The Blank Slate Delta clenched his fists as he evaluated the figure before him. He was upset that his time of mourning was interrupted, but this Warlock’s words intrigued him. “You know how to find what I seek?” Delta asked plainly. Keis nodded. “Yes,” came his simple reply. Delta tilted his head in slight confusion. Keis-51 was apparently not the talkative sort. “Explain,” said Delta, growing impatient. A light flashed next to Keis as the form of a ghost materialized in the swirling snow. “Allow me,” it said in a feminine voice. “My name is Blanc. Please excuse my guardian. He’s more of the strong, silent type.” Keis grunted in disapproval, but let his ghost continue. “A Hunter named Ross said we could find you here. We heard about the ghost-napping situation, and the raid on the moon’s core,” said Blanc. “Our condolences,” Keis cut in, motioning towards the grave behind Delta. Delta glanced back at it and his anger began to soften once more into sadness. “Thank you,” he replied. The weight of his loss toiled on his artificial heart, and he felt his knees begin to shake. Blanc saw this sudden deterioration in posture, and grew concerned. “Are you ok?” she asked. Delta took a deep breath and stared out into the snow, trying hard to regain his composure. “I’m sorry,” he said, and gestured towards the grave. “I have never felt this pain before. No one understood me the way Alex did. She was my anchor to what little hope was left in this dark world… Do you have any idea what it’s like to have your best friend ripped away from you?” Blanc dipped in sadness and understanding. “Actually, we do…” she said softly. She turned to Keis, knowing what Delta’s words would do. Sure enough, Keis was frozen in place as he stared into the unknown. “We lost someone on Venus,” said Blanc, gliding over to her guardian’s visor. “I’m sorry,” Delta said again. “Don’t worry about it,” said Blanc, lightly bumping against Keis’ helmet. “We all have burdens we must carry.” The ghost hovered back and forth, trying to get her guardian’s attention. “Keis? Keis can you hear me?” The Warlock remained unresponsive. Blanc turned to Delta. “I need you to do me a favor.” Delta slowly nodded as he wondered about Keis’ behavior. “Ok…” he said. “I need you to punch him,” said Blanc. Delta shifted uncomfortably in surprise. “Excuse me?” Blanc flew over to him. “He’s blanked,” she explained in a worrisome tone. “It happens when he remembers his fallen friend. Don’t feel bad, he does this more than you would think. He might eventually come back on his own, but that would take way too long. I need you to try and punch him.” Delta dipped his head in curiosity. “What do you mean ‘try’?” Blanc narrowed her eye. “Well… you’ll see.” Delta shrugged and approached Keis with caution. The exo planted his feet in the snow, and poised for a firm punch to the face. He stepped forward, and swung his fist. Suddenly there was a lightning fast movement, and Delta was shocked to see that Keis had grabbed his wrist, stopping his fist just inches from the Warlock’s face. As an involuntary reaction, Delta swung his other arm up, knocking Keis’ hand away from his wrist. He then followed it up with a strong kick, which Keis immediately deflected. Delta wasn’t sure what was going on, as his combat protocols had taken over, and he was sure that the same had happened to Keis. The two Warlocks traded a series of blows, each equally as fast as the other. Snow kicked up around them and their robes flapped gracefully behind them as they sparred. Eventually the two each rolled to the side and reared up for a final punch. They lunged towards each other and their fists collided, making a miniature sonic boom as the cold air was dispersed at record speed. They stood motionless for a moment, fists joined, as the snow settled around them. Keis refocused on the environment around him, and the two relaxed. Keis turned to his ghost, who was watching in amazement. “Did I blank?” he asked. Blanc bobbed up and down, making a nodding motion. “You did, and Delta here brought you back. I have never seen such a fight!” Keis turned to Delta, who was rubbing his fist. “I have never met someone as fast as I." Delta shrugged. “It’s likely we have similar combat protocols programmed into our subconscious.” Keis nodded as he thought about this revelation. Delta watched his counterpart brush the snow from his shoulders. There was something familiar about Keis-51, but he couldn’t figure out what. Their fighting styles and reaction times were nearly identical, but it was more than that. What Delta didn’t realize, was that Keis understood his pain and confusion more than he would ever know. There were so many questions Delta wanted to ask, but somehow he knew Keis would not divulge the answers he sought. Not yet anyway. Besides, there were more pressing matters at hand. “Now,” said Delta, moving to the more important subject. “You said you could help me find The Defense. How exactly are you going to do that?” Keis and Blanc exchanged a confirming glance, then the ghost spoke up. “We know a guy.” [b]*This is just the beginning of a crossover with KSeth27's Blank Slate. [/b] [b]*If you're interested, you can find the table of contents for KSeth27's Blank Slate [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/225386550?page=0&sort=0&showBanned=0&path=0]here[/url].[/b] [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Post/1371758/228286539/0/0]Chapter 13[/url] [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/224417569?page=0&sort=0&showBanned=0&path=1]The Hub[/url]