[url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/250301867/0/0]Table of Contents[/url]
Thick vegetation covered the ground and rose overhead, spreading indefinitely outwards to form a massive jungle. The steep edge of a cliff abruptly cut off the greenery nearby, curving off into the distance and dropping down to a churning sea. Dense layers of clouds hung in the sky, a permanent feature on this planet, forming an impenetrable mask over the sky.
The radiance of Sol was nowhere to be seen, leaving everything in a deep darkness that was only interrupted by the occasional flash of lightning high above.
Brilliant light flashed into existence near the rim of the drop-off, illuminating the surrounding rocks and plant life before vanishing as suddenly as it had appeared. The form of a man was borne in the anomaly, crumpling weakly and disappearing beneath the fan-like leaves of the undergrowth.
He lay there for long moments before rolling over and unsteadily rising to his hands and knees, breaking through the layer of leaves. A soft glow emanated from the red lights of his eyes, creating vague impressions of the shapes in front of him. He leaned back, resting his weight on his knees and lifting his hands. Flexing them tentatively, he reached up and ran one over his face, temporarily blocking off the glimmer of his eyes and sliding over the metal plating of his cheek.
"Hello," a female voice greeted. The Exo snapped his head around in shock, searching for its origin. In that moment of panic, he tried to stand to get away from the voice, but was in a helpless position and ended up falling back down.
"Don't worry," the voice comforted, "Relax. I am a Ghost. Your Ghost. I'm going to give us some light."
A beam of light burst over the Exo, glinting off of the gray metal of his body. He wore shoddy armor, old and eroded. A streak of gold ran under his left eye, and shadow covered it when he held his arm between his eyes and the source of the spotlight.
The beacon shifted closer, and the Exo lowered his arm so he could see the Ghost. It was a small floating orb, encased in a white shell made of small triangular parts, and was generating the spotlight from a single blue eye.
"I found you!" It cheered, bobbing in the air, "I finally found you!"
The Exo stood carefully and slowly opened his mouth, testing it, then asked, "You've been looking for me?"
"Yes," the Ghost answered, steadying itself, "The Traveler made me to find you."
The Exo watched the Ghost expectantly, and it clarified, "The Traveler, the source of the Light. We have the Light inside of us. I used it to revive you."
"Revive me?" The Exo questioned.
"You've…" The Ghost hesitated, "You've been dead."
The Exo lifted his hands again and took himself in.
"They call people like you the Risen," the Ghost divulged, "I have a lot to explain."
• • •
"And then I found you," the Ghost finished. It floated over the Exo's shoulder, illuminating the path ahead of him as he treaded between the trees.
"Our first priority is to find a working jumpship and get back to Earth,” it continued, “Don't get me wrong, Venus is nice, but…"
It trailed off, directing its gaze up into the sky. The Risen stopped and looked up after it.
"You feel it?" The Ghost questioned, eliciting a slow nod, "That pull. That's the Traveler calling to us."
The Exo pulled away his gaze and went back to walking. The Ghost flitted alongside him, “Anyway, I think we’ve got luck on our side.”
The Risen looked to it for an explanation, and it elaborated, “I’m leading you in this direction for a reason. There was a jumpship not too far from here. I gave it a quick look, and it’s pretty torn up, but I may be able to get it working.”
“Also,” the Ghost added as it bobbed around the Exo, “You were in that old armor when I found you. That’s great, because I don’t have any materials, so I couldn’t scrap together anything for you to wear.”
The Exo looked down at his weathered armor, and the Ghost continued, “I don’t know what it was for, but it’s held together pretty well.”
The Risen pressed onward, and his Ghost observed, "You're not very talkative, are you?"
"My apologies," the Exo atoned.
"Don't apologize," the Ghost dismissed, "You're a good listener."
-
Return of Keis! Bump!