rekindledtitan | Excerpt 002: Traveler's Rest

Entry tags:

Excerpt 002: Traveler's Rest

TYPE: Personal log

LOCATION: The Last City, Earth

PARTIES: Three [3]. One [1] Ghost-type, [1] Guardian-type, designate Blaze-37, Class Titan [

rekindledtitan ], One [1] Unconfirmed, designate Willis, Verity [

brave_heart_verity ]; [other parties redacted]

ASSOCIATIONS: Multiversal Nexus; Verity Willis; Earth; The City; Vanguard; Blaze-37; Glass-smiths

An Exo ought to be good at waiting. They're soldier and machine both, trained for stoicism and designed for tireless analysis. Blaze sometimes thinks she’s the only one built who ever gets bored. (Aside from Cayde, maybe, and he makes it sound like he's had a very long time to learn.)

Her patrol concluded without much incident, she paces back to the Forum, guns still dozing at her back and her Ghost zipping curiously from one side to the other ahead of her. It murmurs its observations to her in passing, and she responds gladly. A fight would be better, but she’ll take the idle chatter. Her memory is brimming with new half-processed data, even from one patrol in the Nexus – odd discussions heard and alien kitchens smelt, the weird spiky grass in the park crunching under her boots, so many- one hundred and forty-three new faces since the last trip, ninety-one human by visual-

But she isn’t one for dwelling on things. So she circles the Forum to take in the sights, cutting her route through the spot where she and Verity last spoke to make sure of spotting her friend.

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"Unless... I'm so sorry," Hirune murmurs sincerely, staring into the numbers. They're no strangers to visions of death and shadow, but every snuffed light is worth mourning. She reaches out to catch that report on the patchwork world and draws it close for somber study. "...All of you. Dead Orbit must not see this."

"Fine," Blaze agrees, leaning over the table to peer at what she's reading. One might wonder if a robot really needs to do that. "I said no politics. Why though?"

"Never mind them," Ulysses says dismissively. He's watching the graphs and numbers fall into place with fascination. "The Darkness mustn't see this." He lifts his head, optics tracking the record of incursions. "...I know this logic. Not from the Vex. It's... Mechanistic solutions may not be enough. Necessary, though."

"Thank you."

She looks down, grinding her thumb hard into her palm in a well-worn path. "I won't tell them, but I don't know who those people are. Should... should I just assume I don't tell anyone outside this room?"

Hirune seems to remember who she's talking to and drops her eyes to Verity, speaking gently. "That would be best, yes."

"Except the Vanguard," Blaze adds. "They're trustworthy."

"Should I assume they've already been given this information?"

"Yep." Blaze looks between the two Warlocks, trying to get a feel for how they're responding. "So- you think you can help us?"

"We're here for no higher purpose," Hirune replies serenely.

"Okay." That's an easy rule to follow. She doesn't much like talking about it anyway. "I'm sorry if the information is dangerous. I hadn't considered that it might give people ideas." She really hadn't thought about the blueprints for planet-busting weapons mixed in with the other research. It's a ton of data, too much for one human to process alone in the course of a few emotional days.

"Thank you for helping. I hope you can find something useful for your own world in this too. Or. I'll find some way to repay you." Even if they don't ask. She's determined to do something useful for someone somewhere.

"You couldn't know," Hirune reassures her. "So much knowledge seems harmless until you fit it into just the right context."

The Warlock seems to focus properly on the present, drawing her attention from the data to Verity. She speaks evenly, her voice growing firmer as she goes on. "It will take us some time to go through all of this, to understand it in relation to our studies. But I believe we can help one another. We study the reshaping of reality, the ways in which timelines can be brought together, crossed over, chosen elements taken from one to the other... and how the Vex control this, with the weapons they create in the Vault of Glass. Learning to restore what has been shattered on your Earth will save us both."

She deliberately doesn't use the word 'if'.

"Good!" Blaze jumps to the next question. "Can you guess how soon?"

"I- not yet. All the data you've given us will help immensely, but we won't be able to even guess how much work lies ahead until we've analyzed what we have."

She gives a slow nod, reassured by the certainty. It's not an empty promise. Something good will come of this, and Verity can hold onto that. It makes a lot of things seem more worthwhile. Anything to keep the final act of her home from being one of desperation and evil.

"Don't rush on my account. Even though. I know two people from other worlds like mine, worlds that are likely to be caught up in this, but they're from several years in my past. It'll help them to know what's coming before the situation is irreversible." It'll help someone, and that might be all they can do.

"Isn't that a fine thing to have on our side for once?" Ulysses muses. "Never fear, we won't waste time. We can't promise not to lose it, though. Bringing knowledge out of the Vault is a feat in itself."

"Oh, then we have some telemetry of a run-in with the oracles that might help," Blaze remarks casually, shrugging when the other Exo gives her a suspicious look. He leans forward as her Ghost relays that data to the display, optics flaring brightly.

"Impossible!" But plainly it's not, and Blaze gives a satisfied chuckle at the startled look he shoots her.

"Is there any more vital information you might wish to share with us?" Hirune asks the three of them with bemusement.

Verity is very much out of her depth now, so she sits back to watch with as much bemusement in her expression as in the one Hirune is wearing.

"Not me. I gave you what I have and I am hopelessly lost at this point."

But... "I have shared this with other people--not people from here, but other people. If they find anything, do you want a copy?"

"Certainly." Hirune inclines her head, masking the curious look in her eyes. "Everything you find - just as we will share our findings."

She glances at Blaze questioningly, and the Titan shrugs cheerfully. "That's all I've got."

"Working on a joint project with mysterious strangers from other timelines," Ulysses muses. "If the signs weren't right, I'd laugh you out of the Tower."

Hirune sighs. "I think perhaps we should begin our work. We will need to speak with you again, Verity. Perhaps quite soon."

"Sounds like a good plan." Maybe they can all help each other. Who would ever have thought Verity would be a mediator between worlds like this? Her mother might actually laugh herself to death at the idea.

She doesn't get signs and portents, but whatever works for them. It's clearly working for Ulysses--or not working against him at least. He can have them.

Hirune gets a nod, though she wonders what kinds of questions they might have. "I don't know what our plans are after this, but... I'm sure we can work out some way for you to contact me?" Do they have cell phones?

Hirune doesn't know either, yet. But part of her being the team leader is having the foresight to make time for these things. Once they've studied the data, they may have all kinds of questions. Some might even be related to the problem at hand.

"If you have a comms device of some sort, I'm sure our Ghosts can open a channel between them. However, if you're in another timeline..."

"There are gadgets that'll relay comm channels," Blaze says easily. "Not a problem."

"Nexus phone," she explains, holding hers up and rattling off the number. Best investment ever. "So you can call me whenever you have questions."

She'll just hope that doesn't wake her up. She's very grumpy when she's woken up unexpectedly and it might not make a great impression.

"We should let you work." Significant look to Blaze. Time to go now, they've been dismissed.

"Got it," Ulysses says promptly. Hirune bows.

"Until our next meeting. I wish you luck out there."

"Don't get lost," Ulysses agrees, pretending not to eye them speculatively.

"Likewise." Blaze stands, gives the pair a quick salute. Her Ghost detaches itself from conferring with its brethren and returns to her side. Visiting the Warlocks' lair is interesting, but she has no objection to being off. Anyway, it looks about what she'd expect - a place to fix weapons and do weird calculations of sacred geometry without too many people getting in the way. Unless those doors lead somewhere interesting. Who knows?

She's already considering where to go next as they head out. "That's that taken care of. So, what sounds good - check out the gardens? Find some music? A lounge where people aren't bragging too much?"

All of the above may contain or include dancing, so it doesn't occur to her to specify that. She's pretty much winging this 'nonviolently entertaining guests' thing.

"Good luck to you too."

The doors probably hide all kinds of cool stuff and fun places. That's what doors do. But there's something to be said for leaving some mysteries for the next time around. Namely, if they go snooping right now, they might piss the Warlocks off and lose their help.

"All of that sounds good," she admits. "I do wonder what music sounds like here. I'd imagine it's quite different than what I'm used to." And she loves music, so she's enthusiastic about the idea. A far cry from her usual cynical detachment, but then, she hasn't been so detached lately.

Okay, good, so she's onto a winning tactic with that one! Blaze mentally refines their route to focus on 'places she's heard music around', although for now they're just heading back toward the lift.

"Interesting question. There's a lot of classical stuff played here, especially on the jukeboxes. You know, all the way back to the twentieth century. Guess it's not surprising if we Guardians have old-fashioned tastes, huh? But the newer stuff from the City sounds pretty good too. You can dance to it, you know?"

This is the primary criterion. Blaze doesn't know enough to discuss how the music of the City includes and reworks numerous traditions much older than the twentieth century, harking back to the myths and carefully-protected treasures of antiquity as often as they experiment. Successfully preserving their heritage is a symbol in itself, to these people.

But Verity will soon discover that 'classical' covers pretty much anything from the twentieth to the twenty-second centuries, because City Age people are roughly as discerning when it comes to their ancestors' genres as twentieth-century people are of theirs.

Verity can't hide her smirk, but she nods enthusiastically to the idea of dancing to it. "Yeah, I can dance to it really well. I was born in the twentieth century."

She's not sure if she should be feeling old or amused, so she's going with some of each. It's not a surprise that things she grew up with are going to be treasured classical artifacts here, she expected this intellectually. It's still something of a blow to the feels, though.

"If you like to dance, I might be able to teach you a thing or two about the classical dances invented to go with these songs."

"You'll be in good company. Probably some Guardians were too." If it makes Verity feel any better, a lot of the 'old-time' music around here is to help the resurrected ancients feel at home. ...Okay, maybe that's not comforting.

"Yeah? That sounds great!" Her enthusiasm is immediate. New dances to try out on precarious points in the wilderness! And in front of enemy artillery! "Okay, so we get outside and follow our audios. Or ears, in your case."

"Yeah?" Do they remember it? She wonders how different theirs was. They never had a Rick Jones era. She's met a surprising number of people who've been dead for a while, so she's trying to be philosophical about that sort of thing. Whatever makes people feel comfortable.

"I didn't know you like to dance too." Verity's never danced on a battlefield, but Blaze would get along smashingly with Starlord. "Follow the music?"

“Sure. I mean, even the non-Exos don’t remember a whole lot, but there’s no expiry date on a potential Guardian.”

She’s unconsciously picking up the pace as they head back toward the hallway of artifacts. “Exactly! Everyone likes to dance, don’t they? You can bet they’ll be playing music somewhere upstairs. Might even have the instruments with them, that’d be something.”

Badass coat, wild adventures, sweet moves: Starlord would totally be hailed as one of their own.

"Huh. Do... you remember when you were born?" She hopes that's an okay thing to ask.

Verity will hustle to keep up with Blaze at this pace. "Most people. Some people just don't know how to have a good time." The excitement is contagious. Her love of dancing and her curiosity about what they consider culturally significant combine to make a powerful motivator.

Blaze can be the Starlord of her people. She can even bring a Groot home.

"The first time? Nah. Been rebooted a few times since then It's the same with every Exo." If it's personal, Blaze is pretending otherwise. Besides, it's hardly a secret when everyone has it.

The Ghost moves over to Verity's side so it can keep an eye for signs they're going too fast. "Well, I'm in favor of a good time." It's not planning to be in on the dance, but it can appreciate their fun vicariously. That might be what Blaze is for.

Bring home the Groot. Become legend.

She'll let it pass without further comment. It's maybe not a secret around the City, but it's all a mystery to her still. But not every mystery needs to be solved.

Ghost gets a smile. She's been going running with Samus so much, she's pretty sure she can keep up with Blaze for a while. She'll get to rest in the elevators, after all. "Then it's unanimous. Next time you two have a great victory, you'll have to tell me, and we'll throw an epic party to celebrate." Catering will be easier with Nexus resources.

Verity's always believed Blaze would be famous.

Ghost will be keeping watch all the same. After all, Verity's had those shots and who knows if Blaze will remember to ask if she's getting hungry?

"Yeah? It'll have to be something special to spend a whole night celebrating." Blaze laughs. Not to mention figuring out all that catering stuff, but she's not taking the suggestion so seriously as to ask those practical questions. "Why don't you throw a party sometime? You must have birthdays and things."

Blaze always figured there'd be a bloody last stand involved, but Bringer of Groot is a good title until she can find one.

Ghost is thoughtfulness personified. Maybe not entirely in a poetic fashion either.

"I don't really celebrate my birthday usually. And I don't think Naugus would like me inviting a bunch of people over, he prefers things quiet." The joys of having a roommate. "When there's something to celebrate, though, I will definitely throw a party."

Verity would prefer there not be a bloody last anything for Blaze. It's not something she likes to think about, as much as she needs to accept how likely it is for so many people she knows.

“Good!” There will be parties and this is the main thing. Blaze keys the door open while she asks out of curiosity, “Naugus is that… sort of warlock guy, right? With the wings? Maybe he’d want to join in.”

She’s heard about Naugus. Verity may deduce she hasn’t heard much detail beyond ‘the magic guy with bat wings who makes portals’ and ‘for a good time, ask him what species he is’. Verity may also deduce Blaze is the best roommate ever. Or would be if she, you know, used her room ever.

They’re not alone when they emerge into the shadowed hall: there’s a Hunter by the Ahamkara bones, holding the real one up to his hooded face and cocking his head to listen.

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https://youtu.be/ZyyybBfNHfE

I am so happy that link was exactly what I hoped it was :D

Well, it had to be done. :D Ball's live, btw.

OK, let's see if I can get back to all my threads now. :P

You know it's a wild party when... :P

I woke up two weeks later and there are white rabbits everywhere

And even the flamingos are being agreeable.

They're still refusing to play croquet though. ):

Well eff that, I'm going to teach the giraffes how to play soccer.

I'll get the popcorn.