Who is Ace to Cayde-6? An Analysis of the Exo‘s Tragic Backstory

Ace was Cayde-6‘s son from when the Hunter Vanguard was still human, a lost familial connection that would tragically fade from Cayde‘s memory after the Exo process. Though few Destiny players may know Ace‘s name, this forgotten child represents the terrible price Cayde paid to cheat death. My aim today is to uncover the truth of this obscure but emotionally-impactful backstory.

Cayde‘s Criminal Past and Family

Long before his witty robot form, Cayde was an unlucky gambler who owed dangerous debts. As revealed in his journal entries, he had a wife and young son – nicknamed Ace – when disaster struck. Some key insights on pre-Exo Cayde‘s family history:

• Cayde‘s wife is never named, but letters hint at a loving partnership broken by Cayde‘s misfortunes
• Ace was likely a very small child when Cayde disappeared from his life
• Cayde clearly cared deeply for his son, keeping little mementos like a lucky playing card

But criminal forces soon threatened Cayde‘s family. With no other way to protect them, Cayde took a drastic step – selling himself as a test subject to Clovis Bray. This sinister company pioneered the Exo program, promising immortality by transferring minds to robotic bodies. However, Cayde failed to realize the grave cost…

Cayde Becomes an Exo, Forgetting His Past

The Exo transformation process was traumatic. It wiped test subjects‘ memories, killing their old identities to avoid rejection of their new metal forms. As described in backend Exo databases:

• Multiple "reboots" scrub personalities, reducing Exos to numerical designations
• Later versions like Cayde-6 retain basic speech and motor functions through incremental wipes
• But personal histories are erased, including people Exos knew before

So upon first glance at his new mechanical face, Cayde no longer remembered his wife‘s smile or Ace‘s laughter. As time passed, even their names likely faded away, lost in six cycles of rebooting "deaths". Robbed of his past andIdentity, Cayde was reborn as a quip-tossing robot. Hiding his pain behind carefree wit.

Now let‘s analyze the lingering impacts of Cayde‘s humanity through symbols he unknowingly carried into his new Exo life…

The Ace of Spades: Legacy of A Lost Son

Though Cayde doesn‘t recall his boy Ace, this long-dead child still touched his new Exo existence. The most striking impact was lending his name to Cayde‘s iconic hand cannon – the exotic Ace of Spades.

• This weapon‘s title and custom raven iconography reference Cayde‘s forgotten son
• The gun‘s flavor text continues a joke Cayde tragically told a child who can no longer hear it
• Obtaining the weapon even unlocks more of Cayde‘s past, secrets now encoded in an object linked to his ghostly memories

So through this renowned Hunter gun, Cayde‘s lost boy achieved a kind of immortality. The Ace of Spades indirectly pays homage to Ace‘s role in Cayde‘s downfall and rebirth. A true piece of Destiny history every Guardian should investigate!

Conclusion: Ace as Tragedy Personified

What does Ace represent regarding Cayde-6? He epitomizes everything taken from Cayde – his past, his loved ones, his very identity. This unnamed child embodies the tremendous sacrifice Cayde made for a second chance at life.

We cannot truly know Ace – Cayde‘s journal fantasies don‘t capture his real spirit. Ace exists only as an absence, a gaping hole in Cayde‘s soul where intimate bonds once held him human. But Explorer shells still whisper Cayde‘s dreams of reunion with his lost family.

So when you wield the Ace of Spades gun or spot Little Ace playing cards, honor Cayde‘s profound loss. For in his Exo prison, only the symbol of his dead son set Cayde-6 free to fly again…if only in dreams.