Masterpost: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/253000143/0/0 “We’ve almost got it! Where are Zahir and the others? I still can’t get any responses.” Ascella ducked back into cover as the space she once inhabited was pelted by the rapidly blossoming impacts of torch hammers. “I’m really getting tired of fighting Vex…” Wasp took a glance at the hydra before them. Its plating was beginning to fall apart. He saw his chance… “Whelp, it’s been fun, you two.” “Huh?” Ascella looked up in front of her to see her fellow hunter facing away from the hydra, glowing bright orange. “You son of a-” she was struck in the head, and an explosion sounded the aftermath to Wasp as he spun to hit Procyon next. After temporarily disposing of the guardians, he quickly turned around to claim his bounty. “And that’s how I snagged Damocles. Pretty sneaky, eh?” The hunter tossed the scorched mind core between his hands as he approached the dark warlock. “Do not treat it like a toy.” Arcturus reached for it, but Wasp held his hand back. “Ah ah ah, big man. You know, having to team up with those losers was humiliating. No, them showing up in the first place was a pretty big headache. I think I need some compensation, don’t you?” Wasp flung the core into the air and caught again, eliciting a slight twitch from the warlock. “You carry out your missions knowing the risks that come with it. You finished the job. Give me Damocles.” Arcturus reached again, but Wasp skipped backward. “In case you haven’t figured it out, pal, I’m a lot stronger than you. Here’s how this works. I do your dirty work, you pay me. You. Pay. Me.” “I see,” Arcturus lowered his arm “of course. You must be compensated for your hard work. Perhaps you deserve the greatest of rewards. Everything you have ever wanted in life. That is your goal, is it not? A state of contentment.” “What are you babbling about? Hand over my glimmer.” Wasp flicked his wrist to produce a knife. Before he could lift a finger, raise his arm, or look back up at the warlock, his vision went dark. =You are wretched.= “Huh?” =Do you enjoy being wretched?= “What do you mean? I mean, it kinda depends on the situation, I guess, but-” =You have lived your life through wretched acts.= “And?” =Would you like to see where that leads you?= “Uh…” =Slumber. Endlessly.= … Wasp lived the rest of his life as it would normally play out. Eventually, the city caught up to him. ... =A lifetime of hurting others.= “Yeah…” =Did you enjoy it?= “I dunno.” =Then do you think you would enjoy a lifetime of giving kindness?= “Eh, why the heck not?” =Slumber. Endlessly.= … A world with no Traveler. No light. No aliens. ... =Did you enjoy it?= “What does it matter?” =Would you like to know a secret?= “What?” =Live again.= … Wasp experienced a tale of two hunters that were once one. A man who sought nothing but power lured the noble guardian to his cause. He despised his nobility. The [REDACTED] of DAMOCLES was used to create a rift in time, separating the hunter forever. One was left an empty husk, and was left with his spark. The other died with his righteousness, to be found again. The experiment, deemed a failure, was locked away in MY mind. ... =Are you satisfied?= “Hell no. How many times are you gonna do this? How long have I been here? It’s gotta be at least… a hundred years? How long have I been here? Wait, that story, was that… Hey!” Wasp awoke to a red sky. His joints felt stiff and heavy. Then he did not feel them. “Who am I nowl? Somebody new?” He reached up with his arm, but nothing happened, other than the sensation tucked into his mind from previous lives. “Move!” He felt a rickety sensation to his right, and a thin bronze limb entered his vision, covering the red clouds. “Huh. Did that thing turn me into an alien?” He willed his body to stand itself up, then took a look at his body. It was a strangely familiar sight, but it was something he had not seen in a long time. “No way. No way!” He stumbled around, not used to manipulating the many pistons and axles that made up his legs, and looked into what he assumed was a puddle. A fan-shaped head joined by a red eye stared back. “I’m back. I’m back!? Wait… what was his name… Arcturus! And uh… Damocles! Is Damocles the one who… wait… I had a ghost. Right? That’s what… my ghost! Ghost! Hey, are you here? What was her name… Phoebe? Bella? No, that was my… I don’t remember… that was a lifetime ago…” The goblin looked over the ruins of the Ishtar Sink through his new lens. He saw a skeleton near him; in his peripheral vision. Was it his? It didn’t matter. He had been through a lot, but one feeling remained. A feeling of hatred toward the warlock that had put him through a lifetime of nothing. In the city, Zahir looked Lacer up and down as he read a Vanguard report. “You have to at least answer for your crimes. I’m sorry, but this is the way it has to be.” His friend had been cast in an entirely new light to him, but he knew that the charming, sometimes egotistical titan in front of him was every bit the good man he had come to know. “I know. Why do you think I told you, of all people? Because I know you’ll do the right thing, and I can’t trust myself to do the right thing, because I never HAVE done the right thing. I’m a coward who ran away from my problems. I’ve created a monster.” “You have done good things. You tried to turn your life around. I know you’re a good person, just try and stay calm. I think I have enough evidence to clear your name.” Zahir looked back at his data, but the screen flashed red. He instinctively held it away from him, fearful of what it could mean. A familiar, snarky voice called to him, “Hey, titan! Guess what? I’ve got Korne AND the girl! If you don’t get your sorry excuse for a team here in the next hour, I’ll kill ‘em both! Good luck! Oh, if you were thinking of calling the police, if I hear a single siren, it’s over.”