- Location
- The Darkness,USA
I was already happy and excited for the future of this story; this line however got me extra extra excited!!!!
Sounds like someone is having a problem with some... "Bad Juju" lol
Each Star is a Point of Light-A Destiny/Mass Effect Fusion
- Thread starter MagicMan333
- Start date
I was already happy and excited for the future of this story; this line however got me extra extra excited!!!!
Sounds like someone is having a problem with some... "Bad Juju" lol
Sakuya's Butler
A refined Butler to a knife wielding Mistress.
- Location
- ↓, ↘, → + Punch
Bad Juju.
It is said that within insanity, genius lies.
And Toland had a whole lotta insanity.......
It is said that within insanity, genius lies.
And Toland had a whole lotta insanity.......
SplicedHunter
Archon
I thought only Thorn and Nechrochasm were Weapons of Sorrow while Bad Juju was just a gun enhanced with Hive magic.
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MagicMan333
Post-apocalyptic Gonzo Journalist
- Location
- Washington
That's something that's up to interpretation. I've seen arguments for and against being a true Weapon of Sorrow but the one agreement everyone makes is that Bad Juju was Toland trying his damnedest (HA!) to make one. The only sticking point being if he truly succeeded or not.
The one "against" interpretation that I like is that while Bad Juju does have that ambiguous "hunger" that Thorn and Necrochasm are said to have that hunger is shaped by the wielder rather than the hunger shaping the wielder like a true Weapon of Sorrow.
The one "against" interpretation that I like is that while Bad Juju does have that ambiguous "hunger" that Thorn and Necrochasm are said to have that hunger is shaped by the wielder rather than the hunger shaping the wielder like a true Weapon of Sorrow.
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- Location
- United States
My dad works with the Russians to launch rockets, and the place they always use is the baikanor cosmodrome. It's fun to see the place mentioned in such an unusual way.
MagicMan333
Post-apocalyptic Gonzo Journalist
- Location
- Washington
Well, you can thank Bungie for that. They've actually used the Baikanor Cosmodrome as a location in game. Although its not outright named it being based in the Russian Steppes mixed with the being notable similarities in architecture, its been greatly expanded compared to real life which makes sense since its implied to have become a major setting off point for offworld colonization in the Destiny setting, its clear that it is the Baikanor Cosmodrome seven-hundred years in the future. You'll be seeing it in the future due to its in setting importance as a major salvaging area that's being fought over by the Fallen and Guardians.
Book 2: Ch 2- Into Uncertainty
MagicMan333
Post-apocalyptic Gonzo Journalist
- Location
- Washington
Chapter 2- Into Uncertainty
Tali's opinion, when asked later on, was that if Shepard had any hope of dealing with this subtly it had apparently gone out the window once everyone could hear the shouting from the deepest part of the cave. The crew had only a small idea what was happening. The new arrivals were the other two-thirds of Shepard's fireteam who came to check on her after the raid. After that…
"They're fucking xenos, Shepard. They get into the Walls who knows what kind of damage they can do." Tali all but flinched whenever the large one, the one covered in armor, shouted. They'd been at this for thrity minutes. A few minutes in some of the security personnel had gone out to …they didn't really know but something to support Shepard's case but that idea died when both women turned their attentions to them and glared until they retreated to the very back of the cave.
"They are people, Ash." Shepard's voice rang out in their defense.
"Oh, what? The same way the Hive are people? The same way the Cabal are? So, what? When the Fallen burned your village to the ground they were just doing what people do?" That comment caused a lot of noise further into the cave. But what really shook Tali were the words that came out of Shepard's mouth.
"Don't you dare. Don't you fucking dare, Ash." It wasn't the words that frightened Tali. It was the way Shepard spoke then. Quiet to the point that Tali wondered for a moment if she had heard it at all but she still feeling the rage dripping off every word like oil. She peeked around the cave wall to look at the two of them standing outside. The anger on Ash's face was still as firm as ever but there was a wilting manner to it. Shepard looked ready to launch herself at her teammate. They stayed like that for a moment before Shepard turned around and began to walk back towards the cave. She hadn't spoken a single word.
"Traveler's rebuke, Shepard. This isn't done." Ash shouted after her.
Shepard stopped and turned to look at Ash, "I'm a Hunter, Ash. We guide pilgrims to the City-"
Ash sputtered, "Pilgrims th-"
"Ash," Shepard argued back, "Do I fucking come up onto the Wall and tell you how to do your job?"
"Protecting the City is my job, Shepard. I swore the oath to keep the Darkness out of the Walls." Ash said, her hands tightening themselves into fists.
Shepard's eyes never left Ash's face though. "Ash, what's the one question that we don't ask?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Ashley asked as she shook her head
"The question everyone in the City thinks about. I can tell whenever someone thinks about it because you just see the fear on their face. Like they're looking into the Dark Heart itself." Ash just stared at her in incomprehension but Shepard kept talking, "They're scared because they're thinking the answer might be yes." She stopped talking and stared at Ashley.
After a moment, she rolled her eyes, "And what's the question?"
Shepard stayed silent for a little longer before answering, "Are we alone?"
Ashley looked at her like she'd grown a second head, "Shepard, trust me, if we were alone than we'd still be living in the Golden Age right now."
Shepard shook her head, "No, not alone in the universe. Alone in the Light." Ashley glared at her but Shepard didn't stop speaking, "Are we the only species that hasn't given into the Dark?" She pointed into the cave, "They're living proof that we aren't."
"And how do you know they're not deceiving you? That for all they know they sacrifice their children to the Dark?" Tali saw Wrex, leaning against a cave wall nearby, tap his foot in the way that he did when he started to get angry.
Whatever Wrex was about to do was interrupted by Shepard's shout, "Because I've seen them Ash." She stormed and began to yell into her teammate's face, "I've seen them fight for each other. I've seen them trust me even though I was a stranger. I've seen them run into danger to save a friend." Shepard turned away and walked towards the cave, "I've seen them act with more honor than the Fallen and more compassion than I've ever seen from the Cabal."
Ash began to walk towards her when she stopped and shook her head. "You want to be that way? Fine." She walked away from the cave and Tali saw a speck in the sky begin to get closer. "Stay out here with them. Don't come crying to me when they shove a knife into your back." To Tali's shock the speck soon grew into a ship and flew close to the ground before hovering above Ashley. The noise from its engines filled the air but Tali could still hear her voice above it, "Kaidan, come on. We'd better tell the Vanguard about this." The one in the robes just stood there with his arms crossed looking at Shepard as she entered the cave. "Kaidan…"
He shook his head, "I need to know more."
"Kaidan," Ashley all but screamed, "I do not need the Warlock crap right now."
Kaidan shook his head, "Shepard's right. This could be an incredible opportunity. And I'm not throwing it away until I know about these people and what they can do." His eyes folded into a glare, "Besides, you crossed a line and we both know it."
Ash's angry snarl collapsed as her mouth opened slightly and her eyes opened wide. She closed her mouth and pursed her lips before yelling, "Fine. That's just fucking fine. Both of you hang around your new xeno buddies. At least I remember what's important." She disappeared in a flash of blue light and the ship flew into the horizon.
Kaidan sighed before looking at Tali as she was peeking around the side of the cave entrance. She jumped slightly and tried to retreat back into a low-profile when, to her surprise, he smiled at her. She stood stock still as he approached her, "I'm sorry you all had to be here for that."
Tali folded her hand together, something she did when nervous, "Oh, um, thank you."
Kaidan held out his hand for a moment before frowning for a moment and pulling it back to his side. "Well," he murmered to himself as he looked at his hand, "that probably won't work." He returned his gaze to Tali's face, "If it's not impolite among your people, can I ask what your name is?"
Tali felt a smile come to her face. For all that Shepard's fellows had made her nervous she couldn't find it in herself to fear him now, "Oh, I'm Tali'Zorah nar Rayya." She could see his eyes squint as the gears in his head began to turn. "That's Tali of Clan Zorah born of the ship Rayya." She clarified.
He nodded, "Oh. I'm Kaidan, son of Pesri, of House Alenko." He put his hand on his chin, "And I think I might have been born on Pallas." He turned his head to look further into the cave. "Sorry, but I really need to go check on Shepard. I should probably speak to whoever's leading you, too."
Tali agreed and told him where to find T'Bayla, "Shepard will be there. She's been working closely with the Captain."
Kaidan thanked her and walked away. Tali looked after him and wondered if she could follow him. Listen to Shepard, Kaidan, and the Captain speak. She shook her head and looked around. All around her people were preparing for the journey ahead. There was too much to do. She saw a group of her fellow engineers prepare the lifts Garrus brought back for long-term transport. She made her way to them. It was going to be a long day.
-----
Shepard stopped before the curtain that led to Captain T'Bayla's "room". "What do you want, Kaidan? Going to tell me to abandon the xenos to the Fallen?" She said as she stared ahead of her.
He was silent for a moment before he said, "Actually, I was going to talk to their leader to get a grasp on the situation." Shepard turned to look at him. Kaidan chuckled at the stern look on her face. "Might want to be careful, Jane. Your face might stick like that." With that, Shepard couldn't help but smile. Good old dependable, Kaidan.
"Thank you." She said and she couldn't think of the words to explain how much she meant it. "Well, I better introduce you to the Captain. You'll like her. The Dark itself could come to get her and she'd just spit in its eye."
"It's a bad sign when you feel the need to talk me up, Shepard." T'Bayla's voice rang out from beyond the curtain.
"Just getting him ready for you, Captain," Shepard said while entering into T'Bayla's recovery room, "You are a lot to handle."
T'Bayla laughed, "If I didn't know better I'd say that you've been talking to one of my exes." She shook her head, "Good old Okati. Goddess rest her soul." She gave a nod to Kaidan, "Sorry, you know my name but I don't know yours."
He returned the nod, "Kaidan Alenko. Scholar of the Praxic Warlocks."
T'Bayla gave him a teasing smile, "Well, isn't that a fancy sounding title."
Kaidan chuckled and shook his head, "It just means I do a little research when I'm not out here."
T'Bayla shook her head and leaned back, "Well, good to see that someone besides Shepard likes us out here."
Shepard rubbed the back of her head, "So you heard all that."
"Honey, I think people back in Citadel Space heard that." T'Bayla replied. Her joking demeanor faded away to be replaced by a much more professional one. "Is it going to be a problem?"
"Shepard took a deep breath as she took a long calming look at the ground, "I don't know. If there is a problem, it'll wait until we hit the Wall. So we just have to do the job in front of us"
T'Bayla sighed, "The Nine said the City might not take us. I just always thought we could talk our way in."
Shepard put her hand on T'Bayla's shoulder, "You'll make it into the City. Even if I have to scream at the Gates like a crazy person."
Kaidan let out a small laugh, "I don't know, Shepard. I don't think that'll work after that time you screamed at the Crucible scoreboard for twenty-seven minutes straight." He stopped laughing after Shepard turned and glared at him but she couldn't wipe the smile from his face.
"Well," T'Bayla said, "whatever any of that meant, thank you." She pulled herself up into a semi-sitting position, "You're right. We still have the job ahead of us." She called out for one of her officers a youngish looking asari with white markings near the edge of her scalp. "We ready to go?" she asked.
"Almost, Captain." The officer said, "We're still putting supplies on Guardian Shepard's bike."
"Guardian Shepard?" Kaidan asked with a smirk on his face.
"Shut up."
"Alright," she turned to Dr. Solus, "looks like it's time to get me prepped for travel." He nodded and a short time later she was on a stretcher being carried by two of the turian crewmates. All around the cave, everyone was carrying supplies somewhere on their person and waiting near the entrance. "Ladies and Gentlemen." T'Bayla said laying on her stretcher, "LET'S" she raised her arm into the sky, "GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" With a cheer, the crew began to stream out of the cave and soon a line of pilgrims was walking through the fields towards the hills and the forest sanctuary beyond.
Shepard stood somewhere around the center, not quite part of the caravan, instead walking a few feet away from them so she could keep an eye on the direction the Fallen base used to be in. Once they got closer to the hills, she would begin to march faster so she could take the hunter's traditional place in the front so she could interchangeably scout ahead and guide the Pilgrimage.
Shepard heard walking behind her and saw Kaidan, his helmet back on his head and his pulse rifle flung over his back. "Kaidan," she said, "what are you doing?"
Kaidan fell into step by her side, "I'm coming with you, Shepard."
Shepard sputtered, "Kaidan, what-"
"Shepard," he interrupted, "I'm willing to give these people a shot. But no Guardian's ever done something like this. And…" he rubbed the back of his neck, "I'd feel better if you had someone to watch your back."
She stared at him, listening to the mass of people walk by. "I better warn you, Alenko. This is going to be rough. You're probably going to wish you were still in your study by the end of the week."
He clapped a hand to her shoulder, "I don't doubt it. But that won't stop me." He began to walk ahead of her, "Besides, this won't be the first time I had to march to the City."
Shepard smiled and began to try to overtake him. To his credit, Shepard would later admit, he kept up with her for five minutes.
-----
It was in the growing shadow of the trees that they began to make camp. In a small clearing, a few miles into the forest, they built a fire in a small pit that Shepard and a few of the security officers had dug and prepared bunks and sleeping bags. The weather was temperate and the skies were clear so they decided that they could wait for worse conditions before bringing out their tents.
Garrus sat near the fire eating his rations. Nearby he saw the doctor's administer more of the healing solution into T'Bayla's shoulder. They said that in a few days she would have recovered enough to begin physical therapy to recover from the loss of her limb. While he felt happy that T'Bayla was looking at recovery he found his train of thought focused on something else. He'd listened to the words coming out of Shepard's mouth for the past day. He'd also listened to the huge argument she'd had with her teammate. He also thought about the confrontation with the Nine. Of the repeated symbolism of Light and Dark and the obvious significance it had to the people here. Also, what did the humans mean when they spoke about "the Traveller"?
"Well, that looks like the face of a man whose thinking," he saw Shepard standing near the fire, "At least, I think so. I'm still learning about how your face works." She sat down at the opposite end of the campfire, "Glimmer cube for your thoughts?" She must have seen the look of confusion on his face, "Human term, means 'please talk to me about what you're thinking about'."
Garrus stared at the fire wondering if he should keep quiet. He didn't know if his questions would cross some kind of cultural taboo and he didn't want to do anything to put the alliance between the crew and their guides in peril. But, deep down, Garrus could feel the part of him that was Detective Vakarian. Someone who needed answers, as his superiors said, beyond all sense.
"Shepard."
"Yeah, Vakarian?" Shepard answered.
"When we talked to the Nine they mentioned something about a war."
Shepard shrugged, "Lots of wars in Sol, Garrus. You're going to need to be more specific than that."
He looked her in the eye, "They talked about a "War between Light and Dark."
Shepard's eyes widened and she shifted in her seat, "How much did they tell you?"
"Not much," Garrus answered, "just that it's been waged across the whole universe and that the City's protected by something." He began to hold a close examination of his hand. "Originally, I thought they were talking symbolism or metaphor but I'm starting to wonder."
"While I think I would have been more tactful about it I admit I've been getting curious too."
Garrus jumped and he saw the Captain T'Bayla being out to rest near the campfire. "Oh," he stammered, "sorry, Captain."
T'Bayla shrugged, "There's a bunch of weird bullshit going on in this system." She looked at Shepard, "Might help us to know what the hell is going on here."
Shepard stared into the campfire for a moment before sighing, "Anyone want to come in and listen to this? Cause I ain't telling it twice." The crew, who had been doing their best to remain subtle in their eavesdropping, began to take seats around the fire with those still working doing their best to split their attention. Garrus, for his part, found himself sitting with Tali, Liara, and Wrex.
Shepard looked in the fire for a moment collecting her thoughts. After a few moments, she began to speak. "It all started about seven centuries ago. Now, a lot of info's been lost-,"
"And regained," said Kaidan Alenko who, to everyone's surprise, emerged from the dark and sat down by the fire side, "Forest is clear."
"Thanks, Kaidan." Shepard said before continuing, "This is what we know. Seven hundred years back, the human species was just starting to seriously research space flight. We'd landed on Luna," she pointed towards the sky in the direction of Earth's sole moon, "in the previous century but we were just starting to seriously consider asteroid mining and a bunch of other projects." She took a few stick and fed them into the fire pit. "That was when the Traveler arrived."
Liara looked confused, "The Traveler?"
Garrus turned towards her and muttered, "I heard them mention it during their argument."
Shepard nodded, "No one knows where it came from. It just…came from beyond and started altering planets and moons all over the system."
"Altering how?" one of the researchers asked.
"Terraforming them," Kaidan answered. Planets with no atmosphere suddenly had breathable air. Entire orbits were shifted so they could get a little more sunlight or be more stable."
"How?" asked Mordin. Both Kaidan and Shepard shrugged.
"No idea." Shepard said, "But it scared the crap out everybody. So a bunch of countries got together and decided to work together to go out and meet it. Figure out what it wanted to do. Why it was here."
"Ares One mission. Jacob Hardy, Alexei Mihaylova, Ming Qiao." Kaidan said in rote. Like he had known those names all of his life.
Shepard nodded, "They touched down on Mars." She paused, "Those three became the first humans to ever commune with the Traveler." She paused as she waited for the group to digest this information.
"What happened next? What did this "Traveler" do?" Liara asked.
Shepard looked upwards to the stars, "It helped us. It came and fixed all the environmental damage we'd caused during our development. It terraformed the entire Inner System so we could begin to expand off of Earth. It increased our lifespans three-fold, gave us the tools we needed to begin to understand its technology like FTL. It-"
"It," Kaidan interrupted, "began a Golden Age."
Shepard nodded. Wrex spoke next.
"Why?"
Kaidan shrugged, "People have been arguing about that for centuries."
"So," Dr. Solus said as he began to tend to the Captain, "Traveller comes. Uplifts human species. System-wide civilization. Begin extra-system colonial efforts. No sign of that civilization in deep space. Different factions with territorial boundaries. Pirates. Only one city as safe place." He took a deep breath, "Something happened."
The two Guardians had listened to the doctor's observations silently. Garrus turned his head to look at the two of them. Shepard looked into the distance. If he didn't know better, Garus would swear she was looking for something beyond the firelight.
"A great Darkness came from beyond the edges of the system" Shepard responded.
"The extra-solar colonies fell first." Kaidan said, "Then the stations on the outer system. Then the Inner System. Then it came to Earth."
"We call it the Collapse." Shepard continued, "Everything we built. Everything we ever achieved. All gone."
"I've seen the estimates," Kaidan explained, "Most sources say that ninety-five percent of the human populace was killed." The gaze he held as he looked into the fire was one of distant horror. A thing of implication rather than feeling, "I've seen some go as high as ninety-nine."
The crew was silent; their horror palpable. Something that someone could touch as it flowed around the cave like a predator. "How long did it take?" Garrus heard Tali ask barely above a whisper.
Kaidan shook his head, "Some say days. Some say hours." For a moment the ghastly silence returned even more suffocating than before.
"The Traveler," Liara said but jumped slightly when she saw Shepard and Kaidan's heads turn in her direction, "Um, what did t-the Traveler do?"
Shepard nodded and for the first time since the conversation began there was a smile on her face, "The Traveler rose up to defend us. It's said that it unleashed a great rebuke on the Darkness that broke it and drove it back to the boundaries of the system."
"The Traveler was wounded though." Kaidan said, picking up the thread "Some say it was killed. But whatever happened, its physical form came to rest in the place where the City stands today."
Garrus nodded as comprehension dawned, "The Nine said something about the City having a protector. It's the Traveler isn't it?"
Kaidan nodded, "The Traveler's Light shields the City from the enemies outside its Walls. That's why it's the only safe place left."
Silence returned but this time the fear was less. Although there were still questions, so many questions, they at least knew the City was a place where they could weather the storm until they could figure out a way to get home.
But Shepard's voice rang out, "Alright, that's story time for tonight. We can keep going when we make camp tomorrow but for now I think you guys should get some sleep."
"I think that's a great idea. Get to sleep everyone. It's going to be a long day tomorrow." As one, the group began to scatter as they made their way to their bunks. "Shepard, I want to talk to you about the route we're taking."
"Got it," Shepard said before turning to Kaidan, "Kaidan, you stand guard." Kaidan said yes and a few minutes he departed into the darkness beyond the fire. Garrus looked between Shepard and T'Bayla. He could pretend to go to sleep and eavesdrop- Tali put her hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, Vakarian. I'm exhausted." She said and it was then that the events of the past twenty-four hours finally caught up with him as he felt his eyes droop down and his mind slow in fatigue.
"Alright." He said as he got up. There was time for answers later. Later, around other fires in times of calm. Garrus laid down in his bunk and closed his eyes.
****
Okay, this is done.
Before anyone says anything, I'm not trying to bash Ashley. I'm trying to extrapolate her personalty and beliefs in Mass Effect with the much more dire situation in Destiny. In Mass Effect, she worried that the Citadel governments would leave humanity in the lurch if the situation was bad enough. Here, she's deeply paranoid because the Sol System is under invasion by no less than four alien powers and at least two of them have genocide on the brain and mankind is trying to rally from the edge of extinction. This is made worse by her undying hero worship of Saint-14, the guy who led full on holy wars against Fallen and was said to have a very low opinion of aliens. Now, she had her character development in canon and she'll have it here. Its just going to have to happen naturally. That's all.
There's also the revelation of the Traveler which I know is going to be boring for some parts of the audience, mostly the Destiny crowd, but I feel the need to tell the Mass Effect crew some of these things in story (it'll get less boring when we start getting to headcanon and lore interpretation territory because at least there'll be some new stuff there) and i decided to flex my "exposition as campfire story" technique. Not sure I succeeded but still.
Also, I have some bad news. There probably won't be a chapter next week as I'm going to be going through a rough time at work. I will however be working on a small...thing involving our favoritebiotic voidwalker. It's not an omake it's... something else.
So look forward to that.
Tali's opinion, when asked later on, was that if Shepard had any hope of dealing with this subtly it had apparently gone out the window once everyone could hear the shouting from the deepest part of the cave. The crew had only a small idea what was happening. The new arrivals were the other two-thirds of Shepard's fireteam who came to check on her after the raid. After that…
"They're fucking xenos, Shepard. They get into the Walls who knows what kind of damage they can do." Tali all but flinched whenever the large one, the one covered in armor, shouted. They'd been at this for thrity minutes. A few minutes in some of the security personnel had gone out to …they didn't really know but something to support Shepard's case but that idea died when both women turned their attentions to them and glared until they retreated to the very back of the cave.
"They are people, Ash." Shepard's voice rang out in their defense.
"Oh, what? The same way the Hive are people? The same way the Cabal are? So, what? When the Fallen burned your village to the ground they were just doing what people do?" That comment caused a lot of noise further into the cave. But what really shook Tali were the words that came out of Shepard's mouth.
"Don't you dare. Don't you fucking dare, Ash." It wasn't the words that frightened Tali. It was the way Shepard spoke then. Quiet to the point that Tali wondered for a moment if she had heard it at all but she still feeling the rage dripping off every word like oil. She peeked around the cave wall to look at the two of them standing outside. The anger on Ash's face was still as firm as ever but there was a wilting manner to it. Shepard looked ready to launch herself at her teammate. They stayed like that for a moment before Shepard turned around and began to walk back towards the cave. She hadn't spoken a single word.
"Traveler's rebuke, Shepard. This isn't done." Ash shouted after her.
Shepard stopped and turned to look at Ash, "I'm a Hunter, Ash. We guide pilgrims to the City-"
Ash sputtered, "Pilgrims th-"
"Ash," Shepard argued back, "Do I fucking come up onto the Wall and tell you how to do your job?"
"Protecting the City is my job, Shepard. I swore the oath to keep the Darkness out of the Walls." Ash said, her hands tightening themselves into fists.
Shepard's eyes never left Ash's face though. "Ash, what's the one question that we don't ask?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Ashley asked as she shook her head
"The question everyone in the City thinks about. I can tell whenever someone thinks about it because you just see the fear on their face. Like they're looking into the Dark Heart itself." Ash just stared at her in incomprehension but Shepard kept talking, "They're scared because they're thinking the answer might be yes." She stopped talking and stared at Ashley.
After a moment, she rolled her eyes, "And what's the question?"
Shepard stayed silent for a little longer before answering, "Are we alone?"
Ashley looked at her like she'd grown a second head, "Shepard, trust me, if we were alone than we'd still be living in the Golden Age right now."
Shepard shook her head, "No, not alone in the universe. Alone in the Light." Ashley glared at her but Shepard didn't stop speaking, "Are we the only species that hasn't given into the Dark?" She pointed into the cave, "They're living proof that we aren't."
"And how do you know they're not deceiving you? That for all they know they sacrifice their children to the Dark?" Tali saw Wrex, leaning against a cave wall nearby, tap his foot in the way that he did when he started to get angry.
Whatever Wrex was about to do was interrupted by Shepard's shout, "Because I've seen them Ash." She stormed and began to yell into her teammate's face, "I've seen them fight for each other. I've seen them trust me even though I was a stranger. I've seen them run into danger to save a friend." Shepard turned away and walked towards the cave, "I've seen them act with more honor than the Fallen and more compassion than I've ever seen from the Cabal."
Ash began to walk towards her when she stopped and shook her head. "You want to be that way? Fine." She walked away from the cave and Tali saw a speck in the sky begin to get closer. "Stay out here with them. Don't come crying to me when they shove a knife into your back." To Tali's shock the speck soon grew into a ship and flew close to the ground before hovering above Ashley. The noise from its engines filled the air but Tali could still hear her voice above it, "Kaidan, come on. We'd better tell the Vanguard about this." The one in the robes just stood there with his arms crossed looking at Shepard as she entered the cave. "Kaidan…"
He shook his head, "I need to know more."
"Kaidan," Ashley all but screamed, "I do not need the Warlock crap right now."
Kaidan shook his head, "Shepard's right. This could be an incredible opportunity. And I'm not throwing it away until I know about these people and what they can do." His eyes folded into a glare, "Besides, you crossed a line and we both know it."
Ash's angry snarl collapsed as her mouth opened slightly and her eyes opened wide. She closed her mouth and pursed her lips before yelling, "Fine. That's just fucking fine. Both of you hang around your new xeno buddies. At least I remember what's important." She disappeared in a flash of blue light and the ship flew into the horizon.
Kaidan sighed before looking at Tali as she was peeking around the side of the cave entrance. She jumped slightly and tried to retreat back into a low-profile when, to her surprise, he smiled at her. She stood stock still as he approached her, "I'm sorry you all had to be here for that."
Tali folded her hand together, something she did when nervous, "Oh, um, thank you."
Kaidan held out his hand for a moment before frowning for a moment and pulling it back to his side. "Well," he murmered to himself as he looked at his hand, "that probably won't work." He returned his gaze to Tali's face, "If it's not impolite among your people, can I ask what your name is?"
Tali felt a smile come to her face. For all that Shepard's fellows had made her nervous she couldn't find it in herself to fear him now, "Oh, I'm Tali'Zorah nar Rayya." She could see his eyes squint as the gears in his head began to turn. "That's Tali of Clan Zorah born of the ship Rayya." She clarified.
He nodded, "Oh. I'm Kaidan, son of Pesri, of House Alenko." He put his hand on his chin, "And I think I might have been born on Pallas." He turned his head to look further into the cave. "Sorry, but I really need to go check on Shepard. I should probably speak to whoever's leading you, too."
Tali agreed and told him where to find T'Bayla, "Shepard will be there. She's been working closely with the Captain."
Kaidan thanked her and walked away. Tali looked after him and wondered if she could follow him. Listen to Shepard, Kaidan, and the Captain speak. She shook her head and looked around. All around her people were preparing for the journey ahead. There was too much to do. She saw a group of her fellow engineers prepare the lifts Garrus brought back for long-term transport. She made her way to them. It was going to be a long day.
-----
Shepard stopped before the curtain that led to Captain T'Bayla's "room". "What do you want, Kaidan? Going to tell me to abandon the xenos to the Fallen?" She said as she stared ahead of her.
He was silent for a moment before he said, "Actually, I was going to talk to their leader to get a grasp on the situation." Shepard turned to look at him. Kaidan chuckled at the stern look on her face. "Might want to be careful, Jane. Your face might stick like that." With that, Shepard couldn't help but smile. Good old dependable, Kaidan.
"Thank you." She said and she couldn't think of the words to explain how much she meant it. "Well, I better introduce you to the Captain. You'll like her. The Dark itself could come to get her and she'd just spit in its eye."
"It's a bad sign when you feel the need to talk me up, Shepard." T'Bayla's voice rang out from beyond the curtain.
"Just getting him ready for you, Captain," Shepard said while entering into T'Bayla's recovery room, "You are a lot to handle."
T'Bayla laughed, "If I didn't know better I'd say that you've been talking to one of my exes." She shook her head, "Good old Okati. Goddess rest her soul." She gave a nod to Kaidan, "Sorry, you know my name but I don't know yours."
He returned the nod, "Kaidan Alenko. Scholar of the Praxic Warlocks."
T'Bayla gave him a teasing smile, "Well, isn't that a fancy sounding title."
Kaidan chuckled and shook his head, "It just means I do a little research when I'm not out here."
T'Bayla shook her head and leaned back, "Well, good to see that someone besides Shepard likes us out here."
Shepard rubbed the back of her head, "So you heard all that."
"Honey, I think people back in Citadel Space heard that." T'Bayla replied. Her joking demeanor faded away to be replaced by a much more professional one. "Is it going to be a problem?"
"Shepard took a deep breath as she took a long calming look at the ground, "I don't know. If there is a problem, it'll wait until we hit the Wall. So we just have to do the job in front of us"
T'Bayla sighed, "The Nine said the City might not take us. I just always thought we could talk our way in."
Shepard put her hand on T'Bayla's shoulder, "You'll make it into the City. Even if I have to scream at the Gates like a crazy person."
Kaidan let out a small laugh, "I don't know, Shepard. I don't think that'll work after that time you screamed at the Crucible scoreboard for twenty-seven minutes straight." He stopped laughing after Shepard turned and glared at him but she couldn't wipe the smile from his face.
"Well," T'Bayla said, "whatever any of that meant, thank you." She pulled herself up into a semi-sitting position, "You're right. We still have the job ahead of us." She called out for one of her officers a youngish looking asari with white markings near the edge of her scalp. "We ready to go?" she asked.
"Almost, Captain." The officer said, "We're still putting supplies on Guardian Shepard's bike."
"Guardian Shepard?" Kaidan asked with a smirk on his face.
"Shut up."
"Alright," she turned to Dr. Solus, "looks like it's time to get me prepped for travel." He nodded and a short time later she was on a stretcher being carried by two of the turian crewmates. All around the cave, everyone was carrying supplies somewhere on their person and waiting near the entrance. "Ladies and Gentlemen." T'Bayla said laying on her stretcher, "LET'S" she raised her arm into the sky, "GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" With a cheer, the crew began to stream out of the cave and soon a line of pilgrims was walking through the fields towards the hills and the forest sanctuary beyond.
Shepard stood somewhere around the center, not quite part of the caravan, instead walking a few feet away from them so she could keep an eye on the direction the Fallen base used to be in. Once they got closer to the hills, she would begin to march faster so she could take the hunter's traditional place in the front so she could interchangeably scout ahead and guide the Pilgrimage.
Shepard heard walking behind her and saw Kaidan, his helmet back on his head and his pulse rifle flung over his back. "Kaidan," she said, "what are you doing?"
Kaidan fell into step by her side, "I'm coming with you, Shepard."
Shepard sputtered, "Kaidan, what-"
"Shepard," he interrupted, "I'm willing to give these people a shot. But no Guardian's ever done something like this. And…" he rubbed the back of his neck, "I'd feel better if you had someone to watch your back."
She stared at him, listening to the mass of people walk by. "I better warn you, Alenko. This is going to be rough. You're probably going to wish you were still in your study by the end of the week."
He clapped a hand to her shoulder, "I don't doubt it. But that won't stop me." He began to walk ahead of her, "Besides, this won't be the first time I had to march to the City."
Shepard smiled and began to try to overtake him. To his credit, Shepard would later admit, he kept up with her for five minutes.
-----
It was in the growing shadow of the trees that they began to make camp. In a small clearing, a few miles into the forest, they built a fire in a small pit that Shepard and a few of the security officers had dug and prepared bunks and sleeping bags. The weather was temperate and the skies were clear so they decided that they could wait for worse conditions before bringing out their tents.
Garrus sat near the fire eating his rations. Nearby he saw the doctor's administer more of the healing solution into T'Bayla's shoulder. They said that in a few days she would have recovered enough to begin physical therapy to recover from the loss of her limb. While he felt happy that T'Bayla was looking at recovery he found his train of thought focused on something else. He'd listened to the words coming out of Shepard's mouth for the past day. He'd also listened to the huge argument she'd had with her teammate. He also thought about the confrontation with the Nine. Of the repeated symbolism of Light and Dark and the obvious significance it had to the people here. Also, what did the humans mean when they spoke about "the Traveller"?
"Well, that looks like the face of a man whose thinking," he saw Shepard standing near the fire, "At least, I think so. I'm still learning about how your face works." She sat down at the opposite end of the campfire, "Glimmer cube for your thoughts?" She must have seen the look of confusion on his face, "Human term, means 'please talk to me about what you're thinking about'."
Garrus stared at the fire wondering if he should keep quiet. He didn't know if his questions would cross some kind of cultural taboo and he didn't want to do anything to put the alliance between the crew and their guides in peril. But, deep down, Garrus could feel the part of him that was Detective Vakarian. Someone who needed answers, as his superiors said, beyond all sense.
"Shepard."
"Yeah, Vakarian?" Shepard answered.
"When we talked to the Nine they mentioned something about a war."
Shepard shrugged, "Lots of wars in Sol, Garrus. You're going to need to be more specific than that."
He looked her in the eye, "They talked about a "War between Light and Dark."
Shepard's eyes widened and she shifted in her seat, "How much did they tell you?"
"Not much," Garrus answered, "just that it's been waged across the whole universe and that the City's protected by something." He began to hold a close examination of his hand. "Originally, I thought they were talking symbolism or metaphor but I'm starting to wonder."
"While I think I would have been more tactful about it I admit I've been getting curious too."
Garrus jumped and he saw the Captain T'Bayla being out to rest near the campfire. "Oh," he stammered, "sorry, Captain."
T'Bayla shrugged, "There's a bunch of weird bullshit going on in this system." She looked at Shepard, "Might help us to know what the hell is going on here."
Shepard stared into the campfire for a moment before sighing, "Anyone want to come in and listen to this? Cause I ain't telling it twice." The crew, who had been doing their best to remain subtle in their eavesdropping, began to take seats around the fire with those still working doing their best to split their attention. Garrus, for his part, found himself sitting with Tali, Liara, and Wrex.
Shepard looked in the fire for a moment collecting her thoughts. After a few moments, she began to speak. "It all started about seven centuries ago. Now, a lot of info's been lost-,"
"And regained," said Kaidan Alenko who, to everyone's surprise, emerged from the dark and sat down by the fire side, "Forest is clear."
"Thanks, Kaidan." Shepard said before continuing, "This is what we know. Seven hundred years back, the human species was just starting to seriously research space flight. We'd landed on Luna," she pointed towards the sky in the direction of Earth's sole moon, "in the previous century but we were just starting to seriously consider asteroid mining and a bunch of other projects." She took a few stick and fed them into the fire pit. "That was when the Traveler arrived."
Liara looked confused, "The Traveler?"
Garrus turned towards her and muttered, "I heard them mention it during their argument."
Shepard nodded, "No one knows where it came from. It just…came from beyond and started altering planets and moons all over the system."
"Altering how?" one of the researchers asked.
"Terraforming them," Kaidan answered. Planets with no atmosphere suddenly had breathable air. Entire orbits were shifted so they could get a little more sunlight or be more stable."
"How?" asked Mordin. Both Kaidan and Shepard shrugged.
"No idea." Shepard said, "But it scared the crap out everybody. So a bunch of countries got together and decided to work together to go out and meet it. Figure out what it wanted to do. Why it was here."
"Ares One mission. Jacob Hardy, Alexei Mihaylova, Ming Qiao." Kaidan said in rote. Like he had known those names all of his life.
Shepard nodded, "They touched down on Mars." She paused, "Those three became the first humans to ever commune with the Traveler." She paused as she waited for the group to digest this information.
"What happened next? What did this "Traveler" do?" Liara asked.
Shepard looked upwards to the stars, "It helped us. It came and fixed all the environmental damage we'd caused during our development. It terraformed the entire Inner System so we could begin to expand off of Earth. It increased our lifespans three-fold, gave us the tools we needed to begin to understand its technology like FTL. It-"
"It," Kaidan interrupted, "began a Golden Age."
Shepard nodded. Wrex spoke next.
"Why?"
Kaidan shrugged, "People have been arguing about that for centuries."
"So," Dr. Solus said as he began to tend to the Captain, "Traveller comes. Uplifts human species. System-wide civilization. Begin extra-system colonial efforts. No sign of that civilization in deep space. Different factions with territorial boundaries. Pirates. Only one city as safe place." He took a deep breath, "Something happened."
The two Guardians had listened to the doctor's observations silently. Garrus turned his head to look at the two of them. Shepard looked into the distance. If he didn't know better, Garus would swear she was looking for something beyond the firelight.
"A great Darkness came from beyond the edges of the system" Shepard responded.
"The extra-solar colonies fell first." Kaidan said, "Then the stations on the outer system. Then the Inner System. Then it came to Earth."
"We call it the Collapse." Shepard continued, "Everything we built. Everything we ever achieved. All gone."
"I've seen the estimates," Kaidan explained, "Most sources say that ninety-five percent of the human populace was killed." The gaze he held as he looked into the fire was one of distant horror. A thing of implication rather than feeling, "I've seen some go as high as ninety-nine."
The crew was silent; their horror palpable. Something that someone could touch as it flowed around the cave like a predator. "How long did it take?" Garrus heard Tali ask barely above a whisper.
Kaidan shook his head, "Some say days. Some say hours." For a moment the ghastly silence returned even more suffocating than before.
"The Traveler," Liara said but jumped slightly when she saw Shepard and Kaidan's heads turn in her direction, "Um, what did t-the Traveler do?"
Shepard nodded and for the first time since the conversation began there was a smile on her face, "The Traveler rose up to defend us. It's said that it unleashed a great rebuke on the Darkness that broke it and drove it back to the boundaries of the system."
"The Traveler was wounded though." Kaidan said, picking up the thread "Some say it was killed. But whatever happened, its physical form came to rest in the place where the City stands today."
Garrus nodded as comprehension dawned, "The Nine said something about the City having a protector. It's the Traveler isn't it?"
Kaidan nodded, "The Traveler's Light shields the City from the enemies outside its Walls. That's why it's the only safe place left."
Silence returned but this time the fear was less. Although there were still questions, so many questions, they at least knew the City was a place where they could weather the storm until they could figure out a way to get home.
But Shepard's voice rang out, "Alright, that's story time for tonight. We can keep going when we make camp tomorrow but for now I think you guys should get some sleep."
"I think that's a great idea. Get to sleep everyone. It's going to be a long day tomorrow." As one, the group began to scatter as they made their way to their bunks. "Shepard, I want to talk to you about the route we're taking."
"Got it," Shepard said before turning to Kaidan, "Kaidan, you stand guard." Kaidan said yes and a few minutes he departed into the darkness beyond the fire. Garrus looked between Shepard and T'Bayla. He could pretend to go to sleep and eavesdrop- Tali put her hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, Vakarian. I'm exhausted." She said and it was then that the events of the past twenty-four hours finally caught up with him as he felt his eyes droop down and his mind slow in fatigue.
"Alright." He said as he got up. There was time for answers later. Later, around other fires in times of calm. Garrus laid down in his bunk and closed his eyes.
****
Okay, this is done.
Before anyone says anything, I'm not trying to bash Ashley. I'm trying to extrapolate her personalty and beliefs in Mass Effect with the much more dire situation in Destiny. In Mass Effect, she worried that the Citadel governments would leave humanity in the lurch if the situation was bad enough. Here, she's deeply paranoid because the Sol System is under invasion by no less than four alien powers and at least two of them have genocide on the brain and mankind is trying to rally from the edge of extinction. This is made worse by her undying hero worship of Saint-14, the guy who led full on holy wars against Fallen and was said to have a very low opinion of aliens. Now, she had her character development in canon and she'll have it here. Its just going to have to happen naturally. That's all.
There's also the revelation of the Traveler which I know is going to be boring for some parts of the audience, mostly the Destiny crowd, but I feel the need to tell the Mass Effect crew some of these things in story (it'll get less boring when we start getting to headcanon and lore interpretation territory because at least there'll be some new stuff there) and i decided to flex my "exposition as campfire story" technique. Not sure I succeeded but still.
Also, I have some bad news. There probably won't be a chapter next week as I'm going to be going through a rough time at work. I will however be working on a small...thing involving our favorite
So look forward to that.
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Sakuya's Butler
A refined Butler to a knife wielding Mistress.
- Location
- ↓, ↘, → + Punch
On the downside, xenophobes.
On the upside, if the Reapers show up, the City AND THE REEF, will damn near immediately call for a Crusade. Which, if you know Destiny's lore, is one scary mofo of a concept once its underway.
As an example, during the Crota's End raid, every single skeleton you find along the route towards him, is of a Guardian that was sent in as a single massive attack into the Hellmouth. And there are literally TENS OF THOUSANDS of complete or partial skeletal remains, just inside the Hellmouth alone, ignoring what's littered around the Lunar Hive tunnels and the surface.
Its only after massive strikes like that failed against key targets, that the Guardians went back to small scale squad SpecOps. On the other hand, against anything that isn't one of those incredibly deadly threats, the City -is- more then willing to send in thousands of Guardians to deal with a situation.
And again, that's a terrifyingly powerful infantry force. Plus aerospace fighters for each infantryman(!!), and the Reef's own Ketch fleet (plus any of the other ships you occasionally see in the distance when you're up on the Reef). And each of those Ketch ships is at least on par with a Citadel cruiser, if not a battleship/dreadnought. That is, if you're just thinking of scaling. Weapons and shielding? HAH! The Queen's fleet has access to DEWs of an extremely exotic nature that launch energy blasts large enough to crack dwarf planets.
No, I'm not bullshitting. Its stated flat out that during the 'Reef Wars', just a handful of the Queen's ships were used to pulverize Ceres (which is 900km+ in size) down to boulders not much bigger than your Guardian's hoverbike. That's way the hell above/beyond the firepower that the Citadel can wield.
On the upside, if the Reapers show up, the City AND THE REEF, will damn near immediately call for a Crusade. Which, if you know Destiny's lore, is one scary mofo of a concept once its underway.
As an example, during the Crota's End raid, every single skeleton you find along the route towards him, is of a Guardian that was sent in as a single massive attack into the Hellmouth. And there are literally TENS OF THOUSANDS of complete or partial skeletal remains, just inside the Hellmouth alone, ignoring what's littered around the Lunar Hive tunnels and the surface.
Its only after massive strikes like that failed against key targets, that the Guardians went back to small scale squad SpecOps. On the other hand, against anything that isn't one of those incredibly deadly threats, the City -is- more then willing to send in thousands of Guardians to deal with a situation.
And again, that's a terrifyingly powerful infantry force. Plus aerospace fighters for each infantryman(!!), and the Reef's own Ketch fleet (plus any of the other ships you occasionally see in the distance when you're up on the Reef). And each of those Ketch ships is at least on par with a Citadel cruiser, if not a battleship/dreadnought. That is, if you're just thinking of scaling. Weapons and shielding? HAH! The Queen's fleet has access to DEWs of an extremely exotic nature that launch energy blasts large enough to crack dwarf planets.
No, I'm not bullshitting. Its stated flat out that during the 'Reef Wars', just a handful of the Queen's ships were used to pulverize Ceres (which is 900km+ in size) down to boulders not much bigger than your Guardian's hoverbike. That's way the hell above/beyond the firepower that the Citadel can wield.
MagicMan333
Post-apocalyptic Gonzo Journalist
- Location
- Washington
I've mentioned before that, in my view, Guardians actually avoid jumpship combat. THis is because...well I'm willing to bet that one of the things that can permanently kill a Guardian and his Ghost is their ship turning into a fireball. Now, even beyond that very small scrap of self-preservation that Guardians still have, the City can not afford to lose Ghosts. The Traveler can't, or at least I assume can't, make more and every Ghost lost is a Guardian that won't rise again, or won't rise period. So, except for a few specialists, Guardians avoid dog fights.
Well, one of the reasons the fleet has that power is that it has access to the Harbingers which are some sort of WMD's. Well, that's what the Reef uses them for but, well I'll have The Coven Grimoire Card explain it for me, "Speaking would tip their hand to the Harbinger Minds they kept here, trophies from an ageless war, and weapons in the right hands." So they're...War trophies that the Reef figured out how to use as weapons. They tend to keep them in reserve. Partly because of collateral. Its noted in the Reef War cards that while she did use them to destroy the Wolf Base at Ceres she was loath to use them to break a siege of one of her own asteroids. Another reason I think is because they can't manufacture them. They have to grow them. At least that's the implication I got from this line (again from The Coven card),
There's a reason why the Harbingers are on (although in the bottom half) of my "Top 10 Weird Shit in Destiny Lore" list.
Grimoire: Ghost Fragment: Kaidan Alenko 1
MagicMan333
Post-apocalyptic Gonzo Journalist
- Location
- Washington
Grimoire: Ghost Fragment: Kaidan Alenko 1
The child is scared. It has been a week since the strange ships came. Each one bore strange markings that were a bright blue color he had never seen around the Reef, his people's love of darker colors making the boy's world purple, dark blue, and black for as far back as he could remember. The boy had already been frightened when his mother and father left to "do their duty for the Queen." They'd left him in the care of his grandparents on their estate on Pallas 2. It hadn't been bad. His grandparent spent time with him and made sure he was cared for and answered any questions about what they did. They were important people. And very busy. But they did it all the same with warm smiles on their faces. But, now the ships are here and everyone on Pallas rushes through the halls and he can see the fear all around him.
"What are you doing here?"
The boy feels his heart jump but his terror is replaced by that mix and fear and guilt that all children feel when they are caught in places they shouldn't be. "I'm sorry, grandfather."
His grandfather is a tall and decently-built dark blue skinned man wearing a repurposed environment suit covered by a tunic colored blue and purple that marks him as nobility. His hair was black but with some specks of grey that hadn't been there when the ships appeared and his eyes were bright red. He sighs and reaches for the boy's hand. He takes it and soon his grandfather is leading him into the interior of the estate.
"You didn't answer me, Kaidan. What were you doing out here? You should be in the inner asteroid where you can be safe."
The boy looks up at his grandfather's red eyes.
"I wanted to see them."
His grandfather stares at him for a moment before sighing and shaking his head.
"Starlight save us from young boys and their curiosity."
-----
The boy stands as till as he can. He is frightened again but it's a different kind of fear than that of the ships. The fear is much deeper and for that he feels ashamed. For why should good little boys fear the Queen? He tugs a little at his clothes. It was a set of long and flowing robes similar to what his grandparent's currently wore. He feels a hand on his shoulder. He looks up and see his father in his uniform. His skin is purple and his yellow eyes are kind.
"Try and stay still, Kaidan. Just for a little longer. It's almost your mother's turn." The boy nods and faces forward into the crowd of people facing them standing across from the large red carpet. They all stand stock still as the announcement is made.
"Captain Pesri of House Alenko, Daughter of Nema of House Alenko and Vagrel born of House Thevahn. Kneel before your Queen." The boy feels himself calm as he sees his mother. His twitching disappears. She is wearing a uniform like his father but it is more extravagant. Adorned with golden colored thread around the collar and the wrists. Her chest is covered in small symbols and rows of colors.
She marches down the carpet with a steady step. Soon she kneels before the Queen. "Rise, Captain Pesri. In the face of your glorious service to the Peaceful and Eternal Queendom of the Reef in the war against the False Kells of the House of Wolves we reward you with the Twilight Star." At this she pinned a small silver medal that looked like a diamond star onto her chest. His mother's face remains the picture of serenity until the Queen speaks again, "But I feel that this reward is not enough." The boy feels cold terror grip his chest when one of the royal guards brings out a sword and his mother's eyes widen in shock.
"Kneel, Captain Alenko." The boy wants to rush forward as his mother kneels down but his father grips his soldier. He looks into his father's eyes but there are calm. The boy looks on as the Queen grabs the sword and brings it to his mother's shoulder. He keeps staring as she moves it to her other shoulder. "Rise, Paladin Alenko. May you serve with the strength and skill you have displayed so far."
The Queen smiles and the room explodes into applause. The boy wonders what it means that the smile disturbs him.
*****
Surprise! It's a Grimoire Card! Kind of. I hope I matched the style okay.
For clarity sake, Kaidan is five in the first half and seven in the second half. I think. I may need to brush up on the Reef Wars cards before I commit to a timeline.
Anyway this is the first one. The second one should be up either on Friday or Saturday.
The child is scared. It has been a week since the strange ships came. Each one bore strange markings that were a bright blue color he had never seen around the Reef, his people's love of darker colors making the boy's world purple, dark blue, and black for as far back as he could remember. The boy had already been frightened when his mother and father left to "do their duty for the Queen." They'd left him in the care of his grandparents on their estate on Pallas 2. It hadn't been bad. His grandparent spent time with him and made sure he was cared for and answered any questions about what they did. They were important people. And very busy. But they did it all the same with warm smiles on their faces. But, now the ships are here and everyone on Pallas rushes through the halls and he can see the fear all around him.
"What are you doing here?"
The boy feels his heart jump but his terror is replaced by that mix and fear and guilt that all children feel when they are caught in places they shouldn't be. "I'm sorry, grandfather."
His grandfather is a tall and decently-built dark blue skinned man wearing a repurposed environment suit covered by a tunic colored blue and purple that marks him as nobility. His hair was black but with some specks of grey that hadn't been there when the ships appeared and his eyes were bright red. He sighs and reaches for the boy's hand. He takes it and soon his grandfather is leading him into the interior of the estate.
"You didn't answer me, Kaidan. What were you doing out here? You should be in the inner asteroid where you can be safe."
The boy looks up at his grandfather's red eyes.
"I wanted to see them."
His grandfather stares at him for a moment before sighing and shaking his head.
"Starlight save us from young boys and their curiosity."
-----
The boy stands as till as he can. He is frightened again but it's a different kind of fear than that of the ships. The fear is much deeper and for that he feels ashamed. For why should good little boys fear the Queen? He tugs a little at his clothes. It was a set of long and flowing robes similar to what his grandparent's currently wore. He feels a hand on his shoulder. He looks up and see his father in his uniform. His skin is purple and his yellow eyes are kind.
"Try and stay still, Kaidan. Just for a little longer. It's almost your mother's turn." The boy nods and faces forward into the crowd of people facing them standing across from the large red carpet. They all stand stock still as the announcement is made.
"Captain Pesri of House Alenko, Daughter of Nema of House Alenko and Vagrel born of House Thevahn. Kneel before your Queen." The boy feels himself calm as he sees his mother. His twitching disappears. She is wearing a uniform like his father but it is more extravagant. Adorned with golden colored thread around the collar and the wrists. Her chest is covered in small symbols and rows of colors.
She marches down the carpet with a steady step. Soon she kneels before the Queen. "Rise, Captain Pesri. In the face of your glorious service to the Peaceful and Eternal Queendom of the Reef in the war against the False Kells of the House of Wolves we reward you with the Twilight Star." At this she pinned a small silver medal that looked like a diamond star onto her chest. His mother's face remains the picture of serenity until the Queen speaks again, "But I feel that this reward is not enough." The boy feels cold terror grip his chest when one of the royal guards brings out a sword and his mother's eyes widen in shock.
"Kneel, Captain Alenko." The boy wants to rush forward as his mother kneels down but his father grips his soldier. He looks into his father's eyes but there are calm. The boy looks on as the Queen grabs the sword and brings it to his mother's shoulder. He keeps staring as she moves it to her other shoulder. "Rise, Paladin Alenko. May you serve with the strength and skill you have displayed so far."
The Queen smiles and the room explodes into applause. The boy wonders what it means that the smile disturbs him.
*****
Surprise! It's a Grimoire Card! Kind of. I hope I matched the style okay.
For clarity sake, Kaidan is five in the first half and seven in the second half. I think. I may need to brush up on the Reef Wars cards before I commit to a timeline.
Anyway this is the first one. The second one should be up either on Friday or Saturday.
Grimoire: Ghost Fragment: Kaidan Alenko 2
MagicMan333
Post-apocalyptic Gonzo Journalist
- Location
- Washington
Grimoire: Ghost Fragment: Kaidan Alenko 2
The young man, for he is a man now, stands before the Queen. This is not his mother's moment of triumph, his assuming of her legacy of excellence. This is shame. He stands in a ratty grey uniform and there is nothing but silence. Silence and the glares of his countrymen. There are others here like him. Some are criminals accused of some form of corruption or another. But there are many who performed his crime. The Queen speaks.
"Kaidan of House Alenko, Son of Paladin Alenko, you stand before me convicted of the crime of channeling the Light. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"
For a moment, the man looks at the ground. He could speak. He could beg to stay, as others have. He could rail against the injustice of it all, as others have. He could stare at the floor and say nothing, as most have. What he does is look up and into the Queen's eyes. She'd always frightened him as a young boy. Maybe it was a sign. He says these words, "I have none, Your Majesty." Out of the corner of his eye, he sees his parents and grandparents watching the proceedings. They do nothing but stand and stare and if there is the telltale light that comes from wet eyes he thinks he imagines it.
He turns his attention back to the Queen. She is smirking as she says, "Very well, you are banished to Earth along with those others touched by the Traveler's Light. Guards," she turns to the small gathering of Royal Guards that stand at attention by her throne, "take this one to the ship with the others." He wonders if they are surprised that he does not need to be dragged away. As he walks from the room he looks at his parents again. It hurts, the idea that they might be thinking, "This is what became of our son? What was it all for then?" But he will not let them see it. He will hold his head high and not show them an ounce of the flood of sorrow that he feels inside.
A few hours later, he and the other exiles are slowly being loaded into the ship. As it slowly comes to his turn he looks up onto the docks and to his surprise he sees his family there. They are as silent and as stoic as they were at the proceedings but the flood of emotions that he has kept confined to one half of his soul almost breaks when he sees it.
Each are wearing a small bracelet. He'd made them when his mother and father came back from the war. When his grandparent's had complained, jokingly of course, he had made them their own. He barely holds back the tears when, as one, they place one hand against the glass they are staring at him through. Everyone will see this. Even for a Paladin's family the political games of the nobility are petty and callous. But the message is clear.
He is loaded onto the ship and he maintains his composure until he is in his bunk. Once there, he begins to cry, biting his thumb to keep the sobs from coming out. They are tears of both sorrow and joy for he is being separated from all he ever loved and he has squandered the wonderful future his family has worked to build for him. But they have made it clear; they are disappointed in the situation. But they will never be disappointed in him.
-----
The man collapses against a tree. He and his fellows were abandoned in the jungles of old Indonesia to be set upon by disease, predators, and Fallen bandits. He wonders if it was on orders from the Queen to make sure this batch of exiles do not reach the safety of the Last City on Earth. No, that implies the Queen thinks about the fate of the exiles at all. This is simple callousness. For all he knows, the Awoken thought the distance between Indonesia and the City was rather close. They were used to space-scale after all. He feels the urge to throw up again but he keeps it down. It's so very hot here and he suspects it's not due to the temperature in the air.
It's been so very hard. The others are either dead or they've decided to fend for themselves. He looks up at the blue sky. It's so bright here compared to the Reef. He decides he likes it. He wishes he didn't have to die to see Earth. Oh yes, he knows he's dying. He's known for a while but he kept hoping for…he doesn't know. Maybe one of those "Guardians" to find him and take him to the City. He wonders what life would have been like there. He's heard that there's a vibrant community of Reefborn Exiles and their descendants there that has artists and theatres with wonderful plays and he could make new friends and they could go out for a few drinks and enjoy nights full of music and …
These are the visions that Kaidan Alenko has as he closes his eyes.
-----
The sky is clear as the Guardian walks through the courtyard of Sankore University. Founded by pilgrims hailing from the Sub-Saharan Kingdoms, it has become one of the pre-eminent schools in the City. He sees both citizens and Guardians, mostly warlocks and a few of the more intellectual hunters and titans, talking in small groups or hurrying about their business.
"Kaidan…"
His attention snaps back to his guide. "Sorry, Rahna." He blushes. He hates making a fool of himself in front of her. He can feel one of his souls speed around faster in his head. He breathes in deeply and takes on a bit more of the cold logic that comes from the other side of himself.
She smiles and puts her hands on her hips, "I know its impressive, Kaidan, but you've got to pay attention. Provost Saiki needs you to help him with his lectures before the monsoon season comes and he has his hands full helping the titans keep the City from flooding."
He nods, looking appropriately ashamed of himself. She begins to lead him deeper into the university. He looks up at the sky for a moment before his ghost, Vagrel, and lightly runs into his head.
"You heard the young lady. Come one." The Guardian smiles and walks further into the sunlight.
*****
That's all for Kaidna's Grimoire (For now). See you next week with a new chapter.
The young man, for he is a man now, stands before the Queen. This is not his mother's moment of triumph, his assuming of her legacy of excellence. This is shame. He stands in a ratty grey uniform and there is nothing but silence. Silence and the glares of his countrymen. There are others here like him. Some are criminals accused of some form of corruption or another. But there are many who performed his crime. The Queen speaks.
"Kaidan of House Alenko, Son of Paladin Alenko, you stand before me convicted of the crime of channeling the Light. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"
For a moment, the man looks at the ground. He could speak. He could beg to stay, as others have. He could rail against the injustice of it all, as others have. He could stare at the floor and say nothing, as most have. What he does is look up and into the Queen's eyes. She'd always frightened him as a young boy. Maybe it was a sign. He says these words, "I have none, Your Majesty." Out of the corner of his eye, he sees his parents and grandparents watching the proceedings. They do nothing but stand and stare and if there is the telltale light that comes from wet eyes he thinks he imagines it.
He turns his attention back to the Queen. She is smirking as she says, "Very well, you are banished to Earth along with those others touched by the Traveler's Light. Guards," she turns to the small gathering of Royal Guards that stand at attention by her throne, "take this one to the ship with the others." He wonders if they are surprised that he does not need to be dragged away. As he walks from the room he looks at his parents again. It hurts, the idea that they might be thinking, "This is what became of our son? What was it all for then?" But he will not let them see it. He will hold his head high and not show them an ounce of the flood of sorrow that he feels inside.
A few hours later, he and the other exiles are slowly being loaded into the ship. As it slowly comes to his turn he looks up onto the docks and to his surprise he sees his family there. They are as silent and as stoic as they were at the proceedings but the flood of emotions that he has kept confined to one half of his soul almost breaks when he sees it.
Each are wearing a small bracelet. He'd made them when his mother and father came back from the war. When his grandparent's had complained, jokingly of course, he had made them their own. He barely holds back the tears when, as one, they place one hand against the glass they are staring at him through. Everyone will see this. Even for a Paladin's family the political games of the nobility are petty and callous. But the message is clear.
He is loaded onto the ship and he maintains his composure until he is in his bunk. Once there, he begins to cry, biting his thumb to keep the sobs from coming out. They are tears of both sorrow and joy for he is being separated from all he ever loved and he has squandered the wonderful future his family has worked to build for him. But they have made it clear; they are disappointed in the situation. But they will never be disappointed in him.
-----
The man collapses against a tree. He and his fellows were abandoned in the jungles of old Indonesia to be set upon by disease, predators, and Fallen bandits. He wonders if it was on orders from the Queen to make sure this batch of exiles do not reach the safety of the Last City on Earth. No, that implies the Queen thinks about the fate of the exiles at all. This is simple callousness. For all he knows, the Awoken thought the distance between Indonesia and the City was rather close. They were used to space-scale after all. He feels the urge to throw up again but he keeps it down. It's so very hot here and he suspects it's not due to the temperature in the air.
It's been so very hard. The others are either dead or they've decided to fend for themselves. He looks up at the blue sky. It's so bright here compared to the Reef. He decides he likes it. He wishes he didn't have to die to see Earth. Oh yes, he knows he's dying. He's known for a while but he kept hoping for…he doesn't know. Maybe one of those "Guardians" to find him and take him to the City. He wonders what life would have been like there. He's heard that there's a vibrant community of Reefborn Exiles and their descendants there that has artists and theatres with wonderful plays and he could make new friends and they could go out for a few drinks and enjoy nights full of music and …
These are the visions that Kaidan Alenko has as he closes his eyes.
-----
The sky is clear as the Guardian walks through the courtyard of Sankore University. Founded by pilgrims hailing from the Sub-Saharan Kingdoms, it has become one of the pre-eminent schools in the City. He sees both citizens and Guardians, mostly warlocks and a few of the more intellectual hunters and titans, talking in small groups or hurrying about their business.
"Kaidan…"
His attention snaps back to his guide. "Sorry, Rahna." He blushes. He hates making a fool of himself in front of her. He can feel one of his souls speed around faster in his head. He breathes in deeply and takes on a bit more of the cold logic that comes from the other side of himself.
She smiles and puts her hands on her hips, "I know its impressive, Kaidan, but you've got to pay attention. Provost Saiki needs you to help him with his lectures before the monsoon season comes and he has his hands full helping the titans keep the City from flooding."
He nods, looking appropriately ashamed of himself. She begins to lead him deeper into the university. He looks up at the sky for a moment before his ghost, Vagrel, and lightly runs into his head.
"You heard the young lady. Come one." The Guardian smiles and walks further into the sunlight.
*****
That's all for Kaidna's Grimoire (For now). See you next week with a new chapter.
- Location
- Hiigara
Ummm...wat. Banished to earth because he channeled light? That makes no sense given what we know of Mara Sov and her interactions with The Guardian, let alone the actions of the Reef Awoken as a whole. Like. At all.
If someone under her command gains that ability, she's gonna go "Ooooh, Shiny", and sick the Techeuns on him before she would ever consider throwing such a valuable piece away.
If someone under her command gains that ability, she's gonna go "Ooooh, Shiny", and sick the Techeuns on him before she would ever consider throwing such a valuable piece away.
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- Location
- Hiigara
I'm gonna need a grimoire citation for that, because basically all of their canon actions go right to the opposite. Preventing the City being destroyed by the Fallen, calling us up to fight the Wolves, head on attacking freaking Oryx and the Dreadnaught, speaks to a if not friensly at least selfserving outlook. They know they need the guardians. And If having anything to do with the Light was a crime, they wouldnt have let The Guardian in at all, or have Envoys to the Tower, or start bribing Guardians to come fight in the Prison.
Not being noticed by the Darkness is a bit of a "yeah not gonna happen thing." Part of what the Awoken are IS Light, and Darkness. The mix of the two is what created them In the first place.
Plus, there's the whole friendship between the Queen and Eris Morn and what ever they are plotting. Regardless, Mara Sov is a gambitter, and this really doesn't make any sense for someone like that.
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Timerider
That guy who really should get out more.
- Location
- The End of the World.
It's implied that whatever changed the Awoken was some sort of contract/agreement with some sort of Darkness-related entity. The Queen doesn't want to risk jeopardizing that deal by sheltering a Guardian. Remember in the first storyline the Ghost said the Awoken had little no contact with the City and Guardians. The player's interactions where the exception, not the norm.
MagicMan333
Post-apocalyptic Gonzo Journalist
- Location
- Washington
Yeah, now I can't find it in the Ishtar Collective right now but I'm also pretty sure that's canon. They kick out any Light channelers to keep the Darkness, who they're implied to use in some way in their rituals, from rushing in a killing everything in the Reef. I've always interpreted the Reef as a group that walks a tightrope between Light and Dark (the reason I use a lot of Twilight imagery in the Kaidan snippets) and refuse to straight up take a side.
Now, yes, the Queen has worked with the City in the past and in the present but that's implied to be in extraordinary circumstances and only lasts for a short time before the Queen locks up the borders again, its implied in a few of the grimoire cards from House of Wolves that once the Wolf problem is solved the Queen was going to let the Guardians have their fun before shutting off their access to the Reef. Of course, then the Taken King happened so...
This way, the Queen gets to have her cake and eat it too. Remember, the Queen doesn't need Guardians like the City does, she has her own bag of tricks and the Reef probably has a different infrastructure set up than the City, which needs Guardians in order to function. Not just that but its implied the Queen understands how to get Guardians to do shit for her anyway. There's a reason she opened up the Vestian Outpost and the Prison of Elders. She knows what the Vanguard knows, that the best way to get Guardians to do what you want them to do is offer them glory and loot. Just send out the message that you will exchange the fighting of a mutual enemy, an enemy they were probably going to fight anyway, for guns, armor, and fun stuff to do and you'll have every Guardian not in the middle of an assignment kicking down your door in order to get in on the action.
Remember, The Queen cares about the Reef and the Reef alone. She protected the City because it works with whatever her long-game is. But if that long game is benefited by the City burning then she will let it burn. She also respects the Player Guardian because they get shit done. That does not mean she actually likes them.
Now, yes, the Queen has worked with the City in the past and in the present but that's implied to be in extraordinary circumstances and only lasts for a short time before the Queen locks up the borders again, its implied in a few of the grimoire cards from House of Wolves that once the Wolf problem is solved the Queen was going to let the Guardians have their fun before shutting off their access to the Reef. Of course, then the Taken King happened so...
This way, the Queen gets to have her cake and eat it too. Remember, the Queen doesn't need Guardians like the City does, she has her own bag of tricks and the Reef probably has a different infrastructure set up than the City, which needs Guardians in order to function. Not just that but its implied the Queen understands how to get Guardians to do shit for her anyway. There's a reason she opened up the Vestian Outpost and the Prison of Elders. She knows what the Vanguard knows, that the best way to get Guardians to do what you want them to do is offer them glory and loot. Just send out the message that you will exchange the fighting of a mutual enemy, an enemy they were probably going to fight anyway, for guns, armor, and fun stuff to do and you'll have every Guardian not in the middle of an assignment kicking down your door in order to get in on the action.
Remember, The Queen cares about the Reef and the Reef alone. She protected the City because it works with whatever her long-game is. But if that long game is benefited by the City burning then she will let it burn. She also respects the Player Guardian because they get shit done. That does not mean she actually likes them.
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- Location
- Hiigara
Which is a whole different thing from "Light is nasty, banish it. "
The reef is isolationist yes but the grimoire makes it pretty clear that the whole reason the prison was opened up was because she wanted to have a closer look at how the Guardians work. Plus, again, the whole relationship between Eris Morn and the queen, plus the general reaction to the Guardians of various NPCS speaks to a much different view of Guardians than "Dangerous, keep away at all costs". The Queen sees them as power that can be exploited to help the Reef. You don't toss that away when it's delivered to you on a silver platter.
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MagicMan333
Post-apocalyptic Gonzo Journalist
- Location
- Washington
She wanted to see how Guardian's fight. And there could be a thousand different reasons as to why she wants that knowledge. And I think there's a big difference between full-fledged Guardians and people who can channel the Light before dying, I don't know what that is because Bungie's never picked up on that thread, but I imagine that without a Ghost the regular Light-Channelers can't really do anything important with it. Guardians are useful so they're tolerated. Light-Channelers aren't and can bring down one of the local gods down on your heads so they get kicked out. Besides, I'm pretty sure the Vestian Outpost is far from the Reef proper, I've always thought of it as a border station my self, so they aren't exactly letting Guardians run around the Reef.
- Location
- Hiigara
Guardians fight with the Light. Period. The two are interconnected. The Awoken know how guns work, they know how ships work. They have Transmat. The tech or gear or tactics isn't what interests them. Their abilities with the Light is.
The Vestian Outpost is according to the grimoire, on the sun ward side of the Reef, and beyond it is the Vestian Web, the heart of the Reef. It's a border post, but it's hardly a backwoods.
Also Reef fragment 2 implies the opposite of banishment. People chosen as Guardians and others, abandon the Reef in favor of Earth, much to Mara Sov's anger.
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MagicMan333
Post-apocalyptic Gonzo Journalist
- Location
- Washington
I've always taken the Reef 2 fragment as about people who left in general rather than a particular group. I can imagine a lot of reasons for people to leave the Reef and its used to highlight the grudge between Earthborn/Reef Expatraites and Reefborn in general
- Location
- Hiigara
A quick reread of all Reef or Awoken related cards shows nothing I can find about banishment of light users. Which as far as I understood was a Guardian thing, full stop. At least at this point.
Sakuya's Butler
A refined Butler to a knife wielding Mistress.
- Location
- ↓, ↘, → + Punch
Also, big error with the Last City. If we go by how the sun/moon show up, which actually has some strong evidence to back this theory up, then the Last City is somewhere in the Andes in South America. Which is completely on the wrong side of the continent to get hit by a monsoon.
And that's discounting the other fan theory that its located somewhere in northern Canada (and if Canada is getting monsoons, then yeah, Humanity really is fucked).
And that's discounting the other fan theory that its located somewhere in northern Canada (and if Canada is getting monsoons, then yeah, Humanity really is fucked).