"Thank you two for your service." Spider says to Spe-7 and Suzuka as they bring Fikrul's helmet to him. "And you exo boy, have done yourself quite the favor." He adds as he notices Taiki fiddling with the Ace of Spades, Cayde's personal hand cannon.
"I don't think it's ever seen this much wear and tear before... I hope Banshee can fix it up." Taiki mumbles.
"He should be able to." Suzuka says. "Now if you'll excuse us, we need to head back to the vanguard."
"Understood. Hopefully this is not the last time we meet." Spider replies as the trio head out of the shore and hop into their jumpships, set for the tower.
"Taiki... Are you okay?" Suzuka asks.
"I feel... Better after all of that." Taiki replies. "Turns out Uldren was trying to bring back his sister or something along those lines... He was being duped all along."
"I see..." Spe-7 says. "But the tower is just ahead." And with that the trio touch down on the tower. Taiki looks around and notices that Zavala looks relieved and at the same time pensive.
"Commander?" Taiki asks. "Are you okay?" Zavala does not respond at first, but when he does, he looks into Taiki's eyes.
"Don't think for a moment that I shed a tear over... Uldren's death. In another timeline, I would have gladly done the same thing you did." Zavala replies. "But we are guardians, protectors of humanity. One life is nothing compared to the lives of an entire race, and you going after Uldren put all of those lives at risk. There may be consequences, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but there may be. I'm just hoping we can survive them..."
"...I'm sorry..." Taiki says as he slowly walks away.
"...Wasn't that a little harsh?" Spe-7 asks Zavala. "I mean, I know you explained it to us before we went after him but still..."
"I'm not mad at him, just concerned for all of us." Zavala replies. "His actions were justified- we lost a member of our vanguard to Uldren, but they were very rash... He didn't cause too much collateral damage did he?"
"Well... Besides nearly exterminating the entirety of the scorn, not really a whole lot." Spe-7 says.
"I see." Zavala replies. "Thank you for doing what you could."
"This was for Taiki, our friend." Suzuka says as she looks at the exo, who's currently talking with Banshee about the Ace of Spades. "We did what we could, to make sure he was safe, and to make sure those around were safe." And with that the two meet up with Taiki and Banshee.
"Never seen this kind of corrosion... I can fix this, but you'll need to find Cayde's stashes." Banshee says to Taiki. "Marked for those that may have done him in... But you'll probably know where to find them."
"I should." Taiki replies. "This gun is probably my only memory of him. He was a good man."
"You should talk with Amanda. Got a ship for ya." Banshee says. "But for now, I'll hold onto the gun for you. I promise you I'll remember."
"Sure." Taiki chuckles as he hands the hand cannon off to the gunsmith for safe keeping. "Welp, I'm gonna see Holliday. You coming?"
"Sure." Suzuka replies as she and Spe-7 tag along. When they get to the hangar they see that Amanda has been expecting them.
"Taiki, Banshee sent you?" Amanda asks.
"Yeah." Taiki replies. "Said that you had a ship for me?"
"I do yes. I made sure to keep it in tip top shape since the previous owner well..." Amanda trails off, a tear welling up in her eye. "...Forward momentum..."
"The man responsible for Cayde's death is no more." Taiki says as he slowly embraces Amanda in a hug, one that she returns. "We can all rest a little easier now."
"Thank you..." Amanda says as the two let go. "Anyways, here, I've kept it in an engram for you."
"And thank you." Taiki says as he receives the encoded engram and Ghost looks at it's coding.
"Just like he last left it." Ghost mumbles. "I'm just glad that you have it now."
"We still need to find Cayde's stashes so I can fix his gun." Taiki says.
"Yeah." Suzuka says. "Let's see what Ikora has to say." And with that the trio heads into the bazaar area where Ikora stands before them.
"...You've done it, have you?" Ikora asks.
"Uldren is no more. I put him in the ground." Taiki replies.
"At least... I can rest a little easier." Ikora says.
"I'm just sad that I didn't get to know him better..." Spe-7 mumbles.
"He actually wanted you to have his cape." Ikora says. "He says that he liked you, saw a spark in you that would never go out." And with that she presents the equine hunter Cayde's cape, neatly folded up.
"...Thank you so much!" Spe-7 says as Twinkle swaps it out.
"I'm just glad that it's over, for now." Taiki says to Ikora. "But I can't use his gun yet because it's so corroded. I need to find parts for it in his stashes."
"Only a select few people even have an idea where to start, but I feel like you are one of those select people." Ikora replies. "Good luck out there. Today you have marked a milestone in your story, as have you two. Should we ever need your assistance again, we won't be afraid to call upon you."
"And we'll be waiting there, ready for action." Taiki says. "Until we meet again." And with that Taiki hops into his new jumpship- one of the few memories he has of Cayde, and Spe-7 hops into the City Apex jumpship to quickly follow.
"Are you not going to follow?" Ikora asks Suzuka.
"I just wanted to see which ship I was going to get." Suzuka giggles as she hops into the Helios Strain to tail them.
YOU ARE READING
Destiny 2: A Lost Soul
FanfictionTaiki and the equine guardians may have survived the Red War and defeated Ghaul, but as time goes on so does the rest of the world. With the darkness advancing on the traveler's location since it woke up, and with new people in the fray that aren't...
