new war replay got me thinking about drifter and operator
i think operator probably leveled up deimos some time between the war within and the new war, so she has been going by Aya tentatively since, even though she remembers some of what happened on the Zariman by that point, her name is still lost
thinking about Drifter and Operator seeing each other after The New War and kind of having an awkward heart to heart. Maybe in the Sanctum after Whispers in the Walls where they first kind of figure out that they can both be there just like they can on the Zariman.
They're sitting together on a ledge, silent and still, enjoying the moment of peace, when Operator speaks up. "This might be a long shot, but... do you remember your name?" Drifter looks over at her child self, hunched in on herself overlooking the gaping maw of the Void trying to eat into the Sanctum, and she can't help but notice how small she looks. Lost. Lonely. Just a kid. "You don't remember yours?" Operator shakes her head, kicking her feet. "I don't remember much of anything, really. I... I'm getting pieces back, but my name isn't in any of them." Drifter gets that. She's lost more time to missing memories than she will ever know. Swinging her legs in a mirror of her child self, she grins and says, "Our name is Andromeda. Like the galaxy." Operator doesn't say anything for a long moment. When she does speak, her voice is hoarse, and Drifter glances over to find a tear dripping down her cheek, hands clenched into fists on her thighs, exhaling shakily and steadfastly avoiding meeting Drifter's gaze. "Thank you..."









