If you missed the last chapter of REEF MOB, you can find it [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/221337913/0/0]here[/url], or if you need to find a previous chapter, you can find them all in the [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/218618986?sort=0&page=0]Table of Contents[/url]. Please give a bump or leave a comment if you enjoy this and any other chapter! ***  The red figure continues to kneel in front of me lifelessly, his tendrils falling limp, flopping on the deck. The throbbing pain from my stump continues to radiate through my body, but I bury what I can of the pain as I keep my eyes on this stranger, quelling my shaking hand as I continue to hold the shock blade between him and I. But he doesn’t move – he just keeps sitting there, silently, motionlessly – I glance quickly to the crimsoned Ari, who stares forward blankly, a shell, just waiting to be told what to do. I feel a pang in my chest as I look at him, realizing that despite our time together, I don’t even know his name, where he’s from, how old he is – things I could have learned about him, squandered by the psychological damage that Taniks inflicted on all of us. [i]etheretheretherEtherEtherEther –[/i] Hand trembling, I reach out to pick up the Dreg mask that Taniks dropped, and slowly bring it to my face – breathing deeply, the relief of ether helps numb the pain radiating from my stump, helps me bury the feeling of looking at Ari’s shell, of looking at the monster who just saved me from Taniks. [i]Who is he?[/i] I wonder again as I take another breath of ether, the room starting to spin again. [i]What is he? Why is he even here?[/i] I get no answers from the stranger as he forlornly remains frozen, head bowed, shoulders sagging, all the life gone out of him. But I get no time to wonder further – I can hear clanging, crashing sounds outside as the black dots start dancing in front of my eyes again – my eyelids droop as the ether lifts me on a cloud to float above the deck, the feelings of pain fading into the background…. Letting out a sigh of intense pleasure, I lean back and watch as Fallen pour into the room. [i]I’m going to die[/i], I think again as the room spins and everything starts to blur – But then a flash of purple streaks across the room, running toward me, followed by another, and another – I force my eyes open as I fight for a moment of lucidity to understand what’s going on as the purple streaks race over – I squint my eyes and focus, and finally they come into view – [i]Corsairs. What the hell…[/i] I turn weakly to look at the Fallen who came in first, and slowly recognize the green banner their leader wears. I gaze into his face, and finally realize who he must be. [i]Variks, the Queen’s pet Eliksni. What are they doing here?[/i] Variks watches me as the Corsairs rush over, looking concerned as they attend to me. Flanking Variks from behind are two Paladins, looking equally concerned. “It’s about…..damn….time,” I pant out, forcing a smirk as the ether mask falls from my hand. Variks looks at the fallen mask and back to me, scowling seriously. “[i]Taking ether, yes?[/i]” he croaks to me. “Oh, yeah,” I manage back, coughing as I try to giggle. Variks looks stern, and stretches his walking stick out to knock the ether mask away from me. Pushing the Corsairs back, I grab the shock blade again and point it at Variks. “That was….mine.” “[i]Take injured Awoken to skiff,[/i]” he commands one of the Corsairs as he inspects Ari and Djido shrewdly. “[i]Check no…side effects present.[/i]” The Corsair nods and gingerly gathers me into her arms as I wave the shock blade weakly, but as she tries to move me, a bolt of pain shoots from my stump throughout my body. Dropping the blade and hissing with pain, I smack the back of her head weakly. “Careful….precious…..cargo.” She shifts me in her arms carefully, finally getting me stable. As she ferries me toward the door, I woozily watch her, unable to make out her face beneath her hood. “Yip….yip….” I groan as I pat her on the top of her head. “There’s no way she doesn’t have any side effects,” I hear one of the Paladins say to Variks behind me. “Not if what we’ve been hearing about Taniks or SIVA is true.” “[i]We will see,[/i]” Variks responds, voice purring in contemplation. “[i]Secure ketch of these….creatures. Find servitor.[/i]” I look back once to see the Corsairs dissipating, two of them still studying Ari as Variks leans against his walking stick, studying Djido intensely. The Corsair carrying me walks through the door, out into the corridor, leading me back the way they came – as we make our way through the ketch, I notice dozens of crimson figures standing still and silent throughout the corridors – as we move further away from Taniks’ chamber, I see more and more of them interspersed between the black dots ricocheting across my vision. [i]They’re just like what happened to Ari,[/i] the sensible part of me whispers. [i]Must be from that creature that saved you.[/i] I think back to the crimson figure, of the look on his face as he brought Taniks to his knees – [i]Why did he want to kill Taniks?[/i] I wonder as everything starts to spin again. We move deeper through the ship, passing more frozen red statues. [i]Did he make all these?[/i] I look closer at what looks like a Hive Acolyte as we pass – its eye twitches, looking at me – “…..they’re…..alive….” “Don’t look at them,” the Corsair responds, keeping her own eyes forward resolutely. But I can’t help it – as we cross into a large, open hangar bay, I see two Ogres, blood red and frozen in place. Black spots dance around them as they waver in doubles, and I feel my mouth drop open at seeing them. The Corsair carrying me passes without a glance, heading toward the skiff they came on – two Awoken medics rush out to take me – as I pass to them, my weight shifts, and with a lurch in my stomach I’m reminded that I’m missing part of my leg. [i]It’s gone….it’s really gone…..[/i] I turn swiftly to the Corsair, almost vomiting – I shove it down as I grab her shoulder, glaring at her – “….find…..leg….” “I’ll try,” she says nodding. “….kill you…..if you don’t…..” [i]Won’t help you get your leg back then[/i], the sensible part of me chides sympathetically. [i]Shut it unless you’re going to help[/i], I hiss back. But the Corsair just pats me comfortingly, unaware how deadly serious I am at the moment. As the medics take me to the ketch, I push down the feelings that wash over me, through the ether call, through the throbbing pain: [i]I have no leg. He cut off my gods damned leg. And I’ll never get to do anything about it. He’s dead. And I didn’t kill him.[/i] The red stranger’s face appears in my mind, and I feel an anger building inside me. [i]He….he took that from me. Even though I would lose, at least it was me and him… …and what do I do now?[/i] Ari’s face replaces the red stranger’s, as he’s consumed by the red growth, twisting like serpents around him, burying into him as he screamed, screamed – [i]He killed Ari. He killed my friend. He didn’t deserve that – not after all that Taniks put him through for who knows how long.[/i] The red stranger appears in my mind again, and I scowl unconsciously. [i]He’s a monster. Just another monster.[/i] I sneer as the medics lay me down on a stretcher, already getting to work on my stump – “….bringing…..leg…..” “If we leave it too long it’ll get infected,” one of the medics says. “…..bringing……LEG…..” I insist woozily. He sighs. “I’ll hold off as long as I can. I’m going to give you a sedative that’ll knock you out for a while.” I reach out and grab his shirt as the other medic puts an IV in my arm – I look at him seriously, eyes growing unfocused – “…..better watch…..my back, doc…….there are…..monsters out here…….” The sedative gets to work, flowing through my system – As I start to pass out, a sickening thought hits me – [i]Taniks took my leg, forcing me to bow to him. He [u]made[/u] me bow.[/i] Anger threatens to upset the sedative’s work, but it forces its way through, knocking me out – My last thought is of this, that despite every effort, I was still made to bow. And as I drift away, the sedative taking its toll, I vehemently promise myself: [i]Never again. I will never bow to anyone again.[/i] END OF PART TWO *** Thank you all for following REEF MOB through the completion of Part II! We’re about halfway done, so be sure to check back on Thursday as we carry on into [b]PART THREE: RED FLOWERS BLOOM FOREVER![/b]