Another week, another set of shaders to sell to Guardians. How did I end up here, Traveler? I survived the Collapse, watched over the Black Armory for centuries, and restored the Forges with the help of the Vanguard. And what have I been doing since they went offline? Running a glorified loom for Guardians who want to spice up their outfits before they go out and kill another god or two.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for all the help the Guardians have given me. Restarting the Forges, producing new weapons with them, it was incredible. Just the other day I heard a fireteam used Izanagi’s Burden to help them take out a newly-resurrected Disciple of the Witness. But is it really my destiny to sit on the sidelines and wait while these battles unfold?

We still don’t even know what the Witness wants, what it did, or why it is taking prisoners. Why doesn’t the Vanguard investigate this? Last I heard, they were busy running around on Neptune, developing some new Darkness power called Strand. It’s not that I have any bias against the Darkness, having seen firsthand what Lightbearers have done in the past, but don’t we have bigger problems? The Witness carved a hole in you and disappeared, and for the past few weeks we haven’t done so much as approach it.

A younger me might have welcomed this turn of events. I thought we were too dependent on you, on the whims of this unspeaking god. You created the Warlords during the Collapse. You gave the Hive the Light! But now, now I’m not so sure. You’re a symbol to so many, giving them something to rally around. And there is so little to be certain about these days.

Amanda Holliday died in a mission to rescue some prisoners of the Witness, which is tragic. I didn’t know her well, but I can tell that her absence is hitting the residents of the Tower hard. I’m almost hesitant to ask, but… why was she even on that mission? We have an immortal army of superhumans, and we’re throwing ordinary people into the line of fire — why? Maybe Amanda was like me and couldn’t bear watching from afar anymore. Maybe I should honor her memory by learning from her example.

For now, I wait in the Tower Annex, across from that fool still running his Gambit all these years later. I oversee the loom, I provide Guardians with pieces of armor. They don’t come down as often anymore, after the Vanguard overhauled the entire armor modification process and took that job away from me, too. Still, I suppose there is a quiet dignity in ensuring that the defenders of the humanity look appropriately inspiring as they rush into battle and stride around the Tower.

Anyway, this week I’ve got the Genotypenull-Zero, Echoes of Io, and War Cult Scheme shaders. I still think about Lakshmi sometimes. Shame she couldn’t change with the times. I hope I can.

Are You There, Traveler? It's Me, Ada-1

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