Two jumpships soared over the rocky landscape of Old Russia, turning towards a series of plateaus that separated the Cosmodrome from the surrounding areas. Approaching their destination, the ships decelerated just enough for a successful transmat. Two guardians materialized atop the hard, dusty rocks as their transports ascended back up into the sky. “Alright, we’re here,” said Delta. “Now tell me who it is we are looking for.” Keis-51 took a moment to catalog his surroundings, then began to explain. “We were on a patrol mission a number of years ago. It was a simple task. Kill the Fallen, secure the area. However, a Fallen captain tried to catch me by surprise by leading a flank attack.” Delta could see where this was going. “But they didn’t, right?” “They did not,” Keis confirmed. “There was an old exo passing by. He decided to take care of the surprise attack himself. His combat skills were impressive.” Delta nodded. “I assume that is who we are here to find. But who is he? Why would he have information on the Defense? Unless…” Blanc emerged next to her guardian. “I’ve completed a scan of the area and encrypted our comms channel. We can tell him now.” Delta grew suspicious. “Tell me what?” “The exo we have come here to find,” said Keis. “His name is Echo-4, and like you, he was built by the Defense.” Delta stared at Keis in disbelief. “Why keep this from me?” Blanc was quick to explain their actions. “Sorry! We certainly didn’t want to, but it had become apparent that most City and Vanguard comms may be compromised with the whole ghost-knapping thing.” She turned to her guardian. “Don’t ever lose me, got it?” Delta looked up at the sky and became impatient. “Sun’s setting. We need to get a move on.” “Agreed,” said Keis. “Blanc, map Echo’s grid. The area is large but we should be able to cross it in a reasonable amount of time with our sparrows.” Blanc acknowledged and began to map the stretch of land they had to cover. Delta watched and waited. “Blanc, huh?” he said to his own ghost internally. “Perhaps I should give you a nickname, ghost.” “Don’t even think about it,” came the companion’s response. “Done,” said Blanc, disappearing back into Keis’ armor matrices. “Mount your sparrow,” Keis told Delta. “We have a lot of ground to cover.” The two proceeded to summon their sparrows under them and blasted off into the maze of sunbaked rock. For several hours they rode across the uneven landscape, searching for a sign of Echo’s whereabouts. Delta more or less left the majority of the searching to Keis. He had become consumed in thought once again, too distracted to pay attention. There he was, after another one of his many brothers and sisters. He wondered how many of them were still operational, and how many of those still served the Defense. “Keis,” Delta called over the comms, “how do we know Echo doesn’t still serve his creators?” “He doesn’t,” Keis answered simply. “He proved that last time we met.” Delta wondered what he would even say should they find Echo. He had so many questions that have gone a very long time without answers. Delta decided he would not let Echo go until he had the information he so desperately wanted to know. Knowing nothing about his past and himself was eating him alive. The pair of guardians continued to traverse the land on their sparrows, the dry earth growing darker as the sun set behind the distant mountains. The temperature began to drop and Delta noticed more and more trees sprouting out around them. “It’s getting dark,” observed Keis over the comms. “Echo will likely take shelter for the night. He may prove more difficult to find.” Delta grew worried. He wasn’t all that thrilled to be tracking down his brother, but the prospect of losing his only lead to Sayyed’s whereabouts was unacceptable. The guardians switched on their headlights as the night settled in. They had to be more careful with their sparrows now that it was dark and the numerous trees were a hazard. It had become clear that they had reached the outskirts of a pine forest. Delta was about to follow Keis and take a detour around the forest, when something caught his optics. His sparrow came to a screeching halt and he leapt off to get a better look. Noticing Delta’s sudden diversion, Keis stopped and hopped off his own sparrow. “What is it Delta?” Delta wove through a few trees before he could clearly see what was apparent from his sparrow. “A fire,” he replied. “Small. Controlled. Likely belongs to a traveler.” “Might be Echo. Take the other side. We will investigate.” [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Post/1371758/228286690/0/0]Part 2[/url] [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/224417569?page=0&sort=0&showBanned=0&path=1]The Hub[/url]