[spoiler] Another long one, so get ready. It's exposition time! [/spoiler] The mornings on isolated planetoids are vibrant and warm. Local life springs out of hiding and into the streams of what's left of fresh water on the Vex turned world. Icarus and Indigo step out from the Exodus Black to meet back up with Kairos, who is snacking on rations up on top of the destroyed Servitor. He tries to talk with a mouthful, "Heh guys! I found somethin'!" He waves them down. Icarus comes down and they exchange devices. Icarus hands Kairos the box while he looks over the device. Kairos turns it over in his hands over and over. "So, uhh.. that's all four keys, so now what? It still doesn't open!" He tries prying it with his bare hands, in which the box doesn't even creak. Icarus takes out a knife and slams it through the device Kairos gave him, shattering it. Sparks and metal fly off as he drops it at Kairos' feet. "Hey! What the hell?" Kairos yells. "It's a distress beacon. We need to leave." Icarus says over his shoulder as he pulls out his ghost. "Atlas, take us home." His ghost blinks and disappears, followed almost immediately by his Arcadian-class jumpship flying in from orbit. Kairos jumps down from the Servitor. "If there is more coming, shouldn't we stay to take them out?" He hurries to catch up to them. "No. The Vex will be here soon as well. Last time I used Failsafes computer, they almost brought a whole army. I'm sure they can handle the Fallen." He transmats into his ship. "Hey wait! What about me? My ship is tot-" his body transmats into the ship, "-ally... oh cool. Didn't know you could do that!" He smiles and takes a seat. Indigo also joins them inside. Icarus comes into the main room out from the cockpit and reclines. The ship takes off and heads for the tower. Kairos taps his feet impatiently. "Sooo... any cool war stories?" He smiles nervously. There's a pause before anyone speaks. Kairos eventually breaks his own silence. He stands and takes a pose, "I am Kairos Lancaster! Hero of the Red War! Slayer of Ghaul and savior of the Light!" He is very proud. He takes his seat again with a huge grin. "I also found the mighty Osiris AND Rasputin, but I don't want to take [i]too[/i] much attention." Penny comes out and rams her whole shell into his head. "What!? It's true! You were there!" Icarus smiles and sits up in his seat. "Honestly kid..." he stands up and pours a drink from his on-board mini-bar and holds it out to Kairos, "[i]that[/i] actually is quite impressive. I didn't know I was in the presence of a celebrity this whole time." He pours himself a drink as well and stirs it while he stares into the mixture, recalling his achievements. Eventually he sits back down and kicks up a leg. "But... you're not the only special one here. When we first met you seemed to know quite a bit about me. So why don't [i]you[/i] tell [i]me[/i] what I've done?" He raises his eyebrows at him. Kairos looks a little shocked, but not scared to take the challenge. "Of course!" He stands again, drink in hand, "Icarus Bloodstone. Where do I begin? One of the greatest titles around, a [i]God-slayer![/i] Multiple times over!" He is clearly getting over-excited again. "Crota, Oryx, not to mention the billions of Hive they brought with them, all while still learning your own light and abilities. You're an inspiration for New Lights around the galaxy! And, in case it wasnt obvious, especially me." He stares at him with glowing eyes. "You were on of the first guardians to stop calling themselves a 'guardian', which.. kinda broke a few souls, not gonna lie. It was quite a statement for a hero like yourself to disown the Vanguard openly like that." He sits down, feeling a little dizzy. Icarus is entertained. "Of course, there was the containment of SIVA, first and only guardian to beat Marcus Ren's SRL time, and the more recent avenging of Cayde-6." He twirls his drink. Kairos takes another drink before spitting it everywhere. "Cayde is [i]dead!?[/i] I was told he just left for a mission!!" Indigo squints, "It's been over a year now. How haven't you heard about it?" Kairos begins pacing back and forth, "I don't know! Maybe if there was a public funeral or- or- or a big bronze statue at the tower, or something!?" He slumps down in sadness. "Man.. there was a lot of stuff I needed to talk to him about and show him.." Indigo walks over to him and places a hand on his shoulder. "Well, while we are on this mood, I guess it's my turn to tell." She smiles as he sniffs and shakes his head. Indigo goes to the front of the room where the door to the cockpit opens and the glow of interstellar space lights up the ship. "I've died several times. Real deaths. Not your casual 'die and revive' kind of death. Permanent deaths that should have been my last." She waits, then turns to face the star light. "I was on the colony ship that touched the darkness. The one that the allusive Queen Mara Sov was on. The one that killed everyone aboard and turned them into something new. A separate entity, called the Awoken. That was my first death. In every way, the Awoken should not exist. We are all dead things walking, just like the corpses of light that we tried to stay away from. But, I was still mortal, and amongst the fight against the House of Wolves, I was shredded to pieces by those savages. I felt the cold of that ship again. I watched as the light left my eyes and I peacefully drifted away..." she takes a moment to reflect before taking a deep breath and turning back to everyone, "But death doesn't suit me very well. After what would have been Twilight Gap, my peace and darkness was taken away from me again. I woke up to the piles of bloody bodies of Fallen and the people I once loved. We lost so many people that day, including myself. But I wouldn't know any of this for almost a year. To me, a new Guardian brought back to fight the Darkness, I just saw bodies. No connection, no knowledge, no emotion. I was alive, but I was still cold. After I discovered my light, I found the reef for what I thought was the first time.." She takes a seat as a tear rolls down her smooth blue skin. The glow in her Awoken eyes seems to glow even brighter with the water in her eyes. "As soon as I landed, a stranger dropped everything and ran right toward me, with open arms. That was the first time in over a year that I had felt warmth again. Petra Venj reminded me who I was as I tried to explain to her who I am now. She brought me to Mara right away, where I reunited with the people I knew in a previous life. Since then, I refuse to die ever again. And so far, I haven't. Not since then." The ship comes out of hyperspace in dead silence. Icarus heads up to the cockpit to get ready to land. Kairos just stares on in disbelief. "I'm sorry to have brought that up.." Indigo chuckles, "Don't be. It's not the first time I've told that story." She gestures towards Icarus. "Besides, I wasn't gonna tell you, but seeing as I wouldn't have my light if it weren't for you, and I could have easily died permanently [i]again[/i] had you failed, I owe you." She lightly punches his shoulder and smiles. Kairos lightens up. His eyes glow with pride.