Chapter 5: Grievance, Part 1

Lintro set his cup down in the mess hall of the Aegis. Malinna sat adjacent from him while contemplating mission reports and signals analysis they received from their contact with in The Cult of Ball. As her eyes darted from page to page of the Cult’s report she elegantly riffled through pages of detailed text resulting in a structured, but albeit insane, organization. Her brow furrowed as she struggled to decode the meaning of the words in front of her. Agitated, she gently stacked the papers back together and set the two piles of separate reports to the side of the table. Malinna focused her attention on Lintro with tired but kind eyes. “You’re going to spill coffee on my work again.” She said flatly with a slight smile. “It was one time!” He retorted. “They turned out okay anyway… Even though the imagery had a bit of a brown hue afterwards.” Lintro carefully cradled his mug as he took a long and slow sip taking extra care as the steam from the hot liquid caressed his brow. Malinna chortled over her lover’s past clumsiness, he always listened to her after retorting playfully. Lintro’s stubbornness to admitting fault would always be canceled out by her own playful charm diminishing his will to fight. The two complimented each other well in that regard. After all, the two were Bonded together through a cherished tradition practiced back on their home world. The Warlock subconsciously fiddled at the pendent she received in exchange of a gift of her own during their ceremony. Particles under the influence of quantum entanglement resided in their separate pendants as a form of symbolism of their link to each other rather than serving a practical use. Lintro danced around the sensitive subject on both of their minds, “So she’s still in her room then?” Malinna nodded slightly, her features darkening with a tinge of melancholy. “It’s been three days since we killed Oryx. What he said must have shaken her deeply.” “His fortunes were oddly specific.” Lintro swirled his bitter drink inside the mug almost spilling it. He then slyly recovered taking note that his Bond wasn’t watching that time. “As far as we know, only the Vex have an understanding of future events. Do you think he somehow apprehended that power through his Taken?” Malinna contemplated the idea briefly while coming to the conclusion that neither of them would truly know. “Not sure, but if Oryx did have that capability he would have been able to counter our advance right?” Lintro accepted that logic and halted any further entertainment of the idea. “Still,” he continued, “Zvika.” Malinna moved to reassure her lover. “She may not say much but she’s strong. Your sister will be fine.” The Titan smiled at her kind words, and even though it was a little forced, she did make him feel better. Even if it was just a little. The door to Zvika’s room ascended with a heavy thud. Malinna instantly saw distress in the girl’s eyes and noted the small smudges of eyeliner giving away her recently dried tiers. Zvika sulked towards the small table where her comrades conversed. She grabbed her arm in embarrassment, unsure if the two knew exactly how long she had been mourning in her room. Lintro saw the disposition of his lover change then immediately noted the solemn walk in his sister’s steps. The Titan moved towards the pantry to fetch some jerky and apples, Zvika’s favorite snacks. Quickly rummaging through the assortment of preserved food, he grabbed a few sticks of meat and hurried towards his sister while taking a bite of jerky, unfortunately he ate the last apple earlier. Lintro handed the majority to his sulking sister and seated her at the island in their mess hall. Tears gently trickled from the Huntresses cheek as she silently wept in her momentary depression. She softly rested her head on the table as she accepted the comforting arm of her brother. “This bad again?” Malinna asked softly. The Warlock ran her fingers through Zvika’s thick black hair after brushing a lock away from her face. Light sniffles were the only sounds Zvika made as her features grew more defensive while accepted the comforting embraces of her family. During times like these, she rarely spoke of what was really bothering her. This left Lintro and Malinna to speculate her trauma inaccurately, however the two could take a well placed guess. Zvika was the only one of the original seven that was brought back to life after their arrival to this strange realm, and the news that her lover didn’t make it after their original group was attacked by an overwhelming power compounded the poor girl’s sense of loss. It left her with night terrors awaking her in a cold sweat and moments throughout the day where she broke down from the weight of her unending psychological stress. If it wasn’t for her insistence on joining the two in battle, Malinna would never have let her leave the space station for fear of battle compounding her ordeal. A small buzzer droned a soft signal as a report from the Black Fox, the three’s informant inside the Tower on Earth, emanated on the station’s main terminal. Poco, the three’s shared Ghost, announced the message’s arrival detailing the usual title jargon followed by a vocal overlay in their informant’s voice. //BEGIN_FEED//-//RADIAL_A//UNUSUAL_FALLEN_ACTIVITY/BLCKFX//BEGIN_FEED// FALLEN PATROL OF UNKNOWN INTENT LOCATED ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE HIGHWAY GRAVEYARD JUST OUTSIDE THE COSMODROMEE WALL. ON SCENE COMMUNICATION ANALYSIS HAS DETAILED INTEREST IN SOME SORT OF WEAPON. THIS IS USUALLY NOT WORTH MENTIONING BUT DUE TO THE SIZE OF THIS PATROL IT LOOKS LIKE THEY MAY HAVE UNCOVERED SOMETHING BIG. I’D ADVISE CAUTION BUT I’M SURE JUST THE MERE MENTION OF THE ALIEN BASTARDS WILL FIRE UP THAT SPUNKY HUNTER OF YOURS. GIVE ‘EM HELL. //END_FEED//-//RADIAL_A//UNUSUAL_FALLEN_ACTIVITY/BLCKFX//END_FEED// The report finished with the Black Fox’s standard insignia of a sleek silver outline of a fox on a black background. Malinna glanced at the other two in order to gage their reactions. Sure enough, the fact that Fallen, an alien race of four armed zealots hell-bent on the Traveler’s destruction, was the key enemy for this tip caught Zvika’s interest. The Huntress wiped the running mascara from her eyes as she slowly ascended from her seat with newfound resolve. “I’ll get my gun.” She said with a cold steely glare. On the outskirts of the wall bordering the Cosmodrome, the trio of Guardians contemplated their mission. They knew the direction the Fallen were heading as well as the general size of the opposing faction, but not where they were heading or why. The cold Russian air didn’t pose much of a threat to the Guardians due to their advanced armor. However, it was obvious that a snow storm was just on the horizon. Fresh powdery snow veiled the landscape leaving an easy enough trail to follow. The low sun gave the light snowfall a gleaming sparkle as the individual crystals drifted peacefully towards the earth. This calming, peaceful, atmosphere almost alleviated any worry of danger from the trio’s minds as they made their way towards the enemy force. Lintro continued to assess the situation silently to himself taking every aspect into consideration. Why would they be out in this barren part of Old Russia? What lies ahead of the wasteland? Why such a massive offensive? So many questions that could be answered with better reconnaissance intel. Unfortunately, the tower keeps Hunter records and reports under close lock and key. Cayde-6 has always been paranoid in that aspect. Personally Lintro always thought he enjoyed keeping secrets to himself so he could bring them up whenever he wanted to make a situation a bit more dramatic, “The grand reveal,” the Exo would call it. Malinna walked alongside the Titan as she delved into her own thoughts, mostly about Oryx’s words towards the group when they destroyed his physical form. She understood the threatening tone behind the vindictive words the Taken King spat out in his last fight, but did not ascertain to what the meaning behind them was. Generally, in all of the reports received by The Black Fox beforehand, his callous demeanor towards enemies seemed vilipend at best. But to her own group he was spiteful and vindictive. He truly hated our very existence she decided. “Could this be because we killed his son?” The Warlock thought. Yes, she decided. It made sense, but also humanized the Taken King a bit. In that moment of reflection, Malinna felt empathy for the father morning his lost son. Instead of the natural, bitter, antagonistic stance towards her enemy, she wanted to somehow apologize for his turmoil. She, like her comrades, wanted peace. “Lintro?” Malinna interjected as the Titan struggled away from his train of thought to focus on the Warlock. “Do you think Rasputin found a way to activate another derelict Warmind site?” He asked as his thoughts raced. Caught off guard by the sudden question, Malinna decided to let her own thoughts go. “How would you feel if we lost a child of our own?” Is what she wanted to say, but instead she focused on the more apparent matter at hand. “It’s possible,” she began, “Rasputin has surprised us in more than one way before. Like when Zvika first activated the Cosmodrome Array allowing it to re-connect to the inner system.” The Warlock imagined the chaos that unfolded at than exact moment. The surprise on their enemies faces as the Warsats activated and began attacking with prejudice when Rasputin gained whatever ground he could against the Darkness. It made her chuckle slightly and subsequently lifted a little bit of the dread she was feeling earlier. “Zvika?” Lintro turned back to his sister and her Ghost whom were more than a few paces behind the two. “What do you think?” ...