[i]The Black Hollow, Venus[/i] There were some places that were so desolate, so dead and broken that even the Vex couldn't find a use for it. Charcoal earth and carved stone composed the volcanic cave. The ground was gritty and the air smelt of sulphur, as it always did. The brilliant blue of bacteria pooled where indents in the floor let liquid gather. But books lined carved out shelves and small trinkets and observational equipment was scattered about. It was a refuge, passed from one Warlock to the next. Xalli was a Thanotanaut. A death-scientist. She had been out here in the Black Hollow for several months now, having found it in an old tome buried in the Vanguard archives. She was working on her largest project yet, compiling years of data from other Thanotanautes into one cohesive database, and using it to pinpoint where, physically, guardian minds went when they died. "Another reference to Queens... Like the War Cult report, remember?" Xalli's ghost disliked the location, but they needed privacy for this. Many of the reports they were gathering had been labeled false or heretical at some point. "Hmm... Put it with group B. Now, I just need..." The ground shook. There was an audible [i]crack[/i], like bone but deeper, heavier. "Were you keeping track of the Volcano's eruption cycle?!" Xalli began pulling together papers, scrambling to grab everything. "I'm afraid not. I'll prepare the ship. We have copies of everything, GO!" Her ghost floated ahead and out into the Venusian rain. Another crack, now dividing the cavern in two. Blue-hot flames licked at the papers as Xalli ran past. She grabbed her handcannon and bolted out of the cavern as a massive, primal roar came from the planet, and she looked to the volcano's slopes, and saw lines of blue fire begin streaking down the sides. "Get in, NOW!" Her ship rose up in front of her as she transmatted aboard. They began flying up into the Venusian clouds, looking back as smoke and fire began belching out of the mountain. "That was a close one, huh? I copied all our data, don't worry about-" Suddenly, a whip of lightning stabbed into the ship, bursting an engine and sending it into freefall. "Crap! Ghost, can you get us out of here?" Xalli began trying to operate the emergency escape, being met with a broken [i]thnk[/i] each time. "No! The systems are all offline! We're stuck in here! I can't get us out-" The ship slammed into the mountainside, ripping off one engine instantly, before sliding down the rugged slope, bits and pieces of machinery being ripped out by the rocks. Xalli fought with the ship, before summoning a blast of Void and shooting off the cockpit. She was wounded, pale Awoken blood blinding her vision. She saw that the ship was going to slide into the sea and melt it whole. She pooled all her Light, and jumped, trying to stabilize herself and keep from sliding down. She managed to land in a ledge on the mountainside, as she blearily called out for her ghost, before blacking out. [i]Thieve's Den, Venus[/i] When she awoke, Xalli was tied to something. She couldn't tell what. Her helmet was covered in ash, and something was wrong with her eyes. She heard voices. Fallen voices, chattering about something. She needed to see, but her visor was black, and she felt something warm and sticky on her face. Blood? Was she blind? She didn't think about it. "Guardian! We have deal for you, Yeeess?" The voice was rough and insectoid. She did not respond. "House Winter let you live, yes, if you show our Servitors how to find Great Machine. Our records fail, and other houses do not speak with Winter." She did not answer. "We could let you return, give warning to Great Machine that Eliksni are coming to find it again, if you wish." She did not speak. "Answer, Guardian, or we do to you what we did with your Half-Servitor." She had heard enough. Rage, combined with blinding Light, ripped out the shackles chaining her, as a ball of Void energy slammed into the Fallen she couldn't see but knew were there. She tossed a grenade towards other sources of Fallen chatter and began tossing wave after wave of nova bombs at her enemies. When the Redjack team arrived, almost a year later, all they found in the prison was a black helmet, caked with ash which had become stuck to the armor, and the body of an awoken warlock, shot to death by Fallen soldiers.