Destiny shorts; Final Shape Edition

SFW; A Life Forgotten

Herra and Kara walk the halls of RUIN HQ, Karas' cloak fluttering in the wind as a Holliday-class Corvette came in to land in front of them; the same make and model as the HELM. Herra fixed her hair as the thrusters ceased, her expression steeled, as if she were concealing her true feelings on the situation. Kara looked up to Herra as the ships' maneuvering thrusters hissed on the underbelly, emitting jets of water vapor and releasing pressure.

Kara; "Mom... What's the mission again?"

Herra could feel her eye twitch at being called "mom", glancing to Kara with a deep inhale.

Herra; "We are going to Nessus with brother Crow to check the efficacy of Caiatls' landtank defenses."

Kara; "But I thought you didn't like Cabal?"

Herra; "I do not. I'm loathe to do anything involving them... But, Eve said it was important enough for both of us to go, so I'm going."

Kara nodded gently and looked ahead as a ramp lowered on the starboard side of the vessel, Crow and Evelyn stepping out at the same time, the both of them bearing a flustered expression, Crow in particular massaging the back of his neck.

Eve; "Hun... It was just a kiss, don't think too much about it."

Crow; "It was a little more than a kiss last year, you know..."

Herra cleared her throat, making the Exo and Awoken look her way and stand at attention.

Eve; "Herra! Good, you made it. Crow, this is Kara."

Herra rested a hand on Karas' shoulder, glancing to her to gauge her reaction.

Herra; "Little bird, this is big bird."

Kara and Crow share a chuckle as Eve and Herra shake hands, but they were barely smiling.

Eve; "So, you two... It's gonna be about a month of reconnaissance through the forests and Vex fields around the Halphas Electus. Caiatl has assured me there'll be accomodations for Guardians aboard, repurposed from Psion quarters."

Kara; "Oh, good! I was about to ask if the bathrooms were small enough for us."

Crow shook his head with a chuckle, gesturing for Kara and Herra to follow. They would do so, and Eve would step out off the ramp, away from the ship. She glanced back to Herra and Kara, only Herra looking back. Eve, to the best of her Exo ability, tensed her jaw as she looked at Herra, Herra looking at Eve with a determined expression. Eve only nodded and clasped her hands behind her back, her posture slightly hunched as she made her way out of the dry dock.

Inside the ship, Crow, Herra and Kara walked onto the command deck, seeing the walls lined with weapons and their ammunition, armor, medical kits and gear to make camp. Kara looked at the supplies with her mouth slightly agape, in awe of the abundance of them.

Kara; "Wow... You guys thought of everything, didn't you?"

Crow; "Chief insisted we prepare for a worst case scenario. With the amount of Pyramids that arrived with the Witness, she's worried about more Disciples coming out of the woodwork."

Herra; "A smart move, to be sure... Do we have quarters on this vessel as well?"

Crow; "Oh, yeah, this way!"

He immediately turned tail away from the war table and went towards a descending flight of stairs, taking the pair to a room under the door they'd entered the command center through, where the Psisorium would've been on the HELM. In there was a pair of bunk beds, freshly made with the smell of linen in the air. Kara took in the smell with a deep inhale, smiling wide before running to the bunk on the right and laying on the bed.

Kara; "Oh, this is nice! Like laying on a cloud!"

Crow; "Heh... They're pretty nice, yeah. Hopefully, the rooms on the land tank will be just as nice."

Herra watched Kara with a partial smile, coming into the room and walking past Crow. Herra looked to Crow with a faux smile, just forced enough to be convincing and... not creepy.

Herra; "Could you please give us a moment?"

Crow nodded and awkwardly flashed finger guns with click of his tongue.

Crow; "Heh, you got it."

He would sheepishly saunter out of the room and close the door behind him. Kara sat up from the bed, looking at Herra with a confused expression.

Kara; "Everything ok, mom?"

Herra let out a heavy exhale and went closer to Kara, sitting on her knees so she was at eye level with her.

Herra; "... Please, my child... Never forget how proud I am of what you've become."

Kara only looked more confused, but smiled when Herra leaned in and kissed her forehead.

Herra; "So... Very proud..."

Herras' voice quivered as her eyes flashed with afterimages, like the kind one may see when two mirrors are facing each other. Karas' smile faded as she seemingly entered trance, her eyes also gaining the virtual images, despite their cloudy nature. Herra raised a shaking right hand into the air and drew a Hive symbol outline with Soulfire, whispering as she did so.

Herra; "Song of Sathona, hear my plea... I carve my will into the mind before me, that I may pull away memories no longer desired. Kara... Will never remember me as her mother."

Sprites of green flowed out from Karas' eyes into the symbol, filling in the outline in.

Herra; "The memories are mine alone... To cherish and suffer through... They are no longer yours. I have taken them. Lokaar."

The sigil cracks like glass, Herras' voice cracking in a similar manner.

Herra; "... Aiat."

The symbol shatters and fades away, and Herra stands, briskly walking out of the room and out of the ship. Karas' eyes return to normal shortly after, and she begins to set aside the things she had stuffed in her pockets. 

As Herra descends from the raising ramp, she sees a Warlock in Praxic robes, his Exo features expressing bewilderment and anger; Herra would recognize him as Zealot-7.

Zealot; "... Herra, what have you done? Why did you do that?!"

The ship begins to lift off, levitating through an open door in the ceiling. The engines roar like thunder as the ship heads out of sight, the whirring of the doors closing echoing through the dry dock.

Herra; "You asked if you could trust me with our own child. This is my answer."

Zealot; "... And that answer is?"

Herra; "No. You can't."

She then walks past Zealot out of the dry dock as well, leaving the Exo to stand there, staring at where she once was, fists clenched.

Herra; "I can't trust myself."