William had fallen asleep at the foot of Maura's bed. Sleep had come easy. The city was safe, the walls high and secure against the Fallen. The Traveller hung in the sky overhead. His guardian had done well in her lessons the day before and crashed in her bed like a log once dinner was eaten and the dishes done. His internal clock told him it was just an hour after dawn. Processors started whirring and warming up. He buzzed around the room in a daily ritual. Everything was in place. Next the hall, then the kitchen and family area. He checked on the Kowals and the two young siblings that had arrived since Maura started daily lessons at the Tower. She was thirteen, lanky and clever, youngest acolyte of the Praxic Order. Sitting up, Maura looked for Will but didn't find him. There was a strange knowledge there. She knew instinctively he had woken up and left the room. She could feel his departure. Focusing her mind, she knew William was doing his morning house rounds, a habit. Two socked feet flopped on the wood floor and the girlish form they belonged to crouched down and peeked around the door frame. Sneaking down the hall she pounced on the unsuspecting Will and snatched him up. “I got you.” she whispered. “I didn't realize we were playing hide and seek,” he said quietly not to wake the rest of the house. “Let's get dressed and leave early. Give Cometia the slip.” Maura tucked him under her arm, tight into her armpit to hold him still. “I don't think she would appreciate that. You know she is very serious about getting you to lessons on time and in good order.” “We will get there on time,” she said, shoving him under the covers and stacking her pillow on top. “Cometia needs the exercise chasing me.” Slipping off her nightdress, she walked to the wooden chair in the corner holding her folded warlock robes and undergarments. She shimmied into her pants and boots, pulled a tight fitting shirt on and threw the knee length robes around her. A braided sash pulled it all together and she slipped on her simple bond. Looking quickly in the mirror she unplaited her thick black braids, ran her fingers though and rebraided them into one. She twisted it round and round into a fat bun. Will sat patiently under the covers, listening to her feet. “Can you let me out of here?” “I should leave you,” she giggled as she flipped the covers open. “That way you don't get in trouble.” “I always get in trouble too.” Maura rolled her eyes and opened her bedroom window, crawling out to the cobblestone street in front of the house. “Your mother will be mad,” William said trailing behind. “And daddy, and Cometia, and Ikora, and Torros-8” she quietly laughed looking down the alley ways, checking for that stick in the mud Cometia. “Come on Shanks-spear. Don't be a bore.” Holding out her hand, Will transmatted into her light armor and she went on her way, running down quiet empty streets and blinking through crossings until she got to the transport take off pad. She hid behind a crate until the coast was clear and made a run for the open door, only to find the adult warlock sitting inside. Cometia didn't bat a mechanical eye or raise an eyebrow. “Nice of you to meet me here.” “How did you?” the young girl exclaimed. “I did everything right!” She slid down in her seat and put the seat belt on, disappointed her sneaking was for naught. “One day when you are being hunted by the Hive on Luna, remember not to take the easy pathways. You are too obvious. Hide your light in the Darkness and use the shadows to your advantage.” “You make no sense. I thought we were supposed to use our light against the enemy.” Engines roared and the machine lifted off. Maura looked down outside the window, the grass and buildings becoming smaller. “Pick your battles wisely, guardian.” Landing at the Tower, the two walked to the elevator set and went below to the halls where the Praxic Order made part of their headquarters. The warlock at the main door nodded as they walked by, Maura giving a cheerful “good morning”. Her stomach gurgled from a lack of breakfast and Cometia looked down her nose at the girl. “You should have eaten breakfast with your family.” Maura ignored her. Coming to the room her lessons were given in, Cometia said she would be back promptly after lunch and left without any frills. An older exo sat at a heavy old desk and looked up, pulling out a tablet and setting it to the top of the pile. Maura took it and went to her own desk, a smaller, but similar design. It too was filled with books and tablets, but had an Ahamcara skull firmly in the middle. Baskets of scrolls sat underneath. Rocks and fossils and Golden Age tech littered the place. She ran a finger down the ahamcara's face and looked deeply in it's eye sockets. What a beautiful creature it had been. They never should have been hunted to extinction. “Torros, I had a thought last night,” she said as she turned on the tablet and started searching for information about Jupiter. “Weren't the Ahamcara of the Traveller too?” The old exo sat up a bit and smacked his jaws a few times. “Well, they certainly came about from the terraforming. Venus was desolate before the Traveller came.” “They could use the light,” she stated. Ahamcara bones were used in armor making for their properties. Even in death, the creatures abilities were strong. Torros' eye sensors refocused. “You know they couldn't use the light, per se. They were infused with light. That's different.” He pushed a book around and opened it. “Look here, Maura. See?” he pointed to diagrams of the creature and hand written notes. “They were a pest. And dangerous.” Maura put her two index fingers together and made a small solar sphere. “I'm dangerous Torros. You're dangerous. I could set all these books on fire and burn down the Tower. It just takes one ugly accident and I become a pest.” “You are a pest,” Torros chuckled. “Switching Zavala's coffee with Ikora's tea last week was a nice example of getting them to give Cayde the evil eye.” “I want to go to Venus. A guardian found the library at Ishtar Sink. Can we go on a field trip?” Maura used her best grin and warm brown eyes. “It will keep me out of trouble.” The old exo smirked and raised an arched mechanical brow. He knew that look from her. He pushed the book an inch closer to her. “No field trips to war zones. Once the new library is declassified, you can do all the research you want on the Ahamcara.” “But Torros!” she pleaded. “Classified info is no fun! How am I going to ever bring them back?!” She gave his wagging finger a frown. He looked exasperated. This wasn't the first time she had a fantastical idea supported with bright enthusiasm. Her foot stomped the stone floor. Her hands in balled fists at her side. He would have to come up with better excuses soon. She was growing up fast and was no longer easy to distract. “Don't bring them back, girl. We already have the Fallen, the Hive and the Cabal. We don't need one more army against us.” Maura looked down at the tablet. “Tell me about Jupiter,” she said, turning the tablet toward him. Torros was happy she changed the subject herself. https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/230276214 Master Link List: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/230168273