Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Somewhere in a vast tangle of disparate threads, one snaps. Despite the machine's complexity and reach, this one string begins to unravel the entire vast plot.

She awoke, sprawled in the dirt. The first thought she had was that the air smelled strange, like it was wrong for her somehow. She stirred, dragging her body up from the dirt and laid eyes upon a … city. Yes, city that was the word. The city below the cliff on which she stood sat precariously underneath a smooth white orb, scarred in places. Logic said that the orb should probably fall and crush the city but something in her insisted it was too kind for that. She stared at the orb, transfixed, sensing some kind of truth laying hidden within it. She was so transfixed, she almost didn't hear the small tinny voice next to her which asked, "do you… happen to remember who you are by any chance?"

She considered for a moment, claw thoughtfully touching her chin. "Hmmm," she pondered aloud, "I must be someone. I can think, after all. But no, I don't know exactly. Do you?"

The voice came into view. It was a small metal orb with a black glass window, through which she could see a glowing eye. The orb itself was nestled into a cracked geometric shell of some kind. It seemed… so very fragile to her. As though it could be crushed by the slightest squeeze. She decided in that moment that she would protect this small metal voice. From what, precisely, she could not say. But she felt a fierce loyalty nonetheless. The voice then spoke again, nervously saying, "you are, well you were, someone really important. But then you died. I brought you back. I'm a Ghost and that's just sorta what we do. I'm Fynch by the way."

She thought on what Fynch had said and responded, "if I was important, how did I die on this lonely cliff top? And what is my name?"

Fynch averted his eye with an intense anxious energy. Haltingly he responded, almost cringing at the possibility of violence, "your name was Savathûn and you were that City's enemy. I'm not sure what you were doing up here specifically. Your previous self struck a bargain with some powerful people, including the rulers of that city, to help break a pact with something… evil. It seems that process killed her somehow."

She took in everything he said, trying to sort text from subtext. "If I was their enemy, why did they help me," she asked, gesturing towards the City.

"Your past self had a hostage. Also, what you asked them to do destroyed the source of your powers."

"To risk death and to trust the goodwill of my enemies even with a hostage. My past self must have very badly wanted out of the pact you mentioned."

"Yeah. You were secretive in that life. The physical embodiment of the pact, your worm, it forced you to lie and kill to feed its hunger. Some speculate its hunger had grown too great. Others insist that you had an ulterior motive. Whatever it is, the truth died with Savathûn."

"You talk like she and I aren't the same. Why is that? We share the same body, after all. I lack her memories but I feel like I still remember quite a bit."

"It's a cultural thing. When we Ghosts resurrect someone for the first time, they lose their memories. We don't know why. But over time, people got the idea that these resurrections were an opportunity to start over. Some people are forced to do awful stuff by circumstance or just lose their way. It’s sort of messed up to hold someone accountable for stuff they don’t remember doing, right? Though admittedly that rule… isn't always honored.”

“I see." She said, without betraying the strange tangle of emotions Fynch's statement caused. She really had done quite a bit of lying in her past life. "Even if just for the sake of practicality, I suppose I should choose a new name then. Bearing the moniker of someone who had so many enemies feels foolish."

"Uh. Yeah that might be smart. With a billion years of genocide attached to your last name, y'might be more popular with a different one."

"Hm. Any suggestions? My amnesia makes it hard to pick something meaningful."

"Uh… well your previous life was given the name 'Sathona' before she made the deal with the worm gods. Before she served the Darkness. Maybe that one would work? I guess?"

She crossed her arms in thought and said, "Hmm. It has a pleasant texture to it. Why not? I'll go by Sathona for now." Her face settled into a grin in spite of herself. A strange giddy feeling rose up in her. She knew, on some level, that new experiences made her happier than anything. And now, everything could be new.

Fynch gave a small shiver in the air and said, "that's… slightly disturbing." Sathona tilted her head quizzically and Fynch clarified, "usually when Hi- your species smiles at a Ghost, terrible things are about to occur."

Sathona paused for a moment at that thought and then laughed, saying, “well, we’ll just have to change that association won’t we?”

Sathona had been like a machine testing the limits of her power. However, she kept her attempts small, trying to stay under the radar. Her time was spent on the other side of the mountain range which bordered the Last City. Fynch was away, as he said he knew of a Guardian who could understand Sathona’s situation. In his absence, Sathona observed the terrain near her, sensing how the Light emanating from the Traveler was subtly nourishing the life in its presence. The biodiversity of the surrounding region was startling. Something buried deep in her said that Earth's biodiversity, while impressive overall, couldn't compare to the places directly touched by Light. She hypothesized that very shortly, in the geologic timeframe, life in this place would begin to evolve around the Light. She hoped she could be around to see that. It seemed fascinating.

It was a few days later that Fynch returned. "Heyyy Sathona. I got a hold of the guy! There's good news and bad news. The good news is that he's been in your situation. The bad news is that your previous life basically made his a living hell before he was a Guardian and then continued to manipulate him after he became a Guardian."

"That doesn't sound ideal, but at least he's a Guardian and won't remember what Savathûn did to him," she replied, with a wave of the claw to illustrate that she considered the point sound and clever.

"About that…"

"Fynch… Was there more bad news you didn't mention?"

"Youuuur past life? Yeah she gave him his previous memories back. I think she mighta been experimenting to try and uh… stop you from existing basically."

Sathona's face fell. "This feels like pertinent information, Fynch. I mean, what if he tries to get revenge?"

"Well then it's a good thing you've been practicing! And are huge. And I- look here he comes!"

Sathona shot her Ghost a venemous glance. Ok, seems my power set doesn't include poisoning people with a look. Her thoughts were interrupted by an indescribable whine layered under a roar that resembled a normal jumpship's propulsion superficially. Sathona could tell the craft was suffused with Light. It was different to the other jumpships she had observed. She flexed her claws and wings. She was likely twice his height but she had no idea how skilled he was with the Light. They both faced unknowns, but a battle with uncertainties is a battle won by knowledge and she was a little lacking at the moment. Her second chance could be very, very short if he decided revenge seemed worthwhile.

As the ship touched down, its canopy opened. Inside was an Awoken man presently bickering with a Ghost in a magenta shell. Sathona could overhear bits and pieces as the engines cut off. “Glint really, we could have walked here.”

“There’s a mountain in the way, Crow and any-” the Ghost’s voice cut off completely. He began speaking again but with an irrepressible quaver in his voice, “Crow turn around.” The Awoken Guardian - this Crow - turned his head. Even as the head continued to turn his eyes went wide. Sathona was under the impression that human eyes couldn’t actually open that wide. Learning new things all the time. Then Crow’s arm was reaching for a weapon. In one smooth motion that Sathona could only just follow, Crow bailed from the ship and was firing a large revolver. The first shot grazed the chitin of Sathona’s shoulder. Something told her that almost all humans see in a fairly narrow spectrum roughly analogous to Solar Light. A flick of her claw created a flash before he could walk his aim from her shoulder onto her head. The second and third shots went wide as he grunted in pain. Quickly, she took to the air. Even if he noticed her wings, he didn’t have any meaning it was unlikely his instincts would think to track her upwards first. Two more shots. How many rounds did his weapon carry before reloading? Could he reload with the Light itself? Too many variables. She dove. This fight had to end before he could surprise her. She landed, perhaps a little too hard, and put one claw around his small neck.

“I’m very sorry about this, but if you add extra holes to my head, we’ll have trouble talking.”

“And why,” Crow began, voice dripping with enough venom to kill a creature many times Sathona’s size, “would I want to talk to you ever again?”

Suddenly, a quiet voice from behind Crow murmured, “Crow. She used the Light. You don’t think-”

“Glint what are you doing? Get to safety!” Crow yelled, desperation seeping into his voice.

Fynch materialized in front of Crow, “Hey, uh, sign of good faith? Yeah hi. Name’s Fynch.”

Crow slackened in confusion and muttered, “Wait I know you. You’re the one who came looking for help for his new Guardian. You came to me because- because- no.” He finished with a very quiet voice.

“If you promise to be nice, I can let you go. I don’t think either of us will be able to have a comfortable conversation this way, though you more than me I imagine.” Crow holstered his weapon and put his hands up. Sathona released him and leaned against the ship casually. Crow couldn’t tell what was more ridiculous, Savathûn-the-Guardian leaning casually against his jumpship or that he was actually listening to a word she had to say. 

Fynch was the first to speak. "Yeah so… y'know how Ghosts kinda know but also don't really know who our Guardian are until we find them? About a week ago I found Sathona here dead as a doornail on a cliff overlooking the City and - trust me - my figurative stomach dropped when that little light clicked on after I don't even know how many centuries. The Traveler's will sure is strange and unknowable, huh?"

Sathona shrugged and added, "I was naturally disoriented but, well, Fynch here advised me against heading into the City to ask questions. Based on your greeting, I see why."

Crow ran a hand through his hair, eyes wide in shock trying to process this news. Glint floated up to check on Crow. "So you- and- the first non-human Guardian is you? "

"Apparently so," Sathona commented wryly. "I only know the rough shape of my past self's… misdeeds. But Fynch here warned me - rather late I might add - that I'd wronged you, or Savathûn did anyway. I don't know much about myself, and I don't know entirely why she did what she did. I just hope to undo some of the damage she did."

"So you're really a Lightbearer?" Crow said with lingering disbelief. Sathona casually summoned an orb of Solar Light, transmuted it into a ball of pure Light and tossed it between them, healing any wounds the two had. With a shaking voice, Crow replied "... Point taken. Hive magic can't- I- Reality sure has a strange sense of humor. Wait, you learned how to heal with the Light in a matter of days?!" 

Sathona shrugged and replied, "apparently my past self was rather adept with its equal and opposite. So perhaps I was raised with some lingering, transferable skills. That and I've been practicing on the animals near here."

"You what?" Crow asked flatly.

"Well they certainly seemed grateful for their sudden lack of wounds," she said airily.

"... Honestly that of all things has me convinced. If this was a trick, I doubt you'd go to all this trouble to not also hide your personality. Oh, Light this is- what on Earth am I going to do here?"

"Don't look at me," Sathona shot back. "You know better than I do in this department."

Crow sighed, already exhausted. This was going to be an uphill battle. On many , many fronts. "Ok I'll figure something out along with Glint and Fynch. It will be somewhat difficult to keep this under wraps until I can guarantee your safety given that I spend a considerable amount of time lately around psychics but…" I'm going to be better than those Guardians who mistreated me , he finished in the safety of his mind.

Chapter Text

Europa was damnably cold and bitter, Sathona decided. No place could be less fit for her. It was a dead rock full of dead things and fully suffused by the Darkness. At roughly 20 feet tall, there was no way she would fit in a jumpship. So unless she wanted to stay trapped on Earth until someone was kind enough to design, build, and gift her a custom ship, she had to make do with the Hive magic she knew. After some mild experimentation and one unfortunate explosion, she had reverse engineered the spell to accept the Light as power. So for her first jump, she had followed coordinates provided by Crow for someone who could get her an "in" with the Vanguard. She tried to wait for him to arrive first and explain things, but in her haste to try the spell out, she neglected to consider the possibility that her portal through the Ascendant Plane would be instantaneous even across the vast distance to Europa. As such, she arrived alone, greeted by the shocked faces of a bearded man, an Exo, and a woman with three eyes. Before she could finish the thought, ah I wonder if she knows me , Sathona ducked a blast of something Dark. She took to the sky to evade, as the cold blast of Dark energy was joined by gunfire. The greeting she received was about as hospitable as the moon itself. Is there anyone in this damn solar system that I didn’t hurt, traumatize, or otherwise wrong?! 

Before things could escalate any further, Crow transmatted into the middle of the chaos already in progress. All he could say was, “oh shit I didn’t think you’d get here before me.”

“Yes, well, we'll know for the future. Mind helping out a little?” Sathona called back, in the middle of dodging another volley from the trio. She likely could have resolved the situation herself but was making an admirable attempt to avoid creating a mess. It would be hard to negotiate a way in if one of the people she needed to talk to was vaporized.

Crow turned to them and called out, “hold on hold on! Stop shooting for a damn second!”

Perhaps solely out of sheer bafflement, the so-called Dark Vanguard ceased fire and turned as one to stare at Crow. Eris was first to speak, “Crow… Are you… talking to Savathun?”

“Ok, it’s a long story but you’ve got to trust me that she is not Savathun..." And after a pause he added, "anymore.”

Landing nearby now that her life was no longer in danger, Sathona waved her claw by way of a greeting, and said, “You can call me Sathona. I died but then Fynch here brought me back.” She punctuated that statement by holding her claw out for Fynch to materialize into. He tilted slightly in her grasp as though to say, “ta dah!”

7 baffled eyes fixed on Sathona. Then they turned to Crow. Finally back to Sathona. Drifter turned to look at Elsie and said, “hey Bray. This happen in any of your other timelines?” Elisabeth Bray could only shake her head in bafflement. Something had changed drastically for this cycle to turn out this way.  

"Crow," Eris began icily, "explain this."

"What Sathona said is true. She's a Lightbearer. Fynch is her Ghost. I checked into her story. Tracked her path up to the cliff she died on and I found a lot of Hive blood spilled on the ground. And… this," Crow pulled a forearm-length sliver of crystalline material out of a pouch. He walked over and passed it to Eris.

"This is… a piece of Savathûn's chrysalis. And it must have been embedded over a foot into her body, based on the traces of blood. Depending on where it was embedded, that could most certainly have killed a wormless Hive. But… then… if she could simply die in the middle of a scheme…" Eris's voice fell. By the end of her statement, Eris's voice was hollow. Her vengeance was stolen by a freak accident. To learn that even gods can die from a little bit of shrapnel and bad luck… Drifter looked over and could have sworn that the ichor ran a little thicker at that point. He opted not to say anything then. He'd probably crack a stupid joke later to check on her status.

Realizing how far she'd let the mask slip, Eris recovered her composure, handing the crystal back to Crow brusquely and asking, "so why is it that you bring her here? What do you want from us?"

Crow steeled himself and asked, "I know that you and Ikora are still close in spite of everything. I would like for you to arrange a meeting. Preferably-"

"Preferably somewhere less cold… and Dark…" muttered Sathona. Crow pretended not to have heard.

"Preferably somewhere away from both Earth and the Hive." He paused and thought for a moment before adding, "and also ideally yes, less cold and Dark."

Eris gave Crow a withering state and replied, "I can arrange something. But you will need to make it worth my time and effort."

"And what could either of us have to offer worth arranging a personal meeting with one of the leaders of the City?" Asked Sathona, incredulously. Crow tried in vain to shoot her a glance before she finished the sentence.

Eris simply smiled an unsettlingly toothy smile, and Sathona felt her blood run cold.

"Eris. While I usually enjoy your surprises, most don't call for me to personally travel to Nessus. What's the occasion?" asked Ikora, perhaps a little more brusquely than necessary. She had been busy lately cleaning up after Mara's exorcism stunt and working all hours to keep the alliance with Caiatl intact from the shadows.

Unusually guarded even for her, Eris replied, "Crow came to me about a… unique recruit."

"And neither of you simply sent-" Ikora sighed. "You and Crow. Ok. Let me guess, the first non-human Guardian is Hive?" She said sarcastically.

A voice from behind Ikora muttered, "well, technically if my reading material is correct, 'Hive' are specifically Krill who host paracausal worms. So technically, I'm the first Krill Guardian."

The hair stood up on the back of Ikora's neck. Turning around, she found herself at roughly thigh-height with a chitin-plated giant. "Eris…"

"You can understand why I insisted on all the secrecy, though, right?" Sathona purred. "I have it on good authority - and some experience - that my only option was to ambush you. Peacefully."

A thousand possibilities raced through Ikora's head. Was Eris compromised? No. Despite her feelings for Eris, Ikora trusted that the Exo Stranger would do what was necessary if the worst occurred. Was Crow compromised? Possible as she was looking at the smiling true form of his mentor. Was she actually a Lightbearer with a Ghost? It was frankly the most ridiculous option. Based on all recent events, the most ludicrous outcome would probably come true but she needed proof- "if you're a Lightbearer, show me your Ghost."

"Hm. If that's what it takes…" Sathona mused and theatrically flexed a claw to summon Fynch. 

"I-Ikora! Hi! Uh I'm uh…" Fynch cleared his throat, or at least emulated it, and continued, "I- I'm Fynch. And Sathona here is my Guardian. I'm so excited to be working with the Vanguard finally!"

Ikora's face was a mask of placid calm. With meditative emptiness, she replied "you aren't just yet. And technically she's not a Guardian unless she works for the Vanguard. But it's a pleasure to meet you both." Behind the veil of false niceties, Ikora's mind was racing. She had a Ghost in tow but that proved nothing. Eris and Crow's word proved something but what that was remained unclear. Any trail of evidence could be fabricated, especially with an eon to plan. This meeting itself could have been preordained and set in motion by Savathûn thousands of years ago. But something bothered Ikora. A nagging detail, like a splinter. 

But the more she teased the thought, the harder it was to ignore her suspicion. Why the name "Sathona"? It was trying too hard to distance this Lightbearer from her past as Savathûn. It spoke to an optimistic naivete which would be difficult for a billion year-old goddess of cunning to fake. Not impossible, but risky in a way which seemed lacking in the artifice Ikora expected. And while there was an argument to be raised that the most effective play against Ikora was to play this card, the threadbare edges of the story made it feel worn and authentic. People telling the truth don't carefully prune loose strings in their story. Leaps in logic or gaps in reasoning were often the hallmark of truth when talking to an experienced liar. Ikora had doubts that even Savathûn would intentionally leave holes in her story to trap a woman as suspicious as Ikora. She'd hide her weaknesses. She'd deflect. The hardest thing for Ikora to believe was that there was no angle, no play here. But the evidence was starting to point in the least likely possibility.

"So…" Sathona began, somewhat expectantly, "do I pass muster? Fit for duty?"

Ikora felt it was time to ask the most important question. "Why this? Why the Vanguard? Why not simply go solo? You've got powers aplenty. It sounds like you have access to your old Hive magic as well. So in the end, why tie yourself down? Why not simply carve out a fiefdom of your own and become a power all to yourself?"

"I had considered that to be clear. From what I've learned since my resurrection, I must have a Throne World waiting for me. In theory, I've also got an army loyal to me just sitting around somewhere. But then I think, that sounds like work. Running anything of an appreciable size, even if you delegate as much as possible, becomes everything you are. Power serves itself. Even when wielded, it seeks to grow itself and it creates enemies. I don't want that, honestly. So I'll give you a trade. My skills and powers, and what knowledge I can dredge up out of this brain. And what you can provide is access to novelty. As I understand it, I'm now immortal. So long as I keep little Fynch here alive and happy, I've got it made, really. So it's my goal to fill that eternity with novelty. Oh. And safety. Those walls seem pretty high and sturdy. And guarded by other beings with these incredible powers? That's my best bet for the easy life of learning all there is to know."

Ikora could have been knocked over with a feather hearing that. The former Witch Queen of the Hive, now a freewheeling Guardian more interested in light reading than seeking power? A thought gnawed at Ikora. I was so bothered by Crow. I distanced myself from him because he reminded me of Uldren. And so here I am, looking at the visage of Savathûn, the monster who had stolen my mentor and used his identity to perform unthinkable evil. Why the hell am I not more bothered? Why didn't this turn my stomach, set me off? What has changed? Is it that Osiris still lives? It couldn't be that. After all, Uldren merely killed Cayde and Sundance. Savathûn hollowed Osiris out and wore his form. He endured unknown torment in her custody. But she dismissed those thoughts. The discomfort she did or did not feel, the moral angle to this, that was unimportant. What was important was this opportunity to put one of the most singularly powerful entities in the known universe on a Vanguard leash. No, more accurately, it was said entity offering said leash. The rational choice was simple, especially at a time when turnover in Guardian ranks was reaching worrying levels. Maybe a living superweapon was what they needed.

After a mere moment Ikora regained her composure and said, with some amusement, "you wouldn't be the first Guardian with those same priorities. Though your existence may qualify for a diplomatic incident all its own. Still, let me sort some things out. We can absolutely make use of your power. Let me see what I can do in the meantime about keeping you out of the elements."

"Much obliged. The elements don't exactly bother me, but I'm sure it would be nice to take a break from constant vigilance."

"Remind me to show you how to render yourself invisible with Void Light. Could come in handy. For both of us." A piece of Ikora, one she had buried further and further down as she continued to lead the Hidden, screamed that this was wrong. What will Zavala say? What will Saint say? What will Osiris say when he wakes up? Guilt was always a constant companion she tried very hard to keep gagged, bound, and locked away.

What am I supposed to do, she asked her conscience, leave her out in the cold and free for the taking? Or Taking? No. This was a free agent who needed to be locked down. The City was safer if she was ostensibly loyal to it. Otherwise they risked one of the single most powerful individuals in the known universe again becoming their enemy. Only this time, she would have everything they had access to and more. Any way they could prevent her from deciding it was worth it to return to her old life would need to be pursued. She knew intellectually she was correct. But emotions did not respect evidence and rhetoric. Zavala will listen to reason no matter how he grumbles. Saint will listen to Osiris and Osiris… He'll understand. He has to. He always believed in putting the City first, even when the City itself refuses to understand. After a moment of pondering she thought, perhaps this will be the beginning of my own exile.

Chapter Text

The Martian forward firebase for Hidden operations against Hive on Mars - codenamed Firebase Delphinus - was being overrun. Their only warning of the incoming waves of Taken was the telltale sterile neutrino scatter which preceded their teleportation. No intelligence indicated their presence on the planet and no prior information suggested they had operated on Mars before its disappearance. But someone, or something, had taken great umbrage with their presence. The tide of shadows persisted as they expended everything in their arsenal to hold the line. No matter how many grenades, or how many rockets, or how many magazines were thrown their way, they still advanced. The Hidden team was quickly reduced to brutal hand-to-hand fighting. Despite looking immaterial, their forms still had resistance when slashed. Their claws still ripped. Their fists still crushed. 

Ricardo, a Titan, was first to fall. He had rushed to erect a barricade between a wounded Warlock, Niobe, and the Minotaur which had blasted her. The formerly mechanical monstrosity had initially been repelled only to tear through the hard light like paper. It tore through Ricardo soon after. Niobe was next to fall, detonating a Nova Bomb at point-blank to erase the remainder of the first wave. Carolus, the Hunter, attempted to cover their Ghosts during the revival process, but a second wave spawned in too soon. Carolus grabbed the Ghosts physically and desperately attempted to flee under cover of invisibility. Carolus prayed to whoever would listen that the second fireteam returned in time.

His heart fell, however, when the thin sunlight of the Martian evening was blotted out by four broad wings attached to a titanic humanoid shape. A Hive of enormous proportions descended upon the battlefield. But Carolus was given pause when he saw the Taken look up as though this new arrival was unexpected. More unexpected was when the enormous Hive waved a claw, resulting in a veritable spray of flaming blades spraying into the assembled Taken, cutting down most of their number. To remove the stragglers, the newcomer threw Arc blasts. Carolus stared, mouth agape at the apocalyptic scene. What had nearly torn his fireteam apart was now reduced to constituent particles floating on the breeze. He gripped his comrade's Ghosts tightly, as though his grip could protect them from whatever was happening. Gray, Niobe's Ghost, hissed a whisper directed at nobody saying, "that's not Hive magic. It's Light."

"What, are you sure? REALLY sure?" Carolus whispered back.

"Carolus. I can see in spectra you don't even know about. Yes. I'm sure."

A third wave of Taken spawned. They were not even given the chance to see the flying Hive before a Nova Bomb vaporized their center, dragging the remainder into a snarking vortex of gravitic force. There was no fourth wave. The Hive descended slowly, gently touching down into the red soil and offering a claw. Then the Hive asked, with a surprisingly gentle tone, "is everyone still alive? I came as soon as I could."

In absolute bafflement, Carolus released the Ghosts and accepted the Hive Lightbearer's claw, pulling himself up to his feet. Too stunned to think clearly he responded, "uh. No. Niobe and Ricardo are dead but I saved their Ghosts- wait who the hell are you?"

"Oh right. I suppose I'm still somewhat surprising. I'm Sathona. Ikora sent me to reinforce after your distress call."

Amethyst, Ricardo's Ghost, blurted out, "No way. I refuse to believe you. This is a trick."

"Ames, if she didn't mean well we'd be black soot stains on the ground and a memory right now. You saw what she did."

The sound of Sparrow engines over the next hill caught Sathona's attention. Holding up one claw in front of her mouth to bid the assembled Guardian and Ghosts to stay quiet, Sathona opened a portal to elsewhere and slipped in. Carolus, stunned, couldn't quite tell what expression her skull-like face was supposed to convey, but for some reason he imagined it was supposed to be a cheeky grin. And like that, she had gone, portal and all as Carolus stood stunned, staring at the blasted battlefield in front of him. "How the hell am I going to explain this?" Carolus wondered aloud.

Elsewhere past the portal, Fynch's chirpy voice asked, "hey buddy, was the whole 'avenging angel' business necessary?"

"Oh Fynch, what's the point in doing something if you can't do it with style, " Sathona replied almost languidly.

"Yeah that's great and all but didn't Ikora tell us to keep a low profile?" he asked nervously.

Sathona chuckled and said, "Fynch please. I've got all this power and can't flex my wings a little? Besides, three witnesses who all report directly to Ikora is hardly the worst way to tip my hand."

"Yyyyeahhhhhh but… What if some of your old crew catch wind of this? Hive aren't known exactly for loving the Light, y'know? And- and Mars used to be a big gathering spot for 'em."

"Fynch dear, you worry too much. I mean, have we run across anything which could survive multiple seconds against me?"

" That's what worries me. There's plenty of heavy hitters out there, even just in Sol. Hell, even just in your Th- nevermind."

"Fynch dear, do you know something you're not telling me?"

"Ohhhh no," Fynch replied, nervousness spiking into full-on terror.

"Perhaps I'll leave you your secrets for now. Just until I've secured my place in the Last City. Then? I expect you'll tell me everything that you know."

Fynch bobbed to indicate his assent, though his erratic glances indicated he wasn't entirely pleased with the situation.

"Ikora," Zavala began cautiously. "I've been receiving… disturbing reports. Care to comment?"

"I'm up to my eyeballs in disturbing reports for roughly 80% of any given day. You might need to specify."

"A Hive god flinging Light at the enemies of humanity ring any bells?"

"Ah. That." Ikora betrayed her mask of calm by grimacing at the conversation's trajectory.  She was hoping word wouldn't reach him until she had more concrete results, but no matter.

Zavala, meanwhile, merely grew grimmer. "Yes. That . Did you plan on mentioning that we yet again have Savathûn working for us? Was the first time not close enough to destroying the City? What am I even supposed to tell Saint? Crow? "

"Actually, Crow came to me about it first."

"He what," It both was and wasn't a question.

"Apparently, Sathona's Ghost approached him early on. It seems that Savathûn did die during the exorcism. And the Traveler-"

"And the Traveler," Zavala interrupted, unable to hide his agitation. "Saw fit to resurrect our most dangerous enemy yet? What next? Will Oryx get a Ghost?!"

"I understand your concerns. But I've examined her. Eris has examined her. Using everything at our disposal, we've determined that she's telling the truth. Not only is she a Lightbearer, she has no memory of her prior life. Minus being roughly twenty feet tall, she's just like any other Guardian."

"Like any other- IKORA. SHE'S A HIVE. GOD." It was unusual for him to lose his composure so thoroughly. Ikora considered that she would have to tread more carefully than she had initially projected.

"I understand your concerns but, well.."

"Well what?"

"She's even stronger than The Young Wolf. And she's not even been raised a full year."

"And that doesn't concern you?"

"What concerns me more is the idea of that kind of power being hostile to us. And think  about the diplomatic victory this represents. The Darkness's most effective foot soldiers have already suffered the humiliation of losing their king and the humiliation of the Pyramid reaching out to The Young Wolf. Add the Light claiming one of the two surviving Osmium siblings? Hive morale will crumble. Xivu Arath's forces will have a severe discipline problem. And we may even acquire defectors or see a brutal civil war."

"On the subject of diplomacy… What am I supposed to tell Caiatl? Mara?! You're risking stable, strong alliances on an enormous gamble. You talk about Hive morale but what about Guardian morale? Crow was a step too far for many."

"What do you want me to do, Zavala? Have her Ghost killed? She's not only cooperative, she's enthusiastic about helping us. Let me work on some things and we'll hold a summit with our allies. We'll present her to Caiatl, Misraaks, Saint and Mara. They can see the truth of our words and the value of our actions. They'll sell her to our people and our allies. The Traveler has played us a strange hand, but we can pull a trick with it I promise you."

Zavala could only spare the attention necessary to give his assent via a nod. All of the rest of him was hard at work figuring out how the hell to accomplish this. Even if every instinct in him screamed that this was an enormous mistake, he trusted Ikora's analysis. He had to.

"You realize my chitin is stronger than most any armor you can forge, yes?" Sathona complained. "And when was the last time you saw a Krill - Hive or no - wearing clothing?"

"I'm sure it is, and never in that order," huffed Ada as her tools took Sathona's measurements automatically. When Ikora had approached her with the rough dimensions and outline of this project, she had expected an oversized combat frame to match Brigs and Spider Tanks. The idea was not, well, helping the first non-human Guardian hide her features. "But Ikora requested this specifically. She wants you to attend a special diplomatic summit."

"Yes, which I'm sure will be dreadfully dull."

"Or it won't ," Ada shot back.

"Truly I can't say which sounds worse," Sathona sneered dryly.

"The City has allies who would be rather shaken to formally learn of your existence. The better we sell the 'team player' angle, the more likely you get access to their archives eventually. That's what you want, right?"

Sathona knew that of course. She simply found it frustrating that she even needed to be paraded around like a trophy or an exotic animal for the benefit of tentative allies. It felt demeaning. The downside of not bearing the responsibility of leadership was accepting little indignities like this. She resolved to change the subject. This discussion had grown stale. "You know, it's strange to me. I had figured a Lightless person would be more frightened of me."

"I learned long ago," Ada replied, as the small imaging drones finished their work and returned to their transport case, "that all Guardians are some kind of monster. The tame ones are only marginally less dangerous."

Tame?! This little Exo has some nerve, thought Sathona incredulously. "And I look the part of a tamed monster to you?" 

Ada looked her up and down once before saying, "perhaps. But you act it less. Most Guardians are consumed by avarice. You only covet knowledge. It's probably just as dangerous but I find it less crass, at least."

"Well I'm pleased to meet your approval, Adelaide-1," Sathona replied sardonically. "So your plan is, essentially, to outfit me with Warlock robes scaled to my form?"

"Roughly, yes. We can hash out design details once I've completed the first draft, but the idea is to have you looking every bit the good, dutiful Guardian they want to present you as."

"Must I wear one of those helmets? They seem confining. And uncomfortable."

"You whine like a child. And no, it is not required. I will make sure to make any head covering breathable. The only non-negotiable part is robes, I'm told. Will a half-mask covering your mouth and neck be acceptable?"

"That's… oddly specific. Not the eyes?"

"Well, I'm sure you're aware that humans are naturally uncomfortable with the sight of a naked skull. And Krill physiology…"

"Looks remarkably like a bare human skull yes, I get it. Fine. Better than a helmet or- ugh- some kind of mask like Crow apparently used to wear."

"As I recall," Ada replied, "that was Savathûn's idea."

"I was a touch overdramatic, wasn't I?" Sathona replied with a smirk.

Ada fiddled with some of her instruments. Nodding with evident satisfaction, she turned back to Sathona and replied, "and we're done. You'll be pleased to know you were not my worst client."

"And you're not as dreadfully tiresome as Zavala. That meeting was dreary. What a waste of a perfectly good afternoon which could have been spent reading."

"Or shitposting on VanNet?"

"Everyone needs a hobby."

Ada-1 snorted in amusement at that and bid Sathona adieu. Ikora wasn't lying when she said the job was interesting.