"But the one that sets out to understand the one true law and to perform worship of that law will by that decision gain control over their future. They will gain hope of ascendance and by their ruthlessness they will assist the universe in arriving at its perfect shape." - XLVII: Apocalypse Refrains
When Jade left the dining hall, rather than head to the Tower Library like she'd told Kaedro, she headed instead to the Hall of Guardians. Kai had brought up a good point — a point that she wanted a second opinion on.
Jade entered the command center, drawing the attention of the Vanguard.
"Wrythal," said Zavala by way of greeting, "Is there something we can do for you?"
She straightened her shoulders. "Yes." She turned to the Warlock Vanguard. "Ikora, I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time."
Ikora raised an intrigued eyebrow. "Of course, Jade." She studied her expression. "...This is something you wish to discuss in private, I take it?"
Jade nodded, somewhat relieved that she hadn't needed to spell it out. "Yes, please."
Ikora left her place at the table, gesturing for Jade to lead the way out of the command center even as she avoided Cayde's overtly curious eyes and Zavala's marginally more subtle glance.
Once they reached the Plaza, Jade stopped.
"What is bothering you?" Ikora asked kindly.
She took a deep breath. "...Do you remember when Harley came to see you two days ago?"
The Warlock Vanguard nodded, her brows pinched slightly. "Yes. He was asking about his next assignment."
She nodded. That much, she was aware of. "What did you say to him? If you don't mind sharing, I mean."
Ikora sighed. "I told him it was unwise to take on a mission so soon after being released from the med bay, and that by doing so, he faced jeopardizing his recovery."
At that, Jade frowned. "That's what I don't understand," she admitted, "There was nothing wrong with him when he got out. If there was, they wouldn't have released him in the first place." It was something she hadn't understood when Kaedro had mentioned the Vanguard "grounding" Harley the night before.
"I understand why you think so. And I should clarify that physically, there is nothing wrong with him. But it wasn't his physical well-being that concerned me." Ikora met her eyes. "The only mission Harley would have accepted would be to enter Oryx's throne world to permanently defeat him. That was the mission I prevented Cayde from telling him about."
She shook her head. "But it wasn't like he would have gone in by himself. We would all be there too."
Ikora sighed. "Zavala and Cayde were confused as well, but I refrained from sharing my reasoning with them lest it lead to a misunderstanding akin to the one that came about after Harley's revival." Her gaze was piercing. "I know you have a reason for asking about this, and while I may not know what it is, I can only guess that you know or suspect what prompted me to delay Harley's return to active duty."
She frowned. "It wasn't me. Not really. Kai was the one who suggested I should speak to you about Harley."
The Warlock Vanguard nodded thoughtfully. "I see… Well, you should know that I did have a reason for my actions." She sighed. "However, it's not something I believe I should state outright. The last thing I want to do is become the source of a rumor, and the word of one of the Vanguard is more likely to be believed by others without substantiation."
Jade couldn't deny feeling slightly disappointed — Ikora's words had only deepened her curiosity on the matter — but she nodded, accepting the answer. "...Ok. I trust your judgment, Ikora. I was only asking because I want the best for Harley."
"Don't worry, Jade," Ikora reassured her, "Harley has been declared fit for duty and is as physically stable as he was before Phobos."
"Thank you." Ikora's multiple specifications of Harley's physical health made her think she might have an idea of what was concerning the other Warlock, but she wasn't about to ask for clarification. Still, she found herself glad that Kai had raised the issue.
Ikora studied her face. "I trust you know that our conversation here is not the type of thing that should be spread around," she said, "While they might carry more weight coming from me than another Guardian, my concerns are my own. Harley was not delayed from returning to the field out of any doubt regarding his abilities. Keeping my speculation to myself is something I deemed necessary — I know too well that it can outgrow efforts to keep it at bay, after all, the truest wisdom comes from experience."
She nodded. "I understand."
Ikora smiled. "Good."
Jade worried at her lower lip for a moment. "...I know you want him to stay out of the field for a while longer, but you should know that we're planning to return to the Dreadnaught tomorrow. Me, Kaedro, Harley, and the members of Fireteam Calypso."
The Warlock Vanguard sighed. "...I suppose it was inevitable. Harley has the tendency to do what he thinks is best, regardless of what others say." Her lips curved upward. "He and Cayde are similar in that way."
"You… Are you going to stop us from going?" she asked nakedly.
"No," Ikora replied, "Oryx is one of the darkest shadows Sol has faced. His Taken are a plague that now blight multiple planets and will take a concentrated effort to expunge. Like it or not, he needs to be dealt with before this Taken War destroys our system." She inclined her head. "I wish you luck."
With one last smile, Ikora turned and descended the stairs to the Hall of Guardians, leaving Jade standing in the bright morning sunlight to ponder the conversation that had just taken place.
If Ikora was keeping so firm a grip on her speculations regarding Harley, then she ought to do the same. No matter how much she wanted to know the answer, theorizing about it wouldn't serve anyone well.
Luckily, the upcoming assault on Oryx's throne world wouldn't give her much time to dwell on it.
Now that she'd spoken to Ikora, she decided to follow through on the lie she told Kaedro and go to the library. Despite already having poured over as many records on Hive apocrypha as she could find, there was always the chance she had missed something.
Kaedro didn't really have anything to do to prepare for the return to the Dreadnaught. His weapons and spare armor were all stored away by his Ghost, along with any specialized gear that might come in handy.
Seeing as that was the case, he found himself with some time to fill, so he decided to fill it by looking into just how much about Guardians — his clan, specifically — was public record.
Harley had gotten recognized in the City. It wasn't strictly unusual — there were many Guardians that had received public renown. But Harley wasn't one of the Vanguard, nor did he boast the same acclaim as more legendary figures like Saint-14 or even the Crucible champions whose events were broadcast across the City.
Basically, Kaedro was curious.
He made his way to the nearest terminal and used the login Cadye had given him a while back.
REMOTE VANGUARD DATABASE TEXT-ONLY SEARCH INITIALIZED
WELCOME, USER "LAMERTHANCAYDE6"
He sighed. Unfortunately, he lacked the right permissions to change his username. A fact he'd discovered after multiple hours of trying.
PLEASE ENTER SEARCH QUERY
pr?hesperides
THERE ARE 1,685 ARTICLES ABOUT "HESPERIDES"
?most recent article
THE MOST RECENT ARTICLE ABOUT "HESPERIDES" WAS PUBLISHED 2 DAYS, 4 HOURS, AND 37 MINUTES AGO BY USER "CHROMEMERCHANT77" ENTITLED "TOP TEN ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE GUARDIAN CLAN HESPERIDES." RELATED: "QUIZ: WHICH MEMBER OF THE HESPERIDES ARE YOU?"
He didn't even know their clan had accumulated enough "accomplishments" for a top ten list.
pr?hesperides info
"HESPERIDES" IS A GUARDIAN CLAN CONSISTING OF SEVEN MEMBERS
KNOWN MEMBERS INCLUDE: HARLEY HAYDEN, RAEDRYON KORRIN, BAZZLE TORELLI, KAEDRO-22, FYR ALLERTON, ROGUE-12, JAEDRYTH WRYTHAL
FOUNDED: 3 MONTHS 6 DAYS AGO
KNOWN DEEDS: DEFEATING THE HIVE GOD CROTA (SEE: GREAT DISASTER), DEFEATING THE VEX MIND ATHEON (SEE: VAULT OF GLASS)
ALIASES: CROTA'S END
RELATED: ALLERTON, F.; HAYDEN, H.; KAEDRO-22; KORRIN, R.; ROGUE-12; TORELLI, B.; WRYTHAL, J.; THE HIVE; THE VEX
While he wasn't exactly surprised at how much information had made it to the public record, he'd hoped it wouldn't be as detailed as it was.
He typed a new entry.
pr?harley hayden info
"HARLEY HAYDEN" IS A GUARDIAN OF THE LAST CITY AND FOUNDER OF THE CLAN "HESPERIDES"
KNOWN AFFILIATIONS: AUSPICE OF MERCURY; CROTA'S END; MERCURY; OSIRIS; THE HIVE; THE VEX
REVIVAL DATE: 6/6/2716 (SEE: REVIVAL DAY)
REVIVAL LOCATION: MERCURY
RELATED ARTICLES: 4,763
"...Yikes." If Kaedro knew one thing, it was that Harley wouldn't be too happy that so much about him was public record. And nicknames like "Auspice of Mercury" made him uncomfortable.
logout
THANK YOU FOR USING THE VANGUARD TEXT-ONLY DATABASE, USER "LAMERTHANCAYDE6"
BE BRAVE
He sighed. "...What should I do now?"
"That's up to you," replied Jyn, "Is there anything you need to do to get ready for tomorrow?"
He shook his head. "Nah, everything I need is ready to go." Then he frowned, thinking back to the last entry on Harley. "Hang on, Ace's revival date… Isn't that comin' up pretty soon?"
"Yes, it's in a few days. Why?"
He snorted. "Why do you think? We've gotta do something to celebrate. Light knows everyone could use a party, especially Ace." He pondered, tapping his chin. "I think I'll get somethin' together for him."
"Good idea," approved Jyn, "And who knows? Maybe the others will be back in time to take part."
"Yeah… Oh. Oh, shit! I never told them about Ace's recovery." He smacked himself in the forehead. "I'm an idiot! We'd better get to the library, I gotta set up a long-range communication."
Kaedro sat down at one of the library's communication terminals and sent a comms hail to Rae, who he could almost always rely on to pick up.
Sure enough, after several seconds, the Warlock answered. Her face appeared on the terminal's display, recorded by Shard, who was likely displaying a hologram of Kaedro's face for her as well.
"Kay," she greeted curtly with a raised eyebrow, "Long time, no see."
He winced. "I know, sorry 'bout that. Things have been a bit crazy around here."
The look she shot him was distinctly unimpressed. "No shit. Think it's been a cakewalk at the Peak? We've got dead things walking and SIVA popping up everywhere. And don't go thinking the Taken have relegated themselves to your little corner of Sol, we've been getting those here too. Not to mention, everyone's been worried as hell about Ace." A touch of sarcasm entered her voice. "So yeah, you could say things have been a bit tense."
"Yeah, well, I have some good news for a change," he told her, "They did it! They actually found a way to reverse whatever Oryx did. He's been up and about for a little while now."
The glitchiness of the display broke up Rae's shocked expression — the library might have the best connection for long-range communications in the Tower but even the signal there wasn't perfect.
"What?" she demanded, "How long?"
He shrugged. "About a week maybe? He was in a coma for a month before he finally woke up."
She sighed exasperatedly, the sound crackling slightly with static. "This is the kind of thing you need to tell us about, dumbass."
He groaned. "I know, I know! It just slipped my mind."
Rae rolled her eyes. "Whatever… So he's fine, then? Everything's good there?"
"Ehhh, not exactly. Oryx is still kind of a problem. We killed him, but you know those pesky Hive gods and their throne worlds… We're goin' in tomorrow to kill him for good. Me, Ace, Jade, and Fireteam Calypso." He looked at her hopefully. "There's six of us total but I wanted to ask… well, the more the merrier."
Rae sighed. "Sorry, Kay," she said regretfully, "We've got our hands full over here. The Devil Splicers are preparing for war and our only chance is hitting their den and dismantling their leadership."
"Fuck." He rubbed the back of his head. "Sounds like a lot… There's only four of you, too. You guys sure you can manage?"
"Shiro and Saladin are coming with us on this one," she assured him, "We'll be fine." She snorted. "Probably better off than you'll be on that Dreadnaught."
"Thanks so much," he said sarcastically, "I'll contact you after tomorrow, assuming we don't all die tragically."
The comment drew another snort from her. "Don't bother. Assuming we squash those Devil Splicers — and really, I don't see how we can't with one of the Iron Lords and Shiro-4 backing us up — then we'll be on our way back by then."
Well, that worked out perfectly. If they all made it out, they'd be able to celebrate Harley's revival anniversary in style.
Speaking of which… He snapped his fingers. "Right! Almost forgot. Ace's revival date is comin' up on the 6th. I figured we could throw him a party and also celebrate not dying."
Rae nodded thoughtfully. "Parties aren't usually my scene, but I guess I can make an exception…" She grinned. "Assuming we don't all die."
He rolled his eyes lightheartedly. "How generous of you. Good luck with the Splicers. Tell Shiro hi from me."
"Sure. Good luck killing Oryx. And just so you know, I expect you to deliver on that party."
"Later, Rae."
"Later."
The call ended and Kaedro leaned back in his seat, slumping slightly. "Damn. Sounds like there's a lot going down all over."
"I'll say," remarked Jyn, "By the way, are you planning to eat with Jade and Harley tonight?"
He shrugged. "Hadn't thought about it, but that sounds like a good idea. Let's do that."
"Alright, I'll let Delta and Prism know… Although, we still have a lot of time to kill until then."
He waved her off. "Eh, I'll think of something…"
Kaedro ended up playing cards with Cayde for pretty much the rest of the day. Zavala wasn't exactly thrilled with the development, but he couldn't exactly stop them as Cayde would just pretend not to hear him, so the Commander settled for shooting disapproving looks their way whenever either of them happened to glance up.
Their game options with two people were rather limited, so they mostly stuck to Speed and Crazy Eights.
Liv wandered in at around three with the report from the patrol her fireteam had been doing, but Cayde just set it aside and asked her if she wanted to play, causing them to switch games.
Kaedro brought up the idea of playing War, but Liv shut him down, saying that normal War was "too boring" and suggested Egyptian War instead.
They spent a few minutes teaching it to Cayde, and soon after, the command center was filled with the sounds of cursing and hands slamming onto the table.
Liv scooped up a hefty stack of cards with a smug grin while the two Exos glared daggers. "Easy game, easy life."
It was the phrase she'd say every time she won a round. Kaedro hated it.
The game progressed, getting increasingly louder and more aggressive — Kaedro was pretty sure those little shocks he got every time Liv's hand smacked his weren't just static. Zavala had long since given up, sighing about how "It would be nice to have help coordinating the war effort."
Ikora, for her part, continued working even as she kept half an eye on the game from the sidelines, at one point chuckling when Cayde lost his entire stack of cards to Kaedro in one fell swoop.
As Kaedro and Liv faced off, the Hunter Vanguard lingered nearby, determined to rejoin the fray.
After a minute or so of back-and-forth, he smacked Cayde's hand away. "Stop hovering."
The other Hunter shrugged. "Just playin' the game how it's supposed to be played," he said brightly.
Smack!
"Cayde, you can't keep slapping every single card!" Kaedro protested.
"Why not? Got nothin' to lose. Can't burn a card if you don't have a card to burn."
"That's not the point- Argh! Dammit!" He watched helplessly as Liv won one of his Jacks.
She smirked at him. "Easy game, easy life."
"I hate you so much right now."
A few rounds later, Cayde gave a triumphant shout as he finally managed to slap back in. "That's right! I'm back, baby!"
"It's fine," said Liv dismissively, waving her hand, "Those were confetti cards anyway."
Sure enough, Cayde was out again not one minute later. He sighed. "...I'll just let you two play this out."
Kaedro and Liv slammed down cards at a ferocious pace until finally, it was Kaedro who came away with the win.
He let out a satisfied sigh. "Ahh. Feels good to be the king."
"Yeah?" challenged Liv, "Rematch. Let's go."
"Sure." He started shuffling the deck but stopped when he caught sight of the time. "Oh shit, I gotta bounce. I'm supposed to be eating with Ace and Jade."
Liv shrugged. "Fine. Cayde, Speed. You and me. Right now."
Cayde echoed her shrug. "Sure. Long as you got a deck we can use. That one belongs to Kay."
"Shit. Lemme go find one."
Kaedro put the cards back into their box. "...Alright. Thanks for the games, Cayde."
The Hunter Vanguard shook his head. "Buddy, thank you. Don't got a lot in this command center to keep the boredom away."
Kaedro nodded, chuckling. "Don't envy you... Later."
"See ya."
He made his way out to the Plaza and walked to the dining hall. Jade and Harley were already seated when he entered, and he paused to pick up some food before joining them.
"Hey, guys."
"Hello," replied Jade.
"Hey, Kay," said Harley somewhat distractedly.
"You ready for tomorrow?"
The other Hunter shrugged. "As I'll ever be."
"I guess so," said Jade, "I went back to the library but I couldn't find anything I didn't already know, so it looks like we'll be going in blind."
He shrugged offhandedly. "Nothin' wrong with that. We'll figure it out, just like we did with Crota and the Vault."
She snorted. "Agree to disagree… In any case, at least we'll have Fireteam Calypso with us."
"Got that right," he agreed emphatically, "...Speaking of backup, I talked to Rae earlier. I sorta forgot to call her after the developments with Ace, so I was filling her in on everything."
"How is she?" asked Harley, "How are the others?"
"Rae's her usual self. Not too sure about the others since they weren't there when I called, but it sounds like they're doing about as well as we're doing here." He hummed consideringly. "Well, maybe slightly better than us. They're working with Lord Saladin to stop this stuff called SIVA. The Fallen have been usin' it to give themselves new abilities and, from what Rae said, even bring back their dead."
Harley's eyes widened. "SIVA can do that?"
Kaedro nodded. "Apparently… They've also got somethin' big going down. Something about eliminating the Devil Splicers' leadership. Rae told me Saladin and a Hunter buddy of mine, Shiro-4, will be backing them up."
"Shiro-4?" asked Harley.
"Yeah. He's one of Cayde's scouts and a mutual friend. Nice guy. Good Hunter. I spent a lot of time with him back in the day."
"I'm guessing all this means they won't be back for a while longer," said Jade.
He shrugged. "We'll see. If all goes to plan, they could be back as soon as the day after tomorrow."
"There's a lot that has to go to plan…" muttered Harley.
For a few minutes, the Guardians ate in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts. Kaedro couldn't hope to know what his friends were thinking, but he hoped it wasn't doubtful thoughts about their mission tomorrow. They had to believe that they'd make it out the other side — both themselves and their friends on Felwinter's Peak.
It was nice to have a day like this. A day to rest and prepare for what lay ahead. Because despite how much time Kaedro had spent goofing off with Cayde, he was all too aware that, for their little group and the rest of their clan, this was merely the calm before the storm.
A/N: We're in the endgame now, lads. Only a few more chapters to go. Hope y'all are excited because I sure am.
Eyes up, Guardians!