Far in the space from Equus, a warphole opened for a moment, and then closed. It almost looked as if nothing had come through, but the twinkling light of a star would warp and distort every now and then, as if it was tracing the lines of an unseen object.

“We have arrived, my Kell.” The Dreg helmsman reported to the large Kell sitting in the throne. “Scanners detect that a ship matching the one that departed from the Earth world is in orbit around this one.”

“You have done well, Maret; I am pleased.” Xarksis told the Dreg, who bowed deeply. “Bring the ketch into the shadow of this world’s moon and prepare the scouts for deployment; I wish to know if there is anything of value to be obtained and where the Guardians are deployed.”

“As your will demands, my Kell.” The Dreg said, bowing again and returning to his post. A Baron stepped forward from the right of the throne.

“Kell Xarksis, I believe we should take this opportunity to strike at the Lightwielders’ ship and strand them on this world.” He said, kneeling. Xarksis stared thoughtfully at the Captain.

“Perhaps we should, it may even be to our advantage that we do so.” Xarksis shook his head. “However, I do not feel we should tip our hand just yet. The Guardians of the Traveler have proven time and again that even a few of them are more than a match for a great number of our forces.”

“Which is why I suggest we act now, my Kell, and strike them while they are vulnerable!” The Captain replied, agitated, and Xarksis glowered darkly at him.

“Baron Caltor, do you speak against my judgement?” The Kell asked, his withering stare fixed firmly on the Baron, who cowed slightly.

“N-No, my Kell, I was merely-”

In a flash Xarksis had risen from the throne and the towering Kell grasped Caltor around the neck with one large hand and lifted the smaller Fallen off the ground, choking him.

“Do not dare to question my authority, Baron!” Xarksis roared at Caltor, who gave a gasp as his windpipe was closed by the Kell’s iron grip. “Perhaps you have forgotten what happened to the House of Winter, to Kell Draksis?! All of the troops stationed on that accursed ketch and it took only three Guardians to break in and destroy everything! In fact, if not for those Guardians, the House of Dragons would never have been able to break away from Winter and come to the power it now has!” He released the Baron, who slumped onto the ground, gasping for breath. “No, I will not repeat that fool’s mistakes and risk the wrath of the Guardians for petty revenge. Draksis was careless and stupid, I am not. We shall await our moment to deliver righteous retribution.”

The room fell silent save for Caltor’s ragged breathing and then Xarksis reached down and grasped the Baron under one arm, lifting him to his feet.

“Since you seem so intent on action, Baron Caltor.” Xarksis hissed, leaning in close to the Baron. “You shall be the one to lead the scouting teams. I fully expect you to report your findings upon your return.”

The Baron stood in silence for a moment, staring at the Kell, who matched his gaze unflinchingly. After a moment the Baron took a step back and bowed respectfully.

“As your will demands… my Kell.” Caltor replied, and then turned, motioning for a pair of Vandals to follow him.

“And Baron…” Xarksis spoke as he took a seat on the throne, crossing a leg and the fingers of one pair of hands. Caltor froze and turned his head back towards the Kell. “If you fail me in this, there will be consequences.”

The Baron said nothing, but bowed once more and departed the flight deck. Xarksis watched as the door closed, ruminating about the fall of the House of Winter.

The House of Dragons that Xarksis presided over had once been a minor House in subservience to the House of Winter; it had been one of only a few minor Houses not completely dissolved and merged into a major House. The late Kell Draksis had conquered the Houses and told their Barons that they would either fly his standard, or be flown on his standard, and any discontent was frequently met with the razor–sharp edge of Draksis’ shock blade.

However, only a few months before, a team of Guardians had discovered the location of Draksis’ ketch on Venus and staged a daring raid on the ship in the hopes of slaying the Fallen leader. They had succeeded and thrown the House of Winter into chaos, which was only furthered when the Guardians had uncovered the remaining Winter Barons’ plan to restore the House Archon, Aksor, and not only devastated the remaining House leadership but laid low their Archon as well. They should consider themselves lucky, Xarksis mused; had the Rift Witch and her minions found them first, they would have met with a fate far worse than death.

Deprived of their leaders and with Simiks Prime still unaccounted for, the House of Winter finally shattered and the subservient Houses began warring amongst themselves.

Save for the House of Dragons.

Xarksis, undaunted by the fall of Draksis and uninterested in squabbling with minor Barons over little more than garbage, seized his opportunity and brought the House of Dragons to renewed standing. He rallied as many of the splintered Winter Fallen under his banner with promises of unity and ether, a desperately needed food source, and departed Venus amidst the pandemonium with several of Winter’s ketches and an army of Fallen under his command.

However, instead of fighting for Guardian or Cabal controlled territory, he set his sights on the Moon where he saw opportunity to increase the power of his newly revitalized House by forging an alliance with the House of Exile, providing them with what few ships, weapons, and supplies he could spare in exchange for loyalty. That done, he began sending his forces on missions to acquire the glimmer they needed to fashion weapons and create ether to feed the starving.

He directed short excursions in small groups to gather what material they could find and return. This had proven to be a successful maneuver and had guaranteed nourishment, and subsequent loyalty, from his subjects. His first major encounter with Guardians had been the disastrous attempt to acquire the mysterious data module, due mostly to the fact that a delusional minor House had almost delightfully insisted on firing upon Xarksis’ troops immediately upon landfall and the Guardians had then seen to the downfall of the House of Dragons’ own Archon. Xarksis hadn’t particularly minded that eventuality; he had been considering killing the loud–mouthed priest himself. It was the Guardians taking the data module that had infuriated the Kell.

Xarksis growled at the thought of the module, and then his thoughts took a turn to just how they had discovered the module in the first place.

His personal ketch had been in orbit over Venus, observing the unrest between the minor Houses and noting with personal satisfaction that several of them had been obliterated; by the Guardians, the Vex, or from petty squabbles with other Houses. A beacon had flared up on the radar and caught his attention, almost as if it had wanted to be found at that moment. Xarksis had immediately ordered the deployment of troops to seize the module, which ultimately ended up in Guardian hands.

It still bothered him, though. He never said anything to his subjects, unwilling to allow them to see weakness, but he was considerably unsettled both by the convenience of the module’s appearance, and the distance from which they had journeyed from known territory to discover where it led. The world that was displayed on the holo-screen in front of him seemed almost like the one they had left and yet… it was different.

There was darkness behind that calm surface that he could not see, but could still feel. The only other time he’d felt a planet like this was the first time he’d first laid eyes upon Venus, and that had been because of the accursed machines and their stronghold, the Vault of Glass, that had bent and distorted the very fabric of reality itself.

“Surely they cannot be here as well…” He murmured to himself as he gazed at the screen. “We are far from any known Vex controlled territory.” His brow furrowed in thought.

“Honored Kell.”

Xarksis turned a penetrating glare towards the Baron that had spoken, who promptly bowed with respect.

“Forgive my intrusion on your ruminations, but I would make a request if you would hear me.”

“And what would you have of your Kell, Captain Tolarum?” Xarksis asked, his curiosity piqued.

“If I may be so bold, I would ask that a small division of Kellsguard escort his lordship to the planet.” Tolarum replied. “To ensure his survival… for good or ill.”

“You say that as if you are expecting Baron Caltor to fail in his command.” Xarksis remarked and the Baron looked at him.

“Much could go wrong, my Kell. However, Caltor has been known to be quite… brash. The guard would serve to both protect him, and remind him who he serves.” Tolarum told Xarksis and the Kell rubbed a hand under his chin for a moment before waving it.

“Choose your soldiers, Tolarum.” Xarksis commanded. “Caltor is to return alive, no matter what happens.”

“As your will demands, my Kell.” Tolarum replied, and then he departed as well.

Xarksis sat on his throne for a minute longer before rising and entering a door hidden behind the command seat. He walked down a hallway until he stood in front of another door flanked by two of his personal guard, both of whom saluted sharply once he was within a few feet. The one on his right pressed a pad next to the door and it clicked, opening with a hiss to reveal a small, circular chamber with a podium near the center and a servitor floating next to it. He crossed the threshold and the door hissed closed behind him, the servitor’s optic swiveling to observe him.

“Hail, Kell Xarksis.” The servitor buzzed. “Do you desire to speak with the captive?”

“Yes, Soreks–5.” Xarksis replied and the servitor buzzed, releasing a hidden lock and causing a control console to appear on the podium. Xarksis pressed a button and a tube began to descend from the ceiling.

Once the tube touched the floor, a set of shutters near its middle opened up to reveal a containment field with a Ghost floating in the center. The mechanical orb settled its optic on him, a sense of weariness emanating from its gaze, and then it turned away defiantly.

“I see you are accommodating as always, Little Light.” He growled at the Ghost, who said nothing. “But you cannot fool me; I can see you are growing weak, starving for your maker’s light.” The Ghost turned its optic back towards the Kell, the angle of its spines made him think it was glaring at him indignantly and he laughed derisively. “If any of my subjects were to even consider giving me such a look, I would have them killed and their ether fed to the shanks. However, since you are a ‘guest’ on my ship, I shall be a proper host and ignore your lack of manners at this time.”

“What do you want from me, Scavenger?” The Ghost snapped in a cold, feminine voice and Xarksis settled a glare on the tiny machine. “I will sooner die from lack of the Traveler’s Light than give you even the tiniest scrap of information about Earth.”

“You will show respect to Kell Xarksis of the House of Dragons you reprehensible little-” Soreks–5 began, but stopped when Xarksis held up a hand.

“Your willingness to sacrifice your existence for a cause is commendable, Little Light, but I am not here to inquire about Earth or its Vanguard this day.” Xarksis told the Ghost and its gaze changed from a glare to curiosity.

“What?” The Ghost asked, shocked, and Xarksis pressed a few buttons on his console and a miniature holographic image of the planet appeared above it, rotating slowly on its axis. “Is that… Earth? No, the continents… they’re all wrong, but it is definitely similar.” The Ghost observed, and then it looked at the Kell. “Why are you showing me this?”

“Because we are in orbit above this planet’s moon right now.” He replied, the image shrinking to include the moon and an icon indicating their position. “We have traveled quite the distance from the Sol System… but I am sure you already knew that.”

“Your haphazard warp drive was active for approximately twenty hours Earth–time. Surprisingly, or perhaps ‘miraculously’ would be the better term, the machine held together for the trip.” She replied and the Kell looked at her curiously. “What? You’ve locked me behind an energy field that’s preventing me from accessing your internal systems or even escape. I got bored.”

“So it seems.” Xarksis drawled. “Can you tell me about this planet?”

“Yeah, no.” The Ghost replied sarcastically. “In order for me to do that, you’d have to lower the force-field so that I can scan the planet but you won’t do that because that would require you to lower the force-field and thus allow me the opportunity to escape.”

Xarksis huffed disapprovingly.

“And unlike you organic beings, I don’t have a natural sixth sense that tells me if there’s something wrong so I’m far more in the dark about this world than you are.” She paused for a moment before adding “Of course, even if I did have that, I wouldn’t tell you anything anyway.”

“My Kell, I regret to inform you that the chances of this Light Unit giving any information on the planet is approximately five–point–zero–two percent.” Soreks–5 stated.

“I see.” The Kell pressed a button on his console and the image faded, followed by the sound of the tube rising back into the ceiling. “This discussion has been truly delightful, but it has proven to be a waste of my time.” Xarksis grinned malevolently. “I shall be sure to send your regards to your Speaker.”

Once the tube had ascended fully back into the ceiling, Xarksis turned and stalked out of the room, his mind running. He had not said anything to the Ghost, but he needed to weigh his decision and it was one not to be taken lightly. He needed information on the planet, information he couldn’t get with any amount of scouting endeavors. The Ghost he’d found hiding on his ship could, indeed, give him the scans he needed to guide his followers, but letting it out of the containment field was not the issue.

The issue was that by using the Ghost, he would be using a tool created by the accursed Traveler and not only did his pride get in the way, but he was also certain that many of his troops would see this as a betrayal and the tenuous loyalty of some, if not all, of his Barons might break and they would turn on him, taking any number of the soldiers with them.

And even with that eventuality, there was no guarantee the machine–soul would do as he commanded; it would most likely disappear as soon as the field was lowered and retreat into the bowels of the ship to await its opportunity to sneak onto a skiff and escape his clutches permanently. What little it said was more than enough indicator to tell him what the Ghost thought about him and his people.

Fallen, Scavenger; these words the Ghost had uttered made Xarksis’ blood boil.

Few of his people lower in rank than a Captain understood the Terran common tongue well enough to know what those words meant, but Xarksis did. He despised those two words and yet… he could not argue their accuracy.

His people had once been a noble, proud race that built empires, entire cities just like the one that even now cowered beneath the dying god–moon. He’d heard the stories, had grown into adulthood with tales of the glory of ages past giving conviction to his movements, but at some point he’d realized that for all their bluster, his people truly were… Fallen, little prouder than the circling carrion birds that picked clean the discarded carcasses of a battlefield.

Whatever they had been before in those tales, they had long since ceased to be, the glories of who his people had used to be was now so far gone that it was naught more than legend and mythology. He entered the command deck once more and seated himself on his throne, entwining the fingers of one pair of hands in contemplation.

‘I will not be some shade of the past.’ He thought to himself resolutely. ‘I will forge my own dynasty, through blood if I must. I shall use whatever tool I have at my disposal, even the ones made by my enemy.’

His eyes glinted with conviction and purpose as he stared at the vidscreen showing Baron Caltor barking orders to the various Dregs and Vandals that were swarming on and around the skiffs, preparing them for spaceflight.

‘The Fallen shall rise once more.’

Author's Note

Grimoire Card acquired: Xarksis, Kell of Dragons, Ghost Fragment: Kell Xarksis.

Xarksis, Kell of Dragons:
Xarksis is the Kell of the House of Dragons. Powerful, charismatic and ruthlessly intelligent, Xarksis has proven capable of directing his forces to gather glimmer efficiently; so much so that the Vanguard has frequently arrived just in time to see his troops pull out. Xarksis does not appear to be interested in scavenging old technology, as demonstrated by the lack of Fallen bearing the colors of the House of Dragons, though a Hunter on patrol on the Moon noted that a Ketch flying the Dragons banner was seen next to one flying the colors of Exile, and the Vanguard is under the presumption that the two Houses have allied with each other. Xarksis' ambitions remain unclear, and he has divulged his machinations to only his most trusted advisers, but it is clear that he is building the powerbase of his House and following Fireteam Wisp to Equus is but another step in his campaign.

Ghost Fragment: Kell Xarksis:

Ikora Rey: "Fireteam Wisp has entered warp. We probably won't be seeing them for a while."

Cayde - 6: "Well, here's hoping they find something good out in the black."

Commander Zavala: "What? Dammit!"

Cayde: "Whoa, when you curse, it's gotta be bad."

Ikora: "What's wrong, Zavala?"

Zavala: "Ghost informed me that a Fallen ketch just departed orbit and entered into warp."

Cayde: "There's no way that's a coincidence."

Zavala: "Unfortunately we don't know which House it belongs to."

Ikora: "Zavala, we all know which House it was."

Cayde: "Shit... he's on the move. See, this is why we can't have nice things."

Zavala: "I've been chasing Xarksis for years, he's never been one to actually want to pick a fight with the Vanguard, so... why now?"

Ikora: "I imagine that he's bitter about Venus. Honestly I'm surprised he didn't blow the Mischief Maker out of the sky."

Zavala: "I'm willing to bet that he's using us to try and get to whatever that engram is telling us to find."

Cayde: "So... what do we do now?"

Zavala: "I'll start flagging down Guardians, get them ready to jump out to the coordinates."

Ikora: "I shall notify the Hidden to send me as much intel as they have on Xarksis and the House of Dragons."

Cayde: "Guess that leaves me with Holliday, because she loves when I go down to give her bad news, specially after she's had a good day."