"All I've seen, all I've uncovered of him, of his long, winding road, says he's made enemies at just about every turn.
Over centuries, that list grew real long.
He's been comfortable on the dodge out beyond the Reef. Ever-moving, ever-exploring, never concerned with the dangers riding his wake.
So, again… Why now? Why here?
What's his play? More important…
What's his game?"
—A renegade
8. The Resolve
"What the hell is going on here!?"
Alina couldn't believe this is happening.
Nor the fact that such a similar situation was not the first time.
She slowly glanced over to the man whom she has reluctantly allied with for as long as she could remember.
Just how many enemies does the Drifter truly have? What kind of life has he been leading up to this point? And why must she always be in the middle of it?
"Turns out we're not the only Risen here, sister."
The Drifter's gun remained pointed at the helmed stranger before him.
The trigger was only a half-inch away. It would be quick. But the doctor might be quicker. He doesn't look inexperienced, and he certainly doesn't dress like a typical physician.
Alina's eyes darted quickly towards the Drifter. What did he mean by that? That somehow, the helmed doctor holding them at gunpoint, is someone like her?
"Young lady, are you with him?" The latter asked.
Her voice was hesitant. "I… I am."
"Think I'm the one who should be askin' questions here." The Drifter cut in, his aim unmoving.
"I'm the one asking first." Faris replied. "Were you not in acquaintance with the Warlord Rience? And then you disappeared without a trace. But your hands were far from clean."
The Drifter knew of that name. He had scrubbed it clean from memory. Just like with his former crew. But of course, there was always a few spots to miss.
Inside his head, the Drifter immediately thought of a dozen different ways this standoff could end. In every single one of them he could think of, at least one of them would be on the ground with a gunshot wound.
And worst of all, for once he doesn't have the upper hand when it comes to information. He has never heard of the name "Faris" before. Or perhaps he simply didn't remember.
"Quite the accusations you got there. Been around since before the City, have you? We all get dirty sometimes. Whoever I hurt, they deserve it. Do you?"
He didn't answer the doctor's question directly, of course. From his experience, there is little chance that it would mean anything.
Faris' hand cannon remained affixed towards the Drifter's vicinity. How another Lightbearer was able to find their way here was of the greatest interest to the doctor. But why did it have to be him?
Alina began to speak, having not moved an inch from her position. "Drifter… did you do something to this man?"
He clicked his tongue. He really couldn't remember. "Don't think so. And I don't feel like dyin' a second time today."
His finger was now directly touching the trigger. Just a small twitch would be all it takes.
The doctor's tone raised, along with his gun. "That may be the least of your concerns."
"Everyone, stop!"
Alina dashed into the middle of their duel with surprising speed, her hands outstretched in panic.
"Can we all please just talk things out for once!? How many more times does this need to happen before we all could finally see eye to eye with one another?"
The Drifter tilted his head. Is she really going to try diplomacy again? How many times has that worked before?
Faris raised his eyebrow, unbeknownst to everyone else. Something like this has happened before?
Alina turned her attention towards him. "Hey, listen. I have no idea what is going on between you two, but do we not have more pressing issues right now? The Fallen has attacked many isolated villages in this place, taking Infected away from their burning homes for whatever sinister reasons they could have. How many innocent lives have been lost to this? How many more will be lost? We cannot afford more senseless bloodshed! Are we all not on the same side here? Am I wrong?"
He contemplated on her words. His eyes moved towards the Drifter, who gave him the same look.
"Hey, you heard the sister." The latter shrugged.
Not that he would want to refute the Elafia, but knowing even a little about the shrouded past of the bearded stranger in front of him, it's only natural to be doubtful of any sense of trust.
"How can I be certain to trust you, Drifter?" He questioned.
Alina turned around to face her companion, as she slowly backed away from standing between their potential line of fire.
The Drifter's stare didn't budge, until he eventually released a long sigh. Maybe there is a way out of this mess without anyone getting a bullet to the head.
"Alright, let me clarify a few things. You said I was with the Warlords. Now that's a bunch of bullshit. Never liked those tyrants and what they done. Didn't even like my crew tryin' to strike a deal with one of 'em you named. That's why I left everything behind. I don't deal with rats."
Faris' aim slightly lowered, as he kept listening.
"And we all struggled back before the City was built. All those centuries, I've seen plenty of bad people, Risen or not. Some of 'em served the Warlords out of choice, not fear. They got a promise of power, and used it against others like 'em. Even without their Warlords, it didn't stop 'em from raiding other towns for stuff they don't need. That the type of people you want to protect?"
A pause followed between them. A sliver of silence filled with tension.
The only sounds heard were the gentle rustling of frozen leaves amidst the howls of the cold wind.
Faris lowered his Palindrome much further, now pointed towards the ground. "I won't deny that there is truth in that."
The Drifter shrugged, his own aim becoming lax. "Don't have a reason to lie."
"But I value the lives of those without Light. They are finite, unlike us." He asserted.
The Drifter gave him a scoff. "They'd kill you for a blue engram, if they could. Don't act like you don't know anythin' about back then, brother."
The doctor slightly shook his head. "I know that desperate people make desperate choices. That doesn't mean they deserve to suffer for ours."
The barrel of Malfeasance lowered as well, the Drifter now more interested in his conversation with another Lightbearer whom had lived through the Dark Age.
"What, were you with the Iron Lords or somethin'?"
The doctor was certainly not a Warlord. He has never heard of one who claims to care about civilian life to such an extent. Well, other than Shaxx at least.
He also has never heard of one named "Faris", though that may not even be his real name. More than one could play at this game, after all.
"I was on neither side of the war. And I have witnessed too many atrocities, on both ends." The doctor corrected.
He had nothing against the Iron Lords. He shared their ideals, but not their methods. The endless conflicts between them and the Warlords resulted in too many Lightless casualties. It only took centuries more before the results of the Iron Lords' efforts finally bore fruit, when humanity could finally rebuild under one city.
"Heh… well, that's one thing we could both agree with." Replied the Drifter.
Someone who stuck with their own moral code, instead of blindly following the dogma preached by others. He could respect that, even if he wouldn't admit it loudly.
Another pause of silence filled the air. But this time, the tension was much more absent.
"I thought I was the only one. How and why are you here?" Faris sought to know.
Another shrug from the Drifter. "Could ask you the same thing."
Faris' helm turned towards Alina. "Why do you trust him?"
She tried to speak up, but something in her mind stopped her. It was the doctor's question.
Does she still trust the Drifter? Knowing how many secrets he had intentionally kept away from her, some becoming a detriment, how much longer would their partnership be acceptable? Would she be willing to take another chance?
Her eyes briefly met his, the two of them unsure of what the other was thinking.
Her gaze returned to Faris, taking a deep breath.
"He… saved me before. He helped me take care of someone who recently lost his home. And he helped me rescue a group of captured villagers from some raiders who have conspired with the Fallen. I know that he has a shady past that I barely know anything about, and he keeps so many things to himself, there's still things about him that shocks me, but…"
She struggled to find the right words, if there is any.
"I don't think Drifter is… a bad person. Even if it's not for the best intentions, he still stuck by me when I wanted- needed, to do what's right, for the people out here. I still owed him for that. Without him, I might not even be here right now."
Faris' expression underneath his visor remained stoic. "Is that the truth?"
She nodded.
Was his judgement too premature? Perhaps the "Wu Ming" he knew was no longer the same individual that stood before him. How many centuries has it been? So much could have changed in such long timespans. But still, he couldn't completely shake away his reservations.
Although, he could hear nothing but sincerity coming from the Elafia's words. And he knew there are certainly greater things at stake. Having the assistance of another Lightbearer is invaluable, even one of questionable past and intent.
"I admire your bravery, Ms. Alina. I will trust your words." His grip on the Palindrome loosened as he holstered it under his coat.
Alina released a sigh of relief that she'd been holding for long. For once, she was actually able to calm things down.
He returned the gaze of his helm towards the shady Lightbearer. "I… apologize for all the tension and confusion. But given your reputation… I'm sure you'd understand."
"Sure… still don't like the way you look at me, slick." The Drifter sneered as he holstered his own gun. "But I guess none of us are in the mood for wastin' bullets."
Faris ignored the mocking look of his rival and turned his attention to Alina once more. "Again, I apologize for having you see all of that, miss."
She raised a weak smile in return.
"No, it's fine… but, is Drifter right? Are you a Guardian as well?"
She couldn't see it, but Faris' eyes were widened upon hearing her sentence.
"How do you know of that term?" He asked, perplexed.
She blinked at him, before slowly raising her hand with an open palm.
And to his shock, appeared a Ghost.
"Because… I am one?"
The doctor swiftly peeked to his side. "Juno."
On his shoulder, appeared a floating eyeball adorning a purple octagonal outer shell, much to Alina's own shock. Though looking different, it's undoubtedly a Ghost just like her own.
A brief ray of Light illuminated her and her Ghost.
"She is." Said the Ghost named Juno, in a feminine voice.
Faris released a deep breath he was unaware he had been holding.
"Fascinating."
This was a marvelous discovery, far more in fact. For long, he had only suspected its possibility. But now it was a truth as much as any other.
Alina's Ghost began to speak. "Dr. Faris? How long have you been here?"
"A long time. And how long ago was your chosen resurrected?"
Ghost turned his singular eye to his young Guardian.
"Just a few days ago. Though a lot has happened since then." Though even saying that would be putting it lightly, he thought.
"Has your Ghost told you? About his origin?" The doctor asked the young Guardian.
She blinked. Of course she was aware that her Ghost wasn't native to this world, as were many things she had seen until now. But she understood very little of it all. About what it truly means.
"A little, yeah."
"Then you know that I- we have every right to be surprised."
Her expression changed into one of wonder, and anxiety. "Is there… no one else like me here?"
He has traveled to all sorts of places. Met more faces than he could ever count. And in all of his years as a wanderer, he has never met a Lightbearer that is native to this world. He never even thought it possible. Never thought he'd be able to see it happen.
Until now.
"You don't understand, Ms. Alina. This… changes everything."
Ambriel took one final sip from her third can of soda for today.
She knew this much sugar would be unhealthy, but nothing that has happened today was anything other than harmful to her well-being. So what's one more, she thought.
In the corner of the Sankta's eyes, Quartz sat brooding. Her attention set on the general direction of one of their trucks, where Vulcan was currently doing another inspection on their vehicles and equipment, along with Provence as company.
None of their vehicles were damaged, thankfully. But Rhodes Island had lost three of their field operators, and the Ursus Patrol Unit had lost even more so.
Though they had survived the assault, it was a pyrrhic victory at best, and an unfortunate loss at worst. Even with prior knowledge and the assistance of the enigmatic Stoic who's had far more experience against this enemy than any of the rest, their losses were still crushing.
She glanced down on the unsheathed greatsword slanted on her side. It was a miracle the blade was still in one piece. But the structural damage was apparent. Her weapon might not survive another clash against the Fallen's superheated blades.
The Fallen wielded technology they were simply unprepared to deal with. Flying ships that can appear and disappear into thin air? Machines creating shields that can repel all physical damage? And how was one of them able to seemingly teleport around? That has to be some form of Arts, one she has never seen before.
And it wouldn't be the last of them. Would they ever have a better chance later on?
So lost in her thought, Quartz nearly failed to notice her other companion standing upright staring towards the forest, were it not for her ears picking up the sound.
Ambriel spoke in a casual tone. "Looks like the doc's got some new friends."
"What?"
Looking ahead towards the same direction as her, Quartz saw the visage of four individuals emerging from the shades of the trees.
It was the Stoic, returning to them with tree new faces. One was a bearded stranger with a brown headband, the other a grey-haired Elafia, and the last one being someone much shorter than the rest. A boy.
A boy whose face seems awfully familiar to her.
The boy, upon seeing her face, shifted his expression as well. He recognized her.
"Aunt Quartz?"
She stood up, a name resurfacing in her mind.
"Wait… Andrei?"
The boy's eyes shined, as he began taking off quickly, sprinting to reach her, much to the surprise of the adults walking with him.
She finally caught him in her arms. A face she has not seen a long time, a face she never expected to see again.
"You… you're okay!" She gasped. "H-How did you get here?"
Andrei slightly parted away from her embrace, and slowly turned to point towards one of the strangers, the Elafian woman who was with him earlier.
"She saved me." He muttered.
Quartz's eye darted back to the boy. "Saved you? What… what happened back home?"
Upon hearing her question, his expression shifted again. His eyes have lost their shine.
"They… attacked us."
They? The Fallen? How could…
No, it made perfect sense. It wasn't out of the question that Andrei's village would've been one of those that fell victim to this extraterrestrial invasion. It was wishful thinking on her part to believe otherwise.
"Andrei, where's your mother?" She needed to know what happened.
The boy's face fell, looking towards the ground. "I don't know. I… never saw her again."
They took Polina. Why are they taking hostages, and for what sinister reason? Whatever it may be, it was still unforgivable.
She should've been there. Should've come back to visit. Perhaps she could've returned the favor. Perhaps something could've changed.
She hugged Andrei tightly, regret on her face.
"It's okay… at least you're here."
He returned her embrace with his own.
Lifting her head, she saw the Elafian woman whom Andrei claimed as his savior. With a somber smile on her face.
And with eyes that have seen too much.
Their introductions were brief, as they felt precious time slipping by.
Alina watched as Andrei was brought towards the care of the medics from Rhodes Island, giving him the much needed examination he has been missing.
He would be in far better hands now. Perhaps they'll even help him find a new home, or provide one for him.
Something she wasn't capable of doing by herself.
She went ahead to face Quartz as the Lupo returned from the medics. "How did you know Andrei?"
Quartz glanced at her, at first hesitant on revealing her life story to another stranger. But she does owe Alina for saving Polina's son, when she wasn't there to do anything about it.
"I visited his town once, a few years ago. His mother provided me with a roof to sleep under, even when I didn't have anything to pay her back with." She muttered.
It was the type of sincere kindness that one wouldn't have expected to see often, if at all, in this world.
"I'm grateful for what you did. Thank you for saving him."
Alina raised a palm, shaking a head. "You really don't have to thank me. I did what I could."
Quartz's face turned somber, as she came to grips with the reality of the situation. Of the terrible circumstances that have led all of them here.
"His town was destroyed by the attack, wasn't it?" She surmised.
Alina's grim look confirmed it before her voice could. "Yes."
"Let me guess… it's the Fallen?"
She didn't have to hear the young Guardian's words this time, to know her suspicions were right. The perpetrators behind everything that has been going wrong, ever since their first convoy's assault.
Her clenching fists trembled, almost breaking her own skin.
"Of course. It all ties back to them, doesn't it?"
She has no desire to return to Rhodes Island. Not until she's certain those six-eyed bastards are all dead.
Quartz returned to join her teammates waiting for her, before facing towards the young Guardian along with her bearded companion and the doctor.
All of the operators certainly has a myriad of questions in mind. It's been an endless cycle, ever since they first took part in this mission.
The Lupo faced Alina with a light smile. "Thank you again, for what you did."
She returned the sentiment. "It's fine. You're all from Rhodes Island, is that right?"
"Yep, that's right. We're a pharmaceutical company dedicated towards a fair treatment of all Infected." Provence brightly announced.
The young Guardian blinked as she processed her sentence. Not a single one of them looked like they would fit in a pharmacy or hospital.
"Ahem, we're the paramilitary branch." Ambriel clarified.
She wanted to consider the reasons as to why a pharmaceutical company would need a paramilitary force of their own, but considering all of her experiences thus far, it might only be logical.
Vulcan stepped forward. "So… who are all of you exactly?"
Faris felt the need to explain the current situation, as they rightfully owed many from him.
"Please, allow me to explain. These fellows, Alina and… the Drifter, will be our allies from this point forward in combating this Fallen threat."
Alina reaffirmed his statement. "Mr. Faris- I mean, Dr. Faris…"
"Either is fine."
"-He has explained your situation. We came from the south, and we are both here to assist you in our mission to track down the rest of the Fallen."
Quartz eyed the two relative strangers before her. The one named Alina was unquestionably trustworthy, she was Andrei's savior after all. But the man called the Drifter…
He didn't seem like he was paying much of an attention towards their exchange, rather looking at the direction of their earlier battle.
"Did those things attack you as well?" Ambriel asked.
The Drifter suddenly turned around to face them once more. "We've been trackin' them down. I'm guessin' you guys were in the wrong place, at the wrong time?"
Vulcan confirmed his thoughts. "More or less, but… we were also trying to find out who was behind all of the recent settlement attacks in southeast Ursus."
Quartz continued. "And if possible, we want to find our missing personnel from a prior attack done to one of our field teams, presumably by these same Fallen, and rescue them if possible."
The Drifter held his hand to his chin, thinking of a different possibility.
"You sure they're not already dead?" He asked without a care.
Quartz furrowed her eyebrows. "We have reasons to believe… they could still be alive."
In truth, there was no certainty that the missing field operators would still survive, outside of the lack of bodies. From her brief experience, the Fallen didn't seem like the type to take hostages anyway.
"Excuse me for asking but, what exactly are you getting from this?" Vulcan questioned.
Alina took a step forward. "I just want to put a stop to the horrible attacks done towards the innocents. I want to stop the Fallen."
She glanced sideways, towards the Drifter. He returned her gaze briefly, before shrugging.
"Sure, same thing."
She ignored his disinterested tone and continued. "And we want to help you. We might know where to find your missing people."
The operators widened their eyes upon hearing her last sentence.
"Wait, really?" Ambriel voiced out her disbelief.
The Drifter crossed his arms. "I got enough to work on. Intercepted one of their ships. Took a crack at their flight data. Now we know where their nest is. But that's just the half of it."
They waited for him to elaborate, which ended in a pause far longer than they were expecting.
Provence tilted her head. "Um, what's the other half?"
The Drifter eyed each one of the operators carefully, a judgmental look evident on his face. "You sure any of you wanna stick around for any longer?"
Before they could raise their eyebrows, Faris stepped in to explain.
"What the Drifter might be saying is… we do not want to force you into a battle you are not prepared to take on."
It was a simple truth. Not an intentional jab towards their capabilities, but a warning.
"We will take the fight to them head on. It will not be easier than what you have encountered thus far. There will be more of them, and they will possess more firepower than you are all equipped to handle." He clarified without a shred of doubt.
The operators looked at one another, unsure of their next move.
On the one hand, they weren't questioning the truth behind the Stoic's words. Their last battle against the Fallen was a pyrrhic victory, only possible because of the doctor's assistance. Even so, there were too many close calls. They might not get that lucky again.
But on the other hand… leaving the fight right now would mean betraying the very oath they've taken, as operators of Rhodes Island.
Quartz didn't want to feel useless like this. Not for a cause she could truly care about.
"Even if you're right… you can't expect us to just turn around and run." She muttered, her fists shaking.
Understanding the reluctance coming from her fellow Lupo, Provence stepped in as well. "Quartz is right. If there is a chance that we could save some innocent lives, including some of our own, then we want to help anyway we can. Even if it's risky."
Ambriel sighed, knowing where their conversation was heading. "And besides, how do we know that you could handle it without us? We barely even know anything about you, doc. Or your friends."
"I think, it's about time you owe all of us that lengthy explanation we've been waiting for, Mr. Faris." Vulcan remarked.
Faris turned his attention towards the only other two Lightbearers present. One of them was not even a week old and perhaps just as clueless as the operators, and the other was very clearly not interested in providing a lecture.
It was up to him alone to clear up every misunderstanding among them. To tell them the truth.
"You all must have no end of questions." He stated, knowing the obvious.
Alina kept her ears alert, as the doctor began to speak. She knew she'd need to hear this as much as the rest of them.
"Perhaps… it's best to start from the beginning."
He walked towards an open field, gesturing the rest of them to follow.
As they gathered, he held out his open palm, his Ghost Juno, appearing into existence. A bunch of gasps followed, but they said nothing, for their questions will soon be answered anyway.
Almost on cue, Juno emitted a series of rays from her eye, generating a stable hologram. It showed a sphere, perfect in its symmetry and shape. Only the first of many images they will have a hard time comprehending.
One by one, every present operator and field personnel from Rhodes Island joined them, along with the remaining Ursus Patrol guards. Their initial hostilities towards one another completely replaced with a sense of childlike wonder towards the doctor.
A discovery they never thought they would all share.
And he began to speak.
"We called it… the Traveler. And its arrival changed us forever."
"The Light lives in all places, in all things.
We haven't always known this. Until the Traveler arrived at our world.
It gave us gifts that transformed our solar system and the nature of human life. It ushered in our Golden Age. But it never shared its deepest secrets.
Great cities were built on planets beyond our own. Human lifespan tripled. It was a time of miracles.
We stared out at the galaxy and knew that it was our destiny to walk in the light of other stars.
But the Traveler had an enemy.
The Darkness, which had hunted it for eons across the black gulfs of space. Centuries after our Golden Age began, this Darkness found us and that was the end of everything. Our Collapse.
In the wake of our Collapse, the Fallen arrived From their homeworld. Scavengers. Pillagers. Survivors of their own apocalypse.
They sought refuge from their own disaster, envious of our Traveler's presence, to take from our own.
It was the end of humanity's Golden Age. But it was also a beginning.
In its dying breath, the Traveler created the Ghosts, to seek out those who can wield its Light, as a weapon.
Lightbearers. Guardians. To protect us, and do what the Traveler itself no longer can.
So we took an oath to fight, to protect what is left of humanity, from all that threatens us. To bring light across a universe that is dark.
That was our story."
"But alas… I have been away from home for many years. There is only so much that I know of then, but not of now."
Faris turned his helm past all the stunned faces of the crowd, to meet Alina's gaze, then glancing towards the Drifter, whom has separated himself from everyone else since the beginning.
"And especially now… it seems there is far more even I would have to find out myself."
He has only given the Terrans the briefest of summaries, a short retelling of his origins, and the Fallen's. The countless details he has spared them can be a story for another, better time. If such a time could ever be found.
For all of his life, it was believed that only humanity are deemed worthy of receiving the gift of Light.
But after seeing the young Elafian Guardian for himself, it has now confirmed one of two things that the doctor had always suspected.
Either the Traveler has deemed humanity as no longer the sole species chosen for the Light, or that Terrans are somehow related to the humans of Sol, through a strange twist of fate.
Or perhaps, could it be both? He truly wished to know.
A look of stupor was etched on the faces of the operators, for what felt like hours.
They couldn't believe they were here to hear it. Witness it, for themselves.
The Stoic was no Arts caster all along. He is, according to himself, a wielder of this mysterious power of otherworldly origin called the "Light".
Awfully vague and misleading name, in her personal opinion. It wasn't like the doctor could just manifest light bulbs around him.
… Could he? She never even bothered to ask, she was quite preoccupied with gawking the entire time.
"How the hell are we going to explain all this to Dr. Kal'tsit?"
Quartz rubbed her forehead, feeling a migraine that never went away.
"I don't know. But we do have plenty of 'physical evidence' to bring back." Vulcan muttered. In her hands, were one of the strange pieces of Fallen technology she had scavenged.
Ambriel released a dwelling sigh, laying on the buttstock of her rifle. Wanting to share the same thoughts her teammates must also be thinking.
"I think the bigger question is, how is anyone going to react to all this? Ursus has been under attack by aliens, and now there's these Guardians who can wield something called the Light, different from Arts? And they come from like, another planet? And we're the ones caught in the middle of all of it."
She thought she knew what she signed up for when she took upon this mission. None of them were able to foresee the future events that would eventually lead them here.
"It's like all of your different comics mashing together into some weird crossover storyline that's too complex for me to get into." She bluntly summarized, looking at Quartz.
The Lupo held a palm to her face. "They're not my comics, I borrowed them from Spot."
Speaking of which, that guy would definitely be losing his mind were he to be in their shoes instead.
Vulcan gripped the metal of the Fallen weapon in her hands. "I'm having a hard time believing all of this as well. But… we all saw everything with our own eyes. And we fought them with our swords and shield."
Quartz's face lifted up to face the Forte. "But you know how Ursus is. They might just try to keep everything under wraps and pretend that it's not a bigger issue than it is."
And that certainly wasn't going to work forever. What if these Fallen starts targeting the cities instead? Outside of the Stoic's own knowledge, they have no clue whatsoever on the extent of the Fallen's presence in this country, or in Terra as a whole.
Vulcan steeled herself, contemplating on her fellow operator's remark. "Do you think… we should do the same thing?"
Her proposal swiftly drew the attention of both of her teammates.
Quartz blinked. "What? Why?"
"I'm just saying… there might be a mass panic to follow, if everything we have seen here were to go out to the masses. I don't think everyone is prepared to accept the idea of interlopers from other worlds yet." She explained herself.
Ambriel had a different idea, however. "You don't seriously think we're just gonna pretend all of this never happened? And I don't think all of us can keep mouths shut anyway."
The Forte didn't retort. And neither did the Lupo. Ursus might be able to sweep this entire situation under the rug for the sake of keeping a false veil of security, but Rhodes Island does not have to abide by their rules.
"Ambriel might be right. Everyone back at the landship… probably deserves to know the truth." Especially if it was inevitable anyway.
In the midst of their dour conversation, Quartz finally took note of the absence of one of her teammates.
"Where's Provence?"
Ambriel lazily pointed her thumb to her side. "She went to that hill east of here, to check on the weather ahead. Just in case."
Quartz had noticed the purple-haired Lupo indulging herself in more tasks than usual. Just a way of distracting herself from recent events, she thought.
And how unfortunate would that be if a storm were to somehow hit their location, right after a life-threatening battle against an enemy from a different world. She wouldn't even be surprised by their terrible luck at this point.
Her visible eye glanced upon the Forte, the latter still keeping her attention on the Fallen weapon she has scavenged.
"How's that thing you're holding, Vulcan?"
She kept examining the Wire Rifle in her hands, flipping it over and over, looking for something that simply wasn't there.
"I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how this thing even begins to function as a firearm." She voiced out.
Quartz raised an eyebrow. "Well, it is alien tech that we can't even understand."
Vulcan raised her gaze towards the Lupo. "You would think so, and yet…"
In an act that they could never have thought possible, she gripped the rifle and aimed it towards a far away tree, and without hassle, pulled what looked like its trigger.
The weapon, inexplicably, hummed to life.
Crackle
A supersonic electrified bolt of energy and matter left its barrel, melting through the trunk of one unfortunate pine tree.
Vulcan returned her gaze to her two teammates. Across both of their faces as she expected, were looks of complete and utter shock.
"You… you fired it?" Quartz stammered.
"Without any Arts whatsoever."
She couldn't describe her thoughts if she was forced to. Astonished? Awestruck? Horrified? Perhaps all of them at once.
Vulcan continued, her tone unchanged. "The mechanism behind the weapon is incomprehensible, even for me. And yet, its usage is remarkably simple. An infant could fire it."
The look of shock on Quartz's face has not gone away.
"That's…"
"Terrifying, I know."
"So… the doc was right?" Ambriel murmured under her breath.
Vulcan took one last look at the Fallen rifle, its weight becoming heavier in her hands, not by a change of the physical mass, but of the implications within its existence.
"Technology like this… there is a good chance everyone will be interested. Laterano will try to do everything they can to make sure it never reaches the light of day. And Columbia would definitely want to grab it for their own research."
That is, if this kind of technology could even be understood. Or replicated.
Quartz gulped. "That's not good news, is it?"
"No. This kind of discovery… it could kickstart a new arms race across Terra. And I don't think it would end well."
None of them dared to imagine how the effects of such a worldwide conflict would look like.
Ambriel only had one thing to say, summarizing all of their shared feelings.
"Well, fuck."
Their stupor was broken by footsteps in the snow.
Their fourth teammate returned from her reconnaissance, her face disturbed.
"Hey guys, not to be the bearer of… more bad news, but there's a storm coming. We should all probably keep moving before we freeze."
Of course. Their luck was never getting any better.
Quartz facepalmed herself for perhaps the fifth time today. "Damn it… only way this day could get worse is if a Catastrophe is somehow coming next."
All she got was a glare from the Sankta.
"Hey, don't jinx it."
He eyed the wreckage of one of the Fallen Skiffs, felled by that stoic doctor.
Based on the remaining evidence, it was a massacre. No corpses were intact, some not even leaving remains. Quite impressive firepower.
The Drifter wasn't quite fond of that. Disintegrating the enemy often means losing everything on them as well. Those batteries on their kit-bashed weapons are a lot more useful intact than as a pile of ash.
At least he wouldn't have to worry about possible stragglers.
After a brief inspection inside the wreckage, he concluded there was nothing of interest to be found, save for more confirmation about the location of their possible base of operations from whatever flight data he was able to extract.
As he emerged back into the outside, he was greeted with the presence of the young Guardian.
He sighed. He could predict what was coming.
"Drifter… can I ask you a question?" Alina asked.
He continued to walk past her. "I know… you're wonderin' why I didn't tell you."
She looked down in frustration , her hands clenched into fists.
"You are a Guardian too. All this time-"
"Don't."
Her eyes rose to meet the Drifter's. He held that look once again. The same look she'd only ever seen once before.
"Don't call me that. Just 'cuz I got a Ghost of my own, doesn't make us the same."
She kept staring back, unsure of what words to speak next. He sighed.
"What? You gonna be mad 'cuz I used you like a meat shield when I didn't have to?"
"At this point, I don't even care about that." She claimed, irritation in her tone. "I just don't understand… why keep it hidden? Even from me?"
She really didn't. Was there a point to hiding one's Light from other Guardians? And if only he wasn't shy about it… he could've helped her avoid a few unnecessary deaths. Including an innocent's.
He turned away to avoid her glare. "In my defense, I never thought I'd have to bring it up."
She thought he was going to come up with another range of shallow excuses, or anything to change the topic. Instead, he returned his glare towards her own.
"But let me make it clear again.. the Light is not a gift."
The Drifter hissed with venom in his words. She wasn't expecting it at all.
"I'm sure your Ghost said somethin' along the lines of, 'you need to protect humanity because the Traveler chose you' and all that crap? Listen here… not all of us wanna spend the rest of our immortal lives servin' some godlike being who can't even respect the dead enough, to let them stay dead, fightin' a war that never ends."
He took a step forward towards her. She instinctively took a step back.
"You weren't given the choice to come back. None of us chose to be brought back from our graves. And none of us chose to suffer for it. You haven't lived long enough to get it, the trouble that comes with livin' forever past what you were meant to… but it'll get to you."
She tried to respond, but nothing came out of her mouth.
"I ain't gonna stop you from tryin' to play hero all the time. But ask yourself: Think you can keep it up forever? 'Cuz I've met plenty who didn't. Plenty who never tried. And let me tell ya, they didn't play nice with their 'gifts'."
He finally turned his back on her to walk away, but not before speaking out one last time.
"Ask the doc about the Warlords, if you're curious. But the Light… ain't what you think it is."
She stood and watched as his silhouette became smaller, until he disappeared from her view.
And she stood there and remained. Amid a wreckage and surrounded by piles of ashes.
"Alina?" Her Ghost's voice greeted her. "I… I don't know if he's coming back."
She looked down upon her hand, shaken.
"Was he right?"
Her Ghost scanned her face. "Why would you think he is?"
Because she truly didn't know any better. She has only lived for less than a week, and every time she was up against a wall, she needed someone else's help to break through it. Even then, she has suffered losses.
What if this is all that awaits her from now on? An endless life of defeat and dependency?
And what would happen if one day, she decided to change her mind? That she becomes tired of wanting to help others, only herself?
What if the Light chose wrong? Was this simply a burden?
Was she a mistake?
"It is not a mistake, if that is what you were thinking."
She looked outwards to the source of that voice, towards Faris.
He slowly walked forward, until Alina could clearly see her own reflection on his visor.
"The Light chose us all because it sees something in us. It sees our devotion, our bravery, our sacrifices. Whatever it may be, I cannot say for certain. But it has given us a second chance, without the shackles of our past."
A second chance. What did she do in her past life, to have been given such a chance? Somehow, she was unsure if she even wanted to find out.
"When did you get here?" Asked her Ghost.
"Long enough ago that I heard everything the Drifter has said to you." Faris replied.
Her open palm clutched tightly. She was hesitant to ask. "Was the Drifter right?"
The doctor was silent, for a while. Until he slowly tilted his helm up, towards the sky.
"The freedom the Light gives us, means that some will inevitably choose the wrong path. And there was a time when this was how the Lightbearers leave their marks upon the world. Such is the price of free will.
But that doesn't detract from others who chose a righteous cause. To live for others rather than themselves. To build a gentle kingdom ringed with spears. The Traveler trusted us to walk our own paths, in the hopes that we will take the right one for ourselves. And in turn, for others as well."
His gaze returned to the young Guardian, her eyes now a little bit wider.
"You have a natural desire within you to help others. That in itself is a gift. You choose to wield the Light for the good of those without it, to save those who could not save themselves. That may be a burden, but it's one worth taking. A choice all of us make, to become a Guardian.
"And even if you believe you are too ill-prepared for this, if you fail from time to time… do not let it consume you. With all the time granted to us, we learn from our mistakes, and rise above them. And remember, you do not walk this path alone. We are strongest, when we fight together."
Alina felt an unthinkable weight being lifted from her shoulders. For once, she finally felt like she was going down the right path, and was not punished for it.
She didn't know if the doctor's words held more truth than the Drifter's. But at least with him, she hasn't been forced to face lies before.
Her Ghost chimed in as well. "He's right. And I don't regret ever choosing you. Nothing changes that."
She looked into her floating companion's eye, her own sight slightly blurred by the encroaching tears. She quickly wiped them away before they could fall.
"Thank you. For having faith in me."
A sincere gratitude towards both of them. Recollecting herself, her eyes gradually returned to look upon Faris' visor.
"Just… there's some more things I want to know. And maybe, you're the best person who can answer them."
He tilted his head back slightly, trying to predict her question. "Is it about the nature of the Light? I'm certain your Ghost could've have told you enough, and I don't think I'm much more qualified for it."
"Right. But you've been a Guardian much longer than I have. You must be more knowledgeable about using Light than I do." She surmised.
He nodded in acknowledgement. "Of course. Have you learnt of the three classes yet?"
Alina blinked her eyes multiple times. "Classes?"
Faris took a moment to think. She must still be figuring things out by herself then.
"What is the path of a Guardian you've chosen to uphold? Are you a Hunter, explorers of the wild and navigators of unknown horizons beyond our very eyes? Are you a Titan, becoming the wall that will stand against all that threatens the weak and the innocent? Or are you a Warlock, who will seek to answer the endless questions of the Light and existence itself?"
She has certainly never heard of those terms before, or how they're used in this specific context. The only exception being "Titan", something her Ghost mentioned once, which she never thought much of.
"I… I don't know yet. But… I do know that I want to help save people. However I can."
And whether it's out of guilt, or simply a deeper desire within herself, she has yet to decide.
The doctor nodded again, holding a hand to the chin of his helm as if it was his own skin.
"You will find the path best suited for you. For now, can you show me what you have been able to achieve with your Light?"
She proceeded to conjure a sphere of bright, flaming Light in her palm. After some time, said sphere slowly reformed itself a charged ball of lightning instead.
Faris' look of splendor was hidden underneath his visor. "Fascinating… you have learnt to harness the elements of Solar and Arc very quickly, despite your inexperience."
She held a faint smile upon hearing his compliment. "I still don't fully understand it myself. I just learnt how to do it when… when I needed it most."
It wasn't uncommon for Lightbearers to be able to create Light without any prior teachings, but to harness more than one subclass so quickly is incredibly rare. But not impossible.
"Your mind is flexible, Ms. Alina. Your natural affinity is unparalleled, to say the least. Very few have advanced as much with their Light as you have, in such a short span of time." He explained.
Her smile was suddenly replaced by a look of dismay. "It's still not enough."
He raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say so?"
Her Light slowly faded away from her hand. "There's… someone that I couldn't save before, because I didn't know how. And even now, I couldn't heal Andrei's infection with my Light. I'm still nowhere near strong enough."
"You believe you can cure the child's Oripathy with your Light?" Said Faris.
"I want to believe it." Alina's tone was unchanged.
"So do I."
Her eyes looked up in shock to face the doctor. His tone was different than before.
"You've tried to cure them?" She queried.
He took a deep breath, almost sounding defeated. Which surprised her.
"Using my Light towards a purpose other than harm? Yes. But as I have come to realize myself, there are mysteries to this world, that even the Light of the Traveler struggles to unravel."
She didn't want to accept it, that even another Guardian as old as Faris was unable to bypass the wall she had been stuck behind. But if that was the case… then isn't this simply more depressing for the people here?
If even the Light can't help them, then what solutions do they have left, if any?
No, she wouldn't accept it at all.
"I want to figure it out. I'm tired of feeling… helpless." Alina declared.
Faris found himself admiring the resolve within the Guardian much younger than he was. Maybe, it was too early to give up the pursuit.
"In time, we will."
He stepped closer, to hold up her palm. Beside it, he held up his own.
"Your curiosity is a gift, Guardian. Perhaps, you are ready to learn the final element of our existence."
As she watched, traces of Light danced across his arm, pooling into a faint sphere floating above his hand.
"I'm sure you are already familiar with this, but the Light allows us to manipulate the very elements of our physical universe. To bind the physical laws and reshape them to our will."
With a little effort, he willed the Light to combust, becoming a ball of nuclear fusion.
"Solar is combustion. Kinetic energy becoming fusion, that is, the same energy within which all stars are birthed from, and which they create."
His fingers unmoving, he willed his Light to change form once again, into a blend of charged positive and negative particles.
"Arc is conduction. The fission of electrons between atoms, the connection between the sky and the ground, the current that seeds thunder, and coalesces storms."
Finally, he reached into the element that he was most familiar with. His Light changed once again, losing its warm brightness, instead replaced with a violet orb of entropic vacuum.
"And Void, is nothing. Emptiness. Negation. The invisible fabric of space that permeates all things. The dark energy that divides, and the dark matter that attracts."
Alina gazed into the small abyss formed within the doctor's palm. She could feel it staring back, somehow.
"If Solar burns, and Arc strikes, then Void crushes. Through a simple pull of space-time, almost anything can be reduced into a singular infinitesimal point, creating a vortex inescapable by even the fastest particles in the universe. It is in some ways the most destructive of all the elements, but also the most fascinating."
Just as gradually as his Light materialized, the orb slowly deconstructed itself, dissipating into non-existence.
"Few have come to understand, much less master all three fundamentals of our universe. But you are different from most. Give it a try."
He stepped backwards, giving her the space to experiment with her own potential.
"Focus. Not on the trees or the snow, or even the wind. Focus on that which you can't see. The gravity that binds us down. The space that we live and walk through. Focus on what you think isn't there, but is."
She wasn't certain she could grasp everything that the doctor has said, but she was still willing to try. So she closed her eyes and focused on nothing, as he instructed.
Initially, she seemed to get exactly that. Nothing. Not a spark of Light responding to her call.
But eventually, she could feel its flow returning. She felt her Light began to bend in ways she's never felt before.
It wasn't the warmth of scorching fire, or the charge of jolting thunder. It was cold. Consuming.
Her eyelids slowly lifted, and she peered into her palm.
Into a swirling abyss.
She wasn't sure of how to feel.
Excited, perhaps? She did it, after all.
But her moment of uncertainty came at a cost, and she began to feel her Light fluttering.
She tried to focus again, but the orb of Void quickly collapsed under itself, dissipating back into the nothingness it originated from.
She took a shuddering breath, feeling a sudden fatigue. "I'm sorry, it's a little harder for me to get used to this."
She expected a form of reprimand, but instead, the doctor simply gave her reassurance. "You have done better than most. There is nothing to be ashamed of. There will be time."
Is there time for her to improve? What if he merely said that to make her feel better?
"Are you sure? We still have the Fallen to find." She voiced out.
"A time after that. For now, we should prepare."
She nodded. "Right, I will tell Drifter about it."
As she began to walk away, the doctor's skeptical voice stopped her.
"Are you certain that we can all trust him?"
She stayed quiet, for longer than she would've liked to admit.
"I… I think so." Even she could tell how shaken her own voice was. The doctor would've definitely noticed it.
"And you're certain that, in the near future, he won't make choices that benefit himself first and foremost, at the cost of everyone else?"
It was an ultimatum she wasn't prepared to answer.
She released a long sigh.
"I… I want to believe that. I want to think it'll all work out in the end. But… I don't even know myself."
Of course, the Drifter has come to her aid multiple times before, but there was never a clear intention behind his actions. He's claimed that she was nothing more than a meatshield to him, yet still risked himself every time whenever she was overwhelmed.
Now that she was aware of his true nature, it was all the more puzzling. He never needed her help to begin with. So why did he ever bother?
"The fact you're still willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, tells me more about your own heart, Ms. Alina. And maybe a little about his." Faris proclaimed.
She was unsure of whether the doctor meant that as a good thing or otherwise.
"I don't understand."
"You still believe that, underneath the layers of secrecy the Drifter hides behind, there is still good in him. And you've seen enough of it, even a little, to believe so."
Alina thought about every line he had said. Was she simply too trusting, too forgiving? Or maybe there is a point to all this.
Perhaps in some deep corner of her mind, she thought he would eventually see her point of view. That he could change. The more she thought of it, the more naive it sounded.
She faced down towards the ground. The murky soil diluting the clarity of the snow, reflecting her own state of mind.
"I will speak with him."
Drifter took another count of his ammunition.
At least enough rounds to last most of his guns through a few more days, before he needs to restock.
He glanced at one of the monitor, opening a new screen. No signs of intrusion. His ticket out of this planet is still well-hidden.
The faster he could find his stolen cargo, the better. He can't keep hiding forever, not when he was certain this planet's atmosphere, might soon get a lot more activity.
Opening the door of his transport ship, he was greeted, yet again, with an eerily familiar sight.
"Surprised you're still here." He mused.
Alina's stare did not budge.
"I could ask you the same thing."
He took a quick glance around her, taking note of a particular absence.
"Where's the kid?"
She was quick to answer. "Andrei is in good care. Rhodes Island has far more experience in treating the Infected. I don't know if they will be able to cure him but, he will be better with them."
So she was finally letting the boy go? But it couldn't have been that fast.
"Kid's gotten a little attached. Think he'll accept you leavin'?"
She finally broke away from his gaze, her face dropping.
"He barely knows me. I barely know me. He will be safer staying with Rhodes Island. At least there, they can give him a home."
Then there is nothing else to speak of, he supposed. He clicked his tongue.
He was willing to honor the deal until the end. The young Guardian had gotten what she wanted, so there's no more reason for her to stay. No more point to this "partnership" of sorts.
Unless she changed her mind. She would be a fool if that were the case.
"Alright. Guess that's that."
The Drifter was almost eager to turn around and shut the hatch, before she started speaking again.
"Why are you doing all this?"
His hand froze on the lever, reverting his gaze back to her.
"Back at this again? I'm not sayin' sorry for what I said."
She shook her head. "No… you're not like me. I get that. But I never understood why. You never needed me, ever since the beginning. So why'd you save me?"
He laid against the frame of his exit door. "What exactly do you think?"
Her glare intensified towards him.
"I think… that you like to look out for yourself, and you prefer doing things when it benefits you. And I used to think you just needed me because I'm a Guardian. Because I could afford to fight the battles you can't. But now… I can't figure out why you ever bothered."
Their stare-down went on for ages, in her mind. Eventually, the Drifter broke his silence, with a shrug.
"You're an interestin' gal, what can I say? I like seein' things that surprise me. And I gotta say… it's been quite an eventful ride."
That wasn't the real answer, Alina could somehow tell.
Maybe she'll never be able to crack those layers he hides his true self behind. And she's really starting to get tired of trying to chip them away, piece by piece.
"Fine. You want to keep your secrets. It doesn't matter much to me anymore. But what we're about to do… it's more dangerous than anything we've both faced before. You can't possibly still treat everything the same way."
She knows next to nothing about his past, that much was clear. She was in no position to judge his actions, lest he directly harmed someone she cared about.
"I know you're probably doing all this for some personal reasons, not out of a real desire to help us. I just need to know if it'll affect all of us, and how. I need to know if there's still a semblance of trust between us."
After she was done, nothing else greeted her ears. Save for the faint breeze of winter surrounding them.
After what she felt was an eternity, the Drifter finally replied with a sigh.
"You know, most people would've tried crossin' me at least once or twice at this point. Wouldn't blame 'em. I'd be crossin' them first if they didn't."
Her eyes became narrow. "Why do you think I would want to betray you?"
He stared at the young Guardian for almost a full minute, before finally breaking into a chuckle.
He shook his head, almost in disbelief. "Your heart's too pure for this world, sister."
She argued. "Maybe… I don't want to accept that as a bad thing."
She was being painfully naive, he personally thought. Not that it was her fault, knowing she's also very young for a Lightbearer. Even then, it was impressive.
And yet, he could feel a small tinge within himself, of an emotion other than complete disdain, or pity. Both things he's been used to for a long time.
Perhaps she truly is a Guardian, in more than name. If only that title ever meant much for him.
He crossed his arms. "To answer your question… I'm tryin' to get home. Far away from here. Simple as that."
Her eyes widened. She finally got a semblance of truth.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"And how does hunting down the Fallen help you with that? Did they come here the same way you did?"
The Drifter raised his shoulders, his voice remaining nonchalant.
"I got a plan."
Again with the vagueness. "A working plan?"
"Well, we'll see."
Now it was her turn to pause.
"I don't get it."
"It's called havin' a little faith, chestnut." He stated, as if it was the most obvious thing. "Somethin' we're all gonna need."
He proceeded to take a stroll, passing by her as she still stood by.
"Be sure to tell the doc we're about to head out."
But not before briefly putting a hand between her antlers and ruffling her hair, which she didn't appreciate one bit.
Alina kept her line of sight on his figure, somewhat stunned by his answer and his careless gesture towards her coiffure.
"You're still coming with us?"
"Stronger together, right?"
And with that, he left her to her own devices. And her Ghost.
"You okay, Alina?" Her floating companion asked, hovering into her view.
"It's nothing."
She quickly began straightening back her messed up hair. Why did she still put up with it?
Her Ghost gave a sigh, or what sounded like one. Do Ghosts even need to breathe? She didn't think so.
"Well, that… could've gone worse."
Alina glanced at his singular eye. "It could've gone better."
"At least, we know there's something that he cares about back home. I'm surprised that's even the case."
She looked on towards the departing silhouette that was no longer there.
Maybe it wasn't that simple.
"Or it's someone."
The Drifter stood upon a field where a battle once took place, less than an hour ago.
There are still Fallen corpses around. Those of others were given their simple but proper burials, along with moments of mourning from their fellow colleagues and comrades.
He paid no attention to their cries and farewells. He's seen a thousand graves at this point.
The Hauler was the only thing that remained completely intact. Not a miraculous thing. The Fallen would've made sure not to damage their own precious resource.
"This is the cargo they were tryin' to get their hands on?"
The Stoic joined him by his side.
"It is their precious supply of Ether. Considering they were transporting it, it must've been produced elsewhere. Though we cannot be sure if they have more than one base of operations." He clarified.
"From everythin' I've checked, they're all comin' and goin' from one place." Drifter replied.
He took a closer look, walking around the perimeter of the Hauler.
"But why stick to land transport? Could've just lifted this stuff with a Skiff." He pondered.
Faris' gaze met his. "Maybe there were issues with the weather?"
Their presence were eventually joined by the youngest Lightbearer among them.
"But what kind of weather would keep even Fallen ships grounded?" Alina asked.
The Drifter had an idea. He glanced at the Stoic, to see if he has come up to the same conclusion.
And he did. "Oh."
Not too long after, he noticed the figures of the four RI operators coming towards them.
"Is there anything else we're missing, Mr. Faris?" Quartz asked.
He voiced his thoughts. "I believe not, but we'll see."
As the Lupo was about to speak, her attention was immediately caught by the aforementioned Drifter loudly climbing onto the Hauler.
He eyed the piles of metallic barrels strapped on top of the vehicle. "Did you check every barrel on this haul?"
Faris was curious on what he was getting to. "Not every single one. Do you think I missed something?"
The Drifter carefully traced his hands over every single barrel, before opening one of them. And then another.
"Well, if Ether's all this Hauler's carryin', I don't think they'd be this desperate. Unless they don't got Servitors of their own."
He checked the first barrel. Ether seeds inside. He began to check the second one. Then the third.
The third one had strange markings on its side, barely noticeable from unless inspected up close. Opening it, he found more Ether seeds.
Something else caught his eye, behind the Ether containers. He was hoping not to find it here.
'So they already figured it out.'
He reached deeper into the barrel's storage, his hands moving past them.
He pulled out a canister and held it up, containing something that was not quite recognizable to Alina, but all too familiar to everyone else.
"This look like Ether to you?"
The operators found themselves stunned once again, for the nth time. Though this time, for seeing something that they actually recognized well.
Vulcan gasped. "That's…"
"Originium." Faris finished her sentence.
The Drifter swung and tossed the canister below, as it landed on the doctor's grasp.
"Take a guess why'd they need these rocks." He mused.
Faris needed no guesses. He was now quite certain why.
Terra does not have the exact same type, nor the equivalent amount of resources as the Sol System. But the most common resource they do contain, is something that cannot be found back on Earth, or anywhere else.
The very same resource even he had to use for his mobile clinic. Originium was essentially this world's alternative to coal, fossil fuels, and nuclear energy, all in one package. The flexibility of this crystal in energy production is almost unprecedented.
If it weren't for the terrible fatal disease this crystal tends to bring about wherever it originates, he would call it a miraculous wonder of the world.
Instead, it is more like a curse plaguing this planet, and its inhabitants.
And now the Fallen seems to have a keen interest in it. What is their grand plan? To power their technology and bring this curse back to Earth?
"A replacement power source? If they're stranded here just like us, they would certainly run out of fuel for their machines eventually." He deducted.
And there is no telling just how many more ships the stranded Fallen may still possess, not until they were to see it for themselves. Or if they possibly have more in stock than just Skiffs.
Drifter hummed. "Mhm. Could be. And that might explain all the kidnappings."
"How?" Quartz questioned, though she was afraid to learn the answer.
The Drifter glimpsed at the operators present. He recalled an important detail about their mission earlier. They might not like what he'll have to say next.
"Hey, eyepatch. The missing personnel you're tryin' to find, are they all Infected?" He called out, referring to Quartz.
Her eye twitched at the nickname, but now was not the time for insults. "Most of them, I believe so, yeah. But what are you getting…"
She halted her own voice, a terrible realization dawning on her.
Faris stepped beside her, knowing what she had come to comprehend.
"Do you think, they're trying to use the captured Infected as a… power source?"
His deduction drew the quick attention of all the operators. It was a bold conclusion, and terrible.
Provence voiced her opinion aloud. "What? Th-That's horrible. It's barbaric!"
The rest of her teammates were too shocked to even say a word.
Drifter scoffed. "Think that'd stop 'em?" If it's not their own race, why would they question the morality of it all?
He kneeled down, pulling out more canisters containing the similar looking crystals. This would be quite a haul, if this barrel wasn't the only one.
Faris continued to examine the canister in his grasps. It looked slightly more refined than the raw samples one could find in the wild.
"They may not have been getting more of these crystals from merely scavenging around impacted sites. The Ursus patrols informed us that a select few convoys from Rusalka and Shiraziberg has been attacked as well."
The Drifter grabbed some of the canisters, before jumping down the Hauler.
"But that brings too much attention. Guess now they're settlin' for whatever they can find. Well, whoever they can find." He gathered.
Ambriel struggled to believe what she was hearing. "Okay, but… how the hell would that even be possible?"
The Drifter raised his arms. "Don't know for sure. What happens to Infected when they die?"
The operators remained silent. They weren't unaware of the process, but to speak of it aloud… in some ways, it almost felt like taboo, knowing the current circumstances.
Vulcan decided to inform them, her voice shaken. "The cellular structure of their bodies, will eventually convert to… pure Originium."
Faris further confirmed it. "But the process is not consistent, and some remains could last far longer than expected."
The atmosphere felt a hundred times denser than before.
Drifter clicked his teeth. "Just a theory, all I'm sayin'."
The doctor sighed. "But… it does make sense. The Fallen we are dealing with does not typically take hostages, unless they have something to gain." And it was not ransom.
The cold breeze has stopped, for an inexplicable reason.
Not even a sound, silence was all there was.
Silence that was destroyed by Alina's voice.
"We need to find them."
Everyone turned their eyes toward the young Guardian, her own eyes losing all of their shine.
A lone thunder rumbled in the skies right above them.
"We need to put a stop to this madness."
Being the Warlock Vanguard is exhausting.
Ikora always understood Cayde's complaints about the position, but she's mature enough to accept its burdens seriously.
His terrible jokes also used to help relieve some of the tension.
So much has changed since then. For the better, and worse.
And that trajectory seemed unending.
"The Derelict is missing."
Eris' words through the transmission was not lost on her.
"The Drifter's ship?"
"Yes. It has disappeared entirely from its orbit, and there is no trace of it in any other nearby moons or asteroid fields."
Not good news at all. She was never fond of the rogue Lightbearer, but at least before this she could always monitor his whereabouts, most of the time.
"But that is not all. The Haul, which as you are aware is always towed behind the ship itself, was found floating within one of Jupiter's Lagrange points by one of your Hidden."
A strange and alarming detail, for sure.
"This is… concerning."
"Indeed. The Drifter would never have willingly left such an invaluable artifact behind. I fear that this disappearance may not have been intentional."
She pinched the bridge of her nose. This wasn't the first case of a missing Lightbearer, and such cases are never to be taken lightly, but one of this prominence especially demanded her attention.
"First it was Mars returning, then the Lucent Hive, the Witness, the Leviathan, and now this. Zavala already has enough on his plate as is. There are too many things we know too little about as of now."
She heard Eris' hum through the transmission.
"These are interesting times, indeed. So much has changed in our understanding of the universe, of Light and Darkness, compared to less than a decade ago. I could only imagine what more unthinkable truths we could learn tomorrow."
She raised an eyebrow, noticing something.
"You don't sound too concerned about the Drifter's disappearance."
She doesn't know how deep their relationship went, but figuring how much time they've spent together before, surely she would be even a little concerned about his well-being?
She waited for Eris' oddly delayed answer.
"I would be lying if I were to say I'm not the least bit curious about his whereabouts. But… the Drifter is resourceful, and more intelligent than he always lets on. He is a rat, and also a survivor."
The affectionate tone hidden underneath Eris' words was not lost on her, though she decided to not bring it up.
"You think he'll come back?"
"That… remains to be seen."
She sighed. What else were they missing? Would she need to alert all of her available Hidden for this?
In the midst of her pause, she heard Eris speak again.
"May I say something, Ikora?"
"You may Eris, but I don't know what else can be further added."
"I feel that we may be on the precipice of something far grander than we could have ever imagined."
She understood what the former Lightbearer meant.
"It's always felt that way for a long time, hasn't it? But would this be for the better, or worse?"
She waited for her answer. The delay was longer this time.
"That, also remains to be seen."
Lost Light
0 - 8
Author's Note
Yeah, this chapter is pretty much all dialogue. Lots of it. I wasn't even expecting it to be this long at first.
I already have the next few chapters planned ahead while at the same time writing this one, which ended up delaying this update instead. But it's another long one anyway. I should probably figure out how to trim things down.
Lots of focus on characters figuring things out, along with some major reveals, which are probably not even gonna be the biggest ones yet, given what I've got written in the future. Yeah, fun.
Thanks for reading, and until next time.