CHAPTER FIVE
The first time I’d been transmatted, it had felt like I’d been dropped into ice water. This time was far less uncomfortable, feeling more like a sudden, brief chill running up my body. And then I found myself out of the jumpship and standing on the edge of a rather beautiful plaza. Well maintained lawns and plants, marble paths, banners and flags standing tall in the chilly afternoon breeze.
And there were people everywhere. Some were at what looked like shopfronts of some sort, while others were simply kicking a large purple ball around the plaza. After the past few hours, there was something so comforting about seeing normal people doing normal things.
“Welcome to the Tower,” Ghost said as she appeared next to me. “Headquarters of the Vanguard, home of the Guardians.”
“And the last line of defense before the actual City,” I noted, turning to look over my shoulder. From here, the top of the Wall that surrounded the City, the view might have been even better than the flight in. If nothing else, the plaza was aimed directly at the center of the City, and the Traveler floating directly above it. It was very inspiring, and I felt a sudden urge to find and compliment the architect.
Before I could get too absorbed in the view, I turned my attention back to the plaza, and realized that my arrival had drawn some attention. Some of the people had turned away from what they were doing, giving me thoughtful looks. Some even smiled, or gave small waves of welcome.
“We’ve all been where you are right now,” said an oddly accented voice to my left. Glancing that way, I saw a dark skinned woman approaching me, smiling gently. Young, maybe late twenties, early thirties, about a head taller than me, with dark blue hair, and wearing bulky black armour that looked like it was made for charging tanks and winning. Next to her was another Ghost, although this one was a dark red, with a white stripe running around its outer spikes. “Most of us are more than willing to help out at a time like this.”
“And where am I?” I asked, honestly curious as to what her answer would be.
“Newly resurrected in a world that makes no sense, with holes in your mind and a tiny robot telling you you’ve been chosen to fight a mysterious evil.” Coming to a stop in front of me, she held out a hand. “I’m Rebecca.”
‘Holes in your mind.’ That was a phrase with very interesting implications. Shaking her hand, I gave the woman a thoughtful look. “I’m not entirely sure who I am. Something makes me think that’s a common thing with Guardians?”
“All too common, I’m sorry to say. The Ghosts do what they can, but even they have limits, especially when we’ve been dead so long.”
“... Does it come back?” I ask, dreading the answer.
“It varies,” she replied. “Some of us get a lot, some get next to nothing. There’s more than a few thanatonauts researching it, but personally, I’ve found the best option is to just wait and see what shakes loose.” She shrugged slightly, looking apologetic.
Returning the shrug, I give her a lopsided smile. “Well, if nothing else, it’s been so long it’s not likely our personal past is going to be a huge issue, right?”
“Yeah. Yeah, that’s a fact.” I didn’t quite know what to make of the face she made there, but she moved on before I had time to press the issue. “Anyway. When your Ghost requested landing clearance, she said that, in addition needing Kinderguardian orientation, you also needed to speak to the Vanguard about the Fallen?”
Kinderguardian? “That pun is bad and someone should feel bad,” I groaned.
Rebecca shook her head. “I know the guy that came up with it.”
“He’s proud of it,” her Ghost said, revealing that it seemed to have a male voice. I guessed that all the Ghosts got to have individual identities, which seemed only fair. “So very proud.”
“And you’re about to meet him, because he’s your Classes representative on the Vanguard Council,” Rebecca continued, her expression a mix of amusement and irritation. “Which is why I volunteered to help with your orientation. Because if you don’t remember your name, he’s going to give you one.”
“Which he’ll make sure everyone knows,” her Ghost said. “Because he honestly thinks he’s being helpful.”
Considering the kind of name someone that thought ‘Kinderguardian’ was the height of humor would come up with, I couldn’t help but wince. “Exactly,” the taller woman said. “You might want to beat him to the punch, as it were. It’d be a lot harder to shake off a name like… EggplantAvenger.”
“... Like what?”
“You have purple hair. That’s the tamest Cayde style name I could think of,” Rebecca replied. I frowned thoughtfully, trying to pull some of my hair down where I could see it, but was foiled by it being too short. Although I had the odd feeling that it was supposed to be longer.
“Yeah, I can see where you’re coming from.” Glancing over at my Ghost, I smiled. “Any ideas?”
“Um. I suppose Guardian is taken?” she asked.
“That’s a job title, not a name,” I pointed out, trying not to laugh.
“Well then, I can’t think of anything else.”
Laughing, I gave my companion a friendly pat on the shell, before giving the matter some serious thought. “Let’s go with Rose. The rest, I can probably work on later,” I said at last
“You should be good,” Rebecca agreed, before gesturing at the stairs in the center of the plaza. “Now, let’s not keep the Vanguard waiting any longer, hmm?”
***
Just like the plaza, the Hall of Guardians was an impressive sight, especially after the ruins of the Cosmodrome. Polished floors, decorative banners, bookshelfs filled with books and scrolls that, while obviously old and well read, were carefully maintained, and support staff manned the computer workstations around the outside of the room.
In the center of the room, three people stood around a conference table, watching as my Ghost projected a hologram of when the Ketch arrived at the Cosmodrome. Given that at this point, I was really just the dumb muscle tasked with delivering the person who actually knew what was going on, I stayed well back and let the smarter people talk. Instead, I used the chance to look at the men and women Ghost was talking to.
When we’d been in the air, Ghost had told me about the Vanguard. As the central authority for all the Citys defences, both conventional and Traveler-resurrected super soldiers, they were who I’d likely be working for if my fears about conscription were accurate. The chance to see them in person would likely be rare and invaluable. There was an added bonus here. Not only was each of the Vanguard Commanders a different type of Guardian, or ‘class’ as Ghost insisted on calling them, but they were also each one of the three races that called the City home. I couldn’t help but wonder if that was deliberate.
Ikora Rey, the Guardian closest to me, was the human of the trio, wearing an elaborate purple greatcoat. Dark skin, short cropped dark hair, she watched the images with a calm, thoughtful look on her face, hands behind her back. According to Ghost, she was the representative of the Warlocks, Guardians who often focused on the research, the science, although like the name suggested, there was a mystical element to them as well.
At the far end of the table, Zavala was an interesting contrast to Ikora in many ways. His skin was a pale blue, marking him as an Awoken, a descendant of people who’d tried to flee Earth during the Collapse and been changed somehow (Ghost had been very vague on details). As a Titan, the knights and crusaders among the Guardians, he was wearing thick plate armour that my mind could only class as ‘space paladin’. And where Ikora had been calm, he was leaning over the table, glaring at the hologram as if it personally offended him.
And lastly, there was Cayde-6. He seemed oddly cheerful about the news Ghost had brought the Vanguard, idly playing with a knife as he watched. Physically, he was the most bizarre of the trio, given that he was a robot. Exo was the term for them, apparently. Golden Age combat robots that had gained sapience and personality somehow. Theories ranged from the Travelers doing, to a discovery in the Golden Age, to simply going too long without a proper system update. However it had happened, there was now a highly advanced humanoid robot in what looked like rather tattered leather armour in front of me.
Even stranger than that, according to Ghost and Rebecca, he was my superior. The Hunter Representative on the Vanguard. Supposedly, we were the explorers, the adventurers, the ones that would wander off into the unknown to see what was out there. Despite everything, I had to admit, that did sound rather interesting. My gaze lingered on the cloak the man was wearing. Well aged leather, brown with red trim, very nice to look at.
I’d seen a few different people wearing cloaks on the way to the Vanguard. If they were the trademark of the Hunters, things weren’t all bad.
As Ghosts recordings came to an end, my partner floating back from the table, Cayde was the first to speak. While I still lacked the context to fully understand the situation I’d stumbled across in the Cosmodrome, the Exos first words taught me a lot about my new boss. “Whelp, looks like Tevis owes me a looooot of glimmer,” he declared, putting his knife away.
The other two Vanguard Commanders gave him unimpressed looks. Next to me, Rebecca groaned, running a hand down her face. “For chrissakes Cayde…”
Cayde ignored her, rubbing his hands together in glee as I marveled at how well articulated the panels on his face were, to protect such smug satisfaction. “Seriously, he was convinced the Devils were gonna try and push into the South African Zone, maybe try and get into the Cape Town ruins. He was so certain, that I might have made a little wager with him…”
“Cayde,” Zavala said. He barely raised his voice, but he got his point across well enough, and the hunter fell silent. “The Fallen rarely bring their Ketches in where we can see them. If they’re willing to deploy in such force to the Cosmodrome, we need to find their landing zone and deal with it. As soon as possible.”
“And we need to find out why,” Ikora noted. “Riksis has always been cautious, going to great lengths to avoid over committing his forces. A legacy of how he earned his position,” she added, smirking slightly. “He would not take action like this unless he had a very compelling reason.”
Leaning against the table, Cayde nodded. “I’ll call Shiro, see if he can’t track it down for us. After that, Strike?”
“With increased patrols and potential missions in the area,” Zavala agreed. Looking over at Ghost and I. “A fortunate discovery Guardian. Thank you for bringing it to our attention so quickly.”
“Hell of a first day, eh rookie?” Cayde added, grinning at me. “Now, we probably won’t use this footage in our recruitment vids, but considering your Ghost had only just found you, I’d say you did a pretty good job.”
Feeling my face heat up, I quickly nodded. “Thank you sir.”
That comment drew an exaggerated shudder from the Exo. “Ugh, don’t call me sir. Makes me feel all old and respectable.” Next to me, Rebecca didn’t bother to suppress a snort, earning herself a glare from Cayde. “Don’t you have reports to file or something Becky?”
“Oh no sir, as you know, I believe in getting such problems resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible,” she replied, her voice so incredibly polite and respectful I couldn’t help but be impressed by her style. “I was originally planning on heading back to Canberra in the morning, but given Rose’s report, I think I’ll be heading to the Cosmodrome instead. In the meantime, I was planning on helping her settle in.” She looked over at me. “How are you with spicy ramen?”
“I could do ramen,” I admitted. For some reason, Cayde was now giving Rebecca a death glare, helped along by the way his eyes glowed.
“You’re dismissed Guardians,” Zavala said, his voice mild, and Rebecca saluted him before leading me back towards the door.
“Why is it neither of you pull her up when she gets like that?” I heard Cayde ask behind me.
“Because you were sniping at each other long before you took the dare,” Ikora replied, amused, and then we were far enough away I couldn’t listen in any more.
Next to Rebecca, her Ghost pivoted to give her a scolding look. “Must you?”
“Yes, I must,” she said, unconcerned.
I was much more concerned, given that the man she’d just been irritating was apparently my boss. “Can I at least ask what that was all about?” I asked, trying to keep the anger out of my voice.
To her credit, the Titan at least had the grace to look embarrassed. “Ah, yeah, sorry. Don’t worry too much, Cayde-6 always knows to aim at me, and to watch out for splash damage… At least, ever since the Dragon’s Breath incident,” she added with a nostalgic smile. I let a little more irritation slip into my glare, which seems to do the trick. “Right. Anyway, Cayde and I have never gotten along. Lots of history. Back in the old days, we’d take it to the Crucible or such, but these days we’re stuck to verbal sniping.” She chuckled, rubbing at the back of her neck as we walked up the steps back to the plaza. “We have very strong opinions of each other.”
“How so?” I said, stopping at the top of the steps to take in the view of the Traveler again.
“I think he’s a lazy, irresponsible idiot who is nowhere near as funny as he thinks he is, while he thinks I’m a workaholic bitch with a stick the size of the Tower wedged up my ass,” she said cheerfully.
While I paused to take in that image, Ghost decided to join in the conversation. “So, which of you is right?” she asked.
“We’re both a little right, both a little wrong,” she replied with a shrug and a lopsided smile. “Anyway, he wouldn’t normally be quite so irritated. He’d give me shit right back at least. But right now, he’s stuck in there working, while we are going to a really good ramen shop. His favorite ramen shop, in fact,” she noted with an evil grin, setting off across the plaza.
Standing there, I watched her for a moment, then turned to Ghost. “Exos can eat?”
“They were designed to, apparently,” she replied.
“Huh… who designs combat machines to eat food?”
***
Cayde’s favorite ramen shop wasn’t actually that far from his office, located along the northern side of the Tower, in a small commercial lane way. As I used the opportunity to ask Rebecca about the world and the City from a more Guardian perspective than Ghost, I made two discoveries.
First, that I was rubbish with chopsticks, but a fork was socially acceptable in the modern era.
Second, that when someone in the City said that their food was spicy, they weren’t exaggerating. They liked their spices Hot. Thankfully, I’d been smart enough to play it safe and try a milder item on the menu, but I was still dealing with a burning mouth.
Rebecca was clearly amused by my suffering, and I had the distinct feeling she’d seen this happen before, with other new Guardians that didn’t know what to expect. Still, at least she was kind enough to limit herself to a mild smile, while she continued to answer various questions about the world I found myself in now. It was as random an interrogation as the one I gave Ghost on the flight to the City, bouncing from topic to topic, although Rebecca was often able to answer from much more personal experience. On more than one occasion, I was tempted to ask the young looking woman how old she really was, but each time, I backed away from the question.
There were some things I didn’t want to know just yet.
Eventually though, as the sun set and night fell over the City, Rebecca led me deeper into the Tower, through wide, well maintained hallways, into what was clearly a residential area. “I get my own room?” I asked.
“We can hardly kick you out on the street and tell you to find a hotel,” Rebecca replied as we passed a pair of Warlocks that seemed to be studying a strange golden glowing dodecahedron the size of my fist. “And we certainly have the space these days. All Guardians are welcome in the Tower, unless they do something to have the privilege revoked.”
As we came to a stop by a door, I couldn’t help but grin. “I’ll try not to be that stupid. Thanks.”
Her return smile was much more gentle. “Like I said earlier, we’ve all been there. If I can do something to make it a little easier, I’ll take it. If anything comes up, your Ghost has my comm number.”
“Right.” On an impulse, I darted forward and gave the taller woman a hug, which she returned with a soft laugh. It felt nice, but also a little odd, like I wasn’t used to being the shorter one in such an embrace. And then I stepped back, she smiled, before turning and setting off down the corridor.
“Nice woman,” Ghost commented.
“Even if she hates my new boss,” I noted, before pressing the door control and stepping inside. There wasn’t anything too surprising on the other side. Just a simple single bedroom apartment with all the basic furnishings. “I guess this is home for the moment.” Glancing over at Ghost, I smiled. “It’ll do. Now,” I continued, considering my gauntlets, “just how do I get the rest of this getup off…”
“Oh, allow me!” Ghost said. The now familiar light of transmatting ran over my body, feeling like nothing more than a brief breeze this time. A moment later, as I looked at golden brown skin, I realized it was because Ghost hadn’t transmatted me, just my equipment. “I’ve converted all your armour back into engram form for storage in my data core,” she announced.
And then I looked down. “Yes. All my armour,” I said, keeping my voice level.
“... Oh. Right. Clothes. Well, at least I didn’t do it outside?”
Resisting the urge to try and strangle her, or at least glare, I stalked towards what I suspected was the bathroom. Inside, I found everything I expected. Shower, toilet, sink and a sizeable mirror, which was my primary target right now. Coming to a halt in front of the sink, I got my first look at myself.
Light, golden brown skin, features I’d say were of a mixed heritage at best. A nice face, not brilliant, but hardly likely to scare people. Short cropped purple hair, which was currently a rather messy heap on top of my head. Purple eyes too, and at a guess, I’d put my age as somewhere in the mid to late twenties. Once again, I felt that sense of oddness as I considered my face, and then the somewhat slender, athletic body it was attached to. It felt… off. Younger than I’d expected, shorter too. At least the face felt mostly right, if too young. “Maybe it’s just self esteem issues,” I said, glancing down at my chest.
Considering that for a moment, I cracked up laughing, turning towards the shower.
The first time I’d been transmatted, it had felt like I’d been dropped into ice water. This time was far less uncomfortable, feeling more like a sudden, brief chill running up my body. And then I found myself out of the jumpship and standing on the edge of a rather beautiful plaza. Well maintained lawns and plants, marble paths, banners and flags standing tall in the chilly afternoon breeze.
And there were people everywhere. Some were at what looked like shopfronts of some sort, while others were simply kicking a large purple ball around the plaza. After the past few hours, there was something so comforting about seeing normal people doing normal things.
“Welcome to the Tower,” Ghost said as she appeared next to me. “Headquarters of the Vanguard, home of the Guardians.”
“And the last line of defense before the actual City,” I noted, turning to look over my shoulder. From here, the top of the Wall that surrounded the City, the view might have been even better than the flight in. If nothing else, the plaza was aimed directly at the center of the City, and the Traveler floating directly above it. It was very inspiring, and I felt a sudden urge to find and compliment the architect.
Before I could get too absorbed in the view, I turned my attention back to the plaza, and realized that my arrival had drawn some attention. Some of the people had turned away from what they were doing, giving me thoughtful looks. Some even smiled, or gave small waves of welcome.
“We’ve all been where you are right now,” said an oddly accented voice to my left. Glancing that way, I saw a dark skinned woman approaching me, smiling gently. Young, maybe late twenties, early thirties, about a head taller than me, with dark blue hair, and wearing bulky black armour that looked like it was made for charging tanks and winning. Next to her was another Ghost, although this one was a dark red, with a white stripe running around its outer spikes. “Most of us are more than willing to help out at a time like this.”
“And where am I?” I asked, honestly curious as to what her answer would be.
“Newly resurrected in a world that makes no sense, with holes in your mind and a tiny robot telling you you’ve been chosen to fight a mysterious evil.” Coming to a stop in front of me, she held out a hand. “I’m Rebecca.”
‘Holes in your mind.’ That was a phrase with very interesting implications. Shaking her hand, I gave the woman a thoughtful look. “I’m not entirely sure who I am. Something makes me think that’s a common thing with Guardians?”
“All too common, I’m sorry to say. The Ghosts do what they can, but even they have limits, especially when we’ve been dead so long.”
“... Does it come back?” I ask, dreading the answer.
“It varies,” she replied. “Some of us get a lot, some get next to nothing. There’s more than a few thanatonauts researching it, but personally, I’ve found the best option is to just wait and see what shakes loose.” She shrugged slightly, looking apologetic.
Returning the shrug, I give her a lopsided smile. “Well, if nothing else, it’s been so long it’s not likely our personal past is going to be a huge issue, right?”
“Yeah. Yeah, that’s a fact.” I didn’t quite know what to make of the face she made there, but she moved on before I had time to press the issue. “Anyway. When your Ghost requested landing clearance, she said that, in addition needing Kinderguardian orientation, you also needed to speak to the Vanguard about the Fallen?”
Kinderguardian? “That pun is bad and someone should feel bad,” I groaned.
Rebecca shook her head. “I know the guy that came up with it.”
“He’s proud of it,” her Ghost said, revealing that it seemed to have a male voice. I guessed that all the Ghosts got to have individual identities, which seemed only fair. “So very proud.”
“And you’re about to meet him, because he’s your Classes representative on the Vanguard Council,” Rebecca continued, her expression a mix of amusement and irritation. “Which is why I volunteered to help with your orientation. Because if you don’t remember your name, he’s going to give you one.”
“Which he’ll make sure everyone knows,” her Ghost said. “Because he honestly thinks he’s being helpful.”
Considering the kind of name someone that thought ‘Kinderguardian’ was the height of humor would come up with, I couldn’t help but wince. “Exactly,” the taller woman said. “You might want to beat him to the punch, as it were. It’d be a lot harder to shake off a name like… EggplantAvenger.”
“... Like what?”
“You have purple hair. That’s the tamest Cayde style name I could think of,” Rebecca replied. I frowned thoughtfully, trying to pull some of my hair down where I could see it, but was foiled by it being too short. Although I had the odd feeling that it was supposed to be longer.
“Yeah, I can see where you’re coming from.” Glancing over at my Ghost, I smiled. “Any ideas?”
“Um. I suppose Guardian is taken?” she asked.
“That’s a job title, not a name,” I pointed out, trying not to laugh.
“Well then, I can’t think of anything else.”
Laughing, I gave my companion a friendly pat on the shell, before giving the matter some serious thought. “Let’s go with Rose. The rest, I can probably work on later,” I said at last
“You should be good,” Rebecca agreed, before gesturing at the stairs in the center of the plaza. “Now, let’s not keep the Vanguard waiting any longer, hmm?”
***
Just like the plaza, the Hall of Guardians was an impressive sight, especially after the ruins of the Cosmodrome. Polished floors, decorative banners, bookshelfs filled with books and scrolls that, while obviously old and well read, were carefully maintained, and support staff manned the computer workstations around the outside of the room.
In the center of the room, three people stood around a conference table, watching as my Ghost projected a hologram of when the Ketch arrived at the Cosmodrome. Given that at this point, I was really just the dumb muscle tasked with delivering the person who actually knew what was going on, I stayed well back and let the smarter people talk. Instead, I used the chance to look at the men and women Ghost was talking to.
When we’d been in the air, Ghost had told me about the Vanguard. As the central authority for all the Citys defences, both conventional and Traveler-resurrected super soldiers, they were who I’d likely be working for if my fears about conscription were accurate. The chance to see them in person would likely be rare and invaluable. There was an added bonus here. Not only was each of the Vanguard Commanders a different type of Guardian, or ‘class’ as Ghost insisted on calling them, but they were also each one of the three races that called the City home. I couldn’t help but wonder if that was deliberate.
Ikora Rey, the Guardian closest to me, was the human of the trio, wearing an elaborate purple greatcoat. Dark skin, short cropped dark hair, she watched the images with a calm, thoughtful look on her face, hands behind her back. According to Ghost, she was the representative of the Warlocks, Guardians who often focused on the research, the science, although like the name suggested, there was a mystical element to them as well.
At the far end of the table, Zavala was an interesting contrast to Ikora in many ways. His skin was a pale blue, marking him as an Awoken, a descendant of people who’d tried to flee Earth during the Collapse and been changed somehow (Ghost had been very vague on details). As a Titan, the knights and crusaders among the Guardians, he was wearing thick plate armour that my mind could only class as ‘space paladin’. And where Ikora had been calm, he was leaning over the table, glaring at the hologram as if it personally offended him.
And lastly, there was Cayde-6. He seemed oddly cheerful about the news Ghost had brought the Vanguard, idly playing with a knife as he watched. Physically, he was the most bizarre of the trio, given that he was a robot. Exo was the term for them, apparently. Golden Age combat robots that had gained sapience and personality somehow. Theories ranged from the Travelers doing, to a discovery in the Golden Age, to simply going too long without a proper system update. However it had happened, there was now a highly advanced humanoid robot in what looked like rather tattered leather armour in front of me.
Even stranger than that, according to Ghost and Rebecca, he was my superior. The Hunter Representative on the Vanguard. Supposedly, we were the explorers, the adventurers, the ones that would wander off into the unknown to see what was out there. Despite everything, I had to admit, that did sound rather interesting. My gaze lingered on the cloak the man was wearing. Well aged leather, brown with red trim, very nice to look at.
I’d seen a few different people wearing cloaks on the way to the Vanguard. If they were the trademark of the Hunters, things weren’t all bad.
As Ghosts recordings came to an end, my partner floating back from the table, Cayde was the first to speak. While I still lacked the context to fully understand the situation I’d stumbled across in the Cosmodrome, the Exos first words taught me a lot about my new boss. “Whelp, looks like Tevis owes me a looooot of glimmer,” he declared, putting his knife away.
The other two Vanguard Commanders gave him unimpressed looks. Next to me, Rebecca groaned, running a hand down her face. “For chrissakes Cayde…”
Cayde ignored her, rubbing his hands together in glee as I marveled at how well articulated the panels on his face were, to protect such smug satisfaction. “Seriously, he was convinced the Devils were gonna try and push into the South African Zone, maybe try and get into the Cape Town ruins. He was so certain, that I might have made a little wager with him…”
“Cayde,” Zavala said. He barely raised his voice, but he got his point across well enough, and the hunter fell silent. “The Fallen rarely bring their Ketches in where we can see them. If they’re willing to deploy in such force to the Cosmodrome, we need to find their landing zone and deal with it. As soon as possible.”
“And we need to find out why,” Ikora noted. “Riksis has always been cautious, going to great lengths to avoid over committing his forces. A legacy of how he earned his position,” she added, smirking slightly. “He would not take action like this unless he had a very compelling reason.”
Leaning against the table, Cayde nodded. “I’ll call Shiro, see if he can’t track it down for us. After that, Strike?”
“With increased patrols and potential missions in the area,” Zavala agreed. Looking over at Ghost and I. “A fortunate discovery Guardian. Thank you for bringing it to our attention so quickly.”
“Hell of a first day, eh rookie?” Cayde added, grinning at me. “Now, we probably won’t use this footage in our recruitment vids, but considering your Ghost had only just found you, I’d say you did a pretty good job.”
Feeling my face heat up, I quickly nodded. “Thank you sir.”
That comment drew an exaggerated shudder from the Exo. “Ugh, don’t call me sir. Makes me feel all old and respectable.” Next to me, Rebecca didn’t bother to suppress a snort, earning herself a glare from Cayde. “Don’t you have reports to file or something Becky?”
“Oh no sir, as you know, I believe in getting such problems resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible,” she replied, her voice so incredibly polite and respectful I couldn’t help but be impressed by her style. “I was originally planning on heading back to Canberra in the morning, but given Rose’s report, I think I’ll be heading to the Cosmodrome instead. In the meantime, I was planning on helping her settle in.” She looked over at me. “How are you with spicy ramen?”
“I could do ramen,” I admitted. For some reason, Cayde was now giving Rebecca a death glare, helped along by the way his eyes glowed.
“You’re dismissed Guardians,” Zavala said, his voice mild, and Rebecca saluted him before leading me back towards the door.
“Why is it neither of you pull her up when she gets like that?” I heard Cayde ask behind me.
“Because you were sniping at each other long before you took the dare,” Ikora replied, amused, and then we were far enough away I couldn’t listen in any more.
Next to Rebecca, her Ghost pivoted to give her a scolding look. “Must you?”
“Yes, I must,” she said, unconcerned.
I was much more concerned, given that the man she’d just been irritating was apparently my boss. “Can I at least ask what that was all about?” I asked, trying to keep the anger out of my voice.
To her credit, the Titan at least had the grace to look embarrassed. “Ah, yeah, sorry. Don’t worry too much, Cayde-6 always knows to aim at me, and to watch out for splash damage… At least, ever since the Dragon’s Breath incident,” she added with a nostalgic smile. I let a little more irritation slip into my glare, which seems to do the trick. “Right. Anyway, Cayde and I have never gotten along. Lots of history. Back in the old days, we’d take it to the Crucible or such, but these days we’re stuck to verbal sniping.” She chuckled, rubbing at the back of her neck as we walked up the steps back to the plaza. “We have very strong opinions of each other.”
“How so?” I said, stopping at the top of the steps to take in the view of the Traveler again.
“I think he’s a lazy, irresponsible idiot who is nowhere near as funny as he thinks he is, while he thinks I’m a workaholic bitch with a stick the size of the Tower wedged up my ass,” she said cheerfully.
While I paused to take in that image, Ghost decided to join in the conversation. “So, which of you is right?” she asked.
“We’re both a little right, both a little wrong,” she replied with a shrug and a lopsided smile. “Anyway, he wouldn’t normally be quite so irritated. He’d give me shit right back at least. But right now, he’s stuck in there working, while we are going to a really good ramen shop. His favorite ramen shop, in fact,” she noted with an evil grin, setting off across the plaza.
Standing there, I watched her for a moment, then turned to Ghost. “Exos can eat?”
“They were designed to, apparently,” she replied.
“Huh… who designs combat machines to eat food?”
***
Cayde’s favorite ramen shop wasn’t actually that far from his office, located along the northern side of the Tower, in a small commercial lane way. As I used the opportunity to ask Rebecca about the world and the City from a more Guardian perspective than Ghost, I made two discoveries.
First, that I was rubbish with chopsticks, but a fork was socially acceptable in the modern era.
Second, that when someone in the City said that their food was spicy, they weren’t exaggerating. They liked their spices Hot. Thankfully, I’d been smart enough to play it safe and try a milder item on the menu, but I was still dealing with a burning mouth.
Rebecca was clearly amused by my suffering, and I had the distinct feeling she’d seen this happen before, with other new Guardians that didn’t know what to expect. Still, at least she was kind enough to limit herself to a mild smile, while she continued to answer various questions about the world I found myself in now. It was as random an interrogation as the one I gave Ghost on the flight to the City, bouncing from topic to topic, although Rebecca was often able to answer from much more personal experience. On more than one occasion, I was tempted to ask the young looking woman how old she really was, but each time, I backed away from the question.
There were some things I didn’t want to know just yet.
Eventually though, as the sun set and night fell over the City, Rebecca led me deeper into the Tower, through wide, well maintained hallways, into what was clearly a residential area. “I get my own room?” I asked.
“We can hardly kick you out on the street and tell you to find a hotel,” Rebecca replied as we passed a pair of Warlocks that seemed to be studying a strange golden glowing dodecahedron the size of my fist. “And we certainly have the space these days. All Guardians are welcome in the Tower, unless they do something to have the privilege revoked.”
As we came to a stop by a door, I couldn’t help but grin. “I’ll try not to be that stupid. Thanks.”
Her return smile was much more gentle. “Like I said earlier, we’ve all been there. If I can do something to make it a little easier, I’ll take it. If anything comes up, your Ghost has my comm number.”
“Right.” On an impulse, I darted forward and gave the taller woman a hug, which she returned with a soft laugh. It felt nice, but also a little odd, like I wasn’t used to being the shorter one in such an embrace. And then I stepped back, she smiled, before turning and setting off down the corridor.
“Nice woman,” Ghost commented.
“Even if she hates my new boss,” I noted, before pressing the door control and stepping inside. There wasn’t anything too surprising on the other side. Just a simple single bedroom apartment with all the basic furnishings. “I guess this is home for the moment.” Glancing over at Ghost, I smiled. “It’ll do. Now,” I continued, considering my gauntlets, “just how do I get the rest of this getup off…”
“Oh, allow me!” Ghost said. The now familiar light of transmatting ran over my body, feeling like nothing more than a brief breeze this time. A moment later, as I looked at golden brown skin, I realized it was because Ghost hadn’t transmatted me, just my equipment. “I’ve converted all your armour back into engram form for storage in my data core,” she announced.
And then I looked down. “Yes. All my armour,” I said, keeping my voice level.
“... Oh. Right. Clothes. Well, at least I didn’t do it outside?”
Resisting the urge to try and strangle her, or at least glare, I stalked towards what I suspected was the bathroom. Inside, I found everything I expected. Shower, toilet, sink and a sizeable mirror, which was my primary target right now. Coming to a halt in front of the sink, I got my first look at myself.
Light, golden brown skin, features I’d say were of a mixed heritage at best. A nice face, not brilliant, but hardly likely to scare people. Short cropped purple hair, which was currently a rather messy heap on top of my head. Purple eyes too, and at a guess, I’d put my age as somewhere in the mid to late twenties. Once again, I felt that sense of oddness as I considered my face, and then the somewhat slender, athletic body it was attached to. It felt… off. Younger than I’d expected, shorter too. At least the face felt mostly right, if too young. “Maybe it’s just self esteem issues,” I said, glancing down at my chest.
Considering that for a moment, I cracked up laughing, turning towards the shower.