Part 12! Here ya go. And the Master Post is [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/214044178]here[/url]! Regular uploads will be posted every Tuesday and Friday. Enjoy! <Begin Recording> [i]Audio Log 00075[/i] [i]Vera-2[/i] “Vera, please listen to me.” My Ghost was whining about something. I wasn’t paying attention. I pushed my sparrow even faster. “Vera, the vibrations are getting stronger.” “Is that relevant to our current situation?” I didn’t want unnecessary distractions. “Well, not right now. But in the near future---” “Then it can wait,” I said, cutting the Ghost off. “Let’s focus on what directly pertains to our mission. Right now, I need you to pinpoint the source. Can you do that?” I was a little surprised that a fellow machine could get so distracted. But then again, my attention had also once been easily diverted. “Yes. I can.” My Ghost said wearily. We rode in silence. The crystal sea beneath us gave off enough ambient light to see the way ahead. A waypoint appeared on my HUD, straight ahead. A small figure at the bottom of the icon counted down the estimated number of meters between me and my destination. 326 The luminescent ground raced by. 289 I began to make out a faint silhouette in the distance. 265 “Vera! Jump now!” my Ghost shouted. I obeyed instantly, hurling myself into the air. My sparrow exploded, shrapnel glancing off my shields. I landed on the ground unharmed. “What was that?” I demanded. “You’re welcome, first of all,” my Ghost said curtly. “And secondly, those vibrations were causing heavy wear on the inner mechanisms of your sparrow. I would refrain from using any of your weapons, as those might also be susceptible.” “Great,” I said. That put me at a disadvantage if any enemies appeared. “What about my armor?” “As long as I’m here, I can mitigate any wear on your armor.” “Good,” I replied. I began walking ahead. “I’m fine too, thanks for asking,” my Ghost quipped sarcastically. I didn’t respond. The meters continued to tick down as I walked. It was strange that while my sparrow had been affected by the strange sonic field, I was able to walk through unharmed. What was different about me that prevented my body from being torn apart? There it was again, that underlying motif. I had no answers. And any answer I acquired only lead to more questions. I retreated further inward. I shouldn’t waste time and energy on pointless inquiries I had no hope of solving. 100 meters. I saw it. Directly ahead of me, a large metal orb inscribed with strange symbols sat atop a column of crystal. At the column’s base, frozen waves rolled out across the glassy plain for several meters before fading into the smooth surface. Behind the orb, the cavern wall stretched upwards into the dark. I rushed forward. “Ghost, analyze this,” I said excitedly. I stared at the symbols. They were foreign to me, although a part of me felt as if I’d seen them before. I couldn’t shake the feeling. “I think I can turn it off,” the Ghost said. It hovered around the machine, scanning the various runes. “Do it,” I said. We could transport it if it wasn’t constantly emitting powerful vibrations. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.” I threw my hands in the air. “Just do it! We need to get this back to the Tower for study.” My Ghost sighed. “And don’t sigh,” I snapped. “You’re a machine. You don’t have lungs.” “Okay, seriously, Vera?” My Ghost stopped scanning the orb and turned to face me. “I’m not a tool. Neither are you. And I’m not a mindless robot, you know. I have feelings. We’re both more than machines.” It hovered centimeters from my face. “Sorry,” I said in a tone that was decidedly unapologetic. I walked past the Ghost and inspected the orb from different angles. “No, Vera, that doesn’t cut it.” My Ghost followed me like a buzzing fly. “You don’t get to treat me like this.” I remained silent. “What happened to you? I’m the first being you met. I’m the reason you’re alive! I should be like family, and I used to be, too.” It flew in close, staring at me. “Right up until that encounter with the Vex. What changed, Vera? Why are you like this?” My hands clenched in fists. “Shut up!” I shouted angrily at my Ghost. It flew backwards in surprise. “I’m ‘like this’ because I know my place in the world.” I trembled. My throat felt raw. [i]No. You don’t feel[/i]. “I’m a tool and so are you. The Traveller made you and you resurrected me, all so that we could fight as undying weapons of the Light.” I turned away from my Ghost. “I’ve accepted this. I’ve found peace in this. Just do your job and I’ll do mine.” “Vera,” the Ghost said quietly. “I didn’t know that’s what you’ve been going through.” “I don’t want to talk about it,” I said, the words barely making it out. “Look, I don’t want to push you, but this is serious stuff. I think talking about it would help you.” My Ghost flew over my shoulder. “I care about you, Vera.” I shrugged. “I don’t know. Can we just focus on the mission right now? We can talk later.” “Promise?” “Promise.” My Ghost flew back to the machine. “Okay, let’s get this thing switched off.” <End Recording> [spoiler]Moderator edit: This thread has been updated with tags that are more appropriate. Feel free to private message the moderator who moved your post, link to topic, for further clarification about why this topic was moved.[/spoiler]