#we've had like what six vanguards?

[the-fruit-bandit]

Did you guys know that hunters are my favorite class in Destiny?

Here's a few of my favorites:

(From right to left)

Iron Lord Gheleon, Tevis Larsen, Andal Brask, Cayde-6, Caliban-8, Tallulah Fairwind, Jaren Ward and Crow

[ahamkara-apologist]

yeah the destint fandom ignores everyone who isn't like. one of the Main Few Guys. there's so few fics with ANY of the women it's insane. how is there literally no failsafe content out there. hardly a lick of savathun. ikora and Eris get a Little Bit. six hundred quintillion crow fics though

Yeah, I fuckin noticed!! Literally everything is either Crow or Cayde, and while I know this is because the fandom scene is typically dominated by straight women, hence the notorious effect of Ignore/Sideline Female Characters, I'm still baffled by just how bad it is now that I've actually found a series that has female characters good enough for them to become my blorbos (a rarity). Like, Cayde and Crow are fandom bait, I'm aware, but really?? We have entire expansions and seasons revolving around characters like Eramis, Eris, and Savathun, but there's still fucking nothing with them?? Or, in Eris's case, only for the purpose of Drifteris, where the fans often shoehorn hetero stereotypes onto them both bc they 'fix each other' and openly use racist slurs for Drifter because they think its funny?? As someone who enjoys fandom because I love to pick apart stories and characters and analyze them under a microscope, this is just fucking agonizing. And honestly, I wouldn't even put Ikora in the mix because Ikora/Eris is still extremely niche and half the time people can't even talk about them without throwing Drifter into the mix as well

For me personally, I feel like it sucks even more in Destiny because this is a series that has female characters that actually feel like...well, strong, interesting, compelling characters. Like, this is entirely bias talking here, but Eramis's story arc of a mellow, loving mother becoming the bitter, angry, cutthroat pirate/politician/ruler she is now is a much more interesting personal arc compared to Cayde's, as Cayde's major narrative impact was defined more by how he influenced others and what his absence did to the narrative than who he actually was as a person (sorry Cayde fans, I'm not trying to diss your boy, more pointing out the different character uses here). She's also unique in that she's the one recurring major antagonist we've had who is truly morally grey and working for the good of her people rather than selfishly, but the only time people ever talk about her, its to complain about her and how she's apparently doing all of these crimes that she either a.) never did (attempted genocide against humanity- ????), b.) had no choice in doing (rasputin's death), c.) war crimes (she's got less on her record than what the vanguard did), or d.) she's a hypocrite (she's aware. its a facade. her angry melodrama is a facade guys. YOU'RE FALLING FOR HER MASK).

Like I get that the curse of enjoying morally grey characters is that nobody ever understands them properly and that her being a woman factors into this mess, but the total lack of content makes this even worse somehow. She's not an insignificant character and yet- nothing. It's a fucking travesty honestly and it frustrates me to no end

[jpitha]

Awakenings 2

Part one is back here

****Six months earlier****

"Okay, the recording has ended." Starbase said. "I'll pack it down as compressed as I can and beam it to the ship." Starbase paused for a moment. "Wait, I don't have a message laser. We're going to have to rig a message laser out of something, we've never had to send ultra long distance messages before, certainly nothing like half a light year!"

"What about one of the Starjumpers? They're old enough that they probably have message lasers." Fellmeli said as she went over to her desk in the office she shared with James and sat back down, drained from recording the video message.

"Oh, good idea Fellmeli! I'll ask them."

James sat across from her at his desk and looked at Fellmeli "So, what do you think?"

"Think? I think this is insane. We have what is most probably a lost human colony ship coming in system with who knows how many people on board, they don't have a wormhole generator, nobody is awake on it and they can't steer." She looked up at James. "Oh, and it also has the last human alive - probably alive - who was equipped with a brain computer interface, a cybernetic connection and Starbase says that they need her to do....something. Your people really colonized planets this way?"

"Much before my time, but yeah. We colonized four planets that way." He paused a moment before continuing "It was dangerous though, we did send out a dozen or so colony ships, Mt Greylock was one of the last, if not the last one. Most colonies got 2 ships - Parvati got 3 - and 3 ships were lost."

"Lost? like destroyed?"

James nodded. "One was confirmed destroyed, the Mt Stratton was destroyed on initial boost after it had left Earth, probably an engine failure. Mt Greylock and Mt Baxter were both lost en route, assumed destroyed. There was no way to reach them and they were both supposed to be vanguards for their colonies, so nobody to report that they never made it."

"Why do you know so much about old colony ships?" Fellmeli asked as she flicked an ear, a K'laxi raised eyebrow.

"Oh, I learned about them in school; I did a report on them when I was 14. I learned all I could and a Starjumper - the Spyglass - was in-system when I was doing the report, so I got to ask them about it. They weren't around for the launches, but they did travel to the colonies. I had never got talk to a Starjumper before, let alone interview one! They were really nice about talking to a kid for 30 minutes while they were loading up."

Fellmeli nodded. "Lucky then that you're one of the co-representatives of Zen'm'gan's Reach when what might be the long lost My Greylock is coming in."

"Yes, but it's weird. Why here? Why now? The Greylock is at least 500 years overdue, and I don't think was even set to come this way. It doesn't add up."

As James mused, Starbase chimed in. "Good call Fellmeli. The Dialectic did still have a message laser and was able to send the message to the ship coming in. She actually was excited to do it. She said she hasn't used her message laser in nearly two hundred years!" Starbase sounded pleased.

"So how long until the message reached them?"

"Dialectic said it was only an estimate, but it based on the calculations from observing the drive flame, it'll take five or six months for them to get the message, by which time, they'll be much closer to us. We should have the second message ready to send them in 3 though, we'll need to give them time to prepare."

James stood and started pacing the room. "Speaking of that, Starbase, just why do you need a cybernetically equipped human at all? You are a K'laxi starbase!"

"Well, yes, originally. When humanity came on board, we were surprised at how many humans - whole families - came on board. We were caught flat footed and had no room. a Starjumper, the Picaresque volunteered to be broken down and integrated into me for immediate needs and then after that we started construction on less..ad hoc upgrades."

Fellmeli stopped cold. "Wait, Starjumpers all are run by AIs. Starbase, what happened to Picaresque."

"Yeah, that's the thing. He was supposed to be offloaded into a body but I think Picaresque is still in here. I need a cybernetically equipped human to...er....go inside me(us) and look for him"

"YOU CAN'T TELL??" Fellmeli blew up.

"No...I mean, yes...I mean...not really? So much of Picaresque's systems were used in me that we merged...only a bit though. I'm still me, but I think he's still in here, and...I think he has asked me if he can come out. The whole thing is weird. I've been the Starbase ever since I was brought to being, but now I sometimes I feel like I need to...thrust my stardrive, or twist to face the stellar wind. Things I would never know myself as a Starbase, but things a Starjumper would know. Also I get these hints. Like Picaresque is lost and trying to ask for help. It's tough to explain. I've tried explaining it to Starjumpers when they visit and most of them agree that at least part of Picaresque is in me, and they also agree that we should try and reach him - at least to give him the option to leave - and if he doesn't want to leave then to either merge completely or get like a joint custody thing going."

Fellmeli stared dumbstruck at the wall. "So Picaresque has been lost inside you for...more than one hundred years?"

"I fear so Fellmeli. I hope Co-Captain Maplebrook can help. She's probably the only one who can."

Part 3

[oceansprompts]

𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕧𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕦𝕒𝕣𝕕 𝕠𝕡𝕤 // 𝕕𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕪 𝟚 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤

this dialogue taken from destiny 2's vanguard ops strikes; hypernet current, lake of shadows, and the arm dealer. . . . adjusted for general use. . . . change as needed for usage

Let us hope that your technology continues to be resilient.

We need to get in there and stop them.

Screams, weird voices, nightmares... you name it.

It's resilient, but not impenetrable. A backdoor wouldn't be impossible.

Hopefully getting rid of whatever is at the center of this will shake all that weirdness out of the system too.

It looks like you're getting closer to the source of the problem. That track nearby looks like your best bet!

Let's just hope it's stable.

What-what was that?

Such a fragile space. This will do.

You don't want to see the pot of tea I made this morning.

Civilians are depending on you.

Mobilizing team for Operation, uh... Babydog? Why does this say Babydog? I must have forgotten to reboot the name generator.

Operation "Babydog?" Well, it has a certain ring to it, huh?

Yes... "Babydog" ... Well, the protocol is already running. Can't stop it now.

Yes, sorry, Operation "Babydog" ...We need to determine the source of — Haha! — I'm sorry, I can't.... Stand-by!

Our purification tech can only do so much. If the contamination spreads, people will die.

Good work. There's bound to be more than one.

We're making good progress, but energy readings are still off the charts.

This place is old; good thing we can't get tetanus.

If for nothing else but principle, I'm glad you're reclaiming it.

They just left that unguard...? This smells fishy to me.

Time for me to step out. I leave it to you.

Usually for an operation like this, logistical support would be provided. But it sounds like it's just us this time around.

Where'd you put my datapad? It had the notes about that thing I'm in charge of.

Into the action right away. I'm not surprised. You're up.

Whoa, wait wait wait, I'm not ready! I had a whole thing for this guy — I had charts and pictures — you know what, the one time I get it all — geez, forget it. You know what, just forget it.

Door's unlocked. But I couldn't get through without tripping their master alarm.

Not a trade I would have made, but you're the one on the ground.

Come on, how bad could one little alarm be?

Good different or bad different?

Did I just see a FLARE shoot into the sky?

Did you shoot up a flare? I thought we weren't allowed to have flares anymore after I… had nothing to do with why we're not allowed to have flares.

That's me! I must have… Oh, wait a minute. Nope not me.

Plan, schman. Take the radioactive thing, put in explode-y place. There! There's your plan.

Is this what "be brave" means for you? Didn't know it was a prayer.

Yeah, not blowing up is as good as you can hope for sometimes.

Way to reach for the stars.

Sounded like a nice dunk!

This guy's no ordinary space rhino. His weapons ain't half bad, either.

He's bound to have more. Insecure men tend to surround themselves with others like them.

Nope, she's totally right. Which is why I work alone.

I'm sorry, painted it what now?

Yeah, funny story about the Oh-roh? Oh-roh… Oh-roh-bahn… uh…

I think you should call it "payback."

Could be some really weird defenses in there. Not just flame turrets - I'm talking REALLY weird.

Why would they put a tank inside a ship?

Remember that elevator? Looks like we have to bring it down again.

Ok. Well, there are many… levels of easy.

Please don't encourage him

Oh, come on! ANOTHER one?

Wait, wait wait! Let me guess — giant flame turret.

Try to grab his flame turret blueprints after he's dead.

Watch for air support. This guy's too smart to not have a backup plan.

Eh, backup plans are overrated.

This is it. We've got him cornered… in an airfield. OK…

Now we've got you! In a… place you know way better than us. But that won't stop us. Let's get him!

Watch your six. And your twelve. You know what — just — just be careful

Sounds like I returned at just the right time. Excellent work, team.

Thanks, boss! It was by the book, the whole way.

Ok, you all are getting way too formal. Where's the energy? Let's hear some chatter out there! Huh?

The job's done. You can handle the chatter for a while.

You ever been hit with a rock? Don't joke about that.

YOU miscalculated?

Yes. Do you have any further questions?

It seems this new guy has done some “redecorating.” Although I don’t think I can call this an upgrade in terms of taste. But perhaps the cannons could be of use?

Names hold power. It is not unlikely that this new guy is a successor, who has taken up the mantle.

Unless we disable that shield, we’re sitting ducks out here!

That shield is making me mad! We’ve got to get rid of it!

Well fought! We’ve cut another head off the proverbial Hydra.

[thefangirlthatwaited]

I am writing a story about my Guardian Ruby and Cayde. The story is still a work in progress since I am starting it from Destiny 1. but I had to write this chapter first. Enjoy.

"Ruby, wake up." I groan and turn away from the sound. It is too early to get out of bed. I am still tired. I feel someone poking me again. "Ruby, get out of bed; I need you." I sigh, opening my eyes and see Cayde's glowing blue eye's looking back at me. "What?" I groan, sitting up and stretching. I check the clock and see that it's three in the morning. I've only been asleep for a few hours. "Get dressed; I need your help." He tells me, sounding a bit worried. I get out of bed right away and make my way over to my discarding armour from the night before. "What going on?" "Petra called. There is a riot at the Prisoner of Elders. She needs our help." "A Riot, really?" Cayde nods as he ties his cloak in place. "Yea, Variks took off." I look up at him as I lace my boots. "Variks? Really. Didn't think he had it in him." "Neither the Petra." I nod, giving myself a once over in the mirror before grabbing my weapons and following Cayde out. He stops me at the front door and pulls me in for a quick kiss. "Be safe in there." He whispered into the kiss. "I will if you will." He laughs.

"When we get back, I will get you some Ramen. As sorry for waking you up." I smile. "Deal." Once we pass the doors to our apartment and into the Tower, we stop acting like a couple. He is just my Vanguard, and I am one of his top hunters. We each head to our respective ships then set course for the Reef. We've done plenty of missions together in the past. This one is no different. We land at the Prison of Elders and see someone waiting for us at the entrance. "Petra Venj. Thanks for the invite." Cayde says in his usual tone. "What you packing for this party?" He goes on asking her. She smiles. "Meh, The usual." Then she pulls out her knife she is always so fond of. "Ohhh! Do the thing!" Cayde says, being excited. "Seriously, watch this." He says as he leans towards me. Petra releases the knife; it spins in the air before she catches it again.

Cayde Shudders, "That'll never not freak me out." He says, smiling at me before turning to Petra and pointing both fingers at her. "Do it again!" "Later, maybe," Petra says, putting her knife away. "Right now, gen-pop is running wild. Fortunately, the main arena and lower levels remain on lockdown. But if the core security system fail..." She pauses, turning around to face the Prison. "Containment is going to be... a problem." She then turns back to us. "Just another day at the office," Cayde assures, placing his hands on his hips. Petra nods her head, then turns and walks into the Prison. Cayde takes Ace out of his holder and turns to me as he loads it up. "Alright, partner. this is a Cayde rift in six, watch me for the changes, and uh.... try and keep up." I smile behind my helmet as he holds both arms up in the air.

"Now, let's go to Prison!" he yells before jumping off the platform. I laugh and shake my head as I follow Petra through the main entrance. I hear Cayde's gun going off in the distance as he yells, go you to every one of his targets. He is such a dork, but he is my dork.

I start my walk slow, not wanting to get overwhelmed by a large number of enemies. I knew the Prison held a lot of prisoners, just by its size. The number of enemies I have on my radar is astronomical. "Oho, these guys REALLY want to dance," I hear Cayde say through comms. "This riot has to end here. If these killers get out, the Reef will be overrun." Petra explains through the gunfire. "So we split up and take 'em out. And a one, two three-!" "Cayde will be fine," Stell says beside me as I snipe some Fallen from around the corner. "I know he will," I tell her. "I can see how tense you are. You are worried for him."

I sigh, moving forward. The next door I open comes with a burst of fire before I can go through. Then I walk into a holding area with a bunch of Fallen and Cabal fighting each other. I load up my Gravinton Lance Pulse Rifle and begin shooting. I figured this would be the best weapon for the job since each kill makes a tiny void energy blackhole that hits another and creates a chain. It's perfect for situations such as this. Fallen and Cabal start falling by large numbers, but quite a few of them are left. A large explosion rocks the room I am in, and a doorway ahead opens for me. "Woah! Who's blowing stuff up without me." Before I can reply, Petra cuts in. "I'm gonna get eyes on that explosion. You two join me when you can!" "On my way, Petra!" I yell back.

"The faster, the better." I then hear her grunt as she fights. "That blast knocked a few more cellblocks open." I pick up the pace running through cellblocks that are the cryo pods are still sealed, but the scaffolding is falling apart. Finally, I come to a door, and it opens to show Petra finishing off a Fallen. "I love fieldwork," she explains, loading her gun. "The explosion took out security on the lower decks." She turns back to the elevator. "I'll check the high-value prisoners down there. You and Cayde head to the security hub. Get security back online." "Count on us." She nods.

"Be careful," she adds before the door closes. I open the opposite door and continue shooting as Cayde comes back over the radio. "Ok, pal, this crowd isn't gonna just let us stroll into the security hub. I'll go high, you go low." I jump back into the fight, activating my arcstrider, clearing out the Cabal, Fallen and Hive that are all around me. I keep running and stop to aim at a giant Knight crossing the walkway above me. Before I can get a shot, I hear a golden gun go off, and I see Cayde sliding down, the walkway shooting all three shots at the Knight. "Can I say I'm having the time of my life right now" "Cayde," I sigh. "Minus the death that would happen if we fail," he adds before running off again.

I clear a path to exit the area and continue making my way. "We're approaching the security hub now, Petra," I say over the radio. "Copy that. Everything gone dark down here, so I'm stuck taking the long way to supermax." "Good luck." "Thanks, I'll need." I break up another door and see Cayde jumping down, knifing a Cabal. "Look out below." I run towards him as the Cabal starts walking backwards over the edge. "Woah, Woah Woah, THIS WAS NOT PART OF THE PLANNNN!" He falls over, and my heart stops. "CAYDE!" I can breathe again when I see he latched on to a shank. "Scratch that. It's definitely the plan. Meet you at security." I grumble then start running the long way around since I can't fly across the gab. "He is going to drive me into an early grave," I mumble. "Maybe. But you love him." "He is lucky I do." I take down more Hive and a very large Oger before arriving at the hub. I set Stell out to open the door, but it's locked tight. "This says we need warden level clearance to open the door. Cayde?" Stell asks.

"I gotcha, Stand by for promotion." A few seconds more and the door opens, granting us access. Inside I see Cayde at the central console trying to get everything in order. "Oh, you missed a truly masterful performance. All that is left is the coop-de-gracie" He then flips the switch, and there is just an alarm, and the floor begins to rise. "Uh, what's happening with the floor? Ah, these Hive are gunking up the works! Get 'em out of here, will you?" I roll my eyes. He knows I don't like the Hive. I kill the Hive as they emerge from the floor, clearing out the residue they left behind. After they were all cleared, I turned back to Cayde. "Hive gunk scrubbed! NOW it should turn on." "Remember to purge the buffers," Stell explains. "Sure. Got it. One question: how do I do that?" My head falls to my hand, and I sigh.

"Press the red button." "THEY'RE ALL RED!" he yells. "Then press all of them." "Then press, all of them!" Stell tells him. Cayde starts franticly pressing each button before they all turn green. "I can't believe that worked! I'm amazing at this." He then flips the lever, and the alarm sounds again before more Hive appears. "Scratch that. It did NOT work." I groan, then get to killing the new arrivals. "Don't worry, we got this. Do your thing." Once everything is cleared and clean, I turn back to Cayde. "Booting it up, for real this time." He flips the switch, and nothing happens. "Come on, come on, come, on." I open my mouth to offer assistance, but he shoots the console instead. "And stay down!" he yells at it. "Cayde." I sigh, but he spins Ace and puts it back in its holder. "Tech support... with extreme prejudice. Well, everything is where it is supposed to be, but it's asking me for some kinda secondary activation?"

"What do you need me to do?" "Should be terminal you can use out on the catwalks. I'd go, but I hear this place has turrets, and I really want to fire 'em," I laugh, rolling my eyes before heading back out. "By the way. you and me good team." I remove my mask and smile at him before he opens the door, and I walk out. I take off full speed, taking out any enemy in front of me, with the help of Cayde and his new toy. "You still with us, Petra? We're going to clear you a path to supermax real soon." "Copy that." comes her reply. I see the terminal ahead of me, but there is a bunch of Hive in the way. "WHY IS IT ALWAYS HIVE!" I yell, shooting a rocket. "I gotchu Babe," Cayde says, and I blush. He isn't supposed to talk like that to me on official channels. The last of the Hive fall, and I get Stell to the terminal.

"Bringin the security system online," Stell confirms, and I see lights begin to turn back on. "You in the green now, PV?" Cayde asks, stepping out of the hub. "Yes, Accessing the lower levels now. Just gotta check on a couple of things, and then we can call it a day." "So long as you are the one buying." I laugh. "You promised me Ramen for waking me up." I remind him. "I'm sorry, must have been another dashing Exo. "Cayde.." I say playfully. "Looks like we are all done and dusted down here kiddo's Ramen's on me." I laugh and start to make my way back to him. "Looking pretty good down here. Just gotta check one last thing." Petra explains. It is quiet for a few seconds before Petra speaks again. "No...no..no.no Cayde, he's gone." I stopped running. "Who is he?" I ask, confused. "This isn't a prison riot, it's a prions break!" She goes on, ignoring my question. "The airlock on Deck Zero! It's the only way out this far down. They're going to escape."

"Who!" I ask, annoyed, but I can no reply. All I do get is the sound of Ace being fired. "Cayde?" Petra and I ask together as I run to his location. I then hear a rumble, and I see the security hub falling with Cayde on it. "CAYDE!" I yell, but the ground beneath me falls, taking me with it. "Cayde, Petra?" I call out for cleaning the debris off of me. "What is going on? Come in, Cayde!" "Welcome back," Stell says, still healing me as I run. "We fell twenty stories down." "I can't reach Petra or Cayde." I continue my way forward, hoping to find either of them. "Ether trails," Stell points out in front of me. "Look out for escaped Fallen." She paused, examining it. "Stell, let's go." "This Ether... is wrong somehow." "We can deal with that later. Let's go."

We continue our way through the lower half of the prison, with no sign of Petra of Cayde. A door opens in front of me, and an unknown creature attacks. I pull my gun and shoot it dead. I keep running forward, and more of these creatures appear. I kill them as well, and I am at a loss of what they could be. "These... things... they used to be Fallen." I shake Stell's explanation from my mind and continue my search for Cayde. I find more of these used to be Fallen and put an end to them. Then I feel something shake me to my core. "No!" Stell Whispers. "What was that?" I ask, trying to catch my breath. "Cayde Ghost... she's dead." I drop to the ground. "no...no...no..." I mutter, "Without his Ghost, Cayde dies... We've gotta find him!" She tells me, and I pull myself off the ground and run. I kill a large abomination, then head through the door.

I walk through the door and see several large Kell size Fallen standing at the exit, with someone else walking towards them. I look down and see Cayde lying on the ground, clutching his chest. I look back up to the person and recognize him instantly. Uldren Sov. He smirks at me, waving Ace of Spades in the air. "He didn't feel a thing. He chuckles as the door closes, sealing their escape. I hear Cayde cough, and I turn my attention to him on the ground. Stell comes out, scanning him to see how bad his wounds are. "How's my hair?" Cayde asks, his voice raspy. I feel tears building in my eyes, and I am unable to speak. "Speechless, typical." He says, coughing. "Oh no," Stell says, completing her scan. "There's nothing... I can do." "Stell," I whisper, pleading. "I'm sorry." She says. I then feel Cayde grab my hand.

"Listen, Ruby..." he coughs. "This ain't on you. This.. is what I get for... playing nice." He coughs again. "Cayde, we will get you home." "Ruby... This is the end for me." I pull my helmet off to look at him. "Don't say that. I need you." "No, you don't. You will do great without me." I wipe tears before they fall. "You tell Zavala and Ikora.." He pauses, trying to take a breath "the Vanguard... is the best bet... I ever...lost." Then his eyes go dark, and he is gone. I sit there, trying to come to terms with what just happened. Cayde, my love... I hear footsteps, and I know Petra finally made it, but too late. I then let out a blood curtailing scream that vibrates the walls around us as I lay my head in Cayde's chest, sobbing.

"Ruby," I hear, then a hand is placed on my shoulder. I lift up from where I was and see Petra standing beside me. "We need to get him back to the surface." She explains, and I nod in agreement wiping my tears away. I grab my helmet beside him, and then I pick Cayde up off the ground. "You don't have to do that," Petra tells me, trying to stop me. "I will be the one to carry him home." As we walk through the prison, Petra clears anything out of my way. When we reached the surface, I got to Cayde's ship instead of my own. "I will be in contact," Petra tells me. I manage a nod before taking off. Everything I was doing was on autopilot.

"Stell. Send a message to Ikora. Let her know we will be landing in the East Hangar and make sure no one is there." "What if she asks about..." I shake my head, cutting her off. "Tell her I will explain everything after." I fly in silence as Stell sends out her message. Trying not to look back at Cayde's body behind me. I don't know how I am still functioning. I know I just need to get him home. When I land back at the Tower, I take a moment to compose myself before opening the hatch. I stand there at the foot of the ship, Cayde in my arms again and see the look of horror on Ikora and Zavala's faces. "Cayde..." She whispers. "He's...." She can't bring herself to say the words. "He's dead"

[whileiamdying]

AGHARTA

Miles Davis Recorded live at Osaka Festival Hall Osaka, Japan on February 1, 1975

Remarkably, 1991 makes ten years since Miles Davis returned to full-time drugs, booze, sex, paranoia, and self-degradation all the gruesome details are laid out in his disturbing autobiography).

The last ten years have given us a kinder, gentler Miles Davis — he does interviews by the dozens, shows up on talk shows and at awards ceremonies, makes guest appearances on albums by other artists (from Toto to Kenny Garrett to Scritti Politti to Shirley Horn to Chaka Khan to Italian blues singer Zucchero), mugs gleefully at audiences from underneath an outrageous wig (his latest bit of stage schtick is holding up signs with his band member's names after their respective solos), and, in general, makes music that is, for the most part, expendable.

This is not the place for psychoanalysis, nor is it really the place to discuss post -1 980 Miles Davis , but, to these ears, the past ten years have been a postscript, a coda, to the incredible musical innovations of Miles Dewey Davis Ill, who followed a straight path forward every step of the way -from his first recordings in 1945 to the two double albums-Agharta and Pangaea recorded on a single day in Tokyo, February 1, 1975.

Miles was 48 years old on that winter's after-noon in Japan, but he was a sick (with disintegrating hips, bleeding ulcers and other ailments), tired, disillusioned man. After these concerts were in the can, he would pack up his innovations and go home. It's almost unbelievable, looking back at the six years he was gone, and, in a sense, at the jazz scene of the past 15 years, how much his leadership was missed. That we've continued to look to him to lead the way is less a reflection on him than on us: his charisma, both personal and musical, has not been replaced in any of the pretenders to his throne. His bullish approach to music sharpen it to the lethalness of a razor's edge and then move on, never looking back is not very popular in this conservative time. Miles Davis, for the first time in his career, is NOT in the vanguard.

Annotator Kevin Whitehead did a marvelous job of describing the whys and wherefores of this music in his liner notes to Pangaea: I will necessarily repeat some of what he said, but I1l avoid rewriting Kevin's notes-seek them out. Pangaea, an edgier, darker, denser album, was recorded at an evening concert; Agharta, lighter, cooler, brighter was recorded at a matinee. (Hey, whatever happened to afternoon concerts? Around this time, I remember attending Madison Square Garden matinees by John Lennon, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, and others; I even saw The Concert For Bangladesh in the afternoon!)

In Miles, The Autobiography, Davis writes: "Just because I was 47 years old in 1973 didn't mean I was supposed to sit down in some rocking chair and stop thinking about how to keep doing interesting things. I had to do what I was doing if was going to keep thinking of myself as a CREATIVE artist.

“...The critics were getting on my nerves, saying that I had lost it, that I wanted to be young, that I didn't know what I was doing, that I wanted to be like Jimi Hendrix, or Sly Stone, or James Brown.

“But with Mtume Heath and Pete Cosey joining us, most of the European sensibilities were gone from the band. Now the band settled down into a deep African thing, a deep African-American groove, with a lot of emphasis on drums and rhythm, and not on individual solos. From the time that Jimi Hendrix and I had gotten tight, I had wanted that kind of sound because the guitar can take you deep into the blues. But since I couldn't get Jimi or B. B. King, I had to settle for the next best player out there and most of them were white at that time... I tried out Reggie Lucas (who has become a big record producer these days, doing Madonna's records), Pete Cosey (who was close in his playing to Jimi and Muddy Waters), and an African guy named Dominique Gaumont.

"I would try exploring one chord with this interesting thing. I had to do what I was doing if was going to keep thinking of myself as a CREATIVE artist. ... The critics were getting on my nerves, soying that I had lost it, that I wanted to be young, that I didn't know what I was doing, that I wanted to be like Jimi Hendrix, or Sly Stone, or James Brown. "But with Mtume Heath and Pete Cosey joining us, most of the European sensibilities were gone from the band. Now the band settled down into a deep African thing, a deep African American groove, with a lot of emphasis on drums and rhythm, and not on individual solos. From the time that Jimi Hendrix and I had gotten tight, I had wanted that kind of sound because the guitar can take you deep into the blues. But since I couldn't get Jimi or B. B. King, I had to settle for the next best player out there and most of them were white at that time...I tried out Reggie Lucas (who has become a big record producer these days, doing Madonna's records), Pete Cosey (who was close in his playing to Jimi and Muddy Waters), and an African guy named Dominique Gaumont.

I would try exploring one chord with this band, one chord in a tune, trying to get everyone to master these small little simple things like rhythm. We would take a chord and make it work for five minutes with variations, cross rhythms, things like that. Say Al Foster is playing in 4/4, Mtume might be playing in 6/8, or 7/4, and the guitarists might be comping in another time signature, or another rhythm altogether. That's o lot of intricate shit we were working off this one chord."

And how. The two long medleys on Agharta linger over chords and revel in the rhythms- the solos are secondary to the sound of the whole, which ranges from the kind of fat funky stew that introduces the recording to the minimalist elec- tronic bleats and blats that end it. Things at once seem to change quickly, at once seem to change hardly at all- as Isaac Hayes- like disco wah-woh guitar bangs butts with Karheinz Stockhausen. like spatial electronic noodles. The music is both brainy and funky, both fiercely demanding and eminently danceable.

Miles always aimed to hate the jazz avant-garde- the only innovations of the post-bebop era that didn't have him at the immediate forefront, but Pete Cosey's first solo, a scratching, fact, during the medley on the second disc, Miles is toying with another innovation: beginning to give birth to a cool fusion Miles, in his book, intimates that he's aware of his influence on new age music and minimalist’s dear as the wig on his head right here, but both forms are frequently like diaphanous, rudderless musical ships). So, what's the deal on Agharta? The deal is this: Miles Davis trumpet solos are few, but they're choice-the aching humanity, even when he tosses in a bit of wah-wah pedal, is pure Miles: the sound is, as always, cool, parched, and aimed right at your heart. Sonny Fortune-on alto, soprano and flute — has rarely sounded better; he blends funk and bebop seamlessly and he burns every time he steps out.

But this recording is about rhythm, about the musical bond between Foster and Mtume — Foster knows bebop, Foster knows hard bop, Foster knows jazz, Foster knows funk; Mtume knows African rhythms, Mtume knows salsa, Mtume knows jazz, Mtume knows funk-about the Muddy-meets-Jimi-meets-B.B. blues-rich psychedelic guitar splashes of Fete Cosey and (to a lesser extent) Reggie Lucas; about the popping, James Brownified electric bass of Michael Henderson.

Agharta’s lengthy jams make you want to dance while you listen, listen while you dance; they make you sorry -they make me sorry — that Miles locked the door of his West Side New York townhouse for five years after they were finished, diaphanous, rudderless musical ships).

So what's the deal on Agharta? The deal is this: Miles Davis ' trumpet solos are few, but they're choice-the aching humanity, even when he tosses in a bit of wah-wah pedal, is pure Miles: the sound is, as always, cool, parched, and aimed right at your heart. Sonny Fortune-on alto, soprano and flute — has rarely sounded better; he blends funk and bebop seamlessly and he burns every time he steps out.

But this recording is about rhythm, about the musical bond between Foster and Mtume — Foster knows bebop, Foster knows hard bop, Foster knows jazz, Foster knows funk; Mtume knows African rhythms, Mtume knows salsa, Mtume knows jazz, Mtume knows funk-about the Muddy-meets-Jimi-meets-B.B. blues-rich psychedelic guitar splashes of Fete Cosey and (to a lesser extent) Reggie Lucas; about the popping, James Brownified electric bass of Michael Henderson.

Agharta’s lengthy jams make you want to dance while you listen, listen while you dance; they make you sorry they make me sorry — that Miles locked the door of his West Side New York townhouse for five years after they were finished, sorry that the lovable Miles that emerged doesn't seem to have the old got-to-keep-moving bug up his ass that the old one did (the old Miles would have figured out something to do with hip-hop, you can bet your life on that).

Listen to Agharta and think about its elements: from Bird to Hendrix, from Gil Evans to Sly Stone, from James Brown to Stockhausen. And then, forgetting about the jazz world for a second, think about some of the artists who would debut in its wake: the Neville Brothers, for example, or Prince, or Parliament, or even the new-and-improved Michael Jackson whose rocket ship was fueled by Miles' friend, fan, and contemporary, Quincy Jones).

Miles ahead. To some, Agharta and Pangaea are as far as he ever got. Awfully far, indeed.

Lee Jeske

All compositions by Miles Davis Warner-Tamerlane pub. corp./jazz horn music corp. personnel: Miles Davis, trumpet, organ sonny fortune, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, flute Miles Davis, trumpet, organ sonny fortune, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, flute Michael Henderson, fender bass Pete Cosey, guitar, synthi, percussion, water drum, rhythm box.

Disc One: 1. Prelude (32:35) 2. Maiysha (12:20)

Disc Two: 1. Interlude (26:50) 2. Theme from Jack Johnson (25:16)

[firesunandlotsofguns]

When the Hunter came to at last, her ears were ringing and her head hurt something awful. She'd dealt with crashes like this before but... she didn't remember them hurting this much. By this time, her Ghost was already standing by for revive.

Slowly leaning up in her seat, after realizing the top half of her body was strewn across the front of her dashboard, she places a hand on the side of her helmet. Or at least tried to. Something tugs sharply at her left shoulder and she takes a breath as a lance of pain shoots through her arm and chest. A six inch piece of shrapnel had embedded itself in her shoulder right where it met her upper torso.

"Shit... That's... that's not good... Lee...?"

Her voice sounded hoarse and she swallows hard past a dry patch in her throat.

"G... Guardian? Oh... I don't feel good..." Her poor Ghost sounded just as weak as she felt as he shakily floats up to her eye level from the back of her ship. One of his dorsal fins was bent sideways and there were a few dents dotting his outer shell. "Traveler... What on earth was that?"

"You mean... you mean we didn't take on fire?" Nya asks as she tries to work out how to remove the metal shard. It had easily punctured through her underlayer.

"We could've but... Nya, I don't... I can't feel the Traveler. The Light... Everything. Something is wrong." Lee's voice seemed to shoot up a worried octave. His blue eye then flicks over to his wounded partner. "Oh! Oh dear... Hang on. Let me see if I can..." The fins surrounding the single optic spread out in a circular fashion, like it does when he preps a revive, and soft blue light spreads out across both Guardian for a seconds before retracting. The metal shard falls into her lap as the awoken woman breathes a sigh of relief.

She still felt like shit but at least that was taken care of. Flexing her shoulder to test it was working okay, she looks around the interior of her flyer, taking in the damage, then to her Ghost.

"Lee, you still didn't answer my question. If we didn't take on any fire, then what the hell hit us?" she reiterates as she gets her bearings and begins the slow and careful process of getting out of her ship. Snow had already blanketed some of the exterior despite melting near the engines.

"I don't know. Really. Those were Cabal ships in the area, you saw that. They did... something to Traveler just as we reached the outer perimeter. And... scrambled the COMMs network. It's in complete disarray. I can't raise the Vanguard. I can't raise anyone..." Her Ghost's voice grows quiet after that as the information sinks in.

Her fireteam.

Her friends...

"Shit. Lee, we've got to get back there. Alasdair. Bell. Hell, even Cass-" Just as she had wriggled out of the cockpit, her wounded arm had given out, sending her tumbling into the snow.

She now realized just how cold it actually was.

Well. Shit...

The Red War

@house-of-steel

It was another patrol, another flight back home to the Last City. It was still going to be a few more hours but Nya was fine with taking her time. Not that she wasn't looking forward to being home. The peace and quiet she got while being in her ship was rather nice and she didn't want to break it just yet.

Her Ghost was nestled in the hood of her cloak watching their surroundings fly past them. The Hunter's life seemed to be getting back in order, slowly but surely. Her Void abilities were much sharper than they had been the previous year, finding her father trapped within Taniks' ship was a damned miracle and her fire team had been working well together. Sure, there had been the Hive, SIVA and the Taken King to deal with but they had overcome those obstacles. Time after time.

The winds had shifted though and the Vanguard had seemed to be gearing up for... something. There was something else on the horizon that they were preparing to defend against. Whatever it was, Nya knew they'd have a game plan. They'd get through this.

About four hours out from the City, her Ghost began broadcasting their call sign, give the Tower a heads up they were coming in to dock in the not too distant future. However, one of the COMM specialists didn't answer. None of them did. Exchanging a look with each other, Nya pushes her ship forward as a storm rolls in.

Thunder knocks against the hull, surprisingly strong despite being stretched out this far. Nya tries raising someone, anyone, as they get closer to the City when the Traveler comes into view. It was still far away but the massive amount of hostile ships, hostile Cabal ships, encircled it. Her eyes narrow a fraction as what looked like a massive cage covered its snowy gray surface, snapping around their source of Light.

Something ripples across the surface of the Traveler and it slowly begins to dim, dust shaking off of it. Nya's vision swims suddenly, throwing her off as she clutches the controls in front of her to steady the ship.

"Guardian... Something's... wrong..." her Ghost starts to say before tumbling to the floor.

"What the... hell... is..." Her ship comes under fire as soon as she nears the City's outskirts. Trying desperately to evade the incoming barrage of death, Nya swings her flyer off away and into one of near forests. She tries to keep herself afloat but... her body and mind... It felt like something important and invaluable was missing.

Everything seemed like it moved too slowly for her until her vision blacks out all together, her ship skipping over the tips of the trees.