Blank Slate Ch.6: Pointless Intermission

Table of Contents https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/225386550/0/0 I lay quietly in the foliage, looking down the scope of my sniper rifle. It had been a few years since Blanc first revived me. I didn't wear the shoddy armor she'd scraped together anymore. I wore a set of armor called Dujiao Shou. The chest piece, like on all Warlock armor, was part robe, and the tail went down to my ankles and covered the backs and sides of my legs. There was armor on my shins, forearms, and chest. The helmet had a rectangular visor situated vertically down the middle, there were guards on the sides, and there was a horn-like projection over my forehead. The set's mottled green colors were good for camouflage. My thick, black and white sniper rifle was a gift from Dead Orbit, as was made obvious by the logo on the side. It was called the Extrasolar RR4. I still wore their Bond, and they had gifted the rifle for all my time advertising them. Not that I ever spoke or thought about them. I just used the equipment. Due to my experiences in scouting with Salem, the Vanguard had picked me for a mission on Venus. I'd met the Hunter, Titan, and Warlock Vanguards shortly after my first day at the Tower. The Hunter Vanguard was named Andal Brask. I'd never managed to get a good look at him under the hood of his cloak, but he was kind and a good Guardian. For some reason, I couldn't remember anything about the Warlock or Titan Vanguards. "Activity," Blanc said over the comms. Out in potentially dangerous areas, Ghosts stayed in the armor matrix for protection. Guardians could be revived by their Ghosts, but Ghosts died when they were killed. [i]That's stupid phrasing,[/i] I thought, [i]Most things usually die when they are killed. Except Guardians.[/i] I moved my focus to the scope of my Extrasolar. The Vanguard had sent us to watch a hotspot for Vex activity. The Vex were a milky white radiolarian fluid; inside and controlling mechanical casings and all mentally linked in an incomprehensible web of intelligence. They were quite efficient at traveling through space and time apparently, and their timeless structures have littered many planets since time immemorial. For some reason, the Vex gave me déjà vu. This hotspot was outside a large, circular gate that never opened. Inside was a mysterious place called the Vault of Glass. Outside was a small area with an odd Vex tower and three circular plates on the ground. The Vanguard has been keeping an eye on the Vault for decades. Guardians would spend a few days or weeks watching, then be replaced. All we had learned was that standing on all three plates for awhile opened the Vault. But large numbers of Vex attacked anyone who tried that. Through my scope, I watched some Vex patrol around the area. The Vex had several units. Most were bipedal and had one red eye. Their most basic, called Goblins, had large fan-shaped heads. The next type was Hobgoblins, who had two horns jutting out of the sides of their heads and carried guns that worked like sniper rifles. When threatened, they would protect themselves by putting themselves in stasis. They, along with the Goblins, had their fluid visibly contained in their stomachs. Another type was the Harpies. They quickly zipped through the air, and could stabilize themselves to shoot at enemies. Minotaurs were large and had thick armor. Hydras were like floating fortresses, and had translucent matrix shields rotating around them. All Vex could teleport short distances, though only Minotaurs used it aggressively, and Harpies and Hydras rarely did. Watching the Vault wasn't completely pointless for Guardians though. When out in the field, Engrams and equipment could be found. Engrams were small, glowing, angular objects that could be converted into weapons and armor. And the area around the Vault was known for its unique equipment. After a few days, I had already found a helmet and some boots. Naturally, someone had already named the gear, and the armor was titled Hezen Lords. [i]Wait,[/i] I thought, [i]Why am I going over all this? I already know it. It's not as if there's some third party listening to my thou-[/i] A hand rested on my shoulder, and I looked up. A Hunter crouched next to me and whispered, "You Keis-51?" I nodded. "Alright," she continued, "You've had your fun. It's my rotation. Go on back to the Tower." I didn't understand what fun I should have had, but slinked back away from my spot. I crept out of the area as the Hunter settled in, and Blanc called in my ship. "That wasn't so bad," Blanc said, "We should volunteer again, sometime. Maybe we'll dig up the rest of that armor."