Chapter Text
Sitting atop an old Collective building in Campus 9, nestled firmly in the Ishtar Sink on Venus, Fireteam Nasca set out to discuss their options. Their charge was simple. Intending to strike at the heart of the Vex Conflux, a double Fireteam had ventured inside the Vault of Glass. They had not been the first. Hopefully, they would be the last.
Fireteam Nasca was not a part of that operation.
“I should have brought a book. Or some puzzle rings. Anything to keep my hands busy.” The Warlock Mathias broke the silence, as he always did. Though highly regarded by the Cryptarchy for a human and every bit the capable warrior, he worried far too often. He hated to be idle and a mission to wait was the worst kind for him. It made him nervous.
“Is that what Warlocks consider fun? Puzzle rings? Your enclaves must be dull as dirt.” The Hunter Nadaia Wen had her eyes set to the ShortGaze of her LDR 5001, slowly moving from left to right, acting as spotter and sniper. A talented Awoken scout who once served the Queen, or so they say. She’d never given Mathias a straight answer on that. She rarely gave straight answers on anything. “I get that you’ve got ants in your pants, but we’re not going anywhere any time soon. Take a lesson from our Titan friend and keep quiet.”
The Exo Titan Mako-7 remained silent. She stood off to the side, a tall sentinel standing watch over her friends. A hero of the Crucible, Mako was most at home facing down her fellow guardians. She considered herself an athlete of sorts. A competitor. She had emerged victorious in the Trials of Osiris. She had seen the Lighthouse on Mercury. Lord Shaxx had once personally invited her to join the Redjacks. She declined, for reasons unspecified. Those who bet their glimmer on Crucible matches liked to call her the second-coming of Thalor, though she disliked the comparison. She was not undefeated. Neither was Thalor, in the end.
Standing on Venus in her Exile armor, feeling the slightly acidic bite of its air through her suit’s filters, she knew her duty. They were to stand watch and wait for any sign of the Guardians who went down into the Vault. After a set interval, if no soul emerged victorious, another team of guardians would relieve Fireteam Nasca. And then another. And when the Vanguard was ready to accept the team as lost, another double Fireteam would make the plunge. If they failed, another would go. And another. And another. And the cycle would repeat until the Vault’s core belonged to the Vanguard and the Tower. Until the Traveler’s Light found purchase in the deepest corner of the Vex stronghold. This was a dark task, but one that must be done. The weave of time could not be left in the hands of the Vex. Mako knew this all too well.
The Exo cleared her throat. A nominal gesture among Exo, despite the lack of practical function. “I don’t think we should stay quiet. If either of you are nervous, we should speak. Break the tension.”
Both Mathias and Nadaia turned to face her back, their expressionless helmets managing to impart their shock. Nadaia sighed and slung the LDR over her back, drawing a sidearm instead. “If Miss Flawless over here says we should chat, who am I to complain? Pull up a chair, Matty, let’s swap stories.” The Hunter hopped off the roof of the building. Her ghost materialized for a brief moment, glanced around, and then hid itself once more as the Awoken walked into the Ishtar Collective facility. Mako followed, as did Mathias.
The buildings littering the area were all Ishtar Collective, old yet durable science facilities. Nadaia had decided they’d camp inside the one with the little satellite dish. Said it had charm. A lot of things Nadaia liked had “charm”. The cloak of the dead Kell she wore around her neck had charm. The strange Hive gun she found that whispered to them in the dead of night had charm. Her puppet shows involving dead Vex frames had charm. Mako agreed with that last one. The Titan did her best to have a sense of humor when it came to the Vex. She often failed, but she did her best.
Nadaia had her back to the wall, LDR set aside with her Ironwreath sidearm in hand. Mathias had never actually seen her use it, but she always kept it on her. Nadaia disassembling and cleaning that gun was a common sight at Fireteam Nasca campsites. The Warlock leaned against one of the walls, his finger tapping the dead buttons of an old console. Again, he broke the silence. “I think we should go in after them.”
“Absolutely not.” Mako shut him down immediately. “That is not our mission. I get the concern, I do, but we stay here.
“Six Guardians is not enough.” Mathias protested.
“I mean, yeah. He’s not wrong.” Nadaia had begun to disassemble her Ironwreath. “I don’t really know much about the Vex, but six seems like underkill. I mean, I’m sure we could get together a dozen Guardians eager to strike the heart of the Vex, right?”
Mako paced slightly, collecting her thoughts. Though it gave her the impression of being stoic, the truth is just that she wasn’t a very skilled orator. She required time to sharpen her words and it usually ended up with her not saying anything at all. That wasn’t an option here. “I... The Vex are not like the Fallen. They are not like the Hive. They are not like the Cabal. I wish they were. I do. Honestly, I agree. Six is not enough. Twelve is not enough. The combined light of a hundred Guardians and I still would not feel comfortable facing down the Conflux. They are not... They are not a foe to defeat. They are a disease to cure. Systemic, endemic only to time, they...” Mako felt her words escape her. She had something for a moment and lost it. “The Vex are why I prefer the Crucible.”
Mathias tilted his head. “They scare you,”
“They should scare you too.” Mako looked away. “You just don’t know them like I do and I don’t know them nearly well enough as it is.”
“Woah, hey, Flawless.” Nadaia interjected as she clicked the last piece of her Ironwreath back into place. “This is getting a little serious. I get that you need to blow steam, but are you okay? You’re worrying me.”
Mako huffed. “Yes. No. I don’t know. I’m worried.”
Mathias pulled up a chair and brushed some of the moss off of it. “Talk to us. We’re friends.”
“Hey now, Matty, don’t be saying things you can’t take back.” Nadaia chuckled and elbowed him. “He’s right though, Flawless. Mako. Come on. Talk to us. We’ve fought together. We’ve died together. Like, a lot. Maybe less dying in the future. Still hate it. That aside, share with us. Tell us about the big bad goblins in your dreams.”
Mako paced for a few moments and faced her fellow guardians. She smiled beneath her helmet. “Okay. May I make an offer?”
Mathias opened his mouth to accept and Nadaia put her hand on his helmet, shaking his head a little to stop him. “You can offer it.”
“Tell me about the Queen and I’ll tell you about the Vex.” There was a slight hint of mirth to the Exo’s voice.
Nadaia groaned. “If I wasn’t already blue, I’d be turning it right now.”
Mathias looked toward her. “Is that a turn of phrase or something?”
“It... look, nevermind. Alright. I’ll talk about the Queen.” She jabbed a finger against Mathias’s chest. “You gotta give us some dirt too. You’ve got two girls spilling their guts out in front of you, don’t take that for granted.”
Mathias chuckled. “I have some stories.”
Nadaia rolled her eyes beneath her helmet. “I’m sure.”
Mako looked between the two. “Okay. I guess I’ll start.”