The Queen of Hearts

Chapter 1: The Bowwoman

Lightning struck over the vast steppes of the Cosmodrome. Beneath the rain and thunder, a pack of Fallen scavengers stalked through the grass outside the grand wall that surrounded the space complex. Their Captain stopped, raising one of his four hands above his eyes to shield against the wind and rain. The Vandals and Dregs that followed him tracked his gaze, tightening their grips on rifles and swords. The Captain waited a moment, scanning the distant outcroppings for signs of movement. Nothing. He moved to turn away, when a faint twang reached his ears just over the hum of the rain. He glanced back in that direction, but it was too late. An arrow tore through his mask and his head exploded with ether.

The other Fallen roared in a chorus of surprise and fury. They began to fan out looking for cover, but it was a slow, panic-induced process. Twang, twang, twang. Three more aliens fell, ether gushing out of where their heads used to be. Some of them finally managed to dive behind large rocks or the remains of rusted cars. Feeling brave, one Vandal raised its head and aimed a shock rifle through a car window. For a long minute he waited for even the slightest sign of the enemy.

Suddenly, there was a loud rush; the powerful exertion of energy. A purple light burst from behind a boulder to the right, followed by a terrifying whistling noise like the swipe of a blade through the air. A Dreg screamed out in agony. The Vandal growled and pressed its back against the car, aiming towards the boulder, but the light had vanished just as fast as it had appeared. The Vandal risked another peek through the car window just in time to see a second flash of purple, and a fellow Vandal's body being vaporized. Horrified, it ducked down to hide, its shaking hands barely able to keep a grip on its rifle.

Two more Dregs screamed and were silenced. The Vandal exhaled in fear through its ventilators. It was the only one left. Out of options, the alien rushed out of cover and sprinted as fast as it could to the Cosmodrome wall. There was a hole in the wall; a way to safety through the construction tunnels. If it could just make it inside-

An enormous arrow alight with purple energy arched overhead and exploded against the upper wall. The debris from the blast fell into a heap on the ground below, plugging the hole in the wall. The Vandal skidded to a stop, breathing hard as it stared at the debris in disbelief. It was trapped.

Slowly, the warrior turned to peer through the pouring rain at the shadows of the wilderness beyond. From them emerged a lone woman, clad in black tactical gear and a cloak. In her right hand, a purple bow made entirely of void light began to fade from existence. Beneath her hood, two glowing purple eyes stared daggers into the vandal's heart. As she stalked towards her prey, she reached behind her back to grip a dark hilt. There was a sickening sound of grinding metal as she slid the katana from its sheath. Fear struck the Vandal like electricity down its spine. As if on queue, the sky cracked with lightning, illuminating the wetlands between them. The alien growled, and the woman smiled, for they both knew the truth. There was only one way out now: through her.

Resigned to its fate, the vandal raised its shock rifle and fired an arc bolt at its foe. With a quick twist of the wrist she swung her sword in an upward arc, straight into the path of the bolt. Its edge flashed with void energy as it collided with the projectile, causing it to explode. The blast engulfed the woman and for a moment the Vandal thought it might have a chance, but the energy faded and the woman remained, unscathed. She flicked the sword to the side, its edge smoking. Then she broke into a sprint.

Alarmed, the Vandal fired more shots, but the woman was too quick. She bobbed and weaved through the oncoming fire, closing the distance between them with staggering speed. There wasn't time to get another shot off, so the vandal tossed his weapon at her and backed up, reaching for the swords at his waist. She slid under the flying weapon and leaped at her enemy, sword raised. The alien drew its blades and met her strike with its own. Energy flashed as they collided. The woman seemed surprised, but the vandal remained outmatched. She pushed it back and followed with a flurry of strikes that the vandal could barely deflect. Eventually, he wasn't quick enough to stop the tip of her sword from slicing off an arm. Another slash followed, then another. The vandal fell to its knees, another arm down and a fatal gash across its chest. It looked down at its wounds, struggling to process what had just happened. Then it looked up at the woman, and closed its eyes, accepting its fate. Without a moment's hesitation, she made one last stroke, removing the vandal's head from its body. A burst of ether escaped from its neck as it fell.

Sighing, the woman wiped her blade and sheathed it. She lingered over the Fallen warrior, pondering the valor it had shown her. It wasn't often that one of its kind met her with such bravery. In another life, it might have become a truly great fighter. She bowed to it solemnly and turned back to the wilderness. It was a long walk up the slope to the outcropping where she had started. The rain beat against her armor relentlessly, but she didn't mind it. Somehow, the constant touch of nature gave her a sense of comfort. As she reached the top of the giant rocky ledge, she looked out over the canyons beyond. She found her jumpship at the bottom of one of the wider ravines, right where she had left it, but was surprised to find a warm glow under one of the canyon's ledges nearby. Someone had started a fire.

Her brow furrowed and she leapt down into the canyon. Her feet absorbed the impact of the drop with a pulse of void energy, then she cautiously stalked forward to find the source of the light. She peeked around the corner, hand on the hilt of her sword, then froze as she saw what waited there. A makeshift campfire was crackling in the safety of a small alcove. On a particularly large dried-out log, a man in a brown, form-fitting combat suit with armor over the knees and chest sat poking at the flames with a stick. A cloak obscured his face, save for a metallic horn. The woman's heart was suddenly ravaged by a torrent of emotions. She frowned and pushed her feelings aside, refusing to lose control.

"Well, if it isn't the infamous Cayde-6," she said, walking out from around the corner.

The man immediately tossed aside the stick, lifting his head to reveal a teal-colored robotic face. His blue, electronic eyes focused on her excitedly. "Talia! Just the Hunter I wanted to see! I definitely have not been waiting here for over an hour trying to keep this flame alive."

"Uh huh," said Talia, looking suspiciously at the fire. "How did you even get a log and firewood in here? Surely you didn't drag all that down into the ravine."

"Ah, that's a trade secret I'm afraid."

Talia rolled her eyes and sat cross-legged on the ground opposite the small fire. "Typical Cayde, always gotta make an entrance. So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? Andal isn't hiding around here waiting to scare me, is he?"

The exo's mechanical mouth contorted into a frown. "No. I actually haven't seen Andal in some time. He's been… busy."

"Uh oh. Has he finally gotten tired of the great Cayde-6 and started his own crew?"

"Worse. I think Kauko's got him mixed up in some kind of Vanguard operation."

"Oh."

"Yeah. But that's not why I'm here. I think it's no surprise that I've got a new job lined up, and what do you know? You're my first pick for the crew!"

Talia sighed and pulled back her hood, revealing a soft face with fair features and piercing purple eyes. She ruffled her dark blue hair styled in a wolf cut, allowing it to breathe. "Your first pick, huh? I don't know. Lately your jobs seem to be borderline suicidal."

Cayde nodded slowly. "Okay, I will admit that our recent scuffle with the Devils definitely had a few close calls, but someone had to do it while the rest of you were off slaying dragons."

"You did not participate in the Great Ahamkara Hunt?"

"No. The beasts were a threat, sure, but that didn't make refugees or the cityfolk any less important. While everyone else played knight, my crew and I protected the travelers that continue to stream into the City."

"How noble of you."

Cayde shook his head. "It ain't like that. I'm not telling you all this to brag."

"Why then? It feels too-"

"Out of character?" Cayde cut in.

"Well, yes."

The exo leaned back on the log, staring into the distance. Then he spoke, more sincerely this time. "You know, I never saw the Battle of Six Fronts. I was rezzed shortly after, but they still hadn't finished cleaning up the bodies. There were thousands, Talia. Guardians, civilians, Fallen… So many lives lost in a single battle. After Sundance brought me back from the grave a few times, I was beginning to feel invincible. The Fallen proved just how wrong I was. It was an early reminder that not even Guardians are forever. Then as if that wasn't enough, the Iron Lords went nearly extinct in a single day. Hundreds of Dark Age veterans, gone in an instant, and only one survived. It opened my eyes. Light or not, our final death will find us sooner or later."

Talia crossed her arms. "You're not selling this job to me very well."

Cayde laughed. "I guess not, but I tell you this anyway because that's the reason Andal and I started these crews in the first place. To protect the innocent, rediscover what humanity had lost, and get some payback on the Fallen. All without pesky Vanguard supervision. Turned out to be quite profitable, and that's where we got sidetracked. The loot played to our greed and we lost sight of why we started this whole thing to begin with. Well, I won't have that anymore. From now on, anyone that joins my crew does so for the good of the City, and only the best Guardians are considered."

"Oh, you think I'm among the best?"

"I do. In fact your prowess with a bow is exactly why I'm here."

Her face remained deadpan as she decided to finally ask the hard question. "This all sounds well and good, but… Are you sure it doesn't have anything to do with our short stint in the Tangled Shore together?"

Cayde paused, then laughed nervously. "I was wondering if you remembered that."

"It's a hard thing to forget." Her lip curled with a hint of sorrow. "No matter how much you want to."

Cayde was stunned. It took a moment for him to recompose himself. "I hurt you."

Talia nodded, unable to make eye contact with him.

He lowered his head, taking a moment to put his thoughts together. "I was cocky," he said finally, "and self-centered. Not that I'm making excuses. There is no excuse for leaving you high and dry like that. If I could do things over again I'd- well, I wish I could. Point is, I'm really, truly sorry. I don't expect you to up and forgive me, but I am serious about this crew and your part in it. Will you let me prove it to you?"

She leaned back on her hands, looking up at the pillar of smoke colliding with the rocky ceiling. She thought hard for a minute before speaking. "Your cockiness wasn't the problem. In fact, I found it endearing. Your problem was lack of commitment. You're always jumping from one thing to the next, never stopping to appreciate and cherish the things, or people, right in front of you."

Cayde moved to speak, but she held up a hand, stopping him. "However, your approach to this job has surprised me. I think you are changing, even if just a little, and I think it's for the better. You're right, I don't think I can forgive you yet… but I'll consider joining your crew. As a professional only. Do I make myself clear?"

Cayde became visibly relieved as if a huge weight was just lifted off of his shoulders. "Crystal!" he said. "As professionals, nothing more. Thank you Talia, you will not regret this."

"I better not, or that horn is gonna look real good on my mantelpiece."

The exo chuckled, then tapered off as he saw the dead serious expression on her face. "Oh. Alright, message received."

Talia half smiled. "Good. So, what job could you possibly be doing that requires a bowwoman?"

"I'm so glad you asked!" Cayde sat up, more than happy to move on to a different subject. "What do you know about high velocity shields?"

"Hm, I can't say I've heard of that."

"I'm not surprised. It's a rare technology that's difficult to create and operate. Think of an energy shield paired with powerful electromagnetic waves that can stop any high velocity projectile. We're talking bullets, missiles; even elemental rounds are useless against it."

"Let me guess. One of our many enemies has figured out how to make it."

Cayde nodded. "A mad Fallen scientist by the name of Talsiks has completed a version of this technology and mounted it on a spider tank in an industrial complex located in Old Chicago. Sundance, would you mind?" He held out his hand and a ghost appeared. She twirled and her eye lit up, projecting a video over the fire.

Talia blinked as images shimmered to life before her. It showed an enormous spider tank with bold yellow stripes being prepped in a large hangar. On its back was a huge metal sphere emitting a field of white energy. Suddenly an alarm sounded, followed by shouting and gunfire, then static. After a second, the video looped back to the beginning. Her eyes circled back to the yellow coloring on the tank. "The House of Kings?"

Cayde clasped his hands together. "Yes. Strange to see them so far from their usual hideouts, and the hangar was well protected. That feed was all my scout could get before he was noticed. Talsiks and his underlings converged on him by the hundreds and he very nearly died for the last time. This means we can't get close to the tank, even if we are careful. That's where you come in."

His meaning finally dawned on her. "A high velocity shield… that means low velocity projectiles can still get through. Like a heavyweight arrow."

"Exactly."

It made sense. Her arrow couldn't penetrate the tank's armor, but she didn't need it to. "Is this it? Just destroy the shield?""

"And any others he might have made. We don't know how many more there are, if any, but we can't let them continue to exist and be used against us in the future. Past that, we need to take out Talsiks himself so he can't make more of them, but we'll go into detail about that later. It's going to be tight. Can you make a shot like that?"

She shut her eyes and imagined firing her bow from the same spot as the scout in the video. Yes, she could do it. She made similar shots that very night while hunting the Fallen. She opened her eyes, actually feeling excitement at the prospect of this mission. "I'm the only one who can make that shot. Consider it done."

Cayde beamed and stood up from his log. "That's what I like to hear! Welcome to the crew." He held out a hand to shake over the fire.

Talia huffed as she stood up and looked at his outstretched hand. She had always thought that if he ever sought her out again, she would rip into him with all the turmoil and anger he had caused her all those years ago, but now that he was here, he did seem different somehow. Wisened; instilled with purpose. Maybe, she hoped, that meant trustworthy too. She reached forward and grasped his hand in a firm shake. For better or worse, she would do her part in this job.

Cayde nodded and retracted his hand, a little surprised by her grip strength. "I'll send you the place and time. We'll be working with the scout that got us the intel, as well as three others we recruited as extra help."

"Hold on, I thought you said I was your first pick," she said, folding her arms.

"You were! When I started putting this crew together I knew you were the perfect woman for the job! It just so happened you were… also the hardest to find."

Talia glanced out at the Russian wilderness she had been scouring for months now. It occurred to her then that she hadn't checked in with the Vanguard in some time. She had gotten too caught up in the hunt… again. "Alright, fair enough. Who's the scout?"

The exo smirked. "There's only one I trust to do that kind of work for me."

Talia couldn't help but smile. "I see. Well you tell Shiro-4 his skills are well known and I look forward to finally working with him."

"That I will." Cayde placed his hands on his hips, then glanced behind him. "Now uh… do you mind helping me carry this log back to my ship?"

Talia laughed then. A long, genuine laugh. "I knew you brought that thing from somewhere. Fine, but next time just bring a mobile heater like everyone else."

He scoffed as they lifted the log together and launched into a tirade about how it provided good ambiance and cast him in a foreboding light. She was content to just listen as they walked out and through the canyon. The rain had stopped, and she looked up at the stars that began to emerge from behind thinning clouds. She sent a prayer to the Traveler then, and to anyone else that might hear it. Please, let this be the beginning of better things to come.