimes she envied a ghost's ability to travel thought the smallest air ducts or the thinnest cracks in the wall.
Although the petty complaint was quick to leave her thoughts as the door swung open to the reveal a beautiful, if not dilapidated atrium. It was obvious the Martian landscape had ripped its way into the structure, forcing itself into even nook and cranny it could find, but still it maintained a certain regal atmosphere around it. The over grown foliage and red tinting from the recent sand storm came together in a unique display of nature's power over the legacy of man.
"We're almost there Nila." Rave chirped as she floated into the garden, leaving the guardian to wander about until she was beckoned by the gasp of her ghost.
"Nilanna I found her!" the tiny machine exclaimed. The exo was quick to arrive on the scene; the sight of the new guardian spurred her on as she slid to slop next to them.
"Is she alright?" the Huntress asked as she knelt down next to the sleeping woman, still curled up after a night was braving the vicious Marian weather.
"She and her ghost appear to be stable." Rave replied as she scanned the guardian, until something made her freeze.
"Rave?" Nila asked, catching her ghost's sudden hesitation.
"It's not possible..." Rave replied as if she were breathless, "When Raj told me..."
Raj!? The exo had to stop in order to recenter herself before a well of emotions could consume her. He'd been gone a few years now but the pain still refused to subside.
Why would she bring up Raj up at a time like this? Was there nothing wrong with guardian before them, or perhaps something in his research, something about new guardians?
"What is it? Is there a complication with this guardian?" Nilanna asked, her tone a bit sharper. But when her ghost only turned to look at the exo, she knew.
The revelation was like a switch, a sudden realization filled with hope, confusion, wonder, and love. It was a testament to the Warlock's claim that their bond would not just surpass the limits of society but the very boundaries of time and space themselves. A silly notion she had dismissed without a though, just a boisterous claim made after a night of making love.
But lying in front of her now, call it chance, call it fate, call it destiny if you will. However it would come to be justified for the years to come, she didn't care. To her it was proof that even in death, Raj loved a little machine like her so much even the very gods themselves found a way to keep them connected.
Sure she would never bear any resemblance to her, or maybe even remember Raj for that matter. Regardless she would care for this woman as she and her lover wished they could, to raise the fruits of their love like any parents would. Nilanna would watch over and guide this woman for whatever time she had left in her aging and corroded metallic body.
She would love her as she knew Raj once did. She would cherish this remarkable, improbable, wonderful girl that lay before her.
For this woman reforged in the Traveler's Light, was his biological daughter.
Where his legend had ended, her's would begin, and for the exo Huntress to such an opportunity be by their side, nothing in this universe or any other could have made her happier.
For she may have been mechanical, but her love, that would never ever be any less real.
Well there it is folks, the ending to Mechanical Love, I hope it's been a real pleasure for you because I've loved every minute of it. I can't thank everyone enough for making this my most successful story ever, one that I continue to claim is really just a giant philosophical argument, but still turned into what I hope was an enjoyable love story.
And at least once I'd like to give all of my readers a round of applause, because believe it or not, a lot of you helped write this story. Whether it was PMing me or being a part of my many, many shameless arguments on the Bungie website, this story is just as much your work as it is mine.
But on to the big heroes, my closest advisers and now good friends riesling and HeliumFilaments I cannot thank you enough, this story was literally not possible without you guys. Thanks for putting up with my crap and helping me get through even the most stubborn of writer's block.
So once again, a big thanks to everyone, hopefully this story made you stop and think just a bit like I hoped it would. And perhaps you too happened to completely fall in love with both Nilanna and Raj in the process, because I know I have. And despite what you may think, this is not the end.
I discussed a lot over the course of this story, but there is still so much to talk about. It's those very topics I hope to explore in this story's sequel: Mechanical Life.
So fear not, you may get a glimpse of those two again (and their daughter too) along with many others as I try to explore a little more about the realities of having a mechanized significant other.
So until then, keep your light and your love strong guardians.