Blank Slate Ch.4: Babysitting

Table of Contents https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/225386550/0/0 As I led KS back up the steps into the courtyard, I put together a list in my head of what he would need to do. Step one would normally be: get some armor and Glimmer from the Vanguard, but that would have to wait until the Warlock Vanguard returned. Step two: go to the weapons dealer to pick up a crappy gun. But I knew how frustrating searching for good equipment could be. Luckily for KS, I wasn't just incredibly smart, handsome, talented, and courageous. I was also generous, and I just so happened to have an extra gun. I held up my hand. A pistol materialized in it, a blue revolver with some orange decoration. I handed the weapon to KS and said, "Here. You'll need a weapon, and the Tower only gives rookies the worst gear. Guns like this are called hand cannons, and having this'll save you a lot of trouble." KS studied the weapon. "It's name is The Devil You Know," I continued, "I don't know why, that's just the name. If you ever run into the guy who named it, do me a favor and shoot him with that." KS stared at me blankly. [i]Great,[/i] I thought, [i]he can't think straight AND he wouldn't know a joke if it slapped him in the face. Something tells me he wouldn't even understand that expression...[/i] KS seemed to give up on understanding my joke and looked back down to the hand cannon. [i]He'd be a knockout at parties,[/i] I thought sarcastically. Blanc studied the gun, then looked to me and said, "Thank you, Salem." I nodded, then turned and began leading them to one of the staircases at the side of the courtyard. It would lead us to the the right wing of the Tower. The hangar. Step three: get a ship. Luckily, the Shipwright almost always had something good. It was getting even harder to find the husks of old ships lately, but the Tower took and repaired what they could. Some groups had even started making new ships, which hadn't been done since the Golden Age. Everyone agreed that the industry wasn't making much progress, though, and Guardians would have to start finding their own ships very soon. [i]Gosh,[/i] I thought as we entered the hangar, [i]I care too much about equipment and supply statistics. But the lack of ships in market will be a major problem for new Guardians in a few decades,[/i] part of me replied. [i]Great, now I'm having a debate with myself over resource distribution. Maybe all the isolated scouting missions are starting to affect you. Shut up,[/i] I ended my little dispute and focused on my surroundings. We were on a sort of catwalk, overlooking everything. A row of ships lined the far end of the hangar. Some had frames and engineers working on them. The catwalk led us to a platform, where more engineers fiddled with contraptions. KS and Blanc followed close behind as I took them up a short staircase and approached a frame standing at a cluttered desk. "Where's the Shipwright?" I asked it. The frame straightened up and answered, "The Shipwright is currently out on business. What can I help you with?" [i]How did they all pick today to go out?[/i] I thought, then pointed over my shoulder at KS and replied, "I have a new Guardian who needs a ship." The frame typed on a data pad on its desk, then said, "We have two ships ready for Guardian use, though one is currently out on a test flight. Would you like to wait for it to return?" I dismissively waved a hand and said, "No. Just give him the other one." The frame nodded, then looked back down to the pad and droned, "The ship is Phaeton class, name listed as Act on Instinct. Ghost may lock into systems when ready." [i]Wow,[/i] part of me thought, [i]they actually named it. The closest thing my Kestrel class ship has to a name is it's design number. Shut up, you don't need anything fancy,[/i] the rest of me scolded. I turned to the other two and addressed Blanc, "You got that?" "Already have control," Blanc replied, "We can see it later. What's next?" I crossed my arms and thought for a moment. Most Guardians found their weapons out in the field, but there were some you could buy in the Tower. It would probably be best for KS to get something. "Next," I answered, "We get you some specialized weapons." "Like what?" Blanc asked. "Oh, right," I said, "You wouldn't know about that. We Guardians divide different types of weapons into different groups. Primary weapons, like hand cannons, are the basic stuff. Special weapons are stuff like shotguns and sniper rifles. And heavy weapons are machine guns and rocket launchers. Apparently, there was a group who used swords back before I was revived. But no one knows what happened to them." "Alright then," Blanc said, "Where do we start?" "At the Vanguard Quartermaster," I replied, pointing to an orange frame standing behind a desk covered in weapons, "His name is Roni 55-30." "C'mon, Keis," Blanc said, and we both turned to him. But he wasn't standing next to us anymore. I pictured a cartoon, with a dashed outline of KS blinking where he should have been. "Where is he?" I sighed. Blanc started slowly turning, then stopped and said, "He's over there, speaking to someone." I looked and groaned. He was speaking to the Dead Orbit representative. "That's a Faction representative," I explained to Blanc as we walked towards them, "They're crazy people with crazy ideas who stay at the Tower to get followers. This group has been running low on people lately, so they'll take anyone they can get." As we drew near, the representative handed KS something. KS turned and nearly ran into me. "What did you do?" Blanc asked. "I think I'm his friend now. He said something about space and gave me this," KS answered, holding up a circular band of metal with the Dead Orbit logo on it. With a thought, my helmet disappeared, and I put a hand on my forehead. KS took a moment to study me, taking in my angular face, short black hair, and blue eyes. "Dead Orbit wants humanity to leave the solar system and find somewhere new to live," I sighed, "I guess it's fine, though. You don't need to agree with them. They'll pay you and give you gear if you wear their logo around." I took the band out of KS's hands and slid it up onto his upper arm. "It's called a Warlock Bond," I explained, "Titans have Marks, which are cloth on their hips, and Hunters have Cloaks. Explanation over. Let's go." We approached the orange frame, and I greeted it, "Hey, Roni. What have you got?" "Weapons," Roni answered, stating the obvious. I couldn't tell if he was messing with me, or if his frame programming didn't understand how to answer me. "Have a look, KS," I said, stepping to the side. KS looked over the firearms, then put a hand on an orange machine gun. "I like this one," he muttered. I held out my hand to Roni. With a thought small blue cubes from my Inventory appeared in my palm. "What's that?" KS asked as Roni took them from me. My Ghost materialized and answered, "It's Glimmer. Programmable matter that can be transmuted into almost anything. It's what people use for money." "About time you stopped hiding," I muttered, "KS, Blanc, this is my Ghost. I don't have a name for him." "Nice to meet you," Blanc said. KS stared blankly, his hand still rested on the machine gun. "What's that called?" I asked, nodding towards it. "Diluvian," Blanc replied as the weapon disappeared into KS's Inventory, "The note says: Tossed upon the seas of war and tragedy." "Note?" KS asked. "Every piece of equipment has a note attached," my Ghost answered, "Usually descriptions, quotes, or symbolic phrases. The hand cannon Salem gave you says: Let's make a deal."